11.26.25 President Trump’s meeting with Mamdani, an update on violence in Nigeria, and a review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It

Episode: President Trump’s Meeting with Mamdani, Violence in Nigeria, and Review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Lindsay Mast, Nick Icker | Contributors: Kent Covington, Hunter Baker, Colin Garbarino, Onize Adua, John Wilsey

---

Episode Overview

This episode of The World and Everything In It delivers an in-depth exploration of three major topics:

• President Trump’s surprising Oval Office meeting with New York City Mayor-Elect Soran Mamdani.
• The latest developments in religious violence and persecution in Nigeria, with a focus on attacks against Christians.
• A review of the third "Knives Out" movie, Wake Up Dead Man, and its portrayal of faith and religion.

Listeners are also treated to thoughtful commentary on affordability politics, military legal controversies, and the backstory of a classic hymn.

---

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Washington Wednesday: Trump-Mamdani Meeting & Affordability Politics

[05:56 – 14:50]

The Unexpected Trump-Mamdani Meeting

• President Trump hosted New York City Mayor-elect Soran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, in the Oval Office.

• The meeting was unexpectedly amicable, despite previous public antagonism:

  • Trump had previously supported Andrew Cuomo over Mamdani, saying, “If it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm going to pick the bad Democrat all the time.” (Lindsay Mast quoting Trump, 06:20)
  • Mamdani, on election night:

    “So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” (Hunter Baker quoting Mamdani, 06:55)

• Press Secretary Caroline Levitt called Mamdani a "communist" but said Trump is "willing to meet with anyone." Despite anticipation of conflict, Trump offered support:

  “We're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York. And congratulations, Mr. Matthew.” (Donald Trump, 07:38)

Political Analysis (with Hunter Baker)

• Baker, political scientist, sees the meeting as an example of Trump’s non-ideological, pragmatic approach, especially regarding his New York identity:

  “He is much less ideological and much more instinctive... Trump does respect somebody who has what it takes to win the fight.” (Hunter Baker, 08:18)

• Trump appeared open to Mamdani changing his views on affordability and city governance:

  “I mean, he's got views that are a little out there, but who knows?... We all change. I change a lot from when I first came to office. It's now quite a while ago... I feel very confident that he can do a very good job.” (Trump, 09:46)

• Baker believes Trump’s close connection to New York drives his approach, and both men face significant challenges on affordability. Baker questions Mamdani’s practical plans, calling them the “wishing makes it so stage.” He cautions Trump against "gaslighting" on economic realities.

Affordability & Political Messaging

• Discussion shifts to broader affordability politics, referencing recent TV interviews with Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who claims affordability is improving:

  “Focus instead on the whole cost of living picture.” (Nick Icker summarizing Besant, 13:28)

• Baker remains skeptical:

  “There's something that is very instinctive about the way that we react to prices... As long as we're in that phase where the prices just don't seem right relative to what we're used to, politicians are going to struggle with that.” (Hunter Baker, 13:40)

---

2. Military Orders Controversy & Legal Standards

[14:50 – 18:48]

Inquiry into Senator Mark Kelly & The "Illegal Orders" Video

• The Pentagon launched an inquiry after a video featuring Sen. Mark Kelly and five other Democratic veterans told military members they could and should refuse illegal orders.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the message “despicable and reckless,” while Trump labeled it “seditious,” noting sedition carries a death penalty.
• The video repeatedly states:

  “You can refuse illegal orders... You must refuse illegal orders.” (Senators in video, 15:49–15:57)

Analysis with Hunter Baker

• Baker contextualizes the military oath to the Constitution, not to individuals, but questions the timing and intent of the video:

  “I'm a little bit worried that what we have coming from these Democrat politicians is a desire to set up resistance to Donald Trump.” (Hunter Baker, 17:08) “Everything I have seen is that the politicians who are sort of challenged on this point don't really want to say [what illegal orders would be]. Which tells me that it's more like they're playing into a narrative...” (Hunter Baker, 17:08)

• No clear precedent exists for recalling a retired officer solely for political speech.

---

3. Legal Update: FBI and NY Attorney General Indictments

[19:04 – 20:28]

• A federal judge tossed out indictments of former FBI director James Comey and NY Attorney General Letitia James, which Trump had promoted.
• The dismissals were based on procedural grounds (improper appointment of the U.S. attorney) and were “without prejudice”—meaning charges could be refiled.

