Month: June 2024

Two Christian couples are suing Vermont state officials over being booted from the foster care program over their Christian beliefs.

The couples, Brian and Kaitlyn Wuoti and Michael and Rebecca Gantt, complained in the suit that the state violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

According to a complaint filed in federal court on June 4, they alleged that the Vermont Department of Children and Families refused to renew their foster care licenses because they opposed the DCF’s policy regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

The complaint is chiefly concerned with the application of DCF Policy 76 – “Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Children & Youth.”

“Policy 76 provides internal guidance for Department staff on placing children who express an LGBT identity, and training foster families on how to support the child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression,” the complaint said.

The court documents said DCF policies require foster parents to “support children in wearing hairstyles, clothing, and accessories affirming of the child’s racial, cultural, tribal, religious, or gender identity.”

The complaint alleged that the Wuotis’ license was denied solely “based on their statements explaining their religious beliefs about the human body and sexual ethics.”

DCF also apparently issued a letter to the Gantts explaining that their license was denied due to their “stance regarding the requirement for affirming care and the fact that they could not envision any education or intervention that may help to shift [their] perspectives.”

Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse,  an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, is representing the couples. He told the Christian Post that he believes Vermont’s policy violates his clients’ constitutional rights.

“The Supreme Court has said for decades that states can’t force citizens to say something that they don’t believe as a condition of receiving a license or any kind of government benefit,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE: Two Christian families are suing the Vermont Department for Children & Families, represented by @ADFLegal, accusing the state of blocking them from fostering due to their religious views on gender.

They speak out first to @DailySignal: pic.twitter.com/J2o9K5tm2b

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) June 4, 2024

“And here, Vermont is telling the parents that they have to violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs just to serve alongside others and to help vulnerable children.”

Aryka Radke, deputy commissioner of the DCF’s Family Services Division and one of the named defendants in the complaint, spoke in defense of DCF’s decision to deny the license renewals.

“It is a human right for all to be valued and supported, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” Radke said. “The Family Services Division is here to serve all, and upholds that expectation for both its staff, as well as the foster parents who agree to take on the care of the youth in our custody.”

Radke also argued that the timing of the suit wasn’t a coincidence.

“It bears mentioning that this suit was filed at the start of pride month — a time when we reflect on the achievements and continued struggles of the LGBTQI+ movement. The department stands in partnership with the community, and continually works to be a better partner, ally, and support system — rather than a barrier to the children and youth who identify as part of this community.”

The couples have demonstrated profound courage in refusing to compromise their beliefs.

It’s disheartening that these people are apparently being singled out solely for their religious beliefs.

The DCF’s actions demonstrate how our society has an ever-growing negative perception of religion.

Moreover, in addition to its societal impact, this case could have important implications when it comes to First Amendment jurisprudence.

It’s worth noting that this situation bears resemblance to Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a case that was before the Supreme Court in 2021.

In a unanimous decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled that Philadelphia’s refusal to enter into a foster care contract with Catholic Social Services based on their beliefs on sexual orientation and gender ideology violated CSS’s First Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court held that the city failed to act in a neutral and generally applicable manner, which is the standard the government must satisfy if laws that burden religion are to survive a First Amendment challenge.

Roberts noted that “a law is not generally applicable if it invites the government to consider the particular reasons for a person’s conduct by creating a mechanism for individualized exemptions.”

“Government fails to act neutrally when it proceeds in a manner intolerant of religious beliefs or restricts practices because of their religious nature,” Roberts wrote.

The Supreme Court has been trending toward expanding First Amendment protections over the past few years. Based on this trajectory, and the similarities with Fulton, the couples should have confidence in their chances at success.

Whatever the result, this case could have a profound effect on religious freedom in America.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Couples Sue After Being Kicked Out of State Foster Care Program Over Christian Beliefs appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

This article originally appeared on Leo Hohmann’s Substack and was republished with permission.

