As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule.Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces."If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don't kill them, they'll put them in prison and beat them every single night."The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.EXCLUSIVE: AS AFGHAN CHRISTIANS FACE DEPORTATION, FAITH LEADERS URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RECONSIDERDepartment of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification."This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "Weve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation."Afghans protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12.Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administrations broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system.TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Talibans takeover in 2021.Among those at risk are members of Pastor Ben's congregation, many of whom he says undertook perilous journeys to reach the U.S. legally. He recounted the story of a group that he claimed traveled from Brazil to Mexico, including a 76-year-old woman and a 7-month-old girl, waiting ten months in a Mexican church sanctuary for approval to cross the border legally via the CBP One app."They didn't have food for weeks, they didn't have water for weeks, but they were willing to wait, face all those difficulties, to come to the United States with legal status," he said. "Now, with the new administration, we heard that those parolees are being revoked. They're not even giving work permits."CHRISTIANS IN AFGHANISTAN FACE ROUTINE TORTURE, PERSECUTION FROM FAMILY MEMBERS: WATCHDOG GROUPSFox News Digital reached out to the White House about the pastor's concerns and received the following response:"In tandem with its failed Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration illegally paroled tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., plus hundreds of thousands of other aliens. Parole, a temporary benefit, is granted case by case for urgent humanitarian reasons or public benefitit is not a pathway to permanent residence or citizenship. Afghans lacking legal grounds to stay and fearing persecution on protected grounds may apply for asylum and have the courts adjudicate their cases," said White House spokesman Kush Desai to Fox News Digital.Advocacy groups, including Help The Persecuted, have petitioned Noem to recognize Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, and to allow Afghan Christians and minorities who have documented persecution due to religion or belief to have TPS while their asylum claims are properly vetted and processed.The petition stresses the Taliban's active persecution of Christians, including arrests at border crossings, torture in detention and the enforcement of laws that make any practice of Christianity illegal.Pastor Ben urges fellow Christians to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters."They need us today to be their voice," he said. "We have the freedom; they do not. We have all the comfort; they do not. But all they want is the church to be part of it."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPHe also addressed President Trump directly: "Mr. President, I fully support your deportation plan because we do not want criminals to live in the United States, but we have to be aware that among those people that you want to deport, some are not criminals. Some are people that are at the risk of being killed, being imprisoned, losing their wives, losing their kids.""Please, let's not let this happen to them," said Pastor Ben. "Let's keep the American Dream alive."Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Tough-on-crime Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is doubling down on border crossings and vowed that criminals will now be held "fully accountable for their illegal actions."Hochman, a Republican-turned-Independent, defeated incumbent progressive prosecutor George Gascn by a 20-point margin. Gascn was considered by many voters to be soft on crime."I am standing at the border between LA County and San Bernardino County where criminals used to enjoy crossing in the LA direction, thinking that little to no consequences would occur if they stole, robbed and engaged in criminal conduct," Hochman shared in a video posted on his X account on Sunday."Times have changed! The fun is over. A new DA was elected. And criminals in LA County will now be prosecuted and held fully accountable for their illegal actions," he continued."MENENDEZ BROTHERS' RESENTENCING MOVES FORWARD AS DA CALLS OUT 'DECEIT, 'NARCISSISTIC TENDENCIES' IN PRISONHochman, a former federal prosecutor and lifelong Los Angeles resident, campaigned as a "hard middle" candidate, rejecting both mass incarceration and the "public safety failure" of Gascns liberal policies, which Hochman said led to increased crime and a lack of consequences for juvenile offenders.MENENDEZ BROTHERS: LOS ANGELES DA NATHAN HOCHMAN ASKS TO WITHDRAW PREDECESSOR'S MOTION TO FREE KILLERSHe also previously served as the president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and accused Gascn of "catastrophic incompetence" on the campaign trail and vowed to restore order and common sense.While in office, Gascn survived two recall attempts as voters voiced concern over his policies. He also co-authored the infamous Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen were under $950, and reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors.Despite political differences between voters, public safety is a crossover issue, said Hochman."I spoke to ultra-left liberals, independents and conservative Republicans. And it turns out that even though they don't agree on much, they do agree that making sure that the district attorney prioritizes their safety and implements policies that will hold criminals accountable for their actions in a smart and proportional manner really matters," he said.

