272 Easter 2: Opting Out of Evil
“Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!” ~ Psalm 148
On the Radar
Parents vs the State
The US Supreme Court heard argument last week in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case brought by Muslim, Jewish, and Orthodox Christian parents in Montgomery County, Maryland. The parents are seeking the right to be notified when LGBTQ content will be used in classrooms so they can opt their children out—particularly from books promoting LGBTQ themes to children as young as three or four. Lower courts ruled against the parents, arguing that mere exposure to differing viewpoints does not violate religious rights. But Justice Alito disagreed, saying that the books clearly carry a “moral message.”
John Stonestreet of the Colson Center commented, ““The state is not good at raising kids. The state does not have the kids’ best interests in mind... When [children are] being put under forces of indoctrination, [parents] are being removed from the process.” Critics of the case argue that requiring teachers to anticipate what might offend religious families is impossible, and they accuse the Court of fast-tracking the case to promote right-wing causes. But supporters say that the stakes are high, should the Court should rule against parents. As Stonestreet says, arguments in the case show how wide-ranging it impact could be: “What is sex? What is a child? Who does a child belong to? Who has rights here? What is the relationship between discrimination and freedom?” Court watchers expect the Justices may issue a narrow ruling—protecting constitutional freedoms without "unleashing chaos."
A thought: Parents are called to be the primary protectors and teachers of their children. Scripture commands us to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). While progressives in our culture believe that exposure to many moralities will enable a child to choose their true identity, they conveniently ignore the fact that sin spreads, capitalizing on confusion and permissiveness. Our kids will need to learn what they believe and why they believe it, if they are to confront the lies of the world. But it’s more important than ever for parents to stay vigilant, to know what their children are being taught, and to plant the seeds of truth early and deeply.
Black Robes Going Rogue
A New Mexico judge has been charged with obstruction and harboring members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Efforts to arrest a suspected illegal Venezuelan immigrant, Cristhian Ortega Lopez, led to the discovery that several men had been invited by Judge Jose Cano and his wife to live in a guesthouse on their property. Judge Cano admitted to smashing a phone he believed might incriminate Ortega Lopez for illegally possessing firearms. He insists he had no idea they wrestled TdA members until agents raided his home. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Ortega Lopez’s social media posts included images of two decapitated victims. Meanwhile, federal agents also arrested a Milwaukee County circuit judge who allegedly helped an illegal immigrant escape from her courthouse as agents moved to detain him.
The Blitz
Life
Birth, Death and Marriage
God be praised! An Illinois judge has struck down a ruling that requires pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers to promote abortion. (The Federalist)
Newly-appointed head of the US Food and Drug Administration, Marty Markary, has reiterated a promise to investigate any safety signals found in data on abortion drug mifepristone, but stopped short of a ban, which pro-life advocates had been hoping for. (Semafor)
Organizers of the Boston Marathon have include a “non-binary” category for this year’s event but have not excluded “trans-women” from the women’s race. This means a man could win every event. (Daily Wire)
A new survey claims that the percentage of Americans who don’t want children doubled in the last 20 years. (Futurity)
Health
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has announced that 8 artificial “petroleum-based” food dyes will be phased out of American food. The phase out is not an official ban, but based on a "mutual understanding" between food industry and health authorities. (USA Today)
The National Institutes of Health is launching a “transformative real-world data initiative” which will “support research into the causes of autism.” Privacy advocates are concerned that data “aggregation includes pharmacy transactions, insurance claims, clinical test results, and even personal metrics collected from wearable tech such as fitness trackers and smartwatches.” NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya says the data will be secured with “state of the art“ protections. (Reclaim the Net)
The bad data that created the myth of Blue Zones. (Kite and Key)
Some US schools have introduced sleep training courses for teenagers. Social media drama, glowing devices and being overscheduled are impacting teenagers’ ability to get a good night’s rest, according to experts. (AP)
Treasure
Money, Markets and Jobs
Global stock markets rallied after Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, told investors that China knows a trade war is unsustainable and has begun talks with the US. China has denied that talks have commenced, but Secretary Bessent says that message was aimed at a Chinese audience. Bitcoin also surged, reaching $90,282, outperforming traditional assets like the S&P 500. (CNBC, The Guardian, CNBC)
The US Department of Education announced it will begin collecting federal student loan repayments after a covid hiatus. Around 5 million debtors are reportedly in default. (Reuters)
Elon Musk announced he will reduce his involvement with the Trump administration to focus on Tesla. The company reported a drop in first quarter revenue, with critics chalking it up to Musk’s “extremist views” and lack of clear vision for the car manufacturer. (BBC, Futurism) | Slate Auto, a new vehicle start-up backed by Jeff Bezos will offer a direct-to-consumer, bare bones, customizable electric truck, which it says will start at $20,000 after green rebates. (Fast Company)
Metropolis
Politics and the State
President Trump has taken aim at the creeping reach of the Civil Rights Act, issuing an executive order to eliminate “disparate impact theory” from civil rights analysis and enforcement. The theory has formed the basis for ideas such as “systemic racism” which suggest that uneven outcomes mean there is discrimination in the system. (City Journal)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has unveiled a plan to reduce the size of the State Department. (Semafor)
Reality Bytes
Digital Technology
Meta says it has a pretty good strike rate in keeping teens from posing as adults by using AI to help determine if they’re lying about their age. (TechCrunch, WNG) | The company’s oversight board, which was set up in 2019 and operates independently, has “sharply rebuked” Meta for reducing restrictions on speech and cutting fact-checking. (Reuters)
YouTube is 20. (Variety)
Rumor has it that “OpenAI is working on its own X-like social network.” (The Verge)
TikTok is testing “footnotes”, a crowd-sourced moderation feature, like that used on X. (TechCrunch)
Are learning machines too polite?
