culture

Cities Beg for Parents to Stop Violent ‘Teen Takeovers’

Dare to discipline? Major U.S. cities are now calling for “parental accountability” as “teen takeovers” become increasingly violent.

Ironic, considering many of the same cities spent years stripping moms and dads of their parental rights.

“Teen takeovers” are pop-up gatherings advertised on social media. The viral trend gained national media attention in March as takeovers in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Orlando and the Bronx ended in destruction and violence.

“These are not harmless gatherings.” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro told reporters earlier this month after teens destroyed a local Chipotle. “They are violent and they are disruptive.”

Teen takeover violence reached a new level over Memorial Day weekend.

Five police officers were hospitalized trying to disperse a gathering in Chicago after 18-year-old Rashad Johnson allegedly hit them with a car.

Johnson only stopped the car after he hopped a curb and crashed into a police car, a pole and a fence. He is charged with attempted murder and five counts of aggravated battery, among other charges.

Thankfully, all five injured officers are expected to recover fully.

Johnson was one of 53 people, including 23 juveniles, arrested across two teen takeovers in Chicago over the holiday. Eight teenagers 17-year-old and under received felony charges.

Detroit police also broke up two violent teen takeovers — one of which ended in the shooting of a 16-year-old boy.

As teenage behavior spirals out of control, government employees are calling on parents to, you know, parent.

“Parents, we need you actively involved in knowing where your children are, because accountability extends to parents as well,” Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield exhorted in a YouTube video following last weekend’s violence.

Chicago Mayor Brian Johnson made a similar plea following the chaos in Chicago.

“I continue to call on parents and guardians to know where their children are and to help ensure they are safe and accounted for,” he posted on X.

Chicagoans want parents to take responsibility for their kids so badly that lawmakers have reportedly begun drafting “parental accountability” legislation in which parents could face punishment for crimes their children’s crimes.

Concerns about parental accountability aren’t limited to Chicago and Detroit. U.S. Attorney Pirro announced her office would prosecute parents of teens involved in destructive teen takeovers earlier this month.

“We don’t want your kids victimized, and neither should you,” Pirro addressed parents directly. “And that requires that you do something about this.”

“That’s why we’re going to hold you accountable.”

The Daily Citizen and Focus on the Family believe parents have the biblical right and responsibility to love, raise, protect and provide for their children, including:

  • Teaching them to love and pursue biblical justice and morality.
  • Teaching them to contribute to society.

It’s equally important to acknowledge the incongruence between legislation encouraging parental accountability and legislation stripping parents of their rights.

The left supports legislation and jurisprudence at the state and federal level giving parents less authority over the upbringing of their children, including:

  • Less visibility into what their child learns at school.
  • Less or no say over treatment of their child’s sexual identity confusion or same-sex attraction.
  • Less or no visibility into their child’s social media activity.
  • Less or no visibility or say into their child’s medical treatment or decision to get an abortion.

Yet, when teenagers act out, legislators demand parents engage — an abrupt change of narrative which sticks out in the conclusion of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s X post:

My administration is creating opportunities and safe spaces for young people, but families, communities, and city leaders all have a role to play in keeping our young people safe.

A role to play? No. Parents should be the primary actors in charge of protecting their children.

Johnson’s relegation of families to a minor role elevates his government to the largest “parental” authority in children’s lives. In the world he describes, parents are but a supplement to the opportunities and safe spaces the government generates for young people.

His thinking is entirely backwards — and precisely why we find ourselves in this conundrum.

In his Politics, Aristotle argues strong civilizations are built on strong family units. History proves him right — civilizations thrive when parents can fulfill their biblical duty to love, raise, protect and provide for their kids.

Shrinking the role parents play in their children’s lives only weakens society.

Supporting parental engagement while slashing parental rights is a similarly poor strategy for combatting teenage lawlessness.

No wonder it isn’t working.

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Hannah Harper, Mom of Three, Crowned Winner of ‘American Idol’ Season 24

Hannah Harper was crowned the winner of American Idol season 24 on Monday night, capping off a surprising – yet inevitable – journey to stardom.

Harper is the first female country music artist winner of American Idol since Carrie Underwood, now an American Idol judge, won the show in 2005.

