1.30.25 Presidential preemptive pardons, DEI and Marxist ideology, and a police officer’s turnaround

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It – Episode 1.30.25

Title: Presidential Preemptive Pardons, DEI and Marxist Ideology, and a Police Officer’s Turnaround
Host/Author: WORLD Radio
Release Date: January 30, 2025

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1. Introduction and Key Topics

In this episode of The World and Everything In It, WORLD Radio delves into three pressing issues: the controversial use of presidential preemptive pardons, the influence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies rooted in Marxist ideology, and an inspiring story of a police officer's personal transformation following a tragic event.

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2. Tragedy at Ronald Reagan National Airport

The episode opens with tragic news about an aviation accident:

• Les Sillers reports a collision between a jet carrying over 60 people and an army helicopter during landing operations at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Emergency responses included halting all airport activities, deploying government helicopters, and launching inflatable rescue boats into the Potomac River. As of early morning, the official death toll and cause remain undetermined.
  [00:38]

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3. Presidential Actions: Lake and Riley Act and Executive Orders

Lake and Riley Act:

• Mary Reichard introduces the segment on presidential pardons, highlighting the Lake and Riley Act, named after the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan national.
  [01:01]

• Alison Phillips shares an emotional testimony from Allison Phillips, Lake and Riley's mother, expressing gratitude towards President Trump and Congress for the legislation that could have potentially saved her daughter's life.
  [02:42 – 02:55]

Presidential Pardons:

• Les Sillers details how President Trump signed the Lake and Riley Act, emphasizing the law's requirement to detain individuals in the U.S. illegally accused of theft or violent crimes.
  [02:55]

• Cal Thomas discusses President Trump's executive order to establish a 30,000-bed detention facility at Guantanamo Bay for hardened criminal illegal immigrants, citing national security threats.
  [03:19 – 04:10]

• Les Sillers elaborates on the nuances of the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo and clarifies President Trump's earlier executive order to temporarily freeze federal funding for most grants and loans, which was later rescinded.
  [04:10 – 04:54]

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4. Scrutiny of Presidential Pardon Power

Senate Hearing on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:

• Les Sillers reports on a Senate panel hearing where Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Biden's nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, faces intense scrutiny from Senate Democrats questioning his stance on vaccines and conspiracy theories.
  [04:25 – 05:24]

Confirmation of Lee Zeldin:

• The Senate confirms former GOP Congressman Lee Zeldin as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, focusing on deregulation and restoring U.S. energy dominance.
  [05:30 – 05:45]

Conviction of Bob Menendez:

• Les Sillers covers the sentencing of former Senator Bob Menendez to 11 years in prison on corruption charges, highlighting his denials and plans to appeal.
  [05:45 – 06:23]

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5. Deep Dive: Presidential Preemptive Pardons

Discussion on Preemptive Pardons:

• Mary Reichard and Myrna Brown lead a discussion on the rarity and implications of preemptive presidential pardons. Both former and current presidents have issued pardons targeting future prosecutions, raising legal and ethical concerns.
  [07:05 – 10:17]

Expert Opinions:

• Mike Gonzalez, co-author of Next Gen Marxism: What It Is and How to Combat It, and Cal Thomas provide critical insights into the use of pardons for political allies and family members, questioning the potential erosion of justice and the precedent it sets.
  [09:27 – 14:54]

Historical Context:

• Mike Gonzalez and Les Sillers trace the origins of the pardon power to medieval England and discuss how the U.S. Constitution grants broad authority to presidents, further expanded by Supreme Court interpretations.
  [10:17 – 14:54]

Potential Risks and Future Implications:

• The discussion highlights risks such as presidents pardoning unaware parties, incentivizing wrongdoing with the promise of future pardons, and complicating investigations due to the inability to reject pardons.
  [13:03 – 14:54]

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6. DEI Policies and Marxist Ideology in Government

Executive Orders Against DEI:

• Mary Reichard and Myrna Brown introduce the segment on DEI policies, focusing on President Trump's executive actions aimed at terminating DEI programs across federal agencies and the military, promoting a merit-based society.
  [15:00 – 15:36]

Expert Analysis:

• Mike Gonzalez discusses "Next Gen Marxism," explaining how DEI initiatives are perceived as tools to instill Marxist ideology by fostering an oppressed versus oppressor worldview, which he argues undermines traditional values and biblical teachings.
  [15:57 – 21:41]

Historical and Legal Perspectives:

• Cal Thomas and Mike Gonzalez explore the historical evolution of Marxism, contrasting economic Marxism with cultural Marxism, and examine the legal foundations and Supreme Court rulings that have broadened presidential pardon powers.
  [16:03 – 21:41]

Current Administration's Actions:

• The new administration's efforts to investigate and dismantle DEI programs are scrutinized, with emphasis on targeting large educational institutions and federal contractors to eliminate racial quotas and restore traditional merit-based practices.
  [17:34 – 22:25]

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7. Inspirational Story: A Police Officer’s Turnaround

Chad Stillman’s Transformation:

• Mary Reichard and Myrna Brown share the poignant story of Chad Stillman, a former police officer from Racine, Wisconsin, who experienced a life-altering tragedy during a police encounter that resulted in a suspect's death.
  [24:08 – 30:13]

Impact of the Incident:

• Following the incident on January 17, 2018, Stillman faced intense public backlash despite being cleared of wrongdoing. The stress led to post-traumatic stress disorder, preventing him from returning to his duties.
  [25:18 – 27:34]

Spiritual and Personal Renewal:

• Stillman found solace and a new purpose through faith, becoming a police chaplain and adopting a compassionate approach to law enforcement. His journey emphasizes the importance of empathy, respect, and genuine human connection in policing.
  [27:34 – 30:13]

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8. New Administration’s Policy Shifts and Public Perception

Deportation and Border Security:

• Cal Thomas outlines President Trump's swift actions on immigration, including deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes. This contrasts sharply with the previous administration's policies and has significantly reduced illegal border crossings.
  [31:11 – 34:59]

Changes in DEI and Military Policies:

• The new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is actively dismantling DEI initiatives within the Pentagon, alongside executive orders banning transgender individuals from military service and reinstating troops previously discharged over COVID-19 vaccination refusals.
  [31:11 – 34:59]

Public and Media Reactions:

• The administration's actions have garnered mixed reactions, with supporters praising the fulfillment of campaign promises and critics questioning the ethical implications of preemptive pardons and DEI dismantling. Notably, public figures like Selena Gomez faced backlash for their positions on immigration policies.
  [31:11 – 34:59]

Technological Advancements in Defense:

• President Trump announces plans to develop an American equivalent of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, citing technological advancements that make this initiative feasible.
  [34:59 – 35:19]

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9. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Segments

• Mary Reichard and Myrna Brown preview upcoming segments, including cultural discussions and music reviews, emphasizing the podcast's mission to provide biblically objective journalism that informs and inspires listeners.
  [35:19 – End]

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Notable Quotes

• Cal Thomas on leadership:
  "The problem, I think, with the Biden preemptive pardons is that it indicates a lack of faith in our justice system."
  [12:28]

• Chad Stillman reflecting on his experience:
  "It's not the same work, but it's good work."
  [30:13]

• Allison Phillips on compassion in policing:
  "If you could make them feel heard for the first time in their lives, like they would tell you their whole life story..."
  [28:23]

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Conclusion

This episode of The World and Everything In It offers a comprehensive examination of significant national issues, blending factual reporting with in-depth analysis and personal narratives. From the complexities of presidential pardon powers and ideological battles over DEI policies to the profound personal transformation of a police officer, WORLD Radio provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the current socio-political landscape.

Transcript

[Les Sillers]

Good morning. I'm Les Sillers, editor of World. Has the President stopped returning your phone calls?

[Kent Covington]

It's okay.

[Les Sillers]

We want to talk to you. We're looking for focus group volunteers, listeners and readers willing to tell us what you think of our stories, features and commentaries. And I hope you'll join us for one of our Zoom calls beginning February 11th. To sign up, go to wng.orgfocusgroups that's wng.orgfocusgroups. thanks and we'll see you then.

[Mary Reichard]

Good morning. Are preemptive pardons a legal safeguard or a political maneuver? Legal experts weigh in.

[Myrna Brown]

Also, disposing of DEI policies doesn't mean they're going away. We'll talk about its roots in next generation Marxism. And a policeman turned counselor faced a hostile media following a deadly encounter.