  “They've been kind of dealt with on the technical question, but the substantive question is still there...” (Hunter Baker, 19:34)

---

4. World Tour: Violence and Persecution in Nigeria

[21:29 – 26:12] | Reporter: Onize Adua

Surge in Attacks

• Widespread violence and religious persecution, especially against Christians and minority Muslim communities.

• Recent atrocities include:

  • Attack on Christ Apostolic Church; at least three killed, dozens abducted, later rescued.
  • Abduction of more than 300 children from St. Mary's School in Niger State.
  • Attacks in Kebbi and Kaduna States, including murders and kidnappings of teachers and religious leaders.

• Insurgents killed Brigadier General Musa Uba—the highest-ranking military official killed in the years-long conflict.

International Response

• President Trump classified Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” threatening possible military action if authorities fail to halt attacks.

• Nigerian officials deny religious persecution, framing the violence as regional terrorism.

• The U.S. and the UN have increased diplomatic and potentially economic and military pressure.

  “This is not random violence. This is genocide, wearing the mask of chaos.” (US Ambassador Mike Waltz, 24:47)

• U.S. measures may include sanctions and increased counterterrorism support.

Advocacy Perspective

• Sean Nelson (ADF International) calls for an end to impunity and greater protection for at-risk communities:

  “Making sure the impunity for attackers ends...really put pressure on the Nigerian government to make those tangible steps.” (Sean Nelson, 25:48)

---

5. Arts & Culture: Review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

[27:32 – 33:05] | Reviewer: Colin Garbarino

Movie Overview

• Third film in Rian Johnson’s murder-mystery series, centering on a murder in a small-town Catholic church.
• Explores themes of faith, skepticism, and religious leadership.
• Main roles: Father Judd (Josh O’Connor), Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

Tone and Religious Exploration

• The film tries to examine faith:

  “Director Rian Johnson keeps the tone as quirky as ever, but this time around he tries to incorporate questions of faith into his whodunit.” (Garbarino, 28:07)

• Varied perspectives: Wicks depicted as the “bad” religious leader; Judd as the “good” spiritual guide advocating forgiveness.

• Reviewer’s critique:

  “Despite his upbringing, he doesn't really understand the thing he's writing about. The movie portrays religious experience as a strange dichotomy lacking nuance. It's either about control or some subjective feeling. Don't expect an accurate explanation of the gospel.” (Garbarino, 30:33)

Film Content and Recommendation

• First in the series rated PG-13, not more family-friendly.
• Praises the central mystery but finds the secondary subplot nonsensical.
• Conclusion for fans:

  “If you're a Benoit Blanc fan, you would probably be happier queuing up the original this holiday season.” (Garbarino, 32:50)

---

6. Hymn Commentary: “Now Thank We All Our God”

[33:13 – 37:34] | John Wilsey

• Wilsey recounts the background of this classic Thanksgiving hymn, penned by Martin Rinkert during the trauma of the Thirty Years’ War.
• The hymn’s spirit of gratitude is underscored by historical adversity.

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “[Trump] is much less ideological and much more instinctive ... he respects winning.” — Hunter Baker, 08:18
• “I feel very confident that he can do a very good job. I think he's going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people.” — Donald Trump, 09:46
• “As long as we're in that phase where the prices just don't seem right ... politicians are going to struggle with that.” — Hunter Baker, 13:40
• “You can refuse illegal orders ... you must refuse illegal orders.” — Senators’ group video, 15:49–15:57
• “I'm a little bit worried ... this is more like they're playing into a narrative instead of trying to accomplish some sort of real objective.” — Hunter Baker, 17:08
• “This is not random violence. This is genocide, wearing the mask of chaos.” — Mike Waltz, US Ambassador (on Nigeria), 24:47
• “Despite his upbringing, [Johnson] doesn't really understand the thing he's writing about. ... Don’t expect an accurate explanation of the gospel.” — Colin Garbarino, 30:33
• “If you're a Benoit Blanc fan, you would probably be happier queuing up the original this holiday season.” — Colin Garbarino, 32:50

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump-Mamdani Meeting Analysis: 05:56–14:50
• Military Orders Controversy: 14:50–18:48
• Legal Update (Comey/James): 19:04–20:28
• Nigeria World Tour: 21:29–26:12
• Movie Review: 27:32–33:05
• Hymn Commentary: 33:13–37:34

---

This episode gives listeners a nuanced look at the intersection of politics, faith, and culture—anchored by original reporting and thoughtful critique. The conversation is candid, insightful, and accessible, making it an informative listen even for those who missed the recording.

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Today on Washington Wednesday, the political fight over affordability, what the White House says is getting better and why many voters are not buying it.

