Saturday, January 31, 2026

Saturday Lagniappe: 'SNAP will have new work requirements starting Feb. 1 and many could lose benefits' And More


"O brave new world
That has such people in it"
The Tempest


SNAP will have new work requirements starting Feb. 1 and many could lose benefits
"Millions of people will unnecessarily be kicked off the rolls," Joel Berg, CEO of the nonprofit Hunger Free America, told ABC News. "They will lose the food they need, and sometimes family members need. ... More Americans will go hungry. Soup kitchens and food pantries and the food banks that supply them will not have the resources to meet this need."

Thousands demonstrate in Minnesota and across US to protest ICE
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and students across the United States staged walkouts on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.

Texas governor Abbott orders investigation after students stage ICE protest
Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the state’s education commissioner to investigate Austin Independent School District (AISD) after students joined a nationwide walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this month.

Fremont student hit in apparent hit-and-run during student-led ICE demonstration
A driver hit a student during a student-led protest in Fremont on Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson with the Fremont Public Schools district said.
Also See: Fremont Police: Young driver found who hit protester with SUV flying Trump flag; County attorney weighing evidence in Fremont student protest pedestrian crash
Evangelicals divided over what faith demands as immigration tensions deepen
Evangelicals have long supported some US immigration reforms. But efforts to help have come under fire from those who view immigrants with suspicion.

Hundreds attend California church's workshop on responding to ICE raids
Approximately 800 people attended a workshop on responding to ICE raids at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California.
Also See: World Relief urges Trump admin. to stop policy of re-interviewing Biden-era refugees
Trump team’s secret meetings with group plotting to break up Canada exposed
“Very, very senior” officials in the Trump administration have had secret meetings with far-right Canadian separatists trying to shake the foundations of the country.
Also See: Canadians strike back on Trump as breakup plot emerges
Christian nationalism isn't limited to US, say scholars meeting in Chicago
A conference at the University of Chicago Divinity School will look at the tension between Christianity as a moral force and as a weapon for politics around the world.

Conservative denomination excommunicates pastor for supporting kinism, white supremacy
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America excommunicates Rev. Samuel Ketcham for advocating kinism.

7 Things Many Pastors Don’t Know About Unrelated Business Income
Unrelated business income tax (UBIT) is an income tax on the unrelated business income (UBI) of churches and other tax-exempt charities.

UBI generally is income from the operation of a trade or business that is regularly carried on.

Struggling with Prayer? Ask God for Help.
One of the most important things I’ve learned about growing in prayer is that the best place to start isn’t finding a new note-card system or journal—it’s admitting our struggle to God and asking him to help us pray.

"We're in the singularity": New AI platform skips the humans entirely
The tech world is agog (and creeped out) about Moltbook, a Reddit-style social network for AI agents to communicate with each other. No humans needed.

This cute AI-generated schoolgirl is a growing far-right meme At first glance, Amelia, with her purple bob and pixie-girl looks, seems an unlikely candidate for the far right to adopt as an increasingly popular meme.

Yet, for the past few weeks, memes and AI-generated videos featuring this fictional British teenager have proliferated across social media, especially on X. In them, Amelia parrots right-wing, often racist, talking points, connecting her celebration of stereotypical British culture with anti-migrant and Islamophobic tropes.

What South Carolina’s soaring measles outbreak means for the rest of the US
South Carolina is battling the country’s largest measles outbreak since the disease was eliminated from the United States more than a quarter century ago, with more than 840 cases overwhelmingly in unvaccinated children and adults.
Also See: US vaccine changes lead some parents to question other newborn care
Thousands quarantined after outbreak of 'pandemic potential' virus as WHO speaks out
The World Health Organization has finally addressed the global chaos caused by a rampant virus. The Nipah virus, which currently has no known vaccine, has prompted numerous Asian countries to bolster their border security.

No comments: