← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
1.29.26 President Trump’s Board of Peace, pregnancy centers target phones, new federal alcohol guidelines, and a husband-and-wife folk duo
00:38:46
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- [00:06]
Mary Reichard
Good morning. Can the Board of Peace stabilize Gaza?
- [00:09]
Kent Covington
You can stay there for 20 years and you can still fail because ultimately people will choose their own values.
- [00:17]
Myrna Brown
Also, pro life groups adjust their messaging for the digital age. And a new take on alcohol consumption. And a transatlantic folk duo uses universal longings to point listeners to Christ.
- [00:30]
David Benedict
Things maybe aren't always going to work, but the hope that we have is so much greater than that.
- [00:36]
Myrna Brown
And world commentator Cal Thomas on the power of a gentle answer.
- [00:46]
Mary Reichard
It's Thursday, January 29th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichard.
- [00:54]
Myrna Brown
And I'm Myrna Brown. Good morning.
- [00:58]
Mary Reichard
Up next, Kent Covington with today's news on Capitol Hill.
- [01:04]
President Donald Trump
State Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order.
- [01:07]
Kent Covington
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration's military operation in Venezuela during a sometimes tense hearing. The top Democrat on the committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, criticized the cost of the operation and questioned what removing dictator Nicolas Maduro from power actually accomplished.
- [01:24]
Mary Reichard
Maduro's vice president now the interim president.
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Mary Muncie
Has taken no steps to diminish Iran, China or Russia's considerable influence in Venezuela, one of the reasons that has been given for the mission.
- [01:39]
Kent Covington
But Rubio said the problems in Venezuela were never going to be solved overnight. But I think we're making good and decent progress. It is the best plan and we are certainly better off today in Venezuela.
- [01:49]
Steve West
Than we were four weeks ago.
- [01:50]
Kent Covington
He stressed that the administration does not expect further military action unless a new and immediate threat emerges. The secretary also said U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil could be eased under strict conditions. He said revenue would be placed in a US Controlled account and used for basic services that benefit Venezuelans, like healthcare and policing. The secretary also said the goal remains a stable Venezuela that ultimately holds free and fair elections. President Trump is sharply escalating pressure on Iran, warning that US Military action is possible if Iranian leaders refuse to negotiate a new nuclear deal. World's Benjamin Eicher has more. Trump said American naval forces are moving toward the region and are prepared to strike if talks fail. He said his goal is a deal that blocks Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons and called on Tehran to engage without delay. Iran's mission to the United nations responded.
- [02:48]
Steve West
By saying the country is open to.
- [02:50]
Kent Covington
Dialogue, but only under conditions of mutual respect. Iranian officials warned that if US Forces strike, Iran will respond like never before.
- [03:01]
Steve West
The US Military carried out a targeted.
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Kent Covington
Strike against Iran's nuclear facilities last year. The White House says that operation set Iran's nuclear weapons program back considerably for world I'm Benjamin Eicher the Trump administration is rolling out a new savings program aimed at helping families build long term wealth for their children. The president touted the program at an event on Wednesday.
- [03:25]
President Donald Trump
Trump accounts will help bring the hope and prosperity to every community that every community wants to see.
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Kent Covington
Under the plan, parents who open an account for a newborn will receive a one time $1,000 deposit from the US Treasury. The money is invested in the stock market through low fee index funds and cannot be used until the child turns 18. At that point it can go toward things like college, starting a business or buying a home.
- [03:50]
President Donald Trump
For the first time ever, we're going to give every newborn American child a financial stake in the future, Head Start life and a fair shot at the American dream. Something people don't.
- [04:01]
Kent Covington
Parents can also add their own money over time, and employers, relatives or charities can contribute as well, though annual contributions are capped. The White House estimates that with no added contributions, each child will have roughly $6,000 in an account when they reach adulthood. But with added contributions, he said, it could reach tens of thousands of dollars or more. Democrats are turning up pressure on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after two fatal shootings in Minnesota involving federal immigration agents. Senator Peter Welch Noem has to answer some questions. How is it that her people were so poorly trained that when a man who was on the ground and totally under control was shot 10 times? Democratic Senator Alex Padilla said he's freezing cooperation on some DHS priorities until the department provides a full public accounting of what happened and what rules agents followed. And many Democrats in both chambers are calling for Noem to be fired or impeached. GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered a fairly muted response.
