The World and Everything in It — March 18, 2021

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in  2018. But nobody’s been held accountable. We’ll hear why.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Also the housing market’s hot right now. We’ll talk about the upsides and downsides.

Plus what’s it like to live through two pandemics? We’ll hear one woman’s story.

And WORLD commentator Cal Thomas says it’s a fool’s game to bargain at election time.

REICHARD: It’s Thursday, March 18th. 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: Up next, Kent Covington has today’s news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Mayorkas spars with Republicans in testimony on border surge » Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sparred with GOP lawmakers during a House hearing on Wednesday. 

KATKO: Given the tremendous rise and surge of individuals coming to the border, wouldn’t it be fair to call it a crisis? Because that’s what your agents are calling it. 

Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, John Katko.

Mayorkas later fired back at Republicans…

MAYORKAS: A crisis is when a nation is willing to rip a 9-year-old child out of the hands of his or her parent and separate that family to deter future migration. That to me is a humanitarian crisis. 

But GOP lawmakers said the Biden administration is putting many more children in danger with policies driving many more unaccompanied minors to make the dangerous trek to the border.

Mayorkas gave ground on two Republican points. He acknowledged the administration may not have adequately notified communities chosen to host facilities for underage migrants. And he conceded that officials released some into the country without first testing them for COVID-19, though a new testing policy is now in place.

Eight people killed in crash near U.S.-Mexico border » Eight people died in a pickup truck loaded with immigrants during a police chase this week near the U.S.-Mexico border. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports. 

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Police near the Texas border city of Del Rio tried to stop the truck for a traffic violation when the driver sped away and crashed into another truck.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says troopers were chasing a red Dodge pickup truck when it collided head-on with a white Ford F-150. 

DPS said all eight people killed were in the country illegally. All were Mexican nationals between the ages of 18 and 20. 

The driver of the F-150 and one child passenger were hospitalized.

The collision happened weeks after 13 unauthorized immigrants died in a car crash in Southern California. 

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin. 

DHS, DOJ: Russia, Iran Targeted 2020 U.S. Election » Both Russia and Iran targeted U.S. election infrastructure ahead of last year’s election. That according to the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security this week. 

In a joint report, the government agencies said “Broad Russian and Iranian campaigns” did manage to “compromise the security of several networks that managed some election functions.” But they added that the attacks—quote— “did not materially affect the integrity of voter data” and ultimately did not impact the election. 

A separate report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said intel officials found “no evidence” that any foreign actor tried to alter any technical aspect of the voting process. That would include things like registration, ballot casting and vote tabulation. 

Investigators working to determine motive in string of fatal shootings in Georgia » Investigators are trying to determine what drove a man to fatally shoot eight people at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area. 

Most of the victims were women of Asian descent, but the suspect told police that race was not a factor. 

REYNOLDS: He made indicators that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction, and may have frequented some of these places in the past. 

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds heard there. 

The 21-year-old suspect was on his way to Florida when police caught up to him. Officials say he was planning to carry out a similar plot at—quote—“some type of porn industry” site in Florida. 

The FBI is supporting Atlanta and Cherokee County’s investigation.

Prosecutors to drop most charges against Pastor James Coates » A Canadian pastor jailed for the past month over alleged violations of Alberta’s COVID-19 restrictions will likely be a free man very soon. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Prosecutors in Alberta have agreed to drop most of the charges against Pastor James Coates and he’s expected to be released from jail as soon as tomorrow. That according to the nonprofit legal group representing him. 

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said Coates will face only one remaining charge of violating an Order of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Coates is the pastor of Grace Life Church near Edmonton. He’s been behind bars since Feb. 16 after refusing to follow strict limits on church gatherings, which he said were unconstitutional. 

Last month, a Justice of the Peace ordered the pastor released on bail on the condition that he and his church follow all public health restrictions. But Coates could not, in good conscience, agree to that. 

Crown prosecutors have now agreed that he can be released without conditions.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown. 

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: President Biden’s approach to Saudi Arabia.

