Newsmakers

On today’s Newsmakers: miracle healings, AI fears, and Ronald Reagan’s legacy.

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Actor Carlos PenaVega has been busily making music and movies, with his latest project — alongside wife Alexa PenaVega — hitting Great American Family on Dec. 14. The film, "Get Him Back for Christmas" offers a touching romantic story. But the movie also delivers deeper themes about doing good, caring for others, and being inspired by true kindness.

PenaVega discusses the film on today's "Newsmakers" while also digging deep into the importance of faith in his and Alexa's lives.

"God has just been covering us," he said of the couple, who made headlines earlier this year after the stillbirth of their fourth child. Despite their challenges, they have relied on the Lord to overcome.

PenaVega described finding a "supernatural peace" in church after the loss, as parishioners surrounded the couple and prayed over them.

"It was like God's saying ... 'You're not alone. I got you, and I have you here for a reason, and I'm gonna take you [through] this and make it into something amazing,'" he said.

Listen to his powerful story and watch "Get Him Back for Christmas" on Dec. 14.

After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case surrounding a public school district's policy of concealing student gender transitions from parents, a veteran attorney who worked at the U.S. Department of Education is explaining the massive implications. Earlier this week, the high court declined to hear Parents Protecting Our Children, UA v. Eau Claire Area School District, a case that would have put parental rights front and center. Sarah Parshall Perry, a senior legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation and a former senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, said the battle centered on policies implemented at the Eau Claire Area School District in Wisconsin.

"The Supreme Court decided that they were not going to take up what was a challenge to the constitutionality of a school policy keeping gender identity information of minor children ... confidential from their parents," Perry said. "Now, this is a shocking policy, but it is one of about 1,200 policies across the country." In fact, the legal expert said there are around 12 million American kids in public schools across America who fall under such guidelines. "If they identified as transgender or gender dysphoric, or ... using different names or pronouns, their parents could not find out that information on the child's say-so," Perry said. "All a child would have to do is say, 'Keep that information confidential for my parents,' and that's exactly what would happen."

Before the case reached the Supreme Court, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had said the parents in the case lacked standing, meaning they had not been harmed and, thus, couldn't take action. Ultimately, Perry said one doesn't need to be "injured" before they demonstrate an "imminent possibility of harm." "The harm's already occurred because the parental right has been breached by the school district," she said. Adding to the complexities of these cases are the important juxtapositions that must be made between what minors are permitted — and not permitted — to do in other contexts. For instance, many school districts require signed parental consent for a school nurse to administer Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications.

"We do not let these minor children sign contracts, registere for the draft, buy alcohol, buy cigarettes — a multitude of restrictions, and, yet, suddenly, within the context of gender identity, all the courts have taken a hands-off approach and have presumed that a child is aware of the lifelong consequences of a desire to ostensibly transition," Perry said. "What is particularly pernicious about these school confidentiality policies is that they result in what's known as social transitioning." 

Is artificial intelligence (AI) ethical? That's the question secular and Christian leaders alike are contending with as technology quickly evolves. Andre Echevarria, leader of U.S. digital strategies at Cru, a large Christian ministry formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, is among those contending with how to use AI. Rather than shun the burgeoning tech, he believes it's a tool that can be used to spread the Gospel. Echevarria offered up an intriguing response when asked if AI is moral.

"Rather than debating that part, I would say, 'Can we redeem it for the glory of God?'" he said. "And that's actually what we're doing here. We're using a lot of that technology to be able to actually help people discover a relationship with Jesus, go deeper in their relationship with Jesus, or maybe even share their current relationship with Jesus with their neighbors." He said the ethics of the matter really depends on a key factor: how people choose to use AI. Echevarria said Cru is using AI and other tools in virtual and online spaces to help bring people closer to God.

"So let's say that our friend here has certain characteristics, like maybe they like certain brands and certain types of posts," he explained. "So, we're able to use AI to find more people like her and then be able to put our offers and messages of hope in front of them. So we're using the AI built into some of our advertising platforms to be able to find more people that we can actually share the gospel with." Echevarria said they're also using the technology to help equip people and let them know, based on certain "aptitudes," about available resources to help them share their faith with neighbors. "And whether that resource is in a certain language or certain context ... we're able to actually provide that for you," he said. "So, we're using AI in a lot of different spaces like this to ... help us be able to contextualize a lot of this."

