3.26.25 Assisted suicide laws, AI in schools, new conservative curriculum, and remembering a Kentucky student killed in the Iran war

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It

Date: March 26, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive into the ripple effects of expanding assisted suicide laws on Christian hospice care, the contentious push for AI in education, the rapid growth and direction of Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and the communal grief in Kentucky after a local soldier’s death in the Iran war. The episode concludes with a reflection on Scotland’s recent vote against legalizing assisted suicide.

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Main Topics Covered

1. Assisted Suicide Laws and Christian Hospice Dilemmas
2. AI in Schools: Opportunities and Warnings
3. Turning Point USA’s Mission Post-Charlie Kirk
4. Remembering a Fallen Kentucky Soldier
5. Scotland’s Courageous Vote on Assisted Suicide

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1. Assisted Suicide Laws and Christian Hospice Dilemmas

Segment Overview:
Christian hospice chaplains and providers face moral and professional dilemmas as more states approve assisted suicide ("medical assistance in dying," or MAID).

Key Discussion Points:

• More states (10 currently, with NY and IL pending) are legalizing physician-assisted suicide; 14 more are considering it.
• Christian hospice providers, like Austin Fairchild (Illinois), feel their role is being morally challenged.
• Many chaplains and staff must now decide whether to participate or recuse themselves if a patient chooses assisted suicide – companies often take a “neutral” stance.

Notable Quotes:

• “Typically, as a chaplain, I say that my belief is that the Lord knows the day and the moment. That's not up to us, but that's changing.”
  — Austin Fairchild, Chaplain (11:24)

• “We want to provide comfort and we want to provide care, but we also don't want to give the impression or, or the idea that we agree with what's taking place.”
  — Fred Oderkirchen, Hospital Chaplain, California (12:10)

• “There is a sense of moral distress in this experience, and I think it's growing.”
  — Fred Oderkirchen (12:53)

• “She was able to die at home with her family. That was death with dignity.”
  — Carol McFarland, Hospice Nurse, Washington State (13:30)

Memorable Moment:
Fairchild recounts helping a patient hear the Gospel in her final day, expressing relief she didn’t have quick access to assisted suicide.
(Memorable quote at 13:47)
“I said, do you want to like, do you want to know how to be ready to go to heaven? And, and I was able to tell her about Jesus and we, we prayed together. At the end, she heard the gospel and died the next day.”

Timestamps:

• Topic Intro (08:15)
• Fairchild’s Role & Concerns (08:46–11:24)
• National & Policy Picture (09:56–12:22)
• Moral and Emotional Challenges (12:53–13:58)

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2. AI in Schools: Opportunities and Warnings

Segment Overview:
First Lady Melania Trump pushes for AI-powered education at an international summit, but educators and policy groups urge greater caution and regulation.

Key Discussion Points:

• AI robots (like PLATO) showcased at the White House as potentially transformative tools in classrooms.
• Push for federal support, grants, and tax breaks for AI in education, with minimal regulatory hurdles.
• Many teachers and parents concerned AI facilitates cheating, stifles critical thinking, and raises privacy/safety issues.
• Calls for more rigorous standards attached to funding and parental empowerment over children’s data and online safety.

Notable Quotes:

• “Every career path will use AI as a tool in some way, so every child should be able to fully take advantage of AI applications with confidence and with responsibility.”
  — Michael Kratzios, White House Chief Science and Technology Officer (16:13)

• “We are essentially treating the next generation as lab rats for this totally new, untested experimental technology.”
  — Brad Littlejohn, Policy Council, Alliance for a Better Future (17:38)

• “Empowering parents doesn't mean putting the entire burden of protecting their kids from online harms onto the parents any more than we would expect parents to navigate kids buying cigarettes or alcohol without parental approval.”
  — Janet Kelly, CEO, Alliance for a Better Future (18:28)

• “There are dozens of lawsuits across the country right now on this same topic. These same companies are asking us to trust them when it comes to the most consequential technology in human history, and we know better.”
  — Janet Kelly (19:02)

Memorable Moment:
White House event includes a humanoid robot greeting attendees:
“I’m Figure 3, a humanoid built in the United States of America. I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.” (14:41)

Timestamps:

• Segment Intro (14:09)
• White House Summit and Robot Demo (14:33–15:19)
• Policy and Educational Concerns (15:49–17:48)
• Parental Rights and Legal Issues (17:48–19:13)

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3. Turning Point USA’s Mission Post-Charlie Kirk

Segment Overview:
Hutz Hertzberg, TPUSA Chief Education Officer, explains organization’s direction, educational curriculum, and challenges after founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Key Discussion Points:

• TPUSA’s K-13 curriculum sees massive demand and includes a “Constitution Kit” for young children and a Christian high school economics curriculum.
• Nine foundational points for conservative (Christian) education: biblical values, sanctity of life, traditional marriage, founding US ideals, Christ-centered education, and more.
• Organization’s growth continues post-Kirk, expanding staff and chapters, especially in high schools.
• Ironically, more resistance comes from Christian universities than secular/Ivy League campuses.

