Newsmakers

Newsmakers goes beyond the headlines to bring you the people shaping today’s biggest stories. Hosted by journalist Billy Hallowell, the show delivers in-depth conversations with leaders, experts, and influencers at the center of culture, faith, politics, and global events—cutting through noise to get clarity, context, and truth. Franklin Graham, Ashley Tankard, and Joel Penton join today's show.

Jennifer Welch, co-host of the progressive podcast 'I’ve Had It', had some horrible things to say about about Evangelical Christians. CBN's Raj Nair and Billy Hallowell have the story.

On this episode of Newsmakers: Brad Brandon, CEO of Across Nigeria, exposes the brutal persecution facing Christians in Nigeria—and why the global media keeps getting it wrong. Then, former NYPD officer turned pastor Andrew Columbia shares chilling encounters with the demonic from his days on the streets of New York City and how faith changed everything. Finally, Rep. Maria Salazar joins us to break down her push to reform America’s broken immigration system and why she says dignity—not politics—must lead the conversation.

The Rev. Franklin Graham is calling America to prayer, imploring Christians and citizens more broadly to turn back to the Lord and appeal to Him to help heal the US. Amid rampant social dysfunction that has Graham concerned, he told CBN News in a recent interview that he's also been "thrilled" to see the younger generation "beginning to search for God." "They've been left cold by education, and ... many churches have quit even giving invitations and preaching the Gospel," Graham said. "And so there's a lot of young people out there that are searching, looking. I'm glad they are — and I hope they get into the Word of God, get into the Bible." He went on to say that he doesn't see Scripture predicting a great revival during the end times, despite some of the positive faith trajectories society is currently witnessing. "I see things are going to get bad and go from bad to worse as we get closer to the end times," Graham said. "I think we're seeing that. But at the same time, you have things like Charlie Kirk, who had a political platform, but as he got closer and closer to the end of his life, he was saying he is nothing without Jesus." He continued, "He was standing and stronger on his faith in Jesus Christ, and we saw, at his memorial, what, 100,000 people were there, and they estimated like 100 million were watching." Graham said Kirk likely reached more people in his death than he did during his life — a fact that many have stated as they've reflected on the massive reaction to Kirk's death. Churches immediately reported seeing pews full, with reports of many young people coming to faith. "People every day are downloading his videos," Graham said. "So God's at work. ... We miss people like Charlie Kirk, but at the same time, God is still on that throne." In the end, Graham encouraged people to be ready for Jesus' return.

Arch Kennedy, an author and former meteorologist, once lived a gay lifestyle before an encounter with Jesus changed everything. Kennedy, author of "The Weather's Fine: My Method for Navigating Life's Challenges," told CBN News he "grew up in the church" but went on to struggle with addiction and same-sex attraction. "They instilled Christian values in us as children," Kennedy said of his parents. "I left that as I moved through my life, through my 20s and 30s, and where I got into heavy alcohol addiction through a good ... chunk of my life." A few years ago, though, something changed. Kennedy said his sister, who is six years older, had been prodding him to join a Bible study. He was reluctant due to commitment struggles, but eventually the Lord convinced him to join. "I had never studied God's word," Kennedy said. "A lot of my life, I barely even got to church, but I called myself a Christian." Despite living a gay lifestyle, this backdrop of faith and devotion left Kennedy without negative views on faith and with an openness. At times, he had attempted to combine the Christian and gay lifestyles — but it was always a struggle to make that work. "When I also realized my same sex attraction, I was trying to juggle the two for many years," he said. "And I tried to reconcile the two and to be able to have my faith and also my lifestyle, which is something I knew I couldn't change as far as my attraction to males." Kennedy continued, "So ... that was a big struggle for many years of my life, and ... as I look back now, that's probably a reason why I didn't much go to church or didn't really pursue my faith through those turbulent years." But when his sister invited him to that Bible study in Atlanta three years ago, something changed. The men's group was the first time Kennedy truly studied God's word. Much deeper than the typical Bible verses or devotionals he had previously read, the men's group dove deep into Scripture. "That is when the same-sex attraction and my faith really started to collide and where I started to realize that I had to make a change," Kennedy said, noting that, though he had abandoned earlier debauchery by that point in his life, he was still living in sin. "I was still living in relationships — physical, sexual relationships, and I realized that had to change, that I could not continue to follow Christ, and have Christ in my heart, and carry on a physical relationship." Kennedy added, "I couldn't change the feelings of same-sex attraction, but I could change how I acted on it, and I realized that celibacy is what God was calling me to do." ⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠

Erika Kirk, the wife of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, is reportedly invoking a rare Utah law that could speed up the trial of Tyler Robinson, her husband’s accused killer. Billy Hallowell and Tré Goins-Phillips have the story.

