The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Trump administration’s gag rule prohibiting Title X funds from being used to fund abortions can go into effect.

According to the Associated Press, all three judges on the panel in the Ninth Circuit Court in California halted any further legal proceedings against the Department of Health and Human Services after three injunctions were issued against it by the states of California, Oregon and Washington in order to halt the President’s rule excluding abortions from receiving Title X funding. 

Supporters of the Trump administration rule say that the court’s thumbs up will create a distinct line separating family planning and abortion. 

Vice president for policy at the Family Research Council Travis Weber told the Christian Post that this decision will clearly divide the two entities both financially and physically. He said, “To comply with this rule, Title X clinics must maintain both physical and financial separation from abortion services and will no longer be allowed to refer clients for abortions.”

He continued, “While we await the final ruling on the merits of this case, [Thursday’s] ruling from the Ninth Circuit is a great first step in ending the forced partnership between the Title X program and the abortion industry.”

Proponents of the rule have coined it an attack on…

Israeli paratroopers and archaeologists announced Wednesday that they unearthed the remains of a 2,700-year-old watchtower at an undisclosed location in southern Israel. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority say they cannot reveal the exact location for security purposes but did say that it sits on an elevated location.

The tower was likely used as a watchtower for the protection of Israel. A watchman stationed in the tower would be able to see approaching enemies. The towers were also useful for communication between the national border and Jerusalem. The watchmen used smoke to communicate during the day and fire at night.

The soldiers and archaeologists reported that the tower measured 5×3.5 meters and that the ruins were 2 meters high. They believe the tower likely stood about 4 meters high, which would make it about two stories tall. The large stone blocks used to construct the tower weighed up to eight tons.

The excavation was the result of a joint project between the IDF’s Technology and Maintenance Corps, the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and the Israel Nature and Parks authority. Second Lieutenant Roi Ofir took part in the excavation and explained its importance. He said, “This is the first time I participated in excavations. The connection to the land and the fact that there were Jewish fighters…

JOS, Nigeria, June 21, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen continued a campaign of seizing land for their cattle and territory for their religion this week, killing 11 Christians in eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state, sources said.

The herdsmen on Sunday and Monday (June 16-17) entered villages on motorcyles outside of the Taraba state capital, Jalingo, shooting firearms after attacks in the same area in early May that reportedly also killed 11 people in predominantly Christian villages.

“I know that 11 persons were killed and their corpses were taken to mortuaries in some hospitals in the town of Jalingo,” Joseph David, a 30-year-old resident of one of the communities attackd this week, told Morning Star News by phone.

He said the assailants arrived about 6 p.m. on Sunday and continued the assault the next day.

“The attacks were carried out by Muslim Fulanis riding Bajaj motorcycles,” he said. “They burned houses and shot us as we fled.”  

The herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian villages of Kona and ATC outside Jalingo, as well as Tudiri and Janibanibu villages in Ardo Kola County. Residents in the communities are mainly members of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN), Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), Christian Reformed Church Nigeria, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Church of the…

A Texas pastor is crediting divine intervention for saving lives from a major storm that damaged his church’s building.

Highland Terrace Baptist Church in Greenville, Texas, was preparing to hold its mid-week service Wednesday night when pastor Chet Haney and his congregation decided to cancel. Half an hour later, much of the building was destroyed. 

“It was a funny feeling, because about 5:30 [p.m.] everything was normal,” he told KTVT-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth. “Without hesitation, we all decided together: We better tell everybody to stay home. Thank the Lord we did, because in 25 minutes we didn’t have a church anymore in terms of the building.” 

The National Weather Service says straight-line winds, not a tornado, slammed the region. Winds peaked at 85 mph.

The storm tore a hole into the roof of the worship center. Much of the roof caved in and was destroyed. 

“It’s actually my granddaughter’s Sunday School room – it’s completely demolished. Something fell out of the sky and landed on top of it,” Haney said. 

The Sunday School room, he told KXAS, would have been filled with children if services had been held. 

Church member Wynema Payne had arrived early for choir practice.

“Within three seconds, we heard a loud boom and the roof here was taken off and deposited in that Sunday School class probably 30 feet from us,”…