Penna Dexter is a radio commentator and columnist for various Christian conservative outlets. She is a frequent commentator and guest host for Point of View Radio Talk Show with Kerby Anderson. Her weekly commentaries air on the Moody Broadcasting Network and the Bott Radio Network. Penna’s columns appear at Baptist Press and the Christian Post blog page. Penna is an executive at Todd Dexter & Associates, the integrated marketing consulting company founded by her husband, Todd Dexter.

For eight years she served as Marlin Maddoux’s co-host on Point of View and for two years she co-hosted a daily drive time live broadcast on the Dallas-based Criswell Radio Network.

Penna’s interest in conservative politics and the issues that affect the family began when she was a child working on political campaigns with her parents. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in International Relations. She spent 8 years in the banking industry. Penna and her husband Todd are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church, they have three adult children.

Mr. Shackelford is a constitutional scholar who has argued before the United States Supreme Court, testified before the U.S. House and Senate on constitutional issues, and has won three state landmark First Amendment and religious liberty cases in the past few years alone. He was recently named one of the 25 greatest Texas lawyers of the past quarter century by Texas Lawyer, and is the recipient of the prestigious William Bentley Ball Award for Life and Religious Freedom Defense for his leadership and pioneering work protecting religious freedom.

Hostility toward religious freedom rose 15 percent in 2016, according to a new report. On Tuesday First Liberty Institute released Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America. The non-profit legal group has released Undeniable every year since 2012. Based in Texas, First Liberty focuses exclusively on religious freedom. The report documents all recorded instances of hostility to religion every year.

First Liberty president Kelly Shackelford and deputy general counsel Jeremy Dys spoke with reporters via teleconference Tuesday. Justin Butterfield, senior counsel and Editor-in-Chief of Undeniable also joined.

Since 2012, there’s been a 133 percent increase in instances of hostility, they said. Undeniable now includes 1,400 recorded anecdotes of religious discrimination in the U.S.

A gaggle of disgruntled atheists are doing a whole lot of hollering about the Hallelujah Chorus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s local chapter is angry after a teacher at Linden Elementary School played a portion of the “Hallelujah Chorus” during morning announcements.

“While this music may be beautiful and even inspirational for Christians, it is not acceptable for broadcasting to the entire student body at Linden Elementary,” Aleta Ledendecker wrote in a letter to the school district that was obtained by the Oak Ridger.

Fifteen Democratic senators have signed on to a universal-health-care bill introduced Wednesday by independent Bernie Sanders. Dubbed “Medicare for All,” the bill is light on specifics, but it constitutes an undisguised proposal to nationalize health care. The most important consideration is that single-payer is a bad idea that would cede control of one-sixth of the American economy to the government.

Senator Sanders’s arguments are heavy on populist bromides. He says the path toward single-payer ought to be straightforward, and sinister corporate interests are the only obstacles standing in the way. But the truth is that a plan like his would threaten people’s existing coverage.

“Having cut a deal with Democrats for help with the debt ceiling, will Trump seek a deal with Democrats on amnesty for the ‘Dreamers’ in return for funding for border security?”

The answer to that question, raised in my column a week ago, is in. Last night, President Donald Trump cut a deal with “Chuck and Nancy” for amnesty for 800,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who came here illegally as youngsters, in return for Democratic votes for more money for border security.

According to preening Minority Leader Pelosi, the agreement contains not a dime for Trump’s Wall, and the “Dreamers” are to be put on a long glide “path to U.S. citizenship.”

Trump denies this is amnesty, and says the Wall comes later.