[Allison Phillips]

I thought you and your partner were evil, racist, dirty, murdering cops and I thought you should go to prison.

[Myrna Brown]

And World commentator Cal Thomas on what real leadership is.

[Mary Reichard]

It's Thursday, January 30th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Mary.

[Myrna Brown]

Reichert and Amyrna Brown. Good morning.

[Mary Reichard]

Time now for the news with Kent Covington.

[Les Sillers]

Tragedy in the skies above the nation's capital last night. A jet carrying more than 60 people collided with an army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. As of early this morning, authorities were not able to provide an official death toll and the cause of the collision was unclear. All takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as government helicopters flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were also launched into the Potomac. At the White House. For the first time in his second term, President Trump on Wednesday signed a bill into law of Lake and Riley. President heard there at a signing ceremony for the Lake and Riley Act. The law states that people who are in the United States illegally and are accused of theft or violent crimes must be detained. Such a law could have saved the Life of the 22 year old Georgia nursing student for whom it was named. She was attacked and murdered last year by a Venezuelan national in the country illegally. Before the signing, Lake and Riley's mother, Allison Phillips thanked President Trump, Congress and.

[Cal Thomas]

Most importantly, I want to thank our.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because without.

[Kent Covington]

His sacrifices, Lakin's story would have ended.

[Cal Thomas]

On that horrific day that she was taken from us. But because of him, we can continue.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Living knowing that we will see Lakin.

[Les Sillers]

Shortly before that signing ceremony, President Trump spoke to reporters about a range of issues, including plans to send hardened criminal illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president said he has signed an executive order instructing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000 bed detention facility at Gitmo to detain.

[Cal Thomas]

The worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. Some of them are so bad we.

[Kent Covington]

Don'T even trust the countries to hold.

[Cal Thomas]

Them because we don't want them coming back.

[Kent Covington]

So we're going to send them out to Guantanamo.

[Les Sillers]

The US Military base there houses a facility known as the Migrant Operations center on Guantanamo. It has long been used to detain migrants interdicted at sea. The center is separate from the well known Gitmo detention facility used for suspected terrorists. President Trump on Wednesday also sought to clear up confusion surrounding an earlier executive order to temporarily freeze federal funding for most grants in loans. A federal judge put that order on hold. Trump explained that he had called for a short term funding pause only for.

[Cal Thomas]

Us to quickly look at the scams.

[Kent Covington]

Dishonesty, waste and abuse that's taken place.

[Cal Thomas]

In our government for too long.

[Les Sillers]

He said the order had in no way pertained to things like Social Security, Medicare or other entitlements that Americans depend on. The White House, though, later announced that the President had rescinded the order. Meantime at the Capitol, Good morning.

[Kent Covington]

This hearing will come to order. I thank my colleagues and Mr. Kennedy for being here today.

[Les Sillers]

Members of a Senate panel grilled Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The president's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, and Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were not shy in voicing their skepticism about his qualifications. Ranking member Senator Ron Wyden. Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks.

[Kent Covington]

Charlatans, especially when it comes to the.

[Cal Thomas]

Safety and efficacy of vaccines.

[Les Sillers]

Kennedy assured the panel that he is not anti vaccine and believes that vaccines do play a critical role in health care. He also said that if he is confirmed, he wants to make America healthy again.

[Kent Covington]

We will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We'll we will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove financial conflicts of interest from our agencies.

[Les Sillers]

Kennedy is seeking to lead the agency that oversees vaccine recommendations as well as food inspections and health insurance for millions. The Senate on Wednesday also confirmed former GOP Congressman Lee Zeldin as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

[Cal Thomas]

The yeas are 56, the nays are 42.

[Mike Gonzalez]

The nomination is confirmed.

[Les Sillers]

Zeldin has vowed to protect access to clean air and water while also scaling back regulations, restoring U.S. energy dominance and revitalizing the U.S. auto industry. A federal judge has sentenced former U.S. senator from New Jersey Bob Menendez to 11 years in prison after his conviction last year on corruption charges. The longtime Democratic lawmaker told reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse.

[Cal Thomas]

Regardless of the judge's comments today, I am innocent and I look forward to filing appeals on a whole host of issues.

