The World and Everything in It — January 29, 2020

MEGAN BASHAM, HOST: Good morning!

The opening-argument phase of the impeachment trial is over and the next move is cross-examination, followed by a decision on calling witnesses.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Ahead today on Washington Wednesday, I’ll ask political analyst Kyle Kondik whether the president’s former national security adviser’s book excerpt changes anything. 

And Africa reporter Onize Ohikere has this week’s World Tour.

Plus, we’ll introduce you to a restaurateur who uses pizza to share the love of God with his neighbors.

AZAR: So I brought ‘em down. I made a pizza. I gave them all sodas and gave ‘em all a little bit of frozen dessert. To me…That’s just a simple thing that you can do for others.

And Janie B. Cheaney on beginnings and endings.

BASHAM: It’s Wednesday, January 29th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Megan Basham.

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

BASHAM: Up next, Kent Covington has today’s news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Trump defense team wraps up opening arguments » President Trump’s defense team wrapped up opening arguments on the Senate floor Tuesday. White House counsel Pat Cipollone told senators, “This should end now, as quickly as possible.”

CIPOLLONE: The articles of impeachment fall far short of any constitutional standard, and they are dangerous. 

And Trump attorney Jay Sekulow summed up House Democrats’ impeachment case this way…

SEKULOW: The partisan impeachment based on policy disagreements, which is what this is, and personal presumptions, or newspaper reports and allegations in an unsourced—maybe this is in somebody’s book, who is no longer at the White House. 

That was a reference to a newspaper report about an excerpt from John Bolton’s forthcoming book. The former national security adviser reportedly said President Trump wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine for political reasons. 

White House lawyers said the report is not relevant and it does not change the fundamental facts of the case. 

But that report bolstered calls from Democrats to summon Bolton and other witnesses to testify. They’re ramping up pressure, especially on GOP senators who could be vulnerable in this year’s election. 

And the Senate is now poised to debate whether to call new witnesses into the trial. If that does not happen, the trial could come to a close by the end of the week. 

Trump, Netanyahu unveil Middle East peace plan » President Trump on Tuesday announced the details of his new Middle East peace plan. 

In a joint White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the plan calls for a two-state solution.

TRUMP: This map will more than double the Palestinian territory, and provide a Palestinian capital in eastern Jerusalem, where America will proudly open an embassy. 

The plan also recognizes Israeli sovereignty over some settlements in the West Bank and much of the Jordan Valley. It calls for a four-year freeze on Israel constructing new settlements while Israeli and Palestinian officials work out a comprehensive agreement.

But to get their own state, Palestinians must meet certain conditions, such as rejecting groups that are connected with terrorism. 

The proposal was not warmly received in Gaza or the West Bank. 

AUDIO: [Sound of Palestine protest]

Some demonstrators burned U.S. and Israeli flags. Palestinian leaders have already rejected the plan and called on surrounding countries to do likewise.

CDC expands coronavirus screening, issues travel alert for China » The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding its screening for the coronavirus at U.S. airports. The agency was already screening in five cities. It will now screen travelers from China at 20 airports. 

CDC Director Robert Redfield said while the government is taking the threat seriously right now, it’s no cause for alarm in the United States. 

REDFIELD: Right now there is no spread of this virus in our communities here at home. This is why it is our assessment is that the immediate health risk of this new virus to the general public is low in our nation. 

But the CDC has issued a level 3 travel warning for China. That means the government is urging  all travelers to avoid all nonessential travel there. Previously, the level 3 warning only applied to the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. 

As of Tuesday, there were five confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, but nearly 5,000 in China, where the virus has killed more than a hundred people. 

Christian Lindmeier with the World Health Organization told reports on Tuesday…

LANDMEIER: The global risk assessment is high. The regional level is high, and for China it’s very high. 

China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further. The lockdown has trapped more than 50 million people in the most far-reaching disease control measures ever imposed.

Remains of two service members recovered in Afghanistan » The U.S. military has recovered the remains of two American service members killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan. That according to a U.S. defense official who spoke with the Associated Press. 