Plus, Cal Thomas on post-election buyer’s remorse.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Thursday, March 18th, 2021. We’re so glad you’re along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. First up: Saudi Arabia.

Two months in office and already the Biden administration has faced several foreign policy tests. One of them is Saudi Arabia. A U.S. intelligence report released last month concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

REICHARD: This came as no surprise. But what did surprise some people was the lack of punitive measures against the Saudi crown prince. During the Democratic debate, then candidate Joe Biden vowed to make Saudi officials responsible for the murder “pay the price.”

WORLD’s Jill Nelson reports on our complex relationship with Saudi Arabia and whether the president failed a crucial leadership test.

JILL NELSON, REPORTER: The reported demise of Jamal Khashoggi unfolded like a horror film. He went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018, but he didn’t come out. 

Turkish investigators tried to piece together what happened. Then, the gruesome details began to emerge.

NEWS: The report describes how Jamal Khashoggi died and was dismembered by Saudi officials…

Khashoggi was once a Saudi royal insider but became a critic of the regime and started writing for The Washington Post. His death is one of many human rights abuses tarnishing the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The 35-year-old leader has taken over many of his aging father’s responsibilities and  is trying to brand himself as a reformer. 

Varsha Koduvayur is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where she studies reform trends in the Gulf States. She is critical of the Trump administration’s transactional approach to the Saudi kingdom.

KODUVAYUR: It was really tragic in my opinion because President Trump had a golden opportunity to work with this rising new leader, to guide the young royal and encourage Mohammed bin Salman to take long-standing US concerns on things like human rights, freedom of expression, extremism etc. seriously.

The Trump administration sanctioned 17 Saudi leaders but failed to single out the crown prince. During the Democratic debate, President Biden promised to do more. 

BIDEN: Khashoggi was in fact murdered and dismembered, I believe in the order of the crown prince. We are going to in fact make them pay the price and make them in fact the pariah that they are. 

Now some politicians and journalists are saying President Biden hasn’t done any more than the Trump administration to send a clear message to Mohammed bin Salman. Koduvayer disagrees. 

KODUVAYUR: I actually think that it’s been night and day. I do know that there were some voices calling for the sanctioning of Mohammed bin Salman, and I want to bring attention to the fact that while the US has sanctioned world leaders before, it has never been the leader of a country that it has as much of a security partner with the US as Saudi Arabia. 

Here’s what the Biden administration did do: They slapped travel bans on 76 Saudis and added additional people to the sanctions list. They also ended U.S. support for the kingdom’s five-year offensive in Yemen.

Sarah Feuer is an associate fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. She agrees with Koduvayer’s assessment and says we are seeing a new approach to Saudi policy and Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS. 

FEUER: I think it was an effort to show that maybe we can expect what we might call naming and shaming on the part of the new administration. 

President Biden may not be making Saudi Arabia into a pariah, but she says the new administration is making it clear that the crown prince should not assume the same cozy relationship he had with President Trump.

FEUER: There has been a not so subtle shift in terms of not really referring to MBS  much. So it’s King Salman is the leader and if anybody is going to speak to President Biden it’s the king, it’s not MBS. This is a shift. That I think also is an attempt to kind of send a signal if you want to deal with us, you know, there are going to be some expectations. 

MBS pledged in 2016 to embrace social reforms in a country known for its repressive laws.

FEUER: There’s clear evidence of reforms that have been carried out, whether it’s women driving, mixed genders in public spaces, the moves at least toward even allowing for Christian worship in the kingdom.

In 2018, the kingdom allowed a Coptic Christian church service. And Koduvayar says Saudi Arabia also banned flogging and initiated textbook reforms. 

KODUVAYUR: A lot of different hateful passages were excised from Saudi textbooks, this was very encouraging. This has been a thorn in the US-Saudi relationship for years, over a decade.

But churches are still banned, and the list of jailed human rights activists continues to grow. MBS has made it clear he will not tolerate grassroots activism, and he will only permit change from the top down. 

