Newsmakers

As tensions over abortion reach a fever pitch in the post-Roe era, concerns are mounting over allegations the Biden administration is weaponizing the Department of Justice against pro-life activists. 

Since the Supreme Court returned the abortion debate to the states in 2022, Americans are increasingly hearing more about a federal law that protects clinics. 

"The FACE Act stands for Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act," Eireann Van Natta, a reporter with The Daily Caller, recently told CBN News. "It was instituted in 1994 under the Clinton administration. And, if you go to the DOJ's website, its stated purpose is to protect access to reproductive health, which is a euphemism for abortion."

Listen for the full story.

Ruslan KD is a podcaster, performer, influencer, refugee and, most importantly: a believer. His powerful cultural commentaries are seen around social media, offering powerful, biblical takes on the issues of the day. But it's his origin story some might not be familiar with — a journey filled with pain, doubt, and eventual surrender. "I'm ... ethnically Armenian," Ruslan recently told CBN News. "My father is full Armenian. My mother is adopted by an Armenian family in Azerbaijan — Baku. So, that's the city we come from is Baku, right in the Middle East off the Caspian Sea."

Ruslan noted this region is well-known for its tensions, with Armenians being mistreated, targeted, and even killed. The Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915, is one of the most horrific examples of the dire situations that have plagued the region. Ruslan said "by the grace of God" they were able to get out of Baku and stayed in Moscow before immigrating to the United States in 1991 when he was just 6 years old. The family had applied for refugee status in Israel, Australia, and America, thus Ruslan said his life could have gone many different ways.

In the end, though, the U.S. became his home. He recalled being mesmerized at seeing his first grocery store in America, a place that appeared like a dream compared to what he faced in his home country. "That's how different America was in contrast to what we had experienced in under Soviet Baku, lining up for food rations," Ruslan said. "I remember we would have a tub of water that we'd have to share amongst my family — my dad, and my mom, and my grandparents." This experience and the opportunities America has afforded Ruslan have made him "substantially more appreciative" of the U.S.

He shares how he went from abuse and chaos — and a place where he believed "there is no God" — to a place of faith and becoming a prominent Christian social media influencer. Ultimately, Ruslan hopes to inspire those who watch his videos and pay attention to his commentaries to examine their lives and cling closer to the Lord. "What I'm trying to do with everything we're talking about is to encourage, empower, and inspire people to live a life that blesses God," he said. Listen to his full story.

Former Disney star David Henrie continues to produce and star in films. He joins CBN News to talk faith, Hollywood, and his new role starring in "Reagan." Listen to him on this episode of "Newsmakers."

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Former NFL star Tim Tebow is on a mission to save kids trapped in the bowels of human trafficking. Hear him share his passion for helping the "least of these," what his faith calls him to — and more.

Here's more on Tebow's work with the Tim Tebow Foundation.

One of the leaders of an organization working to spread the Gospel to Iranians reports that claims of Middle Easterners encountering Jesus in dreams are "quite common," with the Lord using these interactions to draw individuals closer to Him. "God is using [dreams] to speak to Iranians all the time," Lana Silk, U.S. director of Transform Iran, recently told CBN News. "He uses every method He can. ... The Iranians are open to dreams; they are dreamers. They enjoy talking about their dreams, and they're aware of their dreams, and God uses that to speak to them."

While reports of Jesus appearing in dreams to Middle Easterners are prevalent, the same can't be said for Americans more generally, as such anecdotal reports in the West seem far less rampant. Silk explained why she believes there's such a radical difference between the U.S. and Middle East. 

"I think we have become quite secular in the West, and we have wanted to rationalize and understand everything," she said. "And when you're in a place where it has to be within your frame of reference and something that you can explain away, then you end up taking away some of the exciting, creative ways in which God likes to speak." Silk continued, "So, there is a challenge to us here in the West to take off our need to be able to completely own the information and the process and fully grasp it, and just allow God to 'wow' us and do mysterious things."

As for Iran, specifically, Silk shared several powerful stories surrounding Jesus appearing in dreams. One Muslim woman who was forced into marriage at age 13 and faced extreme trauma told Transform Iran Jesus began appearing to her in her doorway and then in dreams. "[He would] hold out his hand to her and say, 'Come and trust me; come and follow me,'" Silk said. "And then she would go to sleep, and he would appear to her in her dreams, and he would speak to her ... it was a gentle call."

The woman, shocked and assuming she needed to cling closer to her Muslim faith to stop the apparitions, started saying her Islamic prayers more reverently. But when she went to say the name of Muhammad one day, something shocking happened: "The name 'Jesus' would come out of her mouth." She eventually gave her life to Christ and now serves as a pastor on the Transform Iran ministry team. Her story, of course, is just one of many. Hear Silk explain the dream dynamic and other stories like this one.

Ex-NYPD officer Chris DeFlorio once patrolled the streets observing the "worst evil that you can imagine." But after coming to faith, he and his wife came to understand the real roots of that diabolical horror. Now, he's on a mission to fight the demonic.

