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☆ He Told Followers to Starve to Meet Jesus. Why Did So Many Do It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Delirious from hunger, a believer who had brought his family to live with a Christian doomsday cult in a remote wilderness in southeastern Kenya sent a distraught text to his younger sister last week. While he begged her help to escape, he was still in the grip of the preacher who had lured him there, promising salvation through death by starvation. “Answer me quickly, because I don’t have much time. Sister, End Times is here and people are being crucified,” Solomon Muendo, a former street hawker, told his sister. They were following the call of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a former taxi driver turned televangelist who, declaring that the world was about to end, marketed Shakahola to his followers as an evangelical Christian sanctuary from the fast-approaching apocalypse.

☆ Opinion | A New Mother, an Old Mother, a Love Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Rachel Louise Snyder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I was 8 when my mother died. If I had a mother, I’d think, I’d know how to walk in heels and sit like a girl. I’d know what to carry in a purse or how to operate a curling iron. I’d probably know the difference between shampoo and conditioner, and I’d certainly know that breastfeeding mothers offered only milk, not milk through one breast, orange juice through the other. My father remarried two years after my mom died, so in a way I recouped a mother.

☆ Left-Leaning Groups Seek Florida Ballot Measure to Expand Abortion Access
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Katie Glueck | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The NewsA coalition of organizations that support abortion rights is planning to spend millions of dollars in an effort to place a measure protecting abortion rights on Florida’s ballot next year. The coalition of groups includes Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Planned Parenthood’s Florida affiliates, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Florida Rising and Women’s Voices of SW Florida. Last month, a liberal Wisconsin judge won a crucial State Supreme Court race by a significant margin after running on her support for abortion rights. At the same time, if Mr. DeSantis runs for president as expected, he has clear incentives to defend the six-week ban he signed. A representative for Mr. DeSantis did not immediately respond on Friday when asked for comment on the ballot initiative plans.

☆ What John Blake discovered when he met the White mother he never knew
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

It’s a story about my mother, and the White relatives who shunned me at birth—and still somehow became family. I now know one of the reasons my family didn’t tell me about my mom’s illness is because they didn’t know how. I vividly recall thinking as I looked at my mom: I didn’t know a White person could suffer like this. I saw White, Black, and brown people hug and call each other “brother” and “sister” after worship service. John Blake is a Senior Writer at CNN and the author of “More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.”

☆ Sen. Tim Scott teases ‘major announcement’ on May 22 as he explores White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Kit Maher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina on Sunday teased a “major announcement” on May 22, signaling he will formally enter the 2024 GOP presidential primary after launching an exploratory committee earlier this month. Be in attendance,” Scott said at an event in Charleston, South Carolina. In announcing his exploratory committee, Scott emphasized his evangelical faith, his race and his experience growing up as the son of a single mother. The South Carolina Republican expanded on that message Sunday, stating, “I believe there’s nothing wrong with the American people. He also served in the South Carolina state House and on the Charleston County Council.

☆ Campaign, Interrupted: Pence May Run, but He Can’t Hide From Trump’s Legal Woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence, seemingly in his element as he addressed a gathering of evangelical Christians in Iowa this month, was speaking of “the greatest honor of my life,” serving in “an administration that turned this country around” by rebuilding the military, securing the southern border, and unleashing “American energy.”“But most importantly, most of all,” he said, building to a crescendo — but at the moment he was about to claim some credit for his administration’s success in overturning the right to an abortion, a booming voice came over the loudspeaker from the sound booth: “Check, check, testing, 1-2-3.”It was a small interruption, but one that exemplified the diversions Mr. Pence continues to face as he considers a run for the Republican presidential nomination against the man who was once his greatest benefactor, but also his cruelest tormentor: Donald J. Trump. On Thursday, however, Mr. Pence faced a much more onerous and grueling intrusion into his potential campaign, and one that he had hoped to avoid, when he was forced to testify for more than five hours before a grand jury in Washington about Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Those efforts put Mr. Pence’s life at risk on Jan. 6, 2021, as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”

☆ Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law firms, a whistleblower alleges. At least one of those firms argued a case before Chief Justice Roberts after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars. And I realized that even the law firms who were Jane's clients had nowhere to go. Mark Jungers, another one of Jane Roberts' former colleagues, said that Jane was smart, talented, and good at her job. But whether that committee has the authority to discipline Thomas or any other Supreme Court Justice remains a matter of murky constitutional interpretation, to be ultimately decided by the Supreme Court itself.

☆ Justice Alito says he has a 'pretty good idea' who leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade but doesn't have the proof to name them publicly
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Justice Alito claims to have a "good idea" who leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. He went on to argue that the leak made the justices who had signed onto the draft opinion "targets of assassination." The leak of the draft opinion — besides infuriating those who favor abortion rights — caused a political firestorm of its own at the time. Furthermore, Justice Alito has himself been accused of leaking the outcome of Supreme Court deliberations before. But when asked about the theory that someone on the right leaked the draft, Alito strongly rejected that notion.