Still, Feuer says good relations with Saudi Arabia will serve our other interests in the region, like pushing back against Iran and normalizing relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia has also played a strategic role in balancing oil markets and fighting extremism. And when the 85-year-old king dies, the young crown prince could become the longest ruling monarch in Saudi history. 

Koduvayur says in light of these realities, she is in favor of the Biden administration’s “recalibrate not rupture” approach to the kingdom.

KODUVAYUR: It would not be in the U.S.’s interests to blow up the relationship with Saudi Arabia, but it is very much in the U.S.’s interests to continue to hold Saudi leadership accountable and scrutinize them for their human rights record.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jill Nelson.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Next up: America’s stunning housing boom. 

Who would have guessed it? In a year when a pandemic prompted governments to shut down their economies and cause record unemployment, the housing market continued to heat up.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: That’s right. Home prices have soared. And as for the supply of available homes right now, well, in some places it’s almost like it was trying to find hand sanitizer or toilet paper a year ago. 

But are we in the middle of another housing bubble?

REICHARD: Here to talk about it is mortgage industry expert Dale Vermillion. He is the author of Navigating the Mortgage Maze: The Simple Truth About Financing Your Home.

Dale, good morning!

DALE VERMILLION, GUEST: Hello, Mary. So honored to be with you today. 

REICHARD: Well, you’re welcome. Lots and lots of turmoil, so why do you think that we have continued to see such a housing boom? 

VERMILLION: You know, it’s interesting. In 2020 when all of the havoc happened with coronavirus and everything else, it’s interesting to know that the mortgage industry was really kind of the darling of the economy in 2020 because it was the one place where good things were happening. Rates were at all-time lows. We saw rates get down to the mid-to-low twos in 2020. We’ve never seen that in history. Volume was way up. And I think a lot of people just realized one way they could improve their financial situation was by refinancing and lowering their rates and getting in a little better position on a refinance and buying was never more affordable. We’ve never seen the affordability numbers that we saw when rates were that low. I think that’s what’s created the housing boom is the combination of those two things.

REICHARD: Diana Olick over at CNBC said recently what we are seeing right now is the “perfect storm for a correction” in the housing market. Do you agree with her?

VERMILLION: I do. You know, what always creates the downturn in property values is when affordability gets to a point where the average U.S. American cannot afford to buy a home anymore. We are getting very close to that in a lot of markets around the country. And anytime that happens, you only have two ways you can go. Either rates have to drop down to create that affordability. Well, we just came off the lowest rates in history. They’re back up and every analyst that I talk to—and I’m friends with a lot of them who are absolute experts in this—and they all think the same thing. We think we’re going to stay in the mid-to-low threes most of this year. So they’re probably not going to go back down to what they were. So now the only place left to give is you’ve got to get it on the other side, which is the property value side. That means there’s going to have to be some corrections in some marketplaces we’re seeing around the country today. 

REICHARD: Help us understand context here. How does the current market compare to where we were before the 2008 housing crash? 

VERMILLION: From a property value standpoint, the values are actually much higher than they were even in the 2008 crash. We lost somewhere around 36 percent in property values on average nationwide from 2008 to 2012. We have gained back more than that, much more than that, on a national average basis. And in some key markets, doubling the numbers. Amazing increases in some of the markets around the country.
So, overall values across the nation are the highest they’ve ever been right now. But incomes have climbed. We’ve seen some improvements in rates, like I talked about. All of these factors have helped people actually create good affordability within that.
Where you’re going to have your markets that are most susceptible to have a change is where you’ve got markets where the property values have just spun out of control. The places that people want to live. The West Coast is very much a place that you’ll see, usually, the first place that property values drop. Northeast, Washington D.C., the Southeast. You look in places like Florida, like I live. But the one thing that’s really interesting about this marketplace, Mary, is that vacation places are the hottest real estate markets in the country right now because of work from home. So many people are working from home that they’re deciding why do I want to vacation in a place that I love? Why not just live there? And if I’m working from home anywhere. So, mountain properties, beach properties, all of those are going through the roof. And those aren’t going backwards anytime soon. Where you’re going to see the bigger hits is in those kind of mid-level American places where values have just kind of climbed to highest levels and there’s not a lot of things to keep people there to pay that kind of pricing.

