Courtroom Conflict, a Billion in Bets, and More This Week

Current Events
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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

Family Council Joins Amicus Brief Defending Parental Rights Before 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief argues that “the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children is essential to liberty and is deeply rooted in American tradition and practice,” and that schools undermine parental rights when they deceive parents about a child’s gender dysphoria or social transition at school. Keep Reading.

Louisiana Still Waging Legal Battle Over Abortion Drugs in Federal Court. The State of Louisiana and our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom are waging an ongoing legal battle over the abortion drug mifepristone in federal court. Keep Reading.

U.S. Issues Sanctions Against Foreign Organization that Aided Violent Pro-Abortion Group “Jane’s Revenge.” On August 26, the U.S. Department of State designated Autistici/Inventati (A/I Collective) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Keep Reading.

Founder of “Have My Baby in Miami” Pleads the Fifth During Congressional Inquiry into Birth Tourism. On September 1, the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses conducted a hearing regarding birth tourism. During the hearing, Task Force Chairman Brandon Gill (R-Texas) asked Dr. Wladimir Lorentz, founder of Have My Baby in Miami, whether his business facilitated birth tourism. Dr. Lorentz pled the Fifth in response to the questions. Keep Reading.

Arkansans On Track to Wager Almost $1 Billion on Sports This Year. The figure does not take into account “prediction market” wagers on sports or illegal sports betting. Keep Reading.

Antisemitism on the Rise, Again: Guest Column. According to a new report from the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, “In both the number of lethal attacks and the number of casualties, 2025 was the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks . . . in more than 30 years.” Keep Reading.

Courageous Culture Building in a World of Desecration. Walking the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland I saw a long line of historic buildings and cobblestone streets that millions traverse every year. As my group walked along the historic alleyways and the famous Royal Mile, rainbow flags came into view. Keep Reading.

Temu Denies Allegations That It Engaged in Deceptive Trade. Temu is an online shopping platform similar to Amazon or Walmart.com. In 2023, Temu was reported to be the most widely downloaded app in the U.S., and its multibillion-dollar marketing campaign — which included a Super Bowl ad in 2024 — contributed to its success. But Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Temu in 2024, alleging Temu uses bargain pricing as a lure so the company can secretly harvest users’ private information. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

Melissa McKay Protects Kids, Restores Parents’ Rights Through ‘App Store Accountability Act.’ From Daily Citizen.

Will We Also Speak the Truth? Remembering Charlie Kirk one year later. From Them Before Us.

McKenna West Asks Supreme Court to Let Her Fight for Baby Gabriel’s Care. From LifeNews.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Courageous Culture Building in a World of Desecration

Culture, ,

Walking the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland I saw a long line of historic buildings and cobblestone streets that millions traverse every year. As my group walked along the historic alleyways and the famous Royal Mile, rainbow flags came into view. They were being displayed for the pride parade taking place downtown. I even saw a “pride” banner on the grounds of the Tolbooth Kirk which was originally designed to be a meeting hall for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In the same field of view, a Scotsman, dressed in full kilt, played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. I saw an older gentleman bravely standing amidst the pro-LGBTQ crowd with a sign that told people Jesus loved them, calling them to repent.

I had no idea there would be a pride parade that day with hundreds of people crowding the streets, including drag queens. The city center became incredibly crowded with an influx of people, some celebrating, others taken aback at what they saw, and some simply trying to eat their lunch.

I recall thinking of the dramatic contrast between the noise of the bagpipe blaring out Amazing Grace and the boisterous clamoring of people celebrating pride, all in a beautiful country that has a rich history of Christian reformers. 

Back in the U.S, things are hardly different. One day I saw a bumper sticker that read, “ I love my gay dog.” And here I thought Aristotle said that the thing which separates the human animal from all other animals was man’s ability to reason. Now humans are confusing the poor animals with their “reasoning.” Just like the scene in Edinburgh, these sorts of odd statements are a downstream effect of humanity’s denial of God and His statutes. It is an all too unfortunate result of individuals and families who push away the abundant blessings that God offers. 

Vice President JD Vance’s new book Communion talks of this denial of God’s truth. In the book, the Vice President explains his own return to faith, but he also explains the societal disease that has inflicted society as a whole—Secularism. Individuals, societies, politics, marriages, and the dynamics of world leadership are infected by the destruction of Secularism. As a result, life spans are shorter, people are having fewer kids or none at all, gay marriage has risen, and hopelessness is rampant. 

Thankfully, truth can be found in God’s word and His gospel. Every human being is made in the image of God and because of this, our value system should stem from that understanding. As Christians, we should always be making the case for a return to faith in God as the foundation for flourishing families and fulfilling lives. This is culture building. When humanity gets the truth distorted, it needs the light of the gospel. If Christians do not stand up and fight secularism and the distortions it inflicts, humanity will fall into the depravity that calls dogs gay and more tragically, desecrate themselves in the process. 

Erin Hogan has worked with Family Council since January of 2019, where she serves as Director of Government Relations.

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