The World and Everything in It: March 24, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

As we near the dealmaking phase of the Iran war, who holds the cards?

TRUMP: With Iran we’ve been negotiating a long time, and this time they mean business.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also today, with wait times at American airports longer than flights, ICE agents arrive to help.

And an AI company battles the Pentagon in court.

Later, how one teenager's need for attention became the other's burden. 

WALSH: I would follow her out of the room, to the notice of my other friends. They were like, Why is Meghan acting weird? Why does she seem so sad?

And WORLD Opinions Editor Albert Mohler on the weight of a President’s words.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, March 24th. 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: Trump: talks ongoing w/ Iran, delaying energy strikes » President Trump says the U.S. is talking with a “respected” Iranian leader, who is eager for a deal to end the war.

TRUMP:  But we're dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, uh, you know, it's a little tough. They've wiped out, we've wiped out everybody. Is that the supreme leader? No, not the supreme leader. We don't, that's not much talk. Well, nobody's ever, nobody heard of the second supreme leader.

The son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly named Iran’s new supreme leader roughly 2 weeks ago, but he has not been seen in public. Many doubt whether he is in charge or even alive.

Iranian state TV denies that any top official from the Iranian regime is engaged in such talks.

But Trump said of whomever US officials are talking to:

TRUMP:  They want to, they want peace. They've agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon, you know, et cetera, et cetera. But we'll see. You have to get it done, but I would say there's a very good chance.

The president also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants, saying Monday that it has an additional five days.

Antisemitic attack / Israel latest » In London…

SOUND: Scene of ambulance attack

...four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer charity were set ablaze early yesterday. No one was injured in the attack...but several oxygen cylinders on those vehicles exploded...breaking windows in apartment windows nearby.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis:

MIRVIS: We woke up this morning in a state of shock. A revealed miracle from God that not a single person was injured nor killed, it so easily could have happened.

Authorities say surveillance video appears to show three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the ambulances before lighting them on fire.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams:

WILLIAMS: This arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities and we've launched an immediate investigation to identify those responsible.

The attack drew widespread condemnation from political leaders throughout the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said anti-Semitism has no place in British society, and called on Londoners to stand together.

And London Mayor Sakiq Khan said:

KHAN: Today's a dark day for London. Jewish Londoners who volunteer to provide a service for all Londoners have been attacked for no other reason than because they are Jewish.

An Iran-aligned terror group accepted responsibility for the attack.

LaGuardia runway collision » Authorities have launched an investigation into a deadly crash on the tarmac at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

An Air Canada jet carrying more than 70 passengers collided with a fire truck while landing, killing two pilots and injuring several others.

Officials say the fire truck was crossing the tarmac late Sunday after being given permission to check on another plane reporting an odor onboard. Before the collision, an air traffic controller can be heard frantically telling the fire truck to stop.

AUDIO:  Frontier, 41 95 to stop there please. Stop, stop, stop. Truck on. Stop. Stop, stop. Stop. Truck. One stop. Stop. Truck one. Stop!

The crash shut down LaGuardia during what was already a messy time at U.S. airports.

Travelers have been facing long security lines due to a government shutdown and the busy spring break travel season.

Mullin confirmation » The Senate has confirmed Markwayne Mullin as the new secretary of Homeland Security.

AUDIO:  The eyes are 54. The nays are 45. The nomination of Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma to be Secretary of Homeland Security is confirmed.

The first term Oklahoma senator was President Trump’s pick to replace Kristi Noem, who Trump fired earlier this month. Mullin served for a decade in the House before joining the Senate three years ago.

He assumes the role at a difficult time, amid that funding lapse and partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Dept, with Congress seemingly no closer to a solution.

Sudan hospital strike » At least 64 people — including 13 children — were killed when a strike hit a hospital in Sudan's Darfur region. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The World Health Organization says the Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur was struck Friday, injuring roughly 90 others.

The paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces, blames the Sudanese military. The army denies it, saying its strike was aimed at a nearby police station.

This is one of more than two thousand attacks on medical facilities since Sudan's civil war erupted in 2023.

The United Nations puts the overall death toll above 40,000 — though aid groups say the true number is likely far higher.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Still ahead, ICE agents arrive at airports across the country on a mission to help shorten long security lines. And later, WORLD Opinions Editor Albert Mohler on the weight of a president’s words.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 24th of March.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

First up, the art of the deal in Iran.

