The Supreme Court upheld South Carolina's decision to bar Planned Parenthood from accessing federal Medicaid funding for non-abortion-related services on Thursday.
The court voted 6-3 with Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting.
The decision allows other states to implement similar policies that would prevent reimbursements for services not related to abortions, such as screenings or acquiring contraceptives.
As NPR reported, federal law has prohibited using federal Medicaid for abortion services for decades, except in the cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening complications.
As reported by Detroit News, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) had said that no taxpayer money should go to Planned Parenthood, with the new budget bill, coined the "big, beautiful bill" by President Donald Trump, looking to cut federal Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood all together.
RELATED: Republicans to watch when Trump’s $9.4 billion cut comes to the Senate
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Planned Parenthood said that this would have "catastrophic consequences" on it since one-third of its revenue is funded by the government, according to an X post from law professor Jonathan Turley.
Detroit News noted that this could result in a close of about 200 locations for the abortion provider, most in states where abortions are legal.
This is a developing story.
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On June 3, University of South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley appeared on the “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay” podcast, where she said that the Gamecocks' semifinal loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament made her temporarily question God.
While she didn’t doubt God’s existence, she needed to know “why” the loss happened.
“The answer to the why happened a year later,” she said, referring to South Carolina’s 2024 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes to win the NCAA national championship.
“God left me on the why and then followed it up, and I had no words besides it's uncommon favor,” she added.
Jason Whitlock translates the meaning behind Staley’s words: “She saw the original Iowa versus South Carolina game as a race war — that she lost to these evil white people … and God's going to show the world that it's black women that dominate college basketball.”
“Fearless” guest Steve Kim says Staley is a prime example of “perpetual victimhood.” Given that South Carolina was clearly the superior team in 2023, she “should not question God” but rather her “own coaching ability,” he says.
Jason agrees, arguing that Staley “can’t really coach” and “wins with talent.” Her loss to Iowa, he speculates, might have been divine intervention “to show her the penalty for her bigotry.”
Before their 2023 semifinal matchup, University of Iowa coach Lisa Bluder described rebounding against South Carolina as akin to going to “a bar fight” due to the players’ physicality, which Staley took as a racial insult against her predominantly black team. After the loss, Staley used Bluder’s comment to criticize what she perceived as racist media narratives around her team.
“She wrapped her team and herself in this racial conflict. She thinks team black is better than team white and that team black was going to prevail, and so her whole understanding of religious faith just got blown up,” says Jason.
The WNBA, however, thrives on these kinds of racial narratives. That’s likely why the league chose Staley and Renee Montgomery, who has labeled Caitlin Clark fans as racists, to be analysts for CBS Sports' new "WNBA Tip Off" pregame show, which debuted on June 7, ahead of the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game.
The WNBA has “this influx of Caitlin Clark and women's basketball fans, and we want to have our tip-off show built around two women that have a problem with Caitlin Clark and her fans. Could you be any dumber than the WNBA and CBS?” sighs Jason.
To hear more of the conversation, watch the video above.
To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Election integrity has become a top concern among the American public, and Ohio is leading an effort to address those concerns and root out fraud.
On Tuesday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) revealed that an ongoing review discovered potential voter fraud impacting eight states and Washington, D.C.
'Critics of Ohio’s election integrity efforts may try to minimize the significance of these referrals, as though some small amount of election crime is acceptable.'
“During an ongoing review of the Ohio Voter Registration Database using state and federal data, evidence of 30 noncitizen registrations were uncovered by Election Integrity Unit investigators. In addition, the review found 11 individuals from Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, and South Carolina who appear to have voted in multiple jurisdictions,” a press release from LaRose’s office read.
LaRose referred the findings of “potential fraudulent noncitizen registrations and fraudulent double votes” to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R), as well as the attorneys general of the seven other states and Washington, D.C.
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LaRose stated, “We must send a clear message that election fraud won’t be tolerated.”
“The only way to maintain Ohio’s high standard of election integrity is to enforce the law whenever it’s broken. Through the investigations of our Public Integrity Division’s Election Integrity Unit, we are rooting out lawbreakers so we can bring accountability and justice,” he added.
The attorneys general will determine whether to review the evidence further and ultimately decide whether to prosecute.
While LaRose can initiate investigations, he must refer his findings to the AG or local district attorneys for prosecution.
LaRose wrote in a letter to Yost, “Critics of Ohio’s election integrity efforts may try to minimize the significance of these referrals, as though some small amount of election crime is acceptable.”
