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Trump says it’s ‘crazy’ how Christians, people of faith can vote for Democrats

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday during a speech in Tennessee that it is “crazy” how Christians or individuals who consider themselves to be religious could vote for a Democrat. “How any Christian can vote for a Democrat, Christian or person of faith, how you can vote for a Democrat is crazy. It’s crazy,” Trump told attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville. Trump’s comment to the crowd came shortly after he claimed President Biden, his likely challenger in the November presidential election, is an “incompetent president who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing” and “will not lead us to the promise land.” During his speech, Trump lamented the indictments that had been waged against him in recent history and vowed to defend Christians from attacks by those on the “radical left” who are “coming after” those who are religious. CHRISTIAN PRAYER APP HALLOW REACHES THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS VIA NEW PARTNERSHIP: ‘NEED TO HEAR GOD’S WORD’ “The chains are already tightening around all of us if you think about it. Ultimately, the radical left is coming after all of us, because they know that our allegiance is not to them.” Trump said. “Our allegiance is to our country and our allegiance is to our creator. They don’t want to hear that.” Trump also said he believes that those who have targeted religion in recent years aim “to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags.” “But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you,” he said. Trump also told those in attendance that he believes the “greatest threat” to Americans is “from within.” “It’s the people from within our country that are more dangerous than the people outside,” he said. “We can handle China, we can handle Russia, we can handle all of them if you’ve got a smart leader, but the inside people are very dangerous, they’re very sick people in my opinion.” OPINION: THE BIDEN DOJ CONTINUES ITS WAR ON CHRISTIAN AMERICANS Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation. Some adherents believe the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state. Trump is favored in a Republican primary where the once crowded field has dwindled to just him and his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Sponsors at the Christian media gathering distributed free red and white baseball caps emblazoned with the phrase “Make America Pray Again,” shedding light on an exceedingly friendly space for the former president. Trump brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly and frequently championed his record on abortion, including appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to get behind Trump when he first ran for president in 2016, but now many of them are among his mostly solidly loyal “Make America Great Again” base. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Is the Red Sea becoming fully militarised?

Some major world powers are increasing their military presence in the region amid Houthi attacks and Israel’s war on Gaza. The Red Sea is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world and one that’s been a source of contention for some time. Houthi fighters in Yemen have been targeting vessels that they say are linked to Israel since the war on Gaza began. They have also recently banned ships from the United States and the United Kingdom from their surrounding waters. Vessels being re-routed have caused considerable delays and come at a high cost. Major powers like the US, the UK and China and found themselves pulled into the crisis. The US and UK have launched several air raids against Houthi targets in Yemen – in an effort to stop the attacks on ships. They are also launching a multinational force to protect trade – which the EU is now joining. So, what’s the impact of the region’s growing militarisation? Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom Guests: Betul Dogan-Akkas – Researcher at Ankara University who examines Gulf foreign policy, security strategies and political culture Stavros Karamperidis – Head of the Maritime Transport Research Group at the University of Plymouth Farea Al-Muslimi – Research fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House Adblock test (Why?)

Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz found guilty of perjury

Kurz receives eight month suspended sentence after being found guilty of lying to a parliamentary inquiry. Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has received an eight-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of perjury by a Vienna court after a four-month trial. The former leader, once hailed as a “wunderkind” of Europe’s conservatives, had denied downplaying his influence over the appointment of executives to the state-holding company OBAG when he was chancellor, and whose appointments were formally his finance minister’s responsibility. But Kurz’s corruption case centred on his testimony to a parliamentary commission of inquiry that he was “involved in the sense of informed”, but did not play an active role in appointments. The court, however, agreed with prosecutors that Kurz was actually the ultimate decision-maker, and produced evidence, including text messages and testimony from former loyalist Thomas Schmid, the first head of OBAG, who turned state witness. The trial and other ongoing corruption investigations have damaged the reputation of the charismatic hardliner, and damaged any chance he had of a political comeback. In 2017, Kurz became one of the youngest leaders in the world at age 31 and formed a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO). Amid a scandal in 2019 when the FPO’s leader was embroiled in a video sting, the coalition collapsed. Kurz then won a snap election and formed a coalition with the Greens, who later forced him from office in 2021 due to the corruption investigation. But his Austrian People’s Party continues to lead the government under current Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz waves as he leaves a session of the Parliament in Vienna, Austria May 27, 2019 [File: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters] Kurz has insisted he is innocent of having misled a parliamentary inquiry probing wide-ranging corruption scandals that brought down his first government with the far right in 2019. Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim of selective prosecution and an opposition out to “destroy him”. Kurz said that while he had been informed about Schmid’s appointment, he did not decide on it and dismissed suggestions that he had sought to control everything. On the other hand, Schmid testified that Kurz had built up a “system” where he held the reins and could veto any appointment of personnel in critical companies. Separately, prosecutors are still investigating Kurz on suspicion of having embezzled public money to fund polls skewed to boost his image and pay for the favourable coverage that allowed for his success in 2017. However, they have so far failed to obtain any convictions since a video emerged in 2019 showing Kurz’s then-vice chancellor of the FPO offering public contracts to a purported Russian investor for campaign help. After leaving politics, the conservatives, who are in an election year, have slid to second or third in the polls, making it likely that they will lose seats in a parliamentary election this year, prompting speculation that Kurz could eventually return to lead the party and reverse its fortunes. Polls, however, have shown that a clear majority of Austrians say they do not want to see his return to government, and Kurz has said that he is happy as a businessman and is now involved with numerous private international enterprises. Adblock test (Why?)

Funeral held for world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum

NewsFeed “In Kelvin we saw the future of athletics in Kenya.” Kenya’s president was among hundreds of mourners who gathered for Kelvin Kiptum’s funeral on Friday. The world marathon record holder died in a car crash in Kenya on February 11. Published On 23 Feb 202423 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Alabama IVF ruling reignites debate on abortion, a motivating issue for Democrats ahead of election

Some Republicans joined Democrats in expressing alarm over a ruling this week by the Alabama Supreme Court that jeopardized future access to in vitro fertilization, giving allies of President Joe Biden new fuel for their efforts to center abortion access in the presidential election. “We’ve got to talk about making sure we don’t take away women’s rights to IVF, women who are childbearing age and want to give birth to children,” said GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who was campaigning this week for former President Donald Trump in South Carolina. She added, “I’ll be working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Democrats and left-leaning interest groups have banked on abortion rights as a major motivator for voters in the upcoming presidential election and fight for control of Congress. They believe abortion can be a winning issue as the debate widens to include increasing concerns over miscarriage care, access to medication, access to emergency care and now IVF treatments. ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN The GOP has struggled to talk about the issue while abortion-rights advocates have won races even in conservative-leaning states. Reproductive rights groups on Thursday compared the Alabama ruling to the impact of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and nullified a federally guaranteed right to abortion. “This has hit a nerve in a way I haven’t seen since Dobbs,” said Mini Timmaraju, head of the abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All. “And it’s because folks didn’t believe this could happen but it’s happening.” Biden issued a statement Thursday that called the Alabama decision a “direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” And Vice President Kamala Harris, in the middle of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, accused Republicans of hypocrisy. “On the one hand, the proponents are saying that an individual doesn’t have a right to end an unwanted pregnancy and, on the other hand, the individual does not have the right to start a family,” she told an audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered children under state law, potentially exposing families and clinics to criminal charges or punitive damages. In response, the state’s largest hospital and at least two other providers paused IVF treatments as they scrambled to assess the ruling’s impact. Trump did not speak publicly about the ruling and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The dominant front-runner in the Republican primary, Trump has for months resisted calls from anti-abortion advocates to support a national ban because he says it would be unpopular with the general public. The Biden campaign and abortion rights advocates last week seized on a news report that Trump had privately suggested support for a 16-week ban. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s last major primary challenger, sided with the Alabama Supreme Court in a Wednesday interview with NBC News, saying “Embryos, to me, are babies.” A day later, she told CNN she did not want to shut down IVF treatments and that “Alabama needs to go back and look at the law.” “One, you want to make sure that embryos are protected and respected in the way that they’re supposed to be,” Haley said. “Two, you want to make sure that parents have the rights to make those decisions with their doctor as they go through in what they’re going to do.” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, called the ruling “scary” while speaking at the POLITICO Governors Summit on Thursday. Alabama state Sen. Tim Melson, also a Republican, said he intends to file legislation to protect IVF services in the state. But other Republicans backed the Alabama court ruling and suggested they would encourage women not to use IVF. Catalina Stubbe, the national director of Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in education and has targeted discussions of race and LGBTQ identity in schools, said she empathized with women who want to be biological mothers through in vitro fertilization but felt they should adopt instead. “There are many other options that moms can definitely take in consideration instead of IVF,” said Stubbe, who emphasized she was describing her position and not her group’s. “This is sad to create a life just to end up like an experiment for a laboratory.” IVF is a common process by which people attempt to become pregnant, especially for couples having trouble conceiving, LGBTQ couples and people trying to prevent passing on terminal genetic illnesses or high risks of cancer. It is responsible for about 84,000 babies a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Legislation and court rulings defining life as beginning at fertilization or that give embryos legal rights may limit parts of the IVF process, including the removal of embryos that fail to implant in the uterus or the disposal of unused embryos. Fertility doctors have been raising alarm bells over the risks of losing IVF access since Roe v. Wade was overturned as many patients frantically moved frozen embryos to states with more permissive abortion laws — a process that comes with increased cost, complexity and risk of damage to embryos. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who has conceived two daughters through IVF, urged Congress to pass a bill introduced last month aiming to protect IVF access. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee encouraged Alabamans to vote for Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands in a special election next month for a state legislative seat. “This could be a determining factor in who is elected president and could have a big impact in who serves in Congress,” said Kathleen Sebelius, a Democratic former Kansas governor and secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services. At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference meeting on Thursday, Lala Mooney of Charles Town, West Virginia, said she “absolutely” agrees with the Alabama ruling. “Embryos are a potential child,” said Mooney, whose

