Newsmakers

This week's full "Newsmakers" TV show features a Gold Star mom speaking out, pro-Life protesters’ plight, and an explanation of the horrific Christian persecution unfolding in Bangladesh.

When one thinks about Bravo's "The Real Housewives" franchise, many things likely come to mind. But "Jesus-loving" and "Christian" generally aren't two of the first descriptors to materialize. Yet Lydia McLaughlin, who formerly starred on "The Real Housewives of Orange County," fully embraces these titles, and openly shares her faith with the masses. 

In fact, McLaughlin, who left the show in 2018, recently released a book, "JoyFull: 365 Daily Devotions for Women," aimed at helping women get closer to Jesus. The title of the book has much to do with McLaughlin's own life and demeanor. "My time in the spotlight — on 'Housewives,' I was known for being a happy housewife ... being someone [who has] a lot of joy," she told CBN's Faithwire. "I just believe in the joy that comes from the Lord." 

McLaughlin pointed to the Apostle Paul's writings on the subject of joy, paraphrasing Paul's words in Philippians 4. "Paul wrote, 'I have learned to be content,'" she said. "Joy is something that we can learn to do even if it's not something that comes natural to us." McLaughlin acknowledged joy comes more naturally to some than it does others — and explained how life circumstances can complicate people's quest for peace. Yet even in the midst of the storm, she believes it's possible to cling to hope and experience joy. 

"I've had the hardest year," McLaughlin said of her own journey. "My mom's been sick, and even in the midst of hardship and trial, no one can steal my joy because the joy comes from the Lord. And that is everlasting, and that is never changing." Watch McLaughlin discuss how she ended up on "Housewives," how she came to Christ, and why her faith matters to her so deeply.

Author Michael Hingson's survival story has been inspiring people for years. Hingson, who is blind, escaped the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, with his trusty guide dog Roselle. He worked in Tower I on the 78th floor and was able to make it all the way down the stairs to the bottom floor and get away from the buildings before they collapsed.

When the terror attack unfolded and a plane hit Tower I, Hingson said the damage was above the 78th floor and that he and others had no idea what was happening. "As we were going down the stairs, there were lots of people around us and no one knew what happened because it happened on the other side of the building and above us," he said. "So, we had no clue."

But when his friend, David, saw smoke and fire above them and debris falling outside the window, they knew something was wrong. "I began smelling an odor and it took me a while to realize that what I was smelling were the fumes from burning jet fuel," he said. It took Hingson an hour to make his way downstairs, with Roselle sticking with him throughout the ordeal. Once outside, he had to move quickly as details became clearer and fears the buildings would come down began to emerge.

"I thought 'God, I can't believe you got us out of a building just to have it fall on us,'" he recalled thinking as he was fleeing away from the World Trade Center. "I heard in my head as clearly as you hear me now a voice that said, 'Don't worry about what you can't control. Focus on running with Roselle and the rest will take care of itself.'" Hingson continued, 'Was that God talking to me? Absolutely, it was. I have no doubt about that, but the issue is: I listened." Hear him explain.

A Vermont Christian school is forging a continued legal battle after being kicked out of a state-sponsored athletic league that puts its students at a profound disadvantage. Mid Vermont Christian School, a K-12 institution in Quechee, Vermont, found itself in the headlines last year after its girls' basketball team declined to play against a team that included a biological male.

"The Mid Vermont Christian Girls Basketball team qualified for their state-sponsored sports league playoff tournament," Ryan Tucker, an attorney at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), told CBN News. "And when they were looking at the seedings, they knew that the team that they were paired up against had a biological male who was professing to be female." School officials reportedly reached out in advance to the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA), the body overseeing athletics in the state, to express safety and religious concerns surrounding competing against a biological male.

"They believe that boys are boys and girls are girls," Tucker said. "And that's the message that they instill and inculcate at their institution." But the VPA reportedly didn't provide another option for Mid Vermont Christian School, leading officials to forfeit the Feb. 21, 2023, game. "And, as a result, the state punished them by kicking them, not just obviously out of that tournament, but out of the sports association entirely," Tucker said. "And so their girl sports season ended and they've been kicked out of that league."

According to ABC News, the VPA's executive council felt the school violated policies surrounding gender, race, and disability awareness and could, thus, no longer take part. Tucker said the school attempted to remedy the situation prior to the game, before the forfeiture, and even after they were kicked out. "They went back to the VPA ... several times, asking them to to reconsider and to think through what they've done before they went and filed a federal lawsuit," he said. Watch him explain.

We're starting the week off with a look back at an episode of the TV show that recently aired. On today’s "Newsmakers": Olympic chaos, a coffee shop under fire, and Biden’s Supreme Court shake-up. That and more on today's episode!

A persecution watchdog is warning about recent developments in Bangladesh that are reportedly already putting Christians and other minority religious adherents in serious danger.

