3.4.26 Political risk of the Iran conflict, Nepal’s election, and a graphic novel about courageous faith

Summary

The World and Everything in It Episode: Political risk of the Iran conflict, Nepal’s election, and a graphic novel about courageous faith Date: March 4, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on:

• The political and practical risks of the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, including its impact on domestic politics, foreign policy, and the Department of Homeland Security
• Nepal's pivotal national election in the wake of deadly protests and government corruption
• The story of Pakistani Christian martyr Shahbaz Bhatti, as told through a new graphic novel designed to inspire courageous faith

Featured segments include in-depth analysis from political scientist Hunter Baker, on-the-ground international reporting, author interviews, and commentary on education’s digital revolution.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The U.S.-Iran Conflict: Political Calculus and Risks

Segment start: [07:42]

• Scope of Current Operations:
  • The U.S. military, with Israeli support, has “largely devastated” Iran’s navy and air force ([00:52])
  • Admiral Brad Cooper: “We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones. And in simple terms, we're focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.” ([01:07] Nick Eicher quoting Admiral Cooper)
• Iranian Retaliation:
  • Over 500 missiles, more than 2,000 drones launched at regional targets, including a drone attack on the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia ([01:38])
  • Secretary Marco Rubio: “We will systematically take apart their missile program. We will destroy their ability to sponsor terrorism, by the way. We will destroy their factories. We will destroy their navy.” ([02:22] Knox Thames quoting Rubio)
• Domestic Political Clash:
  • Congressional Democrats assert President Trump launched military action without proper authorization.
    • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “It's now the Congress's responsibility to go on record because Donald Trump has unconstitutionally and illegally chosen to launch a war.” ([02:44] Janie B. Cheney as Jeffries)
  • Administration claims compliance with the War Powers Act ([02:54])
• Political Scientist Hunter Baker's Analysis:
  • Immense political risk for President Trump:
    • “People are gonna be having similar questions. They're gonna be wondering, is this going to be something that happens quickly as he seems to have promised, or is it gonna drag on and consume a great deal of American blood and treasure?” ([08:13] Hunter Baker)
  • The U.S. public’s tolerance for protracted war is low (“not a lot more than [four to five weeks]”), and large deployments are deeply unpopular ([09:48])
  • Divergence from historical bipartisan foreign policy unity:
    • “That used to be a common statement of American foreign policy. And we are in a totally different era now, which is really, really bad for the country.” ([11:06] Hunter Baker)
  • Iran seen as a “more frightening adversary" than Iraq or Afghanistan due to its ideological resilience and history of making American engagement costly ([12:15])
  • Importance of avoiding “forever wars,” which was central to Trump’s political brand ([14:17])
• Impact on Homeland Security and Domestic Politics:
  • War has raised concerns over potential terror attacks at home, stretched further by a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security:
    • “[...] if you were just sort of dealing from a stance of pure reason. You would say we've engaged in hostilities with Iran. Iran is a major sponsor of terror. Now is exactly the wrong time to have a shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.” ([15:26] Hunter Baker)
  • Hunter Baker urges media and legislators to prioritize fully funding and supporting DHS during such a major conflict.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• “Partisanship ends at the water’s edge... That used to be kind of a common statement of American foreign policy. And we are in a totally different era now.”
  — Hunter Baker ([11:03])

• “This is a highly ideological state and they have supposedly tried to duplicate that leadership four levels down and at the same kind of level of determination.”
  — Hunter Baker ([13:46])

---

2. Nepal’s Tumultuous National Election

Segment start: [17:48]

• Backdrop:
  • Deadly protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli ([18:08])
  • Over 3,000 candidates vying for 275 seats following widespread youth-driven unrest over corruption
• Key Issues:
  • Widespread corruption at all government levels
  • Youth demanding change; low trust in institutions
    • “Almost three quarters of them pointed at the political system. So they have very low trust on the institutions themselves.” ([20:14] Hunter Baker quoting researcher)
  • New election reforms (e.g., campaign transparency) have weak enforcement mechanisms
• Security:
  • 300,000 additional security troops deployed; some anticipated election fraud, though not enough to overturn the election ([20:53])
• Geopolitical Context:
  • Nepal’s position between China and India, with both powers (plus the U.S.) having strong interests in the outcome
• Social Impact:
  • “Lack of economic growth we had for the last 30 years was not real. Or the number of people leaving Nepal seeking some livelihood in harsh conditions, that's not real.” ([21:33] Hunter Baker quoting Santa Sharma Pudel)
  • Youth see the changes needed as deep and potentially slow; impatience and high expectations present

