Khamenei Killing Protests: 14 injured, including 6 security personnel, in Srinagar clashes; advisory issued
In a fresh clash that broke out in Kashmir on Monday, at least 14 people, including six security personnel, were injured as protests continued over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israeli attack, PTI reported. In response, the authorities have imposed strict restrictions on movement, reduced mobile internet speeds, and shut schools and colleges for the next two days.
Muslim parent sues Texas over exclusion of Islamic private schools in voucher program
The federal lawsuit argues Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money.
Republican meddling roils Senate Democratic primary in final days
A super PAC supporting James Talarico is running ads online warning that the GOP is “boosting” Jasmine Crockett. Her spokesperson said Republicans “who underestimate her do so at their own peril.”
Texas law bans state-licensed mental health providers from giving gender-transitioning care to minors, AG Ken Paxton says
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that says that a 2023 law that bans gender-transitioning medical care to minors also applies to mental health care.
Texas House Republicans ask Congress to halt all immigration after Austin shooting
More than 70 GOP House members signed a letter asking Congress to stop legal immigration until “proper vetting protocols” are in place.
Business owners sue comptroller after their removal from state minority business program
Women- and minority-owned businesses were removed from the Historically Underutilized Business Program in December by acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who argued he was ending a DEI program.
Anti-Muslim backlash shadows Austin after downtown shooting
After a deadly downtown shooting, Texas Muslims report fear and backlash as political rhetoric intensifies and Austin’s first Muslim city council member responds.
Third victim of downtown Austin shooting dies
The three people killed by the suspected gunman were identified Monday. Thirteen people were injured in the Sunday shooting that the FBI called a “potential act of terrorism.”
Austin downtown shooting: What we know about the gunman, victims and motive
Three people were killed and 13 wounded in a West Sixth Street attack. Police say the shooter fired from an SUV before getting out and continuing on foot.
Supreme Court blocks California ban on notifying students’ parents about gender transitions
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for California schools to notify parents if their children want to change their gender identity without approval from the student amid a challenge against the Golden State’s ban on so-called forced outing of transgender students. The court granted an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group, the Thomas More Society, blocking, at least for now, a state law that prohibited automatic parental notification requirements if students change their gender expression or pronouns at school. The Thomas More Society praised the decision as “the most significant parental rights ruling in a generation.” Two sets of Catholic parents represented by the legal group argued that the state law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, caused schools to mislead them and secretly facilitate the students’ gender transitions. CATHOLIC GROUP ASKS SCOTUS TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA LAW AGAINST REVEALING STUDENTS’ GENDER IDENTITIES TO PARENTS But California contended that students have the right to privacy about their gender expression, particularly if they fear rejection from their families who may not support their decision to adopt a new gender identity. The state also said school policies and state law sought to balance student privacy with parental rights. Last year, state education officials told school districts that the state’s policy “does not mandate nondisclosure.” Newsom’s office also previously said that “parents continue to have full, guaranteed access to their student’s education records as required by federal law.” The Supreme Court sided with the parents on Monday and reinstated a lower-court order blocking the law and school policies while the case continues. “The parents who assert a free exercise claim have sincere religious beliefs about sex and gender, and they feel a religious obligation to raise their children in accordance with those beliefs. California’s policies violate those beliefs,” the majority wrote in an unsigned order, adding that state policies also burden the free exercise of religion. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas also said they would have gone a step further and granted the teachers’ appeal to lift restrictions for them. The three liberal justices dissented, saying the case is still working its way through lower courts and there was no need to take action now. “If nothing else, this Court owes it to a sovereign State to avoid throwing over its policies in a slapdash way, if the Court can provide normal procedures. And throwing over a State’s policy is what the Court does today,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote. A federal judge ruled in December 2025 that schools cannot prevent teachers from sharing information about a student’s gender identity with their parents, but an appeals court blocked that ruling last month, leading the plaintiffs to ask the nation’s highest court to step in. TRUMP ADMIN FINDS CALIFORNIA BAN ON NOTIFYING PARENTS OF GENDER TRANSITIONS VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW The high court has been weighing whether to hear arguments in cases out of other states such as Massachusetts and Florida filed by parents who say schools facilitated gender transitions without notifying them. The U.S. Department of Education also announced last month that the California law violates federal law. The findings of the federal investigation could put at risk the nearly $8 billion in education funding the federal government gives the state each year if state officials do not work with the Trump administration to resolve the violations. The Trump administration is also pursuing legal action against California and threatening to withhold funding over a policy allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports. The Associated Press contributed to this report.