The World and Everything in It: April 30, 2025

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Good morning!

One hundred days into Trump 2.0, and many of his major policies are held up in court.

WEINBERGER: Trump comes in with an agenda. And then that leads to the courts coming in, also fast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: That’s ahead on Washington Wednesday.

Also WORLD Tour.

And one man’s story on the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

LE: Mom didn’t say ‘we are going.’ She said ‘you are going.’

And WORLD commentator Janie B Cheaney says some highschool grads ought to think beyond college.

MAST: It’s Wednesday, April 30th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Lindsay Mast.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

MAST: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news.

TRUMP: Wow. Hello … hello, Michigan.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Trump Michigan rally » President Trump last night marked 100 days in office with a rally in suburban Detroit.

He called the opening months of this second term “a revolution of common sense.” And the president touted what he views as major early victories, starting with the southern border.

TRUMP:  The number of illegal border crosses released into the United States is down. Listen to this, please. 99.999%.

Trump disputed headlines saying prices are rising, noting that energy and gas prices are down.

Democrats say Trump’s tariffs are fueling inflation. They called his first 100 days a disaster.

Auto tariffs » The president also said his trade tariffs will protect autoworkers, in his words putting Michigan and America first, rather than China.

But he also signed an executive order Tuesday partially relaxing his 25% tariffs on vehicles and auto parts.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters:

BESSENT:   The president has has met with the domestic auto manufacturers. He is met with foreign auto manufacturers and he wants to make the US the best destination for auto manufacturing.

The president’s order offers refunds on imported parts and incentives for U.S. production.

Secretary Bessent also told White House reporters that trade talks are ongoing with numerous countries with a focus right now on Asian partners. He noted progress with India, South Korea, and Japan.

Jobs report / economy » The Labor Department says there were fewer ‘help wanted’ signs in business windows last month as compared to February.

There were about 7.2 million job openings at the end of March. That was down by roughly 290,000, month to month.

However, overall layoffs declined by more than 220,000.

And the White House says more jobs are one the way. Press Secretary Karline Leavitt:

LEAVITT:  So far, total investment commitments under the Trump administration have reached more than $5 trillion,

Democrats say the president’s tariff policies will drive the economy into a ditch.

Whether the economy soars or lags, at least for now, the latest numbers seem to show a stable job market.

Trump impeachment » On Capitol Hill a Democratic congressman has officially taken the first step toward impeaching President Trump for a third time.

Shri Thanedar of Michigan has filed an impeachment resolution against the president, accusing him of abusing his power.

He pointed specifically to the deportation of a man from El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

THANEDAR: The court said the wrongfully deported Kilmer Garcia must be allowed to return and receive due process. Trump ignored it. He ignored the Constitution. This isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a dangerous, deliberate pattern.

Trump administration officials said Garcia was mistakenly deported due to a clerical error but add that he has links to a dangerous Salvadoran gang.

There is no evidence that President Trump ordered or was directly involved in Garcia’s deportation.

Democrats impeached Trump twice during his first term. But this effort is expected to go nowhere fast in the now Republican-controlled House.

Zelenksyy / Ukraine latest » The Trump administration is not impressed by Russia's announcement of a planned three-day unilateral ceasefire.

Vladimir Putin says his forces will halt attacks on Ukraine from May 8-10, to mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender to Europe.

But State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters:

BRUCE: What they've been working toward is a ceasefire. A complete, full, durable, ceasefire. Right? Not a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else! A complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he believes Russia is preparing to ramp up its assault on Ukraine.

ZELENSKYY: Look at Belarus – Russia is preparing something there this summer…using military drills as cover. That’s usually how they start a new attack. But where will it go? I don’t know. Ukraine? Lithuania? Poland? God bless, no! But we all need to be ready.

Trump administration officials say if they don’t see progress toward a ceasefire soon, the U.S. may withdraw from negotiations altogether.

Driver likely did not target building in Illinois crash » Police in Illinois say a deadly crash that killed several children on Monday does not appear to have been a targeted attack.

Three young children and an 18-year-old woman were killed. Six others were hospitalized.

Chatham Deputy Police Chief Scott Tarter:

TARTER:  Vehicle drove into the east side of the building. The vehicle struck multiple persons outside of the building before continuing through the building and exiting out on the west side of the structure.

