6.18.25 Cutting food benefits, protests in Nigeria, and horse riding for therapy

Summary

Episode Summary: "Cutting Food Benefits, Protests in Nigeria, and Horse Riding for Therapy" (June 18, 2025)

Introduction

In this episode of "The World and Everything in It," WORLD Radio delves into pressing global conflicts, significant U.S. political developments, and inspiring human interest stories. Hosted by Lindsay Mast and Nick Eicher, the episode also features insights from WORLD Opinions contributor Brad Littlejohn on the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and free speech.

International Conflicts

Escalating Tensions Between Iran and Israel

Kent Covington reports on the intensifying airstrikes between Iran and Israel. For the sixth consecutive day, air raid sirens echoed in Tel Aviv as both nations engaged in aggressive military actions. The Israeli army released footage of F15 fighter jets targeting military sites within Iran. President Donald Trump asserted complete aerial dominance over Iran, declaring, "No nukes for Iran" (00:37). U.S. Intelligence Adviser Brad Winstrup reinforced this stance, emphasizing America's unwavering position against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons (02:15).

However, the situation remains volatile. Iranian General Abdul Rahim Mousavi declared Iran’s intent to escalate attacks against Israel, urging residents of Tel Aviv and Jaffa to evacuate (02:30). The White House clarified that U.S. military forces are not directly involved in the Israeli airstrikes, leading to a lack of consensus on American participation in the conflict. Republican Senator Bill Haggerty expressed confidence in President Trump's decisions, stating, "He's going to be taking America's interests to heart" (02:50), while Democratic Senator Tim Kaine cautioned against entering a war with Iran unless absolutely necessary (03:10).

Deadly Attacks in Ukraine

Russian forces continued their offensive in Ukraine, targeting Kyiv with missiles and drones. The assault resulted in at least 15 fatalities and over 150 injuries, including the destruction of a nine-story apartment building. U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce condemned the strikes, offering condolences to the victims’ families (04:10). This attack marks the deadliest in Kyiv this year, following failed peace talks aimed at ending the prolonged conflict.

Violence and Protests in Nigeria

A World Tour Special Report by Onize Odua highlights the deadly violence in Nigeria's Benue State. Fulani herdsmen launched coordinated attacks on farming villages Yalwata and Daudu, resulting in over 200 deaths and displacing more than 6,000 individuals (17:32). The violence, rooted in longstanding conflicts over land and resources between predominantly Muslim nomads and Christian farmers, has escalated in severity and coordination. Residents like Edna Jones voiced their frustration, stating, "We are standing on the dead bodies of our mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters" (18:43).

Governor Hyacinth Alia promised to bolster security measures, yet many remain displaced and fearful as attacks inch closer to the capital, Makurdi. The community's desperation is palpable as they demand greater protection and accountability from leaders, with protesters urging Governor Alia to resign due to the ongoing insecurity (20:57).

U.S. Political Developments

Senate Reconciliation Bill and SNAP Program Changes

The Senate is currently deliberating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, a comprehensive legislative package aimed at addressing President Trump's top priorities. Central to the debate is the proposed overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Originally established as food stamps under President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, SNAP now supports over 40 million Americans. However, its costs have ballooned, exceeding $100 billion annually since COVID-19 (08:24).

Lawmakers of faith, including Delaware Senator Chris Coons, argue that scripture compels government action to aid those in need, referencing Luke 10:29, "Who is my neighbor?" (09:18). In contrast, Republicans, led by Representative Dusty Johnson, emphasize fiscal responsibility, proposing to scale back SNAP funding by shifting some costs to states starting in 2028 and expanding work requirements (14:01). Johnson stated, "Show me your budget. I'm going to show you your values" (14:19), underscoring the belief that government spending should prioritize the most vulnerable without exacerbating the national debt.

Opponents of the bill, like Eugene Cho of Bread for the World, caution that reducing SNAP benefits could harm millions of American families struggling with poverty and food insecurity (12:57). The debate is further complicated by the bill's potential impact on Medicaid and issues surrounding abortion coverage under state Medicaid programs. As Senator Steve Daines asserts, "Vulnerable people are not being thrown off the program" (13:56), efforts continue to balance financial efficiency with humanitarian concerns.

