RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol because the government’s war on drugs has failed. The outspoken evangelical Christian and host of “The 700 Club” on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network he founded said the war on drugs is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. He said people should not be sent to prison for marijuana possession. The 81-year-old first became a self-proclaimed “hero of the hippie culture” in 2010... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — Critics of widespread church closings in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese called Thursday for the bishop to implement an extraordinary Vatican ruling and quickly reopen 13 churches in the predominantly Catholic city. Bishop Richard Lennon must decide whether to abide by the ruling from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy or challenge it before the church’s top court. Spokesman Robert Tayek said Thursday the bishop has unofficial copies of the ruling but must await certified documents from the... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — Critics of widespread church closings in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese called Thursday for the bishop to implement an extraordinary Vatican ruling and quickly reopen 13 churches. Bishop Richard Lennon must decide whether to abide by the ruling from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy or challenge it before the church’s top court. Spokesman Robert Tayek said Thursday the bishop has unofficial copies of the ruling but must await certified documents from the Vatican to comment. Lennon has... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress on Thursday he’s disturbed by what he’s read about the New York Police Department conducting surveillance of mosques and Islamic student organizations in New Jersey. Holder’s brief comments represented the most extensive public discussion of the topic to date by anyone in the Obama administration. The administration has repeatedly refused to endorse or repudiate the NYPD’s tactics, which include cataloging mosques and Muslim-owned businesses, recording the license plates of worshippers at... Read more

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (AP) — Some high-ranking religious leaders joined with New Jersey Muslims on Thursday in demanding reassurance from state authorities that no one is being spied on because of their religion. The head of the Newark archdiocese spoke out in solidarity with Muslims who feel that reports of the NYPD conducting surveillance of mosques and Muslim student groups in New Jersey and elsewhere has crossed the line beyond acceptable counter-terrorism methods. Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg continued to... Read more

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Some high-ranking religious leaders joined with New Jersey Muslims on Thursday in demanding reassurance from state authorities that no one is being spied on because of their religion. The head of the Newark archdiocese spoke out in solidarity with Muslims who feel that reports of the NYPD conducting surveillance of mosques and Muslim student groups in New Jersey and elsewhere has crossed the line beyond acceptable counter-terrorism methods. Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg continued to defend... Read more

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The FBI says a visit to a mosque by its top New Jersey official has been postponed at the request of mosque leaders. The Paterson mosque had been targeted by NYPD surveillance operations. It wasn’t immediately clear why the visit was called off. Michael Ward, head of the FBI in New Jersey, has said Thursday’s planned visit to the mosque was part of an effort to repair damaged relationships between law enforcement and Muslims in the... Read more

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s top FBI official planned to visit a mosque as outreach to Muslims on Thursday, a day after he said the New York Police Department had damaged relationships by conducting surveillance of houses of worship and student organizations in the state. Michael Ward, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark division, said he planned to meet with worshippers in Paterson in the evening at a mosque that has been identified as a target of... Read more

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s top FBI official is continuing an effort to repair relationships with the state’s Muslim leaders he says have been damaged by revelations of surveillance operations by the New York Police Department. Michael Ward, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark division, is planning to meet with worshippers at a Paterson mosque Thursday that was identified as a target of NYPD surveillance in documents obtained by The Associated Press. Ward said Wednesday that revelations... Read more

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan is advertising for companies to install an Internet filtering system that could block up to 50 million Web addresses, alarming free speech activists who fear current censorship could become much more widespread. Internet access for Pakistan’s some 20 million Web users is less restricted than in many countries in Asia and the Arab world, though some pornographic sites and those seen as insulting to Islam are blocked. Others related to separatist activities or army criticism have... Read more