Latest news with #HeritageFoundation
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.S. Supreme Court backs parents opting children out of LGBTQ-themed books
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday (June 27, 2025) ruled 6-3 to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons at public schools, a move critics warn threatens the future of secular education by opening the door to broad religious objections. The Justices reviewed an appeal brought by Christian and Muslim parents against a Maryland public school district that, in 2022, added books tackling prejudice and exploring gender identity to its elementary curriculum. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made fighting 'woke ideology' a hallmark of his second term, hailed the outcome as a 'great ruling for parents'. 'They lost control of the schools and they lost control of their child, and this is a tremendous victory for parents,' he said at a White House press conference. The Court found that the Montgomery County parents were likely to prevail in their claim that blocking them from opting out 'unconstitutionally burdens' their religious freedom. 'For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children,' wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. He said the books in question 'are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected.' Justice Alito cited specific texts, including 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding', which celebrates gay marriage, and 'Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope', about a transgender boy. The right-wing Heritage Foundation, which authored the blueprint for Mr. Trump's second term, also praised the ruling as 'a resounding victory for parents across America, affirming their fundamental right to guide their children's moral and religious upbringing'. In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — defended public schools as places where 'children of all faiths and backgrounds' gain exposure to a pluralistic society. 'That experience is critical to our Nation's civic vitality,' she wrote. 'Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs.' She warned of a slippery slope: 'Books expressing implicit support for patriotism, women's rights, interfaith marriage, consumption of meat, immodest dress, and countless other topics may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs and thus trigger stringent judicial review under the majority's test.' The ruling could even reopen settled legal ground on how schools teach evolution and other scientific topics, said Daniel Mach, a legal expert with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'The issue had come up many times in lower courts, including where parents claimed a religious right to opt out of biology lessons on evolution,' he told AFP. 'In each of those cases, the courts rejected the claim, but now with today's decision, the door has been bashed open to invite all manner of objections.' Mach warned that schools may now choose to self-censor rather than navigate a patchwork of opt-outs in anticipation of lawsuits.
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
US Supreme Court allows parents to opt children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons
The US Supreme Court on Friday ruled 6-3 to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons at public schools, a move critics warn threatens the future of secular education by opening the door to broad religious objections. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for majority that "for many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children".(AFP) The justices reviewed an appeal brought by Christian and Muslim parents against a Maryland public school district that, in 2022, added books tackling prejudice and exploring gender identity to its elementary curriculum. President Donald Trump, who has made fighting "woke ideology" a hallmark of his second term, hailed the outcome as a "great ruling for parents." "They lost control of the schools and they lost control of their child, and this is a tremendous victory for parents," he said at a White House press conference. The court found that the Montgomery County parents were likely to prevail in their claim that blocking them from opting out "unconstitutionally burdens" their religious freedom. "For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children," wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. He said the books in question "are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated, and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected." Alito cited specific texts including "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," which celebrates gay marriage, and "Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope," about a transgender boy. The right-wing Heritage Foundation, which authored the blueprint for Trump's second term, also praised the ruling as "a resounding victory for parents across America, affirming their fundamental right to guide their children's moral and religious upbringing." Evolution next? In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- defended public schools as places where "children of all faiths and backgrounds" gain exposure to a pluralistic society. "That experience is critical to our Nation's civic vitality," she wrote. "Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs." She warned of a slippery slope: "Books expressing implicit support for patriotism, women's rights, interfaith marriage, consumption of meat, immodest dress, and countless other topics may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs and thus trigger stringent judicial review under the majority's test." The ruling could even reopen settled legal ground on how schools teach evolution and other scientific topics, said Daniel Mach, a legal expert with the American Civil Liberties Union. "The issue had come up many times in lower courts, including where parents claimed a religious right to opt out of biology lessons on evolution," he told AFP. "In each of those cases, the courts rejected the claim, but now with today's decision, the door has been bashed open to invite all manner of objections." Mach warned that schools may now choose to self-censor rather than navigate a patchwork of opt-outs in anticipation of lawsuits.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Jilted Conservatives Whose Mail Vanished Sue Airbnb Over Proxies
Airbnb Inc. is the epitome of digital, frictionless, the-world-at-your-fingertips capitalism — unless you want to file a shareholder proposal. Then it's all about paper, shipping labels and who's manning the mailroom. That's the central complaint from two Airbnb investors who filed a joint lawsuit earlier this month accusing the short-term rental company of pulling a vanishing act with both of their shareholder proposals. Conservative activist investors the Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025, and American Conservative Values ETF (ticker ACVF) say they separately mailed physical copies of proposals — as required by company bylaws — to Airbnb headquarters in December and have FedEx receipts showing someone signed for them. But Airbnb said it never received them, and blamed FedEx for fudging the receipts. And so started the saga of the mailroom mystery.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
A 22-year-old college grad with no security experience is now leading a government terror prevention team: ‘Putting the intern in charge'