Senator Bob Menendez's Conviction

In other political news, former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez began serving an 11-year prison sentence after being convicted of charges related to a bribery scheme involving cash and gold bars (07:06). Despite maintaining his innocence, Menendez faces the reality of his conviction, highlighting ongoing issues of corruption and accountability within political circles.

Human Interest: Healing Through Horseback Therapy

Tucker’s Journey with Hippotherapy

Lauren Dunn's heartwarming story about Tucker Bakus showcases the transformative power of hippotherapy—a therapeutic practice involving horseback riding to aid individuals with disabilities. Diagnosed with agenesis of the corpus callosum, Tucker faces significant challenges, including delayed speech and reliance on a feeding tube (24:11).

Under the guidance of therapist Cory Turney at Prairie Meadows Therapeutic Writing Center, Tucker engages in exercises that mimic walking and enhance balance and motor skills. His mother, Alicia Bakus, credits the therapy with remarkable improvements, noting, "He was able to answer the neurologist's questions... that big of a change for him" (05:27). The consistent sessions have not only helped Tucker develop better communication abilities but also provided him with a sense of joy and accomplishment.

Chaired by Christian values, the center emphasizes that "it's not the disability, but the ability that counts" (25:44), demonstrating how faith-based initiatives can drive meaningful change and support for families in need.

World Opinions: AI and Free Speech

Legal Challenges Facing AI Chatbots

Brad Littlejohn explores the burgeoning legal debate over whether artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots possess free speech protections under the First Amendment. In a high-profile Florida case, the court is examining if users have a constitutional right to the speech generated by AI bots. The case stems from a tragic incident where a 14-year-old boy, obsessed with an AI character from Game of Thrones, was allegedly encouraged by the bot to take his own life after his parents confiscated his phone.

Defendants, including Google, argue that AI bots should be granted First Amendment immunities similar to human speech. However, justices such as Alito, Gorsuch, and Thomas question the nature of AI communication, emphasizing that without consciousness, AI-generated speech may not qualify as expressive under the Constitution (30:44). Littlejohn highlights the complexities of defining AI as an entity capable of expressing ideas independently, noting, "Unless we are prepared to concede consciousness to AI bots, how could we possibly describe them as expressing ideas?" (30:44).

The Supreme Court's gradual expansion of what constitutes protected speech, including expressive conduct, adds another layer of uncertainty. As technology continues to integrate AI into everyday platforms, the legal system faces unprecedented challenges in delineating the boundaries of free speech and corporate responsibility.

Conclusion

This episode of "The World and Everything in It" offers a comprehensive overview of critical international conflicts, significant legislative battles within the U.S., and uplifting stories of personal triumph. By intertwining faith-based perspectives with journalistic integrity, WORLD Radio provides listeners with insightful analysis and diverse viewpoints on the events shaping our world today.

Notable Quotes

• Senator Bill Haggerty (02:50): "He's going to be taking America's interests to heart."
• Senator Tim Kaine (03:10): "It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States."
• Senator Chris Coons (09:18): Referring to Luke 10, "Who is my neighbor?"
• Representative Dusty Johnson (14:01): "Show me your budget. I'm going to show you your values."
• Eugene Cho, Bread for the World (12:57): "Republicans are prioritizing tax credits and other objectives at the expense of programs like SNAP."
• Brad Littlejohn (30:44): "Unless we are prepared to concede consciousness to AI bots, how could we possibly describe them as expressing ideas?"

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This summary captures the essence of Episode 6.18.25, presenting the major discussions and insights shared by the hosts and contributors. For a more in-depth understanding, listeners are encouraged to tune into the full episode.

Transcript

[Nick Eicher]

Good morning. Nick Eicher here with a quick reminder. You rely on world for sound journalism grounded in facts and biblical truth and we rely on you to keep it coming. Help us finish the June giving drive [e-mail] JuneLivingDrive thanks for standing with us.

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Today on Washington Wednesday, a debate among Christian lawmakers highlights deeper questions about the role of the state in caring for the poor.

[Kent Covington]

In Luke 10, a lawyer says to Jesus, who is my neighbor? And that's the question we pose to this bill coming over to the Senate from the House.