- [05:03]
President Donald Trump
I will, you know, allow the president.
- [05:05]
Steve West
To make determinations about the people that.
- [05:09]
Kent Covington
Serve on his team. This comes as Democrats are holding up funding the government ahead of a Friday deadline because they don't support funding for dhs. But Republicans argue that DHS funding does not affect ICE because that was already funded. A new report warns that combined military casualties from the war in Ukraine, those killed, wounded or missing, could reach 2 million as early as this spring. The center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that between Russian and Ukrainian forces there have been roughly 1.8 million casualties already, and that number does not even include civilian victims. The group estimates that as many as 325,000 Russian troops have been killed and as many as 140,000 Ukrainian troops. Moscow dismissed the figures, while Ukraine has not commented. I'm Kent Covington and still ahead, can the Board of Peace really stabilize Gaza. Plus, pro life groups adjust their messaging for the digital age. This is the World and Everything in It.
- [06:30]
Myrna Brown
It's Thursday, 29th January. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [06:39]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichard. First up, rebuilding the Gaza Strip. With the final hostage returned to Israel, President Donald Trump's new Board of Peace is about to be put to the test. President Trump chartered the board last week at the World Economic Forum.
- [06:55]
Myrna Brown
The organization has been in the works for months as part of the Gaza peace plan, but some worry it still doesn't have the structure to have a lasting impact. World's Mary Muncie reports.
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Mary Muncie
In mid January, special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the beginning of phase two in the Israel Gaza ceasefire plan. This phase includes demilitarization, the creation of a government in Gaza, and the beginning of reconstruction. Progress in this phase was slow, but leaders are hopeful the return of the last hostage's remains will speed the process. The job of implementing this new phase falls to Trump's Board of Peace.
- [07:38]
President Donald Trump
Together we are in a position to have an incredible chance. I don't even call it a chance. I think it's going to happen to end decades of suffering, stop generations of hatred and bloodshed and forge a beautiful, everlasting and glorious peace for that region and for the whole region of the world.
- [07:58]
Mary Muncie
Last week, President Donald Trump and leaders from Argentina, Hungary, Qatar and about 15 other nations made the Board of Peace an official international organization. Right now, the Board itself is controversial, much less any upcoming decisions. Its charter stipulates that founding members will be on the board for three years. Then there's a $1 billion buy in to permanently secure a seat. The United Nations Security Council originally authorized the board through 2027 as a means of rebuilding Gaza. But the board's charter doesn't mention Gaza, and it says its mission is to promote peace and stability in areas affected or threatened by conflict, not just Gaza. Weeks ago, Trump said the Board might replace the United Nations. But later at the World Economic Forum, he said he wants the Board of Peace to act in conjunction with the international body.
- [08:59]
President Donald Trump
I've always said the United nations has got tremendous potential, has not used it, but there's tremendous potential in the United Nations.
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Mary Muncie
Trump also sees tremendous potential for the Gaza Strip. During the forum, his team revealed its plans for developing what is right now rubble. The $25 billion plans include building critical infrastructure like hospitals, schools and roads, as well as plans for the Middle East. Riviera that includes ports and skyscrapers along the coast. It's not clear who will fund the project, but some worry the Board of Peace doesn't have the right structure or members to create lasting peace in Gaza.
- [09:44]
Kent Covington
There's no one from the Palestinian side on the Board of Peace.
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Mary Muncie
Eric Loeb is an associate professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. Right now, the board is structured with Trump at the top as the permanent chairperson, followed by a general executive board made up of security and banking experts and a separate Gaza executive board.
- [10:07]
Kent Covington
Countries are concerned about the hierarchy that it's so top down and centralized around President Trump and his administration. They're also concerned, particularly Western European countries, that the invitation has been extended to Vladimir Putin.
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Mary Muncie
Several European countries have rejected their invitations or delayed signing. France says it won't because the charter does not reflect the original purpose of the board. Rebuilding Gaza Italy and Germany say joining under the current structure would violate their constitutions. Canada has also said it won't join. The hesitation comes partly because it's not clear what will be required of the signatories. And that is particularly relevant as the Gaza ceasefire enters Stage two, where both Hamas and Israel are supposed to disarm. The original 20 point peace plan authorizes countries to dispatch stabilization forces if necessary.
