The World and Everything in It: November 23, 2023

PREROLL: The World and Everything in It is made possible by listeners like us. I'm Ali Bowe listening in from Canton, Georgia, wife to Zack and mama to our four wild and wonderful little boys. I hope that you will experience the nearness and the peace of Christ this Thanksgiving. And I know you'll enjoy today's program.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Ah, good word, and good morning! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Argentina’s new president is a political outsider and an economist. What’s his plan to fix the country’s fiscal problems? 

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Also, the average American farmer is nearly 60 years old. What’s keeping the next generation from getting into the fields? And, what we at WORLD Radio are grateful for this Thanksgiving.

AUDIO: Feeling my tiny daughter inside me get the hiccups and then get mad about it.

And WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on classic song lyrics that can help us have a happier Thanksgiving.

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

BROWN: And I’m Myrna Brown. Good morning!

REICHARD: Now the news with Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Hostages » On this Thanksgiving, the families of some Americans held hostage by Hamas are hoping to see their loved ones again soon. That includes the family of 3-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, an American-Israeli girl abducted during the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel.

NAFTALI: No child should be a hostage. No child should be in this situation.

Abigail's great-aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, heard there on "CBS Mornings."

Under the terms of a cease-fire deal Hamas agreed to release 50 of the more than 200 captives it’s holding over the course of four days.

Reportedly, the first hostages won’t be set free until tomorrow.

At least three American citizens were expected to go free. But White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan tells ABC:

SULLIVAN: Until we actually see them come out, be in the arms of their loved ones — get home safely, we cannot be fully confident. So we are going to wait, as the families are waiting, with bated breath, until they come out. And then until every last American comes out.

Rob Anders leads a group called the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. He says for the families of those held by Hamas, the wait is agonizing.

ANDERS: Every moment that people don’t know where their loved ones [are] with absolutely no update from the terrorists in terms of signs of life [as] they refer to it, there’s a huge amount of worry and fear and concern.

Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners per the agreement. And leaders in Tel Aviv say they will extend the cease-fire one extra day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas.

U.S.-Philippines patrols » Fighter jets from the U.S. military and the Philippines are patrolling the South China Sea over waters that Beijing claims it largely owns. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher reports.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Despite a cordial meeting last week between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the United States is signaling that it won’t back down in the face of aggression.

The U.S. and the Philippines are stepping up cooperation as China continues to try and push the boundaries of its territory.

The allied warplanes patrolled near the northern tip of the Philippines just 125 miles from Taiwan which China also says it owns.

The Pentagon called it a routine exercise aimed at “preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

South Korea leader in UK amid North Korea concerns » Western powers are also teaming up with Asian allies to counter another regional threat, North Korea.

SOUND: [London meeting]

With cameras flashing at number 10 Downing Street in London Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol:

SUNAK: Your state visit underlies the deep partnership and friendship between our two countries. And the signing of the Downing Street Accord today strengthens that friendship.

The accord is a new agreement that deepens ties between the two nations on both trade and defense.

Under the accord, the two countries’ navies will work together to curb smuggling and enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea.

The meeting follows Pyongyang’s announcement that it successfully launched a spy satellite into orbit.

Secretary Austin / Ukraine » 

Meantime, at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin again declared that America is committed to backing Ukraine against Russian invaders. And he urged other Western allies to step up their support.

AUSTIN: As President Biden has said, ‘When tyrants don’t pay a price for their aggression, they continue to menace the world.’ And none of us want to live in a world where bullies like Putin can invade their peaceful neighbor with impunity.

He’s calling on coalition partners to send more air defense weapons to Kyiv as it braces for another harsh winter at war.

Austin’s remarks came on the heels of his surprise visit to Kyiv earlier this week.

Sam Altman / Open AI board » The CEO of the company that made the groundbreaking artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT is back on the job just days after he was fired. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Sam Altman writes on social media he is looking forward to returning to the company he co-founded, Open AI.

The board of directors fired him last Friday after an apparent disagreement.

But most of the company’s nearly 800 employees revolted, threatening to quit unless board members re-hired Altman and fired themselves.

Meanwhile, Microsoft had just hired Altman, but the tech giant also has a lot riding on Open AI’s success after investing billions in the company.

