You thought obedience would feel easier.

You thought once you said yes to the calling, things would open up. Instead, everything got harder.

The opposition increased. The obstacles multiplied. The resistance came from places you didn’t expect—even from people who should’ve supported you.

And now you’re second-guessing whether you heard God right.

But here’s what you need to know: resistance is not a sign you’re off course. It’s proof you’re over the target.

Acts 16:16–18 shows Paul and Silas facing spiritual opposition the moment they step into their assignment. A demon-possessed girl follows them for days, disrupting their work. Why? Because what they were doing mattered. The enemy doesn’t waste energy on irrelevant missions.

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He fights what threatens him.

Nehemiah faced mockery, sabotage, and threats while rebuilding the wall (Nehemiah 4:1–3). Not because he was doing the wrong thing—because he was doing the right thing, and it terrified the opposition.

If your obedience is creating friction, that’s not evidence you missed God. It’s evidence you’re exactly where He sent you.

1 Peter 5:8–9 tells you to resist the devil, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

The resistance is universal for those on assignment.

So stop interpreting pushback as proof you’re wrong.

Start interpreting it as confirmation you’re right.

And keep building.

Kap Chatfield is a Christian content creator, filmmaker, pastor, speaker, and coach. He has directed two feature-length documentaries (Acts: The Time Is Now, 2021). He has amassed over 1 million subscribers on YouTube. He is the Online Pastor of Love Church in Omaha, Nebraska. He is married to Joy Chatfield and together they have four children.

You may have noticed that this has been a really strange winter. In some areas, there has been far less snow than usual, while in other areas, people are literally being buried in their homes by mountains of snow. In some areas, it has been much colder than average, while in others, record-high temperatures are being shattered. I have been writing about how global weather patterns have been going nuts for a long time, and initially, some skeptics weren’t buying it. They thought that I was exaggerating, and they were convinced that conditions would “return to normal” eventually. But now even the New York Times is talking about how “weird” the weather has been this winter.

The weather has been a bit weird across the United States this winter. As historic amounts of snow fell in the Carolinas and bitter cold gripped practically everywhere else east of the Rockies, some of the western states have basked in high temperatures more typical of late spring than the dead of winter.

Perhaps no other contrast tells this story better than the fact that, since the start of the year, Florida has recorded more snow than Salt Lake City.

Read the last sentence of that quote from the New York Times again.

Florida is not supposed to get more snow than Salt Lake City.

That is crazy.

We have never seen anything like this before, and it is being caused by “a weather pattern that settled into place around the middle of January and hasn’t budged for weeks.”

These two extremes are the result of a weather pattern that settled into place around the middle of January and hasn’t budged for weeks. It’s kept the western United States unusually dry, depriving ski resorts and water reservoirs of their much-needed snowpacks. And it’s plunged the eastern two-thirds of the country into bitterly cold temperatures that have lingered for weeks.

This same pattern that brought 80-degree temperatures to Los Angeles this week sent ice, freezing temperatures and power outages to Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana late last month. It has given Phoenix its warmest winter ever in records going back to 1885 and delivered a rare snowfall to Wilmington, N.C., last weekend.

The worst snow drought in history threatens to cause a major crisis in the western third of the nation.

At this point, the amount of snow cover is about a third of what it normally should be.

A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation.

Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they’ve seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles — about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana — but this year it’s only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The snowpack — measured by how much water is trapped inside — in Oregon is not only record low, but 30% lower than the previous record, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This is going to have enormous implications for farmers in the region throughout the rest of this year.

Unfortunately, high temperatures continue to persist.

On Sunday, the temperature in Denver was 22 degrees above normal.

Hopefully colder temperatures will arrive soon, because there is not much time left before spring arrives.

Of course it isn’t just the United States that has been experiencing bizarre weather.

Last month, Toronto was slammed by “the largest snowfall in the city’s history.”

Toronto is beginning to dig itself out from the largest snowfall in the city’s history, a process which officials say is likely to take “several days”.

Some parts of Canada’s largest city were buried under nearly 60cm (about 23in) of snow and more than 500 flights were cancelled Sunday after Toronto’s main airport was snowed in.

