Christa Pike's botched execution sparks debate on death penalty: 'This has to stop now'

 Following the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said an investigation is needed to determine what went wrong. The case has drawn reactions from pro-life advocates and from both opponents and supporters of the death penalty.

Pike’s execution on Wednesday did not go as planned. She remained alive after receiving two syringes of lethal injection chemicals. State officials later told the Tennessee Supreme Court that Pike was being taken to a hospital for medical care.

Christa Pike's botched execution sparks debate on death penalty | U.S.

Spanish King Felipe VI Admonishes Migrant Invasion of Ceuta as ‘Unacceptable’

The King referred to the Spanish exclave in remarks during a gala diner at the Royal Palace of Madrid on the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron’s official visit to Spain. King Felipe called on the European Union to be “more effective and show greater solidarity” in protecting the Union’s borders, referring to the mass migrant invasion of Ceuta. 

 “What happened in Ceuta this summer, the massive influx of tens of thousands of people crossing a Spanish border — which is also a European border — is unacceptable and poses a major challenge from the standpoint of security, public order, and humanitarian concerns,” King Felipe said. King Felipe insisted the situation of Ceuta “must lead to strengthened collaboration” among E.U. member states when it comes to resources and cooperation. The Spanish King noted European nations geographically located on the E.U.’s external borders face greater pressure and cannot “shoulder alone a responsibility that belongs to us all.”

Spanish King Felipe VI Admonishes Migrant Invasion of Ceuta as 'Unacceptable'

‘Second 9/11 prevented’: Israel suspects pilot tried to hijack flight to Tel Aviv in attempted terror attack

 After a plane traveling from Dubai to Tel Avivissued an emergency signal before landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Israel is treating the incident as a suspected terror attack and working to bring the approximately 180 passengers home aboard an Israeli Air Force plane.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that “the most severe disaster was prevented” and that authorities are investigating growing indications that the copilot tried to stab his colleague with a knife and take over the plane in order to crash it.

Initial reports suggest that passengers intervened to subdue the pilot, while a second flight crew on board helped to land the plane.

“Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments. The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” the prime minister’s office stated.

On Wednesday morning, a flydubai flight sent out a “squawk code” of 7700, which is an international emergency signal, while turning around in the northern Saudi desert before disappearing from flight radars.

: Israel suspects pilot tried to hijack flight to Tel Aviv | World

Senators fire off bipartisan letter asking Trump to press Xi on religious persecution

 A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Tuesday urging him to press Chinese President Xi Jinping on Beijing's persecution of Christian pastors and other religious minorities during their bilateral summit this week in Washington.

Led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., the letter expressed gratitude to Trump for the diplomatic pressure that led to the release of Beijing Zion Church founder Ezra Jin, who was released to the U.S. on July 3 as a goodwill gesture from Xi following Jin's 266 days of detainment.

Senators urge Trump to press Xi on religious persecution | Politics

This Is NOT God's Church!

 

'She did not consent': Family says Christian grandmother euthanized against her will

 “I don’t want the death shot.”

Those were reportedly the words of 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann, a Christian grandmother in Ontario, Canada, who repeatedly resisted medically assisted dying before her death in July.

Now, her granddaughter is demanding answers, alleging that Stegemann was forced to undergo medical assistance in dying (MAiD) despite repeatedly declaring that she was refusing that option.  

The Daily Mail reported details surrounding the circumstances of the death of Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian woman who lived in Canifton. Brigitte Kranendonk, Stegemann’s granddaughter who shares the same name as her late grandmother, discussed how Stegemann had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in February and had seen her overall health decline. 

Kranendonk insisted to the publication that her grandmother had previously asserted “I don’t want that” when she brought up the option of medically assisted dying. The Daily Mail noted that Kranendonk attributed her grandmother’s opposition to MAiD to her “religiosity” and the “notion of displeasing God.” 

Canadian woman says MAiD euthanized grandmother against her will | World

Feds probing Massachusetts' removal of trans-identified girl from Catholic parents

 The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a Massachusetts school district over reports that officials worked to socially transition a trans-identified teenager without her Catholic parents’ consent and took steps to remove the girl from their custody after they objected.

The Education Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office is investigating the Northborough-Southborough Regional School District to determine whether the district violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by working to socially transition a female student without informing her parents.

“According to the student’s parents, school personnel at Algonquin Regional High School helped facilitate their daughter’s so-called ‘social transition’ to a boy without informing them,” the department said in an announcement. “The parents claim that their daughter participated in counseling sessions after school to support the transition while they were under the impression she was receiving academic assistance for her math class.”

The department contends that FERPA requires schools to allow parents to access their children’s education records and make changes to those records. Schools are also required to "provide a hearing if the school rejects the changes."

"PPRA requires schools to receive written consent from parents if they plan to conduct any evaluation, survey, or analysis on students regarding their or their family’s mental health, sex behaviors and attitudes, religious beliefs or any other invasive sensitive subjects outlined in the statute," the Education Department statement reads. 

Feds probing removal of trans-identified teen from parents | Politics