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Arkansas takes home top ranking for religious freedom after Gov Sanders expands key protections
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FIRST ON FOX: Arkansas has been ranked the nation’s top state for religious liberty after Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a series of laws expanding faith protections that helped lift the state to the top.
Earning a score of 89.2%, Arkansas became one of only two states to earn the First Liberty Institute’s annual Religious Liberty in the States index’s first-ever «excellent» rating. The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 religious liberty safeguards spanning education, healthcare, family law, economic activity and other areas of daily life.
«Religious liberty is America’s First Freedom, and Arkansas is leading the nation in protecting it,» Sanders said.
«Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience. We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State remains the best place in the country to live, work and worship.»
AMERICA’S NEXT 250 YEARS DEPEND ON PASSING FAITH AND FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders participates in the first-ever National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum hosted by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable at Decatur House on May 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable)
The Natural State climbed six spots from last year’s rankings after lawmakers approved several measures expanding legal protections for religious exercise and conscience rights.
Arkansas’ rise was driven largely by Act 677, legislation Sanders signed last year that bars state and local governments from penalizing people, businesses and religious organizations for acting according to their religious beliefs regarding marriage and biological sex.
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A group of people hold hands in prayer. Arkansas topped a new religious liberty index after expanding faith and conscience protections. (iStock)
The state’s religious liberty push also included the Conscience Protection Act, signed by Sanders in 2023, which expanded Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting state government discrimination against religious organizations based on their religious identity or status.
Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel at First Liberty, said other states should follow Arkansas’ lead and «strengthen religious liberty protections in their own states.»
«Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened,» Shackelford said.
GOV SANDERS REVEALS ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON EDUCATION AS RED STATE POSITIONS ITSELF AS ‘BLUEPRINT’ FOR NATION
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said Arkansas demonstrates how states can protect what America’s founders called «the sacred right of conscience,» allowing people to practice their faith not just at church, but in their everyday lives.
«States have always served as laboratories of liberty, and this year’s results show why that matters,» Hall said.
Sanders also publicly defended religious freedom in December. She rejected demands from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a group that advocates for the separation of church and state, to reverse her proclamation closing state offices for Christmas.
In a response letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital, Sanders pushed back on claims it was unconstitutional, saying «only by voicing our own faith and celebrating other faiths can we make our state’s diverse religious communities feel seen and heard.»
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«With this index, citizens and legislators can see where their state is doing well, where it still has room to improve, and which existing laws could help better protect the right of conscience,» Dr. Paul D. Mueller, associate director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said.
faith values, sarah sanders, politics, first amendment religion us, arkansas
INTERNACIONAL
Tres hermanos se entregan a las autoridades dominicanas por el homicidio de un repartidor en Santiago
Tres hermanos, entre ellos un adolescente, se entregaron de manera voluntaria a las autoridades dominicanas tras una intensa persecución e investigación policial, por su presunta implicación en el homicidio de un repartidor durante una riña ocurrida en el sector Hato Mayor, en Santiago. Los detenidos, Eudis Martínez Henríquez, alias “El Pana”, de veintiún años; Anneudy Rafael Cabrera Henríquez, alias “Cocote”, de diecinueve años; y un menor de dieciséis años, eran activamente buscados desde el fin de semana, cuando se registró el incidente en un local de comida donde trabajaba la víctima, identificada como Joel Rivera Heredia, conocido como “King”, de veinticuatro años.
De acuerdo con el reporte policial, el conflicto que desencadenó el homicidio se originó por una disputa social. Durante la riña, Rivera Heredia recibió varias heridas provocadas con un arma cortopunzante, lesiones que derivaron en su muerte según el diagnóstico del médico legista.
La Policía Nacional informó que los tres imputados decidieron presentarse en la Subdirección Regional de Investigación (DICRIM) en compañía de familiares, tras la presión ejercida por la operatividad policial y la cercanía de los agentes en su búsqueda. Los detenidos quedaron a disposición del Ministerio Público para los procedimientos legales correspondientes, mientras que las investigaciones continúan para determinar posibles implicaciones de otros involucrados en el caso.
El vocero de la Policía Nacional, Diego Pesqueira, informó sobre el caso en sus redes sociales y destacó que la entrega de los hermanos se produjo gracias al despliegue de búsqueda y acciones investigativas que incluyeron la difusión de fotografías y la coordinación con las comunidades locales.
La institución reiteró que mantiene la vigilancia en Santiago y otras provincias con el objetivo de reducir los niveles de violencia y esclarecer hechos delictivos recientes.
