Missouri is next to answer Trump’s call for redrawn maps that boost GOP in 2026

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe said Friday that he is calling Missouri lawmakers into a special session to redraw the state’s U.S. House districts as part of a growing national battle between Republicans and Democrats seeking an edge in next year’s congressional elections.

Kehoe made the announcement just hours after Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a new congressional voting map designed to help Republicans gain five more seats in the 2026 midterm elections. It marked a win for President Donald Trump, who has been urging Republican-led states to reshape district lines to give the party a better shot at retaining control of the House.

Missouri is the third state to pursue an unusual mid-decade redistricting for partisan advantage. Republican-led Texas took up the task first but was quickly countered by Democratic-led California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking voters to approve a map aimed at giving his party five more seats.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-governor-redistricting-trump-33bfdc8790cdf8201d80c8c89258df3d

Acyn

@Acyn

Daskalakis: I very specifically use the term pregnant people, and very specifically added my pronouns at the end of my resignation letter to make the point that I am defying this terrible strategy at trying to erase people and not allowing them to express their identities. So I accept the note from the press secretary and counter that with I don't care.

https://x.com/Acyn/status/1961239001480008169

Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Sanaa

CAIRO (AP) — The Iranian-backed Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement.

The Israeli military said Thursday that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”

Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the rebels’ statement said.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The group says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. Though most of the missiles launched by Yemen are intercepted by Israel, or fragment mid-air, this has done little to deter the attacks.

Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.

In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a U.S.-led coalition pounded the rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.

The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

https://dnyuz.com/2025/08/30/israeli-airstrike-kills-houthi-rebel-prime-minister-in-sanaa/

Former Ukrainian parliament speaker shot dead in Lviv

A prominent Ukrainian politician and former parliament speaker has been shot dead in western Ukraine, officials said, as a search was under way to find the attacker.

Andriy Parubiy, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv on Saturday.

The Prosecutor General’s office said a gunman had fired several shots at Parubiy, killing him “on the spot”. The attacker fled, and a manhunt was launched, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the killing as a “horrendous murder” and offered his condolences to Parubiy’s family and loved ones.

“All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Parubiy, 54, was a member of parliament and had served as parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019.

He was also one of the leaders of mass protests in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014, calling for closer ties with the European Union.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately release a possible motive for the fatal shooting.

The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, said finding the killer and establishing the circumstances of the attack was of utmost importance.

“This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places,” he wrote on Telegram.

Tributes poured in from colleagues in parliament and the government, praising Parubiy’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and independence during the 2013-2014 protest movement.

Former President Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that his killing was “a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine”.

“Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,” he said, lauding Parubiy’s contribution to building out the Ukrainian army.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also described Parubiy as “a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraine’s freedom, independence and sovereignty”.

“He was a man who rightfully belongs in the history books,” Sybiha wrote on Telegram.

https://dnyuz.com/2025/08/30/former-ukrainian-parliament-speaker-shot-dead-in-lviv/

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1961727262799155484