5.15.25 A Colorado law threatens parents’ rights, Michigan challenges same-sex marriage, and a family farm recovers from a hurricane

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It
Episode: 5.15.25
Release Date: May 15, 2025

The World and Everything in It, hosted by WORLD Radio, delivers comprehensive news coverage with insightful analysis grounded in biblical perspectives. In this episode, listeners are presented with compelling discussions on controversial legislation in Colorado, ongoing challenges to same-sex marriage in Michigan, and an inspiring story of resilience from a family farm recovering from a devastating hurricane.

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1. Colorado's Controversial "Kelly Loving Act" and Parental Rights

The episode opens with a deep dive into Colorado's newly passed legislation, known as the Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals or the Kelly Loving Act. Initially hailed as affirming for transgender minors, the law has sparked intense debate and concern among various communities.

Key Points:

• Parental Custody Concerns: A particularly contentious section of the bill initially proposed that the state could remove custody from parents who do not affirm their child's transgender identity. This included prohibiting the use of a child’s birth name or biological sex designation, labeling such actions as discrimination and even domestic abuse.

• Legislative Adjustments: In response to fierce opposition, including nearly 35,000 signatures from concerned Coloradans, the most controversial sections were removed. However, Laurie Gimmelstein, Executive Director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, highlights that similar language has been reincorporated into other legislative bills, continuing the threat to parental rights.

Notable Quotes:

• Laurie Gimmelstein: "We have seen egregious bills get passed into law that really undermine the fundamental authority of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children." [08:56]

• Laurie Gimmelstein: "Parents are at great risk for losing custodial rights of their children if this bill is signed into law." [12:13]

• Laurie Gimmelstein: "It's being sold as a bill to protect health care, but what it really does is it mandates insurance coverage for extreme procedures for people who self-declare or identify that they are transgender." [13:08]

Implications: The legislation mandates that schools cannot enforce gender-based clothing rules and requires teachers to use a child’s chosen name without parental consent. This raises significant concerns about the erosion of parental authority and the potential for abuse in medical and educational settings.

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2. Michigan's Efforts to Challenge the Obergefell v. Hodges Decision

The podcast transitions to discussing Michigan's legislative attempts to overturn the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Key Points:

• Legislative Resolutions: Michigan State Representative Joshua Shriver introduced a resolution calling for the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell, arguing that it undermines religious liberty and redefines marriage as a covenant solely between a man and a woman.

• Mass Resistance Involvement: The resolution, along with similar efforts in six other states, has been spearheaded by Mass Resistance, a conservative advocacy group aiming to reinstate traditional definitions of marriage and bolster religious freedoms.

• Legal Hurdles: Experts like Carl Esbeck from the University of Missouri highlight the improbability of reversing Obergefell, especially after the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law, ensuring that same-sex marriages are recognized across all states regardless of future Supreme Court decisions.

Notable Quotes:

• Joshua Shriver: "Obergefell is the Supreme Court's 2015 decision which granted a constitutional right to same sex marriage...it redefines marriage." [15:26]

• Daniel Schmid (Liberty Counsel): "Obergefell should return to the states just like abortion." [18:23]

• Mark Mellinger: "It took 50 years to overturn Roe. I don't think it'll take 50 years to overturn Obergefell. But who knows?" [18:23]

Implications: While the legislative push reflects a growing pushback against same-sex marriage, legal experts remain skeptical about the feasibility of overturning Supreme Court precedents, especially given the entrenched federal protections established by recent legislation.

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3. Resilience Amidst Disaster: A Family Farm's Recovery from Hurricane Helene

In a heartfelt segment, the podcast shares the story of Jeffrey and Walt Pridgen, a father-son duo from Coffee County, Georgia, whose family farm faced catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene.

Key Points:

• Hurricane Impact: Hurricane Helene caused over five and a half billion dollars in damages to Georgia's agricultural sector, severely affecting the Pridgen family's poultry business. Four of Jeffrey’s chicken houses collapsed, and seven more were damaged, resulting in the loss of thousands of chickens.

