U.S. President Donald Trump has told governors that some could begin reopening their states by May 1 or earlier if they wanted despite ongoing coronavirus infections, according to audio recordings distributed Thursday.
Protests continue in the United States against the perceived ‘tyrannical’ lockdown orders to halt the coronavirus pandemic. In Richmond, Virginia, dozens of people gathered outside the state legislature Thursday in defiance of stay-at-home rules, which the governor instituted until June 10. ‘STOP the MADNESS! It’s just a COLD VIRUS! End the shutdown for the GOOD of U.S. all!’ read one sign.
The results of a new survey published on Monday show nearly half of adult Americans believe the Bible should influence laws, the Christian Post reports. Carried out by the Pew Research Center, the survey found 49% of respondents think the Bible should have “some” or a “great deal” of influence on national legislation. Of these, 28% thought the Bible should have precedence over the will of the people.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that some big decisions will be announced Thursday about how parts of the U.S. economy will begin to reopen after stay-at-home orders closed businesses and led to millions of lost jobs across the country.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments by telephone for the first time since it first convened in 1790.
America’s top law enforcer has warned state and local government officials against targeting the faithful amid distancing and lockdown measures to combat the new coronavirus pandemic. Attorney General Bill Barr said his Department of Justice condemns cases such as in the U.S. State of Mississippi where worshipers were fined for attending drive-in church service.
Texas abortion providers can continue to offer pill-based abortions during a state order banning non-essential medical procedures, Freebeacon.com reports. The order, given by Texas governor Greg Abbott (R) on March 22, was issued in an effort to conserve hospital beds and medical supplies for coronavirus patients.
U.S. President Donald Trump has come under evangelical pressure to release people from immigration detention centers amid concerns the new coronavirus will spread in the overcrowded facilities. Nine leaders of evangelical groups urged the Trump administration to release those “who do not pose a threat to public safety” during the coronavirus pandemic.
US coronavirus deaths rose by at least 2,228 on Tuesday, a single-day record, to top 28,300, according to a Reuters tally, as officials debated how to reopen the economy without reigniting the outbreak.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed an official public comment with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Monday in a continued effort to ensure religious groups are not discriminated against by authorities. The Center is also sending a demand letter to a specific HUD property management company after residents at one of their housing complexes alerted that all Bibles and religious materials had been confiscated.
A new law signed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday has the effect of prohibiting any place or business that is open to the public from denying transgender biological males access to ladies’ bathrooms, locker rooms or dressing rooms.
Debt held by the public will exceed the size of the U.S. economy by the end of fiscal 2020, a watchdog said Monday.
Deadly tornadoes tore through the Southern U.S. on Sunday and Monday, killing 26 people and trapping a handful of people in their homes in South Carolina.
The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order limiting religious services to 10 people, the Washington Examiner reports. Referring to the coronavirus outbreak that prompted the order, the Court said Saturday: “We agreed to expedite these proceedings due to the nature of the public health emergency all agree is present.”
Planned Parenthood of California is supporting a bill that would prevent health insurance companies from giving parents information about “sensitive” medical procedures received by young adult or minor children listed on their same policy. “Sensitive services” would include abortions and certain transgender treatments and sex-change operations, among various others. The California Family Council (CFC) has advised concerned residents to contact the office of Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D), who is sponsoring the bill.
A judge in the U.S. State of Kentucky has prevented a mayor from stopping an evangelical church’s drive-in service planned for Easter, despite a new coronavirus pandemic. The ruling came as Republicans condemned Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s statewide plan to force people into quarantine if they attend mass gatherings, including religious ones.
President Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Wyoming on Saturday, meaning that there is now such a declaration within all 50 states due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. governors appealed Saturday for $500 billion in federal aid, saying states face a budget crisis due to the new coronavirus pandemic that threatens essential services. They urged Congress to “meet the states’ budgetary shortfalls that have resulted from this unprecedented public health crisis.”
Police in the U.S. State of Texas have been praying for a fellow officer who was rushed to an intensive care unit with the new coronavirus COVID-19.
The Democratic governor of Kansas has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. state’s Republican-controlled council after it revoked her executive order limiting church meetings ahead of Easter. Governor Laura Kelly wants the court to resurrect her ban on religious gatherings of more than ten people. She says the measure is necessary to limit infections amid a new coronavirus pandemic.