California Gov. Gavin Newsom is demanding that President Donald Trump abandon a GOP-led redistricting push in Texas following a Democratic walkout that blocked the vote in the Lone Star State over a Republican effort to redraw congressional maps.The Democratic governor warned the partisan battle risks spiraling into a national redistricting "arms race" and urged Trump to "stand down."After days of aggressive back and forth between the two leaders, Newsom tweeted from the official page of the Governor Newsom Press Office, mocking Trump in what was ostensibly meant to mimic the presidents idiosyncratic style of using all-caps and superlatives for many of his posts.DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST SAYS PARTY LACKS 'MORAL AUTHORITY' ON TEXAS REDISTRICTING FIGHT"DONALD TACO TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, MISSED THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE BEAUTIFUL MAPS, THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR MAGA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! GN," the tweet read.Newsoms hyperbolic, Trump-mimicking tone suggested that California will be retaliating in the ongoing redistricting battle unless red states like Texas abort their partisan map plans.The governor seemed to double down on comments on X from Monday in which he posted a video along with the caption:"Donald Trump: Its time to call Greg Abbott and tell him to stand down. You are not entitled to 5 congressional seats. If you do not call your lapdogs off, CA will act quickly and swiftly. We will go to the ballot. We will neutralize whatever gains you make. We will not stand by while you light Democracy on fire."CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO NULLIFY TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATSThe post coincided with a letter to Trump from Monday accusing the president of "playing with fire."The governor said he is prepared to do whatever it takes to combat any gains that the republicans may achieve through efforts in Texas."You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make," Newsom told Trump in the letter."This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy," Newsom said.Newsom said he was in favor of leaving the decision to independent commissions, and that he would "happily" stand down if other states followed suit in the redistricting effort.In another snarky, all-caps tweet meant to mimic Trumps social media style, Newsoms office summarized the letter: "DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES. BUT IF THE OTHER STATES CALL OFF THEIR REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, WE WILL DO THE SAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"Newsoms threat could mark a dramatic reversal of Californias voter-approved independent redistricting process and potentially require legislative action or even a statewide ballot measure.While this is only intended as a political counterpunch, the move has sparked debate among Democrats and Republicans about whether the party risks sacrificing its moral high ground on fair maps.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender transition medical treatment to minors, reversing a lower court decision thatblocked the first-in-the-nation law.The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-2 on Tuesday to overturn a lower court decision, now allowing the state to enforce the law. The appeals court cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding a similar ban in Tennessee, in which the nation's highest court ruled that the law was constitutional and did not discriminate against transgender people.Referencing the Supreme Court's decision, the appeals court agreed with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, that the law did not violate transgender minors' equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution."I applaud the courts decision and am pleased that children in Arkansas will be protected from experimental procedures," Griffin said in a statement following the ruling.FEDERAL COURT REJECTS CHALLENGE TO OKLAHOMA LAW BANNING GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORSArkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on social media that the ruling "is a win for common sense -- and for our kids."Arkansas became the first U.S. state to ban transgender treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors in 2021, when the Republican-led legislature passed the ban after they overruled the veto of then-GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson.Four families of transgender children and two doctors challenged the law, arguing the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act violated parents' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment.Writing the majority opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton said parents have never had a right to obtain medical treatment for their children that a state government had banned.The judge also wrote that the lower court's decision, in which U.S. District Judge Jay Moody ruled in 2023 that the law discriminates against transgender people and poses "immediate and irreparable harm" to transgender children, conflicts with the Supreme Courts decision in the Tennessee case. The law was also previously blocked from taking effect in 2021.U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, meanwhile, wrote in the dissent that there is a "startling lack of evidence connecting Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care with its purported goal of protecting children."The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas were among the groups representing the plaintiffs.SCOTUS RULES ON STATE BAN ON GENDER TRANSITION 'TREATMENTS' FOR MINORS IN LANDMARK CASE"This is a tragically unjust result for transgender Arkansans, their doctors, and their families," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement."The state had every opportunity and failed at every turn to prove that this law helps children; in fact, this is a dangerous law that harms children," she continued. "The law has already had a profound impact on families across Arkansas who all deserve a fundamental right to do what is best for their children. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want transgender Arkansans to know they are far from alone and we remain as determined as ever to secure their right to safety, dignity, and equal access to the health care they need."The ruling on Tuesday comes after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last weekthat a similar ban in Oklahoma is constitutional, also relying upon the Supreme Court's decision on the Tennessee law.Reuters contributed to this report.