Notable Quotes:

• “Since Charlie's assassination on September 10, we've had 1.6 million orders of our curriculum. We've had to digitize it because we just can't keep up with it.”
  — Hutz Hertzberg (20:33)

• “We’re not trying to make [the US] a theocracy by any means…Why should not Christians be involved in culture? Why should not Christians be involved in government?”
  — Hutz Hertzberg (22:15)

• “We have more donors than we've ever had before…Most of that giving has continued to stay strong since September 10th. So financially, the organization is doing very, very well.”
  — Hutz Hertzberg (26:00)

• “Many of the Christian universities and colleges are not comfortable with having a Turning Point chapter. It breaks my heart.”
  — Hutz Hertzberg (27:15)

Memorable Moment:
TPUSA is adding about 10 high school chapters a week, but finds most resistance not from secular campuses but from Christian ones.

Timestamps:

• Segment Intro (20:14)
• Curriculum and Educational Vision (21:30–24:18)
• Organization’s Continuity After Kirk (24:45–25:55)
• Growth Metrics, Resistance, and Donor Trends (26:00–27:40)

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4. Remembering a Fallen Kentucky Soldier

Segment Overview:
A moving field report from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, explores community reactions to the death of local soldier Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington in the Iran war.

Key Discussion Points:

• Pennington remembered as ambitious, hard-working, and a role model, completing an ambitious Eagle Scout project that transformed his local park.
• Community feels the “cost of combat” much more deeply when tragedy comes home.
• Teachers and church leaders recall Pennington’s determination and character.

Notable Quotes:

• “This happens everywhere else. It doesn't happen here. And when it comes home, it really hurts.”
  — Michael Bell, Executive Pastor, Glendale Christian Church (32:31)

• “You don't tell him something's impossible because he's going to do it. I said, that's too big of a job. Can we divide it? I'll get her done. And he did.”
  — Michael Bell on Pennington’s character (33:11)

• “I'm thankful that folks will [serve], and frustrated that they must.”
  — Tom Pitt, Automotive Instructor (34:26)

Memorable Moment:
Bell sits at the park Pennington rebuilt, reflecting:
“Here's a young man from a small community. He loved military service and he gave himself; it took his all.” (33:50)

Timestamps:

• Reports begin in Kentucky (29:20)
• Community and Personal Reflections (30:51–34:50)

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5. Scotland’s Courageous Vote on Assisted Suicide

Segment Overview:
Commentary by Bethel McGrew on the unexpected defeat of an assisted suicide bill in Scotland, focusing on lawmakers’ changed minds after confronting the real risks.

Key Discussion Points:

• Initial support for “assisted dying” faded as lawmakers contemplated the dangers of coercion and the impact on the vulnerable.
• Disability rights activists and Christian MPs argued passionately against the bill.
• Parliamentary debate was emotional, highlighting personal narratives on both sides.

Notable Quotes:

• “Although lots of people agree in principle, when they think about it in more detail, they change their minds. And I think we saw that with the MSPs as well.”
  — Julia Hartley Brewer, interviewer (35:52)

• “We would be opening a Pandora's box, and the effects on the most vulnerable in our society will be devastating.”
  — Jeremy Balfour, Scottish Lawmaker (37:20)

• “In a world where so many have little or no choices, we cannot risk making death the only choice they ever have.”
  — Pam Duncan Glancy, disability rights activist (37:33)

• “At its core, we believe that God gives life and God decides when life should end.”
  — John Mason, Member, Scottish Parliament (37:51)

Memorable Moment:
The bill was rejected not because lawmakers favored suffering, but because they doubted society could adequately protect the vulnerable from abuse.

Timestamps:

• Commentary segment begins (35:39)
• Debate details and reflections (36:05–38:32)

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Final Thoughts

Episode Tone:
Informative, empathetic, and unvarnished—grounded in both analysis and storytelling, with a consistent Christian worldview.

Memorable Quotes Recap:

• “That's not up to us, but that's changing.” (Austin Fairchild, 11:24)
• “We are essentially treating the next generation as lab rats for this totally new, untested experimental technology.” (Brad Littlejohn, 17:38)
• “This happens everywhere else. It doesn't happen here. And when it comes home, it really hurts.” (Michael Bell, 32:31)
• “In a world where so many have little or no choices, we cannot risk making death the only choice they ever have.” (Pam Duncan Glancy, 37:33)

For Listeners:
This episode provides a nuanced, moving look at cultural, technological, and ethical battles shaping America and the wider world in 2026, and how faith communities respond to rapid change and personal tragedy.

Transcript

[Mary Reichert]

Good morning. Hospice chaplains grapple with states expanding assisted suicide.

[Austin Fairchild]

The Lord knows the day and the moment. That's not up to us. But that's changing now. We can't say that anymore.

