The World and Everything in It: August 3, 2023

Aloha. The World and Everything in It is made possible by listeners like us. My name is Lieutenant Colonel TJ Menn and I am currently stationed at Camp Smith Hawaii with my wife and two of my daughters. Because the World team stays up late, we get Friday's news on Thursday night. We hope you enjoy today's program.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Former president Donald Trump receives a third indictment…what’s he being charged with this time?

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Also, it’s illegal in Idaho for an adult to help a minor seek an abortion in another state. Now, the courts are involved.

Plus, how a grandmother recorded hymns for her family and friends…and wound up reaching many more with her music.

STIVERS: I just was trying to think of a way to encourage friends and family and as an outlet, you know, something I could do at home.

And World Commentator Cal Thomas calls for a “gentle rebuke” of a Christian Congresswoman.

REICHARD: It’s Thursday, August 3rd. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown. Good morning!

REICHARD: Time for news with Kent Covington.

Credit rating » Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday slammed a decision by credit rating agency Fitch … to dowgrade the U-S government’s credit score.

YELLEN: Fitch’s decision is puzzling in light of the economic strength we see in the United States. It’s flawed assessment is based on outdated data.

The agency cited rising debt what it called a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years.

In that time, the national debt has skyrocketed from $3.9 trillion to $33 trillion dollars.

Fitch also cited “repeated debt limit standoffs and last-minute resolutions.”

The agency now rates the U-S at AA+, down from its highest rating of AAA.

So, what impact will that have on the average consumer?

Financial analyst Gus Faucher says, for now … probably not much.

FAUCHER: Maybe we see a small reaction in stock markets and bond markets, but I don’t think it’s going to persist over the longer run.

But many economists see this downgrade as a warning about the U.S. government’s long-term fiscal health.

Trump latest » Donald Trump and the 2020 election … are not what Mike Pence wants to be talking about right now … as he tries to build momentum behind his own White House bid.

But the former vice president can’t escape the questions … especially after the Justice Department filed new charges against Trump this week, accusing him of trying to overturn the last presidential election.

Pence said Wednesday:

PENCE: While there has been weaponization at the Justice Department, at the end of the day, history will hold Donald Trump accountable for his reckless words and actions, and I’ll always stand by the truth of that.

The indictment references notes that Pence made at the time … detailing what he described as pressure by Trump to fight the election results.

Pitts synagogue sentence » A federal jury has sentenced Robert Bowers to death in Pennsylvania.

The 63-year-old Bowers walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 with a rifle and began gunning down worshipers.

He killed 11 people, only surrendering when he ran out of ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan:

Olshan: He killed half of the people in that building…Now almost five years ago, he committed the worst anti-Semitic mass shooting in United States history.

Bowers offered to plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. Prosecutors declined that offer.

Niger » Europeans are fleeing Niger amid rising violence following a military government takeover.

Colonel Pierre Gaudilliere says that with the Niger airspace closed, France is evacuating Europeans on military aircraft.

Gaudilliere: Two of them…have already landed…We also have two other military aircraft that are on their way to Niamey.

Anti-French sentiment is high among junta supporters because France once colonized Niger.

Other military-controlled countries in the region are throwing their support behind Niger’s military junta.

Disney DEI » In Orlando … the government body that oversees the district where Disney World resides … is pulling the plug on so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or D-E-I policies WORLD’s Josh Schumacher reports.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: The district says when it awards contracts to companies to perform services within the district … it will no longer consider gender or race.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers earlier this year replaced a Disney-controlled government board … with state-appointed members.

The district's new administrator, Glento Gilzean called the old D-E-I efforts discriminatory and “un-American.”

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Harris rejects debate » Meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris has rejected a challenge from Gov. Ron DeSantis to a debate about Florida’s history curriculum … over claims she made regarding a passage about slavery.

DeSantis said Wednesday:

DESANTIS: That particular passage wasn’t saying that slavery was a benefit. It was saying that there was resourcefulness and people acquired skills in spite of slavery, not because of it.

Harris suggested the state was teaching that slavery benefited those who were enslaved.

DeSantis then invited her to debate her assertions. Harris responded saying she wouldn’t legitimize an unnecessary debate.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Digging into the new Trump indictment.

Plus, how a social media project led to worship ministry

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN: It’s Thursday, the 3rd 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.

MARY REICHARD: And I’m Mary Reichard.

First up, another indictment against former president Donald Trump.