REICHARD: Dale, what role is the Federal Reserve playing in the housing boom? And do you think their actions may be creating another housing bubble? 

VERMILLION: Well, you know, the fact that obviously quantitative easing has taken place since 2008. We’ve seen the government actively involved in controlling interest rates like we’ve never seen before. I think it’s all been for good to this point because, look, especially last year with the coronavirus, the last thing we needed—if you look in the marketplace, interesting statistic, the only two growing industries in the American economy last year were the government and mortgage and real estate. [laughs] Those were the only two. So, you know, when you see that, what you understand is you’ve got to keep rates low to keep affordability for people. Home ownership is the centerpiece of our economy. It always has been. Real estate is where most people have made their wealth in this United States that we live in. So, I think keeping rates low has been a very wise choice. But what happens over time is you run those rates longer, it is going to create inflation, it’s going to start to create impact to values on property. We’ve always gone through this. You’ve got to go through a period of time you grow, you adjust, you grow, you adjust. That’s the old saying, “What goes up must come down at some point.”

REICHARD: Dale Vermillion is the author of Navigating the Mortgage Maze: The Simple Truth About Financing Your Home. Thanks for your time today.

VERMILLION: Mary, great to be with you. God bless you and thank you for having me.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: There’s a new challenger for #2 top dog in the hearts of American dog lovers. 

The American Kennel Club released its annual popularity rankings. These are based on registration statistics. 

And this year, there is a new No.2 on the list announced here on AKC tv.

AKC: A huge surprise to everybody and us as well. We were excited to see a shakeup in our top-5. Up the rankings from last year to number 2, the French Bulldog!

Rounding out the top-5, at number 5, the good ole classic bulldog. 

At number 4, golden retrievers. Number 3? German shepherds. Then of course our newcomer the French Bulldog at 2. 

Now the number 1 most popular dog in America? Probably no surprise. The breed’s been there for 30 years—drumroll please…

The Labrador retriever. Intelligent, even tempered, kind, agile, and trusting. 

BROWN: What’s not to like? 

Why’s my Moxie mutt not on that list?

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, March 18th. You’re listening to WORLD Radio and we’re so glad you are! Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: living history. 

A hundred years before COVID-19 spread around the world, another virus changed the world: the Spanish Flu.

The 1918 pandemic was one of the most severe in modern history. Historians estimate more than 500 million people became infected, about a third of the world’s population at the time. At least one-tenth died. In the United States, that included about 650,000 deaths.

BROWN: To learn what it was like to live through that last pandemic, most of us have to page through history books. But WORLD’s Sarah Schweinsberg recently spoke with one woman who just has to consult her own memories. Here’s her story.

SARAH SCHWEINSBERG REPORTER: Helene Sandvig has lived a full life and a lot of it. She’s seen 11 decades come and go. 

SANDVIG: I was born on November 25, 1911. 1911. 

JOHNSON: How old does that make you Helene? 

SANDVIG: I don’t know. 

JOHNSON: It’s 109. 

SANDVIG: Ok, thank you for telling me. 

JOHNSON: You’re welcome.

(laughter) 

Helene Sandvig lived all on her own up until her 101st birthday. Then she moved here to Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo, North Dakota. Sandvig’s caregiver, Maren Johnson, helps with the interview. 

Helene’s short white hair frames a big, toothless smile. After so many years, her humor is still vibrant and most of her memories are sharp, though her patience for a reporter’s useless questions is well…short. 

SANDVIG: That was kind of a stupid question to ask. That was a stupid question.

JOHNSON: We’ll find a different question. (laughter) 

Sandvig was born on a farm in eastern North Dakota. She was the second youngest of 10 children. The family grew wheat and milked a dozen cows by hand each day. Then they’d haul the milk to town. 