En un caso paralelo, que reafirma la tendencia de entregas y capturas tras operativos policiales, la Policía Nacional detuvo a Deilin Medina, alias “Robín”, de treinta y cuatro años, quien admitió su participación en al menos tres robos cometidos en diferentes puntos del Distrito Nacional. La captura de Medina, residente en el sector El Caliche, Los Pinos, se concretó luego de labores de inteligencia de la División de Investigación de Delitos Contra la Propiedad, con asiento en María Auxiliadora. El sospechoso fue localizado durante un operativo de búsqueda e intentó escapar junto a otros individuos, pero fue capturado de inmediato por los agentes.
Durante el proceso investigativo, Medina confesó su vinculación con el robo de una guagua marca Fiat Fiorin, de la que sustrajo una cámara de video, extensiones eléctricas y un canasto, para posteriormente venderlos a un transeúnte. Además, admitió haber participado en el robo de una vivienda en el sector 27 de Febrero, donde se llevó RD$10.000 (USD 170) en efectivo y un televisor. El tercer caso confirmado corresponde al hurto de redes eléctricas de un local comercial en Villa María. La Policía Nacional destacó que estos hechos generaron preocupación en las comunidades afectadas, por su impacto económico y el incremento del sentimiento de inseguridad en el Distrito Nacional.
El detenido fue puesto a disposición del Ministerio Público, conforme a los procedimientos legales establecidos y en cumplimiento del Código Penal de República Dominicana, que prevé penas de prisión severas para quienes incurren en robo con violencia o reincidencia. Según la institución, la rápida intervención permitió esclarecer los hechos y recuperar parte de los bienes sustraídos, mientras que las investigaciones continúan para identificar a posibles colaboradores y esclarecer otros delitos similares reportados a comienzos de 2026.
Ambos casos reflejan la presión sostenida de las autoridades para combatir los delitos violentos y contra la propiedad, así como la importancia de la colaboración ciudadana y la labor de inteligencia policial en la prevención y resolución de crímenes recientes en República Dominicana.
esposas,justicia,policía,arresto,seguridad,ley
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A closer look at the ‘aortic dissection’ that killed Sen. Lindsey Graham
Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Dr. Marc Siegel clarifies Sen. Lindsey Graham’s preliminary cause of death: a ruptured aorta due to cardiovascular disease. Siegel thoroughly explains the rare condition of aortic dissection and discusses common risk factors like high blood pressure and plaque. He advises on preventative health measures and regular check-ups, emphasizing what Graham would want people to consider their health.
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A Senate Republican added further detail to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s, R-S.C., final moments thanks to an unlikely connection.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., revealed that it was a former member of his staff that called for medical assistance to aid Graham over the weekend, who died suddenly just after his return from an overseas trip.
«My former scheduler was Lindsey’s scheduler, and one of my staff members was with that scheduler the night Lindsey called,» Tuberville told reporters. «He called [and] basically said, ‘Listen, I’m having chest pains. You know, I need to do something.’ ‘Did you call 911?’ And he goes, ‘No, that’s the reason I called you.’»
GRAHAM REPORTEDLY REFUSED MEDICAL HELP BEFORE SCHEDULED TV APPEARANCE
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., stands at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«And so she called 911 … By the time she got there, 911 had knocked the door down, and they were working on him,» he continued.
A preliminary cause of death was revealed Sunday evening. His office said that the longtime lawmaker had died from «aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.»
Aortic dissection is when a tear occurs in the inner wall of the aorta, the body’s main artery, and is a life-threatening medical emergency.
«Lindsey basically worked himself to death, most of us have families, he didn’t have any family,» Tuberville said. «And if we had a couple of days off, he went to that airport, and he went somewhere to try to work out something for our country.»
LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER APPOINTED TO SENATE AS GOP RUSHES TO PROTECT FRAGILE MAJORITY
Axios reported that in one of Graham’s final conversations, he told an unnamed source that he was feeling unwell but wanted to wait until after his scheduled appearance on NBC’s «Meet the Press» to seek medical attention.
«I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,» Graham said.
His death has rocked the Senate, where emotional tributes rolled in throughout the day on Monday, the upper chamber’s first day back in Washington, D.C., since recessing for the Fourth of July.
GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Graham’s desk in the Senate, which is where the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., his close friend, once sat, was draped with a black veil and a glass bowl of sharp white roses atop it.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., in an emotional tribute to the late lawmaker, said that the «halls of the Senate already feel empty without him.»
«I am comforted by the knowledge that, in the end, he has just changed his address. And that one day, Mr. President,» Thune said through tears. «We will laugh together again.»
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Graham will be succeeded, temporarily, by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone. She is slated to be sworn in to the position on Tuesday after being tapped by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to fill in for her late brother.
«I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way,» Nordone said during the ceremony in Columbia, South Carolina. «Now to Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I’m going to do this, I got it.»
politics, lindsey graham, senate elections, john thune, health
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