Just the facts.

Fake News: BuzzFeed Runs ‘Unverifiable’ Trump-Russia Claims

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According to Brenden Kirby of Lifezette, left-leaning news outlets have abandoned “all journalistic ethics in publishing explosive dossier.” He writes:

The online news site BuzzFeed on Tuesday published a letter containing salacious allegations — which even the left-leaning outlet acknowledged are unverified — against President-Elect Donald Trump.

The letter, purporting to come from a retired British intelligence agent, details Trump’s alleged relationship with Russia and contends that the Kremlin has been “cultivating, supporting and assisting” Trump for at least five years.

It alleges that Russians have been feeding Trump intelligence on his opponents, including Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, for years. It also details Trump’s alleged “personal obsessions and sexual perversion.”

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ACLU Files Suit as Kentucky Governor Signs Bill Requiring Ultrasound Prior to Abortion

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Christian News reports:

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has signed a bill requiring that women obtain an ultrasound prior to proceeding with an abortion, prompting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file suit.

Bevin signed H.B. 2 on Monday, which requires not only the abortionist or technician to conduct the ultrasound, but to also display the images for the abortion-minded mother and allow her to hear her baby’s heartbeat.

“[T]he physician who is to perform the abortion or a qualified technician to whom the responsibility has been delegated by the physician shall … display the ultrasound images so that the pregnant woman may view the images [and] ascultate the fetal heartbeat of the unborn child so that the pregnant woman may hear the heartbeat if the heartbeat is audible,” the bill reads in part.

It provides an allowance for the mother to avert her eyes if she does not wish to see her child. The abortionist may also turn off the sound of the heartbeat at her request.

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Married lesbian couple to lead prominent D.C. Baptist church

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Washington Post reports:

Calvary Baptist Church, a progressive Baptist landmark in the heart of downtown Washington, has named a gay couple as co-pastors.

Sally Sarratt and Maria Swearingen were presented to the congregation during worship services Jan. 8 and are set to begin their new jobs Feb. 26.

A spokeswoman for the congregation said she didn’t know whether a gay couple leading a church was a first for Baptists.

“We look for the best people in the world and that’s who they were,” said Carol Blythe. “We’re very excited.”

The 155-year-old church severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2012: It was at loggerheads with the group on several issues, including the SBC’s stance against homosexuality. Calvary Baptist still affiliates with American Baptist Churches USA.

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Rep. Devin Nunes: We’ve Been Warning Administration About Russian Hacking ‘And They Did Nothing’

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According to CNSNews, Rep. Davin Nunes, Chairman of the House intelligence committee, said the following during an interview on Fox News Sunday:

Photo credit: Business Insider

We’ve known that Russia is a very sophisticated bad actor in the cyber realm.  Many members of Congress, not just members of the House Intelligence Committee, have been warning the Obama administration about Russia’s continued cyber attacks on this country, and they did nothing.

And so, now, as you look forward, you know, they lose an election, and then it appears like they want to change this narrative into somehow that Russia was responsible for Hillary Clinton losing the election.  And I just don’t buy that.

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Maybelline Becomes Next Cosmetic Company to Utilize Male Makeup-Wearing Model

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Christian News reports:

The cosmetic giant Maybelline has become the next company to utilize a male makeup-wearing model to help sell its products.

25-year-old Manny Gutierrez, also known as Manny Mua, has three million followers on Instagram, as well as over two million subscribers on YouTube, where he conducts tutorials on “boy beauty.”

“I believe makeup is GenderLESS and has no rules!” he writes in the description section of his YouTube page. “Honestly I believe that men can wear makeup, teach makeup, and vlog about it just as much as girls can and I am fighting for that equality with my channel.”

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Three Women Become First Female Marines to Serve Ground Combat Roles

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Christian News reports:

Three women have become the first female Marines to be permitted to serve ground combat roles—a move that some Christians have stated is contrary to God’s created order.

The women, who reported on Thursday to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment at Camp LeJuene in North Carolina, will serve as rifleman, machine gunner and mortar Marine. Their names have not been released.

Several female Marines in leadership roles were to be placed in the unit to help with acclimation.

