Former President Barack Obama is praising Texas House Democrats over their efforts to thwart Republican redistricting in the state. During a virtual call, he slammed the GOP plan as an "assault on democracy.

Former President Barack Obama on Thursday joined a virtual meeting with Texas House Democrats who left the state to deny Republicans the ability to pass newly drawn GOP-favorable congressional maps, cheering on their efforts and stressing their work comes at a critical time in the fight against partisan gerrymandering.