1.27.26 Life after captivity for an Israeli hostage, U.S. exits the W.H.O., and the world of equestrian sports

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It
Date: January 27, 2026
Episode: "Life after captivity for an Israeli hostage, U.S. exits the W.H.O., and the world of equestrian sports"
Host(s): Mary Reichert, Nick Iger
Produced by: WORLD Radio

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Overview

This episode features a rich tapestry of stories: the harrowing aftermath for an Israeli hostage returned from captivity, the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and its global impact, the enduring allure and life lessons of English-style equestrian sports in America, and a cultural and moral reflection on the legacy of the Mapplethorpe obscenity trial, 35 years later.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Headline News Update

Timestamps: 01:01–05:41

• Severe Winter Storms:
  The U.S. is battling severe winter weather, stretching from the south to New England. Upwards of 30 deaths have been linked to snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, with extensive power outages and dangerous travel conditions.
  • Quote (01:46, NYC Mayor Zoram Mamdani via Travis Kircher):
    “Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed. Outreach teams are only intensifying their efforts today to connect vulnerable New Yorkers to shelter.”
• Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks:
  Progress is reported in trilateral talks (US-Ukraine-Russia) in Abu Dhabi, but no breakthroughs yet. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy emphasizes the need for tangible "real diplomatic results."
• Death During Federal Protest in Minneapolis:
  Ongoing investigation into a federal shooting of protester/nurse Alex Preddy.
• Return of Israeli Hostage’s Remains:
  The body of Ron Gavili, the last Israeli hostage from the October 7 attacks, is returned home, marking an emotional closure for his family and for Israel.
  • Quote (04:25, Hostage Square in Tel Aviv):
    “It took too long, unfortunately, and he came back as a deceased hostage... But even though he's not alive, we're very happy that he's back at home.”

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2. Life After Captivity: The Case of Israeli Hostage Eviatar David

Timestamps: 06:32–11:56
Reporter: Travis Kircher

• Background:
  After a ceasefire, 24-year-old Eviatar David is freed by Hamas after nearly two years in captivity. His older brother, Eli David, discusses the family’s hope, worry, and the difficult recovery process for Eviatar.
• Physical and Psychological Impact:
  • Eviatar returned emaciated, weighing little more than 120 pounds.
    • Quote (08:42, Eli David):
      “He lost almost all his muscle mass and fat in his body was like literally skin on bones when he got to us.”
  • He craved simple comforts—his first request was for a hamburger (09:09).
  • Sleep patterns deeply disrupted, a result of months spent underground, largely in solitary or semi-solitary confinement, aligning his schedule to avoid captors.
  • Sensory, emotional, and social readjustment is ongoing; family moments mark milestones in healing.
    • Quote (11:19, Eli David):
      “I saw him play the guitar the first time during our time in the hospital...when he just gave the first chord, I burst in tears completely. For minutes and minutes and minutes. Two years of suffering just went out of me.”

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3. U.S. Departure from the World Health Organization

Timestamps: 12:22–18:25

• Context:
  The U.S., historically the WHO’s largest financial supporter, formally withdraws, ending 80 years of cooperation.
• Reasons for Withdrawal:
  • Criticism that WHO is too political and deferential to China.
    • Quote (13:04, President Trump—cited by Lawrence Gostin):
      “We were paying 500 million. It seemed a little unfair to me.”
  • Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues global cooperation remains important but that WHO has failed to enact necessary reforms post-COVID.
    • Quote (13:57, Kennedy):
      “The WHO has not even come to terms with its failures during COVID let alone made significant reforms...We're going to continue to focus on infectious disease and pandemic preparedness, but we're also fundamentally shifting the priorities of our health agencies to focus on chronic diseases.”
• Counterpoints from Public Health Experts:
  • Legal scholar Lawrence Gostin emphasizes the loss of influence and the impossibility of replicating WHO’s global data networks via bilateral agreements.
    • Quote (16:20, Gostin):
      “Anybody who has any, you know, knowledge of this knows that the United States can't have a bilateral agreement with every country in the world...it's literally impossible for us to replicate the kind of data that WHO has.”
  • Concerns that the U.S. will be slower to detect or respond to outbreaks without WHO’s information-sharing.
    • Quote (16:56, Gostin):
      “If we're not a member and we're not talking to them...we can't get that ready access to that information...we might not have the kind of pathogen samples or genomic sequencing data we need to rapidly get a vaccine."
• Political Framing:
  • Kennedy frames the withdrawal as a measure of accountability for “Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses that were destroyed by reckless mandates, the families whose lives were upended by unelected foreign officials...” (17:55)
• Outlook:
  The U.S. may rejoin in the future, but for now, the administration is focused on domestic pandemic preparation and chronic disease.

