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The World and Everything in It: August 10, 2023

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WORLD Radio - The World and Everything in It: August 10, 2023

Voters in Ohio reject a plan to raise the threshold for amending the state constitution; Russia exploits coup in West Africa to gain allies; and a missionary pilot organization turns 75. Plus, a bear crashes a Colorado wedding reception, commentary from Cal Thomas, and the Thursday morning news


Attendees pray during a "rosary rally" in Norwood, Ohio to urge a “yes” vote on a ballot question in Ohio to make it more difficult for an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot to succeed. Associated Press/Darron Cummings

JENNY LIND SCHMITT: The World and Everything in It is made possible by listeners like …

CLASS: All of us!

SCHMITT: Bonjour! I’m Jenny Lind Schmitt, and I’m teaching at the second World Journalism Institute Europe hosted here in Brussels, Belgium. Our students are Europeans learning reporting skills and how to tell stories from a Biblical worldview.

CLASS: Hi I’m Pavel from Belgium and Bulgaria

I’m Lennart from the Netherlands.

I’m Sarah from France.

I’m Peter from Switzerland.

I’m Mendel from Germany.

I’m Jitka from the Czech Republic.

I’m Chloe from Scotland and living in Spain.

I’m Isabelle from Luxembourg.

VLASTUIN: I’m Evert van Vlastuin, managing editor of Christian Network Europe at CNE.news and WJI guest instructor.

PITTS: And I’m Lee Pitts, the Executive Director of World Journalism Institute instructing with Jenny, Onize Ohikere, and Mark Volkers.

CLASS: We hope you enjoy today’s program!


MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning!

Ohioans went to the polls Tuesday to decide whether or not to raise the threshold for amending the state constitution. What were their motivations?

SAVAS: Did abortion at all play into your vote?

SHIFFERT: Not really, although I'm totally against abortion. … But that wasn't really one of the reasons why I voted yes.

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: Also, the recent coup in Niger has implications for the entire West African region…an expert weighs in.

Plus a Bible translation and missionary-support ministry turns 75 years old...

DIEDRICH [17:07]: The need is immense, the distances are vast.

And Cal Thomas on what the parents of soldiers who died during the US pullout from Afghanistan deserve to hear from their government.

BROWN: It’s Thursday, August 10th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

BUTLER: And I’m Paul Butler. Good morning!

BROWN: Time now for the news with Kent Covington.


KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR:

NYC migrant crisis » New York City Mayor Eric Adams wants the federal government to declare a state of emergency … over an ongoing migration crisis.

ADAMS: This will allow federal funds to be allocated quickly to help address the urgent challenges we face.

Adams said since last year, nearly 100,000 asylum seekers released by the Biden administration inside the United States … have arrived in New York.

He said shelters are at a breaking point … and added that the migrant crisis is expected to cost his city $12 billion dollars by 2025.

Haiti nurse » An American nurse and her young daughter are now free … after being kidnapped in Haiti two weeks ago.

New Hampshire native Alix Dorsainvil was working with Christian nonprofit El Roi Haiti … when she and her daughter were abducted from the ministry’s campus near Port-au-Prince.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters …

MILLER: We welcome the reports of their release. We have no greater priority of course than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.

Officials did not immediately say whether anyone paid a ransom in exchange for Dorsainvil’s freedom.

Kidnappings for profit are alarmingly common in Haiti … where gang violence is now rampant.

Disney trans 110 » The Bud Light boycott over its partnership with a transgender influencer apparently did not scare Disney executives.

Disney is in fact doubling down on its pro-LGBT activism … hiring transgender influencer Seann Altman … to model clothing for girls on social media.

ALTMAN: I literally look like Mini Mouse, and I fit in perfectly with Mickey and his friends. The bow with the dress and the shoes really sealed the deal.

That comes shortly after an online video recorded at Disneyland went viral. It showed a male employee with a mustache wearing a blue dress …. playing the role of "Fairy Godmother's Apprentice” … welcoming children into a Disney boutique.

Target hit with lawsuit » Meantime, retail giant Target is facing a lawsuit from one of its investors over its social activism. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Target has endured a painful consumer boycott since unveiling so-called Pride month product displays earlier this year. Some of the LGBT items were aimed at children.