☆ The 7 theories for why Tucker Carlson got fired from Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Tucker Carlson was axed by Fox News Monday, days after it settled Dominion's defamation lawsuit. Here are seven theories for why Fox News decided to part ways with Carlson. Since then, media industry insiders have been buzzing with different theories for why Carlson was pushed out. The C-wordWithin the Dominion lawsuit, there emerged a pattern of vulgar language spewed by Carlson throughout his time at Fox News. Rupert Murdoch (right) and Lachlan Murdoch at the US Open in 2018.

☆ Trump's 'states rights' abortion stance is drawing criticism from the right — but don't expect it to dent his evangelical support in Iowa: 'I don't think we can die on that hill'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump has backed away from a nationwide law on abortion, saying the issue is best left to states. Asa Hutchinson, and Sen. Tim Scott of Florida — declined to draw a strong contrast with Trump on abortion. That statement quickly upset many on the anti-abortion right. Maggie DeWitte, the director of an Iowa anti-abortion group, had a table that included "free babies." "We need to convince more people that the life position is the right position," said Horman.

☆ Republican hopefuls woo evangelicals in Iowa, vow to restrict abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CLIVE, Iowa, April 22 (Reuters) - Donald Trump and other Republican presidential hopefuls called for restricting abortion at an event for evangelicals in Iowa on Saturday, courting the key conservative voting bloc in the state set to hold the party's first nominating contest in early 2024. Roughly 1,000 people attended the annual presidential forum organized by the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, a conservative nonprofit. Iowa is slated to hold the first-in-the-nation Republican caucus in early 2024. Strong evangelical support early on in the nominating process could help give a challenger a chance to strike a blow against Trump. Trump won 76% of the white evangelical vote in 2020, down from 80% in 2016, according to Edison Research exit polls.

☆ Former Rep. Will Hurd might launch a 2024 GOP presidential campaign. He's still waiting to see if his party agrees that 'we're better together.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Former GOP Rep. Will Hurd, a Trump critic, is considering running for president in 2024. He says he won't support Trump in 2024 and suggested DeSantis will struggle to appeal to voters. the former Texas congressman told Insider in an interview before his address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's Annual Spring Kick-off. "We have four years," he told Insider, "before we could potentially get surpassed by the Chinese government as a global superpower." On abortion, Hurd told Insider it "probably makes sense" to institute a nationwide ban after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

☆ Republican hopefuls to court evangelical vote in Iowa
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CLIVE, Iowa, April 22 (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopefuls will make their pitch to evangelical voters in Iowa on Saturday, the first major event for candidates to court the key conservative voting bloc in a state set to hold the party's first nominating contest in early 2024. It will be headlined by former Vice President Mike Pence, a devout evangelical who may soon launch a presidential bid, and U.S. Iowa is slated to hold the first-in-the-nation Republican caucus in early 2024. Strong evangelical support early on in the nominating process could help give a challenger a chance to strike a blow against Trump, who won three-fourths of the white evangelical vote nationally in 2020. Trump won 76% of the white evangelical vote in 2020, down from 80% in 2016, according to Edison Research exit polls.

☆ Podcast: Iowa evangelicals, SpaceX and music's AI Oasis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Can Donald Trump keep his hold on the evangelical vote? Plus, the “lost” Oasis album created by A.I. Help us improve the Reuters World News podcast by taking this short survey. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt-out of targeted advertisingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump won 76% of the white evangelical vote in 2020, down from 80% in 2016, according to Edison Research exit polls. In a March poll, Trump edged DeSantis among evangelicals in a two-way matchup 51% to 42%, a nine-point improvement for Trump from the month before. The gathering is traditionally an important stop for Republican presidential candidates, although this year DeSantis, who was invited, will not be going. Vander Plaats said evangelicals will consider whether Trump can prevail next year after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. “I don’t think President Trump is a principled man -- I think he was a great president,” Ascol said.

☆ Charles Stanley, Influential Pastor, Dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Charles Stanley , a prominent Atlanta-based pastor whose evangelical broadcasts reached audiences around the world, died Tuesday. He was 90 years old. Dr. Stanley served as a pastor at baptist churches in North Carolina, Ohio and Florida before he joined the First Baptist Church in Atlanta in 1969. There, he served as senior pastor for around 50 years, becoming pastor emeritus in 2020.

