TV Guide Warns Readers About Christian Actor Chris Pratt’s ‘Problematic’ Offscreen Life

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One of the few Hollywood stars that conservatives feel actually sees the world from a similar point of view is “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt, who is willing to openly criticize aspects of liberal culture and proclaim his faith in God, while managing to never come off as self-righteous or self-serving. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that TV Guide would feel compelled to write a hit-piece on Pratt warning its readers about his “problematic life offscreen” that is sure to offend their (presumably left-wing) sensibilities, including that he once mocked “outrage culture.”

The Pratt hit-piece is a part of a regrettable series of articles called “12 Days of Chris-Mas,” which highlights twelve actors named Chris over twelve days, leading up to “the best Chris” on Christmas. Or something. Despite all of his supposed “problems,” Pratt comes in at number 5. Even the tweeted caption promoting the piece includes the anti-Pratt angle, suggesting fans should feel guilty about loving Pratt (h/t Twitchy): . . .

So what exactly are those “problematic aspects” of his personal life? Well, for one, he tried to give his aging cat away. Seriously.

For instance, animals: In 2011, Pratt apparently tried to give his family’s aging cat away via Twitter, though he later gave an explanation (future children) and said the cat eventually found a good home. (Five years later, there was also a bizarre tabloid story about Pratt and then-wife Anna Faris’ attempt to rehome the family’s dog.)

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Adding fuel to this particular fire is the fact that Pratt, an avid hunter who has often spoken about his love of hunting, currently raises lambs on his farm. The enthusiastic tone he took when speaking about “eating fresh farm-to-table lamb” in an Instagramvideo earlier this year — “They are the happiest lambs on the planet, they are so sweet and then one day they wake up dead and they’re in my freezer” — sparked backlash from a number of fans, and not just those who are vegetarians or vegans. The next day, Pratt posted a photo of several pieces of fresh lamb meat and even compared said lamb’s death to something as easy or trivial as “unplugging a TV.”

(Read more from “TV Guide Warns Readers About Christian Actor Chris Pratt’s ‘Problematic’ Offscreen Life” HERE)

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Activists Suggest the Next James Bond Should Be TRANSGENDER

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Activists — including high-profile British actor Dominic West — are encouraging the producers of the popular James Bond franchise to abandon 007’s traditional roots and cast a transgender individual as the next Bond.

Speaking to the Sunday Times of London, West claimed that there are enough transgender individuals in the UK’s military to justify making the next MI6 agent male-to-female (or female-to-male).

“They should have a transgender Bond because there are a lot of transgender people in the army. That’s actually a brilliant idea,” West said. . .

Activists probably won’t get their way anytime soon, however. Bond’s longtime producers, the Broccoli family, have often bristled at the thought of deliberately changing Ian Fleming’s signature character. The series’ executive producer, Barbara Broccoli, unequivocally ruled out the idea of a female Bond earlier this year.

Instead, viewers can expect a more “modern Bond” — but only up to a point. The character was written in the 1950s, and modeled on Fleming himself. Since the spy stories have an element of biography to them, Bond will probably always stay as toxically masculine as he currently is. (Read more from “Activists Suggest the Next James Bond Should Be TRANSGENDER” HERE)

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Deaths From Alcohol Overuse Continue to Climb

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Alcohol misuse accounted for 35,823 deaths in 2017, an increase of nearly 46 percent over almost two decades, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of mortality data.

The data, which come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that alcohol-related deaths have climbed steadily from the 19,469 deaths recorded in 1999. Deaths from misusing alcohol did not decline at any time since that period, and they included not only alcohol poisonings but also alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis. They do not include deaths from accidents people have while they are drinking, because in these instances, the cause of death would be drowning, a car accident, or a fall.

Deaths from such heavy drinking patterns are contributing to the lower life expectancy trend that has been observed in the U.S. in recent years, an issue compounded by opioid overdose deaths and suicides. These alcohol deaths are still lower than those caused by opioids such as heroin, which were responsible for 47,600 deaths in 2017, and suicides, which accounted for 47,173 deaths. When combined with deaths from accidents where people have been drinking, however, they climb to 88,000 deaths a year, federal reports show. . .

