House Majority Leader Refuses to Take Position on Drilling - On the Spot (CNSNews.com) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer refused to answer a Capitol Hill reporter’s repeated question about whether he would vote to support expanded offshore drilling.

Cord-Blood Stem Cells Help Toddler with Cerebral Palsy - Umbilical-cord blood has been used to treat 2-year-old Chloe Levine, who was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that prevented her from using the right side of her body.

State College Prof. Nails Eucharist to Pages Torn from Qur’an - (CNSNews.com) - Christian groups are calling on the University of Minnesota at Morris to discipline a professor who apparently has carried out his threat to desecrate both the Eucharist and the Koran. At the same time, the president of an agnostic and atheist group has called on people to speak out against the “barbaric ritual” of Catholics partaking of the Eucharist.

Iraq’s Interior Minister Thanks U.S. Troops for Liberating Iraq - Washington (CNSNews.com) – A top Iraqi official visited wounded American troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to thank them for their part in ending Saddam Hussein’s rule in his country. “We also want to express our gratitude to the families of all these great men and women and express how important their sacrifices are for our nation,” Jawad Karim al-Bolani, Iraq’s minister of the interior, said.

Summary of California Marriage Amendment Called ‘Unfair’ - (CNSNews.com) - The battle over same-sex marriage in California now centers on a November ballot proposal -- specifically, the wording of a paragraph summarizing that proposal. According to the title and the summary, Prop 8 "Changes [the] California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." That summary will be part of an informational pamphlet mailed to voters, and conservative activist say it is unfairly slanted.

California School Sued after Bible Club is Rejected - Attorneys with the Pacific Justice Institute sued a California school Tuesday after students' requests to start an after-school, student-led Bible club were denied.

Fairness Doctrine Vote Not Happening, House Majority Leader Says - (CNSNews.com) - A bill to permanently ban the “Fairness Doctrine” probably will not be voted on this year in Congress, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com on Wednesday. Hoyer said he is interested in “ensuring the availability of fair and balanced information to the American public.”

The Cross Stays on Its Mountain, Judge Rules - (CNSNews.com) - A federal judge in San Diego says a giant cross that looks over the city from Mount Soledad may stay where it is. The cross, part of a national veterans’ memorial, has been at the center of a legal battle for 20 years.

Israel Facing Political Upheaval, Questions About Peace
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s announcement that he soon will quit his post has his political rivals lining up to succeed him, while some Israelis wonder what will become of the peace talks Olmert has undertaken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Massachusetts Pushes Same-Sex 'Marriage' on the Nation - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill today to repeal a 1913 law that prohibited couples from marrying in the state if their unions were not legal in their home states. Before he signed the bill, however, lawmakers added an "emergency" clause to it to prevent intervention from family advocates.

Pelosi Backs Obama on Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act
On the Spot (CNSNews.com) – If Barack Obama is elected president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will support him in fulfilling his vow to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which currently protects states from having to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in other states. “Yes,” Pelosi said Thursday at a press conference, when CNSNews.com asked if she would support Obama’s policy.

N.H. Will Accept Free Oil from Chavez After All - Concord, N.H. (AP) - Two years ago, New Hampshire refused to accept heating oil from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the pro-Castro U.S. critic who once called President Bush "the devil." But with fuel prices rising, well, free oil is free oil.

Traditional Marriage Supporters Laud California Court’s Ruling on Initiative
(CNSNews.com) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected efforts by homosexual advocacy groups to remove Proposition 8 from the November ballot.  Prop 8 would amend the state constitution to read, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

UN ‘Religious Defamation’ Decree Poses Threats, Panel Says
(CNSNews.com) – A Canadian journalist faces 16 civil complaints, has been investigated by 50 government bureaucrats, sat through a 90-minute hearing and, at worst, could go to prison for nine months.

McCain Backs Off Support for Families Headed by Mom and Dad - Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, told The New York Times recently he does not support gay adoption.  "I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption," he said.  But today, he backed off that stance.

San Francicso Court Debates Religions’ Right to Oppose ‘Gay’ Adoption
(CNSNews.com) - Was a resolution by the city of San Francisco condemning the Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality a violation of the U.S. Constitution or an expression of free speech? Oral arguments on this issue will be heard Wednesday by a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

California High Court Says Marriage Amendment Stays on Ballot - 'The lawsuit was an act of desperation by those who fear the democratic process in California.'

Bible Publishers Sued for Anti-Gay References -By: Rick Pedraza - A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin.