Podcast Summary

Podcast: The World and Everything In It
Episode: Nigeria’s silent genocide, vetting Afghan refugees, and rebuilding black families
Date: December 4, 2025
Hosts: Mary Reichardt, Myrna Brown
Key Segments: Christian persecution in Nigeria, re-vetting Afghan refugees, and rebuilding the Black family in America

Episode Overview

This episode examines urgent global and domestic stories: the largely unreported genocide against Nigerian Christians, the controversy over re-vetting Afghan refugees after a DC shooting, and one researcher’s cultural blueprint for restoring Black family structures in the US. The WORLD team delivers careful news analysis, field interviews, and commentary from both faith-based and secular perspectives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Silent Genocide in Nigeria

Guest: Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted & TruthNigeria.com
[09:00–16:46]

• Nigeria’s religious divide:
  • "Currently Nigeria is 50% Christian, 50% Muslim, and what we are seeing taking place is a radical Islamist takeover… moving in from the north and working its way south." (Judd Saul, 09:59)
  • Previous ratios were 70% Christian to 30% Muslim; the shift is attributed to sustained attacks and population displacement.
• The perpetrators:
  • Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa, Fulani tribe—all radical Islamist groups aiming for a caliphate.
  • Goal: Systematic eradication of Christians and their communities.
• The scale of violence:
  • "In the last five years, on average, per year, you had around 5,000 Christians that were killed. This year it's been exponentially worse. It's around 7,600 Christians have been killed since January this year." (Judd Saul, 11:05)
  • Over 35,000 Christians killed in 5 years; more than 10,000 churches destroyed; 3.5 million Christians displaced and living in poverty (IDP camps).
  • "In the last five years, Nigeria has accounted for 90% of all Christian persecution deaths worldwide every year." (11:11)
• Complicity of Nigerian authorities:
  • Saul claims Nigerian military and police are frequently notified of attacks but do nothing—“stood down even while attacks are occurring and people are being slaughtered.” (Judd Saul, 11:48)
• Media blackout and manipulation:
  • News events are only reported when the Nigerian government calls and pays for a press conference.
  • "If the Nigerian government does not issue... their own statement, the event never happened." (Judd Saul, 12:45)
  • International media (e.g., BBC, CNN) rely on these pre-filtered reports—typically after coverage passes through Al Jazeera.
• Signs of genocide:
  • Entire Christian communities (over 800) have been “wiped off the map, renamed Muslim names, where Christians are no more.” (13:41)
• International Response:
  • US recently redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act—Saul says, “it’s a start, but we need to follow it up with a real action plan.” (15:03)
• Equipping the Persecuted’s role:
  • Emergency food and medical aid, training village security teams, early alert systems, intelligence sharing with churches to reduce surprise attacks.
• Warning for Africa:
  • “If Nigeria falls, so goes the rest of Africa… if something isn’t done soon, this is going to turn into an even bigger problem.” (Judd Saul, 16:02)

2. Re-vetting Afghan Refugees After DC Shooting

Reporter: Josh Schumacher
Experts: Jessica Vaughn (Center for Immigration Studies), Sean Vandiver (Afghan Evac)
[16:52–23:39]

• Incident:
  • A 29-year-old Afghan national, Ramanula Lakhanwal, shot two National Guard service members at a DC Metro stop. Attack spotlights post-2021 vetting of Afghan evacuees.
• Policy Fallout:
  • Trump administration halts processing of all Afghan green cards, asylum, and immigration requests pending a sweeping re-vetting of refugees admitted under Biden (17:11).
• Competing claims on vetting:
  • Trump officials: Vetting during Biden era was rushed, insufficient.
  • Sean Vandiver: Lakhanwal was vetted “over and over again” by both administrations, entered as a CIA-associated anti-Taliban fighter (19:31).
• The vetting process:
  • Operation Allies Welcome involved background checks, biometric data, watch-list cross-checks by various federal agencies—praised by DOJ Inspector General for effectiveness (20:46).
  • “We’re not seeing these folks commit crimes in large numbers.” (Delano Squires quoting Vandiver, 21:16)
• Security gaps:
  • Jessica Vaughn: “No way to fact check identities” as Afghan civil records were unreliable post–Taliban collapse (22:16).
  • Most evacuees were not direct US government employees or associates (22:39).
• Policy recommendation:
  • Vaughn and others support a careful review, arguing, "we should go back and look at the people that were handled that way, you know, just to make sure, just to see if mistakes were made." (Mary Reichardt, 23:17)
• Tone:
  • Balanced, highlighting human cost, security concerns, but also the risks of overgeneralizing about refugees.

