By DAVID CRARY, Associated Press National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — For the Boy Scouts of America — recently renamed Scouting America — the past 12 years have been arduous. Opening its programs to gay people and later to girls sparked dismay in some quarters. Its 2020 bankruptcy declaration led to prolonged wrangling over compensation for thousands of men claiming they were sexually abused as scouts.

Yet the 115-year-old organization — though serving far fewer youths than at its peak decades ago — seems to be stabilizing, with a slight uptick in membership last year. A key factor is the abiding loyalty of major religious denominations that still view scouting’s mission as uniquely in tune with their own.

“I tell parents this is the best time to be involved with Scouting America, and the best time to be involved through a Catholic unit,” said Bill Guglielmi, who chairs the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. “There is a hunger out there now for finding a values-based organization.”

Scout Troop 228 participates in the U.S. flag retirement ceremony for Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church during the annual Patriots Day observance at the church in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Krysta Fauria)

Guglielmi and others who are engaged in faith-based scouting praise the manner in which time-honored scouting programs — such as camping and expeditions — have been blended with newfangled activities such as indoor skydiving and an artificial-intelligence merit badge. But foremost, they value the organization’s continued commitment to communal prayer.

“Worship is a big deal here,” said Bill McCalister, who served more than 40 years as scoutmaster of Troop 285 in San Antonio under sponsorship of a United Methodist church.

“Every campout, we have a formal worship service. Sometimes we serve Communion,” he said. “Many scouts come to me and say, ‘Mr. Mac, this is my church.’”

A diversity of faiths in scouting

According to Scouting America’s latest data, faith-based organizations account for 42% of the nearly 40,000 units operated by chartered organizations. The Catholic Church and its affiliates are No. 1 — overseeing 3,514 units serving more than 87,100 of the roughly 1 million boys and girls now active in scouting.

Other major sponsors include the United Methodists, the Episcopal Church and various Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. Nearly 250 units, serving more than 6,500 scouts, are sponsored by Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist organizations.

Roger Krone, Scouting America’s president and CEO, took the post in 2023 as the organization emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. He appreciates scouting’s religious diversity.

In this photo provided by Rashid Abdullah, from left, he, Shafiqah McLaughlin and his son, Nuruddin Abdul-Rashid, attend a Vietnamese Jamboree at Camp Snyder in Virginia on July 1, 2018. (Rashid Abdullah/National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting via AP)

“It really speaks to the alignment of the mission, vision and values that our organization has and what those organizations have,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s character development, it’s spiritual growth, it’s community service.”

The Boy Scouts lifted a ban on openly gay youth members in 2013 and began accepting girls in 2018 — steps Krone depicted as a message of welcome to any family considering scouting.

One step the organization will not take, Krone said, is abandoning the religious credo at the core of its mission. The famed Scout Oath begins, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God,” while the Scout Law’s concluding message is: “Be reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the belief of others.”

“There are some places today where you’re not encouraged to talk about spiritual growth and what may be going on outside your little bubble,” Krone said. “In our organization, it’s been core to our principles for years and years and will continue to be core.”

Krone acknowledges that some nonreligious families, while admiring aspects of scouting, might be uncomfortable with the “Duty to God” pledge. He encourages them to try scouting nonetheless.

“You are all welcome in our organization,” he said. “But I want people to know when you come to scouting, there’s this concept of reverence and spiritual growth and saying prayers and being thoughtful.”

“The parent can come and be a volunteer and go through a couple meetings and a couple of campouts and watch what we do, see what effect the way we deal with duty to God and reverence has on the youth of your child’s age, and then make a decision,” Krone said. “Don’t dismiss us out of hand.”

How it’s done by Troop 228

That welcoming approach is fully practiced by Troop 228, chartered by St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, according to one of its adult leaders, Christine Tezai.

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She estimates that less than half the troop’s 40-plus scouts are Catholic, yet all participate in occasional religion-themed events, including an annual Mass at which religious awards are presented.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic,” Tezai said. “A scout is reverent — it doesn’t matter how you’re reverent. You don’t have to say prayers. … You know what we do by showing kindness and being helpful.”

Her 17-year-old son, Mykhail Tezai, entered Cub Scouts in the first grade. Now, as a high school senior, he’s on track to become an Eagle Scout.

