special

Aug. 30 (UPI) — Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., is considering holding a special session of the state legislature to address gun laws following a shooting this week, according to multiple reports.

Walz, 61, is in the process of calling state legislators to gauge reaction to the idea, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

The news comes after two children were killed and 17 people were injured in a shooting during Mass at a Catholic school in Minneapolis this week.

The suspect, a 23-year-old transgender woman who reportedly previously attended the church school, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The two children killed were ages 8 and 10, while 14 of the people injured were also children.

“It’s time to take serious action at the State Capitol to address gun violence,” Walz said on X this week.

The governor has yet to officially comment on the reports of a potential special legislative session.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has been vocal in his support for changes to the state’s gun laws.

“We need action … to make sure everyone has this common foundation of safety. Let’s stop this from happening,” Frey, a Democrat, said in a video on X.

“I think we’d be happy to ban assault rifles here in Minneapolis,” he said in an interview.

Police confirmed this week the rifle, shotgun and pistol carried by suspected shooter Robin Westman were all obtained legally.

Walz is dealing with the tragedy only two months after a pair of state lawmakers and their spouses were shot — two fatally — in a politically-motivated attack.

Aug. 30 (UPI) — Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Kehow ordered a special legislative session to redraw the congressional map for its eight U.S. House seats, mirroring efforts by other governors to gain seats for their parties in the 2026 midterms.

Redistricting may face a legal challenge because the state constitution requires new borders to be determined after new census numbers come out at the beginning of each decade, with the next scheduled for 2030.

On Friday, Kehow said the state General Assembly will return to the capital in Jefferson City on Wednesday to look at changing the maps. There are now six Republicans and two Democrats representing Missouri.

Both chambers hold super-majorities. The Missouri Senate will consider the map during its annual veto session on Sept. 10.

“Today, I am calling on the General Assembly to take action on congressional redistricting and initiative petition reform to ensure our districts and Constitution truly put Missouri values first,” Kehoe said in a statement.

Kehow unveiled the Missouri First Map, which he said is “a more compact, contiguous proposed map that was drawn and created by his team in Missouri to be considered by the General Assembly.”

The new map, he said, splits fewer counties and municipalities than the current map. It preserves two congressional districts as currently drawn, and retains every current member in their proposed districts.

“Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our Missouri values, across both sides of the aisle, are closer to each other than those of the extreme Left representation of New York, California and Illinois,” Kehoe said. “Missouri’s conservative, common-sense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that.”

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday that “passage of a new, much fairer, and much improved, Congressional Map, that will give the incredible people of Missouri the tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the2026 Midterm Elections – A HUGE VICTORY for our America First Agenda, not just in the ‘Show-Me State,’ but across our Nation.”

Trump, who noted he decisively won three primaries and three presidential elections, added “I call on all of my Republican friends in the Missouri Legislature to work as fast as they can to get this new Congressional Map, AS IS, to Governor Mike Kehoe’s desk, ASAP.”

In his Friday video, Kehoe said: “I appreciate President Donald Trump for raising the level of conversation on this matter, because his leadership on this nationally underscores just how important this moment is for Missouri.”

The proposed map significantly redraws the 5th congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2004. It includes a much larger portion of the state, meaning from the western portion of the state to the eastern edge.

The district currently covers Kansas City and its surrounding areas, as well as a portion of Independence. The district is home to Harry S. Truman, a Democrat who was U.S. president from 1945-1953.

“President Trump’s unprecedented directive to redraw our maps in the middle of the decade and without an updated census is not an act of democracy — it is an unconstitutional attack against it,” Cleaver, the first Black mayor of Kansas City, said in a statement. “This attempt to gerrymander Missouri will not simply change district lines, it will silence voices.”

He added Democrats wouldn’t “concede” if the map redrawing moves forward.

“The people of the Fifth District and I will fight relentlessly to ensure Missouri never becomes an antidemocratic state, where politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. In the courts and at the ballot box, we will demand that the rule of law is upheld, our voices are heard, and democracy prevails.”

He noted roughly 40% of Missourians cast their ballots for Democratic candidates last year but hold only 25% of the House seats.

The other House Democrat serving the state is Wesley Bell, elected for his first term in November, and serving in the 1st Congressional District covering St. Louis. He was the first Black prosecutor in St. Louis County.

The Missouri Constitution calls for the legislature to draw new congressional districts every 10 years after new U.S. census numbers are reported. Missouri officials weighed the map’s legality last week, according to emails obtained by the Kansas City Star.

“The plain language of the Missouri Constitution and the Missouri Supreme Court’s precedent make clear that mid-cycle congressional redistricting is prohibited,” attorneys Chuck Hatfield and Alix Cossette, two longtime Democratic attorneys, wrote in a memo obtained by the Missouri Independent. “Any attempt to do so will draw a substantial legal challenge, which will likely succeed and invalidate any map adopted by the General Assembly.”

Other states

In the U.S. House, Republicans currently hold a 219-212 advantage, which includes vacancies from the deaths of three Democrats and one GOP member who resigned.

On Friday, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation for a new congressional map in an attempt to add five GOP seats in the U.S. House, which now includes 25 of 38 controlled by GOP.

In California, the new map could add five seats for Democrats, who hold a 43-9 edge. But unlike in Texas, voters in November must approve the change. California’s borders are drawn by a nonpartisan group and new legislation left it up to a referendum.