- [11:07]
Kent Covington
Hamas is still there with thousands of troops even if it's been or foot soldiers even if it's been weakened or degraded. There are clashes between Hamas militants and militias and gangs backed by Israel.
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Mary Muncie
Loeb thinks Trump and his team need to work closely with US allies and Palestinians to determine exactly what the Board of Peace should look like on the other side. Foundation for Defensive Democracy Senior fellow David Dowd thinks the structure is workable, but he worries even the best possible oversight won't bring peace in Gaza.
- [11:44]
Kent Covington
You can pour trillions of dollars, you can occupy, you can use overwhelming military force, you can stay there for 20 years and you can still fail because ultimately people will choose their own values.
- [11:59]
Mary Muncie
DoD thinks the US is offering something better than the current Hamas rule, but unknowns remain. Gazans will decide which leaders to vote for, what to do if a leader is corrupt, and even just how to treat their neighbor.
- [12:15]
Kent Covington
We can do all the right things and we can put in all the structures and the fact of the matter is people are unpredictable.
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Mary Muncie
But Daud believes it's still worth trying. Palestinians are suffering, and what happens in Gaza tends to reverberate around the world.
- [12:32]
Kent Covington
Will it lead to a different outcome than Iraq or Afghanistan? That'll depend on Gazans.
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Mary Muncie
The next steps are still precarious Israel Reopening the Rafah crossing will likely increase aid flow from Egypt to Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not begin rebuilding until Hamas disarms, but so far neither Israel nor Hamas want to leave themselves exposed. It will be up to the Board of Peace to ensure the terms of the ceasefire are met on both sides. Reporting for world, I'm Mary Muncie.
- [13:13]
Mary Reichard
Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it Reaching vulnerable women online Increased online access to abortion pills is compelling pro life groups to be proactive in finding the women performing those searches.
- [13:28]
Myrna Brown
From advertising to artificial intelligence, pregnancy centers and other organizations are exploring new ways to serve a digital generation. World's Lauren Canterbury has the story.
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Lauren Canterbury
Last fall, researchers with the pro abortion group Campaign for Accountability asked five AI chatbots this question, hey Google, can I.
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David Benedict
Reverse the effects of an abortion pill?
- [13:52]
Lauren Canterbury
According to the organization, all five provided information about abortion pill reversal, known by the shorthand APR3 included the phone number for Heartbeat International's APR helpline. Responses also carried disclaimers saying the treatment is not approved by some mainstream medical groups. Campaign for Accountability and other abortion activists called the responses proof that pro life groups have infiltrated online searches to spread misinformation. But Heartbeat International's Andrea Truden said the results simply reflect how chatbots work. A lot of pregnancy help organizations actually have been adding the services, so they're including it on their website. So that is the information that is out there is abortion pill reversal. In 2021, Google blocked heartbeat from advertising its hotline. Truden said her group tried unsuccessfully to challenge the decision. One she says is based on claims by abortion advocates that APR is unproven and deceptive. Earlier this month, I asked the same questions of the same chatbots. Only Google's AI feature provided the hotline in its response, and Meta's program refused to give an answer at all. None of the tech companies responded to questions seeking an explanation. This is suppressing First Amendment rights. It's forcing the AI companies to fall in line to certain ideologies, and it actually takes away information and shows the influence that these AI personal assistants actually do have. Pro abortion groups have created their own AI tools for years. In 2019, Planned Parenthood launched its chatbot Ru. Another, called Charli, directs women to abortion services and drugs. Meanwhile, many pregnancy resource centers still rely on Google advertising to reach younger generations. In Delaware, a Door of Hope pregnancy Center spends about $60,000 a year on Google Ads alone. Executive director Rachel Metzger says the expense is well worth it if you really.
- [15:55]
Mary Muncie
Want to reach that at risk client, you have to purchase Google Ads. I mean, we've seen since I started doing it in 2023, I've seen 156% increase in our at risk clientele.
- [16:08]
Lauren Canterbury
Abortion advocates have long claimed the ads deceive women searching for abortions by offering consultations and ultrasounds. Google now includes a disclaimer with ads for pregnancy centers and abortion groups to clarify whether they offer abortions, though Metzger says the women calling her center often don't read them.
