Frannie Block

The paywall for this superb reporting from @FrannieBlock is down today only following the news that @POTUS reports that Xi Jinping is "seriously considering" Pastor Jin's release. Read/watch here 👇 thefp.com/p/china-persec…

.@POTUS tells reporters he discussed Pastor Ezra Jin and Jimmy Lai with President Xi: "I think he's giving very serious consideration to the pastor... he said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do."

🔓For a limited time, @FrannieBlock's investigation into the CCP's war on Christianity is now free to read, with no paywall.

It's been seven months since Pastor Ezra Jin and over a dozen other pastors were imprisoned in China. At the close of his summit with Xi Jinping this week, Donald Trump is hinting he might be able to help free them. Read the story behind China's decades-long persecution of Christians in @TheFP : thefp.com/p/china-persec…

For the full Ezra Jin story, read @FrannieBlock: thefp.com/p/china-persec…

NEWS: Trump tells reporters Xi said he's giving "very serious consideration" to Pastor Ezra Jin's release. Trump said Xi said the case surrounding Jimmy Lai "is a tough one."

“What we’re seeing now is a renewed desire from the state under Chairman Xi to engineer souls.” In China, Christianity is under attack. @FrannieBlock reports.

My parents Gao Quanfu and Pang Yu have been devoted Christians for decades. My father founded and has led the influential Light of Zion Church for over 40 years, a house church network with national influence across China. On May 17, 2025, Chinese authorities took my father from our family home in Xi’an under accusations of “using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law.” On June 7, 2025, they also detained my mother under the same accusations as an “accomplice.” These charges are false. My parents are peaceful Christians who have spent their lives serving others, preaching the Gospel, praying for our country, and helping believers across China. They never promoted violence, political extremism, or hatred. Their real “crime” is refusing to place their faith and church completely under CCP control. For many years, our family and church have faced surveillance, intimidation, threats, and harassment from authorities. Police repeatedly visited our home and church gatherings. Officials pressured my father to stop leading independent worship and submit to the state-controlled religious system. Despite this pressure, my parents continued because of their faith and conscience. Since their detention, access to them has been heavily restricted. My family has deep concerns about their health, safety, and legal rights. Our lawyers have also been under extreme pressure and attack, with their licenses suspended or revoked. What is happening to my parents is not an isolated case. The CCP is carrying out an escalating crackdown against independent house churches and Christians throughout China. Pastors, church leaders, and ordinary believers are being criminalized simply for practicing their faith outside state control. I hope the international community, journalists, churches, human rights organizations, and all people who care about religious freedom will pay attention to their case and to the persecution facing countless Christians in China today. #FreePastorGao #FreeGaoQuanfu #FreePangYu

When Trump and Xi meet this week, they will discuss matters of war, peace, trade and AI. If the president is true to his word, they'll also discuss the case of Ezra Jin, a Christian pastor arrested by Chinese police in October and whose family hasn’t been able to speak with him since. No reporter has followed his story more closely than @FrannieBlock. Her story on Ezra Jin, and Beijing's war on Christianity, is a must read. thefp.com/p/china-persec…

On October 10, 2025, Chinese authorities launched coordinated nationwide raids against underground Christian leaders. Chinese pastor Ezra Jin and many others were arrested on charges of “inciting to subvert state power.” According to his family, Jin is being held in harsh prison conditions without proper medical treatment or access to a Bible. “What we’re seeing now is a renewed desire from the state under Chairman Xi to engineer souls.” WATCH “Inside China’s Shocking Persecution of Christians” by @FrannieBlock:

@POTUS will raise the case of my father-in-law, Pastor Ezra Jin, with Xi in Beijing this week. The story of China's war on @CnZion and the persecution of Christians — powerfully told by @FrannieBlock and Poppy Damon at @TheFP. Watch. youtube.com/watch?v=swnRGe…

@realDonaldTrump said he will bring up Ezra Jin’s case to Xi Jinping this week. Watch Ezra’s story - and his family’s fight to free him. In @TheFP youtu.be/swnRGet-5Ww

Two Free Press shows are very close to winning Webby Awards! @ConvoswColeman is in a tight second for Best Interview Show: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/… Spiral: Murder in Detroit is currently in first for Best Crime & Investigation: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/… Vote today!

Just over three years ago, we were fewer than 20 people, fully remote, and publishing just one article a day. Today, we reach millions of readers every week. This billboard is a symbol of that growth. It's a great day to be part of @TheFP!

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NASA Administrator @RookIsaacman tells @FrannieBlock that Artemis II’s current heat shield—vital for safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere—has “shortcomings.” “My blood pressure will be elevated until they’re under parachutes in the water.”

“If we don’t get our act together, we’re going to watch the Chinese taikonauts on the moon before we’re able to return,” says NASA Administrator @RookIsaacman.

The Artemis II crew's Earthset and eclipse images are now on images.nasa.gov in full resolution: Earthset: images.nasa.gov/details/art002… Captured with a Nikon D5 and Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 400mm, 1/1000, f/8, ISO 400 Eclipse: images.nasa.gov/details/art002… Captured with a Nikon Z9 and Nikon 35mm f/2D at 2", f/2, ISO 1600

The initial moon base “might look like a junkyard, because there are going to be broken-down rovers and landers everywhere. And that’s OK,” says NASA Administrator @RookIsaacman. Progress takes time, says Isaacman. Starting small—like Alan Shepard’s brief, ten-minute spaceflight—led to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin reaching the Moon just eight years later.

NASA's administrator @rookisaacman has a big vision for the future of space travel: Nuclear powered spacecrafts, moon bases, trips to Mars, and maybe even "Uber and Lyft fleets on the moon doing wild things." Can he make it happen? Read more about my day at Mission Control in @TheFP thefp.com/p/my-morning-i…