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Ohio gives taxpayer money to private religious schools for construction

September 17, 2024
Ohio lawmakers have started giving taxpayer money to private, religious schools. The state Legislature passed a bill this summer to provide grants directly to religious schools for building renovation, adding classrooms and improving playgrounds.

$4 million out of the state’s $600 million school budget will go towards the private school funding.

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said the goal of providing the grants is to increase the capacity of private schools so they can take on voucher students sooner.

A Christian school in Lima welcomed its largest kindergarten class this year due to the funding.

Other states implemented school voucher programs that give parents taxpayer money to spend on private school tuition for their kids.

Advocates for Ohio’s plan to fund private schools directly said it cuts out the middleman.

Those against using taxpayer money for private schools said Ohio’s plan undermines the funding needed for public schools.
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Paris Olympics opening ceremony sparks controversy, calls for boycott

July 29, 2024
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics ignited significant controversy and sparked calls for a boycott. The response follows what critics have interpreted as a controversial reimagining of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting, “The Last Supper.”

The ceremony featured a fashion show with a performance that included drag performers seated around a table, with a woman positioned at the center — a spot traditionally associated with Jesus Christ in the famous painting. Additionally, a French actor dressed as Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy, was seated atop the table.

Critics, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, have condemned the performance as an affront to Christian sensibilities.

https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1817229481972473922

In posts on X, Johnson labeled the performance as “shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world” and Salvini criticized it as a poor start for the Olympic Games.

American fitness coach Jillian Michaels also expressed disapproval, arguing that the performance undermines calls for mutual respect and tolerance.

https://twitter.com/JillianMichaels/status/1817235506687783374

In response to the backlash, some companies have opted to withdraw their advertisements from the Paris Games. Social media platforms are also seeing a surge in calls for a boycott of the Olympics.

https://twitter.com/Olympics/status/1816929100532945380

On the other hand, Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, has defended the performance.

Jolly clarified that the segment was intended as a depiction of Dionysus and a celebration of pagan festivities, not a reinterpretation of “The Last Supper.” He emphasized that the goal of the performance was to promote a message of love and inclusion. The official Olympics account on X echoed this sentiment, stating that the portrayal of Dionysus aimed to highlight the absurdity of violence among people.

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1817681741819392221

Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the Paris Olympics, later addressed the criticism, asserting that there was no intention to offend any religious group. The spokesperson reiterated that the opening ceremony was meant to celebrate community and tolerance, and expressed regret for any offense taken.

Despite the controversy, the opening ceremony attracted a high viewership, with nearly 29 million people tuning in. That surpassed the 17 million who watched the Tokyo 2021 Olympics opening ceremony.
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DOJ accuses TikTok of collecting users’ data on sensitive subjects

July 29, 2024
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accused TikTok of gathering Americans’ data on sensitive content and censored topics. The department said TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, had TikTok gather information about users’ views on social issues — including gun control, abortion and religion.

In a document filed Friday, July 26, the DOJ said an internal web system called Lark — which allows TikTok employees to communicate directly with ByteDance — was used to gather the information. DOJ lawyers said the information was stored on Chinese servers and accessible by ByteDance employees in China.

The Justice Department’s court filings came in response to a federal lawsuit TikTok filed in May. That filing argued a new law that said TikTok must either be sold or banned in the U.S. violates the rights of its millions of American users. Under that law, ByteDance must sell TikTok by mid-January 2025 or it will be completely banned.

The law’s supporters said it is an effort to stop potential spying on Americans and prevent the Chinese government from influencing the content that TikTok shows users. TikTok said it would not do those things if the Chinese government tried to demand it.
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Why some school districts won’t comply with Oklahoma’s Bible mandate

July 25, 2024
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters released guidelines on the state’s mandate that all schools teach the Bible on Wednesday, July 24. Walter’s memo included instructions on how to incorporate the Bible into classroom discussions and said that teachers will emphasize the Bible’s historical, literary and secular benefits.

However, more than a handful of Oklahoma school districts said that they will not implement the mandate and will instead keep their current curriculum. Some schools also argue that their studies already include discussions on the impact of religion on society.

The Oklahoma attorney general has said that state law allows for the Bible to be taught in schools but also noted that doing so is a district-by-district decision. Most districts refusing the superintendent’s directive are using the attorney general’s statement as grounds for their decisions.

Meanwhile, the Center for Education Law said that Walters’ mandate is not legally enforceable. The firm previously won a case against Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education that challenged the board’s authority to restrict certain content from school libraries. The judge in that case ruled that decision is to be made by a local school board — not the state Board of Education.

