Luke Butterly – April 12, 2021

Belfast, Northern Ireland – On Saturday, the 23rd anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the decades of conflict that claimed over 3,000 lives, David Devlin was on the streets trying to keep the peace.

“Anything could happen, but we are hoping for peace, hoping tonight remains calm,” they told Al Jazeera.

Video footage of young people throwing petrol bombs at one of the gates that separate these areas – on which the words “There was never a good war or a bad peace” are painted – has been watched with horror across the world.

“Things this evening appear to be quite calm, there does not appear to be any other gatherings on either side of the interface,” Devlin said as they began their shift.

“Over the past few nights, we have been out on the ground trying to talk to young people, dissuade them from any risk-taking behavior, trying to get them go, stay safe, and not engage in anything that is going to put their safety at risk.”

Northern Ireland has been rocked by sporadic rioting in loyalist working-class areas, amounting to the worst violence seen in years.Loyalists back a Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, as opposed to a united Ireland.

https://www.aljazeera.com

Michael Foust – May 6, 2021

President Biden on Wednesday issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation that touted the “power of prayer” and invited Americans to “give thanks,” although the proclamation’s absence of the word “God” sparked criticism and marked the first time that’s happened in modern history.

By a 1952 law, every U.S. president must issue a proclamation designating a National Day of Prayer. This year the day fell on May 6.

“Today, we remember and celebrate the role that the healing balm of prayer can play in our lives and in the life of our Nation,” the proclamation reads. “As we continue to confront the crises and challenges of our time – from a deadly pandemic, to the loss of lives and livelihoods in its wake, to a reckoning on racial justice, to the existential threat of climate change – Americans of faith can call upon the power of prayer to provide hope and uplift us for the work ahead.”

On the National Day of Prayer, “we unite with purpose and resolve, and recommit ourselves to the core freedoms that helped define and guide our Nation from its earliest days,” it reads.

“We celebrate our incredible good fortune that, as Americans, we can exercise our convictions freely – no matter our faith or beliefs,” it reads. “Let us find in our prayers, however they are delivered, the determination to overcome adversity, rise above our differences, and come together as one Nation to meet this moment in history.”

The proclamation, though, omits the word “God,” making Biden the first president not to include “God” in his proclamation in the modern history of National Day of Prayer proclamations. The omission is ironic, because secular groups in recent months have criticized Biden for discussing religion too much.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Live Action Newsroom – April 27, 2021

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the governors of two states — Oklahoma and Idaho, respectively — signed ‘heartbeat bills’ into law. These laws protect preborn children from the moment a heartbeat can be detected, which is usually around five to six weeks gestation. Though the preborn child’s brain is the first organ to appear, the child’s heart begins to beat between 16 and 22 days after the moment of fertilization (when a new human life begins).

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed not just one, but three pro-life bills into law on Monday. HB 2441 is the ‘heartbeat bill’ which bans an abortion from the moment the embryonic heartbeat is detected, and does not offer an exception for the circumstances of a child’s conception (rape or incest). The two other new laws are HB 1102 — which classifies abortion as “unprofessional conduct” and any abortionist committing a medically unnecessary abortion will lose his or her license to practice for one year — and HB 1904, which requires that only board-certified OB/GYNs may commit abortions. One bill passed by the Legislature, SB 778, which would require the abortion pill to be dispensed only in person (according to longstanding FDA safety measures), still awaits the governor’s signature.

The bills would have gone into effect in November 2021, with or without the governor’s signature.

In Idaho, Governor Brad Little signed HB 366, the Fetal Heartbeat Preborn Child Protection Act, into law on Tuesday. According to a tweet sent out by the governor’s office, the bill contains exceptions for medical emergencies and for children conceived in rape or incest.

https://www.liveaction.org

Oleg Burunov – April 17, 2021

The remarks came after the latest poll conducted by the French think tank IFOP, which revealed that Marine Le Pen, who leads the party National Rally, would prevail over Emmanuel Macron by two percentage points in the first round of the 2022 presidential election in France.

