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Franklin Graham shares hope message in exclusive interview on Easter special: 'God hasn’t forgotten them'

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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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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HOSTS EASTER DINNER WITH ‘WORSHIP AND PRAYERS’

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.

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“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. 

TRUMP HOSTS FAITH LEADERS FOR EASTER PRAYER DINNER, SLAMS EFFORT TO RID AMERICA OF CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES

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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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“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.

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“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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Seattle, WA

Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: Status of trio of DBs

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Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: Status of trio of DBs


There were Seattle Seahawks injury updates on Friday regarding three defensive backs coming out of the Hawks’ overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

Seahawks’ Derick Hall suspended one game for stepping on player

Here’s a look at the updates, as well as insight from head coach Mike Macdonald and additional information from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.

• The biggest concern for the Seahawks coming out of the game is safety Coby Bryant, who has a knee injury. Macdonald said in a press conference Friday that Bryant would “get imaged,” meaning undergo an MRI. Fowler reported on social media that, per sources, Bryant is “expected to miss ‘some time’ based on initial tests.”

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• Cornerback Riq Woolen has a knee concern of his own, but Fowler reported that it’s “not considered serious” and that, per a source, Woolen “more so got ‘banged up.’”

• Versatile defensive back Nick Emmanwori was evaluated for a concussion late in Thursday’s game, but Macdonald said he cleared concussion protocol.

The Seahawks improved to 12-3 with their win over the Rams, giving them a one-game lead over Los Angeles for both first place in the NFC West and the No. 1 seed to the postseason out of the NFC. The Seahawks also clinched a playoff spot with the dramatic comeback victory.

The next Seahawks game will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28 on the road against the Carolina Panthers (7-7). Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 7 a.m. that day with the pregame show.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Macdonald explains Seahawks’ game-winning 2-point decision
• Brock Huard: The reason Sam Darnold was able to beat Rams
• Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after epic win
• Stacy Rost: Seahawks dramatically flip script to beat Rams
• Anatomy of a comeback: How Seattle Seahawks stunned Rams

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San Diego, CA

Nebraska Officially Adds San Diego State’s Roy Manning as Next Defensive Edge Coach

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Nebraska Officially Adds San Diego State’s Roy Manning as Next Defensive Edge Coach


The Husker football program announced its second hire to the coaching staff on the morning of Dec. 19.

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Though it was first reported on Dec. 11, the university took to social media Friday morning to make it official that former San Diego State edges coach Roy Manning would be following defensive coordinator Rob Aurich to Lincoln. Per his coaching bio on the Huskers.com website, Manning will be in the same assistant role at Nebraska for the 2026 season.

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The news marks the first defensive assistant hire for Aurich as a Husker and comes roughly a week and a half after the dismissal of Terry Bradden as defensive line coach. While Manning is not a 1:1 replacement for Bradden, he is expected to oversee a smaller position group as the Huskers look to overhaul their defensive scheme under its new leader.

With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Nebraska football’s newest defensive hire.

Manning arrives in Lincoln with a dozen years of defensive coaching experience at the Division I level, spanning multiple power conferences included the Big Ten and Big 12. He has coached at three of the 10 winningest programs in college football history, including Michigan, USC, and now, Nebraska. Most recently, Manning worked under Aurich at San Diego State, where the two were instrumental in engineering one of the nation’s most dramatic defensive turnarounds in 2025.

At San Diego State, Manning coached the Aztecs’ defensive edge players as SDSU produced one of the best defensive seasons in program history. The Aztecs led the nation with three shutouts and ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 12.6 points per game. San Diego State also finished seventh nationally in total defense and first in the country in red zone defense, something the Huskers finished 2025 second-to-last in. He helped oversee a unit that made a 17-point improvement in scoring defense from the previous season.

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Prior to his time at San Diego State, Manning spent two seasons at USC as the Trojans’ assistant head coach for defense and outside linebackers coach. Before USC, Manning coached cornerbacks at Oklahoma from 2019 to 2021, helping the Sooners win two Big 12 titles and reach the College Football Playoff. His defensive backs were a major factor in Oklahoma’s ability to generate turnovers and limit explosive passing plays, with multiple All-Big 12 selections and an NFL Draft pick emerging from his position group.

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Manning’s coaching career also includes stops at UCLA, Washington State, Michigan, and Cincinnati, giving him experience coaching nearly every defensive position group, along with special teams and even offensive roles early in his career. A former Michigan linebacker and NFL veteran, Manning has been part of championship programs as both a player and a coach, contributing to conference titles in the Big Ten and Big 12 and appearances in multiple conference championship games. His winning pedigree now carries over to Nebraska as he joins Rhule’s staff, tasked with returning the Huskers to a top defensive unit in the country.

