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Federal court sides with Oregon Christian mom after she was prevented from adopting children based on religious beliefs

A federal court of appeals has sided with an Oregon woman who sued the state over an adoption rule by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) that went against her Christian beliefs. The woman was seeking to adopt children and prevented from doing so by LGBTQ laws.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a preliminary injunction barring the ODHS from applying Oregon Administrative Rule Section 413- 200-0308(2)(k) to Jessica Bates while the lawsuit plays out in lower courts.

The rule states that those seeking to foster or adopt children in the state must “Respect, accept and support the race, ethnicity, cultural identities, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disabilities, spiritual beliefs, and socioeconomic status, of a child or young adult in the care or custody of the Department, and provide opportunities to enhance the positive self-concept and understanding of the child or young adult’s heritage.”

The appeals court stated that “The state denied Bates’s adoption application under this policy after Bates, based on her sincerely held religious beliefs, objected to using adopted children’s preferred pronouns or taking them to medical appointments for gender transitions.” Bates sued the state for violating her rights to free speech and free exercise of religion.

Circuit Judge Daniel A. Bress wrote in the court’s opinion that materials from an instructor-led course called the Resource and Adoptive Families Training (RAFT) from the ODHS state, “whether or not a youth in your care openly identifies as LGBTQ+,” parents should consider “displaying ‘hate-free zone’ signs or other symbols indicating an LGBTQ-affirming environment (e.g., pink triangle, rainbow, or ally flag.)'”

“Again without regard to whether a child in their care identifies as LGBTQ, parents should consider ‘providing acces to a variety of books, movies, and materials, including those that positively represent same-gender relationships’ while ‘pointing out LGBTQ+ celebrities, role models who stand up for the LGBTQ+ community, and people who demonstrate bravery in the face of social stigma,” Bress wrote.

He later added, “Of particular importance to this case, the RAFT materials specifically reference religion in several places. Among other things, the materials state that for LGBTQ youth, ‘prejudice and rejection can occur’ in certain settings, listing among them ‘faith-based communities.’”

Bates, a widowed mother of five, applied in May of 2022 to adopt two children under the age of nine and took the RAFT course. Bates viewed the requirements laid out by the course as “incompatible with her religious beliefs.” The opinion later stated, “Bates represents that she will love and support any adopted child, but she will want to share her beliefs with them.”

Bates’ application was denied in November of 2022 because she could not “meet the adoption home standards.” The letter she received explained, “On July 28, 2022, you completed RAFT Training. After the training you emailed your certifier that the training emphasized SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) as it related to the requirements that Applicants comply with OAR 413-200- 0308(2)(K). You wrote that you ‘cannot support this behavior in a child,’ and that you ‘would not encourage them in this behavior.’”

The letter later added, “You indicated that if a child became aware of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression and that it was inconsistent with your expected sexual orientation or gender identity or expression for that child while in your home, you would love and treat them as your own but would not support their lifestyle or encourage any behavior related to their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. When asked what it would look [like] if the agency requested you to take the child or youth to medical appointments regarding hormone shot appointments as an example, you indicated you would not take them to the appointment and further indicated you think it ‘would be considered child abuse.’”

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‘Possibly hostile’ alien threat detected in unknown interstellar object, a shocking new study claims

A mysterious intergalactic object could potentially be a “hostile” alien spacecraft that’s slated to attack our planet in November, according to a controversial new study by a small group of scientists.

“The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity,” the researchers wrote in the inflammatory paper, which was published July 16 to the preprint server arXiv, South West News Service reported.

Dubbed 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar entity was discovered on July 1, rocketing toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph, Live Science reported. Less than 24 hours later, it was confirmed to be an interstellar object with initial observations suggesting that it could be a comet that measures up to 15 miles in diameter — larger than Manhattan.

However, in the new paper, the trio of researchers suggested that it might be a piece of extraterrestrial spy technology in disguise.

One of the researchers, Avi Loeb — a prominent Harvard astrophysicist known for linking extraterrestrial objects to alien life — previously made waves after floating the theory that 2017 interstellar object ʻOumuamua could be an artificial recon probe sent by an alien civilization, based on its odd shape and acceleration.

In this study, which he collaborated on with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies in London, Loeb postulated that 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory suggests a similarly alien origin.

The trio felt the object’s speed — which was significantly faster than ʻOumuamua and other objects — and the fact that it entered our solar system from a different angle than its predecessors offer “various benefits to an extraterrestrial intelligence,” Loeb wrote in a blog post.

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Gazan aid-seekers ‘sniped in the head’ at GHF distribution center, witnesses say

Samir Shaat, a young man in his thirties, sits in the courtyard of Nasser Medical Complex, recounting what he describes as the worst day of his life. 

