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Australia

Whistleblower lawsuit alleges financial misconduct and dubious expenditures inside Hillsong Church

A Hillsong church service with people wearing masks

A whistleblower suing Hillsong in the Federal Court has alleged the megachurch moved millions of dollars in payments through overseas entities to avoid scrutiny by the Australian charities regulator.

ABC Investigations can reveal the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) launched an investigation into Hillsong in March, which is examining its compliance obligations as a registered charity.

The existence of the ACNC probe was revealed in Federal Court documents lodged by former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses on Wednesday as part of a Fair Work case against the church.

The documents allege dubious financial record-keeping, the misappropriation of church finances, and claim Hillsong leaders used tax-free money for “large cash gifts” to Hillsong founder Brian Houston and his family.

The 25-page statement of claim filed by Ms Moses’s lawyers at Maurice Blackburn includes accusations Hillsong illegally hid its international transfers by making payments through its US-based entities.

Hillsong Church is yet to file a response in the Federal Court and Ms Moses is the sole source of the allegations in her statement of claim.

The church’s lawyers told the ABC it will defend the matter.

“We are further instructed that Hillsong is continuing to work with the inquiries made by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission,” they said.

“As the matter is now before the Federal Court of Australia, it is inappropriate to make any further comment.”

Ms Moses, who worked within the church’s financial department, claimed the Australian leadership team suspended her employment after she refused a directive to deceive regulators about its overseas activities.

a woman smiling while learning up against her dog, which is in a vest
Natalie Moses was employed by Hillsong for more than two years.(Supplied)

Her lawyers argue Hillsong contravened the Fair Work Act, claiming it breached its own whistleblower policy by preventing her from raising serious complaints about the church’s financial operations.

“There are very serious allegations that our client makes about Hillsong effectively misleading an investigation [by] the ACNC,” Josh Bornstein, who is representing Ms Moses in her employment law case, said.

“There are concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong.

“On top of that, [the allegations] also raise moral and ethical issues about the conduct of a religious institution and what appears to be a cowboy culture operating within that empire.”

A red shadow i is cast on female worshipers in a dark room during a church service
Hillsong’s global empire includes campuses, ministries, and musicians across six continents.(Facebook: Hillsong)

Court documents allege internal audits conducted by Ms Moses uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation and which would bring the church into disrepute if those details were ever made public.

She claims this included leaders making “significant” gifts to church directors and their family and friends, as well as using credit cards to pay for international travel and designer products.

Hillsong was misleading donors, whistleblower alleges

Ms Moses was employed as the church’s fundraising and governance coordinator on March 25, 2020.

Her responsibilities included ensuring the “Hillsong Global Corporate Group” — entities overseeing religious and business activities across Australia, the US and the UK — were compliant under the Australian Charities Not-for-Profit (ACNFP) Act.

She alleged in her statement of claim the church repeatedly breached charity rules, particularly in regard to transferring money to fund overseas projects.

A man with a short dark hair smiling in a professional photograph
Hillsong’s chief financial officer Peter Ridley.(Linkedin: Supplied )

Many Australian Hillsong entities are prohibited from doing this because the money would no longer be subject to local oversight designed to ensure the funds are appropriately spent on charitable services.

Ms Moses claimed she regularly raised concerns with chief financial officer Peter Ridley about how Hillsong should manage its financial operations.

The statement of claim suggested the two were often at loggerheads about the church’s compliance obligations.

During a telephone call in early March 2022, Ms Moses alleges she raised the alarm about Australian Hillsong entities asking for donations to renovate Melbourne’s iconic “Festival Hall”, which was purchased by a Hillsong-related entity in 2020.

She allegedly warned Mr Ridley the church may be committing fraud and misleading its followers by spending money it was falsely claiming it was tax deductible.

Image of Ruel performing at Festival Hall
Hillsong Church was receiving donations to renovate the iconic Festival Hall in Melbourne.(Supplied: Ruel/Michelle Grace Hunder)

She also complained it was unethical and illegal for the church to use tax-deductible donations given to its charity arm, the Hillsong Foundation Trust, in 2022 to cover the church’s $9 million deficit.

The Hillsong Foundation Trust’s stated mission is “to bring care and justice to vulnerable groups in the name of Jesus.”

Ms Moses alleges during the telephone call Mr Ridley “became angry and dismissive and said he just did not understand what Ms Moses’ problem was”.