• Personal Struggles: Walt Pridgen, in his early 60s, reflects on the sudden loss of income and retirement savings, describing the disaster as losing "my income and my retirement in one day." [26:32]

• Community and Faith: Despite the devastation, the family remains resilient, relying on faith and the support of their community. The intact chicken houses now hold more birds to compensate for the losses, ensuring that their operations continue to provide for their families and others.

• Future Aspirations: Walt remains committed to farming, intending to pass on the legacy to his infant son, hoping that one day he can decide to continue the family tradition.

Notable Quotes:

• Walt Pridgen: "Farming's a gamble no matter what you do. Farming, it's all a gamble." [26:28]

• Walt Pridgen: "I lost my income and my retirement in one day." [26:37]

• Walt Pridgen: "I'm going to do everything I can do to better agriculture going forward, not only for myself, but for my little boy." [27:47]

Implications: The Pridgens' story underscores the vulnerabilities faced by family-owned farms in the wake of natural disasters. It highlights the critical role of resilience, faith, and community support in overcoming such challenges and sustaining agricultural livelihoods.

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4. Political Theater and Recent Incidents in Newark

The podcast also touches on recent political theatrics involving Democratic representatives attempting to conduct oversight at an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

Key Points:

• Incident Overview: Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, along with Newark Mayor Ross Baraka, were involved in an oversight visit that escalated into chaos. As detainees were being transported, protesters stormed the facility, leading to chaos and the arrest of Mayor Baraka.

• Department of Homeland Security Statement: DHS emphasized that the group did not request a tour and criticized their actions as violating legal boundaries and endangering safety. [22:04]

• Commentary: Cal Thomas criticizes the Democrats for engaging in what he terms "political theater," arguing that such stunts detract from addressing substantive issues like failing public schools in Newark.

Notable Quotes:

• Cal Thomas: "If what happened last week in Newark was a play, it would have closed before opening night in New York due to bad reviews." [22:16]

• Cal Thomas: "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities." [22:04]

Implications: This segment critiques the use of high-profile, disruptive actions by politicians as a means of gaining publicity, suggesting that such methods are ineffective and divert attention from critical governance issues.

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Conclusion

This episode of The World and Everything in It provides a nuanced exploration of significant social and political issues. From the contentious debates surrounding parental rights and transgender legislation in Colorado to the legal battles challenging same-sex marriage, the podcast offers listeners a thorough understanding of the current landscape. Additionally, the inspirational account of the Pridgen family's resilience in agriculture amidst natural disasters adds a personal and hopeful dimension to the episode. Through detailed reporting and impactful interviews, WORLD Radio continues to inform and engage its audience on pressing global matters.

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Notable Exclusions:

• Advertisements and sponsorship messages.
• Introductory and concluding remarks not related to content.
• Light-hearted segments and cultural jokes about political figures.

Transcript

[Mary Reichardt]

Good morning. The Colorado legislature passed a new law it says is about affirming minors, but others call it alarming.

[Myrna Brown]

Also, what some states are doing to try to get the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision that redefined marriage. And when disaster strikes, the family farm.

[Walt Pridgen]

I lost my income and my retirement in one day.

[Myrna Brown]

And world commentator Cal Thomas on political theater. He says no one should be applauding.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's Thursday, May 15th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Good morning.

[Mary Reichardt]

Up next, Mark Mellinger with today's news.

[Mark Mellinger]

President Trump is asking for Qatar's help in convincing Iran to give up its nuclear program.

[President Trump]

I hope you can help me with the Iran situation because it's a perilous situation and we want to do the right thing. We want to do something that's going to save maybe millions of lives.

