President Donald Trump's recent decision to allow a U.S. tech company to sell advanced microchips to China has raised concerns among experts, who worry that the tech company may be jeopardizing national security for the sake of profits.

<p>Is gambling doing anyone any good? Host Casey Harper is joined by Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, and The Washington Stand&rsquo;s Jared Bridges to confront the roots and impacts of predatory gambling. Few actions by state governments harm Americans more. What does gambling truly offer? Only loss. The three break down what Scripture says about gambling, why corruption around it is so widespread, and whether there&rsquo;s a real solution to this growing problem.</p>

Is gambling doing anyone any good? Host Casey Harper is joined by Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, and The Washington Stand's Jared Bridges to confront the roots and impacts of predatory gambling. Few actions by state governments harm Americans more. What does gambling truly offer? Only loss. The three break down what Scripture says about gambling, why corruption around it is so widespread, and whether there's a real solution to this growing problem.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), also a potential 2028 presidential candidate, boasted about his promotion of transgenderism during a recent appearance on "The Ezra Klein Show." "There's no governor that's done more pro-trans legislation than I have," he bragged. "No one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ community." Even more striking was his blunt statement that he wants "to see trans kids."

Mainstream media outlets eagerly reported the Trump administration's seizure of an oil tanker laden with Venezuelan oil as "an escalation in President Trump's military pressure campaign against Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro," as The New York Times put it. Yet not every new development is an escalation, and, for an administration that has stirred controversy by blasting nearly two dozen alleged drug boats out of the water, seizing oil tankers is a surprisingly conventional turn.

Thousands of known or suspected terrorists from across the globe were allowed to enter the U.S. unvetted under the Biden administration, a top counterterrorism official testified before a House committee hearing Thursday. Experts say the Trump administration should continue to tighten watchlist vetting and detention, as well as new immigrant vetting in order to correct the national security failures.

In the midst of high-profile infighting, the Hoosier State's GOP-led Senate rejected a redistricting measure that would have flipped two Democrat-held seats in the U.S. House of Representatives red. On Thursday, 21 Republicans in Indiana's State Senate sided with the chambers only 10 Democrats in a vote against new congressional maps, while 19 Republicans backed the measure. The new maps had previously been approved by Indiana's House in a vote of 57 to 41 and sent to the Senate floor by the Senate Elections Committee in a six to three vote earlier this week.

Twenty years ago, I wrote my first book with the late Bishop Harry Jackson, "Personal Faith: Public Policy." Among the major issues we examined were immigration and health care. And here we are - two decades later - still listening to the same debates. Some issues in Washington are like that proverbial leaking roof: everyone knows it needs fixing, and every storm reminds us of the problem. But instead of grabbing a ladder and repairing it, the buckets just get moved around.

House Republicans are a baffling group to watch. Here they are, under the gun on health care subsidies, appropriations, the must-pass defense bill, and a basket full of other crises pressing in on them before the clock strikes Christmas, and what are their loudest voices doing? Attacking leadership. While the precious minutes tick down on a to-do list that rivals Santa's, a group of angry GOP women aren't putting their heads down, uniting, and racing to solve the problems weighing down Congress, they're slinging arrows at House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) - and then complaining that the GOP isn't getting anything done. Grab a dictionary, look up the word "counterproductive," and you'll understand exactly what the speaker is dealing with.

In a city where nothing seems certain - least of all cooperation between the parties (or in them!) - there's a certain magic about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation, which is as close to a Christian tradition as Congress gets, is headed to its 65th straight year of passage - a record that should astound anyone in this bitterly divided town. What is it about the troop bill that gets both sides to thaw their icy standoff and work together? And can that reluctant, bipartisan cooperation be replicated?

American pastors are becoming increasingly comfortable using artificial intelligence in ministry, according to a 2025 survey prepared by AI company Exponential. According to "The 2025 State of AI in the Church Survey Report," 91% of ministry leaders surveyed declared themselves "for ... the use of AI in ministry work" (up from 87% in 2024), 61% of respondents used AI at least weekly (up from 25% in 2024), and 25% used AI daily (up from 13% in 2024).

A Senate effort to address expiring subsidies on Obamacare premiums fell short on Sunday after a Democratic proposal and a Republican proposal both failed to clear the 60-vote threshold to advance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) had promised Democrats a vote on health care measures as part of the deal to end the government shutdown, but he never promised Republican support for subsidies "spending taxpayer dollars on abortion or gender transition procedures," as FRC President Tony Perkins described them in October.

Loudoun County Public Schools have faced LGBT-related controversies before, but this time, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is directly involved. This case finds its roots in an ongoing incident that began in March when three boys from Stone Bridge High School were in the boys' locker room when a biological female who identifies as male entered the space. 

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Expert Warns Microchip Sale Will Bolster China’s Military

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