‘God protects the righteous’

Less than a month after the Festival Hall conversation, the ACNC commenced an investigation into four Australian Hillsong entities to determine if the church was complying with its legal obligations.

At about the same time, Ms Moses was tasked with preparing internal responses to the ACNC investigation.

It was during a March 29, 2022 meeting that Mr Ridley allegedly told key members of the financial department that the charity regulator was putting Hillsong under the microscope.

The statement of claim said the chief financial officer declared in this meeting that God would shield Hillsong during the probe because “God protects the righteous and Hillsong is the righteous.”

Ms Moses said it was after this March 29 meeting that she approached the ACNC anonymously about making a whistleblower inquiry and was advised to obtain independent legal advice.

A man in a black suit and white top standing besides a woman in a denim jacket on stage with bright lights
Brian and Bobbie Houston established Hillsong in 1983 in Sydney’s north-west. (Facebook: Hillsong )

It is alleged that in this meeting Mr Ridley instructed Hillsong’s financial controller to not proceed with a pending cash payment representing five per cent of the megachurch’s income, but instead offset it against money owing.

“The consequence was that there was no record of any cash payment from Hillsong Church to the United States of America,” the statement of claim reads.

Ms Moses also alleged Mr Ridley directed the finance department to reverse a payment owed to a pastor responsible for Hillsong Tokyo as a “transaction error” and instead make the same payment from the US-based Hillsong Global entity.

An ACNC spokesperson said it was “unable to comment or confirm on compliance activity unless it is already in the public domain, or if we take action against a charity”.

“Such action includes issuing warnings and directions, suspending or removing responsible persons, and ultimately, revoking charity registration,” the spokesperson told the ABC.

Ms Moses claimed she ultimately decided against lodging a whistleblower inquiry because she hoped the ACNC’s investigation would force the church to rectify its compliance issues.

However, she continued to keep records and copies of her conversations with Mr Ridley. Her lawyers say she is prepared to produce them in court if necessary.

‘Lying could bite him in the butt’

According to the statement of claim, Ms Moses’s internal audit of the church’s finances uncovered questionable expenditures as well as a need for church leaders to better declare conflicts of interest.

She also alleges artists who were classified as “pastors” were receiving half their salaries tax-free, while also earning millions of dollars in royalties from the sale of music.

A man in a suit with short gray hair and glasses stands outside court
Maurice Blackburn lawyer Josh Bornstein is representing Ms Moses in her employment case against Hillsong Church.(ABC News: Sean Warren)

On May 30, 2022, Mr Ridley allegedly told ACNC investigators that Hillsong did not send money overseas beyond small service purchases and that its US operations were disassociated from its Australian entities.

Ms Moses claimed she told the chief financial officer he had lied to the regulator and warned the ACNC could easily disprove him by obtaining board documents or making the connection that Australian staff were managing its US entities.

“Ridley’s lying could bite him in the butt,” the statement of claim reads.

That same month, it is alleged Mr Ridley asked Ms Moses ahead of a meeting with the ACNC to help come up with an acceptable story to give them that would explain transactions between Hillsong’s global entities, which had previously concerned the regulator.

“Ms Moses said she was not comfortable coming up with lies to tell the ACNC,” her claim reads.

Court documents state the relationship between Ms Moses and Hillsong collapsed about June 10, when she discovered she had lost access to her company emails and share files.

On June 14, she said Hillsong advised her that she was suspended.

The statement of claim said Hillsong expressed concern that Ms Moses had downloaded some 40,000 confidential work documents, something Ms Moses claims was necessary to her daily duties.

Court documents state the next day, on June 15, Hillsong staff were informed Ms Moses was taking personal leave.

Ms Moses alleges she was emailed about 24 hours later by a Hillsong human resources representative who threatened to contact the police if she did not return another laptop issued to her.

The case brought by Ms Moses is expected to be heard in the Federal Court later this year.