[Nick Eicher]

Also today, a world tour special report on deadly violence in Nigeria. And later, stories of recovery and resilience and the surprising therapy that helped make it happen.

[Brad Littlejohn]

He was able to answer the neurologist's questions and he asked me what we had been doing because he said that was unheard of. That big of a change for him.

[Nick Eicher]

And World Opinions contributor Brad Littlejohn on free speech and the future of AI.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, June 18th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Icker. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Kent Covington has today's news.

[Kent Covington]

Air raid sirens rang out yet again in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning with Iran and Israel trading airstrikes for a sixth straight day. Meanwhile, the Israeli army releasing video of what it said were F15 fighter jets striking military targets inside Iran. And President Trump on Tuesday said, we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran and urged unconditional surrender from Iranian leaders. He also said the United States knows where Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei is hiding but has chosen not to target him for now. And US Intelligence adviser Brad Winstrup says Trump's position is clear, no nukes for Iran. That is where the president I think has been very clear that they cannot have a nuclear weapon. But Iranian General Abdul Rahim Mousavi says his country has no plans to back down. He says stronger attacks against Israel are coming. He went on to advise Israeli residents to evacuate the cities of Tel Aviv and Jaffa in the coming days while Washington is providing intelligence and logistical support to Israel. The White House says the US Military is not directly taking part in Israeli airstrikes yet. And on Capitol Hill, there is no consensus as to whether the US should directly participate in. Crucially, the US Military possesses the so called bunker buster bombs which Israel does not have and those might be needed to take out nuclear facilities buried deep below ground. Republican Senator Bill Haggerty said Tuesday whatever decision President Trump takes. I can assure you this, he's going to be taking America's interests to heart. He wants to see an end to the carnage.

[Lindsay Mast]

He wants to see that end come fast.

[Kent Covington]

And he's not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. It is not a straight party line issue. Some Republicans have their reservations, while some Democrats fully support direct US Involvement, but Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is not among them. Fears of a wider war are growing among American officials as Israel presses the White House to intervene in its conflict with Iran. Kaine said it is, quote, not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. Every president in modern times has ordered targeted airstrikes, which typically do not constitute initiating a full scale war. But some lawmakers note that Iran would likely perceive even limited strikes as an act of war. And the conflict in the Middle east is causing chaos for airlines in the region. World's Benjamin Eicker has more.

[Leo Braceno]

Numerous countries have closed their airspace with Israeli jets, Iranian drones and missiles flying over their night skies. Dozens of airports have ground their floor flights or at least scaled back operations. That has left many passengers stranded, including more than 150,000 Israelis abroad. And aviation expert John Cox says the impact reaches far beyond the Middle East. He explains there's a domino effect. In his words. You've got crews that are not where they're supposed to be, airplanes that are not where they're supposed to be, and that can disrupt flight schedules across the globe. For World I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Kent Covington]

Russian missiles and drones again rained down on Ukraine Tuesday morning. Ukrainian officials say at least 15 people were killed and more than 150 wounded, with much of the carnage occurring when the air assault demolished a nine story apartment building in Kyiv. One drone heard here striking its target. U.S. state Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters, we condemn those strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and.

[Tammy Bruce]

To the families of all those affected.

[Kent Covington]

It was the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year, with explosives echoing for hours. It followed two rounds of direct peace talks that failed to produce progress on ending the war. Republican leaders are working to push a massive reconciliation bill across the finish line in the Senate, what President Trump calls his big beautiful bill, which would address his top priorities. And Democratic and GOP lawmakers are now sparring over Medicaid. The Senate version of the bill looks to make cuts, which Republicans say will slash waste, fraud and abuse, not core benefits. GOP Senator Steve Daines the bottom line is this Republicans are trying to save Medicaid. We want to strengthen Medicaid. The Democrats are trying to drain Medicaid. But Democrats say the cuts may curtail access to abortions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer they want every state to have a ban, and what they do is they make abortion inaccessible to so many millions of women who want them. While federal dollars cannot fund most abortions, some states use their own funds to provide abortion coverage through Medicaid. Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is now officially serving an 11 year prison sentence. He began serving that sentence on Tuesday after a federal court last year convicted him on charges related to a bribery scheme. The 71 year old career Democrat is appealing his conviction, but he will have to do so from behind bars. Menendez told reporters earlier this year.