[Nick Icker]

We'll talk about that. And the clash over the military, unlawful orders and the theme of resistance. Hunter Baker is standing by. Also today, world tour, the latest on persecution in Nigeria. And later, the newest knives out mystery.

[John Wilsey]

Start fighting Muslims before. Before you know what?

[Hunter Baker]

Everyone you don't understand is a wolf.

[Nick Icker]

World's Colin Garbarino has a review. And we close with a hymn of Thanksgiving.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, November 26th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Icker]

And I'm Nick Icar. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's time now for the news. Here's Kent Covington.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump says he believes talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine may finally be gaining traction.

[Donald Trump]

In the last month, 25,000 soldiers have died. So I think we're getting very close to a deal. We'll find out. I thought that one would have been gone quicker.

[Hunter Baker]

We did eight.

[Donald Trump]

I thought that would have been an easier one. But I think we're making progress.

[Kent Covington]

The US has presented a 28 point peace plan as a framework for negotiations. But Ukrainian negotiator Oleksandr Bevs says there is no finalized proposal. It's all still a work in progress. And he adds that security guarantees for Ukraine will be a critical part of any deal.

[John Wilsey]

The level and the character of security guarantees would actually define the sustainability of the deal. I mean, this is not just the part of this deal. This is the part making this deal real and enforceable.

[Kent Covington]

The Trump administration's framework plan has its share of critics, with some saying it makes too many concessions to Moscow. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer virtually addressed a coalition of allies Tuesday about the plan with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the call. And Starmer said in large part, the.

[Nick Icker]

Majority of the text looks as though Vladimir is indicating can be accepted.

[Kent Covington]

A US Official reportedly says Army Secretary Dan Driscoll spent several hours in Abu Dhabi with Russian officials who have not yet said much about the plan. Top Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is waiting to officially receive an interim version. Pope Leo has a Thanksgiving message for Israel and the Hezbollah terror group. Speaking from his home just outside of Rome yesterday, he urged both sides to.

[John Wilsey]

Ask and to invite to encourage all people to look for peace, to look for justice, because oftentimes violence occurs as.

[Hunter Baker]

A result of injustices.

[Kent Covington]

But that may be harder than it sounds. The conflict between Israel And Hezbollah has been heating up in recent days, with Israel launching an airstrike that took out a top Hezbollah leader this week. Also on Tuesday, Israel says it has received more human remains from Hamas, but it has not yet confirmed that the remains are those of one of the three deceased hostages still held by the terror group from the October 7 attacks. Millions of Americans are hitting the road today for Thanksgiving, and in some parts of the country right now that can be a treacherous journey. One man told WDAY TV that he traveled nearly 200 miles from Devil's Lake, North Dakota, just past Fargo and tons.

[John Wilsey]

Of cars in ditches, tow trucks, policemen. We saw one, five or six car pile up with an 18 wheeler involved. I mean, it was pretty much everywhere you look and turn there's somebody spinning out.

[Kent Covington]

Snow and ice are also blanketing roads in other Midwestern states, with more snow expected today in the Great Lakes region. And heavy storms have struck elsewhere. Some suburban Houston residents are cleaning up after at least two tornadoes and heavy rain have swamped parts of the South. Police in Paris have arrested four more suspects in last month's stunning jewel heist at the Louvre museum. World's Benjamin Eicker reports Prosecutors say officials.

[Colin Garbarino]

Slapped the handcuffs on two men and two women, all from the Paris region, but they are not saying just yet.

[John Wilsey]

What role the suspects are thought to have played in the robbery.

[Colin Garbarino]

French media, however, is reporting one of them may be the fourth member of the team that carried out the daring daytime heist.

[John Wilsey]

The that team, dressed up as maintenance.

[Colin Garbarino]

Workers, made off with more than $100.

[John Wilsey]

Million in treasures in under eight minutes. The stolen jewels, including pieces once owned by French royalty, still haven't been recovered. For world, I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Kent Covington]

Retail sales rose slightly in September. The Commerce Department report was delayed due to the government shutdown, but the newly released numbers show that shoppers spent 2. 10 of a percent more at stores and restaurants. That was, however, a much smaller increase than the strong gains seen over the summer. Restaurant sales were one bright spot, while clothing, electronics and sporting goods stores saw declines. Because the shutdown stalled so many economic reports, officials say we won't have a full read on consumer trends until later next month. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker and a world tour update from Nigeria, plus a midweek movie review heading into the Thanksgiving weekend. This is THE WORLD and EVERYTHING IN it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, the 26th of November. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and EVERYTHING IN it. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Icker]

And I'm Nick Icker. Time now for Washington Wednesday. Well, Washington is still dissecting the surprising Trump Mamdani meeting at the White House. Last week, President Trump hosting New York City Mayor elect Soran Mamdani in the Oval Office. But today we will rewind the tapes and show why this moment was such a.

