For decades, Christians in Africa have faced intense persecution at the hands of Islamic extremists. That persecution has especially focused on Christians in Nigeria and Sudan, two war-torn nations that President Donald Trump now wants to address. Last month, Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying that “Christianity is facing an existential threat.” Then, last week, the president vowed to take more action to end the civil war in Sudan. Both countries are in the midst of upheaval and have large Christian populations, whose faith puts a target on their backs. Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern means that the United States will seek to actively address Nigeria’s violations of religious freedom and opens the door to potential economic penalties. “When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” Trump said. For Nigerian Christians, the Country of Particular Concern designation could be a useful tool to push the Nigerian government to take more action to protect Christians from Islamic extremists, according to Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors U.S., an organization that helps raise awareness and get aid to persecuted Christians. The situation in Nigeria has gained attention thanks to the Trump administration, along with some unlikely cultural figures who have called out the persecution against Christians in the country, including left-wing political commentator Bill Maher and pop star Nicki Minaj. Minaj even met with Trump administration officials about the issue earlier this month and raised awareness about Christian persecution in Nigeria in front of the United Nations. The slaughter of Christians in Nigeria has become a full-blown genocide, according to on-the-ground accounts and data from recent years. Just this year, more than 7,000 Christians have reportedly been killed for their faith in Nigeria, including 250 Christians who were killed by Islamic extremists in the Yelwata village massacre in June. Research on worldwide Christian persecution suggests that Nigeria accounts for around 80% of the Christian deaths worldwide that come from persecution, according to Open Doors. Nigeria’s government has denied that Christians in the country are being systematically targeted, saying, “There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” but it has agreed to discuss the issue with the United States. Last week, the Trump administration took more steps to address persecution in Nigeria, with War Secretary Pete Hegseth meeting with the country’s national security adviser. “Under [President Trump’s] leadership, [the Department of War] is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” Hegseth said. Brown told The Daily Wire that Nigerian Christians “would certainly say that the Nigerian government has not done enough to protect the freedoms and provide safety for the men and women on the ground there.” A general view of a catholic Church in Maiduguri on November 3, 2025. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP) (Photo by AUDU MARTE/AFP via Getty Images) Some media outlets have also scrutinized claims of targeted violence toward Christians in Nigeria, writing that the violence in the African nation is too complicated to say that Christians are being systemically wiped out. But Brown told The Daily Wire that the reports of violence against Christians in Nigeria are not exaggerating the extent of the situation. “These are realities on the ground that Christians are facing. In Nigeria, this has really been a multiple-year trend,” Brown said. “I was with a pastor from Nigeria a couple weeks ago, and he said for the better part of 15 years, he’s been trying to tell this story to the world, and he’s been just so thankful that the collective attention finally is seeming to be raised.” Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday. Nigeria received more attention earlier this month when more than 300 students and 12 staff members were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school by armed men. That mass kidnapping came shortly after 25 girls were abducted from a government boarding school in Nigeria and after an attack on a church, where at least two people were killed, and the pastor was abducted. A pair of shoes is seen inside a student dormitory at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwarra local government, Niger state, on November 23, 2025. Gunmen raided the school early on November 21, taking 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria. (Photo by Ifeanyi Immanuel Bakwenye / AFP via Getty Images) Each year, Open Doors releases a “World Watch List” which shows where Christians face the most persecution. In its 2025 list, released in January, Nigeria was near the top at 7th. Open Doors uses research teams to follow news updates in countries around the world and on-the-ground relationships with Christians in numerous countries, according to Brown. Islamic extremists with terror groups, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, are targeting Christians mainly in the country’s northern regions, but the violence isn’t completely centered on Christians. Muslims with different ethnicities from the terrorists are also killed for political and religious reasons. “There are so many different contributing factors that are at play here. It’s a complicated situation,” said Brown. But he added that