The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.

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Senate Passes Tax Bill Overnight, House to Vote Again

by the Web Editors 12-20-2017

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol building is lit at dusk ahead of planned votes on tax reform on Dec. 18, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
 

In the early morning hours, the Senate on Wednesday passed the Republican tax bill by a party-line vote of 51-48, with holdout Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) ultimately falling in line.

Trump Removes Climate Change from National Security Threats

by the Web Editors 12-18-2017

U.S. President Donald Trump casts a shadow as he waves and approaches the press to make remarks as he returns from a weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David to the White House, Washington, U.S., December17, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Theiler

“U.S. leadership is indispensable to countering an anti-growth, energy agenda that is detrimental to U.S. economic and energy security interests. Given future global energy demand, much of the developing world will require fossil fuels, as well as other forms of energy, to power their economies and lift their people out of poverty."

Weekly Wrap 12.15.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 12-15-2017

5. Sick of 'It’s a Wonderful Life'? Try These Other Christmas Films

“…That’s one of the things we look for in a Christmas movie. No, not a leg lamp: a world still innocent enough for such things to cause a scandal. It’s refreshing. Reassuring. And, these days, as elusive as reindeer on one’s roof.”

6. 262 Journalists Imprisoned in 2017

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the number of journalists imprisoned for their work reached a record high, with Turkey topping the list for the second consecutive year.

FCC Dismantles Net Neutrality Rules

by the Web Editors 12-14-2017

Net neutrality advocates rally in front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ahead of Thursday's expected FCC vote repealing so-called net neutrality rules in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

"You and I and everyone else who uses the Internet for personal use will see some changes in pricing models. For most of us, I expect we will pay more. Service bundles (e.g., social media package, streaming video package) will likely be bolted on to basic transport for things like web surfing and email," Glenn O'Donnell, an industry analyst at the research firm Forrester, wrote in an email. 

Rising Fear Negatively Impacts Immigrants' Daily Life and Health, Study Shows

by the Web Editors 12-13-2017

Image via Fibonacci Blue / Flickr

The study “highlights how policies can have effects far beyond, perhaps, the individuals that are targeted by those policies,” Samantha Artiga, director of Kaiser’s Disparities Policy Project and co-author of the study, said. “We really hear how those feelings of fear and uncertainty have impacts on their health.”

Citing God, Roy Moore Refuses to Concede After Alabama Loss

by the Web Editors 12-13-2017

Image via Reuters/Marvin Gentry/Jonathan Bachman.

"We've been painted in an unfavorable and unfaithful light. We've been put in a hole...it reminds me of a passage in Psalm 40 — 'I waited patiently for the Lord,' and that's what we've got to do, 'and he inclined to me and heard my cry,'" Moore said.

Women Accusing Trump of Sexual Misconduct Urge Congress to Investigate

by the Web Editors 12-11-2017

"It became apparent that in some areas, the accusations of sexual aggression were being taken seriously and people were being held accountable ― except for our president,” Leeds said. “We’re at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is."

14 U.N. Peacekeepers Killed in Eastern Congo Attack

by the Web Editors 12-08-2017

Image via Josep Casas / Flickr

Since the U.N. mission in Congo launched in 1999, almost 300 peacekeepers have been killed, with the presence of rebel groups becoming commonplace. 

Wrap Weekly Wrap 12.8.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 12-08-2017

1. The Problem With “Silence Breakers” as TIME’s Person of the Year

I decided to search for two words on the article’s web page: “patriarchy” or “misogyny.” Zero results.

2. WATCH: Tracee Ellis Ross’ Children’s Book for Handsy Men

“It’s kinda like a children’s book … for men ... that is going to make this really simple.” Actress Tracee Ellis Ross reads her funny-but-oh-so-direct new book, The Handsy Man, on Jimmy Kimmel.

After Retrial, a 20-Year Sentence for Walter Scott's Shooter

by the Web Editors 12-07-2017

Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager gestures as he testifies in his murder trial at the Charleston County court in Charleston, South Carolina, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Grace Beahm/Post and Courier/Pool/File Photo

On April 15, 2015, Slager tased and shot Scott five times in the back. A video from witness Feiden Santana surfaced, showing the fatal shooting. 