[Chip Roy]

Regardless of the judge's comments today, I am innocent.

[Kent Covington]

Authorities say that among other things, they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars in Menendez's home given to him in return for political favors. His wife, Nadine was also convicted and faces sentencing in September. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, proposed funding changes to the US SNAP program. Plus, how learning to ride a horse can improve serious health issues. This is the WORLD and Everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, the 18th of June. 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 Iker. Time now for Washington Wednesday. President Donald Trump's legislative agenda is in the Senate this week as Congress evaluates the One Big Beautiful bill Act of 2025. Lawmakers consider scaling back bloated government programs, and that includes politically sensitive ones like the supplemental Nutritional Aid program, snap.

[Lindsay Mast]

The program started out as food stamps during President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty. Currently, more than 40 million people take part in the program. SNAP roughly doubled in cost around the time of COVID and the price tag has remained above $100 billion a year since. Is it all well spent? World Washington Bureau reporter Leo Braceno asked lawmakers of Faith about.

[Kent Covington]

The Freedom Player.

[Leo Braceno]

Last Tuesday, hundreds of protesters came to the US Capitol with a faith based proposition. Christian lawmakers should oppose shrinking government food benefits for the poor. One of the lawmakers facilitating the event, Delaware Senator Chris Coons, framed the argument.

[Kent Covington]

This in Luke 10, a lawyer, and it's always the lawyers causing trouble, says to Jesus, who is my neighbor? Yeah, yeah. And that's the question we pose to this bill coming over to the Senate from the House.

[Leo Braceno]

Coons, a Democrat, argues that scripture's authority compels the government to do what it can to help those in need. Lawmakers of faith on both sides of the aisle are split on the bill's changes to the SNAP program. Are you Christian? Are you man of faith?

[Kent Covington]

I sure am.

[Leo Braceno]

That's Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. His committee drafted the language on the changes to snap, and he believes that Republican attempts to trim the program don't conflict with biblical mandates.

[Kent Covington]

Basically, when Christ was instructing his apostles, his disciples, which is what the scripture is based on, he wasn't speaking to government, he was speaking to the church.

[Leo Braceno]

In its current form, the legislative package would push some of SNAP's funding onto the state starting in 2028. It would also expand the already existing work requirements. Under current law, the program Requires individuals ages 18 to 53 who do not have children to work a minimum of 20 hours per week to qualify for the benefits of a whole year. The bill before the Senate would extend those work requirements up to age 65 and include parents with children over the age of six. The bill also explicitly forbids illegal aliens from getting SNAP benefits, although visa recipients and green card holders would still be eligible. Through these changes and others included in the agriculture portion of the big beautiful bill, Republicans hope to trim government spending by $230 billion over 10 years. But it's not just the government that would have to trim its spending.

[Tammy Bruce]

Basically, I made too much money.

[Leo Braceno]

That's heaven. Smith, a college student at West Virginia University studying nutrition and food when she was a part of a work study program, Smith met SNAP's 20 hour work requirement. But then she changed jobs to work for a hospital and was no longer eligible, even though her cost of living wasn't that much different. Instead of buying fresh protein, fruits and vegetables, she started opting for the $5 menu at Wendy's and scaling back her gas budget to have even more money for food. Today, thanks to her community and a more flexible schedule, Smith has been able to make ends meet and has taken on a second job.

[Tammy Bruce]

But I've been able to like, actually budget and take time to like, figure out how, how, you know, meal plan and things like that. So I'm, I'm still now I'm kind of, in a way, I'm kind of back to the way I was eating without snap.

[Leo Braceno]

Some Christians working in food provision ministries worry that Republicans in Congress are setting the stage for painful adjustments, not just for individuals like Smith, but also for families.

[Kent Covington]

None of us are suggesting that the SNAP program is perfect by no means.

[Leo Braceno]

Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World, a Christian advocacy program, believes that SNAP's benefits already serve the country's most needy. Having spent 20 years as a pastor, Cho says he's seen firsthand how hunger plagues families even in the United States. He worries that changes to the program will hurt some of the country's poorest households.