Qatar condemns ‘double standards’ at ICJ hearing on Israeli occupation

Qatar tells the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it rejects the “double standards” when international law applies to some but not to others during a hearing on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. “Some children are deemed worthy of protection while others are killed in their thousands,” senior Qatari diplomat Mutlaq al-Qahtani said on Friday in The Hague. “Qatar rejects such double standards. International law must be upheld in all circumstances. It must be applied to all, and there must be accountability”. Al-Qahtani added that Israel had implemented an “apartheid regime” to maintain the “domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians”. He also said the occupation is “illegal” due to it violating the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. The court has the “clear mandate and indeed the responsibility to remedy this unacceptable situation. The credibility of the international legal order depends on your opinion, and the stakes cannot be higher.” Qatar, the United States and Egypt are currently mediating negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to stop the current war, which is taking a devastating toll on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Over the past week, the ICJ has been hearing the opinion of more than 50 countries on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation ahead of the court issuing a nonbinding opinion. The 15-judge panel has been asked to review Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation, … including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures”. But Qatar echoed similar statements from several countries in calling out Israel’s policy as a breach of international law, including South Africa, which also referred to the occupation as “apartheid”. Representatives from several other countries, including Pakistan, Norway, Indonesia and the United Kingdom, spoke at Friday’s hearing. Pakistani Minister for Law and Justice Ahmed Irfan Aslam said that while Israel had tried to make its occupation of the Palestinian territories irreversible, history has shown that change is possible, referring to the withdrawal of French settlers from Algeria in 1962. He added that a two-state solution “must be the basis for peace”. Norway’s representative said developments on the ground “give reason to ask whether the occupation is turning into a de facto annexation”, which is prohibited under international law. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who said she left the G20 meeting in Brazil to address the ICJ personally, stated: “I stand before you to defend justice against a blatant violation of international humanitarian law that is being committed by Israel.” Marsudi added that Israel’s “unlawful occupation” should not be normalised or recognised, all actions that stop the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination “shall be unlawful” and it is clear that its “apartheid regime” is in breach of international law. The British representative was the only person to divert from what other countries had said on Friday and instead aligned with the US, who called on the court to reject issuing an advisory opinion. The representative said that while Israel’s occupation is illegal, it is a “bilateral dispute”, and issuing an opinion would affect the security framework led by the United Nations Security Council. The hearings are, in part, a push by Palestinian officials to get international legal institutions to investigate Israel’s occupation, especially in light of the current war on Gaza. During the past four months and after Hamas’s October 7 attacks in southern Israel, which killed 1,139 Israelis, Israel has conducted a military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians. In the occupied West Bank, settler violence has increased, and world leaders have issued sanctions to try to penalise and curb the attacks. Israel, which is not attending the hearing, has said the court proceedings could be harmful to achieving some kind of negotiated settlement. Adblock test (Why?)

