The World and Everything in It - June 23, 2021

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

President Biden wrapped up his European tour last week. What’s come out of those meetings as far as foreign policy?

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

Also World Tour.

Plus small businesses in small towns require big commitments.

And freshen up your Bible reading by changing your outlook. Commentary today from Steve West.

REICHARD: It’s Wednesday, June 23rd. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

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

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

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Republicans scuttle Democratic election law overhaul » Senate Republicans sank a Democratic effort to overhaul U.S. election law on Tuesday.

AUDIO: On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. Three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to.

Moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, who had been the only Democratic holdout, agreed to advance the bill. That gave Democrats 50 “yes” votes, but they would have needed 60 to overcome a GOP filibuster.

The legislation would have shifted a great deal of power over election law from states to Washington. Republicans like Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said that is clearly unconstitutional.

PORTMAN: I think it would amount to a federal takeover of the election system, which has always been in the domain of the states.

Democratic senators continued to charge that new voting laws in Republican-led states are unjust and make more federal control necessary. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar...

KLOBUCHAR: They are real efforts to disenfranchise regular Americans from voting.

Democrats have vowed to continue the fight to overhaul U.S. election law.

Judge clears Trump, Barr in Lafayette Park case » A federal judge has dismissed a series of lawsuits against former President Donald Trump and other officials. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The case alleged a conspiracy between Trump and then–Attorney General William Barr to clear protesters out of Lafayette Square near the White House last year.

Authorities cleared the protesters before the president walked through it on his way to St. John’s Episcopal Church on June 1st of 2020.

The ruling follows an inspector general report earlier this month that confirmed pre-existing plans to clear the park for a fence installation.

The report said police were already under orders to clear a section of Lafayette Square so contractors could install new fencing. The contractors had already started by the time Trump was on his way.

D.C. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich wrote in the opinion that the plaintiffs could not cite specific injuries committed by specific individuals.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Vaccinations falling short of White House goal as variant spreads » It appears the United States will miss President Biden’s goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adult Americans by July 4th.

But Jeff Zients says the vaccination effort is succeeding nonetheless. Zients leads the White House coronavirus response team. He spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday.

ZEINTS: More than 175 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves and gotten at least one shot. And over 150 million Americans are now fully vaccinated.

But health officials are concerned that the delta variant, which has ravaged India, may soon be the dominant strain in the United States. Vaccines are effective against the delta strain, but CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky cautions:

WALENSKY: This variant represents a set of mutations that could lead to future mutations that evade our vaccine.

For that reason, she’s urging all Americans to get vaccinated. The delta variant now accounts for 20 percent of new U.S. cases.

Report reveals tragic surge in nursing home deaths in 2020 » A new report reveals that deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared last year amid the pandemic. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The report from the Health and Human Services inspector general showed that about 4 in 10 of Medicare patients at nursing facilities had or likely had COVID-19 last year.

Deaths among such patients soared by 32 percent in 2020. And deaths overall jumped by nearly 170,000 from the previous year.

The report revealed two separate spikes in nursing home deaths. In April of last year, more than 80,000 Medicare patients in nursing homes died. Then eight months later in December, before vaccines became widely available, 74,000 patients died in nursing facilities.

Harvard health policy professor David Grabowski, who reviewed the report, said “We are talking about a really big number of excess deaths.” He added that in most cases, we’re not talking about people “who were going to die anyway” anytime soon.

He said many thousands of lives were cut tragically short.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

North Korea shuns proposal of new nuclear talks with U.S. » The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shunned the idea of renewing nuclear talks with the United States anytime soon.

Kim Yo Jong said Tuesday U.S. expectations for talks would—quote—“plunge them into a greater disappointment.”

Last week, Kim Jong Un said that his country must be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, though more for confrontation.

The Biden administration focused on the potentially positive part of that statement.

U.S. special envoy to North Korea Sung Kim told reporters on Monday...

KIM: We took note of the recent statement out of Pyongyang regarding their preparation for dialogue. And we hope to receive a positive response to our proposal for a meeting soon.

Pyongyang has since suggested that Washington wrongly interpreted Kim Jong Un’s remarks as a positive signal. North Korean state TV said—quote—“It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself.”

Afghanistan accuses Taliban of worst violence in 2 decades » Afghanistan’s foreign minister accused the Taliban on Tuesday of carrying out its worst violence in the past two decades. He urged the international community to intervene and try to persuade the Taliban to honor a February 2020 agreement with the United States to curb the violence.

