The World and Everything in It - May 6, 2021

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning!

The unemployment rate is still above pre-pandemic levels. But employers can’t find workers to fill open positions.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also, doctors and nurses are fighting for their right to hold a scientific view of chromosomes—at least when it comes to those of the X and Y varieties.

Plus, springtime along the Delaware River means one thing: The American Shad Spawning Run.

And Cal Thomas on the importance of optimism especially in politics.

BROWN: It’s Thursday, May 6th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

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

BROWN: Up next, Kent Covington has the news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: COVID's US toll projected to drop sharply by the end of July » COVID-19's toll on the United States will fall sharply by the end of July. That according to new research released by the federal government.

WALENSKY: What we learned from this report is that we are not out of the woods yet, but we could be very close.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

The report included projections from six research groups. The CDC tasked them with predicting the course of the U.S. epidemic between now and September.

WALENSKY: The models projected a sharp decline in cases by July, 2021, and an even faster decline if more people get vaccinated sooner.

But the report also warns that a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated Americans disregard basic precautions.

The number of new daily U.S. cases now stands at about 40,000 per day. That’s the lowest level since September. But still, more than 700 Americans die each day from COVID-19.

The FDA is expected to give the green light to vaccinate adolescents very soon. Canada has just approved use of the Pfizer vaccine for children age 12 and up.

Treasury warns of need to deal with national debt limit » The Treasury Department says it will employ measures to avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt this summer. And officials say those measures could be exhausted “much more quickly” than normal given the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Treasury officials on Wednesday urged Congress to pass either a new borrowing limit or another suspension of the debt before a July 31st deadline. The Treasury will continue to use the types of bookkeeping maneuvers it has used in the past to keep the government from breaching a level that would trigger a default on the massive U.S. national debt.

The government has been able to borrow enormous sums of money to finance trillions of dollars of support during the pandemic because the limit on borrowing has been suspended. But after July 31, the limit will return to whatever debt level exists at that time.

The national debt subject to the limit now stands at a record $28 trillion dollars.

The Treasury warning comes as President Biden pushes for another $4 trillion dollars in new spending. He says his proposed tax increases would pay for the spending. Republicans say the tax hikes would not cover it and would hurt the economy.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not indefinitely » Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook—at least not yet.

Four months after Facebook suspended Trump's accounts after the Jan. 6th Capitol riot, the company's quasi-independent oversight board upheld the decision to block of Trump from Facebook and Instagram. But it said the open-ended suspension was unreasonable.

The former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, is one of the members of the oversight panel. She detailed the board’s findings on Wednesday.

SCHMIDT: Facebook’s initial suspension of President Trump was correct. That’s very clear. But also, we’re saying that an indefinite ban was not acceptable because Facebook actually failed to follow its own rules on removing harmful content by choosing an indefinite suspension.

The ruling gives Facebook six months to either permanently ban Trump or declare when the suspension will end.

The company now finds itself between a rock and hard place with pressure from both sides. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that in President Biden’s view, major social media platforms "have a responsibility..."

PSAKI: To stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation, especially related to COVID-19, vaccinations, and elections.

But GOP Senator John Kennedy said major social platforms have displayed a political bias and are far too powerful. He added that Republicans have a good chance to retake one or both chambers of Congress next year …

KENNEDY: And if we do, we’re gonna face this issue head on.

Twitter permanently banned Trump from its platform in January.

Liz Cheney’s GOP post in peril as Trump endorses replacement » Meantime, the No.3 ranked Republican in the House, Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, is still feeling the heat over her rift with former President Trump.

Trump on Wednesday declared his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement” of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York to replace Cheney within the party’s leadership.

And many Trump loyalists, like Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona say it’s time for Cheney to go. Biggs said even though Trump is no longer in the White House...

BIGGS: President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. And when she’s out there attacking him, she’s attacking the leader of the Republican party, and she’s attacking those of us who supported President Trump.

Many House Republicans still support Cheney, either privately or publicly.

For her part, Cheney says she has no intention of backing down. She has consistently denounced and repudiated Trump’s claims that he was the rightful winner of last year’s election.

Peloton recalls treadmills after a child dies » The home fitness company Peloton is recalling its treadmills less than a month after denying it was to blame for the death of a child and the injuries of 29 others.

The recall comes after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned that people with children and pets should immediately stop using the Peloton Tread+. That came after a child was pulled under it and died.

