NFL on TV: These charts show how football dominates ratings

• February 7, 2025

Ratings score

The year 2024 had the Summer Olympics and a huge election, but football dominated the ratings once again. Here’s a look at TV trends.

MOST-WATCHED PRIME TIME TELECASTS OF 2024 (total U.S. viewers)

The year’s most-watched telecasts (in Live+7 ratings), according to broadcast and cable measurements, in both total viewers and adults 18-49

Even bigger

Including the international market the 2024 game reached approximately 210 million viewers.

Why watch?

A 2024 survey by Seton Hall University said that when it comes to watching the Super Bowl people are most interested in:

• The game: 49%
• Halftime show: 25%
• Commercials: 21%
• Don’t know: 5%

The ads

CBS received about $7 million for each 30-second commercial during the 2024 Super Bowl, up about $500,000 from 2023. There are typically 80 to 90 commercials during the game. This year the price for FOX Corp. is reportedly to be $7 million to more than $8 million depending on the brands. In a report by Variety, Mark Evans, executive vice president of sales at Fox Sports said, “The Super Bowl is the only place where you can aggregate legitimate scale with one commercial. It’s not like any other thing.”

Audience universe

Thanks to technology and TV-connected devices, viewers have more ways to watch programming than ever. Television is still the preferred method, but even that has changed as people are watching more and more shows on time-shifted TV (such as digital recordings) and online.The chart to the right shows Nielsen estimates for the monthly U.S. audience across a spectrum of devices.

Household ownership of devices

Nielsen’s National Television Household Universe for 2023-24 estimated there are 125 million TV homes in the U.S., and 58.7% have a device capable of streaming content to the television set.

Here’s the breakdown:

Total viewers: Estimated to be 304.5 million (age 2 and up), an increase of 0.9% from 2016.

Sports and drama: 14% of total TV viewing is of sporting events, and most of them are viewed live, whereas more than half of TV drama is recorded and watched later.

How we’re watching

Given the abundance of streamable content, much of which can be watched on demand, streaming has grown to a sizable portion of total TV usage, hitting 43.3% in December, up from 38.4% the year before.

Sources: Variety, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Nielsen Co., Consumer Electronics Association, Bloomberg Media, Sportico.com

​ Orange County Register 

The impact of mass deportations and the need for comprehensive reform

• February 7, 2025

Along with inflation, anger towards uncontrolled immigration was a significant factor in President Trump’s victory last November, and Trump promised to address the issue immediately after his inauguration.

And he did. On Trump’s first day back in office, the President signed a series of executive orders authorizing the arrest and deportation of illegal migrants, specifically those who commit crimes.

To be sure, this move is broadly supported. According to Associated Press polling, more than 8-in-10 (83%) Americans – including a majority of Democrats (53%) – support deporting immigrants who have been convicted of a crime.

And while this is a long overdue policy, mass deportations may have significant impacts on the United States generally, and California specifically.

Put another way, there should be little doubt that deporting violent migrants is the correct policy, one that hopefully causes a considerable improvement in public safety.

In Los Angeles alone, ICE officers recently round up multiple illegal aliens charged with offenses such as terrorism, homicide, drug trafficking, domestic violence, and more, according to Fox LA.

However, there is a marked difference between targeted deportations and the mass deportations Trump has promised.

If these deportations expand to include undocumented migrants who are otherwise living and working peacefully, or deporting those who came as children, the negative impacts will be severely magnified.

Perhaps the biggest impact of mass deportations would be felt economically, due to the sheer number of migrants living in the U.S., and the states and industries they are largely concentrated in.

As of 2022, there were roughly 11 million unauthorized migrants in the United States, with slightly more than 8 million of those employed, according to Pew Research. Both numbers are almost certainly higher now following the final two years of President Biden’s administration.

In any sense, Pew calculates that nearly one-half of all unauthorized migrants reside in just four states – California, New York, Texas, and Florida – where undocumented workers paid more than $18 billion of taxes combined in 2022, per Yale Budget Lab.

In California alone, migrants make up between 50% – 70% of farmworkers, and their deportation en masse could drastically upend our food supply, causing grocery prices to skyrocket.

