Good evening. It’s Thursday, August 14.

1. ICE Crashes Newsom

2. Leaked: California Map Could Eliminate 5 GOP Seats

3. Judge Orders Alex Jones’ Infowars Sold

4. 'F— That': Hunter Rejects Melania's $1B Threat

5. AfD Tops Poll as Germany’s Most Popular Party

6. US Drinking Rate Hits Record Low

7. Beyond Meat Headed to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

1. ICE Crashes Newsom

U.S. Border Patrol agents had a strong presence outside an anti-Trump rally by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in Los Angeles on Thursday. The agents made at least one arrest.

Newsom, who is rumored to have presidential aspirations and has become one of the most outspoken critics of President Donald Trump, held the event, which he labeled “Liberation Day,” to announce plans to respond to the GOP’s redistricting push in Texas.

In a social media post shortly before the rally, Newsom predicted that “Donald Trump and [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott are going to have a very bad day today.”

2. Leaked: California Map Could Eliminate 5 GOP Seats

More details on California Democrats’ proposed overhaul to the state congressional map are coming to light in advance of the official release of the new boundaries.

State lawmakers were briefed Wednesday evening on the expected partisan tilt of all 52 congressional districts, providing the clearest view yet of which Republican districts they are targeting.

The changes, which are not yet final, were detailed in a chart obtained by POLITICO and confirmed by multiple legislators and staffers.

3. Judge Orders Alex Jones’ Infowars Sold

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones will have to sell his Infowars’ assets to pay more than $1 billion he owes to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to a Texas court ruling.

A court-appointed receiver will be responsible for taking over and selling the assets of Infowars to pay off Jones’ debts to Sandy Hook families, according to an order signed by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin on Wednesday.

The order has the potential to shut Jones out of his studio in the coming days — forcing the conspiracy theorist to fork over the company’s property, recording equipment, and brand name, the filing indicated.

4. 'F— That': Hunter Rejects Melania's $1B Threat

Hunter Biden crudely dismissed first lady Melania Trump’s $1 billion lawsuit threat over his “false” and “defamatory” claims linking her to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

“F–k that. That’s not going to happen,” Biden sneered with a smug grin during an interview on the YouTube show “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan” on Thursday.

Melania Trump’s legal team fired a shot across the bow Wednesday, putting the scandal-plagued Biden on notice for alleging Epstein introduced her to President Donald Trump, a claim her team slammed as baseless. The first lady’s attorneys have also cracked down on others peddling similar falsehoods, forcing the Daily Beast last month to retract an article pushing the same narrative after facing legal heat.

5. AfD Tops Poll as Germany’s Most Popular Party

Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the most popular party in the country, according to a poll released on Aug. 12.

The poll, conducted by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis on behalf of RTL Deutschland, showed that 26 percent of Germans would vote for the AfD.

The AfD, an anti-mass immigration party, came second in Germany’s national parliamentary elections, earning nearly 21 percent of the vote.

6. US Drinking Rate Hits Record Low

The percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest by one percentage point in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend. This coincides with a growing belief among Americans that moderate alcohol consumption is bad for one’s health, now the majority view for the first time.

Gallup has tracked Americans’ drinking behavior since 1939 and their views of the health implications of moderate drinking since 2001. The latest results are from Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 7-21.

Record-Low 54% Say They Consume Alcohol

From 1997 to 2023, at least 60% of Americans reported drinking alcohol. The figure fell to 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54% today. Prior to the most recent poll, the rate has been under 60% fewer than 10 times, including 58% in the initial 1939 poll and a one-time low of 55% recorded in 1958. The highs of 68% to 71% were all recorded between 1974 and 1981.

7. Beyond Meat Headed to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

The end was always inevitable for Beyond Meat, because being an innovator does not mean having a moat to protect your business. The pioneering company arguably created the category of plant-based meat that acts like actual meat.

Once Beyond Meat BYND created the category, it was inevitable that the product would become commoditized.

Beyond Meat owns no real intellectual property (IP), and every company in the meat and grocery business (more or less) now sells a take-off of a product that already had limited appeal.