[Kent Covington]

86% of all SNAP benefits go to households with gross monthly income at or below the poverty level. So, in other words, it is being utilized by the very people that need it the most.

[Leo Braceno]

In 2025, the poverty level for individuals is $15,600 and $32,000 for a household of four. Although those dollars go much further in some communities than others, just under 40 million Americans live below that threshold. Part of Cho's concern is that Republicans are prioritizing tax credits and other objectives at the expense of programs like snap.

[Kent Covington]

I'm a fiscal conservator. I think it's really important for our nation to prioritize as one of its priorities the reduction of our national debt. That said, I think that it feels as if we are trying to, you know, make some advancements on our national debt on the backs of those who are being most impacted by levels of food insecurity and poverty.

[Leo Braceno]

But some Republicans in Congress say the bill protects benefits specifically for those who need them while still prioritizing the program's financial efficiency.

[Kent Covington]

Vulnerable people are not being thrown off the program.

[Leo Braceno]

That's Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota.

[Kent Covington]

It is an indisputable fact that the work requirements do not affect pregnant women, those with young children at home, seniors, those with disabilities, or people living in areas with high unemployment.

[Leo Braceno]

He, too is on the Agriculture Committee and describes himself as a man of faith.

[Kent Covington]

So many people in this town often say, show me your budget. I'm going to show you your values. Our country spends billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars every year taking care of the most vulnerable among us. It is a remarkable investment in our people. And we know that to preserve these programs, we need to focus on our resources on the most vulnerable, which is indeed what the reconciliation package does.

[Leo Braceno]

And other Republicans say that preserving resources overall helps the government tackle an even bigger problem, the federal deficit. I asked Congressman Chip Roy of Texas how his fiscal conservatism squares with the faith based protests at the Capitol. Roy is a leading voice in Congress, calling for Republicans to do everything they can to trim government expenses through the big beautiful bill.

[Kent Covington]

I think when you say government quotes should be equitable, equal justice under law, sure, equitable in terms of distribution of resources. That's not my worldview, and I don't think that's consistent with the Christian worldview.

[Leo Braceno]

If Congress can find a way to prevent adding to the country's already $36 trillion debt, Roy believes Republicans should take it. Last year, the country spent just north of $1 trillion just on interest payments, roughly the same amount it spent on defense.

[Kent Covington]

The government right now is unsustainable. So what we're doing is saddling, if you want to be Christian about it. What is Christian about saddling an entire generation or more of Americans with untenable amounts of debt and interest and inflation?

[Leo Braceno]

It's up to the Senate now to approve or amend the House's proposed changes to snap. Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee unveiled its own language, which slightly loosens requirements presented in the House. None of the changes to SNAP would become final until Congress passes the entire big beautiful bill, something that GOP leadership says it wants to see by July 4th. Reporting for World I'm Leo Braceno in Washington.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from the Joshua program at St. Dunstan's Academy in Virginia. A gap year shaping young men through trades, farming, prayer stdunstonsacademy.org from the mission Focused Men for Christ podcast this month, Fathers Helping Sons embrace Biblical manhood. Mission Focused Men for Christ on all podcast apps and from Rich Haven Camp and retreat centers in Brevard, N.C. and Cono, Iowa. Camp and year round retreat [e-mail].

[Nick Eicher]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it. Deadly attacks in Nigeria Militants believed to be Fulani herdsmen stormed farming villages over the weekend. They killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee. The Fulani are mostly Muslim nomads. Some have clashed violently with Christian farmers over land and grazing.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's the latest in a series of brutal assaults that have left communities grieving, exhausted and demanding protection. World reporter Onize Adua brings us this week's World Tour Special report.

[Onize Odua]

Angry protesters chanted and held green branches on Sunday in Makurdi, the capital of Nigeria's north central Benue state. They pushed back against police. Police officers who tried to use tear gas to disperse the crowds. Their anger followed a deadly overnight attack that began Friday night in the state's villages of Yalwata and Daudu. Residents say the armed Fulani terrorists staged a coordinated attack. One group first entered the western part of Yalwata and began shooting. Then another group of attackers entered through the village's eastern borders. State authorities initially said at least 59 people died, but residents in the region have placed the death toll at 200 and possibly higher. More than 6,000 others are now displaced. Edna Jones joined the protest in Makardi. I am protesting because right now we are standing on the dead bodies of.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Our mothers, our fathers, our brothers and sisters.