Anti-ICE protesters stormed a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, because of a pastor’s alleged ties to ICE. Now the DOJ is threatening to “come down hard” on the agitators. CBN's Raj Nair and Billy Hallowell have the story.

After decades in modern medicine, Dr. Marc Siegel has seen too much to dismiss the divine. In this powerful conversation, Siegel joins Billy Hallowell to unpack his new book The Miracles Among Us. This episode challenges skepticism, redefines miracles, and invites listeners to see healing—and God’s grace—in a whole new light.

On this week’s Newsmakers, we explore faith’s enduring power and the Shroud of Turin. Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston reveals how he went from skeptic to believer on the Shroud of Turin and what new evidence points to its authenticity. Todd Nettleton from Voice of the Martyrs breaks down the global persecution crisis and why prayer is vital as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church approaches. And activist and author Alveda King joins to share her take on revival and the growing spiritual hunger she sees across America. ⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App

We have some extremely encouraging news to share with you. According to new research collected by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Bible sales in the United Kingdom are booming. CBN's Raj Nair and Billy Hallowell break down the numbers.

As the situation in Venezuela continues to capture international attention, one expert believes the Trump administration's decision to capture and detain former president Nicolás Maduro could yield positive results. "My first reaction was, 'What an incredible job of the American military to pull this off with no U.S. casualties,'" Col. (Ret.) Gregory Thompson, professor of criminal justice at Cedarville University, told CBN News of the Trump administration's bold move to detain Maduro. Beyond that, Thompson said his mind also went to matters surrounding faith and the church. "But, more importantly to me as a Christian, I'm thinking of just the incredible joy because I have friends that work with pastors in Venezuela, and it's been difficult, as you probably know," he said. "When Hugo Chavez took over Venezuela, he kicked out all mission organizations, so that was significant, and the pastors there are being salt and light." While many Venezuelans and political observers are excited to see Maduro go, Thompson said there are still many questions about what comes next. "My general sense is I'm excited for maybe a hopeful future for Venezuela — one that's free, particularly free for the free exercise and the spread of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ," he said. Thompson said the situation leading up to Maduro's ouster was perilous and difficult after Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez wreaked what critics call havoc on free speech, expression, and truth. "They pretty much wrecked the economy," he said. "Inflation is beyond rampant. They have a politically corrupt government, which I think we've heard in the news." Thompson said socialism has been a disaster globally, with ineffective policies failing to create human flourishing. All of this leads to President Donald Trump's decision to send the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force to capture Maduro. While some speculate that oil was a driving force, Thompson believes it's a factor but not the "main driving force" behind the decision. "I think with President Trump's concerns when he came into office, this is like the perfect storm," he said. "Illegal immigration was highly coming from Venezuela ... they're leaving because they want to live in a free country. They want to pursue a place where they can live in freedom and democracy, and so they're coming to America, but illegally, of course, and in droves. So that's one issue." The other issue, according to Thompson, centers on nations like Iran and terror groups like Hezbollah, with both having purported influence and presence in Venezuela. Mix in Russian and Chinese influence and one can easily see why this collectively becomes a problem for the U.S. Watch what else he had to say about this complex matter.

Comedians Tim Allen and Bill Maher recently sat down for a conversation on Maher’s Club Random. Allen had quite a bit to say about the Apostle Paul and the downside of empty philosophy. CBN's Billy Hallowell and Raj Nair break it all down.

Author Lee Strobel joins the show to discuss his new documentary "The Case for Miracles" and the evidence behind real-life supernatural encounters. Barna Group CEO David Kinnaman breaks down the spiritual ripple effects of Charlie Kirk’s legacy and how Americans are responding in faith during a pivotal moment. Plus, Fox News’ Dana Perino shares a powerful Thanksgiving experience serving those in need with Mercy Ships.

