Current Events – Page 4 – Family Council

From Chinese Infiltrators to Church Growth, Here’s a Recap of the Week’s Top Stories

May 22, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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

From Family Council

🚩 China Working to Infiltrate U.S., Rewrite the Bible: Different news outlets have reported recently about China’s efforts to infiltrate the United States and squelch religious liberty and free speech both in its own country and abroad. Keep Reading.

🏳️‍🌈 Tennessee Replaces “Pride Month” with Pro-Family Celebration: Policymakers in Tennessee recently adopted a pro-family resolution replacing “Pride Month” in the Volunteer State. Watch the Video.

🚨 Gambling Addiction Is a Growing Crisis — And Online Betting Is Making It Worse: Most states have legalized sports betting. Survey data shows more than half of men ages 18 – 49 have an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. “Prediction markets” that operate outside the scope of state regulation have exploded in recent years as well. But this type of gambling is taking a terrible toll on everyday people and their families. Keep Reading.

🥼 New Study Finds Genetic Links Between Marijuana and Psychosis: Researchers at King’s College London recently published a study identifying the genetic pathways that connect marijuana use to psychosis. Keep Reading.

🌷 Guest Column: Dying with Dignity vs. “Death with Dignity” In a recent episode of “60 Minutes,” interviewer Scott Pelley said to his guest, “You don’t have much time. Why are you spending time doing this?” His guest, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, who received a fatal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in December, replied with a laugh, “You invited me, so I assume you needed to fill some time.” Keep Reading.

🎓 EFA Data Shows Arkansas Homeschoolers Exceeded National Averages on Several Norm-Referenced Tests Last Year: Family Council recently obtained test scores from the Arkansas Department of Education via the Freedom of Information Act, and last week we reported that on average, homeschoolers scored better than private school students in the EFA program on norm-referenced tests. Keep Reading.

⛪ Church Attendance Is Up. Here’s Why That Matters. A recent report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found that median in-person worship attendance rose from 65 in 2020 to 70 in 2025. That may sound modest, but researchers called it significant. Keep Reading.

✉️ Family Council Joins Letter Urging Congressional Leaders Not to Fund Abortionists: Last week, Family Council joined more than 50 other pro-life leaders and organizations in a letter calling on Congress not to fund abortionists. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

What Does the FDA Shakeup Mean for Abortion Pill Review? From Daily Citizen.

SPLC’s Tactics to Silence Put Freedom at Risk. From The Washington Stand.

Psychiatrist Tells Canadian Parliament: Okay to Euthanize People With Depression. From LifeNews.

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

Educational Excellence, Courtroom Controversies — and Other Top Stories from This Week

May 15, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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

From Family Council

🎓 Arkansas Department of Education Data Shows Homeschoolers Excelling Under EFA Program: Homeschoolers participating in the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program under the LEARNS Act outperformed students in private schools on state-mandated tests, according to data that Family Council obtained from the Arkansas Department of Education under the Freedom of Information Act. Keep Reading.

📖 Arkansas State Library Board Advances Rules to Protect Children from Explicit Material: Arkansas is home to many public libraries all across the state, but in recent years, parents and policymakers alike have expressed serious concerns about obscene and explicit children’s books that some librarians have placed on the shelves of their local libraries. Last week, the Arkansas State Library Board advanced a proposal to help protect children from sexually explicit material in public libraries. Keep Reading.

💊 Family Council Joins Brief Asking SCOTUS to Block Mail-Order Abortion Drugs: Last week, Family Council joined 49 other pro-life organizations in a legal brief challenging mail-order abortion drugs before the U.S. Supreme Court. Keep Reading.

🏛️ Case Closed. Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Arkansas’ Pro-Life Laws: A Pulaski County Circuit Judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to undo Arkansas’ pro-life laws. Keep Reading.

🏀 Mid Vermont Christian School Back in Court: Attorneys representing a Christian school in Vermont were back in court on Friday after state officials refused to include the school in state programs. Keep Reading.

💸 Attorneys Say Online Sports Betting Is Bankrupting Families: As states have legalized sports betting, most men ages 18 – 49 now have an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. But this type of gambling is taking a terrible toll on individuals and their families. Bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal bankruptcies — especially among young men in their 20s and 30s. Keep Reading.

🍼 Guest Column: “There Is No Mama”. A recent video exposed the injustice at the heart of same-sex marriage and commercial surrogacy. In it, a man bouncing a baby on his lap asks, “Who do you want? Dada or Pop?” The baby answered, “Mama!” To which, both the man and his unseen partner behind the camera laughed and said, “There is no Mama.” They continue to badger the child, who then begins to cry. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

EXCLUSIVE: Acting FDA Commissioner says he’s pro-life, regrets past entanglement with Planned Parenthood. From LiveAction.

Sports Betting Harms Kids and Communities — What Parents Need to Know. From Daily Citizen.

Faithfulness, not Pride. From Breakpoint.

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

From Mail-Order Abortion to Shady Bets, Here are the Week’s Top Stories

May 8, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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

From Family Council

💊 Federal Court Finally Blocks Mail-Order Abortion Drugs Nationwide: On May 1, a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked mail-order abortion drugs nationwide, but on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court issued an administrative stay letting mail-order abortion drugs resume at least until 5:00 P.M. on Monday, May 11. Keep Reading.

💵 Arkansas Legislature Approves $3.5M in Grant Funding for Mothers with Unplanned Pregnancies: The Arkansas Legislature continues to put its money where its mouth is by approving millions of dollars in grant funding to support women with unplanned pregnancies. Keep Reading.

🎉 Pro-Life Centers Win Unanimous Supreme Court Victory: Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed New Jersey pregnancy centers can defend themselves from government overreach. Keep Reading.

🌡️ Forecast Calls for 100% Chance of Shady Bets: Last week, media outlets reported that French authorities are investigating unexplained temperature spikes at a Paris weather station following suspicious bets placed on the platform Polymarket. Keep Reading.

⚖️ Federal Agency Sues States That are Trying to Stop Prediction Market Gambling: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed lawsuits against New York and Wisconsin and filed legal briefs in Massachusetts, all to stop those states from applying their gambling laws to so-called “prediction markets.” Keep Reading.

😞 Sports Betting is Growing in America, But So is the Harm: Reports continue to show that sports betting is growing in America — but financial damage from predatory gambling is growing with it. Keep Reading.

🥼 Marijuana Hurts Teens’ Mental Health: A recent study shows once again that marijuana is harmful for teens and young adults. Keep Reading.

🏛️ Arkansas Attorney General Asks 8th Circuit to Keep Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds: Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office has appealed to the 8th Circuit to keep a monument of the Ten Commandments on the State Capitol Building grounds. Keep Reading.

🏀 Basketball Team Scores Big with Full Court Press for Religious Liberty: A Christian school in Vermont recently won a major legal victory — and the price tag for violating its constitutional rights was steep. Keep Reading.

📜 Here’s How the State Board of Education Could Fix Its EFA Rules: We have written repeatedly about how lawmakers could vote very soon a flawed set of rules governing the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program. Keep Reading.