[Lindsay Mast]

President Trump got behind former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in his race for mayor against Mamdani. On 60 Minutes, the President said, I'm not a fan of Cuomo, but if it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm going to pick the bad Democrat all the time. Just very, very blunt. And for his part, Mamdani, the face of the future of the Democratic Party, was equally blunt about Trump. Very open in his disdain. Here he is on election night talking about immig.

[Kent Covington]

So hear me, President Trump, when I.

[Hunter Baker]

Say this, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.

[Nick Icker]

All right? So based on that, it might have seemed inevitable that a meeting between the two would get heated. Even in the press briefing the day before, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt dropped this little bomb.

[John Wilsey]

We have a communist coming to the.

[Lindsay Mast]

White House because that's who the Democrat Party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country. I think it's very telling, but I.

[John Wilsey]

Also think it speaks to the fact.

[Lindsay Mast]

That President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone.

[Nick Icker]

And so I wonder what Caroline Levitt knew and when she knew it, because instead of name calling, this is what we got.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York. And congratulations, Mr. Matthew. Thank you, Mr. President.

[Lindsay Mast]

Joining us now to talk about it is Hunter Baker. He is a political scientist, world opinions contributor, and provost at North Greenville University. Hunter, good morning.

[Hunter Baker]

Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, this was certainly a chummy change of pace for these two. Trump did not give Mamdani the fight he may have wanted and has since taken some criticism for just how friendly he seemed to Mamdani. The mayor elect certainly can't claim he was the victim of any sort of attack here, as how calculated do you think all this was?

[Hunter Baker]

In my mind, I cannot put together somebody like Mom, Donnie and Ronald Reagan. I can't imagine Ronald Reagan greeting a newly elected socialist mayor of New York. And so you see this kind of friendly exchange, and I just think that it shows Trump's instincts as a politician. He is much less ideological and much more instinctive. And I think that it also affects Things that Trump is so closely related to New York. He has a very New York oriented identity. And he also is somebody who respects winning. So while Trump may not like the idea of a socialist mayor of New York City, Trump does respect somebody who has what it takes to win the fight. And that's what Mamdani did. And so you see Trump's pragmatism very much at work here. He's not going to kind of stand back and say, oh, gosh, I wish this hadn't happened. Instead he's gonna figure out how to work with it. And I think that's what we saw.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, I do wanna talk about the substance of what was said, particularly in terms of affordability. That is likely to be the defining political issue. Going into the midterms, Trump expressed some amount of confidence or perhaps desire that Mamdani might change his views.

[Donald Trump]

I mean, he's got views that a little out there, but who knows? I mean, we're going to see what works or he's going to change also. We all change. I change a lot. Change a lot from when I first came to office. It's now quite a while ago. It's quite a while. My first term was great. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. We're doing even better now. We're doing, doing much better now than we did even the first term. I feel very confident that he can do a very good job. I think, I think he's going to be. I think he is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people. He won't surprise him because they already like him.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hunter, what do you think of this? Was Trump working to set out the terms of the debate over affordability? That working with Trump is what will lead to success on that front? How do you take those comments?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, I go back to what I was saying about New York. I think that Trump is somewhat oriented in what he's going to say because he's talking about the person who's supposed to lead New York City. I just can't emphasize enough the degree to which New York and Donald Trump are inseparable. Some of you may remember Home Alone, two Lost in New York. Excuse me, where's the lobby? Down the hall and to the left.

[Colin Garbarino]

Thanks.

[Hunter Baker]

Or the many documentaries that you might see at places like CNBC talking about Trump's rise in New York City. Or the famous story of how Donald Trump was able to get the ice skating rink up and running in New York City when nobody else could. He's deeply invested in that place. And so he wants to keep Mohamdani close. Trump even said, I think, in that meeting that he would have liked to have been the mayor of New York City at some point. And so, yes, New York is where you're gonna have serious problems with affordability. Those of us from sort of the middle of the country, when we think about places that are really unaffordable, we think about New York City, we think about Los Angeles, those are the people who are kind of on the front lines of that battle for affordability. So the real question is, do either of these figures actually have any way to unlock affordability? That's something that we don't know. I'm not sure that Mamdani actually has a practical program to do it. Sometimes I talk about wishing makes it so public policy. I think that he's currently in the wishing makes it so stage. And as far as Trump goes, he must not give in to the temptation to kind of gaslight people on things like fuel prices and Thanksgiving.