[Mark Mellinger]

The president speaking Wednesday at a state dinner in Qatar before a gathering that included the country's top leader. It's part of Trump's three country Middle east swing this week. The president wants Qatar to use its influence over Iranian leaders to persuade Iran to scale back its nuclear program, which is very close to having nuclear weapons capability. The US And Iran have been in negotiations since last month to strike a deal. Trump says Iran will have to stop supporting proxy terror groups across the Middle East. Qatar's top leader did not publicly respond to Trump's appeal, instead saying he's focused on expanding the US And Qatar's defense and economic partnerships. Neither President Trump nor Russian leader Vladimir Putin will attend the next round of peace talks over the war in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Trump suggested he might mediate the latest negotiating session scheduled for Friday in Turkey. But after Russia released its list of delegates Wednesday and Putin wasn't on it, the White House said Trump wouldn't attend either, citing logistical challenges with the president's Middle east travel schedule. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be there, says Russia has yet to show it's serious about wanting peace.

[President Trump]

No time for playing games on the.

[Mark Mellinger]

Technical level and etc.

[President Trump]

It's meant only one thing, that we.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Need to be more strong, united and tough on them.

[President Trump]

And today I see only one thing.

[Mark Mellinger]

Sanctions to be a success. Zelensky says at a minimum, the next round of talks needs to result in an immediate 30 day ceasefire, a win for unborn babies. South Carolina's high court is allowing protections for the unborn to stay in place. World's Travis Kercher has More the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled yesterday to uphold.

[President Trump]

A 2023 law protecting unborn babies beginning at around six weeks after conception. The language of the law states that abortions are prohibited once an ultrasound can.

[Mark Mellinger]

Detect cardiac activity or the steady and.

[President Trump]

Repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart with within the gestational sac.

[Mark Mellinger]

Supporters of the law said that takes.

[President Trump]

Place the moment an ultrasound detects any cardiac activity at about six weeks after conception.

[Mark Mellinger]

But Planned Parenthood argued for a later interpretation of the language.

[President Trump]

Under their reading, protections for the unborn would not begin until about nine weeks. The justices acknowledged that the language of.

[Mark Mellinger]

The law was vague, but they ruled unanimously that the intention of the law was to begin the protections at six weeks. For World I'm Travis Kercher A grand jury has indicted a judge in Wisconsin accused of helping an illegal immigrant hide from authorities. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan could face up to six years in prison. She's charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. Prosecutors say she stalled Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents looking for an illegal immigrant who had a hearing in her courtroom. The they say she helped the migrant escape by leading him out of the courtroom through a private back door. GOP Senator Josh Hawley told Fox's Ingram Angle earlier this week that no one, including Dugan, is above the law. It is outrageous for a sitting judge to be trying to obstruct justice in the United States of America. That's what this individual was doing. But in a motion filed this week, Dugan's attorneys argue she is protected by legal immunity for any official acts she takes as a judge. They also said as Judge Dugan is entitled to complete control over her courtroom. A federal judge ordered the release of a Georgetown University visiting scholar from immigration detention Wednesday. Badar Khan Suri was arrested in the Trump administration's crackdown on foreign college students two months ago. The White House says Khan Suri is a supporter of Hamas with family ties to the terror group. A US District Court judge ruled the government failed to provide evidence justifying Khansori's continued detention. Khansuri's wife, Mafeez Saleh, hearing the judge.

[Joshua Shriver]

Words brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could give her a heartful hug from me and from my.

[Mark Mellinger]

Three children who long to see their father. Khansuri was being detained in Texas. He will now stay with his family in Virginia as he awaits the outcome of deportation proceedings and other legal matters. This is at least the third release from immigration detention this year of a student or scholar detained by the Trump administration. Republicans so called big beautiful bill on taxes has cleared its first hurdle, getting the green light from the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday after lawmakers pulled an all nighter. But it's still facing headwinds within the gop. Lawmakers in the conservative Freedom Caucus say the bill's new Medicaid work requirements do don't do enough to cut costs and also argue their 2029 phase in date is too late. Speaker Mike Johnson, talking to reporters on a walk through the Capitol building, says he's open to changes.

[Joshua Shriver]

Would you be open to moving up.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

The phase for Medicaid work requirements?

[Mark Mellinger]

Look, I would, I would like to.

[President Trump]

Do that, but it's a, it's a.

[Mark Mellinger]

Matter of what's possible.

[Mary Reichardt]

So it's one of the things on.

