Southern Baptist Convention delegates are gathering in Dallas this week to vote on a slate of resolutions targeting pornography, same-sex marriage, sports betting, and declining birthrates. ⁠
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The proposals argue that laws should reflect a divinely ordered structure for sex, gender, and family, and urge lawmakers to pass legislation rooted in “the truth of creation and natural law.” Leaders say the resolutions reflect long-standing convention positions.⁠
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Debate is also expected over an amendment to bar churches with women pastors and over the future of the denomination’s public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. ⁠
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While the commission opposes abortion, it has also rejected laws that criminalize women seeking abortions, leading some Southern Baptists to call for defunding the group. A group of Black Southern Baptist leaders has warned that the denomination’s political shift is driving churches of color away.⁠
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The Trump administration has admitted 49 white South Africans to the U.S. as refugees, citing “government-sponsored racial discrimination,” according to a senior State Department official. ⁠
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Most of the group are Afrikaners from farming communities. President Donald Trump ordered their resettlement through an executive action titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa,” claiming they face violence and economic exclusion. ⁠
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The move comes amid an ongoing dispute over South Africa’s land reform efforts. In 2017, an audit found that white South Africans—who make up about 7% of the population—own roughly 75% of individually held farmland.⁠
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A 2025 law allows limited expropriation without compensation, which the Trump administration framed as targeting whites. South African officials say the policy is intended to address the legacy of apartheid, during which the Afrikaner-led government denied Black South Africans land rights, political representation, and basic freedoms under a formal system of racial segregation that lasted from 1948 to 1994.⁠
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South Africa’s government rejected Trump’s refugee designation, calling the persecution claims “completely false” and politically motivated. “There is no data at all that backs that there is persecution of white South Africans,” said Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. ⁠
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Critics in the U.S., including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, questioned why this group was prioritized while refugee programs for people fleeing war and famine remain suspended. ⁠
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President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to accept a 13-year-old Boeing 747-8 from Qatar’s royal family for temporary use as Air Force One, according to unnamed sources cited by ABC News. ⁠
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The jet, described by Trump as a “very public and transparent transaction,” is expected to be modified by the U.S. Air Force for presidential use before being transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by January 2029. ⁠
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Trump previously toured the aircraft in Florida, and the estimated $400 million plane will be outfitted with security upgrades by L3Harris.⁠
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The legality of the arrangement has drawn scrutiny due to constitutional restrictions on gifts from foreign governments. ⁠
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According to sources, Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington concluded that because the gift is directed to the government and not conditioned on an official act, it does not violate the emoluments clause or federal bribery laws. ⁠
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Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is following “all applicable laws,” while Qatar’s Ministry of Defense is still in talks with the Pentagon regarding the handover.⁠
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Democratic lawmakers responded critically. Sen. Chuck Schumer posted, “Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” while Rep. Adam Schiff referenced the Constitution’s Title of Nobility clause. ⁠
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Trump, meanwhile, argued that rejecting the gift would be “stupid” and claimed Democrats want taxpayers to “pay TOP DOLLAR” instead. ⁠
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The current Air Force One fleet, contracted for replacement since 2018, has faced delays, with new jets not expected until 2027.⁠
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Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared open to allowing a Catholic virtual school in Oklahoma to operate as a publicly funded charter school. ⁠
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The proposed school, St. Isidore of Seville, would be the first religious charter school in the country. A lower court previously blocked its creation, citing the First Amendment’s establishment clause. ⁠
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Justice Sonia Sotomayor challenged the legality of public funds going to religious instruction, saying, “We’re not going to pay religious leaders to teach their religion.”⁠
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The case pits the Constitution’s two religion clauses against each other. Lawyers for the state and for St. Isidore argued that blocking the school violated the free exercise clause, noting the school is privately organized and not an extension of the government. ⁠
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Oklahoma’s top court had ruled the school would act as a state surrogate, and thus could not incorporate religious teaching while receiving public funds.⁠
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Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch questioned whether excluding the school would constitute religious discrimination, while Chief Justice ⁠
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John Roberts pointed to prior rulings allowing religious groups to participate in public services. The court’s ruling, expected by June, could reshape how states handle religion in publicly funded education.⁠
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