Mohammad Haneef Atmar told the U.N. Security Council that the Taliban is also failing to cut ties with terrorist groups. He said it is hosting “not only al-Qaida but also regional terrorist groups.”

Meantime in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the Taliban this week…

MCCONNELL: Reports from the ground indicated that their heavy handed medieval rule is already creating new nightmares, especially for Afghan women and girls.

Taliban fighters this week took control of a key district in the country’s northern Kunduz province and encircled the provincial capital.

The Taliban's gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by early September.

The Taliban has seized dozens of districts since May 1st, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final departure from Afghanistan.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: President Biden looks to renew ties with Europe.

Plus, living in Story Book Land.

This is The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s Wednesday, the 23rd of June, 2021.

So glad you’ve joined us for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. First up, how President Biden’s foreign policy strategy is playing out in Europe.

The president last week wrapped up an eight-day visit to Europe. His first stop was at a Royal Air Force base to speak to U.S. service members stationed in England.

BIDEN: This is my first overseas trip as president of the United States. I’m heading to the G7, then to the NATO ministerial, then on to meet with Mr. Putin to let him know what I want him to know.

EICHER: While most of the buildup surrounded that face to face meeting with Putin in Geneva.

What came before may have been more significant; President Biden’s efforts to distance his foreign policy approach from that of former President Trump.

BIDEN: This diplomacy is essential, because no single nation acting alone can meet all the challenges we face today because the world is changing.

But what really came out of those meetings with European leaders? And are we better off for them?

REICHARD: Here to help answer those questions is Doug Bandow. He is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Bandow, good morning!

DOUG BANDOW, GUEST: Happy to be on. Hope you're doing well.

REICHARD: Well, to start, give us a snapshot of where the ties between the United States and Europe stood heading into these meetings. President Trump frequently criticized European countries for not doing enough to pay for their own defense. But did anything really substantively change between the United States and Europe under the last administration?

BANDOW: Well, what’s interesting is that the Trump administration—on policy—did not differ very much from preceding administrations. The concern over burden sharing is one that goes back many years. In fact, the U.S. put more troops and spent more money in Europe under Trump than before. It was much more a question of atmospherics and, frankly, personal relationships. That is, Donald Trump did not treat the Europeans like they were allies. He didn't treat them like they were decent people. And that matters when you're forming personal relationships. And that is where Biden is dramatically different. This is somebody who they know, he knows them. He likes them. They like him. He reestablished that tie.

REICHARD: Some have said that President Trump’s trade disputes with Europe had the unintended consequence of pushing Europe closer to China. Is that how you see it?

BANDOW: Yes. The most important aspect, I think, is that what he managed to do is instead of working with Europe to take on China on economic issues where we and the Europeans agree, he managed to start two trade wars at once, and divided the U.S. from Europe. And there are a lot of other issues that can help push them away from us—things of sanctions on Iran, etc. But the trade issue is a very big one. And in my view it was a huge mistake. We had a lot more at issue with the Chinese than with Europe. You know, you don't make everybody your enemy at once. He did that and the Europeans did not approve.

REICHARD: We’ll talk more about China in a moment. Let’s talk first a little more about what happened on the trade front during this trip. Obviously, the U.S. and EU settled a longstanding trade feud over subsidies to aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus. What was the significance of that in your view?

BANDOW: Well, the importance of that—this is a long standing disagreement. You know, frankly, both the Europeans and Americans have, you know, subsidized their airline manufacturers. People refer to the Export Import Bank as Boeing's bank. It supported so many purchases of Boeing aircraft. So this is one of those issues, which is very much a political dispute, trying to settle it through some of the legal mechanisms and the World Trade Organization, you know, was not going to work very well. It's gone on for years. This is one of those critical ones, you've got to set it behind, you've got to come up with some kind of an outcome that both sides can be satisfied with. It looks like we've got that or at the very least, there may be more negotiations to come. But we won't be in open economic warfare. That's very important.

REICHARD: European leaders did talk about China last week as a “challenge,” but they didn’t use the word “threat” as they did with Russia. How united are Europe and Washington on the threat that China poses to the rest of the world?

BANDOW: There are some very important differences, you know, between us. The reality is that the Europeans have nothing militarily to feel threatened by China. So it's hard to argue that they should view it as a security issue. They aren't that enthused about spending a lot on their military to deal with issues in Europe. They are not going to be getting militarily involved in Asia. They might send a ship here or there to make us feel good, but they're certainly not going to go to war. So, the issues that we agree on are things like economics and cybersecurity. Those are important issues, but they're kind of a different level, which is why they don't want to call China a threat. They rely a lot economically on China, they have their own difficulties. They don't like the human rights record, but they want to work with China. So they will work with us, but they're not going to allow us to drive them into a corner and essentially make them enemies of China.