SANDVIG: We took it to the grocery store and the cream and got money for that and bought groceries in exchange. That’s what everybody did. Of course later on, we sent the cream away, and got a check for the cream.

While Helene Sandvig was living a happy childhood on the farm, the world was at war: World War I. 

AUDIO: [WORLD WAR 1 NEWS CLIP] 

She remembers the government sending one of her brothers overseas. 

SANDVIG: The young boys were drafted to go into the service and that was kind of sad because the boys were needed out on the farm to farm. What were your chances if you were drafted into the service? You could be killed. 

Then on the heels of the Great War, another global conflict: a battle against the Spanish Flu.

Helene Sandvig was just 7 years old when the illness arrived in rural North Dakota. But she still vividly remembers her family’s and neighbor’s fears. And the doctor’s endless house calls. 

SANDVIG: And I remember the doctors used to come into the home and take the temperatures of people that were sick in the home. It wasn’t like with a car. It was with a horse or a buggy or with a sled or whatever… 

Sandvig says she remembers people in her family getting sick. But they emerged whole and healthy from the pandemic. Others in their community did not. 

SANDVIG: I remember children and young men and people getting sick and being sick in the home and some of the boys, the young people died of the flu. I suppose we had the flu in our home because a lot of people got sick with the flu. 

After the pandemic, as Sandvig grew, she began to dream of being a teacher. She loved to line her dolls up and hold class with them. So, after graduating highschool, she headed off to a semester of college to get her teaching certificate. 

At her first country schoolhouse, she taught 20 students. Eight grades of German immigrant children. 

SANDVIG: It was a German community. And when my children went out to play, they would speak German, and I told them you’ve got to learn to speak English. 

Between school terms, she kept attending summer college courses. 

She helped students learn English for the next eight years. Then Helene Sandvig met her husband, Edwin. Their love was simple. 

JOHNSON: Helene, you got married in 1938. Can you tell us, what did you love about your husband? 

SANDVIG: I’m thankful he was willing to marry me. 

She left the classroom and moved back to the farm. 

SANDVIG: We raised chickens and turkeys and, and milk cows.

For the next 40 years, she and her husband labored together side-by-side. Through the end of the Depression. Through World War II and more young men leaving. 

And through personal trials. The couple was never able to have children. Instead, they opened their home to a high school boy whose father died.

SANDVIG: And the mother went home to Illinois, because she was from that area. So we told this young man that you can come and live with us. And I still keep in touch with him.

In 1974, the Sandvigs sold their farm and moved to town. They enjoyed wintering in Arizona and taking it easy. Edwin died in 1991.

SANDVIG: We had a very happy life together. We really did.

It’s been 30 years since his passing. Helene Sandvig says she doesn’t know why she’s lived this long. 

SANDVIG: It’s in the genes.

JOHNSON: It’s in the genes.  

AUDIO: [Newscast, coronavirus numbers]

This past year was harder for Sandvig. She doesn’t fully understand what’s been going on around the world…

JOHNSON: Were you surprised when we found ourselves in another pandemic?

SANDVIG: What are you talking about? 

Sandvig’s known something is different. She couldn’t leave her room, and she has to wear a mask when she’s with people. 

But Helene Sandvig has seen a lot. 

Today is the 39,534th day she has spent on earth. This latest pandemic doesn’t seem to have phased her too much. She says she still wakes up each day, excited for something.

Right now, that’s attending workout classes and eating lunch with her friends. 

SANDVIG: I’m just so thankful for each day. And to be able to do the things that I can.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next, a preview of Listening In. This week: a conversation with the late evangelist from Argentina, Luis Palau.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: After a three year struggle with cancer, Palau died last week in his home. He was 86.  

A feature length film about his life came out two years ago. In this excerpt of their conversation recorded shortly after its release, host Warren Smith asks Palau about finishing well.