Echevarria is fully aware of the critiques and worries surrounding AI, but warned of what could happen if Christians decide to fully disengage or ignore it. "We just lose an opportunity," he said. "We should take every opportunity to share ... the eternal hope we have. And we just miss an opportunity." He tries to encourage people to see AI as an "advanced intern" — a useful tool that can help make tasks easier, not totally overtake people's processes. "In turn, you obviously wouldn't let [an intern] run your radio show daily, right?" he said. "You'd have them maybe do some research and maybe bring up some topics, ideas, and some things that you can then fine-tune for the effort and the outcome that you want for the show." Hear him explain.

President Ronald Reagan made an indelible impact on America — and his family. His son, Michael Reagan, recently told CBN News about his father's faith and legacy. Reagan said the thing people most get wrong about his father centers on assumptions about how he portrayed himself. "He is exactly who you think he is," he said, calling him "humble." "My father was the same with you as he was with me. The sense of humor — all of it."

He also said it was "great" seeing the new feature film "Reagan" capture his dad's true person, with stories about his father coming "alive" throughout the movie. Michael Reagan said his own children were able to watch the film and see their grandfather be encapsulated in a powerful way.  

Regan also spoke about his father's Christian faith, calling him "very religious," and deeply concerned for others. Michael said prayer was something on which his dad greatly relied. "He was always in prayer for our family," Michael Reagan said. He also recalled a conversation with Reagan about the 1981 incident during which the former president and members of his team were shot. Reagan, who was injured during the incident, had reportedly stopped attending church afterward to keep people safe.

"He says ... 'March 30th, 1981. I remember looking out the window of my limousine and seeing people laying in their blood with bullets that were meant for me,'" Reagan recalled. "And he said, 'I haven't gone to church at all on a regular basis because [of] my fear of putting people in harm's way because people are after me. So ... I'm looking to no longer becoming president so I can visit my Lord and Savior every Sunday from now on after I got out of office.'" Reagan said his father, after getting out of office, "never missed church until Alzheimer's really kicked in." Even after that, a preacher would go to his home to speak with him.

"This is going to fundamentally change the balance of power in the region." Joel Veldkamp, international communications officer for Christian Solidarity International, a persecution watchdog, is sounding the alarm about what will happen as the result of the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and the rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terror group. "It won't be good for Israel," Veldkamp told CBN News. "It won't be good for the Christians. It won't be good for anyone except Turkey, really."

The watchdog's comments come after Syrian rebels entered Damascus Sunday and Assad reportedly fled the nation with his family, finding asylum in Russia. HTS is led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a man who had longtime ties to al-Qaida — connections he has, in recent years, reportedly renounced. 

The future of Syria remains up in the air, as Veldkamp and others worry about how shifting power dynamics will harm Christians and members of other minority groups. And with President-Elect Donald Trump set to take office next month, there are also international elements to these developments that must be considered. Veldkamp offered advice and warnings to Trump ahead of his second term. "When [Trump] was president the last time, he actually cut off U.S. support for groups like HTS for a time, because I think he recognized what a bad idea," he said. "And I would say to him, 'Look, these guys are now in the driver's seat in Syria. They're about to be in the driver's seat in the whole region — and the U.S. still has some influence there. They have influence with Turkey; They have influence with Saudi Arabia. They probably have influence with HTS itself.'"

Veldkamp cautioned Trump not to take a backseat on the Syria issue and pushed back against arguments that it's not America's job or responsibility to be involved, especially considering what's at stake. "Trump has the chance now to keep Christianity from disappearing in Syria and probably the whole Middle East," he said, going on to deliver a specific message to the incoming commander-in-chief. "I would say, 'Think about it, reflect on it, reflect on your legacy, and have mercy on the people of Syria.'"

