← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
11.5.25 Washington Wednesday on the legacy of Dick Cheney, World Tour on Sudan’s violence, and what shaped Twila Paris’ music
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- [00:06]
Lindsay Mast
Good morning. Today on Washington, the legacy of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
- [00:11]
Hunter Baker
I really liked putting my name on the ballot and I knew I wanted to pursue a political career.
- [00:16]
Nick Icker
That and election results ahead today. Later, a musical legacy shaped by the faith of a father.
- [00:22]
Twyla Paris
He is the person who taught me to love God and taught me to.
- [00:25]
Nick Icker
Write a song and world Opinions contributor Seth troud on treating AI as the machine. It is.
- [00:38]
Lindsay Mast
It's Wednesday, November 5th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [00:45]
Nick Icker
And I'm Nick Icker. Good morning.
- [00:49]
Lindsay Mast
Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.
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Kent Covington
A successful election day for Democrats and a pair of high profile votes to pick the next governors of Virginia and New Jersey. Former U.S. congresswoman Abigail Spanberger scored a double digit victory over Republican opponent, current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears. Addressing supporters in Richmond last night, Spanberger noted she's set to become the first female governor in the state's history.
- [01:15]
Lindsay Mast
Your mom's going to be the governor.
- [01:16]
Allie Paris
Of Virginia and I can guarantee those.
- [01:20]
Lindsay Mast
Words have never been spoken in Virginia ever before.
- [01:24]
Kent Covington
Her victory flips Virginia's executive mansion where GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin is term limited. And in New Jersey, another former congresswoman Mikey Sherrill also comfortably defeated her GOP opponent Jack Giatorelli. She told supporters in East Brunswick, serving.
- [01:41]
Allie Paris
You is worth any tough fight I.
- [01:43]
Hunter Baker
Have to take on and I am.
- [01:45]
Lindsay Mast
Incredibly honored to be your next governor.
- [01:48]
Kent Covington
Meantime, in New York City, voters have elected socialist candidate zoran Mamdani. The 34 year old Muslim mayor elect has become a rising star in the Democratic Party. He defeated former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was running as an independent.
- [02:03]
Hunter Baker
My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.
- [02:08]
Kent Covington
President Trump endorsed Cuomo on the eve of the election, saying that in his view, electing a liberal is better than electing a socialist. Several states also voted Tuesday on major ballot measures. In Maine, residents rejected a measure that would have required photo ID to vote and imposed new limits on absentee ballots and drop boxes that about 6 in 10 voters opposed it. But in Texas, voters approved a constitutional amendment declaring that only U.S. citizens can cast ballots. And in California, Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated the success of a ballot measure there.
- [02:45]
Hunter Baker
We organized in an unprecedented way in a 90 day sprint. People from all over the United States of America contribute their voices and their support.
- [02:56]
Kent Covington
Californians approved a plan to redraw the state's congressional map to add five more Democratic leaning districts. Governor Newsom said the move was meant to offset redistricting earlier this year in Texas, which added five more Republican leaning districts. Flags at the White House and Capitol flying at half staff this morning in honor of former Vice President Dick Cheney. He died Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from pneumonia and heart disease. House Speaker Mike Johnson paid tribute. Someone who gave their life, loved their country, loved serving their country in so.
- [03:31]
Nick Icker
Many capacities and so the honor is.
- [03:34]
Kent Covington
Certainly due to him and our prayers.
- [03:35]
Nick Icker
Go out to the family.
- [03:36]
Kent Covington
We'll have more on the life and career of Dick Cheney later in the program. The United States is reportedly pushing a plan aimed at shaping the future of the post war Gaza Strip. The Associated Press, citing two anonymous U.S. officials, says Washington is proposing a UN Security Council resolution that would place an international stabilization mobilization force in Gaza for at least two years. UK Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer told reporters some of the provisions.
- [04:05]
Hunter Baker
Of the 20 point plan do include ISF and we support that being underpinned by Security Council mandate, including a Security Council resolution.
- [04:14]
Kent Covington
He said the UK Is fully engaged in helping ensure the stability of the Gaza strip. At least seven people are dead and 11 injured after a UPS plane crashed on takeoff in Kentucky Tuesday, sending a fireball and a column of smoke into the skies above Louisville's International Airport. Authorities said the plane crashed a little after 5pm as it was departing for Hawaii. Louisville Fire Chief Brian o' Neill said crews had a tough time getting a handle on the blaze.
