President Donald Trump is making plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence and create a new national sculpture garden while reviving efforts to harshly punish those who vandalize or destroy existing statues and monuments.

Former President Jimmy Carter was widely known as a man of faith, a born-again Christian who defined himself as a progressive evangelical.

Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president.

In declining to step aside from two high-profile Supreme Court cases, Justice Samuel Alito has provided a rare window on the opaque process by which justices decide to recuse themselves.

A second flag of a type carried by rioters during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was displayed outside a house owned by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

When an upside-down U.S. flag flew over the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, it was largely seen in connection with the false claim by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters that the 2020 election had been marred by fraud.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin says Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito should recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and the 2021 Capitol insurrection after a report about an upside-down American flag outside his home.

A statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham set to stand inside the U.S. Capitol to represent North Carolina will be unveiled next week in a ceremony.

Charles Stanley, a prominent televangelist who once led the Southern Baptist Convention, died Tuesday at his home in Atlanta at age 90.

Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid try to inspire passengers through spiritual guidance on the road as part of what they see as Christian ride-hailing ministries.

The new president of the Southern Baptist Convention is a staunchly conservative small-town preacher who touts biblical inerrancy, opposes women serving as pastors and supports abortion bans.

As Republican governors ramp up their transports of migrants to Democratic-run jurisdictions, the practice is getting a mixed reaction from Christian faith leaders — many of whom, especially evangelicals, have supported GOP candidates by large numbers in recent elections.

Congress has given its ultimate salute to Hershel W.

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

Transcripts released Monday shed new light on how CNN anchor Chris Cuomo than previously known in helping defend his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, from sexual harassment allegations that forced him out of office.

The House has approved a bill to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol.

Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the TV pastor of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure COVID-19.

Controversies over the handling of sex abuse cases and critical race theory are likely to dominate the Southern Baptists' annual meeting, set to begin Tuesday.

President Joe Biden has put the kibosh on his predecessor’s planned “National Garden of American Heroes."

(Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)SEOUL – When Youn Yuh-jung was asked how she felt about being called the “Meryl Streep of South Korea" in a recent interview, she said she’s flattered by the comparison. “I am just a Korean actress in Korea,” 73-year-old actor said. So I like to be myself.”Youn needs no introduction in South Korea, with a film career spanning over five decades. Youn lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade, not performing, before returning to South Korea, where she split from Cho and returned to acting. AdShe said the U.S. was considered a “dream land” by Asian American immigrants in the 1970s and '80s, when “Minari” is set.

(AP Photo/Marianne Armshaw, File)PORTLAND, Ore. – Luis Palau, an evangelical pastor who was born in Argentina and went on to work with Billy Graham before establishing his own powerhouse international ministry, died Thursday. The Luis Palau Association said he died at his home in Portland, Oregon. “This is hard news, but Luis is experiencing the beauty of the Lord face to face.”Born to an affluent family in Buenos Aires, Palau rose from obscurity to become one of the most well-known international Christian evangelists. How many people we’ve reached with the Gospel.”His radio programs, including the international Spanish-language “Luis Palau Responde,” are broadcast on 3,500 stations in 48 countries, and his Portland-based Luis Palau Association organizes dozens of events each year on five continents. “Luis Palau was the Apostle Paul to the Spanish-speaking world.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders paid tribute Wednesday to slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in the building he died defending, promising his family and his fellow officers that they will never forget his sacrifice. Sicknick died after an insurrectionist mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, interrupting the electoral count after then-President Donald Trump urged them to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sicknick was a patriot who will be remembered by lawmakers each day as they enter the Capitol. The 42-year-old officer was only the fifth person to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or military leaders. Also in attendance was Wenling Chestnut, widow of slain Capitol Police Officer Jacob Chestnut, one of two Capitol Police officers killed by a gunman in 1998.

As his administration draws to a close, some of those backers are approaching President-elect Joe Biden with skepticism, but not antagonism. During the Obama administration, Graham attended a conversation Biden convened among faith-based advocates about gun legislation. However, some groups such as Perkins' may find occasional opportunities to work with the Biden administration even while remaining critical of it in their messaging to members and fundraising, according to evangelical writer and analyst Napp Nazworth. Meanwhile, evangelicals outside those most closely associated with Trump already are identifying commonalities where they could partner with Biden. The Trump administration had slashed the refugee target to historic lows.