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4. Feature: The World of English-Style Equestrian Sports

Timestamps: 20:10–25:41
Reporter: Kim Henderson

• Setting:
  The Fleur de Lippe Horse Show in Folsom, Louisiana, a cold, wet day drawing riders from several states.
• Disciplines:
  The event revolves around three core disciplines: show jumping, dressage (described evocatively as "horse ballet"), and cross country.
  • Quote (22:02, Robin Henderson):
    “It's a 20 meter circle and she did a great circle. She did a good transition from trot to walk.”
• Life Lessons:
  • Equestrian sports cultivate discipline, responsibility, and commitment for young riders.
    • Quote (22:27, Vera's dad):
      “Every lesson they're having to saddle the horse and muck the stables and feed the horse. It's taught her a lot of discipline and hard work and commitment.”
  • The community is tight-knit, with a focus on building bonds with the horses alongside competition.
    • Quote (23:44, Ashley Gifford):
      “The bond and relationship that you develop with the horse, it's just something you fall in love with. Most of us that are horse girls are forever horse girls.”
• Financial and Technical Commitment:
  • High costs (lessons at $100 hourly), upkeep, and vet bills make it a serious investment for families.
• Photography and Artistry:
  • Photographers seek the perfect timing—“when the horses legs look like they're making the letter M.” (23:15, Karen Ralston)
• Faith Connection:
  • Trainer Meredith Tipton reflects on the beauty and design of horses, attributing it to God’s intent.
    • Quote (24:15, Meredith Tipton):
      “They're such majestic creatures and they're so smart and he made them for us to enjoy...The Lord did that on purpose.”
• Competition Results:
  Riders look for improvement in their dressage scores and bond with their horses after competition with treats and affection.

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5. Commentary: Revisiting the Mapplethorpe Obscenity Trial, 35 Years Later

Timestamps: 26:05–31:39
Commentator: Maria Baer

• Historical Recap:
  • The Mapplethorpe exhibit in Cincinnati included photographs widely considered child pornography and obscenity. The museum and its director were indicted but acquitted; the event became a legal landmark for free speech vs. community standards.
  • In the cultural context of 2026, such advocacy for the artwork would be “almost impossible to imagine.”
    • Quote (27:51, Maria Baer):
      “It is almost impossible to imagine any museum proudly exhibiting child porn today.”
• Cultural and Moral Reflection:
  • Baer argues that the retreat from defending such works is proof that culture can return to a “more rational view of obscenity.”
  • Draws a parallel between past and present threats to children, likening the sexualization of children in art to contemporary gender clinics and medical interventions for minors.
    • Quote (30:43, Baer):
      “It is once again the objectification, sexualization and predation of children's bodies. We don't call it art, but some call it medicine. And yet it remains what it has always evil.”
  • Concludes by encouraging Christians to stand firmly in defense of children.

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Notable Quotes

• Eli David on his brother’s recovery (08:42):
  “He lost almost all his muscle mass and fat in his body was like literally skin on bones when he got to us.”
• Lawrence Gostin on the importance of the WHO (16:20):
  “Anybody who has any, you know, knowledge of this knows that the United States can't have a bilateral agreement with every country in the world… it's literally impossible for us to replicate the kind of data that WHO has.”
• Kim Henderson, highlighting the lifelong passion of equestrian sports (23:44):
  “Most of us that are horse girls are forever horse girls.”
• Maria Baer on cultural change around obscenity (27:51):
  “It is almost impossible to imagine any museum proudly exhibiting child porn today. It’s even hard to imagine that any major media or art critics would gamble their...reputations by defending sexual abuse as art.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Israel Hostage Rescue and Recovery: 06:32–11:56
• US Withdrawal from WHO: 12:22–18:25
• Equestrian Sports Feature: 20:10–25:41
• Mapplethorpe Obscenity Trial Commentary: 26:05–31:39

