Judge blocks Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Louisiana’s new law requiring all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments was temporarily blocked on Tuesday by a judge who called it “unconstitutional on its face and in all applications.”
A multi-faith group of Louisiana families with children in public schools sued the state to challenge the law, HB 71, which mandates that public schools — from kindergarten to the collegiate level — display the religious text in every classroom on “a poster or framed document that is at least 11 inches by 14 inches.”
The lawsuit argues that requiring poster-sized displays of religious doctrine in classrooms violates the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights and the separation of church and state.
The suit further argues that the law violates a U.S. Supreme Court precedent, pointing to the Stone v. Graham case in which the court overturned a similar 1980 Kentucky law, holding that the separation of church and state bars public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Supporters of the law say the Ten Commandments have historical significance to the foundation of U.S. history and are not just a religious text.
In July, both parties agreed that the Ten Commandments would not be posted in any public school classroom and that defendants — including the state’s Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education — would not publicly move forward on the law’s implementation until the court’s decision in November.
Florida also recently passed a policy which allowed volunteer religious chaplains to serve as student counselors. The ACLU has expressed “grave concerns” over Florida’s policy but legal challenges have yet to be filed in that matter.
(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Kai Trump, President-elect Donald Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter, released an “Election Night Vlog” on her YouTube channel Monday afternoon, where she took viewers behind the scenes into her family’s experience awaiting results on election night.
“I’m ready to party it up tonight, and hopefully we can catch a dub,” Kai Trump said, tapping into Gen-Z slang.
She provided an inside look into the viral family photo taken in Mar-a-Lago on election night, with footage featuring Trump talking about “dark MAGA” hats and insisting on including surrogate Elon Musk in the shot.
“Elon? You have to have a picture with your boy,” Trump said. “You have to get Elon with his boy. Gorgeous, perfect boy.”
Early in the evening, the family was seated around four TV screens displaying ABC News, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC newscasts as they eagerly awaited for results to filter in. Trump could be briefly seen sitting silently facing the TV screens.
“He’s up right now 20 Electoral College votes, so I think that’s pretty solid,” Kai said, describing the newscast results at the moment.
Providing a more casual, lighthearted glimpse into night, Kai also recorded herself getting her hair and makeup done, picking out her outfit, and taking selfies with family members.
Additional shots featured Kai driving to Mar-a-Lago and the Palm Beach County Convention Center, cracking jokes with a friend about Nutella, and singing along to “Money, Money, Money” from the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack — what she said was her go-to song whenever she pulls into Mar-a-Lago. The crowd could also be seen emulating Trump’s signature dance moves.
In addition to these lighter moments, Kai also opened up about the emotional aspect of the night, particularly in terms of her nerves.
“The past five days, I have been so nervous, like I feel like I’ve had butterflies in my stomach for so long,” she said, in addition to later expressing her anxieties by “stress-eating” sweet treats. Later in the video, she explains how she began “tearing up” when Pennsylvania was called for Trump.
Towards the end of the vlog, Kai announced that they were headed to say hello to Vice President-elect JD Vance, though the footage did not feature him. Melania Trump was also not seen or mentioned in the video.
While Kai did not record Trump’s ultimate victory or the celebratory events/reactions following the results, she later filmed a one-on-one explaining her admiration of her grandfather.
“I just finished playing 18 holes with him. It was his first time playing in probably 90 days or more,” she said, before recapping the sentimental value of Election Night. “It’s his last time running, so it was so special for him to win,” she said.
The oldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr., Kai recently stepped into the public eye after delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention in July in which she described Trump as a “normal grandpa” who is “very caring and loving.”
Kai’s YouTube channel, which has 133k subscribers, consists of additional vlogs featuring her golf skills and other behind-the-scenes glimpses into her life. She is also active on TikTok with 934.7k followers.
(NEW YORK) — Since being tapped as President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been criticized by medical and public health experts for his anti-vaccine history, his current vaccine skepticism, his take on the COVID-19 pandemic — and by some for his descriptions of fluorinated water. But some of the environmental attorney’s views are also receiving support from some unexpected sources.
On Wednesday, renowned food author Michael Pollan echoed those criticisms — but offered some praise for Kennedy’s criticism of the American food industry, which Kennedy has accused of propagating obesity and chronic disease.
“He’s voicing a critique of the food system that is important,” Pollan told ABC News, while making clear he was drawing a “strong distinction” between Kennedy’s food stances and his medical advice — and that he thinks Kennedy is a “horrible” choice for the job.