the nuance doesn’t mean the world should look past the violence targeting Christians. “Some have said because it’s nuanced and complicated, the conclusion we should draw is Christian persecution is not happening. We would look at those same nuances and complexities and say no, it’s an oversimplification to say that Christian persecution is not part of the fabric of what’s being woven here,” Brown said. Nigerian Christians continue to hold their faith as they face threats and violence from radical Islamic terrorists, and they are hopeful that President Trump’s focus on their plight will result in positive steps being taken toward religious freedom. When Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, Brown said that Nigerian Christian leaders had “an incredible sense of gratitude and thankfulness,” but added that they also recognized there was a lot of work to be done to address Christian persecution in the African nation. The Trump administration is not just seeking to end the persecution of Christians in Nigeria — it also has its sights set on ending the war in Sudan, a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of numerous Christians and Muslims. Like in Nigeria, the violence against Christians in Sudan spans decades and is perpetrated by radical Islamic extremists. Gasim Domkog, a pastor who grew up in Sudan before coming to America, told The Daily Wire that the violence against Christians has been nonstop as the country has gone through regime changes and civil war. “We went through a lot. I personally went through a lot,” Domkog said, adding that many members of his own family have been killed by the Islamic extremist violence. “It’s very rare to find anybody from Sudan that has not had people from their family that has been killed,” added Domkog, who now leads an Arabic-speaking church in Nashville and ministers to Christians who came out of Islam. Along with facing intense persecution for their faith, Sudanese Christians are also affected by the civil war that has torn the country apart. Sudan’s current civil war, which started in 2023, is fought between the government and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful Islamic militant group seeking to gain control of the country. More than 150,000 people have been killed in the war, and over 12 million have been forced to flee their homes. AL DABBAH, SUDAN – NOVEMBER 8: Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman and Army Commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits the newly established Al-Afadh camp in Al Dabbah, Northern State, where tens of thousands of Sudanese have taken refuge after being displaced by clashes following the Rapid Support Forces’ takeover of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) Sudan ranks 5th on the Open Doors “World Watch” list of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Violence against Christians in Sudan is perpetrated by the radical Islamic extremist groups that vie for control of the country. Often, these groups are controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. The country has been unstable since the early 1980s, when civil war broke out and continued until 2005. Following more than 20 years of conflict, South Sudan, which is made up mostly of Christians, broke away from Sudan and formed its own country in 2011. Similar to the Muslim extremists in Nigeria, terrorists in Sudan also target Muslims who have ethnic differences. In the war-torn region of Darfur, militants have gone door-to-door killing thousands of people. Evidence of the mass killings could be seen from satellite images, which showed blood-soaked neighborhoods in Darfur. The killings took place immediately after the Rapid Response Forces took control of the city. Most of the people killed in Darfur are Muslims and are targeted because they have darker skin, Domkog told The Daily Wire. “At first, the jihadists were using religious war as holy war, but now they’re focusing on ethnicity,” Domkog said. “They say that if you’re not of Arab descent, you need to be killed. Now, they’re killing their own people.” “The agenda was either to become Muslim and obey their rules and to be under Sharia Law or they will get rid of you, and that’s what they’re doing,” he added. A Sudanese woman who fled El-Fasher in Darfur carries jerrycans of water at the Al-Afad camp for displaced people in the town of Al-Dabba, northern Sudan, on November 21, 2025. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP) (Photo by EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images) President Trump said last week that after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he has agreed that the United States will “do something very powerful having to do with Sudan.” The war will be a complicated web for the Trump administration to address. Evidence presented by human rights groups shows that the United Arab Emirates is the main backer of the Rapid Response Forces, while other nations, including China, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Russia, send weapons and ammunition to both sides of the war. Trump acknowledged that the war in Sudan will not be an easy fix, but added that he believes it’s important to seek peace in the country. “I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control,” Trump said. “But I just see how important that is … and we’re going to start working in Sudan.”