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US

Afghan man charged in killing of 2 Muslims in Albuquerque

Afghan man charged in killing of 2 Muslims in Albuquerque

This photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Syed, 51, was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in connection with the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last nine months. He faces charges in two of the deaths and may be charged in the others. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP)
This photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Syed, 51, was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in connection with the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last nine months. He faces charges in two of the deaths and may be charged in the others. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP)
This photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Syed, 51, was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in connection with the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last nine months. He faces charges in two of the deaths and may be charged in the others. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP)

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This photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Syed, 51, was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in connection with the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last nine months. He faces charges in two of the deaths and may be charged in the others. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP)

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This photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Syed, 51, was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in connection with the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last nine months. He faces charges in two of the deaths and may be charged in the others. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP)

Police announced a breakthrough Tuesday in the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, charging a man from Afghanistan — himself a Muslim — with two of the slayings and identifying him as a prime suspect in the other killings that put the entire community on edge.

Muhammad Syed, 51, was taken into custody a day earlier after a traffic stop more than 100 miles away, authorities said.

Police Chief Harold Medina said it was not clear yet whether the deaths should be classified as hate crimes or serial killings.

Investigators received a tip from the city’s Muslim community that pointed toward Syed, who has lived in the US for about five years, police said.

Police were looking into possible motives, including an unspecified “interpersonal conflict.”

When asked specifically if Syed, a Sunni Muslim, was angry that his daughter married a Shiite Muslim, Deputy Police Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock did not respond directly. He said “motives are still being explored fully to understand what they are.”

Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, cautioned against coming to any conclusions about the motivation of the suspect, who he said attended the center’s mosque “from time to time.”

“Knowing where we were, you know, a few days ago to where we are today is an incredible sigh of relief that we’re breathing,” he said. “Lives have been turned upside down.”

The exact nature of the relationships between Syed and the victims – and the victims to one another – remained unclear. But police said they continue to investigate how they crossed paths before the shootings.

The slayings drew the attention of President Joe Biden, who said such attacks “have no place in America.” They also sent a shudder through Muslim communities across the US Some people questioned their safety and limited their movements.

When told about the announcement, Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, brother of one of the victims, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, said he felt relieved but needed to know more about the suspect and the motive.

“This gives us hope that we will have (the) truth come out,” he said. “We need to know why.”

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It was not immediately clear whether Syed had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Naeem Hussain was killed Friday night, and the three other men died in ambush shootings. Three of the four slayings happened in the last two weeks.

Hussain, 25, was from Pakistan. His death from him came just days after those of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, who were also from Pakistan and members of the same mosque.

The earliest case involves the November killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan.

For now, Syed is charged in the killings of Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain because bullet casings found at the crime scenes were linked to a gun found at his home, authorities said.

Investigators consider Syed to be the primary suspect in the deaths of Naeem Hussain and Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi but have not yet filed charges in those cases.

Police said they were about to search Syed’s Albuquerque home on Monday when they saw him drive away in a Volkswagen Jetta that investigators believe was used in at least one of the slayings.

Officers followed him to Santa Rosa, about 110 miles east of Albuquerque, where they pulled him over. Multiple firearms were recovered from his home and car, police said.

Syed’s sons were questioned and released, according to authorities.

Prosecutors expect to file murder charges in state court and are considering adding a federal case, authorities said.

Aneela Abad, general secretary at the Islamic center, said the two Muslim communities in New Mexico enjoy warm ties.

“Our Shiite community has always been there for us and we, Sunnis, have always been there for them,” she said.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain had worked as a field organizer for Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury’s campaign.

“Muhammad was kind, hopeful, optimistic,” she said, describing him as a city planner “who believed in democracy and social change, and who believed that we could, in fact, build a brighter future for our communities and for our world. ”

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Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Fam from Winter Park, Florida.

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Categories
US

Albuquerque killings send fear through Islamic communities

Albuquerque killings send fear through Islamic communities

Authorities on Monday identified the fourth victim in a series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the deaths sent ripples of fear through Islamic communities nationwide.

Three of the slayings happened in the last two weeks. Now law enforcement officials are seeking help finding a vehicle believed to be connected to the killings in New Mexico’s largest city. The common elements were the victims’ race and religion, officials said.

Naeem Hussain was killed Friday night, and ambush shootings killed three other Muslim men over the past nine months. Police are trying to determine if the homicides are linked.

The killings have spread fear beyond New Mexico, where Muslims comprise less than 1% of adults in the statewide population of 2.1 million, according to the Pew Research Center.

“The fact the suspect remains at large is terrifying,” Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim community leader in New York, wrote on Twitter. “Who is next?!”

In a phone interview, Almontaser said that a female friend who lives in Michigan and wears the hijab head covering shared with her over the weekend just how rattled she was. “She’s like, ‘This is so terrifying. I’m so scared. I travel alone,’” Almontaser said.

