Conservative Mormons, much like conservative Catholics, may be starting to realize they are not exempt from the Trump administration’s religious bigotry. 

President Donald Trump and his administration’s crusade to cut off funding to Catholic groups that provide aid to immigrants, the condemnation by Trump officials of Catholic leaders for urging sympathy toward immigrants and Trump’s repeated attacks on Pope Leo for opposing his deadly war with Iran have created an environment in which even some right-wing Catholics have had to reckon with hostility toward Christians coming from some of their presumed allies in administration. 

Lawmakers and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be having a similar realization after the Pentagon, which is led by Christian nationalist Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, excluded the church from its list of recognized religions, along with 179 other faith traditions. The move was apparently a part of the Pentagon’s controversial push to slash the number of religious faiths it recognizes.

The move comes amid a long-standing resistance among some conservative evangelicals to classify Latter-day Saints as a branch of Christianity. 

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, who is Mormon and a staunch Trump ally, was taken aback by the exclusion of his faith from the Pentagon’s list of Christian denominations.

Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches? pic.twitter.com/t4u6PI29ON

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 6, 2026

Republican Sen. John Curtis and Rep. Mike Kennedy, also both Utah Republicans who are members of the church, objected to the new classification as well. 

Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country. They are also unequivocally Christian—just look at who is in the name of the Church.

It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the… https://t.co/ywqk59ZtRz

— Senator John Curtis (@SenJohnCurtis) June 6, 2026

Amid backlash, Sean Parnell, assistant to the defense secretary, said in a social media post that the reclassification “is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of ‘officially approved’ religions.”

The outcry seems to have prompted a reversal from the Defense Department. On Monday, a social media post from the department included a new list with a caption that said the previous one “included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.”

Last week, a proposed list of simplified faith codes was released to the media. The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.

The goal of this effort is to simplify a previously out-of-control “belief” coding system that had… pic.twitter.com/yCsQDhZcGp

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) June 8, 2026

The new list’s codes no longer identify which of the recognized faiths are considered Christian, which raises the question of whether Pentagon officials consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be a form of Christianity, or if they would simply prefer not to flaunt their beliefs on the topic in public.

The post Pentagon backtracks after Mormons protest its delisting of their religion appeared first on MS NOW.

The threat of a potential labor crisis at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium continues to loom just days before the World Cup kicks off, after a union representing more than 2,000 hospitality workers voted to authorize a strike.

The union representing concession workers, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, cooks and other SoFi Stadium workers voted overwhelmingly Friday in favor of a strike. In the lead-up to the vote, union leaders voiced concerns about the possible presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at games, worker compensation and the potential automation of some services using artificial intelligence.

According to a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll released last week, Americans broadly oppose ICE agents being present at stadiums during the World Cup, which is also being held in Canada and Mexico.

The findings are unsurprising, given that ICE agents have garnered comparisons to the Ku Klux Klan and are central to President Donald Trump’s deadly, racist anti-immigrant crackdown. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has vowed that “every single” federal agency will be on-site at the games, “not for immigration, but for terrorist threats.”

The Athletic reported that 96% of union voters voted to authorize a strike, effectively permitting workers to walk off the job at the first game at SoFi Stadium — Paraguay vs. the U.S. — on Friday if a labor deal isn’t reached before then.

The company that operates concessions at SoFi Stadium said it has a “contingency staffing plan” in place, according to The Wall Street Journal. But one of the union co-presidents painted an unflattering picture of how the games could play out if a strike happens — particularly for wealthier attendees.

Per the Journal:

“I guess soccer can be played” if workers go on strike, said Kurt Petersen, co-president of the local union, in an interview. “But someone paying $100,000 for a suite, and they’re ending up getting bottled water and Doritos, I’m not sure that’s what they’re expecting.”

The Wall Street Journal noted that a strike would be embarrassing for Los Angeles and FIFA:

A strike at SoFi Stadium would be an embarrassment for Los Angeles as it gears up to host eight World Cup matches, the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics. It would also be a black eye for FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, which has advertised high-end food and beverage service in the stadium’s suites while charging thousands of dollars for tickets.

I would argue that a strike would also amount to an embarrassment for Trump and his allies. The president has basically adhered his brand to this tournament, having named himself chair of the 2026 World Cup task force he created and having appointed Andrew Giuliani — Rudy Giuliani’s son — as the task force’s executive director.

