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Virginia Democrats block bill to protect religious freedom against executive orders

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Because the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, Republicans within the Virginia Home of Delegates narrowly handed a invoice to guard church buildings, synagogues, mosques and different spiritual our bodies from any “rule, regulation, or order” from the governor or one other authorities company, a transfer to dam the government-ordered closure of homes of worship that passed off through the pandemic.

But Democrats within the Senate Common Legal guidelines and Know-how Committee blocked the invoice on Monday.

Delegate Wren Williams, the sponsor of H.B. 775, referred to as the invoice “very important” for closing a “loophole” that threatens spiritual freedom.

DEMOCRAT DELEGATE ATTACKS YOUNGKIN’S FAITH, SAYS HIS CRT BAN SHOWS HE’S ‘NOT A CHRISTIAN’

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“Throughout COVID, our govt department right here in Virginia used the Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Act to close down and severely prohibit our church buildings, whereas leaving ‘important’ liquor shops open,” Williams informed Fox Information Digital. “This was unconstitutional and unconscionable. Spiritual freedom is the bedrock of America and Virginia, and it’s on the coronary heart of our structure.”

Delegate Mark Levin presents a invoice through the flooring session of the Virginia Home of Delegates in Richmond.
(Bob Brown/Richmond Occasions-Dispatch through AP)

“It’s very important that we move this invoice to shut the loophole, defend our God-given constitutional rights and non secular freedom, and empower our residents to freely assemble in worship, with no extra authorities crackdowns,” Williams added.

H.B. 775 “supplies that no rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor or different governmental entity pursuant to the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Regulation of 2000 applies to the train of faith in a church, synagogue, or different place of worship,” based on its official abstract.

“No rule, regulation, or order issued by the Governor or different governmental entity pursuant to the Emergency Providers and Catastrophe Regulation (§ 44-146.13 et seq.) shall apply to the train of faith in a church, synagogue, or different place of worship,” the invoice states.

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COVID barriers that had been in place since last year's special session are removed from the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Feb. 28, 2022.

COVID obstacles that had been in place since final yr’s particular session are faraway from the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Feb. 28, 2022.
(AP Photograph/Steve Helber)

On Monday, Virginia state Sens. George Barker, Mamie Locke, Adam Ebbin, T. Montgomery Mason, Jennifer Boysko, John Bell and Ghazala Hasmi, all Democrats, voted to dam the invoice.

“As somebody who has fought for spiritual freedom around the globe my total profession, I discover it appalling to see it restricted right here at dwelling,” Tina Ramirez, president and govt director of the Richmond, Virginia-based human rights nonprofit Hardwired International, informed Fox Information Digital. 

“With such a wealthy historical past of defending spiritual freedom in Virginia the place Thomas Jefferson wrote the historic Virginia Statute of Spiritual Freedom, which laid the groundwork for a lot of the First Modification, it’s astounding that Democrats within the Virginia Senate would attempt to exert such management over the liberty to worship right here within the Commonwealth.”

GOP House hopeful Tina Ramirez and her daughter, Abigail.

GOP Home hopeful Tina Ramirez and her daughter, Abigail.
(Tina Ramirez)

“I say typically that there is no such thing as a proper extra basic than the liberty of conscience,” Ramirez added. “When our authorities is in search of to manage whether or not, how, or after we can worship, it’s an egregious infringement and precisely the kind of factor I’m operating for the Virginia Senate to combat towards.”

 

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Barker, Locke, Ebbin, Mason, Boysko, Bell and Hashmi didn’t instantly reply to after-hours requests for touch upon the laws.

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Southeast

3 Alabama men die after becoming distressed while swimming at Florida beach

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Three Alabama men have died from likely drowning after becoming distressed while swimming at a Florida Panhandle beach, authorities said Saturday morning.

The young men had traveled to the Panama City Beach area Friday evening, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

PENNSYLVANIA PARENTS VACATIONING WITH CHILDREN IN FLORIDA DROWN AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN RIP CURRENT

Authorities say three Alabama men are dead from likely drowning after becoming distressed while swimming at a Florida Panhandle beach. (Fox News)

The sheriff’s office received an emergency call about the distressed swimmers shortly after 8 p.m., officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and others began rescue efforts. The men, who were not immediately identified, were found separately and eventually pronounced dead at local hospitals.

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Earlier this week, single red flags had been posted at the beach, indicating high-hazard surf and rip current conditions.

On Thursday, a Pennsylvania couple visiting Florida with their six children drowned after they were caught in a rip current while swimming. The man and woman were caught in the current on Hutchinson Island, along Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

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Kentucky nightclub shooting leaves 1 dead, 7 hospitalized

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital, adding that there are no suspects.

The man was suffering from gunshot wounds when first responders arrived, the Louisville Metro Police Department said in a release, and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The deceased was identified as Joseph D. Bowers of Indianapolis, The Associated Press reported. 

Another adult who was shot was taken to the hospital with critical and life-threatening wounds following the 12:47 a.m. shooting. 

SHOOTING OUTSIDE ARKANSAS GROCERY STORE LEAVES 3 DEAD, MULTIPLE WOUNDED, INCLUDING 2 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. (WDRB)

Six other victims with non-life-threatening injuries had also taken themselves to the hospital.

SHOOTING AT OAKLAND JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION LEAVES MULTIPLE INJURED, POLICE SAY

crime scene tape at shooting scene

Louisville police said they have no suspects in the early Saturday shooting. (WDRB)

The H20 club, located at 25th and Broadway, decided to close after the shooting, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, citing a statement from the Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

police at the scene

The shooting happened at a nightclub called H20. (WDRB)

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“This decision, made in light of our shared concerns for public safety, allows them time to mourn the tragic loss of their employee while ensuring the community’s well-being,” the statement stated. “The relationship of the victims, if any, is not known at this time.”

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NASCAR's Daniel Suarez, from Mexico, becomes American citizen: 'I did it my way'

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez is now an American citizen.

Suarez, from Mexico, took the oath at the field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It wasn’t just the nearly 50 people becoming citizens there for the special day – even NASCAR president Steve Phelps was there, along with members of the rackhouse Racing team, as well as his fiancee.

All of that took Suarez by surprise.

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez waves an American flag during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

“The most special part of everything was, you see so many people there,” Suarez said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I was not expecting it. I was not expecting to see so many people.”

“I didn’t think many people were going to really care about it,” Suarez said. “A lot of people really did.”

Suarez’s parents had actually thought about traveling to the United States for his birth, but it wound up being too expensive.

“It’s really funny how my parents, they had that thought before I was born, about being born in the United States, I guess to have more opportunities. They didn’t do it,” he said. “And now, I guess I did it my way.”

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Daniel Suarez taking oath

NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez stands for the “oath of allegiance” during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

TODD GILLILAND 1-ON-1: ON HIS RACING ROOTS, PROGRESS HE’S MADE IN 2024

Suarez admitted that becoming a citizen wasn’t originally a thought.

“It wasn’t a dream of mine,” Suarez said. “I came to this country to race and compete. I had been working really hard to try and go to the next step and be more competitive. In a blink of an eye, I’ve been already here 12 years.”

He learned, and dedicated himself to, the process of becoming a citizen about six years ago – his team even quizzed him in April in Dover ahead of his citizenship test.

“I felt like it was the right time to start this process. Slowly, I’m getting more and more responsibilities in my life. It was the right time to feel more secure; that I belong here.” 

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Daniel Suarez pre-race

Daniel Suarez walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 8, 2024, in California. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Suarez has two career Cup wins – including the closest finish ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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