- [04:42]
Hunter Baker
It's about a city block wide. You've got fuel recycling storage and some bulk fuel storage.
- [04:48]
Kent Covington
That's right there.
- [04:49]
Hunter Baker
You also have the auto parts area.
- [04:52]
Kent Covington
Video showed flames on the plane's left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding.
- [04:59]
Hunter Baker
Loading.
- [05:03]
Kent Covington
I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker. Plus a world tour report on the spreading war in Sudan. This is the World and everything in it.
- [05:33]
Nick Icker
It's Wednesday, the 5th of November. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Nick Iger.
- [05:41]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. First up, the legacy of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
- [05:47]
Hunter Baker
Mr. Chairman, delegates and fellow citizens, I am honored by your nomination and I accept it.
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Lindsay Mast
Dick Cheney, 25 years ago, a few months ahead of an election that would make him the 46th Vice President of the United States.
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Nick Icker
As you heard at the top of the program, Cheney died on Monday at the age of 84. Before becoming VP, Cheney had already built an impressive resume. He worked under Donald Rumsfeld in the Nixon administration and President Gerald Ford hired Cheney as chief of staff when Cheney was just 34 years old. To this day, Cheney is the youngest person ever to hold that post.
- [06:29]
Lindsay Mast
Congressman Dick Cheney later represented Wyoming for 10 years and he served as Defense Secretary under President George H.W. bush. But of course, he's best remembered as right hand man to Bush 43. President George W. Bush, and many regard him as the most powerful VP in American history. Here's Cheney speaking at an event in 2014.
- [06:52]
Hunter Baker
I think isolationism is crazy. Anybody who went through 911 who thinks we can retreat behind our oceans and will be safe and secure is, I'm sorry, but they're out to launch.
- [07:06]
Lindsay Mast
As Vice president, He helped shape US policy after the 911 attacks and was by some accounts the driving force behind the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to disarm Saddam Hussein. And in the eyes of many, it was his role in that decision that, for better or for worse, will forever define his legacy.
- [07:26]
Nick Icker
Well, Dick Cheney was a symbol of loyalty, power, and paradox. His long partnership with the Bush family and specifically President George W. Bush, began to fray after a disagreement over Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby. Libby was convicted in 2007 of perjury and obstruction of justice in the leak of the identity of a CIA operative.
- [07:49]
Hunter Baker
The.
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Nick Icker
The story goes that when President Bush refused to give Libby a pardon, Cheney accused Bush of, quote, unquote, leaving a soldier on the battlefield.
- [07:59]
Hunter Baker
What was it that convinced him that Scooter Libby deserved a pardon?
- [08:03]
Twyla Paris
The President thought it was the right thing to do.
- [08:05]
Nick Icker
More than a decade later, it was Donald Trump who finally granted Libby that pardon. And yet Cheney would later repay that favor by denouncing Trump as a threat to constitutional norms. Which, interestingly, was the same charge Democrats had leveled against Cheney throughout his entire career. Now, fast forward to last year and what would be his final vote in a presidential election? Cheney cast his vote for Kamala Harris. Joining us now is political scientist and World Opinions contributor, Hunter Baker. Hunter, good morning.
- [08:39]
Hunter Baker
Good morning.
- [08:40]
Nick Icker
So, Hunter, to me, that story arc really shows how Cheney's power peaked and then waned. First as architect of the Bush foreign policy after 9 11, and later as that same intervention, worldview would come under fire from within his own party. So what do you say will be Dick Cheney's legacy?
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Hunter Baker
Really one of the notable careers in Washington. You're talking about a guy. He's almost like a character in a movie. And of course, they did make a movie about him called Vice, but he was chief of staff to Gerald Ford at the age of 30. 4. Now, just think about that. Went on to have not long after that, something like four or five heart attacks. He held all these responsible positions. A notable congressman from Wyoming, then the Secretary of Defense under the first Bush, and vice president under the second Bush. And he is originally identifiable as kind of a cold warrior, somebody who wants to make sure we can fight the Russians, but then somebody who is part of that post Reagan glow, when Americans were filled with confidence that we could do anything and that our values were ascendant in the world and that we could take them anywhere and transform any population. And after September 11, he was one of the architects of the policy to go to the Middle east to quote, unquote, liberate the people there and to remove the radical threats of the type that had caused September 11th. That was his legacy. But it's a legacy that was very much tarnished with our failures in the Middle east and then with the rejection of the type of party of which he was a part by Donald Trump. Donald Trump had different ideas for what the Republican Party would be, and voters have seemingly embraced the new Trump Party over against the old Cheney Bush party.