Five drown as migrant boat capsizes during rescue operation off Malta

Eight other people were injured and 21 were rescued by Malta’s armed forces. Five people have died and eight others were injured after the boat they were in capsized during a rescue operation by armed forces from Malta off the Mediterranean island. The armed forces deputy commander Colonel Edric Zahra told reporters that the incident happened at about midday (around 11:00 GMT) on Friday when the eight-metre (26-foot) migrant boat was 6.5km (four miles) south of Malta. “The boat capsized suddenly while the rescue operation was under way,” he said. “Eight are receiving medical care in hospital and unfortunately five were brought ashore dead,” he said, adding that the deceased included four men and one woman. Among the injured were two people who swallowed a considerable amount of seawater and fuel. Some 21 migrants were rescued and taken to a migrant centre. The passengers are believed to have set sail from Libya, but they hail from Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana and Syria. Search operations were continuing offshore to ensure no other passengers remained in the sea. The armed forces said they had been alerted earlier on Friday to a boat carrying several migrants close to fish farms off Zonqor on Malta’s southern coast. A surveillance plane confirmed the location and a patrol boat was dispatched to the area. A photograph released by the armed forces showed the patrol boat nearing the migrant vessel, with some on board wearing what looked like red life jackets. “These migrant boats are usually heavily loaded with people. The chances are that when people move about, the boat loses balance,” Zahra said, adding that “the migrants ended up in the water.” He said there had been no collision, but the boat capsized “due to instability” as the passengers moved around. The armed forces later sent more boats to try to help, and a police investigation was launched. Malta rescued 380 migrants at sea in 2023 – its lowest annual total in years and just 10 percent of the number of irregular migrants who reached the island in 2019. The country has also stepped up its relocation and repatriation efforts in recent years, relocating 159 irregular migrants and deporting roughly 1,700 others in 2023. Most people who attempt the Central Mediterranean crossing from North Africa to Europe land in Italy, which recorded just under 160,000 arrivals last year. Mediterranean sea crossings from North Africa to Italy or Malta are among the most dangerous migration routes in the world. Last year almost 2,500 migrants died or went missing on those routes, the International Organization for Migration says. Adblock test (Why?)

Palestinian Authority says Israeli post-war Gaza plan ‘destined to fail’

