Lone Star standoff: Democrats exit, governor threatens ouster: Unbiased Updates, Aug. 4, 2025
They boarded planes, flew north and triggered a political standoff. More than 50 Texas Democrats are now holed up in Illinois after walking out to block a Trump-backed redistricting vote.
Plus, four people were shot and killed inside a Montana bar. The suspect vanished, and now, law enforcement fear he may strike again. This morning, a manhunt is underway.
And President Donald Trump said it was rigged — a jobs report designed to hurt him. Now, the head of the Labor Bureau is out. So, what comes next?
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Aug. 4, 2025.
Texas democrats flee state to block GOP redistricting plan
Democratic lawmakers in Texas have fled the state, and Republicans are now threatening to strip them of office. The news comes as the GOP plans to redraw congressional maps, designed to help Republicans flip five seats ahead of the 2026 midterm.
More than 50 Texas House Democrats arrived in Chicago late Sunday, Aug. 3, and stood alongside Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in defiance of the GOP plan.
The walkout was designed to deny a quorum in the Texas House, blocking a vote on the new maps for now.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded to the walkout, calling it a “forfeiture of office.” He warned that if the Democrats who walked out don’t return, he’ll move to remove them.
Abbott is not alone. In a post on X, Attorney General Ken Paxton said democrats should be “found, arrested and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”
The GOP map was fast-tracked through the committee this weekend. It would shift Texas from 25 to 30 held congressional districts, all won by President Donald Trump by double digits.
Republicans said it’s about stability. Democrats called it a brazen attempt to rig the system, not just in Texas but nationwide.
“We did not make a decision to come here today lightly… We come here today with absolute moral clarity that this is absolutely the right thing to do to protect the people of the state of Texas,” said Texas Senate Minority Leader Gene Wu. “And Gov. Abbott is doing this in submission to Donald Trump.”
As of Monday morning, Aug. 4, the Texas House will convene at 3 p.m. local time. Without a quorum, business could stall for weeks.
Armed suspect on the run after four killed in Montana bar shooting
A manhunt is underway after authorities said a 46-year-old man walked into a bar in Anaconda, Montana, and shot and killed four people. The shooting happened Friday, Aug. 1, and since then, the suspect has vanished.
The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Michael Paul Brown, is now the target of an intensive manhunt.
A still image released by the Department of Criminal Investigations in Montana shows him fleeing the scene moments after the shooting. He stripped down to his boxers.
Authorities said the four victims were a retired nurse turned bartender and three local regulars. Officials called the shooting a cold-blooded, unprovoked attack.
Local authorities warned that Brown could return.
“Absolutely, there’s concern he might come back into town,” said Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen in a press conference. “This is, by all indications, this is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So, there absolutely is concern for the public. Again, I’m going to stress: we believe this is an armed and extremely dangerous individual.”
The suspect, a veteran with a history of mental health issues, lived next door to the bar and was known in the community. He is believed to be on foot, familiar with the terrain and still armed.
Officials have offered a $7,500 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Trump fires labor commissioner over July job numbers
Trump has defended his decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after the latest jobs report, released Friday, Aug. 1. The July numbers showed the economy added just 73,000 jobs, and revisions to May and June wiped out 258,000.
Trump took to Truth Social, saying the numbers were rigged to hurt him and the republican party.
The president then announced that he was firing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, stating that he wants his own people in the role.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Aug. 3, Trump accused the BLS of manipulating data to undercut him.
“If you remember, just before the election, this woman came out with these phenomenal numbers on Biden’s economy. Phenomenal numbers. And then right after the election, they announced that those numbers were wrong. And that’s what they did the other day. So it’s a scam in my opinion.”
Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, backed the move on Fox News Sunday. Hassett said the downward revisions were the biggest in five decades and deserved far more transparency.
“When I first saw the big revisions, which, by the way, were the largest revisions going all the way back for 50 years if we exclude the COVID years, when I saw those revisions, I thought it must be a typo,” Hassett said.
But not every Republican is on board.
Sens. Rand Paul, Thom Tillis and Cynthia Lummis have questioned whether firing McEntarfer was the right decision, suggesting the move could backfire politically.
Boeing workers walk off job in Missouri, Illinois
More than 3,000 workers at three Boeing plants have gone on strike. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union, based in Missouri and Illinois, have walked off the job.
The IAM Union said the top issues involve pay and scheduling.
These Boeing workers build and maintain critical military aircraft such as the F-15 and FA-18 fighter jets.
Last month, union members rejected Boeing’s latest contract offer.
On X, the union said the strike was about “respect and dignity, not empty promises.”
In response, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager Dan Gillian said the company was “disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules.”
Gillian added that Boeing’s nonstriking workforce will keep operations running.
Legendary actress Loni Anderson dies at 79
Star of the 1980s hit “WKRP in Cincinnati,” Loni Anderson, has died. A publicist for the family said Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a “prolonged illness.”
She would have been 80 years old on Tuesday, Aug.5.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.
“WKRP in Cincinnati” aired from 1978 to 1982, and during her time playing Jennifer Marlowe, Anderson was recognized with two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for the popular sitcom.
Over her career, Anderson also starred in various TV shows and films, including big titles like “Three’s Company,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “The Love Boat” and “The Bob Newhart Show.”
According to Anderson’s publicist, a private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Russian volcano erupts for first time in centuries post earthquake
Mother nature isn’t done making headlines in Russia’s far east.
A volcano in Russia called the “Krasheninnikov” at the Kronotsky Nature Reserve erupted for the first time in at least 400 years on Sunday, Aug. 3. Ash and gas emissions got as high as 3.7 miles as the plume spread east toward the Pacific Ocean, the Nature Reserve said.
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A view from a helicopter shows the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in the Kamchatka region, Russia, August 3, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Instagram/@artemsheldr/Handout via Reuters) -
(KVERT via EYEPRESS) -
A view from a helicopter shows the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in the Kamchatka region, Russia, August 3, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Instagram/@artemsheldr/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. -
Image taken by Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) shows the historic eruption of Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka, Russia. (KVERT via EYEPRESS) -
A view from a helicopter shows the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in the Kamchatka region, Russia, August 3, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Instagram/@artemsheldr/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT.
The eruption came just days after a massive 8.8 earthquake rocked the region. The volcanic explosion was strong enough to trigger a 7.0 aftershock. Even a tsunami warning, which has since been lifted.
Russian scientists said this is the first confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov in more than 600 years, though some U.S. experts put that at 475.
Either way, it’s been awhile.
Officials said activity has started to die down, but moderate explosions could still continue.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