- [10:52]
Lindsay Mast
You know, Hunter, back in 2014, Dick Cheney spoke with commentator Bill Kristol about what he saw as America's increasing weakness on the world stage. It was five years after he left office, as the Obama administration wound down the wars Cheney helped launch, and he warned that the United States was in what he called a period of considerable danger. The military was being cut back, and he thought the country needed a president willing to project strength. Here's a clip from that interview with the now defunct Weekly Standard magazine.
- [11:25]
Hunter Baker
So I think we're entering a period of considerable danger with the United States that relative to other nations, is weaker than we ought to be, that our military force is being dramatically reduced when it shouldn't be. And what we need is strong leadership. And we, we need a president and Congress who understand the nature of the threat. We really need a strong leader, and we need somebody who can step up and remind the world what the United States is capable of and demonstrate the ability and the willingness to do that.
- [11:59]
Lindsay Mast
Hunter, ten years after he said that, as we've noted, Cheney strongly opposed Donald Trump, the very candidate who built his appeal around strength. How do you read that reversal?
- [12:12]
Hunter Baker
There's a couple of things. First of all, I think that a lot of people forget that Trump's post 2020 election behavior struck a lot of people as dangerous, as sort of a subversion of our constitutional norms and the peaceful transfer of power. And Cheney's daughter, in particular, Liz Cheney, a congresswoman, she really doubled down in her opposition to Trump after that happened. And I think that Cheney basically backed his daughter's play. What ended up happening, though, was that she was overwhelmingly rejected by Wyoming voters after having done that. And I think that Cheney took that personally to the point that he would do something to me which would be inconceivable for a person like him. You're talking about someone who was a constitutionalist, you know, in favor of states rights and smaller government, and who then turns around and says that he's supporting Kamala Harris, who would be the type of person who would see Cheney himself as Darth Vader, as bad as it gets, himself a major threat to the American Constitution in our way of life. And so I can really only explain his support for Kamala Harris as something personal in kind of reacting to what happened to his daughter.
- [13:42]
Nick Icker
Well, Hunter, a new front in President Trump's foreign policy. It was over the weekend that the president posted on social media his view that the US should halt aid to Nigeria and designate Nigeria a country of particular concern. President Trump citing the widespread killing of Christians in the country. So when asked about possible US Military action in Nigeria, here is what President Trump said.
- [14:09]
Hunter Baker
They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria, and they have other countries. Very bad. Also, you know, that. That part of the world. Very bad. They're killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. Not going to allow that to happen.
- [14:25]
Nick Icker
All right, Hunter, this does not strike me as a top priority of maga. What do you think is behind this decision to get tough with Nigeria?
- [14:35]
Hunter Baker
Well, what's going on in Nigeria has suddenly become a lot more prominent, largely because of the television host Bill Maher, who just pointed to the fact that something like 100,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria during the past several years. And he's sort of asking, why are we so focused on what has happened in Gaza when this same sort of thing, maybe worse, has been happening in Nigeria? They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country. Where are the kids protesting this? Thank you. So that has kind of drawn a lot of eyeballs. And another thing to think of as we look at this is what happened in Rwanda several. Several years ago. You know, in Rwanda, we had this terrible genocide, and the United States did not do anything about it, and neither did anybody else, really. And, you know, somewhere between half a million and a million people were killed in that genocide in Rwanda. And a lot of different nations, including the United States, kind of looked at that and said, should we have done something? Did we make a mistake by just sitting back and watching this happen? And so maybe as these questions are raised about Nigeria, we may be starting to wonder the same thing.
- [16:03]
Lindsay Mast
My fellow Virginians, tonight we sent a message.
- [16:27]
Allie Paris
We sent a message to the whole.
