Pro-life groups and churches in New York have sued the state over Senate Bill 660 out of fear that they will now be required to hire pro-choice employees, according to CBN News.

“No government has the right to tell pro-life or religious organizations they must hire someone who doesn’t agree with their core mission,” said Ken Connelly, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, who is representing the plaintiffs.

The bill was passed earlier this month and requires employers to inform employees of their rights to an abortion. It also does not allow employers to skip over a potential hire because of their beliefs on reproductive health, as reported by Angelus News. Pro-life and religious groups allege this would force them to hire an employee who does not believe in their central values.

Included in the lawsuit are CompassCare, a Rochester-based pregnancy center, First Bible Baptist Church, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.

“CompassCare offers comprehensive information and free medical care, practical resources, and hope to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies,” said ADF Legal Counsel Denise Harle. “Every woman deserves the support she needs to make the healthiest choice for everyone involved in her pregnancy. But New York’s new law forces CompassCare to contradict its own beliefs and to…

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday she disagrees with pro-life politicians in her own party like Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and that, in her opinion, the Democratic Party “stands for” abortion rights. 

Warren, who is one of the leading contenders for the nomination, was asked by moderator Rachel Maddow during Wednesday’s debate if there was “room in the Democratic Party” for someone like Edwards, who signed a bill into law banning abortion when an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected. It is being challenged in court.

“I believe that abortion rights are human rights,” Warren said. “I believe that they are also economic rights. And protecting the right of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body is fundamentally what we do and what we stand for as a Democratic Party.”

I believe that abortion rights are human rights.

I believe that they’re also economic rights.

And protecting the right of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body is fundamentally what we do and what we stand for as a Democratic Party. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/kDrlXSKr4Z

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 21, 2019

Asked again if there was room for Edwards in the party, Warren responded, “I have made clear what I think the Democratic Party stands for. I’m not here to try to drive anyone…

Evangelist Franklin Graham on Thursday defended Chick-fil-A’s decision to change its donation strategy, saying he had called CEO Dan Cathy and was assured the company had not caved and remains committed to Christian values. 

On Monday, the Chick-fil-A Foundation unveiled a “more focused giving approach” that will concentrate on the areas of education, homelessness and hunger. Beginning in 2020, the Foundation will exclusively fund Junior Achievement USA, Covenant House International, and local food banks. 

Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos told Bisnow.com that the Foundation no longer would donate to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army – two ministries that have been at the heart of criticism by LGBT groups.  

“Has Chick-fil-A caved?” Graham asked in a post on Facebook. “Some are saying they’ve rolled over, that they’ve conceded to the LGBTQ protests because they released a statement about their charitable giving. They announced that in 2020 they’re giving to fight hunger and homelessness and support education. What’s wrong with that?

“I picked up the phone and called Dan Cathy,” Graham said, referencing the Chick-fil-A CEO. “Dan was very clear that they have not bowed down to anyone’s demands, including the LGBTQ community. They will continue to support whoever…

A 16-year-old girl in Georgia has been arrested for allegedly planning a murderous attack on a predominantly African American church.

“Our investigation indicated the church was targeted by the juvenile based on the racial demographic of the church members,” said Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The teenager, who is white, had collected knives. She even visited the church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, but events had been canceled for the night.

The police have not revealed her identity but say that they were alerted to her plans by high school administrators. A student had told them that the girl had “a notebook with detailed plans to commit murder.” After investigation, police charged her with criminal attempt to commit murder. She is now in custody at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center.

“This is … a prime example of how strong relationships between the student body, school administration and law enforcement can intercept a potentially horrific incident,” Parrish said.

The girl had been planning her attack for at least two weeks.

“While we are very concerned about this incident, we are not surprised,” said Bishop Reginald T. Jackson of the church. “Hate crimes and domestic terrorism have been on the rise for many years, but…

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland issued an opening statement Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee’s impeachment hearing, prompting Democrats to seize on the moment as proof President Trump is guilty of bribery in dealing with Ukraine. 

“I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?'” Sondland said. “As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

Before the end of the hours-long hearing, however, Sondland also testified that— during a September phone call, the ambassador asked Trump what he wanted in order to secure a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—the commander-in-chief said the opposite.

“He just said, ‘I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing.’ Something to that effect,” Sondland testified.