"About a month ago, after a few weeks of really bloody protests and bloody suppression of protests by the government, the government of Bangladesh was overthrown in essentially a military coup," Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International (CSI), told CBN News. 

He continued, "And what followed was about a week of rioting in which Hindus, and Christians, and Buddhists all across Bangladesh were attacked by mobs organized by Islamist groups."

Pandemenomen broke out in the South Asian nation last month after a student-led protest movement pushed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of office; she fled to India as furor exploded, with 600 people dying amid the consternation. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in to help lead an interim government and bring back order. So far, instability persists, according to Voice of America. 

Considering the newfound chaos — and the fact Bangladesh is a majority-Muslim country — these developments have been seen as incredibly troubling. 

Despite its overwhelmingly Islamic populace, Bangladesh has what Veldkamp called a "long history of secularism and tolerance," with its government also existing in secular form before its fall. The shifting and chaotic dynamics now have experts like Veldkamp worrying about what could come next.

"Now that government has been overthrown ... we're extremely concerned that the floodgates are kind of now open for much wider Islamist and jihadist violence against Christians, against Buddhists, against Hindus, against all the non-Muslims in the country," he said.

On today's Newsmakers: Tim Tebow, Kirk Cameron, and an ex-cop fights the demonic.

Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee was one of the 13 American service members killed in an ISIS-K terror attack during the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, is speaking out amid ongoing media scrutiny over a recent commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery. Shamblin told CBN News she and other Gold Star families have faced an onslaught of disturbing death threats in recent days after media reports surrounding former President Donald Trump's attendance at the commemorative event honoring the lost.

In particular, she said the menacing messages and chaos kicked up into high gear after Vice President Kamala Harris took to social media to decry Trump's participation as a political move. Harris penned the message on Aug. 31, taking to X to accuse Trump of playing politics at the Arlington National Cemetery event. "Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff," Harris wrote. "Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt." She continued, "This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members 'suckers' and 'losers' and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients. A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, 'I don’t get it. What was in it for them?'"

Harris went on in the message to proclaim that "veterans, military families, and service members" should be " treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude," and said Trump should never again be president. "I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes, who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our beloved nation and our cherished freedoms," Harris added. 

Ultimately, Shamblin felt the latest commemorative event at Arlington event was "beautiful and respectful" and said those organizing it worked with both the cemetery as well as Trump's team to try and have as few distractions and disruptions as possible. "After we were done with the wreath-laying ceremonies, we went to the grave sites, as we do every year on the anniversary," Shamblin said. "We spend the day there, and President Trump came with us, and laid flowers on each of the graves, and spoke to the families." She continued, "He didn't say, I don't think, more than a handful of words. It wasn't a political event. He didn't talk about himself, or his campaign ... he listened to our families tell stories about our loved ones." 

Legendary voice actor Jodi Benson is a Christian with a deep passion for her faith that has helped shape her life. "It's really neat ... to see the tapestry that God has created and the puzzle pieces that have come together within my career," Benson told CBN News. "But, for me, it's a ministry. I really do feel that God places me exactly where He wants me. He opens the door exactly where He needs me, and it's never usually about the job." She continued, "It's usually about ... a 'God appointment,' a relationship with a cast member, or with a crew or creative team member. It's usually these behind-the-scenes moments that I get — that moment where I go, 'Oh, that's why I'm doing this project.'"

Benson is known for voicing Ariel in Disney’s "The Little Mermaid" and Barbie in the "Toy Story" franchise. Most recently, she reprised her role as Nia in season two of the animated hit series "The Wingfeather Saga." These powerful roles beg an important question: how does Benson choose projects? The actress said she relies on God and prayer to pick and choose which roles to take on. "Once I pray about it, and my husband and I are both praying — we both are discussing — we will get an automatic door open or close, and it's pretty clear cut there," she said. "There is not a lot of in-between, which I love."

Angel Studios' "The Wingfeather Saga," based on Andrew Peterson's book series by the same name, happened to be one of those open doors through which Benson was pleased to walk. "I really loved this character, and these stories, and being a part of it," she said. "Because there's so much adventure to it." Benson said her entire career — and particularly her landing of the Ariel role in "The Little Mermaid" — has been a "beautiful, wonderful surprise." "My focus was doing ... Broadway musicals — my passion," she said. "And ... this door opened up for me to be able to randomly audition for it, and ... here I am almost 38 years later, and I'm still recording my voice, and still Ariel is a huge part of my life and my family's lives, and we are just so grateful."

Ultimately, Benson focuses on her joy and happiness — and faith. She's been blessed to portray "The Little Mermaid," among many other roles, and she's grateful for her life. "[God] is ultimately in control," she said. "He's got everything in His hands. I can put everything onto Him, and trust Him, because I just trust Him — I just do." Hear her explain.

On today's "Newsmakers," we dive deeper into claims pro-life activists are being targeted by the Biden administration. Eireann Van Natta with The Daily Caller joins the show to break down the numbers.