Supreme Court begins new term with abortion, guns and religion topping agenda
The Supreme Court on Monday begins a new term and returns with abortion, guns and religion on the agenda.
US News
Oil Spill Devastates Wildlife Off Coast Of California
A breach in an oil pipeline in Southern California on Saturday resulted in thousands of gallons of oil spilling into the Pacific Ocean, ravaging a nearby wildlife habitat.
US Facing Massive Shortages Linked To COVID Restrictions
Americans face massive shortages of consumer goods ranging from cars to shoes ahead of Christmas as the global supply chain almost collapses due to restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials warned late Sunday.
Federal workers given until Nov. 9 to get COVID vaccines or face consequences
The Office of Personnel Management is giving federal workers until Nov. 9 to comply with President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate or face consequences that could include firing.
Florida bill would designate religious services as ‘essential’ during an emergency
If a grocery store is an “essential” exempt from stay-at-home orders during an emergency, then religious services also warrant that designation, say sponsors of a pre-filed 2022 Florida bill.
DoD: 53,000 Afghan Evacuees Living on 8 Military Bases in the U.S.; 14,000 More Expected Soon
Around 53,000 Afghan evacuees are currently living on eight military bases in the United States as part of the Biden Administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, General Glen VanHerck, the Commander of US Northern Command, told a Pentagon briefing on Thursday.
Durham Issues New Subpoenas in Probe of FBI Russia Investigation, Targets Clinton Campaign Law Firm
Special Counsel John Durham is handing down a new set of subpoenas, including one targeting a law firm tied to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Biden failing to unite party around massive infrastructure and welfare spending packages
President Biden, who won the White House boasting that he was a sophisticated negotiator in Washington, was failing Thursday to overcome a legislative impasse within his Democratic Party over his $3.5 trillion social welfare package and his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
US slightly revises up its GDP estimate for Q2 to 6.7%
The U.S. economy expanded at a 6.7% annual pace from April through June, the Commerce Department said Thursday, slightly upgrading its estimate of last quarter’s growth in the face of a resurgence of COVID-19 in the form of the delta variant.
Supreme Court to hear case over Boston’s denial of flying a Christian flag
The Supreme Court announced Thursday it would hear a First Amendment challenge over flying a Christian flag on city property in Boston.
Biden signs bill to avert government shutdown, approves bill to fund government through Dec. 3
President Biden signed into law Thursday evening a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government open through early December and avert a shutdown just hours before the funding was ready to expire.
FBI can’t back up claims in dozens of surveillance applications: Report
The Justice Department’s internal watchdog said Thursday the FBI failed to support claims it made in almost 200 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications to monitor American citizens.
House Democrats narrowly pass legislation to suspend debt ceiling
House Democrats on Wednesday narrowly passed a stand-alone bill to suspend the debt ceiling, likely averting a government shutdown Thursday but leaving open the possibility that the U.S. could default on its debts next month.
YouTube is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content
YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that’s contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country.
Florida sues Biden administration over catch-and-release policy, alleging violation of federal law
The state of Florida is suing the Biden administration over its “illegal” catch-and-release policies at the Southern Border, saying they cause harm to the state’s “quasi-sovereign interests,” while claiming officials are either in violation of federal immigration law, or simply abusing their authority.
NY Christian adoption agency files federal suit claiming harassment by state
A privately funded New York Christian adoption agency has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the New York State Division of Human Rights violated the agency’s constitutional rights by opening an unwarranted investigation triggered by a complaint about the agency’s policy on same-sex marriage, Christian Headlines (CH) reports.
Marine Who Demanded Accountability For Afghanistan In Viral Video Thrown In The Brig
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine officer whose meteoric rise to internet fandom began with a video criticizing military leadership over Afghanistan, is currently in the brig, his father told Task & Purpose.
Panel OKs Dems’ $3.5T bill, crunch time for Biden agenda
Democrats pushed a $3.5 trillion, 10-year bill strengthening social safety net and climate programs through the House Budget Committee on Saturday, but one Democrat voted “no,” illustrating the challenges party leaders face in winning the near unanimity they’ll need to push the sprawling package through Congress. The Democratic-dominated panel, meeting virtually, approved the measure on a near party-line vote, 20-17. The passage marked a necessary but minor checking of a procedural box for Democrats by edging it a step closer to debate by the full House. Under budget rules, the committee wasn’t allowed to significantly amend the 2,465-page measure, the product of 13 other House committees.
White evangelicals lag in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, survey finds
U.S. counties with high populations of White evangelical Christians have low COVID-19 vaccination rates, according to a new survey.
Texas suing Biden administration over a federal guidance on transgender bathrooms, pronouns
Texas is suing the Biden administration in an effort to invalidate a federal civil rights directive pertaining to the use of pronouns and bathroom access in the workplace.