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In Summary:
This episode of "The World and Everything In It" delivers poignant, human-centered stories interwoven with thoughtful cultural and policy analysis—from the personal aftermath of political violence and captivity, to the global implications of U.S. policy shifts, to the joy and discipline of niche sports, and reflective commentary on moral shifts in American society. The episode is grounded in storytelling and a perspective of Christian conviction.

Transcript

[Mary Reichert]

Good morning. As the remains of the last Israeli hostage returned home, the family of another reflects on the horrors of captivity.

[Eli David]

He lost almost all his muscle mass and fat in his body was like literally skin on bones when he got to us.

[Nick Iger]

Also today, the debate over the United States departure from the World Health Organization. And later, the allure of English style equestrian sports.

[Robin Henderson]

Most of us that are horse crossing.

[Kim Henderson]

Are forever horse girls.

[Nick Iger]

And world commentator Maria Baer revisits a famous obscenity trial 35 years ago.

[Mary Reichert]

It's Tuesday, January 27th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Iger. Good morning.

[Mary Reichert]

Now news. Here's Kent Covington.

[Kent Covington]

A powerful winter storm has left much of the country locked in snow, ice and extreme cold, with roughly 30 deaths now linked to the weather. Heavy snow stretched from the south into New England, shutting down roads, grounding flights and closing schools. In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro thanked the public for heeding warnings and largely staying off the roads.

[Nick Iger]

But he added, I'd also note that one of the things we worry about in storms like this, particularly where there's some icing, we worry a lot about.

[Kent Covington]

Power outages because the weight of the.

[Travis Kircher]

SN can bring down those power lines.

[Kent Covington]

Across numerous states, ice brought down trees and power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and freezing temperatures. In New York City, Mayor Zoram Mamdani said officials are working to protect the most vulnerable.

[Travis Kircher]

Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed. Outreach teams are only intensifying their efforts today to connect vulnerable New Yorkers to shelter.

[Kent Covington]

Officials say some deaths were tied to exposure, others to accidents and dangerous travel conditions. Forecasters warned last night that the cold air mass was sticking around with sub zero wind chills in parts of the Midwest and Northeast. And another winter system could move into Eastern states later this week. Talks aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine have shown progress, but major hurdles remain. That's the word from the Kremlin after another round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between US Ukrainian and Russian officials. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt.

[Robin Henderson]

The president remains deeply involved and of course, he's being apprised by his advisers, namely Jared Kushner and special envoy Witkoff on these talks. So the president is not giving up on the peace process.

[Kent Covington]

Wasko says the meetings were constructive and that another round is planned for later this week. Still, they say there has been no breakthrough. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also described the talks as productive. He added that his words real diplomatic results are needed to avoid the impression that the Russians are using negotiation process for very cynical, harsh purposes. And he urged allies to keep pressure on Moscow. Caroline Levitt on Monday also addressed a fatal shooting in Minnesota when federal immigration officers shot and killed a protester during an incident over the weekend.

[Robin Henderson]

Saturday's shooting remains under active investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. The Customs and Border Protection is also conducting their own internal review.

[Kent Covington]

Tensions remain high in Minneapolis after the death of ICU nurse Alex Preddy. Federal agents wrestled him to the ground during a confrontation, disarmed him and then fired multiple shots as he was restrained. Meanwhile, President Trump said he had a very good call with Minnesota governor Tim Walz on Monday, adding that the Democratic governor wants to work together to turn down the temperature in his state. This comes as the president also announced he's sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to oversee operations there and some federal agents are expected to leave. In the Middle East, a ceremony honoring the last Israeli hostage taken on October 7 as his body was returned home, police escorted the remains of Ron Gavili from the Gaza border yesterday. Members of the Israeli military saluted his casket and sang the national anthem. One demonstrator in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square said she's happy, Israel confirmed, finally turned the page.