[Myrna Brown]

Also today, TPUSA's reach six months after Charlie Kirk's death. And the first lady pushing for AI in the classroom. Later, a community mourns the loss of a young soldier.

[Michael Bell]

This happens everywhere else. It doesn't happen. And when it comes home, it really hurts.

[Myrna Brown]

And world commentator Bethel McGrew on a courageous vote for Scotland.

[Mary Reichert]

It's Thursday, March 26th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Irna Brown. Good morning.

[Mary Reichert]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

The White House is pushing back on reports that ceasefire talks with Iran have hit a dead end, that even as Tehran publicly dismisses the US Peace proposal. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt talks continue.

[Caroline Levitt]

They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be.

[Kent Covington]

The White House hasn't said exactly who within Iran US Officials are talking to. Iran's foreign minister says it's not him and claims his government has not engaged in negotiations. But at the same time, Iran has issued its own five point counter proposal to the US Peace plan. The regime demands that no more of its leaders are killed, as well as a guarantee against further strikes against Iran or its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. It also includes demands that some US Officials find laughable, including payment of reparations for the war and recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

[Caroline Levitt]

If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue, continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.

[Kent Covington]

The 15 point US proposal reportedly calls for sanctions relief in exchange for Iran ending its nuclear weapons program, limiting its missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators are reportedly pushing for in person talks, possibly as soon as tomorrow in Pakistan. Caroline Levitt also told White House reporters that President Trump's planned trip to Beijing has been rescheduled after a delay due to the war in Iran.

[Caroline Levitt]

I'm pleased to announce that President Trump's meeting and long awaited meeting with President Xi in China will now take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th.

[Kent Covington]

And she said Trump will host Xi Jinping in Washington in a reciprocal visit later this year. The China summit is seen as a chance to build on a fragile trade truce between the two countries. The president had first announced the visit last year following discussions about a temporary trade agreement between the US and China. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is expanding its security zone in southern Lebanon. He says that expansion is needed to remove the threat of anti tank missiles fired by the Iran backed terror group Hezbollah. Israel says the group has launched 120 rockets into Israel from the city of Tyre alone. Israeli citizen Eliyahu Katz lives in northern Israel and he told World that long drives have become nerve wracking.

[Austin Fairchild]

I'm driving down the Route 6, the main highway in Israel and suddenly there's a siren and you're finding yourself lying in a ditch over sitting over two kids praying to God that shrapnel doesn't hit you.

[Kent Covington]

Meantime, the Israeli military says it has killed at least 700 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since Operation Epic Fury began On Capitol Hill, officials from various agencies within the Department of Homeland Security painted a dire picture Wednesday before a House committee. And as the department's funding standoff entered its 40th day, Acting TSA Administrator Hanwin McNeil testified, We have already lost over

[Mary Reichert]

480 TSOs this shutdown and our call out rates have accelerated as our workforce was still reeling from the last shutdown.

[Kent Covington]

She warns that the situation is deteriorating fast, with some officers reportedly sleeping in their cars and selling plasma to make ends meet.

[Mary Reichert]

At this point, newly hired officers will not be able to work on the

[Bethel McGrew]

checkpoint until well after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

[Kent Covington]

Airport security wait times at some locations have topped four and a half hours. McNeil said some small regional airports may soon have to close entirely. In the Senate, a proposed compromise would fund most of DHS for now but leave future funding for immigration enforcement unresolved. But in the House, that potential deal has drawn fire from both sides. House Speaker Mike Johnson we will not allow Democrats to hold our airports and our country hostage so they can re implement their catastrophic, deadly open borders policies and threaten the lives of our children. But Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson fired back.

[Michael Bell]

Republicans have repeatedly blocked bills Democrats offered

[Hutz Hertzberg]

to fund every agency before this committee today.

[Kent Covington]

But many House Democrats are also cool on the Senate proposal, arguing that it does not go far enough to limit immigration enforcement tactics. In a landmark ruling, a Los Angeles jury has ordered YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to pay $6 million to a young woman who says the platforms destroyed her mental health. World's Benjamin Eicher reports.

[Benjamin Eicher]

The first of its kind verdict holds Silicon Valley responsible for social media addiction. Jurors found both companies negligent in designing platforms that hooked the now 20 year old woman when she was a child. The jury also ruled that Meta and Google, YouTube's parent company, knew their apps were harmful to young users but but failed to warn them. That triggered an additional $3 million in punitive damages. The jury apportioned 70% blame to Meta and 30% to YouTube and Google. Both companies say they plan to appeal. The plaintiff's attorney, Mark Lanier, told reporters,

[Kent Covington]

we're deeply appreciative and I do think

[Hutz Hertzberg]

it bodes well for the other thousands of cases that are out there.