President Trump says American airstrikes targeting Iran’s energy sector are on hold this week as conversations with Iran ramp up.

TRUMP: We’ve been negotiating a long time and this time they mean business.

REICHARD: This comes after intermediate-range ballistic missiles aimed at an American base in the Indian Ocean fell short of their target. Iran has since claimed they did not fire the missiles. What leverage do they have for negotiating with the U.S.?

EICHER: Joining us now is Alex Vetanka. He is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute specializing in regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran. He is also a senior fellow in Middle East studies at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School. 

REICHARD: Alex, good morning.

ALEX VATANKA: Good morning, great to be with you.

REICHARD: So glad you're here. Well, the president postponed strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, saying talks with Iran were going well. But Iran has not confirmed those talks. And at this point in the conflict, who do you think holds which card?

VATANKA: Yeah, as you said, the Iranian side are saying there are no talks going on. And yet we know for a fact that a number of countries have volunteered to basically mediate. Well, it's Turkey, the Gulf Arab states, even Egypt and Pakistan have been mentioned, in terms of the military side of things, the United States and Israel have the upper hand. But what Iran has proven is that it can take the global economy hostage, if you will, and they can probably do that for some time to come. And that is probably one of the reasons why the American president right now is looking for a way out if he can find that off-ramp.

EICHER: Is that the primary weapon that Iran has in making this a long-term conflict? Is its primary leverage economic?

VATANKA: Yes, and they can only do so by really hurting as many countries as possible. And they do so through the sort of essentially, if you will, the energy factor as a weapon. you know, people need to remember about 40% of the world's natural gas and about 50 % of the world's oil is based in and around the Persian Gulf region. This is a lot of energy concentrated in a small place where the largest country is Iran. But other than that, there's really not much Iran can do. So they're very focused on a particular set of targets in the Persian Gulf region. And they're hoping that just getting the world to pay attention would be enough to put pressure on the Trump administration and make the American president think twice about how long he wants to stay in this war.

EICHER: I am curious about one of the things that we have seen. One of those things is the missile launch toward the US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, indicating that they can target areas a good deal farther than what was previously thought. Do you think that that vindicates some of the pre-war rationale given about the Iranian threat?

VATANKA: I mean, look, the Islamic Republic can be criticized for all sorts of bad things it's done at home to its own people. And certainly the United States going back to 79. But I don't necessarily think the range of their missiles was, you know, in terms of being sufficient as a pretext for this war merits it. I don't think it holds water. You can make the case why U.S. had to go to war, but I don't necessarily think focusing on the missiles and the range justifies it.

REICHARD: Let's talk expectations. So far, the decapitation of the leadership of Iran has not led to its collapse. In fact, it led to a consolidation of power by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the IRGC has now taken a firmer hand in decision making. So my question is, is this a shift from clerical legitimacy to military survival?

VATANKA: I would actually say that the Revolutionary Guards, or IRGC, have been running Iran for a number of years now. Now, Khamenei is dead, the Revolutionary Guards are, as you pointed out, consolidating their power. But going forward, don't necessarily think consolidation of power necessarily means hardening of their position. Because I think fundamentally, as an organization, they're not suicidal. If there's a way for them to sort of continue to live once this war is over, if there is a way where they can go back and make money and have access to power, they will likely consider seriously any off-ramp opportunities that show up.

REICHARD: What else are you watching for this week in particular?

VATANKA: You know, obviously the latest suggestion that US and Iran are talking, if this turns out to be true, if there is a diplomatic track that can be had, you know, it is extremely important for the region, for the United States, for Iran, to look for that comprehensive deal, if you will. The idea that you have another interim deal that deals with for example, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz or ending the conflict as far as the hot shooting war is concerned, that's just, I think would be a missed opportunity. What you need right now is my kind of hope essentially is to see if I can detect a more comprehensive move by a number of countries that come together and say, can we have a comprehensive solution of sorts? That obviously would be a very tall order. would include things like US and Iran having a serious detente, but also Israel and Iran. That's the other thing that we shouldn't forget. So much of this is about Israel and Iran. Again, it's not something that's gonna happen this week, but if you see sort of signs that that might be the pathway forward, a political dialogue that is built on a ceasefire that prevents the world from having to go through this again anytime in the near future. And I think that would be wonderful if that happened.

