The World and Everything in It - May 11. 2021

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Pain at the gas pump. You’ve no doubt felt the jolt. We’ll talk about the reasons why gas prices are up.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also the latest report on international religious freedom. What’s it telling us?

Plus, a small Mississippi grocer makes a big business decision.

And the dirty origins of Planned Parenthood.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, May 11th. 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: The news is next. Here’s Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Biden says “enhanced” unemployment isn’t keeping Americans home » President Biden addressed the U.S. economy from the East Room of the White House on Monday. And he pushed back against complaints that enhanced unemployment benefits are giving many people incentive not to work.

BIDEN: Well, we don’t see much evidence of that.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sees it differently, noting that millions are now making as much or more in unemployment than they earned at work. The chamber called on Washington to end the federal boost to unemployment aid.

However, the president said the law is clear.

BIDEN: If you’re receiving unemployment benefits and you’re offered a suitable job, you can’t refuse that job and just keep getting the unemployment benefits.

But Republicans note that they also don’t have to apply for a job.

Throughout most of the country right now, recipients of enhanced aid don’t have to show that they’re looking for employment. States had to drop their job-search requirements from jobless benefits in order to receive certain federal money during the pandemic.

Though some states are now looking to reimpose the job-search rule.

President Biden again said that a disappointing job report on Friday is further evidence that his plan to spend roughly another $4 trillion dollars is necessary to bolster the economy.

Biden administration targets healthcare conscience protections » The Biden administration has announced that it will enforce Obamacare anti-discrimination measures based on people’s preferred genders. That sets up more challenges to the First Amendment conscience rights of some healthcare providers. WORLD’s Sarah Schweinsberg has more.

SARAH SCHWEINSBERG, REPORTER: The Department of Health and Human Services made the announcement on Monday. That means its Office for Civil Rights will investigate complaints of sex discrimination according to so-called gender identity.

And the government could sanction medical providers for failing to observe people’s chosen identities.

Last summer, the Trump administration defined sex as biological sex, but a federal judge blocked the new rules from taking effect. The Biden administration is essentially returning to the policy and practice of former President Barack Obama. The Obama administration denied religious liberty to healthcare providers who resisted providing abortions and gender transition procedures.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg

Colonial Pipeline hopes to restore service by week’s end » The company that operates the U.S. fuel line crippled by a ransomware attack says it hopes to be up and running by the end of the week.

Homeland Security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall told reporters,

RANDALL: Thus far, Colonial has told us that it has not suffered damage and can be brought back online relatively quickly, but that safety is a priority, given that it has never before taken the entire pipeline down.

Colonial Pipeline delivers nearly half of the fuel consumed on the East Coast.

The FBI says the criminal group that made the ransomware used in the attack is called DarkSide. The group's members are Russian speakers, and the malware it created is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

But President Biden said Monday,

BIDEN: So far there is no evidence from our intelligence people that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actor’s ransomware is in Russia. They have some responsibility to deal with this.

The United States sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies. Intel officials linked that hack to a Russian military intelligence unit and described it as an intelligence-gathering operation.

Fauci, Gottlieb: Time to relax mask guidelines » The president’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that it’s time to relax some indoor mask standards.

He told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos,

FAUCI: Yes, we do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated. As you get more people vaccinated, the number of cases per day will absolutely go down.

His remarks came after former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said it’s time for the CDC to revise its recommendations.

Gottlieb told CBS that between vaccinations and prior infections, the risk is substantially lower.

GOTTLIEB: And so I think we’re at a point in time when we can start lifting these ordinances in a wholesale fashion. And people have to take precautions based on their individual risk. They have to judge their own own individual risk and decide whether or not they’re going to avoid crowds or wear masks based on their circumstances.

Gottlieb said he believes all restrictions on outdoor events should be lifted and in some places, indoor restrictions as well.

The CDC revised its mask guidance last month. It said fully vaccinated people can go without masks outdoors except in large crowds. But it still advises those who are vaccinated to wear masks indoors when around unvaccinated people.

Hamas fires rockets at Jerusalem after clashes at mosque » :Violence has erupted once again in the Middle East. At least least 20 people are reportedly dead after Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes in response.

