A coalition of business, religious and activist groups has released a comprehensive blueprint for immigration reform it hopes will spur Congress to improve border security while preserving the safety and dignity of migrants. The group of center-right organizations unveiled a…
Oklahoma plans to execute a man who didn’t commit a murder
Death penalty opponents are bracing for the anticipated execution of an Oklahoma man who even the state acknowledges did not kill anyone. Tremane Wood has been on Oklahoma’s Death Row since 2004 for participating in a robbery-turned-homicide in which the…
Disinformation campaign uses ‘phony science’ to discredit trans people, researcher says
Right-wing political and religious groups are waging a disinformation campaign based on phony science to dehumanize transgender people and deny them full political and religious status, said Royal G. Cravens III, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center….
Christians could bring down the heat on the gun debate, author says
There is a way to reduce the anger and polarization around America’s gun debate by using tenets of faith, according to Michael Austin, author of God and Guns in America. “We really can reduce gun violence in the United States…
Supreme Court hears case that could empower cities to fine people for being homeless
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 22 in a case that could decide if homeless people can continue to be fined or jailed for sleeping outdoors even when shelter space is unavailable. Under review are rulings by the…
Florida joins Texas in adopting school ‘chaplain’ option denounced by chaplains
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters celebrated his recent signing of a new law allowing untrained and unlicensed chaplains to volunteer in public schools. “At a time when much of the country is facing a mental health crisis, having…
Those who fear immigrant labor ‘are wrong and have always been wrong,’ Durbin says
Members of Congress have joined nationwide efforts to encourage President Joe Biden to clear the way for some undocumented immigrants to safely live and work in the United States. Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Alex Padilla of…
Ryan Burge explains ‘casual dechurching’
The majority of Americans leaving the church do so for rather humdrum reasons, sociologist of religion Ryan Burge said during a recent episode of the “CBF Podcast.” This phenomenon is known as “casual dechurching” and is typically overlooked because it’s…
Experts detail how famine and disease are taking a second toll on Gaza
Global hunger experts are alarmed by the severity of famine conditions already present in the Gaza Strip and by how rapidly starvation is spreading through the population of the war-torn Palestinian territory. “Uniquely distressing about the Gaza situation is the…