EICHER: Alex Vatanka is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Alex, thanks so much.

VATANKA: Thanks for having me, pleasure.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Up next, speeding up long waits at airport security.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, ICE, took up positions starting Monday at more than a dozen major airports across the country.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: President Trump ordered them there to assist TSA after Senate Democrats held the line and blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security again. TSA and other homeland security employees have been working without pay since the department shut down well over a month ago, and as employees quit or call in sick, security lines have been growing.

WORLD’s Mary Muncy reports on what’s happening at the airport and on Capitol Hill.

MARY MUNCY: Patrice Clark left her house at 3:00 in the morning on Saturday so she could stand in line at TSA for four hours in Las Vegas.

CLARK: From now on, I would drive wherever I have to go until they get this figured out. It was horrible.

And it’s not just Vegas. The TSA line at JFK in New York stretched across the airport. In Atlanta on Monday, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport told travelers to arrive four hours before their flight.

Those long security lines prompted President Trump to deploy ICE. Border Czar Tom Homan:

HOMAN: They’re there to help TSA and plug the holes

Homan says ICE agents are helping with things like door security to free up TSA agents to help people through the line.

HOMAN: But if they see, they see criminal activity, they're federal law enforcement officers, they should take action.

Over 200,000 DHS employees are working without pay for the second time in six months. They’ll get back pay when DHS is funded, but when that will be is up in the air.

Since the shutdown started, More than 300 employees have quit, and twice as many TSA agents as normal are calling out sick.

But unlike TSA agents, ICE officers are getting paid.

President Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill last year secured funding for ICE. Now, he’s pushing Congress to end the shutdown.

The future of ICE and how it operates is at the heart of the legislative gridlock. Democrats say they won't agree to future funding of ICE or Customs and Border Protection until Republicans allow new rules on how immigration is enforced.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats are willing to fund the rest of DHS, like FEMA and the Coast Guard, and blames Republicans for the long airport lines.

SCHUMER: Every previous vote offered by the Republicans has tied TSA funding to also continue funding for ICE.

But GOP Senator John Kennedy argues ICE funding is essential for a functioning government. He says GOP senators are willing to talk about reforms, if DHS is funded.

KENNEDY: But they haven’t agreed, despite concessions on our side to open up ICE. And they’re not going to.

Congress is supposed to begin a two-week recess for Easter at the end of the week. They’re expected to continue meeting on the issue until then.

At the Atlanta airport, Otessa Lofton says the shutdown is frustrating, but right now, there’s nothing to do but show up early.

LOFTON: We're patient with the lines and we know that the ones that are working are working as hard as they can.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Up next: The Pentagon fires its AI assistant.

Later this morning, artificial intelligence company Anthropic heads to court in northern California for its first hearing in a case against the Pentagon.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: This comes after a contract dispute led the Pentagon to cut ties and blacklist Anthropic as a supply chain risk.

Washington Producer Harrison Watters has the story.

HARRISON WATTERS: Anthropic’s lawsuit says the company was founded on the belief that AI development should maximize positive outcomes for humanity. Its founders had left ChatGPT’s developer OpenAI over concerns that company wasn’t developing AI responsibly. Here’s CEO Dario Amodei on a tech podcast in 2024:

AMODEI: Civilization is going down this path to very powerful AI: what's the way to do it that is cautious, straightforward, honest…

Last June, Anthropic announced it was creating custom models for national security customers. And it was the first to get security clearance to work with the Pentagon.

As the Department of Defense was updating its name to the Department of War last fall, it was also stepping up its use of AI tools.

Defense Under Secretary Emil Michael spoke to CBS earlier this month.

MICHAEL: We're still at the early stages of using it for Military purposes, but it's helping make every part of the Department of War that it's used in just more efficient.

Then the partnership hit a snag. Here’s Daniel Cochrane, senior research associate at the Heritage Foundation.

COCHRANE: So it appears that in late 2025, the Pentagon was reviewing various contracts with their vendors, and they found that Anthropic imposed these two red lines.

Anthropic was part of a contract with Palantir, a data analysis company that serves the U.S. Military. In the contract, Anthropic said their models could not be used for developing autonomous weapons that could kill without humans pulling the trigger. They also forbade the Department of War from using Claude models to build surveillance systems for monitoring American citizens.