Hussain, 25, was from Pakistan. His death from him came just days after those of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, who were also from Pakistan and members of the same mosque.

The earliest case involves the November killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan.

Aneela Abad, general secretary at the Islamic Center of New Mexico, described a community reeling from the killings, its grief compounded by confusion and fear of what may follow.

“We are just completely shocked and still trying to comprehend and understand what happened, how and why,” she said.

Three of those killed attended the center, and the fourth was well-known in the community, Abad said.

Some people have avoided going out unless “absolutely necessary,” and some Muslim university students have been wondering whether it is safe for them to stay in the city. The center has also beefed up its security, she said.

Police said the same vehicle is suspected of being used in all four homicides — a dark gray or silver four-door Volkswagen that appears to be a Jetta or Passat with dark tinted windows. Authorities released photos hoping people could help identify the car and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Investigators did not say where the images were taken or what led them to suspect the car was involved in the slayings. Police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said in an email Monday that the agency has received tips regarding the car but did not elaborate.

“We have a very, very strong link,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Sunday. “We have a vehicle of interest… We have got to find this vehicle.”

Gallegos said he could not comment on what kind of gun was used in the shootings, or whether police know how many suspects were involved in the violence.

President Joe Biden said he was “angered and saddened” by the killings and that his administration “stands strongly with the Muslim community.”

“These hateful attacks have no place in America,” Biden said Sunday in a tweet.

The conversation about safety has also dominated WhatsApp groups and email groups that Almontaser is on.

“What we’ve seen happen in New Mexico is very chilling for us as a Muslim minority community in the United States that has endured so much backlash and discrimination” since the 9/11 attacks, she said. “It’s frightening.”

Few anti-Muslim hate crimes have been recorded in Albuquerque over the last five years, according to FBI data cited by Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and a professor of criminal justice at California State University at San Bernardino .

From 2017 through 2020, there was one anti-Muslim hate crime a year. The highest recent number was in 2016, when Albuquerque police recorded six out of a total of 25 hate crimes.

That largely tracks with national trends, which hit the lowest numbers in a decade in 2020, only to increase by 45% in 2021 in a dozen cities and states, Levin said.

Albuquerque authorities say they cannot determine if the slayings were hate crimes until they have identified a suspect and a motive.

Louis Schlesinger, a forensic psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said bias killings are often perpetrated by a small group of people, typically young white men. A lone perpetrator is rare.

“These are basically total losers by every dimension, whether it’s social, economic, psychological, what have you,” he said. “They’re filled with hatred for one reason or another and target a particular group that they see, in their mind, to blame for all their problems in life.”

It was not clear whether the victims knew their attacker or attackers.

The most recent victim was found dead after police received a call of a shooting. Authorities declined to say whether the killing was carried out in a similar way to the other deaths.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain had worked as a field organizer for a local congresswoman’s campaign.

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury issued a statement praising him as “one of the kindest and hardest working people” she has ever known. She said the urban planner was “committed to making our public spaces work for every person and cleaning up legacy pollution.”

As land-use director for the city of Española — more than 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Albuquerque — Hussain worked to improve conditions and inclusivity for disadvantaged minorities, according to the mayor’s office.

The city staff “has lost a member of our family, and we all have lost a brilliant public servant,” Spanish Major John Ramon Vigil said in a news release.

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Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Fam from Winter Park, Florida. Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington and AP news researchers Rhonda Shafner and Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

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US

Autocratic Hungarian leader Orban hailed by US conservatives

Autocratic Hungarian leader Orban hailed by US conservatives

DALLAS (AP) — Hungary’s autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged cheering American conservatives on Thursday to “take back the institutions,” stick to hardline stances on gay rights and immigration and fight for the next US presidential election as a pivotal moment for their beliefs.

The exuberant cheers and standing ovations at the Conservative Political Action Conference for the far-right prime minister, who has been criticized for undermining his own country’s democratic institutions, demonstrated the growing embrace between Orban and Republicans in the US

I have mocked the media in this country and in Europe. And in a speech he titled “How We Fight,” Orban told the crowd gathered in a Dallas convention ballroom to focus now on the 2024 election, saying they had “two years to get ready,” though he endorsed no candidate or party.

