9.25.25 Grappling with AI data centers, reclassifying marijuana, and ministering on a race track

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It
Episode: 9.25.25 – Grappling with AI Data Centers, Reclassifying Marijuana, and Ministering on a Racetrack
Date: September 25, 2025
Host: WORLD Radio (Myrna Brown, Lindsay Mast, et al.)

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Overview

This episode delivers a rich blend of news and in-depth reporting on the national controversies over building new AI data centers in rural areas, federal debates on reclassifying marijuana, and a unique profile of ministers serving in the high-pressure world of motor racing. Additional discussions touch on US-India trade tensions and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s recent return to television.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. National and International Headlines

(Timestamp: 01:06–06:00)

• Political Violence & Immigration:

  • Recent fatal shooting at a Dallas ICE facility draws attention to increasing political violence.
    • Governor Greg Abbott: “This is not the first time…we have a serious problem across this country.” (01:17)
  • FBI indicates anti-ICE messaging in evidence left by the shooter.

• Ukraine and Global Conflict:

  • President Zelenskyy warns world leaders that “Ukraine is only the first” as Russian drones expand attacks beyond Ukraine. (02:20)
  • US President expresses support for Ukraine, shifting tone toward the possibility of retaking lost territory.
  • Iranian President at the UN denies nuclear weapon intentions; satellite imagery suggests Iran rebuilding missile sites damaged by Israel.

• Middle East Developments:

  • Reports on continuing civilian displacement in Gaza as Israeli operations intensify.
  • Houthi rebels attack Israeli city of Eilat with drones, injuring 20.

• Science & Tech:

  • SpaceX launches three missions to monitor space weather (04:36).
  • Alphabet/Google admitted to banning YouTube accounts under government pressure during the pandemic; vows to restore accounts (05:11).

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2. The Data Center Boom—Small Towns, Big Debates

(Timestamp: 06:38–13:59)
Reporter: Mary Muncie

• Context:

  • Over 8,500 data centers worldwide; more than half in the US; Trump administration seeks to expand further.
  • Small towns like Henry County, Indiana, are fields of debate over the economic and social costs/benefits of new data centers.

• Community Divide:

  • Landowner Kylie Blalock worries about aesthetics, property values, and resource strain:

    "I don't think it’s really a good fit... It's going to change everything. And we already have people in Knightstown, in our community, that are struggling to make it. And this isn't going to help." (08:14–08:54)

  • Developer Greg Martz argues for careful zoning to attract beneficial investment and mitigate risks, focusing on local control rather than company-driven priorities:

    "We can make the zoning a community-prioritized zoning rather than a company-prioritized zoning." (10:43)

  • Zoning restrictions require energy from an existing natural gas pipeline, bans new wells, includes noise- and sight-reducing berms, and provides for land reversion to agriculture if no project proceeds in 18 months.

• Changing Minds:

  • Some neighbors, initially opposed, rethink their stance after investigating:

    "AI’s not going anywhere... the data centers are going to have to go somewhere, and so we might as well work with them..." – Gayla Bear Taylor (12:59–13:13)

• Big Picture:

  • The debate embodies rural America’s tension between maintaining tradition and seizing economic/technological opportunities.

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3. National Marijuana Policy: Reclassification Debate

(Timestamp: 13:59–20:52)
Reporter: Anna Johansen Brown

• The Issue:

  • DEA classifies marijuana as Schedule 1 (most restricted); debate rages over proposals to move it to a less strict schedule.

• Arguments For Downgrading:

  • Many states allow medical/recreational use.
  • Scientific voices argue for legitimate medical benefits:

    "We have four compounds derived from cannabis that are approved by the FDA." – Kent Rana, Penn State (16:11)

  • Lower Schedule would ease research barriers, currently requiring arduous licensing and government sourcing.

• Arguments Against Reclassification:

  • Critics argue it would send the wrong message about safety.
  • Rehabilitation expert Tom Reynolds:

    "Every one of them start with alcohol and marijuana." (15:39)

  • Paul Larkin, Heritage Foundation:

    "Nowadays...the raw form of cannabis is 30 to 40% [THC], and processed versions...90 plus percent." (17:39)

• Policy and Economic Impact:

  • Critics worry that tax breaks could boost marijuana marketing, raising addiction risks—especially among youth.