- [16:29]
Lindsay Mast
World that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. Well, before we go, Hunter, I guess it was not a big surprise, but the Democratic sweep last night began in Virginia, where Abigail Spanberger won the governorship. Moments later, Mikey Sherrill won the governor's race in New Jersey. And then the biggest story has to be the one we were all anticipating, the victory of a socialist mayor of the financial capital, New York City. Hunter, what do you look at historically to make sense of last night's results?
- [17:06]
Hunter Baker
Throughout this campaign, I have found myself thinking about 2008 and 2009. In 2008, Barack Obama swept to an historic victory, going to the White House. And a mere year later, we had this same set of elections in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City. And in Virginia, The Republican Bob McDonnell won the governor's race by some 18 points. In New Jersey, a candidate named Chris Christie became the Republican governor of the state and would be there two terms. And in New York City, Michael Bloomberg would win his third term as the successor to Rudy Giuliani, who had two terms before him. The reason that I say this is, is that it reminds me of now. We had Donald Trump in 2024 with a pretty convincing victory, now followed a mere year later with significant bold action in the meantime, with these same sort of adverse results that Barack Obama experienced in 2009. All of this is to say is that some of these things are a little bit baked in. I think that Trump, like Obama, brings his electorate when he's on the ticket, and when he's not on the ticket, his electorate is less energized. But at the same time, the people who were on the losing side of the campaign against him looked to a midterm election like this as the time to strike back and the time to send a message. And it happened in 2009, and I think that we've just seen it happen in 2025.
- [19:01]
Nick Icker
Hunter, just one more question. I'd like to return to Zoran Mamdani, the mayor elect in New York City. Now, his victory no doubt will energize Democrats. And but my question for you is, won't it also have similar effects for Republicans? I mean, won't they hang Mamdani around the necks of every single purple state Democrat and tag the whole party as fully socialists, a backlash to the backlash, as it were.
- [19:32]
Hunter Baker
It's certainly gonna be a big deal in American politics. You think about what the election of a single congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez just a few years ago has done in American politics. You know, she has sort of energized the left with her election and she has been similarly radical in the way that Hamdani has been. And now he is occupying a much loftier perch as the new elected mayor of New York City. So it automatically elevates him in the American conscience. He is going to be covered by the media like you have not seen in a long time. You know, everything that he has to say. And of course, there will be all kinds of fashion spreads and the celebrity treatment, you know, all of all of these sorts of things. So he's going to be front and center in everything that we, in everything that we experience as Americans. And we'll see. He either will generate a big backlash or he may succeed in continuing to reshape the Democratic Party. So I'm not sure what happens next, but he's going to be around and he's going to have an impact.
- [20:53]
Nick Icker
Hunter Baker is a political scientist and provost at North Greenville University. Hunter, thanks so much.
- [20:59]
Hunter Baker
Thank you.
- [21:13]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from Covenant College where Christian faculty equip students for their callings through hard ideas, deep questions and meaningful work. Covenant. Edu World from Ambassadors Impact Network helping purpose driven entrepreneurs explore financing options that align with their values. More@ambassadorsimpact.com and from Dort University where concept based learning builds. Confident, thoughtful nurses ready to serve with wisdom and grace. Dort Edu.
- [21:52]
Lindsay Mast
Coming up next on THE World and everything in it, more carnage in Africa.
- [21:56]
Nick Icker
Last week in Sudan, rebel forces battling the military for control of the country captured the capital city of North Darfur state. Since then, survivors have shared reports of indiscriminate killings and abuse in Al Fashr. The attacks further complicate any hope for peace in the country's two year war. Here now is World Africa reporter oniza Addoua.
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Allie Paris
For five days, 70 year old Fatima Abdul Rahim and her grandmother grandchildren walked 40 miles hiding in trenches and dodging bullets. They were fleeing from Al Fasher after rebels from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group or RSF unleashed violence there in recent days. Today they are safe in a thatched tent at a makeshift displacement camp in Sudan city of Tawila.
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Lindsay Mast
I kept covering the eyes the of.
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Allie Paris
Of the children who were scared I.
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Hunter Baker
Didn'T want them to see.
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Lindsay Mast
There were many along the road who'd.
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Hunter Baker
Been injured and beaten and could not move.