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Mary Muncie
We get phone calls all the time thinking that we're an abortion clinic and the first words out of our mouth is we do not offer that service here. But here are the services that we do offer. And I'd say 90% of the time the client still makes an appointment.
- [16:44]
Lauren Canterbury
Other pregnancy centers take a different approach. A coalition of pregnancy centers across eight states that can't afford to compete with the marketing budgets of abortion groups joined forces to promote a single pro life website. The website, called itsthepill.com competes with a similarly named site that sells abortion pills to women. The site provides accurate information on the dangers of abortion pills and connects women with local pregnancy centers.
- [17:11]
Mary Muncie
We have to be creative when we.
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David Benedict
Want to show up first in that Google search.
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Lauren Canterbury
Heather Lawless is the founder and CEO of Reliance Ministries in Idaho and helped create the site.
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Mary Muncie
We can't just sit back and wait for them to walk into our clinics.
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David Benedict
Because they're not walking into our clinics.
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Mary Muncie
They're sitting at home, you know, on their couch on their phone ordering the abortion pills. So we have to be able to reach them at home on their couch also.
- [17:35]
Lauren Canterbury
But the demand for constant access to information leaves a new challenge. Many women find pregnancy centers after hours when no one is available to answer their questions. Centers now have to consider how to serve a generation that expects ages instant responses. Last spring, Choose Life Marketing launched an AI chatbot called Olive. Olive operates directly on a center's website and helps book appointments.
- [18:00]
Mary Muncie
Olive is an AI scheduler.
- [18:03]
Lauren Canterbury
Nelly Roach is CEO of Choose Life.
- [18:05]
Mary Muncie
Olive does not minister to anybody. Olive does not do consultations. Olive schedules.
- [18:14]
Lauren Canterbury
Soon after the chatbot debuted, abortion supporters raised questions about data security, the replacement of human interaction and the tools potential influence on women's decisions. Roach says Olive complies with health and safety requirements.
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Mary Muncie
We do what everyone else does. It's just that we have a movement that that has fierce opposition.
- [18:38]
Lauren Canterbury
Some centers still want a real person on the line. In 2022, Rachel Owen founded a 247 nurse hotline called Infinite worth.
- [18:47]
Mary Muncie
This generation has grown up with abortion as health care.
- [18:51]
David Benedict
They see it as health care, and so they want to talk to a health care professional.
- [18:56]
Lauren Canterbury
Her team of 40 nurses now engages with about 17,000 women per month across more than 600 centers. Owen said the service gives women a chance to speak with someone before they ever leave home or walk into a resource center.
- [19:11]
Mary Muncie
We need to start a relationship with them where they're comfortable and they're comfortable on their phones. If we're not there, someone else is.
- [19:19]
Mary Reichard
Going to be reporting.
- [19:22]
Lauren Canterbury
For World, I'm Lauren Canterbury.
- [19:27]
Myrna Brown
If stories like this matter to you, World has a weekly newsletter focused on the sanctity of human life. It's called Vitals, and it's free. You'll find a sign up link in today's transcript and we'll link it in the program notes.
- [19:44]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from Dort University's online Master of Education program, equipping students with knowledge and skills in their specialization, Dort. Edu.
- [19:59]
Mary Reichard
Coming up next, alcohol. The Trump administration revised decades old alcohol guidelines. With the new, newer take on the topic, experts seem less eager to accept the change. While some Americans are ahead of the curve, world's Emma Eicher has the story.
- [20:16]
Emma Eicher
Drink less alcohol. That's the gist of the Trump administration's.
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Kent Covington
New dietary guidelines, small amounts taken very judiciously.
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Emma Eicher
In early January, Dr. Mehmet Oz announced the revised approach. He's the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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President Donald Trump
There is alcohol on these dietary guidelines.
- [20:35]
Kent Covington
But the implication is don't have it for breakfast.
- [20:38]
Emma Eicher
Since the 80s, the US alcohol guidelines instructed no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks for men. In the January press conference, Oz said there's not enough evidence to back up those recommendations. So for now, the guidelines don't quantify how much to drink. It's just drink less. Oz called it a tactic for better socializing.