“Even one illegal vote can spoil the outcome of an election for the citizenry at large, whether it be a school levy, majority control of a legislative chamber, or even a statewide election contest. Just this last election, a single vote in Licking County decided the outcome of a local levy after the final certified count,” he continued. “If we intend to give Ohioans absolute confidence in the integrity of our elections, we must have zero tolerance for misconduct.”
RELATED: Trump DOJ targets North Carolina for shaky voter registration
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office told Blaze News it had not yet received LaRose’s evidence. However, it noted, “We did get a phone call from them and expect them to forward the evidence.”
The Colorado Attorney General’s office stated it “cannot confirm or otherwise comment on investigations.”
The offices for the attorneys general of Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, D.C., Illinois, Kentucky, and Maryland did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement led an operation on Sunday in Charleston, South Carolina, that resulted in the arrest of a suspected terrorist and captured dozens of illegal aliens.
A Department of Homeland Security press release, obtained by Blaze News, stated that Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte led an operation alongside local law enforcement that targeted “an underground illegal nightclub” called the Alamo.
'Leave now or ICE will find you and deport you.'
The press release claimed the unlicensed establishment was operated by “a suspected member of the Los Zetas Cartel,” formally known as Cártel del Noreste, which President Donald Trump previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the press release, ICE received a tip indicating that the Alamo was a hub for widespread illegal activities, including weapons, narcotics, and human trafficking.
ICE’s operation resulted in the arrest of 72 illegal aliens and the recovery of six children, who were then transferred to social services to ensure their safety and well-being.
The arrests are still being processed, the agency noted.
Federal immigration authorities also seized cash, narcotics, and firearms during Sunday’s raid.
ICE referred to Sergio Joel Galo-Baca, described as “a Honduran illegal alien and foreign fugitive with an active Interpol Red Notice for homicide in Honduras,” as one of its “most high-profile arrests” of the operation.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “Day in and day out, the brave men and women of ICE are working with local law enforcement to keep American communities safe. The successful operation that took place in the Charleston area resulted in more than 70 arrests of illegal aliens — including an international murder suspect and the dismantling of a nightclub run by a suspected cartel member where drug, weapon, and human trafficking were taking place.”
“Under President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, fugitives and law breakers are on notice: Leave now or ICE will find you and deport you," McLaughlin added.
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Donald Trump’s endorsement of Karrin Taylor Robson in December marked one of the most baffling moves of his political career. Still riding the momentum of his victory, Trump pre-emptively backed a known RINO for Arizona governor — nearly 19 months ahead of the 2026 primary. The endorsement fit a troubling pattern: early-cycle support for anti-Trump Republicans who hadn’t lifted a finger for the movement, while stronger MAGA candidates waited in the wings.
If Trump wants to deliver on his campaign promises, he needs to reassert deterrence against weak-kneed incumbents and withhold endorsements in open races until candidates prove themselves.
At some point, conservatives must face the hard truth: The swamp isn’t being drained. It’s getting refilled — with Trump’s help.
Arizona illustrates why MAGA must push back hard on Trump’s errant picks. Robson, a classic McCain Republican, publicly criticized Trump as recently as 2022. She ran directly against MAGA favorite Kari Lake in the 2022 gubernatorial primary. Maybe she could merit a reluctant nod in a general election, but nearly two years before the primary? With far better options available?
And indeed, better options emerged. Months later, Rep. Andy Biggs — one of the most conservative voices in Congress and a staunch Trump ally — entered the race. The Arizona drama had a partially satisfying resolution when Trump issued a dual endorsement. But dig deeper, and the story turns sour.
Top Trump political aides reportedly worked for Robson’s campaign, raising serious questions for the MAGA base. Their loyalty seemed to shift only after Robson refused to tout Trump’s endorsement in her campaign ads.
Which brings us to the million-dollar question: Why would Trump endorse candidates so subversive that they feel embarrassed to even mention his support?
The Robson episode is an outlier in one way: Most establishment Republicans eagerly shout Trump’s endorsement from the rooftops. Yet the deeper issue remains. Without MAGA intervention, Trump keeps handing out endorsements to RINOs or to early candidates tied to his political network — often at the expense of better, more loyal alternatives.
Some defenders claim Trump backs incumbents to push his agenda. That theory falls apart when so many of those same RINOs openly sabotage it.
Take Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). Both received Trump’s endorsement while actively working against his legislative priorities — pushing green energy subsidies and obsessing over tax breaks for their donor class. These aren’t minor policy differences. These are full-spectrum RINO betrayals.
Trump wouldn’t dare endorse Chip Roy (R-Texas) for dissenting from the right, so why give cover to Republicans who consistently undermine his mandate from the left?