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Allie Paris
RSF besieged the city for 18 months before capturing it fully last week from military forces. The two generals on the warring sides are former allies who orchestrated a Coup together in 2021. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 14 million. On Monday, a global hunger advocacy group confirmed famine in El Fashure and another city, warning that 20 other areas remain at risk. Joseph Siegel is a senior research associate at the University of Maryland.
- [23:39]
Hunter Baker
This is not a civil war in the classic sense of different ethnic groups, communities, regions of a country fighting one another. This is about a political conflict between these two military leaders who want to control the state, and it's spiraled further out of control.
- [23:59]
Allie Paris
Other survivors from Al Fasher have described assaults, dead bodies left in the streets, and rebels going door to door to kill people. The United nations estimates that more than 36,000 people have fled Al Fashr in less than two weeks. In one harrowing instance, the World Health Organization said suspected rebels killed at least 460 people at a hospital in the city. The victims included health workers and patients. General Mohammed Hamdan de Gallo is the RSF commander.
- [24:35]
Hunter Baker
But now our committees have arrived in Al Fasha. An investigation committee should start immediately to hold any soldier or officer, officer who committed a crime or crossed their limits towards any human accountable.
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Allie Paris
In a later video, the rebel group showed the arrest of a fighter known as Abu Lulu. He appeared in several circulating videos of summary executions. The group also said it arrested several other fighters. But Siegel says the move is political since the GALU still aspires to cling on Topaz.
- [25:05]
Hunter Baker
You know, this claim that Arzav is going to take responsibility, I think it's really meant for international ears to. And there's been little evidence that the ARSAF has taken any accountability or pursued any justice for the abuses of its forces.
- [25:21]
Allie Paris
UN officials warn that the violence isn't limited to Al Fasher. Martha Amma Akiapobi is the UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa.
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Hunter Baker
Drone strikes by both parties are also affecting new territories and new targets. These include Blue Nile, Khartoum, Senaar, South Kordofan and West Darfur, suggesting that the territorial scope of the conflict is broadening.
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Allie Paris
The United States has said it is working with both sides to reach a humanitarian truce. Massad Boulous is the U.S. senior advisor for Arab and African Affairs.
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Hunter Baker
We came up with a comprehensive plan that has a clear roadmap with a timeline so the timeline starts with the three month truce, humanitarian truce that we're talking about now and then the nine month process, political process and all the other details.
- [26:18]
Allie Paris
But beyond the truce, Siegel says a civilian government is the way forward for Sudan.
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Hunter Baker
It's a very short sighted approach to think that, well, we just have to negotiate between the two armed factions. It overlooks the fact that there is this mass of support for a civilian led government in Sudan.
- [26:40]
Allie Paris
In the meantime, the people of Sudan are still hoping for peace while coming to terms with the ongoing violence. On Monday, at least 40 people died after a drone strike hit a funeral in North Kordofan State. Abdul Rahim mourns for the children of Sudan.
- [27:00]
Hunter Baker
You'd be shocked by the state of the world. People are brought to the hospital in.
- [27:05]
Lindsay Mast
Groups of 50, 60 or 70 injured at once. As for those who died, their number is countless. The children of Sudan have died.
- [27:18]
Allie Paris
That's this week's world tour. I'm Unizi Odua.
- [27:36]
Lindsay Mast
Today is Wednesday, November 5th. Thank you for turning to world radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [27:43]
Nick Icker
And I'm Nick Iker. Next up on the World and Everything in It, a story of faith, family and song. How one musician's spiritual heritage continues to shape the next generation.
- [27:55]
Lindsay Mast
World's Travis Kercher reports.
- [28:03]
Travis Kercher
This, kids, is what the older folks call a record, a window to the.
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Hunter Baker
Past for the Bible tells me so.
- [28:12]
Travis Kercher
This record was cut sometime around 1963. The man at the piano is Orin Paris, a traveling evangelist. And the little girl belting out Jesus Loves Me is his four year old daughter, Twyla.
- [28:24]
Twyla Paris
My dad, when I was very young, he was in ministry. He would be at one church one week, another church another week. So he was a preacher, but he also was a songwriter and singer.
- [28:37]
Travis Kercher
The Paris family, Twyla and her parents would travel from church to church where Orrin preached revival services that might run for two weeks at a time.
- [28:46]
Twyla Paris
Sometimes we would stay in the pastor's home, very rarely in a hotel in those days. And so my question was always, do they have kids?