REICHARD: Cyber yes...What, if anything, has Europe shown it’s willing to do to help curb the Chinese “challenge,” as they’ve called it?

BANDOW: One of the things they've done is that they have at least temporarily killed an investment agreement over the issue of human rights and the fact that the Chinese retaliated against them—sanctioned some of their personnel. We see in Germany, for example, there's a very good chance the Greens will be in the next government. They have elections in September. The Greens are much more skeptical of the relationship with China, especially concerned about human rights, less willing to paper over those disputes for economic benefits. So, we're likely to see a bit more of that where the Europeans are going to take at least a tougher look on some of the economic issues. I think they may be more willing to work with us on issues in terms of, you know, whether it be you know, 5G, those sorts of things. We're not going to get everything we want out of them. They disagree with us, frankly, on a lot of issues involving Russia. We're going to have to take them where they stand, we're not going to be able to push them necessarily our way, all the way.

REICHARD: China versus Russia, which country poses the bigger threat to Europe or the United States right now and why?

BANDOW: I think that almost certainly it's China, though, the question is how you define threat. I believe that Russia is kind of a pre-1914 great power. Now it wants respect. You know, it does not like the idea of having NATO on its border. That's why it's treated Ukraine very roughly. I don't see much evidence that Vladimir Putin is foolish enough to think he could swallow Europe. He's a very malign actor, but I don't think it's particularly a military threat. I think there it’s cyber warfare that's problematic, intervention in elections. These are things that matter, but they're not, I don't think they’re military issues. China is the far greater power. It’s the second largest economy on earth. By some measures it matches us. A growing military. It spends more in the military than the Russians do. Very involved around the world. This is a very serious challenge. And it's a challenge for us and the Europeans. Though, again, primarily, I think, in economic cybersecurity, those issues, not quite the same in security, but there are some more of those issues than with Russia.

REICHARD: Doug, to you, what was the most important thing that happened during the president’s European trek, for better or for worse?

BANDOW: I think that in many ways, perhaps the most important thing was the meeting with Putin, which for the simple reason that we've got to try to come up with a relationship where we can work and live together. And my hope is that what the President was able to get across is we have some red lines, don't cross them. We can accept they might have some red lines. Let's talk about this stuff. Other things like with NATO and the G7 were useful. They reestablish relationships. I think those are a bit easier. I think, in this case, working with Russia trying to at least get off to the right start was a very positive thing

REICHARD: Doug Bandow with the Cato Institute has been our guest. Mr. Bandow, thanks so much!

BANDOW: Sure thing. Happy to be on.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Ethiopians hold elections—We start today here in Africa.

AUDIO: [Sound of ballots being emptied onto table]

Elections officials in Ethiopia are counting ballots. Voters went to the polls Monday in the first general election in the country since 2015. More than 40 parties and 9,500 candidates were on the ballot.

President Sahle-Work Zewde said she was impressed by the large turnout.

ZWEDE: I have observed and participated in many elections and I can tell you it's rare to see halfway through, this kind of a turnout, especially women.

But voters in about one-fifth of the country’s districts did not get to vote. Some areas are struggling with security challenges. Others had logistical issues. They are scheduled to vote in September.

Some officials say that delay raises questions about the election’s legitimacy.

AHMED: [Man speaking Amharic]

But Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dismissed those claims. His Prosperity Party is expected to win a majority of the seats in parliament.

Some opposition parties boycotted the election, claiming intimidation by government officials.

And in the war-torn region of Tigray, no one voted. UN human rights officials continue to voice concern about violence in Tigray, where government forces are trying to defeat a militia loyal to regional leaders.

Results in Ethiopia’s election are expected in the next few days.

Spain pardons Separatist leaders—Next we go to Europe.

AUDIO: [Sounds of cheering, bells ringing]

Supporters of Spanish separatists gathered in Barcelona Monday to celebrate the government’s decision to pardon them.

In 2019, Spain's Supreme Court convicted 12 Catalan politicians and activists for seeking independence. Nine of them were serving decade-long jail sentences.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Spanish]

On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government had decided to issue pardons. He said the decision was guided by a “constitutional spirit of forgiveness.”