Want more miracles? Stream "Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles," a new documentary from CBN about powerful medical miracles: www.cbn.com/supernatural Evangelist Ray Comfort believes in miracles and has personally experienced God's hand at work, revealing the amazing ways the Lord has shown Himself. "I've seen things that happen that I would consider supernatural," he said. "Like when we were invited to base our ministry in the U.S. over a three-day period, 13 strange things happened that I had to say, 'This is God's hand directing me.'" The Living Waters ministry leader said these occurrences might not have been considered miracles by most people but that they blew him away. "I said to a guy, 'I think we're gonna go and live in the US. I'm gonna sell my house,'" Comfort said. "He says, 'I'll buy it.' And he bought it on the spot. It's just amazing." He also recalled telling his father-in-law that he planned to go live in the US and that he responded with a message that truly stunned Comfort. "He said, 'Three days ago, God spoke to my heart and said, you're gonna go and live in the US,'" he said. "My mom, who was Jewish, very lukewarm, not even lukewarm, beneath lukewarm, told me after she went berserk at me, three days earlier, God had spoken to her heart that we're going to move to the US." And that's not all. Around the same time, Comfort also experienced a balloon coming into his backyard that had an American flag on it. "It was just strange," he said. "This was way down and under in New Zealand. So I believe in the miraculous." Comfort said he's not particularly concerned, though, when God doesn't do what we want on our timetable, noting the Lord isn't a "divine butler" who must respond to our whims. Ultimately, he said people must trust God, even when it doesn't make sense. While much of the focus in life is on grand miracles, Comfort reminded Christians that Christ's death, resurrection — and decision to save humanity is the greatest miracle of all. "[God] transformed me from someone who was drinking iniquity like water, loving darkness, hating the light, eyes full of adultery like every other red-blooded guy," Comfort said. "He transformed me and caused me to love righteousness to a point where it consumed me for the last 50-something years to do God's will." Watch to see Comfort discuss salvation and the miraculous.

Pastor Greg Laurie is calling a recent evangelistic event held at Utah Valley University (UVU) — the site of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's assassination — a "miracle." As CBN News previously reported, Laurie held a Nov. 16 Harvest Crusade at UVU that ignited thousands of professions of faith and inspired many in attendance in person and online. "I don't use this word very often, but I almost think of this now as the 'Utah miracle' because of a number of things that happened," Laurie told CBN News. "Number one, this is a place where a horrific tragedy took place. A young man in the prime of his life, making such a difference, especially with younger people. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. He was murdered, and so our hearts were all broken." Laurie said he had been speaking with preachers in Utah for some time before Kirk's death about hosting one of his popular Harvest Crusade evangelistic events. They had planned one for 2027, but Kirk's death accelerated the timeline, and Laurie's team rallied in just weeks to put the Nov. 16 event together. In addition to the quick timeline, he believes the response to the event was also miraculous. "It was amazing," Laurie said. "We ... filled the arena. We had another 10,000 people in different sites around Utah watching on screens, and when the invitation was given, it was an immediate response." He continued, "A thousand people filled that floor, most of them young, and then another 500 responded in the overflow venues." Meanwhile, Laurie said 200,000 people were watching online, with 1,000 people making a virtual profession of faith. Overall, 2,500 people came to Christ. "I sent a text to Erica Kirk, Charlie's widow, and I told her what happened, and I said, 'You know, Erika, the Bible says that there is joy in heaven and the presence of the angels over one sinner that comes to repentance. That means that every time someone believes in Jesus on Earth, there's a victory shout in heaven.' Well, Charlie's in heaven. ... It seems to me we're going to be rejoicing in heaven when we hear of people coming to Christ." He continued, "Would not Charlie know that 2,500 people just came to the Lord that was connected to the horrible tragedy of his death? And so we know more in heaven than we know on Earth, not less. So I just told her that God worked despite this tragedy." Laurie said there are other trends unfolding as well, including rising Bible sales and data showing young people are increasingly interested in the Christian faith. "Something's happening here," he said. "God is at work. There already was a hunger among young people, especially Gen Z, spiritually, but that has increased dramatically, and it's increased dramatically among young Gen Z men. So I think this is a moment for the church. We have to seize the moment." Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠

CBN's Tré Goins-Phillips and Billy Hallowell break down new data from Concerned Women for America showing 41% of children's content on Netflix includes LGBTQ themes, characters, or ideas. Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠

Dylan Novak is on a mission to help save celebrities' souls, intentionally bringing the Gospel to some of the biggest names in entertainment. Novak, founder of Celebrity Evangelist, routinely attends autograph signings and other events to present the salvation message to well-known performers. Most recently, he made headlines for his 2023 interaction with singer Ozzy Osbourne, who died July 22 after a battle with Parkinson's disease. The evangelist attended an event with Osbourne's family near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during which he presented the former Black Sabbath frontman with a personalized Bible. Many have reflected back on this interaction in the wake of Osbourne's death. "Ozzy was incredibly kind," Novak said, reflecting back on the experience. "So, I get up to him, shake his hand, told him it was an honor to meet him, and after just kind of a brief introduction, I said, 'The reason I came to meet you today is because I love and care about you and your soul.'" Novak, who comes to such events prepared after researching each celebrity's spiritual life, told Osbourne he had seen the singer say in a past interview that he identifies "more as a Christian than anything else" and wished he could read the Bible more frequently. So, Novak told Osbourne he had a New Living Translation Bible for him that would be easy to read, and the singer was more than receptive. "He immediately grabbed it and he went right to the Gospels, just kind of thumbing through it," Novak said. "And he looked up at me and he said, 'Well, I can understand this.'" He continued, "And ... [he] just had such a sweet smile. He loved the fact that it had his name on the cover." Novak also wrote a handwritten letter to Osbourne, something he routinely does with celebrities to respect their time and deliver the full Gospel message he wishes to give. "I want everybody to feel like 'I'm seen as an individual soul, and I'm loved, and cared about on an individual level,'" Novak said of his reason for writing these personal letters. When it came to Osbourne, he followed this same pattern and told the singer why he had penned the note. The two spoke a bit more, and then Novak said he went to an adjacent room, where he shared the Gospel with the rest of the Osbourne family. Jack, Osbourne's son, spent about half an hour speaking with Novak, and the two discussed his dad. "One of the things he said was, 'Thank you for not thinking dad's evil,'" Novak said, explaining that he took a photo with the family before the encounter ended. Two weeks later, though, Novak ran into Jack at another event — and that's where he learned the full impact his kind gesture had on the singer. ⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Erika Kirk recently sat down with Megyn Kelly to discuss TPUSA, faith and more. Kelly asked Kirk if she's angry at God after the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk. CBN's Billy Hallowell and Raj Nair break down what she had to say -- and why it matters. ⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Popular rock band Skillet is setting the Internet on fire with the release of their first Christmas song, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," with the rendition sparking plenty of praise and some furor. Lead singer John Cooper told CBN News why he disagrees with some claims the song sounds "demonic" or is somehow anti-Christian, noting it's been popular among fans. "The reception for the song has been absolutely overwhelming," he said. "People seem to really love it." Cooper also explained the heart behind the rock rendition. "You want to capture the mood of the original song if you can, of course," he said. "This is a very special song — a very, very ancient song, and I always found this song to have multiple layers of meaning because it's ... actually called an advent song." Cooper continued, "It's known as an Advent song that is singing for the first Advent of Jesus, the incarnation, the Savior, to come into the world, to take away the sin of the world." He noted, though, that many people sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" in desperation for Christ's Second Coming. Seeing so much pain and suffering in the world, they long for the Lord to come back. "The world is not going good," he said. "This is bad, and we are we're in a certain amount of suffering here and we are eagerly expecting the coming, the return of the King, if you will, the return of the Savior." Cooper said this is just one of the layers to the song and that Skillet wanted to capture the original intent as well as this somberness. Thus, the first half of the song is lighter and the second is a bit heavier. "The second half, we said, we got to go hard," he said. "We got to go Skillet on this thing." Known for their rock chops, the band infused some of that into the mix — and their fans have thus far loved the song. But rather than get loud without purpose, Cooper said there was a reason behind it. "You're expressing the hardship of the world we live in," he said. "The fact that our loved ones are going to die or that maybe this year you've had to live with ... a death in the family, watching your parent die, watching your kid die, whatever it may be. These absolute heartaches that we are eagerly waiting for all of the old to be made new." Mixing these themes with the power of God coming into the world, Cooper said it's important to show, through music, the deeper meaning of both the First and Second Comings of Christ. "He defeats the devil," Cooper said. "He defeats the demons. He defeats the power of sin." The singer said they felt the song could, thus, capture these spiritual realities in a "very loud, triumphant, Earth-shaking way." Cooper said he was shocked by some of the reactions. Watch for more.

Author Randy Kay says he’s seen heaven — and it’s an experience he still gets emotional recounting. It all happened years ago when Kay experienced a medical emergency. He recalled waking up in the middle of the night with a swollen calf after a business trip — something he initially ignored. “I could barely walk, went for a bike ride of all things, which I should not have done because that exacerbated the problem,” he told Billy Hallowell and Jen Lilley on their “Into the Supernatural” podcast. “I went up the coast of San Diego ... on the bicycle and could barely breathe. My calf was about one and a half times its size.” At first, he thought he was experiencing asthma, but soon realized it was something else entirely. By the time he reached his doctor’s office, he collapsed and ended up in the emergency room. And things went from bad to worse from there. “The ER physician said that I was a walking dead man because I had let this go so long,” Kay said. “By the time I had made it into the emergency room, I had seven clots, one near my heart, six that were blocking the pulmonary artery, which is the main blood flow to the lungs.” Already struggling to survive, Kay ended up contracting Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which got into his bloodstream. Suddenly, he was clinically dead, but rather than being overtaken by darkness and nothingness, Kay experienced something he’ll never forget. “Immediately, my body went still, and, initially, it felt like a tugging at my hospital gown,” he said. “And, later, I would come to realize that that was my spirit leaving my body, and then I became a third party to my body. So, I was looking down this still body I knew that was my body, but that wasn't me.” Kay said he was suddenly “in a different place.” He found himself moving up to a new location. Watch his experience — and see the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG3bqRLfpyw&t=58s ⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the free CBN News App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