• Is empathy a sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can be

    Is empathy a sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can be

    Aug 21, 2025 03:13 PM EST

    ... preached from the pulpit. During a sermon that went viral, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde pleaded with the Republican president to "have mercy" on immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, prompting a conservative backlash. "Budde's attempt to 'speak truth to power' is a reminder that feminism is a cancer that enables the ...

  • James Dobson, influential founder of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, has died

    James Dobson, influential founder of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, has died

    Aug 21, 2025 02:56 PM EST

    Dr. James Dobson, a politically influential child psychologist who started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents, founded the conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was long a campaigner against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, died on Thursday. He was 89. His death was confirmed by ...

  • Scholar says Trump's efforts to reframe U.S. history is 'reminiscent of McCarthyism'

    Scholar says Trump's efforts to reframe U.S. history is 'reminiscent of McCarthyism'

    Aug 20, 2025 10:20 PM EST

    ... of American democracy, not just slavery and racial segregation, but also the civil rights movement and the suffrage movement and the women's movement and LGBTQIA, how queer folks transformed this country, the disability rights movement, immigrants. Amna Nawaz: You know, the museums are just one piece of a larger ...

  • Target CEO Brian Cornell to step down as company struggles with poor sales numbers

    Target CEO Brian Cornell to step down as company struggles with poor sales numbers

    Aug 20, 2025 07:32 PM EST

    ... greater betrayal because the company previously had held itself out as a champion of inclusion. In 2023, a customer backlash over the annual line of LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise Target carried also cut into sales. Many analysts think Target stumbled by losing sight of the winning mix of merchandising savvy and ...

  • Russian propaganda finds sympathetic ears among U.S. religious right

    Russian propaganda finds sympathetic ears among U.S. religious right

    Aug 19, 2025 10:30 PM EST

    ... notorious American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Vladimir Solovyov, Russian TV Personality: They don't believe in God. How can they believe in God than before LGBTQ+, minus, divide on something? LGBT is (EXPLETIVE DELETED). It has nothing to do with God. Alex Jones, Host, "The Alex Jones Show": A lot ...

  • In Pope Leo XIV's first 100 days, a calm papacy that avoids controversy comes into focus

    In Pope Leo XIV's first 100 days, a calm papacy that avoids controversy comes into focus

    Aug 16, 2025 10:44 PM EST

    ... million young people to Rome for a special Jubilee week this month. Ibarcena said Francis had confused young people like herself with his outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and approval of blessings for same-sex couples. Such gestures went beyond what a pope was supposed to do and what the church ...

  • Air Force announces new policy to deny transgender troops hearings before discharges

    Air Force announces new policy to deny transgender troops hearings before discharges

    Aug 16, 2025 12:06 AM EST

    ... Association of America, said the change adds to a “growing loss of trust” because outcomes are determined by politics, not performance. The organization advocates for LGBTQ+ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families and allies. “It’s a signal that identity, not ability or achievement, determines who stays in uniform ...

  • State Department drops criticism of Israel and El Salvador in human rights report

    State Department drops criticism of Israel and El Salvador in human rights report

    Aug 12, 2025 10:45 PM EST

    ... this report. What is different in this year's report from years past? Nick Schifrin: The report removes stand-alone sections on women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and discrimination on racial or ethnic lines. It strengthens criticisms of countries that Trump and his administration have clashed with diplomatically and weakens ...

  • U.S. Air Force to deny retirement pay for transgender troops being separated from service

    U.S. Air Force to deny retirement pay for transgender troops being separated from service

    Aug 07, 2025 09:35 PM EST

    ... entire separation process, which has included reverting their service records back to their birth gender, “dehumanizing” or “open cruelty.” Shannon Leary, a lawyer who represents LGBTQ+ people in employment discrimination cases, says she expects lawsuits to challenge Thursday’s decision. “It seems quite arbitrary on its face and cruel,” she ...

  • Trump energizes conservative Christians with religious policies and assaults on cultural targets

    Trump energizes conservative Christians with religious policies and assaults on cultural targets

    Aug 07, 2025 06:38 PM EST

    ... who cheered their appointments. The high court ruled in June that Maryland parents with religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ+ storybooks; that Tennessee can ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors; and that states can block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid money. All three ...