Just the facts.

America’s First Free-Roaming Genetically Engineered Insects Are Coming to New York

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Technocracy News has this comment on genetically engineered insects:

And away we go… Moths with a genetically modified kill switch to be released into the wild. The words ‘likely’ and ‘unlikely’ are used repeatedly to justify the release: ‘unlikely to impact the environment or humans’ and ‘likely killed off my pesticides’. The USDA has again fallen under the spell of Technocrats who elevate science to a state of godhood and themselves as the high priests.

Gizmoto has the story:

Diamondback moths may be a mere half-inch in length, but their voracious appetite for Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower make them a major pain for farmers. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a potential solution: moths genetically engineered to contain a special gene that makes them gradually die off. A field trial slated to take place in a small area of upstate New York will become the first wild release of an insect modified using genetic engineering in the US.

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‘When Does a Human Life Begin?’ Answered by Science

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According to Leah Jessen of LifeZette, “many intelligent and educated people don’t know fundamental truths about human life, such as when life begins.” She writes:

“When does a human life begin?”

This question should not be hard to answer — but in today’s culture, the topic is more contentious than ever.

“This is not about opinions, politics, or religion — nor should it be. It is about modern, objective, relevant science,” Brooke Stanton, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Contend Projects, wrote on her organization’s website. Based in Washington, D.C., and founded two years ago, the secular and nonpartisan Contend Projects is working to inform people, based on science, about when life begins.

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Megachurch Leader Says Critics of Choir’s ‘Make America Great Again’ Trump Slogan Ode Are ‘Evangelical Gnats’

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Christian News reports:

Pastor Robert Jeffress. Photo credit Gage Skidmore

A well-known megachurch leader and Trump supporter says that those who have been critical of last Saturday’s choir performance of a song based on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan are “evangelical gnats” who are just upset that Trump won the election.

“They are absolutely nothing but evangelical gnats who are looking for any excuse to nibble at the president,” Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas told the Christian Post this week. “If you take these critics’ argument to their logical end, then Christians need to quit saying the Pledge of Allegiance.”

As previously reported, the song, which had been written by the church’s former music minister, Gary Moore, was performed by the Southern Baptist choir during Saturday’s “Celebrate Freedom” rally in the nation’s capital. The event was co-sponsored by Jeffress’ congregation and featured a message from the president.

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Malaysia, Indonesia Muslim groups call for Starbucks boycott

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Chicago Tribune ran the Associated Press report:

Muslim groups in Malaysia and Indonesia have called for a boycott of Starbucks because of the coffee chain’s support for LGBT rights.

Malaysian group Perkasa, which supports a hard-line form of Islam and nationalism, this week called on its more than 500,000 members to stay away from Starbucks coffee shops. This week and last, leaders of Indonesia’s second largest mainstream Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, with an estimated 29 million members, denounced the chain.

The groups were apparently reacting to comments made several years ago by former CEO Howard Schultz in support of gay rights that drew renewed attention amid an increasingly anti-LGBT climate in both of the predominantly Muslim countries.

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Hasbro Says It ‘Eliminated Old Delineation of Gender’ to Think of Toys More ‘Inclusively’

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Christian News reports:

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the CEO of Hasbro outlined that the company has changed its thinking regarding certain toys being geared toward particular genders. Brian Goldner told the outlet that Hasbro has found that a significant percentage of boys are interested in My Little Pony, and that girls might like some of the Star Wars products the company will soon be releasing. “You’ve pivoted Hasbro’s focus from mostly boys to girls as well, and the stock hit an all-time high in February. What does that say about the marketplace?” reporter Tatiana Siegel asked.

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‘Astonishing’ rise in demand for exorcisms putting mental health at risk, report finds

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According to The Telegraph, the exorcism industry is in part “driven by immigrant communities and Pentecostal churches which are very open about their exorcism services.” Exorcisms are being performed despite the fact that the writers of the New Testament never admonish believers to cast demons out of people. What we are told to do is to put on the armor of God and stand firm against demonic activity (Ephesians 6:10-20). James tells us to resist the devil (James 4:7) and Peter says that when it comes to the spiritual forces of wickedness we are to be alert and of sober mind (1 Peter 5:8). We must not give the devil a foothold in our lives. (Ephesians 4:27). Never are we told to address demons or to attempt to perform an exorcism. Again, we are told to keep our spiritual armor on and to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

An “astonishing” rise in harmful Christian exorcisms is being partly driven by migrant communities, a think tank has warned.

