Will Texas Democrats still out of town really be arrested? The lead starts right now.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has just ordered the arrest of state Democrats who skipped town and didn't show up for today's special session.

How long can those Democrats stay away and hold up the vote as Republicans try and

gerrymander the map and give themselves a little bit of cushion in the control of the U.S.

House. Plus, breaking news from the Middle East, new reports that Israel is considering a full

takeover of Gaza, what this could mean for its war with Hamas and hostages still being held.

Also, breaking right now brand new court filings in the saga of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Some of his victims have just weighed in on efforts to get grand jury transcripts publicly released.

Welcome to the lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news and our politics lead. Texas governor, Greg Abbott, has now ordered the State

Department of Public Safety to conduct civil arrests of Democrats who did not show up for this

afternoon's special

legislative session in the Texas State House. Now, this is all part of the fight for control

of the U.S. House of Representatives in next year's midterms, and it's playing out in dramatic fashion.

Members, a quorum is not present. The role has been called, and a quorum is not present.

The role has been called and a quorum has not been established.

Dozens of Democratic Texas State Representative skipped that special session that began and then, as you saw, was quickly adjourned just about an hour ago, actually fleeing the state

in an attempt to block

a Trump-led partisan redrawing of the state's congressional map, a redrawing that could potentially

give Republicans five more U.S. seats in the midterms.

And in response to Texas Democrats' breaking quorum and stopping official State House business,

the remaining state lawmakers passed a motion

to allow the state house speaker to issue civil warrants for representatives who did not attend

...