How See You at the Pole BeganA small group of teenagers in&nbsp;Burleson, Texas, came together for a DiscipleNow weekend in early 1990. They came seeking God, and little did they know how powerfully He was about to move. On Saturday night their hearts were penetrated like never before, when they became broken before God and burdened for their friends. Compelled to pray, they drove to three different schools that night. Not knowing exactly what to do, they went to the school flagpoles and prayed for their friends, schools, and leaders. Those students had no idea how God would use their obedience. God used what He did among those teenagers and others who were holding similar prayer meetings at their schools to birth a vision in the hearts of youth leaders across Texas. The vision was that students throughout Texas would follow these examples and meet at their school flagpoles to pray simultaneously. The challenge was named See You at the Pole™&nbsp;at a brainstorming session during a meeting of key youth leaders. The vision was shared with 20,000 students in June 1990 at&nbsp;Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. Only God had envisioned how many students would step up to the challenge. At 7:00 a.m. on September 12, 1990, more than 45,000 teenagers met at school flagpoles in four different states to pray before the start of school. Reports came in to the toll-free number for days after the first event. A few months later, a group of youth ministers from all over the country gathered together for a national conference in Colorado. Many of them reported that their students had heard about the prayer movement in Texas and were equally burdened for their schools. No other events had been planned, but it was clear that students across the country would be creating their own national day of student prayer. There was no stopping them. On September 11, 1991, at 7:00 a.m., an estimated one million students gathered at school flagpoles all over the country. From Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, from North Dakota to the tip of Texas, students came together to pray. Some sang, some read Scripture, but most importantly, they prayed. Like those first students, they prayed for their schools, for their friends, for their leaders, and for their country. As in all great movements of prayer, See You at the Pole did not begin in the hearts of people. It began in the heart of God. God used the obedience of a small group of teenagers to ignite what has become an international movement of prayer among young people.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI1iDUXrx2Q"></oembed></figure>Since 1991, See You at the Pole™ has grown to God-sized proportions. Within the first few years, the movement began to spread to other nations through missionaries from the U.S. Now each year, an estimated 1 million students from all the world participate in&nbsp;See You at the Pole. Students in more than 64 countries have participated. In places like Canada, Korea, Japan, Turkey, and the Ivory Coast, students are responding to God and taking seriously the challenge to pray. God is continuing to call His people to repentance and prayer. Countless inspiring testimonies of how He has used See You at the Pole to bring students to Christ and to change lives affirm God’s power to answer those who cry out to Him in humble dependence. Bible clubs, weekly prayer meetings, and other ministries have begun on campuses where students participated in&nbsp;See You at the Pole™. &nbsp;- from the <a href="https://syatp.com/">SYATP website</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67168.png" alt="See You at the Pole"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: SYATP] See You at the Pole</figcaption></figure>See You at the Pole™, the global day of student prayer, began in 1990 as a grass roots movement with ten students praying at their school. Decades later, millions pray on their campuses on the fourth Wednesday in September. See You at the Pole is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God. See You at the Pole™ is a student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event. &nbsp;A reminder:See You at the Pole is a student-led event. Strong student leadership is crucial. Adult volunteers and parents should not lead the See You at the Pole™ gathering. Many well-meaning adults take over and take away from the students by trying to lead out in the prayers at the flagpole. This is not the intention for See You at the Pole™, nor is it legal for adults to lead. Please step back or stay away and let the students grow and learn in their faith by leading.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67169.jpg" alt="See You at the Pole"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: SYATP] See You at the Pole</figcaption></figure>Supporting Ministries<ul><li><a href="http://www.faith-freedom.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Advocates for Faith and Freedom</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/AlMenconiMinistries" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Al Menconi Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aldersgate Renewal Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.adflegal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alliance Defending Freedom</a></li><li><a href="http://www.alliesnet.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Allies Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.aclj.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Center for Law and Justice</a></li><li>Aranza Outreach</li><li><a href="http://www.ag.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Assemblies of God</a></li><li><a href="http://www.aflc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Association of Free Lutheran Congregations</a></li><li><a href="http://www.changeyourlifedaily.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Becky Tirabassi, Change Your Life Inc.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bethel.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bethel College &amp; Seminary</a></li><li><a href="http://www.everyschool.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campus Alliance</a></li><li><a href="http://www.campuscrusade.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cru</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cdop.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Ill.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.csm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Center for Student Missions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.charismamag.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Charisma Magazine</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cmalliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian &amp; Missionary Alliance</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cbn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cciworldwide.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Camping International</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ceai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Educators Association Int'l</a></li><li><a href="http://www.clsnet.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christian Legal Society</a></li><li><a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Christianity Today Magazine</a></li><li><a href="http://www.chogy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Church of God Youth</a></li><li><a href="https://claimyourcampus.com/">Claim Your Campus</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cwfa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Concerned Women for America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cbamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CBAmerica</a></li><li><a href="http://www.crossoverusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Crossover Communications Int’l</a></li><li><a href="http://www.studentventure.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cru High School</a></li><li><a href="http://www.dare2share.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dare 2 Share Ministries Int’l, Inc.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.decisionmag.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Decision Magazine</a></li><li><a href="http://www.eastern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eastern University</a></li><li><a href="http://www.covchurch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evangelical Covenant Church</a></li><li><a href="http://www.efca.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evangelical Free Church of America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.elca.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Education and Evangelism Team</a></li><li><a href="http://www.evangelismtoolbox.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evangelism Toolbox</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ehc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Every Home for Christ</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fca.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fellowship of Christian Athletes</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fgbc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fpofamerica.