Republicans worried about the constitutional implications of banning drag outright. Democrats feared an even worse bill. Those concerns were no match for the realities of modern culture-war politics.
The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives forcefully voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The compromise announced late Saturday includes spending cuts but risks angering some lawmakers as they take a closer look at the concessions.
Nine European countries are seeking to transform the North Sea into the world's biggest green energy hub, while mysterious Russian vessels are said to be mapping the continent’s maritime infrastructure. Experts say the coalition needs a new security plan.
The far-right Vox movement more than doubled their share of local councilors to 7.2%, meaning they will have significant influence on policy in cities where the PP will need their votes.
Column

I do not trust any politician who flouts his or her presumed religious faith: hypocrites braying on street corners — not the way their presumed man-god instructed them: in the closet.

Busting the Drought

One of California's most susceptible regions to disastrous flooding faces dangerous conditions as the historic new snowpack melts. But there may be a silver lining in the floodwaters.
Courts & the Law

Under a federal judge’s order on Friday, the U.S. Forest Service may continue fighting wildfires with aerial retardants while obtaining the required permit under the Clean Water Act.
While costly for Google, the tech giant did win regarding one of the two patents at issue.
The bill signed Friday was among several pieces of recent legislation targeting LGBTQ students and certain library books.
Around the Nation
The doctor will receive a letter of reprimand and a $3,000 fine for privacy violations but will still be able to practice medicine.
State prosecutors argued that the officers not only conducted an unconstitutional search and seizure, but continued firing after the deceased was deemed unresponsive.
Stemming from a 2014 petition, the certification was a long time coming, conservationists said, highlighting how many vaquitas died while it “languished” in bureaucracy.
Rulings
The Sixth Circuit determined that Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit challenging a Kentucky law requiring abortion providers to fill out certain forms to continue providing health care services has become moot because the forms, which did not exist when the suit was filed, have since been created and compliance is no longer an issue.
A federal court in California compelled arbitration between Raising Cane’s and a class of employees who say the fast-food chain did not pay them full wages, did not compensate their meal breaks and rest periods, and did not reimburse their necessary business expenses. No class action waiver applied and the arbitration agreement is not procedurally unconscionable.
The Eleventh Circuit reversed the lower court’s finding in favor of O’Reilly Auto Parts, which employed a deaf man who argued the auto shop violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide him with a sign language interpreter on several occasions and failing to text him summaries of nightly safety meetings. His inability to participate in the meetings may have adversely affected the terms of his employment.
A California appellate court upheld the denial of video doorbell company Ring’s motion to compel arbitration in a class action alleging that it did not inform customers that basic recording, playback and screenshotting features were only usable if buyers paid an additional fee. Ring could not identify which of 10 versions of its terms of service governed and cited different exhibits inconsistently; inconsistent arguments should be rejected.
The D.C. Circuit partially sided with the Sierra Club on its challenge to the Mountain Valley Pipeline that plans to run through Virginia and West Virginia. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is ordered to prepare an environmental impact statement pertaining to the project’s “unexpectedly severe erosion,” but the project is not halted in the interim.
From the Walt Girdner Studio
Hot Cases
Voting rights groups sued to block a new Florida law that imposes restrictions and penalties on organizations that help people register to vote, arguing the law makes it harder for eligible voters to participate in the state’s elections.
Reluctantly issuing summary judgment in a case that's been under submission since 2017 over a California law that's been repealed since 2020, a federal judge found the law violated farm owners' equal protection rights because carveouts that excluded them were included to appease the United Farm Workers union.
Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal faces a federal class action accusing him of selling unregistered securities in the form of digital tokens known as NFTs.
Amazon Flex drivers, who deliver packages using their own cars, claim the company has collected and disseminated their facial scans without the consent required by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Residents of Lake County, Florida, filed a nuisance class action over the noise and “unreasonable noxious odors” coming from marijuana grower Curaleaf’s facility.