Republican-dominant legislatures in Ohio, Indiana and Florida may redraw congressional borders before the 2026 midterm elections.

Earlier this week, some Indiana legislators visited the White House to discuss redistricting.

States traditionally redo their borders at the start of each decade but in Ohio, under state law, a new congressional map must be approved by November 30. The previous map lacked bipartisan support.

Other states with a Democratic majority, including Illinois, New York, Maryland and Oregon, are also considering changing the borders.

Republican legislatures control 28 of the 50 states with 18 by Democrats and four chambers divided politically.

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) recently awarded a contract for new rifles chambered to fire the 6.5mm Creedmoor round to Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT). The Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault (MRGG-A) rifles will give special operators greater reach, as well as improved accuracy and terminal performance against targets at those longer ranges.

The Pentagon quietly announced the deal for the MRGG-As (sometimes also referred to as Medium-Range Gas Gun-Assault or Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assaulter rifles) in its daily contracting announcement on August 22. The contract, which covers “medium range gas gun-assault kits, spare parts and accessories, new equipment training, and engineering change proposals,” has a maximum ceiling of $92 million and runs through August 14, 2035.

LMT’s MRGG-A is a member of its Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System-Heavy (MARS-H) family, which are commonly described as AR-10-style rifles. The original Armalite AR-10 is the larger predecessor to the widely recognized AR-15/M16 pattern. Like the AR-10, as well as many AR-15/M16 variants and derivatives, all of the MARS-H versions listed on LMT’s website at the time of writing use the so-called direct impingement operating principle. This means that when the gun is fired, some of the gas that propels the bullet down the barrel is siphoned off and blown directly against the main action to cycle it. Variations on the AR-15/M16 pattern that use a physical gas piston instead are increasingly common. A piston keeps propellant gas, and the particulate matter within it, away from the gun’s action, reducing the chance of fouling and offering other maintenance and reliability advantages. These rifles are typically heavier and more expensive than their DI counterparts, though.

The MRGG-A configuration LMT has shown publicly has a 14.5″ barrel built into an upper receiver with a ‘monolithic’ Picatinny type rail for optics and other accessories that runs the full length of the top of the rifle. The sides of the handguard have additional accessory attachment points utilizing the increasingly popular M-LOK system from Magpul. The gun has ambidextrous controls and is capable of semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire.

LMT has also shown MRGG-As with scopes from Nightforce Optics, as seen in the picture at the top of this story. Back in 2021, Nightforce announced it had secured a contract from SOCOM for ATACRTM 4-20×50 F1 scopes “to augment multiple systems in the SOCOM inventory and… to support the MRGG (Mid-Range Gas Gun) once it is fielded.” In U.S. service, those optics are also referred to as Ranging-Variable Power Scopes (R-VPS).

SOCOM’s MRGG effort traces back to the late 2010s and was subsequently split into two separate subcomponents, the MRGG-A and the MRGG-S (for sniper). It has also been presented in the past as primarily intended for use within the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community, which includes the U.S. Navy’s SEAL teams, though it is unclear if this is still the case.

In 2023, SOCOM chose a separate AR-10-esque design with a 20-inch barrel from Geissele Automatics to become the MRGG-S. The Pentagon’s contracting notice at the time noted that, despite the name, the MRGG-Ss would be used in the “sniper support weapon” and “designated marksman rifle” roles.

The 2023 video below from Geissele Automatics offers a brief overview of the company’s MRGG-S rifle.

The MRGSS-S takes “advantage of advances in ammunition and weapons technology to improve the intermediate range sniper rifle lethality, reliability and performance when suppressed during 50-1,500 meter engagements,” the Pentagon’s notice added.

The shorter-barreled MRGG-A will still offer special operators in the assault role a significant boost in capability when it comes to range and terminal effectiveness. SOCOM has said in the past that rifles chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor, in general, could double a shooter’s probability of scoring a hit on targets up to 3,280 feet away (1,000 meters).

As a comparison, the 5.56x45mm M4A1 carbine, modified versions of which remain in use in the U.S. special operations community, has a maximum effective range of around 1,640 feet (500 meters), according to the U.S. Army. The 7.62x51mm M110, a designated marksman rifle in service across all branches of the U.S. military, as well as various U.S. federal government law enforcement agencies, can reach out to just under 2,625 feet (800 meters).

The MRGG-A is also heavier and bulkier than the M4A1. The U.S. special operations community does have a wide array of small arms options it can issue depending on the operational requirements, including if there is an expectation of close-quarters combat inside buildings or other confined spaces.

With all this in mind, SOCOM has also been looking into new light machine guns chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor in recent years. The cartridge is seeing increasing interest elsewhere, too. In March, the U.S. Secret Service notably put out a contracting notice seeking information about potential 6.5 Creedmoor rifles to supplant its M110s.

There has been a broader drive within the U.S. military in recent years toward rifles firing larger cartridges with greater reach, as well as increased lethality at those ranges, driven heavily by combat experiences in Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror era. Concerns about improving adversary body armor had also been a factor. This is what led the U.S. Army to adopt the M7 rifle, which has been the subject of some controversy recently, as well as the companion M250 light machine gun. The M7 and M250 are chambered to fire the 6.8x51mm cartridge. Army special operations forces were involved in developmental testing of the M7 and M250, but it remains to be seen how widespread those guns might be issued within the broader special operations community.

In the meantime, U.S. special operators are now set to get new 6.5mm Creedmoor MRGG-A rifles from LMT.

