Thousands of believers gathered in the nation’s capital on Sunday for an all-day prayer and worship service honoring America’s Christian heritage ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary. The event — Rededicate 250, part of the Trump administration’s Freedom 250 initiative — featured a host of political, Catholic, and evangelical leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary Pete Hegseth, Bishop Robert Barron, and Franklin Graham, who did not hold back in condemning what he described as America’s moral decline. “People have become lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God,” Graham said, painting a dire picture of the country’s biblical literacy. “America has become morally rotten, completely sick with sin, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, opening women’s locker rooms to men are just the tip of the iceberg.” In a recorded address, Trump struck a similar tone, reading a passage from 2 Chronicles that calls for repentance and urges people to turn from their wicked ways. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., thousands braved 80-degree heat and waited in hour-long lines that stretched for blocks to call on their fellow Americans to repent and join each other in prayer and worship.  Large crowd waiting in line for Rededication 250 event pic.twitter.com/eJCZwAM5Ft — Jacob Wheeler (@JWheelertv) May 17, 2026 Grammy-winning Christian artist Chris Tomlin performed “Holy Forever” to the crowd of thousands on their feet. HOLY FOREVER “Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all”@christomlin pic.twitter.com/7ie11Vtn9z — Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) May 17, 2026 In front of a crowd wearing Bible-themed shirts and waving Jesus-inspired flags, top Trump administration officials and Republican leaders offered historical and personal reflections. “On this day, two and a half centuries ago, our forefathers gathered for the second time in as many years for a national day of fasting and prayer,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Roman Catholic, said. “They knew that what they were trying to do had never been done before in human history, but with the dark storm clouds of war looming on the horizon, they did what Christians have always done across place and time for 2000 years. They turned their eyes to heaven and placed their faith in the hands of God.” “This is who we are. It is who we have always been. America is still a young nation, measured against the record of history, and from the beginning, we have carried the belief that our country represents something new in the world, but the soul of our nation has always been rooted in an ancient faith,” Rubio added. On this day 250 years ago, our forefathers gathered for a national day of fasting and prayer. Today, Americans will come together again as one Nation under God. This is who we are and who we’ve always been. pic.twitter.com/0r4QUsy1hY — Department of State (@StateDept) May 17, 2026 Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) spoke about Christianity in personal terms. “I stand before you as living proof that prayer, the power of prayer, changes lives,” Scott said. “It’s prayer that inspires our nation. It’s prayer that transforms our world. There is no way to grasp the last 250 years of America without looking to the power of prayer.” Actor Jonathan Roumie, best known for portraying Jesus Christ in “The Chosen,” urged Americans to recommit to the idea of being “one nation under God.” “No matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or how long it’s been, or how bad things might all seem when you get stuck in the doom scroll of it all, simply stop and pray,” Roumie said. “And if you still feel burdened, maybe it’s time to go to confession. There is power in repentance.” FULL SPEECH: Actor Jonathan Roumie Provides Testimony and Reflects on Portraying Jesus – 05/17/26 pic.twitter.com/8DFzOZSYZz — RSBN

Two Navy jets collided midair during an air show in Idaho on Sunday, forcing all four crew members to eject safely and the base to go on lockdown. A dramatic video showed two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets colliding during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho.  Footage of the mid air collision between a pair of Navy Super Hornets/Growlers during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base moments ago. pic.twitter.com/yQqPavmSWk — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 17, 2026 The crash happened at 12:10 p.m. local time in the middle of an aerial demonstration, according to NBC News. All four crew members ejected by parachute moments before the two jets crashed to the ground and exploded. A photo circulating on social media shows the aftermath of the crash.  2 E/A-18G Growlers from the VAQ-129 Growler Demo Team are reported to have collided during the Gunfighter Skies Airshow at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho today. Both crews are reported to have ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/k5SWJ9mz1u — Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) May 17, 2026 The four crew members ejected safely and were “found safe,” according to a local Idaho news outlet.  In a social media post, Mountain Home Air Force Base acknowledged “an aircraft incident” and canceled the remainder of the air show pending an investigation.  “Mountain Home Air Force base has canceled the remainder of the air show. At this time, we ask for our guests already on base to remain in the flightline area to allow first responders to move in and out of place to continue securing the area. We are working on a plan to safely allow guests to exit base as soon as possible,” the statement said.  Organizers said the popular air show that includes flying demonstrations and parachute jumps is a celebration of aviation history and a look at modern military capabilities. On Saturday, the base posted photos on Facebook of the air show’s successful Day 1.  “From the first takeoff to the final pass, today was packed with unforgettable moments! And we’re doing it all again tomorrow…”