It started with weeks of clashes between rock-throwing Palestinians and Israeli police, who responded with non-lethal force like flash grenades.

SOUND: ISRAEL NATS

But on Monday, Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem. Israel hit back with airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the Hamas rocket attacks were an “unacceptable escalation.”

PRICE: While we urge deescalation on all sides, we also recognize Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself—to defend its people and its territory.

Weeks of confrontations have been focused around a disputed hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the rising cost of getting from point A to point B.

Plus, Ryan Bomberger on Planned Parenthood’s racist history.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 11th of May, 2021.

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, getting from point A to point B.

Consumers are seeing a 30 percent increase in the cost of a gallon of gas. Granted, that’s compared to last year when fuel was in dramatically less demand and prices plummeted. But, other than the economy reopening, what’s driving the price spike? WORLD senior correspondent Katie Gaultney reports.

AMBI: GAS STATION

KATIE GAULTNEY, REPORTER: Pain at the pump.

GAS STATION CUSTOMER 1: How much is it going to be this time? That’s the first thing that comes to mind.

GAS STATION CUSTOMER 2: Every time I go to fill up, I’m like, “Are you serious? Ugh!”

And with road trips on the horizon, consumers shouldn’t expect prices to fall any time soon. In fact, analysts expect fuel prices to reach a three-year high this summer. Nationwide, prices are hovering just below $3 a gallon for a tank of regular, on average.

AMBI: GAS STATION

So, what—or who—can consumers blame? Certainly not gas station owners. Karen and Jessie Chhina own and operate a Chevron just north of Dallas. Between taxes, freight, and credit card fees, their margins are already—well, on fumes. And this comes after a year of very little business during the pandemic.

CHHINA: I would say like 50, 60 percent business is down…

And, COVID’s financial toll means people aren’t spending as much inside the store.

CHHINA: I even ask them—you know how you know your customers? They buy certain type of soda, certain type of candy. But I’m like, “You don’t want your M&M?” “No, Miss Karen, we have to cut down.”

So, it’s not the individual operators setting the high price. Who then? Some Republican leaders point the finger at President Biden, saying the federal focus on alternative energy and climate change triggered a spike. Philip Rossetti is a former director of energy policy at the conservative American Action Forum. He says Biden’s administration isn’t to blame.

ROSSETTI: I would say Biden's policies are not the big explanation for what we're seeing right now. I think that's more of a long-term issue.

“Long-term” like the complicated dynamics between OPEC—mostly Saudi Arabia—and Russia. John Barrett, a professor at LeTourneau University, explains.

BARRETT: Right before the pandemic, Saudi Arabia and Russia were kind of in a price war. And so production was ramped up above probably what it really should have been at, and that was pushing prices down.

Add to that turbulent environment a sudden halt in production as governments closed businesses and restricted travel. Rossetti again: 

ROSSETTI: Oil production went from a little over 12 million barrels per day to about 10 million barrels per day.

That caused the price of oil to crash almost overnight, and gas prices plummeted with it. Now, suppliers have an opportunity to begin to rev their profit engines. But, Barrett calls oil and gas a “slow-moving industry.” Many oilfield wells went offline during the downturn, and it will take suppliers time to catch up to demand. 

BARRETT: They're kind of cautiously moving to gradually increase the production.

Another annual factor: As the temperatures climb, so do gas prices.

ROSSETTI: Gas prices fluctuate with the seasons. Summer tends to be the most expensive time...

Is there any reason to hope drivers will get some relief anytime soon? Both Barrett and Rossetti say probably not. At least not in the next few months. For all of the contributing factors, surging gas costs come down to market dynamics: relatively low supply and rising demand.

Barrett pointed to increasing confidence as people re-enter public spaces and plan travel after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. And more employment and stimulus money means more people may find travel economically feasible, despite the higher cost of a tank of gas.

BARRETT: The American economy and several other economies seem to be moving along nicely again, as the vaccination rates are going up and, and, and all of this. And there's obviously been a lot of stimulus that's put into the economy.

One hopeful note for drivers: OPEC and its allies, like Russia, have agreed to gradually increase supply through June. The cartel will decide at a June 1st meeting what actions to take to impact July and August pricing.

