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Rubio’s State Department Rebukes Britain’s Persecution of Praying Christians

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The State Department has issued what may be its most blunt statement yet against a policy in the United Kingdom that created public buffer zones inside of which prayer is banned.

For the past few years, several cases of British Christians praying outside or in the vicinity of abortion clinics have drawn international attention as the nation’s government arrests, charges, and convicts the anti-abortion advocates.

In recent days, an unnamed spokesman for the State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, issued the strongest statement on record against these policies from the Trump administration, telling British news outlet The Telegraph that “the UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin US-UK relations.”

The spokesman added that “the United States is still monitoring many ‘buffer zone’ cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe.”

“It is common sense that standing silently and offering consensual conversation does not constitute harm,” he added.

The spokesman was by no means exaggerating: As noted by Alliance Defending Freedom International, a legal advocacy group which has represented many of the British Christians threatened with penalties under the new rules, several believers have been charged for such conduct.

Rose Docherty, who is 75 years old, was arrested in Scotland earlier this year for holding a sign that said “coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” outside of a hospital.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was previously awarded £13,000 in compensation for unfair arrests related to her public prayers, was placed back under investigation this year for once more praying near an abortion clinic in Birmingham.

Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran, spent a few minutes bowing his head in prayer near an abortion clinic and was told to pay £9,000 in costs as a result.

Beyond media statements from spokesmen, Vice President J.D. Vance has publicly condemned such prosecutions before European leaders.

After discussing the case of Smith-Connor, Vance said during the Munich Security Conference this year that he wishes the incident was merely a “one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person.”

But he acknowledged that the targeting of Smith-Connor was part of a broader pattern.

“This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called ‘safe access zones,’ warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law,” Vance added.

“Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thoughtcrime,” he continued. “In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”

Lorcan Price, a barrister in Ireland who serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, voiced agreement with the assessment.

“Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are cornerstones of any free society,” the attorney said.

“The UK’s treatment of individuals like Livia, Adam, Isabel and Rose for the false ‘crimes’ of praying silently or offering conversation shows just how far the country has strayed from its own proud traditions of liberty,” Price added, in reference to those who have been prosecuted for their prayers.

Price commended the State Department for openly denouncing the policy in recent days.

“The US State Department is right to call out this injustice,” he continued. “It is time for the UK government to restore fundamental freedoms, and repeal buffer zone legislation.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Rubio’s State Department Rebukes Britain’s Persecution of Praying Christians appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Late Virginia Guiffre’s Tell-All Memoir to Be Released in October – Epstein Victim Expected to ‘Name Names’ in Posthumous Book About Her Tragic Life

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August 25, 2025

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Virginia Giuffre’s life was full of tragedies, from being trafficked to Prince Andrew by the Epstein ring to her mysterious last days.

Before she allegedly took her own life exactly four months ago today on April 24th, Virginia Roberts Giuffre was the most famous of all Jeffrey Epstein victims.

She was a woman that fought in the justice system, and got the trifecta of financial reparations: from Epstein, from Ghislaine Maxwell, from Prince Andrew.

Giuffre knew where the bodies were buried – and now, from beyond the grave, she will have the last word.

An ‘unsparing’ memoir by Giuffre will be published this fall, according to publishing house Alfred A. Knopf.

Associated Press reported:

“Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” is scheduled for release Oct. 21, the publisher confirmed to The Associated Press. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at age 41, had been working on ‘Nobody’s Girl’ with author-journalist Amy Wallace and had completed the manuscript for the 400-page book, according to Knopf. The publisher’s statement includes an email from Giuffre to Wallace a few weeks before her death, saying that it was her ‘heartfelt wish’ the memoir be released ‘regardless’ of her circumstances.

‘The content of this book is crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders’, the email reads. ‘It is imperative that the truth is understood and that the issues surrounding this topic are addressed, both for the sake of justice and awareness’.”

Screenshot: Virginia Giuffre/X

“’In the event of my passing, I would like to ensure that NOBODY’S GIRL is still released. I believe it has the potential to impact many lives and foster necessary discussions about these grave injustices’, she wrote to Wallace.”

It’s been known since 2023 that Giuffre reached a deal ‘believed to be worth millions’ with a publisher.

In the early 2000s, as a teenager, she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago, where she and her father worked, and became what she called a ‘sex slave’, trafficked to Prince Andrew and a host of other powerful men.

Her story, if told right, will add a new layer to the horrific saga that has once again become a story that won’t go away.

Read more:

Virginia Giuffre’s Family Outraged by Ghislaine Maxwell’s Transfer to Minimum-Security Prison in Texas – Say Epstein’s Accomplice ‘Should Never Be Shown Any Leniency’

The post Late Virginia Guiffre’s Tell-All Memoir to Be Released in October – Epstein Victim Expected to ‘Name Names’ in Posthumous Book About Her Tragic Life appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Son of NFL Legend Waived by Buccaneers After Being Ejected for Throwing Punch in Pre-season Game

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August 25, 2025

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Image: Wikicommons/Jjanhone

On Saturday, rookie safety Shilo Sanders, son of NFL great Deion Sanders,  was ejected from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ final preseason game for throwing a punch in a scuffle with Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson.

Following the incident Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said, “You can’t throw punches in this league, that’s inexcusable.”

“They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on the Bucs decision to part ways with Sanders.

Sanders’ agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “We’re hoping he gets claimed on waivers.”

The post Son of NFL Legend Waived by Buccaneers After Being Ejected for Throwing Punch in Pre-season Game appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Federal Judge Orders Oakland Schools to Allow After-School Christian ‘Good News Clubs’ Equal Access

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August 25, 2025

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Darklanlan, Wikimedia Commons

A federal judge has ordered the Oakland Unified School District to grant Good News Clubs equal access to school facilities as other after-school programs.

U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. issued a preliminary injunction, prompted by a lawsuit from Liberty Counsel representing Child Evangelism Fellowship’s (CEF) NorCal East Bay, requiring the district to allow Good News Clubs to meet on the same terms as nonreligious groups.

The suit, filed in December 2024, followed the district’s rejection of club applications at four campuses. Judge Gilliam ruled that the district’s actions violated free speech protections, rejecting claims that allowing the clubs would breach the Establishment Clause.

Decision Magazine reports:

Liberty Counsel, a religious liberty law firm, had filed a brief on behalf of CEF against the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. Liberty Counsel says it will now seek a permanent injunction to guarantee Good News Clubs continue to receive the same access afforded other similar clubs.

According to the lawsuit, CEF applied for access on four different campuses over a two-year period but was denied on “religious grounds, pretextual schemes, and even by silence,” according to a Liberty Counsel news release. The district judge’s written opinion noted that one elementary school principal defended his opposition to CEF by stating, “[As] a public school, we are not in support of evangelism on our campus.”

In his ruling, Judge Gilliam cited a 2001 Supreme Court decision Good News Club v. Milford Central School affirming that schools cannot exclude religious clubs if secular groups have access. The ruling ensures Good News Clubs can hold weekly meetings like other programs.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, CEF NorCal East Bay held regular meetings on district campuses, but applications to resume in 2023 were denied, with officials citing the clubs’ religious nature and space constraints despite available rooms.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This is a great victory for Child Evangelism Fellowship, parents, and the students in Oakland public schools.  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public schools cannot discriminate against Christian viewpoints regarding use of school facilities.”

“Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a biblically based education that includes moral and character development. Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school.”

Liberty Counsel notes they have represented hundreds of CEF cases nationally and have never lost a case involving Good News Clubs.

The post Federal Judge Orders Oakland Schools to Allow After-School Christian ‘Good News Clubs’ Equal Access appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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