The company said Wednesday that it will offer full refunds for the treadmills, which cost about $4,000 dollars a piece, and will stop selling them.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the spread of “help wanted” signs.

Plus, Cal Thomas on seeing America’s glass half full.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Thursday the 6th of May, 2021.

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

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

First up today: help wanted.

You see them in storefront windows everywhere these days: Signs that say, "Apply now. We’re hiring."

As COVID restrictions have eased and the economy continues to recover, businesses are trying to fill vacant positions. But that’s easier said than done.

BROWN: In a survey conducted in March, the National Federation of Independent Business surveyed more than 500 small businesses and found that more than 200 of them had job openings they couldn’t fill. That may seem surprising given that the U.S. unemployment rate is still at 6 percent, nearly double what it was before the pandemic.

EICHER: So what’s behind all this? WORLD’S Sarah Schweinsberg reports.

AMBI: RESTAURANT

SARAH SCWEINSBERG, REPORTER: Waitresses at Mariscos are serving up plates of burritos and tostados smothered in cheese to the lunchtime crowd in Seaside, California.

It’s busy. And the restaurant is short on staff.

Antonia Garcia owns Mariscos. She’s had a “Help Wanted” sign posted in her front window for more than a month now. She’s also taken out newspaper ads.

She has openings for a full-time table busser and a waitress. Garcia would pay minimum wage—that’s $13 an hour in California—plus tips.

So far in a state with an 8 percent unemployment rate, Garcia hasn’t had any takers.

GARCIA: It's been hard. It's been a little hard to find them.

Garcia believes many potential employees are still worried about being exposed to COVID-19 at a restaurant.

GARCIA: I think the people don't know what to do right now.

That means existing employees have to work overtime. And that costs Garcia extra in wages.

According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the United States had about 7.4 million jobs open at the end of February while nearly 10 million Americans are unemployed. So why the disconnect?

Sean Higgins is a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He says uncertainty over COVID is one factor. But there’s another.

HIGGINS: For a lot of people, it's just pragmatic to not work either because, you know, school still isn't completely open, and somebody has to take care of their kids…

Rachel Greszler is a labor policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. She says as states open schools, their unemployment rates drop.

GRESZLER: Those states without many restrictions are actually averaging less than 5 percent unemployment, while those that have more restrictions are more like 6.5 percent. But we have seen a continual ticking down of this.

But Greszler says a bigger factor keeping people home is long-term enhanced unemployment benefits.

Under the Trump administration’s CARES Act, the federal government added $600 a week to state unemployment benefit checks, later cutting that amount down to $300 per week.

President Biden’s March stimulus package extended those benefits through September. By then, a worker could have been on supplemental unemployment benefits for up to a year and a half.

Some economists estimate about 42 percent of unemployed workers are making more staying home... than they did at their previous jobs.

GRESZLER: I think that the reality is, is that when we still have these benefits, that are in many cases, paying people more through unemployment insurance than they would make working, that is holding back the recovery. We might not see that unemployment rate fall as quickly as otherwise could, unless those benefits are pared back.

Rafik Ebelian owns and manages a Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Santa Cruz, California.

SOUND: You have mint chocolate chip? I’ll take a quart of mint chocolate chip.

Right now, he’s trying to staff up for the summer tourism crowds. He pays between $13 and $21 dollars an hour.

At this time of year, he’d typically have 12 employees. Right now, he has seven.

EBELIAN: I have enough coverage right now. But I need to hire more now. So to be prepared for the summer rush.

Ebelian believes it's difficult to attract lower wage workers right now because they can make more on federally-increased unemployment benefits.

EBELIAN: People who got to stay home, they got more money than when they work. So why would they want to come out and work anymore? Staying home pays better. And which is unfortunate. That's not how it's supposed to work.

But some economists say businesses like Ebelian’s need to offer better wages to attract the workers they need. And, perhaps, create more attractive hiring packages.

Heidi Shierholz monitors labor policies at the Economic Policy Institute.

SHIERHOLZ: The jobs that are being posted are inherently more stressful, harder jobs than they were before the pandemic hit. And when employers post them at the same wage, and are and don't necessarily find workers to fill them, it, that's not a labor shortage, that's sort of the market functioning.

Sean Higgins at the Competitive Enterprise Institute says raising wages isn’t easy for a small business to do after a year of restrictions. Plus, that can create other issues.