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">First Priority of America, Inc.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.family.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Focus on the Family</a></li><li><a href="http://www.foresthome.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forest Home Christian Center</a></li><li><a href="http://youth.foursquare.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Foursquare Church</a></li><li><a href="http://www.fmcusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Free Methodist Church in America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gtbe.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gateways to Better Education</a></li><li><a href="http://www.generalbaptist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">General Baptist Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.mygroundzero.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ground Zero</a></li><li><a href="http://www.grouppublishing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Group Publishing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.homeword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Homeword</a></li><li><a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ignite Your Faith</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ifapray.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Intercessors for America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.interlinc-online.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Interl'inc</a></li><li><a href="http://www.reconcile.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Reconciliation Coalition</a></li><li><a href="http://www.firstliberty.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Liberty Institute</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifeaction.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Life Action Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifeteen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Life Teen, Inc.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifelight.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lifelight Communications</a></li><li><a href="http://www.missionyear.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mission Year</a></li><li><a href="http://www.momsinprayer.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moms in Prayer International</a></li><li><a href="http://www.mbn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moody Broadcasting Network</a></li><li><a href="http://www.nace-cee.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Association of Christian Educators</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bibleinschools.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, Inc.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Day of Prayer</a></li><li><a href="http://www.nlf.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Legal Foundation</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthworkers.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Network of Youth Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://nationalschoolproject.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National School Project</a></li><li><a href="https://neverthesame.org/">Never the Same</a></li><li><a href="http://www.nabconference.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">North American Baptist Conference</a></li><li><a href="http://www.onepassion.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One Passion Worldwide</a></li><li><a href="http://www.oneighty.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oneighty</a></li><li><a href="http://www.openbible.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Open Bible Churches</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pacificjustice.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pacific Justic Institute</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pcg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pentecostal Church of God</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pioneers.org/send/resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pioneers Resources</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthspecialties.com/planetwisdom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Planet Wisdom</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pray4safeschools.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pray for Safe Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.pcanet.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Presbyterian Church in America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.proclaimhope.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Proclaim Hope</a></li><li><a href="http://www.promisekeepers.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Promise Keepers</a></li><li><a href="http://www.reach-out.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reach Out Youth Solutions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.reignministries.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reign Ministries</a></li><li><a href="https://ywam.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Revive America/YWAM</a></li><li><a href="http://www.hutchcraft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ron Hutchcraft Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.rutherford.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rutherford Institute</a></li><li><a href="http://www.salvationarmy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Salvation Army</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sonlife.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sonlife Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sbuniv.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Southwest Baptist University</a></li><li><a href="http://www.realanswers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Russo Evangelistic Team</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gosdm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Student Discipleship Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.studentz.com/site/c.ijJYJdMPIqE/b.742369/k.C0F/Youth_Home/apps/s/inline.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Student Evangelism, North American Mission Board, SBC</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifeway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Student Ministry Publishing, LifeWay Christian Resources, SBC</a></li><li><a href="http://www.texasbaptists.org/youth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Texas Baptists, Youth Evangelism</a></li><li><a href="http://www.thomasmore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thomas More Law Center</a></li><li><a href="http://www.navigators.org/us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Navigators</a></li><li><a href="http://www.tbn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.usprayercenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U. S. Prayer Center</a></li><li><a href="http://www.usjf.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United States Justice Foundation</a></li><li><a href="http://www.uywi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Urban Youth Workers Institute</a></li><li><a href="http://www.walkthru.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Walk Thru the Bible Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.wesleyan.org/youth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wesleyan Youth</a></li><li><a href="http://www.jessup.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">William Jessup University</a></li><li><a href="http://www.worldservants.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Servants</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ymcaga.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Y Clubs of Georgia</a></li><li><a href="http://www.younglife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Young Life</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth America</a></li><li><a href="http://www.yd.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Dynamics</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthevangelism.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Evangelism Association</a></li><li><a href="http://www.yfc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth for Christ/USA</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthministrylab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Lab at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthleadership.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Leadership</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthlinkministries.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Link Ministries</a></li><li><a href="http://www.iphc.org/youthquest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Quest International</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthspecialties.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Specialties</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthfront.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Youth Front</a></li><li><a href="http://www.youthpastor.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouthPastor.com</a></li></ul>