Back in March, Trump was indicted in New York for a conspiracy to cover up payments to silence reports of extramarital affairs. And then in June, Trump was indicted in Florida for mishandling sensitive documents.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: That brings us to yesterday. That’s when a grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Trump on charges related to his response to the 2020 election results. The indictment contains four charges that we will get to in a moment.

Trump is set to appear in court for arraignment later today.

So what exactly is and is not in the indictment?

REICHARD: Here now to talk about it is WORLD’s politics reporter Carolina Lumetta. She joins us from WORLD’s studio in Washington D.C.

Carolina, welcome.

CAROLINA LUMETTA, REPORTER: Hi, Mary.

REICHARD: Let’s start with this latest indictment…keeping in mind that’s not the same as a conviction…but what’s the story that special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment tells about Trump’s response to the 2020 election?

LUMETTA: It's a long and complicated story. But essentially Special Counsel Jack Smith is trying to use the indictment as proof that Trump A) knew that the claims that he had about election fraud in 2020 were false, then B) decided to pursue them anyway, and C) that it led to riots at the US Capitol on January 6. This is what's known as a speaking indictment. It's not just a statement of the charges he's facing. It's also an explanation of the months of investigation that Jack Smith has been doing, which includes a lot of background detail that wasn't really fully fleshed out before. So it starts with alleging that Trump and a series of co-conspirators called state election officials, state legislators, asking them to either find new votes, change the official votes from Biden to Trump, or file a bunch of lawsuits to delay certification. Then it moves on to talking about this plan to use electors in seven key targeted states. This includes Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia to try to submit Electoral College votes in addition to Biden's and try to boost his numbers that way. Then the indictment says that he tried to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to delay certification in Congress or at the very least send the electoral slates back to the states to figure out which ones were the right ones. It all culminates, Smith says, with then Trump repeating claims that he knew were false to a bunch of people at the ellipse in DC on January 6, sending them to the capitol and then refusing to intervene when things got violent.

REICHARD So that’s a lot of background narrative in the indictment. But what is Trump actually charged with doing?

LUMETTA: So he's being charged with four counts all related to Title 18 of the criminal code. The first one is conspiracy to defraud the United States. That means they're saying he tried to change the election results through a lot of those details that I just mentioned before. The second charge is conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The official proceeding being the congressional certification of votes on January 6th. The third charge is attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, meaning he actually did succeed when Congress had to shelter in place for several hours. Pence had to hide in a secure location until they could reconvene to certify the votes. And then the fourth and final count is conspiracy against rights. Specifically the right to vote. Smith's argument is that Trump intimidated electors and state officials pushing what he knew to be lies about election fraud. This then according to the indictment runs afoul of every citizen's right to vote and have their vote fairly counted.

REICHARD: But what evidence do they present to back those charges up?

LUMETTA: Right, we're gonna get a lot more details from this whenever a trial happens. Right now we just have what the indictment says in 45 pages, which, if you're considering all the months that he's been investigating, is honestly not that much. The indictment does reference a bunch of personal text conversations, phone calls, emails, even has Pence’s contemporaneous notes that he took after meetings with President Trump. So it looks like they have a lot of first hand accounts of people who interacted with President Trump. So it includes a lot of personal conversations between people, some that don't actually involve Trump though. For example, there's a conversation that lists between deputy White House counsel, and the person who's listed as co-conspirator number four, the White House Counsel is saying, Hey, if you keep continuing these fake elector plans, if you keep trying to pressure Pence, this is going to end up with riots in the street. And then according to the indictment, co-conspirator number four says, well, that's why there's an Insurrection Act.

REICHARD: So we have these three conspiracy charges. But I remember early on, many people were saying that Trump should be charged with inciting a riot. What happened with that charge?

LUMETTA: The indictment doesn't accuse him of that. It does not say that he called for violence, asked for violence, incited a riot or conspired to for sedition. So most of this relies on proving that he knowingly spread information that wasn't true. The most it accuses him of doing is it has a section where it says he quote, "exploited the disruption." What they mean by that is the indictment says that while people were rioting at the Capitol, breaking in, Trump was calling Trump and a lot of the co-conspirators were calling lawmakers saying, Hey, this is what happened, please change the vote. But all of that doesn't actually amount to criminal incitement. Because it doesn't, this trial could actually turn into another litigation over whether there was election fraud. Because if prosecution has to prove that Trump knew what he said was false, Trump could make his defense that he sincerely believed it, or there genuinely was fraud, and therefore he shouldn't be charged.

REICHARD: And Trump may welcome that opportunity to show that there was election fraud; who knows? Well, let's turn to the race for 2024. Now, Trump is currently far far ahead of his competitors in national polls. So what might this indictment and any trials to come mean for his campaign?