[Nick Icker]

Well, speaking of that. And let's move out of New York City proper and stay on the affordability question. It did come up on Meet the Press over the weekend. The host of the show played a clip of the Vice President asking Americans for a little bit of patience. And then she pressed the point. Exactly how much patience does the administration expect? Now, her guest was the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besant. He insisted that affordability is getting better. He pointed to cheaper gas, better home sales, and what he says will be the lowest cost Thanksgiving dinner in four years. But when the host pushed back, she mentioned coffee and bananas and bacon. The prices of those commodities going up. Here's how Besant responded. It's kind of funny, Chris.

[John Wilsey]

How much does your arm weigh?

[Lindsay Mast]

That I do.

[John Wilsey]

Not exactly, but you know, how much you weigh.

[Hunter Baker]

You get on the scale every morning. Inflation is a color number, and we look at everything. So we are trying. We try to push down the things we can control.

[Nick Icker]

And as I said, so in other words, don't focus on any single item going up. Focus instead on the whole cost of living picture. Hunter, do you think that that's going to fly politically?

[Hunter Baker]

I don't. And the reason is it's really part of just simple economics. I can remember a friend of mine wanted me to buy a hat that he had because he didn't want to bother to take it back to the store. And when he gave me the number, I knew I was not going to pay that price for the hat. But then he gave me another number And I instantly knew I would pay that price for the hat. There's something that is very instinctive about the way that we react to prices. And I think that a lot of Americans have been in this situation of just kind of bad, having sticker shock at things that they see ever since COVID ever since that post Covid period. And they desperately want for the prices to slow down and to even drop back some. And so as long as we're in that phase where the prices just don't seem right relative to what we're used to, politicians are going to struggle with that. Many politicians have lost in the past and recently for that reason, and Donald Trump is gonna have to face that same sort of challenge.

[Nick Icker]

Well, switching gears, Hunter, the Pentagon has opened up a formal inquiry into Senator Mark Kelly. He is the former Navy captain and astronaut who's now a Democrat senator from Arizona. This is over a video that he recorded with several other Democrats, total of six members of Congress, all of them veterans or former intelligence officials. The video aimed at military members that they can refuse illegal orders, even that they must do so. And we'll hear some of that in just a moment. But the message of that video prompted a sharp response. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the video despicable and reckless. President Trump went further than that. He described it as seditious and then pointed to the penalty for sedition, namely the death penalty. Here's a portion of the video that started the whole thing. The threats to our Constitution aren't just.

[Colin Garbarino]

Coming from abroad, but from right here at home.

[Kent Covington]

Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.

[Lindsay Mast]

You can refuse illegal orders.

[Colin Garbarino]

You must refuse illegal orders.

[Lindsay Mast]

No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.

[Kent Covington]

We know this is hard and that.

[John Wilsey]

It'S a difficult time to be a public servant.

[Lindsay Mast]

But whether you're serving in the CIA.

[Colin Garbarino]

The army, or Navy, the Air Force.

[Kent Covington]

You'Re vigilant, is critical.

[Lindsay Mast]

And know that we have your back. Because now more than ever, the American people need you. We need you to stand up for.

[Colin Garbarino]

Our laws, our Constitution, and who we are as Americans. Don't give up.

[Hunter Baker]

Don't give up.

[John Wilsey]

Don't give up.

[Lindsay Mast]

Don't give up the ship.

[Nick Icker]

All right, well, this is an interesting dance, Hunter. I wonder whether both sides aren't playing with fire here. And I'll note that no one in the video has pointed to any specific illegal order that must be refused or should have been refused. But they sure imply, and imply very strongly that illegal orders are, in fact being issued. And the Administration here is invoking capital punishment. So let's slow this whole thing down a bit and take it at face value. How do we understand the actual legal standard here? What is an illegal order, and who decides?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, so members of our military do not take an oath to a person. They take an oath to the Constitution. And so we definitely don't want to get in a situation where we're seen as kind of having allegiance to the United States based on a particular figure. I'm a little bit worried that what we have coming from these Democrat politicians is a desire to set up resistance to Donald Trump. So then the question is, well, is he making illegal orders? So what illegal orders? Are we talking about attacking these Venezuelan sort of gunboats out in the Caribbean? Are we talking about ice in the cities? Are we talking about the National Guard helping with crime? Everything that I have seen is that the politicians who are sort of challenged on this point don't really want to say, which tells me that it's more like they're playing into a narrative instead of trying to accomplish some sort of real objective. Maybe we could think about this as a very serious and dangerous form of virtue, signaling. Now that, having been said, I do want to say that I don't want to set up this idea that we don't have to worry about what the law is, that we just put our head down and do whatever a president says. The movie Nuremberg is in theaters right now, which kind of underlines how you don't ever want to just have blind obedience. But I don't think that we're in that territory here. I think that the reason that they are not specifically saying what these illegal orders are is because they are not ready to have that debate.

