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Hong Kong Court Sentences Pro-Democracy Media Founder Jimmy Lai to 20 Years

A Hong Kong court on Monday imposed a 20-year prison sentence on pro-democracy media tycoon and religious freedom advocate Jimmy Lai, delivering the most severe punishment yet under Beijing’s national security law.

From 1.5 Million to 300,000: Alarming Decline of Christians in the Middle East
Speakers at the sixth annual International Religious Freedom Summit on Monday warned that religious freedom is rapidly deteriorating across several Middle Eastern countries, urging the United States to take stronger action.
Trump Says ‘Religion Is Coming Back’ as He Defends Religious Liberty Record at National Prayer Breakfast
Donald Trump said “religion is coming back” in the United States while highlighting his administration’s record on religious liberty during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast.
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Says Faith-Based Recovery Groups Eligible for Federal Funding
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said faith-based addiction recovery programs meeting evidence-based standards will now be eligible for federal funding under the Trump administration.

Kid Rock Shares Gospel Through ‘Til’ You Can’t’ at TPUSA Halftime Show Watched by Over 5 Million

Kid Rock delivered a faith-centered message during Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl broadcast, performing a modified cover of Cody Johnson’s hit song “Til’ You Can’t” that included a new verse focused on repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The roughly 40-minute “All-American Halftime Show,” organized by Turning Point USA, streamed online.

Brownback Warns of Global Authoritarian Alliance Targeting Religious Freedom after IRF Summit
At a joint Feb. 4 hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Africa and Western Hemisphere subcommittees in Washington, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback warned that a growing alliance of authoritarian states now views religious freedom as a threat to their control.
Texas School District Investigates After Islamic Group Distributed Sharia-Promoting Materials on Campus
A North Texas school district says a breakdown in protocol allowed an outside Muslim outreach group to distribute Islamic literature to students at a public high school, prompting an internal investigation and staff discipline. The issue surfaced after a student at Wylie East High School suburb of Wylie shared a video on social media alleging that Islamic materials.
U.S. Deploys Military Team to Nigeria Amid Counterterrorism Response to Christian Persecution
The United States has sent a military team to Nigeria as part of an expanded effort to assist the country in combating Islamic State–linked terrorist groups amid escalating violence against Christians. A senior U.S. military commander told Reuters that the deployment was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government.