[Les Sillers]

A jury found the 71 year old Menendez guilty of accepting bribes of gold and cash and of acting as an agent of Egypt. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, a president's power to pardon is under scrutiny. Plus, a former police officer discovers his life purpose after tragedy. This is the world and everything in it.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Thursday the 30th of January. This is World radio and we're so glad to have you along with us today. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichard. First up on the world and everything in it, preemptive presidential pardons. Last week, both the former and current presidents issued scores of pardons. President Donald Trump focused on January 6th defendants and pro lifers. And in his final hours in office, President Joe Biden granted prospective pardons to people he thought the new administration might prosecute in the future.

[Myrna Brown]

Preemptive pardons are relatively rare in US History. How might pardons for actions not yet prosecuted change the pardon power of the president? Royal's Mary Muncie spoke to a handful of experts who have concerns about that.

[Mike Gonzalez]

After the 2020 election, CNN reported that outgoing President Donald Trump was considering preemptive pardons for his family members and close advisors. In an interview with cnn, Jake Tapper asked the newly elected president about it.

[Cal Thomas]

Does this concern you?

[Kent Covington]

Well, it's, it concerns me in terms of it, what kind of precedent sets and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and injustice. You're not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons.

[Mike Gonzalez]

But during the 2024 campaign, allegations of Biden family corruption prompted candidate Donald Trump to threaten potential prosecution.

[Kent Covington]

When this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Though in that same interview with fox, Trump said it would be terrible to prosecute a former president of the United States. It seems that wasn't assuring enough for President Biden. And news broke during Trump's inaugural address last week that Biden issued sweeping pardons.

[Mary Reichard]

President Biden pardoning his family members.

[Cal Thomas]

Among those pardoned this morning, Dr. Anthony.

[Les Sillers]

Fauci, General Mark Milley pardoned all members.

[Cal Thomas]

Of the January 6th Committee.

[Mike Gonzalez]

It's not the first time a president has issued preemptive pardons or that a President has pardoned members of his family, but it's not common.

[Cal Thomas]

It's always not looked good.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Ilya Shapiro is the director of Constitutional Studies at the Manhattan Institute.

[Cal Thomas]

Those presidents have always been criticized for doing that, and seen as rightly so, as something that smells.

[Mike Gonzalez]

President Biden issued more than 8,000 pardons during his presidency. Most of them were to cover actual crimes or sentencing. Some of them, like the one for his son Hunter, also covered potential crimes committed during a particular time, something he's well within his right to do. Though it may not be the best thing to do.

[Cal Thomas]

It is one of the biggest powers that the President has.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Under our Constitution, there's no judicial review. A person doesn't actually have to be convicted. And the President can pardon anyone, even someone convicted of treason. Really, the only limit is that it only applies to the past.

[Cal Thomas]

He's not saying you have a get out of jail free card for anything that you do for the next five years.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Several of the people Biden pardoned have not been convicted of crimes. In his pardons, Biden stipulated that it didn't mean they had committed them either. But where it gets cloudy are President Biden's preemptive pardons. For Dr. Anthony Fauci, the January 6th Committee, and Biden's family, the legal motivation isn't for unfair convictions, known crimes or potential ones, just the threat of political persecution. So where did the power to pardon come from and why is it so broad?

[Les Sillers]

The pardon power goes back to medieval England.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Richard Lumpert is an emeritus professor of law and sociology at the University of Michigan.

[Kent Covington]

At that time, all felonies were capital offenses.

[Les Sillers]

So you might get hung for, you.

[Allison Phillips]

Know, steal your cow, and the only.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Way to avoid the death penalty was a pardon from the king. During the writing of the Constitution, there was a lot of back and forth over whether there should be limits on the pardon power. Things like requiring conviction, not allowing the President to pardon in cases of treason or building in some sort of congressional or judicial review. But in the end, they decided the threat of impeachment would be enough to check the President's power. And over the past 250 years or so, the Supreme Court has interpreted the power even more broadly.

[Cal Thomas]

The U.S. supreme Court decided to make the President more king.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Like Dan Coble is a professor of constitutional law at Capitol University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. One of the big questions the Supreme Court has dealt with is whether someone can reject a pardon. And if they accept it, is that admission of guilt. The question came to a head when President Gerald Ford pardoned President Richard Nixon. At the time, the Supreme Court had said accepting a pardon is a tacit admission of guilt. But since then, the court has ruled that someone who's pardoned can't reject it. It happens to you just like a conviction. So since you can't reject it, accepting it doesn't mean anything about your guilt or innocence.

