Abbott bans Texas government from closing places of worship with religious freedom law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning state agencies and public officials from closing houses of worship.
US News
Fed officials now say they expect to raise rates by 2023
The Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates near zero even as too-high inflation concerns continue to percolate.
Texas has begun building wall along border, Abbott says
The state of Texas launched border wall construction along its border with Mexico, marking the first step in building a barrier to prevent noncitizens from illegally crossing into the United States.
Federal judge blocks Biden’s bans on leases for drilling for oil and gas on public lands
A federal judge in Louisiana has blocked President Biden’s temporary ban on new leases to drill for oil and gas on public lands, setting back his efforts on climate change.
Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring ‘Moment of Silence’ for School Prayer
Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that would require at least one minute of silence, and possibly more, in public schools at the beginning of every day, so children can pray or meditate.
Virginia school board appealing against reinstatement of teacher suspended for objecting to transgender policy
Virginia’s Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) board has said it is appealing against a Circuit Court order that reinstated Christian teacher Tanner Cross, who had been suspended for refusing to address children by a gender pronoun of the opposite sex, CBN News reports. LCPS said it “respectfully disagrees with the Circuit Court’s decision to order the reinstatement of Cross to his position at Leesburg Elementary school.
House Republicans demand Congress reviews any new Iran nuclear deal
Republican members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs have sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding a congressional review of any nuclear agreements reached with Iran.
Nevada to pay church $175,000 for legal fees in lawsuit against pandemic restrictions
Nevada is to pay Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley church $175,000 for legal fees it incurred in its lawsuit against state COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship, the Christian Post reports. The Nevada Board of Examiners unanimously approved a request from the Office of the Attorney General to pay the funds as the result of a tort claim.
Drought causes largest US reservoir to reach lowest level since 1930s
An increasingly severe drought across the Southwestern United States has resulted in Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir, reaching its lowest level of water since the 1930s on Wednesday, Axios reports. The Southwest is currently suffering the most severe and widespread drought of this century.
Wisconsin Supreme Court: local health departments have no power to shut schools in emergencies
Delivering a victory to private and religious schools, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that, while the state’s Department of Health does have legislated power to shut schools in emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, local health authorities do not have that power, Fox6 reports. The conservative majority court gave the ruling in a 4-3 decision.
Supreme Court sides against Biden administration in drug sentencing case
The Supreme Court on Monday found that certain low-level crack cocaine offenders are not eligible for sentencing reductions, a repudiation of the Biden administration’s late case change in opinion.
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit from Texas hospital employees over COVID vaccine requirement
A federal judge on Saturday dismissed a lawsuit brought by some employees of a Texas hospital over its requirement that workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reports. Nearly 200 employees at Houston Methodist were suspended without pay last week for their failure to get fully vaccinated, per the hospital system’s requirements.
Judge halts Biden’s race-based aid for farmers, says challenge is ‘likely to succeed’
A Wisconsin federal judge ordered a temporary halt to a $4 billion race-based federal relief program for farmers on Thursday.
U.S. Water and Power Are Shockingly Vulnerable to Cyberhacks
When the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was hacked in 2018, it took a mere six hours. Early this year, an intruder lurked in hundreds of computers related to water systems across the U.S. In Portland, Oregon, burglars installed malicious computers onto a grid providing power to a chunk of the Northwest.
Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will build a border wall, but doesn’t yet give details on cost or location
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that Texas will build a border wall along the state’s boundary with Mexico — but provided no details on where or when.
Federal Taxes, Spending and Deficit All Set Records Through May
The federal government set new records in the taxes it collected, the spending it engaged in and the deficit it ran through the first eight months of fiscal 2021 (October through May), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
Federal Investigation Concludes Protest Not Broken Up Due to Trump’s Church Visit
A federal investigation has determined that the decision to forcibly clear racial justice protesters from an area in front of the White House last summer was not influenced by then-President Donald Trump’s plan to visit a historic Washington, D.C. church set on fire by protesters the night before.
Senate passes bi-partisan $250 billion industrial bill to compete with China
Showing broad bi-partisan support for countering China’s military and economic expansion, the Senate on Tuesday passed a $250 billion industrial bill, one of the largest of its kind in US history, CNBC reports. The US Innovation and Competition Act passed 68-32.
New Gallup poll: Majority of Americans opposed to overturning Roe v Wade
A new Gallup poll shows that 58% of Americans are opposed to overturning Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision on abortion, Gallup reports. Carried out between May 3-18, the poll found 32% of Americans are in favor of overturning the ruling.
Biden working under the radar to close Guantanamo by 9/11
President Joe Biden has reportedly set Sept. 11, 2021, as the deadline for yet another campaign promise: fully shuttering the Guantanamo Bay detention center.