Taliban militants were reportedly searching for two other people they believed may have survived the crash. But the official said the victims were the only two people aboard the aircraft.

The Air Force E-11A electronic surveillance plane went down Monday in eastern Afghanistan, south of Kabul.

The American recovery team met no Taliban resistance in reaching the crash site and there is still no indication that enemy fire brought down the plane.

Britain grants Huawei limited role in new 5G network, snubbing U.S warnings » The UK decided Tuesday to let Chinese tech giant Huawei have a limited role supplying new high-speed network equipment to wireless carriers. That sets up a possible diplomatic clash with the United States. World Radio’s Anna Johansen has more. 

ANNA JOHANSEN, REPORTER: In allowing Huawei’s participation, Britain brushed off warnings from the U.S. government that it might sever intelligence sharing.

The United States placed sanctions on Huawei last year and has sounded alarms about it sharing data with the Chinese government. 

But Britain does not share that concern.  

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Tuesday, “We would never take decisions that threaten our national security or the security of our Five Eyes partners.” He added, “We know more about Huawei and the risks that it poses than any other country in the world.”

The British government said it is excluding “high risk” companies from supplying the sensitive “core” parts of the new 5G networks. But Britain will allow high risk suppliers to provide up to 35 percent of a carrier’s less risky radio network.

A senior Trump administration official said the White House is disappointed by the decision adding that the U.S. government would work with the U.K. on a “way forward.”

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Anna Johansen.

COVINGTON: I’m Kent Covington. Straight ahead: the Senate enters the next phase of the impeachment trial.

Plus, Janie B. Cheaney on Biblical motivation.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MEGAN BASHAM: It’s Wednesday the 29th of January, 2020. Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Megan Basham.

NICK EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. First up today: Washington Wednesday.

Opening arguments in the impeachment trial against President Trump ended yesterday. Today, senators get a chance to question both sides. But don’t expect a lively cross examination. The senators themselves cannot speak during this part of the trial. They must submit all questions to Chief Justice John Roberts, who will read them aloud and allow the legal teams to respond.

BASHAM: Last week, the trial went just about as expected, with no surprises. But a new revelation from outside the Senate chambers could be a game-changer. On Sunday, The New York Times published leaked excerpts of a forthcoming tell-all memoir by former National Security adviser John Bolton. In it, Bolton reportedly claims the president said he wanted to freeze military aid to Ukraine until it agreed to launch investigations into Democrats.

EICHER: That revelation could have a big effect on the next possible phase of the trial: witness testimony. Democrats have said all along they want to hear from people who had direct knowledge of the president’s actions, including Bolton. Republicans claim that’s not necessary. But the leaked excerpt of Bolton’s book is making that argument more difficult. Senators are set to vote on the witness question Friday.

Joining us now to untangle this political web is Kyle Kondik. He’s with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Good morning!

KYLE KONDIK, GUEST: Good morning!

EICHER: Let’s start with this Bolton revelation and how it might affect Friday’s witness vote. Do you think it on its own will sway enough Republicans to side with Democrats on this?

KONDIK: Well, however likely—or whatever the likelihood it was that Bolton was going to testify prior to these news reports coming out about Bolton’s book manuscript, I would say the chances went up of Bolton actually testifying. And we have seen some Republican senators suggest they would like to hear from Bolton. And, look, I think that as so often happens with this White House, I think Senate Republicans were sort of thrown for a loop a little bit because it seems like they didn’t quite realize what was in this book manuscript that Bolton submitted. Now, you know, at the end of the day, this is still about whether or not the president would actually get convicted by the Senate. And that still does not seem likely. But, you know, it’s a revelation that I think for a lot of Republicans was unwelcome.

EICHER: Remind us who those swing votes are and why they might break ranks with their fellow Republicans.