More than of snow have fallen at Pearson international airport this month, marking the snowiest January and snowiest month since records began in 1937.

Toronto is not supposed to get two feet of snow.

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But it did.

On the other side of the world, Moscow recently received “the largest snowfall in more than 200 years.”

Russia’s capital Moscow has seen the largest snowfall in more than 200 years this month, Moscow State University meteorologists said on Thursday.

Images from the city of around 13 million people showed residents struggling to make their way through heavy piles of snow on the streets in its central district.

Commuter trains in the Moscow area were delayed and cars were stuck in long traffic jams on Thursday evening.

That was bad, but the record snowfall that hit the Kamchatka peninsula last month was even worse.

Meteorologists say the level of snowfall in Kamchatka since early January has not been seen since recordkeeping began half a century ago.

In December, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky saw triple the monthly average of snowfall, while Jan. 1-16 saw around 150% more than the monthly average for that period. The average height of snow in the city reached 170 centimeters (5.5 feet), with drifts exceeding 2.5 meters (8 feet) in certain neighborhoods.

“The last time we saw something like this was over 50 years ago, in the early 1970s,” said Vera Polyakova, head of Kamchatka’s Hydrometeorology Center. “These conditions are exceptionally rare as far as modern observations go.”

By now, I am sure that most of you have seen images of the absolutely massive snow drifts in Kamchatka.

But the record-breaking snowfall that we witnessed in Japan earlier this month was even crazier.

One 91-year-old woman was actually found dead under 118 inches of snow.

Record-breaking snowfall in Japan has been blamed for 30 deaths in the past two weeks, including a 91-year-old woman found buried under 300cm (118 inches) of snow outside her home, officials said.

The heavy snowfall prompted the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to order the deployment of troops on Tuesday to help in affected areas, according to the Japanese national television NHK.

Are you starting to see what I am talking about?

The weather has been crazy all over the world.

In India, temperatures have been far lower than normal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and media reports show a cold condition affecting northern and central India, with unusually low temperatures and dense fog disrupting daily life. Delhi recorded one of its coldest January mornings in recent years, with temperatures dipping to 3.2°C on 13 January.

Cities across Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan recorded near-freezing temperatures, while Gurugram, in the National Capital Region, registered a chilling 0.6°C, among its lowest readings in close to 50 years. Parts of northern India remained colder than several Himalayan hill towns.

Gujarat, where winters are usually mild, has been experiencing a rare cold spell, with night temperatures in Saurashtra and the central and southern regions dropping into the single digits. Minimum temperature below normal by 2-3°C was recorded at many places in Karnataka too.

Meanwhile, temperatures have been crazy hot all over the southern hemisphere.

From Argentina to Australia to South Africa, record heat and raging wildfires are rampaging through the Southern Hemisphere at the start of 2026, with scientists predicting that even more extreme temperatures could lie ahead – and possibly another global annual high – after three of the hottest years on record.

In January, a record-setting heat dome enveloped Australia, sending temperatures near 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) while heat and catastrophic wildfires gripped parts of South America, setting remote parts of Argentina’s Patagonia ablaze and killing 21 people in coastal towns in Chile. In addition, South Africa has been experiencing its worst wildfires in years.

We don’t hear much about the wildfires in the southern hemisphere here in the United States, but they have been really bad.

And the scorching temperatures that we have been witnessing have been nothing short of eye-popping.

In Australia, a number of communities have recently recorded high temperatures in excess of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to BoM, the hottest temperatures of January 2026 were measured in two places in South Australia: in the town of Andamooka on the 29th and at the Port Augusta airport on the 30th, where temperatures reached 50.0°C (122.0°F). In both New South Wales and Victoria, the month’s hottest day was on the 27th, when temperatures reached 49.7°C (121.5°F) at a station in Pooncarie and 48.9°C (120.0°F) at stations in Walpeup and Hopetoun.

When the giant ball of fire that our planet revolves around becomes more active, global weather patterns tend to be more volatile.

Needless to say, the giant ball of fire that our planet revolves around has been very active lately.

But if you think that things are bad now, just wait, because what we have been through so far is just the beginning.