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See You at the Pole™ is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God.

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Adult volunteers and parents are asked not to lead the school flag pole gathering. There are important reasons.

It's 'See You At The Pole' - Jeremiah 29:13 Is The Theme 

With prompting from his daughter, Rob Kenney launched a social media outreach during the COVID-19 outbreak. “We were all locked away,” and the idea was to offer a ‘dad video’ to encourage or entertain people coping with the pandemic. “I put up my ‘How to Tie a Tie’ video on April 2 of 2020 and about a month-and-a-half later, my channel went viral! That was scary for me, but I’m grateful that I went viral for something wholesome.”These days, Rob is on multiple social media channels, including Instagram, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dadhowdoi">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DadhowdoI">YouTube</a> as Dad, How Do I? And “On TikTok, I’m The Real Dad, How Do I? because there were people who were imitating me.” The videos show Rob demonstrating how to put air in your tires, unclogging a toilet, applying deodorant &amp; cologne, how to shave, explaining an Allen Wrench, or making popcorn. Things a dad would share with a child.&nbsp;<blockquote>Why is Rob committing so much time and effort to these videos? “I think that there’s definitely a need for people to understand how cool it is to be a dad. I feel like that’s a mission that God has given me to try to encourage dads to hang in there, and you’re needed and you’re valued.” It bothers him when he sees TV shows offering “stereotypes, Homer Simpson and Al Bundy…the bumbling dufus of a dad. And you know, I’ve met a lot of cool dads and a lot of very good dads. We need to encourage that behavior.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>How does Rob come up with concepts to use in his numerous videos? “A lot of it came from, I had to learn things on my own. When I was 14 – and I think this is part of why my channel is connecting with people – is, I feel like I have a certain amount of empathy with people that maybe didn’t have a dad there for them. My dad left when I was 14, and my mom couldn’t take care of me, so I went to live with my brother, who was 23 at the time, him and his newlywed wife. I learned a lot from him. He was a journeyman cabinetmaker. But I also learned how to tie a tie from my roommate when I was 19 ... I can’t remember exactly where I learned how to shave,” he smiles, “but all those little things that you learn – a lot of times it was the difficult way…I don’t have to necessarily do a ton of research, it’s just stuff I’ve learned along the way.” And Rob and his wife are parents, so “been there, done that, kinda went through the whole cycle of being a dad and learning how to do things on my own.”<a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67072.mp3">https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67072.mp3</a>Rob gets constant ‘How do I’ requests from his fans, “some that are a little outlandish, like, ‘Dad, how do I rewire my house?,’” he laughs – saying that kind of major project should be left up to professional electricians. He respects&nbsp;their comprehensive skills that he doesn’t necessarily have.&nbsp;With millions of views on social media, Rob gets many comments about his videos, some quite touching. “A lot of them will make you tear up because of how, I think, how needed this is, which is a little bit sad.” He finds some heartfelt comments from viewers are indicative of their personal life challenges. “I think I get a lot of engagement because people are wanting to share their stories with me about missing their dad or never having a dad…I try to be empathetic to try to encourage people to not live in the past, to take control of their own lives and move forward.”Unlike some successful video personalities, Rob is pretty much a one-man show. He laughs, “It’s me. I’m my editor. I’m shooting the videos on my phone,” sharing valuable information “to help people navigate their lives.” He wants to avoid his videos being “overly-produced” because they might “lose a little bit of the charm.”Rob’s heart, his faith&nbsp;Living in the Seattle area, Rob admits he actually struggled some when he started seeing how popular his videos were becoming. “Yeah, it was scary, honestly, when my channel went viral, I was on my bed crying, in a fetal position, saying, ‘Lord, please make it stop. I don’t know that I can handle this.’” That’s because he is an introvert. He shares, “Several years ago I said, when I was at church, ‘If I’m ever asked to get up and speak in front of people, you’ll know that God was involved,’ because that’s like the last thing I’d want to do.” Rob did end up speaking before a church, and it went okay. “God has a sense of humor, and he has me in this position and he uses cracked pots, right?” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)&nbsp;<blockquote>At the end of some of his videos, Rob offers a simple “God bless you.” Other than that, his faith isn’t usually shared so much in words, but how he speaks with humility and kindness. He admits, “Not everybody is comfortable with it (the ‘God bless’), but I’ve got to be true to myself. You know, the Lord has given me this platform and if he decides that the platform needs to not be a thing anymore, I’m fine with that, too. I’ve just got to be faithful to who I am, because if you spend your life trying to please others, (he laughs) you’re just chasing your tail.”</blockquote><figure class="image text-center"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67038.jpg" alt="Rob Kenney"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Rob Kenney] “God has a sense of humor, and he has me in this position and he uses cracked pots, right?”</figcaption></figure>In any interview Rob does with news media, and there have been many, he always tries to give God the full credit for what success he has seen on social media.&nbsp;Here are some comments from Rob's fans on YouTube, which are typical of the two-way love in action:"Thanks Dad!! It is so true to look at the positive! It really does make a difference!""thank you father, i was having a bad day and this helped me change my prospective on things""I lost my dad a little over two years ago,and it feels like it was just yesterday I was standing in the ICU and having to say goodbye,I thank you for doing this as I will turn 13 soon,you are truly amazing and god bless you""I'm grateful to have 65 days clean and sober today"Read all about itDue to the popularity of his channel, Rob authored a book “Dad, How Do I?” which shares about important character traits for a good life, his own faith in Christ, and 58 useful ‘how-tos.’&nbsp;If you are familiar with the children’s TV icon, the late Mister Rogers, it would not be off base to compare Rob Kenney to an online Mister Rogers, Spirit-wise, for many age brackets including grown-ups.&nbsp;Hear Rob share his fascinating story on our complete interview podcast, just below:<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67072.mp3"></oembed></figure><figure class="image image-style-align-left"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67003.jpg" alt="Rob authored a book “Dad, How Do I?” which shares about important character traits for a good life, his own faith in Christ, and 58 useful ‘how-tos.’ "><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Rob Kenney (c)] Rob authored a book “Dad, How Do I?” which shares about important character traits for a good life, his own faith in Christ, and 58 useful ‘how-tos.’</figcaption></figure><figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyB83JAuPDE"></oembed></figure><figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsPDMKmZ6hU"></oembed></figure>&nbsp;