This is already beginning. In Kern County, CA, undocumented farmworkers makeup roughly 60% of the workforce, but the fear of ICE raids has led to between one-fifth and 30% of them skipping work.

Experts estimate that prolonged or increased absences by farmhands in Kern, Central, and Salinas Counties alone could cost the state more than $500 million in lost revenue for the state’s economy, as well as the farmers who employ migrants.

Nationally, mass deportations targeting the 8.3 million undocumented workers – rather than just those convicted of crimes – could lead to a 6%-7% decrease in America’s GDP, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, with the greatest impacts felt in construction, manufacturing, and hospitality.

In the wake of the devastating fires which ravaged Los Angeles, these workers are critical to rebuilding the area.

Dan Gatsby, the founder of the Los Angeles Builders Association has already said that rebuilding the city would take “twice as long” if mass deportations were carried out.

Taken together, the labor shortages caused by mass deportations would send inflation surging, undermining both the American economy and Trump’s promises to lower prices.

It would also severely weaken the local economy, given California’s economic dependence on migrant labor.

There is another consequence of deportations: the Trump administration must work with foreign countries, including some American adversaries, to facilitate these operations, carrying geopolitical and humanitarian risks.

For example, Trump recently cut a deal with Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro, whereby he would accept Venezuelans, ostensibly in exchange for Venezuelan oil continuing to flow, keeping a lid on global prices.

That so many of these potential deportees fled Maduro and are likely to face retribution is a significant human rights concern, as is the fact that the United States does not even consider Maduro a legitimate president.

To that end, the humanitarian impacts of deportations must be moderated by ensuring that deportations are limited to those who pose a threat to Americans, not those whose safety is at risk if deported.

Doing so will also mitigate the economic impacts, as criminals do not contribute to the American economy.

To be clear, this is not to criticize the deportations of violent criminals or Trump’s extremely overdue steps to shut down the Southern border and restore some sense of order in our immigration process.

Rather, it is to stress the need for a comprehensive plan to update our immigration system, which has not been updated in 34 years according to the Brookings Institute.

We must reform a system that allowed so many criminals to enter the country, while at the same time, making it challenging for those who simply want a better life and to contribute to the American economy to become citizens.

Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.

​ Orange County Register 

Musk team’s access to student loan systems raises alarms over personal information for millions

• February 7, 2025

By COLLIN BINKLEY and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS, AP Education Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are pushing back against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency as it turns its attention to the Education Department, with lawmakers raising concerns about DOGE’s access to internal systems containing personal information on tens of millions of Americans.

In a letter to the acting education secretary, a group of Democrats is seeking to intervene as DOGE gains increasing access to student loan databases and other systems. Democrats fear it could lay the groundwork for a takeover akin to Musk’s attempt to close the U.S. Agency for International Development. The letter demanded details about DOGE’s work and vowed to fight any attempt to close the Education Department.

Democrats including California Rep. Mark Takano planned to show up at the department’s Washington headquarters on Friday and demand a meeting with leaders appointed by President Donald Trump.

The department has been in turmoil as Trump, a Republican, sets out to abolish it. The White House is considering an executive order that would tell the education secretary to slash the department as far as possible and urge Congress to fully terminate it. Dozens of employees have been placed on paid leave with little explanation, and workers from DOGE have begun scouring the department’s records as they look to slash spending.

Musk’s DOGE team already has gained access to a database housing personal information on millions of students and parents with federal student loans, according to two people with knowledge of the issue. One of them, a department employee, said a DOGE representative requested the access more than a week ago. A third person said DOGE would be given administrator access to the department’s website on Friday, allowing Musk’s workers to change the text on any page or take the site offline.

The people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

A federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block DOGE’s access to student financial aid systems, saying it violates privacy rights of millions of federal student loan borrowers. It was filed by the advocacy group Student Defense on behalf of the University of California Student Association.

It says DOGE could now have access to Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth and contact information for student loan borrowers. The database also houses information on the parents of dependent loan applicants, including citizenship status and income information.

The suit says it’s an “enormous and unprecedented” invasion of privacy for more than 42 million people whose personal data is stored in Federal Student Aid systems. It says those people trusted the department with their information when they applied for federal loans and grants or filled out the FAFSA student aid form.