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Hillary Gains Grassroots Support for Mayoral Run

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According to Newsmax:

New York City’s Democratic activists are clamoring for Hillary Clinton to take on Mayor Bill de Blasio in a primary election this year, saying she’d represent the change the city needs, The New York Post reported Friday.

“Hillary would have been the first female president,” the Rev. Patrick Young, pastor of First Baptist Church in East Elmhurst, Queens, told The Post. 

“She would be the first woman mayor in the history of New York City. She would be better at working with people and engaging people. She would be a breath of fresh air. We have a cloud over our leadership right now.”

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What Happens When America Has No More Stores?

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According to Deirdre Reilly of LifeZette, brick-and-mortar shopping may soon be a “remember when …?” proposition. She writes:

Moms and dads loyal to Macy’s are distressed over the news that the company has either closed or plans to close 68 of its retail stores. Shoppers now go online more often to buy goods for their families, and the shift has taken its toll.

The holiday numbers for Macy’s are reportedly a factor in the decision.

“I just love Macy’s and this makes me sad,” mother of three Kelly Driscoll of Reading, Massachusetts, told LifeZette. “I love browsing through their store, and they offer coupons and sales. You can get a real deal if you’re smart about when and what you buy.”

The decision to shutter the stores will affect some 6,200 jobs. “We continue to experience declining traffic in our stores where the majority of our business is still transacted,” Terry Lundgren, Macy’s CEO, said in a statement. As for the store closings, Lundgren noted, “We are closing locations that are unproductive or are no longer robust shopping destinations due to changes in the local retail shopping landscape … These are never easy decisions.”

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How and When Will House Defund Planned Parenthood? Ryan: ‘Legislation Will Be In Our Reconciliation Bill’

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CNSNews reports:

When asked how and when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives would pass legislation to defund Planned Parenthood, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said “Planned Parenthood legislation will be in our reconciliation bill,” but provided no further information.

CNSNews.com asked Ryan at his weekly meeting with reporters about defunding the nation’s largest abortion provider, which annually receives millions of dollars in government health services grants and reimbursements–$528.4 million in the year that ended on June 30, 2014, according to Planned Parenthood’s annual report.

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We ‘Refuse to Be Baited’: ‘Fixer Upper’ Host Speaks After Controversy Over Church’s Marriage Beliefs

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Christian News reports:

One of the hosts of the popular HGTV show “Fixer Upper” has written a blog post that some are interpreting as a response to the recent controversy over the church the couple attends, which holds to biblical beliefs on marriage and homosexuality.

“Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world,” Chip Gaines wrote on his wife’s blog on Monday. “This is our home. A house divided cannot stand.”

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Christians: The Most Persecuted in the World

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According to LifeZette:

One Christian is killed every six minutes in our world today.

Last year, 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith, according to renowned author and sociologist Massimo Introvigne. As the founder of the Independent Center for Studies on New Religions in Turin, Italy, Introvigne spoke of a study that will be published next month through the Center for Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

This research sheds light on the now undisputed fact that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. Introvigne also reported that, shockingly, 2016 was a better year for Christians than 2015, when 105,000 Christians were killed around the world.

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Alabama Supreme Court Rules ‘Unborn Children … Are Human Beings’ Entitled to Protections of Law

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Christian News reports:

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that a woman’s wrongful death lawsuit against an OB/GYN accused of contributing to the death of her unborn child may proceed. It declared that unborn children are human beings whether or not at the point of viability and therefore are entitled to legal protection.

“In light of the legislative recognition that a ‘person’ includes an ‘unborn child in utero at any stage of development, regardless of viability,’ we do not believe that probable progression to viability is the appropriate relevant proximate-cause inquiry in this case,” it wrote. “Rather, we hold that, in order to establish proximate cause, Stinnett was required to show that Dr. Kennedy’s actions probably caused the death of the fetus, ‘regardless of viability.’”

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‘Pope Francis’ Urges: ‘Let Us Entrust the New Year to Mary’

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The mother of Jesus was a sinner just like all human beings born into this world. Therefore she needed Jesus Christ as a Savior.  The Bible says nothing about Mary ascending to heaven or having an exalted role there. Yet the pope of Rome urges Catholics to entrust her with the new year “so that peace and mercy may grow throughout the world.” We believe that the mother of Jesus should be held in high esteem, but she is not worthy of our worship or adoration.  So with this in mind, following is Christian News Network’s report:

The leader of Roman Catholicism, Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” observed the feast of “the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God” on New Year’s Day, urging followers to “entrust the new year to Mary.”