Veldkamp also explored some of the history and backstory leading up to the current chaos in Syria, noting Assad's family has ruled the nation for the past 50 years. He described them as "brutal dictators" and said "lots of people have suffered under their rule." The roots of the current crisis were set in 2011 when a peaceful uprising took hold and Assad pushed back. Over time, the fighting intensified and other forces got involved. "The U.S., and Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, and some other countries had a strong interest in trying to push Russia and Iran out of Syria," he said. "And so they started sponsoring armed groups in Syria that were fighting against the Syrian dictatorship."

On today’s "Newsmakers," we present audio from this week's TV episode: a mother’s bravery, horror in Iraq, and a Holocaust survivor’s story.

"BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN" is in theaters now. Producers Emmanuel and Camille Kampouris join the "Newsmakers" podcast to explain Dietrich Bonhoeffer's backstory and how the movie came to fruition. Here's a synopsis of the film:

"As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is swept into the epicenter of a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler. With his faith and fate at stake, Bonhoeffer must choose between upholding his moral convictions or risking it all to save millions of Jews from genocide. Will his shift from preaching peace to plotting murder alter the course of history or cost him everything?"

A Virginia real estate agent claims he's facing "professional ethics charges and could even lose his realtor status" over past statements about marriage. Wilson Fauber has been a broker and agent for over four decades, but he told CBN News he risks potential fines or even losing his real estate status after complaints over a social media post about same-sex marriage.

Fauber is also an ordained minister, making the case even more complex, according to his attorneys with The Founding Freedoms Law Center. His plight began last year when the realtor decided to run for the Staunton City Council in Virginia. "During my journey running for Staunton City Council, some of the opposition from a different party decided that they were going to scour my Facebook pages and see if they could find any dirt on me," Fauber told CBN News. "And they went back to 2015 and they found a Scripture that I posted from Leviticus ... where the Lord clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination to Him."

The eight-year-old post was then fodder for online furor and even messages "perceived as threats," forcing the then-candidate to go to the police for help. Fauber lost the election and, months later, purportedly received an email from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) explaining a complaint had been filed against him. The Virginia Association of Realtors, the local body of the NAR, is reportedly handling the complaint and Fauber's ethics case.

Michael Sylvester, an attorney with The Founding Freedoms Law Center who represents Fauber, said his client posted messages about the Bible and these issues "on behalf of his ministry." With the ethics hearing coming December 4, both Sylvester and Fauber said there are potentially sweeping ramifications ranging from fines of $5,000 to $15,000 to losing his license. A representative for the NAR had no comment when reached by CBN News and referred questions to the Virginia Association of Realtors, which is handling the case. The Virginia Association of Realtors has not yet responded to a separate request for comment.

A woman who attempted to have a chemical abortion and then changed her mind is speaking out, sharing her emotional story and the happy ending she experienced after abortion reversal treatment. Mackenna recently shared her journey with Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm, appearing on camera while holding her baby girl — a child successfully born after Mackenna abandoned her plans to abort and sought help.

"My story — our story — actually starts in late December 2023, when I had found out that I was pregnant," she said, providing her jarring story while holding her young daughter. "And I just remember being flooded with an array of emotions, none of which, I'll be honest, were happy, or joyful, or excited." She has since joined CBN News to expand upon her story and share futher details. 

After finding out she was pregnant, Mackenna ordered an abortion pill regimen online and had it shipped to her home. Despite internal hesitation, she took the first pill."Immediately, upon taking it, and in the days leading up, I knew that that was not the right decision for me," Mackenna said. "I continued to convince myself that it was, that it was the right decision for me, my family." But she quickly realized taking the pill "was a major mistake." She immediately did research and then reached out to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network for help getting access to abortion pill reversal and was provided with what she called "life-saving care."

"They put me in contact with a nurse practitioner Chelsea Mynyk, who prescribed me that progesterone," she said. "It's absolutely because of her and that abortion reversal medication that I got to look at her beautiful face today." Mackenna said she was sharing her powerful story to help other women in similar positions know that abortion reversal is an option that "clearly works," despite noting she lives in a place where abortion pill reversal isn't able to be legally provided. Hear her incredible story.