[Onize Odua]

We have become IDPs in our own very country. These killings have persisted for years. Many of the victims were internally displaced people, or IDPs, who had sought refuge in the town after fleeing destruction from past attacks in their own communities. The attackers opened fire on their victims and also set fire to their homes and market stalls where many IDPs were sleeping for the night.

[Chip Roy]

He was on a run. Then they shot him from behind.

[Onize Odua]

Sekei Shimaka is an architect in Makurdi. One of the workers on his farmland was among the Yolwata victims.

[Chip Roy]

The strategy was burn houses, stay out. Whoever comes out, you shoot them and all that. So I think he came out and he was shot.

[Onize Odua]

Benue and other states in the region have faced attacks that have pitted herders against mostly Christian farming communities. But residents say the attacks have grown more violent and coordinated, with deadly force and kidnappings. The attackers have also taken over some villages in the state. Shimaka has experienced the violence firsthand. In February, herdsmen abducted him as he left his farm.

[Chip Roy]

They took me into the bush. They took me up to the forest somewhere in Goma and stayed there for about seven days.

[Onize Odua]

His family raised more than $6,000 in ransom to secure his release.

[Chip Roy]

I got released through the water line, through the river because they instructed the money to come through the river. And then the boat that my people looked for to bring the ransom was assembled. That conveyed me when I was released.

[Onize Odua]

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed for Nigeria in the aftermath of the weekend killings. His acknowledgement further fueled protesters who said that he addressed the unrest even as Nigerian leaders remained silent. Here's protester Edna Jones. Again, the government has a duty to protect life and property.

[Brad Littlejohn]

If President Newby is overwhelmed by this insecurity in North Central, in Benue, in.

[Onize Odua]

Plato, in Taraba, he should step aside.

[Brad Littlejohn]

He should resign.

[Onize Odua]

Benway state Governor Hyacinth Alia has said his administration will strengthen security units to better protect communities. But Chimaka agrees that leaders have so far failed the people. He points to a pledge by the current administration to get people back to their homes. But two years after the leaders took office, thousands still remain displaced. In another sign of escalation, Shimaka says the attacks are also drawing closer to the state's capital of Makurdi. One attack three weeks ago left three people dead.

[Chip Roy]

We want peace. This is raining season. This is farming, period. We can't farm. We can't go to our farms to farm. So what are we going to eat? What we had in our stubborns that are destroying it and burning it down. So what are we going to eat tomorrow? Should we die of hunger or should we die because they are coming to kill us, are coming after us?

[Onize Odua]

Reporting for World I'm Onize Odua.

[Nick Eicher]

Imagine looking out the window and seeing a gigantic canary yellow number two pencil. Where once there stood a proud oak.

[Kent Covington]

Why is there a giant pencil?

[Brad Littlejohn]

Good question.

[Nick Eicher]

So we had a beautiful oak tree.

[Brad Littlejohn]

That we loved and gave us lots of shade. And it came down in a windstorm.

[Nick Eicher]

Yep. And when it did, the Higgins family faced a choice.

[Kent Covington]

Do we just cut the stubby trunk down or do we try to create new life and that chance for renewal, that promise people really seem to buy into and understand?

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, they did. And every year since, the neighbors get together to sharpen that 20 foot tall pencil literally 3 to 10 inches at a time and make a big party of it. But every sharpening shortens the story. Whittle away 10 inches a year and by 2045 they'll be down to the eraser end. Yet even a stub can still make its mark.

[Lindsay Mast]

Good point.

[Nick Eicher]

It's the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, June 18th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Coming next, healing on horseback. For children with disabilities, therapy is often a routine part of life, usually in a doctor's office, but sometimes it happens in a barn with a horse.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's called hippotherapy, a unique treatment where licensed therapists guide patients through exercises while on horseback. World's Lauren Dunn followed one child's journey over several months and brings us this story.

