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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.

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.