• Notable Quote:

  “I don't think making more dangerous drugs legalized in our culture is going to help us battle the battle that we fight every day of addiction. There's over 100,000 Americans dying every year to drug addiction overdose. That's equivalent to having a 767 crash every day in terms of the number of young people whose lives are being lost.” – Tom Reynolds (20:19–20:52)

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4. US-India Trade Tensions

(Timestamp: 21:59–25:30)

• Strained Ties:

  • New US tariffs and India's continued Russian oil purchases create friction; recent leadership spats worsen matters.
  • India’s domestic pressures may prompt compromise, though agricultural protections remain non-negotiable.
  • On US accusations that Indians aren't buying American corn:

    "Why would Indians buy corn from the United States when they don't consume corn in large amounts?" – Shumit Ganguly, Hoover Institution (25:06)

• Takeaway:

  • A resolution will require realistic, respectful negotiation; US "absurd demands" risk undermining progress (25:30).

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5. Feature: Race Track Chaplains Minister Under Pressure

(Timestamp: 27:36–33:06)
Reporter: Grace Snell

• Setting:

  • Spencer Speedway, NY; ministry focused on racers, families, and staff.
  • Todd Heft and his son Noah serve as chaplains through Racing with Jesus Ministries.

• Role & Impact:

  • Provide spiritual support in a physically dangerous, emotionally charged context.

    "I feel like I carry the presence of God with me to the racetrack and that definitely has a calming effect." – Todd Heft (29:27)

  • Crashes force drivers and crews to confront mortality; creates openings for faith talks:

    "What happens to me when I’m not here anymore?" – Todd Heft (28:32; 30:28)

  • Sometimes, just showing up or standing between quarreling teams defuses conflict:

    "Sometimes all you have to do is just stand there…just gently move yourself in between them and just be like, why don't we come over here?" – Todd Heft (32:23)

• Broader Message:

  • Consistent, caring presence over time wins trust and allows for meaningful ministry, even in an adrenaline-fueled environment.

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6. Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension & the Free Speech Debate

(Timestamp: 33:31–38:52)
Commentary: Cal Thomas

• Background:

  • Kimmel returns after brief suspension over controversial remarks. Acknowledges offense caused:

    “It was never my intention to make light... nor...to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.” – Jimmy Kimmel (34:11)

• Political Firestorm:

  • Suspension triggers debates on free speech; some claim First Amendment infringement, others say network prerogative.
  • Cal Thomas notes:

    "There is no constitutional or other right for anyone to have a TV show on a network..." (35:11)

  • FCC’s response heightens concerns:

    "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct...or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." – FCC Chairman Brendan Carr (37:16)

  • Senator Ted Cruz warns against government picking winners and losers on speech.

• Takeaway:

  • Let the market—not government—judge controversial media figures.

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Memorable Quotes

• “AI’s not going anywhere...the data centers are going to have to go somewhere, and so we might as well work with them to create something that works well with our community.” — Gayla Bear Taylor (13:13)
• "Every one of them start with alcohol and marijuana." — Tom Reynolds (15:39)
• "I feel like I carry the presence of God with me to the racetrack and that definitely has a calming effect on people." — Todd Heft (29:27)
• "There is no constitutional or other right for anyone to have a TV show on a network." — Cal Thomas (35:11)
• "I don't think making more dangerous drugs legalized in our culture is going to help us battle the battle that we fight every day of addiction." — Tom Reynolds (20:19)

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Conclusion

This episode weaves together on-the-ground reporting and analysis to illuminate the intersection of faith, policy, economics, and culture—from rural debates on digital infrastructure, national drug policy shifts, and geopolitical trade spats, to faith-based ministry in unexpected places. The in-depth segments, honest community voices, and remarked-upon quotes reflect the show’s commitment to “sound journalism grounded in God’s Word.”

Transcript

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. As AI and cloud computing expand, they need massive data centers, real buildings with big energy needs. Where to put them is sparking battles nationwide.

[Mary Muncie]

Data centers are going to have to go somewhere, so we might as well work with them.

[Lindsay Mast]

And the push to reclassify marijuana under federal law. Also today, the ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and the US and at the speedway, the biggest battles don't always happen on the track.

[Todd Heft]

What happens to me when I'm not here anymore?