---

3. A Modern Martyr’s Story: Shahbaz Bhatti and ‘Blood and Water’

Segment start: [24:01]

• Who Was Shahbaz Bhatti?
  • Pakistani federal minister for minority affairs, assassinated in 2011 for opposing blasphemy laws and advocating for religious minorities ([24:01])
• The Graphic Novel Approach:
  • Knox Thames (creator): Targeting young people with a compelling format to tell Bhatti’s story.
    • “I saw when [my sons] were younger how the action Bible... was so captivating. [...] I thought, oh, what a fantastic way to reach young people about this compelling story that challenges them and really all of us to think about how we can advocate for those who are suffering for their beliefs.” ([24:33] Knox Thames)
• Faith at the Center:
  • Bhatti’s courage and sacrifice rooted in his faith; described in a “haunting” final video used in the book ([25:21] Knox Thames)
  • “He talked about how his commitment to Jesus Christ gave him courage, it gave him hope, and it gave him the commitment to see this through. [...] You just don't meet people like that very often in life. And such a powerful example of what it means to really live a sacrificial life.” ([25:21] Knox Thames)
• Author’s Perspective:
  • Matt Yocum: Faith was integral to each chapter and to Bhatti’s vocation
    • “He saw the people who are unseen and he had a heart for them so early in life and even remembers the moment after a Good Friday service that he had decided as a 13 year old what he was going to dedicate his life to.” ([26:30] Matt Yocum)
• Bhatti’s Ongoing Legacy:
  • His work began to result in actual policy changes for minorities before his death
  • The book aims to “serve as an inspiration... not intended to be the end of the story, but the beginning of an inspiration for the younger generation.” ([28:44] Matt Yocum)

Notable Quotes

• “For someone to be this bold and this compassionate and to have discovered his purpose and lived it with everything that he had, it is inspirational.” — Matt Yocum ([28:44])

• “He talked about how his commitment to Jesus Christ gave him courage... such a powerful example of what it means to really live a sacrificial life.” — Knox Thames ([25:21])

---

4. Analog Education vs. the Digital Revolution

Segment start: [30:03]

• Janie B. Cheney’s Commentary:
  • Questions the wholesale adoption of digital devices in classrooms
  • Points to research (Jared Horvath testimony) suggesting Gen Z is the first modern generation to underperform parents in cognitive skills (attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, IQ) despite more years of schooling ([31:50])
• Drawbacks of Digital Learning:
  • Concern over distraction and poor skill acquisition
  • Pushback: 35 states introduced or enacted cell phone bans in schools; some (like Missouri) advancing laws that limit tech use up to grade 5 and reinstate cursive writing ([34:30])
• Key Message:
  • “This beta testing on young brains needs to end.” ([34:41] Janie B. Cheney)

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |-----------|------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:07 | Nick Eicher | "We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles..." | | 11:06 | Hunter Baker | "That used to be a common statement of American foreign policy. And we are in a totally different era now." | | 14:17 | Hunter Baker | "The only way that you get to a Donald Trump presidency is with the failure in the Middle east." | | 20:14 | Hunter Baker | "Almost three quarters of them pointed at the political system. So they have very low trust on the institutions themselves." | | 25:21 | Knox Thames | "His commitment to Jesus Christ gave him courage, it gave him hope, and it gave him the commitment to see this through." | | 28:44 | Matt Yocum | "For someone to be this bold and this compassionate and to have discovered his purpose and lived it with everything that he had, it is inspirational." | | 31:50 | Janie B. Cheney | "Our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age." | | 34:41 | Janie B. Cheney | "This beta testing on young brains needs to end." |

---

Segment Timestamps

• Iran Conflict & Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker: [07:42] – [16:58]
• International News & Nepal Elections: [17:48] – [22:30]
• Shahbaz Bhatti Graphic Novel Interview: [24:01] – [29:37]
• Analog Education Commentary (Janie B. Cheney): [30:03] – [34:41]

---

For Listeners

This episode offers original, faith-informed analysis on geopolitics, society, and courageous faith. The discussions are candid, rooted in real expertise, and challenge listeners to engage thoughtfully with current events at home and abroad.