Steve Burton said "I do" to new wife Michelle Lundstrom on Saturday during an intimate wedding in Laguna Beach, Calif.The "General Hospital" star and his new bride tied the knot with an immediate family-only, Orthodox church ceremony, followed by a reception at the ritzy Montage Laguna Beach.Burton, 54, proposed to Lundstrom, 44, in January, more than one year after finalizing his divorce with ex-wife Sheree Gustin following a real-life soap opera split."This day isnt just about a ceremony," Burton told People magazine. "Its the beginning of forever with the love of my life."STEVE BURTON RETURNS TO GENERAL HOSPITAL AFTER REAL-LIFE SOAP OPERA UNFOLDS OFF-SCREENBurton shares three children with his ex-wife, while Lundstrom has two daughters from her previous relationship. Their "dream-like celebration filled with so much love" was "more meaningful than words can express."GENERAL HOSPITAL STAR STEVE BURTON FINALIZES DIVORCE AFTER EX-WIFE HAD BABY WITH ANOTHER MAN"I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, growing together each day in faith and love," Burton said before Lundstrom added that marriage "means everything" to them."Honestly, I've never felt so loved and cared for in my entire life," he admitted. "I'm incredibly grateful to have her by my side. She is the most amazing, beautiful, and selfless woman I've ever known. I love her so much."Lundstrom, a chef and content creator, said, "Gosh, he's proven that fairy tale love truly exists. He's like pure sunshine always uplifting, endlessly caring. His love makes me a better person every single day."She added, "To have the most incredible man I've ever known by my side forever brings me so much peace and happiness. He is the love of my life, and I feel so blessed to call him mine."Lundstrom noted that she and Burton "built a deep, meaningful friendship before [their] relationship turned romantic."Burton popped the question in January on a Nashville farm which included a romantic chapel. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"I told Michelle we were going to look at a piece of property to possibly buy," Burton said. "The plan unfolded perfectly and she said yes!""It was incredibly sweet," Lundstrom said. "He had a backdrop of the first place we met in person set up on the stage. When he got down on one knee, I was filled with emotion and a bit in shock. But, of course, I said yes."Burton and his ex-wife Sheree Gustin Burton finalized their divorce in December 2023, more than one year after he filed a petition to end their marriage.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSThe former couple agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their minor children, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.The "Days of Our Lives" actor initially announced their separation in May 2022 after 23 years of marriage, and revealed that while Sheree was pregnant with a fourth child, Burton was not the father of the baby.Burton revealed their split last year on Instagram. "I wanted to clear something up. Sheree and I are separated," Burton wrote on his Instagram story in May 2022. "She recently announced that shes expecting her 4th child. The child is not mine."Sheree gave birth to a daughter, Izabella, and welcomed her fifth child in February 2024.

A Los Angeles business owner has found a novel way to keep homeless people from camping near his building: playing a children's song on an annoying loop."They played 'Baby Shark' all night long," Tracy, a woman who lives in an encampment next door to the building at the corner of West 11th and Main streets, told NBC4 Los Angeles. "Theyre doing everything they can to make us move or drive us crazy. But it's doing the latter. It's driving people crazy."The building owners began playing the song through a loudspeaker pointed directly at the encampment, which Tracy told the outlet had "kept her and others up all night."NEWSOM UNVEILS AGGRESSIVE PLAN TO CLEAR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS ACROSS CALIFORNIA: 'NO MORE EXCUSES'"This is ridiculous. We can't get any sleep. We can't get housing. We can't eat," she said. "And now they're trying to drive us crazy with childrens music."Shalom Styles, who owns the barbershop Styles Barber Lounge, around the corner from the business playing "Baby Shark" told the outlet that they aren't trying to be mean or insensitive to the homeless, but have businesses to run and are "just trying to survive."CA MAYOR DECLARES, 'HOMELESSNESS CANT BE A CHOICE,' SUGGESTS ARRESTING THOSE WHO REPEATEDLY REFUSE SHELTER"It's not always about being kind, because when people are taking away from business, and all the stores are going out of business," Styles said. "Were still here surviving, trying to put up for our family."California Gov. Gavin Newsom released details last week about his multi-billion-dollar plan to tackle the homeless crisis in the Golden State and is pushing cities and counties to take "immediate action."On Monday, Newsom shared a model ordinance for cities and counties to "immediately address dangerous and unhealthy encampments and connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter and services.""Theres nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets," Newsom said in a news release.The ordinance is backed in part by $3.3 billion in new Prop 1 funding, Newsom's office announced, adding that the governor is "calling on all local governments to act without delay."Newsom is also encouraging local leaders to use their authority, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, to address homeless encampments."The Governor is calling on every local government to adopt and implement local policies without delay," Newsom's office said.WHY BLUE STATE POLICIES ARE CAUSING EVEN MORE HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICANewsom's office told Fox News Digital that the governor has "actively held communities accountable who do not follow state law to address homelessness", sharing an example of when the state sued the City of Norwalk in 2024 for "its unlawful ban on homeless shelters."The governor's office added that, while national homelessness went up by nearly 7% last year, Californias increase was only 0.45% and was lower than those of 44 other states.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Governor Newsom is the first governor to actively address this issue in our state, and he is reversing a crisis that was decades in the making," Newsom's office said.

Fox News contributor Hugh Hewitt breaks down the 'smart' Democrats caught covering up former President Biden's decline and President Donald Trump's 'big gamble' in the Middle East on 'One Nation.'

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade gives his take on the Democratic Party's strategy to combat President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden's mental acuity while in office on 'One Nation.'

Israel, Antisemitism, Foreign policy

Project R.E.S.T. President Krystal Watson calls on states to step up for domestic abuse victimson 'Sunday Night in America.'

Christopher Bell took the checkered flag at the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Crew members of the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtmoc dangle from the ships rigging after striking the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday night. (Credit: Instagram via @Didyouknowsam, X via @sammysparks)