Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to pass a bill that would codify nationwide book bans. House Resolution 7661 was introduced last month in a purported effort to prevent minors from accessing sexually explicit literature and other…
Calls to defund ICE go unheeded in House vote
A coalition of civil and human rights organizations is demanding members of Congress oppose legislation that would boost the scope and cruelty of President Donald Trump’s immigration detention and deportation programs. Nevertheless, that funding passed the House of Representatives Jan….
Baptist legislator rejects Trump’s redistricting scheme
President Donald Trump asked Texas Republicans in July to take the unprecedented step of redrawing five state congressional maps to favor the GOP. They complied the next month, followed by legislatures in Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. California countered with…
House Democrats draw flak for supporting Charlie Kirk day
Congressional resolutions declaring Oct. 14 a day of remembrance for slain right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk have fueled squabbling among House Democrats and confirm the continuing rise of Christian nationalism in conservative American politics, observers say. The U.S. House of Representatives…
Republicans want to tax university endowments that provide scholarships
Republicans are widening the assault on higher education with a proposed tax increase on private university endowments. The “woke” tax is part of the “big beautiful bill” passed by the U.S. House in May and currently under consideration in the…
House bill to censure preacher assigned to committee led by a Southern Baptist
The bill asking the U.S. House of Representatives to censure Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde for her sermon at Washington National Cathedral Jan. 21 has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. That powerful committee is chaired…
Speaker Mike Johnson pushing to replace House chaplain
House Speaker Mike Johnson has launched an effort to select a new House chaplain, working with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on a framework to select a new person to fill the post just days after the current chaplain offered a…
Speaker Mike Johnson wrongly attributes prayer to Thomas Jefferson
Upon his re-election as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, R-La., read a prayer he said was written by Thomas Jefferson. Problem is, those who have studied the former president’s life and words say there is no…
Rep. Barry Loudermilk pushes democracy to the brink
A Republican-controlled subcommittee of the U.S. House Oversight Committee has unleashed an attack on the peaceful transfer of power in federal government. Led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R.-Ga., this subcommittee conducted its own investigation of the January 6 insurrection at…
Nonprofit leaders lament House passage of ‘unconstitutional’ bill
The nation inched a step closer to autocratic rule with the passage of a bill allowing federal authorities to shut down nonprofit groups simply by claiming they support terrorism, critics of the bill said. On Nov. 21, the U.S. House…
The bathroom battles come to the U.S. Capitol
Al Mohler is proof that you can dress a fundamentalist in a $3,000 suit and he’s still going to come off like a sweaty William Jennings Bryan at the Scopes monkey trial. The ever-well-dressed and ever-opinionated Mohler slapped down the…
ACLU issues urgent call to stop bill that would endanger nonprofits
Civil rights advocates are urging Americans to pressure members of the House of Representatives to vote against legislation enabling the incoming Trump administration to selectively target nonprofit organizations it considers ideological and political enemies. “In a clear reaction to pro-Palestine…