LUMETTA: Well, just like with each of the past two indictments Trump has faced, he's calling it a political witch hunt. For a long time, he said that the Justice Department is really just interested in throwing anything they can at him and hoping that it sticks. So the Trump campaign is kind of treating this as business as usual. And he has received a polling and donation boost each time he's been indicted. This month, though, it does look like legal fees are starting to take a toll on his campaign. I have more information about this up online. But in the latest FEC filings, it shows that the Trump campaign has been spending 10s of millions on legal fees, moving a lot of money around between the campaign and super PACs, and it's a lot to keep track of as far as what it means for voters. This is the really big question, because Trump is at this point in time the presumptive Republican nominee, it's not clear what can stop him. It does appear to keep energizing his base. It's not clear what this is going to do to a lot of the other voters though. Even if Trump can tell his base that the DOJ is persecuting him, it's not clear that undecided voters will, will really care one way or the other. If Trump ends up being the Republican nominee, and Biden ends up being the Democrat nominee again, that could be a really important demographic given just how close the 2020 election was.

REICHARD: Carolina Lumetta is a politics reporter based in Washington, DC, Carolina. Thanks for your time.

LUMETTA: Thanks, Mary.

MYRNA BROWN: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It:

Legal battles over abortion trafficking bans.

Those are laws that criminalize transporting a minor across state lines to get an abortion without parental consent.

Idaho has been a trailblazer to pass a variety of pro-life protections like that.

MARY REICHARD: But on Monday, a judge in Idaho upheld the right ofin-state medical providers to refer patients…including pregnant minors…to out-of-state abortionists. That ruling undermines the state’s abortion ban.

Lawsuits filed last month challenging the trafficking ban put the courts in position to decide the fate of the law.

BROWN: What does this mean for abortion in Idaho, and across the country?

Reporting producer Lillian Hamman has the story.

LILLIAN HAMMAN: The end of Roe v. Wade last year raised all kinds of questions about the future of abortion in America. Two of those questions are “How are women and girls in pro-life states getting abortions elsewhere?” and “who is helping them get there?”

The state of Idaho finds itself at the forefront in responding to those questions. Bordered by pro-abortion states like Oregon, Washington, and California, Idaho boasts a strong abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother. On April 5th, Republican Governor Brad Little signed another abortion ban into law, that’s the first of its kind in the nation. Audio here from MSNBC.

MSNBC: A new Idaho law makes it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent. It's called the abortion trafficking law…it can mean 2 to 5 years in prison if anyone is convicted

Then, in July, Attorney Lourdes [Lor-diz] Motsumoto and a coalition of advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s abortion trafficking ban. They claim it violates constitutional speech and travel rights. Adults are forbidden from talking to minors about abortion and can be prosecuted for transporting minors for out-of-state abortions without parental consent. Here’s Idaho House minority leader Ilana Rubel speaking to KTVB-7 after the lawsuit was filed.

RUBEL: Just because the Supreme Court said you can ban abortion does not mean they get to throw the First Amendment out the window and the Fifth Amendment out the window and the 14th Amendment out the window.

Plaintiff Motsumoto also claims the language of the law is too vague to interpret responsibly.

MOTSUMOTO: It's not exactly clear on what you can and can't do and can and can't say to a minor who comes to you and says, I'm trying to get out of the abusive situation. Here's my situation. Can I even give that person all of their options?

But State Representative Barbara Hart clarifies that supporters of the ban say the lawsuit is more an issue of the rights parents have over their children’s medical decisions.

HART: It doesn't criminalize travel. It criminalizes the taking of a child across the border without the parents permission…[1:00] in any other circumstance, we would call this kidnapping.

David Ripley, the Executive director of Idaho Chooses Life, is concerned about the claims made by those suing the state. But he’s also puzzled about the plaintiffs themselves. Along with Matsumoto and the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, the lawsuit was jointly filed by the Indigenous Idaho Alliance organization, and a gender advocacy group called The Legal Voice.

RIPLEY: It's a strange collection of plaintiffs in my opinion…this is an abortion trafficking bill. It's specific to abortion. Why would an LGBTQ group get involved in an issue like that?

But since the overturning of Roe, Ripley has been responding to new legal developments in the fight for life…and not just life in the womb.

RIPLEY: We're not just talking about abortion in this lawsuit, we're talking about…Concepts like bodily autonomy, sexual freedom. They basically deny the right of parents altogether to manage the health and well being and sexual activities of their children…The child by definition is incapable of really comprehending and appreciating circumstances and complications and risks and potential benefits…There is no age, attached to any of these views about bodily autonomy and the right to who they talk to a right to make decisions, the right to be trafficked across state lines by strangers essentially.