HIGGINS: The assumption a lot of people have is that when wages are raised, that just simply stops there. But in reality, businesses compensate for that by raising prices or cutting back in other areas. And so while wages may go up, we're also likely to see an increase in consumer prices.

So in the meantime, what’s a struggling business to do? Restaurant owners Antonia Garcia and Rafik Ebelian say they’ll make do with the staff they have. Just like they did all year. But it’s getting tiring.

EBELIAN: When I don't have enough people, the workload gets tougher, and then that starts putting pressure on people. They have to work harder or longer or more hours than they want to. So my goal is to hire as soon as possible, just to relieve that tension.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg in Seaside and Santa Cruz, California.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: a renewed threat to religious liberty in healthcare.

Many doctors and other medical workers in America object on religious grounds to taking part in certain procedures like so-called gender reassignment surgeries.

But some people claim that those objections are not protected under the First Amendment. And the new Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is one of those.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Becerra is reviving the pressure that Christian healthcare professionals felt during the Obama years. He recently appealed a January ruling that protected doctors at Catholic hospitals and clinics run by the Religious Sisters of Mercy. That ruling protected them from having to participate in gender transition procedures under Obamacare.

EICHER: Well, joining us now to shed a little more light on this is Dr. Jeffrey Barrows. He’s an OB-GYN and Senior Vice President with the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.

Dr. Barrows, good morning!

JEFF BARROWS, GUEST: Good to be with you, Nick. Good morning.

EICHER: Well, Doctor, as we mentioned a moment ago, the Biden administration is appealing a federal court ruling. Talk to us a bit about the origins of this case. I understand it goes back to a transgender mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

BARROWS: Yes, in about 2016. Health and Human Services changed the language of the definition for sex discrimination within their regulations. And the change made it so that the word "sex" rather than referring to biological sex could be also referring to not only gender but also the issue of pregnancy, which then meant that if someone decided to not provide gender transition care or even provide an abortion to somebody who was requesting it, they could be accused of discrimination. And so our organization did file suit and did win initially in the district court. And we have decided that with the new administration that this is a continued concern.

EICHER: Have you spoken with healthcare professionals who have been pressured to take part in procedures that violate their conscience? Can you give us an example of one such instance?

BARROWS: Oh, yes. Nick, I am on the phone on a fairly regular basis with our members. And fact, just before getting on this interview with you, I was talking to a member who has been disciplined simply because he didn't agree with using preferred pronouns in the clinic that he's working in. I not long ago was on the phone with another member who was also disciplined because she wouldn't participate in a gender transition procedure. And within the last week, I've talked to somebody who, under somewhat mysterious circumstances, suddenly lost her job. And it was shortly after she had mentioned, and we've done some work, that she wanted to work one day a week in a Christian health care facility. And prior to that, there had been no complaint about her work. And then suddenly she talks about this, and then she doesn't have a job. So this is a regular threat. And it's unfortunately, it's increasing.

EICHER: Dr., the Biden administration clearly believes that surgery and other medical procedures are the right treatments for gender dysphoria. Would it be correct to say that there is no medical consensus backing up that position?

BARROWS: I would completely agree with that. Yes, there is no medical evidence that backs it up. And in fact, especially when you deal with minors all of the evidence goes the other way, which is why there was a recent court decision in the United Kingdom with the Tavistock clinic. And what happened was the UK highest court found that they were treating children without giving them proper consent and without good medical basis.

EICHER: Now, we've been talking about religious conscience, and we set it up this way. But I wonder, have you spoken with doctors who object to some of these procedures on non religious grounds? Doctors, perhaps, who just feel that this isn't a prudent idea?

BARROWS: I think many of our members, Nick, are opposed to it almost more because of the lack of medical evidence rather than the "religious conscience" side of it. And they're really, the evidence that is out there, even for adults, is so poor. There are studies that are small. They are heavily biased. They haven't been well done. When you really look at the best quality medical studies—which are studies that involve at least 1000 individuals, especially if they can be randomized and looking over a long period of time—they don't really show any benefit to the surgery or the treatment. One of the biggest reasons that's often cited to go through gender transition is to reduce the incidence of suicide. Well, that has not ever been proven. And in fact, there's some evidence that it may even make the risk of suicide worse.

EICHER: Now, I know you've been working with the Becket Fund for religious liberty on this case with the Christian Medical and Dental Association. I'm sure you know enough to answer whether you get the sense that this case is headed to the Supreme Court.