[Nick Iger]

It's a great joy.

[Robin Henderson]

It took too long, unfortunately, and he.

[Mary Reichert]

Came back as a deceased hostage.

[Robin Henderson]

But even though he's not alive, we're very happy that he's back at home.

[Mary Reichert]

And that we finally closed this mission that we had.

[Kent Covington]

Cavilli was a 24 year old police officer recovering from a motorcycle injury when Hamas terrorists launched the October 7 attacks. He was killed while battling the attackers after a private jet crashed in Maine over the weekend, killing all six people on board. Investigators are looking closely at de icing procedures. World's Benjamin Eicher has more.

[Travis Kircher]

The jet flipped over and caught fire during takeoff at Bangor International Airport Sunday as a snowstorm moved in and visibility dropped. An aviation safety expert says even a thin layer of ice on the wings can cause serious problems. And that particular jet model, the Bombardier Challenger 600, has a history of icing issues. Audio recordings show another pilot aborted takeoff.

[Kent Covington]

Shortly before the crash due to failed.

[Travis Kircher]

De icing fluid and poor visibility. For world. I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Kent Covington. Still ahead, the family of a former Israeli hostage reflects on the horrors of captivity, plus a debate over the United States exit from the World Health Organization. This is the World and everything in it.

[Mary Reichert]

It's Tuesday 27th January, so glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It. Good morning, I'm Mary Reichard.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Icar. First up, moving from death to life. As you heard moments ago, Israel said yesterday it has recovered the remains of one hostage, marking the end of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

[Mary Reichert]

Meanwhile, the family of another hostage, one who returned alive, is learning what recovery looks like now. World's Travis Kircher has the story.

[Travis Kircher]

Pure rejoicing broke out in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on October 13 after a ceasefire was reached and the terror group hamas freed all 20 of the Israeli hostages who were still alive. The family of 24 year old Eviatar David had stayed hopeful the day would come.

[Eli David]

And I know that he comes back eventually. I know that he will survive and that's something we pray for.

[Travis Kircher]

But we also know that's Eviatar's older brother, 28 year old Eli David, speaking less than two weeks earlier at the apartment where I was staying in Jerusalem. At the time, he didn't know Evyatar's release was imminent. But within a matter of days, Eviatar was enjoying tearful reunions with Eli and the rest of his family. Audio here of Eviatar and fellow former hostage Guy Gilboa Dalol reuniting in the hospital. Now back in the States. I recently called Eli to see how his brother has been doing since and whether or not he's adjusting to life as a free man.

[Eli David]

I think he's doing great. He came from literally hell and he came back to life.

[Travis Kircher]

Eli was upbeat, especially since the last images he'd seen of his brother before he was freed were from a Hamas video released in August. In it, Eviatar appeared emaciated, half starved, and said he was digging his own grave. That led to grave concerns about whether Eviatar would ultimately survive his captivity and about his physical condition were he ever released. And when he finally saw his brother in October, Eli knew those concerns were justified.

[Eli David]

He came very, very frail and thin. He lost almost all his muscle mass and fat in his body was like literally skin on bones when he got to us.

[Travis Kircher]

In fact, Eviatar weighed little more than 120 pounds when he was returned by Hamas. But Eli says he's gained weight fast. And like many who've survived such ordeals, Eviatara had one specific food he'd been craving.

[Eli David]

He really wanted to eat an hamburger.

[Travis Kircher]

He wanted a burger that's it and something else. Eli says Evyatar came back jet lagged. His sleep schedule was out of alignment.

[Eli David]

He switched between day and night. He was sleeping during the day and awake during the night.

[Travis Kircher]

That's partly because he spent most of his time in underground tunnels where day and night didn't exist. But also Eviatar wanted to minimize his contact with his abusive captors. So he slept while they worked.

[Eli David]

They could hear them digging the tunnels and they could hear them praying their players. Like there was like a schedule.

[Nick Iger]

They were.

[Travis Kircher]

Then a new challenge. During the last 50 days or so before he was released, Eviatar was placed in solitary confinement. But that changed in mid October.

[Eli David]

But he told me at some point, I felt something. The energy was different in the room. I felt something different for my captors.