Most people don’t seem to realize this yet, but we really have entered one of the most apocalyptic chapters in human history.

Natural disasters are going to continue to increase in frequency and intensity, and global weather patterns are not going to “return to normal” any time soon.

Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on , and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at .

Two House Republicans introduced new legislation that will require the State Department to create a report detailing American efforts to help persecuted Christians in Nigeria.

Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey proposed the “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” which seeks to assess Nigeria’s cooperation with U.S. efforts to safeguard its Christian community.

“This legislation makes clear that the United States stands with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and seeks to help Nigeria address its many challenges,” Moore said in a Feb. 10 release.

The report, which would be compiled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would include an assessment of Nigeria’s compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act.

Such compliance involves “specific actions taken, or not taken, by the Government of Nigeria to prevent persecution, prosecute perpetrators, repeal blasphemy laws, protect vulnerable communities, and facilitate the safe return of internally displaced persons.”

The report would also include names of all individuals and entities sanctioned in relation to the ongoing persecution.

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The bill meanwhile calls for “an investigation into whether the Nigerian government is taking appropriate steps to cease enforcement of blasphemy laws, and to look into instances of non-Muslims, Muslims, and dissenters being subjected to Sharia law or blasphemy laws.”

Smith said in the release that the Nigerian government has denied the “religious persecution occurring within its borders,” which has “only enabled the religious-based violence in the country to fester, with Christian deaths and church attacks reaching unprecedented numbers.”

The lawmaker noted that President Donald Trump has once more designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” meaning that the United States must “do its due diligence in ensuring that the Nigerian government is taking the proper steps to address and punish the systemic violence against Christians and non-radical Muslims by Islamist extremists.”

Islamic military groups like Boko Haram have spent years terrorizing and displacing Christian communities in the northern and central regions of Nigeria.

The terrorism has been marked by the destruction of Christian churches and homes, the abduction of schoolchildren, and the mass murder of Christian villagers.

Days after the legislation was filed, the first installment of U.S. military personnel arrived in Nigeria as part of a broader mission to protect Christians, according to a report from The New York Times.

That first installment involves about 100 personnel.

The mission will also include intelligence analysts, advisers, and trainers for Nigeria’s armed forces.

They will be positioned at three locations across Nigeria, an unnamed War Department official told The New York Times.

Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, a defense spokesman for Nigeria, told the outlet that the American troops “do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role.”

“Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory,” he added.

This article originally appeared on The Western Journal and is reposted with permission.

The team behind a new biopic about legendary actor Jimmy Stewart has announced a powerful initiative to provide tickets to the film to one million military veterans and first responders.

As CBN News previously reported, the “Jimmy” film, which hits theaters nationwide Nov. 6, tells the backstory behind the “It’s a Wonderful Life” star’s real-life military service.

“The inspiring film will share the untold story of Stewart’s military service in World War II,” a press release reads. “As a thank you to those who serve and the loved ones who support them, Burns & Co. hopes, through corporate, charitable, and community donations, to provide one million donated tickets through Vet Tix for active duty military members, veterans, first responders, and their families to see ‘Jimmy’ in theaters.”

The kind effort to give back to veterans and first responders is being funded by Hien Papaian, founder of the Papaian Studios, a new media company “committed to developing and supporting projects that illuminate faith, inspire hope, and positively influence culture.”

Papaian, who also executive-produced “Jimmy,” founded the veteran effort in honor of her husband, Haig Papaian, Jr., who died in 2024. She provided the first 10,000 tickets for the campaign.

“The moment I finished reading the script for ‘Jimmy,’ I knew it was a story Papaian Studios had to
support,” she said in a statement. “Beyond the Hollywood glamour and the trials of war, what resonated most was its message of kindness — something our world desperately needs right now. ‘Jimmy’ reminds us to look beyond our own struggles, to embrace the suffering of others, and to choose grace.”

She continued, “That belief is the foundation of Papaian Studios and a reflection of my husband’s legacy, whose kindness was truly infectious.”

