Amnesty USA files FOI request on travel ban

Following the US Supreme Court decision which allows parts of President Trump's travel ban to go into effect, Amnesty International USA has filed a Freedom of Information Act request, to discover how key federal agencies intend to implement the ban. The ban is often referred to as a 'Muslim ban' because it targets people travelling from countries with majority Muslim populations.

Supreme Court rules for church in case involving rubber playground surfacing

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources violated the rights of a Lutheran church school when it denied a grant for the church to install a rubber playground surface at the school, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 7-2 decision. In 2012, the Trinity Lutheran Church Child Learning Center in Columbia, Mo., applied to the DNR for a grant to replace pea gravel playground surfacing at the school with a pour-in-place rubber surface, under Missouri's Scrap Tire Program.

Microphone cut after Mormon girl reveals she’s gay at church

A video of a young Mormon girl revealing to her congregation that she is lesbian and still loved by God - before her microphone is turned off by local church leaders - is sparking a new round of discussions about how the religion handles LGBT issues. Savannah, 13, spoke on May 7 in Eagle Mountain, Utah, about her belief that she is the child of heavenly parents who didn't make any mistakes when she was created.

A Matter of Transparency

Numerous "American friends of" organizations exist in the Jewish communal firmament to help direct funds to worthy causes in Israel. That's what most people thought was the case with an organization known as Aish International - it was generally assumed to be the American fundraising arm of Jerusalem-based Aish HaTorah, the haredi Orthodox outreach group with programs throughout the world.

Southern Baptists – once an overtly racist, pro-slavery group…

Like American politics, religion in this country is also in a state of flux. Perhaps nowhere is this fact more evident than in the Southern Baptist Convention, which wrapped up its annual meeting this week in Phoenix with a nearly unanimous vote to condemn the racist political movement commonly referred to as the "alt-right."

Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs captured after 1 year

Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs was captured Wednesday at a marina in southeast South Dakota after being on the run for nearly a year after escaping from home confinement in Utah pending trial on food stamp fraud charges. The FBI announced the capture Thursday morning with a Tweet: "#ARRESTED: FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs in custody after nearly a year on the lam."

Southern Baptists wrestle with tensions over Trump election

The Southern Baptist Convention, home to prominent evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump, adopted a statement on moral leadership at the group's annual meeting Tuesday that avoided pointed criticism of current political officeholders. The denomination also rejected a proposal to condemn the "alt-right," the political movement that came to the forefront during the presidential election that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism.

Supreme Court Affirms Religious Exemption from ERISA Pension Law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that church-affiliated hospital systems do not have to comply with a federal law governing employee pensions, overturning lower court decisions that could have cost the hospitals billions of dollars. The court ruled 8-0 that church-affiliated organizations are exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a 1974 law that forces private employers to follow rules aimed at protecting pension plan participants.

Alt-right celebrates alleged body slam of Jewish reporter Ben Jacobs by GOP congressional candidate

Users of websites associated with the "alt-right" are cheering a Republican congressional candidate from Montana for allegedly body slamming Jewish reporter Ben Jacobs. There was no indication that Greg Gianforte knew or cared that Jacobs was Jewish when, on Wednesday evening, he allegedly threw Jacobs to the ground and broke his glasses - leading to misdemeanor assault charges.

Notre Dame Protest of Pence Twists Catholic Social Teaching Alexandra DeSanctis 58 minutes ago

This Sunday, vice president Mike Pence will return to his home state of Indiana to deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame. For the third time in several years, the school's graduation ceremony will be plagued by controversy, as a group of students plans to walk out during Pence's speech.

Trump embarks on his first big foreign trip amid turmoil in U.S.

This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: Trump is leaving Friday for his first foreign trip, to the Mideast and beyond, and aides had hoped the disarray at home would have been calmed if not resolved by takeoff time.

Top House Republican criticizes McMastera s remarks on Western Wall location

A top House Republican is criticizing President Trump's national security adviser for declining to clarify the White House position on the location of the Western Wall. H.R. McMaster, in a press briefing Tuesday previewing Trump's first foreign trip, declined to elaborate on the location of Judaism's holiest site after reports that a U.S. official told Israeli counterparts the wall was located in the West Bank.

Callista Gingrich gets nod to be ambassador to the Vatican

The Trump administration has approached the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, days before President Donald Trump embarks on his first foreign trip. Trump will nominate Callista Gingrich for the post, two people with direct knowledge of the discussions said Monday.

Priest pleads guilty to abusing boy

A former Episcopal priest, who has been living in Bedford, Pa., has been given an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a student during trips to Boston in 1973. White, 75, was associate chaplain at St. George's School in Middletown, R.I., when he took a 15- to 16-year-old boy on several overnight trips, including two to Boston where the teen was sexually assaulted.

Trump Taps Callista Gingrich to Be Ambassador to Vatican

The Trump administration has tapped the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, days before President Donald Trump embarks on his first foreign trip. Trump will nominate Callista Gingrich for the post, two people with direct knowledge of the discussions said Monday.

Reports say Callista Gingrich will be nominated as Vatican ambassador

Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, will be Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, two U.S. news outlets are reporting. The New York Times and CNN reported May 14 that the official announcement of the nomination is waiting to be approved by the Office of Government Ethics.