“Let us entrust the new year to Mary, Mother of God, so that peace and mercy may grow throughout the world,” he Tweeted on Sunday, generating over 33,000 likes and 11,000 shares.

The feast “coincides with the octave-day of Christmas” on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and was initially the feast of the Circumcision of Christ until being replaced in 1974 by Pope John VI. The “mother of God” concept, however, can be traced back as early as the Council of Ephesus in 431.

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See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Texas Judge Halts Federal Transgender Health Protections

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ABC News posted this piece from Associated Press:

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs.

The latest injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor comes four months after he blocked a higher-profile new set of transgender protections — a federal directive that required public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. Several of the Republican-controlled states that brought that lawsuit, including Texas, also sued over the health regulations that were finalized in May.

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Putin Won’t Expel US Diplomats in Response to Washington Sanctions

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According to NewsMax:

The United States unleashed a string of sanctions and ordered expulsion of 35 Russians in retaliation for alleged cyber-meddling against the U.S. election, but President Vladimir Putin ruled out any move to kick out American diplomats in response to Washington’s move.

In a statement on the Kremlin’s web site Friday, Putin referred to the sanctions as a “provocation aimed to further undermine Russian-American relations.” But he also said Moscow would not be expelling American diplomats, as the Obama administration had ordered against Moscow.

“The Russian diplomats returning home will spend the New Year Holidays with their relatives and dear ones,” Putin said. “At home. We will not create problems for U.S. diplomats. We will not expel anybody.”

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Mysterious illness tied to marijuana use on the rise in states with legal weed

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CBS News reports:

For more than two years, Lance Crowder was having severe abdominal pain and vomiting, and no local doctor could figure out why. Finally, an emergency room physician in Indianapolis had an idea.

“The first question he asked was if I was taking hot showers to find relief. When he asked me that question, I basically fell into tears because I knew he had an answer,” Crowder said.

The answer was cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. It’s caused by heavy, long-term use of various forms of marijuana. For unclear reasons, the nausea and vomiting are relieved by hot showers or baths.

“They’ll often present to the emergency department three, four, five different times before we can sort this out,” said Dr. Kennon Heard, an emergency room physician in Aurora, Colorado.

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Conservative Attorney Jay Sekulow Supports Judge on Trump’s Supreme Court Shortlist Who Called Abortion ‘a Right’

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According to Christian News:

Well-known attorney Jay Sekulow, who serves as chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which takes up cases for conservative, pro-life and pro-family causes, expressed his support on national television this week for two of the picks on President-elect Donald Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist—Judges Diane Sykes and Bill Pryor—stating that they have a “proven track record.”

However, others have voiced concern about the judges precisely because of their track record, which includes Sykes’ favorable Planned Parenthood ruling calling abortion “a right” and Pryor’s prosecution of “Ten Commandments Judge” Roy Moore. Reports state that both Sykes and Pryor are “top contenders” on Trump’s Supreme Court list.

Sekulow had been interviewed on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends regarding the more than 100 court vacancies Trump currently will have to fill as president, as well as whether he agrees that Trump should not compromise in his Supreme Court pick, but choose someone who is “hard right.”

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Netanyahu Spokesman: Beyond ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ US Intervened With UN Vote

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NewsMax reports:

Israel is “deeply, deeply disappointed” by the actions concerning a United Nation Security Council resolution aimed at ending the nation’s West Bank settlements, and has information that shows “beyond a shadow of a doubt” the Obama administration was behind the action, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“Some of that information is sensitive, and so I can’t share it on live TV, but i have seen the information myself with my own eyes and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that that is exactly what happened,” spokesman David Keyes told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

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Sex and marriage with robots: science fiction or new reality?

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Ruth Holmes of Phys.org answers the question:

Sex with robots is “just around the corner”, an expert told a global conference in London this week featuring interactive sex toys and discussions on the ethics of relationships with humanoids.

“Sexbots” are a staple of science fiction—the idea of robots as sex partners is explored, for instance, in recent films and television series like “Ex-Machina” and “Westworld.”