☆ Supreme Court Considers Christian Mail Carrier’s Right to Refuse Sunday Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gerald Groff sued the Postal Service, alleging religious discrimination. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/Associated PressWASHINGTON—Supreme Court justices appeared to edge toward a compromise in a workplace religious-rights case Tuesday, with conservatives Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh suggesting that a 1977 precedent could be clarified but not overturned to balance the interests of employees and employers. A group of conservative advocacy groups filed the case on behalf of a part-time mail carrier who said his evangelical Christian faith prevented him from working on Sundays. The group aims to overturn the current application of federal law requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious exercise, so long as undue hardship wasn’t imposed on the business.

☆ Congressional Democrats bash Ron DeSantis for alienating Florida job creator Disney World in service of a 'flailing presidential campaign'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Warren Rojas | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis's Tuesday swing through DC, calling it ill-timed, his political resume goofy, and his ongoing fight with Walt Disney World a devastating vanity project. Walt Disney World has roughly 80,000 employees in Florida and is the state's biggest tourist attraction. The Florida governor wasn't being offered much cover by Florida Republicans on Capitol Hill. When another reporter asked whether DeSantis had gone too far by threatening Disney with state prisoners for neighbors, Scott claimed ignorance. "Ron DeSantis is out campaigning outside of the state of Florida and picking fights with Mickey Mouse," Fried said.

Postal Service for alleged religious discrimination is set for U.S. Supreme Court review on April 18, poses in an undated handout image taken at an unknown location. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays gives the Supreme Court another chance to widen religious rights but also has led to a debate over whether religious people are more legally deserving than others to weekend days off from work. The court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has a track record of expanding religious rights in recent years, often siding with Christian plaintiffs. The Postal Service in 2013, in a bid to remain profitable, contracted with Amazon.com to deliver packages, including on Sundays. His absences caused tension among other carriers who had to cover his shifts, the Postal Service said.

☆ Tim Scott Goes Positive and Hopes His Party Will Come Along
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Scott, the son of a single mother and the grandson of a man forced to drop out of elementary school to pick cotton, has made his compelling personal story a feature of his public speeches and interviews. “Only made in America is my story.”Mr. Scott’s history and positive message, however, can sometimes seem at odds with the mood of many in his party. “The ones who are negative are the ones who are loudest,” said Kathy Crawford, 67, an independent voter and lifelong Charleston resident who said she would support Mr. Scott in the Republican primary if he ran. Voters, she said, “want to bring the country back together, and they want a positive message.”And Mr. Scott’s message could resonate with a key audience in the Republican primary: conservative evangelical Christians. Mr. Scott has spent significant time focusing on evangelical voters in his tour of early primary states, often meeting with small groups of religious leaders in between quasi campaign stops.

☆ Thomas revelation fits a broader pattern of nondisclosure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The recent revelations of lavish gifts and travel that a Republican megadonor showered on Justice Clarence Thomas reflect a larger Supreme Court culture of nondisclosure, little explanation, and no comment. The incident reflects the broader lack of accountability at the high court regarding off-bench behavior. Justices regularly brush aside reporters’ queries for specifics on travel and gifts, book advances and other extracurricular activities. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin made another such plea to Roberts this week as he also urged the chief justice to open an investigation into Thomas’ conduct. Chief justice on the spotRoberts, who became chief justice in 2005, has continually described the high court as beyond the realm of politics and worthy of public trust.

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith call off engagement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rupert Murdoch at the U.S. Open in New York, September 2017. REUTERS/Mike SegarApril 4 (Reuters) - Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith have called off their engagement, a source confirmed on Tuesday. Murdoch and Smith, 66, met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told News Corp-owned New York Post, which broke the news of the engagement. On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post. I’m happy,” Murdoch told the Post at the time.

☆ Mike Pence gambled his career to become Trump's successor. Now he can't even find a lane to compete against his former boss.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mike Pence gambled his future to become President Donald Trump's running mate and vice president. Two years after leaving office, it appears all for naught, as he can't seem to find a lane to compete against his former boss. This, in part, led to some Trump supporters storming the Capitol whilst chanting "hang Mike Pence." But despite this, Monmouth University polling from March 2023 shows him lagging behind other prospective candidates, like DeSantis and Trump, in favorability polls among evangelical Republicans. According to Morning Consult's surveying, Pence once again received the second-most "unfavorable" polling behind only former Rep. Liz Cheney.

☆ Evangelicals say Ron DeSantis is threatening religious liberty with his support for a bill that criminalizes aid for immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Florida evangelicals on Thursday criticized a bill that criminalizes the transport of migrants. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans to make it a felony to knowingly transport an undocumented immigrant, calling it a potentially dangerous infringement on religious liberty. Violators could be charged with a second-degree felony under the bill, which in Florida is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Another church leader suggested DeSantis and other Republicans were playing politics — but confusing evangelical support for the rule of law with backing for punitive measures targeting vulnerable immigrants. It's not the first time religious leaders have clashed with DeSantis, who has styled himself a warrior for the Christian faith.

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