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Several faith leaders called urgently for protecting the rights of worshippers while also expressing compassion for migrants after anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted a service at a Southern Baptist church in Minnesota. About three dozen protesters entered the church during Sunday service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, some walking right up to the pulpit, others loudly chanting “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” referring to a woman who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation. One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads the local field office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of the leaders of the protest and prominent local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said she’s also an ordained reverend. In a statement, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention called what happened “an unacceptable trauma.” “I believe we must be resolute in two areas: encouraging our churches to provide compassionate pastoral care to these (migrant) families and standing firm for the sanctity of our houses of worship,” Trey Turner, who leads the convention, wrote to The Associated Press on Monday. Cities Church belongs to the convention. “The interference was so significant that services were forced to end prematurely. Video footage captured by the protesters themselves and others show them shouting insults and accusations at youth, children, and families,” the statement said. The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it has opened a civil rights investigation. The recent surge in operations in Minnesota has pitted more than 2,000 federal immigration officers against a mobilized network of community activists and protesters. The Trump Administration and Minnesota officials have traded blame for the heightened tensions. “No cause — political or otherwise — justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God,” Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, said in a statement. “What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.” Ezell said his organization fully supports Jonathan Parnell, the pastor who was leading the disrupted service. Parnell is a missionary with Ezell’s group and serves dozens of Southern Baptist churches in the area. Cities Church did not return the AP’s requests for comment. U.S. Christians divided on immigration enforcement Christian voters and faith leaders in the United States are divided on the moral and legal dilemmas raised by immigration, including the presence of an estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally and the spike in illegal border crossings and asylum requests during the Biden Administration. There are divergent opinions among and within Christian denominations on whether the imperative is to care for the stranger and the neighbor or to obey laws and emphasize security. Broadly, white evangelical churches have supported stronger enforcement, while the Catholic hierarchy has spoken strongly in favor of migrant rights. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. and has a conservative evangelical theology. Miles Mullin, who leads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said faith leaders can and often have led protests on social issues but that he urges a firm “red line” on actions keeping others from worshipping. “This is something that just shouldn’t happen in America,” Mullin said. “For Baptists, our worship services are sacred.” Federal protections for houses of worship Many faith leaders were dismayed when the Trump administration announced last January that federal immigration agencies could make arrests at churches, schools and hospitals, ending broader policies that protected sensitive spaces. While no immigration raids during church services have been reported, some churches, including in the Twin Cities, have posted…

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver’s defense carried Peyton Manning across the finish line in Super Bowl 50 and Vance Joseph’s bunch will almost certainly have to lead the way for the Broncos to get back to Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl 60. The Broncos (15-3) host the New England Patriots (16-3) in the AFC championship Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High with a journeyman backup QB making his first start in more than two years, a tattered receiving corps and no ground game to speak of unless J.K. Dobbins somehow returns from a mid-November foot operation. Bo Nix broke his right ankle on Denver’s game-winning drive in overtime as the Broncos wrestled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills with a 33-30 thriller that sent both tears and barbs flowing in the Bills locker room. Jarrett Stidham, who has appeared in 20 games in six NFL seasons, starting four and winning one, will step in for Nix, who’s undergoing surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Save for the preseason, Stidham hasn’t started a game — or even thrown a pass — in more than two years. