Hurricane Erin Threatens East Coast, Beaches Closed; Texas House Approves Map Favoring GOP | NTD Good Morning

Hurricane Erin is moving north along the East Coast and is currently a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of around 105 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center said Erin's winds have weakened slightly since Wednesday. The storm is currently southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving north along the East Coast. Tropical storm-force winds are extending up to 300 miles from its center. Beaches all along the East Coast are being closed as dangerous conditions continue.

The Texas House of Representatives approved new congressional maps on Wednesday after several hours of voting, following a two-week standoff in which Democrats fled the state in protest at the redistricting. President Donald Trump responded to the vote on social media, writing that “Texas never lets us down.” The map is now headed to the state Senate and could be signed into law by the end of this week. Meanwhile, California Democrats are working on their own redistricting plan, with their map expected to see a vote on the floor on Thursday. The new map would then be considered by California voters in a November poll.

Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paid a visit on Wednesday to the hundreds of National Guard troops deployed in the District of Columbia, after nine days of federal control of D.C. law enforcement. Vance said that in the interim, there has been a 35 percent reduction in violent crime and an over 50 percent reduction in robberies. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that 550 arrests have been made so far. The U.S. Marshals Service has also put out a notice for $500 rewards for information leading to arrests in Washington.