He said several fellow scouts don’t identify with a specific faith but feel comfortable in a church-chartered troop.

“They’re very curious about my religion and being Catholic,” he said. “They want to know how it works.”

Some faith groups broke away

After the 2013 decision to admit gay youth, some disgruntled conservatives formed a new group, Trail Life USA, which created its own ranks, badges and uniforms. It now claims 65,000 youth members, participating in church-run units aligned with “biblical Christian principles.”

The biggest blow came at the start of 2020, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — then the Boy Scouts’ largest faith-based partner — withdrew more than 400,000 scouts in favor of new programs of its own.

Krone said many Latter-day Saints families remain fond of Boy Scout programming and now place their children in units unaffiliated with their church.

“We would love to have more Mormon youth in our program,” Krone said. “They can have their own program … but also maybe embrace Scouting America more than they have the last couple of years to gain the benefits of the program we’ve developed.”

As for Trail Life, Krone acknowledged that its conservative Christian outlook has strong appeal for some families.

“But our program will prepare you better for life,” he said. “Once you get out of high school … you need to learn to get along with others in the world as it is today, outside of the environment that you grew up in.”

The loss of many units affiliated with the Latter-day Saints and conservative Christian churches was part of a broader shrinkage experienced by the Boy Scouts, which served more than 4 million boys in the 1970s. The COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy process were major factors as membership dwindled.

In all, more than 82,000 people filed claims alleging they were sexually abused as scouts. Leading faith-based sponsors of scout units, including Catholic dioceses and Methodist churches, contributed to a $2.4 billion reorganization plan that took effect in 2023, allowing the Boy Scouts to keep operating while compensating abuse survivors.

The Rev. Mark Carr, a Jesuit priest who serves as national chaplain for Catholic scouting, said concerns about liability and insurance were key factors in dissuading some dioceses from continuing with scouting.

For those who stayed, a deep commitment

Steven Scheid, director of the United Methodists’ Center for Scouting Ministries, sees some upsides for scouting after its previous difficulties. He cited rigorous child-protection policies that he views as effective in curtailing sex abuse.

“The lessons we can gain out of the mistakes of the past can make a better, stronger community, a safer one,” he said.

Back in 2013, the United Methodists accounted for almost 350,000 youth members in the Boy Scouts. The figure now is 52,600.

But Scheid, an assistant scoutmaster of a troop founded in 1916 in Springfield, Tennessee, says adults still loyal to scouting “are deeply committed. … They see this as a calling.”

While Christian churches account for the vast majority of Scouting America’s faith-based units, there are more than 3,500 scouts in Muslim-sponsored units and about 1,560 in Jewish-affiliated units.

“Muslims in America are searching for their identity, and there’s nothing more American than scouting,” said Rashid Abdullah, executive director of the executive director of the National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting. “It’s aligning perfectly with the values of our faith.”

Abdullah is also a lead organizer of scout units chartered to the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia Trust and the father of three sons who — like himself — made Eagle Scout.

Another Eagle Scout of long standing is Ricky Mason, a bankruptcy attorney who helped negotiate the reorganization plan and who next year will become the second Jewish chair of the Scouts’ National Executive Committee. His mother foresightedly told Mason when he was 7 that he would become an Eagle Scout through their synagogue-sponsored troop in Richmond, Virginia.

Amid concerns that antisemitism is increasing, Mason depicts scouting as a way for the U.S. Jewish community to remain connected with American society.

“In addition to the having fun part, scouting is really about character and leadership development,” Mason said. “This organization is needed now more than ever.”

AP journalist Krysta Fauria in Los Angeles contributed.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

By Jeff Ostrowski, Bankrate.com

Nearly everyone thinks the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this week. That sentiment has translated to falling mortgage rates. Last week, the average 30-year fixed rate dropped to 6.38%, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Rates haven’t been this low in nearly a year.

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“These lower rates reflect growing market optimism that the Federal Reserve is likely to cut rates at its next meeting on Sept. 17, with further cuts expected through the end of the year,” says Samir Dedhia, CEO of One Real Mortgage.

