WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing the extent to which parents can opt their children out of public school instruction in which LGBT-themed books are read as part of the curriculum.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday morning in the case of Mahmoud, Tamer, et al. v. Taylor, Thomas W., et al. The case centers on whether public school parents in Montgomery County, Maryland — the state's largest school district — have a constitutional right under the First Amendment to exempt their children from lessons that feature LGBT ideology.
Eric Baxter of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argued the case on behalf of a diverse coalition of Christian, Muslim and Jewish parents, saying in his opening arguments that "petitioners deserve complete preliminary relief" from the school district because it won't allow them to opt their children out of such instruction. Click here to read more.
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DENTON COUNTY, TX - Tributes poured in for Denton County Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell and her husband, Fred, as more details emerged Tuesday about a stabbing that police say led to the arrest of the couple’s grandson Monday morning at their home in Lewisville.
Fred Mitchell, 75, died from his wounds soon after the incident, police said, while Bobbie Mitchell, 76, is expected to recover after undergoing surgery.
The couple’s 23-year-old grandson, Mitchell Reinacher, is suspected of stabbing his grandparents and is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police have not said what might have led to the deadly attack but an arrest-warrant affidavit for Reinacher provided some details of the chaos and violence at the Mitchell residence early Monday. Click here to read more.
ST. PAUL, MN — A group of Republican lawmakers introduced a bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives that would classify mRNA vaccines and products as "weapons of mass destruction" and criminalize their manufacture, distribution, and possession.
"It's a shot across the bow of the biotechnology industry, which has taken advantage of its unique liability protections and the fear generated by emergency to fast-track novel gene-altering treatments which are not fully understood," Rep. Walter Hudson (Albertville), one of the bill's authors, told Patch.
"These treatments were coerced under threat of lost employment and social censure, rather than offered under the longstanding ethical norm of informed consent."
Hudson said the bill "would need significant amendment to become law" but described its "bold opening position" as an effort to "provoke productive conversation about these issues" and ultimately "arrive at a reasonable legislative response." Click here to read more.
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former White House Chief Medical Adviser and a prominent figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen a significant increase in his wealth since retiring from government service, according to the government watchdog group Open the Books.
"He was the highest-paid bureaucrat when he was working for the federal government, he was making $480,000 as his final salary. He’s actually doing even better post-retirement," said Rachel O’Brien, Public Policy Editor at Open the Books.
Open the Books obtained Fauci’s financial disclosure, revealing that his household earned more than $3.5 million in 2023. This included multiple six-figure deposits, though the sources of these deposits were not detailed in the documents. Fauci reportedly had several paid speaking engagements and sold his memoir to a subsidiary of Penguin Random House for approximately $5 million. Click here to read more.
HOOVER, Ala. - Nearly two years after faking her own disappearance, Carlee Russell has paid less than $1,000 in restitution to the City of Hoover.
A Jefferson County judge appeared satisfied with Russell as she briefly stood before him in court Tuesday for a probationary review, during which it was reported that she had paid roughly $500 so far to Hoover in $50 monthly installments.
That judge also confirmed Russell has successfully completed her supervised probation.
Russell has been ordered to pay nearly $18,000 to the city for expenses related to the two-day search for her.
While Russell is said to be making restitution payments to the city of hoover in a timely manner, prosecutors say the amount of time it’s taking is frustrating.
An attorney for Russell told reporters following the court appearance that it’s been difficult for her client to find work due to the widespread media attention of her disappearance. Click here to read more.
