Newsom frames November’s vote on a gerrymandered map as a referendum on Trump. He bypasses the independent panel. The plan expands Democratic seats and invites GOP pushback, with wider redistricting reverberations. The map stirs talk from the "far right" and the "progressive" camps.

A Sentencing Bill would ban convicts on probation from pubs and after non-custodial sentences, target crowds at matches. It adds drug testing, trims jail time for lesser offenders, and broadens movement bans to curb reoffending.

Britain’s Online Safety Act would shield kids with Ofcom age checks. Molly Rose Foundation backs it after Molly Russell’s death. Critics warn of privacy and free-speech overreach; the clash with the US over censorship leaves a shaky balance.

Officials dismantled an illegal marijuana farm in Sequoia National Park, pulling 2,377 plants and about 2,000 pounds of trash from 13 acres. The site shows a drug-trafficking setup with chemicals, a pistol, camps and water diversions.

Protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers spread nationwide. The government vows a faster, independent appeals body and fewer hotel placements to trim a backlog.

Russia says Ukraine drones sparked a Kursk nuclear plant fire; transformer damaged, radiation normal. IAEA says aware; Ukraine did not comment. On Independence Day, Russia fired 72 drones and a missile at Ukraine; 48 were shot down. Zelensky urged resolve; Norway pledged air-defense aid.

A senior Israeli cybersecurity official was arrested in Las Vegas for soliciting sex with a decoy minor; he posted $10,000 bail and fled to Israel. Nevada says bail was set without a judge; he leads Israel’s National Cyber Directorate’s Tech Defense Division and will fight the charges.

The Digest, 8/24/2025 @900AM, CDT

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