“What a wild, beautiful journey this has been,” the 26-year-old mom of three boys wrote on social media. “And somehow we’re just getting started.”

“Thank you to every single person who believed in me, prayed over me, voted, and helped carry this dream farther than I ever could’ve imagined. Y’all changed my life.” Harper concluded quoting the Scripture verse Jeremiah 29:11.

Harper grew up traveling coast-to-coast in a bus with her family, singing in churches across the country.

She began her American Idol journey by auditioning with an original song, “String Cheese,” which she wrote about her struggle with postpartum depression after her youngest son was born. Her audition garnered over 120 million views and perhaps sealed her victory from the start.

“I was sitting on my couch wallowing,” Harper recalled for the judges during her audition, “I was just having a pity party and praying that the Lord would calm my spirit.”

“My son kept coming up to me saying, ‘Mom, open my cheese,’ and I’m just like, ‘Just leave me alone with the dadgum cheese,’” she said, adding,

I finally opened his cheese and when I did, I realized that God had put me in that place, and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have in being a mom.

“I realized that was exactly what I wanted,” she added, “and I kicked the postpartum depression in the butt and I said, ‘I ain’t doing it.’ And so, I wrote this song called ‘String Cheese.’”

The song helped her capture the support of moms nationwide who resonated with her story and inspiring message.

Harper reprised the song moments before her big win, which you can watch below:

Turning the night into a brief Christian music concert, the show’s runner-up, Jordan McCullough, reprised his audition by singing Bethel Music’s “Goodness of God.”

In an interview, Harper admitted that being on the show as a mom of three was very difficult, and she couldn’t have done it without her husband by her side.

“We’ve been here since March and my husband and my three kids have been out here the entire time,” Harper shared.

“My husband’s been living at a hotel with them doing life, homeschooling my kids, and it’s been hard because at the end of the day, most of the other contestants get to go home and chill and it’s like as soon as I walk in, I want to give as much as I give here to them.”

“My husband has made so many sacrifices for me to be able to do this and I can never repay that man,” she added.

After her win, Harper sang “At the Cross,” a song performed by Christian music artist Chris Tomlin.

You can watch Harper’s performance of “At the Cross” below:

Tomlin congratulated Harper on her win: “Huge congrats on winning American Idol… I love hearing you sing At The Cross!!!”

“Let’s sing it together sometime!” Tomlin suggested. “God bless you and your family in this next season of your life.”

Harper told The Christian Post in an interview earlier this year that she viewed her time on American Idol as a chance to share her faith.

“Getting to be this open about my relationship with the Lord on a platform like this is an incredible honor to me,” Harper shared, praising the faith of many of her fellow contestants.

“Every single day … we’ve been in a dressing room having Bible study,” she said. “The entire competition is scary, and there’s a lot of spiritual warfare … so it’s been really nice to have somebody like-minded.”

Harper is now preparing to embark upon the “String Cheese” tour with nearly two dozen dates already announced.

“I’m beyond thankful for the doors the Lord has opened and for the opportunity to walk this path,” Harper said. “I’ll see y’all on the road soon.”

Are you or a family member struggling with depression? To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Focus on the Family offers a one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor free of charge thanks to generous donor support. If you would like to request a consultation with Focus’ Counseling Department, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Mountain Time) or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

Related articles and resources:

Counseling Consultation & Referrals

Mental Health Resources

Postpartum Depression

Embracing Hope in the Midst of Postpartum Depression

Stages of Motherhood

Rediscovering Your Joy in Motherhood

Embracing Your Version of Motherhood

Welcome to Mom Life Unscripted With Jodie and Friends

Building an Honest Prayer Life as a Mom

Meet Hannah Harper, Mom of Three and an ‘American Idol’ Star

Photo from YouTube.

Ten Commandments Can Remain in Texas Classrooms

According to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, it’s constitutional to require public schools in Texas to display the Ten Commandments.

Tuesday’s ruling was by the narrowest of margins (9-8) but it nevertheless upheld a 2025 Texas law that was immediately challenged in court. Critics cried foul, claiming the legislation violated the Establishment Clause.

In the ruling, a majority of judges disagreed. Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote:

“S.B. 10 looks nothing like a historical religious establishment. It does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams. It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason.”