Biden commits U.S. taxpayers to 10 years of ‘blank check’ funding of war in Ukraine: War’s ‘dark side’ includes organ harvesting and child sex trafficking
Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky are planning to sign a deal for long-term US military assistance for Ukraine, a country whose government we now know is involved in the trafficking of children for sex and harvesting the organs of its own soldiers for profit.

If that sounds too sensational to be true, read on. The evidence is hiding in plain sight. See post below from X, and I will provide a video later in this article that contains more proof of what’s really going on in Ukraine. It will turn your stomach.

In 2011, Ukraine said its human organ trafficking problem was out of control.

Evidence suggests Ukraine is still engaged in the mass harvesting of human organs–with US complicity.

“The year of 2010 has witnessed a sharp increase in human organ trafficking in Ukraine.”… pic.twitter.com/CgaFfG3M4s

— Towhee (@amborin) June 25, 2023

But back to Biden’s filthy deal with the devil. The deal commits U.S. taxpayers — we the people — to 10 years of arming and training the Ukrainian military, and feeds the military-industrial complex that holds sway over the majority of our elected members of Congress in both parties.

There is one small kernel of good news: Because the deal is a so-called “executive agreement” and not a formal treaty, it can be undone by future American presidents.

CNN previewed the deal, reporting:

“An annex in the agreement will lay out how the Biden administration plans to work with Congress on the implementation of the security commitments, specifically the long-term funding that will be needed to support Ukraine’s defense.”

So, we taxpayers are basically underwriting the defense of a foreign regime. I wonder what our Founding Fathers would think about that?

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that the US “will continue to be right up front and clear” at the G7, and that Washington “will take bold steps to show Mr. Putin that time is not on his side and that he cannot outlast us, as we support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”

Let’s call it what it is: A blank-check commitment to a corrupt foreign government that has completely obliterated the freedom of the Ukrainian people. Elections have been canceled. Media outlets and churches that voice opposition to the war have been closed, young and middle-aged men are being kidnapped and sent to die at the front. How is this freedom?

But the Western corporate media thinks this is great. They don’t even question it.

Watch this breathless report (below) from a very excited ABC News reporter, whose only lament is that the deal could be canceled by a future President Donald Trump.

Biden meeting with Zelensky at G7 in a few hours to sign historic long-term security agreement.
But possibility of Trump presidency looms large over the summit. Future president could pull out of that agreement, but trying to future-proof American support for Ukraine @GMA pic.twitter.com/5Xy3Je4QjL

— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) June 13, 2024

She could hardly contain her excitement. Ten years worth of transfers of hard-earned U.S. tax dollars to prop up an illegitimate dictatorship in Ukraine. Zelensky has canceled elections and is serving beyond the scope of his term in office, and our tax dollars are paying not only him but his military and the pensions of his bureaucrats. I wonder how many Americans are even aware of that, or how many are aware of the child sex trafficking, organ harvesting, biolabs, and other scandalous activities going on in Ukraine.

Don’t believe me? Check out the report below from former Fox News reporter Clayton Morris on the “dark side” of the war in Ukraine.

To receive new posts and support Leo Hohmann's work, consider becoming a paid subscriber if you aren’t yet at leohohmann.substack.com

The post Biden commits U.S. taxpayers to 10 years of ‘blank check’ funding of war in Ukraine: War’s ‘dark side’ includes organ harvesting and child sex trafficking appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Two migrants carjacked an off-duty NYPD officer at gunpoint on Friday evening.

The carjacking took place in Harlem around 11:30 p.m. at West 146 Street and Bradhurst Avenue.

The migrants are believed to be Venezuelan and associated with a gang from the South American country.

One of the perpetrators was armed with a fully automatic pistol. The other knocked the officer’s gun out of his hand and took it before demanding his keys.

According to a report from the New York Post, the duo then jumped into the officer’s vehicle and fled the scene.

No injuries to the officer have been reported.

The Post reports:

One of the guns in the brazen incident had a glock switch, making it fully automatic, something not typically seen in New York City, sources said.