It’s unclear what is behind the factors driving lower life expectancy. Scholars have dubbed the phenomenon “deaths of despair,” noting mortality is rising particularly among whites in rural areas who have no more than a high school education. Princeton economists and spouses Anne Case and Angus Deaton have raised the possibility that deaths are tied to mental health issues, economic uncertainty, and physical pain. . .

In recent years, the statistics show that alcoholic liver disease has been primarily responsible for the increases in chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, according to the CDC. But with alcohol poisoning data, sometimes opioids or another drug such as Valium are also involved as contributing to the death, even though alcohol is considered the underlying factor, the CDC has said. (Read more from “Deaths From Alcohol Overuse Continue to Climb” HERE)

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Two Female Christian Artists Could Be JAILED for Not Creating Art for Same-Sex Weddings

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Two female Christian artists in Arizona who refuse to make custom-art for same sex weddings could actually be jailed for sticking to their religious beliefs.

Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski , who own Brush & Nib Studio, make custom artwork using painting, calligraphy and handlettering. They filed suit against the city of Phoenix, as a Phoenix city ordinance threatens them with up to six months and/or a fine of $2,500 each day they refuse to make the artwork. First the women filed in state court to overturn the ordinance, but lost in a court of appeals, prompting them to appeal to the state’s Supreme Court, which said on November 20 it would hear the case. . .

The petition added, “Their Christian beliefs forbid them from creating ‘custom artwork that conveys messages condoning, supporting, or participating in activities or ideas that violate their religious beliefs. For example, they cannot create artwork expressing messages that ‘contradict biblical truth, demean others, endorse racism, [or] incite violence.’”

ADF senior counsel Jonathan Scruggs stated at the time the state Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, “The government must allow artists to make their own decisions about which messages they will promote. Joanna and Breanna are happy to design custom art for anyone; they simply object to being forced to pour their heart, soul, imagination, and talent into creating messages that violate their conscience.” . . .

The brief filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and other state attorneys general states, “A government simply cannot force a citizen to engage in or endorse expression. … [Phoenix] must not be allowed to force artists to create customized expressions contrary to their moral, religious, or political beliefs, even if such work is paid for by the one requesting it.” (Read more from “Two Female Christian Artists Could Be JAILED for Not Creating Art for Same-Sex Weddings” HERE)

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‘Pro-Life’ John Kasich Vetoes Bill Banning Abortions on Babies With Heartbeats

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Today, outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed for the second time a bill that would have prevented babies with beating hearts from being aborted. . .

“As governor, I have worked hard to strengthen Ohio’s protections for the sanctity of human life, and I have a deep respect for my fellow members of the pro-life community and their ongoing efforts in defense of unborn life,” said Kasich. “However, the central provision of Sub. H.B. 258, that an abortion cannot be performed if a heartbeat has been detected in the unborn child, is contrary to the Supreme Court of the United States’ current rulings on abortion.” . . .

On the same day he vetoed the bill, which would have made Ohio the safest state in the country for pre-born children, Kasich signed a ban on dismemberment abortions. The move is reminiscent of his veto of the 2016 heartbeat bill, which he did the same time he signed a 20-week abortion ban into law. . .

“History will judge leaders by what they did or did not do in difficult, inconvenient, yet life saving moments,” said Pastor Rodney Lord of Marietta. Lord leads a coalition of pastors and leaders in southeast Ohio and has a daily radio spot with an audience of 150,000.

“Speaker Smith, Senate President Obhof, and our state legislators have an opportunity to do something significant, meaningful, and life-saving,” said Lori Viars of Warren County Right To Life. (Read more from “‘Pro-Life’ John Kasich Vetoes Bill Banning Abortions on Babies With Heartbeats” HERE)

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Christian Baker Who Refused to Bake a Gay Wedding Cake Is Back in Court Over a ‘Transition Day’ Cake

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By The Blaze. Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who gained global attention for refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding, was back in court earlier this week, The Associated Press reported.

The Christian baker and his lawyers are fighting back against allegations that he discriminated against transgender lawyer Autumn Scardina when he denied her request for a “transition day” cake.