And don’t chalk this up to political necessity in purple districts. Trump routinely gives away the farm in safe red states, too.
Here's a list of Trump’s Senate endorsements this cycle, straight from Ballotpedia — and it’s not comforting.
You’d struggle to find a single conservative in this bunch. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Jim Risch of Idaho all represent the globalist mindset that Trump’s base has spent years fighting. So why did Trump hand them early endorsements — before they even faced a challenge? What exactly is he getting in return?
Well, we know what his loyalty bought last cycle.
After Trump endorsed Mississippi’s other swamp creature, Roger Wicker, against a MAGA primary challenger in 2024, Wicker walked into the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee — and now he’s stalling cuts to USAID. That roadblock has helped keep the DOGE rescissions package from reaching the president’s desk.
Wicker isn’t the only one. Several of Trump’s endorsees have publicly criticized his tariff agenda. Whether or not you agree with those tariffs, the pattern is telling. Trump only seems to call out Republicans who dissent from the right. Meanwhile, the ones who oppose him from the left collect endorsements that wipe out any hope of a MAGA primary.
Ten years into the MAGA movement, grassroots candidates still can’t gain traction — and Trump’s endorsements are a big part of the problem.
Instead of amplifying insurgent conservatives, Trump often plays air support for entrenched incumbents. He clears the field early, blasting apart any challenge before it forms. That’s how we ended up stuck with senators like Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) — both from red states — who routinely block Trump’s nominees and undermine his priorities.
Trump endorsed both Tillis and Cassidy during the 2020 cycle, even as grassroots conservatives geared up to take them on. In fact, almost every red-state RINO in the Senate has received a Trump primary endorsement — some of them twice in just 10 years. That list includes Moore Capito, Graham, Hyde-Smith, and Wicker.
What’s worse than endorsing RINOs for Congress in red states? Endorsing RINOs for governor and state legislature.
Yes, Washington is broken. Even in the best years, Republicans struggle to muster anything more than a narrow RINO majority. But the real opportunity lies elsewhere. More than 20 states already lean Republican enough to build permanent conservative power — if we nominate actual conservatives who know how to use it.
The 2026 election cycle will feature governorships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming, to name just a few. These races offer a chance to reset the Republican Party — state by state — with DeSantis-caliber fighters.
Instead, we’re slipping backward.
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Trump has already endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds for Florida governor — nearly two years before the election. In most red states, Donalds would look like an upgrade. But Florida isn’t most red states. Florida is the citadel of conservatism. It deserves a contested primary, not a coronation. Donalds hasn’t led the way DeSantis has — either nationally or in-state — so why clear the field this early? Why not at least wait and see whether DeSantis backs a candidate?
And don’t forget about the state legislatures.
Freedom Caucuses have made real gains in turning GOP supermajorities into something that matters. But in Texas, House Speaker Dustin Burrows cut a deal with Democrats to grab power — then torched the entire session. Conservative voters are eager to remove Burrows and the cronies who enabled him.
This is where Trump should be getting involved — endorsing against the establishment, not propping it up.
Instead, he’s doing the opposite.
Trump recently pledged to back Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and his entire entourage of RINO loyalists — just because they passed a watered-down school choice bill that also funneled another $10 billion into the state’s broken public-school bureaucracy.
The same pattern holds in Florida.
The House speaker there, Daniel Perez, has consistently blocked Governor Ron DeSantis’ agenda, including efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement — policies that are now a national model. Despite this, Perez cozied up to Byron Donalds. Donalds returned the favor, but refused to take sides in the Perez versus DeSantis clashes. He also ducked the fights against Amendments 3 and 4. So what exactly qualifies Donalds to become Trump’s handpicked candidate in the most important red state in America?
This new paradigm — where candidates secure Trump endorsements just by parroting his name — has allowed RINO governors and legislators to push corporatist policies while staying firmly in Trump’s good graces. They wrap themselves in the MAGA brand without lifting a finger to advance its agenda.
That’s not the movement we were promised.
At some point, conservatives must face the hard truth: The swamp isn’t being drained. It’s getting refilled — with Trump’s help. We can’t keep celebrating Trump’s total control of the GOP while hand-waving away the RINOs, as if they’re some separate, unaccountable force. Trump has the power to shape the party. He could use it to clean house.
Instead, he keeps using it to protect the establishment from grassroots primaries.
At the very least, he should withhold endorsements until candidates prove they can deliver on the campaign’s promises. Don’t hand out golden Trump cards before they’ve earned them.
Mr. President, please don’t be such a cheap date.
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