Contact the author: [email protected]

IT’s been HOT this summer – it’s no surprise if some of your usual garden favourites are wilting somewhat.

But as the climate changes it’s worth thinking about new varieties that can cope a bit better going forward.

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There’s a whole host of wildflowers out there that can handle the heat and still put on a beautiful show.

Dr Emily Attlee, conservation scientist and co-founder of Seedball has shared her top picks with Sun Gardening.

CONEFLOWERS

“Not just a feast for the eyes, these are tough and reliable perennials that come back year after year. Easy to grow and adored by pollinators, coneflowers bring long-lasting colour and drought resilience to any garden.

OXEYE DAISY

“Spotted on roadside verges, the oxeye daisy is a fuss-free flower that thrives on neglect. It handles poor soil well and requires very little watering once settled in.

These cheerful self-seeders return annually and spread with ease – bringing with them rustic charm and a welcome haven for pollinators.

MEADOWHALL CRANESBILL

Although young plants may need a little more water to begin with, meadow cranesbill is a fantastic choice for dry, well-drained soil once matured.

With rich violet blooms and a place in the geranium family, this plant supports pollinators while adding definition and charm to beds and borders.

MUSK MALLOW

With soft pink flowers and a classic cottage garden appeal, musk mallow is both beautiful and hardy. Low maintenance and drought tolerant, it dies back in Autumn but reliably reappears in spring. Its vintage look and wildlife-friendly nature make it a garden favourite.

CORNFLOWER

These eye-catching blue blooms feature open faces, frilled petals, and curly stamens. Loved by bees and other beneficial insects, cornflowers are easy going once established and thrive with minimal watering. Ideal for adding colour and texture to a dry garden.“

She added: “These are just a small selection, as most native wildflowers are naturally suited to withstand drought once they’ve taken root.

“Many have evolved over time to adapt to the UK’s unpredictable weather patterns, including long dry periods. Some even store seeds beneath the soil, ready to regenerate when conditions improve.

“So, if you’re planning for the future of your patch, wildflowers are a smart, sustainable choice.”

For more tips from Emily and the Seedball team, visit  www.seedball.co.uk.

Also in Veronica’s Column this week

Top tips, news, Plant of the Week and a competition to win a Spring Bulb Bundle with 183 bulbs!!

NEWS! Multi award-winning garden designer, Pip Probert, from BBC 2’s Your Garden Made Perfect, is designing the headline feature garden at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, taking place at Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden, Essex next weekend.
 As reported previously in Sun Gardening – the  ‘Make a Metre Matter’ campaign encourages gardeners to transform a metre of outdoor space for the good of the planet. More than 13,500 eco-friendly metres have been pledged at gardenersworld.com to date, and Pip’s feature garden is brimming with meaningful metres to inspire Autumn Fair visitors to get involved. For tickets, visit  www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com.

TOP TIP! If you’re thinking about attracting birds to your garden and keeping them happy in Autumn – then Honeysuckle is a win-win plant for your outside space.
It will provide you with a gorgeous scent and lovely trumpet-shaped flowers, as well as being a great climber for trellis and walls.
But in September it also provides lush red berries – a favourite food source for birds and other wildlife.
Or consider Cotoneaster shrubs – blackbirds and thrushes absolutely love them – just check the size of the one you’re buying as you don’t want it to take over.

TOP TIP! IF you’re coming to the end of your tomato journey for this year and you’ve still got some on the vine that look like they’ve got no chance of turning red – don’t despair.
Some experts suggest putting them in a bowl with a banana! The bendy yellow fruit emit ethylene – a compound that helps fruit ripen. Or you can just make green tomato chutney. Remember to chop up your vines and chuck them on the compost.

JOB OF THE WEEK! If you’re lucky to have wisteria – cut back this year’s current green shoots to five/six leaves. It will prevent it from growing too large and unwieldy.

PLANT OF THE WEEK! Spider Lillies are blooming now – and are named after the stamens resemble spider legs. Great for tropical borders, they look really exotic, best in full sun, in well drained soil and are full hardy to -5ºC

TOP TIP If your kitchen ginger has started sprouting, plant in a shallow tray with the shoot poking out – as it grows, keep topping up the soil. Keep on a sunny windowsill and you can grow year round as long as it doesn’t get too cold.

WIN! Win one of FOUR Spring Saver Bulb Bundle – 183 Bulbs WORTH £64.94 from Suttons Seeds. 
Featuring a variety of beloved spring-flowering bulbs to bring colour from February all the way through May, they’re ideal for beds or rockeries and can be layered in patio pots. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/SPRINGBULBS or write to Sun Spring Bulbs competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. September 6, 2025. T&Cs apply

For more gardening content follow me @Biros_and_Bloom

Maybe it’s knowing the beach is a short walk from their high school campus, but the special teams trio of punter Jackson Shevin, long snapper Jackson Reach and kicker Nico Talbott are feeling relaxed, comfortable and confident for Mira Costa High‘s football team.

Early in the season, fans sometimes need to close their eyes and pray when there’s a punt or PAT attempt. The special teams play can be that bad.

At Mira Costa, this coming season should be a good one for the special teams. The two Jacksons, Shevin and Reach, did their roles last season. Shevin is also a holder on field goals. Talbott assumes the No. 1 role for kicking. And Reach rarely leaves the field, because he’s also the team’s standout linebacker.

On any football team, it’s always intriguing to see how the special teams players blend in. Many are soccer players trying to learn the football culture.

