West
Franklin Graham shares hope message in exclusive interview on Easter special: 'God hasn’t forgotten them'
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In a powerful Easter message filmed from the smoldering remains of fire-ravaged neighborhoods in California, Rev. Franklin Graham is calling the nation to remember that even in devastation, hope is not lost.
Filmed in the ashes of homes lost to the Southern California wildfires, “Easter from the Ashes” premieres at noon ET Sunday on Fox News.
“Can there be hope in the place of ashes?” Graham asks in the special, standing amid the rubble of the Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles. “This is a message of hope for people who feel forgotten.”
The program, which also features performances by Grammy-winning worship leader Michael W. Smith and artist Charity Gayle, was recorded in and around areas still scarred by flames.
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The music portion was filmed on the campus of Pepperdine University, just miles from neighborhoods that were leveled.
The broadcast is the latest in a long tradition of Easter messages from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, but this one is grounded quite literally in the ashes of loss — speaking not only to spiritual need, but also to physical and emotional pain felt across the country in the wake of natural disasters.
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse search for meaningful personal items for members of the Alvarado family in the rubble of their home which burned in the Eaton Fire on Feb. 5, in Altadena, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
In just the last several months, Americans have endured a string of catastrophes: wildfires on the West Coast, floods and tornadoes across the Midwest and South, and Hurricane Helene in the Southeast. In each case, Samaritan’s Purse — the international relief organization led by Graham — has mobilized to help.
“Easter is not the same for many people this year,” Graham told Fox News Digital. “So many have gone through devastating tragedy and loss. But I want people to know that God hasn’t abandoned them.”
Samaritan’s Purse has deployed disaster relief teams across the U.S. to provide everything from physical labor to moral support.
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In California, volunteers have been helping families sift through ashes to recover treasured belongings. In one especially memorable case, a woman was searching for a porcelain vase — her grandmother’s heirloom brought from overseas. The team found it unbroken, tucked in a basement corner under piles of ash.
“It wasn’t cracked. It wasn’t chipped,” Graham said. “To anyone else, it was just a vase. But to her, it was priceless. That’s the kind of healing we’re trying to bring.”
In other parts of the country, Samaritan’s Purse has helped restore mobility and shelter by replacing cars and rebuilding homes. Partnering with Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Automotive Group, the organization has been supplying vehicles to families who lost everything.
“When people lose their cars in a disaster, they’re stuck,” Graham said. “We’ve seen people walking to the store or relying on neighbors. We just felt called to help however we could.”
Currently, Samaritan’s Purse has more than a dozen homes under construction, with plans to continue rebuilding for at least the next three years.
While physical rebuilding is vital, Graham’s Easter message centers on spiritual renewal through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He draws attention to the biblical reality of both heaven and hell — a theme often overlooked, but one Graham said he believes is urgently needed today.
“In this special, I talk about how Jesus preached on hell. And how He also gave us a way out,” Graham said. “He died for our sins. He was buried. And on the third day, He rose again. That’s the hope we have.”
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse pray with Manuel and Emma Alvarado after helping them search for personal items in the ashes of their home in Altadena, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
He recounted stories from disaster survivors who described their experiences as near-death or even miraculous. One woman, caught in a flood, managed to grab a branch that later couldn’t be found —something she believes was divine intervention.
“Some people say angels saved them,” Graham noted. “Things happened that just don’t make sense otherwise.”
Graham also spoke about his recent visit to the White House during Holy Week, where he joined around 40 pastors for a private dinner and worship service with President Donald Trump. He described the President’s remarks as “the clearest gospel message I’ve ever heard from a U.S. president.”
“I don’t think we’ve heard anything like it since maybe George Washington,” Graham said. “He not only believes, but he’s not afraid to say it.”
“We have a president that is not afraid of his faith,” Graham said Friday on The Ingraham Angle. “He doesn’t shy away from it. He’s very bold about it and clear about what he believes.”
Graham described Trump’s message at the dinner as one of the clearest public affirmations of the Gospel he has heard from any U.S. president. “He talks about Jesus Christ, talks about his own faith,” he said. “He’ll tell you that when that bullet went through his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, it was God who spared his life.”
Volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse pray with Manuel and Emma Alvarado, both 86, after helping them search for personal items in the ashes of their home which burned in the Eaton Fire, Feb. 5, in Altadena, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The day after the dinner, Graham participated in a service for White House staff, including lawyers and administrative professionals, joined by Pastor Greg Laurie and Pastor Jentezen Franklin, who administered communion. “It was a wonderful time of worship,” he recalled.
Graham credited the Trump administration with helping cut through bureaucratic red tape that often slows recovery efforts in disaster zones.