A strike stemming in part from his administration’s policies would only add to Trump’s toxic influence at this year’s World Cup.

The post Workers at LA’s SoFi Stadium authorize strike ahead of Trump-infused World Cup appeared first on MS NOW.

On Sunday, President Trump quit an interview with Kristen Welker of “Meet the Press” after becoming frustrated as he faced challenging questions. Fighting with the media is nothing new for the president, but the notion of giving up midway through when things get tough may be more indicative of Trump’s current mindset and emblematic of his second presidency.

Usually, it is difficult to tell when a presidency is over. Officially, Jan. 20 every four (or eight) years marks the end of a presidency. But long before that comes the moment when a president loses potency, ceases to be a driving force and is reduced to reaction. It is like the moment when your new car becomes just your car: You don’t know when it happened precisely, but you know it’s in the past.

In the year and half since Trump’s return, it seems everything has changed — except the economy.

In the 2024 election, voters gave Trump what few get in life: a mulligan. Trump received a political do-over. But as the GOP celebrated its 2024 wins, an irrational exuberance took over. It forgot — or never realized — that along with a do-over for Trump, voters gave Republicans a mandate to focus on the stubborn issues of affordability that continue to plague the post-Covid economy. For Americans of all ages, living, eating, breathing and simply going to work is incredibly and increasingly unaffordable, much less doing it all with a family. 

Long after Inauguration Day celebrations ended, the GOP kept partying, while the country saw norms shattered, DOGE shuttered and citizens shot by ICE. Then came a war with Iran that has Americans emptying their wallets to fill their gas tanks. Inflation is creeping back up, while Americans’ savings are going down. 

In the year and half since Trump’s return, it seems everything has changed — except the economy. It is very hard to say that the president’s second act has improved the lives or financial status of many, unless of course your last name is Trump. His second administration has been a historic misread of a political mandate, and a tragic mistake of a presidency. 

While it’s clear that Trump maintains an iron grip on the GOP, what good is that if he does nothing with it to alleviate the hardships of the American people? To date the administration and GOP have offered no economic agenda or ideas for the future. The only thing Republicans on the hill are focused on is giving more money to the Department of Homeland Security — which had already been given so much money it started to buy two private jets, one with a bar and a bedroom. 

The president has lost all credibility on the economy, the No. 1 priority of the American public. He has lost control over ending the war. The administration is rudderless. Trump is enamored with being president, yet wants nothing to do with the job. His Cabinet members turn their attention from serving the people to appeasing their boss. Many top officials now hold their jobs in an acting capacity — not just in title but in their emphasis on performance for an audience of one. 

Things are bleak for the party in control of all three branches of the federal government.

After giving up on governing, with no vision, the president has turned to what’s simply in his line of sight. Event after unrelated event, speech after rambling speech, he is obsessed with what he perceives as the beautification of his D.C. bubble. He talks about fountains, his arch and ballroom, a repainted reflecting pool, a UFC fight at the White House and a partisan rally for himself after the failure of a planned concert on the National Mall. His appointees propose plastering his face on passports and $250 bills. Banners with Trump’s looming image adorn government buildings in Washington while he rants about not being able to put his name on the Kennedy Center.

Things are bleak for the party in control of all three branches of the federal government. The Democrats seem to offer no discernible plan for the economy or other pressing issues, but when voters want to throw the bums out, not being the “bums” in power may be enough.

The 2026 midterms are on the horizon, and the 2028 presidential race will begin the day after.

In a matter of months, attention will soon move from the White House to the campaign trail, and even successful presidents struggle to keep the spotlight off their potential successors. Candidates from both parties will have a chance to define themselves and offer their ideas on everything from artificial intelligence to taxes to war and peace. America’s next act will be written not in the Oval Office or the halls of Congress, but in the town halls and events across America. 

Meanwhile, the second Trump administration is already a lost cause at home and abroad. He has made himself a lame duck president, and is getting lamer every day.

The post Trump’s ‘Meet the Press’ walkout shows a presidency that’s already finished appeared first on MS NOW.

Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is under increasing political pressure, with bipartisan legislation being introduced to ban or restrict the practice, and states considering bills to deny tax deductions for pharmaceutical advertising expenses.

Whether you support Donald Trump or oppose him, one principle should remain the same: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. 