The Mira Costa trio work well together, and it helps with their versatility. Mira Costa opens its season Aug. 29 against St. Francis. …

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Porthor, known by some as ‘Whistling Sands’, is one of only two beaches in Europe where the sand ‘sings’ under your feet – and it’s a must-visit for Brits.

Nestled within North Wales’s Llŷn Peninsula lies one of Britain’s most extraordinary beaches, Porthor. Dubbed ‘Whistling Sands’ by many, this remarkable stretch of coastline boasts a peculiar characteristic – the sand actually whistles beneath your feet as you walk.

As one of merely two European beaches where this extraordinary phenomenon occurs, Porthor – or Porth Oer as it’s known locally – stands as an essential destination for any traveller. Walking holiday experts Mickledore have emphasised that Porthor captivates visitors with its unusual acoustic properties, spectacular scenery, and convenient accessibility.

The experts add: “Porthor’s gentle ‘song’ is rare and beautiful. It turns a simple walk into something magical. Where else can you step on the sand and have it sing back to you?”

Alongside its singing sands, Porthor offers stunning views of the small islands of Dinas Bach and Dinas Fawr, where grey seals are sometimes spotted.

The beach also sits in an ideal spot for Wales Coast Path walkers, acting as an excellent launching point for treks to Mynydd Anelog, another site offering spectacular panoramas.

Visitors hoping to witness the ‘whistling sands’ phenomenon must time their trip perfectly. Head there on a dry day, stroll above the high tide mark, and either shuffle your feet or tread gently – that’s when you might catch the distinctive squeak or whistle.

Beachgoers have been singing the praises of this unique spot on TripAdvisor. One visitor gushed: “This was our favourite beach on Llyn. Perhaps more of a ‘squeak’ than a whistling beach but sure enough if you walk across the sand bare foot you’ll hear it! Dramatic location, crystal clear waters, lovely soft squeaky sand!”

Another fan penned: “What a lovely sandy beach, great car park, lovely views with rock pools and a cave for the children to explore. Could hear the sand whistling under our feet, well worth a visit.”

However, one visitor who missed out on the ‘whistling’ still had positive words to share: “Beautiful beach well worth a visit. Lovely coffee and cake served in the cafe. Sand was quite wet so I didn’t get the whistling experience.”

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke calls his side’s win against Everton “special” as the newly promoted side begin the new season with a 1-0 victory at Elland Road.

MATCH REPORT: Leeds edge past Everton on Premier League return

Available to UK users only.

Aug. 15 (UPI) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session of the state’s House of Representatives Friday after gaveling out the first 30-day session, hamstrung by Democrats who left the state to prevent redistricting.

Texas state House Democrats fled the state to prevent the state’s Republicans from initiating congressional redistricting efforts.

Congressional redistricting generally happens every decade following the publication of U.S. Census Bureau data. Texas has taken the unusual step to redraw its maps at the urging of President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections next year. The maps are expected to produce five more GOP districts in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the Republicans hold a narrow 219 to 212 majority.

Critics and Democrats accuse the Republicans of conducting a power grab in an attempt to rig control over the congressional branch, and have backed their Texas colleagues.

“Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,” Abbott said in a statement. “Numerous other bills to cut property taxes, support human trafficking survivors, eliminate the STAAR test, establish commonsense THC regulations, and many others have all been brought to a halt because Democrats refuse to show up for work. We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”

House Speaker Dustin Burrows couldn’t gather enough House members for a quorum and didn’t do any official business Friday.

Burrows signed new civil warrants on the Democrats as soon as the new special session began. The warrants allow the Texas Department of Public Safety to search for them and bring them to the Capitol if they are found in the state.

“Those who have refused to make quorum, I’m sure you’re missing home,” Burrows said. “Do not think you have permission to return to Texas and enjoy a peaceful weekend before finally showing up to work.”

He instructed all House members to return Monday, saying he has been told to expect the absent members will be back at the Capitol.

The state house caucus responded on X to Abbott’s claim that Democrats were holding up flood funding.

“BREAKING: After we issued our conditions to return home yesterday, Texas Republicans have given in and ended their corrupt special session. @GregAbbott_TX can release flood funding at ANY MOMENT. Call his office and tell him to stop the delays: (512) 463-1782.”

Democrats said Thursday that they’d return home for the second session and allow the vote to happen, saying they would “take this fight to the courts.”

“It’s been six weeks since the flood, six weeks where working families have waited for relief while Gov. Abbott sits on billions in disaster funds, choosing to hold our state hostage for his racist, corrupt redistricting scheme,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, D-Houston, said in a prepared statement this week. “Texans are suffering while Greg Abbott chases Donald Trump’s agenda and billionaire donors, ignoring the emergencies facing our neighborhoods.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week that his state will redistrict in response, handing back five seats to Democrats. The most populous state in the nation, California has 43 Democratic members of the house and nine Republican members.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Illinois rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton‘s request to enforce arrest warrants for Democrats who fled the state.

Paxton has filed a slew of lawsuits since state Democrats left Texas.

The Democrats went to Democratic strongholds, including Illinois, and Texas state House Speaker Dustin Burrows issued civil arrest warrants to force their return to Texas. On Aug. 7, Paxton and Burrows filed a lawsuit seeking Illinois to enforce the return of the Democratic lawmakers.

In his ruling Wednesday, Illinois Judge Scott Larson rejected the Texans’ request, stating it is outside his court’s jurisdiction to compel the Democrats’ return.