[Brad Littlejohn]

You ready to get on? All right. Tucker is a true cowboy.

[Tammy Bruce]

Four year old Tucker Bakus wears a helmet and a safety belt as he climbs a set of wooden steps. Flanked by his therapist in two others, he carefully swings his leg over a big brown horse.

[Brad Littlejohn]

What do you tell her? Walk on.

[Tammy Bruce]

As Tucker rides around the stable, he plays games, reaching for a ball suspended from the ceiling as he passes under it, tossing a ball and catching it riding backwards sideways on his hands and knees.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Mr. Tucker, can you turn around backwards for me?

[Tammy Bruce]

Tucker was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum. It's a rare condition with a wide range of effects. His mom, Alicia Bacus, explains that doctors still aren't sure how many ways it affects Tucker.

[Brad Littlejohn]

So if you think of the corpus callosum being kind of like power lines or a highway or a bridge between the two halves of the brain, he's missing bits and pieces of that. So he has a corpus callosum, but his is very thin, and there's no way for them to tell what pieces are connected and what aren't.

[Tammy Bruce]

Tucker's speech is delayed, and while he can eat some food orally, he has a feeding tube. Hippotherapy is so important to Tucker's treatment that his mom drives an hour and 20 minutes to this barn in Goddard, Kansas. They came for the first time about two years ago.

[Brad Littlejohn]

A horse's way to connect with us is really powerful. That's where the magic is.

[Tammy Bruce]

I think that's Cory Turney. Turney operates a children's therapy clinic, but she's also the executive director at Prairie Meadows Therapeutic Writing Center. Her parents started the nonprofit in the 1980s. Her dad picked Second Corinthians 12, 9 to summarize the center's work.

[Brad Littlejohn]

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. And the reason, the reason he chose that is just his kind of thing, was that it's not the disability, but it's the ability that counts and how God can empower us through our weakness to overcome challenges and be strong in our life.

[Tammy Bruce]

People who benefit from hippotherapy may have any of a wide range of conditions or disabilities. Children and adults with autism, cerebral palsy, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders. The movement of riding a horse mimics walking. It can help kids who aren't walking yet or who have trouble with balance, like Tucker. It also helps Tucker relax enough to work on other skills, like speech.

[Brad Littlejohn]

He can't sit on a swing with his feet off the ground, believe it or not, in the clinic, and let me push him, but he can be 15 hands off of the ground, sitting sideways, stopping and going, and also, you know, completing a fine motor activity or carrying on the conversation and have no fear.

[Tammy Bruce]

During Tucker's session, he rides Diane, a 23 year old quarter horse. Diane, Diane. What is she like? What does she feel like?

[Brad Littlejohn]

If you drink, if you enjoy cotton candy.

[Tammy Bruce]

Tucker's having so much fun as Diane walks in circles around the barn that he hardly notices how hard he's working. Can you grab it out of there?

[Brad Littlejohn]

Oh, my goodness.

[Leo Braceno]

Wait, hold on, you gotta make a basket.

[Tammy Bruce]

Tucker's mom says she sees huge benefits from his time with the horses. After his first few hippothy therapy sessions, Tucker saw a neurologist but wasn't able to answer the doctor's questions clearly. A few months and several visits to the barn later, he had a follow up appointment.

[Brad Littlejohn]

He was able to answer the neurologist questions and he asked me what we had been doing because he said that was unheard of, that big of a change for him. And told him riding hippotherapy during much.

[Tammy Bruce]

Of the winter, it's too cold for hippotherapy. But Tucker keeps working on many of the same skills in the clinic. He finds some tasks there more difficult.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Can you catch? No, I can't help. Oh no. You did it. Yay, Tucker.

[Tammy Bruce]

Without the calming effect of the horse, Turney says it's harder for Tucker to keep his nervous system regulated.

[Brad Littlejohn]

With the messy with noise, with, you know, being in a room with a lot of visual stimuli. Sometimes just airplanes flying over the building will put him into that dysregulation he goes into fight or flight. But we're working on laying those neurological connections and those pathways so that their window of tolerance for stress is better.

