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Satanic Temple co-founder challenges Florida Gov DeSantis to debate on religious freedoms

Satanic Temple co-founder challenges Florida Gov DeSantis to debate on religious freedoms

The Satanic Temple’s (TST) co-founder challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a debate on religious freedom after the governor singled out satanists by saying they were not allowed to participate in a new chaplain program signed into law last week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that allows school districts to adopt volunteer school chaplain services. Under the bill, each school in the state has the option to adopt a policy allowing volunteer school chaplains to provide support services and programs for students. The bill also requires principals of schools with volunteer school chaplains to inform all parents of the services being provided, while also requiring written parental consent before students participate or receive the services. On Thursday, DeSantis stressed the program was “totally voluntary for a parent or a student to participate.” FLORIDA BILLS WOULD ALLOW SATANIC PRIESTS TO SERVE AS VOLUNTEER CHAPLAINS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS He also made clear that members of TST would not be able to serve as public school chaplains. “Some have said that if you do a school chaplain program, that, somehow, you’re going to have satanists running around in all our schools. We’re not playing those games in Florida,” DeSantis assured the people in the crowd. “That is not a religion. That is not qualified to be able to participate in this. So, we’re going to be using common sense when it comes to this. You don’t have to worry about it.” As the bill moved through the state legislative process, TST threatened to sue the state if any of its members were banned from serving as chaplains in the program. SATANIC TEMPLE LEADER CHALLENGES ‘PATHETIC LITTLE COWARD’ DESANTIS TO DEBATE OVER GROUP’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS TST co-founder, Lucien Greaves told Fox News Digital the governor has made multiple comments about the organization without any knowledge of who they are or what they believe. “This should be of significant concern to anybody, regardless of their own religious views,” Greaves said. “Worse, in signing HB 931 into law, the governor simply announced, from the podium at a press conference, that Satanists were to be considered unqualified for the school chaplaincy program while citing no legal theory to support his view.” The co-founder of TST said the legislation indicates DeSantis is unaware of how the law works and unaware that the bill he signed into law “does in fact allow Satanic chaplains in schools,” revealing the governor is unaware of the limits of his authority. DESANTIS PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR DEVIL STATUE DECAPITATOR, SAYS GOVT SHOULD NOT RECOGNIZE SATANISM AS ‘RELIGION’ After making the comments, Greaves posted on X that the IRS recognizes TST as a tax-exempt church. “If FL’s Republican administration deliberately excludes the group from the state’s new school chaplain program, that would constitute the kind of discrimination that would likely fail in court,” he posted. The executive director of operations at TST, Rachel Chambliss, also sent an invitation to DeSantis to participate in a public debate with Greaves, regarding their status as a federally recognized religious organization. “In light of Governor DeSantis’ recent remarks concerning our involvement in Florida’s new School Chaplain program, we find ourselves in respectful disagreement,” Chambliss wrote. “We believe that a public debate would provide an excellent platform to thoroughly discuss the principles of religious freedom in America.” DeSantis’ office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. Still, Greaves called the governor’s actions “erroneous.” “If I am correct, and DeSantis is merely engaging in empty grandstanding with a complete disregard for the intelligence of the people of Florida, he will surely ignore this challenge,” Greaves added.

White House condemns ‘blatantly antisemitic’ protests as agitators engulf Columbia University

White House condemns ‘blatantly antisemitic’ protests as agitators engulf Columbia University

The White House condemned “in the strongest terms” ongoing anti-Israel protests at colleges across the U.S., including at Columbia University in New York City, on Sunday, saying they have no place anywhere in the U.S. “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said. “And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms.” Anti-Israel agitators occupied the university’s south lawn for hours on Wednesday while the school’s president, Minouche Shafik, testified before congress about the antisemitism on Columbia’s campus.  An encampment with tents was set up on the main lawn of campus, and the protests continued into the night and for days. SUSAN SARANDON JOINS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MONTHS AFTER BEING DROPPED BY TALEN AGENCY Protests have called for an intifada and the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One Jewish Columbia University student was even told to “kill yourself” and repeatedly kicked in the stomach during the protests. Tensions continued to build, and on Thursday, the New York City Police Department arrested 108 people who refused to leave the encampment, each of whom was issued a summons for trespassing. Fox News learned that the university began handing out suspension notices to students who were arrested on Thursday. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS OCCUPY COLUMBIA CAMPUS AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT FACES GRILLING FROM CONGRESS Fox News Digital reached out to President Shafik for comment on the protests. The university issued a statement about the protest. “As President Shafik has said repeatedly, the safety of our community is our number one priority,” the university said. “Columbia students have the right to protest, but they are not allowed to disrupt campus life or harass and intimidate fellow students and members of our community. We are acting on concerns we are hearing from our Jewish students and are providing additional support and resources to ensure that our community remains safe.” Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays and Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy welcomes US aid to Ukraine, urges rapid transfer of weapons

