Good evening. I'm Jeff Bennett. I'm the Navaz is away. On the news hour tonight, Texas Democrats leave the state to stop Republicans from passing a partisan redistricting plan backed by President Trump.

A former Trump appointee warns the president's decision to fire the head of the office that

crunches U.S. jobs numbers undermines trust in vital economic data.

And five years after a massive chemical explosion ripped through Beirut, families struggled

to rebuild their lives knowing the nation's leaders have not been held accountable. They were gambling with our lives because they know that there's no justice in Lebanon.

They know that they are above the law. Welcome to the NewsHour.

Democrats from the Texas House of Representatives have fled the state in order to block the passage of a new congressional map.

The redistricting is a priority for President Trump, but critics call it gerrymandering and election rigging.

Stephanie Sy has more.

In the Texas House of Representatives today, members, a quorum is not present.

Gridlock.

The Republican majority had planned to vote through new partisan congressional district maps, a goal pushed by President

Trump, and one of the reasons for this special session.

To those who are absent, return now.

The people of Texas are watching, and so is the nation.

And if you choose to continue down this road, you should know there will be consequences.

Instead, nearly every Democrat was absent from the chamber, preventing any voting.

This is state representative, Anton Jones, and we're here at the airport preparing to break quorum.

Many of them had fled the state Sunday, posting their protests from the tarmac. The governor and president has forced redistricting down our throats.

I'm out, but I'm here for you.

They landed in democratic strongholds, like Chicago.

If Donald Trump is allowed to do this, if he is allowed to

...