“Victory will never be found by taking the path of least resistance,” he said during one of the keynote slots of the three-day CPAC event. “We must take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels. We must find friends and allies in one another.”

Referring to liberals, he said: “They hate me and slander me and my country, as they hate you and slander you for the America you stand for.”

His entrance drew a bigger welcome than the governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, received moments earlier on the same stage. From there, the cheers continued as Orban weaved through attacks on LGBTQ rights, boasted about reducing abortions in Hungary and celebrated hardline immigration measures back home.

Other speakers will include former President Donald Trump — who met with Orban earlier this week and will address the gathering on Saturday — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Republican candidates fresh off GOP primary election victories Tuesday.

Orban’s visit to the US came amid backlash back home and in Europe over anti-migrant remarks in which he railed against Europe becoming a “mixed race” society. One of his closest associates compared his comments to Nazi rhetoric and resigned in protest. Orban told the crowd in Texas the media would portray him as a racist strongman and dismissed those who would call his government racist as “idiots.”

His invitation to CPAC reflects conservatives’ growing embrace of the Hungarian leader whose country has a single-party government. Orban is also considered the closest ally in the European Union to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that President Joe Biden had no plans to speak with Orban while he’s in the US Asked if the administration had any concerns about CPAC inviting such a leader to speak at the high-profile conference, Kirby demurred .

“He’s coming at a private invitation,” Kirby said. “Mr. Orban and the CPAC, they can talk about his visit from him.”

Trump praised Orban, who has been prime minister for 12 years, after their meeting this week in Florida.

“Few people know as much about what is going on in the world today,” the former president said in a statement after the meeting.

To some attending the three-day conference, Orban is a model leader who makes an impression beyond Hungary because of his policies and personality.

They praised him for his border security measures and for providing financial subsidies to Hungarian women, which Orban has called an effort to counter Hungary’s population decline. Lilla Vessey, who moved to Dallas from Hungary with her husband, Ede, in the 1980s, said what she hears back in Hungary is that Orban is not anti-democratic.

“I don’t know how it happened that the conservatives kind of discovered him,” said Ede Vessey, 73. “He supports the traditional values. He supports the family.”

Scott Huber, who met Orban along with other CPAC attendees at a private event hours before the speech, said the prime minister expressed hope the US would “moderate a little bit from the far-left influences” in November’s midterm elections. The 67-year-old Pennsylvanian said he would not disagree with descriptions of Orban as autocratic and that he has upset democratic norms, but said he thought it would change in time.

As to why Orban is winning over so many conservatives, Huber noted Orban’s attacks on George Sorosthe American-Hungarian billionaire and philanthropist who is a staunch critic of Hungary’s government and a supporter of liberal causes.

“That’s why I was so interested in seeing him,” Huber said.

Through his communications office, Orban declined an interview request by The Associated Press prior to his speech in Dallas.

The AP and other international news organizations also were prohibited from covering a CPAC conference held in Budapest in May, the group’s first conference in Europe. During that gathering, Orban called Hungary “the bastion of conservative Christian values ​​in Europe” and urged conservatives in the US to defeat “the dominance of progressive liberals in public life.”

He has styled himself as a champion of what he calls “illiberal democracy.”

Orban served as prime minister of Hungary between 1998 and 2002, but it’s his record since taking office again in 2010 that has drawn controversy and raised concerns about Hungary sliding into authoritarian rule. He has depicted himself as a defender of European Christendom against Muslim migrants, progressives and the “LGBTQ lobby.”

Last year, his right-wing Fidesz party banned the depiction of homosexuality or sex reassignment in media targeting people under 18. Information on homosexuality also was forbidden in school sex education programs, or in films and advertisements accessible to minors.

Some of the biggest applauses during Orban’s speech came when he described Hungary’s family framework.

“To sum up, the mother is a woman, the father is a man, and leave our children alone, full stop,” he said.

Orban has consolidated power over the country’s judiciary and media, and his party has drawn legislative districts in a way that makes it very difficult for opposition parties to win seats — somewhat similar to partisan gerrymandering efforts for state legislative and congressional seats in the US That process currently favors Republicans because they control more of the state legislatures that create those boundaries.

Orban’s moves have led international political observers to label him as the face of a new wave of authoritarianism. The European Union has launched numerous legal proceedings against Hungary for breaking EU rules and is withholding billions in recovery funds and credit over violations of rule-of-law standards and insufficient anti-corruption safeguards.