Hibs went into Thursday’s second leg as strong favourites given their excellent showing in Belgrade, but their two-goal lead slipped away in alarming fashion as goalkeeper Jordan Smith pushed Milan Vukotic’s long-range effort into the top corner before allowing Jovan Milosevic’s tame effort to squirm under him.

He trudged off at half-time to howls of dismay from the home supporters, but Gray believes the break came at a good time for his side.

“For large spells of the first half the shape was really good, we had the better chances and then there’s obviously a couple of mistakes,” Gray said.

“The character was certainly tested. Half-time came at a good time – I was able to calm them down and then it’s all about character.”

And they showed their character through Bowie’s inspired strike and through a string of Smith saves, who put his first-half horror show behind him admirably.

“I’m delighted for Jordan for his second-half performance,” Gray said. “He made big saves at big times.”

Gray was keen to point out that his team’s character was then tested again.

The tie looked done. Hibs were through, 3-2 up on aggregate with 30 seconds left of time added on.

That was before Partizan’s Andrej Kostic swept home in the 96th minute to force extra time.

However, unlike in Europa League qualifying against Midtjylland, there would be no heartache this time.

“The game became stretched, we lost control at times,” Gray said. “You think you’re over the line and then you have to go again for another 30 minutes.

“Now it’s all done and dusted there will be improvements to come from it, but that’s for another night.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic lawmakers and their allies on Thursday launched a special-election campaign to ask California voters to approve new congressional districts to decrease the size of the state’s Republican delegation — a move that could determine control of Congress next year and stymie President Trump’s agenda.

The effort is a response to GOP-led states, notably Texas, attempting to redraw their congressional maps to decrease Democratic ranks in the narrowly-divided U.S. House of Representatives at Trump’s behest.

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Newsom, speaking to a fired-up partisan crowd at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles, said the effort by Republicans represented a desperate effort by a failed president to hold on to power by keeping Congress under Republican control.

“He doesn’t play by a different set of rules. He doesn’t believe in the rules,” Newsom said. “And as a consequence, we need to disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done. It’s not good enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil and talk about the way the world should be. We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt, and we have got to meet fire with fire.”

The governor was joined by Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff; Rep. Pete Aguilar, (D-San Bernardino), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and union leaders essential to providing the funding and volunteers to convince Californians to vote for the “Election Rigging Response Act.” The proposed California ballot measure would temporarily toss out the congressional districts enacted by the state’s voter-approved, independent redistricting commission.

“Our union stands in full support of this ballot initiative. We are ready to do whatever it takes to stop this power grab and fight back against any and all attacks on our democracy, on our students and on public education,” said Erica Jones, the secretary treasurer of the California Teachers Assn., which represents 310,000 public school teachers.

She said school children have suffered because of the Trump administration’s immigration raids, as well as cuts to healthcare funding, after school programs and teacher trainings.

“Our students deserve better,” she said. “The majority of Americans are not with him on these vicious attacks. So what does Trump want to do? Rig the next election and steal our right to fair representation? He wants to stack the deck to keep slashing public services to pad the pockets of his billionaire donors.”

Outside the political rally, Border Patrol agents gathered and arrested at least one person. Newsom told the crowd inside that he doubted it was a coincidence.

Supporters of the independent commission that currently draws California’s congressional maps criticized Democrats’ efforts to conduct a highly unusual mid-decade redistricting plan. For Newsom’s plant to work, the Democratic-led state Legislature must vote in favor of placing the measure on the ballot in a special election in November, and then the final decision will be up to California voters.

“Two wrongs do not make a right, and California shouldn’t stoop to the same tactics as Texas. Instead, we should push other states to adopt our independent, non-partisan commission model across the country,” said Amy Thoma, spokesperson for the Voters First Coalition, which includes Charles Munger Jr., the son of a billionaire who bankrolled the ballot measure that created the independent commission.

Munger will vigorously oppose any proposal to circumvent the independent commission, she said.

Since voters approved independent congressional redistricting in 2010, California’s districts have been drawn once per decade, following the U.S. Census, by a panel split between registered Democrats, registered Republicans and voters without a party preference.

The commission is not allowed to consider the partisan makeup of the districts, nor protecting incumbents, but instead looks at “communities of interest,” logical geographical boundaries and the Voting Rights Act.

The current map was drawn in 2021 and went into effect for the 2022 election.

Newsom is pushing to suspend those district lines and put a new map tailored to favor Democrats in front of voters on Nov. 4. That plan, he has said, would have a “trigger,” meaning a redrawn map would not take effect unless Texas or another GOP-led state moved forward with its own.

Sara Sadhwani, who served on the redistricting commission that approved the current congressional district boundaries, said that while she is deeply proud of the work she and her colleagues completed, she approved of Newsom’s effort to temporarily put the commission’s work aside because of the unprecedented threats to American democracy.

“These are extraordinary times, and extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” said Sadhwani, citing the immigration raids, the encouragement of political violence and the use of National Guard troops in American cities. “And if that wasn’t enough, we are watching executive overreach that no doubt is making our founding fathers turn in their graves, and we have to take action. These are the hallmarks of a democracy in peril.”

If voters approved the ballot measure, the new maps would be in effect until the independent commission redraws the congressional boundaries in 2031.