BASHAM: Well, you know, Susan Collins of Maine is a natural person who comes up and she’s someone who has won pretty handy reelections in Maine, which is generally thought of as a Democratic state, although it’s more competitive than people give it credit for. Mitt Romney of Utah, who is a Trump critic and a newer member of the U.S. Senate. Lamar Alexander, retiring member from Tennessee. You do also have some swing state Republicans like Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, although they have by and large suggested that they probably are going to be sticking with the president on these things, there could potentially be some wild cards here. But those are some names that come up either for political reasons or for some of the public statements that they have made that have not always been supportive of the president on this—specifically I think about someone like Romney.

EICHER: There are a few Democrats also in the middle here, right? I’m thinking particularly of Doug Jones in Alabama. He’s fighting to keep the Senate seat he won in a special election in 2018. And of course Alabama is typically a Republican stronghold. How is that playing into his calculations, and do you know of other Democrats facing challenges similar to Jones?

BASHAM: Yeah, I mean Doug Jones is the most vulnerable senator in the country and he’s probably a clear underdog to win a full term in the Senate later this year. And he’s someone who has to try to tread lightly here, although honestly there may not really be much of anything he can do from a political standpoint as part of this impeachment trial to really help himself. Joe Manchin is another kind of wildcard in the Senate in terms of these votes and the ultimate decision whether to convict or acquit. Manchin just got reelected and so he’s not going to be on the ballot anytime soon—maybe ever—but he’s in a state that—West Virginia—that Donald Trump won by more than 40 points and so he’s always someone who can be politically cautious. And then even someone like Kyrsten Sinema who just got elected from Arizona. And so she’s another person who I think is kind of an interesting vote, particularly when it comes to the ultimate decision to convict or acquit.

EICHER: So, both sides are evaluating the possible effect on the November election that witness testimony and the rest of the proceedings will have. Does either side have an advantage as things stand now?

KONDIK: You know, overall, I think that impeachment—I don’t think you could say it’s really hurt the president or Republicans in that you haven’t seen the president’s approval rating decline. And, in fact, I think maybe it has gone up a little bit. I think partially because sometimes when a party feels like it’s threatened, maybe that causes them to rally around the flag a little bit and maybe we’re seeing that with Republicans. It’s just a theory on my part. And the president’s approval rating is still net-negative, although in most national polls it’s now maybe closer to 45 percent than, say, 40 percent, which is maybe where it is at some other times. But it may also be that once we get beyond impeachment here, one wonders whether we’ll move on to other things. Particularly because once the trial concludes, whenever it does conclude, we’re going to be in the midst of the voting for the Democratic primary and that really picks up in early March. I mean, look, this president is going to be, again, so long as he’s not removed from office—which does not seem very likely—he’s going to be the first president, really ever, to have survived impeachment and then run for reelection. And so it’s kind of an unprecedented situation.

EICHER: If Senators do agree to hear witness testimony, what are the chances Republicans will call former Vice President Joe Biden, or his son, Hunter?

KONDIK: Well, I mean, it all depends on how many votes there are for the calling of individual witnesses—whether it’s witnesses that Democrats want to hear from or witnesses that Republicans want to hear from. I mean, I’ve heard—there’s been this talk of doing deals or whatever, but ultimately it’s whatever there are votes for. Republicans, if they are unified, can call the witnesses that they want. But, again, this all seems like a pretty fluid situation.

EICHER: Bolton’s book revelation really changed the dynamic—or seemed to—with the leak of the manuscript. And it derailed somewhat what I thought was going to be a fairly predictable process. Do you know of any other potential bombshells out there that could change the dynamic again?

KONDIK: I don’t, but the thing with this White House is that it seems like there’s always another shoe to drop with new revelations, new accusations, new people coming forward. And, you know, so there’s always the possibility of new facts emerging here. And that’s the tricky thing for Republicans is that when you have an unpredictable person in the White House, who doesn’t seem to be particularly good at keeping his allies in the loop all the time, you just never know when you may think you have a handle on something and then all of a sudden you don’t have a handle on it anymore. And, look, on one hand obviously this is—there are a lot of headaches for Republicans, but on the other hand, things move so fast that even for the president’s critics, it’s sort of hard to keep everything front of mind and the sheer volume of controversy of debate and whatnot makes it hard, I think, for some things to stick to this president, which is ultimately a testament to his resilience, which has I think been shown in many instances.