The House impeachment inquiry was launched by Democrats who allege Trump used his office to coerce Ukraine into investigating the business dealings of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, a move they say was politically expedient for the president and his 2020 re-election campaign. At the center of the coercion, they allege, were threats to withhold…

A school district in the suburbs of Chicago will now allow transgender students unrestricted access to locker rooms. 

The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 voted earlier this week 5-2 to remove a requirement that transgender students use privacy stalls in locker rooms, according to the Daily Herald. 

For the past four years, these students were allowed in whichever locker room they chose but were forced to use the privacy stalls.

But at the start of the second school semester, the stalls will be a thing of the past. Council members relied on their personal experiences to make their determination.

“I myself have been the subject of discrimination all my life,” said board member Ed Yung. “I know what these people are fighting for.”

At the center of the controversial ruling has been 2018 graduate of the high school, transgender woman, Nova Maday. Born male, Nova now identifies as female and sued the district for discrimination because of the locker rooms. Parts of the lawsuit have since been dismissed and she considers the recent change in policy only a partial victory.

But several parents are concerned about the new ruling. Vicki Wilson, co-founder of Students and Parents for Privacy, called the policy “a joke and a slap in the face.”

“Nobody has the right to trample the rights of others,” the organization’s…

A Mississippi teenager has credited God for helping her find an elderly man who went missing for several hours. Katie Qualls, 17, was browsing through Facebook a few weeks ago when she stumbled upon a post notifying her local community that an old man with dementia had wandered away from his property.

The compassionate young girl was concerned for the old man’s wellbeing, not least because of the low temperatures outside. “I immediately went to my parents and was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to go to sleep until this person is found,’” Qualls told WLBT. “I was just thinking about if that was my grandfather or somebody. It just didn’t sit right with me.”

Knowing that she could draw upon her personal connection to the man’s grandchildren if she came across him, Katie threw on some warm clothes and headed out into the night. It wasn’t long before the entire community was out looking for the man. But while most of the search party headed off into the nearby wooded area, Qualls felt led to take a different route – heading towards a particular house.

“I walked around and I’m feeling like this is good,” she explained. “I hear something, I turn to my left and he’s laying (sic) on the floor on his side, backed up into the bushes. He blended in with the mulch, so you wouldn’t have seen him unless you actually walked into the…

Israel may hold new elections after Benny Gantz, Blue and White party chairman, failed to form a government by Wednesday’s deadline.

According to CBN News, Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both not been able to earn a 61-seat majority to become prime minister. Israel’s parliament now has 21 days to nominate another lawmaker to form a majority government.

If that lawmaker also fails before the deadline, Israel will head to its third election, NPR reports.

“In the past 28 days no stone was left unturned while we tried to form a government that would bring Israel a leadership of dignity, morals and values, a leadership that has been forgotten,” Gantz said, according to Haaretz.

“Most of the people chose a liberal unity government headed by Blue and White,” he added. “Most of the people voted to weaken the power of extremists, and most of the people voted to go on a different path from that of Netanyahu in recent years.”

Gantz’ Blue and White Party controls parliament with 33 seats. Netanyahu’s Likud party has 32 seats in parliament.

According to Time, Netanyahu was unable to gather parliamentary support in the Israeli coalition-dependent government. Israel’s president then tasked Gantz with the job.

Gantz does not want to share the prime minister role with Netanyahu, in part because of corruption charges…

More than 100,000 combined signatures have been gathered on two petitions urging Chick-fil-A to continue supporting ministries that affirm the biblical definition of marriage.

American Family Association’s petition had collected 87,000 signatures as of Thursday morning and at one point was tallying nearly 1,000 signatures an hour. A petition at LifePetitions.com, which is run by LifeSiteNews.com, had collected 35,000 signatures. All total, the petitions had collected more than 120,000 signatures. 

“I am extremely disappointed to know that Chick-fil-A has chosen to abandon great ministries like The Salvation Army, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Paul Anderson Youth Home in Georgia,” the American Family Association (AFA) petition reads. “By doing so, it looks like you are abandoning Christian values and agreeing with homosexual activists who say believing the Bible makes you a hater. 

“Please clarify that you still hold to biblical teachings regarding human sexuality, marriage, and family, and reinstate these Christian ministries,” the AFA petition concludes.

The Chick-fil-A Foundation on Monday announced a new donation strategy it says will “provide additional clarity and impact with the causes it supports.” Beginning in 2020, the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support Junior Achievement, Covenant House International and…