Since June, the company has lost some $14 billion dollars in market value … and now a shareholder is suing, saying investors are paying the price.

The suit says Target failed to weigh the risks of its social activism … and then misled investors about those risks.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Florida prosecutor » Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando, Monique Worrell for what he called “dereliction of duty.”

DeSantis said prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion in deciding when and how to prosecute a suspect …

DESANTIS: But what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and has effectively nullified certain laws in the states of Florida.

DeSantis said the Democratic state attorney had chosen not to impose mandatory sentences … on charges including gun crimes, drug trafficking, and child pornography.

Democrats charge that DeSantis removed her for political reasons amid his campaign for president.

Hawaii wildfires » Authorities say wildfires on Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui killed 6 and injuried dozens more … while charring hundreds of acres and burning down homes.

SOT: wind whipping and sirens going off

14 people were rescued after jumped into the ocean to escape the flames.

Maui county mayor Richard Bissen says damage can’t be accurately gauged until the all the fires are daused.

Bissen: We are still in a search and rescue mode…. We are battling, continue to battle the fire. We now have helicopters … using water drops to help suppress the fire.

Powerful winds from a hurricane spinning in the Pacific have fanned the flames.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Priorities at the polls in Ohio.

Plus, Missionaries with helicopters.

This is The World and Everything in It.


BROWN: It’s Thursday, the 10th of August, 2023. Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

BUTLER: And I’m Paul Butler.

First up…life on the ballot.

On Tuesday, Ohio voters rejected Issue 1, a measure that would have raised the percentage of votes required to pass a state constitutional amendment from a simple majority to 60%.

It also would have required citizen-initiated amendment campaigns to gather signatures from all state counties instead of only half in order for a measure to make it on the ballot. But voters turned down Issue 1 by a vote of 57 to 43 percent.

BROWN: Pro-life groups consider Tuesday’s outcome a loss for unborn babies. In November, Ohio voters will weigh in on a constitutional amendment that could add a right to abortion to the state constitution…and that now has a better chance of passing. Polling suggests as many as 58 percent of Ohioans support the pro-abortion amendment.

BUTLER: But just how much did the abortion issue affect how Ohioans voted on Issue 1? WORLD’s life beat reporter Leah Savas talked with voters on election day to find out.

Sound of driving

LEAH SAVAS, REPORTER: A little after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 8th, Toledo-area Pastor Alan Lenz drove to his polling location to vote in the day’s special election.

ALAN LENZ: So this church where I'm voting is down here on the right-hand side. Oh actually, it’s right here.

SAVAS: Lenz entered and was back out in less than four minutes. It’s a short ballot: Issue 1 was the only item on it.

ALAN LENZ: I voted in favor of the measure.

Lenz understands the concerns about the pro-abortion amendment coming to ballots in November. He’s pro-life, and the abortion issue played some role in his vote on Tuesday. Abortion is currently legal until 22 weeks in Ohio, but the pro-abortion amendment could remove even that protection for unborn babies.

But Lenz had other reasons for supporting Issue 1.

ALAN LENZ: It should be more difficult to change the state constitution. I like the supermajority of 60%. And I also appreciate the fact that to get a measure on the ballot, you have to get signatures from all 88 counties. I think that's important. You get a broader representation of the of the will of the people.

SAVAS: And Lenz wasn’t the only person I spoke to who gave this reason. Several voters mentioned it, including Gina Shiffert. She’s 65, wearing a bright red dress and licking a lollipop.

GINA SHIFFERT: I voted yes.

SAVAS: And why?

SHIFFERT: Because I think it's important for us to take control of the state constitution and, and make sure that other interests don't come into play. So I found that important.

SAVAS: Did abortion at all play into your vote?

SHIFFERT: Not really, although I am, I'm totally against abortion. … But that wasn't really one of the reasons why I voted yes.

Leon McGee, a tattooed man in his late 50s, said he voted yes for Issue 1 because he thought the Ohio Constitution should have stricter amendment requirements…more like the U.S. Constitution. But he supports abortion.

