1. According to Morning Star News, armed attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen on predominantly Christian communities in Nasarawa state this year have left more than 200 people dead and destroyed homes and farms, sources said. One such attack on a worship service on March 19 in the central Nigerian state’s Oshugu village killed two Christians and displaced hundreds from the Loko Development Area of the Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA), a survivor told Morning Star News. The survivor, identified only as Ittah, said: “The attack on our village occurred this morning while we were in the church. Our village head and one other person died, and many were injured. The sad thing is that these Fulanis have been attacking our communities, and no one is doing anything about it.” Both Christians killed were members of the local congregation of the Evangelical Church Winning All.
2. According to Baylor Lariat, churches of various denominations will assemble in McLane Stadium for a night of unified worship. Two years ago, The Gathering made history by being the largest assembly of Christians in the history of Waco. This event, that united 35,000 people, will take place again at 6:30 p.m. April 9 in McLane Stadium. The idea behind the Gathering is to unify the various churches of the Waco community for a time of fellowship and worship in honor of Palm Sunday. A goal for this year’s Gathering is to maintain the traction of unity that was established at the first Gathering event two years ago. Worship will be led by local worship leaders and a combined mass choir made up of 1,000 singers from local churches. There will also be music by Anthony Evans, Christian vocalist who appeared on NBC series “The Voice” and the son of Dr. Tony Evans, who spoke at the Gathering two years ago. Scott Drew, the Baylor men’s basketball coach, will also share his testimony. This year’s speaker will be Miles McPherson, pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego and former defensive back of the San Diego Chargers. Durham said the executive team selected him because he is accustomed to speaking to large arenas of people due to his congregation of nearly 19,000 members.
3. According to Newsweek, a judge has ruled against a Department of Justice motion to dismiss wrongful death lawsuits brought by survivors and families of victims of the 2015 South Carolina church massacre. The complaints argue the FBI was negligent in conducting its federal criminal background check on the accused gunman, Dylann Roof, before he purchased a gun and later used it to fatally shoot nine African-American worshippers at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. In multiple suits, the survivors and victims’ relatives say the FBI failed to manage its own database or perform a proper background check on Roof, who is now 22. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel rejected the federal government’s motion to throw out the complaints against the DOJ. In its motion, the DOJ had said that the court lacks the proper jurisdiction to hear the cases, and that the plaintiffs failed to fully outline their claims.
4. According to NBC News, the sister of a South Carolina man who was killed by police after a high-speed car chase claims in a lawsuit that three officers shot her unarmed brother 17 times in the back — as he lay on the ground. Waltki Cermoun Williams “did not have a weapon” and was struck in total by 19 of the two dozen shots fired at him during the deadly confrontation on Dec. 10, according to a lawsuit filed in Sumter County. The lawsuit states: “Sumter Police Department officers had the obligation and opportunity to refrain from utilizing inappropriate and unnecessary deadly force. However, the officers in question made the conscious decision to use inappropriate and unnecessary force.” What happened to Williams, the suit goes on to state, “is so extreme and outrageous that it shocks the conscience.” The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Williams’ sister, Tomekia Kind, seeks unspecified damages. Williams, 35, was black. The race of the officers who filed the fatal shots was not specified in the court papers and they have not been identified. There was no immediate comment from the Sumter Police Department beyond a denial of the allegations laid out in the lawsuit.
5. According to the Advocate, an attorney for a prominent Black Lives Matter activist urged a federal judge Monday to dismiss a lawsuit by an unnamed Baton Rouge police officer who claims he was injured during a protest four days after the deadly police shooting of Alton Sterling in the city. A lawyer for the officer, however, asked Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson to allow the suit to move forward and for the officer who filed it to remain anonymous for health and safety reasons. Jackson took the arguments under advisement and said he would issue a ruling in the coming days. The officer sat with his attorneys during the hearing. Billy Gibbens, who represents DeRay Mckesson, of Baltimore, argued the suit against Mckesson should be thrown out because it makes only unsupported, speculative allegations.
6. According to the New York Times, Fox News, whose chairman, Roger Ailes, was ousted last year after a string of sexual harassment claims, is facing new allegations of discrimination. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday night in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, two black women said they were subjected to “top-down racial harassment” in the Fox News payroll department by Judith Slater, the company’s longtime comptroller. The women — Tichaona Brown, a payroll manager, and Tabrese Wright, a payroll coordinator — accused Ms. Slater of making numerous racially charged comments, including suggestions that black men were “women beaters” and that black people wanted to physically harm white people. The plaintiffs’ lawyers, Douglas H. Wigdor and Jeanne Christensen of the Wigdor law firm, said in a statement: “We are confident that the good men and women of the Bronx will hold Fox accountable for what we believe to be its abhorrent racist conduct, reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.” Brown and Wright are suing Slater, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, claiming that Slater’s superiors did little to address her behavior, which created a hostile work environment that resulted in “severe and pervasive discrimination and harassment.”
7. According to the Washington Post, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Tuesday seemed to disparage a senior African American congresswoman because of the lawmaker’s appearance — comparing her hair to a “James Brown wig.” Hours later, O’Reilly apologized for his comments, calling them “dumb.” In a “Fox & Friends” segment Tuesday morning, O’Reilly replayed a speech Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) had delivered on the House floor the night before. In it, Waters defended those who were critical of President Trump, saying that that criticism arose from a love of country. Throughout her speech, O’Reilly’s face appeared in a smaller window on the screen, where he was shown smiling, pumping his fist and mouthing silent responses to Waters.
That’s all for today. You can read these stories and more online at BCNN1.com
In closing, remember, the good news of God’s love. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Thanks for listening. May God bless your day.
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