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. The policy and politics of the war with Iran.

[Nick Eicher]

It's defensive in nature and in design and in necessity. Washington, Wednesday. Coming up with Hunter Baker. Also today, world tour and later, a martyr story for a new generation.

[Matt Yocum]

It makes you evaluate your own life and realize, you know, I can do more.

[Nick Eicher]

And world commentator Janie B. Cheney on the value of an analog education.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, March 4th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mask.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Einker. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

The Pentagon says the U.S. military, along with the Israelis, have largely devastated Iran's navy and air force, among other things. Admiral Brad Cooper with the U.S. central Command said U.S. forces have struck more than 2,000 targets.

[Nick Eicher]

We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. And in simple terms, we're focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.

[Kent Covington]

Cooper added that his words thus far, we have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side.

[Nick Eicher]

For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping. Today, there's not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman.

[Kent Covington]

And we will not stop. And he said that in retaliation, the Iranian regime has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones, firing them off largely indiscriminately at targets all over the region. One of those retaliatory strikes included a drone attack against the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Secretary of State and acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.

[Mary Muncie]

A drone unfortunately struck a parking lot

[Kent Covington]

adjacent to the Chancellery building and set off a fire in that place. All personnel are accounted for, as you're aware. And he again stated the case for taking this action at this time. He said President Trump acted on the timeline that provided the greatest odds for success.

[Knox Thames]

You're seeing it play out right now

[Kent Covington]

and you'll see it in the days to come.

[Knox Thames]

We will systematically take apart their missile program.

[Kent Covington]

We will destroy their ability to sponsor terrorism, by the way. We will destroy their factories. We will destroy their navy. Rubio on Tuesday briefed Congress about the military action in Iran. Democratic leaders continue to claim that the president acted unlawfully by ordering the military action without seeking approval from Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

[Janie B. Cheney]

It's now the Congress's responsibility to go

[Kent Covington]

on record because Donald Trump has unconstitutionally

[Janie B. Cheney]

and illegally chosen to launch a war.

[Kent Covington]

But the administration says that is not so and that it is in full compliance with the War Powers act which gives the president this authority. Authority. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel hit the Lebanese port city of Sidon yesterday. The Israeli military said it was targeting members of the Lebanon based terror group Hezbollah. As of Tuesday night, no word on any casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heard there warning the Lebanese government and people that Hezbollah is dragging them into a war with over the weekend death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, something Netanyahu said has nothing to do with him. On Capitol Hill, members of a Senate panel grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for more than four hours, sparring with her and one another on immigration enforcement. World's Harrison Waters has more.

[Knox Thames]

In one fiery exchange, GOP Senator Thom Tillis noted that President Trump placed border czar Tom Homan in charge of operations in Minnesota in January. That came after a pair of fatal shootings involving federal agents souring public perception of immigration enforcement. Who does Tom Holman work for, you or the president?

[Janie B. Cheney]

The President.

[Knox Thames]

Okay. Why is that?

[Hunter Baker]

Because I believe the president recognized that

[Nick Eicher]

you weren't getting it done in Minneapolis.

[Knox Thames]

And you're putting us further away from pointing to this. We're beginning to get the American people

[Hunter Baker]

to think that deporting people is wrong.

[Nick Eicher]

It's the exact opposite.

[Hunter Baker]

The way you're going about deporting them is wrong.

[Knox Thames]

Noem defended ICE operations, and while she expressed regret for protester deaths, she did not apologize for them. She also called out Democrats for blocking funding to the rest of DHS in their efforts to extract reforms.

[Janie B. Cheney]

More than 100,000 dedicated DHS employees are once again being asked to work without pay. For the third time in just five

[Knox Thames]

months, members of both parties questioned Noem about multimillion dollar spending on advertising and stalled FEMA payments. Secretary Noem will testify to lawmakers at the other end of the Capitol later this morning. Reporting for world I'm Harrison Waters.

