Weekly Roundup: Oklahoma’s Catholic Charter School and Hegseth’s Prayer Service (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Dan discusses recent developments on the separation of church and state, focusing on the Oklahoma Catholic Charter School case and its split decision in the Supreme Court. He also analyzes the implications of Pete Hegseth’s Christian prayer service at the Pentagon, highlighting concerns about religious liberty and the mixing of church and state.

Additionally, the episode examines JD Vance’s criticisms of Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts and addresses ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary. The script also touches on Trump’s claims of white genocide in South Africa and the alleged evidence presented during a meeting with South African President Cyril Rama.

The episode concludes with reflections on populist rhetoric and the role of evidence in shaping perceived truths.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-oklahomas-catholic-charter-school-and-hegseths-prayer-service/

Sea level rise will cause ‘catastrophic inland migration’, scientists warn | Climate crisis | The Guardian

The world is on track for 2.5C-2.9C of global heating, which would almost certainly be beyond tipping points for the collapse of the Greenland and west Antarctic ice sheets. The melting of those ice sheets would lead to a "really dire" 12 metres of sea level rise. 

Today, about 230 million people live 1 metre above current sea level, and 1 billion live 10 metres above sea level…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/20/sea-level-rise-migration 

 

JD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europe’s leaders | JD Vance | The Guardian

Among other things, Vance tells them to let the voices of Nazis be heard, if not quite so explicitly.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/14/jd-vance-stuns-munich-conference-with-blistering-attack-on-europes-leaders

Trump suggests Palestinians leave and ‘we just clean out’ territory

US president says he wants people to move to neighbouring nations, after resuming shipments of 2,000lb bombs to Israel…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/26/trump-resumes-sending-2000-pound-bombs-to-israel-undoing-biden-pause

 

How rising seas are killing India’s coastal villages

"When the soil turned salty, our crops shrivelled," says Vaidehi Kardi, 64, a Tandahar resident. "Gradually, the water too turned salty and our lives withered. It has become difficult to get our sons married. Everyone feels our village is not safe any more."…

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/11/india-odisha-cyclones-coastline-climate-crisis-salinity-farming-migration-cities

Drought Touches a Quarter of Humanity, U.N. Says, Disrupting Lives Globally - The New York Times

The crisis, worsened partly by climate change, has been accompanied by soaring food prices and could have consequences for hunger, elections and migration worldwide...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/climate/global-drought-food-hunger.html

Forced Displacement Exposes Gaps in Climate Migration Responses

"It is impossible to stay in your home if it is underwater. You cannot grow crops or raise livestock if it has not rained for years." —Atlas of Migration 2022, Rosa Luxemburg Institute…

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/migration-responses-forced-displacement-climate

Rising seas threaten ‘mass exodus on a biblical scale’, UN chief warns

An increase in the pace at which sea levels are rising threatens "a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale", the UN secretary general has warned. 

The climate crisis is causing sea levels to rise faster than for 3,000 years, bringing a "torrent of trouble" to almost a billion people, from London to Los Angeles and Bangkok to Buenos Aires, António Guterres said on Tuesday. Some nations could cease to exist, drowned under the waves, he said...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/14/rising-seas-threaten-mass-exodus-on-a-biblical-scale-un-chief-warns

Harris Announces Funding to Address Root Causes of Migration Crisis - The New York Times

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced almost $1 billion in new pledges by private companies to support communities in Central America, part of the Biden administration's effort to keep migrants from fleeing toward the U.S. border...
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/us/politics/harris-migration-central-america.html

The century of climate migration: why we need to plan for the great upheaval | Migration | The Guardian

Wherever you live now, migration will affect you and the lives of your children…
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/aug/18/century-climate-crisis-migration-why-we-need-plan-great-upheaval

A naturalist traces the astounding flyways of migratory birds (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)

Scott Weidensaul has spent decades studying bird migration. "There is a tremendous solace in watching these natural rhythms play out again and again," he says. Originally broadcast March 29, 2021.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1090034366/a-naturalist-traces-the-astounding-flyways-of-migratory-birds

‘It’s happening now’: how rising sea levels are causing a US migration crisis

…Already, about 15 million American homes are at risk of flooding, and the threat is only going to get worse. A report released in February by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projected that sea level along the US coastline would rise by 10 to 12in, on average, in the next 30 years – an uptick that would make damaging flooding occur 10 times more often than it does today. 