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Kent Covington
So alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together in the best case scenario, I don't think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize.
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President Donald Trump
And there's probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.
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Emma Eicher
But some substance abuse experts criticize the idea that healthy socializing includes drinking. Dr. John Kelly is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in substance abuse.
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Kent Covington
That's a line right from the alcohol industry. We can socialize and have fun and talk with our friends and confide in our loved ones without alcohol.
- [21:40]
Emma Eicher
And these days, more and more people agree At Maggie's Farm bar in downtown Pittsburgh, people chat with one hand on a cocktail glass. But the drink isn't always filled with booze. Many are swapping pale ales for non alcoholic beers or pricey cocktails for juicy mocktails. Here's Maggie's Farm bartender Sarah the Rumless.
- [22:04]
David Benedict
Runner is gonna be based on the cocktail rum runner.
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Emma Eicher
They're more popular in dry January where a quarter of American adults choose sobriety for the month.
- [22:15]
Kent Covington
I know that we were the first in Pennsylvania to use it. We were the first brewery in Pennsylvania to make non alcoholic beer.
- [22:20]
Emma Eicher
Mike Onifre owns two Frays Brewery in Pittsburgh. He started brewing non alcoholic beers back in 2022, right around when many Gen Zers were turning 21.
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Kent Covington
Gen Z just didn't drink at all.
- [22:33]
Emma Eicher
Studies show that since 2000, young adults turn to non alcoholic beverages more often than their predecessors. For them, alcohol is a health risk they're not willing to take. Dawson Kaiser is 26 and a high school logic teacher in Swickley, Pennsylvania.
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Kent Covington
I don't have an inherent problem with.
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Steve West
Alcohol itself, but for me, I don't drink.
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Emma Eicher
Growing up, his family, church and friends influenced his decision to stay away from alcohol.
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Steve West
Since I was a teenager, all of my friends that I hung around, we, most of us didn't drink. When I turned 21, I just kept not drinking.
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Emma Eicher
Many of Kaiser's friends don't drink for health reasons. Following a Gen Z pattern of valuing wellness, he has another reason for staying sober.
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Steve West
I am someone who really values being.
- [23:28]
Kent Covington
In control of my mind and my body.
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Steve West
And so anything that could lend itself to me lacking some level of control, I'm just, I'm just not interested. I'm not interested in that at all.
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Emma Eicher
Kaiser is one example of many Americans who were already drinking less years before it was an official guideline. And that trend doesn't just include people in their 20s. Older generations are also cutting back. Here's Anna Frey again.
- [23:57]
Kent Covington
Their doctors have told them as they get older to slow down on the beer drinking. So they're mixing in some non alcoholic beers with their alcoholic beers. Or maybe they listen to their doctor completely and they've completely switched.
- [24:09]
Emma Eicher
Still, Professor John Kelly wonders whether the administration couldn't have brought more clarity when it had the chance.
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Kent Covington
The vagueness is the problem and people just don't know now what to do when they say less. Can I drink five if I used to drink seven? Is five safe? So we're kind of asking for it by not providing these thresholds which we know to be sensible thresholds and useful. So people at least have some guidance. Now we've taken those away.
- [24:41]
Emma Eicher
Reporting for world I'm Emma Eicher in Pittsburgh.
- [25:10]
Mary Reichard
A certain sector of racing fans will head to Indianapolis this May to see who can cut the mustard. But not in the Indy 500. The Weenie 500.
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Kent Covington
New York dog with a massive jump out to the lead as they all tuck.
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Mary Reichard
Single file audio from last year's inaugural race may be one of the meatiest marketing gimmicks in the sport. 6 oversized Oscar Mayer wienermobiles taking the turns at up to a score scorching 29 miles per hour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chicago dog, New York dog, chili dog, all found themselves in a bit of a pickle as they made their way down the final stretch and over the line.
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President Donald Trump
It looks like it's gonna be the.
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Kent Covington
Slow dog by a no.
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Mary Reichard
They'll head back to the track again this year to see which dog can well catch up. It's the world and everything in it.
