California Is Violating Americans’ First Amendment Rights with Disclosure Mandate

Is it an invasion of your privacy and a violation of your First Amendment rights if the government requires nonprofit membership organizations that you join and contribute to - such as the NAACP, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Right to Life Committee, or Americans for Prosperity - to send your name to the government? Unfortunately, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sees nothing wrong with such invasive mandates in a dubious decision that threatens the ability of Americans to support the causes and organizations they believe in that are an integral part of how our democracy works.

Sen. Collins: ‘Absolutely essential’ Mueller be allowed to finish probe

Republican Sen. Susan Collins: "It would be a devastating development if Mr. Mueller were in any way impeded in completing his investigation. It is absolutely essential that he be allowed to complete it" https://t.co/4fYEV1bMi3 Susan Margaret Collins Dems block 20-week abortion ban Pro-ObamaCare group launches new ads ahead of State of the Union, GOP retreat Portman gives Wynn donation to charities MORE must be permitted to finish his investigation into Russia's election meddling and any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and Moscow.

Tax reforms could hurt charitable giving, experts say

While national groups worry the Senate tax bill passed Saturday may hurt charitable giving, some local charities have confidence locals' generosity will prevail. "The people who give big are still going to give big, and the people who make are making that donation from the heart," said Steve Mallinckrodt, director of SERVE, Inc. "I don't think a new tax law will change that."

Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and the Cloak of Charity

Consider the fact that such a bizarre, oxymoronic accolade as the International Stalin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples once existed-and that it was created after his plans for agricultural collectivization resulted in the deaths of some four million Ukrainians. Once considered a hallmark of Soviet ineptitude, the starvation now appears, Anne Applebaum writes in her new book, " ," to have been the deliberate result of a plan to rid the state of a rebellious peasantry.

In Wake of Hurricane Harvey, Consumers Should Research Charities Before Giving

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and historic flooding across southeast Texas, Commissioner Adam H. Putnam encourages Floridians to visit FloridaConsumerHelp.com to research charitable organizations before donating money to help those in need. "Our hearts go out to the people of Texas, and I hope that Floridians can respond with the same generosity that our state has received time and time again," Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said.

United Way of Alamance to allot $72K in U.S. aid

Alamance County will get $72,616 in federal aid for emergency food and shelter this year, the United Way of Alamance County said. A board headed by FEMA and consisting of representatives from the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, The Jewish Federations of North America and The Salvation Army selected the county to get the aid.

Meet the ‘shadow’ network of charities, political warriors behind Trump’s rise

The crowd rose to its feet and roared its approval as Sen. Jeff Sessions bounded onto the stage at the Breakers, an exclusive resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Stephen Miller, an aide to the Alabama Republican, handed him a glass trophy honoring his bravery as a lawmaker.

Charity keeps America free

President Donald Trump's senior advisers, deep in the weeds of tax reform, are reportedly looking at ways to save the middle class by placing more financial responsibilities on the shoulders of the wealthy - and part of the plan being discussed is to limit the level of deductions charitable organizations can take. If we want a country where the government is subservient to the people - where the free market leads and the federal, state and local public sector classes follow - then charity is key.

ICYMI: Two Additions Confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors

This week Betsy DeVos was confirmed as our new Education Secretary and Jeff Sessions as the next Attorney General. There is no sugar coating this: both are disastrous for women, sexual assault survivors, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBT community.

Trump pledges to end political limits on churches

Declaring that religious freedom is "under threat," President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to repeal a rarely enforced IRS rule that says pastors who endorse candidates from the pulpit risk losing their tax-exempt status.  "I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution," Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event bringing together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries.  Trump's pledge was a nod to his evangelical Christian supporters, who helped power his White House win. So far he has not detailed his plans for doing away with the rule, which he has previously promised to rescind.

Trump decries his foundation’s closure, overstating its giving

President-elect Donald Trump is lashing out in defense of his charitable foundation as he prepares to shutter it before taking the oath of office next month. In a series of tweets Monday evening, Trump claimed that he had given "millions" to the foundation he began in 1987 and that all of the money raised went to "wonderful charities."

Paterson’s First Hospital Celebrates 150 Years

PATERSON, NJ [September 19, 2016] - St. Joseph's Healthcare System, New Jersey's premier Catholic healthcare system, launched a year-long series of 150th Anniversary celebrations on Thursday, September 8th with the unveiling of a historic marker to commemorate the humble beginnings of St. Joseph's Hospital. Paterson's first hospital, now known as St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, a member of the Healthcare System, was established by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth on September 8, 1867, in response to the industrialized City's dire need for carea body, mind and spirit.