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An introvert by nature, Rob cried at first and asked God to ‘make it stop’ when his social media channels went massively viral

Rob Kenney, "Internet’s Dad" Shares Life Hacks, Encouragement, And Loves God (+podcast)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A mass inflow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River is threatening drinking water supplies in Louisiana, prompting Gov. John Bel Edwards to ask President Joe Biden for federal help.Edwards sent a letter Monday evening saying the issue “is of such severity and magnitude" that state and local authorities can no longer manage it on their own. Federal assistance is “necessary to save lives and to protect property, public health and safety or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster,” Edwards wrote.If Biden approves the request to declare an emergency, it would help Louisiana secure federal money and logistical assistance from partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.For the second year in a row, salt water from the Gulf of Mexico has moved further up the Mississippi to threaten drinking water in communities that rely on the river for fresh water, including New Orleans. Typically, the river's mighty flow keeps mass amounts of salt water from reaching too far inland, but hot and dry conditions across the country this summer triggered drought that slowed the Mississippi’s flow and lowered its water levels.For months, drinking water advisories have been issued for some communities in southeastern Louisiana, warning people the water is unsafe to drink, especially for people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, those on a low-sodium diet, infants and pregnant women.In parts of Plaquemines Parish, residents have relied on bottled water for drinking and cooking since June.“We have had discussions with FEMA about the unique challenges we face with this event,” Edwards said in a news release. “We are optimistic the President will approve our Federal Emergency Declaration, which will be crucial to help our communities.”Edwards said 23,515 residents in Plaquemines Parish have been affected by the salt water, including those at a military base, a nursing home, 11 schools, a prison and citrus farms.Residents have reported skin irritations and damaged appliances, including water heaters and washing machines, from salt exposure.The salt water is expected to reach other drinking water supplies further upriver — including Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson parishes — by mid-to-late October, Edwards said.Officials are addressing the issue in multiple ways, including raising the height of an underwater levee used to block or slow the salt water and bringing in 15 million gallons of fresh water to treatment facilities in impacted areas.

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The low water level of the Mississippi River is seen as people sit on steps that normally meet the river near St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.

“We have had discussions with FEMA about the unique challenges we face with this event”

Louisiana Asks President Biden To Declare A State Of Emergency Over Water

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Striking actors have voted to expand their walkout to include the lucrative video game market, a step that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to make a deal with the performers who provide voices and stunts for games.The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists announced the move late Monday, saying that 98% of its members voted to go on strike against video game companies if ongoing negotiations are not successful. The announcement came ahead of more talks planned for Tuesday.Acting in video games can include a variety of roles, from voice performances to motion capture work as well as stunts. Video game actors went on strike in 2016 in a work stoppage that lasted nearly a year.Some of the same issues are at play in the video game negotiations as in the broader actors strike that has shut down Hollywood for months, including wages, safety measures and protections on the use of artificial intelligence. The companies involved include gaming giants Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions as well as Disney and Warner Bros.' video game divisions.“It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.The threat of a video game strike emerged as Hollywood writers were on the verge of getting back to work after months on the picket lines.Crucial steps remain for the writers, who technically remain on strike, and for other workers awaiting a return to production of new shows.The next phase comes Tuesday, when the governing boards of the two branches of the Writers Guild of America are expected to vote on the tentative agreement reached by union negotiators with Hollywood studios.Following approval from the union's boards — which is likely — comes a vote from the writers themselves, although the timing is uncertain.“I very much feel like we’ll vote in favor of it,” Writers Guild member Kyra Jones said. “I trust that the negotiating committee did not settle for a bad deal. That would have made no sense to do this far in.”The guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in the negotiations, were still finalizing contract language Monday.That could prompt a delay of the voting and has kept union leaders from sharing with writers the details of what nearly five months of striking and hardship has earned them. The leaders have promised to hold a series of meetings later this week to share the terms of the deal regarding pay, show staffing and artificial intelligence.The guild's leaders told them only that the agreement is “exceptional,” with gains for every member. A successful yes vote from the membership will finally, officially, bring the strike to an end.Meanwhile, though their own pickets have been suspended, writers were encouraged to join actors in solidarity on their lines starting Tuesday, just as many actors did with writers in the two months before their own strike started in July.Among the unions on strike, the studio alliance has chosen to negotiate only with the writers so far, and has made no overtures yet toward restarting talks with SAG-AFTRA. That will presumably change soon.SAG-AFTRA leaders have said they will look closely at the writers' agreement, which includes many of the same issues, but it will not effect their demands.

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 Striking writers take part in a rally in front of Paramount Pictures studio, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. 

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists announced the move late Monday, saying that 98% of its members voted to go on strike against video game companies if ongoing negotiations are not successful. 