MCGEE: Well, I believe it should be a right to you know, women, if that's what they want.

The only supporter of Issue 1 I talked to who cited abortion as a primary motivation for her yes vote was Jill Schoenlein. She’s a 36-year-old mother with twin toddlers tagging along.

JILL SCHOENLEIN: I'm a really big pro-life proponent. So I definitely came out for that today.

Opponents of Tuesday’s ballot measure that I talked to were more likely to cite their pro-abortion views as a motivation for voting no.

35-year-old Janell Heller-Garcia helped her little boy into the car as we talked.

JANELL HELLER-GARCIA: I voted no.

SAVAS: And why?

HELLER-GARCIA: Well, for a few reasons. I think that the reason that they're actually holding this election is to make it harder to have abortion rights in Ohio, which I don't believe should be a thing…

David Despoth is a 28-year-old who said he and his wife are about to have kids. He opposed Issue 1 because he supports abortion.

DAVID DESPOTH: I believe, ultimately, barring abortion, or any other potential amendment is borderline tyrannical… So that's where I stand is I'm just—I'm not thinking about myself. I'm thinking about my wife, any kids, and you know, anybody else like that…That's specifically why I came out today.

 It looked like the campaign against Issue 1 successfully mobilized pro-abortion voters. Meanwhile, from the pro-life perspective, Tuesday’s ballot measure was complicated. It wasn’t just about protecting unborn babies.

Ohio Right to Life blames the loss on out-of-state special interest groups. But some voters—including some pro-lifers—were concerned about other long-term implications of making it harder to amend the constitution. Voter Karen Davis wouldn’t state her views on abortion, but she said she had experience gathering signatures for amendment efforts.

KAREN DAVIS: It is so difficult to get the required number of signatures, I can't even begin to tell you. I have been involved in ballot initiatives that have failed, and it was, we came close… It's mind-boggling to me that it would be made more difficult…This will close the door on any ballot initiative in the future.

Come November, abortion will be on the ballot. And, because of Tuesday’s results, pro-lifers will have to muster more than 50 percent of the votes to preserve Ohio’s pro-life laws and keep abortion out of the state constitution.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leah Savas in Lucas County, Ohio.

LEAH SAVAS: Awesome, well thank you for your time. Have a nice day!


MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: the fallout from a coup in West Africa.

Niger is a landlocked country, the vast majority of it covered by the unforgiving Sahara Desert. Over the past twelve years, it emerged as a success story of democratic rule. Personal freedom and prosperity grew under civilian rule under two consecutive democratically elected presidents.

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: But that changed on July 26th, when a military coup deposed President Mohamed Bahzoum, thrusting Niger into a tug-of-war between conflicting international interests.

BROWN: Joining us now to talk about the fallout is Joseph Siegle, senior research fellow at the National Defense University in Maryland.

Joseph, welcome.

SIEGLE: Thank you, glad to be part of the program.

BROWN: Glad to have you. Well, let’s start with some background. The crisis in Niger is just the latest in a line of military coups in the region. Help us understand what’s happening in West Africa, and where Niger fits in.

SIEGLE: Well,  Niger is part of a disconcerting pattern we've seen in West Africa. Starting almost three years to today, August of 2020, we saw a coup in Mali, a military coup that displaced a democratically elected government. This was followed a year or so later in Burkina Faso, which is another civilian country, neighboring country. We saw a coup in Guinea, along the West African coast, during that timeframe. And then this extra-constitutional seizure of power in Niger. So it's been a pattern of military actors trying to seize power all from elected democratic governments in West Africa.

BROWN: After the coup, there were reports that people in Niger were flying Russian flags. What does Russia have to do with the coup?

SIEGLE: Well, Russia has been a disrupter in West Africa. It doesn't really have a lot of investment or trade going on in the region. But as part of its effort to present itself as a global power with influence across the globe, it has been actively trying to undermine Western influence in Africa. And it has done that in sort of a variety of ways, including through disinformation. So pushing out a lot of false narratives about the evils of French involvement in West Africa, the legacies of colonialism, failures of the United Nations. And this has stirred up a lot of passions and discontent in each of the respective countries that we're talking about, including in Niger. And, and so when this coup took place, you saw some people come out on the streets, waving Russian flags. And so really, it's a reaction to this fomenting of dissent that we've seen through Russian disinformation.