“California has been very difficult,” he said. “We’ve faced a lot of delays at the state and local level. But the President pushed FEMA to act faster. That helped open doors.”
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As the interview closed, Graham returned to the core message of the season.
“Easter is a very special time because Jesus Christ conquered death,” he said. “He took our sins to the cross. He died. He was buried. But on the third day, He rose from the dead. And He will come into any heart that is willing to accept Him by faith. That’s the miracle of Easter.”
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California
California warns Tesla faces 30-day sale ban for misleading use of
The California DMV on Tuesday said Tesla Motors faces a possible 30-day sale ban over its misleading use of the term “autopilot” in its marketing of electric vehicles.
On Nov. 20, an administrative judge ruled that Tesla Motors’ use of “autopilot ” and “full self-driving capability” was a misleading description of its “advanced driving assistant features,” and that it violated state law, the DMV said.
In their decision, the judge proposed suspending Tesla’s manufacturing and dealer license for 30 days. However, the DMV is giving Tesla 60 days to address its use of the term “autopilot” before temporarily suspending its dealer license.
“Tesla can take simple steps to pause this decision and permanently resolve this issue — steps autonomous vehicle companies and other automakers have been able to achieve in California’s nation-leading and supportive innovation marketplace,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said.
Tesla had already stopped its use of “full self-driving capability” and switched to “full self-driving (supervised)” after the DMV filed accusations against it in November 2023.
The DMV said its decision to file those accusations stretches back to Tesla’s 2021 marketing of its advanced driver assistance system. Besides the two terms, the DMV said it also took issue with the phrase, “The system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat.”
“Vehicles equipped with those ADAS features could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles,” the DMV said.
As for the manufacturing license suspension, the DMV issued a permanent stay on that proposal.
Colorado
Northern Colorado town to increase water and sewage rates 26% in 2026
As the demand for drinking water in Colorado continues to rise, a Northern Colorado community is planning to increase the price of its water and sewage services by 26% in 2026.
The town of Windsor, a rapidly growing community of more than 45,000 residents, plans to start increasing its prices in April of next year.
Town Manager Shane Hale told CBS Colorado the town and council had no other option but to rapidly increase their prices. He attributed it to a need for more services while also improving existing ones.
“We certainly are (aware of the sticker shock),” Hale said. “The town board lives in town. They are going to see these costs as well.”
Hale said the town needs to replace an aging infrastructure for their water distribution.
“We had a major distribution line for water that broke a couple times last year,” Hale said.
Also, to meet growth demand and EPA standards, the town also needs to completely replace its existing sewar treatment plant in the southeast corner of the community.
“We are not just building an expansion,” Hale said. “We have to build a brand-new plant.
Windsor originally hoped to build the new plant in 2020. Hale said, if they would have been able to do so, it would have cost around $50 million to complete.
However, since then, the cost of labor and supplies has inflated so significantly that the price for the same plant is projected to be three times more expensive than planned for.
CBS Colorado asked Hale why the town didn’t slowly increase rates over the years instead of completing one drastic spike of 26% in 2026.
“That is a great question. I will tell you we have been gradually increasing our rates each year,” Hale said. “The challenge that we had, especially on the sewer side, were our costs were increased by three times.”
In order to lower the price tag, the town has also reduced the size of the plant it’s going to build. Hale said the current plant can operate 2.8 million gallons of water per day. They hoped to build one that could accommodate 6.3 million gallons per day. However, to offset costs some while also meeting demand of the growing town, they now plan to build a plant that can manage 4.2 million gallons a day.
Hale said the town is at the mercy of the cost of construction and the price of getting machinery into their possession. He also said many of the items they need are only made internationally, meaning they are in line with others to get the product without much room for negotiation.
“Unfortunately, in order to manage our infrastructure and maintain it, the town doesn’t really have a choice,” Hale said.
Hale said the increased prices should be reflected in bills that arrive for residents in March of 2026. Not all residents will be impacted the same, as some are served water by other water providers.
Hale believes, if it weren’t for inflation, the town would not have increased the price of sewage treatment or water distribution in 2026.
Hawaii
From aviation to shipping, how Hawaii’s transportation sector is going green
From cars, to busses, to the new rail and even up in the sky, transportation is what keeps us moving.
So how will Hawaii keep moving on cleaner pathways to meet our state’s clean energy goals?
KHON2’s Empowered franchise is committed to providing information to keep people informed on sustainability issues in Hawaii.
Joining KHON’s Gina Mangieri to talk about how we keep moving on cleaner pathways:
- Kathleen Rooney, Ulupono Initiative Director of Transportation Policy and Programs
- Roger Morton, Director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
- Nahelani Parsons, Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition
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