Louisiana requires Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public classroom
Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation on Wednesday requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom in Louisiana, making the state the only one with such a mandate and reigniting the debate over how porous the boundary between church and state should be. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, vowed a legal fight against the law. The legislation is part of a broader campaign by conservative Christian groups to amplify public expressions of faith, and provoke lawsuits that could reach the Supreme Court, where they expect a friendlier reception than in years past.
Congress debates expanded draft amid military recruitment challenges
The U.S. military has not activated a draft in more than 50 years, but Congress is weighing proposals to update mandatory conscription, including by expanding it to women for the first time and automatically registering those eligible to be called up. The proposals making their way through the House and Senate stand a slim chance of becoming law, and none would reinstate the draft compelling service right away. But the debate reflects how lawmakers are rethinking the draft at a time when readiness issues have risen to the fore and as the Pentagon is facing recruitment challenges amid a raft of conflicts around the world.
Federal dams harm Native American communities, US acknowledges
The federal government has released a report that for the first time acknowledges the harms that dams in the Pacific Northwest have “inflicted and continue to inflict” on Native American tribes, it said. Large hydroelectric dams were built throughout the Columbia River basin at the beginning of the 20th century, and, according to the report, released Tuesday by the Interior Department, flooded thousands of acres, sacred sites and ancestral burial grounds. They also transformed the ecosystem, including by blocking fish from migrating. As a result, many tribal communities have been unable to fish, changing traditional diets and cultural practices.
Kennedy raises just $2.6 million, a sign of reliance on his running mate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign raised just $2.6 million in May, a paltry sum that speaks to how reliant his bid has become on his running mate, wealthy Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan. The Kennedy campaign raised less in May than it had in any previous month in 2024, according to filings Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. That was in large part because Shanahan barely contributed any additional money in May. The total raised by Kennedy was essentially the same as what he raised in April, not counting Shanahan: He brought in $10.7 million that month, but $8 million came from her.
Anarchy hinders Gaza aid efforts, despite daily combat pause
The extreme anarchy that has gripped the Gaza Strip is making it too dangerous and difficult to distribute desperately needed aid in the south, relief groups and others said, despite a daily pause in fighting that Israel is observing along a key road there. Days after the pause took hold, more than 1,000 truckloads of supplies remained stranded in Gaza near the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel, with thousands of tons of food, medicine and other goods mere miles from Palestinians who need them. The threat of looting and attacks by armed gangs have forced relief groups to stop delivering assistance in southern Gaza.
South Africa runs out of insulin pens as global supply shifts to weight loss drugs
South Africa’s public health care system has run out of the human insulin pens it provides to people with diabetes, as the pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to weight-loss drugs that use a similar device for delivery. Novo Nordisk, the company that has supplied South Africa with human insulin in pens for a decade, opted not to renew its contract to supply 14 million pens for the next three years. Novo Nordisk’s drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which are widely prescribed for weight loss in the U.S., are sold in single-use pens produced by many of the same manufacturers who make the multidose insulin pens.
Pelosi meets with Dalai Lama, despite China’s criticism
A high-level U.S. congressional delegation, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., met with the Dalai Lama at his Indian home Wednesday, a visit that was condemned in advance by China’s government, which considers the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader a separatist. The delegation, led by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, arrived Tuesday in the Himalayan town of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has lived since the 1960s. The trip comes days after Congress passed a bill that urged China to start a dialogue with Tibetan leaders to find a solution to the long-standing conflict.
By wire sources