[Cal Thomas]

The problem, I think, with the Biden preemptive pardons is that it indicates a lack of faith in our justice system.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Kobel says preemptive pardons in the past have been rare, but he believes that's likely changing.

[Cal Thomas]

I suspect what's going to happen in.

[Les Sillers]

The future is that we are going.

[Cal Thomas]

To see other presidents pardoning members of.

[Les Sillers]

Their administration, political allies, things like that, preemptively.

[Mike Gonzalez]

And that creates three interesting wrinkles. The first one is that with sweeping pardons like the one Biden or Ford granted, the pardon may cover more than what the president knows about. The second wrinkle is that a president could potentially ask someone to commit a crime on his behalf and promise a pardon back to Shapiro.

[Cal Thomas]

In effect, future congressional staffers or presidential aides can think in the back of their mind that if they commit wrongdoing, if they commit federal crimes, they will be pardoned.

[Mike Gonzalez]

The last wrinkle is that once someone gets a pardon, Shapiro doesn't think they can plead the Fifth because now they're immune to federal charges, which could end up leading to investigations an outgoing administration hoped to avoid in the first place.

[Cal Thomas]

So if there is an investigation about what happened either under Covid with respect to Fauci or with respect to the January 6 investigation and prosecutions with those officials, they can't decline to testify because they might self incriminate.

[Mike Gonzalez]

On the other hand, there might be reasons why preemptive pardons make sense. The mental and physical burden of defending yourself and our legal system is not perfect. Mistrials do happen in the English system. The people remove the pardon power from the king in the 17th century because of corruption. In our system, the power could potentially be limited with a constitutional amendment, but that's a long and politically hairy process. For now, Shapiro worries that a president pardoning his political allies with a slow path to impeachment puts us at the top of a slippery slope that sets a bad precedent.

[Cal Thomas]

That's a recipe for lawmaking that ultimately is the most dangerous thing from all.

[Les Sillers]

Of this, legally speaking.

[Mike Gonzalez]

Reporting for world, I'm Mary Muncie.

[Mary Reichard]

Up next, Marxist ideology in the American government. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt outlined President Trump's executive actions.

[Mike Gonzalez]

In week one, President Trump also signed sweeping executive orders to end the weaponization of government and restore common sense to the federal bureaucracy. He directed all federal agencies to terminate illegal diversity, equity and inclusion programs to help return America to a merit based society.

[Mary Reichard]

Those orders included ending DEI programs in the military as well as the federal government.

[Myrna Brown]

Joining us to talk about the ideology behind these programs and how it affects American life is Mike Gonzalez. He was a journalist for 20 years. Now he's senior fellow with the Heritage foundation and co author with Katherine Gorka of a new book titled Next Gen what It Is and How to Combat It.

[Mary Reichard]

So, Mike, let's just start with this basic question. What do you mean by Next gen Marxism?

[Cal Thomas]

The evolution of Marxism from mainly an economic based doctrine to one that emphasizes cultural issues, that tries to take over cultural institutions, change the way people think, and then introduce its doctrine that way. DEI is exactly that. DEI was a way. One of the things DEI did, it did many things, was to try to brainwash Americans, whether in young Americans in their schools or in their colleges and universities, or also in their offices and factory floors, brainwash them, get rid of the old hegemony, the old way of thinking, and introduce a new hegemony, a new way of thinking.

[Mary Reichard]

You know, a very basic question is why is analyzing the world through that oppressed versus oppressor lens a bad thing?

[Cal Thomas]

It's wrong because on many levels, the world does not work that way. You know, there are people who are oppressors who then become oppressed and vice versa. You change roles. You're not a permanent oppressor. That it also gets rid of forgiveness and forgetting. It's in direct opposition to what we heard in Galatians. You're no longer Greek nor Jew, Gentile, if you believe in the word. We're all children of Abraham. To see the world as just an epic struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed is a violation of Christ's message and of Christ's commands, I believe.

[Mary Reichard]

Interesting. President Trump signed executive orders that go further back than the past four or five years alone. So he's not just undoing Biden administration actions. How so?

