A person found guilty of a sex crime against a child in Louisiana could soon be ordered to undergo surgical castration, in addition to prison time.

Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill Monday that would allow judges the option to sentence someone to surgical castration after the person has been convicted of certain aggravated sex crimes — including rape, incest and molestation — against a child younger than 13. Several states, including Louisiana, currently can order such criminals to receive chemical castration, which uses medications that block testosterone production in order to decrease sex drive.

However, surgical castration is a more invasive procedure.

“This is a consequence,” Republican state Sen. Valarie Hodges said during a committee hearing on the bill in April. “It’s a step over and beyond just going to jail and getting out.”

The bill received overwhelming approval in both of the GOP-dominated chambers. Votes against the bill mainly came from Democrats, however a Democratic lawmaker authored the measure. The legislation now heads to the desk of conservative Gov. Jeff Landry.

Bankruptcy judge gives Alex Jones a lifeline

After a weekend in which conspiracy theorist Alex Jones warned that his media company faced an imminent shutdown by the federal government because of his bankruptcy cases, a judge on Monday allowed Jones to keep operating for the next two weeks while it is decided whether his assets should be liquidated.

Both Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy reorganization after he lost two lawsuits and was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

They sued Jones for calling the shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn., a hoax, claiming defamation and infliction of emotional distress.

The families have opposed Jones’ reorganization plans. On Sunday, they filed an emergency motion to convert Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy reorganization into a liquidation, saying Jones has not made progress in showing how he will pay the lawsuit judgments.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said Monday that he will address the motion on June 14, when a decision on whether to liquidate Jones and his company’s assets is expected.

Menendez to run as an independent

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, a lifelong Democrat who is in his fourth week of a federal bribery trial, filed paperwork Monday to run for reelection as an independent in November.

The specter of Menendez, 70, trying to mount a comeback campaign raises the possibility of a splintered Democratic vote in November’s election, creating a wider lane for the Republican nominee at a time when Democrats are struggling to retain their narrow majority in the Senate.

Menendez has been abandoned by most of the state’s leading Democrats, who quickly called on him to resign after he was indicted on corruption charges last year. He has defiantly refused to step down, but he opted not to run in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

His trial is likely to last for at least another month; he has until the middle of August to withdraw from the Nov. 5 election.

Modi seen returning to power in India election

India on Tuesday began counting more than 640 million votes in the world’s largest democratic exercise, which was widely expected to return Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a third term after a decade in power.

The 6-week-long election was seen as a referendum on Modi. If the 73-year-old wins, it will only be the second time an Indian leader has retained power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

Exit polls on Saturday by major television channels projected a comfortable win for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies over a broad opposition alliance led by the Congress party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi.

McCarthy replacement officially joins House

Republican Vince Fong of California was sworn into Congress on Monday after winning a special election to complete the remainder of the term of deposed former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Fong was a member of the California State Assembly before running for the House. He was backed by former President Donald Trump and McCarthy, who watched the ceremony in person from the House floor. Fong’s swearing-in gives Republicans a 218-213 majority.

Fong said that as he has traveled his Central Valley-based congressional district, he heard that Congress must do more to address the U.S.-Mexico border, stop the rising cost of everyday essentials and work to keep communities safe, among other priorities.

Brexit cheerleader to run for parliament

Nigel Farage, the pro-Brexit campaigner and serial disrupter of British politics, announced plans Monday to run as a candidate in Britain’s general election next month, dealing a new setback to the prospects of embattled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The surprise announcement from Farage, who represents an insurgent hard-right movement that campaigns to curb immigration, threatens to upend the campaign by taking votes from Britain’s governing Conservative Party.

Divisive, charismatic and famed for his communication skills, Farage was one of the architects of Brexit, which a slim majority of Britons supported in a 2016 referendum.

— From news services