BROWN: The Russian mercenary Wagner Group has reportedly welcomed the coup in Niger. What does it stand to gain from the coup?

SIEGLE: Well, it's true. The leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced his support for the coup soon after it first was announced. And Wagner has been the political spear of Russia's efforts to gain influence in Africa. Wagner, of course, has the paramilitary forces that they deploy, but they're also involved in election interference. They're involved in arms for resources swaps, and they're the ones behind the disinformation. And so it's through this combination of irregular tools that Russia has gained its influence in Africa. And then propping up these military juntas or other illegitimate governments on the continent, who then are beholden to Russia as their main international patron. So this attempted coup in Niger presents another opportunity for Russia to [gain] another partner regime on the continent, and do so at the expense of what had been really growing ties between Niger and the West, growing democratization in Niger, and again, you know, positive developments on the economy and development front.

BROWN: What do you think the prognosis is for the future of Democracy in the African Sahel region?

SIEGLE: Well, I believe we're at an inflection point right now because we've seen now this pattern of military actors seizing power, and basically they're challenging the right for civilians to govern democratically. I think that's what's at stake right now. And that's why it's important that West Africa regional body ECOWAS take decisive action to isolate the military junta in Niger and not recognize it, and really force it through a collection of means to back down and return power to the rightfully elected leader in Niger.

BROWN: Is there any aspect of this story that you think the mainstream media is missing or misreporting?

SIEGLE: I think what isn't fully recognized is that this is about a lot more than Niger. This is quickly become about the fight for democracy in the region. Soon after the coup attempt began in Niger, you had the military juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso say that they supported the coup attempt and that they would deem it a declaration of war if the West Africa regional body, ECOWAS, intervened to restore democracy in Neesha. And so you have this astounding development of military juntas forming a coalition to push back against democracy in West Africa. // And that's really what's at stake here. It isn't just about the events in one single country; it's really a regional phenomenon now. And you know, how this gets settled in Niger will have implications for the rest of West Africa, and for Africa, because if the coup is accepted and tolerated in Niger, I think it's very likely that we could see half a dozen other coups in Africa, because there are going to be other military actors on the on the African continent who have delusions of grandeur. And they'll see an opportunity that if they can simply depose the sitting president, that ultimately they're going to be accommodated as well.

BROWN: Joseph Siegle is a senior research fellow at the National Defense University in Maryland. Thank you for joining us.

SIEGLE: Thank you. My pleasure.


PAUL BUTLER, HOST: Most young couples hope for a memorable wedding. But sometimes, a wedding ceremony and reception can be too memorable.

Cailyn and Brandon Martinez were recently married in Colorado. During the reciting of the vows, the heavens opened and it poured rain…then, when it was time to move into the tent for the reception…there was an uninvited guest at the desert table… Or rather…ON the dessert table.

SOUND: It's not too often you go in to your dessert table and see a bear crashing it and eating all of it…we were most looking forward to the cannoli. Unfortunately, we did not get any.

Security was able to quickly scare off the bear and the rest of the reception went off without further adventure. The young couple has a great attitude about the whole thing…they say it was “The perfect Colorado wedding.”

SOUND: I think it's an important lesson in marriage. You just gotta be flexible and adaptable and…yeah, life doesn't always go to plan. But it's, you know, how you get through it together.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: That’s beary well put.

BUTLER: It’s The World and Everything in It.


BUTLER: Today is Thursday, August 10th.

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

Good morning. I’m Paul Butler.

BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: … blue-collar missionaries.

This year is the 75th anniversary of JAARS, the Jungle Aviation and Relay Service. They specialize in getting missionaries and aid into places that would otherwise take days to reach…if they could get there at all.

BUTLER: This summer, JAARS was at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the world’s largest airshow. WORLD reporter Mary Muncy went to Oshkosh and brings our story.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: It’s June 13, 2021. Missionary pilot Jeremiah Diedrich calls it one of his favorite days.