[Cal Thomas]

Well, in one way, he also rescinded second order number 11246, which was signed by Lyndon Johnson in September of 1965. And the reason why that is important is because it was defined first government action that required federal contractors to, in effect, agree to have racial quotas. It demanded that federal contractors give the government their racial makeup. And in time, since 65, this Executive Order E.O. 11246 has been used as the order that requires quotas. And obviously if you're going to have a meritocracy, you can now have quotas. And by the way, the Supreme Court has said that quotas are illegal with the decision that in many ways allowed affirmative action in universities. So that is, you know, going back to that and rescinding. Revoking 11246 was a key step. Without getting rid of that EO by Johnson, any reforms would never work.

[Mary Reichard]

Another executive order Trump signed instructs the federal government to investigate DEI at institutions of higher education that have substantial endowments over a billion dollars. How is that going to be very important, do you think?

[Cal Thomas]

If Trump succeeds, then the universities are going to be the final place that really pushes dei and telling the universities, no, you receive a lot of money, you receive a lot of money and you're going to have to abide by the law is going to be a key thing. I mean, let's not forget that this takeover of the culture begins with the universities.

[Mary Reichard]

What other evidence can you cite of failed Marxist experiments in our lifetimes?

[Cal Thomas]

Well, all of them, all Marxist experiments have ended up in tears. I mean, even God in his infinite wisdom has actually given us laboratory experiments of the same people with the same culture and the same DNA. One side communist, the other side free and capitalist. One completely and utterly fails and the other one completely and utterly succeeds. I'm talking about the two Koreas and the two Germanies. So absolutely communism, it's not has it ever failed? Has it ever succeeded? And no it hasn't.

[Mary Reichard]

What would you say are the objectives of next gen Marxists? And is it different from the Soviet.

[Cal Thomas]

Era Marxism that was an economic Marxism that believed that man's class depended on his relations to the means of production, that economics had a primacy, was deterministic. In fact, cultural Marxism was devised because that kind of Marxism didn't work in the West. All the communist revolutions failed in Western Europe and they failed. Any attempt to communize the United States failed. So communist intellectuals came up with cultural Marxism as a way to communize the west, which has much stronger civil society.

[Mary Reichard]

Just to clarify, are we using Marxism and communism as meaning the same thing?

[Cal Thomas]

Yeah. So Marx didn't really distinguish between communism and socialism. By the way, communism, in the minds of a lot of people, communism means the imposition of socialism through terror. When I say Marxism and communism, I mean pretty similar things. The communism of the Soviet Union differs from the cultural Marxism that is being preached here. But they too have as their base, as their key. This belief that all of life, all of history, can be boiled down to this epic struggle between one group and another group, the oppressed and the oppressor, that is in the first page of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and that is believed by today's cultural Marxists.

[Mary Reichard]

So this ideology isn't going away.

[Cal Thomas]

I think President Trump has given us the tools to fight this with these executive orders. It's up to us now in trying to figure out who's trying to get away with this. They're going to try to relabel dei, call this other things. This is happening already. I've seen in the last 48 hours many, many stories about how universities and businesses and even parts of the federal government are trying to relabel DEI or relabel the people who DEI under other titles. And we're going to have to fight that. But it's the end of this long nightmare that we have had for the last five years that is now within sight. It's up to us now to take the fight.

[Mary Reichard]

We've been talking to Mike Gonzalez, co author of the new book Next Gen what It Is and How to Combat It.

[Les Sillers]

Additional Support comes from Abwe, offering the free ebook Seize the Moment. Eight ways pastors can leverage today's freedom for tomorrow's mission. Abwe.org seizethemoment and from One Life, a Christian Gap year program that allows students to grow in their faith, travel and earn college Credit. [e-mail].

[Mary Reichard]

Government efficiency. People do wish for it, and folks in a small village in North Wales do as well. And they've had just about enough of their bumpy roads. So they turned their frustration into creativity by filling the air with sarcasm.

[Cal Thomas]

2Km of award winning Pott. Once again, welcome to Jurassic. I mean, welcome to Pothole land.

[Mary Reichard]

Another sign adds to that, potholes with very little actual road to spoil your fun. A YouTuber going by the name Nomad Season documented the satirical attraction claiming the biggest potholes in all of Wales. Locals say it's not that enough money isn't thrown at the problem, but I.