[Benjamin Eicher]

This is widely seen as a bellwether case that could open the door to many similar lawsuits. It's already tied to roughly similar suits filed by parents and school districts nationwide. Just one day earlier, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meda to pay nearly $400 million for violating the state's Unfair Practices Act. For World I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Kent Covington]

American citizen Dennis Coyle is now back home in the United States after being imprisoned in Afghanistan for more than a year. His family cheered as he stepped off of a plane in San Antonio, Texas. Coyle's sister, Molly Long there's been so

[Mary Reichert]

many people praying and supporting our family

[Caroline Levitt]

and from the bottom of our hearts,

[Lauren Canterbury]

we thank everybody for this day.

[Kent Covington]

The Taliban government said his release followed an appeal by his family after the country's Supreme Court considered his previous imprisonment sufficient. Authorities never specified what laws the 64 year old academic had allegedly broken. The Trump administration declared Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention several weeks ago. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, hospice chaplains grapple with states expanding assisted suicide. Plus, the first lady pushes artificial intelligence in the classroom. This is the world and everything in it.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Thursday the 20. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. First up, Christians caught in the wake of assisted suicide. More US States are approving assisted suicide laws. That leads Christian hospice providers to question what the practice means for their work.

[Myrna Brown]

Some of the largest hospice providers in the US Say they won't be directly involved. Still, some chaplains and medical staff are left to decide whether to remove themselves from a care team. World's Lauren Canterbury has the story.

[Lauren Canterbury]

As a hospice chaplain, Austin Fairchild walks with patients and their families each day as they approach death.

[Austin Fairchild]

Work really hard and some days really dark. But I've just seen so much beauty from a really hard moment, especially with Christians. When you see a believer look death in the face and know that they'll be with Jesus in just a few minutes, and you get to hold their hands, stand with their family. Yeah, that's been a real, a real privilege.

[Lauren Canterbury]

In his role, Fairchild is not allowed to proselytize his patients, but patients may share their fears, concerns, or doubts as they near death.

[Austin Fairchild]

It's not an evangelism role, but if they open the door, I am fully free to share the gospel.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Though Medicaid requires chaplains to be part of the hospice staff, some patients are resistant to talking with one. One of Fairchild's recent patients did not want to talk about spiritual things at first. But when Fairchild asked her about her life and her family, she began opening up.

[Austin Fairchild]

There were a lot of loose ends that she needed to tie up emotionally, and she realized that she wasn't quite ready to die.

[Lauren Canterbury]

These kinds of conversations illustrate the importance of chaplains serving people near the end of their lives. But as more states consider allowing people to take their own lives using prescribed, lethal drugs, Fairchild and his colleagues worry that some people may never have those discussions. Ten states currently permit physician assisted suicide, and similar legislation is set to take effect in New York and Illinois later this year. Another 14 states are currently considering bills that would legalize medical assistance in dying, sometimes referred to as maid. Fairchild works in Illinois. As his state prepares for the law to go into effect this September, he has thought about his recent patient.

[Austin Fairchild]

If maid was already available, she's the kind of woman that would have taken it really quickly.

[Lauren Canterbury]

As a Christian, Fairchild says he struggles with how and if to support patients who choose to pursue assisted suicide ahead of Illinois's new law taking effect. The company Fairchild works for said that it would take a neutral stance on the practice staff will not actively prescribe or administer the drugs, and they won't be required to care for a patient who has chosen to take their own life. Three of the country's largest hospice providers have taken this approach, saying they will not allow their employees to actively participate in a patient's suicide, but will provide palliative and bereavement care. But Fairchild says these policies still leave questions about his role.

[Austin Fairchild]

Typically, as a chaplain, I say that my belief is that the Lord knows the day and the moment. That's not up to us, but that's changing.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Fred Oderkirchen is a hospital chaplain in California, where assisted suicide is legal.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

From my perspective, and probably the training that we have for our chaplains is that we would recuse ourselves from that once that decision was made.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Oeterkirken is also the executive director at Healthcare Chaplains Ministry association, which trains Christian chaplains. In most cases, Oeterkirchen and other chaplains can offer advice and help people process their choices, but they never make a final decision for a patient. That's especially important when it comes to assisted suicide.

[Kent Covington]

We want to provide comfort and we

[Hutz Hertzberg]

want to provide care, but we also don't want to give the impression or, or the idea that we agree with what's taking place.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Oderkirchen's association and other training organizations advise their chaplains to adhere to the stance their endorsing, denomination or certifying agency takes on assisted suicide. Many of those have made it clear that they take a biblical view of life, that only God determines our first and final breath. But as hospice companies and hospitals take neutral stances on assisted suicide, Christians are still left to decide for themselves what their involvement will be. There is a sense of moral distress

[Hutz Hertzberg]

in this experience, and I think it's growing.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Carol McFarland is a hospice nurse in Washington State, which legalized assisted suicide in 2008. Some of her patients have requested assisted suicide. Proponents of these laws often refer to them as death with dignity laws. McFarland says that term seems to suggest that assisted suicide is what grants patients dignity at the end of their life. But many of her patients still die naturally, and their final minutes are no less dignified. She recalls one woman who was able to go on several trips before she passed.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

She was able to die at home with her family. That was death with dignity.