He continued:

“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them. Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them.”

Both legal and popular debate over historical displays of faith goes back decades, of course. Ironically, though, when it comes to the Ten Commandments and the classroom, Hollywood deserves credit for both popularizing and promoting the display of God’s laws in school.

When the 1956 film, “The Ten Commandments,” came to the big screen, promoters partnered with the Fraternal Order of Eagles to fund, create, and place more than 150 granite depictions of the Scripture verses – including in public schools.

Secularists challenged the public expression of faith in the 1960s, leading to the banning of prayer in the classroom (Engel v. Vitale) and Bible reading (Abington School District v. Schempp). In 1980’s “Stone v. Graham,” the Supreme Court built upon that antagonism towards faith and ruled certain ways of displaying the Ten Commandments were unconstitutional. Basically, it said an existing Kentucky law constituted an endorsement of religion and thus a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

But on Tuesday, a majority of the Fifth Circuit found that the Texas law threaded the constitutional needle.

Such strong opposition to the posting of the Ten Commandments raises the question: What do opponents find so troubling about posting such fundamental and foundational directives?

In short, is it really a problem to post something that encourages students to … 

Put God first, respect His name, observe a rest day, honor your parents, don’t murder, be faithful in marriage, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, and don’t be jealous of others?

Kelly Shackelford, who serves as president and CEO of the First Liberty Institute, and whose group filed an amicus brief in the case, stated:

“The Ten Commandments have been a part of our nation’s history and tradition; banning them from schools because they are religious is not justified by the Constitution and would undermine a comprehensive education for America’s students.”

Louisiana currently has a similar law on the books and other states are expected to soon follow suit.  Don’t be surprised if the ongoing debate continues and eventually finds itself at the United States Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Takes Case About Colorado Discrimination Against Catholic Preschools

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case about the state of Colorado excluding Catholic families and preschools from the state’s universal preschool program because of their biblical beliefs about sexuality and marriage. 

It seems that despite Colorado’s three Supreme Court First Amendment losses since 2018, the state legislature and agencies are still showing contempt for First Amendment rights.

The state’s universal pre-kindergarten program (UPK), launched in 2023, pays preschools $6,000 a year to cover 10-15 hours of preschool costs for eligible four-year-olds. Voters overwhelmingly supported the program, which was funded through increasing prices and taxes for nicotine products.  

But the UPK program requires participating preschools to agree with the state’s position affirming “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” – clearly violating Catholic teaching. 

Because of this blatant discrimination against religious preschools, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dan and Lisa Sheley, parents of seven children, along with the Archdiocese of Denver and two Denver-area Catholic parishes with their preschools. 

Becket, a non-profit religious freedom law firm, explained in a press release that Colorado was discriminating against the Sheleys and other religious parents who would normally receive preschool tuition assistance from the state’s UPK: 

Parents like Becket clients Dan and Lisa Sheley, who are raising their children in the Catholic faith, hoped to use this benefit at their parish preschool in the Archdiocese of Denver. 

But Colorado imposed restrictions that excluded all Archdiocesan preschools from the program because they ask families to be supportive of the Catholic faith. 

To participate in the state’s UPK program, preschools must sign a Program Service Agreement,created by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, agreeing they will provide eligible children and their families an equal opportunity to enroll and attend “regardless of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, lack of housing, income level, or disability.” 

Of course, it’s patently ridiculous to consider a four-year-old having a “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.” These are ideological constructs, imposed on children by agenda-driven activists. 

But parents who send their children to Catholic preschools must also agree with basic biblical teachings: God created humans in His image; humans come in two forms, male or female; and marriage unites a husband and wife. 

The lawsuit explained that the two parishes in the case, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood, “serve the educational mission of the Catholic Church by operating preschool programs to assist parents in the religious and educational upbringing of their children.” 

Preschool staff are expected to uphold the church’s teaching, as Becket explained in the complaint: 

[B]ecause Catholic schools cannot affirm LGBTQ identities and relationships, the Archdiocese advises Catholic schools to have all teachers sign employment agreements annually “acknowledging the expectation that they will uphold Catholic moral teachings in word and deed.”