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment,” coach Sean Payton said. Stidham almost certainly won’t have two of the Broncos’ best receivers after Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring and Pat Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month during the Broncos’ first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50. In their absence, Marvin Mims Jr. caught all eight passes thrown his way for 93 yards, with the biggest grab a 26-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from Nix with 55 seconds left in regulation. What’s working Denver’s defense heeded Payton’s edict ahead of the playoffs to produce more takeaways after the Broncos were minus-3 in turnover differential during the season despite an NFL-leading and franchise-record 68 sacks. They forced the Bills into five turnovers, including four by Allen, who hadn’t turned the ball over in his previous six playoff games, and finished the game plus-4. What needs help The Broncos’ ground game was almost nonexistent against the Bills with Nix leading the way with 29 yards on a dozen carries. Jaleel McLaughlin had 21 yards on four rushes and rookie R.J. Harvey had 20 yards on six handoffs. Harvey also had five catches for 46 yards, including a key 24-yarder on the game-winning drive in overtime. Stock up OLB Nik Bonitto had a strip sack and forced both of Allen’s fumbles. He became just the third Denver defender to force multiple fumbles in a playoff game, joining LB Tom Jackson and OLB Von Miller. Safety and All-Pro special teams ace Devon Key recovered James Cooks’ fumble, P.J. Locke saved a touchdown with an interception and Ja’Quan McMillian’s interception when he wrested the ball from Brandin Cooks in overtime set up the Broncos’ game-winning drive that ended with Wil Lutz’s chip-shot field goal. Talanoa Hufanga and Malcolm Roach recovered Allen’s fumbles that were forced by Bonitto. Stock down Denver’s rushing attack. Injuries Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month. His first came in the closing minutes of Denver’s only home loss in a year and a half, to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 21. Bryant had three catches for 32 yards on Denver’s opening drive Saturday before leaving the game with the head injury. Franklin pulled a hamstring early in the game and had no targets. Key stats — 4 field goals by Lutz in four chances, tied for second-most by a Broncos kicker in the team’s playoff history, behind only Brandon McManus’ five field goals against Pittsburgh following the 2015 season. Lutz also made all three of his extra points. — 3 TD passes from Nix against the league’s No. 1 pass defense tied John Elway and Manning for most touchdown throws in a Broncos playoff game. Elway did it three times and Manning did it against Baltimore following the 2012 season. Next steps The Broncos host the Patriots (16-3), who have lost all four of their playoff games in Denver, for the right to play…

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott leaves the field after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Denver Broncos, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)(AP/David Zalubowski) Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott leaves the field after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Denver Broncos, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)(AP/David Zalubowski) ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017, envisioning the day of looking out his office window and seeing a throng of fans celebrating a Super Bowl victory. That possibility ended on Monday, when McDermott was abruptly fired by team owner Terry Pegula following a nine-year tenure in which the coach transformed the Bills into perennial contenders but fell short of reaching the Super Bowl. The move came two days after a heart-wrenching 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the divisional round of the playoffs. “Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team,” Pegula said. ”But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level.” The new structure features general manager Brandon Beane being promoted to president of football operations. Beane will oversee his first coaching search since arriving in Buffalo five months after McDermott, who replaced Rex Ryan after two seasons in Buffalo. Beane is expected to target an offensive-minded coach to spur an offense in which quarterback Josh Allen was too often asked to carry the burden. Playoff shortcomings Despite a seven-year playoff run and Allen setting many franchise passing and scoring records and earning AP NFL MVP honors last season, the Bills advanced no further than the AFC championship game, which they lost both times to Kansas City in the 2020 and ’24 seasons. Buffalo became the league’s first team to win a playoff round in six consecutive years but not reach the Super Bowl. McDermott was aware of the shortcomings, and addressed them in August. “We take a lot of pride in what we’ve done here. And nobody has more internal drive and internal expectations than I do or we do. And very confident in who we are,” McDermott said. “There’s one thing that remains. We know what that is. But you can’t get there tomorrow.” Tomorrow never came. The Bills went 12-5 in the regular season and had their five-year run atop the AFC East end, finishing second behind the New England Patriots. Coaching carousel McDermott’s firing is the latest in what’s become a seismic shift in the NFL’s coaching ranks this offseason. He became the 10th head coach to lose his job, joining