After the U.S. Military seized Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro in January, Anthropic asked the Pentagon if its models were used during the raid.

Last week, Under Secretary Michael told CNBC that was classified information, and breached the chain of command.

MICHAEL: …Implying that if they didn't like the way it was used in that raid, that we might have a problem and have violated the terms of the contract, which meant that they could shut us off at any time.

The Department of War wanted to update the contract. But Anthropic wanted its restrictions to remain intact. Here’s CEO Amodei on CBS News:

AMODEI: At one point they sent us language that, you know, appeared on the surface to uh meet our terms, but it had all kinds of language like if the Pentagon deems it appropriate or to do anything in line with laws. So it didn't actually concede in any meaningful way.

Cochrane says the conflict comes down to where the buck stops.

COCHRANE: Who gets to make that ultimate call? Is that the Defense Department that is ultimately accountable to the President of the United States, who is an elected leader, or is it a private AI company?

At the end of February, the Pentagon gave Anthropic its own red line: remove the restrictions on Claude, or be designated a supply chain risk. That designation would prevent Defense agencies or contractors they do business with from using Anthropic’s services on government projects.

Cochrane says that’s typically reserved for foreign companies.

COCHRANE: So, for example, the Pentagon might say, if you're a contractor that does business with them, like you can't use technology from Huawei, because it's a Chinese company. It's controlled by a foreign adversary.

Under Secretary Michael told CNBC the designation was necessary because the Pentagon believes Anthropic’s worldview is not aligned with the U.S. Constitution.

MICHAEL: We can't have a company that has a different policy preference that is baked into the model through its constitution, its soul, its policy preferences pollute the supply chain…

President Trump later called on all government agencies to stop using Anthropic’s products. But removing Claude from the American government’s systems won’t be as simple as cancelling the contract and hiring a different AI company. Here’s Ethics and Public Policy Center fellow Clare Morell.

MORELL: The switching costs are a lot higher, because…You've already invested a lot in training personnel, developing systems, all based on this certain AI model, and they're all slightly different. And so that can then take a lot of time to unwind.

Six months to unwind to be exact, according to the Department of War.

While the Department works with Anthropic to extricate Claude, it’s also stepping up its security clearance partnership with other developers, including Amodei’s former employer, OpenAI.

For its part, Anthropic stands to lose a lot more than its $200 million Pentagon contract, and it’s hoping courts agree. Daniel Cochrane at the Heritage Foundation says the Department of Defense has full discretion to hire and fire contractors. But branding a leading American AI developer a supply chain risk could hurt the larger industry.

COCHRANE: Saying no one else can do business with Anthropic if you, if you touch any Pentagon contract, I think that is perhaps too far, but we'll see what the courts say in the end.

The court today will hear Anthropic’s request to put the government’s order on hold while the case proceeds.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

NICK EICHER, HOST: A government helpline run by the state of Washington offered callers a familiar choice:

AUDIO: I just called the DOL and they’re like, press one for English, press two for Spanish.

Seems straightforward enough, but evidently not quite.

For months, callers who pressed 2 did not get Spanish.

What they got instead was something that could charitably be called Spanglish:

AUDIO: Thank you for calling the Department of Licensing Customer Support Center. For assistance with … an upcoming appointment, please press uno.

Please press uno!

One user posted the A-I glitch online after noticing.

AUDIO: Tell me why it stays in English but switches to a Hispanic accent.

Because it made a hilarious mistake, is my guess.

Washington’s Department of Licensing later apologized and said it fixed la problema.

Because pressing 2 for Spanish should get you Spanish, not English in a fake mustache.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, March 24th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: friendship, and the destruction of deception.

Humans crave connection, but crossing ethical lines to get it can cause long-term problems for everyone involved.

As a note: Out of respect for the privacy of one of the people in this story, WORLD has chosen not to use her real name: we call her Lucy.

WORLD’s Emma Eicher has the story.

EMMA EICHER: Meghan Walsh really wanted to be one of the cool kids in high school. That desire turned into a friendship with an edgy junior, Lucy.

MEGHAN WALSH: I knew why I was drawn to her, because I thought she was cool. I had no idea what she was drawn to me, but she always wanted to talk to me, and be near me.

