| | CPAC 2023: Abortion, education, downsizing the federal government | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Friday, March 3, and today's headlines include details on the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, an 11-year-old boy who has gone viral for reading a sexually explicit book he obtained from his school library at a school district board meeting, and plans for a Nativity-themed musical starring Antonio Banderas. | | The 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference is currently underway in National Harbor, Md., with panelists discussing topics ranging from the politicization of the federal government to the current state of society. During the "Some Tuff Mutha" panel, pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, founder of And Then There Were None, discussed the Food and Drug Administration modifying restrictions on abortion pills and enabling women to obtain prescriptions for the drugs at major retail pharmacies. Under the Biden administration, the FDA "greenlit abortion into the home of every woman across the country," she said. The former Planned Parenthood clinic director cited several concerns she has with the modified regulations, such as women potentially hemorrhaging to death in their bathroom. She also emphasized that women will be looking into the toilet to see the remains of their "fully-formed baby." | | Fellow panelist Penny Nance, CEO and president of the conservative group Concerned Women for America, called abortion the "ultimate disrespect of human dignity," but stressed that God still loves and can redeem women who have had abortions. She further criticized the Biden administration's treatment of women, asserting that Biden seemingly believes "men can do everything better than women, including being women," highlighting the appointment of Rachel (Richard) Levine, a man who identifies as a woman, to the position of U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health. In 2022, USA Today listed Levine as its Woman of the Year. Meanwhile, panelist Kimberly Fletcher of Moms for America called on parents to stand up when it comes to public education, stating that "parental rights are fundamental and supreme." She cautioned that conservative Christian women haven't been voting or paying enough attention to what's happening at their school boards, adding that women can "repair" what's wrong in the education system. Continue reading. | | P.S. From daily news to weekend headlines, we've got you covered. Whether you're interested in religious liberty or inspiring faith stories, there is something for everyone. Check out CP's full newsletter lineup to subscribe to our latest free offerings. See more. |
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| GOP lawmakers call out 'weaponization' of federal government | | Republican members of the U.S. Congress called for the downsizing of the federal government during the "No Dominus Vobiscum FBI" panel at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday. Panelists called out the politicization of the Justice Department, FBI and other law enforcement agencies under the Biden administration, which the House Judiciary Committee is investigating under the new Republican majority. Moderated by Fox News contributor and Townhall Editor Katie Pavlich, the panel featured Reps. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., members of the newly established U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government. While Cammack called out the DOJ for labeling parents that question public school curriculum "terrorists," Pavlich warned of a "double standard between the prosecutions of the pro-life Americans" versus the comparative lack of action taken to address "dozens of crisis pregnancy centers which have been [vandalized and] firebombed." Hageman, meanwhile, attributed the alleged politicization of the federal government to the fact that the country has "stockpiled more and more power in Washington, D.C, " asserting "it has now become probably [that] the biggest business really in the United States is the federal government." Read more. | | Marsha Blackburn talks China's tie to US fentanyl crisis | | Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., highlighted the connection between the Chinese Communist Party and the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. During the "No Chinese Balloons over Tennessee" panel, Blackburn called the lack of bipartisan support for legislation to secure the border "astounding," stating that there is nothing "compassionate" about having an "open-border policy," which she argued the Biden administration has adopted. Pointing to the victims who have "been raped thousands of times" or harmed by fentanyl, Blackburn stated, "We should be able to stop this." She highlighted two pieces of legislation she has proposed to help combat the issue, one of which would require an adult that comes to the border with a child that does not have documentation proving a relation to take a DNA test. The other would prevent anyone charged with drug or human trafficking-related crimes at the country's international border or territorial waters from receiving government benefits. In reflecting on the rising number of fentanyl-related deaths, particularly among younger U.S., adults, Blackburn discussed how the chemicals used in the fentanyl trafficked at the border are coming from China, an issue the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raised in December. "Our children are the victims of this," Blackburn stated. "It's up to us to protect these future generations." Read more. |
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| Ukraine war exposes weaknesses in Russia and the West | | Dr. Richard Land discusses Russia's invasion of Ukraine and why it is important to continue to support Ukraine's defeat of Russia. "All freedom-loving people around the world need to understand what is at stake in Ukraine. Russia is an oligarchy in decline and such totalitarian states are always more dangerous when they are threatened with decline. If Russia is successful in facing down the West in Ukraine, they will move on to their next target, probably the Baltic States," Land cautions. Read more. | | Biblical worldview: The need for courage | | Do you have courage? In this editorial, William Wolfe shares why Christians across the U.S. need courage now more than ever. The government shut down churches but let liquor stores and strip clubs remain open. A man calling himself "Lia" Thomas was allowed to compete against girls in NCAA swimming. Children are being bombarded with gender ideology messaging every day. It is for reasons such as these that now is the time for Christians to find the courage to speak up and do something, writes Wolfe. "[P]reach Jesus and practice politics. It’s not either/or, it's both/and—and Christians are called to do both," he asserts. "In case you haven’t noticed, an open culture war is already upon Christians in the United States, whether we would risk it or not ... Christians must be willing to step into the fray and fight for what's good, true, and beautiful. To fight for our future. To fight for our children," Wolfe asserts. Read more. |