The Education Department said DOGE is helping it return to in-person work, restoring accountability for employees and reforming the hiring process to focus on merit. It said there is “nothing inappropriate or nefarious going on.”

“The DOGE employees are federal employees,” the department said in a statement. “They have been sworn in, have the necessary background checks and clearances, and are focused on making the Department more cost-efficient, effective, and accountable to the taxpayers.”

Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department, claiming it has been infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.” He nominated professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be his education secretary and quipped at a Tuesday news conference that he wants her “to put herself out of a job.”

But Trump’s pledge is colliding with the reality that the department’s existence and most of its spending is ordered by Congress. It’s unclear if Trump could rally political support to abolish the department, which some Republicans have occasionally attempted but has never gained wide political popularity.

The White House tempered its rhetoric on Thursday when press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his team are looking at options “to reduce the size of the Department of Education, if not abolish it completely.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Judge in Boston to consider latest bid to block Trump’s birthright citizenship order

• February 7, 2025

By MICHAEL CASEY

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Boston said on Friday he would take under advisement a request from 18 state attorneys general to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin was the third federal judge this week to hear arguments in lawsuits seeking to block the order. It was unclear when Sorokin, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, would issue a decision on the request.

The state attorneys general, along with the cities of San Francisco and Washington, asked Sorokin to issue a preliminary injunction.

Two other federal judges blocked Trump’s order earlier in the week — first in Maryland, where a judge issued a nationwide pause on the order in a lawsuit brought by immigrant-rights advocacy groups and a handful of expectant mothers; and then in Seattle, where a judge in a separate lawsuit decried what he described as the administration’s treatment of the Constitution, saying Trump was trying to change it with an executive order.

They argue that the principle of birthright citizenship is “enshrined in the Constitution” and that Trump does not have the authority to issue the order, which they called a “flagrantly unlawful attempt to strip hundreds of thousands of American-born children of their citizenship based on their parentage.”

They also say Trump’s order would cost states funding they rely on to “provide essential services” — from foster care to health care for low-income children to “early interventions for infants, toddlers, and students with disabilities.”

At the heart of all the lawsuits is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, which held that Scott, an enslaved man, wasn’t a citizen despite having lived in a state where slavery was outlawed.

The Trump administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.

Attorneys for the states have argued that it does — and that has been recognized since the amendment’s adoption, notably in an 1898 U.S. Supreme Court decision. That decision, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.

The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them.

​ Orange County Register 

More GOP-led states seek to follow Trump’s lead in defining male and female

• February 7, 2025

By KIM CHANDLER, JOHN HANNA and SAFIYAH RIDDLE

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Katherine Bartle said she spent her years growing up in Alabama trying anything to “fix” herself and exist as a man. Eventually she realized it wasn’t possible.

“I am a woman. I assure you that this is not a costume, nor is it by my own choice,” Bartle, 24, of Huntsville, Alabama, told Alabama lawmakers this week as they debated legislation that would define her and other transgender women in Alabama as men based on the sex they were assigned at birth.

The Alabama legislation, which passed the Senate Thursday, would create legal definitions of male and female based on the reproductive organs at birth. At least nine other states have already enacted similar laws.

Now Alabama and a small but growing number of other GOP-led states are pushing to enact more laws this year following President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring there are two sexes and rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender.

“That provides a framework for the states to be able to enact their own without fear of reprisals from the federal government,” said Nebraska state Sen. Kathleen Kauth, who is sponsoring a measure there.

Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued an executive order to impose definitions for male and female, and he is backing Kauth’s bill. The measure also would restrict transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms. A committee hearing was set for Friday.

Several other GOP-led states are considering similar bills this year.

Trump’s move affects passports, federal prisons and federal funding. State laws affect state-controlled policies.

For example, after Kansas enacted its law in 2023, the state stopped allowing transgender people to change their birth certificates and driver’s licenses so that the listing for “sex” would match their gender identities. Even transgender residents who have had their gender identities reflected on their licenses face having the listing reversed if they have to renew their licenses.

Bills have been proposed in multiple states

Legislation defining male and female passed the Wyoming House last month, and similar proposals have been introduced in Arizona, Indiana, Missouri and South Carolina, according to groups that track measures rolling back transgender rights.

