Redrawing America: Red and Blue States Take Gerrymandering To New Level

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Plus: Trump Rules Out U.S. Ground Troops In Ukraine Peace Push

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Good evening,

Apparently, ChatGPT-6 is on its way. It comes on the heels of ChatGPT-5, which launched on August 7th.

I’m not much of an AI power user—but every few weeks, I pop over to Reddit’s /r/ChatGPT to take the pulse of the true fans. Before GPT-5, posts were the usual mix of AI-generated memes, screenshots of conversations, tips for dealing with GPT-4o’s hallucinations and sycophantic tendencies, and hype for the release of GPT-5 (which OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman likened to the Manhattan Project)After release? “Horrible” “mess,” “bad…really, really, bad,” “an unmitigated disaster,” “like it suffered a brain injury.”Ouch. In the interest of good journalism, I went straight to the source and asked ChatGPT-5 what it thinks happened.“In summary, people’s dissatisfaction with GPT‑5 stems largely from:

  • High expectations unmet by incremental gains.

  • A loss of the "personality" that made GPT‑4o beloved.

  • Sudden removal of model options and usage limits.

  • Occasional factual mistakes and a tone that feels too “corporate.”

  • The emotional impact of abrupt changes for deeply attached users.

If GPT‑6 is on the horizon, OpenAI's next steps might include restoring more user control, offering different "personalities," and ensuring that both technical improvements and emotional resonance are part of the upgrade.”We’ll see if Altman takes his model’s advice, or if he has something else in mind.

Aaryan
Video Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Trump Vows Not To Send U.S. Troops To Ukraine, Considers Air Support As Part Of Security Guarantee

President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will not send ground troops as part of security guarantees for Ukraine as he works to broker a peace deal.

  • He told Fox & Friends that European leaders are “willing to put people on the ground” since the war is at their doorstep, while the U.S. would primarily provide air support.

He noted that NATO troops would not be part of the deal, though NATO relies on its 32 member countries for military support, and some of those NATO member countries could provide assistance to Ukraine. Putin has declared that NATO troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable to him.

WHAT’S NEXT
The Tuesday morning interview followed Trump’s White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as European and NATO leaders. Trump is hopeful that a direct Ukraine-Russia leadership meeting may come soon. He even said he thinks Zelensky and Putin are “getting along a little bit better than I thought.”

  • Later Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the two nations had spoken directly. It is unclear who was part of those talks.

  • Russian officials did not sound as hopeful about the meeting, telling state media Tuesday, “any contacts involving top officials should be prepared very carefully.”

Meanwhile, Russia continues to launch massive strikes against Ukraine — firing 270 drones and missiles hours after Monday’s White House meeting.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING

Texas Set To Pass New Congressional Map Amid Mid-Decade Redistricting Push

Texas Democrats returned to the state House this week, where a controversial plan to redraw congressional maps is expected to pass as soon as tomorrow. More than 50 state Democrats had fled Texas for two weeks to deny the GOP-controlled legislature a quorum.

  • State Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat from Fort Worth, said she was locked inside the House chamber overnight Monday after refusing to comply with a new Republican rule requiring Democratic members to be escorted by state police. She was later allowed to return to her office.

    • Republicans argue that mandatory Department of Public Safety escorts are necessary to prevent further quorum breaks, but Collier called the rule an infringement on her rights and dignity.

It comes as Texas has now triggered a national push in blue and red states to redraw congressional maps mid-decade — breaking from the usual once-a-decade redistricting that follows the release of U.S. census data.

HOW WE GOT HERE
President Trump pushed Texas to redraw the congressional maps in order to gain five more Republican seats. In response, California’s governor is moving to add five Democratic seats through a special election this fall.

  • Other Republican-controlled states — including Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri — are exploring redistricting options, while New York, Illinois, and Maryland are doing the same on the Democratic side. Though formal plans have not been announced.

The fight comes ahead of the 2026 midterms, with Republicans holding a slim 219-212 House majority (plus four vacancies) and working to keep control. Democrats want to flip the House.

THE BREAKDOWN
States’ U.S. House makeup doesn’t always match the percentage of votes cast for president, which could be a sign of gerrymandered congressional districts — the practice of manipulating district lines to favor one political party over another.

Mo News compared the party breakdown in the U.S. House for states considering redistricting with how those states voted in the 2024 presidential race.

CA: 43 D - 9 R (83% Dem House Seat Control)

If new maps are passed, state courts could intervene to stop partisan gerrymandering. That happened in New York in 2022.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
There are some clear losers to gerrymandered maps: fair representation, competitive elections, and American democracy.

  • According to Time, extreme gerrymandering that's being proposed could effectively decide control of nearly 200 of the 435 House seats nationwide.

    • Bottom line: That will mean fewer competitive seats and could reduce representatives’ willingness to work across the aisle — all while Congress has increasingly struggled to pass legislation in recent years.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

  • Trump DOJ is investigating whether DC crime stats were manipulated (CNN)

  • Air Force’s top uniformed officer is retiring early in latest Trump military shake-up (AP)

  • Trump tariffs and green energy rollbacks push household electricity bills in the US up 10% (GUARDIAN)

  • Cuomo campaign denies bombshell report about Trump's influence in the NYC mayoral race (FOX)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

  • Air Canada, flight attendants reach tentative deal to end strike (CBC)

  • Qatar urges a Gaza ceasefire after ‘positive response’ from Hamas (AP)

  • Spain faces its worst wildfire season in 30 years, with 40 active blazes and more than 30,000 evacuated (EL PAÍS)

  • Kim Jong Un calls for rapid ‘upgrade’ to nuclear arsenal amid claims the US is trying to ‘provoke war’ (FOX)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

  • In break with current CDC recommendations, leading pediatrics group recommends Covid-19 shots for young children (CNN)

  • Trump administration vying to own a big stake in Intel after SoftBank’s $2 billion bet on company (AP)

  • FDA warns public not to eat possibly radioactive shrimp sold at Walmart (ABC)

  • Scientists find tiny new moon around Uranus with the James Webb Space Telescope (SPACE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • ‘Stranger Things’ creators, the Duffer Brothers, score 4-year deal with Paramount Skydance (CNBC)

  • Dr. Phil’s Bankrupt Media Company Sued Over $500 Million TV Deal (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

  • Jimmy Kimmel defends Colbert after cancellation, calls Paramount's money excuse 'nonsensical' (USA TODAY)

  • John Wall, 5-time All-Star, retires after 11 NBA seasons (ESPN)

  • Menendez brothers to be evaluated by parole board for release after yearslong court saga (AP)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Do you want to buy this above house? You better be loaded. 💸

Gables Estates in Coral Gables, Florida is now the most expensive neighborhood in the U.S., beating out Beverly Hills, according to a new ranking from the real estate website Zillow.

Guest User
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