The complaint cited the Archdiocese of Denver’s “Guidance for Issues Concerning the Human Person and Sexual Identity”:

Catholic schools in particular need to implement policies that are consonant with Christian anthropology’s view of the person. Schools should avoid validating or affirming the premises of gender ideology, even indirectly, by silence or inaction.

The guidance goes on to say, 

[A] Catholic school cannot treat a same-sex couple as a family equivalent to the natural family without compromising its mission and Catholic identity. 

But when states like Colorado add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to nondiscrimination laws, they elevate mutable sexual characteristics to the same level as religious freedom – creating conflict.

The Archdiocese of Denver oversees 36 preschools serving around 1,500 students a year, with many receiving scholarships or tuition discounts. Becket Senior Counsel and attorney for the families and preschools stated that these families deserve to be part of the universal preschool program, too: 

Colorado promised free preschool for all, then slammed the door on families who chose a religious education for their children. After three losses in religious freedom cases at the Supreme Court, Colorado should know better. 

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that states cannot exclude families from government benefits because of their faith. We’re confident the Court will say the same thing here and put a stop to Colorado’s no-Catholics-need-apply rules.

The bottom line, as Becket argues, is this: Religious schools should be able to participate in publicly available programs, and religious school students should be able to participate in these programs on equal footing as students who attend non-religious schools.

The case,  St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, should be heard by the court in the fall of 2026. 

Related articles and resources: 

Landmark Victory for Free Speech at the U.S. Supreme Court

Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision – What it Means

Religious Freedom and the Playground Case

State Can’t Discriminate Against Religion in Tuition Assistance Program, Supreme Court Rules

Supreme Court Smacks Down Colorado’s ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban in 8-1 Decision

A Win for Religious Freedom: SCOTUS Rules State May Not Shut Out Religious Schools from Government Scholarship Program

New Poll: 70% of Americans Support Medical Oversight for Abortion Pills

New polling data reveals most Americans agree there should be more oversight of the distribution and consumption of chemical abortion pills like mifepristone.

According to polling conducted by CRC Research for The 85 Fund, as reported by The Daily Wire and Susan B Anthony Pro-life America, approximately 70% of Americans support requiring an in person medical evaluation before and after taking the abortion pill.

A closely related question found that 67% of voters support requiring an in-person doctor’s visit in order to obtain the abortion pill. This policy was previously upheld by the FDA but abandoned by the previous pro-abortion administration.

Source: The Daily Wire

What makes this data so interesting and newsworthy is how it breaks down across political lines. Support for medical oversight was not limited to a single party. In fact, 72% of Republicans, 68% of Independents and 63% of Democrats all supported reinstating in-person doctor visits before accessing abortion pills.

The data shows a clear majority of Americans in every major political party support some form of in-person medical attention before abortion pills are dispensed.

Concerns over medical oversight are reinforced by research from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which raised questions about the safety of women using mifepristone last year.  

As reported by the Daily Citizen in May, the EPPC released a study revealing nearly 11% of women who take the abortion pill experienced serious adverse effects within 40 days, including sepsis, hemorrhaging, infection and emergency room visits. 

Those numbers are 22 times higher than the FDA’s current label, which suggests the rate of adverse effects is only 0.5%.

Following the release of the report, Senator Josh Hawley questioned HHS Secretary Kennedy at a committee hearing. The secretary committed to a complete review of the chemical abortion pill by the FDA.

Instead of cracking down on the abortion pill, the FDA has made abortion pills even more available by approving a generic abortion pill alternative.  

Several pro-life organizations and advocates have accused HHS and the White House of intentionally slow-walking the review. They argue that recent findings demonstrate the need for stronger safeguards and removing in-person visits and medical oversight allows for serious complications to go untreated.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is calling on the Trump administration to revisit current FDA protocols and reinstate requirements that were previously in place, including in-person dispensing and physician oversight. They argue basic medical standards should apply to abortion.

Recently, Senator Josh Hawley recently introduced a senate bill to ban the abortion pill and give women the right to sue manufacturers for damages. Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, a pharmacist, introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

When abortion policy is often sharply divided, broad bipartisan support from a majority of Americans for medical oversight of the abortion pill should not be ignored. HHS and the FDA should use their authority to restore in-person medical oversight for abortion pill use.