SOUND- Helicopter ambi

He’s flying a helicopter over the Amazon jungle carrying a missionary named Bira back to his home village…along with the first new testaments in their language.

JEREMIAH DIEDRICH: And five miles out in the helicopter. I point out you see that little clearing ahead there? Bira. That's it.

Bira and his sister are looking out the window… it’s the first time they’ve been back to their home in 10 years.

DIEDRICH: And as we got closer hearing him and his sister on the headphones in the helicopter. Oh, oh, my village. Oh my home. Do you remember that tree that's the tree. We used to jump into the river from there so and so's house.

They land in a dry lakebed and about 150 people gather around the rim, rows deep.

DIEDRICH: And we pulled out that first box of New Testaments and people are cheering and rejoicing and dedicating this translation to the glory of God and the salvation of his people amongst this tribe.

Diedrich is a pilot with JAARS. He and his wife and four kids lived on missionary bases in Brazil for 16 years—flying missionaries and supplies into remote parts of the Amazon.

Steve Russell is the President of JAARS.

STEVE RUSSELL: We use the tools and the assets to try to get folks into those remote places because that's where really the unreached people are. And when I say unreached, I mean, not even really connected to civilization. If you can imagine a mountaintop village of 3-4000 people that's not connected to anybody else. They live up there, they survive up there, they speak their own unique language.

After making first contact, JAARS tries to get missionaries and translators into the villages…and then supports them.

RUSSELL: We like to think of it as being blue-collar missionaries.

This year, JAARS is celebrating 75 years of ministry… and it all started with Cameron Townsend. In 1917 Townsend got a deferment from fighting in World War I. Instead, he went down to Mexico as a missionary selling Spanish Bibles.

Spanish is the official language of the country, but he was trying to sell them to the indigenous people… who didn’t speak Spanish.

RUSSELL: And a guy asked him in Spanish, he says, ‘well, why should I believe in your God when He can't even speak my language?’

Townsend took that as a personal challenge. He assured the man that God could speak his language… and then learned it himself.

Ten years later, Townsend completed a translation of the Bible in that tribe’s language.

RUSSELL: There are 1800 languages that haven't even been reached yet. That's a big gap. Most of those are in the three big rainforests, Amazonian rainforest, Congolese rainforest, Melanesian rainforest.

Townsend started JAARS officially in 1948.

Now, JAARS uses airplanes, trains, cars, and ships to get missionaries and translators into some of the most remote parts of the world. The organization now has bases in seven countries.

RUSSELL: You know, as believers in Christ, we were given the Great Commission to go and make disciples in all the nations. Going is inherent, it's not the command. Making disciples is. Okay, well, if you're going, how do you get there?

It’s a good question—not only are these places just plain hard to reach… but JAARS is constantly facing opposition from governments that say the missionaries are imposing themselves on people groups that don’t want them there. Some say JAARS and groups like it are harming the indigenous people by trampling their culture.

One Brazilian media publication said missionaries like those with JAARS were violating treaties that protect indigenous people from harassment.

Another accused them of invading indigenous land and forcing indoctrination.

RUSSELL: It's a typical deception from the enemy to say, well, you know, you're messing up their lives.

Russell says helping people with things like a stable food supply, clean water, and medical supplies is not harming them.

RUSSELL: Is it fair, that people also created in God's image that God loves just as much that we would make those choices for them by denying them those things? Give them the choice. And if they want to put beads and feathers on it, and use it in a different way, hallelujah, that's their right to do.

The missionaries work hard to make first contact in a positive way. Some of the tribes haven’t seen anyone from the outside world …. or even other tribes …. ever—but Russell says introducing them to something new doesn’t mean trampling their culture.

RUSSELL: The work that we do actually preserves their language. And if your language is preserved, your culture is preserved, and your history is preserved…I would say it would be helping them in a great way and even more, so. It helps them ultimately because they find the good news of Jesus Christ.

Pilot Jeremiah Diedrich says government requirements are a roadblock...

JEREMIAH [1:01:09]: Paperwork and bureaucracy are immense barriers. I mean, if you were to tell me that tomorrow, there would be no more bureaucratic barriers in Brazil, whatsoever. I would make a prediction to you that ministry impact would increase tenfold within the next couple of months.