Macron himself told the BBC in 2018 that the French people would probably vote to secede from the EU if they were to hold an analogue of the Brexit referendum.

He argued that “you always take a risk when you have such a [Brexit-like] referendum, just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in a very complicated aspect”, adding at the same time that since the context in the UK and France “was very different” he doesn’t want to “take any bets”.

Macron also made it clear he would also welcome Britain’s hypothetical return to the EU, stating that he both respects and regrets the Brexit vote.

https://sputniknews.com

Michael Haynes – April 6, 2021

VATICAN CITY, April 8, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis has addressed the World Bank and International Monetary Fund at their spring meeting, calling for “global governance” in light of COVID-19, strongly advocating for universal vaccines, and bemoaning the “ecological debt” which is owed to “nature itself.”

His letter is the latest in a series of recent acts in which Francis has aligned himself with global corporations committed to anti-Catholic agendas.

The letter was delivered via Peter Cardinal Turkson, Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, to the spring 2021 meeting between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is currently being held online from April 5 – 11.

Dated April 4, the letter mentioned God just once, in the final line.

Instead, Francis focussed on calling for a system of global government which would implement a new societal order upon the world, based upon climate change policies and universal vaccination.

Referencing “the Covid-19 pandemic,” Francis declared that the world had been forced to “confront a series of grave and interrelated socio-economic, ecological, and political crises.”

Such inter-connected crises, he placed before the World Bank and IMF, hoping that their meetings would provide the basis for a re-ordering of world affairs: “It is my hope that your discussions will contribute to a model of ‘recovery’ capable of generating new, more inclusive and sustainable solutions to support the real economy, assisting individuals and communities to achieve their deepest aspirations and the universal common good.”

Francis repeated the claim that COVID has shown how “no one is saved alone,” and hence “new and creative forms of social, political and economic participation” must be drawn up.

https://www.lifesitenews.com

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz – March 21, 2021

One of the most impressive gatherings of the year is the Birkat Kohanim, the twice-annual priestly blessing held on the second intermediate days of Passover and Sukkoth when some 40,000 Jews come to the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem to be blessed by hundreds of Kohanim (the descendants of Aaron the priest).

Among fears that the event would be canceled or held in a subdued fashion as it has been the last two times (Sukkot in October and last year during Passover), the Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced that the event will be held in all its glory. But to allow for social distancing while still opening the event to the general public, the Kohanim will bless the Jews in two separate events.

Last Passover marked 50 years since the reinstatement of the priestly blessing ceremony, this event took place in a minimal manner with a quorum of ten priests blessing an equal number of Jews who were all residents of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, in accordance with the special regulations for the coronavirus pandemic. They recited a special prayer and blessing dedicated to the complete recovery of the United States and the entire world by U.S. Ambassador David Friedman who is also a kohen.

In October, the Birkat Kohanim for Sukkot took place with dozens of kohanim who were residents of the Jewish Quarter, and with almost no public.

“With praise and gratitude to G-d, this Passover, kohanim from around Israel will be allowed to participate in the traditional event and bless the Jewish people, in accordance with regulations,” the Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated in a media release.

https://www.israel365news.com

Jeffrey Rodack – March 19, 2021

The Supreme Court will meet privately on Friday to consider if it should take up a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

As various states continue to adopt abortion prohibitions, many of the new laws are headed to the high court. As a result, the justices could opt to wait to take any action on abortion, CNN reported.

Mississippi officials had appealed a ruling by an appellate court that had invalidated the 15-week ban. The ruling found that the Supreme Court precedent prevents prohibitions when the fetus would be unable to live outside the womb.

The case stems from a Mississippi abortion clinic suing the state in 2018, shortly after then-Gov. Phil Bryant signed the 15-week ban. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled it was unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Reeves had ruled correctly.

