Christianists

“When it comes to these trade policies, I have an inside view on only one industry, and that is the cigar industry because I’m an owner of Mayflower Cigars. I’m the founder of this boutique cigar company. And even though it’s a very large cigar company, thanks to all of you who smoke Mayflower Cigars — but it’s still a …

Religion News Service reports: Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins has instructed the agency’s employees to report any instances of anti-Christian bias, including any policies that are “hostile to Christian views” or punishments for displaying Christian symbols. “The VA Task Force now requests all VA employees to submit any instance of anti-Christian discrimination to Anti [email protected],” Collins wrote in …

The Washington Post reports: The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared poised to side with a group of religious parents seeking to pull their children from public school lessons with LGBTQ+-themed books — a significant expansion of the long-standing practice of allowing opt outs for reproductive health classes. The lawsuit over story time and books with titles such as “Uncle Bobby’s …

From the Liberty Counsel: Do Americans have equal rights, or do LGBTQ “rights” supersede everyone else’s rights? That’s a central question in the Kim Davis case. Liberty Counsel has filed with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, asking the court for an “en banc” review of Kim Davis’ case, meaning that we are asking ALL the judges to weigh in …

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold a key preventive-care provision of the Affordable Care Act in a case heard Monday. Conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, along with the court’s three liberals, appeared skeptical of arguments that Obamacare’s process for deciding which services must be fully covered by private insurance is unconstitutional. The …

Little Rock’s ABC affiliate reports: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed the bill that would require the display of the national motto and the Ten Commandments in public classrooms across all education levels and in public buildings operated by taxpayer funds. Senate Bill 433 (SB433) requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in a size that is legible to …

Columbus’s CBS affiliate reports: The sheriff’s office said 36-year-old Gary Thomas Keesee Jr. was arrested at his home and is charged with two counts of rape.  According to Mount Vernon Municipal Court records, the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 and 6 years old and took place on over 50 occasions. During …

An email from the Housing Department to staffers: On behalf of Secretary Scott Turner, I’m excited to announce there will be a four-hour early release on Friday, April 18, 2025 in recognition of Easter and Passover this weekend. Secretary Turner encourages our HUD workforce to reflect with family and friends as they break bread and celebrate the gift of freedom. …

USA Today reports:  Vice President JD Vance arrived in Rome on Good Friday with second lady Usha Vance and their three children on the first leg of a six-day foreign trip that includes discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a visit to the Vatican. Vance, who is Catholic, will attend the Good Friday service on April 18 at …

The Birmingham News reports: House Bills 67 and 244, both described by supporters as parental rights legislation, would ban drag performances and cross-dressing in schools and would expand Alabama’s current “Don’t Say Gay” law to include older students. Lawmakers approved HB67, the anti-drag bill, on a 76-9 vote with no discussion. HB244, filed by Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, drew some …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court on Monday is set to hear arguments in a case challenging a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires private insurers to cover health care screenings, tests and checkups for free. Experts say the court’s ruling in the case, called Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, could have sweeping consequences for patient access to preventive health …

“You know, ultimately, we’re proud of the work. You know, I don’t want to bury the lede, but for two or three months as the left succeeded in mischaracterizing it, I mean, literally everything they said, it wasn’t fun. I mean, people threatened Heritage, they threatened to burn us down, all this kind of stuff, but I want to drive …

TRUMP: “So once again, let me wish you all a very joyful and blessed Easter. And I would now like to ask Pastor Jentezen Franklin, a supporter right from day one, been right, he’s been here, I think, Paula, from the first moment that we started. And who would have known that it was gonna turn out this way, but the …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas House gave initial approval early Thursday to a bill that would create a $1 billion private school voucher program, crossing a historic milestone and bringing Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority closer than ever to reaching his desk. The lower chamber signed off on its voucher proposal, Senate Bill 2, on an 85-63 vote. …

The Christian Post reports: President Donald Trump has nominated a former congressional leader and pastor as the new U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. In a post to his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday evening, Trump announced that he is appointing former Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina to oversee the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom. …

Politico reports: The Trump administration has ordered State Department employees to report on any instances of coworkers displaying “anti-Christian bias” as part of its effort to implement a sweeping new executive order on supporting employees of Christian faith working in the federal government. The department, according to a copy of an internal cable obtained by POLITICO, will work with an …

“It is a distinct honor and privilege to have been given the Defender of Liberty award at the Liberty Counsel Gala. I was a political prisoner who spent four months in solitary confinement for merely being inside the Capitol on January 6th. What motivates me to continue our fight is the vision of America First and the MAGA movement. President Trump …

The Associated Press reports: The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the Trump administration’s ambassador to Israel, two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit. The 53-46 vote installs a vehement supporter of Israel in the key Mideast post, which may prove critical to Trump’s unsuccessful efforts so far to end the …

The Christian Post reports: Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy erupted in raucous applause last week when Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy called for a painting of Jesus to be brought up from the flood-prone basement where it was placed during the Biden administration. “Can we bring Jesus up from the basement?” he asked, looking to the USMMA administration. …

Florida Politics reports: Democrats shared their personal fertility stories and quoted “The Handmaid’s Tale” on the House floor Wednesday but that wasn’t enough to sway Republicans from voting against a bill to allow wrongful death lawsuits to be filed for fetuses. “It is devastating to lose a pregnancy. I know because I’ve lost three,” said Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat, who …