“It’s based on fundamental truths that are as old as the Book of Genesis and as reliable as the sun in the sky. Men are born men, women are born women and one can never become the other,” said Republican Sen. April Weaver, a sponsor of an Alabama proposal. She said a person “can identify as whoever you want to identify as, but this just puts into law what your sex is.”

The Alabama Senate passed the bill with a 26-5 vote, with all five Democrats voting against it. The bill will now move to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Alabama Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, a Democrat, didn’t disagree with the definitions in the bill but questioned its purpose. She said the bill wouldn’t “change the perception about how people feel about themselves,” but instead intended “to change attitudes as people go in to get services, to have people looked at differently, to target, to isolate.”

“I believe people are going to be killed and die behind this,” Coleman-Madison said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey promised to sign the bill if it reaches her desk.

The bills began popping up in statehouses several years ago, but they gained traction in the last two years.

Kauth said that even five years ago, the definition of male and female seemed fixed in people’s minds. Republicans often describe recognition of transgender people’s gender identities as an ideology being pushed by the political left.

“The intensity of this ideology and the push through society has been pretty extreme, so we need to actually push back on it,” Kauth said.

The American Medical Association and other mainstream medical groups say that extensive research shows that sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum than as an either/or definition. Strict definitions can also leave out a range of variations that include intersex people, who have physical traits that don’t fit typical definitions for male or female categories.

Conservatives pushing the bills often argue that states have an interest in protecting “women-only” spaces such in bathrooms, locker rooms and sport teams and prevent transgender women from accessing them. “It would prevent males who identify as women from claiming that they have an automatic right to access these specific women’s spaces. I believe we as women should be standing up to this,” Alabama’s Weaver said.

Trump boosts the idea that sex is unchangeable

Trump has boosted the idea that there are two unchangeable sexes in a series of executive orders that call for moving transgender women in federal prisons to men’s facilities, barring gender-marker changes on passports, ending federal funding for gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under 19, kicking transgender service members out of the military and removing transgender women and girls from women’s and girls’ sports competitions.

His policies are facing court challenges, with arguments that they are discriminatory and exceed the president’s authority. Some of the orders call on Congress to make laws and agencies to implement regulations –- actions that can take months or years.

“We deserve to be here,” trans people say

Trans people said the bills are an attempt to deny their existence or to capitalize on prejudice for political gain. Several hundred people marched to the Alabama Capitol and Statehouse Wednesday to protest the legislation and other bills that impact LGBTQ people.

“I’m tired of running from the opposition. I’m not going any damn where. You deserve to be here. We deserve to be here,” TC Caldwell told the crowd.

Bartle said she believes the bills are about an attempt to “exert control” over people.

“It’s not for the protection of women or anything of the sort,” she said.

Micah Saunders, a transgender man from Birmingham, Alabama, told lawmakers during a public hearing that they need to think about the implications. He said if the bill were to pass, it would force him as a trans man, who has a “beard and receding hairline,” to use the women’s facilities, and that any woman “not deemed feminine enough could be a target for harassment.”

“This bill will put Alabamians under the threat of violence and harassment. It solves no problems and creates new ones,” Saunders said.

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

​ Orange County Register 

Impress the woman in your life with these Valentine’s Day gifts

• February 7, 2025

People all over the world look forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day with their loved ones, but not everyone is a natural gift-giver. While buying gifts for the woman in your life can be a lot of fun, coming up with something unique and thoughtful has the potential to be challenging.

Instead of buying generic gifts like flowers or chocolates, consider thinking outside the box and getting something that truly reflects your partner’s personality and interests. These Valentine’s Day gift ideas for her give you a good place to start.

Best Valentine’s Day gifts for her 2025

Dyson Airwrap

We tested out this popular Dyson styling tool to see if it was worth the fuss. Our tester found their hair was smoother and more manageable than it is when styling with a hair dryer and a round brush, although they thought it was better for long hair than short hair.

Beauty by Earth Organic and Natural Bath Bombs Gift Set

Any woman who enjoys de-stressing in a warm bath will love this calming bath bomb set. Made with some of the finest natural ingredients, including Dead Sea salt, cocoa butter, organic shea butter and Epsom salts, they come in six scents for different aromatherapy benefits. Whether your valentine needs help falling asleep, shaking off a stressful day or soothing sore muscles, these bath bombs won’t disappoint.