A 44-year-old woman was reportedly behind the wheel and appeared to make no attempt to slow down or change direction.

She was unharmed but taken to a hospital for evaluation. Authorities said Tuesday that toxicology reports were pending.

Chatham police in a social media post said, if you believe in the power of prayer, please take a moment to pray for the entire Chatham community.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the ongoing conflict between the White House and federal judges. Plus, one man’s mission to reunite his family after the fall of Saigon.

This is The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 30th of April.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

Time now for Washington Wednesday.

In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the nation, and came up with a measure of progress still in use today: the first 100 days. Reenactment audio here from LibriVox:

LIBRIVOX: I think that we all wanted the opportunity of a little quiet thought to examine and assimilate in a mental picture the crowding events of the 100 days which had been devoted to the starting of the wheels of the New Deal.

EICHER: FDR kicked off his presidency by calling Congress in for a three-month special session. He signed 15 bills into law and issued 99 executive orders. Ever since, presidents have been measured against that rapid start.

But different presidents bring different priorities, FDR was about expanding government, President Donald Trump is using his second, first 100 days to scale it back.

MAST: As of today, Trump has signed nearly 140 executive orders, cut federal jobs, revoked funding, and closed offices. He’s also ramped up deportations of illegal aliens and imposed tariffs.

But in 100-days he’s found himself tangled up by some 200 lawsuits, prompting a debate over the separation of powers.

Here’s WORLD’s Washington Bureau reporter Carolina Lumetta.

CAROLINA LUMETTA: President Trump’s executive actions have reduced and reshaped the federal government, but much on his to-do list is tied up in the courts.

CBS NEWS: In a 7-2 decision, justices temporarily blocked the deportation of Venezuelan men held by immigration officials in North Texas.

CBS 6: Another move facing legal backlash: the administration's federal grant freeze. The order, resulted in two lawsuits and was temporarily blocked just moments before it was set to go into effect.

ABC NEWS: And President Trump is criticizing activists and judges who he says are trying to stop his efforts to investigate fraud, waste and abuse.

District judges across the country have issued either nationwide injunctions or temporary restraining orders to block the administration’s changes while legal challenges play out in court. Lael Weinberger, a lawyer in Washington and a fellow at Stanford Law School, says the second Trump administration has been more strategic and fast-paced than the first.

WEINBERGE: I think it’s certainly beyond doubt that these are legally aggressive executive orders. And exactly where that line is between legally aggressive and legally specious is going to be very divisive among many lawyers that I know and legal academics.

Judicial injunctions have been an obstacle for several administrations. Former President Barack Obama complained when courts blocked his plan to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. And judges issued 14 universal injunctions on policies from former President Joe Biden. Now, with at least 15 nationwide injunctions against the Trump administration, Republicans are looking for ways to rein in district judges.

ISSA: We are here today because a major malfunction in the federal Judiciary has been recognized by both Republicans and Democrats.

A House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing earlier this month on judicial overreach. Chairman Darrell Issa of California said that the judges issuing injunctions are activists usurping presidential power.

ISSA: These rogue judge rulings are a new resistance to the Trump Administration and the only time in which judges in robes in this number have felt it necessary to participate in the political process rather than to participate in the Article 3 powers given to them both by the Constitution and by statute.

The House passed Issa’s bill to restrain district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. Were it to become law, judges would only have authority to issue an injunction for their jurisdiction or plaintiff. Legal experts say this is an area that could use some direction from the Supreme Court.

SHAPIRO: Trump has faced more judicial action against him, more temporary restraining orders, injunctions, than any other president in the first hundred days.

Ilya Shapiro is a former Supreme Court clerk and the director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute.

SHAPIRO: A large part of that is judges going beyond their remit. Part of that is the Supreme Court simply not giving guidance to lower courts.

Lower courts typically use an injunction to preserve the status quo while the case is being decided. But injunctions are subject to appeal, which has flooded the appellate courts with cases. Some judges have instead opted for temporary restraining orders to halt the Trump administration. These orders cannot be appealed.

SHAPIRO: But there needs to be a standardized situation there also to deal with the the forum shopping that we've seen from presidents of both parties. So when a Democrat's in the White House, challengers file in Texas, when a Republican's in the White House, they file in Boston or Seattle or D.C.