A report by Theos, a think tank focusing on religion, found that experts were concerned that the “booming industry” in exorcisms was putting Christians’ mental health at risk.

The report, which examines the relationship between Christianity and mental health, said: “Exorcisms are now a booming industry in the UK, with a number of interviewees noting the astonishing increase in demand – often, as one noted, in defiance of any actual rules or procedures put in place by any church.”

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CNN Blackmail: Massive Backlash After Network Threatens Reddit User

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The reporter accused of coercing an apology from the creator of the Donald Trump wresting meme threatened the man with punishment unless his remorse is genuine and his “ugly behavior on social media” stops. LifeZette has the story:

CNN found itself ensnared in yet another ethical quagmire on Wednesday after a young reporter apparently tracked down the creator of a mock video tweeted by President Donald Trump and extracted an apology from him.

The Reddit user created the controversial animated GIF that showed Trump bodyslamming a man at a WWE match. The man in the original video was Vince McMahon, the former president of WWE and a personal friend to Trump. In the mock video the CNN logo was placed over McMahon’s head.

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As Harvest Christian Fellowship joins Southern Baptist Convention, some question future of Greg Laurie’s church

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According to The Orange County Register:

Harvest Christian Fellowship will be joining the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant body with about 15 million members. The Rev. Greg Laurie, pastor and founder of the 15,000-member Harvest and its Harvest Crusades, announced the move in June.

Some theologians see this as Laurie’s official shift toward mainstream evangelicalism and worry that Riverside-based Harvest could be overshadowed by the denomination. Laurie has been seen as one of the biggest crusaders of Calvary Chapel, an association of evangelical Christian churches to which Harvest belongs. Calvary was born as a movement away from religious denominations.

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Texas Supreme Court Rules ‘Spouses’ of Homosexual Govt Workers Not Clearly Entitled to Benefits

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Christian News has the story:

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the 2015 Supreme Court same-sex “marriage” decision did not clearly state whether the “spouses” of homosexual government workers are entitled to benefits. “The Supreme Court held in Obergefell that the Constitution requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriages to the same extent that they license and recognize opposite-sex marriages, but it did not hold that states must provide the same publicly funded benefits to all married persons,” Justice Jeffrey Boyd wrote on behalf of the panel. “Of course, that does not mean … that the city may constitutionally deny benefits to its employees’ same-sex spouses,” he added. “Those are the issues that this case now presents.”

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‘Sesame Street’ Expresses Support for Homosexuality During ‘LGBT Pride Month’

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According to Christian News:

The popular children’s television show “Sesame Street” recently expressed its support for “lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered” persons on its official Twitter page, generating a range of public responses, from positive to negative. “Sesame Street is proud to support families of all shapes, sizes, and colors,” it wrote on June 23, posting a heart next to the text. It also shared a photograph of various Sesame Street characters lined up in a manner to reflect the colors of the rainbow flag. The post has generated over 134,000 likes as of press time, and over 56,000 retweets.

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Pentagon Halts Obama’s Transgender Endorsement Plan

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Breitbart reports:

The Secretary of Defense has frozen a decision by former President Barack Obama to recruit transgender soldiers this year, and a new poll shows the planned recruitment freeze is very popular.

Two of every three swing voters say the Pentagon should postpone plans to accept “transgender” people who are trying to live as members of the opposite sex, according to the new poll by Rasmussen Reports.

Defense Secretary James Mattis explained his July 30 decision to delay Obama’s plan for six months, just before it was to begin operating:

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Michael Moore’s Fourth of July Plans Are Horrible

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According to Zackary Leeman of LifeZette, controversial leftist filmmaker and “blatant opportunist” Michael Moore is calling for Trump haters to storm the offices of their Senators over the 4th of July week. Leeman writes:

While most people will be getting together with family and friends and celebrating the birthday of our great nation, filmmaker Michael Moore has different plans altogether.