SONG: BABY YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR BY THE BEATLES

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Katie Gaultney in Dallas, Texas.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Next up, tracking religious persecution.

Every year the U-S Commission on International Religious Freedom issues a report on persecution.

The 2021 report came out in late April. It calls attention to attempts by governments around the world to control or suppress faith. All kinds of faith. It also lists terror groups that target people because of their religion.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: The commission doesn’t make or enforce policy. It’s strictly an advisory group, independent and bipartisan.

Still, its recommendations are influential. They matter to the president, the secretary of state, and Congress.

That’s especially true for the nations the report criticizes.

Joining us now to talk about the latest report is Anurima Bhargava. She is one of the commissioners.

Good morning!

ANURIMA BHARGAVA, GUEST: Good morning.

REICHARD: As we mentioned, your commission issued its report last month. This year’s report was 108 pages long, lots to cover. What would you say are among the most troubling things?

BHARGAVA: I think that for us, in China, and the ways in which China's influence is extending a cost across the neighboring countries to China. But frankly, in all kinds of ways through the use of their own use of technology, surveillance in targeting religious communities, particularly the Uyghurs, which have been a focal point of the commission that continues. And then certainly, we don't have information on the ways of the kind of one on the ways in which COVID impacted communities like the Uyghurs in China. We certainly have seen the long arm of China around around that region, as a way in which even communities like the Rohingya in Burma are impacted by how it is that the economic and other security expansion of countries is pushing out religious communities and religious minority communities.

We continue to be significantly concerned about what's happening in Burma, in part because of the military coup. And that's the military who pushed out the Rohingya over the last many years and are part of what we we think constitutes a genocide in that in that area.

We also remain concerned about what's happening in Syria, and in particular in northeast Syria area that many have focused on as a place where there was potential for many in different religious communities to live together but has been really ravaged by what's happening with Turkey and and the Syrian government. And, and also, you know, what's been happening in neighboring Iraq and people coming over. And so those are a couple of places.

We once again designated India as a country of particular concern for the second year. And our concern even now as COVID is ravaging India, about the ways in which religious concerns and religious communities are being impacted by that.

REICHARD: And the good news is that things aren’t getting worse everywhere. What good news did you find?

BHARGAVA: We were actually able last February to visit Sudan. And I want to highlight what's happened in Sudan, and in 2019, was that there was a joint civilian, military transitional government that was put into place after the many, many year long rule by an Islamic government. And in the wake of that transition, there have been all kinds of changes that have happened in Sudan, from the lifting of restrictions on women and guardianship laws, to the addressing of things like female genital mutilation, to the ways in which there the blasphemy apostasy laws that really criminalize anyone who did not adhere to a particular religious interpretation and religious practice in Sudan. That that has really opened up. There has been a wide scale effort to change textbooks and how education is taking place in the country, to to allow for the celebration of holidays like Christmas home, and so what we saw in Sudan was a real change, a sea change in the in the last year and a half, even during COVID. And that continues. And so that's one of the highlights that we have talked about, as as a place that came from a really, you know, a place of real concern for such a long time to, you know, in many ways led by women and others who really on the ground changed what it meant to be part of Sudan and be someone whose ability to practice their faith is respected.

REICHARD: Anurima, what are USCIRF’s key recommendations this year?

BHARGAVA: I think the power of USCIRF in many ways is is to try and serve to shine a light on what's happening for religious communities around the world. Oftentimes, especially these days, where we're seeing the kind of religious persecution and violence that we're seeing. It's hard, you know, we move from one country's great crisis to another. The other thing that we've been trying to do is really to focus on some of the trends that we're seeing. So I spoke about the long arm of China. I spoke about the the the the ways in which technology GE is exacerbating religious tensions. It's there's a lot of disinformation, there's a lot of hate that's being spread through social media, through other means that is having a disastrous effect on religious communities around the world.

And so our goal is also to think about what some of those trends are and to focus on those as well. And the last thing to say is that, you know, for the United States to practice what it what it preaches, right? To recognize, and we advocated very strongly for the refugee resettlement ceiling to be to be lifted and to be as high as possible. It had reach record lows in the last few years. And it's important that those who we’re advocating for who are experiencing religious persecution and violence around the world, that they do have a place, that they might find safety, that they might find it a place that they can worship. And we do that not only by that kind of advocacy, but also through a religious prisoners of conscience project where many of us advocate for individual prisoners who are who have been detained because of either their advocacy for religious communities or because they are a member of a religious community and are trying to practice their faith.

