The Trump administration wants to change a Clinton-era program designed to help working single mothers afford child care to instead help married, stay-at-home parents offset the cost of staying home. The planned shift is part of the administration’s goal of…
In rare move, DeSantis cancels an execution
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for the first in his two-term administration, withdrew the death warrant of an inmate who had been scheduled to die by lethal injection earlier this month. Groups such as Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty,…
Civil rights groups sued to stop DHS voter intimidation
Civil rights and voting rights organizations have sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop its “secretive and unlawful effort” to gather and use sensitive voter information to help sabotage next month’s midterm elections. “DHS claims that it needs…
Oklahoma board rejects Jewish charter school application
An Oklahoma education board rejected the application of a Jewish K-12 school despite a recent federal decision enabling the project to continue. The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board voted 4-3 against Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School. The tally was one…
Andy Stanley sets exit plan from North Point Church
Unlike his father, Andy Stanley will not hold onto his pulpit into old age. The younger Stanley, founding pastor of North Point Church in Atlanta, announced Oct. 18 he will step down as senior pastor of North Point Ministries at…
Trump loses lawsuit over partisan ads paid for with public funds
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop using taxpayer dollars to pay for political advertisements extolling the president’s policies ahead of the midterm elections. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Roston in New York issued a temporary restraining order…
Dallas megachurch to vote on leaving UMC
Leaders of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas have called for a rapid vote on whether to leave The United Methodist Church. That vote will take place on Sunday, Oct. 25 — just two weeks after a town hall…
High school freshman creates church sensory room as Eagle project
High school freshman Lucy Boyd gave up most of the summer to design, plan and organize the construction of a sensory room for special needs children at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. The congregation’s new Preschool Sensory Room offers special…
Bus tours are rolling across America to get out the vote
Coalitions of religious and civic organizations have taken to the nation’s roads to urge Americans to vote in the midterm elections. Interfaith Alliance’s 15-state “The Vote is Sacred” bus tour officially kicked off Oct. 6 in Omaha, Neb., in an…
Trump administration announces plan to remove resettled refugees
The Trump administration is laying the groundwork to detain and deport refugees lawfully resettled in the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted an interim final rule reducing the amount of time individuals can contest the termination of their…
Tennessee court grants shooter new trial because victim was trans
The suspect in a 2025 self-defense trial should have been able to argue that his slain victim was a transgender woman and therefore a greater threat to his safety than jurors were told, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled…
Record number of independent voters could sway midterms
In 2024, independent voters helped elect Donald Trump. Two years later, there are more registered independent voters than ever, and polls show most will back Democrats in November’s midterms. “A shift in independents’ political leanings caused the Republican Party advantage…