“I call upon EVERYONE to observe this 4th of July week by nonviolently storming the local offices of your Senators, pack town halls, RISE UP!” Moore tweeted on Wednesday.

He continued in this vein by taking issue with the potential of an Obamacare repeal in the near future.

“The Snakes of the Senate languishing in their pit, unable to attack the millions of sick, elderly & newborn. The Resistance lives to fight on,” he wrote. “They now scurry home 2 ‘celebrate’ the birthday of the country & its people they despise so much. They’ll quietly regroup w/ rich backers…”

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New Device Allows Cops to Download All of Your Smartphone Activity in Seconds

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According to Anti-Media, a new technology allows police to plug drivers’ phones into a tablet-like device that will tell the officer what the person was doing on their phone and exactly when they were doing it. Clearly, this is a violation of a person’s Constitutional right to privacy. Here’s the story:

“New York – Any person who operates a motor vehicle in the state shall be deemed to have given consent to field testing of his or her mobile telephone and/or personal electronic device for the purpose of determining the use thereof while operating a motor vehicle, provided that such testing is conducted by or at the direction of a police officer.” 

That’s language from the text of a bill currently working its way through the New York state legislature. The legislation would allow cops to search through drivers’ cell phones following traffic incidents — even minor fender-benders — to determine if the person was using their phone while behind the wheel.

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Austrailian Police Charge Vatican Cardinal With Sex Offenses

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Associated Press reports:

Australian police charged a top Vatican cardinal on Thursday with multiple counts of “historical” sexual assault offenses, a stunning decision certain to rock the highest levels of the Holy See.

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ chief financial adviser and Australia’s most senior Catholic, is the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever be charged in the church’s long-running sexual abuse scandal. Pell said he would return to Australia to fight the charges.

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Study: Networks Devote 55 Percent of Trump Coverage to Russia

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Edmund Kozak of LifeZette reports that in a five week period evening newscasts spent 353 minutes on the Trump-Russia probe. He writes:

A new study performed by the Media Research Center (MRC) details the incredible amount of time that mainstream-media networks have dedicated to covering the Trump-Russia probe. Between May 17 and June 20, evening newscasts devoted 55 percent of their coverage of President Donald Trump — 353 minutes in total — to the Russia investigation or other allegations of possible collusion.

Tellingly, the investigation revealed that a full third — 34 percent — of networks’ coverage of the Trump-Russia probe was based on anonymous sources, some of whom turned out to be providing false information. “I think that’s something that should suggest to news viewers that there’s people behind the scenes with an agenda,” said Rich Noyes, research director at the MRC.  View article →

See also Three CNN Employees Resign Over Retracted Story On Russia Ties

 

Rev. Graham: ‘Johnny Depp Is One Dark Soul’

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According to CNSNews:

Commenting on actor Johnny Depp’s alleged “joke” about an actor assassinating President Donald Trump, Christian leader Franklin Graham said “Depp is one dark soul,” and he prays that Depp will one day come to know “the Savior who died so that he could be saved from his sins.”

On June 22 at a festival in England to screen his 2004 film The Libertine, Depp — known for many of his popular films but especially the Pirates of the Caribbean series — said of Trump: “I think he needs help, and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go. …. When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? It’s just a question. I’m not insinuating anything.

“By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it. I want to clarify, I’m not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it’s been awhile [since the last assassination].”

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Three CNN Employees Resign Over Retracted Story on Russia Ties

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According to TheWrap:

Three CNN employees have handed in their resignations over a retracted story linking President Trump to Russia, the network announced Monday.

The article was removed from CNN.com on Friday after the network decided it could no longer stand by its reporting.

“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignation of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” a network spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement.

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Illinois Bishop Decrees: No Communion and No Funeral Rites for Same-Sex Couples

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CNSNews reports:

Before LGBT Pride celebrations begin in Chicago this weekend, Bishop of Springfield Thomas Paprocki issued a formal decree calling on all members of the Catholic faith to enforce the Church’s longstanding policies on the issue of homosexuality.

These policies include no same-sex marriages, no Communion for people in a same-sex union, and no funeral rites for unrepentant homosexuals, among other teachings.

