Current Events Archives

The Supreme Court and the Bladensburg Cross: What’s at Stake

The last few weeks of June traditionally feature a slew of Supreme Court decisions, often high-profile and controversial ones that mark the end of the current term.

This year promises to be no different as court-watchers anticipate rulings that include such questions as the constitutionality of asking a person’s citizenship on the 2020 U.S. Census as well as the legality of gerrymandering, the practice of drawing congressional boundaries that favor one party over the other.

As of today, the High Court has issued decisions in 45 of the 69 cases it has heard this term, thus leaving 24 pending decisions expected by the end of the month.

Topics: Current Events June 12, 2019 by Jim Daly

Trump Administration Delivers Pro-Life Victory

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that it will cancel a contract with researchers who were using the tissue of babies who were electively aborted.

This is a major win and welcome news for the pro-life community. The work of investigative reporter David Daleiden, who first highlighted Planned Parenthood’s practice of using aborted preborn remains for medical research and, allegedly, profit, is finally paying off nearly four years after the story first broke.

Topics: Current Events Tags: abortion, faith, pro-life June 6, 2019 by Jim Daly

D-Day at 75. Listen to a President’s Prayer.

At our current time of open hostility to people of the Christian faith, the idea of the President of the United States publicly praying across the national airwaves may strike many as a far-fetched prospect ripe for condemnation from the ACLU.

But that’s exactly what happened 75 years ago tomorrow when President Franklin Roosevelt announced America’s liberation of France in what became known as the “D-Day” invasion.

With a combined force consisting of over 156,000 soldiers (American, British and Canadian), these brave men waded into the hail of gunfire and even the steel of bayonets, resulting in the death of approximately 4,000 troops.

Across five beaches and 50 miles of coastline, Allied troops successful retook the coast of France.

Topics: Current Events Tags: d-day, events, faith June 5, 2019 by Jim Daly

A Moment in Times Square and the Lies of the Left

I want to tell you a story.

Just a little over two weeks ago, on the first Saturday in May, I was standing in the middle of New York City’s Times Square.

As many of you know, I was there to participate in Focus on the Family’s historic “Alive from New York” celebration, the largest ever gathering of pro-life supporters in the Empire State.

We had prayed and planned for 10,000 people.

By 3:00 P.M., under a sunny and clear blue sky, nearly 20,000 individuals had flooded into the iconic “Crossroads of the World.”

The invitation to come watch a live 4D ultrasound of a third-trimester baby – in the middle of a city where more black babies are aborted than born each year – had clearly struck a nerve.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, New York, Times Square May 22, 2019 by Jim Daly

Please Take Action on the So-Called “Equality Act”

The late liberal activist Saul Alinsky, author of the book, Rules for Radicals, once famously observed, “He who controls the language controls the masses.”

While there is probably very little, if almost anything, I agree with Alinsky on, his statement concerning the use of words to frame an issue is spot-on.

Words mean things – but they’re easily manipulated to mean things that are simply not true.

History is full of people who attempt to use soft words to describe dark deeds.

Topics: Current Events Tags: current events, Equality Act, government, news May 15, 2019 by Jim Daly

Watch: Highlights from Alive from New York!

With nearly 20,000 people jammed into New York City’s Times Square, this past Saturday’s historic “Alive from New York” ultrasound event exceeded all expectations.

Some of you may have been there. Many others may have watched.

As an event, it had it all: beautiful and inspirational music from Christian recording artists Francesca Battistelli and Phil King, passionate and compelling speeches from evangelist Alveda King, former NFL star Benjamin Watson, actress Ashley Bratcher, pro-life stalwarts Marjorie Dannenfelser and Christina Bennett, and abortion survivors Melissa Ohden, Josiah Presley and Claire Culwell – and the live 4D ultrasound of former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson’s baby.

Topics: Current Events Tags: abortion, faith, New York, pro-life May 8, 2019 by Jim Daly

Times Square Billboard Owners Are Refusing to Lease Us Space – Please Express Your Disappointment

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On today’s Focus on the Family radio broadcast, I mentioned that corporate forces have refused to lease us space on some of the massive digital billboards in Times Square for our upcoming “Alive from New York” event.

In many ways, this blockade only confirms what we’ve long known. There are many people who don’t want the world to see these images of pre-born life, because the abortion industry is predicated on a lie – namely that a baby is just a blob of tissue inside the womb.

Topics: Current Events Tags: abortion, broadcast, New York, pro-life, Times Square May 1, 2019 by Jim Daly

Come Join Us on the See Life Clearly Ultrasound Roadshow!

By now you’re aware that Focus on the Family will be hosting the largest pro-life event in Times Square history on Saturday, May 4th. We’re calling it, “Alive from New York,” and it will feature live music, inspiring speakers – and live 4D ultrasounds.

Ultrasound technology is a proven tool to help save pre-born life. In fact, over the course of the last 15 years, Focus on the Family has helped save an estimated 425,000 babies by placing ultrasound machines in high-abortion-risk areas of the country.

Topics: Current Events Tags: abortion, faith, pro-life April 24, 2019 by Jim Daly

Notre Dame Fire Reminds Us that God Often Uses Suffering to Shape and Mold Us

Monday’s fire at the famed cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris riveted the world, as television outlets broke into regularly scheduled programing to show the devastation unfold in real time.

As my friend and former Focus board member Dr. Al Mohler reflected, “What burned was not just a tremendous loss to architecture, it was a tremendous loss to western civilization, and it points to an even greater loss: A spiritual loss that came before the architectural loss.”

Dr.

Topics: Current Events Tags: easter, events, faith April 17, 2019 by Jim Daly

Virginia Basketball Coach Tony Bennett’s Five Pillars to Live By is a Blueprint for Success

By now you’ve likely heard of Tony Bennett. No, not the legendary 92-year-old singer – the 49-year-old head coach of the NCAA National Championship basketball team from the University of Virginia.

A former star college player in his own right who also played three seasons in the NBA, Tony Bennett shepherded his team of collegians to a national championship a year after having suffered an embarrassing loss in the first round of the tournament.

The ignominious defeat in 2018 – the only time a # 1 seed has lost to a # 16 seed – could have easily demoralized Bennett and his squad.

Topics: Current Events Tags: basketball, events, faith, success, virginia April 10, 2019 by Jim Daly