“At this point, he’s just a guy who is trying to get back to life. The problem is the state of Colorado won’t let him,” Jim Campbell, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, told the AP after Tuesday’s hearing. Alliance Defending Freedom is the Christian nonprofit law firm representing Phillips. . .

“All people — no matter who they are, what they believe, or what protected characteristics they have — are welcome in Phillips’ shop and may purchase anything available for sale,” according to the lawsuit. “But as a devout man of faith, Phillips cannot create custom cakes that express messages or celebrate events in conflict with his religious beliefs.”

The lawsuit points out that the baker has received calls asking for cakes to celebrate “Satan, featuring satanic symbols, depicting sexually explicit materials, and promoting marijuana use. Phillips believes that some of those requests came from the same Colorado lawyer.” (Read more from “Christian Baker Who Refused to Bake a Gay Wedding Cake Is Back in Court Over a ‘Transition Day’ Cake” HERE)

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Colorado Baker Back in Court Over Second Bias Allegation

By AP. Attorneys for a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple on religious grounds — a stand partially upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court — argued in federal court Tuesday that the state is punishing him again over his refusal to bake a cake celebrating a gender transition. . .

The Colorado Civil Rights Commission said Phillips discriminated against Denver attorney Autumn Scardina because she’s transgender. Phillips’ shop refused to make a cake last year that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside after Scardina revealed she wanted it to celebrate her transition from male to female.

She asked for the cake on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would consider Phillips’ appeal of the previous commission ruling against him. In that 2012 case, he refused to make a wedding cake for same-sex couple Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins. (Read more from “Colorado Baker Back in Court Over Second Bias Allegation” HERE)

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Sacha Baron Cohen: We Stumbled Upon Possible Pedophile Ring During ‘Who Is America’ Taping, Notified FBI

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Showtime host Sacha Baron Cohen revealed Wednesday that he stumbled upon what he thought could be a possible pedophile ring while taping his controversial summer series “Who is America?”

During a classic Baron Cohen-style fake interview, the comedian plays a character named Gio who eventually asks a Las Vegas concierge to get him an underaged boy as a “date.” After this concierge offered to put “Gio” in touch with a person who apparently procures such boys, Baron Cohen turned the troubling footage over to the FBI.

“We were shooting some of this at the time of Harvey Weinstein. We wanted to investigate how does someone like Harvey Weinstein gets away with doing what … get away with criminality, essentially. And the network that surrounds him. We decided that Gio would interview a concierge in Las Vegas,” Baron Cohen explained to Deadline.

“During the interview, I revealed that basically Gio has molested an eight-year-old boy,” he continued. “Now, mind you, this is extreme comedy and we thought that the guy would leave the room. Instead, this concierge stays in the room and I go, listen, you’ve got to help me get rid of the problem. And this guy starts advising Gio how to get rid of this issue. We even at one point talk about murdering the boy, and the concierge is just saying, ‘well, listen, I’m really sorry. In this country, we can’t just drown the boy. This is America we don’t do that.’ And then, in the end, he puts me in touch with a lawyer who can silence the boy.” . . .

The footage was immediately handed over to the FBI by Baron Cohen’s team “because we thought, perhaps there’s a pedophile ring in Las Vegas that’s operating for these very wealthy men,” he told Deadline. “And this concierge had said that he’d worked for politicians and various billionaires.” (Read more from “Sacha Baron Cohen: We Stumbled Upon Possible Pedophile Ring During ‘Who Is America’ Taping, Notified FBI” HERE)

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Catholic Church in Illinois May Have Hidden Hundreds of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct

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The Catholic Church in Illinois, which includes the Chicago Archdiocese, may have hidden hundreds of allegations of sexual misconduct made against priests and other members of the clergy, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a press conference late Wednesday. . .

“Madigan opened an investigation into the issue in Illinois in August after a grand jury report revealed widespread clergy abuse in Pennsylvania,” the news site continued. “The attorney general has been reviewing thousands of pages of internal documents released from each of Illinois’ six diocese as part of its investigation.”

Each diocese in Illinois has released a list of “credibly” accused members of the clergy, Madigan said, but those lists only include around 185 names, total, and don’t reference other priests who were accused of misconduct but were not “adequately investigated.” Each individual diocese, including Chicago, has its own definition of an “adequate investigation,” and there are no uniform rules for handling claims of sexual misconduct or reporting allegations to law enforcement. . .

