James Pollard/Associated Press/Report for America

South Carolina Republicans are one step closer to restricting how race gets taught in K-12 classrooms. As Republicans nationwide push bans on so-called "critical race theory," the state Senate passed a likeminded effort Wednesday in a late night 27-10 vote after nearly six hours of debate. Parents could challenge any educational materials they say violate banned teachings around white privilege and implicit bias under a bill sent back to the GOP-controlled House. Republicans say the bill keeps subjective opinions out of the classroom and allows parents to know what their children are learning. Opponents say it will sanitize the truth and increase stressors on a profession already experiencing record vacancies.

South Carolina Republicans are pushing new abortion restrictions in an attempt to curtail access after a near-total ban failed last month. A Senate bill that would ban abortion except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy moved quickly Tuesday through the South Carolina House in the first sign that Republican leaders may be close to restoring limits passed in 2021 but overturned by the state Supreme Court. The measure seeks to ban abortion when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, around six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant. It now goes to the House floor for a vote before returning to the Senate.

The beach community where officials say a DUI driver killed a bride on her wedding night is rallying around the victim's family. Lisa Miller says people have bought her family food and offered oceanside condos since her daughter Samantha Miller, 34, died Friday in Folly Beach, South Carolina. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was remembered as a positive person who sought to take care of everyone in her presence. "Sam doesn't want this to destroy our lives," Lisa Miller says. Now, she is urging drunken drivers to reconsider taking the wheel. Meanwhile, the groom, Aric Hutchinson, is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones.

Officials in several battleground states have proposed boosting funding to add staff, enhance security and expand training within election offices ahead of the 2024 race. The proposed funding increases come as many election offices are grappling with a wave of retirements and a flood of public records requests from election skeptics, stemming partly from lingering election distrust seeded by former President Donald Trump. A top South Carolina election official says almost half of county election directors have resigned in the last two years.

The South Carolina Senate is no closer to passing a near-total abortion ban than the last time they shot down the proposal. A 22-21 vote Thursday marks the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed to pass the Republican-led chamber since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last summer. The chamber's five women filibustered the proposal in speeches highlighting the Senate's male majority. The result maintains a legislative stalemate between the House and Senate over when to ban abortion. Majority Leader Shane Massey says the House must pass a different Senate bill if lawmakers have any shot at restricting abortion by the time the session ends on May 11.

The Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate is set to rehash an ongoing disagreement with the GOP-dominated House over when the conservative state should ban abortion. With less than three weeks left to pass any new restrictions, the Senate this week will take up a near-total ban that already cleared the House. It is unclear why. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey has repeatedly said he can't get the 26 Senate votes for the stricter House bill. Meanwhile, abortion has remained legal through 22 weeks, and out-of-state patients have increasingly turned to South Carolina for abortion care in a region that has largely curtailed access.

The South Carolina Legislature is looking to change a bond system that the Republican governor has repeatedly criticized for enabling a "revolving door" of defendants he says rack up violent charges while on pretrial release. The state Senate on Wednesday gave unanimous approval to the bill to revoke the initial bond for anyone charged with a violent crime or gun-involved felony while out on bond for a similar charge. But a provision for an additional five-year penalty, backed by the House and governor, was removed by senators who questioned its constitutionality and effectiveness.

A lawyer for the family of a teenager found dead nearly eight years ago says a second autopsy of the exhumed body is complete. Attorney Eric Bland, who is representing the family of Stephen Smith, says this weekend was a "bittersweet" and "trying time." Stephen Smith was found dead on a lonely highway in July 2015. Investigators initially thought it was a hit-and-run, but authorities say no skid marks or vehicle debris was found near his body. Bland's law firm announced Monday a $35,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of anyone responsible.

South Carolina advocacy groups are showing out in opposition to a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors as it moves through the state Legislature. About five dozen opponents rallied outside the South Carolina State House Wednesday as a Senate subcommittee advanced a ban on gender-transition surgeries, hormone therapy and puberty blockers for people under the age of 18. The vote joins South Carolina with a broader effort in Republican-dominated legislatures across the country. At least 10 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors. Republican state Sen. Josh Kimbrell says children need to be protected from "whims." Transgender youth and their parents say the treatment can be life-saving.

One of the two Americans gunned down three weeks ago by a Mexican cartel is being remembered as a sweet man who hoped to celebrate his birthday with a journey over the border. Over 100 people attended a Saturday funeral for Shaeed Woodard, whose was slain just days before he turned 34 during a tightknit friend group's road trip. Since then, an attorney for the Woodards says the family has received an outpouring of support.