- [28:54]
Travis Kercher
Twyla became a regular onstage participant in those services from the age of two.
- [28:59]
Twyla Paris
So by the time I was four, he asked me if I wanted to make an album and I said sure. So we did an independent album.
- [29:05]
Travis Kercher
Orin had a rule that all of his children had to take piano lessons. Twyla first learned from her grandmother. And sometime after Orrin took over, he gave then 12 year old Twyla some challenging homework.
- [29:17]
Twyla Paris
My assignment was to write A song before next week. And I was like, what? I can't write a song? Well, go try, you know. So I did and I came back and I'd written a bad song that, you know.
- [29:28]
Travis Kercher
Twyla officially denies any memory of that song, but says that lesson from her father demystified the songwriting process and gave her the boldness to try again. By the time she was a teen, she had written several songs. She played for friends and for her local church. And when a major record label offered to sign her sometime around the age of 20, she knew exactly who to go to for advice.
- [29:49]
Twyla Paris
I was like, well, I don't know, I've got to talk to my dad. He's out of town, you know, he's in Thailand right now. He was on a missions trip.
- [29:57]
Hunter Baker
Lately I've been winning battles left and right.
- [30:05]
Nick Icker
But even winning.
- [30:12]
Travis Kercher
Twyla Parris became known for songs like the Warrior is a Child, Lamb of God and God is in Control.
- [30:18]
Hunter Baker
God is in control. We believe that his children will not be forsaken.
- [30:28]
Travis Kercher
But as a self proclaimed introvert, she says she felt more comfortable in the studio writing music than performing at large scale concerts. She says her dad helped with that too.
- [30:39]
Twyla Paris
I remember my dad said to me, you know what, Twyla, if you're God conscious, you won't be self conscious. Think about what it is that God wants to do through you. Focus on that and on him and then you won't have space left over in your mind to worry about, oh, how am I coming off?
- [31:01]
Hunter Baker
What are they thinking about me?
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Twyla Paris
You know? And that was absolutely true.
- [31:14]
Travis Kercher
Twyla Paris would go on to release more than 20 albums with over 30 number one Christian radio singles. In the mid-1990s, she was named the Gospel Music association female Vocalist of the Year for three, three years in a row. But since then, life has slowed down. Now at the age of 66, Twyla admits she and her husband are taking a step back.
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Twyla Paris
For people who know this ref, the Princess Bride reference of being mostly retired. But a lot will be under the radar these days. You know, just opportunities to serve in sometimes small but important ways.
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Travis Kercher
Her father passed away in 2012.
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Twyla Paris
He is the person who taught me to love God and taught me to write a song.
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Travis Kercher
But despite his death, his influence continues.
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Lindsay Mast
You have to actually be the hands.
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Allie Paris
And feet of Jesus.
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Travis Kercher
That's 21 year old Allie Paris, Twyla's niece. Allie is chief operating officer of CounterACT USA, an organization aimed at building community and Christian discipleship among young people, particularly.
- [32:17]
Lindsay Mast
Gen Z I would say Gen Z is a very passionate generation, and so.
- [32:22]
Twyla Paris
Wherever they fall, they're going to be passionate for either whatever they believe, whatever side they're on.
- [32:27]
Travis Kercher
Allie says weekly Sunday Bible studies at her grandfather Oren's house in her childhood played a role in her career path.
- [32:34]
Lindsay Mast
Every single week, we would meet with the siblings and all the cousins and just have a time of fellowship and.
- [32:39]
Twyla Paris
Really digging into the word.
- [32:40]
Lindsay Mast
And so that was something that I think I now see the effect that.
- [32:45]
Twyla Paris
Had on me and my siblings, my cousin.
- [32:48]
Travis Kercher
And even though Ally didn't pursue a singing career like her aunt Twyla, she says there's one musical chore Grandpa Orrin didn't let her skip.
- [32:55]
Lindsay Mast
We were all forced to learn piano from a very early age, and so that was a school subject.
- [33:00]
Hunter Baker
When he come on, when he come up to make up his tune.
- [33:10]
Travis Kercher
Twilight gets emotional when she talks about seeing God work through the lives of young people.