[Lauren Canterbury]

Back in Illinois, Fairchild says he's grateful his patient did not have the option to take her own life after her health took a turn. She told him she wasn't sure where she would go after she died.

[Austin Fairchild]

I said, do you want to like, do you want to know how to be ready to go to heaven? And, and I was able to tell her about Jesus and we, we prayed together.

[Lauren Canterbury]

At the end, she heard the gospel and died the next day. Reporting for world I'm Lauren Canterbury.

[Mary Reichert]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it. AI in education this week, first lady Melania Trump touted greater access to high tech tools for students. She spoke at a two day summit with other spouses of world leaders.

[Myrna Brown]

But the push comes at a time when some in education say not so fast. World's Harrison Waters has the story.

[Harrison Waters]

First lady Melania Trump walked into the East Room of the White House on Wednesday alongside a humanoid robot, a talking robot.

[Lauren Canterbury]

I'm figure three, a humanoid built in the United States of America. I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.

[Harrison Waters]

The first lady then invited representatives from 45 nations and tech leaders to imagine how a humanoid robot named PLATO could change education.

[Myrna Brown]

Plato will provide a personalized experience adaptive to the needs of of each student.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Plato is always patient and always available.

[Myrna Brown]

Predictably, our children we develop deep critical

[Bethel McGrew]

thinking and independent reasoning abilities.

[Harrison Waters]

Melania Trump kicked off the two day Fostering Our Future summit on Tuesday with panels tackling everything from AI education to online safety. Leaders touted programs for putting laptops into the hands of children and curriculum for teaching them about digital technology as early as first grade. First Gentleman of Slovenia Ale Musar said his country is struggling to overcome a more fundamental problem how to convert something

[Michael Bell]

that is seen as a tool for cheating into an educational tool.

[Harrison Waters]

Data from the US based group Carnegie Learning found that three out of five public school teachers in 2025 have discussed proper uses of AI with their students, but 6 in 10 report students are using AI to cheat on assignments. White House Chief Science and Technology Officer Michael Kratzios told attendees that with AI's growing dominance, change is unavoidable. Every career path will use AI as

[Tom Pitt]

a tool in some way, so every

[Harrison Waters]

child should be able to fully take advantage of AI applications with confidence and with responsibility. Last Friday, the White House gave its recommendations to Congress for federal AI legislation. President Trump wants lawmakers to require AI developers to secure their own power for data centers and protect the data privacy of children. But aside from that, he wants to clear the way for developers to move fast and build things. The White House is also calling for more grants and tax breaks to go to AI in business and education. Brad Littlejohn is chair of the Policy Council at the newly formed alliance for a Better Future in Washington, a pro family, pro tech think tank. He's also a World Opinions contributor. He's concerned that the bar for earning those grant dollars has not been set high enough and they aren't being tied

[Hutz Hertzberg]

to proven results to like to actually these tools have been designed in a thoughtful way that honors concerns about child safety, honors concerns about data privacy, and crucially, that fosters critical thinking rather than cognitive outsourcing.

[Harrison Waters]

It's not just K through 12 educators worried that students are letting AI think for them. In January, the American association of Colleges and universities found that nine in 10 faculty members reported concerns that AI will hurt critical thinking skills. Nearly 8 in 10 report that academic cheating is on the rise.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

This is a totally new, untested experimental technology that we are essentially treating the next generation as lab rats for The

[Harrison Waters]

Trump administration wants to ensure that tech companies do not use AI to track young people's data. It also wants developers to do more to protect children from sexual exploitation online without the government overstepping its bounds. Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson said on Tuesday, we cannot replace parents with governments. Instead, the government must come alongside parents and help them navigate the challenges of the Internet and of artificial intelligence by making the best choices for their unique children. Alliance for a Better Future CEO Janet Kelly says coming alongside parents should require more than simply informing them about the shortfalls of AI.

[Janet Kelly]

Empowering parents doesn't mean putting the entire burden of protecting their kids from online harms onto the parents any more than we would expect parents to navigate kids buying cigarettes or alcohol without parental approval. We prevent that from happening by requiring age verification at the point of sale when it comes to cigarettes and alcohol, correct?

[Harrison Waters]

While the White House and its allies partner with tech companies to develop AI for the next generation, Kelly says parents should be vigilant. She points to recent court decisions holding Facebook developer Meta liable for mental health harms to minors.

[Janet Kelly]

There are dozens of lawsuits across the country right now on this same topic. These same companies are asking us to trust them when it comes to the most consequential technology in human history, and we know better.