[Kent Covington]

The FBI says it is investigating a deadly weekend assault in Texas as a potential act of terrorism. The gunman killed three people and injured at least a dozen others when he opened fire on a bar in Austin. Authorities say the suspect fired the first shots from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside the bar before getting out of the vehicle and firing on others. Police fatally shot him at the scene. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas said there are plenty of clues regarding his motivation.

[Nick Eicher]

The things like the sweatshirt he was wearing and the T shirt underneath with

[Knox Thames]

the Iranian flag on it sure seems

[Hunter Baker]

to point to a radicalized individual.

[Kent Covington]

The suspect, 53 year old Jaga John, reportedly first came to the US from Senegal in 2000 and became a naturalized citizen in 2013. Voters went to the polls in primary elections in several states on Tuesday. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and ex Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley have won their respective party nominations for a North Carolina U.S. senate seat. But when the clock struck midnight, a big race in Texas was still too close to call. Incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn is trying to fend off a challenge by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

[Hunter Baker]

Foreign

[Kent Covington]

I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker. Plus, remembering a modern day martyr in Pakistan. This is the WORLD and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, the 4th of March. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the WORLD and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Time now for Washington Wednesday. Well, today the world editorial team has gathered for a staff retreat. And so as we build today's program, we're doing it a good bit differently. Typically, our team members work remotely. We're a close team relationally, but we do work in different places around the country. But we are today in our retreat center and we've got several friends. I can't count exactly how many, but we have many, many people in the room. So welcome to you folks and thanks for coming on out. And so also in the room with us is Hunter Baker. He is a political scientist. He is a contributor to World Opinions, and he's our regular Washington Wednesday analyst. Good morning to you, Hunter.

[Hunter Baker]

Good morning.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, clearly, Hunter, the story of this week, and I think as we expect it to be likely subsequent weeks, is the war with Iran. So let's get right to the intersection of American politics and global foreign policy. And so I would frame up the first part here of the conversation like this, Hunter, as you see it, what kind of risk is President Trump taking here politically with this war with Iran?

[Hunter Baker]

He's taking an immense risk, you may remember. I certainly do. I remember being in college at the time of the first Gulf war and George H.W. bush came on broadcast to the entire nation. And those of us here, you may remember what Bush said was this will not be another Vietnam, right? That was reminding, reminding everybody. And of course, that was a relatively short engagement that we kind of completed and walked on from. Then. We had the second Gulf War, which was an entirely different situation altogether. We spent multiple trillions of dollars on that affair, several years and many American lives lost and so as Donald Trump approaches this engagement with Iran, people are gonna be having similar questions. They're gonna be wondering, is this going to be something that happens quickly as he seems to have promised, or is it gonna drag on and consume a great deal of American blood and treasure?

[Nick Eicher]

Do you have a good definition for what drag on actually means? I mean, we heard him say just a couple of days ago that it could go four to five weeks, maybe a little bit longer than that. But what do you think, just as a political scientist, the American people's tolerance for a dragged on war would be?

[Hunter Baker]

I think not a lot more than that. And I think that the thing that really people are going to be watching is this question of whether we commit American troops. Nobody, and I mean nobody, I think, wants to see large numbers of American troops in the Middle east again. And so the fear is, is that he'll be unable to achieve the kind of political result that he wants in Iran and will have to move into a kind of an occupation mode.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, Hunter, it's a midterm election year and let's assume that the war goes well, however that's defined. Do you see the President's policy party? And we have to emphasize that of course the President's not on the ballot. But do Republicans generally benefit from a Trump's success on the battlefield? And then look at the same question, if you would, assuming that the war goes badly.

[Hunter Baker]

Well, there's a, there's an expression that many of us will remember. People who are younger won't. But this expression was partisanship ends at the water's edge. I don't know if people remember that partisanship ends at the water's edge.

[Nick Eicher]

I think a lot of people have forgotten it.

[Hunter Baker]

That used to be kind of a common statement of American foreign policy. And we are in a totally different era now, which is really, really bad for the country. Our political culture has suffered somewhat since that time. And so unfortunately the ideal situation would be that Republican and Democratic legislators would be sitting in some sort of Socratic stance, you know, evaluating the arguments for and against. And I'm afraid that that is just not the situation.