Expanding optometrists' scope of practice to include YAG procedures is associated with a substantial increase in their utilization, which improves access to vital eye care, especially in rural areas.

Expecting any level of ideological consistency from partisan political actors is a fool's errand; even so, the amount of sheer hypocrisy generated by the Graham Platner scandal is striking.  

Iran now believes it is winning and will outla.st the United States

Some names have been changed to protect the identities of those featured in the story

As a war crimes researcher at the Reckoning Project, my job was to listen to Ukrainians who had fled the occupation. What they had to say reshaped how I understand life in Russian-occupied territories.

Simplistic

El papa León XIV ha estado por Madrid retándose con la Cibeles en sus carros mitológicos, retándose con Bad Bunny en las multitudes postradas, retándose con el propio Dios o con los propios dioses en atención, poder, honores, neoclasicismo y ejércitos. A mí me parece mucho más religioso creer en el papa, en un hombre con poderes o al menos cierta luminiscencia, que creer en el eterno y desasosegante silencio del cielo, al que no sabemos qué decirle y del que no sabemos qué esperar. Los dioses que caminaban por los jardines y los campos de batalla, con la misma pisada de alfombra, ésos son los únicos en los que aún podemos creer. Diría que ni los más creyentes tienen suficiente con un dios postrado en el cielo, en su larga siesta teológica. Necesitamos alguien que camine entre nosotros, con palio o borriquillo, con llagas o botafumeiros, y que nos diga con palabras divinas no lo que quieren los dioses, que ni ellos se ponen de acuerdo, sino lo que queremos nosotros. Los dioses eran tribales cuando éramos tribu, eran guerreros cuando éramos guerreros, eran imperiales cuando éramos o nos creíamos imperio, y ahora son morales cuando somos o nos gusta considerarnos morales. Lo que hace la religión es usar el lenguaje de la magia para justificar cada época. León XIV es tan humano y tan de hoy como Bad Bunny o incluso Pedro Sánchez. 

Por todo Madrid como un palacio o un cielo descandados, el papa era otro rey, era otro hombre, era otro dios. León XIV aún me parece tan vulnerable como cuando salió el primer día al balcón de la plaza de San Pedro, que era sólo como su ropa tendida, su túnica volada entre aquellos vapores todavía calientes, como de lavandería, del Espíritu Santo. Lo he visto ante los reyes tocándose mucho la muceta, como si sólo fuera un monaguillo, y lo he visto ante la gente incómodo de expectación, como si fuera una novia tímida. Los papas, antes, iban con armadura, o con el equivalente teológico del contrachapado (incluso Ratzinger era todavía como un blindado escolástico, impenetrable y seguramente inhumano). Ahora, los papas van con el pudor de sus propios lujos celestiales y ceremoniales y con una doctrina que, en realidad, es tan simple y poco barroca que parece budismo o estoicismo (como al principio, claro). Dios va cambiando de siglo en siglo y hasta de papa en papa, porque lo verdaderamente relevante en la religión es lo humano (Jesús es el mejor ejemplo). Es decir, lo terrenal, sea moral o sea político. Si algo tienen en común un papa conservador y un papa liberal es que ninguno se preocupa por la vida de las almas, que ya no son ningún objetivo, que ya no son clientela. Incluso los que más miran al cielo prefieren ocuparse de lo que pasa abajo.

El papa León XIV es el único dios que vamos a ver por aquí, andando y hablando con su paso de terciopelo, y yo creo que Madrid ha aprovechado eso. Madrid ha sacado a su papa como a su torero pálido y gótico, como a su rey pálido y gótico, como a su poeta pálido y gótico, como a su revolucionario pálido y gótico, que para todo eso ha dado el Madrid de la fe, de los motines y de los manteamientos. La religión, como la política, siempre es humana, y la teología se diluye en los magisterios o iconografías personales igual que la ideología. Es imposible que el Dios de Abraham, el de Jesús, el de Torquemada, el de Abascal y el de Prevost sean el mismo. Es tan evidente como que no son el mismo PSOE el de Pablo Iglesias, el de Felipe González, el de Sánchez y el de Madina. La continuidad a través de lo heterogéneo, incluso de lo contradictorio, o aún más, de lo inmoral, eso debe de ser la fe o eso debe de ser la militancia. En el PSOE, ahora mismo, es como si estuvieran pasando un papado de los Borgia. Sánchez es una especie de antipapa socialista, con el brazo secular de Leire Díez y su misa negra en el Primavera Sound, donde ha querido exorcizar el Juicio Final que se le acerca, o conjurar, entre su curia y sus cruzados, otro intento de milagro o de venganza.