The 2026 midterm elections are still a year away, but Republicans and Democrats are already in full election mode as an important U.S. House seat is up for grabs on Tuesday. Democrats are optimistic their candidate will make some noise on December 2, when votes are counted for the special U.S. House election that will determine who represents Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. The seat became empty after Republican Rep. Mark Green retired on July 20, shortly after voting to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” It’s a district that Democrats have no business winning and one that Republicans are counting on to help maintain their House majority come the 2026 midterm elections. For an off-year election in a deep red state, the stakes can’t get any higher, so here’s everything you need to know ahead of the December 2 election. The Candidates Republican candidate Matt Van Epps, 39, easily won the crowded GOP primary in October after an endorsement from President Trump. Van Epps is an Army helicopter pilot and combat veteran with years of experience in the Tennessee state government. He served as the deputy chief operating officer for the Tennessee Governor’s Office. He was then tapped by Republican Governor Bill Lee to run the Tennessee Department of General Services, where he “oversaw statewide procurement, facilities management, and essential services that touch every department in Tennessee government.” During the Republican primary, Van Epps was criticized by his opponents for working to implement strict COVID lockdown measures in the early days of the pandemic and was nicknamed “Tennessee Fauci.” That line of attack on Van Epps was ineffective, and he won the GOP primary by more than 25 points. Matt Van Epps for Congress Van Epps describes himself as a “conservative warrior” who is focused on “advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.” Along with snagging Trump’s endorsement, the Republican candidate also boasts endorsements from Governor Lee, former Rep. Green, and Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. Democrats picked Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn as their nominee for the 7th district special election. Behn, 36, has served in the Tennessee state House since 2023. The Tennessee Democrat was dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” by Democratic activist David Hogg, referring to leftist New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. After socialist Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory in the New York City mayor’s race, Democrats are hoping that the party’s younger and more radical candidates can win, even in deep-red states. Aftyn Behn, Tennessee General Assembly Other prominent Democrats have come alongside Behn, campaigning for her in Nashville. Last week, former Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance with Behn, returning to the Democratic campaign trail for the first time since her 2024 election loss. Behn is not hiding from her leftist views. Earlier this year, she followed and filmed ICE agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers as they made immigration arrests around Nashville. She has called Trump’s immigration operations “state-sponsored fear and violence.” Behn also voiced support for burning down police stations during the 2020 George Floyd riots. She recently refused to address the controversial social media post where she stated, “Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified.” After three Christian schoolchildren and three staff members were killed by a trans-identifying shooter in Nashville in 2023, Behn said she was “fearful” for “trans communities.” Behn has also been slammed for saying in the past that she hates Nashville, parts of which she’s now running to represent. The Location The 7th district sits in the western part of what is considered Middle Tennessee. It spans from the state’s border with Kentucky, through north and west Nashville, and all the way to the Alabama state line. Voters in the 7th district went for President Donald Trump by 22 points in 2024, and the district has been safely in the hands of Republicans and Rep. Mark Green, who represented the 7th from 2019 until his surprise retirement earlier this year. TN 7th Congressional District, TN Secretary of State The various demographics inside the 7th district will be a key aspect to watch when results come in on Tuesday night. Much of District 7 covers rural areas, where Van Epps is expected to perform well, but it also covers north and west Nashville, which is far more liberal than the surrounding area. Behn will have to perform exceptionally well in those areas of Nashville and will need a high Democratic turnout for a chance to pull off an upset. Last month’s primary election showed that turnout