Other legal experts disagree that the courts are the problem here. During the House hearing, University of Pennsylvania professor Kate Shaw argued that Trump is receiving so much pushback from the courts because his actions are illegal.

SHAW: The lawsuits have been brought and have overwhelmingly succeeded because many of the challenged actions have been taken without regard for and often with outright contempt for both statutes and the Constitution

Many of the executive orders have simply reversed Biden administration orders, but others drastically change the nation’s domestic and foreign policy. This includes closing USAID and imposing tariffs. That, Shaw argued, infringes on Congress's responsibility.

SHAW: If president Trump wished to reshape or even eliminate many federal agencies or dramatically reduce government expenditures on foreign aid or eliminate job protections for federal workers or roll back Federal privacy protections, working with his many allies in Congress, including those on this committee, was the constitutionally permissible way to do that. Instead he has ignored the laws passed by Congress and the Constitutional rules that give Congress primacy in lawmaking.

Take immigration policy for example. President Trump campaigned on enforcing the laws on the books in order to secure the border and deport illegal immigrants. But it’s hard to do that and meet due process requirements if 15 million immigrants need separate hearings. Here’s Weinberger again:

WEINBERGER: The entire major plank of Trump's policy agenda will then be bogged down in years of individualized litigation. So I think how to how to work through both of these understandable issues is one of the big challenges for the courts dealing with the illegal immigration deportations.

Last month, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of illegal immigrants…without court hearings. But a man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia, had already received an order saying he could be deported, but not to his home country of El Salvador. Immigration officials missed that detail when they loaded Abrego Garcia onto a plane to Central America.

Washington DC Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt deportation flights and return Abrego Garcia. The White House said it could not comply because the plane was no longer in the United States. Instead, President Trump attacked the judge’s decision. Here he is on Fox News.

TRUMP: we have bad judges we have very bad judges and these are Judges that shouldn't be allowed I think they I think at a certain point you have to start looking at what do you do when you have a rogue judge?...

The Supreme Court weighed in on Boasberg’s decision and ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. The Trump administration has argued that there’s no definition for facilitation and that they are not asking El Salvador for Abrego Garcia’s release.

Constitutional scholar Shapiro says disagreeing with judges is one thing, but attacking their decisions is another.

SHAPIRO: This attacking individual judges, even if it's unseemly, politicians do it. somewhat different is the administration's kind of public relations. But in terms of the PR messaging, it was mocking the order a little bit. that I wouldn't advise as good legal strategy because the Supreme Court, I think, trusts the administration less than it did 50 days ago or at the beginning of this second Trump administration.

Trump’s call for impeaching judges drew a rare written rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

The issue could come to a head next month when the Supreme Court hears a case about an injunction blocking Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of immigrants. While it might not rule on the merits about citizenship, the Court consolidated decisions by three districts that issued injunctions on Trump’s order. The question at hand: how should lower court's use injunctions?

SHAPIRO: I'm hoping that finally the justices are going to be giving guidance and and reining in the lower courts. 

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Carolina Lumetta.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Next up: Elections in Australia.

Voters there head to the polls May 3rd to choose their next national leaders. Top concerns are housing costs, energy shortages, and the rising cost of living.

NICK EICHER, HOST: But this election isn’t only a battle between major parties. Smaller parties are gaining ground, reshaping the political landscape.

WORLD Reporter Amy Lewis brings us this week’s World Tour special report.

AMY LEWIS: Australians vote on election day because they have to. They exit the polling place and buy a sausage at the fundraising booth because they want to.

AUDIO: Every time there’s an election, Australians love to give themselves a little treat for voting. And that is called the democracy sausage. It’s just a sausage in bread. You can have onions, you can have whatever.

But no one wants to know how the sausage is made. We’re pretty happy to have others slog through government for us as our representatives. That’s why we elect politicians. Australia’s election day is Saturday, May 3rd. But this year many Australians are forgoing the election day democracy sausage by voting early.

ABC NEWS: More than half a million people across the country cast their ballot on Day One of pre-polling, smashing the last record by 70 percent…

All 150 Representatives’ seats and more than half of the senators’ seats are up for grabs this year. Voters write a number next to the parties on the ballot in order of their preference. Twenty years ago, most major party politicians were elected because voters put a 1 next to their party name on the ballot. By 2022, that was rarely the case because voters more often voted first for minor parties. This year more than 30 minor parties have candidates running in the federal election.

