President Joe Biden visited the U.S. southern border for the first time Sunday, but critics have warned that the Biden administration's policies will only exacerbate the immigration crisis. When Biden arrived in El Paso, Gov. Greg Abbott gave him a letter declaring that "your visit to our southern border with Mexico today is $20 billion too little and two years too late," adding, "Your visit avoids the sites where mass illegal immigration occurs and sidesteps the thousands of angry property owners whose lives have been destroyed by your border policies. Even the city you visit has been sanitized of the migrant camps which had overrun downtown El Paso because your Administration wants to shield you from the chaos that Texans experience on a daily basis. This chaos is a direct result of your failure to enforce the immigration laws that Congress enacted." Abbott called on Biden to "comply with the many statutes" regarding illegal immigration, resume construction of the border wall along the southern border and "designate the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations." Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called Biden's visit a "photo-op" and vowed that "House Republicans will hold him and [Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro] Mayorkas accountable for creating the most dangerous border crisis in American history." Read more.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office in Oregon announced Thursday that Cameron David Storer, a trans-identified individual, was arrested in connection with a Jan. 3 fire at a vacant building that once housed the Portland Korean Church. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office statement referred to Storer as "they," with the document noting that Storer repeatedly asked to be called "Nicolette" after he turned himself into the Multnomah County Detention Center and confessed to the fire. The statement revealed that Storer wanted to "take credit" for the fire, saying he "heard voices in their head saying they would 'mutilate' Storer if they did not burn the church down and that they had planned it up to one day in advance." Storer also reported taking around 10 oxycodone daily and having a history of schizophrenia. The building was deemed unsafe and demolished. Read more.

American-British former professional kickboxer and social media influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in December on charges of human trafficking. Investigators allege that Tate, his brother, and two Romanian women formed a criminal group to traffic individuals in Romania and other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Romanian authorities contend they accomplished this by "misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love," a tactic commonly known as the "loverboy method." Utilizing this "love bombing technique ... they shower this person with praise, affection, build them up, make them feel so good, so special, and they create sort of this bond. And then, a lot of times, the trafficker will just keep that going and guilt trip and use other forms of coercion and not get violent," the National Center on Sexual Exploitation's Dani Pinter explained to CP. Pinter, senior legal counsel for NCOSE, also warned that it's common for traffickers to ensure their victims become dependent upon them, eventually engaging in a cycle of violence interspersed with manipulation via more love bombing. Pinter also explained that most sex trafficking cases do not involve random kidnappings. In the case of Tate, Pinter believes he utilized his celebrity status to draw in victims. Read more.

In this op-ed, Concerning The Times' Howard Green discusses the importance of pastors preaching the Gospel without compromising the truth. Green cautions ministers who "distort the grace of God" for their own selfish ambition and envy, writing, "As His disciples, we have no excuse for failing to warn people. We must preach the whole truth of the Gospel and warn people about the coming judgment, repentance, and faith in Jesus. It is a loving thing to warn people. Jesus loves everyone and desires that all people come to Him (Matthew 9:36)." Read more.

Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, takes a deep dive into Americans' growing preference for non-denominational churches. Tooley explores the decline of American denominations, which is occurring at a greater rate among liberal churches, concluding, "American Christianity will shift and reorganize in ways that best serve American Christians and other spiritual seekers. It may appear messy and disconcerting. Much of the old Christianity is dying. But new forms of Christian vibrancy are emerging." Read more.

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During a retirement ceremony on Sunday, Salem Baptist Church of Chicago's founding pastor, James Meeks, handed over the reins of the congregation to Pastor Charlie Dates. "I'm almost afraid to hand you this because I know the burden that comes with this moment," Meeks said, explaining, "I know how many times the devil is going to tempt you to jump off that pinnacle. And Charlie, the only thing I could tell you is God's word will hold you." The event was attended by individuals such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who also addressed the church during the event broadcast on social media. Read more.

The Balkh province in Afghanistan has allegedly passed a measure banning women from seeing male doctors, per the Pakistani-based publication The Current, citing the Afghan daily newspaper Hasht-e-Subh. The provincial leadership will also reportedly create separate working spaces for male and female hospital workers and prohibit male doctors from walking into rooms with female patients. "Taliban issued a new ruling in Balkh province, Afghanistan, stating that women are not allowed to visit male doctors," tweeted journalist Ashwini Shrivastava on Sunday. "And, no education to women as well, so no female doctors either." Sahar Fetrat of Human Rights Watch told CP that her organization has not yet confirmed these reports but that it "doesn't seem impossible" given "the Taliban's continuous infringement of women's rights and restriction of women's access to basic rights and facilities." The Washington Post reported in November that the Taliban government was looking into educating more female medical professionals as part of their effort to increase gender-based segregation, however, this reported effort contradicted well-documented efforts to eliminate secondary education for Afghan women. Twenty-four of Afghanistan's 34 provinces have barred girls from completing a formal education beyond the sixth grade. Read more.