Under Putin, the Russian Orthodox Church has assumed a prominent position, both culturally and politically, and the “traditional values” that church leaders champion are becoming government policy. In many ways, modern Russia is the Religious Right’s ideal society.

Rimpal Bajwa’s essay titled “A Rising Tide Of Religious Discrimination In America Threatens To Wash Away America’s Tradition Of Tolerance” is awarded first place in AU’s third annual student essay competition! Bajwa cites the Muslim Ban and the growing Islamophobia in American government as the biggest threats to religious freedom.

House Republicans amended a spending bill to include language that would allow adoption and foster care agencies that receive federal funding to discriminate against qualified prospective parents and children in need based on the agency’s religious beliefs. The result: Kids could be denied stable, loving homes with prospective parents who are LGBTQ, single, previously divorced or even the “wrong religion.”

Later today, the House Rules Committee will take up a bill that contains language to weaken the Johnson Amendment by making it nearly impossible to enforce. During debate today, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and John Lewis will offer amendments to strip the problematic Johnson Amendment language from the bill.