[Cal Thomas]

Think it's government misspending. I think they've been spending money in the wrong places.

[Myrna Brown]

Hey, we hear you.

[Mary Reichard]

Well, in this instance at least, the mock attraction worked. Road crews have at least started the repairs.

[Myrna Brown]

Who knew the best way to see tax dollars at work was to first trip over them?

[Mary Reichard]

It's the world and everything in it. Today is Thursday, January 30th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your Day. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichardt.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on the World and everything in it, showing the light of Christ during the darkest of times. Police work means dealing with human behavior at its worst. Law enforcement officers see and experience terrible things. World's Lindsay Mast has the story of a former police officer who grappled with how to do the work after the worst of outcomes.

[Chad Stillman]

January 17, 2018, was a typical winter day in Racine, Wisconsin. Investigator Chad Stillman put on his police badge and gear. He didn't know it then, but it would be the last time he did.

[Allison Phillips]

We get in the car, go out, end up getting a call from a confidential informant who says, hey, you know, such and such is out here. He's got a gun on him and he's. And he's selling, selling dope.

[Chad Stillman]

The man was a convicted felon out on probation and parole. The tip led to a traffic stop for a missing front license plate. What happened next changed Stillman's life. Police audio from WITI Fox 6 Milwaukee.

[Kent Covington]

Blue jeans, southbound park.

[Allison Phillips]

He found it in the yard.

[Chad Stillman]

The suspect got out and started running. Stillman and his partner chased him on foot in the yard of a nearby house. The man pulled out a gun.

[Allison Phillips]

The next thing I know, I'm just staring down the barrel of a 9 millimeter handgun from probably, I'd say 7 to 10ft away.

[Chad Stillman]

Stillman and his partner yelled repeatedly for the man to drop the gun, show his hands, but he didn't.

[Cal Thomas]

We're okay.

[Kent Covington]

One down.

[Chad Stillman]

The officers fired. The suspect died on the way to the hospital. His family was devastated. Angry people protested. Local news picked up the story.

[Cal Thomas]

There's no reason for them cops to have shot him that many times, said.

[Kent Covington]

He was a threat.

[Chad Stillman]

Stillman and his partner became the target of public backlash. There were threats of extreme violence against Stillman's family, his little girls.

[Allison Phillips]

So now I'm trying to, like, sleep at night, wondering if my kids are sleeping close enough to the floor.

[Kent Covington]

That all right?

[Allison Phillips]

If there's a drive by, will the bullets, you know, will the stone on the front of the house stop the rounds? Are my kids safe? Like, what?

[Chad Stillman]

A report issued two months later cleared Stillman and his partner of any wrongdoing. But the shooting changed him. Being in the news changed him. A nurse at a hospital he'd see sometimes on cases reached out. She told him she had thought terrible things about him until she read the report.

[Allison Phillips]

And she's like, I will never believe the media again. I thought you and your partner were Evil, racist, dirty, murdering cops. And I thought, you should go to prison. And that's how I felt for months.

[Chad Stillman]

The investigation may have cleared Stillman, but a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder kept him from returning to his job. It was a low point. He had hit bottom once before. After eight years on the force as a non Christian, he says he hadn't had the right perspective on life, his marriage, his family or his job. But that changed when he was 30 and accepted Christ. He became a better husband and father. Even his approach to police work changed.

[Allison Phillips]

You will be amazed when, how far you can get relationally, even in investigations, by just treating people like, with respect, wanting to know their story, genuinely wanting to make them feel loved.

[Chad Stillman]

He saw the people he took into custody differently, even prayed with them in interview rooms, eyes open in case they tried to punch him. People he was investigating hadn't always experienced much compassion.

[Allison Phillips]

And if you could make them feel heard for the first time in their lives, like they would tell you their whole life story, sob, confess to the crime, and then hug you on their way to jail when they know they're never going to get out again because they never had anyone sit down, look him in the eyes and genuinely say, like, bro, tell me, tell me how we got here.

[Chad Stillman]

Stillman says in the 10 years since the shooting of Michael Brown and the scrutiny of law enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri, police officers have had a more difficult time being proactive.

[Allison Phillips]

We need cops that are guardians and warriors. Like, we have to have that as a society to function. But there's been so much anti cop rhetoric that officers are terrified to put on the warrior hat when they're called to do it.

