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By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth in a ruling that’s likely to reverberate across the country. Most Republican-controlled states already have similar bans. In his majority opinion Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Tennessee’s ban does not violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, the federal government has been trying to restrict access. Here are some things to know about gender-affirming care and the court’s ruling: What…

After 6 1/2 years of denying any interest in running for president, Gavin Newsom has finally fessed up. In a flurry of media interviews keyed to anti-Donald Trump demonstrations in Los Angeles and elsewhere, Newsom has acknowledged what everyone in and around national politics had already assumed — that he’s entertaining a White House bid. The most explicit of several hints was published in the Wall Street Journal. Responding to a question about his presidential ambitions, Newsom said, “I’m not thinking about running, but it’s a path that I could see unfold.” That’s in keeping with the time-worn playbook for…

Southern California homebuying in April ran far slower than the historical pace as near-record-high prices scared off house hunters. Sales closed on 15,622 houses and condos – existing and newly built – in the six-county region in April, according to real estate tracker Attom. My trusty spreadsheet shows that while Southern California’s transaction tally is up 4% in a year, it’s the fourth-slowest selling April in data reaching back to 2005. Plus, and most telling, sales are 25% below the 21-year sales average for April. And this was the 36th consecutive month that the homebuying pace was below the historical…

The Karen Read retrial jury announced they had a verdict — and then changed their minds moments later. “During the luncheon break I received word from a court officer that the jury had knocked on the door indicating that they had a verdict,” Judge Beverly J. Cannone announced just before 2:30 p.m. “But before I could even summons everybody into court, shortly thereafter they knocked again and said they didn’t have a verdict.” But their almost-verdict was sealed in a manilla envelope, which Cannone then formally sealed, in the court process sense, to preserve for the record. “So we do…

By JOSEPH KRAUSS, Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As Israeli strikes kill top Iranian generals, take out air defenses and damage nuclear sites, many wonder if President Donald Trump will deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict. Trump has long railed against what he refers to as the “stupid, endless wars” waged by his predecessors, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the U.S. helped overthrow governments. But with Iran’s government looking increasingly fragile, if the U.S. does get involved, its strikes could help severely damage the country’s nuclear program or even end its 4-decade-old theocracy. “I may do…

When Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his creative May Revision to the state budget last month, he not only ignored fiscal discipline and reality but issued a bureaucratic veto of the people’s will. Senate and Assembly Democrats followed his lead, bloating the budget even further. Instead of meeting the moment, Sacramento is once again dodging responsibility and deflecting blame, all while California families are asked to shoulder the consequences of the Legislature’s mismanagement of their taxpayer dollars. Let’s be clear: California is facing a $12 billion budget deficit this year. But rather than engage in real fiscal discipline or rank order…

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve are expected to keep their key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the fourth straight time. That’s likely to shift attention to how many interest rate cuts they forecast for this year. It’s widely expected that the 19 Fed officials that participate in the central bank’s interest-rate decisions will project two rate cuts for this year, as they did in December and March. But some economists expect that one or both of those cuts could be pushed back to 2026. The Fed will almost certainly keep the…

By Loren Grush, Bloomberg News NASA’s car-sized Perseverance rover has been roaming the surface of Mars for four years, drilling into the alien soil to collect dirt it places in tubes and leaves on the ground. Engineers designed Perseverance to be the first step in the agency’s exploration of the Red Planet. In the future, more robotic spacecraft would arrive to sweep up the capsules and rocket them back to Earth, where scientists could look for signs that Mars once was, or is, a world with life. The wait for answers may be about to get longer. President Donald Trump’s…

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer MCCLEAN, Va. (AP) — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased for the third week in a row, a welcome trend for prospective homebuyers at a time when elevated borrowing costs remain a drag on the housing market. Related Articles Amazon CEO Jassy says AI will reduce its corporate workforce in the next few years Borrowers looking for lower costs will have to wait as the Fed is unlikely to cut rates Wall Street rises as oil prices ease and the countdown ticks to the Fed’s decision on interest rates US unemployment ticked down,…

By FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON (AP) — The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security ‘s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to earlier projected depletion dates, according to an annual report released Wednesday. Related Articles ‘Nobody knows:’ Trump won’t say whether he will move forward with US strikes on Iran Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights Hegseth says the Pentagon has given Trump possible options for Israel-Iran conflict Judge says government can’t limit passport sex markers for many…