Es imposible que el Dios de Abraham, el de Jesús, el de Torquemada, el de Abascal y el de Prevost sean el mismo"

El último que vio a Dios barbado y flamígero creo que fue Elías, y desde entonces hemos necesitado profetas, mesías, gurús, predicadores con convulsiones, santos de estampita y papas de papamóvil al que le acercan bebés para que los roce con la mano de madera y el manto folclórico, como si fuera la Virgen del Rocío (la magia de contacto es aún más antigua que los dioses). Es así, tiene que ser así, porque me parece que ni el más creyente termina de creerse a un Dios totalmente ausente, indistinguible del azar y del silencio. La religión es la justificación mágica de cada época, la legitimación sobrenatural de cada época, sea una época de crueldad o de compasión. O sea, es un poco como la política, que cada vez se parece más a la fe o al fanatismo. Vamos cambiando de Dios casi tanto como de presidente del Gobierno, o al menos los que sigan creyendo en los dioses o en la política. 

León XIV ha estado por Madrid, ha paseado él a Dios como una florista pasea los nardos, por la calle de Alcalá, o Dios lo ha paseado a él como al león mitológico o heráldico que ahora lo representa, lo encarna o lo vigila. A mí me sigue pareciendo que tiene mucha más fuerza la confianza en lo que pueda hacer un hombre, en lo que pueda inspirar un hombre, que la confianza en el rezo, en la tradición o en el milagro de agua bendita. No seguimos a los dioses, a sus mandamientos ni a sus teologías, que enseguida pueden cambiarse en concilios o en matanzas, como si fueran comités federales del PSOE. Todo es muy humano, seguimos sólo a personas con razones, carisma, poder, magia o luminiscencia. Seguimos incluso a falsos profetas, que parece mentira porque ya sabemos perfectamente cómo son, salvo, se diría, en el reguetón y en el PSOE. El caso es que los dioses ya no hacen ni significan nada por sí solos y la política teológica tampoco. Lo único que nos queda detrás de la magia, de la fe o de la política es la moral. Como Sánchez y sus acólitos desconocen el concepto, sólo confían en la pura magia de sangre. Hasta el inofensivo Primavera Sound parecía, con él, las negras fogatas y telas de un aquelarre. 

The world is heading into another period of “dangerous heat”. This is according to a new UN report, warning that “it’s nearly certain that global temperatures over the next five

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Senate Republicans demurred last week at the chance to rein in President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, despite indications that the slush fund is not as dead as the Justice Department has claimed. Even more troubling, the GOP opted not to touch the less blatantly corrupt part of Trump’s settlement with himself. Under the terms of an addendum from acting attorney general Todd Blanche, the Internal Revenue Service is “forever barred and precluded” from auditing the president, his companies, or the sons that joined him in attempting to shakedown the agency for $10 billion in a lawsuit against the government he leads.

Importantly, the one-page ban includes any ongoing audits that may have already begun. It also specifically applies to all tax returns filed before the settlement was put in place last month. This would cover those filed in April, which cover Trump’s first year back in office. And as even a cursory review of the Trump family’s alleged ongoing profiteering shows, any number of fraudulent claims could potentially slip through the cracks if the IRS is forbidden from reviewing any of those filings.

Any number of fraudulent claims could potentially slip through the cracks if the IRS is forbidden from reviewing any of those filings.

The slush fund itself is widely seen as a vessel for Trump to pass out cash to supporters who claimed they’d been unfairly targeted by federal investigations. Some tax experts recently told Politico that while Trump wouldn’t be getting money from the fund himself, he would potentially have still been responsible for a tax bill costing hundreds of millions of dollars. But the language of the broader settlement argued that the fund is “not taxable income as to Plaintiffs, who receive no economic benefit from this Settlement Agreement.”

In truth, there’s a potentially massive economic benefit from the settlement via the follow-up provision Blanche later added. As The New York Times has noted, an IRS audit launched in 2020 could have resulted in Trump owing $100 million or more for double-dipping on certain tax breaks. Simply causing that to go away would be a massive boon to the president and his businesses, let alone any other audits that may or may not have been underway behind closed doors. After all, the IRS has had a policy since the post-Watergate era began to automatically audit the president and vice president’s tax returns.