The news comes on the heels of a separate report issued by the Midwest Province of Jesuits that claims at least 65 Jesuit brothers and priests across 12 states have been “credibly accused” of sexual misconduct, including 18 priests who operated within the Chicago archdiocese. “Half a dozen” of those priests were teachers at a Chicago-area prep school.

According to the report, one of those priests, Fr. Donald McGuire, was moved around several times over the course of four decades before being finally defrocked in 2007 — only after being convicted of bringing a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sexual contact. (Read more from “Catholic Church in Illinois May Have Hidden Hundreds of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees

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By The New York Times. . .That includes Planned Parenthood, which has been accused of sidelining, ousting or otherwise handicapping pregnant employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees.

In interviews and legal documents, women at Planned Parenthood and other organizations with a feminist bent described discrimination that violated federal or state laws — managers considering pregnancy in hiring decisions, for example, or denying rest breaks recommended by a doctor. . .

At Natera, which sells genetic tests for pregnant women, two former employees, Melissa Blain Johnson and Judit Rigo, said they were demoted while on maternity leave. Ms. Johnson, who has sued Natera, also said that she was left feeling like a “guinea pig” when her boss suggested that she and another pregnant employee pose as patients and get genetically tested by a rival company. (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Employees Accuse Organization of Mistreating Pregnant Workers

By The Hill. Former and current Planned Parenthood employees accuse the women’s health organization of mistreating its pregnant workers in a New York Times investigation published Thursday.

The Times interviewed more than a dozen current and former employees who said Planned Parenthood discriminated against workers when they became pregnant and that some offices fostered a culture that discouraged workers from becoming pregnant. . .

“It was looked down upon for you to get pregnant,” Carolina Delgado, who worked in the Planned Parenthood Miami office until 2012, told the newspaper. “I don’t think that any supervisor had to literally say it for us to feel it.”

One former Planned Parenthood hiring manager who worked in California told the Times that she witnessed supervisors declining to promote certain employees depending on whether they were likely to get pregnant.

The Times said that 49 of the organization’s 55 regional offices do not offer paid maternity leave. (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Employees Accuse Organization of Mistreating Pregnant Workers” HERE)

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Why It’s Not Discrimination for Christian Agencies to Only Recruit Christian Foster and Adoptive Parents

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In October, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that claims to be founded on Jewish values, accused South Carolina’s Miracle Hill foster care agency of discrimination for exclusively serving Christian parents. The ADL blasted Miracle Hill’s action of recruiting only Christian foster care parents as “immoral” and “deeply disturbing.”

But the ADL forgets that, for more than a century, American Jewish organizations have placed Jewish children with Jewish families. During World War II, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the German Jewish Children’s Aid Society (GJCAS) helped Jewish orphans fleeing Nazi persecution find homes with Jewish families in the United States. Five decades later, as Jewish orphans fled the Soviet Union, Jewish organizations in the United States helped them find Jewish homes. This was not a story about discrimination, it was about preservation—of shared traditions, history, and values.

Rather than honor these traditions, the ADL has joined the American left’s ongoing crusade to eradicate faith from our nation’s foster care and adoption agencies. In Philadelphia, Catholic Social Services is desperately fighting the city for the right to continue to serve children without sacrificing its Catholic principles. In Buffalo, New York, Catholic Charities was forced to end its adoption services because of its practice of placing a child only with both a mom and a dad. . .

The ADL thinks that publicly funding faith-based adoption agencies violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, but it is wrong. Although the First Amendment prohibits any “establishment of religion,” its framers never thought that providing funding to religious organizations on the same basis as to secular organizations would count as an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Indeed, the Supreme Court held in Trinity Lutheran that the government may fund religious organizations on equal footing with secular ones without running afoul of the establishment clause.

What this case is really about is the free exercise of religion under our laws. That is why faith-based agencies like Miracle Hill need President Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services to implement regulations that support one of our most cherished founding principles: religious freedom. (Read more from “Why It’s Not Discrimination for Christian Agencies to Only Recruit Christian Foster and Adoptive Parents” HERE)

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