EICHER: I don’t understand the position the president’s taking by denying that he predicated aid on anti-corruption investigations. I mean, I listened to his lawyer Alan Dershowitz ably making the case that that’s not impeachable and that Bolton’s book, as reported, is therefore ho-hum stuff. It’s irrelevant to these impeachment articles. But it becomes relevant because the president has a position that he’s taken and it contradicts his statements.

KONDIK: The president really could—I think—could do himself a favor by simply saying at some point, “Hey, look, I went a little too far on this one. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” If he were to say that, I think it would defang a lot of the arguments against him. And it would also make it easier for Republicans to defend Trump. I mean, you know, whatever you think of Bill Clinton and whether he should have been removed or not during his impeachment and, you know, he did show some remorse for his behavior even as Democrats stuck with him. But it made it easier for Democrats to say, hey, well, we don’t have to defend every aspect of Clinton’s bad behavior here. But we don’t think he should be removed from office for this. But that’s just not something he’s ever going to do, really. He’s never shown the capacity for it.

EICHER: Kyle Kondik is with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. Thanks for joining us today.

KONDIK: Thank you!

NICK EICHER: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with Africa reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Protests continue in Iraq—We start today in the Middle East.

AUDIO: [Iraqi student protest]

Student-led, anti-government protests in Iraq show no signs of slowing despite an increasingly violent response from security forces and other armed groups.

AUDIO: [Shots at Iraqi protest]

On Monday, gunmen stormed a protest camp in the southern city of Nasiriyah. They set fire to tents and shot at sleeping protesters, killing one and wounding four others. Hours later, defiant protesters put up new tents in a signal they would not be intimidated.

The protesters are demanding snap elections and an end to outside influence in the country, including from the United States and Iran. When the rallies began in early October they had the backing of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. But he withdrew his support last week, prompting fears of more violence.

Russian parliament approves constitutional changes—Next to Russia.

Lawmakers in Moscow unanimously approved changes to the country’s constitution in a preliminary vote last week. The bill must pass two more readings before it can become law.

AUDIO: [Russian parliament changes]

A few days before the parliamentary vote, President Vladimir Putin announced appointments to his new cabinet.

PUTIN: [Speaking Russian]

Putin told the new ministers he hoped they would do everything in their power to achieve his goals. But Kremlin watchers say it’s not clear what those goals are.

Putin’s constitutional reforms transfer some governing authority to parliament, including the power to choose the prime minister. They also increase the role of an advisory body called the State Council.

But analysts say Putin has no intention of giving up any control. They speculate he’s strengthening the State Council to give himself a powerful new role to fill when his presidential term ends in 2024.

Brazil cleans up from floods after record rainfall—Next to South America.

AUDIO: [Brazil flood cleanup]

Brazilians are cleaning up after record rainfall caused flash flooding and mudslides in the southeastern region of the country. At least 54 people died. Eighteen remain missing.

Many of the damaged and destroyed houses were built without permits in high-risk areas. Nearly 7 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, the heaviest rainfall in 1-hundred-10 years. And more rain is expected this week.

More than 120 cities have already declared a state of emergency.

Britain prepares for Brexit—And finally, we end today in Europe.

This is Great Britain’s last week as a member of the European Union. After years of delays, Brexit will finally happen on Friday. But the continental strife is far from over.

Michel Barnier is the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.

BARNIER: It is absolutely clear that there will be negative consequences. Whatever agreement we reach on our future relationship, Brexit will always be a matter of damage limitation.

In early March, the countries begin a transition phase to hash out their future relationship. Talks will include issues like domestic labor and environmental standards, data sharing, security, and law enforcement. They are supposed to reach an agreement by December 31st. But many analysts expect that deadline to be extended.

That’s this week’s World Tour. For WORLD Radio, I’m Onize Ohikere reporting from Abuja, Nigeria.

NICK EICHER: You may have seen ads online from animal shelters, hoping to find new families for homeless pets. 