[Nick Icker]

Very quickly, the New York Times quotes military experts saying there is no precedent for recalling a retired officer over political speech. Is that correct in your understanding?

[Hunter Baker]

I certainly cannot think of any similar example.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, Hunter, finally, earlier this week, a federal judge threw out the indictments of the former head of the FBI, James Comey, and Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York. Trump had demanded they be prosecuted in September, and Within weeks, interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan had delivered. But the judge found that Halligan wasn't legally appointed, so those indictments now get tossed. Hunter, what do you make of the judge's assessment, and where does that lead those cases against Comey and James?

[Hunter Baker]

Well, it's important to remember that Halligan replaced Eric Siebert, and that is because Eric Siebert said there's not a good reason to issue these indictments. So I'm not surprised that, you know, they kind of run into some stormy weather on these. Now that having been said, it's important to note that the dismissal of these cases was quote, without prejudice, unquote. Now, what that means is they've not been dispositively dealt with. They've been kind of dealt with on the technical question, but the substantive question is still there. So these actions could come back. Now, I'm less sure with Comey because of the timing and sort of the statute of limitations, but still, otherwise these actions could come back.

[Nick Icker]

Well, Washington Wednesday gives way to Thanksgiving Thursday. So as we say goodbye, Hunter, for this week, just say Happy Thanksgiving.

[Hunter Baker]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Free Lutheran Bible College, grounding students in the word of God for life in Jesus Christ on campus and in person in Plymouth, Minnesota, flbc Edu World from Cedarville University, equipping students for professional excellence and gospel impact Cedarville. Edu World. And from Dort University, where pre med students gain knowledge through undergraduate research and hone skills through hands on simulations. Dort Edu.

[Lindsay Mast]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, ongoing persecution in Nigeria. Multiple attacks, from killings to abductions took place in different parts of the country last week. The violence comes as more global attention has come to Nigeria and the persecution of Christians. Here's Africa reporter Onize Adua with today's world tour.

[Onize Adua]

Community members in Western Choir State rejoiced this weekend after learning that security forces rescued some 38 abducted Christians. It was a different scene a week ago. Worshippers were praying inside the Christ Apostolic Church late last year Tuesday when gunshots instantly halted their worship. They ran for cover as gunmen entered the church. A video live stream showed an elderly woman struggling to flee as the armed attackers went after those trying to hide. At least three people died in the attack. The abduction and rescue comes as Nigeria faces an onslaught of several deadly attacks, sparking fear and uncertainty. Early on Friday, gunmen kidnapped more than 300 children from St. Mary's School in north central Niger State. School Officials said about 50 of the children escaped. Twelve teachers also remained behind with the abductors. And in northwest Kebbi State, armed men stormed into a public school last Monday and carted away at least 25 Muslim schoolgirls. They also killed the school's vice principal. The attacks have prompted some school closures. Stella Shaibu joined other parents picking up their kids at the government boarding school for girls in Wari, the outskirts of Abuja. I don't know why a government in Nigeria as A whole like this, the manpower that we have, we are lacking.

[Hunter Baker]

Securities for our children.

[Onize Adua]

Also last week, insurgents from the Islamic State West Africa Province claimed responsibility for killing Brigadier General Musa uba. He is one of the highest ranking military officials killed by fighters since the decades old insurgency began. Last Monday, gunmen also attacked a Roman Catholic church in northwest Kaduna State. They killed one person and abducted the Reverend Boba Pascal, the parish priest. Pascal still in captivity. The violence comes less than a month after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern. He also threatened a possible military intervention if Nigerian authorities failed to quell the attacks against Christians. But Nigerian authorities have repeatedly denied the persecution reports. Yusuf Tagar is Nigeria's foreign affairs minister.

[John Wilsey]

It is not about religion. It is about what is happening in the larger region. The terrorist activity is not about, about persecution of a particular religion.

