Newsmakers

More than a month after Cathy Tenedorio's son, Matthew, was killed during the New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans, she's relying on her faith to get through rapid waves of emotion. On Sunday, Tenedorio and her husband, Louis, were invited to the 2025 Super Bowl along with first responders and other victims' family members to honor the lives of those lost.

She told CBN News that the scene was "very moving" to be part of. "They honored the 14 victims," Tenedorio said. "It was just beautiful."

She said the entire experience was deeply "comforting" and made her and her husband "feel special," as she recognized there are many other parents who face similar pain but who don't get a lot of attention or help publicly in navigating such dynamics. The families were joined by members of the New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans EMS, and New Orleans Police, who held photos of the 14 victims during the coin toss. "I'm very, very honored and blessed," Tenedorio said. "I'm very humbled by it, and I just ... wish this could happen for everyone — that everyone's life was celebrated like my son's life has been." 

She also shared how President Donald Trump, who was on-site at the Super Bowl, came down to meet with her and other victims' family members. She called the experience "very awesome." "It was a quick moment, but he was very nice," she said, noting how Trump shook her father's hand and thanked him for his past military service. "It was very, very, very awesome." Tenedorio said she sensed that it was very important for Trump to be there with the victims and that he could have stayed up in the suites but took the time to take photos and talk with the families and first responders. "I feel like it was very important to him," she said. 

Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, said he was "moved" by President Donald Trump's comments and plans surrounding the Gaza Strip, calling Trump's plans "brilliant." Franklin was referring to Trump's Tuesday announcement while meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, a proclamation that sent shockwaves throughout the globe and ignited discussion and debate.

Regardless of the debate and skepticism among some, Franklin believes Trump's shock announcement could lead to a more fruitful future. "I heard in our president, a healer of nations," Franklin said. "I heard a man who said, 'Don't these people deserve a better life? Don't their children — if we go back to that place, it's a zone of death. It's a zone of destruction.'" He continued, "I thought it was brilliant, personally. I thought if ... you shoot for the moon and if you hit the stars, hey, you've done something that nobody else has ever done."

Franklin also spoke about a Monday meeting he attended with fellow evangelical leaders and Netanyahu. Held before the prime minister's meeting with Trump, Franklin said the gathering was "weighty" and "was a tremendous honor to be a part [of]." "He was very warm," he said of Netanyahu. "He was so appreciative of the Christian community, the Christian friends that he felt like had Israel's back when they're facing so much opposition, especially in universities and in the streets of major cities where the protesters are ... screaming 'Death to Israel' and all of that."

Franklin, who coalesced with more than a dozen leaders for just over an hour, said Netanyahu expressed his "tremendous appreciation" to those in attendance for the Christian community's help after the Oct. 7 terror attacks. "He said, without the Christian church, he did not believe that Israel would be existing today," Franklin said. "And I thought that was a powerful statement." Watch him share more about the meeting.

Listen to him tell his story.

It's been two years since social media influencer Oli London officially detransitioned and embarked on a faith-filled journey toward true peace and joy. "Life has changed very dramatically," he recently told CBN News. "I wake up every day with a sense of purpose, a sense of duty ... I feel a lot happier every single day." London, who has openly spoken about his Christian faith, said it has been "exciting" exploring his newfound belief in God. Raised as an atheist, he said he wasn't "too familiar with Christianity."

But since detransitioning two years ago, he spent a lot of time in Christian spaces. "I've been going to a lot of Christian events, been going to churches, connecting with people in the Christian community and elsewhere," he said, noting he's now trying to live out Jesus' example. "And I've been tremendously happy since then." But it's not just faith that has been the centerpiece of London's changed life. He's now become an advocate speaking out to help others struggling with the issues that once dominated his own life.

"Since ... I detransitioned, I've also been trying to use my platform now to try and do good in the world," he said. "And try to spread faith as well to the Generation Z audience." Considering London's own back story, he expressed a passion for young people "being led astray" today. "They are not connecting with God," he said of youths. "God is being taken out of classrooms in some places, and ... I think it's something that the young generation is missing." London has been open over the past two years about the detransition process, reaffirming past expressions that it wasn't the easiest of journeys, especially after years of attempting to present as a female.