We already know some of what was likely in the most recent filings, thanks to a mix of mandatory disclosures and excellent journalism. Trump revealed in a federal disclosure form last month that he’s engaged in massive stock trades since January, including millions of dollars’ worth of shares in businesses that have benefited from his decisions as president. (White House spokesperson Kimberly Benza said last month in a statement to The Associated Press that “neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization plays any role in selecting, directing, or approving specific investments” and that they “receive no advance notice of trading activity and provide no input regarding investment decisions or portfolio management.”)

Meanwhile, Trump’s sons who were co-plaintiffs in the suit, Don Jr. and Eric, have also been very busy in the last year and a half making business deals that appear to have benefitted from their father’s position in multiple ways. All told, according to The New York Times’ Editorial Board, Trump, and in turn his businesses and family, “used the office of the presidency to make at least $1.4 billion.”

Tellingly, the audit addendum has nothing to do with the direct subject of Trump’s original case against the IRS. He and his sons claimed that the IRS had gravely injured them in allowing a contractor to leak the president’s returns, along with those of other public figures. But the leak happened during Trump’s first term, and the culprit was already prosecuted for stealing the documents. To ban the IRS from undertaking any current or future audits based on a theft that’s already been punished simply makes no sense.

None of this should excuse lawmakers from turning a blind eye to the apparent corruption on display

There are a few silver linings. The Justice Department said in a statement last month that the breathtaking scope of this quasi-legal tax shield “is only with respect to existing audits, not future.” Likewise, as MS NOW analyst Lisa Rubin has noted, Blanche may not have had the authority to tell the IRS what to do in this case. Unlike the main settlement, the addendum wasn’t signed by any Treasury Department officials, and the Justice Department can only settle matters that have been referred to it for prosecution or defense.

Most hopeful is the decision from a federal judge to re-open Trump’s IRS lawsuit after first agreeing to dismiss it. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said that she intended to determine whether the settlement “is a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the Court.” She was already concerned that Trump appeared to be both the plaintiff and defendant in the case and now means to examine whether the settlement was “premised on deception.”

None of this should excuse lawmakers from turning a blind eye to the apparent corruption on display. The president has already shown that he believes himself to be beyond the reach of the law. In trying to shield his family’s businesses from any scrutiny, Trump has now attempted to place himself above one of the only two constants in this world: death and taxes.

The post America deserves to know what’s hiding in the Trump family’s tax returns appeared first on MS NOW.

As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ramps up his Senate campaign against James Talarico, he and his party have dug in to “othering” the fresh-faced Democrat. Paxton’s reference to his opponent as “Talafreako” pretty much sums up the GOP’s Manosphere-coded attack strategy. 

Adhering to the script, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has alleged that Talarico is the Democrats’ “first transgender Senate candidate.” Others have dubbed him Gaydo O’Rourke — a reference to failed 2018 Democratic senate candidate Beto O’Rourke. (This malicious queering of Talarico has been undercut somewhat by photos that circulated of him and his girlfriend). With the dignity that befits their offices, President Donald Trump and Paxton held up images comparing the former schoolteacher to Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman.

Republicans doing opposition research are likely going to fixate on one quality that distinguishes him from nearly every other non-Black Democratic candidate in the 21st century.

Transphobic, homophobic, sophomoric and, yes, Tofu-based taunts will undoubtedly gain traction among some sectors of Texas’ conservative electorate. But in the coming months, Republicans doing opposition research are likely going to fixate on one quality that distinguishes him from nearly every other non-Black Democratic candidate in the 21st century. That’s because James Talarico is a seminarian. 

His pursuit of a Masters of Divinity (which is temporarily on hold during his candidacy) creates a seemingly irresistible target for his Republican detractors — not because of his religion, but because of how he engages critically with religious text and theory and then stumps about it on the campaign trail.

To understand why this mix is so volatile, we need to understand what happens in the hothouse atmosphere of a theological seminary — and I want to be clear that I mean any seminary, be it Presbyterian (such as Talarico’s), Pentecostal, Jewish, Southern Baptist, etc. 

