President Trump doubled down yesterday on his push for Texas to redraw its congressional district map ahead of the midterms, claiming that the GOP is "entitled to five more seats."

Why it matters: The proposed map in Texas would make five districts currently represented by Democrats more favorable to Republicans, spurring an all-out "war" between red and blue states.

• Many Texas state representatives remained out of state yesterday in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, further delaying a vote on the push to redraw the map mid-decade.

The latest: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) asked the FBI yesterday to help state law enforcement locate and arrest Democratic lawmakers who left the state.

• Gov. Greg Abbott also filed a request to strip state Rep. Gene Wu, of Houston, of his seat, while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would pursue a court ruling to declare the Democrats' seats vacant starting Friday.

The big picture: Trump has urged Republicans to use all the tools at their disposal to gain a leg-up in the 2026 midterms.

• But a House Republican from California announced this week he plans to introduce legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting efforts nationwide. California Democrats are pushing to redraw maps that would reduce GOP seats in the Golden State.

Reality check: The bill could become a rallying point for lawmakers in both parties uneasy with the partisan redistricting tit-for-tat but it is highly unlikely to pass the House — let alone become law.

Zoom in: The state House failed to reach quorum yesterday, with 54 Democratic representatives absent.

• State Rep. Chris Turner, who represents part of Grand Prairie and Arlington, called Abbott's attempts to remove the absent politicians from office "more authoritarianism."
• "The executive doesn't get to remove lawmakers just because he doesn't like how we choose to represent those who elected us," Turner posted on X.

What's next: The state House is adjourned until 1pm Friday, per The Hill.

People who grew up in Collin County had some of the best credit among early middle-age Texans, with an average score of 695, newly released data show.

Why it matters: Credit scores can determine people's access to loans, housing and better interest rates — despite their flaws and biases.

Driving the news: The data for the above map comes from The Opportunity Atlas — a joint project from the U.S. Census Bureau and Opportunity Insights at Harvard University — and is based on anonymized info from a major credit bureau.

• The map shows average credit scores in 2020 by childhood county for people born 1978-1985, making them roughly 35-42 at the time of measurement.

The intrigue: The results give a snapshot of people's credit scores based on where they grew up, not necessarily where they lived in adulthood.

The big picture: People who grew up in the Upper Midwest and the Northeast tend to have higher credit scores compared to people who grew up in the South.

Zoom in: People who grew up in Denton and Rockwall counties average a 684 credit score.

• Tarrant County products averaged a 665 credit score.
• Dallas County natives had a lower average credit score of 657.

Zoom out: Growing up in just one Texas county — Hartley in the Panhandle — resulted in an average credit score of 700 or higher.

• By comparison, people who grew up in eight Massachusetts counties had average credit scores above 700.

The bottom line: Measurements based on your childhood neighborhood can reveal how the geographic roll of the dice may impact the course of your life, even if you're no longer there.

Tax-free weekend starts Friday — just in time for the new school year.

Why it matters: The statewide sales tax holiday covers most school supplies, clothing and backpacks, giving parents a big savings.

• Planned tariffs on Chinese imports are expected to increase prices up to 15% this season.

Zoom in: North Texas parents will spend an average of $750 back-to-school supplies, more than the national average of $570, per a recent Deloitte survey.

• Planned spending is slightly less than last year but higher than 2023, largely due to increase in prices, the consulting giant found.

How it works: Texas' tax-free savings cover in-person and online shopping, per the state comptroller's office.

• Most major Texas cities have a sales tax of 8.25%.
• The savings end at 11:59pm Sunday.
• Clothing and school supplies have to be under $100 to be tax-exempt, including delivery and transportation fees.
• Coupons can be applied to bring the final price under $100.

The bottom line: Tax-free weekend can help parents and kids brush up on their percentages before the school year.

💰 The new Keller ISD superintendent will earn a higher salary than his predecessor, who had resigned over a proposal to split the school district. (Star-Telegram)

📅 The Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted yesterday to reduce its meetings to just one a month. (KERA)

🏌️‍♀️ Golfer Jeeno Thitikul of Carrollton reached No. 1 in women's golf rankings this week. (DMN)

🕯️ Philanthropist Morton Meyerson, after whom Dallas' symphony hall is named, died yesterday at age 87. (NBC5)

All the pickles have been canned, the quilts been sewn and the mosaics glued for this year's State Fair of Texas arts and crafts contests.

Why it matters: One of the best parts of the fair is wandering through the air conditioned creative arts building to peep all the foods that can be pickled and gaze at every form of needlework imaginable.

The latest: All of this year's submissions were turned in last weekend, and winners will be announced Aug. 20.

• Meanwhile, the Big Tex Choice Awards winners will be announced this morning.

The bottom line: We have just about 51 days left until we can wander the fairgrounds clutching a turkey leg and looking at our fellow Texans' hobbies.