Midday Roundup: Appeals court deflects another atheist attack

Atheists overruled. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the words “In God We Trust” can remain on U.S. currency. The decision was the fifth time a federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the phrase. The pro-atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation vowed to keep suing in every single court circuit in hopes of finding one that will issue a different ruling.

Taken down. Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter Thursday in the Donetsk region, one of two provinces that have declared independence. The fighting took place in Slovyansk, a city of 120,000 residents that lies 100 miles from the Russian border. The helicopter was rotating Ukrainian troops into a checkpoint when rebels fired a portable air defense missile at it. Ukraine’s acting president said 14 people died in the crash. Residential areas in Slovyansk have regularly come under mortar shelling from government positions on a hill above the city, causing civilian casualties and prompting some residents to flee.

Cooked books. A new report from the Inspector General’s office found 1,700 veterans seeking medical care in Phoenix are not even on a waiting list. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called on the FBI to investigate whether the scandal in the Department of Veterans Affairs rises to the level of a crime. “If records were falsified and people were denied care and people died, then these are criminal activities,” McCain said. The report also found allegations of mismanagement, sexual harassment, and bullying at the VA.

Let freedom stream. Turkey’s highest court has ruled that the country’s ban on YouTube violates freedom of expression. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan advocated for the ban after leaked audio of officials in his administration went viral on social media. Erdogan tried to ban Twitter, too, but Turkey’s media-savvy users figured out numerous workarounds to beat the ban. Turkey’s Constitutional Court is expected to demand that YouTube access be restored.

Don’t look down. A vacationing family had a few scary moments at Chicago’s Willis Tower when the glass floor on the 103rd level seemed to crack under their feet. A spokesman for Chicago’s tallest building, formerly called the Sears Tower, said a protective coating on the glass, not the glass itself, cracked. Alejandro Garibay and his brother and two cousins were standing in one of four glass enclosures that jut out from the sides of the tower. Garibay said it was a “crazy feeling and experience,” but everyone walked away just fine.

The Associated Press, Steve Jordahl, and Kent Covington contributed to this report.