Inside the vehicle was the cop’s iPad, which was used to track the car down.

It was found empty less than a mile away at West 138th Street and Broadway, sources said.

Police were able to locate the suspects and two guns after tracking down the vehicle.

Neither of the suspects had IDs but told police their names were Jomar Crespo, 21, and Jose Rivera, 20. They said they live together in Waterbury, Connecticut. The police believe they gave fake names, according to the Post’s report.

Each of the suspects have been charged with robbery, grand theft auto, possession of a machine gun, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of stolen property, making rapid-fire modifications to a gun and unlawful possession of an ammo feed device.

The post Two Venezuelan Migrants Carjack Off-Duty NYPD Officer at Gunpoint appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Credit: Phillip Pessar/Flicker

Tupperware has confirmed that it will be closing its only American factory later this year.

The company, which has over 10,000 employees worldwide, will shut down its last production facility located in Hemingway, South Carolina, resulting in around 150 job losses between from September through till January.

Manufacturing operations will be outsourced to Tupperware’s plant in Lerma, Mexico, which already handles the majority of production for the US and Canadian markets, according to company statements to the media.

Tupperware Brands just announced it’ll be closing its South Carolina factory, the company’s last remaining plant in the US, and laying off 148 employees.

The iconic plastic food container company will now have all of its manufacturing operations in Mexico.

That’s Bidenomics. pic.twitter.com/n0QJiHCQRb

— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) June 15, 2024

Primarily recognized for its plastic food storage containers, Tupperware was founded in 1946 by Earl Tupper and was credited with revolutionizing food storage with its airtight sealing system.

However, the company has recently fallen on hard times, as Plastics Today explains:

This latest news follows a tumultuous few months for the company, which has included sales of real estate in the United States and abroad, and a non-compliance notification from the New York Stock Exchange in April of this year because it delayed filing its annual report for 2023. Tupperware has six months starting from March 29, 2024, to file the form and regain compliance.

In addition to deep financial challenges — its debt burden is unsustainable, according to media reports — Tupperware has altered its business model from direct sales and “Tupperware parties,” which took a beating during COVID-era lockdowns, to distribution deals with Target and other retail outlets.

Sidelining the multi-level marketing approach, which has been core to the brand’s identity for decades, further isolates Tupperware and removes it from conversations, although it may not have had a choice in the matter.

The announcement provides further doom and gloom to the American economy, which under the Biden regime continues to see businesses close down or outsource operations abroad because of high inflation and unsustainable costs.

The post BIDENOMICS: Iconic Tupperware Company to Close Its Last U.S. Factory – Will Move All Production to Mexico appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Credit: Getty Images

During the Tribeca Festival premiere of her docuseries ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams,’ tennis legend Serena Williams defended another legend, Caitlin Clark, against critics and jealous peers, asserting that their negativity is a sign of their own shortcomings.

Caitlin Clark has established herself as a monumental figure in NCAA basketball by setting several remarkable records. She became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history, surpassing Pete Maravich’s long-standing record.

As of her final season, Clark not only topped the scoring charts but also made history as the first player, male or female, to achieve over 3,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 850 rebounds in a career, according to FOX Sports.

Clark also holds the record for the single-season number of 3-pointers with 156 shots made. Her scoring prowess is further highlighted by her ability to score at least 30 points in more games than any other player over the past 25 years, with 51 such games to her name. She has also scored 40 or more points in 11 games, some of these performances against teams ranked in the top 25 nationally, Yahoo Sports reported.

Upon joining the WNBA, Caitlin Clark faced significant challenges, including being marginalized and often overlooked by her teammates during games. Additionally, she was intentionally left off the US Olympic team. Instead, several relatively unknown women’s basketball players will represent the US in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

HERE YOU GO: Caitlin Clark’s Stats PROVE She’s Leading MOST OLYMPIANS in MOST CATEGORIES! – But Women’s Basketball Brass Was “Worried” About Her Millions of Fans!!?!