[Mark Mellinger]

The table we're talking about. Johnson's hoping for a final passage vote from the full House before Memorial Day weekend. I'm Mark Mellinger. Straight ahead, Colorado is digging in its heels regarding minors and identity confusion. Plus, how states are hoping to challenge a 10 year old Supreme Court decision. This is the WORLD and everything in it.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's Thursday the 15th of May. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and Everything in it. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichard.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. First up, a controversial new bill out of Colorado that critics say undermines parental rights. It's called Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals, also known as the Kelly Loving act, named after a victim of the Club Q nightclub shooting in 2022.

[Mary Reichardt]

One section of the original bill now removed sparked outrage. It would have allowed the state to take custody from parents who don't affirm their child's transgender identity. That included prohibiting parents from calling a child by his or her birth name or biological sex. The bill labeled those acts as discrimination, even domestic abuse.

[Myrna Brown]

Other troubling provisions remain. Schools can't enforce gender based clothing rules and teachers must use a child's new chosen name even without the parents knowledge. After intense opposition from Republican lawmakers and concerned families, lawmakers remove the most controversial section, though much of that deleted language is popping up in other bills.

[Mary Reichardt]

Joining us now to talk about all this is Laurie Gimmelstein. She's executive director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network and has been campaigning against this bill.

[Myrna Brown]

Lori, good morning.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Good morning, Myrna. Thank you so much for the opportunity to join your show.

[Myrna Brown]

Thank you for being here. Well, as we just heard, the Colorado Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals bill covers a lot. I mean, so many ways we could begin. Let's start with why you're so concerned about it.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Yeah, absolutely. So we have seen egregious bills get passed into law that really undermine the fundamental authority of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children. And when House Bill 2513 12, which is deceptively titled Legal protections for Transgender Individuals, we were very alarmed. And a lot of the content that you were describing in regards to the parents losing custody of their children for not gender affirming was really seeking to codify what we're already seeing in practice in Colorado. So that's actually already happening without this law. We have an incident reporting tool at the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network where families, parents, teachers, students can submit incidents and we help them. We're helping 28 families right now who have lost or have the potential to lose custodial rights because they are not gender affirming of their child's newly declared gender distress and confusion and declared gender identity. Now, we lobbied extremely aggressively against this bill. We received nearly 35,000 signatures on a petition to oppose this bill from Coloradans that we presented, we printed and hand delivered to all of the senators when it was moved moved over to the Senate. And we were very just alarmed that when we got to the Senate Judiciary Committee, there was this big announcement. We're going to strike these sections of the bill and we're going to get rid of this coercive control. And it looked like a win for parent rights, but it wasn't.

[Myrna Brown]

Yeah, yeah. You mentioned the tens of thousands of signatures, what I would call a groundswell of pushback. How did that pushback shape the final version of the bill, you think?

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Well, it put a lot of not only local, statewide attention on this bill, it brought in a lot of national attention on this bill. And what we have uncovered is that what they did is, yes, they did strike that language, but they added language back in. And they also passed another bill, House Bill 2512 39, which makes significant changes to the Colorado Anti Discrimination Act. So all the things that they struck in the original bill that seemed so egregious, they struck it, but they moved it into a different bill. So parents are at great risk for losing custodial rights of their children if this bill is signed into law. And there's a lot of pressure on Governor Polis right now to not sign the law. He has 30 days since the close of session to sign or not sign it. We are asking him and have a very aggressive campaign to continue to put pressure on him to veto this bill. But this is very alarming.

[Myrna Brown]

So as I understand it this bill is on its way to the governor's desk to be signed. Is there anything more you think that can be done to challenge it?

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

I think what this bill has done is it's really gotten people to see the truth. You know, for years there's been alarm bells going off in parent organizations. The mainstream media has done a really good job of making these claims seem false, as you know, as if they're some type of propaganda. But now we have real impact. Real families are being impacted by this legislation and these practices. And because of that, people see what's happening and they can see that it's coming from the legislature.