As President Donald Trump faces an uncertain future, so too does a fixture of the American political scene over the last five years: the Trump campaign rally, a phenomenon that has spawned friendships, businesses and a way of life for Trump’s most dedicated supporters. She has been to nearly 20 Trump events, from rallies to Fourth of July celebrations on the National Mall. Indeed, the Trump campaign estimates the events have generated tens of millions of dollars a week in free television coverage. George Gigicos, who ran Trump’s 2016 advance operation, said the rallies "were hugely important” to Trump's campaigns and presidency. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild, who has been studying Trump supporters, agreed that he had tapped into religious imagery that secular liberals often missed.

A purple ring — call it the flip zone — emerges through the suburbs. But the midterm elections of 2018 showed that flip zone has moved in the era of President Donald Trump, with dramatic consequences. To hold the White House and control of the Senate, he and his party must stop the flip zone from moving farther out again. In 2018 in Milwaukee, the flip zone moved out less than half a mile as Wisconsin elected a Democratic governor. — In Atlanta, the flip zone was nearly 24 miles out, at 434 households per square mile.

In my husband, you have a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families, said Mrs. Trump, an immigrant herself. Mrs. Trump noted that the lives of Americans changed drastically in March with the onset of the coronavirus. President Trump is fighting for all of us. President Trump has put his America First vision into action," Pompeo said. Only the second foreign-born first lady in U.S. history, Mrs. Trump, 50, is a native of Slovenia, a former communist country in eastern Europe.

FILE - In this Friday, March 2, 2018 file photo, televangelist Jim Bakker leaves a funeral service for the Rev. Applicants seeking PPP loans were asked to certify they werent engaged in any activity that is illegal under federal, state or local law. Bakkers co-counsel is Jay Nixon, a former four-term Missouri attorney general and two-term Democratic governor. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge pushes back on framing the lawsuit as a religious freedom infringement. Dont let me have to file for bankruptcy.A week later, Arvest Bank, as the lender, released three PPP loans to Bakkers church management, production and retreat entities.

Vice President Mike Pence, left, greets Senior Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress, right, after Pence spoke at the Southern Baptist megachurch First Baptist Dallas during a Celebrate Freedom Rally in Dallas, Sunday, June 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)NEW YORK – Churches connected to President Donald Trump and other organizations linked to current or former Trump evangelical advisers received at least $17.3 million in loans from a federal rescue package designed to aid small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Graham, whose megachurch claims more than 42,000 members, is not related to Trump evangelical adviser Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Other program beneficiaries connected to veteran evangelical Trump allies include The Faith & Freedom Coalition, founded by conservative strategist Ralph Reed, which got a loan of between $150,000 and $350,000. King Jesus International Ministry, the Miami megachurch where Trump launched his evangelical outreach push ahead of November’s election, received a loan of between $2 million and $5 million according to the data. That church's pastor, Guillermo Maldonado, was also among a group of faith leaders who met and prayed with Trump at the White House last fall.

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2014, file photo Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks in Washington. The president unveiled his plan Friday, July 3, 2020, during his speech at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, S.D. We will raise the next generation of American patriots, Trump said at Mount Rushmore. None will have lived perfect lives, but all will be worth honoring, remembering, and studying, according to the order. The order includes language to make clear that non-U.S. citizens who played significant roles in American history also could be honored in the garden.

ATLANTA Evangelist Ravi Zacharias, who built an international ministry that strives to defend Christianity on intellectual grounds, has died in Georgia. Zacharias died Tuesday at his home in Atlanta after a brief battle with sarcoma, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries said in a statement. Billy Graham invited Zacharias to preach at the inaugural International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam in 1983, the organization said. The ministry's mission is helping the thinker believe and the believer think," it said in announcing the death of Zacharias. In an emotional video message, professional athlete Tim Tebow asked for prayers for Zacharias' family and ministry.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, sits for a portrait at his group's field hospital in New York's Central Park. “But it would be too much of a controversy if they gave Samaritan’s Purse a penny. The prospect of Samaritan's Purse receiving funding redirected from the U.N. health agency prompted warnings from some Graham critics, including the secular group American Atheists. Samaritan’s Purse is no stranger to controversy during the pandemic. A spokesman for the charity said that the Central Park site had not accepted volunteers, relying solely on employees.

