Greek Orth. Church Goes to UN on Hagia Sophia; Rips Turkey for Turning UNESCO Site to Mosque

 The Greek Orthodox Church of the United States said yesterday it is petitioning the United Nations to coerce Turkey into protecting Orthodox Christianity's cultural heritage following the Turkish government's conversion of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque, the AP website reports today (September 30, 2020).

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America said it was pressing the UN in the areas of cultural rights, minority rights, and freedom of religion and beliefs to hold Turkey accountable "for its deliberate policies to erase the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a radical Muslim dictator, issued a decree in July that turned Hagia Sophia into a Muslim house of prayer. 

The structure, a UNESCO world heritage site, had served as one of Christendom's most important cathedrals and then a mosque for centuries, as well as a museum for the past 86 years.

Most in US Unwilling to Take COVID-19 Vaccine; Only 44% Would Take It, Even with $100 Bonus

 A new poll shows that mounting skepticism around a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. continues, with less than half of people saying they'd take one -- even if they were offered $100 -- the RT website reports today (September 29, 2020).

Of the 1,000-plus adults who participated in the Axios-Ipsos poll, only 44% said they'd take a vaccine if offered the incentive  of $100.

They would be even less likely  to get the vaccine if they were the ones who had to pay $100, saying they'd be unwilling to take on the cost.

Trump to Distribute Millions of COVID-19 Tests; Will Help Reopen Schools,Return Parents to Work

President Donald Trump today (September 28, 2020) announced plans to distribute millions of Abbott Labs' 15-minute COVID-19 tests in the coming weeks, a move aimed at expanding access and helping reopen schools that are seen as key to getting parents back to work, according to the Newsmax website. 

The federal government will send out 6.5 million rapid tests to governors this week and expects to ship 100 million tests over the next several weeks, based on states' populations. 

The White House will encourage states to use the tests to screen teachers, check symptomatic children to see if they have contracted the virus, or conduct baseline surveillance.

Half of Pandemics Who Lost Job Still Have None; A New Study Shows a Third Returned to Old Job

Roughly six months after the coronavirus began to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy, about half of those who lost their jobs say they are still without one, the Vox website reports today (September 27, 2020). 

A new Pew Research Center study, which surveyed 13,200 U.S. adults in the first two weeks of August, found some limited recovery with respect to employment. 

Of all those who said they had lost a job, a third have returned to their old job, and 15 percent say they have a new job.

Trump Names Anti-Abortion Judge to High Court; Most Likely Will Lead to Reversal of Roe V. Wade

President Donald Trump today (September 26, 2020) nominated the conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the Euro News website reports. 

A staunch Catholic, Barrett has seven children and described abortion as "always immoral."

The Republican-dominated Senate is planning to confirm her in a vote before the presidential  election on November 3 and the Democrats are powerless to stop it. 

Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court will provide the court with a majority of conservative justices and will probably result in the reversal of the court's shocking Roe V. Wade decision of 1973, which legalized abortions for the first time in U.S. history.

 

Dr. Fauci Gives "Magic" Way to Defeat COVID; Says Entire Country Must Unite, Stop Fighting

 Despite COVID-19 still thriving in several parts of the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci -- the nation's leading infectious disease expert -- said today (September 25, 2020) that there is one thing that could help turn the coronavirus pandemic around, but it would require all of our participation, according to the Yahoo News websitre.

"I think apart from a vaccine, which we'll have to wait a few months for, if I were to wave a wand now, it would be to get the entire country uniformly pulling together in a public health way to get these cases down," he confessed.

Fauci wants people to remember that we shouldn't be fighting each other  -- as has been the case in America, especially with the "highly charged political season with big-time, high-stakes elections."

Trump Is Jeered by Crowd at Ginsburg Casket; Yells "Honor Her Wish!" and "Vote Him Out!"

President Donald Trump was loudly jeered and subjected to chants of "Honor her wish!" and "Vote him out!" during his visit today (September 24, 2020) to pay respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's casket at the Supreme Court, according to The Daily Beast website. 

The crowd was incensed by Trump's determination to ignore the late justice's dying wish to not be replaced before Election Day.

The president stood silently beside the casket with first lady Melanie Trump as the crowd voiced its disapproval.