[Onize Adua]

No. But last Tuesday, the US Mission in the United nations organized an event to push for stronger efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria. Mike Waltz is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

[John Wilsey]

This is not random violence. This is genocide. Wearing the mask of chaos.

[Onize Adua]

Two days later, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa listened to the Trump administration explain its plan to respond to the killings in Nigeria. Jonathan Pratt is a senior official at the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs.

[John Wilsey]

This plan will consider U.S. state and treasury engagement on sanctions as well as possible Department of War engagement on counterterrorism and other efforts to protect religious communities.

[Onize Adua]

U.S. defense Secretary Pete Hegsett met last week with a Nigerian delegation led by National Security Adviser Nuhur Ribadou. They discussed ways that Nigeria could make tangible progress towards ending the killings. Sean Nelson is a senior counsel for global religious freedom at the Alliance Defending Freedom International. He says the United States is watching Nigeria's response closely.

[John Wilsey]

It seems that there's not been a real response to prosecute those individuals to go and secure these areas to stop this, making sure the impunity for attackers ends. And so anything that comes up in the next few weeks I think will be measures to really, really put pressure on the Nigerian government to make those tangible steps.

[Onize Adua]

That's this week's world tour. I'm Onize Adua.

[Nick Icker]

Well, some of the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine have made it all the way to Japan, even to the sumo wrestling ring. Ukrainian wrestler Donylo Yavushishin left the country and eventually found a home in the sumo clubs. And just, just three years in, the 21 year old made history as the first Ukrainian ever to win an elite level sumo tournament. Yavushishin is a relative lightweight in a sport where girth matters. So this 308 pound lightweight so called is learning to toss aside giants. And in Japan he's becoming one, metaphorically, if not physically. It's the World and Everything In It.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, November 26th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Icker]

And I'm Nick Icker. Coming next on the World and Everything in it, director Ryan Johnson returns with his third Knives out mystery. The original debuted six years ago this week. It was a sleeper hit that brought in a box office return more than seven times its budget. Netflix later bought the franchise and released a sequel in 2022. Now the third installment opens in select theaters before it hits Netflix December 12th. Here now is World arts and Culture editor Colin Garberino. His review of Wake Up Dead Man.

[Colin Garbarino]

Knives out was a tightly constructed murder mystery with a cast of quirky suspects who all seemed to benefit from the death of the family patriarch. But the quirkiest character of all was the detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, with what one character referred to as a Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl. In Wake Up Dead man, director Rian Johnson keeps the tone as quirky as ever, but this time around he tries to incorporate questions of faith into his whodunit.

[John Wilsey]

A priest is a shepherd. The world is a wolf. No, I don't believe that, Father. Respectfully, you start fighting wolves and before you know it, everyone you don't understand is a wolf.

[Colin Garbarino]

The action in Wake Up Dead man revolves around a small town Catholic church. Josh o' Connor plays Father Judd, a young priest who's sent to the small parish of Our lady of Perpetual Fortitude. He's supposed to see if he can rejuvenate the dying flock by bringing a positive outlook.

[John Wilsey]

Christ came to heal the world, not fight it.

[Colin Garbarino]

I believe that the church's current priest is Monsignor Wicks, played by Josh Brolin. Wicks is a hardliner who preaches fiery sermons and seems intent on alienating newcomers.

[Donald Trump]

Might as well beat that child.

[Hunter Baker]

Yes, might as well starve that child.

[Donald Trump]

Defy the family that the Lord intended and watch your child burn beneath that burden.

[Colin Garbarino]

When Wicks is murdered in an exceedingly mysterious way on Good Friday, the police enlist the help of master detective Benoit Blanc.

[Donald Trump]

I don't want to take you away.

[Nick Icker]

From your priestly duties, now, do I?

[Colin Garbarino]

All star ensemble casts have become a signature of the Knives out franchise, and Wake Up Dead man is no exception. A small group of parishioners make up the list of suspects, and they're played by heavy hitters like Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner and Andrew Scott. In this film, Johnson gives the audience his version of a locked room mystery. Plenty of people had a motive to kill Monsignor Wicks, but it seems impossible that any of them could have had the opportunity. As the movie itself acknowledges, this setup is a common trope in the whodunit genre. But perhaps more significant than the actual mystery is Johnson's exploration of religion in the film. It turns out Benoit Blanc has a distinct dislike for the Christian faith.

[Donald Trump]

Let's build upon the empty promise of.