While Walsh was bubbly and friendly, Lucy was quiet and brooding.

WALSH: And I was very afraid of her. Afraid of her in a way where you, like, admire her. She had an intense look about her.

Then Lucy began confiding in 15 year-old Walsh. Heavier things.

WALSH: That made me feel like she really trusted me, and that kind of enhanced the emotional intimacy of our relationship.

Over time, they shared more personal secrets.

WALSH: She had a really complicated relationship with her mom, she said, like, her mom hates her.

Then one day, Lucy came to a play rehearsal, with a bandage wrapped around her head. She told everyone she slipped and fell, but then she gestured for Walsh to follow her into the bathroom.

WALSH: She told me that she had had, like, brain surgery for brain cancer. She has recurrent brain cancer, and she has been dealing with it, but this time, they think it's terminal, so she doesn't know how many more months she has to live. And then I remember, like, we were just like, sitting on the floor of the bathroom and, like, crying.

Walsh promised to keep Lucy’s secret and spent months comforting Lucy and crying with her.

WALSH: She seemed like she needed help, I would follow her out of the room, to the notice of my other friends. They were like, Why is Meghan acting weird? Why does she seem so sad?

Walsh’s parents also noticed she had become isolated, pouring all of her time and energy into Lucy. And they were upset when Lucy came over under the influence of drugs.

Walsh felt like she had to defend her. So she told them Lucy’s secret/Lucy had cancer. That only made them more skeptical.

WALSH: I think that they just thought that she seemed off in a malicious way. They were like, I think she's lying to you. And we kind of got in a fight about that.

Then, Lucy said the cancer had spread to her heart. And she was scheduled to have open heart surgery. Walsh was out of town the day before the surgery was scheduled. Lucy texted her goodbye, just in case.

WALSH: I remember being at Les Mis in New York City and crying because she was like, I'm going in tomorrow for the surgery if I don't wake up like, I love you so much.

Walsh did see her again—the next day. At school. Lucy said her mom forced her to attend.

WALSH: She, like, rolled up her shirt in the bathroom, and she showed me, like, an ace bandage wrapped around her chest, and I should have known, but like, I was scared.

Walsh’s dad had had enough and called Lucy’s mom. He said, does Lucy really have cancer?

WALSH: And then her mom responded like, ‘Oh no, not this again.’

The surgeries, the bandages, the secrets they shared, it was all one big lie. Apparently, Lucy had a history of lying.

WALSH: I was just completely shocked, even though I thought something was weird, I didn't think that she … who lies about having cancer??

Walsh isn’t the only one who’s been duped into believing a friend has a serious illness. Turns out, it’s a documented behavioral issue called factitious disorder.

MICHAEL VITACCO: This disorder is relatively rare, but maybe it's not as rare as we think it is. Certainly with the internet, with social media, we can become more aware of the things that are happening.

Michael Vitacco is a professor at the School of Public Health at Augusta University. In simple terms, factitious disorder is lying about an illness for attention or sympathy.

In Lucy’s case, Vitacco thinks perhaps:

VITACCO: She's looking to get the attention and support of her classmates.

There are many reasons for why someone might fake an illness: Childhood abuse or neglect, or it could overlap with other types of disorders.

Vitacco says Lucy’s specific motivations are unclear.

VITACCO: There are a significant number of mental health disorders that are associated with deception.

Walsh didn’t understand why Lucy would tell such a devastating lie. But she hoped for the best, and she tried to talk to Lucy after she found out the truth.

WALSH: Her face was bright red. I had never seen anybody so red, but she wouldn't let me approach her, touch her. I tried to hug her, and she, like, couldn't look at me, but she didn't say anything. She didn't say she was sorry, she didn't try to give any explanation.

The friendship was over. Walsh saw Lucy around school, but things were never the same, and she moved on.

Almost a decade later, that painful memory became sharper when Walsh herself was diagnosed with cancer.

WALSH: I think it made me more retroactively angry, because for the longest time, I just like, mourned the loss of her and felt badly that she felt compelled to do that. But then when I had cancer, I was like, How could you lie about this? This is so scary.

That was when Walsh found what she suspected Lucy had really craved: deep, meaningful relationships.