Seminaries are where the intellectuals of any given religious faith wrestle with the meanings of their sacred texts with fierce energy, depth, creativity and intensity. Seminaries are also places where religious intellectuals sometimes get into big doctrinal trouble. Early in my career, when I was a biblical scholar, I taught at various Christian and Jewish seminaries. What stunned me was how often students and faculty would drift, or even charge, into discussions that even their co-religionists might consider heretical. 

It is not uncommon for theologians to be expelled from their own institutions for assorted crimes of heresy. It happens at Southern Baptist seminaries, Presbyterian seminaries, Evangelical seminaries, a seminary associated with the Restoration Movement — and those are just cases that didn’t get swept under the rug, as most of these incidents are. When what is said in a seminary gets beyond the campus gate, it tends to bewilder laypersons. Put it this way: If Paxton were a seminarian he too would probably have expressed a mess of seemingly strange and unpopular ideas.

But Paxton isn’t a seminarian, now is he? Talarico is, and true to form he has articulated theological precepts that might strike outsiders, especially ones with little formal religious education, as sacrilegious.

The ever-ecumenical Talarico told Ezra Klein he believes “all faith traditions are circling the same truth.” In conversation with Joe Rogan, he argued the Book of Leviticus doesn’t necessarily condemn homosexuality. 

He has interpreted Scripture in a pro-choice direction, suggesting that the gospel of Luke validates that a woman must consent to give birth. Talarico says he believes God is non-binary — a claim that his conservative critics gleefully quote and re-quote. Only a license to frack the earth under every research university in America could make them happier. 

Talarico may be voicing orthodox precepts of his mainline Presbyterian faith. Or maybe he’s veering off-script. None of that matters to GOP operatives. What interests them is a theology that, if properly framed, will sound blasphemous to Evangelical ears, and ideally to other ears as well. Republicans have already smeared him as demonic, a heretic, the antichrist and a servant of Moloch. And we’re just getting started.

In my opinion, Talarico shouldn’t let this change his approach. After all, his identity as a white Bible-thumper is what radically distinguishes him from his Democratic forebears who haven’t won a Texas statewide office in more than three decades. 

He will need to make a compelling theo-political case to Latino Catholics (who comprise roughly 18% of Texas’ population) and Black Protestants (who comprise 8%). My hunch is that while the latter will be generally receptive to his progressive religious message, serious work needs to be done among the former. (As for Latino Evangelicals, Talarico’s candidacy is probably a lost cause). The challenge will be to find convincing ways to weld his religious beliefs, whose electoral vulnerabilities are being amplified by Republicans, to his extremely popular anti-corruption, anti-billionaire, and affordability agendas. 

Can it work in ruby red Texas? God only knows. But I do know that relentless mockery of Talarico’s beliefs by members of the GOP belies its claim to be the faith-friendly party. Its reverence for “religion” is really about reverence for conservative Protestantism (including strategic collaborations with traditionalist Catholics, Mormons and Orthodox Jews). All other creeds, including non-Evangelical forms of Protestantism such as Talarico’s, are treated as inferior, un-American and unworthy of governmental favor. 

No matter what the fate of Talarico’s candidacy, it will prove, yet again, how parochial, self-serving and disingenuous the Republican Party’s efforts to put God back into American public life actually are.

The post The hypocrisy of Republicans trying to shame James Talarico for his faith appeared first on MS NOW.

La gente a la que le gusta Bad Bunny, que aprecia su música, que se ha pasado más horas en Ticketmaster para conseguir su entrada de las que disfrutará en el concierto, la que soltó una lágrima cuando Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio convirtió la Super Bowl en una fiesta del orgullo latino, todas las mujeres feministas que disfrutamos del reguetón, las que cantamos orgullosas “yo perreo sola”, toda esa gente ha salido a defender la Casita de Bad Bunny con toda la gracia de su retórica. No porque la Casita estuviera o les pareciera bien, porque de hecho ha sido un error lamentable, sino porque pensaban que Benito Antonio es un buen tipo. Y que si Bad Bunny es bueno entonces la Casita tiene que serlo también.

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Is such language to be no longer permitted when discussing serious matters with meaningful consequences? As all adults should know, the ability freely to engage in sometimes difficult discussions with one another—especially peers—is part-and-parcel for a society in which civil and religious liberties exist and thrive.   The recent decision of the PCA’s Rio Grande... Continue Reading