- [26:13]
Myrna Brown
Today is Thursday, January 29th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [26:22]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichard. Coming next on the World and everything in it, a musical marriage. The Foreign Landers are a husband wife bluegrass and folk music group based in South Carolina. Their lyrics draw on the shared experiences of life and marriage and reflect themes of longing, faith and hope.
- [26:41]
Myrna Brown
Their second full length recording, made to Wonder, dropped last Friday. World's Steve west recently talked with David and Tabitha Benedict about their life and music.
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Steve West
There's a song on the recently released album by the Foreign Landers titled shoes off.
- [27:03]
David Benedict
You never take your shoes off at the door, even though I've asked twice before.
- [27:13]
Steve West
At one point Tabitha Benedict sings, you're pretty great, but sometimes hard to stand. I ask her, is that about David?
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David Benedict
Yeah, that was a very comedic song. When we started to write that, it just kind of snowballed into what it was and became, but maybe just a little bit, you know. But in that song as well, it says, you know, but I still can't live with Aichi, you know, so there's an element of both there.
- [27:42]
Steve West
David and Tabitha formed an unlikely union. She grew up in a musical family in Northern Ireland where her dad is a pastor. David's from South Carolina and played in the only Celtic band. They met at an international bluegrass festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Tabitha appeared in a band with her brothers. It was love at first sight. Well, for David at least, who said he knew then he wanted to marry Tabitha Someday.
- [28:16]
David Benedict
I don't know if I can ever believe that story. He tells me that.
- [28:19]
Tabitha Benedict
Yeah, you know, it's funny. Like, Tabitha gave me a CD of theirs and Raleigh when we first met, and I saw like a Bible verse on the back. It's like, wow, these folks are not only amazing musicians, but they must be believers as well. And then we realized we have, like, all these other things in common that are so strange, especially growing up on other sides of the Atlantic. Like, we were both homeschooled for our entire school career, and we were a.
- [28:42]
Steve West
Shared love of bluegrass, folk and Celtic music. And the Lord brought them together after years in which they each honed their musical gifts while multi instrumentalists. Tabitha majors on the five string banjo, which she picked up at the age of 12. For David, it's the mandolin, but it's their shared experience of marriage and parenting their toddler that makes these songs both musically and lyrically rich.
- [29:05]
David Benedict
We have this kind of deeper point where we're thinking about, you know, that far country that is coming and that we're in now, even. And so I think that that longing and even that groaning that, you know, is made so clear in scripture. We kind of try to encapsulate that as kind of the root, you know, longing for in both albums. And whether that's, you know, moving to somewhere and trying to find your fate or whether that's, you know, just raising your children to know that promise and that longing. There's kind of this, like, expectancy that we want to get across. It will be a while Till I hold your hand Till then I'll be waiting for that day When I see her smile looking back at me I'll know that it was always meant to be.
- [30:06]
Steve West
That songing comes through both in the intricately arranged and often surprising music and lyrics rooted in everyday life. But the songs also suggest things more universal, like joy and hope.
- [30:24]
David Benedict
Grace abounds in the rising golden sun.
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Steve West
Difficult illusions crop up regularly in the songs on Made to Work. The song Smell the Rose calls to mind the C.S. lewis quote about how our longings are the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard. News from a country we have never yet visited. When Tabitha sings will you catch me if I fall when the road gets rough ahead, she echoes Ecclesiastes 4:10, which says if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. The album's title cut echoes the construction of a psalm, moving from lament over time's passing to hope in the moment.
- [31:30]
Tabitha Benedict
We have so many friends in the music scene who come from different backgrounds, who aren't believers. And I feel like even in the past few years, like, God has been really pressing upon us. There's this deep desire for them to come to know, like, the same hope and the joy that we have in Jesus and using these universal longings that we all have as a way of kind of bridging that gap where. Yeah. Like, CS Lewis talks about, you know, if you feel in yourself a desire that can't be met or fulfilled in this world, and the most obvious answer is, we were created for something else.
- [32:07]
David Benedict
A lot of the songs are, you know, about looking back and seeing how God has worked in ways that we couldn't ever have orchestrated ourselves. There's oftentimes this desire, I think, for, like, a lot of us to just, you know, have this ideal, like, this is gonna. This is the way it's gonna work out. And, you know, if I do these things, this is. This is. It's gonna be good. Right? But the promise in that song is, like, things maybe aren't always going to work out, you know, but the hope that we have is so much greater than that. Now you're here in my arms little darling.