[Nick Eicher]

Let me ask you this. Do you think that Iran is different from, let's say an Afghanistan or an Iraq? We've got some history there. The Iranians in 1979 overran our embassy and took American hostages for 444 days. I'm old enough to remember this stuff. Does that change the calculus at all with a known bad guy who's been a bad guy for that Long.

[Hunter Baker]

What I would say about Iran is Iran is in many ways a more frightening adversary. And the reason I would say that is that so of course, we saw their determination with the Revolution in 1979 and taking American prisoners. But if you look at our own war on terror, Iran cooperated with us in a few places. But generally speaking, what they did during the war on terror was to try to make America miserable. They tried to cost us a lot of lives, cost us a lot of money. Not because they loved Iraq, for instance, but they wanted to make sure that the Americans did not establish a long term presence in the Middle East. And so they did all that they could to hurt America during that time. And they were pretty effective in doing so. And to tie back to the political question, they understand that American involvement in foreign countries is subject to the political debate within our country. And so if you can increase the cost in lives, in money, and just sheer human suffering, then you can reduce American commitment.

[Nick Eicher]

So when we talk about Iran outlasting or making calculations, a lot of them are dead. Who are we talking about? Who's doing this calculation?

[Hunter Baker]

That's a good question. We have engaged in what is called a decapitation attack in which we have removed a significant portion of the leadership of the Iranian regime. But what needs to be understood is this is a highly ideological state and they have supposedly tried to duplicate that leadership four levels down and at the same kind of level of determination.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hunter, I want to know how does a conflict like this, a war like this fit or conflict with the no forever wars brand that helped define the president's movement?

[Hunter Baker]

I think there's no question that the only way that you get to a Donald Trump presidency is with the failure in the Middle east with the war on terror. And so what Trump has to do is to avoid falling into that same kind of trap that engulfed the last Bush administration.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hunter, the war has raised concerns over possible terror attacks here at home, especially during a government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. So far, we've heard of at least one suspected attack that took place in Austin, Texas. In a Senate Homeland Security oversight hearing, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham also connected the dots.

[Knox Thames]

Wonder how many people are like that

[Hunter Baker]

here waiting to pounce.

[Knox Thames]

And DHS doesn't have appropriated funds.

[Kent Covington]

This is insane.

[Lindsay Mast]

How do you see this affecting the DHS funding debate? Does it. Does it change the calculus on holding up funding if you're a Democrat?

[Hunter Baker]

This gets back to what I was talking about with the ideal of the Socratic legislator. Because if you were just sort of dealing from a stance of pure reason. You would say we've engaged in hostilities with Iran. Iran is a major sponsor of terror. Now is exactly the wrong time to have a shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. And so maybe you pull back on your strategy. I can absolutely understand why Democrats were using this point of leverage and trying to get the changes that they wanted in ice. But the calculus has changed and now we need the Department of Homeland Security operating at its very best. And it's the wrong kind of strategy to be pursuing now. Nevertheless, I think that currently they're still going that direction.

[Nick Eicher]

I expect the mainstream media will be all over that, right?

[Hunter Baker]

They should be. They should be. I mean, honestly, this is where a

[Nick Eicher]

journalist there are a lot of things that they should be.

[Hunter Baker]

This is where good journalists should be saying, we cannot be engaged in effectively a war with the number one sponsor of terror in the world and not have our Department of Homeland Security operating.

[Nick Eicher]

Hunter Baker is provost at North Greenville University. Thanks for coming all this way to be with us. And let's thank Hunter Baker for Washington Wednesday.

[Hunter Baker]

Thank you.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Free Lutheran Bible College, grounding students in the word of God for life in Jesus Christ on campus and in person in Plymouth, Minnesota. FLBC Eduardo from Boyce College, where truth comes first. Every class begins with scripture and prepares students to live with wisdom, conviction and Christlike faithfulness. Boycecollege.com and from Covenant College, where students are equipped with a Christ centered education rooted in the Reformed tradition. Covenant. Edu World Coming up next on THE

[Lindsay Mast]

WORLD AND Everything in IT World tour Nepal is electing new leaders today after deadly protests six months ago culminated in the resignation of the prime minister. Citizens want a new start for the country, but change may be slow to come. World's Mary Muncie has the story today.

