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The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed a district court decision that dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) against Concordia University… The post Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal in Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Governance Dispute appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Bill C-9, the *Combatting Hate Act*, has cleared the Canadian Senate, instituting expansive new criminal penalties for hate-motivated activities. The legislation creates a specific criminal offense for intimidating or obstructing… The post Canada’s "Combatting Hate Act": Legislative Expansion of Criminal Speech Laws appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Before dawn in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, the roosters do not get to finish. The men arrive with rifles and machetes while the village is still folded in sleep, and by… The post U.S. Brands Nigeria a Religious Freedom Violator as Christian Death Toll Climbs appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

In April, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill that cut a hole in Connecticut’s own Religious Freedom Restoration Act. House Bill 5044, sold as a vaccine-standards measure, declares that the… The post Conscience Is Not a Coupon appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

In 1890 the Supreme Court knew exactly what religion was, which should have been the first warning. Certainty on a question like this is usually the sound of a man… The post What is "Religion" anyway? appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The big picture: The intersection of faith and public policy is tightening. Courts and legislatures remain the primary battlegrounds, with a distinct shift toward administrative action and conscience protections as… The post RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: A WEEKLY BRIEFING appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Three Protestant bodies spent one week at war over the body. The only church adding members is the one that refused to hold the argument. The Southern Baptist Convention reached… The post Everybody’s Wrong, and Rome Is Filling Up appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

On the evening of June 5, 2026, in a chapel in Riverside, the president of La Sierra University stood before seven graduates and told them, “I am La Sierra,” and… The post The Shield They Are Dismantling appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The view from Pepperdine’s law school in Malibu runs straight out to the Pacific. For three days in early June the people gathered there kept their attention on something harder… The post Pepperdine and Founders’ First Freedom Bring the Religious Freedom Conversation Home to Malibu appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

A dozen men gathered to pray in a private home in University Heights, Ohio. The city responded with a cease-and-desist letter. That sequence, simple on its face, now sits before… The post An Orthodox Jew Prayed at Home. The Supreme Court Will Decide if He Can Sue the City That Stopped Him. appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

🤖 1 for the road: How to use AI "loops" Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes in his weekly C-Suite newsletter: The most important concept in AI right now isn't agents — it's "loops." 👩‍💻 The smartest builders have stopped prompting AI directly. They design systems called "loops" that prompt AI automatically, check the results, remember what worked and improve with every run. My version that helps surface ideas for my newsletter: I ask for vital, verified info for CEOs. Then my agents scout, research and cite. I judge what matters. A story repository stores that judgment and improves. And my next brief starts smarter than the last. 🔑 That self-improvement aspect is the key. Every cycle, it gets a little better — or a little worse, depending on what's in the judgment layer.

🌊 Tropical Storm Arthur became the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season this morning. Forecasters are warning of potentially life-threatening flooding in the Southeast. More from Axios' Carlie Kollath Wells.

US and Iran sign initial deal to end war, ease sanctions and open strait as nuclear talks continue WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-deal-june-17-2026-19652f4611b704c0a991bf1f5bc9a4b9?

Luigi Mangione will assert psychiatric defense in murder case in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione plans to assert a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial, claiming he was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance when he gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge said Wednesday. It wouldn’t absolve him of the Dec. 4, 2024, killing, but could free him from prison sooner. https://apnews.com/article/luigi-mangione-brian-thompson-united-healthcare-psychiatric-4ddb015ce3937689b41615571b3a1732? ‘A million years isn’t enough': Victims’ relatives confront Gilgo Beach serial killer at sentencing RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — After decades waiting for justice, relatives of women murdered by New York’s Gilgo Beach serial killer laid into him Wednesday before he was sentenced to life in prison. He told them: “I am responsible” for the crimes. https://apnews.com/article/gilgo-beach-ny-serial-killings-rex-heuermann-387005d77f2d7b699ee9692a81d1b0b7?

👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. Stat of the day: Nationals slugger James Wood hasn't even been in MLB for two full seasons (310 games) and he's already faced as many different pitchers as Ted Williams did in his entire career (447). In today's edition: Goal-scoring bonanza, CWS Final Four is set, golf's next American star, NBA mock draft, MLB power rankings, make your U.S. Open picks, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Final Four: The College World Series semifinals were finalized on Wednesday, with No. 16 West Virginia (who trounced Troy, 12-0) set to face No. 5 North Carolina and No. 3 Georgia (who beat No. 6 Texas, 2-0) set to face Oklahoma. 🏒 Torts out in Vegas: John Tortorella will not return as head coach of the Golden Knights, the team announced Tuesday, two days after losing in the Stanley Cup Final. Torts was only hired in March on an interim basis, and there was no guarantee he'd be retained beyond that. 🏈 Smith's brain to be studied: Aldon Smith's family will donate his brain to the Boston University CTE Center to determine whether CTE played a role in the former lineman's death after he passed away on Saturday at the age of 36. (Read my buddy Adam's post about his friend, Aldon). ⏱️ Lyles sets world record: Reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles broke the 150m world record on Tuesday at the Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic. He notched a time of 14.67 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 14.92 set in April by Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. 🏈 Jordan's last dance: Cameron Jordan, the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end who's spent all 15 of his NFL seasons with the Saints, is returning to New Orleans for "one final season." The 37-year-old has 132 career sacks, second only to Von Miller (138.5) among active players.   ⚽️ GROUP STAGE WORLD CUP: 3 STARS, 7 GOALS (Dan Mullan/Getty Images) Three of the world's best scorers took the field on Tuesday for their World Cup openers. And boy, did they deliver. Kylian Mbappé got things started in New Jersey, scoring twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal to move into third place on the World Cup scoring list with 14 goals. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Erling Haaland followed with a brace of his own in his World Cup debut, leading Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq in Foxborough. (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images) Lionel Messi saved the best for last, scoring a hat trick in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City to leapfrog Mbappé and tie Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history (16). Up next: Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, two more world-class scorers, take the field today for Portugal and England. How many times will they find the back of the net?   🏀 CLASS OF 2026 NBA MOCK DRAFT 9.0 (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) With the 2026 NBA Draft less than a week away (next Tuesday), we've got a fresh two-round mock draft, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor. Drama at the top? On Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson both believe they'll be the first pick. Dybantsa worked out for both Washington and Utah, while Peterson worked out only for Washington and won't meet with any other teams. Top 10: Wizards: AJ Dybantsa (BYU) Jazz: Cameroon Boozer (Duke) Grizzlies: Darryn Peterson (Kansas) Bulls: Caleb Wilson (UNC) Clippers: Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) Nets: Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) Kings: Keaton Wagler (Illinois) Hawks: Brayden Burries (Arizona) Mavericks: Karim López (Mexico) Bucks: Kingston Flemings (Houston) Be sure to check out our 2026 NBA Draft Guide, which features full scouting reports for every prospect, player comparisons, and multiple big boards.   ⛳️ NAME TO KNOW JACKSON KOIVUN: GOLF'S NEXT AMERICAN STAR? Koivun after leading Auburn to another national championship last month. (Tanner Pearson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) Jackson Koivun has conquered college golf. Now he's set his sights on becoming the No. 1 player in the world. Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: Don't let the clear eyes and the calm, measured voice fool you. Jackson Koivun is an assassin with the highest of goals: "I want to be," he declares, "the number-one player in the world." He says it in the middle of a long conversation, he says it without bravado or defiance, he says it with the same certainty that he'd say the sky is blue and the Auburn summers are hot. And he's about to get the chance to carry through on it. Later this week, Koivun, the star of Auburn's national champion golf team, will make his final start as an amateur at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Soon afterward, he'll officially turn pro, making his first start as a professional in early July at the John Deere Classic. He'll surrender his amateur, guaranteed slot at the Open Championship, which you only do if you're highly confident you'll play your way back into the field very soon. "He's the most positive, optimistic person I ever coached," says Nick Clinard, Koivun's head coach at Auburn. "Negative thoughts never really creep into his mind." Koivun hits a shot from the bunker during Monday's practice round at Shinnecock Hills. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images) The college-to-pro pipeline in golf isn't quite as sanctified as, say, football or basketball. So let's put this in a cross-sport context: Koivun is the most anticipated amateur in a generation, on the level of LeBron James or fellow Auburn Tiger Cam Newton. Yes, he's that good. Koivun, who's forgoing his senior year, is a two-time individual national champion and a three-time SEC champion, plus he's led Auburn to two national titles. He already ranks 28th in the world in true strokes gained, per DataGolf, among multiple recent major winners. During his three years in college, he won 11 times — six this past season alone — and finished with 34 top-10s and 87 rounds below par, all of which are school records. His career 68.89 scoring average is the best in NCAA history. Shall we keep going? We'll keep going. His freshman year, Koivun won all three major individual awards — the Ben Hogan, the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus awards — along with the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award. This past year, he again won all three individual honors, becoming the first player ever to hit the trifecta twice.   ⚾️ 1-30 MLB POWER RANKINGS (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) Three NL teams sit atop our latest MLB power rankings, in which Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman highlights a first-time All-Star candidate or two from each team. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 (Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ World Cup, Day 7 Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth and final World Cup begins today in Houston, where Portugal faces DR Congo (1pm ET, Fox). Then it's England vs. Croatia in Dallas (4pm, Fox), Ghana vs. Panama in Toronto (7pm, FS1) and Uzbekistan vs. Colombia in Mexico City (10pm, FS1). Climbing the ladder: Ronaldo and England's Harry Kane have both scored eight career World Cup goals, two shy of joining the 15 players who've scored at least 10. It's not hard to imagine both of them entering that exclusive club this summer considering Ronaldo is, well, Ronaldo, and Kane just scored 61 goals across 51 games this past season. ⚾️ CWS, Semifinals The College World Series Final Four begins today in Omaha, where No. 5 North Carolina faces No. 16 West Virginia in one semifinal (2pm, ESPN) and Oklahoma faces No. 3 Georgia in the other (7pm, ESPN). Where it stands: North Carolina and Oklahoma are undefeated, so they need only one win to advance to the CWS Finals. If either lose, winner-take-all games will be played tomorrow. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: White Sox at Yankees (7pm, Prime) … Chicago (38-33) currently sits atop the AL Central with 38 wins in mid-June. Two years ago, they won 41 games all season. 🏀 WNBA: Liberty at Sky (8pm, USA); Aces at Mercury (10pm, USA) … New York (10-4) and Las Vegas (10-4) are tied for the league's second-best record behind Minnesota (11-3). Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   ⚽️ LEADERBOARD WORLD CUP TRIVIA (Yahoo Sports) Lionel Messi is now tied for first in World Cup goals with 16 and Kylian Mbappé ranks fourth with 14. Question: Who ranks third with 15? Hint: South America. Answer at the bottom.   ⛳️ WHO YA GOT? U.S. OPEN: MAKE YOUR PICKS (Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images) The third major of the PGA Tour season tees off tomorrow at Shinnecock Hills. Which golfer will come out on top? Will the winner be under par? Who finishes higher: Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy? Make your picks: Golf Pick 'Em is live, and we have a Yahoo Sports AM group that you can join to see where your picks stack up against us and other readers. And yes, the group winner(s) get a prize. Picks are due by 6:30am ET tomorrow, so get them in now! And make sure you're in the "Yahoo Sports AM" group to compete alongside Kendall, Jeff and other readers.   Trivia answer: Ronaldo (Brazil)