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Pro-Family Groups Push Back After GuideStar Labels 46 American Organizations ‘Hate Groups’

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Christian News reports:

Over 40 pro-family groups recently signed a letter to the charity database site GuideStar after it labeled dozens of organizations as “hate groups” based on a list compiled by the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). “The ‘hate group’ list is nothing more than a political weapon targeting people it deems to be its political enemies. The list is ad hoc, partisan, and agenda-driven,” the correspondence read. GuideStar added a banner atop the info pages of 46 nonprofits, which reads, “This organization was flagged as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

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Canadian Christian School Reportedly Told Not to Teach ‘Offensive’ Bible Verses to Children

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According to Christian News:

A Christian school in Canada says that it is shocked after recently being told by the local school board that it should not teach any “offensive” Bible verses to children, particularly those those that refer to homosexuality. Cornerstone Christian Academy in Kingman, approximately an hour outside of the provincial capital of Edmonton, says that it was recently approached by the Battle River School Division and asked to remove 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 from its student handbook.

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Preacher who lived a life of luxury indicted on tax fraud

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The indictment accuses prosperity preacher William Todd Coontz of a check-cashing scheme. Coontz is charged with hiding income from the IRS “by claiming travel as a business expense while using reimbursements as personal income.” Joe Marusak of Charlotte Observer has the story:

A former Charlotte preacher who wrote the book “Please Don’t Repo My Car” was indicted on tax charges Thursday.

William Todd Coontz enjoyed a life of luxury, federal prosecutors contend, by claiming as business expenses the $1.5 million condo he and his family lived in as their parsonage and the luxury vehicles they drove, including three BMWs, two Ferraris, a Maserati and a Land Rover.

He also claimed a Regal 2500 boat, 400 charges at movie theaters, $228,000 in clothing purchases and $140,000 in meals and other entertainment as business expenses with no proof the expenses were for business, according to a federal criminal bill of indictment returned by a grand jury in Charlotte on Thursday.

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Warren Inspires Followers to Threaten Violence Against Republicans

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According to LifeZette:

In the aftermath of last week’s targeted shooting of Republican congressmen in Alexandria, Virginia, by a left-wing activist, many wondered if the shocking event would herald a new period of political civility and the rejection of sensationalist rhetoric. It hasn’t.

On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted a video to her Facebook page in which she rails against the newly unveiled Senate Republican health care bill — using intensely inflammatory rhetoric.

“I’ve read the Republican ‘health care’ bill. This is blood money,” Warren wrote. “They’re paying for tax cuts with American lives.”

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Federal Appeals Court Reverses Injunction Against Mississippi’s Freedom of Conscience Act

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Christian News reports:

A federal appeals court has reversed an injunction against Mississippi’s Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, a bill meant to protect residents from punishment when acting in accordance with their religious convictions in regard to the institution of marriage. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana ruled on Thursday that the plaintiffs who filed the legal challenge did not have standing to sue because they could not demonstrate any actual harm created by the law. It said, however, that the matter could be considered if and when an actual incident occurs.

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Obamacare Unraveling as GOP Set to Unveil Fix

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According to LifeZette:

The Affordable Care Act continued its inevitable collapse Wednesday when Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced it would be pulling out of most of the Wisconsin and Indiana marketplaces.

The bad news for Obamacare followed on the heels of Anthem’s announcement in early June that it would be withdrawing from Ohio’s marketplaces. Roughly 46,000 Hoosiers purchased health care coverage from Anthem on the exchange, while approximately 14,000 Wisconsinites purchased Anthem’s coverage.

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Oregon Becomes First State to Allow Residents to Be Neither Male or Female on Driver’s License

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Christian News reports:

Oregon has become the first state to allow residents to identify as neither male or female on their driver’s license and identification card.

Beginning on July 1, residents can select an “X” for their gender instead of “M” or “F.” The new policy was unanimously agreed upon by the Oregon Transportation Commission.

According to Reuters, the concept was considered after Multnomah County Judge Amy Holmes Hehn last June granted a man’s request to identify on his driver’s license as “non-binary.”

As previously reported, Jamie Shupe (pictured) was born male, served in the military and married a woman. But in 2013, as he found himself struggling with his gender identity, Shupe decided to seek treatments that would make him look and feel feminine.

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