That means minor parties will likely hold more sway on contentious issues as Labor and Liberal are forced to form coalitions and alliances.

LYLE SHELTON: For parties like us, I think there’s a real opportunity.

That’s Lyle Shelton. He was WORLD Magazine’s 2016 Daniel of the Year for his work with the Australian Christian Lobby. Now he’s running for the national Senate from New South Wales for a newly re-formed minor party called Family First. A few months ago, his party picked up 4.3 percent in a local election.

SHELTON: Which might not sound a lot, but for a party like us that’s just getting going again, that’s actually very, very good.

Since the last federal election in 2022 costs have increased in Australia but wages have not. Groceries jumped 11 percent and house prices grew by 39 percent.

CHRISTOPHER BROHIER: When we were married, the house that we bought was three times my annual salary.

Christopher Brohier is Family First’s lead Senate candidate from South Australia.

BROHIER: My son is a lawyer, and if he was to buy that same house, he would have to spend about 10 times his annual salary, at least.

The major parties have made housing promises in the form of subsidies and tax cuts that would cost billions of dollars but still leave housing prices high.

Brohier is pushing for lower energy prices, since that will help lower the cost of everything.

BROHIER: Because of the push to renewables, we have deliberately increased the cost of power. So we’re saying we have to turn back from that and use the abundant thermal power that we have in this country which would make a lot cheaper coal, gas, and nuclear.

Voters and candidates alike are talking a lot about financial issues. Brohier says the major and minor party candidates are avoiding the elephant in the room. Gender confusion.

BROHIER: So cost of living affects everybody, but the gender issue cuts across the whole community, and we’re the only ones who are up front talking about that.

In a related issue, Shelton says freedom of speech and freedom of religion are under fire. For the past six years, Shelton has fought ongoing litigation from two drag queens doing library storytimes. They objected to his statement that nothing sexual should ever be near children. The drag queens’ lawyers are paid for with taxpayer dollars. Shelton’s are not. And he’s not the only Christian in court on LGBT-related hate-speech issues.

SHELTON: So freedom of speech, freedom of religion, faith based schools, their ability to employ staff who share the ethos of the parent community, those things are very much under threat….

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and DOGE cuts have affected Australians’ view of what change looks like. Early polls showed Liberal leader Peter Dutton squeaking out a victory—until he suggested cutting the Education Department. Then his colleague Jacinta Price used a phrase the media latched onto.

PRICE: We can make Australia great again.

Pundits started comparing Dutton to President Trump.

SHELTON: I think it’s spooked a lot of Australians, because Australians, you know, they like “steady as she goes.” So I think it’s probably, you know, backfired a little bit for the conservatives here.

Brohier doesn’t see that as all bad.

BROHIER: What’s happening in America is good in my submission, because it’s disruptive. And we have to think the world is not a stable place. We have to stand on our own two feet.

For Brohier, that includes energy independence.

BROHIER: So we extract coal, sell it to China, which then uses our coal to build wind turbines and then sells the wind turbines back to us. And we think we’re doing a good thing.

Shelton describes Labor and Liberal party leaders as weak and woke men who aren’t willing to tackle the big challenges Australia faces.

SHELTON: I think if Australians had leaders who had some courage, I think mainstream Australians would respond very well…

Early voting exit polls show voters are concerned about extreme conservatism creeping into Australia. That will affect the moderately conservative Liberal party vote and drive minor parties forward. The prime minister might not come from a minor party this year. But the prevalence of minor parties could change the makeup of the democracy sausages.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Amy Lewis.

NICK EICHER, HOST: They say good manners cost nothing—but is that always true? This is from an educational film for high-schoolers in the ’50s.

AUDIO: Yes, your manners are showing all day long … all along the way, your manners leave their mark.

When it comes to artificial intelligence—manners apparently are leaving a mark on AI companies’ energy bills!

AI requires enormous processing power, and that means enormous amounts of electricity.

And when people speak kindly to AI, AI’s programmed to return the favor.

AUDIO: “‘May I?’ ‘Please.’ ‘Thank you.’ These are words of respect, words that make day-to-day living go smoothly.”

Let’s tally it up: How much does OpenAI spend powering politeness? C-E-O Sam Altman puts the figure in the tens of millions—but says it’s money “well spent.” Before adding: “You never know.”