Striking Hollywood Actors Vote To Expand Walkout To Video Game Industry

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the federal government now will cover the cost of free meals for all enrolled students. Previously, the qualifying threshold was 40%.Roughly 3,000 additional school districts serving more than 5 million students will now be eligible, officials said.“While there is still more work ahead to ensure every K-12 student in the nation can access healthy school meals at no cost, this is a significant step on the pathway toward that goal,” said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.During the pandemic, Congress temporarily made <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-politics-health-education-036482b161f8c89a265fb4b425d9e756">universal meals free to all students</a>, but that ended last year. Other federal programs that provided direct food assistance to families also scaled down amid soaring food prices, putting strains on family budgets and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/free-school-lunch-child-hunger-7d38b5a84e533129f507d76cc05c622f">leaving some kids hungry</a>.Meantime, eight states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont — have made school meals <a href="https://apnews.com/article/free-school-meals-0c927f491b2ee9d4ce7e04b44da79e51">free to all</a> students regardless of income.The new rule will expand access to universal meals through a program known as the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. Instead of requiring families to fill out individual applications for free or reduced-price meals, schools participating in the program receive federal funding based on income data, with local or state money filling in any gaps in the cost of offering meals to all students. Advocates say reducing administrative burdens like applications helps ensure children don’t go hungry.Some have criticized the costs of the program. The Republican Study Committee has called for <a href="https://hern.house.gov/uploadedfiles/202306141135_fy24_rsc_budget_print_final_c.pdf">eliminating the CEP altogether</a>, arguing it ignores the individual income eligibility of each student.Nationally, expanding a community-based model of universal meals would alleviate burdens on many families, said Anna Korsen, policy and program director at Full Plates Full Potential, a nonprofit organization in Maine that works on maximizing access to school meals.“The federal poverty guidelines that dictate who gets a free meal and who doesn’t are really outdated,” Korsen said. “There are so many families that on paper don’t qualify for a free meal, and they can get lumped into this group of ... families that can afford to pay for lunch or breakfast at school. But really, those families are living paycheck to paycheck.”Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said the rule change is a step toward fulfilling the promise of healthy school meals for all.“Increasing access to free, healthy school breakfast and lunch will decrease childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and put our nation on the path to better nutrition and wellness,” he said.

more-students-gain-eligibility-for-free-school-meals-under-expanded-us-program

Second-grade students select their meals during lunch break in the cafeteria, Dec. 12, 2022, at an elementary school in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Roughly 3,000 additional school districts serving more than 5 million students will now be eligible

More Students Gain Eligibility For Free School Meals Under Expanded US Program

&nbsp; &nbsp;By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — A judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling in a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York, and said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee the Trump Organization’s operations.A message seeking comment was left for a Trump spokesperson. Trump has long insisted he did nothing wrong.The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in James’ lawsuit, is the strongest repudiation yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and shrewd real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.Beyond mere bragging about his riches, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about them on his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance costs, Engoron found.Those tactics crossed a line and violated the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s contention that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of any wrongdoing.“In defendants’ world: rent regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can evaporate into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting responsibility on another party exonerates the other party’s lies," Engoron wrote in his 35-page ruling. "That is a fantasy world, not the real world.”Manhattan prosecutors had looked into bringing criminal charges over the same conduct but declined to do so, leaving James to sue Trump and seek penalties that aim to disrupt his and his family’s ability to do business in the state.Engoron’s ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the key claim in James’ lawsuit, but several others remain. He'll decide on those claims and James' request for $250 million in penalties at a trial starting Oct. 2. Trump’s lawyers have asked an appeals court for a temporary delay.Trump’s lawyers, in their own summary judgment bid, had asked the judge to throw out the case.They argued James wasn’t legally allowed to file the lawsuit because there wasn’t any evidence that the public was harmed by Trump’s actions. They also argued that many of the allegations in the lawsuit were barred by the statute of limitations.Engoron, noting that he had “emphatically rejected” those arguments earlier in the case, equated them to the “time-loop in the film ‘Groundhog Day.'" With his ruling, he fined five defense lawyers $7,500 each as punishment for “engaging in repetitive, frivolous” arguments, but denied James' request to sanction Trump, his two eldest sons and other defendants.James, a Democrat, sued Trump and the Trump Organization a year ago, alleging a pattern of duplicity that she dubbed “the art of the steal,” a twist on the title of Trump’s 1987 business memoir “The Art of the Deal.”The lawsuit accused Trump and his company of routinely inflating the value of assets like skyscrapers, golf courses and his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, padding his bottom line by billions.Engoron found that Trump consistently overvalued Mar-a-Lago on his financial statements between 2014 and 2021, inflating its value on one statement by 2,300%, and rebuked him for lying about the size of his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan. Trump claimed the three-story penthouse was nearly three times its actual size, valuing the property at $327 million.“A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud," Engoron wrote.Trump has denied wrongdoing, arguing in sworn testimony for the case that the values on his financial statements didn't matter because they have a disclaimer that says they shouldn’t be trusted. Trump argued that banks “made a lot of money” from him and didn't object to the valuations.James’ lawsuit is one of several legal headaches for Trump as he campaigns for a return to the White House in 2024. He has been indicted four times in the last six months — accused in Georgia and Washington, D.C., of plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss, in Florida of hoarding classified documents, and in Manhattan of falsifying business records related to hush money paid on his behalf.The Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud last year in an unrelated criminal case for helping executives dodge taxes on extravagant perks such as Manhattan apartments and luxury cars. The company was fined $1.6 million. One of the executives, Trump’s longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty and served five months in jail. He is a defendant in James’ lawsuit and gave sworn deposition testimony for the case in May.James’ lawsuit does not carry the potential of prison time, but could complicate Trump's ability to transact real estate deals. It could also stain his legacy as a developer.James has asked Engoron to ban Trump and his three eldest children from ever again running a company based in New York. She also wants Trump and the Trump Organization barred from entering into commercial real estate acquisitions for five years, among other sanctions. The $250 million in penalties she is seeking is the estimated worth of benefits derived from the alleged fraud, she said.James, who campaigned for office as a Trump critic and watchdog, started scrutinizing his business practices in March 2019 after his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements provided to Deutsche Bank while trying to obtain financing to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.James’ office previously sued Trump for misusing his own charitable foundation to further his political and business interests. Trump was ordered to pay $2 million to an array of charities as a fine and the charity, the Trump Foundation, was shut down.&nbsp;

