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In a series of podcasts published last year, Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, espoused an extremist Christian doctrine that envisions the subordination of civil government to Old Testament law.
The doctrine of “sphere sovereignty,” a position rooted in the extremist ideology of Christian Reconstructionism (CR), calls for the death penalty against homosexuality and strict patriarchal families and churches.
In recordings released between February and March 2024, Hegseth slams public schools, claiming they also practice an “egalitarian, dystopian LGBT nightmare.” There is. He even condemns democracy, stating that “our founders blatantly rejected it as completely dangerous.” Mr Hegseth did not respond to questions from the Guardian about his beliefs on separation of church and state and territorial sovereignty.
Newark mayor condemns warrantless ice attack that ‘terrified’ people
The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for raiding the city without warrants and detaining both citizens and illegal aliens.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Ice attacked local establishments. “Newark cannot stand idly by while people are subjected to unlawful terror,” he said in a statement.
Ice announced on Thursday that it had arrested a total of 538 people, but did not respond to requests from the Guardian to say when and where these arrests took place. This number is not necessarily particularly high; in 2023, the average number of arrests per day was over 450.
US judge temporarily blocks President Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship
A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing an executive order that would end automatic birthright citizenship rights.
U.S. District Judge John Coughner issued a temporary restraining order blocking the administration from implementing a directive signed by President Trump on his first day in office. Civil rights groups and Democratic attorneys general from 22 states have already filed five lawsuits over the order.
Washington Assistant Attorney General Lane Polozola urged a judge to issue a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by Democratic state attorneys general in Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon. “This is the first step, but to hear the justices say from the court that in their 40 years on the bench they have never seen anything so blatantly unconstitutional,” Polosola told reporters outside the courtroom. “This highlights the seriousness of this initiative.”
What’s in the executive order? President Trump directed government agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the United States unless one of their parents is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
On what basis is it unconstitutional? Opponents say this violates the rights enshrined in the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which says anyone born in the United States is a citizen.
In other news…
Today’s statistics: Air pollution in Bangkok on Friday was more than six times the WHO standard
Air pollution in Bangkok forced authorities to close 351 schools on Friday, the highest number in five years, city officials said. On Friday, levels of carcinogenic PM2.5 pollutants reached 108, more than six times the exposure limit of 15 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Don’t miss this: “Dear unknown children – I tried to save your young life in a hospital in Gaza.” Now your face is haunting me. ”
Pediatrician Seema Jilani feels haunted by the children she was unable to save in Gaza. In this moving piece, she writes about a child she once saved who died on the operating table days later in an Israeli airstrike: I saw it on the medical evacuation flight when I tried to prolong your life until the moment you were reunited with your mother. In the waters off the coast of Libya, I saw a refugee shivering from hypothermia on a rescue ship, with no parents to soothe him. ”
Climate Check: California firefighters try to extinguish new blazes as wildfires cost state $2.5 billion in relief costs
Firefighters are struggling to extinguish a massive wildfire burning through the mountains north of Los Angeles. The wildfire has already burned nearly 16 square miles after erupting on Wednesday. The blaze, named the Hughes Fire, is about 36% contained, but firefighters remain concerned that the Palisades and Eaton fires could rupture containment lines. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he has approved a $2.5 billion relief package to help Los Angeles recover.
Finally: Would you wait three and a half hours to smell flowers that smell like rotting carcasses?
Here’s a quick question. Would you wait three and a half hours to smell a flower famous for smelling like a rotting animal carcass and looking like a “deformed penis”? (That’s not a word.) The corpse flower, named Ptricia, has become a big hit in Sydney, with people lining up to catch a glimpse and smell the plant, which has bloomed for the first time at the Royal Botanic Gardens. 15 years.
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