[Mary Muncie]

Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is trying to get his job back. Oli resigned in September after young Nepalese people organized several huge protests over government corruption. They turned violent and police killed 19 protesters. Hundreds of others were injured. Now voters in the country of 30 million are deciding who will fill the 275 seats in the Member Assembly. Over 3,000 people are running. Some other elections have seen tens of thousands of candidates challenging the former prime minister are the Nepali Congress parties Gagan Thapa and Balendra Shah, who served most recently as the mayor of the capital city of Kathmandu. Shah says he wants to help poor people get an education and healthcare. He also wants to focus on job and technology growth. About 20% of the population lives in Poverty. And Shah believes corruption in the government is to blame. Shah, at 35 years old, is relatively young and his party is relatively new. And that may be exactly what some voters want.

[Lindsay Mast]

Nepali people have largely been accommodative of any new force.

[Mary Muncie]

Santa Sharma Pudel is the co founder of the DePaul Institute for Policy Research in Kathmandu. And he says corruption has been a problem at all levels of government for decades and each new party brings new hope. He says there's currently high level policy corruption, like officials changing electric vehicle policies to suit their business interests.

[Hunter Baker]

The politicians who barely had a good

[Lindsay Mast]

suit to start with when they started

[Hunter Baker]

their political career now roam around in

[Janie B. Cheney]

cars that cost millions.

[Mary Muncie]

There's also low level corruption that affects people at home, exorbitant fees to register a new baby or unexplained delays in building permits. Podell's research institute did a survey of what Gen Z expects going forward.

[Hunter Baker]

We asked them what was the major

[Lindsay Mast]

issue that we are facing.

[Hunter Baker]

Almost three quarters of them pointed at the political system. So they have very low trust on the institutions themselves.

[Mary Muncie]

Candidates in this election have been touting their plans for rebuilding trust in the government, but so far it's unclear exactly how they're going to implement them. Right now there are a few new voting reforms in place, things like transparency rules for campaign donations, but the mechanisms for enforcement remain weak. For today's election, the country deployed 300,000 additional security troops. Padel says that isn't unheard of and there will likely be attempts at election fraud.

[Janie B. Cheney]

But I don't expect it to to

[Hunter Baker]

happen to a level whereby the whole

[Lindsay Mast]

election result is contested.

[Mary Muncie]

Fodel says the system needs to be gutted and rebuilt, but worries voters may be too impatient for that. Nepal also sits between and trades with China and India. Both of those countries, along with the United States, see Nepal as a security concern with outside actors interested in the elections and the country's future. There are some reports that those forces are stirring unrest and influencing Gen Z through social media. But Padel thinks the country would have gotten here regardless.

[Hunter Baker]

So the kind of frustration we are

[Nick Eicher]

feeling were not real.

[Hunter Baker]

Or the lack of economic growth we had for the last 30 years was not real. Or the number of people leaving Nepal seeking some livelihood in harsh conditions, that's not real.

[Mary Muncie]

Podel blames leaders and the political structure. He says lasting change will take time. One young voter says she's tired of the old leaders. She says they're deceptive by nature and the youth should try to bring change even if those changes aren't Drastic. Reporting for world I'm Mary Muncie.

[Nick Eicher]

That high pitched squeak is as much a part of the soundtrack of basketball as the referee's whistle. Now scientists say they finally know the mechanics behind it. Researchers at home, Harvard slid basketball shoes across glass under high speed cameras. What appeared to be a smooth glide was anything but.

[Lindsay Mast]

Squeaking is basically your shoe rippling or your shoe creating wrinkles that travel super

[Nick Eicher]

fast and they repeat at a high frequency. The rubber sole sticks, slips and snaps forward thousands of times per second. Tiny earthquakes, the same physics as shifting tectonic plates, only beneath a shoe. Well, now that engineers understand the mechanism, they can design for and against it. How would stealth sneakers change the game? It's the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, March 4th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Iker. Coming next on THE WORLD and everything in it, remembering a modern day martyr. Shahbaz Bhatti was the federal minister for minority affairs in Pakistan. By population, Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world and just 4% of the population is is non Muslim.