[Lindsay Mast]

And world commentator Cal Thomas on the return of late night host Jimmy kimmel.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Thursday, September 25th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Up next, Ken Cubbing with today's news.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Republican officials in Texas and in Washington are warning of worsening political violence after a deadly attack on an ICE facility in Dallas on Wednesday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

[Todd Heft]

This is not the first time this.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Has happened in the state of Texas, not the first time it's happened across the United States. And so we have a serious problem across this country.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

A man armed with a rifle opened fire on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility from a nearby rooftop. No official word yet on a motive, but FBI Special Agent Joe Rothrock told.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Reporters early evidence that we've seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti ICE in nature.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Authorities say the shooter fired indiscriminately at the ICE building. At least one detainee at the facility was killed, two others critically wounded. No agents were hurt. The gunman took his own life after the shooting. And the incident comes roughly two weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a bullet also fired from a rooftop. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on world leaders to take action against Russia. Addressing the United Nations General assembly on Wednesday, Zelenskyy again said that Vladimir Putin will not limit Russia's war to Ukraine.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I told you before, Ukraine is only the first.

[Cal Thomas]

And now Russian drones are already flying.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Across Europe and Russian operations are already spreading across countries.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

The Ukrainian president met earlier this week with President Trump. With the US President expressing support for Ukraine's efforts and criticizing Moscow. Trump, in a major shift from his earlier stance, said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia. And Iran's president later took the stage at the UN to blast Israeli and US Military strikes earlier this year, mainly against Iranian nuclear targets. World's Paul Butler has more.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Massoud Pezeshkian framed those strikes as brutal.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Unprovoked attacks, declaring that Iran has never.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Pursued the development of atomic weapons and never will. That declaration was likely a tough sell among world leaders. The UN's own nuclear watchdog agency does.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Not believe it to be true.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Meantime, Iran is rebuilding missile sites bombed by Israel in June. But experts say a key part is missing the large mixers needed for solid rocket fuel. Satellite images show repairs underway at facilities near Tehran and Sharud.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Analysts warn Tehran may try to import mixers likely from China. For World I'm Paul Butler in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians continue to flee Gaza City Residents packing the coastal road in central Gaza Wednesday spoke of intensifying Israeli military action in recent days. One woman says she and her family had to run out of their home with nothing at all, and she added that what remained of her belongings were scattered in the sand until good Samaritans helped to load it onto a cart. Israel says it has no choice but to keep pressing to eliminate Hamas in Gaza. Meantime, at least 20 people were injured after Houthi rebels launched a drone attack from Yemen against the southern Israeli city of Eilat. A SpaceX rocket carrying two NASA craft and another from the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lifted off on Wednesday.

[Mary Muncie]

After.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

That launch from Kennedy Space Center. The projects will monitor solar storms and the bubble formed by the sun that protects the solar system from radiation. NASA launch broadcaster Darrell Nail and we.

[Todd Heft]

Are flying three new missions on a million mile journey to track space weather.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Solar storms are sudden explosions of particles, energy and material that can disrupt the Earth's magnetic field. Google's parent company Alphabet is promising to restore thousands of YouTube accounts that were banned under censorship rules during the pandemic. World's Benjamin Eicher has more.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

A letter to the House Judiciary Committee admits the Biden administration pressured Google to take down posts and ban users whose content did not violate YouTube's rules. Alphabet Attorney Daniel Donovan calls that pressure unacceptable and wrong and said the company is committed to protecting free speech. Donovan added that public debate should never be suppressed in favor of authorities and pledged YouTube will no longer rely on third party fact checkers. Alphabet says creators banned for political speech about COVID 19 or elections will be allowed back on the platform. Committee chairman Jim Jordan says the admission confirms long held concerns about government driven censorship of conservative voices. For World I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

And I'm Kent Covington. Straight ahead, rural communities debate technology, infrastructure plus bringing the hope of the gospel to drivers in the fast lane. This is the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Thursday 25th September. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and everything in It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. First up, big tech in small towns. Right now There are over 8,500 data centers worldwide. More than half of them are in the US And President Donald Trump wants to build more. Data centers are the back office of just about everything we do online, from asking AI how to cook risotto to ordering decor from Amazon.

[Lindsay Mast]

But the centers can cause problems if developers don't plan well, and small towns across the nation are wrestling with the payoffs and drawbacks. World's Mary Muncie reports.