But some specialists believe the first animated lovers made of metal, rubber and plastic, programmed to provide sexual bliss, will take a step into reality just months from now.

“Sex with robots is just around the corner, with the first sexbots coming… some time next year,” artificial intelligence expert David Levy told the International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots at Goldsmiths, University of London.

US California-based company Abyss Creations next year will start marketing sex robots that are billed as life-like, with the ability to talk and move like humans.

Ultimately, Levy said, people should entertain the thought of marriage with robots as early as 2050.

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Hallucinogenic plant ayahuasca gains foothold in US

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According to Yahoo News:

Dominique was hooked on cocaine and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day until she stumbled onto ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic concoction that she says has changed her life.

The French-American woman, who lives in Los Angeles and did not want her real name used, is among thousands of people across the United States who are increasingly turning to the powerful psychedelic brew from the Amazon to overcome addiction, depression or psychological trauma.

The potion, prepared and consumed as part of a shamanic ritual, is especially gaining a following in Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

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American Psychiatric Association Expresses Opposition to Assisted Suicide for Mentally Ill

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Christian News reports:

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has released a formal position statement expressing opposition to assisted suicide in cases where the patient is not terminally ill.

According to reports, the statement was approved this month by the APA’s board of trustees after being passed last month by the general assembly.

“The American Psychiatric Association, in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on medical euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death,” it states.

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Kentucky Governor Declares 2017 ‘Year of the Bible,’ Supports Statewide Bible Reading Marathon

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Christian News Network reports:

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has issued a proclamation declaring 2017 the “Year of the Bible,” making it the second year that Bevin has issued such a decree.

He noted that several prominent figures throughout American history have lauded the importance of the Scriptures.

“President Harry S. Truman said, ‘The fundamental basis of this nation’s law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul,’” Bevin’s proclamation reads in part.

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Republicans accuse Dems of ‘hypocrisy’ after ‘bathroom bill’ repeal falls apart

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Fox News reports:

North Carolina Republican leaders are blasting their Democratic colleagues after a supposedly bipartisan deal to repeal the state’s “bathroom bill” limiting LGBT protections collapsed Wednesday night, with every Senate Democrat balking in the end.

Both sides were pointing fingers in the aftermath of the unproductive special session, called specifically to consider repeal legislation for the law known as House Bill 2. The law omits gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protections, bars local governments from passing broad non-discrimination ordinances covering them, and orders transgender people to use bathrooms and showers that align with their sex at birth.

“I’m disappointed that we have yet to remove the stain from the reputation of our great state that is around this country and around the world,” Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper said.

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Gay ornament pulled from store after protest

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According to Religion News Service:

Nativity scene with homosexual Josephs. Photo credit: The Sun

Jesus has two mommies. Or two daddies. Take your pick.

Actually, Jesus had two mommies and daddies in a pair of same-sex-themed Christmas ornaments for sale online until the designer withdrew them after a protest by a British Christian interest group.

Mark Thaler, a San Francisco-based artist and designer, was offering the ornaments via Zazzle.com, the online retailer of all things odd. They were round discs featuring figurines of either two Josephs or two Marys gazing at a baby Jesus in the manger.

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Texas Megachurch Turns Christmas Production Into Circus—Literally

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Dr. Ed Young, Sr., twice president of the SBC, recently held a circus in the church he pastors. Christian News Network has the story:

A megachurch in Texas recently turned its annual Christmas production in its worship center into a circus—literally, complete with a ringmaster, tricks and trapezes.

The Second Baptist Church of Texas, led by Dr. Ed Young, Sr., presented “Christmas Under the Big Top” at its Woodway campus from Friday to Tuesday, with tickets ranging from $10 to $25. The 90-minute drama centered on a storyline about a fictional effort to save a financially-struggling circus by putting on a Christmas show.

In addition to much singing and dancing, the program also featured a Stomp-like trash can drumming performance, and plenty of circus tricks, from juggling to acrobatics to Cyr wheel spinning. Styles of music varied from traditional to big band, to hip-hop and rock. A segment of the production also included a living nativity, and a brief message about life’s “distractions” from the meaning of Christmas was delivered near the conclusion.

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