“Girl Culture” by Lauren Greenfield

Containing more than 100 of Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning photographs and 18 interviews, this book focuses on how American pop culture affects girls. It’s a stunning coffee table book and is sure to resonate with the women in your life.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set

Whether your significant other is already a keen artist or she’s expressed an interest in taking up painting, these quality watercolors make a great gift. You get 24 colors in a set, which is more than enough to get started. They’re highly pigmented with good transparency.

California Design Den Chunky Knit Weighted Blanket

If your valentine has trouble falling asleep, a weighted blanket is an especially thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift. The knitted cotton style has enough weight to calm anxiety for a good night’s sleep, but it’s still breathable and cool enough to keep her comfortable on warmer nights. It’s machine-washable for easy care.

TowelSelections Women’s Turkish Cotton Bathrobe

Make your valentine feel like she’s at the spa when she’s lounging around the house in this comfy cotton robe. It features large patch pockets on each side for convenience. The fabric belt makes it easy to customize the fit.

Fender CC-60S Concert Acoustic Guitar

If the woman in your life has often expressed musical aspirations, this acoustic guitar is a solid option to learn on. The concert body is smaller than dreadnought versions, making it more manageable for beginners.

Apple AirPods

Our tester tried out these high-end wireless earbuds from Apple. They found them comfortable to wear, with excellent sound quality that’s loud enough even in noisy environments. They said the setup was easy, and they never had issues with the Bluetooth connectivity.

Efytal Compass Necklace

Jewelry can be a thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift if you choose a piece with the right meaning behind it. This sterling silver compass necklace fits the bill — it lets your Valentine know that you’re on a journey together. The chain is 18 inches, which makes it a good fit for nearly anyone.

Keen Women’s Targhee 3 Mid-Height Waterproof Hiking Boots

Enthusiastic hikers and fans of outdoor pursuits are bound to appreciate a fresh pair of hiking boots. They’re waterproof yet breathable, to keep feet dry with causing them to overheat. The traction is excellent and they come in a range of colors.

Potter Gift Our Q&A a Day: A Three-Year Journal for Two People

If you’re looking to wow your valentine, this couples’ journal is up to the task. It offers a single question for you and your partner to answer each day with a sentence or two, such as “Where would you like to travel with your partner?” It covers a three-year span, serving as a lovely time capsule for your relationship.

Skandinavisk Scented Candle

Fans of scented candles will be happy to receive one of these as a Valentine’s Day gift. They come from a Swedish brand and have interesting fragrances. For instance, the Skog candle has notes of pine needles, fir cones and birch sap, while the Fjall candle has notes of heather, thyme and leaf sap.

Tea Forte Tea Sampler Gift Set

If the special woman in your life enjoys tea, this assortment of herbal teas makes a lovely gift for Valentine’s Day. Containing 20 assorted pyramid tea bags, your valentine can choose from varieties such as apricot amaretto and cherry cosmo for her daily tea break.

Nekteck Shiatsu Neck and Back Massager

For a valentine who doesn’t take enough time for self-care, this powerful heated shiatsu massager can help soothe her sore muscles and ease tension after a long day.

Pott’d Home Air-Dry Clay Pottery Kit

This kit contains everything your partner needs to make and paint air-dry pots. If she’s interested in crafts or expressed an interest in pottery, this in an excellent gift. It would also make a fun activity to do together as a couple.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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​ Orange County Register 

Latino evangelical churches gear up to face possible immigration enforcement in churches

• February 7, 2025

By DEEPA BHARATH, Associated Press

Bishop Ebli De La Rosa says his motto right now is “to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.”

De La Rosa, who oversees Church of God of Prophecy congregations in nine southeastern states, says he has had to respond quickly to the Trump administration’s new orders, which have thrown out policies that restricted immigration enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools and houses of worship.

This move has imperiled 32 of the Latino evangelical denomination’s 70 pastors who are here without legal status and serve in some of the region’s most vulnerable communities, De La Rosa said. The bishop has instructed each congregation with endangered pastors to prepare three laypeople to take over, should their leader be deported. He has also told them to livestream every service, and to “keep recording even if something happens.”

