Historic Abraham Accords peace treaty signed in Washington, D.C.
The leaders of Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates met at the White House on Tuesday to sign the historic peace treaty announced just a few weeks prior. The treaty called the Abraham Accords was signed on the South Lawn of the White House. The peace agreement between the three nations will include the establishment of embassies, a relationship in trade, security and tourism. President Trump called the treaty the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the Middle East. The president also disclosed the U.S. is in talks with another five or six other countries that are willing to sign peace treaties with Israel. The president declined to name the nations, but mentioned he remains hopeful of future treaties. The Abraham Accord received praise from politicians in both major parties here in the U.S. The leaders of Bahrain, the UAE and Israel also praised the Trump administration for their “tireless efforts that brought the nations here today to make peace a reality.” (The treaty is called the Abraham Accords due to the majority religions of each nation: Christianity(U.S.), Judaism (Israel), Islam (Bahrain and U.A.E.) all faiths claim lineage from Abraham who is mentioned in all faiths texts.)
SNBC News updates from California
The Governor of California Gavin Newsom has officially signed the controversial SB145 bill. The law will allow judges in California to use their discretion regarding cases of certain sexual offenses against minors. Judges will now be able to decide if a person accused will be added to the sex offender registry. Supporters of the law say that law will not apply to minors under the age of 14 and will only apply to those accused that are within ten years of the victims age. Supporters of the law also claim if the relationship was consensual judges will be able to decide if further action should be taken against the accused. The author of the bill State senator Scott Wiener says the law was needed to protect LGBT youth against those who abuse the law. Opponents say the law is legalizing criminal acts against children.
Calvary Chapel Church recently held a mass baptism that has gained nationwide attention. The baptism held at Corona Del Mar State Beach in California welcomed almost one-thousand participants who declared their faith in Jesus Christ. The church director of the event says the turn out was nearly three times the normal turnout for their outdoor baptism events. Churches in California have been closed by the state government due to COVID-19, but churches in the state have continued to witness the Gospel in creative ways including outdoor services and witnessing events.
Long time Pastor of First Baptist Atlanta announces retirement
Dr. Charles Stanley announced his retirement as the head pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta. Dr. Stanley will now be referred to as Pastor Emeritus for the ministry. The pastor announced his retirement in a video recording to the church’s congregation and to those online. Dr. Stanley recalled his initial resistance to be pastor of the ministry, but later recalls how grateful he was to God for the opportunity and for his obedience to God’s voice. Dr. Stanley has been pastor of First Baptist for over 50 years and teaches on the weekly TV ministry In-Touch. Dr. Stanley says despite his retirement his focus is to continue to spread the Gospel as long as possible to as many people as possible. Dr. Stanley in his announcement also announced the new pastor of the church Dr. Anthony George. Dr. Charles Stanley became pastor of First Baptist Atlanta in 1971; the membership includes members from 98 different countries and is considered one of the most diverse congregations in the U.S.
SNBC HEALTH report : can plants absorb radiation? Recent online articles and blog posts are suggesting that certain kinds of plants could help with radiation absorption. The conversation mainly focuses on radiation from technology (ex.cellphones and computers) and notes certain kinds of plants maybe able to reduce the amount the human body is exposed to. The SNBC NEWS team has read several different studies to give as accurate a report as possible on this subject and have found some interesting information. According to the website beatemf.com there are some succulent plants that do help to absorb some forms of radiation. Succulents and plants in the Cacti family absorb forms of EMF radiation. EMF which stands for electromagnetic fields has been found to be absorbed well by plants in the succulent and Cacti families according to a 2005 study by NASA. The organization studied five plants in subjects homes to see the effects of absorption by the plants. Added to the study cacti and succulents require low maintenance and tend to thrive with minimum care. The snake plant, spider plant, stone lotus flower, aloe vera, and sunflowers are considered useful against radiation absorption. Sunflowers have been used at the Chernobyl incident site to help absorb radiation from the environment. A 2015 study by Stanford University finds plants can absorb radiation with little or no damage to their genetic makeup. The author of the beatemf.com article Jordan Mitchell did remark to a question in the comments that these plants do not completely absorb all radiation from the environment, but plants can help as part of an overall effort to reduce radiation levels in the home.