Trans-identified Biden administration official, Dr. Rachel Levine, formerly known as Richard, has been named among USA Today's "Women of the Year." When Levine became the first trans-identified four-star officer to serve in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy contended that Levine had also become "the first female four-star officer to serve in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps." This did not sit well with Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. In response to Murthy’s assertion, Banks remarked on Twitter, "Calling someone that was born and lived as a man for 54 years the first ‘female’ four-star officer is an insult to every little girl who dreams of breaking glass ceilings one day."

Pamela Ricard, a math teacher at Fort Riley Middle School, filed a suit last week against school officials in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas after being suspended for refusing to use a trans-identified student's preferred name and pronouns because doing so would violate her religious beliefs. According to the lawsuit, Ricard was suspended in April 2021 for three days and given a written reprimand because she called a biologically female student by her legal name and used female pronouns. The lawsuit notes neither the district nor the school had a formal policy regarding students' preferred names and pronouns and states that Ricard is a Christian who "holds sincere religious beliefs consistent with the traditional Christian and biblical understanding of the human person and biological sex."

President Joe Biden used his time at the podium for his first State of the Union address to double down on efforts to undermine the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, write The Heritage Foundation legal fellow Amy Swearer and Young Leaders Program member Abby Kassal. "Incredibly, with one breath Biden praised the Ukrainian people for taking up arms to defend democracy, and with the next he mocked the millions of Americans who own lesser versions of those same arms, asking whether they thought the 'deer are wearing Kevlar vests,'" the authors state, asserting that Biden does not understand that the Second Amendment is about American citizens' right to defend themselves. Swearer and Kassal conclude by highlighting 11 recent instances of defensive gun use. Read more.

Dr. Billy Wilson, president of Oral Roberts University, shares five strengths Gen Z needs to learn to successfully navigate the path that can bring their dreams to fruition. Among the bunch: Gen Z needs to know how to endure difficulty, prepare for possibilities so they can step through doors that open for them, and focus on the finish. "Let’s help Generation Z to dream and dream big. When they are sure they are dreaming God’s dream—and it has been confirmed two or three ways in their hearts—they need to speak it out and let God activate the purpose-process in their lives," Wilson writes. Read more.

Enemy aircraft overhead. Heavily armed paratroopers. Tanks in the streets. Bombs exploding nearby. Women and children were killed. Husbands and fathers are directed to the front lines. Escape routes cut-off. The horror of war has come to our Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine. But they are remaining faithful, courageously keeping churches open for refuge and comfort, feeding, calling for prayer, and helping those forced to flee their homes. Support Now

Sister Deirdre Byrne, a pro-life activist, practicing physician, and Roman Catholic nun who sued the District of Columbia for an exemption to the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers has had her medical license restored and can continue to practice medicine while her lawsuit is adjudicated. Over the last several months, Bryne had been able to practice medicine in D.C. without taking a vaccine and had not faced any objections from the places where she served. However, after a continued back-and-forth with the D.C. Department of Health, Bryne was told late last month that her request for an exemption had been denied and failure to take at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine would result in a prohibition on the renewal of her medical license or its "revocation or suspension." She revealed on EWTN's "The World Over" on Thursday that her license had been suspended and she was forced to close her clinics. However, with assistance from the Thomas More Society, her license was restored, though the Thomas More Society cautioned the move "doesn't resolve all of the issues raised in the lawsuit."

North Carolina native Dontrell Briggs brought "American Idol" judge Lionel Richie to tears with his audition of the Tasha Cobbs song "For Your Glory." Briggs, who sang the song as a tribute to his godmother, who passed away prior to the taping, explained, "She played a very big part in my life—not a day that I could not call her and she wouldn’t be right there for me." Richie praised the performance, saying, "Some people can come in and just sing, and then some people come in and just let God come through them." Watch the moving clip here.

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