(The Hill) — South Carolina lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is expected to sign it into law. South Carolina’s House Bill 4624 prohibits health care providers from administering puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries to transgender minors, though youths receiving care prior to Aug. 1 will be allowed a “tapering off period.” Care must cease entirely by Jan. 31. The measure also prohibits public funding from being used “directly or indirectly” for gender-affirming ca ..read more

The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to protect Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a conservative coup, torpedoing an effort by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to oust the GOP leader from the top job. The chamber voted 359-43-7 on a motion to table Greene’s motion to vacate, preventing the removal resolution from hitting the floor for a vote. The final vote — which was widely expected amid bipartisan opposition to the ouster gambit — deals a major blow to Greene, who filed her measure more than a month ago and had threatened to trigger it ever since. It means Johnson, who won th ..read more

(The Hill) -- Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday complained about the gag order limiting him from attacking witnesses, jurors and court staff in his New York hush money case, calling it unfair that others could speak out while he could not. "It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you, especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want," Trump posted on Truth Social. "It is hard to sit back and listen to lie ..read more

(NEXSTAR) – Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once had a parasite that caused him brain fog and memory loss, it was revealed Wednesday. Kennedy, now 70, began noticing issues in 2010, complaining of short-term and longer-term memory loss. He was originally concerned he had a brain tumor, and when he got checked out, there was a dark spot visible on brain scans, the New York Times reported. According to a 2012 deposition reviewed by the Times, Kennedy was told by a doctor the spot on the scan "was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and th ..read more

(The Hill) - A majority of young adults say they would not live in a state that has banned abortion, according to a new survey released Tuesday. In the CNBC/Generation Lab poll of 1,033 adults ages 18-34, a total of 62 percent say they would “probably not” (32 percent) or “definitely not” (30 percent) live in a state that bans abortion. Only slightly more than a third of respondents, 38 percent, say either that they “definitely” (17 percent) or “probably” (21 percent) would live in a state that bans abortion, when asked the same question. Supporters for abortion demonstrate outside the Supreme ..read more

Former President Trump's attorney has begun cross-examination of Stormy Daniels. Daniels is so far the highest-profile witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s prosecution of Trump over a $130,000 payment made to her to keep quiet about allegations of an affair. She took the stand earlier Tuesday and has so far gone into great detail about her encounter with Trump in a hotel room in 2006 and of the hush money agreement made just before the 2016 election. Follow below for live updates from New York ..read more

(The Hill) - Former President Trump faced a new threat in his New York criminal trial on Monday. Judge Juan Merchan raised the possibility that he could send Trump to jail if he continues to violate a gag order. Merchan warned about that possibility after fining Trump for the 10th time for breaking the order, which bars the former president from attacking jurors, court officials and members of the judge’s family, among others. Trump has complained about the gag order, contending that his rights are being violated. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. It is the ..read more

(The Hill) - The former magazine publisher at the center of former President Trump’s criminal hush money trial was “swatted” on the day he testified in the case, Reuters reported Monday. An unidentified person claimed in an April 25 email that they had tied up their wife in the basement of their home and killed a person, giving the address of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker in Greenwich, Conn. Greenwich Police wrote in a report reviewed by Reuters that officers were already stationed at Pecker’s home because of his involvement in the high-profile case, and that there was no inc ..read more

UPDATE: Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife indicted over ties to Azerbaijan EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) -- U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said he and his wife are innocent following reports that the Justice Department planned to announce his indictment.  In a statement to Border Report, Cuellar, said, "I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas." On Friday morning, NBC News reported that the Department of Justice was expected to an ..read more

Restaurant surcharges will soon be illegal in California as a new law, aimed at banning hidden fees, takes effect in July, according to the office of State Attorney General Rob Bonta. Starting July 1, under SB478, California restaurants will no longer be able to charge service fees and must instead fold them into menu prices.   “SB 478 applies to restaurants, just like it applies to businesses across California,” a Department of Justice spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The law is about making sure consumers know what they are going to pay and requires that the posted price ..read more