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US House passes sweeping ‘gender ideology’ bill aimed at trans kids in schools

A classroom at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 12, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch) WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Wednesday that would require parental consent before a public elementary or middle school can update a student’s pronouns, gender markers or preferred name on records in order to receive federal funding.  The  measure — which succeeded  217-198 — would also bar federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that provides federal aid to schools from being used “to teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology.”  Eight Democrats broke ranks with their party to vote for the Republican-led effort, including: Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Cleo Fields of Louisiana, Laura Gillen of New York, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state and Eugene Vindman of Virginia.  Fifteen ...
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Steve Marshall concedes in U.S. Senate race; Barry Moore, Jared Hudson go to GOP runoff

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall speaks at the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor ceremony in the Alabama House of Representatives on April 2, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Marshall conceded the U.S. Senate race Wednesday after placing third in Tuesday's primary election. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall conceded the race for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, setting up a June 16 runoff between U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson. Marshall finished in third place in the primary election on Tuesday with 118,233 votes, almost 25% of the total votes cast in the race. He finished about 5,000 votes behind Hudson, who got 123,533 votes, about 26% of the total. Moore got 188,825 votes, or almost 40% of the total. “Although I’m disappointed in the outcome, I’m proud of what this campaign stood for: strong Christian values and true conservative principles,” Marshall said in a statement Wednesday....

Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Tommy Tuberville’s eligibility to be governor

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, speaks to reporters after voting in the GOP primary in Auburn, Alabama on May 19, 2026. A Covington County judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged Tuberville's eligibility to run for governor. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) A Covington County judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken McFeeters against U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, that alleged the senator is not eligible to be a candidate for governor. Covington County Circuit Court Judge Charles Short did not give a reason for dismissing the case in his one-page order, Short did not give a reason for dismissing the case, but referred to a motion filed by the Alabama Republican Party that argued a court was not the venue to decide the merits of the lawsuit, which alleged that Tuberville has not lived continuously in the state for the past seven years as required by the Alabama Constitution. “Setting aside the reality that McFeeters’s...

NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus urge college sports boycott in South over voting rights

Amare Thomas #0 of the Houston Cougars gives a stiff arm to Tamarcus Cooley #0 of the Louisiana State Tigers in the second half during the Kinder's Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on Dec. 27, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — The Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP on Tuesday urged pushback against GOP-led redistricting efforts in Southern states via college sports, including a boycott of public universities by athletes and supporters. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and fellow Congressional Black Caucus members blasted a bill that sets forth a national framework for college athletes’ compensation.  But the CBC’s backlash went beyond just the legislation — which was yanked from the House’s voting schedule this week following  unanimous opposition from the major voting bloc.  At a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers rallied behind the  NAACP’s call earlier Tuesday for Black athletes and fans to withhold “athletic ...

Voters get competitive State Board of Education primaries in northern and eastern Alabama

The Alabama State Board of Education begins its monthly meeting on April 10, 2025 at the Gordon Persons Building in Montgomery, Alabama. Voters in SBOE Districts 6 and 8 in northern and eastern Alabama will see competitive primaries Tuesday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Voters in two State Board of Education districts in northern and eastern Alabama will go to the polls Tuesday to select nominees for the board. While four seats will be up for election later this year, only District 6, which covers Talladega, Marshall and Cherokee counties, and District 8, which covers Limestone, Madison and DeKalb counties, will have competitive primaries. Board members make decisions on textbooks, curriculum, educator programs and review testing data during monthly meetings. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Voters in District 6 will choose betwee...

From clergy to coaches, states debate who should report child abuse and neglect

A teacher observes students playing at a Chicago school playground. Many states are grappling over who should be required to report incidents of child neglect and abuse. (Photo by Robbie Sequeira/Stateline) Conversations with survivors of sexual abuse left Missouri state Sen. Tracy McCreery wondering what could have prevented the harm, leading her to sponsor a bill that would require clergy and religious workers to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Her bill would have forced ministers to report even if they learned of abuse during confession or another religious rite. She urges people to view the issue through the lens of child safety and not against religion. “Children are just very vulnerable and it’s up to us as adults to not allow them to be harmed,” the Democrat told Stateline. “There shouldn’t be an exception for adults that know about something and just don’t report it.” Her bill failed to advance as the Missouri legislative session drew to a close. Other state lawmake...

Trump drops IRS suit in trade for $1.7B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund decried by Dems

A banner showing President Donald Trump hangs on the Robert F. Kennedy Building of the U.S. Department of Justice on Feb. 20, 2026. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday a new “anti-weaponization” settlement fund as a condition of President Donald Trump voluntarily dropping his multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax returns several years ago. Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization moved to drop the $10 billion suit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, with prejudice — meaning he cannot revive it in the future.  Shortly after Trump’s  filing hit the court docket, the DOJ  announced the creation of a $1.776 billion settlement, not to be paid to Trump or his family, but to be divvied up among “others who suffered weaponization and lawfare,” according to a department press release. Democrats swiftly...