Serena Williams, a titanic figure in tennis with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, is not just an icon on the court but increasingly a voice of authority in women’s sports. At the event, Williams took a firm stand against the naysayers plaguing Clark’s career.

“I just love that she tries to stay grounded and that she doesn’t … look at her social [media],” Williams said. “I get it. I don’t either. And I think it’s so important to continue doing what she’s doing.”

Williams suggested that the criticism is often rooted in jealousy.

“And no matter what other people do, if people are negative then it’s because they can’t do what you do … basically,” she said. “And hopefully, she’ll continue to do what she’s doing.”

WATCH:

“If people are negative it’s because they can’t do what you do”
-Serena Williams praises Caitlin Clark in an interview#WNBA pic.twitter.com/eIyhPtJKOF

— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) June 14, 2024

Williams also revealed in a recent interview with CNN Sports her interest in owning a WNBA team, according to Sportskeeda.

Already a stakeholder in the NWSL franchise Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Golf Club, Williams expressed interest about expanding her influence within women’s professional sports.

“I absolutely would be [interested]. I think with the right market, I would definitely be super interested,” she said.

The post Tennis Icon Serena Williams Rallies Behind Caitlin Clark, Slams Haters and Jealous Players with Fiery Rebuke: “It’s Because They Can’t Do What You Do” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Massachusetts House has unanimously passed a bill that would allow women to sell their babies to the highest bidder.

The bill passed under the guise of LGBTQ rights.

Under the state’s current laws, paid and traditional surrogacy is permitted — but for traditional surrogacy, the would-be “parents” must adopt the baby and, therefore, pass a background check. Additionally, at least one of the parents must be related to the infant.

Live Action explains:

However, adoption protects children from abuse due to the regulations that are involved in the process. There is research on the negative outcomes for children who live with non-biologically related parental figures. One study found, “In studies across a wide range of cultures… [t]he single best predictor of child abuse is the presence of a stepparent in the home. In fact, the risk of even unintentional deaths, such as drowning, is greater in stepfamilies than in intact or single-parent families.”

Background checks exist in the adoption process to protect children from being placed in dangerous homes.

In a recent case, Adam Stafford King was arrested this year for allegedly planning to sexually abuse the baby boy he and his partner were expecting via surrogate. Background checks that are not required in surrogacy could have stopped Mark Newton and Peter Truong from sexually abusing a boy they paid a Russian woman to carry in 2005. Police believe they wanted to have a child “for the sole purpose of exploitation.” The boy’s abuse began just days after he was born and video shows Newton abusing him less than two weeks after his birth. The men traveled the world for more than six years, selling the boy for sex with at least eight men, recording the abuse, and uploading the footage to the “Boy Lovers Network.”

The bill would also change the description of “parenthood,” under the law from being based on biology or adoption to a “person’s intent to be a parent of a child.”

The change will remove all mentions of mothers and fathers from parentage law and replace them with gender-neutral terms.

The Federalist reports:

Surrogacy is an inherently exploitative practice. It commodifies women and treats children as products. This specific bill enables particularly extreme arrangements. Most commercial surrogacy laws and surrogacy agencies restrict contracts to cases where the woman carrying the child is not genetically related to the child. Under genetic surrogacy arrangements, sanctioned by this bill, a woman would be allowed to accept money in exchange for her biological child.

In any other circumstance, if a woman accepts money in exchange for handing over her parental claim on her child, she has engaged in baby-selling. Under this bill, she can do exactly that if she has secured a valid surrogacy contract, even if she makes the arrangement with the purchasing parents after she has become pregnant, providing the contract is validated before the child is born.

Under H. 4672, the following would be perfectly legal: a woman undergoes the physical and mental health screenings required to become a surrogate, becomes pregnant via sperm from a sperm bank, and then posts to a surrogacy forum or social media group that she is not only available as a surrogate but already pregnant.