The Palestinian Authority has sharply criticised a “day after” plan for Gaza presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it “destined to fail”. “If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and recognise the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was quoted as saying on Friday by the Palestinian state news agency Wafa. Netanyahu’s plan is his first official proposal for what comes after the war in Gaza – in which Israel has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians. According to the document, presented to members of Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday, Israel would maintain security and military control over all land west of Jordan, including the occupied West Bank and Gaza – territories where the Palestinians want to create their independent state. In the long-term goals listed, Netanayhu also rejected the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state. He said a settlement with the Palestinians will only be achieved through direct negotiations between the two sides – but it did not name who the Palestinian party would be. In response, Abu Rudeineh rejected any effort to separate governance in Gaza from the West Bank. “Gaza will only be part of the independent Palestinian state … Any plans to the contrary are destined to fail,” he said. “Israel will not succeed in attempts to alter the geographic and demographic reality in the Gaza Strip.” “Netanyahu’s proposed plans aim to perpetuate Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Abu Rudeineh added. Gaza to be run by ‘local officials’ The war in Gaza has revived international calls – including from Israel’s main backer, the United States – for the so-called two-state solution as the ultimate goal for resolving the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict. However, many senior Israeli politicians oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. While on Gaza, Netanyahu’s plan emphasised that the war would continue until Israel had achieved all of its announced goals: the dismantlement of military capabilities and infrastructure operated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad; the return of all captives taken on October 7; and the removal of all security threats originating from Gaza. The enclave will then be run by “local officials” who are not tied to “countries or entities that support terrorism”. Commenting on the plan, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said that the identity of these officials was unknown. “We don’t know who they are, he [Netanyahu] doesn’t know either … I don’t think they exist. There were attempts in the 1970s and 1980s to create such entities among the Palestinians and it failed in no time,” he said. It is also unclear whether representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PA) will be involved in controlling Gaza. Reporting from occupied east Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut highlighted that, in his draft plan, Netanyahu did not mention the PA’s role. “He [Netanyahu] didn’t say this officially in his plan but used broader terminology probably to reach a consensus among his right-wing government,” she said. “Remember the Israeli prime minister is under immense pressure from the Americans who want to see a revitalised PA to take over once the war is over. But Netanyahu has been quiet defiant to come in and take over Gaza,” Salhut added. The Israeli prime minister’s plan also outlined demilitarisation and deradicalisation as goals to be achieved in the medium term in Gaza. It does not elaborate on when that intermediary stage would begin or how long it would last, but says that the “the Israeli army will maintain indefinitely the freedom to intervene in Gaza to prevent the resurgence of terror activity”. It also proposes that Israel have a presence on the Gaza-Egypt border in the south of the enclave and says that Israel should cooperate with Egypt and the US in that area to prevent smuggling attempts, including at the Rafah crossing. [embedded content] Plans for UNRWA’s closure Lastly, Netanyahu’s plan also says that the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, would be shut. Israel has long tried to eliminate the UN agency, which enshrines the right of Palestinian refugees to return home. Israel has recently made claims that UNRWA has links to Hamas, a claim that the body has fiercely denied, and that US intelligence assessments have cast doubt on, according to reports. Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA’s director of external relations and communications told Al Jazeera that attempts to get rid of UNRWA should be seen alongside efforts to remove the future prospect of a Palestinian state, highlighting Netanyahu’s display of a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and occupied East Jerusalem during an address at the UN General Assembly in September. “A map which includes and encompasses all the Palestinian territories where UNRWA works. I don’t find this a coincidence,” she said. According to Al Jazeera’s Bishara, this plan is not official and is one that Netanyahu is floating to the cabinet, in order to leak it to the media and to do a number of other things. “Firstly there is that approach towards his own base. He’s telling his radicals in the government and public that he remains steadfast … Secondly, I think it is quite stupid to be honest, because we know the Israelis have tried this [plan to take control of Gaza in some form or the other] before and it never worked,” Bishara said. “Lastly, it [the plan] is so sadist. We are in the midst of the fifth month of genocide against the Palestinian people. Still, the Israeli prime minister insists they will maintain control … that kind of sadism is unprecedented.” Adblock test (Why?)