On Saturday morning, Shaat went to the al-Shakoush aid distribution site in Rafah city run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). After the closure of all other GHF sites across Gaza, this was the only one still operational. Shaat and his friend were there to bring back food for their families.

As soon as they arrived at 9:40 a.m., Shaat says, Israeli army tanks appeared on a high hill near the site and began firing with heavy machine guns at the thousands of civilians who were waiting for the U.S.-run company’s signal to enter the site. 

Instead of returning home carrying food, Shaat returned carrying his friend, who was shot directly in the head. He carried him for more than a kilometer on foot, running in the hope of saving him. By the time he reached the hospital, his friend had already died on his shoulders.

The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 18 deaths and over 50 injuries were recorded at Nasser Hospital following today’s aid massacre at the GHF center. The Ministry said that the deaths bring the total number of people killed at these centers to 805, while the number of wounded at GHF sites stands at 5,252.

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GOP Senator Threatens To Block Spending Bill If Hemp THC Product Ban Stays In, Sources Say

A GOP senator is threatening to hold up a major spending bill unless changes are made to provisions that would currently ban most consumable hemp products, which stakeholders say would decimate the industry.

Multiple sources familiar with discussions around the legislation tell Marijuana Moment that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is intent on preventing the outright ban that was included in the Senate’s agriculture appropriations bill that advanced out of committee and now awaits floor action.

The prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Action sent out an alert to its supporters on Friday, urging them to contact their representatives to push back against Paul’s efforts.

“The United States Senate is poised to overwhelmingly pass legislation banning hemp intoxicants, but Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is holding the bill hostage until he kills the hemp language,” it said. “Senator Paul wants to create a carve out for THC products like hemp beverages, in effect legalizing marijuana federally.”

While one source indicated that the senator was primarily focused on creating a carveout for hemp-derived THC beverages, two others who are aware of the conversations told Marijuana Moment that wasn’t the case. The exact scope of what Paul is aiming to achieve is unclear, but they say the senator is seeking a more holistic change to the controversial hemp language in the bill.

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U. Pittsburgh teaches high school students, teachers to be ‘social justice’ activists

The University of Pittsburgh has partnered with local public high schools through the Justice Scholars Institute to “prepare young people to be advocates for change and social justice.”

The institute’s emphasis on creating “social justice” activists raises questions about whether the program is truly about education or if it’s about advancing a political agenda.

“The term ‘social justice’ is designed to make radical political views sound non-political and virtuous,” Paul Runko, director of strategic initiatives for K-12 programs for Defending Education, told The College Fix in a recent interview.

“You’re not opposed to justice, are you? Because that would make you a supporter of injustice. The phrase itself has no concrete meaning, which is part of why it is so useful,” Runko said. Defending Education is “a national grassroots organization working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.”

Through the university’s Justice Scholars Institute, high school students in Pittsburgh public schools can take college-level courses and earn credits.

The educational program is aimed at equipping students “to become change agents within their school, community, and broader world,” according to its website.

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DNI Tulsi Gabbard Torches Media for Spreading Obama’s Russia Hoax — Says Press Complicit in “Historic Lie” to Sabotage Trump: ‘They Printed What the Deep State Told Them to Print’

The Deep State house of cards is collapsing — and DNI Tulsi Gabbard just lit the match.

During an interview on OANN with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused the Obama Administration and its loyal media mouthpieces of orchestrating and perpetuating a “historic lie” to sabotage Donald Trump’s presidency before it even began.

As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier this week, Gabbard’s second explosive document release contains indisputable evidence: Barack Obama not only knew the Russia Collusion narrative was bogus — he ordered it.

The so-called Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), rushed out in January 2017, was a politically motivated hit job — a fabricated intelligence document, pushed by CIA Director John Brennan, and blessed by Obama himself — designed to frame Donald Trump as a Russian asset.

During a surprise appearance at Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefing, Gabbard called out the media to their faces:

TULSI: “I’m not asking you to take my word for it. I’m asking you in the media to conduct honest journalism — and for the American people to see for yourselves.”

But instead of owning up to their role in pushing Obama’s fake narrative, the so-called “mainstream” media scrambled to bury the truth.

CNN’s Response? PANIC. The network infamously known for breathlessly reporting the Steele dossier and pushing the Russia hoax cut the feed as Gabbard detailed Obama’s criminal involvement.

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Settlers said to disconnect water supply for 30 Palestinian villages in order to fill up pool

Settlers have taken over a spring that is used to supply water for 30 Palestinian villages in the Ramallah area, Haaretz reports.