REICHARD: Was there anything that surprised you in this year’s report?

BHARGAVA: I don't know if there's anything that surprised us. And the reason the reason I say that is because in 2020, where there's the the overarching story was COVID. I don't think we saw great shifts.

What I'm hoping is that part of what we learned through COVID is that we are close to someone who might be in a neighboring country or across the world as we are to someone who lives right next to us. And that there's an understanding of the ways in which being part of a community and respecting those within that community and their ability to do something like practice their faith — that we come out of COVID with with a greater understanding of how important that is. That is, I hope. We will see how that goes.

REICHARD: Explain a little bit more about what happens with this report? How does it translate into action and how does it make a difference?

BHARGAVA: There are a couple of different ways in which the report makes a difference. First and foremost, I think the impact of really highlighting with the the highlight being so pointedly at religious freedom, without really worrying about our diplomatic or economic or security, the kinds of considerations that often people take into account, when they're looking at our relationship to a country, the sort of laser like focus that we have on religious freedom is really important. And perhaps the most powerful tool that we have, which is to be a documenter of what's happening with regards to religious persecution and violence.

Secondly, I will say that part of what we are doing is bringing to the attention to the State Department and administration and Congress of issues around religious persecution and violence. And many times, what we're able to, you know, we have an extraordinary staff and what our researchers and others are able to really talk about in terms of the ways in which citizenship laws are playing out in the country, for example, those are things that are really important to be able to highlight to be able to talk about the ways in which they are actually systemic in nature, and how it is that that they really are shaping the ways in which we should be engaging as the United States government with a country.

And so, I think that's the other part of the impact is that, you know, we are respected by a partisan body. And I think some of the impact that we've had over the last couple of years is the fact that we have spoken with one voice, across party lines. And in the United States today, we don't have that all that often. And so to have the kind of recommendations that are coming out of the Commission, that are coming from those who are are very much leaders on the Republican and Democratic side, coming together to say these are things that we should be worried about around the world, and they're going to come home, you know, in many ways and to roost in terms of what's, you know, we know now as we’ve known for a long time. But we certainly know even more acutely now that what happens around the world comes back to us impacts us is you know, we feel it, we, we see it, and it's important that we actually be able to speak to it. And that's and that's what we've been doing.

MR: Anurima Bhargava is chair of the U-S Commission on International Religious Freedom. Anurima, thank you.

BHARGAVA: Thank you.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It was supposed to be a relaxing flight from Salt Lake City to Honolulu. But somewhere over the Pacific, something happened that no one on board the plane will ever forget.

Lani Bamfield told NBC News they were about halfway to Hawaii when she heard someone call out for medical help.

Bamfield is a nurse in Kansas City, and she rushed to see what the issue was. And that’s when she saw a very surprised Lavinia Mounga.

BAMFIELD: She had little baby Raymond in her hands and she was like—a scared look.

It’s not as though she was in the backseat of a Greyhound bus, but neither did she expect to give birth on a Delta Airlines flight. But adding to the shock—she didn’t even know she was pregnant!

MOUNGA: This guy just came out of nowhere.

Raymond was born at just 29 weeks gestation.

And providentially, Lani Bamfield isn’t just any kind of nurse. She and the two friends she was traveling with are neonatal intensive care nurses. Also aboard was a family physician, Dr. Dale Glenn.

GLENN: We made baby warmers out of bottles that were microwaved. We used an Apple Watch to measure the heart rate.

Doctors say Raymond is doing well and should be able to go home with mom in the next few months.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, May 11th.

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: Closed on Sunday. Last month, a news outlet in Mississippi reported a store closing in a small town. But in this case, the store owners were happy about it.

REICHARD: That’s because the weekly closings are planned and purposeful—a good example of what happens when our convictions play out in the public square.

WORLD Senior Correspondent Kim Henderson brings us the report.