Whatever he meant, we could say kindness is never wasted, even when measured in kilowatt-hours.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Wednesday, April 30th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Lindsay Mast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: Finding family.

Fifty years ago, communist forces of the Northern Vietnamese Army captured the South Vietnamese capital. The fall of Saigon effectively ended the war.

MAST: In the weeks leading up to it, thousands of South Vietnamese citizens evacuated.

Eleven-year-old Hung Le was one of them. Now, he’s 61, and says the experience shaped his life and faith. WORLD reporter Jenny Rough brings us his story.

JENNY ROUGH: Hung Le loved to play “America” as a boy. He imagined his entire family in a big house. And piles of snow, something he’d only seen in pictures.

HUNG LE: We knew about America because of the American soldiers who lived around us and near us. They were our heroes. I loved them.

Le and his seven siblings grew up Catholic outside Saigon during the Vietnam War. Each family member had a war bag, a suitcase of important papers, photos, and other necessities.

LE: If the war ever reached us, we would take the bag and run. To where, I don’t know.

As the North Vietnamese Army drew closer, Vietnamese citizens scrambled to evacuate.

ITV AUDIO: [Explosion and artillery]

AP: Hundreds scrambled in panic onto any boats they could reach, not caring how they got aboard or what they left behind.

Le’s cousin had been given plane tickets to America for his family. His son had died at birth and the death had never been declared, so he had an extra.

Le’s parents sold all they could to buy that ticket.

LE: Mom didn’t say ‘we are going.’ In my games, in my imagination, it was all of us going together. She said ‘you are going.’ My first response was no, I’m not going.

Le was 11 the day his parents sent him off on the back of a motorcycle—without them.

LE: He handed me my little suitcase and I hopped on his motorcycle. And I turned around, and I saw my dad weeping.

At a refugee camp two weeks later, Le saw a notice.

LE: Saigon has fallen.

NBC NEWS: The city of Saigon was renamed today.

CBS EVENING NEWS: by the Viet Cong Ho Chi Minh City… Communist tanks.

NBC NEWS: broke through the gate of the President’s Palace in Saigon.

LE : And at that moment I remember thinking ‘Oh, no.’ I felt really alone. … There was now a wall between me and my family.

Eventually, Le moved to Washington state. He knew three English words: “yes,” “no,” and “bus.” Life in America wasn’t as he’d imagined. Living with his cousin was harsh.

LE: He was very abusive. ... I would have bruises all over. … He basically said, if you say anything, he said, I can report you because you're here illegally and you will be deported.

Le kept silent. He knew he had a job to do.

LE: I had to rescue my family. And so imagine this 11, 12, 13-year-old having this weight. … I really believed that somehow I was earning some goodness points. … That God would somehow redeem this pain by bringing my family over.

When a neighbor discovered the abuse, she took him in as a foster son.

LE: And they were this incredibly loving family. It’s like literally going from hell to heaven.

Life stabilized. He got a pet goldfish. Learned to ride a bike. His foster family helped straighten out his paperwork and legalize his immigration. They also tracked down his family in Vietnam. Family letters were confiscated, so Le had to write to his sister as a friend.

LE: and I found out my dad had been captured and put in a re-education camp.

If Le’s dad wanted to be released, he had to join the Communist party and denounce his faith. He refused and remained in the camp.

Meanwhile, Le’s sister planned to sneak out of the country by boat. He was terrified. And his worst nightmare came true. Pirates seized the boat.

LE: They stole everything. They harmed the women and they–they took all the water—they took all the supplies … And she went several days without water.

She begged and begged for a drink. Finally, someone gave her water. But the water had come from the engine. The acid ate through her stomach lining, and she died.

LE: I remember just crumpling. Going to my room and just screaming. … I sobbed all night. I was in so much pain that night, just physical pain. I remember touching my hair and it hurt. Everything in me just hurt.

Le woke up angry at everyone, especially God.

LE: I had this notion about God that, you know, if you were good, you were rewarded, if you were bad, you were punished. And so, what did I do that was so bad that you will kill my sister over it?

He lost his taste for food, for school — for everything. Oddly, Le’s atheist friend encouraged him to rethink his faith. He’d been going to a Presbyterian church with his foster family. That night, Le uttered an honest prayer.

