Texas Democratic state lawmakers delayed the vote by fleeing the state, but enough returned this week for the body to reconvene.

Governor Gavin Newsom has rallied enough support from local Democratic leaders to plow ahead with a controversial initiative to redraw California’s congressional maps. A key next task: tapping the state’s wealthy to help sell the plan to voters.

Hurricane Erin may not be forecast to make landfall, but the sprawling Category 2 storm is still going to impact much of the East Coast as it tracks north this week. On Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency to prepare for the life-threatening rip currents and storm surge expected to affect the coastal region.

The lawsuit comes as Newsom seeks a tit-for-tat expansion of California's House delegation to match a redistricting in Texas that would net Republicans five more seats.

The effort is intended to help the G.O.P. win five more U.S. House seats in the midterm elections. Other states, red and blue, are likely to redraw their own maps.

Lodi Mayor Cameron Bregman is sounding the alarm over the newly redrawn California congressional maps that would cut his city into three separate congressional districts.

The League of United Latin American Citizens and other groups are asking a judge to consider blocking the new congressional maps pushed by Republicans.

After Democrats returned to the Texas statehouse, Republican leadership assigned law enforcement officers to monitor them to prevent further delays to their plan to redraw congressional voting districts to favor Republicans ahead of the election.

A Texas Democrat has stayed overnight at the state Capitol to protest how the Texas House’s top Republican had dozens of her colleagues shadowed.

The Texas House gaveled in at noon with Democratic members present, marking an official end to the quorum break.