A 22-year-old college graduate with no previous government leadership or security experience appointed to a major posting at the Department of Homeland Security is now drawing further scrutiny from President Donald Trump's Democratic critics in the wake of military strikes against Iran and warnings from officials about the heightened risk of terror attacks at home. Thomas Fugate, a former Heritage Foundation intern and self-described 'Trumplican,' joined DHS in a leadership role at the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, known as CP3 in May. The CP3, which works to combat terrorism, school shootings and other hate-driven violence, oversees an $18 million grant program intended to help communities battle violent extremism. The appointment of the recent University of San Antonio grad put counterterrorism experts and insiders on edge, ProPublica first reported in early June. 'It sounds like putting the intern in charge,' a counterterrorism researcher who has experience working with CP3 told the outlet. 'We're entering very dangerous territory,' another longtime counterterrorism official said. Those warnings were echoed by Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, on Sunday after the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that 'ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States'. On Saturday evening, Donald Trump authorized military strikes against three Iranian nuclear sites the administration and Israeli government claimed were part of a renewed push by Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons. The U.S. has not provided evidence to back up its assertion. While Trump officials warn publicly against retaliation, the strikes are the most significant military action committed by the U.S. against Iran in years. 'As our nation girds for possible Iranian terrorist attacks, this is the person Trump put in charge of terrorism prevention. 22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk. Never worked a day in counter-terrorism. But he's a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job,' wrote Murphy on Twitter. Though Fugate's position at CP3 involves levels of responsibility far beyond his previous experiences, he's far from the final authority in the Trump administration overseeing counterrorism efforts. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces are the main investigative body in this matter; CP3 does not engage in law enforcement or data collection duties, per its own website. The agency instead works with local government entities on violence prevention programs. But officials spoke out about Fugate's appointment nonetheless as spring saw a number of high-profile, violent incidents, including the attack in Boulder, Colorado, the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and a car bombing outside a California fertility center. Fugate took over from Army veteran Bill Braniff, who resigned in March after the Trump administration cut 20 percent of his staff. Another Twitter user wrote of his appointment Saturday evening: 'If Iran activates sleeper cells, I feel safe knowing Trump appointed this 23 year old to run counter terrorism operations at Department of Homeland Security.' Braniff had more than 20 years' experience in national security. 'If I cannot advance the prevention mission from inside of the government for now, I will do what I can outside of government,' he wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing his resignation. 'CP3 is the inheritor of the primary and founding mission of DHS - to prevent terrorism,' he added. Braniff's achievements in the post included funneling nearly $90 million since 2020 toward helping communities tackle extremist violence. Replacing Braniff with Fugate is 'an insult,' a source told ProPublica. Braniff helped with the move 'toward evidence-based approaches to terrorism prevention' in a field still dealing with post-9/11 work that was predisposed to stigmatizing Muslims, the source added. 'They really started to shift the conversation and shift the public thinking. It was starting to get to the root of the problem,' they said. 'Now that's all gone.' Before taking up the new leadership responsibilities, Fugate was hired as a 'special assistant' in an immigration office at the Department of Homeland Security. The department told The Independent that Fugate was 'temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities' in CP3 'due to his success.' Staffers he works with, however, have likened meeting with him to 'career counseling' while expressing shock at how little he appears to know about the role, the outlet reported. According to Fugate's LinkedIn profile, he worked as a gardener briefly in 2020 before embarking on fellowships and internships, including at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He worked on the Trump campaign last year where he attended the Republican National Convention. He also served as secretary general of a Model United Nations club. He shared photos in recent months at the White House. In one post, he gushed about taking 'the first major leap' of his career. The criticism of the 22-year-old follows similar outrage over Elon Musk's hiring of teenagers in the Department of Government Efficiency. Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old Northeastern University drop-out, was part of a group of young DOGE engineers who were given access to critical computer systems as part of the Trump administration 's efforts to gut the federal government. President Donald Trump stood by the group after widespread criticism earlier this year. 'I'm very proud of the job that this group of young people, generally young people, but very smart people, they're doing,' Trump said.
LeMonde
6 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
The Heritage Foundation sets its sights on Europe
Behind the thick velvet curtains of the Cercle de l'Union Interalliée, a lavish Parisian club on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, a high-profile political reception was taking place, just a stone's throw from the Elysée presidential palace. Ties were mandatory for the guests who, on the evening of May 26, gathered to soak up "the future of conservatism in France and in the West," as promised by the invitation card. The host was an American, unknown to the French public, who holds a piece of the United States' destiny in his hands. Kevin Roberts presides over the powerful Heritage Foundation, the most influential conservative think tank in the orbit of Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. It paved the way for Donald Trump's return to power by providing him with the highly radical Project 2025, the unofficial blueprint for his term in office. Bald, wearing a pin of Heritage's Liberty Bell-inspired logo on his jacket, Roberts, 50, displayed the articulateness of a university professor. Born in southern Louisiana, he has been one of the most zealous ideologues of Trump's second presidency, determined to "burn" everything – he has a penchant for radical metaphors – in order to reshape America into a nationalist and reactionary version of itself. Since 2021, he has led the Heritage Foundation and its 350 employees. The historian by training earns nearly $1 million a year in this role. He is a regular at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence, and has developed a genuine friendship with JD Vance, the 40-year-old nationalist-Catholic vice president, who is idolized by the far right on both sides of the Atlantic. Roberts is above all one of the unofficial envoys for a major objective of Trump's second term: weaving a network with "civilizational allies in Europe," as the US State Department put it in a strategic memo published on May 27. The document mentions the Trump team's intent to promote their vision of a "shared cultural heritage," stretching from Paris to Warsaw. At the end of May, Roberts traveled to France for the first time, with that very goal in mind.