However, Walters maintained that he would enforce the Bible mandate by using “every means to make sure of it.”

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education, so they know the value of the Bible in its historical context.”

The directive by Walters told teachers to present the Bible in a “neutral way.” However, how to present it in that manner is not explicitly outlined in the guidelines and which version or translation of the Bible to be used has not been specified. Additionally, how schools are supposed to pay for the extra books is still unclear.

The mandate is likely to be challenged in court as opponents have argued that the mandate in Oklahoma is a clear constitutional violation of the separation of church and state.

The guidance from Walters comes after Oklahoma tried to implement the country’s first religious charter school. However, the implementation was struck down in court. The move also comes as Louisiana has required that the Ten Commandments be place in every classroom, which has been delayed until at least November while it faces challenges from Louisiana parents in court.
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France bans hijabs for French athletes at 2024 Paris Olympics

July 22, 2024
France will not be allowing French athletes to wear hijabs during the 2024 Olympic Games which will begin in Paris on Friday, July 26. The headscarf ban does not apply to non-French athletes.

Human rights groups called the ban discriminatory. Representatives for Amnesty International said the move is unfair and a violation against Muslim women and girls’ human rights.

“Banning French athletes from competing with sports hijabs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first gender-equal Olympics and lays bare the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in France,” a representative for Amnesty International said.

According to Amnesty International, France is the only European country that bars its athletes from wearing religious head coverings.

A coalition of sporting organizations wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) demanding it call on France to reverse its position.

In response, the IOC claimed France considers its Olympic athletes to be civil servants publicly serving their country and that “freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.”

Many French sports federations prohibit the wearing of religious headwear, creating barriers for Muslim women and girls to compete.

A representative for Amnesty International said athletes shouldn’t be expected to follow their government’s policies “that actually discriminate and violate human rights.”

One basketball player told Time magazine that she fears young Muslim girls won’t be able to see themselves as athletes and that some French players feel like they’re being forced to choose between their identity or playing the sport.

Headscarves in France have been an ongoing issue. In 2004, the French government banned the display of “conspicuous” religious symbols — such as the wearing of a hijab — at state schools.
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Ten Commandments law in Louisiana schools put on hold amid legal challenge

July 22, 2024
A judge approved an agreement by Louisiana to delay a law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all of the state’s public-school classrooms on Friday, July 19. The judge’s decision to delay the requirement until at least November came as a lawsuit brought against the state plays out in court.

In June, parents of students in Louisiana public schools filed a lawsuit that argued the law violates the First Amendment, which prevents the government establishment of religions and guarantees the right to religious liberty.

However, proponents of the law contend that the Ten Commandments belong in public schools because they are historical and part of the foundation of United State law.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., defended the use of taxpayer money to fight against lawsuit brought against the law.

“I think that the benefit of what we’re trying to do certainly outweighs any expenditures,” Landry said in an interview with Nexstar Media.

Landry also used the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to further push his defense of the law.

“Maybe, if the Ten Commandments were hanging on Crooks [sic] wall of the school that he was in, maybe, he wouldn’t have took [sic] a shot at the president,” Landry added.

The United States Supreme Court struck down a similar law to Louisiana’s Ten Commandments in 1980 on the grounds that it violated the establishment clause in the U.S. Constitution. The clause states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The court found that the law clearly served a religious purpose and not a secular one.
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Oklahoma orders biblical teachings in classrooms

June 28, 2024
In a recent directive, Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered public schools in Oklahoma to integrate biblical teachings into lessons for students in grades five through 12. The Ten Commandments will also be required in the curriculum.

“Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible,” Walters stated. “And they will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”

Walters clarified that teachers would not teach the Bible from a religious perspective, but rather from an historical context. For instance, historical figures like the pilgrims and Martin Luther King Jr. often quoted the Bible in their writings. Walters said teaching students excerpts from the Bible is essential to understanding the country’s history.

The changes take effect immediately, however, some civil rights and religious groups are voicing criticism. The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the directive, calling it a “clear violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause” and “a dangerous encroachment on the separation of church and state.”

This development follows a recent decision by the state’s high court, which ruled that a planned Catholic charter school — a first of its kind in the nation — is unconstitutional. Additionally, Louisiana became the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, prompting the ACLU and other civil liberties groups to file a lawsuit against Louisiana and its governor.
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Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate

June 28, 2024
The first presidential debate is in the books. We have a full recap, as well as what the reaction has been like. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 28, 2024.

Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate

Thursday night, June 27, saw the first time a current U.S. President debated a former U.S. President. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump took the stage at CNN’s Atlanta studios for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election.

Per CNN’s rules, there was no live audience and the candidate’s mics were muted when the other one talked. But that did not stop both from firing back at one another while discussing topics like the economy, abortion, immigration, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and their overall aptitude.

Thursday’s debate began with the presumptive nominees walking on stage, forgoing the traditional handshake.

The first topic was on the economy, with Biden focusing on Trump’s record as president, but seeming to lose his train of thought as his response went on.

“We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do — childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do — with the COVID — excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look…we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said.

When it came to immigration, Trump highlighted the crisis on the border, calling the Biden administration’s recent legislation limiting asylum access a “nothing deal” and “insignificant.”

“He decided to open up our border, open up our country too,” Trump said. “People that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists. We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now. All terrorists, all over the world, not just in South America, all over the world. They come from the Middle East, everywhere, all over the world. They’re pouring in.”

President Biden fired back, “I’m not saying that no terrorist ever got through but the idea they’re emptying their prisons, where we’re welcoming these people, that’s simply not true, there’s no data to support what he said. Once again, he’s exaggerating. He’s lying.”

On the subject of abortion, Trump commended the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade while Biden vowed to reinstate it.

“You had Roe v. Wade, and everybody wanted to get it back to the states,” Trump said. “Everybody without exception — Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, conservatives. What happened is we brought it back to the states and the country is now coming together on this issue. It’s been a great thing.”

“It’s been a terrible thing once you’re done,” President Biden rebutted. “The fact is that the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported Roe was decided support it Roe that was this idea that they were all against it. It just ridiculous.”

As for American veterans, Trump claimed he took care of them during his presidency, as Biden took exception to reported comments made by Trump — which the former president denies.

“Our veterans are on the street,” Trump said. “They’re dying because he doesn’t care about our veterans. He doesn’t like the military at all, and he doesn’t care about our veterans. Nobody been worse. I had the highest approval rating for veterans taking care of the VA he has the worst he’s gotten rid of all the things that I approved.”

Biden responded, “I was recently in France for D-Day and I spoke at all about those heroes had died. I went to the World War II cemetery, World War I cemetery, refused to go to he was standing with his four-star general and he told me said, ‘I don’t want to go in there because they’re bunch of losers and suckers.’ My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”

Trump denied Biden’s claim, calling that a “made-up quote.”

On foreign policy, Trump argued Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan showed America was weak and inspired Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. Biden called that “malarkey” and warned that Putin must be stopped.

To the war in Gaza, Trump said, “Let Israel finish the job.” Biden remarked that the U.S. is providing Israel with “all the weapons they need and when they need them.”

And while hearing the difference in policies was the goal of the debate, the two presidential candidates did not hold back on personal attacks.

“The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said. “And the fact of the matter is he is what he’s telling you is simply not true.”

Trump responded, “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son as a convicted felon at a very high level, his son has convicted going to be convicted probably numerous other times should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations laps. And the most important things. But he could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office, you could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done.”

When discussing their abilities to handle the presidency at their respective ages — Biden 81 years old and Trump 78 — the two began arguing over their golf game.

As the debate ended, Trump said he would accept the results of the election if it’s “a fair and legal and good election.” In his closing statements, Trump said America is a failing nation under Biden and he’ll make it great again in a second term. Biden, meanwhile, said he made significant progress after what he called was a debacle left by Trump.

The two are set to debate again in September.

Reports: Some Democrats calling for Biden to step aside after debate

The response to the first presidential debate has been swift on both sides. Fact checkers have issued corrections for statements made by both candidates, but it’s President Biden’s performance getting the most attention.

His performance on the debate stage has put in question his future ability as president, as some Democrats are reportedly calling for him to step aside.

News outlets in their recaps of the debate describe Biden as stumbling and seeming to ramble during his responses. The Biden campaign acknowledged the president came into the debate with a cold, admitting he had a slow start. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on news programs following the debate to vouch for the president.

At one point, former President Trump questioned whether Biden understood his own response to a question on the border.

Trump replied, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, spoke of the concerns from Democrats during CNN’s post-debate coverage.

“There is a sense of shock at how he came out at the beginning of this debate,” Axelrod said. “How his voice sounded; he seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”

The Trump campaign declared victory after the debate, issuing a statement saying Biden was unable to defend his “disastrous record on the economy and the border.”

Former Uvalde schools police chief facing charges in deadly shooting

In a historic move, the former Uvalde school police chief has been indicted over his role in the slow police response to the 2022 mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of felony child endangerment or abandonment.