[Mary Muncie]

Imagine data center back there. Kylie Blaylock is standing at the road at the edge of her property in Henry County, Indiana. She's pointing to a tree across a cornfield that marks a natural gas pipeline. The pipeline comes up to there in the back of our field, and that is where the data center they're wanting to connect and put their first building. The site sits at the intersection of Interstate 70 and State Road 109, two major roads. From where Blalock stands, all you can see is farmland. She doesn't want to lose the view to the proposed data center complex. The developer says they're going to build berms around the site to minimize the visual effect, promising to make it look more natural, something like they did in New Albany, Ohio. But Blalock wasn't convinced, so she drove there to see what it's like.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

It didn't cover up the buildings.

[Mary Muncie]

They're very tall, very, very large. And the burns with the trees on top, they don't cover them up. They don't go with the landscape at all. So I don't think it's really a good fit for us over here. It's going to change everything. Blalock isn't a naturalist. She's worried that changing the aesthetics could bring property values down and that a data center would eat up the community's power and water supply, making everything more expensive. And we already have people in Knightstown, in our community that are struggling to make it.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

And this isn't going to help us.

[Mary Muncie]

At all with daily bills to be paid monthly, anything. So Blalock and other community members have been going to community meetings and voicing their concerns. And they're not alone. According to one study, Communities across the US have blocked or delayed $64 billion in data center projects in the last year alone. In the past, those data centers have been mostly concentrated in areas like Northern Virginia and California. But over the past few years, companies have been looking to expand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of data centers in the US more than quadrupled in the last 24 years. And in July, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to try to expedite building even more.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I live in the county that we're trying to do this project.

[Mary Muncie]

Greg Martz is the owner of GM Development Companies, and his company now owns the land where a data center could go. Indiana just passed a new law lowering property taxes, a good thing for individuals. But Martz worries Henry county schools and infrastructure could suffer if it can't bring more revenue in. So he hopes to attract a big investor.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I think the reason that everyone assumes it's going to be a data center is just because there's so many of them trying to be built right now across the country. And I think it's a good assumption that they're going to be very interested in this site.

[Mary Muncie]

So as a local developer, he's trying to get the land rezoned to make that possible. He says normally the process begins when a big company approaches a rural community with a site in mind and then pressures them to get it rezoned to fit their needs. Martz is going about it the opposite way.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

What we're trying to do is develop the land, not the building. Focus strictly on the land so that we can make the zoning a community prioritized zoning rather than a company prioritized zoning.

[Mary Muncie]

That means anyone who buys the land in the future would only be able to use energy from the natural gas pipeline. And since it would have to generate a steady power source, it would likely add power to the grid, not take it. The proposed zoning won't allow a new owner to dig a well, making it less likely to pollute the local water supply or deplete it. Finally, the zoning stipulates that the business must build berms around the property, both for esthetic reasons and to dampen any noise. Martz believes these restrictions will keep potential investors to a very limited group, primarily data centers. It will also be written into the law that if no one decides to build there within 18 months, the land will revert back to its previous agricultural zoning. And owner, community member and farmer Blalock, still doesn't think it's a good idea. But some of her neighbors are on board. Even if it took some convincing, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon of being anti data center. Gayla Bear Taylor lives about a mile from where the data center could be. She says when she first heard about it, she jumped online to see what kinds of things a data center might do for the community. It turned up all this information, you know, and about the water supply and the energy. The initial search results were all negative, but she dug deeper. Then she took the same trip to New Albany, Ohio. She thought the city looked good. She also talked with a Northern Virginia realtor about housing prices near its data centers. He said property values have remained strong. So Bear Taylor has changed her mind. She says the information she saw originally was about 10 years old. AI's not going anywhere. It's, it's only going to get bigger. You know, the data centers are going to have to go somewhere, and so we might as well work with them to create something that works well with our community. And so the debate continues. It will likely be months before anything is decided in Henry county, and then it will be even longer for developer Martz to find an interested party. Martz is playing the long game. He says it's not just an opportunity for the county to get a big tax contributor. It's also a part of making sure America stays a world leader in AI.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

In some ways, it's scary, you know, for someone like me who just lives in a rural community and I love the way things are right now. But at the same time, the other part of me thinks we have to win this race. It's a race we can't afford to lose. And that's part of what's exciting to me about that. You know, little Henry County, Indiana, can actually make a difference in that race.