To meet Newsom’s ambitious deadline, the state Legislature would need to pass the ballot language by a two-thirds majority and send it to Newsom’s desk by Aug. 22. The governor’s office and legislative leaders are confident in their ability to meet this threshold in the state Assembly and state Senate, where Democrats have a supermajority.

Newsom first mentioned the idea in mid July, meaning the whole process could be done in about five weeks. Generally, redrawing the state’s electoral lines and certifying a measure to appear before voters on the ballot are processes that take months, if not more than a year.

Trump’s prodding of Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional maps to create five new GOP seats has kicked off redistricting battles across the nation.

That includes Florida, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri, where Republicans control the statehouse, and New York, Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, where Democrats are in power.

Democratic lawmakers in Texas fled the state to block the Republican-led legislature from approving a new map that would gerrymander congressional districts to favor of the GOP. The Democrats maneuver worked, since it prevented the legislature from have a quorum necessary to approve the measure. A second special session is expected to begin Friday. The absent lawmakers are facing threats of fines, civil arrest warrants and calls for being removed from office; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to call repeated special sessions until the map is approved.

In California, the gerrymandering plan taking shape behind closed doors would increase the Democratic Party’s dominance in the state by making five House districts more favorable to Democrats, according to a draft map reviewed by The Times.

Those changes could reduce by more than half the number of Republicans representing California in Congress. The state has the nation’s largest congressional delegation, with 52 members. Nine are Republicans.

A Northern California district represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) could shift to the south, shedding rural, conservative voters near the Oregon border and picking up left-leaning cities in Sonoma County. Sacramento-area Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) would see his district shift toward the bluer center of the city.

The plan would also add more Democrats to the Central Valley district represented by Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), who has been a perennial target for Democrats.

Southern California would see some of the biggest changes: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) would see his safely Republican district in San Diego County become more purple through the addition of liberal Palm Springs. And Reps. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) and Ken Calvert (R-Corona) would be drawn into the same district, which could force the lawmakers to run against each other.

The plan would also shore up Democrats who represent swing districts, such as Reps. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Derek Tran (D-Orange).

It could also add another district in southeast Los Angeles County, in the area that elected the first Latino member of Congress from California in modern history. A similar seat was eliminated during the 2021 redistricting.

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report from Sacramento.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republican leaders said Tuesday that they were prepared to end their stalemated special session and immediately begin another standoff with Democrats in the GOP’s efforts to redraw congressional maps as directed by President Trump.

It’s the latest indication that Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections will become an extended standoff that promises to reach multiple statehouses controlled by both major parties.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed the plans during a brief session Tuesday morning that marked another failure to meet the required attendance standards to conduct official business because dozens of Democrats have left the state to stymie the GOP’s partisan gerrymandering attempts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Burrows said from the House floor that lawmakers will not attempt to reconvene again until Friday. If Democrats are still absent — and they have given no indication that they plan to return — the speaker said Republicans will end the current session and Gov. Greg Abbott will immediately call another.

The governor, a Trump ally, confirmed his intentions in a statement.

“The Special Session #2 agenda will have the exact same agenda, with the potential to add more items critical to Texans,” Abbott wrote. “There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them. I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”

Abbott called the current session with an extensive agenda that included disaster relief for floods that killed more than 130 people. Democrats balked when Abbott added Trump’s redistricting idea to the agenda. Burrows on Tuesday did not mention redistricting but chided Democrats for not showing up for debate on the flood response package.

The redistricting legislation would reshape the state’s congressional districts in a design aimed at sending five more Republicans to Washington.

The scheme is part of Trump’s push to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when the 2018 midterms restored Democrats to a House majority that blocked his agenda and twice impeached him. Current maps nationally put Democrats within three seats of retaking the House majority — with only several dozen competitive districts across 435 total seats.

Texas Republicans have issued civil warrants for the absent Democrats. Because they are out of state, those lawmakers are beyond the reach of Texas authorities.

Burrows said Tuesday that absent Democrats would have to pay for all state government costs for law enforcement officials attempting to track them down. Burrows has said state troopers and others have run up “six figures in overtime costs” trying to corral Democratic legislators.

Barrow and Lathan write for the Associated Press. Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Aug. 10 (UPI) — Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbot is threatening to call a series of rolling special legislative sessions to push the Trump administration’s efforts to redraw voting district boundaries in the state, the governor said Sunday.

Abbott argued during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that he has the authority to keep the Texas Legislature in session indefinitely, which would extend penalties for Democrats who have fled Washington for liberal-leaning states in an effort to sidestep a vote on efforts by the Trump administration to redraw Texas’ congressional voting district to favor the GOP.

Democratic lawmakers from Texas fled the state to deny the legislature the quorum it needs to vote on the change to legislative districts, which they contend are being crafted to benefit Republicans and disenfranchise Democrats, many of whom are Black and Latino.

Democrats flew to Illinois and other states run by Democratic governors, where they have received backing from state officials and politicians and who have criticized the GOP for its efforts to shape the voting districts in Republicans’ favor.

Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has been vocal in his support of the Texas Democrats, and among the most vocal opponents of President Donald Trump and the Republican party’s efforts to remake the voting districts. Abbott has called the Illinois congressional voting map a joke.

“Governor Abbot is the joke,” Pritzker said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.

Pritzker bristled at allegations that Illinois’ congressional lines have been gerrymandered, which Abbott and other members of the GOP have contended.

Pritzker offered as evidence the fact that Trump won 44% of the statewide vote in the 2024 presidential election even though Republicans hold just 3 of the state’s 17 congressional districts.

