1. A Little-Noticed Target in the House Health Bill: Special Education
The New York Times’ Erica L. Green reports on how the Republican plan would hit already underfunded Individuals With Disabilities Education Act programs in schools: “Our most vulnerable citizens are going to be suffering the most. If any legislator votes for this, it’s unconscionable.”
2. Bill to Ban ‘Sanctuary’ Policies in Texas Clears Final Legislative Hurdle
Texas’ SB4 — which would ban sanctuary jurisdictions and allow police to inquire about a person’s immigration status — has passed the Texas legislature and is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Abbott has long strongly opposed sanctuary policies, going so far as to say he’d pull state funding to colleges attempting to implement them.
3. Jerry Falwell Jr.: ‘Evangelicals Have Found Their Dream President’
Yes, he said that. But according to polling, he’s not completely wrong — just left out the word “white.”
4. How We Dress Women for the End of the World
Amid a rise in popularity of dystopian books and adaptations, Buzzfeed spoke with the costume designers behind some of the highest-grossing end-of-the-world films, including The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games.
ProPublica investigates Case Farms chicken plants, which has built its business by recruiting some of the world’s most vulnerable immigrants — including underage asylum seekers, working in illegal conditions. When they fight back, the company uses their immigration status against them.
6. The New Normal: Women of Color Running for Elected Office — and Winning
“When Arlene Hosea’s mother came to Normal, Ill., in the 1930s, she could not use a public swimming pool unless it was specifically designated as ‘colored.’ This month, her daughter will take office as a Normal Township Trustee — the first person of color to ever hold the position.”
7. The Mistake Christians Make in Defending Bill O’Reilly
Editor-at-Large at Christianity Today Katelyn Beaty addresses evangelical silence — and outright support — of Bill O’Reilly amid sexual harassment allegations: “If conservative Christians want to protect the faith — especially in a time when they fear loss of cultural power — they must show preferential care not for the powerful but for victims. They must be just as quick to extend empathy to women who have been harassed as they are to extend forgiveness to harassers.”
8. The Spiritual Tyranny of ‘Religious Liberty’
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order lifting a ban on political activity by churches. While couched in the frame of “religious liberty,” the EO doesn’t actually do all that much.
9. How Crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border Became a Crime
“Knowing this history is important now. On April 11, 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his plan to step up prosecutions of unlawful entries, saying it’s time to ‘restore a lawful system of immigration.’ This may read like a colorblind commitment to law and order. But the law Sessions has vowed to enforce was designed with racist intent.”
“When leaving home means confronting a pantsless gun-toting Catholic priest who happens to be your father.”
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