[Mary Muncie]

Reporting for World. I'm Mary Muncie.

[Myrna Brown]

Coming up next on the World and everything in it. Pot policy. The Drug Enforcement Administration separates drugs into five categories with different restrictions. Schedule 1 is reserved for the most dangerous substances like heroin, ecstasy and lsd. It also includes marijuana.

[Lindsay Mast]

Some groups say the DEA should downgrade marijuana to a less controlled category. They think it's time for the federal government to loosen up their reasoning. A majority of states allow marijuana for medicinal purposes. Almost half allow users to smoke it recreationally.

[Myrna Brown]

But others warn that less restrictive policies could be devastating. World's Anna Johansen Brown has our story.

[Cal Thomas]

Far too many lives have been upended.

[Todd Heft]

Because of failed approach to marijuana. And I'm committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Under President Joe Biden, the Drug Enforcement Administration proposed reclassifying marijuana, moving it from schedule one to Schedule three. That would have put marijuana alongside substances like ketamine and testosterone. The rule wasn't finalized, but the Trump administration is now considering it.

[Cal Thomas]

And we'll make a determination over the next. I would say over the next few weeks.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Some are concerned about what kind of message this sends. Tom Reynolds is the president of His Way, a residential addiction recovery program based in Huntsville, Alabama.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

When you reschedule it, you create kind of the impression that it's not as harmful, and I think it's a false impression.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Reynolds has witnessed where marijuana use can easily lead.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I have sat through well over a thousand testimonies of guys in our program, and every one of them start with alcohol and marijuana.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Still, some experts say that marijuana doesn't belong in a category with hard drugs. By definition, Schedule 1 drugs have no accepted medical use.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I would say that as a scientist, it doesn't belong there because it does have known medical benefits.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Kent Rana is a professor of pharmacology at Pennsylvania State University.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

We have four compounds derived from cannabis that are approved by the fda.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Those prescription drugs are used to treat symptoms like nausea and seizures. Rana believes marijuana may have the potential to treat a lot more, but there just aren't enough clinical trials. Bringing marijuana down to schedule three could help with that. Rana directs Penn State's center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics. He says his work is complicated because marijuana is currently listed in Schedule 1.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

In order to do that research, I had to get a Schedule 1 license from the federal government. And that involved an awful lot of work, probably nine months, involving the DEA and examination of my facilities. And having received that license, I can only get cannabis and cannabinoids by federal government approved sources.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

The red tape makes it tricky to study marijuana's benefits and its harms.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

What really bothers me is people are using things out on the street that I don't have access to for my research. So I can't fully gauge the dangers of some of this very high concentration material that's out there.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

But others think that marijuana's harms are well known enough to rule out rescheduling. Schedule 1 drugs are defined as drugs that can easily be abused. Heritage foundation senior fellow Paul Larkin says marijuana definitely checks that box.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

In the 1960s, the concentration of THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis tetrahydrocannabinol, was between 3 and 6%. Nowadays, the concentration in the botanical form, you know, the raw form of cannabis, is 30 to 40%, and processed versions of cannabis can be in the 90 plus percent.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Larkin explains that the federal government has never approved marijuana in its plant form for medical use. At the state level, doctors can recommend dried cannabis, but they can't prescribe it. In Larkin's opinion, the federal government won't ever be able to recommend dried cannabis for medicinal use.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

One of the criteria for a drug to be approved as safe, effective and uniformly made is that a physician will be able to know by prescribing it exactly how much of that drug a person gets.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

That's important because cannabis in all of its forms is up for rescheduling. So while cannabis compounds have some medicinal benefits, smokable weed hasn't proven to be safe, especially among young people. Marijuana may impair brain development and has even been linked to greater risk of schizophrenia. Most Americans might not experience the immediate ramifications of rescheduling cannabis, but businesses selling the drug would feel the changes pretty quickly. Currently, marijuana businesses can't receive federal income tax deductions for most of their expenses because marijuana belongs to Schedule 1. Those companies could get more than $2 billion in tax relief every year if the DEA reschedules marijuana. Here's Baker Institute for Public Policy fellow Katherine Harris. And so my concern is that there.

[Lindsay Mast]

Are businesses should be able to take that tax deduction like anyone else.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

On the other hand, that gives them.

[Lindsay Mast]

More money to spend on things like.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

Marketing and that could influence everyday users.