An important note: Mortgage rates are dictated not by central bank policy but by a complex array of factors, including 10-year Treasury yields and demand for mortgages among the investors who buy home loans. Reflecting signs of a slowing economy, 10-year Treasury rates recently flirted with 4%, well below the 4.5% levels seen earlier this year.

Even so, the economic data remains decidedly mixed. The Labor Department’s August jobs report came in weaker than expected, setting the stage for the Fed to cut rates. However, the August inflation report told a different story — price increases accelerated to 2.9%, moving further away from the Fed’s 2% target and arguing against a rate cut.

But if the Fed does cut rates by a quarter-point as expected, what will happen to mortgage rates? Alas, it’s not an easy question to answer, but here are some scenarios of how things could play out.

Scenario 1: Mortgage rates rise

We’ve seen this movie before: When the central bank cut its benchmark rate last year, mortgage rates rose.

In mid-September 2024, the average rate on 30-year loans was 6.2%, according to Bankrate’s national survey. Then, the Fed cut rates at three meetings in a row, cumulatively lowering its benchmark rate by a full percentage point. How did mortgage rates respond? They defied the Fed and shot up, rising above 7%.

That disconnect between the federal funds rate and mortgage rates suggests that even if the central bank trims rates twice this year, as most observers expect, mortgage rates could head back toward 7%.

Last year, mortgage rates zigged while Fed policy zagged, a clear reminder that the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates. If recent history repeats itself, then the coming cut has already been built into mortgage rates, and they’ll go up from here — especially given the surprising stubbornness of inflation. The consumer price index (CPI) has been held aloft in part by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

“I expect rates to have some slight upward pressure as the market processes CPI data and the upcoming Fed meeting,” says Robert J. Smith, chief economist at GetWYZ Mortgage.

In this scenario, the recent optimism about lower rates quickly evaporates.

Scenario 2: Mortgage rates stay the same

Perhaps history doesn’t repeat itself. Maybe mortgage rates settle into the range of 6.25% to 6.5%. That would be a welcome relief from a recent run of elevated mortgage rates. They briefly hit 8% in 2023, then spent stretches of 2024 and 2025 above 7%.

In this scenario, mortgage rates enter a holding pattern as the market makes sense of conflicting economic data.

“A 25 basis point cut is almost a sure thing, and the market has baked that into the current rate level,” says Sean P. Salter, an associate professor of finance at Middle Tennessee State University. “I look for rates to remain in the current range until we get some better idea of the true state of the U.S. economy.”

Much of the recent decline in mortgage rates was spurred by the jobs report that came out in early September. It’s unlikely that the Fed’s move will lead to further declines in mortgage rates, says Phil Crescenzo Jr., vice president at Nation One Mortgage Corp.

If this is how the story plays out, it’s not all bad: The recent downturn in rates is getting some buyers and borrowers off the sidelines. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Refinance Index increased 34% in early September from the same week a year ago, and its Purchase Index rose 23%, according to the trade group’s most recent report.

Scenario 3: Mortgage rates fall

Another possibility — and one that loan officers and real estate agents are hoping for — is that mortgage rates keep falling, and that the Fed keeps cutting. It’s a be-careful-what-you-wish-for scenario: Mortgage rates generally rise when the economy is revving, and they typically fall when the economy begins to sputter. So declining rates would probably follow continued weakness in the job market.

Rates at 6% or below wouldn’t be bad news in certain corners. Some discouraged homebuyers could decide to get off the sidelines and resume their home searches. And some of those homeowners who took mortgages at 7.5% could refinance into cheaper debt.

“We’ve seen a consistent stream of data pointing to cooling inflation and a softer labor market, which together create downward pressure on yields,” says Dr. Anthony O. Kellum, president and CEO of Kellum Mortgage in Roseville, Michigan. “The bond market has already started to reflect this sentiment, with investors positioning for the likelihood that the Fed will begin easing later this year. That shift in expectations tends to trickle directly into mortgage rates. While volatility is always possible, especially if unexpected economic reports surface, the overall momentum feels tilted toward slightly lower rates in the near term.”

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks were pushing deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday, the second day of a ground offensive that was widely condemned internationally, as Palestinians fled the devastated area en masse.