But not everyone feels so forgiving. Polls show about 53 percent of Spaniards oppose the pardons. Political analysts say the move is really about the prime minister’s bid to stay in office. Catalan separatists make up part of the minority government and Sanchez relies on them to pass legislation.

Iran’s only nuclear power plant shuts down—Next to the Middle East.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Farsi]

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman downplayed reports on Monday of problems at the country’s only nuclear power plant.

An official from the state electric company who appeared on state television Sunday said the plant had suffered a temporary, emergency shutdown. He warned it could last several days and result in power outages.

But the government spokesman called the shutdown “customary” and not a “special thing.” He said the plant’s crew was doing technical maintenance.

In March, an official with the country’s nuclear program warned of possible outages at the plant due to a shortage of parts and equipment. He blamed those shortages on U.S. sanctions.

Third-largest diamond discovered in Botswana—And finally, we end today back in Africa.

Diamond firm Debswana announced a major discovery last week: the third largest gem-quality diamond ever found. The clear gemstone unearthed at a mine in Botswana weighs more than a thousand carats.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi showed off the diamond at a news conference in Gaborone.

MASISI: Our national development needs will in part be met by the proceeds of this diamond.

Diamonds were first discovered in Botswana in 1967. They now account for about two-thirds of the country’s export earnings.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Nobody likes dirty laundry. (Except for, as the old song goes, journalists.)

But think about astronauts and dirty laundry, how do they deal with it? Not easy. They stuff dirty laundry into a trash capsule and send it out to be burned up in the atmosphere.

That means each crew member has to bring lots of changes of clothing, and that takes up room in an already cramped space.

Well, private enterprise comes to the rescue!

Procter & Gamble, makers of Tide detergent, signed an agreement with NASA to test laundry solutions on the International Space Station.

They’ll test Tide ingredients to see how stable they are in the weightlessness of space.

At the same time, scientists are developing a special washer-dryer combo that could operate in future outposts on the moon or even Mars.

I can just hear the advertising copywriters now: for out-of-this-world freshness—galactic Tide!

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, June 23rd. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Last month, we gave World Journalism Institute students three days to find a story in rural Northwest Iowa and produce it for the program. You’ve already heard a few of those.

EICHER: Caleb Bailey, a recent communications graduate from Camarillo, California, found a young couple who help their neighbors through music and bicycles.

SOUND: PHONE RINGING AND GEARS TURNING

SOUND: NATHAN WORKING AT BENCH

CALEB BAILEY, WJI: In the small town of Sioux Center, Iowa, Brother's Bicycle Shop sits just a block off the main road. Inside, customers drop off broken bikes and look through a selection of new ones. Behind the counter is Nathan Nykamp. As he hands off one bike he begins to work on another, tightening the hub of a wheel and picking up the phone. It’s poetry in motion.

NATHAN NYKAMP: As you may have seen, I have to do a lot of things simultaneously. So that's very challenging.

Nykamp learned the ins and outs of running this business from the man who founded it in 1979.

NATHAN NYKAMP: I purchased the shop after working for about a year, full time before I made the final decision to go ahead and purchase it.

He kept the name and the business continued to grow under the direction of the one-man-band.

SOUND: WHEEL SPINNING

At home, Nykamp’s wife is also running a small business.

SOUND: VIOLIN TUNING PROGRESSION

This is Kirbee Nykamp. She owns The Violin House, which is a rental and refurbishment business. Having played the violin for over 20 years her goal is to equip other musicians.

KIRBEE: For us, what we feel like is most important is that we are accessible. So we're easy for the families in the area to work with, whether it be for renting or for purchasing, or if they need repairing.

She also took over her business from a previous owner.

KIRBEE: We had been in conversation with her for a while, because between my husband and I, we have kind of a unique combination of skills, he has the woodworking skills, to do the repairs on the instruments.

Even though others wanted to buy the business, the Nykamps were the best fit.

SOUND: KIRBEE TUNING VIOLIN

SOUND: NATHAN IN THE BIKE SHOP INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMERS

The two businesses mirror each other and face similar demands. A small business in a small town requires a personal touch.

NATHAN: We want to be high enough quality that there's no reason to go to an alternative shop. But we are also very, very customer focused on an individual level.

Both owners understand that purchasing a product is highly personal, whether it’s a bike or violin.

KIRBEE: Being a small business owner has given me a lot more connections to actual individuals and people. And then I get to pass that along so I get to see kids one on one….

The Violin House caters to local string programs—with rental instruments and music lessons for students of all ages.

