The Trump administration has come out against the Equality Act, which could face a floor vote Friday and would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes in non-discrimination laws. 

Religious liberty and conservative groups warn the bill, if passed and signed into law, could have devastating effects on women’s rights and religious freedom.  

“The Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, this bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights,” a senior administration official told the Washington Blade and several other media outlets. 

The Equality Act (H.R. 5) would amend federal laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and the jury system. Among the amended laws would be the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act. 

It would be the most significant LGBT rights bill ever passed. It has 240 co-sponsors, only three of which are Republicans. The rest are Democrats.

But religious liberty groups are warning the bill isn’t as innocent as its name indicates. 

“[W]hile it may sound nice to some ears, this bill actually poses a devastating and…

Evangelist Franklin Graham took to Twitter this week chastising Democrats for omitting the phrase “so help me God” from witness oaths, and singling out a Tennessee representative who said God doesn’t belong in Congress.

“Why has the Democratic Party turned its back on God? @RepCohen of TN said, ‘I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque—but not in Congress,’” said the first of a series of tweets made by Graham on May 14.

The tweets were in response to a New York Times article highlighting a new policy by numerous committee heads dropping the traditional phrase “so help me God,” from witness oaths. The Times quoted U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, chairman of the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, taking a swipe at the religious beliefs of Republicans.

“I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress,” he said, adding that what Republicans are doing “is using God.”

“And God doesn’t want to be used,” Cohen said.

Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, took direct aim at the Democrat party, saying many of its members want to eliminate the Almighty so they are free to live without a moral…

The U.S. State Department has ordered the withdrawal of all non-emergency personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and U.S. Consulate in Erbil amid mounting tensions with Iran and threats to U.S. government employees.

According to ABC News, government sources have warned of “clear indications” that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is planning imminent attacks on American forces both on land and at sea. The U.S. Embassy called the measures “appropriate given the current security conditions,” but did not name any specific threats. Last week, Pompeo stated that the threats “were imminent.”

The State Department insisted that the withdrawals were necessary after receiving “increased intelligence reporting” regarding potential Iranian military operations.

“We do not make these decisions lightly,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. “The safety and welfare of US government personnel and US citizens is the department’s highest priority. We are confident in the Iraqi security services determination to protect us, but this threat is serious and we want to reduce the risk of harm. We remain committed to partnering with Iraq to advance our mutual interest.”

While diplomatic relations have been poor for some time, Pompeo insisted that the increasingly serious nature of the Islamic Republic’s threats would not go unanswered.

“Our position hasn’t changed,”…

The executive director of the Chick-fil-A foundation says the restaurant and organization does not condone homophobic views.

Chick-fil-A has faced criticism recently for what critics are calling “homophobic” views and giving funds to “anti-gay groups.”

According to Business Insider, Rodney Bullard, the executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, said the restaurant’s founder, Truett Cathy, and his family isn’t trying to discriminate.

“There’s a calling to help people, and I think at times that has been confused with a calling, somehow, to exclude. And that’s not the case,” Bullard said. “The focus, the phrase ‘every child’ — we’re very intentional about that. We do have programs and we look for programs that are inclusive as well to help every child.”

Critics say Chick-fil-A has made donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Both organizations have in the past showed opposition to same-sex relationships.

Bullard, however, said that Chick-fil-A donations have specifically gone to programs such as summer camps for inner-city children.

Business Insider also asked Bullard if Chick-fil-A would ever consider working with an LGBT organization. 

Bullard responded, “Would it be authentic for us to partner with that organization? For them to partner with…

China’s government launched a new campaign in April to eradicate underground house churches so that only state-sanctioned and heavily restricted Three-Self churches remain.

The new campaign, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), is called Return to Zero. The goal is to “dismantle the scale [of churches], dissolve the organization, and dismiss the church,” sources told ICC.

The ultimate goal is “eliminating Christianity” from the public sphere, ICC said.

Churches within China are required to register with the government and become part of the Three-Self movement. Pastors within the Three-Self movement submit their sermons to government officials for approval. In some Three-Self churches, children are prohibited by the government from attending.

Such restrictions have driven millions of Chinese to join illegal, unregistered house churches.

Under Return to Zero, house churches either must join the Three-Self movement or disband.

In April, Zaidao Church in Beijing was visited by government officials and told to join the Three-Self movement, ICC reported. The congregation is part of the China Gospel Fellowship, a house church network. 

China shut down the 1,000-member Shouwang Church — a house congregation — earlier this year. 

“So far, there have been churches across the country that were oppressed with different tactics…

The respective directors of The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker and Get Out say they will donate money to fight a new Georgia law that prohibits abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected.

J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele are executive producers of HBO’s Lovecraft Country series, which is expected to begin filming in Georgia in the coming weeks. Both say they oppose the law signed this month by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. 

“In a few weeks we start shooting our new show, Lovecraft Country, and will do so standing shoulder to shoulder with the women of Georgia,” Abrams and Peele said in a joint statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Governor Kemp’s ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Abortion Law is an unconstitutional effort to further restrict women and their health providers from making private medical decisions on their terms. Make no mistake, this is an attack aimed squarely and purposely at women.”

Abrams directed the 2015 Star War film The Force Awakens and is the director of the new Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker, which will release later this year. Peele directed Get Out(2017) and Us (2019). 

The two men say they will donate Lovecraft Country proceeds to fight the new Georgia law.

“We stand with Stacey Abrams and the hardworking people of Georgia, and will donate 100 percent of our respective…