Will Texas ban kids from TikTok, social media? Bill aiming to limit digital access advances

DALLAS — Social media companies could face penalties if they knowingly allow children to use their platforms under a bill that was recently advanced by a House Committee.

House Bill 186, introduced by Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, was advanced out of the Trade Workforce & Economic Development Committee on Wednesday. It next heads to the full House. A similar bill in 2023 failed to pass.

“There’s no bigger step we could take to protect the mental health of our children than to pass this bill into law,” Patterson posted on social media.

HB186 would require social media platforms to verify a user’s age when they try to create accounts. Tech companies such as Snap, X and Meta all have age requirements, but those safeguards are inadequate, Patterson said. He suggests social media be regulated in the same way as other adult-oriented products such as cigarettes, alcohol and tanning beds.

—The Dallas Morning News

Casey DeSantis touts Hope Florida as a way off welfare. But the state won’t back up her claims

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — For four years, Hope Florida, the passion project of First Lady Casey DeSantis, has boasted of saving millions of taxpayer dollars by weaning thousands of people off welfare and hooking them up with community organizations and religious nonprofits that can better serve their long term needs.

But the loosely-structured state program, seen as a springboard for the First Lady’s potential entry into politics, has failed to back up those claims of success or provide a full accounting of its finances despite repeated requests from the Orlando Sentinel and other news organizations.

Even legislative staffers have been unable to get answers about how many state workers and tax dollars have been diverted to Hope Florida from the state’s other programs to help residents in need of food, shelter, healthcare and work. That has irked House speaker Daniel Perez, who said at a meeting with reporters Friday he wouldn’t rule out using his subpoena powers.

Now, with legislation filed to shift Hope Florida from the oversight of the state’s Department of Children and Families to the Governor’s Office, the issue may be coming to a head.

—Orlando Sentinel

After a decade of debate, Georgia now has a ‘religious liberty’ law

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “religious liberty” measure Friday, resolving a decade-long debate over a divisive measure that supporters say protects faith-based beliefs from government overreach and critics decry as a license to discriminate.

The Republican inked the bill at a brief signing ceremony at the state Capitol as lawmakers began work on the final day of the legislative session. The GOP-led House gave final passage to the measure Wednesday.

Kemp said he approved the measure to ensure that Georgians of faith are “protected,” but added that he’s committed to ensure Georgia “remains a state where there’s no place for hate.”

The proposal once drew massive protests from opponents, frequent national headlines and threats of boycotts from corporate giants. Gov. Nathan Deal’s veto of a version of the bill in 2016 was one of the defining moments of his two terms in office.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Russell Brand charged with multiple counts of rape and assault in the UK

British comedian Russell Brand has been charged with rape and assault by police in the U.K.

The 49-year-old actor, known for his work in R-rated comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek,” was charged with single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police Service announced in a statement.

The charges are connected to alleged attacks on multiple women between 1999 and 2005. He is scheduled to face charges before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 2. Brand relocated his family last year from the U.K. to Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., shortly before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Sun reported in February.

Brand has pivoted away from acting in recent years and worked to refashion himself as an anti-establishment commentator, and made news a year ago announcing he had been baptized.

—Los Angeles Times