"It's important to understand in these communities that sea level rise is happening now," said William Sweet, an oceanographer with NOAA's National Ocean Service and the country's top scientist studying sea level rise. "Its impacts are happening now, and those impacts will grow worse in the next 30 years. Minor-nuisance flooding will be replaced by flooding that's more damaging to economies and to infrastructure."…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/07/its-happening-now-how-rising-sea-levels-are-causing-a-us-migration-crisis

White House unveils landmark reports on climate links to security, migration - Axios

…Defense and intelligence analysts in and out of government have long recognized climate-related threats, but the Biden administration is looking to identify and prepare for those risks on several fronts…

https://www.axios.com/climate-change-migration-national-security-1b9e9b9a-e752-47b4-a1d5-70a6dc197e8b.html

Forced migration will only get worse — the US needs a long-term strategy | TheHill

… While war and persecution continue to drive people from their homes, natural disasters caused by climate change account for an increasing number of those who flee. Of the more than 80 million displaced people identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2020, 21.5 million were "climate refugees," people forced to migrate because of "climate change-related disasters." Rising sea levels alone may threaten as many as 630 million people by the end of this century. Recurring floods, fires and drought will displace millions more…

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/575606-forced-migration-will-only-get-worse-the-us-needs-a-long-term-strategy

UNHCR, IOM, aid partners call for urgent support to refugees and migrants from Venezuela and their hosts | Mirage News

… Prolonged lockdowns, loss of livelihoods and increased poverty are forcing many Venezuelan refugees and migrants to depend on emergency humanitarian assistance to survive. The needs are dire in the areas of health, food security, water and basic sanitation, as well as access to education and opportunities to earn an income. The pandemic has also resulted in rising rates of evictions and homelessness, as well as a dramatic increase in reported cases of gender-based violence and mental health needs…

https://www.miragenews.com/unhcr-iom-aid-partners-call-for-urgent-support-578042/

Poll: Americans overwhelmingly approve of 'root causes' immigration strategy | TheHill

…Pollster Civiqs found that 85 percent of survey respondents agreed that the United States needs to engage with other countries to address migration patterns…

https://thehill.com/latino/550982-poll-americans-overwhelmingly-approve-of-root-causes-immigration-strategy

US-made guns are ripping Central America apart and driving migration north | Arms trade | The Guardian

An iron river of illegal guns flows from the US to Mexico, Central America, and across the hemisphere...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/16/us-made-guns-central-america-migration

Border crisis: What’s pushing migrants to the U.S. border - The Washington Post

... The crisis was caused in part by failed harvests linked to climate change, a string of natural disasters and a nearly nonexistent official response. Supply-chain disruptions then led to a spike in prices...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/02/us-border-migrants-guatemala/

Climate crisis to create 1.5 billion migrants by 2050 - MSNBC

Climate change took center stage all over the world this week with millions of people in more than 150 countries protesting the climate crisis. MSNBC's Jacob Soboroff joins Joy Reid on his co-reported story on how climate change is driving starving migrants to the U.S.....
https://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/climate-crisis-to-create-1-5-billion-migrants-by-2050-69619781800

Trump admin ignored own evidence of climate-based migration - MSNBC

An internal report obtained by NBC News showed migration surged from those areas where climate change is hurting crops and farmers.....
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/trump-admin-ignored-own-evidence-of-climate-based-migration-69475397831