[Myrna Brown]

As we wrap up, tell us a little about the Bill 1309, which might protect so called gender affirming health care in Colorado.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

It's being sold as a bill to protect health care, but what it really does is it mandates insurance coverage for extreme procedures for people who self declare or identify that they are transgender. So this isn't for people that might have a real medical need to have any type of surgery, but this is for somebody that has a feeling that they are transgender. And so things like facial bone remodeling, breast augmentation and sex change surgeries really with zero meaningful safeguards. And it lets doctors just decide what's quote, unquote medically necessary, leaving the store kind of wide open for children to receive these life altering treatments without proper oversight. And we already know that's happening. It's happening at Children's Hospital here in Colorado, at their true center for gender diversity. It's happening at Kaiser Permanente and other gender clinics here in Colorado. But what this does is it will mandate that insurances must coverage these extreme procedures. And one of the other most alarming parts of this bill is it will hide testosterone prescriptions from state tracking systems, which will make it completely impossible to monitor how often or how much is being prescribed. And this is a huge recipe for abuse.

[Myrna Brown]

Laurie Gimmelstein is executive director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network. Lori, thanks so much.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Thank you, Myrna. I hope you have a blessed day.

[Mary Reichardt]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it. Challenging Supreme Court president. A decade after the U.S. supreme Court redefined marriage nationwide to include same sex couples, some lawmakers are pushing to overturn that decision.

[Myrna Brown]

What would it take to change it? World's Anna Johansson Brown has the story.

[Joshua Shriver]

On February 25th, Michigan State Representative Joshua Shriver approached a press conference microphone. He took a deep breath and said he wouldn't be taking any questions. Ignoring the protesters chanting outside, he announced a New House resolution I hereby call.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

On the US Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges.

[Joshua Shriver]

Obergefell is the Supreme Court's 2015 decision which granted a constitutional right to same sex marriage. Shriver's resolution claims that right undermines religious liberty and redefines marriage.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Michigan Christians follow Christ's definition of marriage.

[Mary Reichardt]

As a covenant between a man and a woman, an institution established to glorify.

[Mark Mellinger]

God and produce children.

[Joshua Shriver]

So far, legislators in six other states have introduced resolutions condemning same sex marriage. At least two of the resolutions have been rejected. All of the statements were drafted by Mass Resistance. That's a conservative advocacy group committed to supporting traditional understandings of marriage and sexuality.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

By instituting or initiating this resolution effort, we are forcing the conversation back into the public square.

[Joshua Shriver]

Arthur Schoper is Mass Resistance's field director. Long term, he hopes the resolutions will move beyond simply initiating conversations about same sex marriage.

[Mark Mellinger]

Right now, the legislators that I've been working with, they not only want this resolution, they want to start advancing freedom of conscience provisions so that judges don't.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

Have to officiate same sex weddings or that clerks can refuse to issue the licenses.

[Joshua Shriver]

These resolutions could help lay the groundwork for state level protections for religious freedom. But those statements alone can't threaten Obergefell. That would require a live Supreme Court case. Daniel Schmid is an attorney with Liberty Counsel, and he hopes to do just that by bringing Kim Davis's case before the Supreme Court to challenge Obergefell. Davis is a former Kentucky clerk. In 2015, she refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples on the basis of her religious convictions. That decision came with consequences.

[Mark Mellinger]

First American I'm aware of in the.

[Walt Pridgen]

History of the republic to be jailed.

[Mark Mellinger]

For the exercise of their religious beliefs. That's rather astounding, but it's what happened to her.

[Joshua Shriver]

The punishment might be unusual, but similar religious freedom lawsuits have become all too common. From cake bakers to website designers, almost.

[Mark Mellinger]

Every industry that deals with weddings had religious individuals who didn't want to participate or win their religious expression to the ceremony. And every single one of them that I'm aware of was sued.

[Joshua Shriver]

In 2020, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of Davis's case. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with the high court's denial. But he noted that constitutional protection for same sex marriage usually comes at the expense of religious freedom. When Roe v. Wade fell two years later, Justice Thomas suggested that the court should also reexamine cases like Obergefell. Daniel Schmidt agrees, arguing that same sex marriage should return to the states Just like abortion.

