Thursday on the RealClearPolitics radio show, Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Carl Cannon discuss Texas and California moving forward with further gerrymandering their congressional districts, the role increasing Latino populations are playing in triggering these changes, and the Federal Reserve’s annual summer meeting starting today. Plus, President Trump’s plan for the government to take a 10% stake in Intel. Later, RCP White House correspondent Phil Wegmann breaks down his latest reporting on Tulsi Gabbard seriously downsizing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Cato Institute VP Ian Vasquez talks about the trial of Hong Kong newspaper owner Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned by the CCP since 2020. You can listen to the show weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** First, the redistricting war of 2025 finally started this week, as Texas passed a new map projected to net Republicans up to five more seats. This appears set to escalate nationally, with California putting its retaliatory map on the ballot in November. “I love this idea of Democrats saying gerrymandering is a threat to democracy, so we have to gerrymander to save democracy,” Tom Bevan quipped. “It’s going to be hand-to-hand political combat.” “Gavin Newsom should know better than to think gerrymandering started in Austin three weeks ago,” Carl Cannon agreed. “He wants to take this state with 40 million people-there are more Republicans in California than in any other state-and if he gets his way, there will be three Republican seats. And they’re doing this while saying they’re ‘defending democracy.’ That’s a level of chutzpah.” *** And then, around minute 7, they cover how increasing Latino support for Trump in 2024 played in triggering these redistricting plans. How many Hispanic voters are up for grabs in 2026 and beyond? “If people are listening for the first time, they need to know what the Republicans did in Austin is inexcusable,” Cannon said. “The GOP is gerrymandering those districts, and they’re doing it because they have newfound strength among Latino voters. When I said Californians should know it didn’t start in Texas, that doesn’t excuse what Texas Republicans are doing.” “There’s a new poll from Equis showing 25% of Latinos who voted for Trump are either disappointed in him or regret voting for him,” Andrew Walworth added. “So maybe they redraw these districts and get it wrong about where the Latino vote will end up.” “The public is fickle,” Tom Bevan agreed. “Trump made huge inroads with Hispanics-46% in 2024, the best showing for a Republican ever-but that support may be softening now.” *** In the next segment, starting at minute 12:30, the Federal Reserve’s annual summer meeting starts today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. President Trump has been strongly pressuring the Fed to cut interest rates. Will Chairman Jerome Powell make the case for continuing not to, in his speech planned for Friday? “Powell’s term is up in May, so this is his swan song, if you will,” Tom Bevan explained. “Markets move worldwide based on what the Fed says.” “We’ve never before said, ‘What’s the Fed chair going to say in his speech tomorrow?’-until now,” Carl Cannon said. “President Trump has politicized the Fed. He’s done this single-handedly. Presidents before have been frustrated with the Fed, but nobody’s attacked the chair like this. This is new territory.” “The Fed is now losing its veneer of independence. Powell’s stuck now. If he cuts rates, people will say he caved to Trump. That’s not where you want the Fed,” Bevan added. “There are plenty of serious critiques of the Fed, but you still want independence.” *** After that, at minute 18, President Trump reportedly wants to convert federal grants to Intel from Biden’s CHIPS Act into a 10% ownership share of the company. Is this unprecedented move the start of a new trend? “If that came from Bernie Sanders, I’d get it. But coming from Trump, a supposed free-market capitalist? Where does that go? What other industries should government own? And why 10%-why not 12 or 50?” Cannon commented. Tom Bevan remains skeptical: “It’s a slippery slope. Government ownership in private companies doesn’t end well. We’ve watched that play out globally, and it rarely ends well.” *** And then, at minute 25, RCP White House correspondent Phil Wegmann breaks down his reporting on Tulsi Gabbard seriously downsizing the office of the Director of National Intelligence: “ODNI 2.0: With Trump’s ‘Greenlight’ Gabbard Launches Historic Intel Overhaul” “She told President Trump, during the nominating process, that she was OK being the last ODNI if it meant that eliminating this post was going to reform the intelligence community overall,” Wegmann reported. “There are 18 shadowy three-letter intelligence agencies. They all do similar but different things,” he explained. “It’s grown and it’s become very bureaucratic and sprawling. Republicans will say it’s a hive of leaks and partisanship. Tulsi Gabbard says: No more. She’s going to basically cut the staff there in half.” “Tulsi Gabbard has always been a skeptic of the intelligence community,” he said. “Trump said he’ll ‘purge the deep state,’ Gabbard is showing it’s not a future promise, but a present one.” *** Finally, at minute 34, Ian Vazquez from the Cato Institute speaks to Carl Cannon about the trial of Hong Kong newspaper owner Jimmy Lai. He faces life in prison on charges of sedition against the Chinese Communist Party. “There was a time when Hong Kong was one of the freest places on earth,” he said. “Jimmy Lai is one of the most important and prominent champions of freedom in the world. He’s certainly the most prominent dissident in jail in China today.” “The Communist Party has cracked down, taken away the city’s autonomy, and it has descended into tyranny, especially in June 2020, when they passed this draconian security law, and he was jailed.” “A verdict will likely come in the next few months, but there’s no suspense. He will be found guilty because this is a show trial. Jimmy Lai has not confessed to these invented charges. He has stood up and provided moral clarity at a time it’s badly needed. Hopefully, after the Chinese dictatorship finishes with this trial, they will consider, with international pressure -perhaps from Donald Trump- there will be a way for Jimmy Lai to be released and leave Hong Kong and China,” he said. *** Don’t miss an episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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