The settlers dismantled the flow of the Ein Samia spring’s water to neighboring villages and instead connected it to a nearby pool, according to the report.

Ein Samia includes five wells that belong to the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Water Authority. The wells were vandalized four times in the past month.

Nonetheless, the IDF has not deployed troops to secure the spring, and no suspects have been arrested.

Settlers have damaged security cameras at Ein Samia and vandalized water infrastructure in what has caused prolonged water outages to the neighboring villages.

The pool that the settlers are using Ein Samia to fill is called “Shepherds Spring,” and is named after two Israelis who were killed in a 2023 terror attack.

In a video urging the public to donate to the pool, settlers say it has pumped water to the Ramallah area since 1965. “But we did not give up, and after significant efforts, Shepherds Spring is coming back to life,” says Micha Sudai, the owner of an illegal farm outpost nearby.

Responding to the Haaretz report, the IDF says that in recent days, troops received several reports of Israeli civilians damaging water infrastructure in the Ein Samia area. However, by the time troops arrived at the scene, the suspects had fled.

The army says it takes the issue seriously and has allowed PA municipal workers to conduct repairs at Ein Samia.

Arrests in incidents of settler violence are highly rare and convictions are even less likely in what has led a growing number of Western countries to impose sanctions against violent settlers.

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Glacier Retreat Hijacked: How Funding Bias and Normative Science Fuel the Manufactured ‘Climate Crisis’ Narrative

Glacier retreat is one of the concepts often used to support the climate crisis narrative.

However, while there is clear evidence that glaciers have been retreating over the past 70 years, and according to NOAA, global average temperatures have risen approximately 1.1°C since the late 1800s, this does not, in itself, prove the existence of a climate crisis.

Globally, the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) reports over 30 meters of cumulative ice loss among long-term reference glaciers since 1950, with annual losses exceeding 1 meter water equivalent in recent years.

NOAA data shows glacier loss rates increased from -171 mm per year in the 1980s to -889 mm per year in the 2010s.

The WGMS currently tracks about 60 climate reference glaciers across 19 mountain regions, supported by field data from 500 glaciers and satellite data from approximately 200,000 more.

Although most glaciers have been retreating since the 1950s, glaciers naturally advance and retreat over time. Many glaciers were advancing from the 1950s to 1970s due to cooler conditions, and most reached their maximum extent during the Little Ice Age in the 1800s.

While glacier retreat is well documented, whether it constitutes a “climate crisis” is far less certain.

Glaciers have naturally advanced and retreated for centuries due to climate variability, making it difficult to treat current trends as uniquely alarming. The global average temperature rise of approximately 1.1°C since the 1800s is relatively modest and not unprecedented in paleoclimate records.

Regional impacts of glacier melt also vary, some areas may face reduced water availability, while others may benefit from increased runoff.

Many human and ecological systems have the capacity to adapt, further complicating the crisis narrative.

Ultimately, labeling glacier retreat a crisis depends on subjective judgments about risk, urgency, and acceptable change. Research on normative science supports this view, showing that value-laden conclusions are often framed as empirical findings, what Former EPA scientist Robert Lackey terms “stealth policy advocacy.”

The very term “climate crisis” embeds a normative judgment, implying unproven assumptions about human causation, moral obligation, and the urgency of intervention.

Funding structures that reward alarming portrayals of climate data reinforce these assumptions, turning scientific inquiry into institutional advocacy for predetermined policy goals.

For scientific researchers, there are clear economic incentives to support the climate crisis narrative.

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Two-Tier Policing: More Videos Show Officers Escorting Far-Left Activists To Migration Protests

New footage has emerged showing UK police officers escorting masked far-left activists past local protesters at a migrant hotel in Aldershot, Hampshire, fueling further claims of biased policing amid ongoing tensions over illegal immigration.

The video, posted by Turning Point UK, depicts Hampshire Constabulary officers leading a group of individuals—described as “masked ANTIFA thugs”—through a grassy area near the protest site.

The group, many wearing face coverings, is guided by police in high-visibility vests, with one officer directing them forward. A voice in the footage can be heard shouting, “Take your masks off,” and later mocking the group as “little boys” possibly affiliated with Antifa. The post accuses the police of using this tactic to “antagonise the locals to justify police brutality,” calling for an end to “two-tier policing.”

The police escorted the masked leftists to one side of the road and the locals to the other, where a shouting match inevitably ensued.

This incident echoes similar events in Epping, Essex, where police were caught on camera bussing pro-migrant activists from the group Stand Up to Racism to and from The Bell Hotel, a site housing asylum seekers that became a flashpoint after reports of a sexual assault on a young girl by one of its occupants.

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