[Harrison Waters]

It's now up to Congress to decide where to put the fences around AI in the public square and the classroom. Reporting for World I'm Harrison Waters in Washington.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from the evangelistic film How I Got Here with Stephen Baldwin as the thief on the cross in 30 languages. OpenTheBible.org Heaven from the Joshua program at St. Dunstan's Academy in the Blue Ridge Mountains Work, prayer and adventure for young men. St. Dunstansacademy.org and from watersedge, competitive rates and supporting churches 4.55% APY on a 13 month term investment watersedge.com invest

[Myrna Brown]

it's been just over six months since TP USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus in Utah. Now, even without its most recognizable voice, TP USA says it's continuing to grow. Growth that includes A K through 13 education division.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Since Charlie's assassination on September 10, we've had 1.6 million orders of our curriculum. We've had to digitize it because we just can't keep up with it. We're in partnership, a great partner with the association of Christian Classical Schools accs. I'm sure you're familiar.

[Mary Reichert]

That's Chief Education officer for Turning Point, Hutz Hertzberg. He's an ordained Minister whose previous roles include president of the private Christian school Charlie Kirk attended in grade school. He says education was close to Kirk's

[Hutz Hertzberg]

heart because he began to see the woke ideologies are being baked in at a lot earlier age. Charlie saw that on the college campuses that he was going to. I saw that in the college world that I was serving in. And so he made the decision and that's when he reached out to me to provide leadership, which I agreed to do.

[Mary Reichert]

I recently spoke with him about the mission and health of TPUSA.

[Tom Pitt]

Now.

[Mary Reichert]

So tell me about the K through 13 curriculum you're developing.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

What we've done is look at best practices in each of those grades. We have felt like there has been a need for certain areas of curriculum. A couple of examples. We felt like it's a great opportunity to develop a constitution kit for primary grades to help them understand our constitution, how vitally important that is. We also realized that there was no really strong Christian high school economics curriculum. So we worked with a leading economist by the name of David Bonson. You probably know that name.

[Mary Reichert]

Yeah, indeed I do. CNN has a documentary out that apparently claims aspects of this kind of education you're talking about breeds Christian nationalism. Now, what do you say?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

I mean, if we had 50 people on this call right now, you get 50 different answers of what Christian nationalism is. But no one in, in our organization flaunts that term or looks at themselves as Christian nationalists. They look at themselves as people that care about our country. But we're not trying to, to, to make it a theocracy by any means that we don't believe that that's our mission. But why should not Christians be involved in culture? Why should not Christians be involved in government? You know, God's ordained three major institutions, the church, the family, and government. When it comes to government, you know, that's where Christians have excused their lack of involvement. And we've seen the ramifications of that in our country. So Turning Point is an organization to help motivate and encourage young people, especially to bring their faith to bear in the public sphere.

[Mary Reichert]

Well, what does conservative education look like in 2026? I understand TPUSA has several points to describe it.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Well, conservative education is really biblical values, the values that we used to take for granted that there is a God, that there are two sexes, male and female. The founding values of our country are values that we want our students to understand and to live out in their lives. It's a big question. But in our world, we have actually nine points that we Explain what conservative education is. And that really is our foundation, our bedrock in terms of what we're trying to accomplish.

[Mary Reichert]

Yeah. And as I'm reading through them, the others are. Life is sacred. Beginning at conception, all people are created equal. Marriage is between one man and one woman. God's truth is the beginning of wisdom. The family is the epicenter of a child's formation. The founding ideals of this country are freedom, equality, liberty, opportunity and democracy. To teach, model, and preserve. And the final point, Christ centered, virtuous. Education is vital to renew our society.

[Hutz Hertzberg]

That's the foundation for everything that we do at Turning Point Education, it both attracts and it also repels people. But that's okay that we're very clear in terms of where we stand.

[Mary Reichert]

Mm. Well, now, moving on. Many people worried that the organization was so closely identified with Charlie Kirk, a man, by any measure, at the top of his game, he cannot be replaced. So how is TP USA going forward without him?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Well, you're right. Charlie cannot be replaced. And with that being said, Charlie's DNA is baked into the organization. From his wife, Erica, who's now our CEO, to our executive leadership, which I'm on that team, to our directors, our managers, our staff, there is no wondering what we're going to do next. The only challenge is how can we keep up with all of the opportunities that are before us? And really, those opportunities have only multiplied since September 10th. So the vision remains the same. And if anything, we're doubling down on Charlie's vision.

[Mary Reichert]

What is TPUSA now? Is it a campus activism organization, a political training pipeline, a media platform or whatever?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Charlie would say that we are a conservative organization that is seeking to represent, embody, and help young people especially. But it's expanded far past. Just young people understand the founding values of our country. And Charlie then would go on to say, for the purpose of saving Western civilization. And so that has not changed.

[Mary Reichert]

And talk about donor commitments. Have those held steady or increased or declined?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

We have more donors than we've ever had before, and we thought that there would be a sympathy, maybe initial sympathy, and then some of this giving would fall off. Most of that giving has continued to stay strong since September 10th. So financially, the organization is doing very, very well. But we're never an organization that sits on resources. We're hiring people like crazy with the education expansion.