could be an issue for Democrats. Behn pulled off a narrow primary victory, receiving just over 8,600 votes. Van Epps, meanwhile, pulled in over 19,000 votes in the primary as Republican turnout far outpaced that of the Democrats. If Republicans show up in the counties surrounding Nashville and the more rural areas of the state as they have in recent House elections, Van Epps will likely cruise to victory. Tennessee’s 7th district includes areas such as part of wealthy Williamson County, which Trump won by more than 30 points in 2024, and rural Robertson County, which Trump won by 40 points. The House Majority PAC, which is connected to House Democratic leadership, believes that Democratic wins in New Jersey and Virginia earlier this month show that “no Republican-held seat is safe.” Democrats are also hoping that Behn can reach independents and moderate Republicans with her focus on affordability and the economy. The Spending Republicans and Democrats have poured millions of dollars into the special House race, with Behn’s campaign raising over $1 million between October 1 and November 12, NBC News reported. In that same timeframe, Van Epps raised $591,000. Outside groups have also dumped millions of dollars on the race, mostly in support of Van Epps and in opposition to Behn. The Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. has reportedly spent over $1 million on the race. The conservative group Club for Growth has also waded into the special House race to boost Van Epps. Behn’s campaign has spent more than half a million dollars on advertisements, while the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC and Your Community PAC have spent a combined $950,000 on additional ads, according to the Nashville Banner. The Expectations Earlier this month, Cook Political Report moved Tennessee’s 7th district from “solid” Republican to “lean” Republican. Under its summary of the race, Cook Political Report states, “Sources roundly agree that Nashville Democrats are ravenous at the prospect of an upset, while many Republican voters are unaware an election is even taking place.” Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden told WPLN News last week that the race will come down to how many Republican voters show up to the polls. Golden stressed that the special election date and early voting running up against the Thanksgiving holiday make the GOP campaign’s job even tougher. “Anytime you have a special election that is bracketed by the Thanksgiving holiday, you can’t afford to take a day off,” he said. “I think if there’s concern, it’s just that people aren’t aware that they have the opportunity to vote right now.”

During a time when so much of American culture is busy downplaying tradition, more families are embracing it, and they’re using their olfactory senses to take decorating to the next level. According to retail data, these consumers are not just decorating sooner. They’re also breaking out those scented candles quicker. Home goods analysts report a jump in premium candle sales starting as early as October, with many Americans saying holiday fragrances are now essential to creating a warm, welcoming home. “As temperatures fall, the demand for candles surges, often peaking around the holidays… candles offer an affordable way to modify a home’s atmosphere,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail for market research firm GlobalData. It turns out when people want to strengthen family traditions and build lasting memories, they’re focusing on one of the most important memory-making details: scent. While most shoppers are cramming into the aisles of Bath & Body Works or getting headaches sniffing endless scent combinations at Target, the savviest conservatives have their feet kicked up at home as they shop online for superior candles. The Candle Club is a circle of family and friends where tradition, timeless values, and truth burn bright. They also make the perfect gifts for all the Daily Wire fans in your life. With specialty collaborations made for each podcast host, plus seasonal candles for all occasions, these amazing smelling candles take the guesswork out of finding the perfect gift for your like-minded friends and family. Seasonal favorites like the new Michael Knowles Christmas Trio, Deck the Halls, Frosted Forest, and other holiday scents are flying off the shelves as families look for cost-effective ways to make their homes festive without going overboard on overpriced décor. People are figuring out that another strand of garland is nice, but a scented candle is the ultimate way to achieve holiday warmth that lasts all season. If you want your home to feel festive, start with the scent. Browse high-quality, small batch gifts today at TheCandleClub.com. The Candle Club shares common ownership with The Daily Wire. 