There’s got to be a template for these things—just press a function key and, voilà, it spits out copy like this: …adorable, loving silver tabby seeks a new home. Great with children!

Yeah. Well, let me tell you about a shelter in North Carolina that took the honest route: 

They knew they couldn’t say any of that stuff about Perdita the cat. So they went with brutal honesty. In a tongue-in-cheek Facebook post, they called her “world’s worst cat.” 

Now that’s saying something.

Perdita is said to like horror films, jump scares, lurking in dark corners, that kind of thing. 

Dislikes include “the color pink, kittens, dogs, children, Disney movies, Christmas and last but NOT least … HUGS.” What cat doesn’t, c’mon.

Here’s Amber Lowery of Mitchell County Animal Rescue.

LOWERY: And we knew that if we celebrated those differences rather than hide them that an appropriate home would come along, and adopt her, knowing all of her flaws. 

Right, like the Addams family!

Oh, one more thing. If you’re willing to take the “world’s worst cat” off their hands, the shelter will waive the adoption fee! Bargain!

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER: Today is Wednesday, January 29th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. 

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MEGAN BASHAM: And I’m Megan Basham. Coming next on The World and Everything in It:  a Middle Eastern restaurant owner in the pizza business.

Manhattan Pizza is a popular hangout for Patrick Henry College students in Purcellville, Virginia. WORLD Radio intern Kyle Ziemnick is a student at PHC and recently sat down with the owner to hear his unusual story.

KYLE ZIEMNICK, REPORTER: New York style pizza is one of America’s classic dishes. Brought over by Italian immigrants in the 1800s, it’s a delicious symbol of the American dream. Here, in Purcellville, Virginia, another immigrant is dishing it out to customers; but he’s no Italian.

AZAR: Yeah, I didn’t care what kind of business I got into. The food business – it was the first opportunity, real opportunity for me. 

That’s Jack Azar. He’s the owner of Manhattan Pizza, a local chain. Azar was born to Palestinian Christians who were refugees from the Israeli War for Independence. Azar’s parents died when he was a child, so he grew up in a school for orphans. 

AZAR: I always said to myself that my upbringing at the home, at the orphanage home teaching, you know, the Bible really, uh, I always used that for strength. That was my core strength and everything I ever did. 

Azar was sponsored by an American family during his time at the orphanage. In 1977, they decided to bring him and some of his siblings to the United States to live with them in New Hampshire. But Azar got tired of life in their small New England town. And at 14 years old, he ran away.

Azar took buses all the way from New Hampshire to his sister’s home in Houston, Texas. Cousins in San Francisco heard about his plight and invited him to live with them. Life there wasn’t always easy.

AZAR: …and I would go to school and I would eat peanut butter and jelly because that’s all I can afford. It was peanut butter and jelly, a dozen eggs and bread. That’s what I ate all day long when I was a freshman and a sophomore in high school…

When Azar was 18, he went looking for a job. The father of one of his best friends owned a small deli in San Francisco.

AZAR: He said, “Jack, do you want to come and help me?” And I did, but then he was going to shut it down and I said, “I’ll take it over.” And I actually took it over for free.

Eventually, Azar moved to northern Virginia. In 2005, he bought Manhattan Pizza from his wife’s parents.

AUDIO: [KITCHEN SOUNDS]

At the time, it was a mom and pop shop in Ashburn. Azar had bigger plans. This location in Purcellville is his 15th store. 

AUDIO: [INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMER]

As with any other business, Azar’s goal for the pizzeria is to make money. But he also sees it as a way to do something more. It started back at his deli in San Francisco.

AZAR: My deli’s area was an industrial zone, so that had a lot of people that didn’t have money and there was a lot of people… a lot of blue collar workers. So, some people would walk in and I would give them a sandwich, cut it up in six and feed everybody. And it became a habit for a lot of these people. I absolutely loved it. It made me feel so good.

Azar continues to look out for those around him today. He’s given hundreds of turkeys away to needy families around Thanksgiving every year. And opportunities to serve continue to surprise him—like a woman who visited the store in November.