Zelenskyy welcomes US aid to Ukraine, urges rapid transfer of weapons

Ukraine president says the passage of the aid bill would send a powerful message to Russia that the US stands by Kyiv. Ukraine’s president has welcomed the passage of $60bn in military aid for his country by the US House of Representatives and urged Washington to quickly turn the bill into law and proceed with the transfer of weapons. “I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. The president said that the bill “will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger”. In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press programme, Zelenskyy said the passage of the aid bill would send a powerful message to Russia that Washington stands by Kyiv and that it would not be “a second Afghanistan”. “I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance for victory,” Zelenskyy said through an interpreter. He repeatedly urged US lawmakers to take swift action to pass the bill in the Senate. He said Ukraine urgently needed US long-range weapons including ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) and air defence systems to fight off the invasion by Russia that began in February 2022. “This is crucial. These are the priorities now,” Zelenskyy said. On Saturday, the US House of Representatives, with broad bipartisan support, passed a $95bn legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Aid for Ukraine had been held up for months, because of the opposition of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who urged Republican lawmakers to block it. Russia has said US lawmakers’ support for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that would end in humiliation on a par with the Vietnam or Afghanistan wars. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was clear that the US wanted Ukraine “to fight to the last Ukrainian” including with attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians. “Washington’s deeper and deeper immersion in the hybrid war against Russia will turn into a loud and humiliating fiasco for the United States such as Vietnam and Afghanistan,” Zakharova said. Russia, she added, will give “an unconditional and resolute response”. Almost 26 months since the start of the invasion, Russia is slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine and has ramped up its bombardments of cities and towns behind the front lines amid a slowdown in Western military assistance. The US legislation now proceeds to the Democratic-majority Senate, which passed a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders, from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, had been urging Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote. The Senate is set to begin considering the bill on Tuesday, with some preliminary votes that afternoon. Final passage is expected sometime next week, which would clear the way for Biden to sign it into law. Adblock test (Why?)

US set to impose sanctions on Israeli military unit over abuses: Report

US set to impose sanctions on Israeli military unit over abuses: Report

Israeli prime minister says he will fight any sanctions targeting Israeli military units for alleged rights violations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would fight against any sanctions being imposed on Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after a United States media outlet reported that Washington was planning such a step. The US-based Axios news site on Saturday reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West Bank, though the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures. Israeli media also identified the unit expected to be targeted as Netzah Yehuda – an infantry battalion founded roughly a quarter of a century ago to incorporate ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the military. On Friday, the US announced a new series of sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, in the latest sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler parties. “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the [Israeli army] – I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday. Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said in a statement on Sunday that he spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter. Gantz said any such sanctions would be a mistake because they would harm Israel’s legitimacy during a time of war. Blinken said on Friday that he made “determinations” regarding accusations that Israel violated a set of US laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights. Blinken, without providing details, said his department was conducting investigations under a law that prohibits sending military aid to foreign security units that violate human rights with impunity. He then added: “I think it’s fair to say that you’ll see results very soon. I’ve made determinations; you can expect to see them in the days ahead.” Killing ‘for no real reason’ Separately, on Sunday, Israeli Labour Party leader Merav Michaeli called for dismantling the Netzah Yehuda army unit, saying it is killing Palestinians “for no real reason”. “The sanctions are an acknowledgment of the reality and an understanding that Israel’s conduct in the territories cannot continue,” Michaeli said on X. “The violent and corrupt conduct of the Netzah Yehuda battalion and those around it has been known for years, and nothing has been done to stop it.” Earlier this week, the ProPublica investigative news organisation reported that a special US Department of State panel known as the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum had recommended months ago to Blinken that multiple Israeli military and police units be disqualified from receiving US aid, after allegations of human rights violations. The incidents that were the subject of allegations took place in the occupied West Bank and mostly occurred before Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, the outlet said. Before the Gaza war, violence had already been surging in the West Bank, and it has risen since with frequent Israeli military raids, Israeli settler rampages in Palestinian villages and Palestinian attacks on Israeli forces and settlers. The Israeli military said the Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law. The Israeli army said that “following publications about sanctions against the battalion”, it was “not aware of the issue”. “If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed,” it said, pledging to “continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law”. In 2022, Netzah Yehuda’s battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were dismissed over the death of an elderly Palestinian-American who the unit’s soldiers had detained in the West Bank, an incident that stirred concern in Washington. There have been several other incidents in recent years, some captured on video, in which Netzah Yehuda soldiers were accused of or charged with abusing Palestinian detainees. Adblock test (Why?)

What will the US aid package to Kyiv mean for Russia’s war on Ukraine?

What will the US aid package to Kyiv mean for Russia’s war on Ukraine?

Kyiv says aid is vital as it battles Russian invaders, but Kremlin says it will prolong war. The United States House of Representatives has agreed on a $60bn aid package to Ukraine after months of political wrangling. More than one-third will go on weapons to battle Russian forces. Will this help end the war? Or will it just prolong the fighting and bloodshed? Presenter: Tom McRae Guests: Chris Hedges – Former Middle East bureau chief of the New York Times Anatol Lieven – Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Patrick Bury – Defence and security analyst; associate professor in security at the University of Bath Adblock test (Why?)