BARROWS: I can't say for sure that our particular case will go to the Supreme Court. It's in the circuit court now, but there's no question that one case will sum. I know that there are several cases involving Catholic hospitals and other Catholic individuals that are fighting with and being sued because of discrimination. So I don't have any doubt that eventually, the issue of healthcare right of conscience will eventually get to the Supreme Court. And if it happens to be our case, we would be thrilled.

EICHER: Okay. Dr. Jeffrey Barrows. He is Senior Vice President of bioethics and public policy for the Christian medical and dental associations. Dr. Barrows, it’s been great to talk with you. Thanks so much.

BARROWS: Thanks for having me, Nick.

NICK EICHER, HOST: An invasion is coming. Trillions of creatures with sinister red eyes have been lurking underground for 17 years as if they’ve been planning their rise above ground.

And when they rise, American backyards will look like undulating waves, with a chorus as loud as a lawnmower.

That description sounds like something from a horror movie.

But of course, they’re just cicadas.

They spend most of their lives underground, but the cicadas of Brood X will soon emerge in parts of 15 states, from Georgia to New York to Indiana.

The insects will mostly come out at dusk to try to avoid everything that wants to eat them. They’ll squiggle out of holes in the ground and climb into trees.

Once off the ground, they shed their skins, and then it’s all romance. The males will sing, hoping to attract a female mate, and the sound is unlike anything else in nature.

SOUND: CICADAS SINGING

The females will later move out to small branches and lay her eggs.

It will all be over in a matter of weeks, and we won’t see them again for another 17 years.

During their short lifespan, experts say there’s really only one thing to worry about: When they die in large numbers, they don’t smell very good.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Thursday, May 6th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Whenever they see shadbush and shadblow trees begin to bloom, mid-Atlantic anglers know exactly what to do, even if I don’t quite know.

They grab their fishing poles. They tie on their shad darts and flutter spoons, and head for the Delaware River.

It means: The shad are in the river!

WORLD sent our reporter to catch the start of the annual Bi-State Shad Fishing Contest and if you’re like Myrna and me and you’ve never heard of such a thing,  do not worry: Correspondent Amy Lewis will explain what it’s all about.

SOUND: CROWD TALKING

AMY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT: A chatty group of 40 fishermen and -women gathered April 19th for a pre-contest party at the Riverton Hotel in Bangor, Pennsylvania. So far this season, shad fishing on the Delaware River has been pretty good. The anglers swap “the ones that got away” stories and more than a few shad-fishing tips.

They look forward to the contest. Who wouldn’t? Its grand prize is a whopping $20,000. Plus, there’s a chance at winning an 18-foot Yamaha jet-boat. As if they need it, prizes give anglers from as far away as Nevada and Colorado extra motivation to fish for the contest’s four days.

Eric Fistler organizes the annual event. He’s been at it 11 years now. He checks the fishing conditions each year before the tournament.

ERIC FISTLER: They’re back big time. I was out with my brother the other day and we caught over 70 shad in six hours. Yeah, on a good day you can get a hundred.

Anglers can keep up to three shad. Even though shad’s Latin name means “most delicious,” people compare them to eating the inside of a porcupine because of their 3,000 bones. Recently retired Rod Pensack is one of the contestants. He grew up on the banks of the Delaware River in Belvidere, NJ. He’s been fishing for shad since he was 7.

ROD PENSACK: We like to try and practice catch-and-release, too, just to keep the numbers up and not wastefully kill 'em and have 'em die. So we try and return 'em, as many as we can...

During the contest, whenever fishermen like Rod Pensack catch a fish, they weigh it and check the Bi-State Shad Facebook page. Organizer Eric Fistler keeps it updated with the top verified weights. Anglers can check whether their latest catch is a winner or if they should throw it back.

Like salmon, shad are born in freshwater. They mature several years in the ocean and return to the rivers to spawn. Their spawning-run depends on the temperature of the river water. Early April’s warm weather forced the shadblow, or serviceberry trees, to bloom. It also pushed the river temperature to a shad-satisfying 54-degrees.