judge-rules-former-pres-trump-defrauded-banks-insurers-while-building-real-estate-empire

Former Pres.  Trump at a microphone, pressing his lips together

A judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.

Judge Rules Former Pres. Trump Defrauded Banks, Insurers While Building Real Estate Empire

NEW YORK (AP) — Target will close nine store in four states, including one in East Harlem, New York and three in San Francisco, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.The closings, which will be effective Oct. 21, also include three stores in Portland, Oregon, and two in Seattle. Target said that it still will have a combined 150 stores open in the markets where the closures are taking place. Target will offer affected workers the opportunity to transfer to other stores.Target described the decision as “difficult."“We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all," Target said in a statement on Tuesday.Before making the decision, Target said it had invested heavily in strategies to prevent and stop theft such as adding more security team workers, using third-party guard services and installing theft deterrent tools like locking up merchandise. It also has trained store leaders and security team members to protect themselves and de-escalate potential safety issues. But it noted that despite those efforts, it continued to face “fundamental challenges” to operate the stores safely — and the business performance at these locations was unsustainable.While the store closings account for just a fraction of the 1,900 stores Target operates nationwide, the move is significant. It underscores the big challenges that retailers like Target face in reducing theft in stores as they wrestle with protecting their workers and customers while trying to serve the community, particularly low-income and minority groups who rely on the local stores for necessities.For example, the Target store in East Harlem is located in a heavily Hispanic area, and residents have few choices to buy good quality healthy foods. In San Francisco, one of the stores slated to close is located at 13th Street and Folsom under a busy overpass with homeless tents in a largely commercial neighborhood with auto shops. In Seattle, one of the stores is located on a busy avenue near the University of Washington.<blockquote>Target CEO Brian Cornell has been one of a handful of retail CEOs flagging what they described as rising theft over the past year or so. Cornell had held steadfast he didn't want to resort to closing stores even despite mounting losses. Target said in May that theft was cutting into its bottom line and it expected related losses could be $500 million more than last year, when losses from theft were estimated to be anywhere from $700 million to $800 million. So that means losses could top $1.2 billion this fiscal year.</blockquote>Moreover, Cornell told analysts in August that violent incidents against workers at Target stores increased 120% for the first five months of the year compared with the same period a year ago.“Our team continues to face an unacceptable amount of retail theft and organized retail crime,” Cornell told analysts. “Unfortunately, safety incidents associated with theft are moving in the wrong direction.”It’s unclear how much money retailers broadly are losing due to organized retail crime -- or if the problem has substantially increased. But the issue has received more notice in the past few years as high-profile smash-and-grab retail thefts and flash mob robberies have garnered national media attention. Over the past few quarters, an increasing number of retailers including Dick's Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty have been calling out rising theft, calling it a factor in shrinking profits.The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, said its latest security survey of roughly 177 retailers found that inventory loss -- called shrink — clocked in at an average rate of 1.6 % last year, representing $112.1 billion in losses. That's up from 1.4% the previous year.The greatest portion of shrink — 65% — came from external theft, including products taken during organized shoplifting incidents, the trade group said Tuesday. More than two-thirds of respondents said they were seeing even more violence and aggression from perpetrators of organized retail crime compared with a year ago.The NRF said that even though retailers continue to improve their loss-prevention measures, sometimes more drastic action must be taken. Nearly 30% of retailers surveyed reported being forced to close a specific store location, and 45% said they needed to reduce operating hours. Roughly 30% said they needed to change or reduce product selection in stores as a direct result of retail crime.Late last year, Congress passed a bill, called the INFORM ACT, that seeks to combat sales of counterfeit goods and dangerous products by compelling online marketplaces to verify different types of information - including bank account, tax ID and contact details - for sellers who make at least 200 unique sales and earn a minimum of $5,000 in a given year.Target said Tuesday that it's making significant investments in cyber defense to combat retail theft and fraud and has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations division to combat retail theft.

target-closing-9-stores-harlem-portland-seattle-san-francisco-due-to-crime-that-threatens-workers-shoppers

“Our team continues to face an unacceptable amount of retail theft and organized retail crime.”

Target Closing 9 Stores (Harlem, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco) Due To Crime That Threatens Workers, Shoppers

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"Even though they don't have the words around them, they know they are being understood and they're being heard..." 

Watch: Preschool Teaches Kids Sign Language 

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"Yes, Jesus was with me through every scan, x-ray, blood draw, and breathing treatment."