[Mark Mellinger]

It took 50 years to overturn Roe. I don't think it'll take 50 years to overturn Obergefell. But who knows?

[Joshua Shriver]

Some legal experts doubt that the Davis case can bring down Obergefell. The number of cases that get to the Supreme Court is already pretty small, and Davis case didn't make it.

[Mark Mellinger]

The U.S. supreme Court gets about 4 or 5,000 requests every year for them to take appeals, and they grant only about 65 or 70.

[Joshua Shriver]

Carl Esbeck is a law professor at the University of Missouri.

[Mark Mellinger]

So it's very, very difficult to get a live case before the Supreme Court.

[Joshua Shriver]

He says that even if the court reversed Obergefell, federal law also protects same sex marriage. Months after the Dobbs decision, former President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act.

[Mark Mellinger]

And now the law requires that interracial.

[President Trump]

Marriage and same sex marriage must be.

[Mark Mellinger]

Recognized as legal in every state in the nation.

[Joshua Shriver]

Thanks to that law, it would be difficult to send same sex marriage marriage back to the states.

[Mark Mellinger]

So somebody wanting to go back to pre Obergefeld would have to not only get the court to reverse itself on.

[President Trump]

Obergefell, but they would have to get.

[Mark Mellinger]

Congress to repeal the Respect for Marriage Act.

[President Trump]

So sort of a double heavy lift and politically improbable.

[Joshua Shriver]

Even so, state level resolutions show that there's growing pushback to same sex marriage. And that likely has to do with concerns about transgenderism. Jennifer Roback Morse founded the Ruth Institute. It's a pro family nonprofit that publishes research on the consequences of the sexual revolution. She says that defining same sex marriage as a constitutional right paved the way for the transgender movement. She calls it degendering marriage.

[Mark Mellinger]

Gay marriage says that male and female.

[President Trump]

Don'T matter for marriage and for childbearing.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, hello, having children is the most.

[President Trump]

Gendered thing that we do.

[Myrna Brown]

You know, if you're going to say that doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter.

[President Trump]

On the sporting field, it doesn't matter.

[Mary Reichardt]

In the bathroom, it doesn't matter anywhere.

[Joshua Shriver]

But Morse doesn't think opposition against same sex marriage will kick into high gear anytime soon. According to a recent Gallup poll, most people support legally recognized same sex marriage even more than they did a decade ago. And Morse says people also don't have a right understanding of marriage and family to begin with.

[Myrna Brown]

So when you say gay marriage is.

[President Trump]

Going to deprive children of one of.

[Mark Mellinger]

Their parents, they're like, so what? You know, they've already decided, so what?

[Myrna Brown]

You know, because mom's on her third husband, right?

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

You see the problem.

[Joshua Shriver]

The problem, according to Morse, is that mainstream culture has redefined marriage as little more than a government registry of friendship. And she worries that there isn't much left to safeguard for world. I'm Anna Johansen Brown.

[Mark Mellinger]

Additional support comes from Pensacola Christian College Academic Excellence Biblical Worldview Affordable Cost go pcci edu World and from Ambassadors Impact.

[President Trump]

Network, helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find.

[Mark Mellinger]

The support they need to thrive with.

[Cal Thomas]

Faith aligned financing options.

[Mark Mellinger]

[e-mail].

[Mary Reichardt]

A Chicago born cardinal walks into a conclave and, well, the jokes just write themselves. We're predecessants over here, but we can still have some fun. Late night hosts had a ball imagining the new pontiff Leo XIV as an average Joe from the Windy City. Here's Jimmy Fallon.

[Laurie Gimmelstein]

It means we're one step closer to.

[Mark Mellinger]

Deep dish communion wafers.

[Mary Reichardt]

And Stephen Colbert did his best impersonation.

[Mark Mellinger]

Hey there, it's your buddy Leo, the deep dish papa.

[Mary Reichardt]

There's still appropriate reverence in all this fun because no matter how he says Mass, he'll no doubt end by saying da prayers. It's the world and everything in it. Today is Thursday, May 15th. 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, what it takes to hold on to a family farm. Last fall, Hurricane Helene carved a destructive path across South Georgia, leaving behind more than five and a half billion dollars damages to the state's agricultural industries. Cotton, pecans, timber, cattle, poultry and more.