As previously reported, Stewart is known for an illustrious Hollywood career and for bringing beloved character George Bailey to life in the seminal classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Actor KJ Apa will portray Stewart in “Jimmy,” which is being produced and directed by Aaron Burns (Burns & Co. Productions).

“[The film] beautifully captures James Stewart’s transformative years in the 1940s,” a press release reads. “From Hollywood’s award-winning leading man (and most eligible bachelor) to enlisting in the
U.S. Army Air Corps. From World War II commanding officer to love-struck GI. From war hero to a broken man, Jimmy Stewart came home lost. Until It’s A Wonderful Life found him.”

With that in mind, the movie will offer a powerful lens into Stewart’s personal story of heroism, faith, and navigating Hollywood.

Others cast in the project include “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander (Louis B. Mayer), “The Sopranos” actor Max Casella (Frank Capra), “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Sarah Drew (Hedda Hopper), and “Days of Our Lives” performer Jen Lilley (Gloria Stewart).

Burns told CBN News in a 2024 interview about his motivation for bringing the project to fruition.

He said he, like so many other Americans, has long known Stewart as an actor, but his perspective was widened a few years ago when he stumbled upon an article detailing the performer’s back story — a decision to fight in World War II that took Stewart out of Hollywood and onto the battlefield.

“The storyteller in me just was so intrigued by this,” he said.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at Faithwire.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2026 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

Porch pirates and their dastardly deeds are not usually a laughing matter.

(Except in videos where the thieves get their comeuppance by means of glitter bombs or other surprises they unwittingly discover in decoy packages. It’s hard not to laugh at those.)

The Oklahoma City Police Department recently had entirely too much fun sharing a social media post featuring a different sort of porch pirate.

Or, more precisely, “pooch pirates,” as the department dubbed a doggie duo that recently turned to a life of crime.

The video, apparently from someone’s doorbell camera, caught the two culprits red-handed (red-pawed?) making off with a parcel.

POOCH PIRATES

A Paws & Grab porch heist was caught on cam in OKC. These thieves are no bark all bite! Evidence shows flawless teamwork & zero remorse.

Charges: Impersonating Master Thieves & Felony Cuteness. Stay vigilant—no package is safe from these good boys gone bad! 🐾📦

— Oklahoma City Police (@OKCPD) February 2, 2026

First, one mutt wandered into the frame and moseyed over to the area of the doorbell. He was soon joined by an accomplice.

After a bit of snuffling around, the first dog fled the scene of the crime carrying something. His buddy followed.

It must have been a slow crime day in Oklahoma City, because the department’s social media post trotted out nearly every bad pun in the book to describe the incident:

“Who let the dogs out… and onto your porch?!” the caption inquired.

“Suspects: two four-legged masterminds pulling off a paws and grab heist in broad daylight.

“Evidence shows clear intent, flawless teamwork, and zero remorse — just pure tail-wagging confidence.”

“They dragged the evidence off-site like pros, but we were able to recover the goods.”

The reel cut to a still shot of the aftermath, which showed a padded mailer chewed to pieces and some small metal tools lying in the grass.

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“It wasn’t ‘Kibble & Bits,’ just drill bits!” the post explained.

It was clearly an open-and-shut case, but the OCPD was not yet out of jokes:

“These thieves were no bark, all bite!

“If you recognize these fur-ocious felons give them a doggy biscuit.

“Charges pending: Conspiracy to Commit Snack Theft, Paw-sitively Impersonating Master Thieves, and Being Fur-ociously Adorable.

The department concluded, “Stay vigilant, OKC — your packages aren’t safe from these good boys gone bad!”

This article originally appeared on The Western Journal and is reposted with permission.

Pastor Travis Johnson is urging Christians to stop keeping Jesus at arm’s length. Appearing on Ministry Now on Daystar, Johnson said the modern church is in danger of repeating Peter’s mistake by following Christ “at a distance” rather than with bold conviction.

Citing Luke 22, Johnson pointed to the moment after Jesus’ arrest when “Peter followed him at a distance.” He argued that this single phrase reveals the beginning of spiritual collapse.

“If you follow Jesus from a distance, you’ll lose your faith. If you follow him closely, you’ll change the world,” Johnson said.