Pritzker said Illinois took public opinion into account before designing Illinois’s voting boundaries, and said they are fair.

“We held public hearings, legislative hearings,” Pritzker continued. “People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map put out. There we actually made changes to the map. And a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, to the decennial census. So that’s how it’s done in this country.”

Abbott pressed his point and said Texas Democrats would be arrested upon their return.

“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the Capitol,” Abbott said Sunday. “If they want to evade that arrest, they’re gonna have to stay outside the state of Texas for literally years.”

Abbott argued that Democrats are violating an article in the Texas constitution that requires them to act on measures before the legislature. He said because they are violating a constitutional mandate, “they are not fulfilling their oath of office, and they can be removed from office in this legal action that I am taking.”

Abbot has gone further, threatening to increase the redistricting margin for Republicans if Democrats fail to return to Austin.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Federal officials have opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who indicted then-candidate Donald Trump on felony charges before his election to a second term.

The current Office of Special Counsel, traditionally an independent federal agency, on Saturday confirmed the investigation after reporting by other news organizations. Smith was named special counsel by then-Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland to investigate Trump in November 2022 for his actions related to trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden and his hoarding of classified documents at his home in Florida.

Trump and his Republican allies, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have — without offering evidence of wrongdoing — accused Smith of violating the Hatch Act, a federal law that bans certain public officials from engaging in political activity.

Smith prosecuted two federal cases against Trump and indicted him on multiple felony charges in both. He dropped both cases after Trump won the election in November, as a sitting president is shielded from prosecution according to long-standing Justice Department practice. Smith then subsequently resigned as special counsel.

Cotton (R-Ark.) on Wednesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conduct was designed to help then-President Biden and then-Vice Presiedent Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee in last year’s race against Trump.

Trump is the only felon to ever occupy the White House, having been convicted in May 2024 on 34 criminal counts for fraud related to a hush-money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election, which he also won.

The White House had no immediate comment on the investigation.

The New York Post was first to report on the investigation into Smith.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

Aug. 2 (UPI) — Officials with the Office of Special Counsel are launching an investigation into Jack Smith, who oversaw criminal probes into President Donald Trump related to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The investigation into Smith is related to alleged violations of the Hatch Act, NBC News reported, citing sources within the agency.

Investigators have not yet disclosed any specific evidence against Smith, who headed two criminal investigations, one into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and a second into his handling of classified documents following his first term in the White House.

“I appreciate the Office of Special Counsel taking this seriously and launching an investigation into Jack Smith’s conduct. No one is above the law.

“Jack Smith’s actions were clearly driven to hurt President Trump’s election, and Smith should be held fully accountable,” said Senate Intelligence Committee chair Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told the New York Post in a statement.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, which also operates as a secure channel for federal whistleblowers.

The Hatch Act was passed in 1939 and “limits certain political activities of federal employees,” while ensuring “that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.”

Smith’s role as special prosecutor is not related to the Office of Special Counsel.

Smith in January resigned from the Justice Department, days before Trump took office for his second term as president.

He initially announced his intention to resign following Trump’s victory in the November 2024 election.

Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired nine former members of Smith’s former team of federal prosecutors and assistance.

That brought the number of firings of employees involved in prosecutorial efforts of Trump to 20.

HISTORY fans should keep their phones close for a special TV series that will air with extra augmented reality tonight.

7 Wonders of the Ancient World will transport viewers with a simple QR code each episode to scan for virtual and immersive experiences delivered by Snapchat.

1

People will be able to “explore” world-famous ancient sites across the Mediterranean and Middle East from the comfort of their living room.

This includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

The show is hosted by renowned historian Bettany Hughes.

“The past is a living place, a place that’s relevant to all of us,” she said.

“Using this meticulously researched augmented reality allows viewers at home to explore right inside these ancient wonders.

“It’s an immersive experience that we hope will bring the past to life for millions.”

The three-part series launches on 5 tonight at 6.30pm.

The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has visited aid distribution sites in Gaza amid mounting global outrage over deepening famine in the Strip. The aid sites, run by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, have been linked to over 1,000 deaths since May. Witkoff said his visit aims to help President Donald Trump shape a plan “deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza”.

July 24 (UPI) — U.S. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations against former President Barack Obama.

The senators said they want the truth about Obama’s alleged “manipulation” before the 2016 election.

“For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General (Pam) Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome,” Graham posted on X.

A special counsel is someone brought from outside to investigate independently.

“As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case,” Fox News reported Graham and Cornyn said.

This call comes one day after Director of Homeland Security Tulsi Gabbard released a second formerly classified document alleging wrongdoing by Obama. The Department of Justice created a “strike force” to investigate the evidence.

The document cast doubts on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to help Trump beat Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. It backed up the argument that Russia wanted to interfere in the election.

It was part of a House Intelligence Committee report from Sept. 18, 2020, when Republicans controlled the House. Though it doesn’t dispute that Moscow interfered in the election, it shows the Obama administration’s handling of Russian activity.

Last week, Gabbard released a document that accused Obama and his Cabinet of manufacturing an intelligence report to falsely accuse Russia of acting to ensure Trump defeated Clinton during the 2016 election.

Obama’s team responded to last week’s report.

“Nothing in that document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a prepared statement on Tuesday.

“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”

“With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama administration to subvert the will of the American people,” Graham and Cornyn said.

Trump earlier in the day accused Obama of “trying to lead a coup” with Hillary Clinton.

