Good morning, I’m Sophia Tulp, filling for Sarah Naffa. In the news today: An AP investigation reveals how the Mormon church keeps sex abuse secret; three commercial ships were fired at in the Red Sea; and a look at why the COP28 climate summit matters in our everyday life. Also, the reason why some penguins take thousands of “micronaps” every day. Launching today: Get Ground Game, our top weekly insights on politics from DC and beyond as we head into a presidential election like no other. Sign up here. | The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City is shown on April 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) |
Recordings show the Mormon church’s playbook for protecting itself from child sex abuse claims |
A former Mormon bishop who a top church official said committed “sexual transgression” with his own daughter was excommunicated after making a religious confession. Recordings obtained by The Associated Press show that instead of helping prosecutors, the church used a legal playbook that keeps sex abuse secret. Within weeks, prosecutors dropped the charges. Read more.
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The recordings provide a record of the steps the church normally takes behind closed doors to keep allegations of child sex abuse secret.
More than half the states maintain clergy-penitent privilege, which provides a loophole for clergy who are otherwise required to report child sex abuse. As a result, some child predators who reveal their crimes to clergy in a confessional setting are allowed to remain free.
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Although child welfare advocates have attempted to change or eliminate the privilege, the AP found that lobbying by religious institutions has persuaded state legislators throughout the country to maintain the loophole.
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3 commercial ships were hit by missiles in an attack in the Red Sea |
Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks, stating that they were aiming to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea in response to the Israel-Hamas war. Read more.
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The strikes marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war, as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict.
The U.S. vowed to “consider all appropriate responses” to the attack, specifically calling out Iran. Tensions have been high for years now over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
In claiming two of the attacks, a Houthi military spokesman said “the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden) until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.”
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Why COP28, the UN climate talks, are worth your attention |
The annual U.N. climate talks are nearly two weeks of delegates meeting. They use wonky terms like “NDCs,” “1.5 degrees” and “loss and damage." Any final decision is nonbinding, meaning countries can agree to something and then not keep their promise. But in the long term, there are reasons why the talks can prove worthwhile. Read more.
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The talks exert peer pressure and produce clear goals. The push for compliance — in a public forum — is a key part of COP that results in plans by countries to reduce their use of oil, gas and coal, and lay out how they might adapt to impacts of extreme weather events.
They frame debates. Today, many discussions of climate — from reducing emissions to paying for green energies — are framed around the idea that rich countries are historically responsible for the current situation and thus have a moral imperative to pay more to confront it.
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They foster slow, but solid, progress. While many factors have gone into lowering the curve on emissions, U.N. climate negotiations have undoubtedly been a central factor.
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Juma Indigenous sisters Mandei Juma, from left, Mayta Juma and Borea Juma pose for a picture at their community, near Canutama, Amazonas state, Brazil, on July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sophia
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sophia
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