U.S.

by Jack Jenkins (RNS) Faith groups are celebrating Virginia’s decision to ban the death penalty, a move considered to be a victory for religious opposition to capital punishment. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed the ban — the first of any Southern state and the 23rd overall — into law on Wednesday (March 24), declaring it “the moral thing to do.” “Over our 400-year … [Read more...] about Faith Groups Celebrate Virginia’s Death Penalty Ban

(NBC News) A 22-year-old man who police say went into an Atlanta grocery store carrying a rifle and who was later found to have six guns and body armor was arrested Wednesday. No one was injured, and the man's motives were not clear early Thursday. Rico Marley was booked into the Fulton County Jail on 11 charges, including five counts of criminal attempt to commit a … [Read more...] about Man Arrested at Atlanta Grocery With Six Guns, Body Armor, Police Say

by Yonat Shimron (RNS) An undocumented immigrant who had taken refuge in a Raleigh, North Carolina, church for more than three years will now be allowed to leave without the danger of being deported. Eliseo Jimenez, a 42-year-old itinerant laborer who worked in the state’s tobacco fields and later in construction laying floors, has been living at Umstead Park United … [Read more...] about Another NC Man Is Free To Leave Church Sanctuary as Immigration Policies Ease

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer (AP) Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote Wednesday was 52-48. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan … [Read more...] about A First: U.S. Senate Confirms Transgender Doctor for Key Post

by Yonat Shimron (RNS) The U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, now considering the fate of the Equality Act, can add a new entry on the positive side of the evidence ledger: a new study shows overwhelming public support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination laws. The 2020 American Values Atlas study from PRRI finds 76% of Americans favor laws that would protect LGBTQ people from … [Read more...] about Study: Americans Overwhelmingly Support LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Laws