SOUND: KIRBEE PLAYING A HIGH AND SOMEWHAT WEEPING TUNE.

Both businesses weathered the restrictions of COVID-19. But now, they’re back to dealing with ordinary problems.

KIRBEE: We are reliant on the ebb and flow of the school year.

NATHAN: It is also the nature of my business, specifically being seasonal, [it] does also lend itself to a very irregular season in terms of demand and what people are after.

And yet, with each flat tire and broken string, the couple leans on each other for guidance and support.

SOUND: KIRBEE SERVING ICE CREAM TO DAUGHTER ROSE

NATHAN: It's always good to have a second set of eyes, and a change of perspective for anything. And we are to varying degrees involved in each other's business.

Neither one of them sought a business degree. What they learned about running their shops came...from (well) running their shops.

KIRBEE: It's meant that when we hang out together, we do get to enjoy trading stories back and forth, bouncing ideas off of each other… So much of it can kind of flow back and forth very organically because we do get to complement each other a lot.

Local neighbors can purchase a bike or violin from a larger vendor and some do. So the local business owners have to find a different competitive advantage.

KIRBEE: We find that it's very personal. It's very friendly and It just feels good. And be that's at the root of it…

NATHAN: A quality bicycle shop is going to work their hardest, especially in this time to really make sure that you can keep rolling and enjoying your bike ride.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Caleb Bailey in Sioux Center, Iowa.

CALEB BAILEY: Y’know, I started working on that story probably three weeks ago as a student at World Journalism Institute.

And in that short time, I have to say, I’m pretty surprised at how much my life has changed since then.

I sure didn’t expect to have earned an internship, much less to be talking to you right now about WORLD’s June Giving Drive.

But here’s what I have to say about that:

Thank you for supporting WORLD and in that way helping to make it possible for young people like me to learn how to produce sound journalism grounded in facts and Biblical truth.

I’m excited to be spending several summer weeks learning by doing.

I’ll get to work alongside WORLD reporters, editors, and producers and that’s thanks to people like you.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to support the June Giving Drive, I hope you will today.

Just visit WNG.org/donate. That’s WNG.org/donate.

And thanks so much!

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, June 23rd. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. World commentator Steve West suggests that we recapture the wonder of childhood.

STEVE WEST, COMMENTATOR: Traveling home from a childhood visit with relatives in northern Virginia, my sister and I spotted a billboard advertising Story Book Land. We pleaded for my parents to take us. To our surprise, they turned off the highway. In what seemed a few miles, we reached the park. It was full of storybook characters set among a wood. A giant Mother Goose beckoned at the entrance. Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall. We saw the house of the three bears, a bridge across a stream, and an old woman in a shoe.

Story Book Land is largely forgotten now. It closed about 20 years after our visit. And by 2007, the whole area had been absorbed by a housing development. By then, the “magic forest of make-believe” was really gone.

If we’re honest, most of us would have to admit our own magic forest has been clearcut. Life is not enchanted but simply what it is: asphalt and concrete and steel. A never-completed to-do list. Death and taxes. We long ago lost our wonder.

Christians profess a belief in the supernatural, in an unseen reality. But we don't often act like it.

What if we took a different reading of Scripture? What if we read it as fairy tale, as a magical, astounding story of a giant felled by a young boy, of a great army put to run by angelic troops, of dead people coming back to life? As a world where rocks cry out, trees clap their hands, and mountains sing? And where, in the end, a magical, shining city comes down from the sky and heaven and earth become one. And no one dies. And no one cries.

J.R.R. Tolkien once said, "The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories.”

I confess that often when I read Scripture, the words lie on the page, two-dimensional and flat. But on occasion, on the days when I am best seeking and best seeing, the Bible becomes a Story Book Land. I marvel at our visitation by extraterrestrial Life. I am struck in wonder at the word or touch that heals and revives from a Being that deigns to take our form and walk among us, Spirit his way in and among us, unseen.

Story Book Land may be gone, plowed under by progress. But we can still walk in it. The Big Bad Wolf lurks. Humpty Dumpty has fallen and we still can’t put him back together. But Someone can. Someone who hasn’t gone away. Someone from a wilder and wider world who beckons us “come.”

I’m Steve West.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: Iran has chosen a new hardline president. What effect will that have on efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal?

Also, we will hear how President Biden’s broadband initiative will try to bring the Internet to rural America.

Plus Paul Butler goes on the hunt for an Illinois ghost town.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

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 wrote: When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and don’t delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I don’t forget your law.

Go now in grace and peace.

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