[Mary Reichardt]

For one father and son, though, it wasn't just a storm, it was a turning point. After years of mounting challenges, they now ask, how much more can their farm take? World's Lindsay Mast has their story.

[Cal Thomas]

Jeffrey Pridgeon caught the farming bug early.

[Walt Pridgen]

I was driving a tractor in a micro patch when I was 6 years old. Just gets in your blood.

[Cal Thomas]

He's in his early 60s now, but he's still on a tractor today, planting corn to feed his cattle. His family has lived in this rural area of Coffee County, Georgia, for over 200 years. It's the kind of place where roads, a church and a cemetery nearby all bear the family name and all around acres of farmland.

[Walt Pridgen]

So we was taking chicken money and growing hogs. So that didn't work out. So we got out of the hog business. So we've been in the chicken business, you know, for 34, 35 years.

[Cal Thomas]

Pridgen grew his poultry in 12 long skinny houses, each almost one and a half times the length of A football field, but just one fourth as wide. Each designed to house over 18,000 full grown birds. Jeffrey's son Walt caught the farming bug early as well.

[Walt Pridgen]

There's nothing else I've ever wanted to do, which is nuts. I mean I've got a degree, I went to college, but I just, I like being out here and I like doing this and somebody's got to do it.

[Cal Thomas]

When he started farming, he borrowed money and built four chicken houses of his own. A little bigger than his dad's, newer with touch screens to control the temperature, the lights, the near constant feed time. Then came hurricane Helene. The family watched the forecast.

[Walt Pridgen]

You watch that radar. It wasn't turning. The storm wasn't turning. I told my wife, you know that thing's coming right over the top of them. No it ain't. They know what they talking about.

[Cal Thomas]

As the storm worsened, Walt and his wife took their dog to his parents house. His wife was pregnant. They all waited in the dark. Walt can still hear the storm's fury.

[Walt Pridgen]

You hear the thing about, oh, if there's a tornado, it sounds like a train's coming through the yard. There was a train coming through the yard that morning at 2:30. I don't know if it was one train or 10 trains, but it was getting it when it was going.

[Cal Thomas]

They debated when could they safely go check on the chickens. Just before sunrise, Walt stepped outside.

[Walt Pridgen]

We got hammered. It looked like a bomb went off around here.

[Cal Thomas]

It took them hours to cut a path to the chicken houses. They found four of Jeffrey's houses collapsed, another seven damaged. Only one remains operational. What did you think when you saw it?

[Walt Pridgen]

Shock, I mean, just never seen anything like it.

[Cal Thomas]

The collapsed houses look like they got tired and laid down to the side to take a nap. Thousands of chickens died.

[Walt Pridgen]

Farming's a gamble no matter what you do. Farming, it's all a gamble.

[Cal Thomas]

But he didn't anticipate a losing hand so close to retirement age.

[Walt Pridgen]

I lost my income and my retirement in one day.

[Cal Thomas]

Meanwhile, Walt's houses sit just a half mile from his dad's. They found them virtually untouched, spared by the storm. Today, Walt says his houses hold more birds than before to make up for other houses damaged by Helene. This week, workers are collecting the chickens in each one for processing. Those chickens will end up as food on someone's table. And Walt says that's work that matters.

[Walt Pridgen]

Every once in a while in life you'll need a doctor or a lawyer. Every once in a while you're going to need a pharmacist. I believe that you need a preacher, you're going to need a farmer at least once a day.

[Cal Thomas]

Walt says since the storm, he's quit planning things. Before Helene, he'd hoped to take over the entire business in a few years, pay a lease to his dad so his dad could retire on the payments. But now the damaged houses sit empty. The rebuilding process is uncertain.

[Walt Pridgen]

The good Lord's the one that has the end result. So if we get there by whatever means that he allows it to happen, then that's all that there is to it. I mean, that's the only answer.

