After Senate defeat, Jasmine Crockett returns to Washington facing new questions

A day after falling short in Texas’ Democratic Senate primary, Rep. Jasmine Crockett was back in Washington, returning to the Capitol and facing new questions about what comes next.

Pressed by reporters Wednesday about her plans, she offered little beyond a short answer before climbing into a waiting vehicle. “I am going to continue to serve,” she said before stepping into the car and closing the door.

Crockett has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years, moving quickly from a state legislative seat to Congress. There, she built a national profile as a bare-knuckled political brawler who unapologetically confronts Republicans.

She has repeatedly demonstrated her skill at producing viral online clips, including the “Crockett Clapbacks,” as she calls them on branded campaign merchandise. After President Donald Trump called her out, she fired back repeatedly and later used a sizzle reel of those insults as the background track for her Senate campaign’s launch video.

—The Dallas Morning News

Florida House OKs bills targeting ‘terrorism’ and ‘sharia law’

ORLANDO — New legislation targeting “terrorist” groups passed the Florida House on Tuesday, a measure some fear could unfairly cast organizations as dangerous, punish politically active college students and cost Islamic schools millions of dollars by cutting them out of state voucher programs.

But supporters of the bill in the Republican-dominated chamber said the recent attacks on Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, by the United States and Israel highlighted the need for legislation.

“It should not be lost on any of us that approximately 72 hours ago, America and our ally Israel engaged Iran, a regime that since the 1979 revolution, replaced constitutional governance with theocratic rule under sharia law, curtailed the rights of women, crushed dissent and exported terrorism across the globe,” said bill sponsor Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Dania Beach.

The bills would allow the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s chief of domestic security to designate terrorist organizations. The Florida Cabinet, which the governor chairs and is made up of three other statewide elected officials, would have to approve the designation.

—Orlando Sentinel

‘Fat-shaming’ quiz questions prompt investigation of San Francisco high school teacher

A teacher at a top-tier public high school in San Francisco is under investigation following reports of classroom quizzes that contained inappropriate questions, including sexist and fat-shaming language.

The San Francisco Unified School District said it is aware of the allegations at Lowell High School “regarding inappropriate questions on a teacher’s exam and other related concerns,” according to district spokesperson Laura Dudnick.

“We take these concerns seriously and are actively investigating,” she said.

She declined to identify the educator or say if he had been placed on leave, citing privacy in personnel matters, but said “once an issue is brought to our attention, we investigate every report and take appropriate corrective action if required.”

—Los Angeles Times

Iran delays funeral of supreme leader due to crowd concerns

Iran postponed the funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike last weekend, citing expectations of large crowds.

The three-day ceremony had been scheduled to start at 10 p.m. local time at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a mosque in Tehran, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday.

State television later said the proceedings were being delayed “due to the expected unprecedented presence of mourners,” and a new time would be announced soon.

The funeral is likely to turn into a rally for Islamic Republic supporters who oppose the U.S. and Israeli attacks that have since spiraled into a regional war. Russia and China have also condemned Khamenei’s killing. Opponents of the regime, by contrast, met Khamenei’s death with celebrations.

—Bloomberg News