Abortion Bills Vetoed

Oklahoma's governor has vetoed two abortion bills. One proposed law would have required women seeking abortions to undergo an ultrasound and hear information about the fetus. State lawmakers are considering a vote to override the veto. The other bill would have stopped pregnant women from seeking damages from doctors who withhold information about a potentially disabled fetus.

Beckto Speak to Liberty

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck will deliver the commencement address at Liberty University's May 15 graduation. Falwell did not address why he was allowing a member of what many at his school consider a cult to give the address. Beck is a Mormon. The baccalaureate address will be delivered by the president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Paige Patterson.

Conflict over Bible Verse

A Bible verse painted on a fence is stirring controversy. KSAZ-TV in Phoenix reports.

Graham Dropped as Speaker

The son of evangelist Billy Graham has been removed as a speaker at a Pentagon event related to the National Day of Prayer because of his remarks on Islam. CNN offers this video report.

Dove Winners

Casting Crowns has won the artist of year at the 41st annual Dove Awards. Producer and songwriter Jason Ingram took four awards including producer of the year for their work on Tenth Avenue North's Over And Underneath and song of the year for the band's By Your Side. NEEDTOBREATHE earned three Doves for group of the year, rock/contemporary album of the year for The Outsiders and rock/contemporary song of the year for Lay 'Em Down. Brandon Heath won male vocalist of the year for the second consecutive time. Francesca Battistelli was picked as female vocalist of the year. Jennie Lee Riddle also won two Doves, including songwriter of the year.

Band Makes History

MercyMe's now has the first Christian song to go platinum in the digital domain. The single I Can Only Imagine recently surpassed 1 million digital downloads. The song was written by lead singer Bart Millard as his father was suffering from terminal cancer. Besides topping the Christian radio charts, it hit #4 on the mainstream Adult Contemporary charts and entered teh top 25 on Pop/CHR and Hot AC charts.

Pope Meets Victims

Pope Benedict says he'll take action on the sexual abuse scandal. His comments came after meeting with victims, saying he was "greatly moved." There have been 100s of allegations of abuse by Catholic clergy in the U.S., Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.

Billy Graham Library Reopens

Evangelist Billy Graham makes his first public appearance in years while attending the re-opening of his library.

Dobson in Politics

James Dobson is endorsing Dan Coats candidacy for a seat in the US Senate in radio ads. The Focus on the Family founder has been friends with the Indianan Republican for a long time. Dobson stresses that his endorsement is personal and not on behalf of any organization. Coats hoping to take the slot being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Evan Bayh. Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is backing Coats’s main challenger, John Hostettler. The primary will be held May 4th and the winner faces Democrat Brad Ellsworth in November.

High Court on Campus Rules

The Supreme Court heard arguments today in the case of a Christian group denied recognition on a college campus because gays and nonbelievers are excluded from membership. The University of California, Hastings College of the Law, denied recognition to the Christian Legal Society because it does not conform to the school's policy that membership should be open to all. Liberal justices suggested if the group was allowed to ban gays from membership, then women, minorities or those with disabilities could be kept out. But conservative Justice Antonin Scalia wanted to know whether a campus Republican club must admit Democrats or whether a Christian group must allow atheists to join and even conduct Bible classes. Scalia said "That's crazy" and the courtroom erupted in laughter. A decision from the high court could be made by the end of June.

Sea of Galilee Ban

Israel has stopped all fishing in the Sea of Galilee for two years. This is the first known ban on the practice dating back to when Jesus and his disciples fished those same waters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says fish stocks in the freshwater northern Israel lake have fallen dramatically in recent years. Israel's agriculture ministry blames the drop on overfishing and the use of illegal nets that trap young fish.