He admitted that he once struggled with what he called a “respectable faith.” As a young pastor meeting with potential clients, he bowed his head to pray but covered his face as if he had a headache so no one would notice. “It’s embarrassing,” he said. “I can’t even actually I wish I had not told that to everybody right now.”

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Johnson said many believers attempt to balance cultural approval with spiritual identity. But he rejected the idea that Christianity can remain socially neutral. “Church isn’t a TED talk and our faith isn’t a social club,” he said. “He’s either Lord of all or He’s not at all.”

Using Peter as a case study, Johnson described what he called three stages of an embarrassed Christian. First comes being “respectably distant,” where faith is softened to avoid offense. Next is being “variably committed,” where believers choose which parts of Scripture to follow. The final stage is outright denial.

“We talk a lot about deconstruction right now. When I was younger, we just called that backsliding,” he said.

Johnson said Peter’s restoration began with the resurrection. As a teenager, Johnson wrestled with whether Jesus was truly divine and even historically real. Studying history and the martyrdom of the disciples convinced him otherwise.

“Why would Peter die for Jesus if he was dead? He wasn’t. He was alive,” Johnson said. “Jesus is not in the grave.”

That conviction, he said, transforms embarrassment into boldness. He pointed to Acts 2, where Peter, once ashamed, “stepped forward with the 11 others” and preached with power.

“When you stand with Jesus, you will never stand alone,” Johnson said.

Johnson also sees signs of renewed spiritual hunger, particularly among Gen Z. He said rising Bible sales and church attendance signal opportunity. “Faith is back in style. Family is back in style and freedom’s back in style and there’s a window over heaven that’s open with an opportunity for revival,” he said.

Still, he emphasized that revival begins with personal surrender. “A person with a testimony is never at the mercy of someone with an argument,” he said. “Your best ability is your availability to Jesus.”

Johnson’s message was direct. Lukewarm faith leads to drift. Bold faith changes lives. Christians, he said, must decide whether they will sit at a distance or step forward in power.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

The Miss America organization has lost its way, according to a beauty pageant winner who says she lost her crown because she would not agree that men can become women.

Kayleigh Bush was crowned as Miss North Florida in September 2024, but that did not last for long.

She said the Miss America organization required her to sign a contract that conflicted with her beliefs, according to TMZ.

Beauty pageant winner Kayleigh Bush used to admire Miss America, but now she's ripping the organization for being unable to define what a woman is. 😳

— TMZ (@TMZ) February 11, 2026

According to Miss America’s rules, a “female” includes “a born female or an individual who has fully completed Sex Reassignment Surgery,” according to Newsweek.

Bush said she refused to agree to that.

“I was unwilling to agree that little boys can become girls and I took a stand against the Miss America organization and lost my crown as a result of that,” she said.

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A pageant representative said that’s not quite accurate, saying Bush “retained her crown” but “simply did not go forward because she refuse to sign the contract every other contestant signed.”

But Bush said the pageant tried to change the rules on her.

ENOUGH: It’s time to end the charade.

You cannot become the opposite sex.⁰Saying that isn’t hateful; it’s the truth.

If you know this but wouldn’t dare say it out loud, you allow the narrative that it is hate to stick.

Make truth great again.⁰The truth will set us free.

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) February 12, 2026

“I was asked to sign a contract that was different than the first one that I had agreed to, because they had changed it four weeks after I rightly won,” she said. “And so I didn’t lose my crown because I broke a rule, I lost the crown because I was unwilling to rewrite the truth.”

She said that she and her mother tried to deal with the organization.

“We got on a conference call immediately with one of the directors for the Miss America organization,” she said.

“And weeks and weeks and weeks of pleading with them, sending videos, sending letters, emails, demand letters through Liberty Counsel because they picked up my case and they just said ‘no, no, no,’ and they doubled down,” she described.

“It was disappointing because Miss America has been honoring women for over 100 years and now they can’t even define what a woman is,” she added.

“I used to look up to Miss America because they empowered women, but now it’s really disappointing to see that they’ve abandoned such a common-sense truth — that a man is a man and that a woman is a woman,” Bush said, according to LifeSite News.