Rhule emphasized that Manning’s addition to the staff is about adding a coach who understands defense holistically. “Roy has experience coaching defense from front to back,” Rhule said. The versatility was a key factor in the hire, allowing Nebraska to add a coach who can connect the front seven with the back end of the defense with more seamlessness as Aurich invokes his new scheme.

Continuity was another major theme in Rhule’s comments, as Manning joins Aurich after the two brough whole sale improvements to the Aztecs this fall. “Along with Coach Aurich, he was a key part of the defensive transformation at San Diego State this past season,” Rhule said. Nebraska’s head coach highlighted the trust built between the two coaches and the value of bringing in staff members who have already proven they can work together at a high level, particularly when installing a new system and expectations from day one.

For Manning, the move to Nebraska represents both an opportunity and a responsibility tied to the program’s history. “Nebraska Football is one of the most storied and respected programs in the entire country,” Manning said, expressing gratitude to Rhule and excitement about joining the Huskers staff. Manning added that he’s eager to begin building relationships within the program and help spark the same improvements the Aztecs did in 2025 in his new defensive room.

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With Manning’s hire now official, Nebraska appears to be adding a coach with a proven track record of defensive success. In 2025 alone, the duo of Manning and Aurich helped San Diego State record 32 sacks in 12 regular-season games. For context, Nebraska finished the 2025 season with just 19 of its own.

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No matter how it’s framed, Manning arrives in Lincoln with the pedigree and experience to match. With 15 of Nebraska’s 18 listed defensive linemen currently underclassmen, Manning will have the opportunity to develop a young corps with the same traits that defined his most recent defensive stops.

While Nebraska is still expected to continue its search for a true defensive line coach, Manning’s addition gives the Huskers another proven developer with lengthy Power Four experience. The reunion of former San Diego State coaches Aurich and Manning brings immediate credibility to Nebraska’s defensive rebuild. For Manning, it represents a return to Power Four football. For Nebraska, it’s a hire that appears positioned to accelerate the program’s defensive progress up front.

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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.





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Alaska

Opinion: You get what you pay for — and Alaska is paying too little

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Opinion: You get what you pay for — and Alaska is paying too little


A protester holds a sign before the start of a rally held in support of the Alaska university system on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Most Alaskans, perhaps even most Americans, have a knee-jerk reaction to taxes. They affect citizens in a sensitive area — their pocketbook. Perhaps a little analysis and thought could change this normal negative reaction.

It is clear, even to the stingiest among us, that Anchorage and Alaska need more income. Our severely underfunded public schools, decreasing population — called “outmigration” these days — underfunded police force, deteriorating streets and highways, underfunded city and state park budgets, and on and on, are not going to fix themselves. We have to pay for it.

Public schools are the best example. Do you want your first grader in a classroom with 25-plus students or your intermediate composition student in a class with 35-plus students? What if the teacher needs four to five paragraphs per week per student from two such classes? Who suffers? The teacher and 70 students. It’s not rocket science — if you minimize taxes, you minimize services.

I was an English teacher in Anchorage and had students coming into my classroom at lunch for help. Why? They were ambitious. Far more students who wanted and needed help were too shy, too busy or less motivated. With smaller class sizes, those students would have gotten the help in class.

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Some Alaskans resent paying taxes that help other people’s children. They often say, “But I don’t have any kids in school!” The same attitude is heard when folks say, “The streets in our neighborhood are fine.” Taxes are not designed to help specific taxpayers; they are, or should be, designed to help the entire community. And we are a community.

As well, lots of people get real excited by sales taxes, especially those who have enough income to buy lots of stuff. They argue that, on balance, sales taxes are unfair — they are regressive. That means that individuals with less income pay a higher percent of their income than individuals with a higher income, and this is true. It is minimized by exempting some expenses — medical care, groceries and the like.

A recent opinion piece published in the Anchorage Daily News explained the disadvantages of a regressive tax. In doing so, the author made an excellent argument for using a different kind of tax.

The solution is to use an income tax. With an income tax, the regulations of the tax can prevent it from being regressive by requiring higher tax rates as individual incomes increase. Alaska is one of only eight or nine states with no state income tax. For those folks all worked up about regressive sales taxes, this is the solution.

Any tax that most folks will accept depends on people seeing themselves as part of the same community. That’s not always obvious these days — but it doesn’t change the bottom line: We still have to pay our way.

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Tom Nelson has lived in Anchorage more than 50 years. He is a retired school teacher, cross country ski coach, track coach, commercial fisherman and wilderness guide.

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