[Travis Kircher]

Within days, he was taken to another location where he was reunited with his fellow captives. Three days after that, Free Freedom Day, when all of them were released. Eli says his brother is a naturally curious person, and even two years of captivity didn't dampen that trait.

[Eli David]

That was obvious immediately when he got to the helicopter. He just wanted to be with the pilot to see, to see everything, all the electronics and to hear how the helicopter works, how it functions.

[Travis Kircher]

Ev utar spent two weeks in the hospital and still faces several months of physical recovery. But Eli says his strength is coming back to him. He also says his brother has privately told him horrifying stories about his captivity, stories that Eli says he won't share publicly. But Evyatar isn't the only one healing. Eli recalls a moment recently when he himself felt a sense of freedom.

[Eli David]

I saw him play the guitar the first time during our time in the hospital. And I just until that point, I couldn't, I couldn't, like, I couldn't realize that he's here. And when he just gave the first chord, I burst in tears completely. For minutes and minutes and minutes. Two years of suffering just went out of me.

[Travis Kircher]

Reporting for World I'm Travis Kircher.

[Nick Iger]

It's the world and everything in it for January 27, 2026. Glad you've joined us. Good morning. I'm Nick Iger.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Next up, leaving the World Health Organization. The WHO officially lost its biggest financial contributor last week, the United States. The move ends a relationship that began nearly 80 years ago when Congress approved U.S. membership in 1948.

[Nick Iger]

The U.S. has paid an average of around $111 million a year in assessed dues, plus hundreds of millions more in voluntary contributions. President Donald Trump started working on the withdrawal last January as required under the agency rules.

[Lawrence Gostin]

So we paid $500 million to World Health when I was here, and I terminated it. China with 1.4 billion people, we have 350.

[Mary Reichert]

We have.

[Lawrence Gostin]

Nobody knows what we have because so many people came in illegally. But let's say we have 325. They had 1.4 billion. They were paying 39 million. We were paying 500 million. It seemed a little unfair to me.

[Mary Reichert]

Supporters of the withdrawal say the agency had become bloated, overly political, and too deferential to China. During the pandemic earlier this month, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus hoped the US would relent.

[Nick Iger]

I hope the US will reconsider its.

[Travis Kircher]

Decision and rejoin WHO.

[Nick Iger]

Withdrawal from WHO is a lose for the United States, and it's also a.

[Robin Henderson]

Lose for the rest of the world.

[Nick Iger]

In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Defended the withdrawal. Global cooperation on health is still critically important to President Trump and myself, but it isn't working very well under the who, as the failures of the COVID era demonstrate. The WHO has not even come to terms with its failures during COVID let alone made significant reforms, reforms prior administrations had also pushed for. Kennedy said the WHO had drifted far from its founding mission and had become mired in conflicts of interest. We need to reboot the whole system, as we are doing in the United States. We're going to continue to focus on infectious disease and pandemic preparedness, but we're also fundamentally shifting the priorities of our health agencies to focus on chronic diseases, which are prevalent in the United States.

[Mary Reichert]

Kennedy said. The US Is building up its own capacity to protect Americans at home and abroad without the WHO outside the administration. Though, public health experts argue the withdrawal is a mistake, they say it weakens the ability of the US to detect outbreaks early and respond quickly to another pandemic.

[Nick Iger]

Lawrence Gostin is a legal scholar and professor at Georgetown University. He's also director of the WHO center on Global Health Law.

[Lawrence Gostin]

I recognized, my colleagues recognize that WHO needed reform, but we also recognize that it's really important for American national interests and national security to have a world health organization, and that if you just take your cards home, you have no influence and you can't get it to reform.

[Nick Iger]

Austin tried to mediate between the WHO and the Trump administration, but to no avail.

[Lawrence Gostin]

By the way, Biden's White House felt, you know, they also wanted reforms and that we could find a compromise where, you know, the adults in the room would win and that we would have something that was a win win for WHO and the world and for the United States national interests. But that never happened.

[Mary Reichert]

Supporters of the withdrawal argue the US can rely on bilateral country by country agreements. But Gostin disagrees.