Tell Me I’m Wrong (But Be Nice About It)
Chatter about chatbot manners has become a thing in recent weeks. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently defended the practice of saying "please" and "thank you" to AI bots like ChatGPT, even though it reportedly uses more electricity, calling it "tens of millions of dollars well spent." One Microsoft manager said that fostering politeness means that machines w…
Tribes and Tongues
Immigration and Race
The Trump administration has reversed its termination of foreign student visas. Students subject to visa cancellation “appeared to have participated in political protests or have had previous criminal charges, such as driving infractions”, according to BBC. Immigration authorities say they are working on a new system to track visa compliance among foreign students. (BBC)
Hearts and Minds
Philosophy, Hacks and Human Connection
The world’s first advice column. (LitHub)
The Elements
The Natural World
Oof: “Atlantic salmon exposed to anti-anxiety medication during their migration were more successful in reaching their destination than drug-free fish.” (NPR)
Learning
Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms
Harvard University has sued the Trump administration to challenge a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal research funding and threats to withhold a further $9 billion. The University arguing that the Administration is attempting to control academic decision-making under the pretext of addressing antisemitism. Harvard rejected demands to audit faculty, end DEI programs, and appoint an external overseer. (Harvard Gazette)
President Trump signed 7 executive orders targeting education, promoting meritocratic standards and excellence as a goal. (Just the News)
Knowledge
Science and Data
Researchers at UC Berkeley have used tiny doses of laser light to trick people into seeing what they hail as a brand new color, a “profoundly saturated teal” which they call olo. (Futurity)
War and Rumors of War
Conflict and Weaponry
President Trump has appealed to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on social media, telling him to stop the aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine was reportedly hit with one of the deadliest missile strikes in months. Just hours ago, the Kremlin issued a three-day full ceasefire to commemorate the end of WWII for the Soviet Union. It is still unclear what concession Russia could be made to give if a peace settlement were to be reached. President Zelensky says Ukraine will not agree to freezing the current frontlines or forfeiting its territory, even as the White House mulls recognising Crimea as Russian. (ZeroHedge, The Guardian, MSN)
India has revoked a water treaty and closed its border with Pakistan after a terrorist attack at a resort in an Indian-controlled Kashmiri province left 26 people dead. (CBS)
Footage shows China demonstrating a magnesium hydride bomb. (ZeroHedge) | Google Earth has captured the construction of Chinese submarines. (Not the Bee)
The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to remove anyone with gender dysphoria from the military. (Epoch Times, The Federalist)
Stories From Far Away
World News
🇨🇦 Canadians head to the polls today to vote in national elections. Early voting hit record levels after the election was announced by Prime Minister, Mark Carney. The reigning liberal party was seemingly down and out earlier this year, but anti-Trump sentiment stirred by Canadian media has seen polls tip in their favor. (WNG, ABC) | A man has driven a car into a festival crowd in Vancouver, killing at least 9 people. (Just the News)
🇨🇭Klaus Schwab, the leader of the World Economic Forum, has stepped down amid allegations that he and his wife used WEF funds for lavish holidays. Former head of Nestlé, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, will take over leadership of the Forum. Critics of Brabeck-Letmath expect global scheming to continue at the WEF, noting that his mission to police the world’s fresh water is troubling. (Swiss Info, Not the Bee, Institute for Management Development via YouTube)
🇬🇧 A woman in the UK has been fined for standing near an abortion clinic holding a sign which offered the opportunity to chat. (The Federalist)
🇪🇬 Africa’s Space Agency (AfSA) has officially been inaugurated at its Cairo headquarters. (Space)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
🇯🇵 Japan had robots in the 1600s
👩👩 Seeing double: Twin sisters give a bewildering joint account of carjacking
🟰 Math and music: What you see is what you hear
👞 Understanding why some shoes last longer than others
🍄🟫 The world’s most bitter flavor
🐄 Images of Nebraska’s earliest homesteaders
🪺 What cause eggs to come in different colors?
🗡️ A murder map from medieval London
Good Word: Starfall 2029
Rev Fisk came back from Holy Week duties with a fresh update for Starfall2029 subscribers. Catch the discussion on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here.
Sweetness You May Have Missed:
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
You can also make a one-off or recurring donation here. Thank you!