She could then choose to “match” with the couple willing to pay the highest “payment of consideration,” essentially auctioning off her child. As long as the surrogacy agreement meets the requirements outlined in the bill, it could be validated by a court and viewed as not only permissible but legally binding. However, if that same woman became pregnant and decided to make an agreement with a couple to adopt her child, while insisting that she be paid for placing her child with them, she would be prosecuted for baby selling.

The bill is now heading to the state senate for consideration.

The post Massachusetts House Unanimously Passes Bill to Allow Women to Sell Their Babies to Highest Bidder appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says she is “hearing on Capitol Hill” that Joe Biden will ” likely” be replaced as the Democrat presidential nominee by November.

Luna discussed the matter during an appearance on Thursday’s episode of Jesse Watters Primetime.

The congresswoman told Watters, “A lot of people realize that Joe Biden’s likely not going to be the nominee, which is from what we’re hearing on Capitol Hill, Jesse. You know, Representative Kiley had reported that Kamala Harris is actually eyeing a run for California governor because of it.”

There have long been rumors and rumblings that California Gov. Gavin Newsom will replace Biden, but he has maintained that is not his plan.

“So you are hearing also in DC that Joe Biden isn’t going to be the Democrat nominee?” Watters asked.

“Correct,” Luna replied.

“It appears that our colleagues are trying to put guardrails on a 2024 presidential election with President Trump,” Luna said. “And also what you’re seeing is, according to our polling, you know, Jesse, as well as I do, that they’ve been trying to really paint Republicans as anti-woman, and they’re trying to push an abortion, crisis right now with the election. And I don’t think that that’s the case.”

Luna continued, “A lot of the American people know that really. This is a state rights decision. And so I think that they know that they’re losing. It’s very evident at this point.”

The post Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Says She Has Heard Biden Will ‘Likely’ Be Replaced as Democrat Nominee (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there today.
Hope you have a wonderful day as you deserve.
Thank you for the important work you do.

Psalm 103:13

As a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear him

Donald Trump waves at his son Barron at this graduation at his son’s high school graduation in May. (Credit: Getty Images)

We wanted to include this Dove ad again this year.
We hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This first played nine years ago, back when companies did not insult their target audience.

Not bad for a soap ad, huh?
Happy Father’s Day!

The post Happy Father’s Day 2024 appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Screenshot: TODAY/Youtube

Kwame Kilpatrick, former Detroit Democratic Mayor and close friend of Barack Obama, endorsed President Donald Trump on Saturday.

Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced in federal court to 28 years in prison for public corruption back in 2013. This was the longest corruption sentence ever handed down to a public official.

Kilpatrick was previously endorsed by Barack Obama and was once mentioned as a possible candidate for president.  Kilpatrick named himself Detroit’s “hip hop mayor” during his time in office.

Kilpatrick was allegedly running a criminal enterprise stealing millions from the city of Detroit; his convictions included tax crimes, racketeering, bribery, and extortion.

President Trump commuted Kwame Kilpatrick’s prison sentence before he left office in January 2021. He had served seven years of his 28-year sentence.

On Saturday, Kwame endorsed Donald Trump for president in the upcoming election.

Kwame Kilpatrick:  “I can never thank President Trump enough for what he’s done for me and my family by giving me freedom. But I believe this election and the issues involved are personal to every family and every person in America.”

Via Behizy.

BREAKING: After Trump’s Detroit visit, Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Democrat Mayor of Detroit, Michigan has endorsed Trump for President

“I can never thank President Trump enough for what he’s done for me and my family by giving me freedom,” Kilpatrick said. “But I believe this… pic.twitter.com/LhOkvsyCf4

— George (@BehizyTweets) June 15, 2024

The Detroit News reported:

Trump’s visit to 180 Church in Detroit was preceded by his campaign’s announcement of an endorsement of Trump by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick as well as the formation of a Black Americans for Trump coalition.

Kilpatrick, whose sentence was commuted by Trump before he left office in January 2021, was listed among Trump’s endorsements and was briefly quoted in the announcement as a former mayor and state representative.

“I can never thank President Trump enough for what he’s done for me and my family by giving me freedom,” Kilpatrick said. “But I believe this election and the issues involved are personal to every family and every person in America.”