[Lawrence Gostin]

Anybody who has any, you know, knowledge of this knows that the United States can't have a bilateral agreement with every country in the world. In fact, right now we have about 12, and that's it in sub Saharan Africa. But most of the outbreaks occur in China, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and we have no contracts with them. And it's literally impossible for us to replicate the kind of data that WHO has.

[Mary Reichert]

So what happens if a new outbreak begins, say, next month?

[Lawrence Gostin]

The United States in and of itself is a very capable country and our scientists are the best. So I'm not discounting that. But our scientists have for the last nearly 80 years been in close communication and contact with WHO, sharing data, getting information. Our pharmaceutical companies do the same thing. If we're not a member and we're not talking to them as President Trump order of the cdc, we can't get that ready access to that information. And so what might happen is we might be blindsided or delayed in knowing about this. We might not have the kind of pathogen samples or genomic sequencing data we need to rapidly get a vaccine.

[Mary Reichert]

Meanwhile, the agency says it secured about three quarters of its funding for the coming year, but the loss of US Support is already forcing cuts.

[Nick Iger]

On Friday, the day after the US Withdrawal from the World Health Organization, HHS Secretary Kennedy said that the issue comes down to accountability and who. American health policy answers to. And let me say this clearly. For the Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses that were destroyed by reckless mandates, the families whose lives were upended by unelected foreign officials who never answered to them, this decision is for you.

[Mary Reichert]

The US May later rejoin the who, but for now, it's not in the cards.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Dort University's online Master of Education program, equipping students with knowledge and skills in their specialization.

[Travis Kircher]

Dort Edu.

[Nick Iger]

A group of mice you call a nest. But what do you call a nest of mice? 1,000 strong.

[Kim Henderson]

Crippling, really.

[Nick Iger]

For Lisa Dennison of the New Hampshire spca, it all began with a misunderstanding, as so many problems tend to begin. A man arrived saying he needed to surrender 150 mice. What he meant was 150 containers of mice.

[Kim Henderson]

You've got to have bowls for each of them. You've got to have food for them and bedding and bedding you know, is a consumable. It goes quickly. So does feed.

[Nick Iger]

Within days, the shelter had taken in hundreds more, many of them female and multiplying. Still, staff pressed on clearing space and lining up adopters like Alicia Murray.

[Robin Henderson]

I just figured I could help out.

[Nick Iger]

Because when it comes to mice, small problems don't stay small very long. It's the world and everything in it.

[Mary Reichert]

Today is Tuesday, January 27th. You're listening to World Radio and we're so happy you've joined us. Good morning, I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Coming next on THE World and everything in it, the triathlon of equestrian sport, show jumping, dressage and cross country. Three disciplines riders trained for years just to become competitive. And it has a long lineage. You have to go back to the 19th century. For the first officially recorded American horse show, world senior writer Kim Henderson takes us to a competition in Louisiana.

[Kim Henderson]

It's a cold, wet Saturday in Folsom, Louisiana. This is horse country, a place of rolling hills, lush grass and thoroughbreds. Today, young participants from several states have gathered for the Fleur de Lippe Horse Show. They ride English style. Light, small saddles, both hands on the reins, jodhurs and jackets, polished boots. Good luck, Vera.

[Robin Henderson]

Listen for that ringling bell.

[Nick Iger]

Rider number 342, Ms. Vera Henderson.

[Robin Henderson]

Riding.

[Kim Henderson]

Most recent numbers suggest some 83Americans participate in equestrian sports. That means a lot of families are driving to rural farms for lessons. A lot are taking care of horses day after day and preparing for competitions like this. So what's the draw of equestrian sports? And then jump position is when you're leaning forward and they jump up to your chest. Right here. That's my granddaughter vera. She's an 11 year old rider who's describing the different phases of today's competition. The first event is dressage. It's an eventing horse sport. Dressage is often called horse ballet. It's a precise memorized sequence of graceful movements. Communication between horse and rider is paramount.

[Robin Henderson]

It's a 20 meter circle and she did a great circle. She did a good transition from trot to walk.

[Kim Henderson]

That's Vera's mom, Robin. She's in the arena watching Vera ride.