Activists claim Alabama embryo ruling violates separation of church-state

When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind. By citing verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker alarmed advocates for church-state separation, while delighting religious conservatives who oppose abortion. Human life, Parker wrote, “cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.” ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN The Alabama court’s ruling last week stemmed from wrongful death lawsuits brought by couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. The most immediate impact of the ruling was to leave in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama potentially vulnerable to more lawsuits and reluctant to administer treatment. But not far behind were mounting worries about Parker’s explicit references to Christian theology. While Parker’s concurring opinion does not carry the force of precedent, advocates for church-state separation fear he could inspire judges in other states to push the envelope. “Now we’re in a place where government officials feel emboldened to say the quiet part out loud, and directly challenge the separation of church and state, a foundational part of our democracy,” said Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She said Parker’s opinion was just the latest example – and a brazen one at that – of government officials advocating for Christian nationalism, a movement that seeks to privilege Christianity and fuse Christian and American identity. Other instances she cited include Missouri lawmakers citing Catholic and biblical teachings for restricting abortion and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson saying the notion of church-state separation in the U.S. was a “misnomer.” Parker argued in his opinion that the court was merely enforcing the Alabama state constitution, which was amended in 2018 to recognize “the sanctity of unborn life.” That principle has “deep roots that reach back to the creation of man ‘in the image of God,’” Parker said, quoting the Book of Genesis. Parker sprinkled his opinion with a litany of religious sources, from classic Christian theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, to a modern conservative Christian manifesto, the Manhattan Declaration, that opposes “anti-life” measures. He also quoted a Bible verse that is legendary within the anti-abortion movement, in which God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” The Alabama court’s ruling that frozen embryos are children is an extension of the ideology that undergirds the anti-abortion movement, said Mary Ziegler, a historian of the abortion debate and a law professor at the University of California, Davis. And it points to the influence of the conservative Christian legal movement, she said. Namely, its position “that the U.S. has an intrinsically Christian Constitution” — a notion that Ziegler and many historians reject. “The point, I think, for the movement was never just getting rid of Roe,” Ziegler said. “It was always to achieve fetal personhood,” the idea that human rights are conferred at conception. The Alabama ruling could influence decisions in other state courts and legislatures, particularly in the 11 states that already have fetal personhood language in their laws, Ziegler said. But because it’s about the interpretation of a state law, she said the case is unlikely to make its way to the Supreme Court. Some anti-abortion activists rejoiced at the ruling. It’s “a tremendous victory for life,” said the powerful Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom. “A beautiful defense of life,” said Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council. The Liberty Counsel filed a notice with the Florida Supreme Court, saying the Alabama decision — including Parker’s concurrence — should be factored into a pending decision about a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would protect abortion rights. “Unborn life must be protected at every stage,” Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel’s chairman, said in a statement. Still, Christian perspectives on IVF are mixed, and in some cases, undecided. While the Catholic Church condemns such reproductive technology as immoral, many Protestant churches and denominations do not have a firm stance against the practice. Kellyanne Conway, the political consultant who worked for former President Donald Trump, lobbied GOP lawmakers in December to advocate for contraception and fertility treatments. She cited her firm’s finding that even anti-abortion evangelicals overwhelmingly support access to IVF. Parker is no stranger to church-state debates. He served as former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s spokesperson during fights over a Ten Commandments monument Moore erected inside the building housing the Supreme Court. Parker is a member of Frazer Church, a Montgomery megachurch that until 2022 was part of the United Methodist Church. The congregation, which left amid a UMC schism over the denomination not upholding its LGBTQ clergy and marriage bans, is now part of the Free Methodist Church, a more conservative denomination. Neither United Methodists nor Free Methodists specifically condemn IVF in their church doctrines. The Free Methodist Book of Discipline emphasizes the value of human life at all stages. It notes that reproductive technologies raise many “ethical, medical, legal and theological questions even as they offer hope.” Parker was the founding executive director of what is now called the Alabama Policy Institute, which is associated with the evangelical ministry Focus on the Family. On its website, Focus on the Family recommends that married couples not freeze or discard embryos created during IVF. Fertility experts say IVF without the option of frozen embryos would likely increase the costs of fertility treatments and reduce the chances for patients trying to have a baby. Because religious groups have different opinions about when life begins, “it’s quite problematic to see a judge essentially embedding a Christian view into state law,” said Greer Donley, an associate professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in bioethics and health. She said that other judges might increasingly apply religious thinking to their decisions. “It’s

Biden praises Newsom, jokes about Californians fleeing state as 2024 speculation swirls

President Biden praised Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday and joked about Californians potentially fleeing his state on a high-speed rail line as speculation continues to swirl over whether Newsom could replace Biden in the 2024 presidential race.  Biden, speaking at the White House during a meeting of the National Governors Association, said “We’re building the nation’s first high speed rail line in California and Nevada” and “I want to thank Governor Newsom for his leadership on that.  “And by the way, I’m not sure how many people who leave LA can do it in 2 hours to get there, or whether they’re going to come back or not,” Biden joked.  The Nevada Department of Transportation says the planned $12 billion Las Vegas-to-Los Angeles high-speed rail system aims to shuttle passengers between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga in 2 hours and 10 minutes on trains that travel at more than 186 miles per hour.   JOE ROGAN SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS ‘SETTING UP GAVIN NEWSOM’ FOR 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN  The journey would be twice as fast as the standard drive time, and officials are planning on breaking ground on the project early this year in hopes of completing it in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, the department added.  Podcast host Joe Rogan has become one of the latest figures to speculate if the Democratic Party is preparing to swap out Biden with Newsom on this year’s presidential ticket.  RAND PAUL: ‘NEVER, EVER LET GAVIN NEWSOM ANYWHERE NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE’  “Don’t you think that that’s a ruse, him running for president?” Rogan said during one of his recent shows, later arguing, “I think they’re gonna get rid of him, I think they’re gonna move him out, they’re gonna force him to step down. That’s what I think.”  “If I had to guess, and it’s just speculation, I’d say they’re setting up Gavin Newsom for it,” he added.  Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul also weighed in on the speculation this week, telling an audience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Tuesday to “never, ever let Gavin Newsom anywhere near the White House.”  Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.