[Lindsay Mast]

There is a lot of evidence from the alcohol and the tobacco industries that, you know, marketing is very effective. If you market things, especially to youth to make things look cool and fun and, you know, just a good time.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

That increases youth rescheduling is not inevitable. For one thing, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill earlier this month that would prevent the Department of Justice from using federal funds to research cannabis. But if the federal government does reschedule marijuana, it may lead to greater instances of addiction both to cannabis and to harder drugs. And that concerns recovery program leaders like Tom Reynolds.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I don't think making more dangerous drugs legalized in our culture is going to help us battle the battle that we fight every day of addiction. There's over 100,000Americans dying every year to drug addiction overdose. I've tried to point out to people that that's equivalent to having a 767 crash every day in terms of the number of young people that's lives are being lost over 300 every day for world.

[Anna Johansen Brown]

I'm Anna Johansen Brown Reporting by Becca McCallum.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Additional support comes from Cedarville University equipping students for professional excellence and gospel impact Cedarville. Eduardo from Dort University whose online MBA and MPA programs prepare leaders for lasting impact Dort University until all is made new and from his words abiding in you, a Bible memorization podcast designed for truck drivers. His words abiding in you on all parts Podcast Apps.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up Next Making a deal with India President Trump has so far negotiated trade deals with seven nations, including Vietnam and the United Kingdom, and a temporary trade truce with China.

[Myrna Brown]

One deal that remains out of reach so far is with India. Commerce Secretary Howard Letnick laid out U.S. priorities on CNBC earlier this month.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

You know, India basically has to open.

[Todd Heft]

Their market, has to stop buying Russian oil.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

You know, people don't remember India didn't.

[Todd Heft]

Buy Russian oil before the war with Russia and Ukraine.

[Lindsay Mast]

In recent years, India has become Russia's second largest customer for oil, taking advantage of lower prices during the Ukraine war. Hoover Institution senior Fellow Shumit Ganguly says until recently the US Permitted that arrangement.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

The relationship really has taken a body blow in the last a few weeks and months, largely because of the imposition of the initial 25% tariffs and followed by an additional 25%.

[Lindsay Mast]

President Trump announced in August that new sanctions on Russia's trading partners would go into effect. China was not on the list, but India was.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

It's wreaking havoc on certain industries in India, from jewelry to textiles to the production of auto parts for American manufacturers of automobiles.

[Myrna Brown]

Ganguly told Washington producer Harrison Waters that Russian oil is only part of the conflict. Earlier this summer, President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a falling out. Trump claimed to be the decisive negotiator in a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

He may have played some marginal role in this, but hardly a critical role. But Modi I thought was rather inept in terms of the diplomatic dealings with Trump.

[Lindsay Mast]

Prime Minister Modi refused to return Trump's calls, leading to a breakdown in trade talks. Then earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. That caused some to wonder if India would shift away from the United States on trade. But in a follow up interview, Ganguly says pressure at home has since pushed India to return to the bargaining table.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I think they're willing to put almost anything on the table barring one issue, and that is agriculture.

[Myrna Brown]

India has high tariffs to protect its dairy industry, in particular on products like California pistachios, ganguly says. They're willing to talk, but one American product has become an awkward sticking point. Commerce Secretary Lutnick had complained that India's massive population is not buying American corn. Ganguly says demand rather than tariffs may be the primary obstacle.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Why would Indians buy corn from the United States when they don't consume corn in large amounts.

[Lindsay Mast]

India has increased its production of plant based fuel in recent years, but uses domestic sugar cane and grains rather than American corn. India's commerce secretary met with Lutnik on Monday and both sides reported positive developments. Though Ganguly says there's still work to be done.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

The most important thing is to see if both sides can find a compromise. And quite frankly, the ball is in the American court. If Lubnik keeps making these absurd demands, the Indians are going to walk away to our detriment.

[Lindsay Mast]

Have you ever felt compelled to extend your sincerest contrition in the most magniloquent sesquipedalian terminology conceivable? Turns out it's hard to say I'm sorry literally. Science proves it. According to Dr. Sherry Lev Ary of the University of London, when you use bigger words in your apology, your remorse sounds remarkably more remorseful. This is from the Mornings with Simi podcast.

[Myrna Brown]

I showed people versions of apologies that basically said the same thing but with different words.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

So for example, my action didn't reflect.