a respected group that includes Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin. Harbaugh has since been hired by the New York Giants. The 51-year-old McDermott finished with a 98-50 regular-season record and was 8-8 in eight postseason appearances, ranking second on the team in wins behind Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy (112-70, 11-8). McDermott’s eight playoff wins are the most by any NFL coach to not include a Super Bowl berth. To his credit, in McDermott’s first season, Buffalo sneaked into the postseason on the final day to end a 17-year drought that stood as the longest active streak in North America’s four major professional leagues. Allen arrived a year later as a first-round draft pick to raise the franchise’s national profile to among one of the NFL’s elite. There is increasing urgency in Buffalo to win with Allen turning 30 in May, and with the team now moving into a newly built $2.1 billion stadium across the street from its old home. Allen was nearly inconsolable following the loss at Denver. Choking up several times and wiping tears from his eyes, Allen stood at the podium and took the blame following the loss at Denver in which he threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. “I feel…

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Corporate chiefs and government leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump swarm into Davos, Switzerland, this week, joining an elite annual meeting that promotes dialogue and economic progress — even as a domineering tone from Washington has upended the global order and billionaires have reaped trillions in new wealth as the poor lag behind. The World Economic Forum, the think tank whose four-day annual meeting opens Tuesday, has a stated motto of “improving the state of the world,” and this year’s theme is “A spirit of dialogue.” One question is whether Trump will speak with attendees — or at them. Nearly 3,000 attendees from the interlinked worlds of business, advocacy and policy will tackle issues including the growing gap between rich and poor; AI’s impact on jobs; concerns about geo-economic conflict; tariffs that have rocked longstanding trade relationships; and an erosion of trust between communities and countries. “It’s really going to be a discussion at a very important moment … geopolitics is changing,” said Mirek Dušek, a forum managing director in charge of programming. “Some people think we’re in a transition. Some people think we’ve already entered a new era. But I think it’s undeniable that you are seeing a more competitive, more contested landscape.” Trump set to loom large Trump’s third visit to Davos as president comes as U.S. allies worry about his ambition to take over Greenland, Latin America is grappling with his efforts to reap Venezuela’s oil, and his hardball tactics toward Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have stirred concern among business leaders and lawmakers alike. Trump’s peace-making credentials also will be on the table: An announcement looms about his “ Board of Peace ” for Gaza, and he and his administration are expected to have bilateral meetings in the warren of side rooms at the Congress Center. The U.S. leader seems to revel in strolling through the Davos Congress Center and among executives who back his business-minded, money-making approach to politics. Critics will also be nearby. Trump has blown hot and cold recently with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, an invitee. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran was set to speak, but his appearance was cancelled. Iran’s leaders face U.S. sanctions over their handling of recent protests, and organizers said Monday that “the tragic loss of civilian lives” means “it is not right” for the government to be represented. The two likeliest counterweights to Trump’s administration on the international scene — China and the European Union — get top billing on the first day: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak Tuesday morning, right before Vice Premier He Lifeng, China’s “economic czar” — as Dušek put it. Founder Schwab sits out, as Nvidia chief makes a debut The forum will be without its founder, Klaus Schwab, who hosted the first event in Davos 55 years ago focusing on business, only to see it since balloon into a catchall extravaganza. He stepped down in April. New co-chairs Larry Fink, the head of investment firm BlackRock, and Andre Hoffman, vice chair of pharmaceuticals firm Roche, are in charge. This year will also mark the debut appearance of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, arguably the world’s most important tech leader today, among some 850 CEOs and chairs of global companies — along with celebrities like Hollywood actor and safe-water advocate Matt Damon. The future of AI, its impact on business and work, and the prospects for artificial general intelligence will be key themes. The presidents of Argentina, France, Indonesia, Syria and Ukraine will be among the dozens of national leaders on hand. As rich-poor divide widens, trust in institutions falters Leading public-relations firm Edelman reports in its annual trust barometer – launched a quarter-century ago and this year surveying nearly 34,000 people in 28 countries – that trade and recession fears have climbed to an all-time high, optimism…