SOUND: BIRD CHIRPING

KIM HENDERSON, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: “Piggly Wiggly” is spelled out in giant letters above the entrance to this popular grocery store in Carthage, Mississippi. A sparrow sits atop the “w,” greeting customers as they walk beneath.

SOUND: UNBOXING MERCHANDISE

Inside, in Aisle 3, Welch’s fruit snacks are hitting the shelves. Two rows over, it’s jars of marinade.

SOUND: JARS RATTLING

But over by the deli, store owner Bob Pucklitsch is wiping up some kind of spill. He’s a hands-on kind of boss, and he’s been working for Piggly Wiggly for 35 years, starting in high school as a bag boy.

PUCKLITSCH: Slowly worked my way up the chain and went to stocking groceries, to produce manager, to assistant manager, to store manager in 1997. Was in that capacity for 10 years and then became a supervisor in a multi-store chain.

Pucklitsch is now 51, and as each year of his career passed, he and his wife kept bringing up the same conversation. The same dream.

PUCKLITSCH: If we ever owned a store, and we never thought we would, but wouldn't it be special if we closed on Sunday?

SOUND: STORE ACTIVITY

In 2017 they bought this store in Carthage, a town of about 4,800 people. As the new owner, Pucklitsch could set its hours. He hesitated on Sunday closings, though, saying he needed to pay off the cost of buying the store first. They were able to do that a year early.

PUCKLITSCH: My wife asked me in February, she said, “Are we going to start closing like you said?” and I said, “Yes.”

Still, Pucklitsch wrestled with God over the decision before putting the wheels in motion. Then he stopped wrestling.

PUCKLITSCH: I just bowed my head. I said, “Lord, we'll start closing in three weeks.”

Getting inventory on track was a top concern. Pucklitsch didn’t want food items to sit through Sunday, so they adjusted the schedule. Another thing on his to-do list: Making sure his 36 employees understood why they were doing it.

PUCKLITSCH: If they weren't able to attend church service, to be able to do that. I didn't want it to be that work stood in the way anymore.

Danny Boyette has been stocking shelves at this Piggly Wiggly for 13 years. He explains what his fellow workers are saying about this new Sunday policy.

BOYETTE: They think it’s great. They think it’s a good change. They think more people ought to follow suit.

And while Pucklitsch didn’t work many Sundays, he says the change has been good for him, too.

PUCKLITSCH: If a store is open, generally an owner or a store manager's going to always wonder, “Well, should I go by, should I check on them? Should I call?”

AMBI: STORE

Piggly Wiggly announced its Sunday closings via Facebook on April 20th. The post has had more than 600,000 views.

PUCKLITSCH: We've had comments from people in Arizona, in New Jersey, uh, really all over the United States—overwhelmingly positive . . .

What about negative responses?

PUCKLITSCH: We used a Bible verse from Exodus. It says on the six days, you know, to gather and on the seventh not to and the Sabbath to be holy. Well, the Sabbath is Saturday. So you had the people who wanted to throw that correction in there . . .

One of his favorite comments came from a professed atheist.

PUCKLITSCH: He said, “I don't believe in God, but I think it's great for a business to be willing to forego their sales to allow their employees to be off.”

SOUND: CASH REGISTER

That’s the first mention of foregone sales, but it’s a big part of the story. The new closed sign represents a potential loss of about $30-thousand dollars each Sunday.

PUCKLITSCH: Sunday is a big day. It would always be the third best day, if not sometimes the second best day, just depending on time of the month…

Since May 2nd, Sundays come and go without the doors of Piggly Wiggly opening. Pucklitsch is hopeful about the possible effects on the community. He gives an illustration about a husband who goes out to buy buns on a Sunday, but can’t.

PUCKLITSCH: "Well, it says on the door they closed so they could let their employees go to a church and spend the day with their family,” you know? And they said, "Well, isn't that crazy." Maybe one of their children was sitting there and said, “Well, I’d like to go to church,” and that created a dialogue. You just don't know.

SOUND: PARKING LOT

Two doors down from the Piggly Wiggly sits a vacant building. It used to house a Fred’s, part of a retail store chain. Years ago, many Fred’s stores displayed signs that read: “The day is worth more than the dollar.” They were closed on Sundays. Now they’re closed completely.