Religious Leaders Offer Mixed Reactions to Trump’s Decision on Jerusalem

by the Web Editors 12-07-2017

U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move its embassy there, during an address from the White House in Washington, U.S., December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

"We ask from you Mr. President to help us all walk towards more love and a definitive peace, which cannot be reached without Jerusalem being for all. Our solemn advice and plea is for the United States to continue recognizing the present international status of Jerusalem. Any sudden changes would cause irreparable harm.”

In Response to Trump’s Move, Pope Francis Calls for Prudence, Respect for Jerusalem's Status Quo

by the Web Editors 12-06-2017

Pope Francis shakes hands with Palestinian Minister Of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash during a private meeting at the Vatican December 6, 2017. Osservatore Romano/Handout via REUTERS

In response to Trump's announcement, patriarchs and heads of all churches in Jerusalem urged Trump to reconsider his decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, reiterating deep concerns of potentially escalating conflicts in a region sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Christians. 

Time’s 2017 Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers

by the Web Editors 12-06-2017

The cover and interior spreads of TIME's Person of the Year issue features many of the women who have brought the #MeToo movement to the fore — from Tarana Burke, who launched the hashtag 10 years ago, to Alyssa Milano, whose tweet earlier this year brought outan avalance of revelations that have led to the downfall of countless men in power.

Supreme Court: Texas Can Exclude Gay Couples from Spousal Benefits

by the Web Editors 12-05-2017

Image via JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

“Today’s abnegation by the nation’s highest court opens the door for an onslaught of challenges to the rights of LGBTQ people at every step," Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the civil rights group GLAAD, said in a statement.

Faith Leaders Gather in Front of Supreme Court to Support LGBTQ Rights

by the Web Editors 12-05-2017

Image via Bekah Fulton/Sojourners

Faith and civil rights leaders from across the country gathered in front of the Supreme Court today in support of Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins — the couple at the center of the Masterpiece vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case.

Camino de Sueños Brings the Dreams of DACA Recipients to Capitol Hill

by the Web Editors 12-05-2017

As Congress faces a Friday deadline to fund the government, some Senate Democrats are considering blocking the spending bill unless Republicans agree to a bipartisan Dream Act, which would grant conditional residency to immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and meet several other requirements. The Trump administration ended the Obama-era executive program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, in September, putting the decision to protect the 800,000 immigrants under the program in the hands of Congress. To encourage their lawmakers, many Dreamers and supporters are bringing the dreams of those awaiting a clean Dream Act straight to the Capitol.

Amnesty International Calls on ICC to Investigate Philippines ‘Crimes Against Humanity’

by the Web Editors 12-04-2017

Relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings show portraits of their loved ones during a Catholic mass against drug war killings at the Edsa Shrine in Pasig, metro Manila, Philippines November 5, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao

The killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in August sparked a national outcry. Police claimed Kian had been shot in self-defence, but CCTV footage and eyewitness testimony showed how plainclothes officers dragged away the unarmed teenager and shot him dead in an alleyway.

Weekly Wrap 12.1.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 12-01-2017

1. Christians Arrested Reading Scripture in Senate Office Building
Powerful video of 12 Christian leaders arrested in the Hart Senate Building while reading from the #2000verses in the Bible on poverty and justice, speaking out against the GOP Tax Bill.

2. Great Injustice Calls for Great Action
“… this milestone bill will determine social outcomes for many years to come. Its passage will create a complete shift in the social safety net as we have known it, and it will signal a change that government will no longer care for the needs of the poor — the criteria that the biblical prophets demand of all those who rule.”

Dictionary.com's 2017 Word of the Year Is ‘Complicit’

by the Web Editors 11-27-2017

Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as his campaign manager Paul Manafort and daughter Ivankalook on during Trump's walk through at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, July 2016. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

As for “complicit,” [Solomon] said several other major events contributed to interest in the word. They include the rise of the opioid epidemic and how it came to pass, along with the spread of sexual harassment and assault allegations against an ever-growing list of powerful men, including film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Weekly Wrap 11.23.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 11-22-2017

3. Historically, Men Translated the Odyssey. Here’s What Happened When a Woman Took the Job

“It offers not just a new version of the poem, but a new way of thinking about it in the context of gender and power relationships today. As Wilson puts it, ‘the question of who matters is actually central to what the text is about.’”