WASHINGTON — The State Department is ordering posts to refuse visas to Afghan nationals using Afghan passports in the wake of a brutal attack on two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., guidance reviewed by The Daily Wire shows. Effective immediately, according to the Friday guidance, all diplomatic and consular officers are “instructed to refuse under 221(g), or any other applicable ineligibility of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), all otherwise eligible Afghan nationals using an Afghan passport to apply for a nonimmigrant (NIV) or immigrant (IV) visa.” That action includes any applications for Special Immigrant Visas (including Afghan SIVs, SQ, SW, SI, SE, SS, according to the State Department) and SB-1 visas for residents returning to the U.S. It is intended to “ensure that such applications have undergone necessary security vetting and to validate screening protocols ensuring the applicant’s identity and eligibility for a visa under U.S. law,” the State Department memo said. “Additional guidance will follow SEPTEL on updated enhanced vetting or screening measures that may be required for this purpose.”  If they have already print-authorized nonimmigrant or immigrant cases for Afghan nationals who are applying with Afghan passports, but those visas have not yet been printed, they are instructed to refuse the cases and not print the visa. And in cases where the visas were already printed but not handed back, they must “spoil the foil, open the case in the system, and refuse the case.” Police keep a presence following the shooting of two U.S. National Guard members near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Nov. 26, 2025. (Photo by Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images) The guidance doesn’t apply to dual nationals who are applying with a passport of a different, non-Afghan nationality, the State Department said. More guidance on enhanced vetting or screening will follow for processing the non-immigrant and immigrant visa applicants who are applying with Afghan passports. The move comes after President Donald Trump promised to halt migration from third world countries, writing in a late night Thanksgiving post: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.” The president’s move followed the shocking attack on National Guardsmen the day before Thanksgiving. An Afghan man killed a National Guardswoman and wounded another National Guardsman, both of whom had been deployed from West Virginia to Washington, D.C. to protect the nation’s capital. Twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom died from the attack on Friday, her family said. Twenty-four-year-old Andrew Wolfe is still in critical condition. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe “were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” United States Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said in a Thursday morning press conference. “They were uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard, and they were in DC to keep DC safe pursuant to President Trump’s executive order to make DC safe and beautiful,” Pirro shared. “They answered the call, they took the charge, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know, and that unfortunately is becoming a reality more and more for the members of law enforcement.” The gunman accused of shooting the two young guardsmen is 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, The Daily Wire previously reported, who was let into the country during President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021, as part of the former president’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” the Afghan refugee program in the wake of Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump, in his late-night Thanksgiving post, argued that the “refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America.” “As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” the president said. “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.” He continued: “The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both, while the worst ‘Congressman/woman’ in our Country, Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab, and who probably came into the U.S.A. illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother, does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how ‘badly’ she is treated, when her place of origin is a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation, which is essentially not even a country for lack of Government, Military, Police, schools, etc…” “Even as we have progressed technologically, Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many,” Trump said. The president promised to pause migration from third-world countries, and to end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens and to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.” “These goals will be pursued with the aim of achieving a major reduction in illegal and disruptive populations, including those admitted through an unauthorized and illegal Autopen approval process,” Trump said. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation. Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!”

On Friday, President Trump detonated a political thunderclap, declaring that any document former President Joe Biden signed with the autopen is null and void—a sweeping reversal that, by Trump’s count, would wipe out roughly 92% of Biden’s executive actions. Trump framed the autopen saga as a usurpation of presidential authority by “Radical Left Lunatics” who “circled Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk,” insisting that Biden himself “was not involved in the Autopen process.” And if Biden now claims otherwise? Trump warned he’d be charged with perjury. The announcement did not emerge in a vacuum. For more than a year, reports—from watchdogs to congressional investigators—have painted a picture of a presidency increasingly outsourced to staff as Biden’s cognitive decline accelerated. In March 2025, The Daily Wire detailed findings from the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project showing that Biden’s December 30, 2022 pardons had been signed with the exact same autopen signature while Biden vacationed in the Virgin Islands. Although some high-profile documents—such as Hunter Biden’s pardon and Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race—appear hand-signed, numerous explosive pardons, including those for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, the January 6 Committee, and members of the Biden family, bore the same autopen imprint. Kyle Brosnan, the Oversight Project’s chief counsel, has called the situation “troubling,” noting that the power to issue pardons belongs solely to the president as a constitutional principle. Coupled with Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” Brosnan argued the evidence suggests Biden “wasn’t really running the White House. It was the staff.” Meanwhile, further reporting revealed that Biden did not individually approve names for the mass clemency actions signed during his final months. Staff revised lists based on Bureau of Prisons updates and ran the final versions through the autopen without re-presenting them to Biden, according to aides and the New York Times. Biden insisted he “made every decision,” but the admission that actions were carried out “orally” and executed by staff—primarily Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman, who managed the autopen—only fueled concerns. The Trump White House, the DOJ, and the House Oversight Committee have been conducting parallel investigations, reviewing what may exceed one million documents bearing Biden’s autopen signature. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt summarized the administration’s view bluntly: Biden “handed the power of the presidency to an autopen.” And Trump, with characteristic finality, says those documents are done.