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| Pastor accuses school board of child abuse over trans book | | Pastor Shane Idleman of Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, Calif., recently made headlines for remarks he made at the Westside Union School District Board meeting in nearby Palmdale on Feb. 21. Idleman took to the meeting to accuse the local school board of enabling "child abuse" by allowing an elementary school in the district to read a book to students titled Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope. "When it comes to you in positions of leadership, you are responsible for this. ... Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's lawful. Somebody on the board can stand up to the state of California and say, 'Listen, this is not right.' ... You can oppose what California is pushing. I don't think it's parental consent. I think it shouldn't even be allowed in schools," the pastor said. "It's mental, emotional child abuse. This is not good for children. I counsel kids, we've buried kids with fentanyl overdoses, heroin overdoses, cutting themselves and you won't take that pain away because they need hope, not capitulation." He further cautioned that by promoting the book to young children, specifically those with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, the school district was "giving into something that will not help them." Idleman urged the board "to consider not only this book but the future direction of this school district" and "what are we actually teaching our kids." After he concluded, a sizeable portion of the crowd behind him erupted into cheers and applause. Read more. | | Kid reads sexually graphic book he got from school library to school board members | | An 11-year-old boy from Maine has sparked national attention after reading a sexually graphic book he received from his middle school library. Student Knox Zajac took to the Windham Raymond School District RSU14 on Feb. 15 to read from Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman, which was marked as inappropriate for children under the age of 14. Nevertheless, Zajac was able to check out the book, which has a plot centered on two teenage boys sexually experimenting with each other, and read it aloud to school board members. "My back over my hips. I asked if he should take his clothes off. He was saying yes before I finished my sentence. He’s pulling off my T-shirt, laughing when I can’t undo his shirt buttons. He’s undoing my belt. I’m reaching into his bedside drawer for a condom," said Knox as he read the expletive book for the board as seen in a video shared by 1776 Project PAC. Zajac added, "When I rented it out and showed my dad it, the librarian asked if I wanted more and if I wanted a graphic novel version." His father, Adam Zajac, told The Maine Wire that many "parents just don’t know what’s going on in the school," adding, "What I don’t understand is how we have books in the middle school library that adults would be fired for having at work, or potentially prosecuted for sharing with children given their pornographic content. It's smut, really." Read more. | | Winsome Sears issues warning over 'dystopian society' | | Virginia Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, a panelist at the Conservative Political Action Conference, warned of a "dystopian society" if the public education system is not reformed. Sears insisted that she would rather lose her seat than abandon her goal of improving American education by embracing school choice. Responding to the efforts to advance LGBT ideology and expose children to other concerning content, Sears remarked that "it’s 1984" in American society, referring to the dystopian novel forecasting a tyrannical government that declares war on reality. "If we don’t get a grip, we’re going to be living in some kind of dystopian society," she warned. She also lamented the state of American education, noting that 65% of children need remedial education by the time they go to college. "We're paying for it twice. We’re paying for it in the public schools [where] they're not getting [an education] and we're paying for it when they do go to college or other post-high school ed," she asserted. "America is a superpower, and the only way to maintain that superpower status is to ensure that everybody has a quality education because China is right behind." Read more. |
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| Parade magazine calls Jessa Duggar's miscarriage an abortion | | A popular entertainment magazine that initially claimed reality TV star Jessa Duggar Seewald had a "life-saving abortion" has changed its headline after pushback over the conflation of miscarriage management and elective abortion. The former "19 Kids and Counting" star revealed in a Friday YouTube video that she had undergone a dilation and curettage to remove tissue from the uterus. Duggar miscarried her fifth child and had to have the procedure to remove the baby's remains. While Parade first titled their report on the story, "Jessa Duggar Reveals She Had a Life-Saving Abortion in Emotional New Video" on Sunday, it was changed to read, "Jessa Duggar Reveals She Had a Miscarriage in Emotional New Video" as of Wednesday. In her video, Duggar shared that her baby died three weeks before she had the procedure, something that is known as a "missed miscarriage." The treatment was deemed medically necessary due to her history of hemorrhaging. "Jessa's video clearly describes a spontaneous, or natural, miscarriage. Parade equated that tragedy with an induced abortion, which is the intentional killing of an unborn child. Although the procedures for treating a miscarriage and performing an induced abortion are often the same, most Americans know that the two actions are vastly different morally, psychologically, and emotionally," Ingrid Skop, an OB/GYN and senior fellow and director of affairs for the pro-life research organization Charlotte Lozier Institute said in a statement to CP. Read more. | | Nativity musical starring Antonio Banderas, Lecrae is in the works | | AFFIRM films has revealed that a Nativity-themed musical starring Antonio Banderas and Christian music stars Joel Smallbone and Lecrae is in the works. The film will star Banderas as King Herod; Smallbone as King Herod's son; Lecrae as Gabriel; Milo Manheim as Joseph; "Outer Banks" actress Fiona Palomo as Mary; Rizwan Manji as Gaspar; Geno Seagers as Balthazar and Omid Djalili as Melchior. CCM artist Moriah Smallbone and "Fatima" actress Stephanie Gil will also be featured. The project, which is in production with Monarch Media on the coast of Spain, is being directed by Adam Anders ("High School Musical," "The Passion"). The yet-to-be-named film is slated for theatrical release on Nov. 10. Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday! -- CP Editors |
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