[Chad Stillman]

He had to wrestle with that firsthand. Having used lethal force then walking through that period of intense public criticism, Stillman has since spent time as a police chaplain. Sometimes he misses the impact he had on his community before, because when someone.

[Allison Phillips]

Calls the police, it's usually the worst day of their life, for the most part, like, not a good day. So being able to show up and be that, be that hope, be that light, be that encouragement, I do miss that.

[Chad Stillman]

But he's been to Texas to comfort a SWAT team member who was the first in the room after the Santa Fe High School shooting. And he hugged a man who couldn't do much but lay flowers on the memorial at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison last December.

[Allison Phillips]

And he prayed for him and his family. And they leave, you know, better than when they showed up.

[Chad Stillman]

It's not the same work, but it's good work. Reporting for World I'm Lindsay Master Foreign.

[Myrna Brown]

Today is Thursday, January 30th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it from Listener Supported World Radio. Hello, I'm Erna Brown.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichard. World commentator Cal Thomas says the new administration shows that promises made can be promises kept.

[Kent Covington]

One of the things that frustrates so many people about Washington is its dysfunction. We're paying more and getting less. Another day older and deeper in debt, as the old song goes. The cost, bureaucracy and government's failure to produce many results despite the promises of politicians feeds the cynicism many feel about the Capitol. That may be about to change as the Trump administration follows through on its pledge to deport undocumented immigrants, some of whom have been convicted or charged with the most heinous crimes. Democrats and the left have been mostly silent about these deportations. One exception is singer Selena Gomez, who posted a video of herself crying and expressing empathy for the children, even though adult criminals are the targets for deportation. She quickly took down the video after receiving a torrent of criticism. Border czar Tom Holman wondered why Gomez is now only speaking out. He said, where are her tears for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died from fentanyl coming across the southern border? Good question. The decline in those migrant numbers has been dramatic and can only be credited to President Trump's swift fulfillment of his campaign promise. Fox News, the only media outlet to have consistently covered the border problem to the shame of others, reports fewer than 600 people crossed illegally into the US from Mexico last Sunday. The decline in numbers will make the job of the Border Patrol much easier. These lower numbers contrast significantly from the final days of the Biden administration, when more than 1200 were coming in per day. Biden officials were claiming the border was secure even when live video clearly showed it was not. On Tuesday, newly confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined ICE agents on raids in New York. She said dirt bags like this will continue to be removed from our streets. She's not working alone. New York City Mayor Eric Adams once pledged to protect migrants, offering them free hotel rooms and other benefits as part of his sanctuary city policy. But now he seems to be stepping back from his former position. He recently met with President Trump, leading to speculation that Adams may be seeking a pardon from his recent criminal indictments in exchange for softening his opposition against deportation. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, as Adams is up for reelection in November and many New York Democrats have been critical of what they see as his cozying up to Trump. It's not only the approach to border security that has changed in the last week. The new secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, is dismantling DEI at the Pentagon and throughout the military ranks. On Monday, Trump signed more executive orders that included banning transgender Americans from the military and restoring troops who were discharged for refusing to take COVID 19 vaccinations, back pay included. Another executive order is intended to establish the development of an American version of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Trump gave credit to Ronald Reagan for the concept, but said the technology wasn't sufficient in the 1980s to develop it. He said that technology now exists. It's not only the speed with which Trump is addressing these issues, and polls indicate a majority approve. It's the feeling that something positive is finally being accomplished in Washington, which for too long has seemed stagnant and unable or unwilling to change things that don't work in favor of what does. Even those who have been and remain critical of Donald Trump can't ignore success, which Trump has said would be his best revenge against those who have tried to defeat him through impeachments, indictments, a trial and two assassination attempts. I'm Cal Thomas.

[Myrna Brown]

Tomorrow, Johnstone street is back for Culture Friday. Plus World music reviewer Arsenio Arteza introduces us to some of the recordings we may have missed in 2024 and saying goodbye to one of our own. That and more tomorrow. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichard]

And I'm Mary Reichard. 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 records Jesus saying to people in his hometown of Nazareth, a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household, and he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, and he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages, teaching verses four through six of Mark. Chapter six Go now in grace and peace.