Pucklitsch thinks about that, but he says he’s not worried about the consequences of his decision. Does he wish he’d made it sooner?

PUCKLITSCH: I do. And I think every time you struggle with letting go of the world and holding on to God, you always regret the length of time it took you to do that. I just pray that every time I have a decision to make I'll hold on a lot less.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kim Henderson in Carthage, Mississippi.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, May 11th. 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. Glad to be back after celebrating with family and friends my son’s college graduation ceremony, one year after the fact, because of the you-know-what. We had such a great time and enjoyed listening to the program while away.

I know y’all were still sorting out the details before I headed out and so I was really excited to hear about the triple match for first-time donors.

EICHER: Isn’t that great? Such a generous offer and it’s in honor of WORLD’s 40th anniversary this year. Two families each decided to match up to $40-thousand—a thousand for each of WORLD’s 40 years—to triple match all new gifts this month.

So if you’ve never given before to support the program, each dollar you give brings an additional two dollars. So you can help celebrate WORLD’s 40th anniversary by helping to support the program.

REICHARD: Just visit WNG.org slash donate and make your first-ever gift today. WNG.org/donate.

Well I think more and more people are learning Planned Parenthood has a dirty little racist secret. WORLD commentator Ryan Bomberger says the group and its backers are trying to tidy up its past by using euphemistic language, an effort that he says just won’t work.

RYAN BOMBERGER, COMMENTATOR: In the supernatural, God makes us a new creation and sometimes gives us a new name. Many of us know of that transformation. It’s a beautiful thing.

In the natural, changing your name doesn’t change your DNA. This applies to so many things going on in our culture right now, from gender identity to corporate identity. Recently, Planned Parenthood president and propagandist, Alexis McGill Johnson, declared in the New York Times that her organization is “done making excuses” for its founder. Interestingly, she went on to make excuses and even praise eugenicist Margaret Sanger. You can’t praise Sanger for leading the birth control movement without invoking her reasons for it. Here’s how Sanger described her anti-human crusade: “Birth control itself, often denounced as a violation of natural law, is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defectives.” That’s the philosophy now couched in modern-day feminist euphemisms like “women’s equality” and “reproductive freedom.”

Sanger’s approach to the human condition was hateful. And yes, it was racist. Even 300 of Planned Parenthood’s current and former employees admitted this in an online statement last year. But Sanger didn’t believe racism was the worst sin. Here she is talking to journalist Mike Wallace in 1957:

SANGER: The greatest sin in the world is bringing children into the world—that have disease from their parents, that have no chance in the world to be a human being, practically. Delinquents, prisoners, all sorts of things just marked when they’re born. That to me is the greatest sin that people can commit.

So, Planned Parenthood thinks changing the names of the abortion centers bearing her name changes the fact that the organization was birthed in the same racist and elitist pseudoscience that birthed the holocaust. Yes. She had deep ties with the architects of that horrific time in human history. Lothrop Stoddard, author of the deeply racist 1921 book The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy, was a KKK leader and one of Planned Parenthood’s early board members. One of the leaders Sanger appointed to her World Population Conference was Eugen Fischer. He sought to prove that blacks were inferior to whites by studying the skulls of the massacred Africans. This was the Shark Island holocaust, off the coast of what is modern-day Namibia, carried out 30 years before the Nazi Holocaust in Europe.

Planned Parenthood’s current president says her $2 billion abortion business is going to “fully take responsibility” for the harm Sanger caused. Like Abby Johnson and many other former abortion workers, God can still change Alexis McGill Johnson’s heart and her spiritual DNA. Let’s never lose sight of that. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood needs to take responsibility for the massive harm they’re currently causing to millions of victims—the unborn of any hue killed for profit and the mothers (and fathers) harmed by the most intentional act of violent inequality: abortion.

I’m Ryan Bomberger.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: another big spending initiative from Washington. The American Families Plan as it’s called seeks to help parents manage the work/life balance. We’ll dig into the details on Washington Wednesday.

And, coffee! Everyone loves coffee. We’ll visit a California coffee shop with a mission more than mochas and a calling bigger than caffeine.

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.

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