“Some of my pastors are holding services with doors locked because they are scared that immigration agents will burst through the door at any moment,” he said. “I feel so bad and so helpless that I can do nothing more for them.”

De La Rosa echoes the sentiments of several other faith leaders representing thousands of Latino evangelical Christians in Florida and swaths of the Southeast. They worry about the sanctity of their sacred spaces, and the possibility of immigration raids and arrests.

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 20 said the president’s executive order will empower officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to enforce immigration laws and that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”

Agustin Quiles, a spokesperson for the Florida Fellowship of Hispanic Councils and Evangelical Institutions, said community members, including many who supported Donald Trump in the last election cycle, now feel devastated and abandoned.

“The messaging appears to be that anyone who is undocumented is a criminal,” he said. “Latino evangelicals for the most part voted Republican and hold conservative views on issues like abortion. We want to ask the president to reconsider because these actions are causing pain and trauma to so many families in and beyond our churches. Their suffering is great, and the church is suffering with them.”

Quiles said his organization will lobby legislators in Washington and Florida to reinstate laws that protected sensitive spaces like houses of worship.

“Our main focus is the unity of families and the many children who will be impacted or left behind without their parents,” he said.

Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who advised President Trump on immigration during his first term, says he has been assured on multiple occasions “by those in the know” that houses of worship have nothing to fear.

“There should be zero angst as it pertains to churches because no one is going to come into a church with or without guns blazing,” he said. “That is never going to happen.”

However, Rodriguez said agents may surveil a church if they suspect someone engaged in criminal activity is seeking shelter there. And he said those who are here illegally — even if they have lived in the United States for decades — may be deported if they are living with or are around someone who is here illegally and has committed a crime.

The National Association of Evangelicals, which says it represents 40 congregations and serves millions, expressed dismay at the executive order.

“Withdrawal of guidance protecting houses of worship, schools and health facilities from immigration enforcement is troubling,” it said on Jan. 22, asserting that the move has deterred some from attending church.

Pastors who are seeing the impact of these orders on the ground agree.

The Rev. Esteban Rodriguez, who leads Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-size Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida, said Latino evangelical churches “are like a big family that is composed of families.” In his community, those who are here without legal status have even been afraid to go to work, church and to food pantries to fulfill their basic needs, he said.

Rodriguez said he has been helping some congregants with reference letters for their immigration applications and speaking with lawyers to see how the church can help proactively.

The Rev. Ruben Ortiz, Latino field coordinator for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, says Latino churches have spent decades creating these sacred spaces at great cost, without relying on government assistance. Ortiz said he was distressed to hear about an incident outside an Atlanta-area church where an individual was arrested while a service was being held inside.

The Bible clearly states that a church is a place of refuge and these laws challenge that sacred belief, Ortiz said.

“We are getting calls from members who say they don’t feel safe in our churches,” he said. ”We are going to respond by giving shelter. We are going to embrace all regardless of their immigration status. Everyone can and should find refuge in our churches.”

Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said he does not expect immigration authorities to engage in raids on churches that violate people’s constitutional right to gather and worship.

“What they may do and have done is target a specific individual who might be attending church,” he said. “I would expect more of that.”

The law is murky as to whether churches can legally shelter those who are here illegally as part of their faith, but there are strong arguments to be made, Saenz said.

“People should know they have rights that protect them, and that they have allies inside and outside the church who will express their outrage if their constitutional rights are violated,” he said.

Latino evangelicals are in a unique spot because they are influenced by the theology of right-leaning white evangelical churches, whose pastors and leaders are also the strongest voices against immigration, said Lloyd Barba, assistant professor of religion at Amherst College in Massachusetts who studies Latino immigration and religion.

Barba said the Latino evangelical community includes many independent churches and diverse organizations that lack a unified, central teaching on immigration — unlike mainline denominations such as the United Methodist Church or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

“Even the Catholic Church has a robust doctrine and social teaching on immigration,” he said. “Without that, we tend to encounter a little more reluctance or uncertainty about whether Latino pastors should be engaging in this kind of sacred resistance.”