But even though paperwork slows them down… it doesn’t stop them.

JEREMIAH: Yeah, and if you invest in people, not to use them, but you—because you genuinely care about them. It opens doors to share the love of Christ, it opens doors for ministry to go forward.

After 16 years in the field, Diedrich now trains others to take his place.

Even as the world becomes more interconnected, JAARS’ work is far from over.

DIEDRICH: The need is immense, the distances are vast.

There are still some 7,000 unreached people groups in the world… and someone is going to have to take the good news to them.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.


BROWN: Today is Thursday, August 10th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

BUTLER: And I’m Paul Butler. This month marks the 2nd anniversary of the deadly terrorist bombing at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. It happened during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country in 2021. More than 150 Afghans trying to leave the country were killed, along with 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

BROWN: This week, we heard from parents of those troops at a hearing in California. Here’s Kelly Barnett, mother of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover.

BARNETT: I want justice. I want accountability. Why didn’t they just not say, “We made a mistake. Our plan was wrong. I’m so sorry.”? That would have been something. You know, I understand war is hell. I understand that. But no, we didn’t get that.

BROWN: Barnett then read the names of each serviceman and woman killed.

BARNETT: Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover; Staff Sgt. Ryan Christian Knauss; Sgt. Nicole Gee; Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo; Cpl. Humberto Sanchez; Cpl. Hunter Lopez; Cpl. William Daegan Page; Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola; Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui; Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak. They deserve justice.

BUTLER: That’s a short excerpt of the more than hour long forum. WORLD Commentator Cal Thomas listened to the entire thing, and he says you should, too.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: This past Monday, Republican Representative Darrell Issa held a forum in Escondido, California for parents of the thirteen service members killed at the Kabul Airport nearly two years ago. During the forum, parents claimed there has been a cover-up and insensitivity to their concerns from the Biden Administration.

Unlike many hearings in Washington where members posture and occasionally talk more than witnesses, Congressman Issa allowed the parents to pour out their hearts. They did and while doing so they also criticized President Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley for not responding to their numerous requests for information on how and why their child had to die. It was gripping and highly emotional.

One parent said a Marine had the terrorist in his gun sight but could not get permission from higher-ups to fire. Another parent said his son’s cell phone was returned to him, but without the SIM card that might have contained pictures, messages and other information he might have wanted them to have.

Anyone watching the entire episode must have been moved by the pain expressed by each parent. Two said they had “protected” their child while he or she was growing up and had faith that the Marines would do the same while under their care.

At a minimum, many of the parents want an apology from the government, an admission by President Biden that mistakes were made, and the resignation or firing of people who made those mistakes that caused the deaths of their loved ones. That’s unlikely to happen because as we’ve seen in too many instances, when you are in government, being wrong is more likely to get you a promotion than a pink slip.

The parents of Marine Corps Sergeant Taylor Hoover accused the Biden Administration of lying to them to evade public accountability for mistakes they made. His mother, Kelly Barnett, claimed: “We are told lies, given incomplete reports, incorrect reports, total disrespect.” She labeled the military and civilian leadership “incompetent cowards” and “evil.”

Defense Secretary Austin issued a statement at the time of the terrorist attack in which he said, “We mourn alongside the families of those who were lost, and we will never forget your loved ones’ heroism and sacrifice. They gave their lives trying to save the lives of others. And I know that you share my pride in them.” The families say they have heard little or nothing since.

You can watch the entire hearing on YouTube. It is riveting and emotional.

Predictably, some Democrats are saying President Biden and the military leadership did nothing wrong. Watch the video and make up your own mind. I’ve made up mine. Those young servicemembers deserved better.

I’m Cal Thomas.


BUTLER: Tomorrow: John Stonestreet is back for Culture Friday. One topic we’ll address is the latest action by the American Academy of Pediatrics on so-called “affirmative care.”

And, School House Rock turns fifty this year…Collin Garbarino has a nostalgic review.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Paul Butler.

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 when the women saw Jesus wasn’t in the tomb, a young man in a white robe said to them: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.” Mark chapter 16, verse 6.

Go now in grace and peace.


WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.

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