If the lawsuit prevails, Ripley says the legal precedent could lay the groundwork for advocates of transgender procedures to transport children to states supporting so-called gender affirming care.

RIPLEY: [11:31] Again, without parental knowledge, or consent…[13:45] they have taken it upon themselves, to be the arbiter of what is good and bad for a child for whom they have no legal responsibility, and for whom they have no accountability with respect to the implications of what happens afterwards.

Ripley recognizes that not every child’s parent or guardian is safe. Unfortunately, some may even be perpetrators of the pregnancy. Ripley believes the ban also serves to protect those children by bringing their circumstances to the light.

RIPLEY: There are real situations out there, no doubt about it…But the fact is you have a legal duty not just to deal with the pregnancy, you have a legal duty to deal with that child and get that child out of that circumstance…And unless you involve law enforcement, you're treating the symptom…The only hope for that child is law enforcement investigating…And holding people accountable…There's a clear duty under the Idaho law…to intervene in a way that's actually appropriate to make sure that law enforcement figures out what's happening to that child.

The lawsuit against Idaho’s abortion trafficking ban could take months to resolve. Monday’s ruling restored the ability for any woman to get a referral for an abortion out of state. But physically transporting minors to have an abortion without parental consent remains illegal…for now.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lillian Hamman.

MYRNA BROWN: Summer is almost over, but here’s a chance for a cool job before going back to school. Audio from the Uno TikTok channel.

UNO: We're looking for our very first Chief Uno player.

The folks behind the classic card game are looking for someone who can skip, reverse, and play all their cards first…with a twist.

UNO: Your job is to play and teach people our latest game Uno Quattro.

MARY REICHARD: Uno…what?

BROWN: Uno Quatro…it’s a cross between the card game and Connect 4. And they’re pretty fixated on the number 4.

UNO: We'll pay you $4,444.44 a week for four weeks. All you have to do is play Uno Quattro four hours a day, four days a week for those four weeks.

BROWN: “Four” all over the place…but there’s only one job opening. So if you want it, you’ll have to compete by making TikTok application videos.

REICHARD: You going four it?

BROWN: Nah, I think I’ll skip.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD: Today is Thursday, August 3rd.

You’re listening to WORLD Radio and we’re glad you’re here.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: being faithful… in the little things.

Some people post videos to social media in hopes they’ll get that 15 seconds of fame. But for every viral video, thousands are posted that seek to quietly encourage others.

REICHARD: Early in the pandemic in 2020, we met a Christian grandmother who recorded a hymn every day and posted it to Facebook. Just a few people watched. But it didn’t end there. WORLD’s Executive Producer Paul Butler has our story.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: It wasn’t that long ago when everything shut down during the early days of the pandemic…including churches:

SHUT DOWN MONTAGE (INCLUDING CHURCHES)

And like many of us, Louisville resident Marbara Stivers was suddenly stuck at home. It came on the heels of a discouraging season—as her previous church library ministry had painfully ended a few months earlier.

STIVERS: I felt very fragile. You didn't know what was going to happen. You didn't know if the next person you saw was going to give you some disease or whatever. I mean, it was just there was so many unknowns at that time.

So on April 1st, 2020, Stivers set up a phone and recorded herself playing and singing: This is My Father’s World. She posted it to Facebook…

VIDEO: Marbara Jayne Baker Stivers - April 1, 2020
This is my Father’s World

STIVERS: And that's just the song that came to me to start with. [17:08] that was a reminder to me that no matter what happened, or what was going on, God was still in control.

Stivers wasn’t sure how many of her friends or family would watch…but that didn’t matter.

STIVERS: [1:01] I just was trying to think of a way to encourage friends and family and as an outlet, you know, something I could do at home. And so I decided that I asked God, what he wanted me to do. And so he said, sing...

And with that, Musical Moments with Marbara began:

[MONTAGE OF HYMNS]

Stivers posted a hymn every day for months. Shortly after she posted her 250th consecutive video she spoke with WORLD Radio…

MARBARA STIVERS: I’m an introvert. And this is just a perfect way for me to connect at my own pace, and other people can listen when they want or not.