3. Rebuilding Black Families in America

Guest/Expert: Delano Squires, Heritage Foundation research fellow
[25:37–33:38]

• Background:
  • Revisits Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s 1965 report warning about the rise of single-parent Black households (26:08).
  • At that time, 25% of Black children were born outside marriage; now exceeds 50% (28:29).
• Enduring Controversy:
  • Moynihan’s report was attacked as “victim-blaming” (26:59); today, Squires faces similar criticism for advocating stronger marriage culture.
  • Memorable moment: A caller tells Squires he’s “insulted my mama this morning” on C-SPAN (27:30).
• Personal context:
  • Squires, son of West Indian immigrants, credits his stable, married upbringing for his own success:
    • "Our lives looked very different than those of our peers…not only were our parents together, but our dads were active in our lives." (Delano Squires, 29:41)
• His plan to rebuild Black families:
  • Focuses on four “houses”: church, school, state, art.
  • “If you want to fix the home, you have to get four houses in order. The church house, the school house, the state house, and then the art house.” (Delano Squires, 31:02)
• Call to action:
  • Reframes “Black Lives Matter” as “Black Wives Matter”—calls Black leaders to make marriage and family formation a top priority (31:31).
• Obstacles:
  • Squires faces apathy, not hostility, from Black leaders:
    • “Part of the reason is because the issues that they see as of more importance are abortion, LGBT issues, climate change.” (31:55)
  • One progressive leader, Khalil Thompson, found common ground with Squires despite differences, valuing a shared desire for children’s future wellbeing (32:42).
• Christian perspective:
  • Squires underlines his motivation as biblical:
    • “As a Christian, a husband and a father, in that order… children need their father. Because God designed it… if it takes two to make [a child], I can infer it takes two to raise.” (Delano Squires, 33:13)
• Hopeful but realistic:
  • “Took us about three generations to get to this point, it'll take at least three to get us out.” (Delano Squires, 32:57)

4. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Nigeria:
  • “Death by 10,000 attacks—they’ve taken over more territory.” (Judd Saul, 09:59)
  • “If Nigeria falls, so goes the rest of Africa.” (Judd Saul, 16:02)
• On Re-vetting Afghan Refugees:
  • “He was brought here by the CIA. And… vetted… over and over again.” (Sean Vandiver, 19:31)
  • “We’re not seeing these folks commit crimes in large numbers.” (Delano Squires quoting Vandiver, 21:16)
  • “Most of the evacuees were just anybody who could get on a plane.” (Jessica Vaughn, 22:39)
• On Black Family Structure:
  • “My advocacy on behalf of the traditional family is basically a slight or swipe at his single mom… and I was doing no such thing.” (Delano Squires, 27:51)
  • “Black Wives Matter.” (Delano Squires, 31:31)
  • “If it takes two to make [a child], I can infer it takes two to raise.” (Delano Squires, 33:13)

5. Other Notable Segments

Honoring Conservative Icons: Buckley & Thatcher

Commentator: Cal Thomas
[33:50–38:16]

• Marks the centennial of William F. Buckley Jr. and Margaret Thatcher.
• Explores their guiding principles—skepticism of collectivism, defense of family and individual responsibility.
• Memorable lines:
  • Buckley: “I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the Boston telephone directory than by the 2,000 people on the faculty of Harvard University.”
  • Thatcher: “The state has no source of money other than the money people earn themselves.” (36:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Nigeria’s silent genocide: 09:00–16:46
• Re-vetting Afghan refugees: 16:52–23:39
• Rebuilding Black families: 25:37–33:38
• Buckley & Thatcher tribute (Cal Thomas): 33:50–38:16

Conclusion

This episode spotlights grave international injustice and challenges closer to home with a balance of urgent reporting, critical policy debate, and moral reflection. Through careful interviews and faith-informed analysis, WORLD Radio connects local and global crises to questions of leadership, media credibility, and personal responsibility.

For listeners seeking a biblical, rigorous take on headlines ignored or mishandled by other outlets, this episode offers deeply reported coverage and practical implications—especially for churches and community leaders.