Republicans in US Senate left in dark by Trump on Iran deal, but want details and a vote WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both political parties said Tuesday they had yet to see the text of the deal Trump administration officials struck over the weekend to end the war in Iran, though several indicated any final agreement will require their approval. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/16/repub/republicans-in-us-senate-left-in-dark-by-trump-on-iran-deal-but-want-details-and-a-vote/?

Florida’s GOP AGs used to intervene in utility rate cases, but no longer As electricity cost increases outpace other measures of inflation, attorneys general around the country have intervened to stop what they consider exorbitant rate hikes: https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/17/floridas-gop-ags-used-to-intervene-in-utility-rate-cases-but-no-longer/? ps:But of course Florida's AG could care less!!!!! To veto or not? All eyes are on DeSantis, sovereign immunity bill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently pushed for a major overhaul of property taxes paid to cities and counties, will soon decide whether to increase the amount of money local governments and the state must pay out in negligence lawsuits. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/16/to-veto-or-not-all-eyes-are-desantis-sovereign-immunity-bill/? Uthmeier, federal partners warn of human trafficking during FIFA World Cup Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and a coalition of state, federal, and private partners warned Floridians Tuesday of a heightened risk of human trafficking, a day after Miami hosted its first of seven FIFA World Cup matches. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/16/uthmeier-federal-partners-warn-of-human-trafficking-during-fifa-world-cup/?

More Than 770,000 Children Are No Longer Receiving SNAP Benefits After Trump Changes Federal Food Program As a House committee debated President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill last year, Republican backers repeatedly emphasized that its changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, wouldn’t affect vulnerable people. https://www.propublica.org/article/snap-benefits-children-food-stamps? “Digital Colonialism”: U.S. Demands to Access Africans’ Data Raise Privacy, Sovereignty Concerns Frank Ssekamwa says the United States presented his country with an impossible choice. If it accepted the terms of a new health agreement, Uganda would have to give the U.S. access to the data of millions of his fellow citizens — a decision he worries would make their personal information more vulnerable to breaches and possible exploitation. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-state-department-africa-uganda-aid-medical-data-privacy?

Teasing the Temple in the Dead Sea Scrolls When Cyrus and the Persians brought an end to the Babylonian Exile and decreed that communities exiled by the Babylonians were permitted to go back to their homelands, the Judeans living in Mesopotamia must have been filled with hope and anticipation as they prepared for the return journey to the land of Judah. Their focus surely revolved around the complex challenges of rebuilding and, in particular, the task of restoring the Jerusalem Temple. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/teasing-the-temple-in-the-dead-sea-scrolls/? Herod the Great: Friend of the Romans and Parthians? Often we think of Herod the Great in relation to ancient Rome. We understand the king as steadfast in his loyalty to this western imperial power—and rightly so. Herod’s behavior routinely betrayed his Roman interests, and inscriptions attest to and advertise this allegiance by identifying him with such titles as “Friend of the Romans.” It is entirely appropriate then to apply the modern label “Roman client king” to Herod, as scholars have done for so long. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/herod-the-great-friend-of-the-romans-and-parthians/?

Small plane crash A small jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in South Texas on Tuesday evening, with bystanders rushing to help rescue passengers from the fiery wreckage. One person was killed and five others were injured when the plane went down on Laredo's Loop 20 highway, scattering debris across multiple lanes. Read more.

Economy The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged today. But for many investors, economists and Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs, the bigger focus will be on what comes next under new Chairman Kevin Warsh, who succeeded Jerome Powell. Warsh's post-meeting news conference, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, will be his first major opportunity to introduce himself and his approach to monetary policy. Read more.