But in late 2019, Mississippi asked the entire appeals court to reconsider the case, and the full panel later denied the request.

If the Supreme Court justices do agree to take up the 15-week abortion ban it, would likely spark intense national debate. And even if they deny the Mississippi petition, individual justices could issue statements regarding the denial and elaborate on their arguments for future rollbacks on abortions, CNN noted.

Mississippi’s Attorney General Lynn Fitch is urging justices to hear the case. Fitch has asked the court to clarify its standard and to disallow clinic lawsuits on behalf of women.

https://www.newsmax.com

WND News Services – March 15, 2021

In “1984,” George Orwell’s famous novel about a nightmarish future society, the main character Winston Smith runs afoul of the ruling “Party” for insisting that “two plus two make four.” Only after being tortured by those in power does he come around to agreeing that, of course, “two plus two make five.”

America in 2021 has become Orwell’s “1984” – and nowhere more so than in the nation’s schools.

In New York City, math education Professor Laurie Rubel claims the whole notion that “2+2=4” is one that “reeks of white supremacist patriarchy.” How is that remotely possible? As the Brooklyn College prof explained in a tweet: “The idea that math (or data) is culturally neutral or in any way objective is a MYTH. … Along with the ‘Of course math is neutral because 2+2=4’ trope are the related (and creepy) ‘Math is pure’ and ‘Protect math.’ Reeks of white supremacist patriarchy.”

Likewise, in Oregon, the state’s education department is promoting “A Pathway to Math Equity,” intended to train public school teachers in how to “dismantle racism in mathematics instruction.”

“We see white supremacy culture show up in the mathematics classroom even as we carry out our professional responsibilities,” declares the teachers’ guide. “The concept of mathematics being purely objective is unequivocally false. … Upholding the idea that there are always right and wrong answers perpetuate objectivity as well as fear of open conflict.”

Most Americans would describe the notion that mathematics is “racist” as completely insane.

To recap: Insisting that two plus two equals four and that there are correct and incorrect ways to spell, write and speak English are indicative of “white supremacist patriarchy” and a need for “decolonization.”

This is just a small taste of what is overtaking the nation’s educational system – which, truth be told, amounts to the Marxist indoctrination of America’s children.

https://www.wnd.com

Michael Foust – March 11, 2021

Mississippi’s governor signed a bill into law on Thursday prohibiting biological males from competing in girls’ or women’s sports, making the state the first in 2021 to act on the issue.

More than 20 states are considering similar bills, which supporters say are needed in light of a push on the national and state levels to allow transgender girls and women to compete alongside biological females in sports.

Two high school athletes in Connecticut who are biologically male but who identify as female won a total of 15 state track championships. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has taken initial steps in requiring schools to allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity.

The Mississippi bill passed in the state House 81-28 with bipartisan support, although a 34-9 vote in the Senate fell along partisan lines.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, signed the bill into law Thursday. Supporters call it the “Mississippi Fairness Act.”

“Athletic teams or sports designated for ‘females,’ ‘women’ or ‘girls’ shall not be open to students of the male sex,” the text of the bill says.

The new law, which takes effect July 1, also allows athletes to file suit if their school violates the law.

“This important piece of legislation will ensure that young girls in Mississippi have a fair, level playing field in public school sports,” Reeves said during a signing ceremony.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Newsmax – March 9, 2021

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year.

The Republican governor had expressed reservations about the bill, which only allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated by rape or incest. Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year.

The bans are being pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Conservatives believe the court is more open to striking down the decision following former President Donald Trump’s three appointments to the court.

Hutchinson has signed several major abortion restrictions into law since taking office in 2015, but he had voiced concerns that this bill directly challenges Roe and the lack of rape and incest exceptions.

The legislation won’t take effect until 90 days after the majority-Republican Legislature adjourns this year’s session. That means it can’t be enforced until this summer at the earliest. Abortion rights supporters said they plan to challenge the ban in court before then.

https://www.newsmax.com