Catholic Charities D.C. Chooses To End Foster-Care Services
In response to the Washington, D.C. same-sex marriage bill that will become law next month, Catholic Charities in D.C. has chosen the exact same path it did in Massachusetts — to end its management and support of its child foster-care services — this time transferring the entire operation over to the National Center for Children and Families, effective February 1.
It’s important to note that the new D.C. law did not force Catholic Charities to close its doors, as some organizations claimed it did in Massachusetts when that state adopted marriage equality. Catholic Charities chose to end its foster care and adoption services rather than make changes which would allow same-sex individuals or couples to adopt.
Catholic Charities’ own statement said,
“Foster care has been an important ministry for us for many decades…We regret that our efforts to avoid this outcome were not successful.”
Other religious and anti-gay groups were not as sensitive. The Catholic League, a bastion of anti-gay hatred, playing the victim card, issued its own press release, titled, “CATHOLIC FOSTER CARE IN D.C. FORCED OUT.” (It’s amusing to note that the immediately previous press release on their web site is titled, “GAY ACTIVIST RIPS POPE ON BEHAR SHOW.”)
By the way, the “Catholic League” is actually the “Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.” I’ll let you take that one on.
Via Americans United For Separation Of Church And State:
“The Rev. Barry Lynn, AU’s executive director, called the church’s demands “outrageous.â€
“If ‘faith-based’ charities cannot or will not obey civil rights laws, they ought not benefit from public funds,†he said.
“I am amazed that church officials would threaten to stop helping the disadvantaged because they are being asked to treat all citizens of the District fairly,†he continued. “They seem to have lost all perspective. How strong is their commitment to helping the poor if they’re willing to take this hard-line stance?
“If Catholic Charities drops its participation in publicly funded social services,†Lynn concluded, “I am confident that other charities would be happy to pick up the slack.â€
The Washington Post today reported,
“City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.
“Edward Orzechowski, president and chief executive of Catholic Charities, the archdiocese’s social service arm, said the group is optimistic that it will find a way to structure its benefits packages in other social service programs so that it can remain in partnership with the city without recognizing same-sex marriage.
“Asked if that meant looking at ways to avoid paying benefits to same-sex partners or ways to write benefits plans so as not to characterize same-sex couples as “married,” Orzechowski said “both, and.”
“Now we’re in a position where we need to scrutinize everything,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s important that we don’t in any way compromise our religious teaching.”
In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities decided to end its adoption services when that state’s high court found a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. This, despite the fact its parishioners voted to keep the93-year old adoption running. It was not the law that forced the closing of Catholic Charities’ Boston foster care services, it was its own religious leaders, who decided against the will of its own parishioners.
Catholic Charities D.C. web site reads, “Catholic Charities | Opening doors to help and hope.” Perhaps that needs to be amended to limit the door-opening to straight couples?
Oh. Just three days before closing its foster care services, Catholic Charities posted this on their Twitter feed:
“At local #CatholicCharities agencies, emergency services in high demand…”
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The White House is now linking comments made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to what it claims is “dangerous” rhetoric that motivated the shooter who killed conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk, despite there being no definitive proof yet of the gunman’s motivations.
According to the Associated Press, the remarks that got Kimmel suspended, amid pressure from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, included:
“The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
“In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
The AP also reported that “Kimmel said that Trump’s response ‘is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?'”
READ MORE: ‘Insanely Broad’: Bill Would Authorize an ‘Open-Ended’ Trump Narco-Terror War
On Friday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Newsmax, “I think you’re seeing just a general public response to people like Jimmy Kimmel, who tragically is spewing this dangerous rhetoric, all people who spew this dangerous rhetoric, who ultimately drove this deranged killer to take Charlie’s life.”
“I think it’s a reflection of where the public is right now, having this revival of standing for your belief, standing for our First Amendment rights and and the importance of civil dialogue and the right to speak your mind in this country.”
Kelly also said: “Charlie’s tragic death, also ignited, I think, a spark for young people, for all people in this country who are passionate about free speech, who are passionate about civil dialogue, and also faith. Charlie, of course, was a very outspoken proponent of standing in your faith.”
“It’s no question that the person who, the coward that shot and killed Charlie Kirk, was evil, was tragically driven by a lot of this violent, hateful rhetoric coming from the left,” she added.
READ MORE: ‘Massive Shift’: FCC Chair Says Local TV Will ‘Decide What the American People Think’
Critics blasted Kelly’s remarks.
“The Deputy Press Secretary’s remarks are dripping with hypocrisy,” wrote The Steady State, a group of more than 300 former national security officials. “On one hand, she invokes the First Amendment and the importance of civil dialogue. On the other, she scapegoats Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy as ‘dangerous rhetoric’ that somehow caused a murder? This is the antithesis of free speech.”