Kwame was pardoned in 2021.

The post “I Can Never Thank President Trump Enough for What He’s Done for Me” – Kwame Kilpatrick, the Former Democrat Mayor of Detroit, ENDORSES Donald Trump for President appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Screenshot: WXYZ-TV Detroit/Youtube

A peaceful Saturday afternoon at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan, turned tragic when a gunman opened fire, injuring nine individuals, including two children, before ultimately taking his own life during a police standoff.

The suspect, armed with multiple firearms, including a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle, exited his vehicle and began firing at random people.

According to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, the assailant, later identified as a 42-year-old local resident, fired 28 rounds from a 9mm Glock semi-automatic handgun.

“He is a White male, 42 years old, believed to have lived with his mom. She was not home. She has been notified. It’s our understanding that apparently he was undergoing some mental health challenges, but none that we’re aware of or were reported,” said Bouchard during the press conference.

Bouchard said that the assailant reloaded his weapon twice during the attack, leaving behind three magazines at the scene, along with numerous shell casings.

“He started firing once he was out of his car from the base of the steps, climbing the steps, reloading, and then was firing from the top of the steps in the splash pad area before he left, and appeared to leave in no rush. Just calmly walked back to his car. So it’s a bizarre situation,” said Bouchard.

Bouchard clarified that one victim had been double-counted due to a hospital reporting error. Among the victims were two young boys from the same family: an eight-year-old critically injured with a gunshot to the head and a four-year-old shot in the thigh but in stable condition. A 39-year-old woman, related to the boys, was also critically injured with multiple gunshot wounds.

A 30-year-old female with thigh and buttock injuries. A 30-year-old male with a leg wound, a 78-year-old male with an abdominal injury, and a 37-year-old female with a hand wound, all are reported stable. Additionally, a 40-year-old male with a knee injury is also in stable condition.

The suspect was later found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a home in Shelby Township. Sheriff Bouchard noted that the police had attempted to communicate with the gunman, who responded but never fully engaged in dialogue.

“We believe within 45 minutes to an hour, we had containment on a home which ultimately had the suspect inside. Contact was made. There was some, I wouldn’t call it communication, but at least an acknowledgment that the person was in that home, and we had that person contained. We set a hard perimeter on it,” Bouchard said.

“We brought in assets including our SWAT, our helicopter, our drones, and tried to make contact with the person, tried to bring that person out peacefully, and to no avail. Had no contact back. After a period of time, we breached the home and deployed drones to begin an examination of the home to make a determination if it was still a hostile actor, and we located the individual deceased in the home,” he added.

WATCH:

#BREAKING: Numerous Law enforcement along with SWAT has surrounded a mobile home where the shooter Suspect is to believe to be located after shooting up 9-10 people including children ⁰⁰#Rochesterhills | #Michigan
⁰At this time, there is a heavy emergency response as… pic.twitter.com/qehgz2ra4S

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 16, 2024

Inside, authorities discovered additional firearms, including a handgun and an AR-platform rifle conspicuously placed on the kitchen table, suggesting potential plans for further violence.

“He didn’t have just a handgun on that particular endeavor. He had, obviously, what looks to be an AR platform and is still being processed, so I’m not sure if I had to guess. I would say it’s a semi-automatic .223, but I don’t know for a fact until that scene is processed.”

“But what I do know is that the individual was in that house with that weapon, and I’m not sure how many other weapons were in that house. Again, it’s still an active scene being processed. But I believe that because we had quick containment on him, that if he had planned to do anything else, and it wouldn’t surprise me because having that on the kitchen table is not an everyday activity, that there was probably something else, a second chapter potentially,” said Bouchard.

The sheriff confirmed that the suspect had no prior criminal history and had not previously interacted with local law enforcement.

Watch the full press conference below:



The post Gunman Shoots At Least 8 People, Including 2 Children at Michigan Splash Pad — Takes Own Life After Police Standoff appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.