Joni Eareckson Tada Out Of The Hospital After 16-Days: 'God Rescued Me'

Amazon is being sued by U.S. regulators and and 17 states over allegations that the company abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices on other platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, is the result of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.According to a news release sent by the agency, the Federal Trade Commission and states that joined the lawsuit are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction court that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”They allege the company engages in anti-competitive practices through anti-discounting measures that deter sellers from offering lower prices for products on non-Amazon sites, mirroring allegations made in a separate lawsuit last year by the state of California. The complaint says Amazon can bury listings that are offered at lower prices on other sites.The complaint also says the company degrades the customer experience by replacing relevant search results with paid advertisements, biasing its own brands over other products it knows to be of a better quality and charging heavy fees that forces sellers to pay nearly half of their total revenues to Amazon.“The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them," FTC Chairman Lina Khan said in a prepared statement.Many had wondered whether the agency would seek to a forced break-up of the retail giant, which is also dominant in cloud computing and has a growing presence in other sectors like groceries and health care. In a briefing with reporters, Khan dodged questions of whether that will happen.“At this stage, the focus is more on liability," she said.Some estimates show Amazon controls about 40% of the e-commerce market. A majority of the sales on its platform are facilitated by independent sellers consisting of small and medium-sized businesses and individuals. In return for the access it provides to its platform, Amazon rakes in billions through referral fees and other services like advertising, which makes products sold by sellers more visible on the platform.The vast majority of third-party merchants also use the company’s fulfillment service to store inventory and ship items to customers. Amazon has been consistently raising fees for those reliant on the program and more recently imposed - and then abandoned- another fee on some who don’t, a move that was blasted by the company’s critics.Last quarter, Amazon reported $32.3 billion in revenue from third-party services. According to the anti-monopoly organization Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the fees cost U.S. sellers 45% of their revenue in the first half of this year - up from 35% in 2020 and 19% in 2014.Amazon has also long faced allegations of undercutting businesses that sell on its platform by assessing merchant data and creating its own competing product that it then boosts on the site. In August, the company said it was eliminating some in-house brands that weren’t resonating with customers and would relaunch some items under existing brands like Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials. Booksellers and authors have also been urging the Department of Justice to investigate what they’ve called Amazon’s “monopoly power over the market for books and ideas.”Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.If successful, a court case could be a big boost for the FTC's Khan, a Big Tech critic who gained prominence as a Yale law student in 2017 for her scholarly work “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” In 2021, Amazon had sought to get her recused from agency probes against the company because of her earlier criticism.Under Khan’s watch, the FTC has aggressively attempted to blunt Big Tech’s influence but has been unsuccessful recently in some of the most high-profile cases, including its bid to block Microsoft’s takeover of the video game maker Activision Blizzard and Meta’s acquisition of the virtual reality startup Within Unlimited. The agency is currently in the middle of a protracted lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta, which it alleges to have engaged in monopolistic behavior. The Justice Department is also challenging Google’s market power in court.Some of the agency’s allegations in the Amazon case mirrors those made in a separate lawsuit last year by the state of California. A similar case filed by the District of Columbia was thrown out by a federal judge earlier last year and is currently under appeal.The federal complaint follows other actions the FTC has taken against Amazon in the past few months. In June, the agency sued the company, alleging it was using deceptive practices to enroll consumers into Amazon Prime and making it challenging for them to cancel their subscriptions. Amazon disputes the allegations.In late May, the company agreed to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated a child privacy law and misled parents about data deletion practices on its popular voice assistant Alexa.

amazon-sued-by-federal-trade-commission-and-17-states-accused-of-overcharging-blocking-competition

An Amazon logo appears on a delivery van.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court is the result of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.

Amazon Sued By Federal Trade Commission & 17 States, Accused Of Overcharging, Blocking Competition 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the drawing of a new Alabama congressional map with greater representation for Black voters to proceed. The new districts also could help Democrats trying to flip control of the House of Representatives.The justices, without any noted dissent, rejected the state's plea to retain Republican-drawn lines that were turned down by a lower court.In refusing to intervene, the high court allowed a court-appointed special master's work to continue. On Monday, he submitted three proposals that would create a second congressional district where Black voters comprise a majority of the voting age population or close to it.The redrawing of the state's districts follows a June decision by the Supreme Court in which the state's congressional map that was drawn to reflect 2020 census results was found to dilute the voting power of the state’s Black residents. The map, which was used in the 2022 midterm elections, had just one majority Black district out of seven seats in a state where Black residents make up more than a quarter of the population.A second district with a Democratic-leaning Black majority could send another Democrat to Congress at a time when Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives. Federal lawsuits over state and congressional districts also are pending in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.Stark racial divisions characterize voting in Alabama. Black voters overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates, and white voters prefer Republicans.The lead plaintiff in the redistricting case, Evan Milligan, called Tuesday's ruling a “victory for all Alabamians” and said it puts the state closer to a map that provides fair representation. “It’s definitely a really positive step,” Milligan said in a telephone interview.Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office did not immediately comment on the decision.A three-judge panel has scheduled a hearing next week on proposed plans submitted by Richard Allen, the lawyer appointed by the judges. Allen's three proposals would alter the boundaries of Congressional District 2 so that Black voters comprise between 48.5% and 50.1% of the voting-age population, a shift that could put the seat in Democratic hands.By contrast, the district drafted by GOP lawmakers and unanimously rejected by the three judges had a Black voting-age population of 39.9%, meaning it would continue to elect mostly Republicans, according to data simulations run by those challenging the Republican plan.The judges said Alabama lawmakers deliberately defied their directive to create a second district where Black voters could influence or determine the outcome.Milligan and other Black voters had argued Alabama’s rearranged congressional map still meant that candidates preferred by Black voters had no chance of winning outside a single congressional district, now represented by Rep. Terri Sewell, the only Democrat and the only Black member of Alabama’s congressional delegation.“It basically said if you were Black in Alabama, your vote would count for less,” Milligan said. “It was our duty and honor to challenge that.”The state had wanted to use the newly drawn districts while it appeals the lower-court ruling to the Supreme Court.Though Alabama lost its case in June by a 5-4 vote, the state leaned heavily on its hope of persuading one member of that slim majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to essentially switch his vote.The state’s court filing repeatedly cited a separate opinion Kavanaugh wrote in June that suggested he could be open to the state’s arguments in the right case. Kavanaugh, borrowing from Justice Clarence Thomas’ dissenting opinion, wrote that even if race-based redistricting was allowed under the Voting Rights Act for a period of time, “the authority to conduct race-based redistricting cannot extend indefinitely into the future.”