“The First Amendment doesn’t exist to protect speech the government likes — it exists precisely to protect speech that offends, critiques, or challenges those in power,” the group added. “By blaming a critic’s words for violence, while celebrating an ally’s words as virtuous, the administration is not defending free speech at all. It’s weaponizing it.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly says “you’re seeing just a general public response to people like Jimmy Kimmel who tragically is spewing this dangerous rhetoric, all people who spew this dangerous rhetoric who ultimately drove this deranged killer to take Charlie’s… pic.twitter.com/MoMgPMn1ju
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2025
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Draft legislation is reportedly circulating at the White House and on Capitol Hill that would codify into law actions similar to those that President Donald Trump has already taken against what his administration claims were narco-terrorists aboard drug-smuggling boats bound for the United States. The measure would grant the Commander in Chief broad authority to wage war against any entity — including foreign governments — suspected of ties to “narco-terrorism.”
The New York Times reports the legislation “would hand President Trump sweeping power to wage war against drug cartels he deems to be ‘terrorists,’ as well as against any nation he says has harbored or aided them, according to people familiar with the matter.”
The legislation has set off alarm bells inside some parts of the White House and Congress.
Some legal experts have deemed Trump’s use of the military to attack two vessels illegal, but the administration says the U.S. Constitution allows the President to take such actions.
READ MORE: ‘Massive Shift’: FCC Chair Says Local TV Will ‘Decide What the American People Think’
“Critics have also said that Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have given illegal orders, causing Special Operations troops to target civilians — even if they are suspected of crimes — in apparent violation of laws against murder.”
The bill would “raise the question of whether Congress was effectively giving Mr. Trump the authority to wage a regime-change war in Venezuela.”
Harvard Law School Professor Jack Goldsmith, a former Bush DOJ official, told the Times the legislation is “insanely broad.”
READ MORE: Trump Labels Flag Burning, Organized Protests ‘Incitement to Riot’
“This is an open-ended war authorization against an untold number of countries, organizations and persons that the president could deem within its scope,” Professor Goldsmith said. He also noted it could violate international law.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the “White House has depicted [drug] smugglers as terrorists similar to members of al Qaeda and Islamic State who should be neutralized by military force.”
“Trump, who campaigned on avoiding foreign wars, is framing the campaign as homeland defense rather than another open-ended overseas conflict,” the paper reported.
Also this week, President Trump announced that he is designating Antifa a “major terrorist organization.”
Some experts say he lacks the authority to do so and will struggle to enforce such a move—while others warn it could give him sweeping license to target groups or individuals he disfavors.
READ MORE: ‘Corrupt Abuse of Power’: Dems Rip FCC Chair Over Kimmel Suspension
Image via Reuters
Explaining the “massive shift” he intends to impose on the focus of the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Brendan Carr announced that he will take America back to the era when local television stations shaped what the American people “think.”
“So again,” Carr told Fox News on Thursday, “we’re going back to that era when local TV stations, judging the public interest, get to decide what the American people think.”
“And again, we’re constraining the power through those actions of Disney, of Comcast. And I think the American public can be much better off. But, yeah, I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop,” he said, appearing to refer to the suspension of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.
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“This is a massive shift that’s taking place in the media ecosystem, and I think the consequences are going to continue to flow,” he declared.
On Thursday, speaking aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump wrongly suggested that broadcast networks, licensed by the FCC, are “not allowed” to criticize him.
“When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that’s all they do — if you go back, I guess they haven’t had a conservative one in years, or something — when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that,” Trump said.
Carr is one of the authors of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. President Donald Trump praised Carr as “a warrior for Free Speech,” CBS News reported last year.
There are few “local” television stations left in the U.S., in the sense that nearly all are owned by several major broadcast conglomerates, including Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gray Television, Tegna, Hearst, and Scripps.
Carr: We’re going to back to that era where local TV stations, judging the public interest, get to decide what the American people think…
I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop… the consequences will continue to flow. pic.twitter.com/UFErQ9ealK
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 18, 2025
READ MORE: ‘Corrupt Abuse of Power’: Dems Rip FCC Chair Over Kimmel Suspension
Image via Reuters
‘Corrupt Abuse of Power’: Dems Rip FCC Chair Over Kimmel Suspension
‘All They Do Is Hit Trump’: President Says Networks ‘Not Allowed to Do That’
‘Massive Shift’: FCC Chair Says Local TV Will ‘Decide What the American People Think’
Trump Labels Flag Burning, Organized Protests ‘Incitement to Riot’
‘Insanely Broad’: Bill Would Authorize an ‘Open-Ended’ Trump Narco-Terror War
White House Links Kimmel’s Comments to ‘Dangerous Rhetoric’ It Says ‘Drove’ Kirk’s Killer
‘Insanely Broad’: Bill Would Authorize an ‘Open-Ended’ Trump Narco-Terror War
‘Massive Shift’: FCC Chair Says Local TV Will ‘Decide What the American People Think’
Trump Labels Flag Burning, Organized Protests ‘Incitement to Riot’
‘All They Do Is Hit Trump’: President Says Networks ‘Not Allowed to Do That’
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