- [33:15]
Twyla Paris
I remember hearing my mom and dad talk about this, and my mom's about to turn 91, and she still prays for us faithfully. But it's more fulfilling than even the amazing opportunities you had and the amazing things that you got to do when you see the next generation moving into their calling. And there's just nothing like it.
- [33:37]
Travis Kercher
Reporting for World I'm Travis Kercher.
- [33:40]
Hunter Baker
Like the stars of the morning his bright crown adorning they shall shine in their beauty Bright gems for his crown.
- [34:13]
Nick Icker
Today is Wednesday, November 5th. Good morning, this is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.
- [34:20]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. As artificial intelligence becomes more and more integrated into our daily lives, World Opinions contributor Seth Trout says we need to remember not to treat it like the humans it tries to emulate.
- [34:37]
Seth Trout
When I first got an Apple HomePod, I was concerned about the speech I was modeling for my children. I'd bark at Siri, making short, impersonal demands. I was resolved to teach my kids basic manners of interaction. So I started saying please and thank you in hopes that it'd add another layer of reinforcement. I regret that decision. As AI increases in capacity and prolificity, a greater concern has emerged for me as a dad that my children might be unable to distinguish between what is a person and what is a machine. AI friends, AI counselors, AI assistants, all tools posing as people. We live in an age where we dehumanize the unborn but humanize that which was never conceived. So today I'm less concerned with modeling speech that involves bad manners. And I'm now more concerned about modeling speech that humanizes the non human. So there are three pointers that I have for treating artificial intelligence like the machine that it is. Number one, don't assign AI gender. Perhaps you've heard someone say about their car, she handles the corners. Well, I understand it's a term of endearment and appreciation. And when it's done ton in cheek, I don't hate it. But the practice becomes obviously problematic when men prefer the company of their engines to their spouses or friends. My 5 year old once asked me, is Siri a she? I replied, no, but it's pretending to be one. Later, my son told Siri to play a song and it played the wrong one. He frustratingly said, ah, she got it wrong. I corrected him, no, it made an error. Similarly, when I encounter some chatbot that's helping me navigate a complex website, it introduces itself like this. Hi, I'm Emily, here to help. Call me crazy, but I respond. For the rest of our interaction, stop pretending to be a woman. If we won't tolerate men pretending to be women, then we should not tolerate algorithms pretending to be women. That brings me to my second suggestion. Don't treat AI like a mind. Descartes wrote, I think, therefore I am. And the latest large language model does not think. There is no I from where thoughts emanate or originate. It amalgamates according to programming. It's only generative in that it must reorganize pre existing material. When the screwdriver does its job, we don't think it was thinking its way into functioning. When the screwdriver isn't working, we blame the manufacturer or the user. It's the same with AI It's a sophisticated tool, not a thinking thing with the sense of self. And now, perhaps my most controversial point. Stop being nice to AI Do I thank a chair when I sit on it? Do I thank my sink when water comes out? Do I thank my stomach acid when it dissolves my food? No, because none of those things are persons yet. AI imitates personhood, so we're tempted to treat it like a person. There's a meme that's made its round on social media. It jokes like this, say thank you to AI so that when the machines take over, they'll be kind, funny. But no. We must be vigilant in dehumanizing that which claims to be human for our own sake and for the sake of future generations. In the lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the children learn about the white witch from Mr. And Mrs. Beaver. At one point, Peter asks if the witch is human. Mr. Beaver replies, she'd like us to believe it, and it's on that that she bases her claim to be queen. But no, no, there isn't a drop of real human blood in that witch. There may be two views about humans, meaning no offense to present company, but there are no two ways about things that look like humans and aren't. He goes on to say, in general, take my advice. When you meet anything that ought to be human and isn't, you keep your eye on it and feel for your hatchet. The wisdom of C.S. lewis lands for us today. Don't treat as human anything that isn't human, and be on guard against the machine that tries to impersonate one. Oh, and keep your hatchet handy. I'm Seth Trout.
- [38:41]
Lindsay Mast
Tomorrow, protecting kids from AI Chatbots. Lawmakers in Washington are pushing companies to do more. But is it too little, too late? And Christians take issue with a Mexican tradition that venerates the dead. That and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [38:58]
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, now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all. In everyone to each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good. Verses 4 through 7 of First Corinthians, chapter 12. Go now in grace and peace.
- [39:39]
Hunter Baker
Sam.