Published: October 6, 2025
Too much has happened in the month since the semester started to cover in a student journalism political recap, including serious political violence. This piece will only cover the “Election Rigging Response Act”, President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, and the fall of Nepal’s political system.
The United States: Back in June, President Trump proposed the idea of redistricting the state of Texas before the 2026 congressional election, theoretically giving Texas republicans five congressional seats currently held by Texas democrats. Political scientists predict next year’s election to be a toss-up between majority power for the two parties, so every vote counts. What drew attention to President Trump’s request was that one, Presidents don’t usually make redistricting requests, and two, redistricting usually only occurs after the national census every four years. What republicans in Texas are trying to do is what political scientists call “partisan gerrymandering.” Here’s why it’s bad: Harvard Education’s website defines gerrymandering as “when district maps are being drawn to grant a group or party an undue advantage.” What does that mean? Politicians can redraw district maps so a democratic vote in one district is worth less than in another, or vice versa with a republican vote. This results in unfair and unclean elections. This is not to say thousands of districts across the country are not already drawn in a way to dampen an opposition party’s vote— but, as reported by Harvard Education, Democrats and Republicans have not spoken so plainly about attempts to partisan gerrymander “for a long time.”
In response to Texas plans, California lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom have signed the “Election Rigging Response Act”, a legislative package that gives Californians the “power to push back on Trump’s attempts to shred democracy,” reported by Gov. Newsom’s website. The legislative package includes three important pieces:
The Assembly Constitution Amendment 8 will allow Californians to ability to temporarily adopt a new Congressional map that could neutralize the five republican congressional seats in Texas. The Senate Bill 280 establishes a plan for a statewide special election for the Election Rigging Response Act (also referred to as Proposition 50) to take place in November. Finally, Assembly Bill 604 establishes the new temporary Congressional District Maps for Californians to vote on in November. Why does California’s redistricting matter to Mainers? California’s government is showing other states how to organize and fight against decisions that may not be in the best interest of our democracy. Maine should take notes and take action to fight for what’s best for Mainers.
President Trump continues to use military force in American cities. In mid-August, President Trump signed an Executive Order declaring a “crime emergency” in the District of Columbia, deploying the National Guard to “address the rampant violence and disorder that have undermined the proper and safe functioning of the Federal Government,” according to the Executive Order’s White House fact sheet. The national guard has been deployed to American cities before, notably during the violence and protests of the Civil Rights movement, but, according to CNN and AP News, lawmakers question President Trump’s executive authority to choose cities to deploy the military to, especially as a means of intimidation. Earlier this month, D.C.’s attorney general Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against the Executive Order, calling it an “illegal federal overreach,” according to USA Today.
Despite questions of legality, President Trump moves to deploy the National Guard in Memphis, Tennessee. Signing an order in late Sept., Trump met with Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who welcomes the deployment. Memphis Democratic Mayor Paul Young was quoted by AP News: “I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime.”
In addition to Memphis, President Trump has moved to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon. President Trump announced the military force would be sent to protect “war-ravaged” Portland. The announcement comes after weeks of demonstrations outside the Portland, Oregon, ICE facility. Approximately 200 Oregon National Guard soldiers have been readied for deployment, according to the Oregon Military Department. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, October 3, as Oregon lawmakers filed suit arguing that an order deploying National Guard troops should be made through state governors.
Nepal: Comments and posts have gained traction on social media, calling United States citizens to take inspiration from the government overthrow in Nepal, so what actually happened? Nepal suffered from great political and economic corruption. Online campaigns addressing the nepotism and corruption within the county’s elite began trending across social media platforms. Frustration came to a tipping point as Nepal’s youth has battled “crippling inflation, economic hardship and high youth unemployment.” Their suffering clashed with “images of wealth and luxury” posted on social media by the political elites. In Nepal, the median age is just 25, so after the Oli government “enforced a ban on almost all social media sites,” the youth took their anger to the streets. Youth protesters set fire to Nepal’s parliament and the home of ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli, as reported by the Guardian.
The widespread protests “were met with deadly police force, leaving 19 dead and hundreds injured,” according to the Guardian. The Atlantic Council reported that protests and riots caused an estimated over 22 billion dollars in losses.
In the aftermath, “more than 100,000 meet regularly in a virtual chat room” on Discord to discuss the future of Nepal, according to the New York Times. The organizers are members of a civic organization called Hami Nepal.
After the government’s collapse, Nepal’s biggest power force was its military, which set curfews and restricted large gatherings. Channel organizers met with army chiefs to suggest a potential temporary leader. “After lengthy discussions and several polls” on Discord, the former chief justice Sushila Karki met with Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Poudel and was sworn into office as Nepal’s first female prime minister, according to the New York Times.
For the next six months, “Karki will lead an interim government” separate from any of the prominent political parties that have led the country, as reported by The Guardian. There will be elections held in March, as reported by the Guardian.
Nepal’s political system has a long way to go before being stable, but the country’s movement has shown the world how powerful social media and our generation can be.
