Friday Politics Roundup | Majority of Republicans fans of Christian nationalism; state courts attack LGBTQ & abortion; student debt forgiveness threatened; Central Bucks; Temple grad strike; more!

According to a new survey from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, more than half of Republicans either adhere to or sympathize with Christian nationalism. The survey also found that half of those who believe in Christian nationalism and 40 percent of those who sympathize with it “support the idea of an authoritarian leader in order to keep Christian values in society.” 

In Oklahoma, a judge stripped a lesbian mom’s parental rights to her son and handed them over to her sperm donor. Legal experts are concerned that this case will only exacerbate attacks on marriage equality. 

Kentucky Supreme Court ruled to keep a near-total ban on abortion in place while a lower court deliberates on the constitutionality of the law. The current Kentucky law only allows abortion to save the life of a pregnant person. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of the United State is hearing two cases that have challenged Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. Writing in Vox, Ian Milhiser makes clear that the student loan forgiveness program is explicitly authorized by the 2022 Heroes Act, but “the Court’s Republican majority is unlikely to care.”

New report shows that we could enter a climate “doom loop” that could “become so overwhelming that they undermine humanity’s capacity to tackle climate change’s root causes.” 

This week’s mass shooting at Michigan State University killed three students and critically injured another 5. That brings the number of mass shootings this year to 71. 

Central Bucks School district has targeted an additional 60 books to consider banning from its libraries. The books targeted for banning are based on a site created by the far-right group Moms for Liberty. 

52 school board directors from 25 Pennsylvania school districts are calling on Central Bucks School District to repeal their recently passed ban against so-called “advocacy activities.” The group of directors condemned Central Bucks school board majority for “fostering intolerance,” “discrimination,” and targeting LGBTQ students for “political purposes.” 

Temple University graduate students strike as university administrators turn to class anti-worker, union-busting tactics. Support TUGSA and the strike here: TUGSA STRIKE https://www.tugsa.org/strike

Sen. John Fetterman voluntarily checked into Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment of clinical depression. Depression is common for stroke survivors. Last week, Fetterman was hospitalized after feeling lightheaded during a Senate retreat.