DeFlorio tells his story and discusses his new book, "Called Into Darkness: Two NYC First Responders Battle the Supernatural."

Actor Kirk Cameron, who shot to fame in the 1980s while starring in the show "Growing Pains," has gone on to become a Christian hero to millions, creatively sharing his faith and views with the masses.

Most recently, he partnered with Brave Books, a company producing Christian and faith-based children's projects, and is now preparing to produce and star in a kids' show called "Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk." It's a series that will help Cameron further spread Christian values to parents, kids, and families.

"We want to teach children biblical, moral lessons through their phones and the screen time," he told CBN News, likening the show to "a wildly updated version of 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.'"

"[We will have] high energy, hilarious dialogue, beautiful animated biblical, moral lesson stories about the sanctity of life, about the fruit of the spirit, about the First and Second Amendment, and guest stars at every turn," he continued.

Cameron said his team is currently crowdfunding the first season to ensure they maintain creative control. "Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk" is a natural outgrowth of Cameron's See You at the Library initiative with Brave Books, an effort that saw him touring libraries across America to read to families.

That experience — one that came with some controversy after libraries reportedly rebuffed Cameron's appearances and drag queens protested — exposed some important realities for the actor.

"I'm getting messages from people — friends of mine who are all about the work of bringing transformation to culture, and they're saying it appears that people are finally waking up," he said. "And I resonate with that as I go to churches and schools and libraries."

Cameron continued, "People are waking up and realizing that the dystopian circus show is here, and the ringmasters like it. And if we just keep drinking the Kool-Aid, and eating the cotton candy, and stay entertained ... by all this crazy stuff, it's just going to get worse."

The performer said it's time for people to "leave the circus" and get back to what matters most: reaching hearts and minds with the truth. Watch him explain.

What would Jesus do amid a political environment that feels more fragmented and splintered than it's been in generations?

That's the central question pastor and author Joshua Ryan Butler dealt with in his latest book, "The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems Our Partisan Divide."

Butler, who has been pastoring for two decades, said the past two election cycles have seen a "fracturing" and division that has obviously been felt by everyone.

"The political divide is wider than ever," he said, noting it has fractured "families, and friendships, and even churches." Listen to him reflect on today's political chaos.

"I believe God has been faithful to me over the course of my life." This proclamation from Scott Morrison, the former prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022, offers a lens into his deep Christian faith — an unwavering love for and devotion to the Almighty.

Morrison, who shares his faith in his latest book, "Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister's Testimony of God's Faithfulness," told CBN News the book isn't a political memoir but more about what he believes "God's done" in his life. Considering his faith led him to the "highest political office in Australia," Morrison offers some important lessons for those looking to follow the Lord more closely.

His leadership came at a deeply challenging time — one he said was filled with the COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires, droughts, floods, rising tensions with China, and more. "It was a bit of a perfect storm there over the almost four years I was prime minister," he said. "But ... God was faithful ... and that's what I try to tell the story ... and encourage people in their own faith."

Morrison also reacted to the debate that often unfolds in the U.S. over the role of faith in public life. While some people argue a politician's religious beliefs should be completely separate from their life when they're leading — that these sentiments should not be a part of any of a president's decision-making — he pushed back on such a claim.

"It's a bogus joke. It's ridiculous," he said. "It's a very convenient argument for those who don't want to see the influence of Jesus Christ in their society. You know, lock them in a room, cancel them, mock them, dismiss them, say they have no right to express their faith." Morrison continued, "Freedom of religion, and, importantly, the separation of church and state was established to protect faith, not to silence it." Hear him explain.

A Virginia pastor believes a miraculous provision from God led his family to adopt, and he's now sharing his insight and inspiration with others. Dr. Bob Griffith, lead pastor of Christ Chapel in Woodbridge, Virginia, tells his family's incredible story in the book "Fostering Jesus: Answering the Call to Foster Care in the Home and Church."

Like many, at one point Griffith didn't know a great deal about foster care and learned quite a bit as he went into it. And after he and his family started, they were asked if they'd consider going further and adopting. "The county representatives called and they said. 'We need to know now, 'Would you like to be an adoptive parent to these children?'" he recalled. "And I will be honest with you; my answer was, 'No.'"

Griffith continued, "I used my brain that God gave me and I did an assessment of how big of a home we had, and how many seats in our car, and just very practical things. And I could not see how we could do this." With three children already in their home, the family would immediately swell to eight members, expanding well beyond their resources and means.

But, while Griffith couldn't see a path forward, God had a powerful plan. And a simple prayer on the pastor's part opened the floodgates for it to all come together. "I prayed and I told God, 'My answer is 'No,' unless you really want this to happen. If this is Your plan for my life, then of course I will do it,'" Griffith said, continuing his invocation: "But if that's the case, you're going to have to do something about it.'" And that's when an incredible miracle happened. Hear Griffith tell his story.