
West Point begins removing Confederate symbols, including Robert E. Lee portrait, from campus display
CBSN
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is starting to remove Confederate statues and symbols from its campus, in compliance with a federal order formally set in motion by the Department of Defense this past October.
Over the holiday break, which began on Dec. 18, the country's oldest service academy launched what its superintendent described as a "multi-phased process" to either take down or modify displays that memorialize the Confederacy, including an immediate plan to move a portrait of Robert E. Lee wearing a Confederate uniform into storage.
Lee, once a U.S. military general who was ultimately appointed commander of the Confederate army toward the end of the Civil War, was a graduate and superintendent of West Point and lingered as a significant presence on the academy's New York State campus for more than a century after his death. In addition to the portrait of Lee displayed in Jefferson Hall, West Point also has a stone bust of his likeness, bronze plaques dedicated to him and other Confederate figures, and a gate, road, and series of academic facilities bearing his name.

Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church, a megachurch in Southlake, Texas, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, stemming from alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s, the Oklahoma attorney general's office announced Wednesday. We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions. We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.