We live in a very dangerous period of history right now," said Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, one of the most famous voices in modern Christianity. Franklin Graham came to the First Coast with a message of peace and salvation. The late Billy Graham was one of those men for the Christian faith, and his children are continuing with their mission. And that's through faith in Christ," Franklin Graham said. Praying during a time of conflict in the world and domestically, Franklin Graham believes the world needs spiritual healing through faith.

Evangelist Franklin Graham kicks off a tour of Florida todayPublished: January 11, 2020, 10:25 pmFranklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham - one of the most famous voices in modern Christianity

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Thousands were expected at the Seawalk Pavillion on Saturday as evangelist Franklin Graham is kicking off a tour of Florida. News4Jax spoke with Graham by phone about what to expect and what his ministry does to address security. As his father Billy Graham did for decades around the world, Franklin Graham said the event offers a simple and clear message of hope. The event began at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Seawalk Pavilion. After Jacksonville Beach, the tour will continue on to another five Florida cities.

The El Rey Jesús church kickoff of “Evangelicals for Trump” will be followed in the weeks ahead by the launches of “Catholics for Trump” and “Jewish Voices for Trump." Those abortion limits drew 39% support from white mainline Protestants, 33% support from nonwhite Protestants and 45% support from Catholics, but 67% support from white evangelical Protestants. About 6 in 10 Catholics, white mainline Protestants and nonwhite Protestants supported those protections, compared with about a third of white evangelical Protestants. But Democrats have shown strong interest in connecting with voters of faith, even evangelicals whom Trump is often assumed to have locked down. "Friday’s rally is Trump’s desperate response to the realization that he is losing his primary voting bloc — faith voters.

White evangelicals were also more likely than members of other faiths to say religion should have at least some influence on policymaking. About 6 in 10 Catholics, white mainline Protestants and nonwhite Protestants supported those protections, compared with about a third of white evangelical Protestants. Indeed, white evangelical Protestants’ preference for a religious influence on abortion policy surpassed most other issues examined in the poll. About 8 in 10 white evangelicals said religion should have at least some influence on abortion policy. But not every Trump-backed policy found strong support in the poll from white evangelical Protestants.

Billy Graham, “would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President." The magazine “has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years,” Trump wrote. Franklin Graham, who now leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and prayed at Trump’s inauguration, tweeted Friday that his father would be “disappointed” in the magazine. He wrote on Facebook: “Is President Trump guilty of sin? “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close,” Trump said in his tweets.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Sept. 15, 1949, Channel 4 signed on as WMBR as the first television station in Jacksonville and the second in the entire state of Florida. In 1952, anchor Bill Grove was hired to host a daily news broadcast and help invent local television news. That transition required some innovation and wasn't always easy, but it truly made us The Local Station. In January 2017, our parent company bought WCWJ-17 and we program the two Jacksonville stations to complement each other. Many of us, including those mentioned already, spent most of our careers in this Jacksonville and at this television station.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - On Sept. 15, 1949, Channel 4 signed on as WMBR as the first television station in Jacksonville and the second in the entire state of Florida. In 1952, anchor Bill Grove was hired to host a daily news broadcast and help invent local television news. That transition required some innovation and wasn't always easy, but it truly made us The Local Station. In January 2017, our parent company bought WCWJ-17 and we program the two Jacksonville stations to complement each other. In its 69 years, The Local Station has evolved, grown and accomplished many things and been honored to remain Jacksonville's top-rated source of local television news.

Young singer, Virginia Atter, along with future sportscaster Dick Stratton was hired to do commercials and host talk shows on Jacksonville television. Chief Meteorologist George Winterling was the first to accurately predict the path of Hurricane Dora in 1962 and the first snowy Christmas in 1989. After 19 years together, Deborah Gianoulis, Tom Willis, Sam Kouvaris and George Winterling were the longest running news team in the nation.. In 2017, the WJXT still has the top rated newscasts in Jacksonville, and often has the most viewers in other dayparts, as well. While many people have made their careers at this television station, some WJXT alumni have gone on to big jobs at the networks, such as 60 minutes' Steve Kroft, CBS veterans Randall Pinkston and Bruce Hall and ABC's Karla Davis.