[John Wilsey]

A child's fairy tale filled with malevolence.

[Hunter Baker]

And misogyny and homophobia.

[Colin Garbarino]

Father Judd acts as Blanc's sidekick in the investigation, but he also serves as his foil in spiritual matters. The earnest young priest tries to convince the skeptical detective that there might be something to this whole Christianity thing.

[John Wilsey]

Do these stories convince us of a.

[Hunter Baker]

Lie or do they resonate with something deep inside us?

[Colin Garbarino]

That's profoundly true, Johnson has said. Wake Up Dead man is a personal film for him. He grew up in a conservative evangelical household, but as an adult he abandoned the faith. Here we see him examining the intersection of faith and politics, and the result is entirely predictable. Based on his personal lens, Johnson uses Wicks as a stand in for those he considers bad religious leaders. In the age of hateful, arrogant and caring more about the culture war than they do about people, Judd is supposed to be one of the good guys who saves folks by teaching them to forgive their enemies. I suppose we can give Johnson some credit for attempting to allow various perspectives to have their say, but despite his upbringing, he doesn't really understand the thing he's writing about. The movie portrays religious experience as a strange dichotomy lacking nuance. It's either about control or some subjective feeling. Don't expect an accurate explanation of the gospel. Moreover, the religious tone of the film is off. These Catholics don't talk or act like Catholics. The faithful of Our lady of Perpetual Fortitude have a wild eyed aura about them, totally at odds with the church's Gothic architecture. I think Johnson was trying to be fair in his approach to religion, but in the end he just doesn't know enough about American Christianity to pull it off. Sadly, it wasn't just the cliched perspective on Christianity that disappointed me. Wake Up Deadman is the first Knives out movie to be rated PG13 instead of R. But that doesn't mean the movie is more family friendly. The film contains fewer bad words, but some of the dialogue is more explicit than anything in earlier films, but this isn't a terrible movie, it's just got too many annoying aspects. The central murder was cleverly written, but Johnson adds a secondary hoax to the plot that is utterly nonsensical. The more you think about it, the dumber it gets. If you're a Benoit Blanc fan, you would probably be happier queuing up the original this holiday season Season I'm Colin Garbarino.

[Nick Icker]

Today is Wednesday, November 26th. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast as we wrap up commentary from John Wilsey. He is a church history professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Willsey tells the backstory of one of the most well loved hymns of Thanksgiving.

[John Wilsey]

My favorite Thanksgiving hymn is Now Thank We All Are God by Martin Rinkert. His biography makes the hymn all the more compelling. Rinkert was born in the town of eilenburg, Germany in 1586. He was the son of a cooper in that town and studied theology at the University of Leipzig, graduating in 1616. He served the town of Eilenburg as pastor beginning in 1617, the year before the most destructive war in European history began, the Thirty Years War. Eilenburg was a small town in the ancient Duchy of Saxony, with the city of Leipzig to its southwest and Wittenberg to its north. Germany did not yet exist as a nation state. Central Europe had been divided between Catholic and Protestant territories since the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, and Protestants were on the rise. The Holy Roman Empire descended into Civil War in 1618, and the major powers of Europe saw opportunities to expand their power. France, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Poland Lithuania were among the major kingdoms taking part in the war. Eilenberg was situated on the path of the Swedish army, and the Swedes fought a major battle with the Austrians at Lutzen in 1632. This battle was one of the greatest clashes of the war, resulting in the death of the great Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. During this time, Eilenberg suffered from siege and pestilence and famine. Pastor Rinkert stayed in the town to minister to its inhabitants as well as the many refugees seeking shelter there. For the duration of the war. He conducted thousands of funerals, often scores per day, including that of his wife. Rinkert died in 1649, a year after the Peace of Westphalia concluded the war. An estimated 5 million people died in the conflict. Now Think We All Are God appeared in a 1648 hymnal and rinkert probably wrote it shortly before it was published. The first stanza sets up the spirit of the gratitude that dominates the entire hymn. The echoes of war are heard in the second stanza as Rinkert seeks God's guidance when all are perplexed, praying that he would free us from all ills, not just in this world, but the next. And then the third verse ends. Before the throne of God, whose kingdom is forevermore. Happy thanksgiving. I'm john wilsey.

[Lindsay Mast]

Tomorrow, the end of the US Penny. Also, why the turkey trout tradition keeps growing and prayer for the persecuted church. That and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Icker]

And I'm Nick Iker. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Verses 23 and 24 of Colossians, chapter 3. Go now in grace and peace.