[Mary Reichert]

I can understand that. How many active TPUs chapters are there currently?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Well, if you're talking about college chapters, it's over a thousand. If you're talking about high school chapters, it's 4300. If you're talking about the number of Turningpoint education affiliates, it's approximately 2,000. So just depends on what metric you're looking at. But if you're asking specifically about our chapters, Club America, which is our high school brand and growing every day, we're adding about 10 a week. And then the college chapters, we're almost maxed out on college campuses, but right now we're a little bit over a thousand college chapters.

[Mary Reichert]

Over a thousand college chapters. Are universities treating TPUSA any differently now?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

Yeah, they're more open to it with the exception of Christian universities, which is really ironic. Mary. We have Turning Point chapters on just about every one of the Ivy League campuses, on hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of state universities, private universities. But many of the Christian universities and colleges are not comfortable with having a Turning Point chapter. It breaks my heart.

[Mary Reichert]

If Charlie were evaluating the organization today, what do you think he'd say? You're getting right or wrong?

[Hutz Hertzberg]

You know, I think Charlie would say, guys, keep going forward, keep doing what you're doing. This is exactly what I had envisioned. I think Charlie would be very pleased and very grateful that we're continuing with the mission that God gave him.

[Mary Reichert]

Our thanks to Hutz Hertzberg for joining us today. He is chief Education officer for Turning Point usa. At an airport gift shop in Australia, a possum appears to have tried the oldest trick in the Stand very still and pretend not to be alive. This possum playing possum found itself sitting on a shelf among stuffed toy animals for sale. And at first glance, it fit right in. But then somebody noticed a problem. Its eyes were moving. Staff took video before the possum apparently decided the disguise wasn't fooling anyone and wandered off. Airport workers later removed the possum unharmed. Now nobody, nobody's quite sure how it got into the shop or how long it had been trying out for the role of souvenir. It's the world and everything in it. Today is Thursday, March 26th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Mary Reichard.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on the World and Everything in it, the cost of combat. Well, this month the Department of defense identified the seventh soldier killed as part of the war in Iran. 26 year old staff sergeant Benjamin Pennington. World reporter Travis Kercher traveled to the small Kentucky town where Pennington grew up to find out how the communication is coping.

[Tom Pitt]

At the Hardin County School's early college and career center, automotive instructor Tom Pitt is doing what he does best, solving problems. There's the student who failed to appear in shop appropriate footwear, one SUV with bad rear brakes and another with an error code. Something to do with the fuel mixture.

[Hayden]

So it's calculating lean and so it's

[Hutz Hertzberg]

trying to compensate for that by putting more fuel.

[Tom Pitt]

Pitt's job is to take students who don't know which end of a screwdriver to use and turn them into grease monkeys.

[Hayden]

I couldn't be a math teacher, won't be a math teacher, history or anything like that. It's not due to lack of ability, but I do this because of the perception of the industry.

[Tom Pitt]

But lately, Pitt's been dealing with the fact that there are some problems he can't solve, like the ongoing war with Iran, the war that just claimed the life of one of his former students, Benjamin Pennington.

[Hayden]

I met Ben Pennington, I guess it was 2017. He was a student in my Automotive Pathway class.

[Tom Pitt]

Pitt remembers Pennington as smart, helpful and fun to be around.

[Hayden]

He's one of those students who, and I use this analogy a lot, like an real hard to get started, but once you get them started, you can't kind of turn it off. So you just, you remember folks like him.

[Tom Pitt]

Pennington loved airplanes and the military, so Pitt says it's no surprise he wound up joining the Army. Pennington stayed in touch with his old automotive instructor, occasionally sending him pictures of airplanes. But a couple of weeks ago, as he was leaving church, Pitt says he got a disturbing message from one of Pennington's former classmates asking Pitt to call in.

[Hayden]

And so I did. I called Hayden and he said, hey, you remember Ben, right? And I knew right then that it wasn't gonna, that discussion was not gonna go well. It wasn't about.

[Tom Pitt]

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington of the 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, died on March 8. His death came one week after he was injured during an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the seventh US Casualty in Operation Epic Fury.

[Michael Bell]

Ben has always just been a steady, good kid, you know, just he puts his mind to something and he does it.

[Tom Pitt]

That's Michael Bell, the executive pastor at Glendale Christian Church. He pastored Pennington as he was growing up in this tight knit community of roughly 2,000 people.

[Michael Bell]

This happens everywhere else. It doesn't happen here. And when it comes home, it really hurts.

[Tom Pitt]

Bell remembers Pennington as an ambitious teenager who intentionally set hard goals and accomplished them.

[Michael Bell]

When Ben was working on his Eagle Scout program, he came and we talked and his program was A project in the park. It was a very major project.

[Tom Pitt]

That project involved removing concrete dugouts, vac stops and light poles before turning the space into a walking area. Bell says he knew at once the endeavor would be too much for the teen. And he told him so you don't

[Michael Bell]

tell him something's impossible because he's going to do it. I said, that's too big of a job. Can we divide it? I'll get her done. And he did.