WALSH: I felt so close to the people in my life that were there for me, though I think maybe I like felt a little bit of what she wanted to feel like. That people were going to be there for you and take care of you.

Walsh is now cancer-free.

She wonders if Lucy is still doing this to other people, and what it would take to get her to stop.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Emma Eicher.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. WORLD Opinions editor Albert Mohler is next, with commentary on the weight words carry—especially when the whole world is listening.

ALBERT MOHLER: On Sunday, March 22 President Trump responded to the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller with these words on Truth Social, “Good. I’m glad he’s dead.” Even now it is hard to say those words aloud. Let me be direct. That is a terrible thing to say about the death of another human being, yes, even an enemy, even more a political enemy.

Now let’s be honest about the context, Donald Trump had reasons to see Robert Mueller as a political enemy. Mueller led the special counsel investigation that cast a long shadow over Donald Trump’s presidency.

Trump is not wrong to remember that conflict. He is not wrong to believe he was treated unjustly, and some around him moved quickly to make exactly that point. The day after the Mueller post, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president by urging sympathy for what President Trump and his family have endured.

This is from Meet the Press on NBC this weekend.

BESSENT: Given what has been done to President Trump and his family, it is impossible for either of us to understand what he has been through… we should all have a little empathy for what has been done to him and his family.

It is not absurd to say Mueller became, in Trump’s mind and political life, a genuine political enemy. It is understandable that there are deep grievances, but that is different than celebrating a man’s death, and that is what matters here.

This is not the first time President Trump has spoken this way about enemies. At the memorial service for Charlie Kirk in September of last year, President Trump contrasted himself with Kirk by saying this:

TRUMP: He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I am sorry, Erika. But now Erika can talk to me and the whole group and maybe they can convince me that’s not right, but I can’t stand my opponent. Heh-heh. Charlie’s angry, looking down, he’s angry at me now.

Now that line drew laughter, and it was delivered in a half-joking tone, but that is really part of the problem. Some things should not be joked about, especially by the President of the United States.

A few days after those remarks, the White House defended the president in the language of authenticity. But authenticity is not a Christian virtue if what comes out is morally disordered. The heart is not vindicated simply because the language is unfiltered.

LEAVITT: The president is authentically himself. I think that’s why millions of Americans across the country love him and support him.

Indeed, Jesus warned us about exactly that in Matthew chapter 12. He says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Then Jesus added words every sane person should hear with trembling: “On the Day of Judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak.” Every careless word. That should stop every one of us cold.

Robert Mueller was not beyond criticism. Of course he was not. He held immense power. He made consequential decisions. He was involved in one of the most bitterly contested episodes in modern American political history. But he was a husband, a father, a grandfather. He was a Marine veteran. He served for decades in public life, and now he has died. At moments like this, even the death of a political enemy should call forth restraint, dignity, and a measure of grace.

American presidents have often understood this. They’ve spoken generously at the deaths of political enemies, not because they forgot the conflict, but because death reminds us that politics is not ultimate. With Mueller’s death, there is now a grieving family, and there is also the reality that when a president speaks, he does so speaking into the loudest microphone on Earth. This means that his words matter all the more.

This is one of those moments when a leader should rise to the occasion. He should show moral seriousness and acknowledge a human life, speak with decency, and offer sympathy to those left behind. That’s not weakness, that’s civilization.

And Christians should be especially clear about this, because we know something the world often forgets: every word, every word has moral weight. I think about that personally. I do not want to say anything my wife would feel indecent. I do not want to leave behind words my children would have to explain away, and I certainly do not want my grandchildren, years after I am gone, to read something that I said that would shame them.

But beyond all of that, there is a final reckoning. Jesus did not say that in the end we’ll have to answer to pundits, partisans, or public opinion. He made clear, we will answer to God.

So even if it will be easier to look away, Christians should not. In this case, we should take this moment as a bracing reminder. We must guard our tongue, take responsibility for our words, speak as those who will answer for what we say, and on that day of judgment, not even the President of the United States will get a political pass.

That’s good for us to remember. For WORLD, I’m Albert Mohler.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: When is a day longer than a day? We’ll talk about that as we discuss the mail-in ballot case at the Supreme Court. That and all things politics on Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker. 

And one ranching family, one massive wildfire, and a desperate fight to save their livestock.

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 Bible says: “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.” —Psalm 77:11-15

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.