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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

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Categories
US

Kansas voters resoundingly protect their access to abortion

Kansas voters resoundingly protect their access to abortion

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas voters on Tuesday sent a resounding message about their desire to protect abortion rights, rejecting a ballot measure in a conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright.

It was the first test of voter sentiment after the US Supreme Court’s decision in June that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, providing an unexpected result with potential implications for the coming midterm elections.

While it was just one state, the heavy turnout for an August primary that typically favors Republicans was a major victory for abortion rights advocates. With most of the vote counted, they were prevailing by roughly 20 percentage points, with the turnout approaching what’s typical for a fall election for governor.

The vote also provided a dash of hope for Democrats nationwide grasping for a game-changer during an election year otherwise filled with dark omens for their prospects in November.

“This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

After calling on Congress to “restore the protections of Roe” in federal law, Biden added, “And, the American people must continue to use their voices to protect the right to women’s health care, including abortion.”

The Kansas vote also provided a warning to Republicans who had celebrated the Supreme Court ruling and were moving swiftly with abortion bans or near-bans in nearly half the states.

“Kansans bluntly rejected anti-abortion politicians’ attempts at creating a reproductive police state,” said Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of the Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. ”Today’s vote was a powerful rebuke and a promise of the mounting resistance.”

The proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution would have added language stating that it does not grant the right to abortion. A 2019 state Supreme Court decision declared that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state’s Bill of Rights, preventing a ban and potentially thwarting legislative efforts to enact new restrictions.

The referendum was closely watched as a barometer of liberal and moderate voters’ anger over the Supreme Court’s ruling scrapping the nationwide right to abortion. In Kansas, abortion opponents wouldn’t say what legislation they’d pursue if the amendment were passed and bristled when opponents predicted it would lead to a ban.

Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the vote as “a huge disappointment” for the movement and called on anti-abortion candidates to “go on the offensive.”

She added that after the US Supreme Court ruling, “We must work exponentially harder to achieve and maintain protections for unborn children and their mothers.”

The measure’s failure was also significant because of Kansas’ connections to anti-abortion activists. Anti-abortion “Summer of Mercy” protests in 1991 inspired abortion opponents to take over the Kansas Republican Party and make the Legislature more conservative. They were there because Dr. George Tiller’s clinic was among the few in the US known to do abortions late in pregnancy, and he was murdered in 2009 by an anti-abortion extremist.

Anti-abortion lawmakers wanted to have the vote coincide with the state’s August primary, arguing they wanted to make sure it got the focus, though others saw it as an obvious attempt to increase their chances of winning. Twice as many Republicans as Democrats have voted in the state’s August primaries in the decade leading up to Tuesday’s election.

“This outcome is a temporary setback, and our fight dedicated to value women and babies is far from over,” said Emily Massey, a spokesperson for the pro-amendment campaign.

The electorate in Tuesday’s vote wasn’t typical for a Kansas primary, particularly because tens of thousands of unaffiliated voters cast ballots.

Kristy Winter, 52, a Kansas City-area teacher and unaffiliated voter, voted against the measure and brought her 16-year-old daughter with her to her polling place.

“I want her to have the same right to do what she feels is necessary, mostly in the case of rape or incest,” she said. “I want her to have the same rights my mother has had most of her life from her.”

Opponents of the measure predicted that the anti-abortion groups and lawmakers behind the measure would push quickly for an abortion ban if voters approved it. Before the vote, the measure’s supporters refused to say whether they would pursue a ban as they appealed to voters who supported both some restrictions and some access to abortion.

Stephanie Kostreva, a 40-year-old school nurse from the Kansas City area and a Democrat, said she voted in favor of the measure because she is a Christian and believes life begins at conception.

“I’m not full scale that there should never be an abortion,” she said. “I know there are medical emergencies, and when the mother’s life is in danger there is no reason for two people to die.”

An anonymous group sent a misleading text Monday to Kansas voters telling them to “vote yes” to protect choice, but it was suspended late Monday from the Twilio messaging platform it was using, a spokesperson said. Twilio did not identify the sender.

The 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights blocked a law that banned the most common second-trimester procedure, and another law imposing special health regulations on abortion providers also is on hold. Abortion opponents argued that all of the state’s existing restrictions were in danger, though some legal scholars found that argument dubious. Kansas doesn’t ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy.