Bishop Abner Adorno with Assemblies of God in the Florida Multicultural District, said he leans into the Bible where he says the teaching on immigration is crystal clear. He points to Deuteronomy 10:19, which says: “So you, too, must show love to foreigners for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”

“This verse describes a Judeo-Christian foundation of concern for immigrants and refugees,” he said. “While the concern of the government must be on enforcement, the role of the church must be compassion.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

​ Orange County Register 

House GOP rushing to produce Trump’s big budget bill with tax cuts, program cuts and other promises

• February 7, 2025

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are working overtime after a lengthy White House meeting to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for a big budget package that includes some $3 trillion in tax breaks, massive program cuts and a possible extension of the nation’s debt limit.

Speaker Mike Johnson had GOP lawmakers working into the night ahead of a self-imposed Friday deadline to produce the package, after having blown past an earlier timeline to draft the contours of a bill that could begin making its long journey through Congress to the president’s desk.

Trump’s message as he popped in and out of the nearly five-hour meeting Thursday at the White House was simple: Get it done.

“What he does a really good job at is: Here’s the end result that I want,” Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the House GOP Conference chair, said afterward.

On the list for the emerging budget package from the House GOP: making tax cuts that expire at the end of this year permanent, cutting spending on federal programs and ensuring Trump has enough money to launch his deportation operation and finish building the U.S-Mexico border wall. The package could raise the nation’s debt ceiling to allow more borrowing and prevent a federal default.

It’s a heavy lift for Congress, and House and Senate GOP leaders have been desperately looking to Trump for direction on how to proceed, but so far the president has been noncommittal about the details — only pushing Congress for results.

The standoff is creating frustration for Republicans as precious time is slipping and they fail to make progress on what has been their top priority with their party in control in Washington. At the same time, congressional phone lines are being swamped with callers protesting cost-cutting efforts led by billionaire Elon Musk against federal programs, services and operations.

Trump set the tone at the start of Thursday’s session, lawmakers said, then left them to hammer out the details. Republican senators are heading Friday to Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club for their own meeting.

“Very positive developments today,” Johnson said once he returned to the Capitol. “We’re really grateful to the president for leaning in and doing what he does best, and that is put a steady hand at the wheel and get everybody working.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president and lawmakers discussed “tax priorities of the Trump administration,” including Trump’s promises to end federal taxation of tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay. Renewing tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017 also was on the agenda, she said.

“The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done,” Leavitt said.

Johnson, R-La., needs almost complete unanimity from his ranks to pass any bill over objections from Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans have a 53-47 majority, with little room for dissent.

House Republicans reconvened in the evening at the Capitol to make sure all the Republicans would be on board with the emerging plan, particularly the spending cuts that have the potential to cause angst among lawmakers as they slice into government services Americans depend on from coast to coast.

The chair of the House Budget Committee, Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, said his panel is preparing to hold hearings on the package next week.

But as Johnson’s timeline has slipped, the Senate is making moves to take charge.

Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota have proposed a two-step approach, starting with a smaller bill that would include money for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall and deportation plans, among other priorities. They later would pursue the more robust package of tax break extensions before a year-end deadline.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, announced that his panel, too, was pushing ahead next week with hearings to kickstart the process.

The dueling approaches between the House and Senate are becoming something of a race to see which chamber will make the most progress toward the GOP’s overall goals.

The House GOP largely wants what Trump has called a “big, beautiful bill” that would extend some $3 trillion in tax cuts and include funding for the president’s mass deportation effort and border wall. It includes massive cuts from a menu of government programs — from health care to food assistance — to help offset the tax cuts.

The smaller bill Graham is proposing would total some $300 billion and include border money and a boost in defense spending, largely paid for with a rollback of Biden-era green energy programs.

House Republicans are deeply split over Graham’s approach. But they are also at odds over their own ideas.

House GOP leaders are proposing cuts that would bring $1 trillion in savings over the decade, lawmakers said, but members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus want at least double that amount.

Trump has repeatedly said he is less wed to the process used in Congress than the outcome of achieving his policy goals.

If the House GOP’s initial meeting with Trump at the White House last month was a good first date, this one was “whether we want kids or not,” McClain told reporters.

“This was a very different meeting,” she said. “It was still positive, optimistic. But it was getting down to business.”

​ Orange County Register