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Raleigh, N.C. — Lt. Gov. Dan Forest told Christian pastors in a video conference Thursday that the political left is using COVID-19 restrictions to hurt the church and that the last chance to fight back is rapidly approaching. Forest, a Republican running this year for governor, cast stay-at-home restrictions limiting indoor church gatherings in North Carolina as part of a larger, escalating culture war against religious freedom. "There is no doubt that there are people that are on the left that are using this to pull certain levers to see how far that they can go," Forest said. "How far...

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Life in the Age of the Great UnReason can be difficult for some of us. Conservatives and others who now take exception to the Internment of 2020—the reduction of citizens’ homes, towns, and states to what amounts to internment camps from which they are forbidden to leave via “Shelter-in-Place” orders—typically frame their position in terms of “reopening the economy.”    In doing so, they stack the deck against themselves. Putting the matter this way cedes the moral high ground to those who want to prolong the Internment, for it invites the latter to depict the conflict as one between those,...

Don't be surprised if you catch Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House's coronavirus, out hiking over Memorial Day weekend. The country's leading infectious disease expert shared words of encouragement and guidance Thursday night during CNN's global coronavirus town hall, ahead of the holiday weekend. "Memorial Day, it's a very important holiday. Hopefully the sun will be out. We'll be having people who want to get out there and get fresh air. You can do that. We're not telling people to just lock in unless you're in...

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday warned the mayor of Los Angeles and the county’s top health officer that an extension of the coronavirus stay-at-home order may be unlawful. The vague letter sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer did not spell out any specific violations, but noted concern about statements both had made publicly that restrictions may be prolonged without a vaccine. “Reports of your recent public statements indicate that you suggested the possibility of long-term lockdown of the residents in the city and county of Los Angeles, regardless of the legal...

On Friday, the lockdowns end It's time. It's time to stand up to overreaching governors, mayors, and bureaucrats. It's time to open up our businesses while adopting responsible, common-sense safety measures. And it's time to support those businesses by showing up to purchase their goods and services. We're calling all Americans to Stand Up, Open Up, and Show Up this Friday, May 22. For months, we've complied with lockdown and "stay-at-home" orders supposedly designed to "slow the spread" of the dangerous COVID-19 virus. But even as the infection rate slowed and rural communities saw virtually zero transmission, power-hungry and terrified...

It turns out Memorial Day weekend will not be quite the big economic and social reopening moment that Sacramento residents and businesses owners had hoped. Sacramento County health chief Peter Beilenson on Thursday reversed his approval from earlier this week for fitness centers to reopen, saying state health officials had stepped in to tell him it’s too soon. Beilenson said state health officials also told him to back off of his plans to allow groups of up to 10 get together, with social distancing, starting this weekend. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article242905031.html#storylink=cpy

The Rev. Anna Reeves considers herself fortunate that her church, St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Silver Spring Twp., sits on sprawling property. “It’s just a wonderful place for outdoor activity,” she said. On Sunday, Reeves is going to take advantage of that ample outdoor space and use it to gather with her congregation in worship while adhering to strict social distancing protocol to protect her faith community from the coronavirus. “I don’t think it’s safe yet to go into the sanctuary. It’s really not,” she said. “Our plan is to abide clearly by the state’s guidelines of having no...

Churchgoers across the country are reasserting their fundamental rights of conscience—rights that too many political leaders have forgotten or denied. On Friday, President Trump said churches and houses of worship are “essential” and called on governors nationwide to allow them to open this weekend. If they don’t, Trump said he would “override” governors, citing forthcoming guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In remarks Thursday, the president criticized some governors who have “deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential” but not churches. “It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.”Trump is right,...

President Donald Trump warned governors Friday that if they don't reopen the nation's houses of worship "right now," he will "override" them. Trump demanded the reopening in brief remarks announcing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at his direction, will issue new guidelines to smooth the process. "Today I am identifying houses of worship, churches, synagogues, and mosques, as essential places that provide essential services, Trump said at his appearance, during which he took no questions. "Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's...