New York Magazine is investigating writer Ross Barkan for plagiarism after he seemingly ripped off his lede paragraph in a recent hit piece against The Daily Wire. Barkan recently joined the new liberal media trend of writing rumor-laden attacks on The Daily Wire. After his story was published, Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell took to X to complain that Barkan’s lede was almost identical to the one he had published days earlier. After Barkan was called out, New York Magazine updated his story to credit Harwell, seemingly acknowledging that it was a direct rip-off. NPR then identified at least two other instances where Barkan ripped off entire paragraphs, this time from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. The lede of our Shapiro story on Saturday and the lede of the @NYMag story todayhttps://t.co/P20BkpGhqWhttps://t.co/Ha03RLE3qs pic.twitter.com/64OzrvFcRS — Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) May 14, 2026 New York Magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke told NPR that the magazine is “conducting a review of the writer’s prior work.” Rather than deny that he is a plagiarist, Barkan argued online that it’s okay because he credited the people he was stealing from. “I am allowed, as a columnist building on *his* reporting, to cite facts. Especially when he’s credited,” Barkan said of the Compact Magazine incident. He further attempted to brush the issue under the rug in a statement to NPR: “I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of journalism in my career. I stand by my record.” He added that this is “all quite ridiculous.” Barkan has been a prolific writer, and liberal, in the New York scene. In addition to New York Magazine, he has also written for The New York Times, and in 2018 ran for state senate (but lost) as a Democrat.

Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was slammed after his public statement championing “Nakba Day,” drawing sharp criticism from historians and policy analysts who accused the lawmaker of presenting a highly selective and revisionist version of the 1948 war. Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed. Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us… pic.twitter.com/z2PBOaJq5Z — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 15, 2026 Happy Nakba Day to you and yours! I celebrate the failed attempt to Holocaust the middle eastern Jews. Are you with me? — Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) May 16, 2026 The “Nakba” is the biggest load of cry-bully bullshit In 1948 the Arabs waged a war of extermination against Jews If they had won, all those performing pain today would be posting about a day of joy and celebration But they lost – and now they cry crocodile tears to the world… — leekern (@leekern13) May 16, 2026 Shame on your @NYCMayor. This is political propaganda masquerading as compassion. Mamdani erases the fact that the Arab world rejected the UN's partition plan which would have created a Palestinian state and instead launched a war to destroy the newborn Jewish state in 1948. He… — Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) May 15, 2026   The “Nakba” was when an Arab paramilitary group led by a former colonel in the Nazi Wehrmacht – with an official emblem featuring a sword stabbing a Jewish Star of David – failed to carry out a second Holocaust against Jews three years after the Nazi Holocaust pic.twitter.com/1NPY9KT8fZ — Drew Pavlou

An American intelligence assessment leaked to Axios Sunday claims the communist regime in Cuba is plotting an attack against Guantanamo Bay, American ships, and maybe even Key West, Florida. The Cuban government has amassed more than 300 drones and has since started discussing using them to attack those sites, Axios reported, citing the intelligence. Axios did not provide any further specifics on the nature of the intelligence or where it came from. Momentum toward a U.S. military action in Cuba appears to be surging, with the Axios report serving as the latest piece of the puzzle. Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba to warn them against attacking the United States, and told government officials that they must abandon their authoritarian system to receive sanctions relief. The day before, it was reported the Department of Justice plans to unseal an indictment against Cuban leader Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two humanitarian planes from Miami. The legal tactic mirrors that which was used against deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. captured in January after indicting him for his role in narcotics trafficking. U.S. officials say Cuba has been amassing drones for several years from Russia and Iran, with an increased number coming from Russia in the last month. An estimated 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with the Russian government paying Cuba a reported $25,000 per soldier. An official told Axios that the U.S. had intercepted communications that indicate the Cubans are trying to learn from Iran’s tactics in their ongoing war with the United States. “When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it’s concerning,” a U.S. official told Axios.