[Lindsay Mast]

Bhati was assassinated in March 2011 for his outspoken opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws as well as his advocacy for religious minorities. The new graphic novel Blood and Water depicts his life and how his faith inspired him. Joining us now is the book's co author Matt Yocum and its creator, Knox Thames. Matt Knox, good morning.

[Knox Thames]

Thank you so much.

[Lindsay Mast]

As I mentioned a moment ago, this book is a graphic novel. What made you choose that format for this story?

[Knox Thames]

I've been in policy spaces for over 20 years looking for ways to advance religious freedom internationally here in Washington, D.C. but I've got two boys who are teenagers and while I write a lot of articles, they don't usually read them. But I saw when they were younger how the action Bible, the Bible and sort of graphic comic style was so captivating for them. And so when this opportunity came up to remember my friend on this 15th anniversary, this idea of a graphic novel was presented. And I thought, oh, what a fantastic way to reach young people about this compelling story that challenges them and really all of us to think about how we can advocate for those who are suffering for their beliefs.

[Lindsay Mast]

Tell me a little bit, how did you know that Bottie's commitment to religious freedom was more than just political?

[Knox Thames]

The last time I saw him was in February 20, 2011 when he was here for the National Prayer Breakfast and the death threats were piling up A month before, one of his allies, the the Muslim governor of Punjab Province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated for by his bodyguard because he was also speaking up against the blasphemy law. So this was clearly a life or death situation. And he talked about how he. His commitment to Jesus Christ gave him courage, it gave him hope, and it gave him the commitment to see this through. And there's this haunting video taken days after he left here where he explains it. And that's one of the last scenes in the graphic novel. It was just this powerful testimony of someone who gave it all to Jesus. You just don't meet people like that very often in life. And such a powerful example of what it means to really live a sacrificial life.

[Lindsay Mast]

Matt, I'll direct this to you as the author of the book. Tell me a little bit about the decisions that you made as you were trying to weave in the faith component into each chapter of the novel.

[Matt Yocum]

Right. As Knox mentioned, his life really was exemplified by a boldness for his faith and a compassion for the destitute, the lost, the poor. And so it was very obvious even to his own family that Shabazz was different as a young person. He saw the people who are unseen and he had a heart for them so early in life and even remembers the moment after a Good Friday service that he had decided as a 13 year old what he was going to dedicate his life to. So it was easy to show what was inspiring him and then how he began to enact that as his calling in life. And all the way from early in his life through his years in college, and then his advocacy organizations that he created until finally being invited to be a minister in the government representing the minorities until the day he died.

[Lindsay Mast]

Knox, what do you think that Shabazz Body would make of the situation for religious minorities in Pakistan were he still alive today?

[Knox Thames]

Now, at one level he'd be heartbroken, but then he'd also be motivated to work even harder. Pakistan has never been an easy place for religious minorities. It wasn't then, is it now? But, you know, he was starting to make a difference. He was seeing laws change, he was seeing new policies implemented that was starting to create more breathing room for religious minorities, starting to ensure that their place in Pakistani society rose up a notch or two. And he was starting a process that was questioning whether or not this blasphemy law that they have, which is the worst version of any country in the world, should remain as it is. And it was because of that success that the force in the darkness came after him. So he'd be busy. He'd be working the telephones. He'd be finding ways to advocate for the least of these, to speak up for the oppressed and to push back against this tidal wave of persecution that risks drowning his entire country.

[Lindsay Mast]

Matt, I'll direct this last question at you. As the author, what was it about either the process of working on the book or the story itself that bolstered your faith?

[Matt Yocum]

Yeah, I think when I got into the details, you realized very quickly there's more details and incidents and episodes that he was involved in than you even had time to tell. And I think that seeing how deeply his life was invested in living out his faith was extremely inspiring. And it makes you evaluate your own life, to be honest with you and realize, I can do more. For someone to be this bold and this compassionate and to have discovered his purpose and lived it with everything that he had, it is inspirational. It was part of the reason that we wanted this to be aimed at a younger audience, to serve as an inspiration to not end as a gravestone. But, you know, this is not intended to be the end of the story, but the beginning of an inspiration for the younger generation. And it certainly did that for me.