[Myrna Brown]

My true self versus it didn't represent my true character.

[Lindsay Mast]

Same meaning, bigger words. So the next time you mess up, you could supersize your vocabulary because according to the good doctor, that'll supersize your apology. Or maybe on the principle that love covers a multitude of sins, ask God to supersize your love for those you affect. It's the World and Everything In It Today is Thursday, September 25th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on the World and Everything In It, Pressures at the racetrack this year, the racing film F1 became one of the top grossing movies of the year, raking in a whopping $600 million worldwide. It's just the latest in a long line of films romanticizing racing culture. Gran Turismo, Ford vs Ferrari, fast and furious, even cars.

[Lindsay Mast]

But reality isn't always so glamorous. The sport is grueling and dangerous, with lots of emotional ups and downs, setbacks and disappointments. For some racers, these challenges spark a new spiritual curiosity and open a door for the gospel message. World's Grace Snell visited one racing competition in upstate New York. Here's her story.

[Grace Snell]

The roar of engines fills the air at Spencer Speedway just outside Rochester, New York. It's like a sonic surge of adrenaline coursing through the pits. An ambulance and fire truck perched just off the track. Just beside them stand Todd heft and his 19 year old son Noah. They're not EMTs or firefighters.

[Todd Heft]

There's always an ambulance here, so you have those actual first responders, but they.

[Grace Snell]

Are first responders of a sort, noah says.

[Todd Heft]

I kind of look at us as.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

The spiritual folks, first responders.

[Grace Snell]

Racing is an intense and dangerous sport where accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and agonizing defeats and mechanical breakdowns can easily cause tempers to flare.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

We're the ones that are going to be first in line to go and.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

Address that part of the situation.

[Grace Snell]

The Hefts are race chaplains with a network called Racing with Jesus Ministries. Todd says their mission is to step into the volatility of the racing world with the peace and comfort of the gospel.

[Todd Heft]

I feel like I carry the presence of God with me to the racetrack and that definitely has a calming effect on people.

[Grace Snell]

Racing is a lot safer than it used to be, but it isn't safe per se.

[Todd Heft]

When you're talking about, you know, cars that are driving in excess of, you know, of over 100 miles an hour, it doesn't take much for things to go bad very quickly.

[Grace Snell]

Todd says he's only seen a handful of really bad accidents, but when they do happen, they leave lasting emotional scars.

[Todd Heft]

Many of these drivers know someone who's lost their life in a race.

[Mary Muncie]

Let's go racing.

[Cal Thomas]

It's The Mayor Troyer Classic 6 your.

[Grace Snell]

Expenser speedway for the tonight's race is in honor of one of these drivers, Maynard Troyer.

[Todd Heft]

This was, you know, 40 years ago now, but it's still very fresh in the minds of folks.

[Grace Snell]

Crashes shake people up. They make them think about death and what comes after.

[Todd Heft]

The thing that comes with that is the thought of what happens to me when I'm not here anymore.

[Grace Snell]

Todd says that opens doors to share the gospel.

[Todd Heft]

Amidst some of the, you know, the accidents and the incidents, there is realization that God is real. Especially when folks walk away from things and say, I don't know why God protected me through that.

[Grace Snell]

Tonight, the next round of racers is rolling up to the track entrance. Todd steps forward and approaches one of the cars. The driver reaches his hand through the window. Todd grasps it firmly. This is a highlight of Todd's work, getting to pray with drivers in those nerve wracking minutes before they head out on the track. People aren't always receptive when Todd offers to pray for them.

[Todd Heft]

Oftentimes there'll be drivers who will say, no thanks, I'm good. Usually. Generally they're very polite about it.

[Grace Snell]

Todd doesn't take it personally when People turn down his prayers. He just looks for other ways to minister to them, showing an interest in their lives and making the point to remember important birthdays and anniversaries. Tonight, the competition is steep. Just a millisecond separates the first and second place finishers. It's a high stress environment that acts as a pressure cooker for people's emotions.

[Todd Heft]

Race cars are not inexpensive to run in any way. So when things happen on track, that's, that's often a lot of expenses for, for people and, and people get upset at that very quickly, especially if things have happened between teams in the past.

[Grace Snell]

So part of the chaplain's role is to help defuse these situations.