supreme-court-allows-alabamas-congressional-map-to-be-redrawn

The U.S. Supreme Court, June 8, 2020, in Washington.

he Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the drawing of a new Alabama congressional map with greater representation for Black voters to proceed.

Supreme Court Allows Alabama's Congressional Map To Be Redrawn

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A privately owned high-speed passenger train service launched Friday between Florida's two biggest tourist hubs.The Brightline train is a $5 billion bet by owner Fortress Investment Group that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile (378-kilometer) trip between Miami and Orlando — about 30 minutes less than the average drive.The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first-class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains the 70 miles (112 kilometers) between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century.Friday's launch of the Miami-Orlando line was marred by the loss of life of a pedestrian who was hit in South Florida on a section of track served by the new route.The unidentified pedestrian was struck before dawn in Delray Beach by a southbound Brightline train, according to Ted White, a public safety officer with the Delray Beach Police Department.It wasn’t immediately clear whether the train was part of the Miami-Orlando service.The loss of life is the privately owned railroad’s 12th in 2023 and its 98th since July 2017. That’s one for approximately every 33,000 miles its trains travel, the worst rate among the nation’s more than 800 railroads, an ongoing Associated Press analysis that began in 2019 shows.A Brightline spokesperson didn't immediately respond to messages for comment.None of Brightline’s deaths have been found to be the railroad’s fault. Most have been suicides, pedestrians who tried to run across the tracks ahead of the train, or drivers who maneuvered around crossing gates rather than wait.Brightline also is building a line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas that it hopes to open in 2027 with trains that will reach 190 mph (305 kph). The only other U.S. high-speed line is Amtrak’s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., which began in 2000. Amtrak is owned by the federal government.

5b-brightline-train-begins-making-trips-between-orlando-and-miami

The first Brightline train to Miami for the debut of service from Orlando International Airport arrives in the station early Friday, September 22, 2023.

The Brightline train is a major bet that eventually 8-million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile trip between Miami and Orlando

$5B Brightline Train Begins Making Trips Between Orlando And Miami

see-you-at-the-pole-mobilizes-parents-in-prayerwalks

Students across the U.S. and in several foreign countries will pray in groups at flag poles or other prominent sites on campuses at 7 a.m. local time Sept. 27

Global Week of Student Prayer surrounds the event and continues through Sept. 30, encouraging students to find creative ways, places and times to pray.

'See You At The Pole' Mobilizes Parents In Prayerwalks

BOSTON (AP) — A pair of front-row balcony tickets to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 — the night President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth — sold at auction for $262,500, according to a Boston-based auction house.The tickets are stamped with the date, “Ford’s Theatre, APR 14, 1865, This Night Only.” They bear the left-side imprint “Ford’s Theatre, Friday, Dress Circle!” and are filled out in pencil with section (“D”) and seat numbers “41? and “42”, according to RR Auction.The handwritten seating assignments and the circular April 14th-dated stamp match those found on other known authentic tickets, including a used ticket stub in the collection of Harvard University’s Houghton Library, auction officials said.The Harvard stub, which consists of just the left half of the ticket, is the only other used April 14th Ford’s Theatre ticket known to still exist, with similar seat assignments filled out in pencil and a stamp placed identically to the ones on the tickets auctioned off Saturday.Just after 10:00 p.m., during the third act of the play “Our American Cousin,” Booth entered the presidential box at the theater in Washington, D.C., and fatally shot Lincoln.As Lincoln slumped forward in his seat, Booth jumped onto the stage and fled out a back door. The stricken president was examined by a doctor in the audience and carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he died early the next morning. Booth evaded capture for 12 days but was eventually tracked down at a Virginia farm and shot.Also sold at Saturday's auction was a Lincoln-signed first edition of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which fetched nearly $594,000.<figure class="image text-center"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/67130.jpg" alt="President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Lincoln "><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik] President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Lincoln/ Ford's Center for Education and Leadership</figcaption></figure>

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Rare front-row balcony tickets to Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865 rest on a reflective surface. The tickets, dated when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth

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