He was briefly booked into the county jail before he was released on bond Thursday, June 27.

A former school officer at Robb Elementary was also indicted on similar charges.

More than two years later, they’re the first officers to face criminal charges in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department released a report that said law enforcement officers had many opportunities to reassess their response.

More than 300 law enforcement officers responded to the school that day, some waiting in the hallway outside the classroom, even as the shooter could be heard firing shots inside. It took them 77 minutes to shoot him and put an end to the killing.

Oklahoma’s top educator orders the Bible be taught in schools

Oklahoma’s top education officials have ordered schools to teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom. In a memo, the state superintendent of public schools said effective immediately, the Bible must be added as part of the curriculum in grades five through 12.

The directive was immediately condemned by civil rights groups and supporters of the separation of church and state, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the Constitution.

Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction. It’s not clear if the state has the authority to mandate that schools teach it.

This is the latest church versus state case in public schools. On June 19, a Louisiana law was passed requiring the Ten Commandments be shown in all public school classrooms, another action civil rights groups are looking to stop.

NFL fined $4.7 billion in ‘Sunday Ticket’ anti-trust case

The NFL has been ordered to pay nearly $5 billion in damages after a jury found it broke anti-trust laws. The jury said the league conspired with DirecTV and network partners to increase the price of the exclusive “Sunday Ticket” package.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package from the 2011 through 2022 seasons. The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $ 96 million to the commercial class.

The lawsuit claimed the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling its “Sunday Ticket” package at an inflated price and restricted competition by only offering it on a satellite provider.

The NFL said it will appeal the decision.

NBA draft: Bronny James joins dad on Lakers

Like father, like son. The Los Angeles Lakers have drafted Bronny James.

After going unselected in the first round, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James was drafted with the 55th overall pick Thursday, June 27.

If they should go on the court together, they’ll make history as the first father-son duo to play on the same team at the same time.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules Catholic charter school unconstitutional

June 26, 2024
St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was set to open this fall as the nation’s first religious public charter school, faced a setback when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional on June 25. The court concluded that the creation of a religious charter school in Oklahoma violates state statutes, the Oklahoma Constitution and the First Amendment’s establishment clause.

When the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City proposed the Catholic charter school, it emphasized its mission to evangelize and required teachers to uphold the church’s values both professionally and personally.

However, Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, Gentner Drummond, filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming that the religious charter school violated state and federal law.

Charter schools, although funded by public money and subject to government performance standards, operate independently from public school districts and have the flexibility to choose their own curriculum.

Under Oklahoma state law, the use of public funds for establishing a religious institution is prohibited.

The high court’s ruling clarified that St. Isidore does not dispute its status as a religious institution. Its purpose is explicitly stated as “to create, establish and operate” the school as a Catholic educational institution.

One judge on the state’s Supreme Court, Justice James Winchester, emphasized that the state would directly fund a religious school, requiring students at St. Isidore to participate in the religious curriculum. That would be in violation of the establishment clause in the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion.”

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City expressed disappointment on behalf of hundreds of families who were eagerly anticipating sending their children to the charter school this fall. Despite the legal setback, they believe that “St. Isidore could still be a valuable asset to students, regardless of socioeconomic background, race or faith.”
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1,300 people die during Hajj pilgrimage amid high temps

June 24, 2024

People are experiencing extreme weather across the globe — including dangerous heat, which is taking a major toll in the Middle East at a time millions are visiting for a sacred religious journey for Muslims known as “Hajj pilgrimage.” More than 1,000 people have died during this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia as temperatures reached 120 degrees.

Saudi officials said 83% of those who died were “unauthorized pilgrims” who walked long distances without adequate shelter. Egypt revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencies accused of helping the unauthorized visitors.

Among the 1.8 million people who were authorized was a couple from Maryland, who reportedly died on the journey from heat stroke. Their daughter told CNN her parents had saved up their life savings to make the pilgrimage.

In the U.S., a heat dome is impacting 100 million people across 27 states, with high temperature alerts from Los Angeles to New York City.

Washington D.C. and Baltimore hit the 100-degree mark this past weekend for the first time in over a decade.

Meanwhile, severe flooding from heavy rainfall is the concern in the upper Midwest — with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, R, declaring a disaster emergency for over 20 counties. More than 300 water rescues have been reported and nearly 2,000 properties damaged. Reynolds said “the devastation is severe and widespread.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, R, also declared a statewide emergency and confirmed one person was killed in the floods. Noem said the worst of the flooding is expected to come Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, June 25.

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