[Todd Heft]

Sometimes all you have to do is just stand there, not even say a word, not try to physically separate people, but just gently move yourself in between them and just be like, why don't we come over here?

[Grace Snell]

Todd says his work all comes down to building relationships so that people trust him to step in when things go wrong. It's hard, slow work. And the Hefs don't always get to see the results of their labor. But sometimes they do get to see Hart's change over time. People who have resisted prayer for years suddenly want Todd to pray with them.

[Todd Heft]

Maybe it's something that's happened on track, maybe it's something that's happened in their own personal life outside the track. But God's got that tug and that.

[Grace Snell]

Pull on folks, and that makes it all worthwhile. Reporting for World I'm Grace Snell in Williamson.

[Myrna Brown]

Today is Thursday, September 25th. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I'm Myrna Brown.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Well, Jimmy Kimmel returned this week after lots of speculation about what he'd seen. Say he wasn't exactly conciliatory.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted.

[Lindsay Mast]

Besides thanking his avid supporters, Kimmel acknowledged some surprising allies.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I want to thank the people who don't support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway.

[Lindsay Mast]

During his extended monologue, he did take a moment to address the comments that led to his suspension.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a Finger. I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way.

[Myrna Brown]

And after a few more minutes of a freedom of speech lecture, he was right back to poking fun of and criticizing the President and his administration.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

He tried, did his best, to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show that backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.

[Myrna Brown]

Now with commentary, here is syndicated columnist and commentator Cal Thomas.

[Cal Thomas]

The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel didn't last very long, but it sure unleashed a torrent of criticism or praise, depending on which ideological side one stands. Democrats and the left engaged in predictable hyperbole. Some call the suspension a violation of the First Amendment. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz may have topped them all.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

This is North Korea style stuff.

[Cal Thomas]

It has no place in America.

[Narrator/Reporter (Various)]

And people need to make sure that.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

If he gets away with this man, Katie Barr, the door, it's all open.

[Cal Thomas]

Every one of those rights is then at risk. Several points. There is no constitutional or other right for anyone to have a TV show on a network. I was a Fox News contributor for 19 years. For nearly 10 of those, I appeared on a news critique panel and for two years had my own show. When management decided to cancel both shows, despite pretty good ratings, I might add, I didn't complain. It's their network and they get to decide who they want on the air and who they don't. I didn't claim my First Amendment rights were being infringed upon. No one picketed demanding my return. Kimmel's ratings were terrible. And the ABC affiliate stations complained about his claim that Republicans are trying to use the assassination of Charlie Kirk for political gain. Apparently, that was the last straw for management. If all the critics and demonstrators outside Disney had actually watched the show, Kimmel's ratings might have been higher. I think the reason there has been such an uproar from the left is the realization they're losing their monopoly in three areas they've dominated for decades. News, entertainment and academia. Charlie Kirk's appeal to young people was the biggest threat of all, because if leftist professors can no longer indoctrinate the young without being challenged, their political power will be substantially diminished. Now for the other side of this coin. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, made what many hear as an unveiled threat to remove the licenses of local stations if they don't comply with his view of what constitutes the public interest. On a podcast hosted by conservative Benny Johnson, Carr said this.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

They have a license granted by us at the fcc and that comes with it, an obligation to operate in the public interest. And we can get into some ways that we've been trying to reinvigorate the public interest and some changes that we've seen. But frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.

[Cal Thomas]

Republican senator from Texas, Ted Cruz was quick to respond.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we're going to decide what speech we like and what we don't.

[Cal Thomas]

And we're going to threaten to take.

[Various Interviewees/Experts]

You off air if we don't like what you're saying. And it might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.

[Cal Thomas]

Cruz is right. I believe President Trump is wrong to criticize Kimmel. The president should look at what former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama said about conservative media, which some believed was an attempt to intimidate them and undermine their First Amendment rights. Pulling the plug on Kimmel even for just a few days doesn't mean the left is without access to the media to proclaim their views. But the government shouldn't be the one to define public interest. The term is too vague, subjective and can change with the times. Let the market decide whether it's Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert before him. I'm Cal Thomas.

[Lindsay Mast]

Tomorrow, John Stonestreet stops by for Culture Friday and Colin Garbarino reviews a rare G rated movie for families with five year old girls. Plus your listener feedback. That and more tomorrow. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. 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, and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Verse 21 of Acts 2 Go now in grace and peace.