Six states to send troops to D.C. And, Texas lawmakers to vote on redistricting today

Published On: August 23, 2025

Good morning. The Up First newsletter is what you’re reading.Listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day, and subscribe here to get it sent to your inbox.

Today’s top stories

More than 1,100 additional soldiers will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., as six states have already committed to sending their National Guard members there. As of right now, the governors of Tennessee, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Ohio are all Republicans. President Trump declared a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital, which prompted the deployment.

NPR’s Meg Anderson tells

Up First

that after looking at last year’s murder rates

, she found that many of the states sending troops have cities with higher crime counts than the capital. In Jackson, Miss., the murder rate is four times higher than that of Washington, and in Memphis, it is nearly triple. Washington still has a higher violent crime rate than some other major cities, including New York City, but the numbers are falling. Insha Rahman, with the advocacy group the Vera Institute of Justice, says the president’s enlisting of governors to send troops

signals a political power grab

, and it’s not about making cities safer.

Following their meeting at the White House on Monday, European leaders have been working frantically to determine the next steps to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has lasted almost four years. In order to prevent another possible Russian invasion, Trump has denied that the United States would send troops to join a force headed by Europe. The leaders of the European Union who attended the meetings with Trump were debriefing their counterparts virtually less than twenty-four hours later.

The urgency shows how high-stakes this is for Europe

, says reporter Teri Schultz. Trump has pledged that the U.S. will help with security guarantees for Ukraine, but the president has made it clear he wants Europe to take the lead. European Council President Ant nio Costa says there is a difficult road ahead, but the U.S.’s support has brought reassurance. A large unanswered question is how willing Europeans are to send their people to Ukraine because it is unclear whether the mission would be to monitor, reinforce or defend a ceasefire. Those terms all mean very different things and

carry different levels of danger

for those deployed.

Today’s vote by Texas lawmakers is anticipated to approve a revision to the state’s congressional layout.After passing the Senate tomorrow, the bill will go to Governor Greg Abbott, who is anticipated to approve it. To prolong this process, Texas Democrats took a few weeks off from the state. When they returned, Texas Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows told Democrats that if they wanted to leave the building after work earlier this week, they would have to sign a document promising to show up today.

The new map, which could bring five new GOP seats, could make all the difference for Republicans

, who currently hold the House by a few seats, Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom says. Democrats say the new map weakens Black and Latino votes in illegal ways, and they

will challenge it in court

. California Democrats also plan to vote this week on a map that would give an edge to five more Democrats in the House next year. In California, the law requires an independent commission to do the redistricting, but the state is seeking voters’ approval in a special election in November.

Living better

A unique series called Living Better explores the factors that Americans need to maintain their health.

The primary method used by many people to monitor their daily activity—or lack thereof—is step counting. Many Americans could certainly stand to walk a few more steps, as they spend more than nine hours a day sitting down. However, how many steps must you do each day to get healthier? According to recent research that was published in The Lancet Public Health, 7,000 is a reasonable goal, and the more you move, the lower your risk of dying from conditions like cardiovascular disease. The evidence does not, however, negate the importance of walking more than that amount each day. Here are some further findings from the study:

The widely cited target of 10,000 steps is not rooted in solid science; instead, it was popularized by a Japanese promotional campaign.
The study found that taking 7,000 steps a day reduced the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 14%, cardiovascular disease by 25%, symptoms of depression by 22% and dementia by 38%.
The study was unable to draw any definitive conclusions about whether the speed you take your steps makes a difference. There are various ways to measure intensity and observed distinctions could simply reflect better overall fitness and physical function.

Picture show

All of the NPR network photographers cover a wide range of topics in various locations of the United States and are aware that images have a power to link people that words cannot. They frequently discover points of agreement in the routine moments when communities come together for each assignment. They posted these photos in honor of World Photography Day.Together, they provide a visual examination of scenes involving friends, relatives, neighbors, and complete strangers that highlight their distinct joys and struggles. Every photographer considers the nuanced ways in which people interact, live together, and move through life. See their work, from the annual “From Hiroshima to Hope” event in Seattle, where hundreds of people assemble, to the St. Louis weiner dog race.