That was December 9th, 2020. I asked Marbara at the time, how long she planned to continue recording hymns for her family and Facebook friends…she said she’d continue until God made it clear it was time to end. That turned out to be much longer than she expected. So she just kept singing…

[MONTAGE OF HYMNS II]

Some videos have had more than two or three hundred views…most are well under a hundred…some less than 30. But Marbara didn’t track the views. She believed that God would bring those who needed to hear a particular song to that particular song. Those who checked in each day often found their spirits lifted by the unassuming and simple recordings of hymns, choruses, and gospel songs—sprinkled with scripture readings and song histories. Sometimes, she was joined by her family.

Musical Moments with Marbara #275 - December 31, 2020
We Gather Together

One Facebook friend commented on this episode from December 31st, 2020: “Your musical interludes have been a real bright spot in these days of COVID. Thank you for sharing with us.”

As I scroll through the hundreds of videos, most don’t have comments…just emojis—thumbs up, smiley faces, or hearts. Stivers says she wasn’t always sure if the songs were helpful for others…but they certainly were for her.

STIVERS: And it was just like, that was my job. And it gave me a focus. During that time when we didn't have… when everything was so uncertain. That was something that I could do every day.

Stivers seems almost embarrassed as she reflects back on the project. But her love for Christ and her desire to be obedient to His leading is clear.

STIVERS: Matthew 5:16, came to me this morning, it says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” And I wasn't doing it for people to see good works, but I do want them to glorify God.

On August 25th, 2021, Stivers recorded her last Musical Moments with Marbara. Episode #501.

[EPISODE #501 CLIP]

Even now a few years later, people still stumble upon the videos and surprise Stivers by commenting or sharing them.

STIVERS: the Bible says God's Word does not return to Him void. So whatever of him was in the recording, I hope that that it will continue to do its work.

During COVID, her pastor began occasionally streaming Stivers’s videos in the weekly online service. Marbara also started singing with the Zoom worship team. That continued once in person church services began again. Slowly, leadership gave her more and more responsibility. Then earlier this year her pastor encouraged her to lead the worship ministry.

STIVERS: You know, I, I just had my 70th birthday. And I, I never dreamed in my life, that at 70 that I would be the worship leader in our church. So that's how it changed me.

Stivers says those 501 videos prepared her for what God had in store…and no one is more surprised than she is…

STIVERS: Just don't restrict what God can do with your life…You're never too old to start a new thing…I thought my service for God was over …But he wasn't through with me… just be available…to say yes, because you never know what God has in store.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

MYRNA BROWN: Today is Thursday, August 3rd. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD: And I’m Mary Reichard. Last week was the 13th Annual South Carolina Prayer Breakfast, taking place in the nation’s capital. One representative included some… rather frank talk. Here’s World commentator Cal Thomas.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: Remarks by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace at a South Carolina prayer breakfast, hosted by Senator and Republican Presidential Candidate Tim Scott, have caused a stir among believers and non-believers. If you haven’t heard, she said her “fiance” wanted to have an intimate moment in bed with her that morning, but she turned him down because it would make her late for the breakfast. She told her male friend (“fiance” is overused these days) she would be home in the evening and they could have their moment then.

One evangelical leader I spoke with had it right: “This is a very sad illustration of how very immature most believers are. That lack of maturity is a clear lack of discipleship.” Others, including Mace’s pastor, seemed to treat her remarks as something to be taken lightly. It isn’t. It should be noted that as Paul wrote, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and “No one is righteous, no not one.” But there is a difference between acknowledging and repenting of sin and seeming to make fun or justifying it.

Senator Scott, who is single, claimed to have been a virgin in his early years of running for public office. Since then, he has admitted to having premarital sex, but told the National Journal: “the Bible is very clear: abstinence until marriage. Not to do so is a sin.” I don’t know if that counts as repentance, but it does remind people of the boundaries God has set for the benefit of his people and to preserve His image in us.

This is foremost a standard for believers. The world goes its own way, and we’ve seen the results in abortion, STD’s, living together, and broken marriages. Again, this is not to judge. Like everyone else, I, too, am a sinner, but saved by grace and through faith in Christ.

To mock God’s standard is to mock God. Congresswoman Mace is divorced and has two children. What kind of example is she setting for them? How can she tell them not to do what she is doing? What message does this send to weak Christians?

In First Corinthians Chapter 8, Paul writes: “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.” His admonition applies to more than just eating meat.

One hopes a gentle rebuke from someone close to Congresswoman Mace will help her see the light, repent, and move out, or marry the man she has been sleeping with.

I’m Cal Thomas.

MARY REICHARD: Tomorrow: Abortion bans do not cause teen pregnancies, no matter what the Washington Post says. John Stonestreet will join us on Culture Friday to talk about it.

And, Ask the Editor for August.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Mary Reichard.

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.

Jesus said: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9, verse 42.

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.