[Tom Pitt]

Bell says he got the tragic news of Pennington's deteriorating condition as he was announcing a girls basketball game at the local high school.

[Michael Bell]

And his dad called and said things had gone south. I left the ball game and turned around and we had a word of prayer over the phone. And when I got home from the ball game, his dad told me he had passed.

[Tom Pitt]

Since then, Bell says he's been thinking a lot about Pennington's Eagle Scout project.

[Michael Bell]

I went down yesterday and just sat and looked at it at the park and saw the accomplishments and what a change. And then I thought, here's a young man from a small community. He loved military service and he gave himself it, took his all.

[Tom Pitt]

Meanwhile, back at Pitt's shop.

[Michael Bell]

We're gutted.

[Hayden]

That's it. Absolutely gutted.

[Tom Pitt]

And Pitt knows Pennington might not be the only one of his students who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice.

[Hayden]

I'm thankful that folks will, and frustrated that they must.

[Tom Pitt]

In the meantime, Pitt will continue to help his students do what they love doing most, fixing things. While he remembers the student who died doing what those around him say he loved most, serving his country.

[Hayden]

It was part of his life. You could tell it was part of his life.

[Tom Pitt]

Reporting for World. I'm training Travis Kercher from Elizabethtown and Glendale, Kentucky.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichardt. Last week, Scotland came closer than many expected to legalizing assisted suicide, but then pulled back. MSPs, that is members of the Scottish Parliament rejected it after just a few months earlier having expressed support. So what changed here is World opinions commentator Bethel McGrew.

[Bethel McGrew]

Dr. Gordon McDonald of the group Care Not Killing says lawmakers grew uneasy not about the idea in theory, but about the reality in practice. He reflects on the vote here with interviewer Julia Hartley Brewer.

[Julia Hartley Brewer]

Just when people got to the end of the precipice, you know, they just sort of backed off because they. Although lots of people agree in principle, when they think about it in more detail, they change their minds. And I think we saw that with the MSPs as well.

[Bethel McGrew]

As always, the phrase assisted dying has a certain seductive appeal to people. On the surface it sounds compassionate, controlled, even dignified. But lawmakers who initially supported the bill started to have second thoughts.

[Julia Hartley Brewer]

Lots of the MSPs were worried about coercion, and they didn't feel that it was possible to protect against coercion. And as said by a number of them, even one case of coercion is one too many.

[Bethel McGrew]

It was high stakes and high drama on the debate floor as both sides wielded the power of personal narrative to make their case. One lawmaker favoring the bill tearfully recalled her father's decision to take his own life in Canada, describing a peaceful deathbed surrounded by family, where he was able to say goodbye while still in his right mind.

[Mary Reichert]

I don't mind if you would never want this choice for yourself, but please, please don't prevent other people from choosing it for themselves.

[Bethel McGrew]

The Bill's sponsor, Leah MacArthur, urged wavering members to have what he called the courage of your convictions. But he faced opposition from those showing a different kind of courage. Scottish lawmaker Jeremy Balfour, born missing all of one arm and most of the other, warned of the Pandora's box such a law could open, creating the conditions for coercion.

[Mary Reichert]

We would be opening a Pandora's box,

[Hutz Hertzberg]

and the effects of the most vulnerable

[Mary Reichert]

in our society will be devastating.

[Bethel McGrew]

Disability rights activist Pam Duncan Glancy offered a stark warning from her wheelchair.

[Myrna Brown]

In a world where so many have

[Hutz Hertzberg]

little or no choices, we cannot risk

[Myrna Brown]

making death the only choice they ever have.

[Bethel McGrew]

Many within the disability rights movement are not explicitly arguing from Christian premises, but Member of Parliament John Mason contextualized his vote within a Christian understanding of the human person.

[Michael Bell]

At its core, we believe that God gives life and God decides when life should end. Clearly, there are also humans, human reasons for both birth and death. But we believe that behind all of that, God is guiding and directing.

[Bethel McGrew]

Mason went on to say that despite the undeniable suffering we might face at the end of life, as Christians we also have the hope of the resurrection, a timely reminder as Easter approaches. For now, that view has carried the day, but the debate is far from over. Life won the battle in Scotland last week. Time will tell whether it will win the war for world. I'm Bethel McGrew.

[Mary Reichert]

Tomorrow, a California jury rules against social media companies. We'll talk about it with John Stonestreet on Culture Friday. Also, a classic coming of age film gets a re Release for its 40th anniversary. That and more tomorrow. I'm Mary Reichard.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Irna Brown. The world in absolute everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him, when he has come in from the field, come at once and recline at table? Will he not rather say to him, prepare supper for me and dress properly and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward will you eat and drink? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you are commanded, say, we are unworthy servants. We have only done what was our duty. Luke, chapter 17, 7, 10. Go now in grace and peace.