[Lindsay Mast]

All right, Matt Yocum and Knox Thames, co author and creator of the graphic novel Blood and the Life and Martyrdom of Shabazz Body, thank you so much.

[Knox Thames]

Thank you.

[Matt Yocum]

Thanks, Elizzy.

[Nick Eicher]

Good morning. This is the world and everything in it, from listener support and. Welcome to World Radio. I'm Nick Icker.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. When it comes to education, the delivery method of information matters. World's Janie B. Cheney says that after several decades, the great digital school experiment may be near the end.

[Janie B. Cheney]

I hate to say I told you so, but I was not the only one when school districts began purchasing laptops for all their students. And you can be sure Apple and Microsoft were right there offering sweet deals. I thought it was a bad idea. So did many others. Even though the digital revolution was still relatively new and hopes for the information superhighway were high, it still amazes me to have all the answers stored in a pocket device. How many arguments have you settled with a hey, Google, I'm old enough to remember the cumbersome databases I could only access at the library and before that, the card catalog. So thanks it. I couldn't do my job without you. But the developing brain of a 12 year old is another matter. Maine was the first to adopt a statewide laptop program for seventh graders in 2000. Two to be expanded over time. Fifteen years later, Fortune magazine reported that student test scores in Maine had not improved. By then, school districts across the country had sunk millions into computer labs, Chromebooks and iPads. Now, almost a quarter century after the experiment began, what's the result? In testimony before the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, neuroscientist Jared Horvath had some bad news.

[Kent Covington]

So a sad fact our generation has to face is this. Our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age. Since we've been standardizing and measuring cognitive development since the late 1800s, every generation has outperformed their parents.

[Janie B. Cheney]

But Horvath went on to say, Gen

[Hunter Baker]

Z is the first generation in modern

[Kent Covington]

history to underperform us on basically every cognitive measure we have, from basic attention to memory, to literacy, to numeracy, to executive functioning, to to even general iq,

[Matt Yocum]

even though they go to more school than we did.

[Janie B. Cheney]

In a written report to the same committee, Horvath clarified, this is not a debate about rejecting technology. It is a question of aligning educational tools with how human learning actually works. Exactly. But how does human learning actually work? Every world changing advance leads to corresponding ideas about the human mind. With the development of writing and later printing came philosophical speculation about the mind as a blank slate. The scientific revolution raised questions about the mind body problem, which the industrial Revolution answered by imagining the brain as a sophisticated machine. Today, our brains are seen as computers processing information in basic binary code. So shouldn't computer learning be compatible? Apparently not. The mind remains a mystery. But children should be well understood. By now we know what comes naturally to them and what doesn't. And discipline and focus do not. Once children grasp the ability to interpret symbols on a page as words and transfer words into meaning, they can go from strength to strength as long as they're allowed to take their time and develop their comprehension skills without distraction. But distraction is the primary temptation of a digital screen. Pushback may be coming. At least 35 states have signed on or already enacted laws that ban the use of cell phones in class, an obvious and overdue first step. In Missouri, State representative Tricia Burns has introduced House Bill 2230, which restricts the use of tech in the classroom through grade five and mandates cursive writing with a pencil on paper.

[Lindsay Mast]

I just want people to come around the table and say, hey, hold up.

[Hunter Baker]

We all jumped on board with this

[Lindsay Mast]

and nobody had any science. I mean, we beta tested on the kids.

[Janie B. Cheney]

Burns bill is currently in the rules committee and will soon head for the floor. May it pass. And others like it. This beta testing on young brains needs to end. For world, I'm Janie B. Cheney.

[Lindsay Mast]

Tomorrow, crowdsourcing the problem of fraud, the government, inviting Americans to help and how to talk to kids about sex, gender and God's good design. That and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Icker. The world and everything in it comes to you from from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, but I will sing of your strength. I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to you. For you, O God, are my fortress. The God who shows me standing. Steadfast love. That's the end of Psalm 59, verses 16 and 17. Go now in grace and peace.