[Robin Henderson]

You don't get a place, you get a score. And then you improve on your score each time you do a test that.

[Kim Henderson]

Provides a measurable challenge for riders. But Vera's dad says horse riding has been good for his daughter in other ways, too.

[Nick Iger]

Every lesson they're having to saddle the horse and muck the stables and feed the horse. It's taught her a lot of discipline and hard work and commitment.

[Kim Henderson]

In this part of the country, riding instruction can cost $100 an hour. Parents also buy and lease horses, pay vet bills, secure feed. It can be an expensive sport. Photographer Karen Raston is under a tent that's set up beside the dressage area. She's using a long telephoto lens to take photos of the riders.

[Mary Reichert]

It's all about timing, timing and angle.

[Lawrence Gostin]

Especially when you get into jumping.

[Kim Henderson]

Ralston is looking for a certain shot during this dressage event. It's when the horses legs look like they're making the letter M. She invites me to look through the viewfinder.

[Travis Kircher]

See that?

[Lawrence Gostin]

It's kind of like an M shot. That's what you're after for a good trot shot.

[Kim Henderson]

Ralston used to show horses herself. Photography keeps her involved in a sport she loves. Other attendees want the same thing. Samantha Fugler is an older competitor. She stopped riding for a while during college.

[Robin Henderson]

I wanted to get back into horses so I reached out to my old trainer.

[Kim Henderson]

Probably 13 years ago, Ashley Gifford came to watch her daughter compete. They both love to ride.

[Robin Henderson]

The bond and relationship that you develop with the horse, it's just something you fall in love with. Most of us that are horse girls are forever horse girls.

[Kim Henderson]

Trainer Meredith Tipton says that's the the beauty of equestrian sports. She owns river run eventing in Hernando, Mississippi. Nine of her students are here to compete horses.

[Robin Henderson]

Tennis, snow, skiing, pickleball, those kinds of things you can do until your 80s 90s.

[Kim Henderson]

Tipton makes sure her riders hear her marvel over horses.

[Robin Henderson]

They're such majestic creatures and they're so smart and he made them for us to enjoy. Like the way he formed their mouth. There's a specific space where you put.

[Lawrence Gostin]

A bit of and if the bit.

[Robin Henderson]

Fits correctly, it doesn't touch teeth.

[Lawrence Gostin]

Well, that's not the big bang.

[Robin Henderson]

The Lord did that on purpose.

[Kim Henderson]

Back at the arena, riders learn there's a rain delay, they're disappointed. They're ready to get on with the show jumping and cross country competitions. But at least the scores are out for dressage.

[Robin Henderson]

So Vera did dressage intro test B and she got a. I can't tell.

[Kim Henderson]

Vera got a 36. I asked a high school aged rider to explain the score.

[Robin Henderson]

It means that she was riding cowbell very well, had a lot of energy, had good circles, got the right leads and it was just a good test.

[Kim Henderson]

Back at the stable, Vera is pleased too.

[Robin Henderson]

It's a 36. 36, 36.

[Kim Henderson]

That's really good.

[Lawrence Gostin]

So good.

[Kim Henderson]

Thank you. But Vera has other business to attend to.

[Robin Henderson]

Then you gently hold your hand up.

[Kim Henderson]

To their mouth, their muzzle. She's ready to give her horse some treats.

[Robin Henderson]

I gave her a peppermint. Now I'm going to give her a couple apple oat treats. They are kind of like a cookie.

[Kim Henderson]

But for horses they look like a macaroni noodle. Reporting for world, I'm Kim Henderson in Folsom, Louisiana.

[Nick Iger]

Good morning. This is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iker.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Our commentary today contains subject matter that is likely not suitable for younger listeners. So we'll let the music roll for several seconds to give you the opportunity to hit pause on this and come back to it. Up next, the Mapplethorpe trial 35 years ago.

[Nick Iger]

Now, Cincinnati's News 5 tonight.

[Kent Covington]

Good evening.

[Nick Iger]

The eyes of the nation are focused on Cincinnati tonight and what is one of the most important and controversial legal issues ever to face this town.

[Mary Reichert]

World commentator Maria Baer revisits the case and what the passage of time has changed.