Pollan’s comments join a stance taken in recent days by some prominent Democrats who have praised Kennedy for his vows to “Make America Healthy Again,” in part by tackling the food industry — while condemning him for his years working against vaccine health policies.
The comments from Pollan to ABC News came after he shared a seemingly positive article on social media about Kennedy titled, “They’re lying about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” — a move that prompted Kennedy himself to reply and suggest they work together.
“Thanks @michaelpollan!” Kennedy wrote Thursday on X. “I’d love to work with you to restore our public health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science and Make America Healthy Again.”
Asked if he would take Kennedy up on the offer, Pollan was clear: “No.”
“I’ve got my role to play, and that’s not the role,” he told ABC News.
Kennedy has faced fierce criticism over his claims that vaccines are behind an “epidemic” of diseases in America, and that cavity-fighting mineral fluoride, added in small amounts to some drinking water, is “industrial waste.” Pollan said Kennedy’s stances on vaccines and fluoride “seem nutty” and that he was overall a “horrible” pick to lead HHS.
But Pollan — who has authored multiple books, including several on the effects of food on the human body — offered some praise for Kennedy for his views on ultra-processed food and the overuse of corn and soy.
“He’s injected these issues into the national conversation, and I think that’s a big deal,” Pollan said.
He also praised Kennedy for linking the epidemic of obesity and chronic disease to agricultural policies — a move he said is “really important.”
“I’m looking for glimmers in an otherwise bleak landscape,” Pollan said.
Pollan’s approval of Kennedy’s food stances follows similar praise from some Democrat officials.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “excited by the news” that Kennedy had been appointed to lead HHS, writing on X that he was “most optimistic” about Kennedy “taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health.”
He wrote in a subsequent post that “Science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy” and said “the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety,” but noted that he is “for a major shake-up in institutions like the FDA that have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices.”
Earlier this week, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey posted a video on social media about how he has been “raising the alarm of the dangers of our current food system.”
“Food in America is making us sick,” Booker said in the video. Though he did not mention Kennedy by name, Kennedy reposted the video, thanking Booker for his “long history of leadership on this issue.”
Asked by ABC News, Booker said he had not yet made up his mind on Kennedy’s nomination, saying that Kennedy would need to go through the confirmation process and that Kennedy’s stances on vaccines were “very troubling.” He added he was “super skeptical of the Trump administration’s efforts in any way to say that they are going to be doing things to make us more healthy.”
Still, Booker added he was “happy to hear” Kennedy on some of the issues around health, saying, “There’s a growing coalition in America from both sides of the aisle really demanding change. I hope, if the Trump administration is willing to do something right and positive on these issues, I’ll be right there.”
“When it comes to RFK, we’re going to look at the totality of his record, we’re going to evaluate and make a decision, but my focus is trying to block Trump from doing more damage to Americans health, like he did last time,” Booker said.
Pollan, for his part, questioned just how much Trump would let Kennedy make true reforms to the food industry, should Kennedy be confirmed.
“I have my doubts about whether Trump is going to give him authority to do what he wants to do around food,” Pollan said of Kennedy, who over the weekend was in a viral photo eating McDonald’s with Trump and others on Trump’s plane. “Whether he’ll get anywhere, I have my doubts — but I am pleased to see these issues getting talked about.”
(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory is already beginning to elicit requests from his supporters charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol for delays in their cases due to the potential they could be pardoned after Trump’s inauguration.
Attorneys for Christopher Carnell, a 21-year-old defendant from North Carolina who was found guilty earlier this year of felony and misdemeanor charges over his participation in the Capitol assault, requested Wednesday morning that D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell delay a status hearing in his case scheduled for later this week, citing Trump’s past promises to pardon his supporters.
“Throughout his campaign, President-elect Trump made multiple clemency promises to the January 6 defendants, particularly to those who were nonviolent participants,” their filing said. “Mr. Carnell, who was an 18 year old nonviolent entrant into the Capitol on January 6, is expecting to be relieved of the criminal prosecution that he is currently facing when the new administration takes office.”
Judge Howell denied Carnell’s request to delay his status hearing in an order on Wednesday.
The filing had stated that Carnell’s attorneys reached out to Trump’s office to get further information “regarding the timing and expected scope of clemency actions relevant to his case.”
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 1,500 people across the country in the last four years over their roles in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, part of what the Justice Department has described as one of the largest criminal investigations in its history.
The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office has continued to arrest individuals on a near-daily basis, many of whom have been charged with carrying out violent assaults on police protecting the building.
In addition to Trump’s promises to pardon many of those who participated in the attack, it’s widely expected the ongoing criminal investigation will be shuttered once Trump takes office.