"I underwent a lot of surgeries over a period of 10 years," he said. "I was going through an identity crisis, so I did spend several hundred thousand on the surgeries, the looks ... the clothes, all the fillers, the makeup, everything like that." London continued, "And ... it is something I regret, but, at the end of the day, I think ... it is a lesson. You can't dwell on these regrets, you can't dwell on the past." Ultimately, he said he tries to focus now on the positive, despite wishing these weren't decisions he had made. As for his transition, which he said has made him 10 times happier than before, London said at the start there wasn't much information or resources.

Listen to him tell his story.

Actress Patricia Heaton is on a mission to stand up for the Israeli people, remaining steadfast in her opposition to Hamas, terror, and negative narratives permeating university students' hearts and minds. "The Everybody Lives Raymond" star told CBN News she decided to take action after going on social media in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel and "seeing horrendous videos of terrorists butchering Israeli civilians, children, babies, the elderly — families being burned alive, people being beheaded."

These horrific scenes left Heaton "shocked. She initially recalled assuming the "rest of the world would be outraged." Instead, she was rocked by the "silence" she observed as well as disturbing support for Hamas. Some of the patterns of conversation and behavior on college campuses, in particular, left her stunned. "I just thought, 'Something has to be done here,'" Heaton said, explaining how she partnered with a friend to launch the October 7 Coalition, a "network of Christians standing visibly and vocally against the rise of antisemitism" in America. Ultimately, the actress said she felt the Lord pressing her up to the plate to try and make an impact.

"I felt God calling me to do something," she said, noting her friend Elizabeth Dorros co-founded the organization alongside her. "We just were answering a call that came to our hearts." "The Middle" alum said the organization is standing up to a rising tide of misinformation and chaos. "There's been a lot of propaganda being seeded through universities, through institutions, by people whose salary is paid by Iran, by Hamas, by Hezbollah, by Qatar, to brainwash and propagandize people into thinking that Israel is an occupier of Gaza, even though they left there in 2005," Heaton said.

In addition to advocating for the truth, Heaton is gearing up for the "Deborah Rising" conference, which will be held in Israel May 17-24. Attendees will tour and will hear different Bible interpretations and perspectives and build friendships with one another. Ultimately, they will take a stand against antisemitism and support Israel.

On today's Newsmakers: a miracle survivor story, raging persecution, and Bible artifacts on display.

Bob and Lori Schrock, farmers from Kiowa, Kansas, are two of the victims of the horrific American Airlines crash in Washington, D.C. Their friend, Michael Simpson, joins "Newsmakers" to tell their story -- and to share how faith was a driving force in their lives.

Lola Sheen, daughter of actors Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, stunned the entertainment and media world when she recently published photos of her powerful baptism. Lola, 19, shared a candid Instagram post noting she hit "rock bottom" before finding Jesus and embracing Christianity.

"I was praising God." That's how pro-life activist Bevelyn Williams reacted when she learned she would be pardoned by President Donald Trump. Williams, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for an alleged violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), has gone viral in recent days after video footage showed her exiting prison and greeting her 2-year-old child and husband.

The clip, which was widely shared online and shows Williams giddily embracing her toddler, resonated with thousands — a response she called "emotionally overwhelming." "I knew Trump wasn't gonna let me sit in that prison," she said. "If he won, he was going to get me. I knew that." 

Within hours of Trump's inauguration, the president began the process of pardoning Williams and 22 others who were convicted of FACE Act violations. For Williams, the ability to exit prison after serving just over three months was incredible. "I was praising God," she said. "I was in the middle of my cell block, screaming, praying in the Spirit, and praising God, because, once again, He delivered."

A July 2024 press release from the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of New York cited a 2020 incident during which the government alleged Williams' "interference, including by threats and force, with individuals seeking to obtain and provide lawful reproductive health services at a reproductive health center in Manhattan." U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Williams' actions were physical and reiterated the claim that she prevented people from getting the services they wanted. But she tells a different story.

An Ohio pastor has been found guilty of a criminal charge surrounding a fire code violation amid his ongoing battle to help the homeless. Pastor Chris Avell of Dad’s Place Church in Bryan, Ohio, has been locked in a year-long battle with authorities and city officials — a dispute that took a turn last week.

Stelio Savante joins Billy Hallowell to discuss "Between Borders," a film about a family on a mission for freedom. The description reads, "The incredible true story of an Armenian family forced to flee their home during the collapse of the Soviet Union, and embark on a journey to find a community to call their own." Listen to Savante share the details — as well as the powerful lessons he's learned in Hollywood.