WARREN SMITH: I often ask folks who are near the end of their life and careers this question: how do you want to be remembered? How do you want the world to remember Luis Palau when you’re gone 10, 20, 50 years if the Lord tarries?

LUIS PALAU: Well, I always used to say, not flippantly, but I hope my boys on my tombstone write, you know: my dad wasn’t perfect, but he sure loved Jesus Christ. You know, that’s what I hope that people would remember, that I loved Jesus Christ, because of what He did for me. 

And that’s what I would like, you know, just honor Jesus Christ, even on my tombstone, you know, that He, He has done so much for me. My life has been a blessing from beginning to end. All the promises of God are real. And therefore, I just would like my boys and grandchildren, and whoever else gets to remember, that Jesus Christ is the Lord. That He’s amazing. That he fulfills His promises, and that they are glorious. 

And I’ll give, I’ll leave you with this verse, which was a fresh one for me. 1 Samuel 22:31. And it’s also in Psalm 18. It says, as for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 

And you know, to me, that hit me so strongly. We know it, you know, we know from Scripture, but when it’s reality, the Lord, His way is perfect. I don’t understand why I got cancer, I don’t need to understand that. He’s my father. He loves me. He cared for me all these years. He’ll take care of me when I go over the river, over to the other side, you know. 

And so, to me, that verse should be engraved in every person’s mind. As for God, His way is perfect. Don’t question it. Don’t allow sincere people who challenge you or who say, hey, if you were walking with God, you wouldn’t be sick. Well, the Lord Jesus died at age 33. He wasn’t an old man. He was only 33 when the Lord finally ascended into heaven. So a long life is not necessarily a better life. So as for God, His way is perfect. I’m preaching at you Warren! [Laughter]

BROWN: That’s the late Luis Palau talking to Warren Smith. To hear their complete conversation, look for Listening In tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, March 18th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Commentator Cal Thomas now on fooling ourselves.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: Evangelical Christians have grown into an influential subset of American politics. But they don’t all vote in unison. In the 2020 election, this subset created a new subset. They called themselves “Pro-life Evangelicals for Biden.” Their members include the granddaughter of the late Billy Graham—who came to regret his own too-close association with Richard Nixon—and several thousand pastors and other influential Christian leaders.

The group acknowledged that while Joe Biden did not support their primary issue—that of protecting unborn human life—he was “more consistent with the Biblically shaped ethic of life than Donald Trump.” 

After observing Biden for less than two months in office, the group now says it “feels betrayed.” Its members are especially frustrated over his recently stated opposition to the Hyde Amendment. That’s the law that prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions.

Liberal Christians like to speak of other issues, such as immigration, the environment and helping the poor, along with personal character qualities as having equal importance with abortion. The problem with that argument is that the right to life is the most fundamental of rights. It comes first in the Declaration of Independence. If you can’t be born, nothing else matters. 

Evangelical Christians are called to devote themselves to a higher kingdom and a King not of this world. Just as Scripture says one cannot serve God and money, neither can we equally serve God and temporal political kingdoms that soon pass away.

In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes, “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” The Apostle John put it this way: “Do not love the world or anything in the world…The world and its desires pass away…”

These and other verses certainly don’t prohibit voting. But they do call for the right priorities and not “marrying” ourselves to a political leader or party.

Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden might have learned from recent history that identifying one candidate as more favorable to God and Christian voters is a form of idolatry and ultimately futile.

Humankind’s greatest needs are less economic and political than spiritual and moral. No politician can redeem the soul, though Biden claimed he could restore “America’s soul.”

Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden should have known the futility of making a bargain with the abortion devils. But they chose to ignore the warnings, and now they’re suffering from buyer’s remorse.

I’m Cal Thomas.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Tomorrow on Culture Friday: We’ll talk to John Stonestreet about the Vatican upholding biblical marriage. 

And, Megan Basham reviews a new computer-animated fantasy action film, Raya and the Last Dragon.

That and more tomorrow. 

I’m Myrna Brown.

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 Bible says, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.” 

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.