When it comes to special teams, Mira Costa’s football team has a dream group ready to handle punting, kicking, long snapping and holding.

The senior trio of punter Jackson Shevin, kicker Nico Talbott and long snapper Jackson Reach is an impressive group.

Shevin, who’s also the holder on PATs and field goals, averaged 38 yards on punts last season. Talbott waited his time to handle kicking duties on junior varsity and being the backup. He has performed well at the Chris Sailer kicking camps. Reach is an elite long snapper and terrific linebacker.

Shevin also says he’s ready to pass or run if coach Don Morrow calls for any fake punts or fake field goals.

“It’s pretty cool,” Morrow said of his special teams trio. Morrow is entering his 33rd season at Mira Costa and No. 37 overall and thinks special teams is pretty important for a football program.

With two of the three named Jackson and being from Manhattan Beach, you can imagine the trust and fun they have playing on the same team.

Mira Costa is one of a talented group of teams in the Bay League joining Palos Verdes, Inglewood, Leuzinger and Culver City, all of whom could be title contenders depending on what division they are placed in.

Mira Costa returns top quarterback Liam Meeker and top running back AJ McBean. But they know if they need a punt or a field goal, the “Three Amigos” are ready.

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The US is pitching the creation of a new advisory body for the Digital Markets Act (DMA) involving those companies subject to enforcement of the regulation a voice, in the context of negotiations over an EU-US trade deal, according to three sources familiar with the matter. 

The EU will never accept the idea however according to two of the sources.

On Saturday, Trump posted a new set of letters to his social media platform Truth Social, declaring 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico starting 1 August, a move that could cause massive upheaval between the United States and two of its biggest trade partners.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen quickly responded by noting the bloc’s “commitment to dialogue, stability, and a constructive transatlantic partnership.”

On Sunday, she emphasised that reaching a negotiated solution remains the priority, but that the EU is ready to respond with countermeasures.

The DMA regulates the largest online platforms with a view to protecting the rights of consumers and curbing any abusive behaviour by dominant tech players. 

Under the rules, companies face fines of up to 10% of their global annual turnover for non-compliance. 

Peter Navarro, a senior Trump advisor, has openly accused the bloc of waging “lawfare” against US Big Tech through the DMA and its sister Digital Services Act (DSA) regulation. In response, the EU has said it will “not make any concessions on its digital and technology rules” as part of any trade negotiations with the US. 

The DMA already has an advisory board, which plays a consultative and strategic role in its implementation, supporting the Commission in oversight and enforcement.

The board is made up of independent experts and representatives from relevant national authorities and regulatory bodies, however, and is not supposed to be a body of representatives drawn from the enforced entities.

The sources did not expand on what form the advisory body touted by the US would take, beyond giving influence over the enforcement methods.

“The fact that the US proposed setting up an advisory board for the DMA, where those who might be affected would actually sit, that certainly won’t happen, and there will be no exceptions for US companies under the DMA,” one source said.

The Commission has repeatedly said that DMA probes are conducted strictly according to the regulation, which does not discriminate against companies on the basis of country of origin. But the fact that most of those under its scope are US tech giants means that the decisions are now seen through the lens of the brewing trade war.

On both sides of the Atlantic, EU digital legislation has become a red line in the negotiations over tariffs: the US considers the DMA and DSA – which covers illegal content online – as non-tariff barriers to their trade with the EU, while the EU refuses to amend these regulations, which were adopted in 2022. 

Sovereignty

Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera told Euronews on 27 June that it is impossible to for the EU to backtrack on its digital rules. 

“We are going to defend our sovereignty. We will defend the way we implement our rules, we will defend a well functioning market and we will not allow anyone to tell us what to do,” she said.

Without changing the rules, the Commission could nonetheless finesse implementation of the DMA, according to Christophe Carugati, a Brussels-based tech consultant. Investigations and fines could become the exception in the DMA enforcement. 

“To calm the US, the idea could be to settle disputes formally or informally through dialogue. That will implicitly ‘pause’ the investigations,” he told Euronews.

Non-compliance investigations launched over the past year under the DMA have resulted in relatively low fines compared to those imposed on Big Tech under the Commission’s previous mandate. Apple has received a €500 million penalty and Meta was fined €200 million, the former for preventing developers from steering consumers to alternative offers, the latter for its “Pay or Consent” advertising model. 

In April, EU officials said that the lower fines reflected the short duration of the violations since the DMA implementation started in 2023 but also the Commission’s current focus on achieving compliance rather than punishing breaches. 

Simplification

US tech giants could also seek to benefit from the Commission’s simplification agenda to secure some relief from regulatory enforcement. In May, Amazon, IBM, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI called on the Commission to keep its upcoming Code of Practice on General-Purpose AI (GPAI) “as simple as possible”, as reported.

EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen is currently carrying out a digital fitness check, which will result in an “omnibus” simplification package to be presented in December. 

She aims to identify reporting obligations in existing digital legislation that can be cut to ease pressure on enterprises, particularly SMEs.

The question remains whether that simplification package will also cover the DMA, DSA and the AI Act.

Virkkunen has always said that despite facing criticism from former Trump advisor and X-owner Elon Musk, the laws are fair and equitable.

 “Our rules are very fair, because they are the same rules for everybody who is operating and doing business in the European Union. So, we have the same rules for European companies, American companies, and Chinese companies,” Virkkunen told Euronews in April.