AZAR: And she had six kids in a car. And I said, what are you, what are you doing? She started crying… I said, “Don’t say nothing. Bring the kids now and I’m going to make them dinner.” And she said, “Sure, Jack?” I said, “Yeah, absolutely. Bring ‘em down.” So I brought ‘em down. I made a pizza. I gave them all sodas and gave ‘em all a little bit of frozen dessert. To me… That’s just a simple thing that you can do for others.

Generosity can certainly benefit Azar’s business. Being a good Samaritan boosts interest when word gets out. But he says that isn’t why he does it. Azar says success comes from God’s hands, not his own work. He’s just trying to invest his gifts and resources for God’s glory.

AZAR: And anytime I had difficulties, I would pray, I would get on my knees and I would pray for strength. And, um, and God blessed me in everything I ever done.

And it’s that blessing that Azar wants to share with others. 

AZAR: I mean, $50. You know, you know if you can give someone $50 to go buy a nice dinner… What, $50 can make anyone rich? Simple.

For WORLD Radio, I’m Kyle Ziemnick reporting from Purcellville, Virginia.

MEGAN BASHAM: Today is Wednesday, January 29th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Megan Basham.

NICK EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Here’s WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney on getting wise and gaining perspective.

JANIE B. CHEANEY, COMMENTATOR: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” That was my introduction to motivational posters, years ago. It was a revelation: Hey! However I’ve slipped up in the past, there’s always a tomorrow. Gotta learn how to fall before you learn to fly, right? You never fail until you stop trying! Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.And sometimes you just fritter away another day binge-watching and overeating.

But there’s always tomorrow until, as Professor Harold Hill says in The Music Man: “Pile up enough tomorrows, and all you have are a bunch of empty yesterdays.” Pile up enough motivational posters, and you can start a pretty good bonfire.

But how’s this for motivation: “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he may be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). He is the beginning tumbles out in a stream of superlatives describing Christ. It goes by so quickly you almost miss it. But wait—go back and consider what those words really say: He is the beginning. Every pronoun has an antecedent. This one has several: image, firstborn, head (of the body), fullness, preeminence, beloved Son. He occupies the shining center of “all things.” Rather than negation, he radiates affirmation, all Creation circling around and rejoicing in him. 

He is the beginning. Present tense. The gate of time stands open, and he occupies the threshold as humanity pours through. He is the door, but also the deed; the object of all those by, through and in prepositions. At the same time, he’s the active agent. He does it. He is it, yesterday and forever, and always today. 

He is the beginning. I used to love beginnings. At the school year, I’d sharpen pencils and plan my schedule. On New Year’s Day, I’d savor that last piece of Christmas fudge before starting the diet-and-exercise program. In the hospital with a new baby, I’d make promises no one can keep. You know what happens, though: the pencils get stubby, resolutions don’t hold up, and babies grow into themselves, striding off in unforeseen directions. I still like beginnings, but by now I’m wise to them. They can be slippery, for as long as I know there’s another one coming, flubbing this one is not the end of the world. Until the last New Year’s Day finally arrives and, whether I know it or not, it’s the end of the world for me.

But not for Him. By entering the world, He became our beginning. He’s good for His promises and knows where He’s going—in fact, He’s already there, interceding for us. Beginning with us, day after day. This year, I predict we’ll hear bad news and good news, puzzling news and smack-ourselves-on-the-forehead news. From Heaven’s perspective, however, 2020 is already old news. The real news is perpetually good, provided we know the Omega from the Alpha.

For WORLD Radio, I’m Janie B. Cheaney.

NICK EICHER: Tomorrow: the Trump administration wants to flush decades-old regulations for low-flow toilets and efficiency standards for household appliances. We’ll tell you why.

And, we’ll take you to the Netherlands, where Christians are leading an increasingly popular effort to end legalized prostitution.

That and more tomorrow. 

I’m Nick Eicher.

MEGAN BASHAM: And I’m Megan Basham.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio.

WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

John reminds us that if we confess our sins Christ is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I hope you’ll have a great rest of the day. We’ll talk to you tomorrow!

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.