The Kansas vote is the start of what could be a long-running series of legal battles playing out where lawmakers are more conservative on abortion than governors or state courts. Kentucky will vote in November on whether to add language similar to Kansas’ proposed amendment to its state constitution.

Meanwhile, Vermont will decide in November whether to add an abortion rights provision to its constitution. A similar question is likely headed to the November ballot in Michigan.

In Kansas, both sides together spent more than $14 million on their campaigns. Abortion providers and abortion rights groups were key donors to the “no” side, while Catholic dioceses heavily funded the “yes” campaign.

The state has had strong anti-abortion majorities in its Legislature for 30 years, but voters have regularly elected Democratic governors, including Laura Kelly in 2018. She opposed the proposed amendment, saying changing the state constitution would “throw the state back into the Dark Ages.”

State Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican hoping to unseat Kelly, supported the proposed constitutional amendment. He told the Catholic television network EWTN before the election that “there’s still room for progress” in decreasing abortions, without spelling out what he would sign as governor.

Although abortion opponents pushed almost annually for new restrictions until the 2019 state Supreme Court ruling, they felt constrained by past court rulings and Democratic governors like Kelly.

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Stafford reported from Overland Park and Olathe.

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna. For more AP coverage of the abortion issue, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion.

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Categories
US

Flashy NYC bishop robbed of $1M re-enacts jewelry heist at service

Flashy NYC bishop robbed of $1M re-enacts jewelry heist at service

The Gucci-loving Brooklyn bishop robbed during a livestreamed service bizarrely re-enacted the crime at his prayer meeting Sunday — including by hitting the floor as if taking cover again.

“I need you to get back in position when the three men came in here with them guns out. I gotta get back into position, ”flamboyant Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead said, addressing his congregation of him, including those watching him on Zoom, as he made a“ voosh ”sound and stepped behind his podium.

“As I began to preach, I saw the door open,” Miller-Whitehead, 44, recalled of last week’s million-dollar-plus jewelry heist. “And I looked, and I said, ‘OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.’

The bishop — who denied Friday that the sensational crime was part of any purported insurance scam — added, “As I got down on the floor, I told my church, ‘Y’all get out.’ “

That’s when he splayed his body out on the floor for dramatic effect, according to video captured by The Post.

Miller-Whitehead, who has an alleged history of grifting and served time in prison for identity theft and grand larceny, lost more than an estimated $1 million in jewelry in the incident.

Bishop Lamor Whitehead, (pictured, re-enacting the robbery when he hit the ground) preaching one week after he was robbed during his sermon.
Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead re-enacted how he reacted when he was robbed during a sermon last week.
Gregory P Mango
Bishop Lamor Whitehead, (pictured) preaching one week after he was robbed during his sermon.
Miller-Whitehead denied that the sensational crime was part of any purported insurance scam.
Gregory P Mango
Whitehead gets on the ground during the robbery.
The robbers took a $75,000 Rolex watch, $75,000 Cavalier watch and several crosses worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

The bishop told his congregants Sunday that God would bring him back “double” what he lost, likening himself to the Bible’s King David when David faced off the Amalekites and saw his wives captured.

“Don’t think that God allows somebody to come here and steal something for him not to give us double. This is what the Bible says,” Miller-Whitehead said. “David recovered all.”

The gold-and-gem-dripping clergyman — who tools around in luxury vehicles such as a Rolls Royce — has battled back against critics who claim his high-flying lifestyle made him a ripe target for crooks.

Rolls Royce owned or leased by Bishop Lamor Whitehead.
Miller-Whitehead owns several luxurious items, including a Rolls Royce car.
Gregory P Mango

The bishop has blamed the caught-on-video robbery in part on media coverage of his cozy relationship with Mayor Eric Adams.

The robbers’ massive haul last week included a $75,000 Rolex watch, $75,000 Cavalier watch and several crosses worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

“Fendi, Louis, and Gucci, why can’t we wear that in church? What’s wrong with that? the pastor said at a press conference last week.

The burglar looks into the camera.
The robbery was caught on the live stream camera.

It also surfaced last week that Miller-Whitehead is the target of a lawsuit accusing him of bilking a parishioner out of her $90,000 life savings in 2020.

Mayor Adams has defended his relationship with the clergyman, with Hizzoner saying he has an “obligation to mentor other black men that had negative encounters in their lives and other people in general.”

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