In a call with reporters Thursday, Wolf said his administration planned to announce “a whole range” of counties would move to the yellow phase. He also hinted that he may announce some counties will move to the “green” phase, or the final phase of reopening under which there are no restrictions on which establishments can and can’t be open, but social-distancing guidelines and other safety precautions remain in place. The administration had established metrics to determine when counties would move from the red to the yellow phase, and the administration did so largely by region. Among those metrics were testing...

“We’re close. But, we’re not there yet,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a Thursday news conference. “I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But, my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready.” Gov. Pritzker is allowing Illinois restaurants to open for outdoor dining on May 29. But Chicago won’t be taking advantage of it — at least not yet. “I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday. Lightfoot said there is “nothing magic about” May...

A Dallas salon owner – who was jailed for opening her shop during the coronavirus outbreak – called Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a “tyrant” after traveling to the state in support of a barber who had his license suspended for defying “stay-at-home” orders. Shelley Luther arrived in Owosso, Mich., on Monday to back 77-year-old Karl Manke, who has attracted national attention as a symbol of resistance after reopening his barbershop despite Whitmer’s shutdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Manke and Luther struck back at Whitmer during a press conference, calling on small business owners across the state to reopen....

The Chinese COVID virus has turned our country upside down. The unconstitutional lockdown is nothing more than martial law foisted upon us by the elitists and "experts" who pushed forth such outrageous numbers as to place fear into the American people. Using those who are elderly, infirm, or have conditions which can exacerbate the virus as unwilling hostages, the government on both a federal and local level has ignored the constitutional rights of the citizens The total lockdown of both the economic and social areas of society has done nothing more that extend the period where the virus can spread....

An organization called We Have Rights is in downtown Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, where beaches were closed by order of Gov. Gavin Newsom after large crowds descended last weekend. In Huntington Beach, the demonstrators were shoulder-to-shoulder with beachgoers defying the beach closure orders. Several people were spotted riding bicycles and carrying surfboards to the water in defiance of the governor’s orders. “I’m here because I want our salon open,” said protestor Tami Avants. “I think everybody is essential.” An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were just feet from the shores, calling for the governor to end shutdown orders. “The...

Sometimes, a good rant is all a writer can offer. Bear with me. Last Friday morning, some 3,500 New Yorkers lined up at a Catholic church in Queens to receive free food hours before it even opened, ­according to the New York Police Department. Catholic Charities has reported a 200 percent increase in demand over the past month and a half. By prolonging the coronavirus shutdown long after its core mission was accomplished, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have plunged tens of thousands of New Yorkers into poverty. It needs to end. Now. In mid-March, we...

Minnesota Catholics and Lutherans tell @GovTimWalz they are reopening churches on May 26—after the Governor announced malls, salons, tattoo parlors, & casinos can open, but churches can’t. The leadership of over 700 Catholic and Lutheran churches, represented by @BECKETlaw & @SidleyLaw, told @GovTimWalz and AG @keithellison that the First Amendment doesn’t let the government put churches at the back of the line during reopening. Minnesota’s re-opening plan lets people seek retail therapy at the mall, but not spiritual solace at church. Today’s press conference underscored @GovTimWalz’s failure to appreciate the integral role of faith in the well-being of the community....

"Either we have liberty to worship or we have permission to worship," Shiflett told Fox News about his decision. "It has become abundantly clear that if we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again." . . . Baltimore Mayor Jack Young extended the stay-at-home orders limiting public gatherings, including "spiritual" and "religious," to no more than 10 people.

A Michigan barber who defied coronavirus stay-at-home orders from Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated Thursday that he remains rooted in his convictions. In an interview on "Fox & Friends First" with hosts Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt, Karl Manke said he's not sure what will happen next. A Shiawassee County Circuit Court judge must rule by 5 p.m. EDT Thursday whether or not Manke's Owosso barbershop should be shut down. "I hope that there's a certain amount of sanity that will prevail," he remarked. "But, so far ... this governor, we've had nothing but trouble with her. The legislatures had...

<p>Red- and blue-state America was already divided before the coronavirus epidemic hit. Globalization had enriched the East Coast and West Coast corridors but hollowed out much in between.</p> <p>The traditional values of small towns and rural counties were increasingly at odds with postmodern lifestyles in the cities.</p>