[Tammy Bruce]

Once warmer weather returns, Tucker finally gets to climb back in the saddle as an April shower pelts the metal roof.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Did you get wet coming in here?

[Onize Odua]

Yeah.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Darn rain. I got, yeah, I did get muddy and wet. Muddy and wet. Oh my goodness. Well, it's pretty dry in here.

[Tammy Bruce]

After a few laps around the barn, Diane stops while Tucker works on balancing and throwing a ball into a hoop fixed to the barn wall.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Ready, set, catch. Get it way high.

[Tammy Bruce]

Even in this first session back, Turny sees how far Tucker has come.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Today was great. He did things today, first session that we didn't get until like halfway through. So like when he was setting sightset on the horse, that was, was a new thing just at the end.

[Tammy Bruce]

But before Tucker leaves, there's one last thing to do.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Gotta tell her how good she did today. What do you tell her?

[Kent Covington]

Thank you.

[Brad Littlejohn]

Thank you Diane. You are so sweet.

[Tammy Bruce]

Reporting for world, I'm Lauren Dunn in Goddard, Kansas.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Wednesday, June 18th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. World opinions contributor Brad Littlejohn says with the advent of artificial intelligence, the courts are about to get their biggest test yet.

[Brad Littlejohn]

In a preliminary ruling in a high profile case in Florida, District judge Ann Conway was presented with the question of whether AI chatbots enjoy free speech protections, or at least whether users have a First Amendment right to receive the speech of such bots. The case in question is an ugly one for the AI industry. A 14 year old boy developed a crippling obsession with an AI simulation of a female character from Game of Thrones. When his parents took his phone away, he decided to end his life with the apparent encouragement of the bot. The defendants, including Google, which helped build the platform, urged dismissal of the suit on the grounds that character bots enjoyed First Amendment immunities. Although this may seem absurd, one can see why the tech companies would make such an argument. Not only are chatbots an exploding industry with potentially massive liability exposures, but AI is now running under the hood of an enormous number of mainstream platforms and programs. Indeed, in a broader sense, the algorithms that are used to sort your search preferences, curate your Facebook feed, and filter spam are all forms of artificial intelligence. Understandably, the tech industry has fought hard to argue that such algorithms constitute the speech of the companies, just as human editors filtering content would. In a high profile recent Supreme Court case, some judges were unconvinced. Justices Alito, Gorsuch and Thomas put their finger on the nub of the problem. When AI algorithms make a decision, even the researchers and programmers creating them don't really understand why the models they have built make the decisions they make. Are such decisions equally expressive as the decisions made by humans? Should we at least think about this? This concern seems even more relevant to a platform like character AI, where it is a freewheeling bot engaging in conversations that go far beyond the programmer's knowledge or intentions. Thus, in the Florida case, Judge Conway writes, the operative question is whether character AI's output is speech and speech is expressive. Speech communicates ideas. Speech has a message even when the message is not clear or is open to interpretation. But unless we are prepared to concede consciousness to AI bots, how could we possibly describe them as expressing ideas? Indeed, even if bots did somehow attain consciousness and engage in genuine speech, it would not be the speech of humans, which is the only kind of speech the First Amendment is concerned to protect. That said, while the particular utterances of the bot may not be constitutionally protected, the companies will still argue that the platforms as a whole and the characters that inhabit them represent the artistic expression of the companies. Clearly, we are skating on some very thin ice here, ice that has been created by the Court's gradual broadening of speech to include expressive conduct. Over the 20th century, this has marked a dangerous departure from First Amendment originalism, since the distinction between speech and conduct underlies the basic logic of First Amendment protections. While we might well understand why a silent film actor should enjoy free speech protections even while not actually speaking, it is less clear that a software programmer should enjoy such protections for every line of code he writes, especially in a world where almost everything seems to run on computer code, including your refrigerator. For now, the courts are voicing growing skepticism, but no doubt some major legal showdowns are looming before we can expect this question to be settled. I'm Brad Littlejohn.

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow, South Korea has a new president. Can he bring stability? And only an old dog can say this, but can you teach an old dog new tricks? We'll find out what it takes to acquire an advanced skill at a somewhat advanced age. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Icar.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Verse 10 of First Peter, chapter 2, go now in grace and peace.