Religious freedom advocates are celebrating after Cuban authorities decided to release a Christian mother from jail.

Expósito Leyva was imprisoned along with her husband, Pastor Ramon Rigal, last April after refusing to send her children to a government-run school.

According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the couple had opted to homeschool the children in order to avoid them being indoctrinated with socialist and atheistic ideologies.

They were subsequently charged with “acts against the normal development of a minor,” put on trial and ultimately jailed, spending 11 months behind bars. Now, finally, she is free.

“While we welcome the release of Expósito and are particularly relieved that she can be reunited with her children, we believe that she should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” USCIRF Commissioner and civil rights lawyer Anurima Bhargava said in a statement.

“The charges brought against her and her husband are part of the Cuban government’s harassment, discrimination, and arbitrary detention of individuals simply seeking to practice their religion.”

Speaking to CBN News, Bhargava said she hoped the release “indicates something that is positive” with regards to the Cuban government recognizing that imprisoning a parent simply because they decided to personally educate their child is “not…

President Trump on Thursday announced a three-phase strategy to reopen America, saying an extended national shutdown is “not a sustainable long-term solution.”

The effort will be led by governors, he said.

Continuing the current strategy indefinitely in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, would have devastating effects.

“A prolonged lockdown combined with a forced economic depression would inflict an immense and wide-ranging toll on public health,” Trump said. “This includes a sharp rise in drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicide, heart disease and many other dimensions of physical and mental wellbeing. Moreover, many patients have put needed medical care on hold, creating entirely new hazards for public health.”

The White House’s strategy includes three phases to “restore economic life.”

“Healthy Americans will now be able to return to work as conditions on the ground allow,” Trump said. “Instead of a blanket shutdown, we will pursue a focus on sheltering the highest-risk individuals.”

Each phase will include benchmarks on new case growth, cases and hospital capacity “that must be met before advancing to each phase,” he said.

For example, in order to proceed to the three-phase strategy, a state should show a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a “downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total…

The latest movie from Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media releases on home video platforms this week and spotlights a slice of basketball history unknown to most hoops fans.

The documentary Jump Shot, available for rental April 16-18, tells the inspiring story of Kenny Sailors, an All-American at the University of Wyoming in the 1940s and the inventor of the modern jump shot. Prior to Sailors, two-handed set shots dominated the game.

It includes interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bob Knight, Nancy Lieberman, Lou Carnesecca and others. 

Curry is an executive producer. It is the second film from Unanimous Media, which he co-founded. Aspiration Entertainment is the distributor. 

Ten percent of the revenue will go toward COVID-19 relief efforts.

“Learning the history of where the art of the jump shot came from, who introduced it to the game, and how it changed the game, was incredibly intriguing,” Curry said. “Even more importantly, learning about the person that Kenny was, and what he stood for, was very inspirational. He was a selfless, special person that had the right perspective about life.

“… There’s so many people like myself that don’t know Kenny Sailors, and I’m proud to help share his story with the world.” 

The movie follows Sailors’ life, from his days at Wyoming, to his service in World War II, to his time with his family in Alaska, where he…

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The faithful stood in line for about two hours to receive Communion at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks.

Some were in tears as they approached the Communion table. The church, which typically dispenses about 400 Communion cups on a regular Sunday, served over 700 that day.

Pastors from other churches attended. Protesters and police were there.

This was the scene pastor Rob McCoy witnessed April 5 when he decided to open his sanctuary for Communion on Palm Sunday, despite a statewide stay-at-home order that bans group gatherings and shut down businesses except for those deemed essential.

“People needed this,” McCoy told Religion News Service. “What they did was not an affront. They wanted the community to know that Christ is critical and essential and they wanted to testify that no matter what it would cost them, even if they were going to be berated and maligned.”

To McCoy, receiving Communion is just as essential as people needing to get food from the grocery store. That Sunday, he said, worshippers followed social distancing guidelines while they stood in line. Tape was cued 6 feet apart on the sidewalk. Only 10 people were permitted inside the sanctuary at a time. Communion elements were individually sealed. Lysol was sprayed on seats after those attending got up to leave.

“Why are we being scrutinized when we actually have the…

DuckTales is the latest Disney children’s series to insert LGBT characters into the plot.

The Disney XD series, currently in its third season, follows the adventures of Scrooge McDuck, his nephew Donald Duck and their triplet relatives Huey, Dewey, and Louie. (The trio are the nephews of Donald and the grand-nephews of Scrooge.) 

In the Season 3 premiere, viewers learn that one of the characters – Violet Sabrewing – has two dads. The episode follows Violet and her friends as they learn if they have transitioned from the Scout-like “Junior Woodchuck” to “Senior Woodchuck.” 

Parents are in attendance for the ceremony, and each of Violet’s fathers wears a T-shirt with the words “I’M WITH DAD” and an arrow pointing to the other. During one scene, one of Violet’s friends becomes excited about Violet’s Woodchuck success and shouts, “That’s my sister from a couple misters!” 

Although neither father speaks during the episode, they stand on each side of her as she is named a Senior Woodchuck.

Disney series Andi Mack, The Lodge, Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls also have featured LGBT characters. 

Still, DuckTales – with its ties to an iconic Disney character, Donald Duck – is another landmark in Disney’s goal of LGBT inclusion. 

Frank Angones, co-executive producer of DuckTales, said the two dads “do not play a huge role in the story” – although he hopes…