Shad don’t generally eat on their spawning runs, so there’s no smelly or squishy bait to handle while fishing for them. Their attention—and their aggression—goes out to that flashy lure between them and their up-river spawning mission. Pensack gives the low-down on how to catch shad:

PENSACK: You have to keep your lure moving. You could get stuck if you don’t. Once you do hit one, when they hit it, it almost feels like you’re getting stuck. And you give it a quick yank and then it sets the hook. And it’s a fight. They really, they’re really very active, very strong. I say that it’s like catching a bluefish and a salmon at the same time. They run upstream, downstream. They go out. You could pull ‘em. They run out again. They jump and dive, and it’s quite exciting, you know. It’s really a lot of fun to catch 'em…

Not only do they put up a fight, but they run in schools by the thousands.

PENSACK: But when the schools come by, it’s just amazing. Everybody, just about everybody that’s there catches 'em. You’ll see a guy way down river. He’ll catch one, and then the next guy up will get one. And then a couple other guys, and all of a sudden everybody has got one on the line almost. You know, it’s just amazing. And that’ll last for as long as the school goes by, maybe two minutes, maybe ten minutes. Then that’s it. They’re gone. There’s nothing happening.

SOUND: BOAT RELEASE

Before dawn on the first day of the contest, snow on Pensack’s car verifies the dramatic temperature drop. The guys lowering boats from the boat launch remove layers to strap on their life vests before bundling back up again. It’s cold. Pensack’s fingers turn numb while he casts and retrieves, casts and retrieves. The fish aren’t biting.

MUSIC: THEME SONG, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

After four days of fishing, Pensack caught only four fish, none of them worthy of the grand prize. He didn’t win the jet-boat either.

He’s not bothered though. He got to spend four days fishing on the river, enjoying the flexibility of his new retirement, watching wildlife from under a canopy of a dozen different shades of green, and basking in solitude along the gently flowing Delaware.

The time was clearly rewarding, he says, no matter what the fishing outcome.

Reporting for World, I’m Amy Lewis in Belvidere, NJ.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, May 6th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

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

Commentator Cal Thomas now on contagious optimism.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: The contrast between President Biden’s first address to Congress last week and the Republican response delivered by Sen. Tim Scott reminded me of another occasion between one long-winded and another profound speaker.

It was 1863 and the nationally known orator Edward Everett was the featured speaker in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was tasked with commemorating the soldiers who had died during that terrible battle.

Everett’s speech lasted two hours. President Abraham Lincoln followed him with what would become a far more famous speech, “The Gettysburg Address.” It was 275 words long and lasted a mere two minutes.

Everett later wrote Lincoln to praise his brief remarks for their “eloquent simplicity and appropriateness.” He added, “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

Biden wasn’t Everett and Scott was no Lincoln. But in his brevity, along with his kind and optimistic spirit, the senator from South Carolina delivered the superior speech.

Not everyone can be critical of another person without making it sound demeaning. But Sen. Scott criticized President Biden’s spending and other proposals without personal attacks.

He spoke openly about his Christian faith and even quoted a passage from the Old Testament. He lamented a closed country and closed schools. He said “millions of kids have lost a year of learning when they could not afford to lose a day. Locking vulnerable kids out of the classroom is locking adults out of their future.” He noted private and religious schools are mostly open and proposed school choice as a solution.

Most profoundly Sen. Scott, who is African American, denied America is a “racist country.” Are there individuals who are racist? Of course, but that doesn’t make the nation racist any more than having criminals among us makes us a criminal nation.

Sen. Scott dismantled the president’s infrastructure proposal, noting only 6 percent of the spending goes to roads, bridges, airports, and other traditional projects. Many Democrats now claim infrastructure includes childcare and other items on the liberal wish list.

On the porous southern border, Sen. Scott delivered a good one-liner: “Weakening our southern border and creating a crisis is not compassionate.”

Even more than Sen. Scott’s dissection of the president’s address was his demeanor. It was positive and upbeat. He didn’t see a glass half full, but one overflowing with possibilities, if we pour in the right policies.

Sen. Scott believes in putting people, not government first. He dazzled many in his address to the virtual Republican National Convention last summer. But his response to the president’s speech has likely vaulted him to the top tier of national leadership.

To quote Lincoln from his second inaugural address: “Fondly do we ask; fervently do we pray.”

I’m Cal Thomas.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Culture Friday is tomorrow and John Stonestreet will join us.

And Megan Basham left us the gift of one more review in which she’ll tell us whether season two of a series about the disciples of Christ is worth watching.

Also, your listener feedback.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

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

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

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15: 12-13)

Go now in grace and peace.

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