LE: I felt like God was okay with me questioning him and he was okay with me saying, I’m really mad at you. And that I didn’t have to earn his love.

It was the beginning of a new relationship. Less transactional and more relational.

He bought a Bible at a garage sale for a dollar and read it cover-to-cover. His favorite passage was John 20, where Mary wept outside Jesus’ tomb then heard him call her name. Le was baptized his freshman year in college.

Eventually, he moved to New York to work as a consultant.

LE: Whenever someone gives me a lead, I follow it… And I would tell my story to anyone who would listen.

That included a congressman who told Le one of two things had to happen: either an act of the government or a miracle of God.

In 1989, the U.S. implemented a change to the Orderly Departure Program, a resettlement plan for people from Vietnam. It added a special category for those who had been detained in a re-education camp for three or more years. Like his dad.

LE: His stubborn faith kept him in jail for six years. … So you see, it was a miracle of God.

—and an act of government. Both. In 1990, now married to his wife, Corinne, the Les moved to California. The following year, Le drove to LAX to finally reunite with his parents and siblings arriving from Vietnam. The international terminal was jammed. He waded through the sea of noisy crowds, searching. And then suddenly: He heard his mother’s voice call his name: Hung.

LE: It’s God’s perfect timing. I’m just grateful. I’m so grateful.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jenny Rough.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, April 30th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast. High school graduations are right around the corner and while many know what’s next, WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney says college may not be for everyone.

JANIE B. CHEANEY: Like the weather, the increasing cost and declining value of college is a subject that gets talked about continually. And for all the talk…not much is getting done about it. Rising costs seem as intractable as falling barometers. But when the barometric pressure breaks, nature takes its course…lots of clouds, rain, and wind…not to mention the joint pain and headaches for us older folks. Have we reached our breaking point with education? There’s a storm brewing. With student loan debt at $1.7 trillion dollars and rising, a dropout rate hovering around 33 percent, and graduates so burdened by debt they’re delaying home ownership and family formation, something needs to give.

But as long as guidance counselors and university administrators talk up the necessity of college, and the federal government doles out money for overvalued degrees, most middle-class high-school seniors will assume that Anyplace U is their next stop. But before filling out that first loan application, teens and their parents should take time to think about the long term. The university is far too expensive to serve as a default plan or holding tank, unless you cruise in on a full scholarship or your parents’ trust fund.

Arthur Brooks spent a lifetime studying human happiness. He delayed college until his late twenties. He suggests three principles for deciding whether to pursue higher education. First, find the sweet spot between interest and earning potential. A course of study that will sustain your interest with the best prospects of paying off…even if it’s less than enchanting.

Second, avoid debt as much as possible. This may mean attending community college for the first two years or taking advantage of distance learning. The traditional “college experience” of dorm life and sorority pledging and keg parties is over-rated…and may be too rich for your blood.

Third, if you hate school, why go? God gives to some gifts of learning, to others a capacity for serving, to still others the skill of working with their hands. Plumbers and electricians make good money with just a few years of formal training, and can still read Plato on the side if they want.

Let’s be honest. Most eighteen-year-olds don’t have a career path firmly in mind. They might benefit from a gap year of minimum-wage work and self-directed study. And frankly, a lot more prayer. Christian young people shouldn’t be making their next big move without pouring on the prayer. It’s amazing how many of them do…I know I didn’t pray enough about it. Prayer and careful consideration might eliminate some pitfalls—and bank-account shortfalls.

Kids in high school should be encouraged to read good books on vocation and calling. Also to take advantage of a neglected resource: other people. Older friends, church leaders, and extended family often have valuable insights into a young person’s gifts and abilities. Even strangers can help. A casual conversation at the ballpark or McDonald’s could lead to: What do you do? How did you get started with that? What do you like about it?

These conversations may point to trade or vocational school as a better option. Young entrepreneurs might be better off apprenticing, with a view to starting their own business someday. You won’t avoid mistakes, but mistakes are built into the project of living. At least you can make them purposefully. And have shelter when the storm front of unsustainable college finally breaks.

I’m Janie B. Cheaney.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: how tariffs are affecting everyday Americans. And, Washington D.C. is cracking down on homeless camps, a good start, but solving the problem will likely take more than cleaning up the streets. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: 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 Psalmist writes: “With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.” —Psalm 109:30, 31

Go now in grace and peace.

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