Displaced Palestinians flee Gaza City by foot and vehicles, carrying their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israel’s military said that air force and artillery units had struck the city over 150 times in the last few days, ahead of ground troops moving in. The strikes have toppled high-rise towers in areas densely populated by tent camps where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering. Israel claims the towers are being used by Hamas to surveil troops.

Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, hospital officials reported. The death count in Gaza is nearing 65,000 Palestinians since the war began Oct. 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel, according to health officials in the enclave.

Meanwhile, Palestinians streamed out of the city — some by car, others on foot. Israel opened another corridor south of Gaza City for two days beginning Wednesday to allow more people to evacuate.

Children and parents among the latest fatalities

More than half of the Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes were in famine-stricken Gaza City, including a child and his mother who died in their apartment in the Shati refugee camp, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties.

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In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital said an Israeli strike hit a house in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, killing three, including a pregnant woman. Two parents and their child were also killed when a strike hit their tent in the Muwasi area west of the city of Khan Younis, said officials from Nasser Hospital, where the bodies were brought.

The Gaza Health Ministry, meanwhile, said that multiple Israeli strikes hit the Rantisi Hospital for children in Gaza City on Tuesday night. It posted pictures on Facebook showing the damaged roof, water tanks and rubble in a hospital hallway.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, said the strikes forced half of some 80 patients to flee the facility. About 40 patients, including four children in intensive care and eight premature babies, remained in the hospital with 30 medical workers, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the strikes, but in the past it has accused Hamas of building military infrastructure inside civilian areas.

The military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, wrote on social media that a new route opened for those heading south for two days starting at noon Wednesday.

But many Palestinians in the north were cut off from the outside world. The Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, based in the occupied West Bank, said Israeli strikes on the main network lines in northern Gaza had collapsed internet and telephone services Wednesday morning. The Associated Press tried unsuccessfully to reach many people in Gaza City.

An estimated 1 million Palestinians were living in the Gaza City region before warnings to evacuate began ahead of the offensive, and the Israeli military estimates 350,000 people have left the city. The U.N. estimates that more than 238,000 Palestinians of some 1 million believed living in the city have fled northern Gaza over the past month. Hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind.

Aid groups and Qatar condemn offensive

A coalition of leading aid groups Wednesday urged the international community to take stronger measures to stop Israel’s offensive on Gaza City. It came a day after a commission of U.N. experts found Israel was committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave. Israel denies the allegation.

“What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the U.N. Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide,” read the statement from the aid groups. “States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action.”

The message was signed by leaders of over 20 aid organizations operating in Gaza, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Anera and Save the Children.

Also Wednesday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying they condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza. The ministry wrote on X that the operation marked a “extension of the war of genocide” against the Palestinians.

Qatar is incensed over an Israeli strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official.

Israel’s return to Gaza City

An Israeli military graphic suggested its troops hope to control all of the Gaza Strip except for a large swath along the coast by the end of the current operation.

Israeli forces have carried out multiple large-scale raids into Gaza City over the course of the war, causing mass displacement and heavy destruction, only to see militants regroup later. This time, Israel has pledged to take control of the entire city, which experts say is experiencing famine.

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines, said Tuesday they believe there are 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants left in Gaza City, as well as tunnels used by the group. Hamas’ military capabilities have been vastly diminished. It now mainly carries out guerrilla-style attacks, with small groups of fighters planting explosives or attacking military outposts before melting away.

The war has killed more than 64,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry, which is staffed by medical professionals, says women and children make up around half the dead. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. Forty-eight hostages, fewer than half believed to be alive, remain in Gaza.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A driver rammed a car into a security gate at the FBI building in Pittsburgh early Wednesday, then removed an American flag from the back seat and threw it over the gate before leaving, authorities said.

The car crashed into the gate at about 2:40 a.m., the FBI said, and authorities were searching for the man. Investigators, including a bomb squad, were at the scene.

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“This incident is considered a targeted attack against the FBI,” the agency said in a statement that was posted online. “No FBI personnel were injured.”

Christopher Giordano, assistant special agent in charge at the FBI in Pittsburgh, told reporters that the car appeared to have some sort of message on one of the side windows.

Giordano said the FBI was familiar with the man.

“He did come here to the FBI field office a few weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said.