Texas would expand what can be defined as sexually explicit material or potentially harmful to children in order to ban books from public and charter school libraries, under a bill given final passage by the state Senate late Tuesday night and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas move is the latest attempt to ban or regulate reading material in conservative states around the country. Critics say the standards set in the Texas bill are too vague, will snag books that are not inappropriate, and that materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans. The bill passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature defines “sexually explicit material” as anything that includes descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to required school curriculum, and prohibits it from school libraries. The bill requires the state’s Library and Archives Commission to adopt standards that schools must follow when purchasing books, and a rating system that would be used to restrict or ban some material. “What we’re talking about is sexually explicit material ... that doesn’t belong in front of the eyes of kids,” said the bill sponsor, Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican. “They shouldn’t be finding it in their school library.” Abbott, a Republican, previously joined a former GOP lawmaker’s campaign to investigate the use of books in schools covering topics of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. That inquiry included a list of more than 800 books. In April, leaders of a rural central Texas county considered closing their public library system rather than follow a federal judge’s order to return books to the shelves on themes ranging from teen sexuality and gender to bigotry and race. Under the measure passed Tuesday night, book vendors would have to rate books based on depictions or references to sex. "Sexually relevant” material that describes or portrays sex but is part of the required school curriculum could be checked out with a parent's permission. A book would be rated “sexually explicit” if the material is deemed offensive and not part of the required curriculum. Those books would be removed from school bookshelves. State officials will review vendors’ ratings and can request a rating change if they consider it incorrect. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be banned from contracting with book sellers who refuse to comply. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

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Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF is back after their Big Red Boots took social media by storm. This time, they've launched a minuscule handbag – the size of a sand grain. The bag is just 657 by 222 by 700 micrometres and is modelled off the famous Louis Vuitton OnTheGo handbag. Impressively, they were even able to sketch out the LV logo on their tiny creation. The "bag" was specifically designed for an upcoming auction for Pharrell's Joopiter auction house. MSCHF told the New York Times that they actually haven't approached Louis Vuitton for permission to use their design. "We are big in the ‘ask forgiveness, not permission’ school," Kevin Wiesner, the chief creative officer of MSCHF told the publication. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The images soon spread across social media, where people took no time in chiming in with their takes. "Jesus f***ing christ where did we go wrong as a society," one harsh critic wrote, while another hilariously joked: "He made this for the roach at the Met Gala." "I can’t even fit my phone in this," a third humoured, while one Twitter user added: "My dreams about an apocalypse hitting the earth are making more sense now." The creation comes just after the creative brand restocked its Big Red Boots. Retailing at $350 (£280) a pair, the shoes caught the attention of the internet earlier this year for their unique appearance. The brand described them as: "CARTOON BOOTS FOR A COOL 3D WORLD. CARTOONISHNESS IS AN ABSTRACTION THAT FREES US FROM THE CONSTRAINTS OF REALITY. IF YOU KICK SOMEONE IN THESE BOOTS THEY GO BOING!" They've since become a big hit among celebrities with the likes of WWE wrestler Seth Rollins, rapper Lil Wayne and Diplo sporting the bizarre boots. Indy100 reached out to Louis Vuitton for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis has requested a 23 October trial for all 19 defendants in the 2020 election subversion case, including former President Donald Trump. Ms Willis was responding to the request for a speedy trial from one of the defendants, lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. His filing didn’t get much attention on Wednesday as former New York Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani stole the spotlight as he surrendered to the authorities in Atlanta and had his mugshot taken. Mr Chesebro made the filing as a legal gamble to throw a wrench into the proceedings in the hopes that Ms Willis wasn’t ready for it, but Ms Willis seemingly called his bluff, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The issue of the trial date is now up to the Judge in the case. More follows...

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