[Cal Thomas]

Walt says he does plan to keep farming until his infant son can decide if he wants to get into the business.

[Walt Pridgen]

I'm going to do everything I can do to better agriculture going forward, not only for myself, but for my little boy. You know, if he wants to farm, I hope to have this in a situation where he can just take it up and run with it.

[Cal Thomas]

Back on the tractor, Jeffrey shares that vision. He wants his grandson to go to college and then be smart about the land his family has spent their lives farming.

[Walt Pridgen]

If you do it right, you can make money farming. You can make a living. You just got to plan ahead and save your money when you do make Money.

[Cal Thomas]

Reporting for World I'm Lindsay Mast in unincorporated Pridgeon, Georgia.

[Myrna Brown]

Today is Thursday, May 15th. Good morning, this is the WORLD and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Up next, world commentator Cal Thomas says political theater is nothing new, but it's time for some players to leave the stage.

[President Trump]

Political theater extends back to the Greeks. William Shakespeare wrote about politics and Coriolanus and other plays. A personal favorite of mine was Fiorello, a 1959 musical about New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. What happened in Newark last week was political theater at its worst. The cast, New Jersey Democrat Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez Lamonica, McIver along with Newark Mayor Ross Baraka. Together they attempted to conduct an oversight visit at a federally contracted building used by ICE to detain illegal immigrants, including people charged or convicted of crimes. According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the group had not asked to tour the facility and that as a bus carrying detainees was entering the facility, a group of protesters, including two members of the U.S. house of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility. Only Mayor Baraka was handcuffed and arrested. He was later released. Baraka was charged with trespassing, which he denies. I'm sure it's only coincidental that Baraka is one of six major Democrats running for governor of New Jersey. The incident got him lots of free publicity. The members of Congress claim they were exercising their oversight responsibilities, which apparently included alerting the media and informing a crowd of demonstrators, some carrying signs on the social media site X. Acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Haba denied Baraka's assertion that he was leaving when agents arrested him. Her post reads, quote, the mayor of Newark committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE Detention center in Newark, New Jersey. He has willingly chosen to disregard the law that will not stand in this state. No one is above the law. Unquote. Well, where have we heard that one before? Assistant Secretary of Public affairs for DHS Tricia McLaughlin gave the agency's version of events after the group of Democrats got through the gate. Representatives Robert Menendez Jr. And Bonnie Watson Coleman and multiple protesters were were holed up in a guard shack, the first security checkpoint. Her account continues Members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond a bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk. Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility. Unquote. Now we can expect to see more stunts and grandstanding like this one in Newark, because that seems to be all the Democrats have in their toolbox at the moment. Mayor Baraka might make better use of his time working on Newark's deplorable public schools, where, according to Chalk beat NEWARK, Nearly 70% of students in grades three through nine are falling short of meeting literacy benchmarks, around 82% aren't meeting math standards, and 93% of fifth graders are below grade level in science. It's sad to see a once great political party descend into irrelevancy. Democrats are stuck in the mire of bad ideas that go back more than six decades. From claiming Republicans want to do away with Social Security to denouncing the rich, raising taxes and increased spending on failed government programs. All they seem to have left is their defense of criminals, open borders and the ultimate election loser. Biological Men and Women's Sports In Fiorello, one song seems to sum up the cynicism many feel about modern politicians. Politics and poker Politics and poker playing for a pot that's mediocre. Politics and poker running neck and neck. If politics seems more predictable, that's because usually you can stack the deck. Many good Broadway plays and films have been created over the years with politics as their central theme. If what happened last week in Newark was a play, it would have closed before opening night in New York due to bad reviews. I'm Cal Thomas.

[Myrna Brown]

Tomorrow Culture Friday with John Stonestreet and World Arts and Culture editor Colin Garberino reviews a new documentary and a little known student project, protests. You likely haven't heard of that. And more tomorrow. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Reichardt. World's Becca McCallum wrote today's story about state resolutions and the Obergefell decision. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The psalmist writes, may your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation according to your promise. Then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Verses 41 and 42 of Psalm 119 go now in grace and peace.