She said that she was “disappointed in the Miss America organization but I’m really hoping that they get back on track and return to truth and you know start honoring God in their pageants like they used to.”

This article originally appeared on The Western Journal and is reposted with permission.

Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to return illegal immigrants from Venezuela deported under the Alien Enemies Act to return to the United States.

Boasberg wrote in the order that the case “would never have arisen had the Government
simply afforded Plaintiffs their constitutional rights before initially deporting them.” He noted that mights may file additional documents “seeking to show that the Proclamation under which they were deported unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and/or that they are not members of Tren del Aragua and thus not subject to the Proclamation.” The “Proclamation” refers to President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act from March 2025.

“The Government shall file a Status Report by March 13, 2026, explaining how and when it will transport any Plaintiff seeking return to the United States from a third country. In that Status Report, the Government shall also inform the Court as to the feasibility of returning Plaintiffs still in Venezuela who wish to return for their proceedings,” Boasberg wrote. “It shall also describe the steps taken to obtain any passports or identification documents from El Salvador.”

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Boasberg’s decision follows his December ruling, where he demanded that the Trump administration facilitate the return of Venezuelan migrants who were removed from the United States and sent to El Salvador.

“The Court finds that the only remedy that would give effect to its granting of Plaintiffs’ Motion would be to order the Government to undo the effects of their unlawful removal by facilitating a meaningful opportunity to contest their designation and the Proclamation’s validity,” he wrote. “Otherwise, a finding of unlawful removal would be meaningless for Plaintiffs, who have already been sent back to Venezuela against their wishes and without due process.”

“The Court concludes that this class was denied their due-process rights and will thus require the Government to facilitate their ability to obtain such hearing,” the judge argued. “Our law requires no less.”

This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.

Several Democrats have reintroduced the Transgender Bill of Rights this week amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on gender ideology. Senator Edward Markey (MA), and Representatives Sara Jacobs (CA), Mark Takano (CA), and Pramila Jayapal (WA) are behind the effort.

The “Transgender Bill of Rights” aims to “protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security,” it reads.

“Trans rights are human rights. We must ensure that every trans and gender diverse person in America can live freely, safely, and authentically. That’s what the Transgender Bill of Rights is all about,” said Markey. “I am proud to partner with Representatives Jayapal, Takano, and Jacobs, and with advocates from across the country to reject hate and reaffirm that trans people have a right to gender-affirming health care, to accurate identity documents, and to fully participate in school, in work, and in public life—just like anyone else. This is about who we are as a country: whether freedom belongs to all of us or only to some of us. We must choose freedom and justice for all.”

The bill is a renewed push for gender ideology and builds upon a 2023 legislative effort.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a strong stance against gender ideology, as President Trump signed an order in 2025 protecting women and restoring biological reality. “Efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being,” the order declared. “The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system.”

This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.

The United States is deploying 200 troops to Nigeria as violence linked to Islamist militant groups continues to devastate communities, including Christian populations across parts of the country.

According to Fox News, the troop deployment is set to help combat extremist groups responsible for deadly attacks. Fox states that American forces will assist Nigerian military operations targeting terror organizations including Boko Haram and ISIS-linked groups.

During the segment, President Donald Trump emphasized the severity of violence facing Christians in the region. “When Christians come under attack, they know they will be attacked violently and viciously,” Trump said. “I know it is not a nice thing to say but that’s the way it is.”

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The move comes as extremist violence continues to hammer Christians in Nigeria. Congressman Riley Moore also described the severity of recent violence on the ground. “The folks I’m talking to on the ground have described what is happening in the Middle Belt in the north of Nigeria right now in the last ten days as a bloodbath,” Moore said. “Just wanton death and murder and destruction that continues.”

Fox further described how militants have carried out attacks targeting markets, villages and schools across the country. According to the report, more than 240 people have been killed so far this year in militant violence.

It is also believed that U.S. military will work alongside an existing smaller American footprint already operating in the region with the goal of supporting Nigerian forces in counterterrorism.

During this time of increased persecution, lift up the Nigerian Church in prayer, that they would be able to stand strong and keep their faith in Jesus no matter what comes their way.

Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.