[Robin Henderson]

Robert Mapplethorpe had died the year before his controversial exhibit opened in Cincinnati. Complications from aids, but posthumously. He was still a rising star in the art world. His exhibit included photos that were, by any reasonable measure, child pornography. It included two naked photographs of very young children as well as multiple close up photos of violent homosexual acts. A local group of Christians mounted a public campaign. They contacted local authorities and a grand jury soon indicted the Contemporary Arts center and its director, Dennis Barry, for obscenity. But the show, as they say, went on. The exhibit opened and drew the largest crowd of visitors the museum ever saw. Art critics all over the country rushed to praise the photos as a bold stance against censorship. A jury later acquitted Barry and the museum. The case became a famous one and it remains a case study in legal textbooks.

[Nick Iger]

Art on trial. Art on trial. Art on trial. That's what the 200 protesters outside the court.

[Robin Henderson]

It's usually framed as a First Amendment story, a test of the boundary between free expression and the right of a few killjoys not to be shocked. A Smithsonian magazine retrospective on the case was headlined When Art Fought the Law and Art Won. In a fascinating twist, that framing has aged badly. It is almost impossible to imagine any museum proudly exhibiting child porn today. It's even hard to imagine that any major media or art critics would gamble their right kind of person reputations by defending sexual abuse as art.

[Nick Iger]

This week we have a story from our senior producer, Evan Chung.

[Travis Kircher]

It's about a fight over censorship and free expression. But I am going to warn you.

[Mary Reichert]

That this episode includes extremely graphic sexual content.

[Robin Henderson]

So that's a 2023 podcast episode about the Mapplethorpe case from Slate magazine. Note the warning is merely about hearing a description of the photos. Slate's a progressive bastion of the media. The irony is almost poetic.

[Lawrence Gostin]

My mother was in the kind of punk rock scene at that time. I just go to artists studios and they lived in their studios and it was rough.

[Travis Kircher]

There's one moment he'll never forget. When he was about five years old.

[Lawrence Gostin]

I remember my mom saying Robert was.

[Kent Covington]

Going to come over and take some pictures of me.

[Robin Henderson]

Robert it's difficult to say exactly how this happened, that our cultural acceptance went backwards, at least on this one very narrow category. Maybe it was the years of steadfast advocacy against obscenity by Christians. Whatever the cause, it is fascinating to observe that viewing the 1990 Mapplethorpe case through a 2026 lens offers a strange and exceedingly rare example of culture returning to a more rational view of obscenity. This is unambiguously positive. No one seriously thought Mapplethorpe's photos were beautiful. They thought they were edgy. But edginess is a pathetic substitute for moral reasoning and as a guiding principle, it will lead people into the most irrational places. Today, that's no longer the local art museum, it's the local children's hospital. Since 2015 or so, more than 60 so called gender clinics have opened across our country, seducing troubled children and their terrified parents into poisoning and mutilating their bodies under the pretense of becoming another sex. This is another side of Mapplethorpe's coin. It is once again the objectification, sexualization and predation of children's bodies. We don't call it art, but some call it medicine. And yet it remains what it has always evil. Christians should Hope that in 35 years we view this moment the same way we now view Mapplethorpe's photos as a horrible, grotesque blight on civilization. The Mapplethorpe case, 35 years later, is a reminder that cultural winds change and that we would do well to heed the Proverbs and Paul and refuse to let them blow us about. Children will always be the very beloved of God and the most needful of our protection and care. Today, the same organization of local Ohio citizens that led the charge against Mapplethorpe has grown into a statewide force now fighting to protect families and kids from gender ideology. They're called the center for Christian Virtue and They're led by my husband, Aaron. And I couldn't be more proud or more sure that in any fight, the side that's fighting to protect kids is the one every Christian is called to be on. For World, I'm Maria Baer.

[Mary Reichert]

Tomorrow, Hunter Baker is back for Washington Wednesday. And World Radio tries to Whip up the USDA's $3 meal with mixed results. That and more tomorrow. I'm Mary Reichardt.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Eicher. 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 the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and the those who dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Verses 1 through 6 of Psalm 24 go now in grace and peace.