Family Council Files Amicus in 8th Circuit — Plus Petition Problems, Marijuana Mayhem, Editing Embryos, and More

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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 Files Amicus Brief Defending Ten Commandments Monument in Federal Court. On Wednesday, attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom representing Family Council filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals defending Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments. The amicus brief identifies a basic flaw in the lawsuit against the monument, and it points out how the district court in Little Rock went against U.S. Supreme Court precedent when it ruled that anti-religion activists could demand religion be scrubbed from the public square. Keep Reading.

Secretary of State Says Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment Fails to Qualify for Ballot, Cites “Potential Signature Forgery” on Petitions. On Thursday, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester announced the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment failed to qualify for the November ballot, citing examples of “potential signature forgery” and other shortcomings on the amendment’s petitions. Keep Reading.

8th Circuit Panel Says Arkansas Can Protect Kids from Inappropriate Material in Public Libraries. On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Arkansas can enforce a law protecting children from inappropriate material in public libraries. Keep Reading.

Report Reminds Us Marijuana is Anything But “Harmless” On July 1, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a report showing that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) “has increased more than 500% since 2016.” The AAMC says in some cases CHS can cause seizures, heart rhythm problems, and kidney failure, and it can even be fatal. Keep Reading.

Illicit Marijuana Still Plagues Oklahoma Despite Lax Laws. Nationwide, marijuana’s supporters have claimed legalization would reduce crime by weakening organized crime, and today marijuana is legal to varying degrees in many states. But evidence shows legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels. Keep Reading.

Beyond Crispr: Recreating Man with Genetic Editing. Recently, the New York Times reported that scientists at Columbia University have used a new technology called “base editing” to alter the DNA of early human embryos with unprecedented accuracy. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

No Ballot for Voters Who Bet on Elections With Kalshi, Wisconsin Warns. From Daily Citizen.

University of Minnesota Unveils Dolls With Mix-and-Match Genitalia for Children. From Daily Citizen.

Pro-Life Group’s Van is Vandalized a Second Time. From LifeNews.

No, Islam is Not Kind to Christians. From Breakpoint.

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

Arkansas Continues to Put Its Money Where Its Moms Are — Plus More Stories From This Week

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Arkansas Gave $1.7M+ to Pregnancy Resource Centers in FY 2026. Arkansas’ financial records show the State awarded a total of $1,735,585 in grants to more than three dozen different pregnancy help organizations before the 2026 fiscal year ended on June 30. Keep Reading.

Women and Children Deserve Better than Mail-Order Abortion. Our friends at the Center for Christian Virtue recently released a video highlighting the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs — and what Americans can do to stop them. Keep Reading.

Here’s a Look at How Arkansas’ Laws Properly Safeguard Religious Liberty. One of the questions that comes up about religious liberty is how to protect the free exercise of religion without letting someone use that freedom to commit crimes or harm innocent people. Arkansas has at least two laws that navigate that issue very well. Keep Reading.

Nearly One in Four Likely Voters “Not at All Concerned” About Socialist Candidates Getting Elected to Congress. Rasmussen reports half of likely voters in the U.S. are concerned about socialist candidates becoming members of Congress next year. Nearly one in three (32%) told Rasmussen that they are actually “very concerned.” However, 23% of likely voters told Rasmussen they are “not at all concerned.” Keep Reading.

Grant Funding Pushes for Better Research on Dangers of Sports Gambling. CNBC reports billionaires John and Laura Arnold are offering more than $2 million in research grants to universities to study the risks of online sports betting. Keep Reading.

Arkansas State Police Seize More Marijuana from Out-of-State. On July 15, Arkansas State Police seized 150 pounds of illegal marijuana during a routine traffic stop on I-40 near Van Buren. The driver — who was taken into custody — reportedly was travelling from California to White Hall, Arkansas. The incident underscores how marijuana’s legalization in other states is actually fueling the black market. Keep Reading.

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

Nearly One in Four Likely Voters “Not at All Concerned” About Socialist Candidates Getting Elected to Congress

Pollsters at Rasmussen recently released a survey showing nearly one in four likely voters in the U.S. are unconcerned about socialist candidates getting elected to Congress.

Democratic socialists have recently won primary elections in states like Colorado and New York. Most Americans still support capitalism and free markets, but a growing share of likely voters now say socialism is better. New polling data from Rasmussen underscores the division over socialism in America.

Rasmussen reports half of likely voters in the U.S. are concerned about socialist candidates becoming members of Congress next year. Nearly one in three (32%) told Rasmussen that they are actually “very concerned.” However, 23% of likely voters told Rasmussen they are “not at all concerned.”

From the survey question’s wording, it could be that some voters don’t think socialists will actually get elected to Congress, but it could also be that they have no concerns about what socialist members of Congress might do once they are in office.

Many young people have been taught that socialism and communism failed in the past because they weren’t properly implemented, but that’s not the case.

Socialism and communism failed every time they were tried, because they are fatally flawed. They have a wrong view of who people are and where people fit in society. When we get that wrong, not much else will go right.

Our friend Joseph Backholm, Senior Fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at Family Research Council, recently published a list of some of socialism’s and communism’s basic flaws:

1. Socialism misunderstands human nature and implies that people will be virtuous as long as they have enough money. Then, ironically, it assumes everyone with money is sinister.

2. Socialism takes from the capable and gives to the less capable, ensuring that resources won’t ever be used productively. 

3. Socialism destroys competition and consequently destroys innovation.  

4. Socialism destroys people’s incentive to be productive by denying them the benefit of their labor. It always produces fewer, lower-quality products.    

5. Socialism assumes I have the right to other people’s property just because they have more than I do. It depends upon and incentivizes greed.

6. Socialism denies people the dignity of having what they earn and earning what they have. 

7. Socialism assumes people engaged in commerce always operate with corrupt motives, but people in government never do. 

8. While claiming to decentralize power, it always centralizes power with a handful of bureaucrats. 

9. Socialism assumes it’s always unjust for one person to have more than another, when real justice means the dishonest and unskilled shouldn’t have as much as the honest and skilled. 

10. Socialism assumes humanity’s natural state is prosperity and rages over the fact that we aren’t all rich, when in reality the natural state is poverty, and capitalism is the only reason we aren’t all poor.

Joseph concluded by rightly pointing out, “Of course, none of this means a capitalist system doesn’t have weaknesses, but it can produce good outcomes and has. Communism never has because it assumes a world that does not exist and never will.”

Over the decades, other pundits have pointed out that socialism and communism are oppressive and cannot work without using force against everyday citizens.

Americans — and especially Christians — need to understand socialism’s basic problems and its track record. This is a fatally flawed belief system that has produced disastrous results every time.

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