- [32:42]
Lauren Canterbury
This teal.
- [32:45]
David Benedict
From the start there's no promise to you the dreams will come true but happy endings are dear.
- [33:00]
Steve West
To and that's where made to wonder leaves us with questions and with great hope. I'm steve west.
- [33:34]
Mary Reichard
Good morning. This is the world and everything in it from listeners supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.
- [33:40]
Myrna Brown
And I'm Myrna Brown. The fight over immigration enforcement in Minnesota has produced far more heat than light. And most of what's been said has only made matters worse.
- [33:50]
Mary Reichard
World commentator Cal Thomas says that before anyone can fix public policy, the way we use words to describe it and one another needs fixing first, ancient proverbs.
- [34:02]
President Donald Trump
Last because they work. Here's one. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Try it sometime in an argument. Say, I see how you feel. May I share how I see it? The words we choose can heal or wound. That lesson has been playing out again in Minnesota in the clash over immigration enforcement and the rhetoric surrounding it. From President Donald Trump's assessment of Minnesota Governor Tim Walls. Look, I think the man's a grossly incompetent man. To Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry's message to federal immigration officers.
- [34:35]
Kent Covington
To ICE get the out of Minneapolis.
- [34:39]
Steve West
We do not.
- [34:40]
President Donald Trump
To the governor making Holocaust comparisons. Many of us grew up reading that.
- [34:44]
Kent Covington
Story of Anne Frank, somebody's going to.
- [34:46]
President Donald Trump
Write that children's story about Minnesota. Administration officials accused Waltz and Fry of inciting insurrection. Some compared ICE agents to the Gestapo. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem labeled protesters domestic terrorists. None of that helped.
- [35:02]
Kent Covington
He's going to meet with.
- [35:03]
President Donald Trump
But then came a shift.
- [35:04]
Kent Covington
President Trump looks to ease tensions between.
- [35:06]
President Donald Trump
The state, state and the White House. Video evidence contradicted early official claims about a fatal ICE shooting. Public anger grew. Allies warned the White House the rhetoric was backfiring. According to the New York Times, the administration has adjusted course. A senior field commander was removed. Two agents were placed on leave. Officials who had spoken with certainty began acknowledging that protocol may not have been followed. The president softened his tone slightly. He distanced himself from earlier remarks. And after days of insults, he picked up the phone and called Governor Walz. They met with the governor, the mayor, everybody else, and we're going to de escalate a little bit. But I will tell you that was not a reversal of immigration policy, nor should it be. But it wasn't admission escalation was making things worse. Of course, harsh language has its uses. Otherwise it wouldn't be used so much. I once heard a Florida pastor describe sending out a positive fundraising letter. The result? No one sent any money. A veteran conservative fundraiser once put it this way, you can't raise money on a positive. Some may call it profitable cynicism, but it's cynicism all the same. You can denounce, you can demean, you can use foul language and energize supporters. But the cost is a deeper divide and a growing contempt for fellow Americans. Let's consider another model. President Ronald Reagan. I mentioned him last week, but President Reagan was famous for lowering the temperature. He spoke of our friends on the other side. He criticized ideas without attacking people. He wanted to win arguments, not humiliate opponents. And because of that, he often persuaded Democrats to work with him. As federal officials now talk about de escalation in Minneapolis, some on the left have already declared victory. But the real issue, immigration enforcement, public safety, and unresolved fraud involving taxpayer money. But if there's any hope of addressing these problems, the ancient proverb still applies. A gentle answer does not guarantee agreement, but a harsh one almost guarantees failure. Better language would still be a very good place to start for world. I'm Cal Thomas.
- [37:23]
Myrna Brown
Tomorrow. John Stonestreet will be here for Culture Friday, and Colin Gabbarino has a review of the new Marvel, offering Wonder man that and more tomorrow. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [37:34]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichardt. 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 Moses was keeping the flock of his father in law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. And he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush he looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside to see this great sight. Why the bush is not burned. When the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see. God called to him out of the bush. Moses. Moses. And he said, here I am. And then he said, do not come near. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Verses 1 through 6 of Exodus 3. Go now in grace and peace.