So, Altman is moving back into his old office while at least some of the board members who fired him are boxing up their belongings.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

IAEA Iran » The head of the The UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, Raphael Grossi says Iran is banning top UN inspectors from its nuclear facilities.

GROSSI: They have targeted inspectors who have a lot of experience – in particular in enrichment and other capacities. It takes a long time to prepare inspectors, to have them with the necessary amount of experience and skills and ability to perform their work.

Grossi has warned in recent months that Iran may be very close to developing a nuclear weapon, and that leaders in Tehran were increasingly locking out inspectors.

Travel woes » The day before Thanksgiving is typically the busiest travel day of the year in the U.S., and it appears Wednesday was no exception.

Highways and airports were packed, and severe weather in parts of the country didn’t help.

According to the flight tracking service FlightAware, airlines had to cancel well over 600 flights while more than 16,000 flights were delayed.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Politics in Latin America. 

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Thursday the 23rd day of November, 2023.

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

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Before we get to the rest of our program for today. I’d like a personal word with you about support for The World and Everything in It.

Let me begin by stating the obvious: it takes significant resources to produce and deliver this program each day—because as our friend David Bahnsen reminds us frequently… there is no free lunch.

To an extent, it may seem like a free lunch although I guess that depends on when you’re listening. We kind of assume this is your free breakfast. But the point is, somebody’s picking up the tab!

REICHARD: Which brings us to the message we’ll be emphasizing the next few days. Namely, that somebody has already picked up half of the tab. Generous, long-time donors have agreed to match every new gift, dollar for dollar. It’s a tangible demonstration that NO ONE GIVES ALONE. We’re in this together.

BROWN: That's the way it is here at WORLD. We are in this together. We have writers, editors, reporters, on-air staff. Producers, technicians—all with different gifts.

We need technology: mics, mixers, recorders, computers, and software. We need to travel to go get the stories. We have to pay for studio space and reliable internet to connect those who are far off. Pay vendors to deliver it all to you.

REICHARD: No free lunch. So, if you have been listening, but haven't supported us yet—could this be the year? Between today—Thanksgiving Day—and next Tuesday—Giving Tuesday—our donors are offering to double your first-time gift. Every single new donor dollar that comes in is matched. So there's no better time to go to WNG.org/donate and make your first-ever gift to support our mission here at WORLD.

BROWN: That’s WNG.org/donate, and we’re thankful.

First up, a political groundswell in Argentina.

On Sunday, the people of Argentina elected a political outsider to be the country’s new president.

REICHARD: Javier Milei is a liberal economist who campaigned on a platform to reduce public spending, cut taxes, and renegotiate foreign debt.

Here now with more detail on Milei’s victory is Latin America correspondent, Javier Bolaños.

JAVIER MILEI: [Speaking Spanish]

JAVIER BOLANOS, REPORTER: That’s Argentina's new president-elect, Javier Milei, on Sunday night after a landslide win in the country’s run-off election. 

SOUND: [Street celebrations]

Milei, a 53 year-old economist, surprised the establishment candidate, Sergio Massa, by winning with 57 percent of the vote. Milei calls himself an "anarcho-capitalist" and says he is a defender of individual freedom. He is also critical of some tenets of progressive ideology. He rejects abortion and gender ideology, and supports the right to bear arms.

Massa, the candidate who ran against Milei, was called a "Peronist" because he is a member of the political party founded by former president Juan Domingo Perón. The Peronist governments have been characterized for having a strong state presence in the economy, nationalization of industries, and expansion of social welfare programs. However, the Peronist governments economic policies have led to extreme inflation, currency devaluation, and debt crises during the 28 years they have been in power.

MARCELO DÍAZ: In the case of Argentina, this current government clearly has a tendency towards the populist left.

Marcelo Díaz is an Argentine political analyst and political scientist. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Florida.

DÍAZ: It has strengthened its relationship with countries like Nicaragua, Bolivia, Brazil, Iran. It has a very concrete populist socialist perspective, which of course is at risk with the victory of Milei, who clearly represents a right-wing stance.

The most pressing question now is whether Milei can curb the country’s hyperinflation: Argentina’s 20-23 inflation rate stands at 140 percent, and the country’s poverty rate is at 40 percent. Here’s Milei.

MILEI: Quiero decirle a todos los argentinos, que hoy comienza el fin de la decadencia argentina… (Cheers) Hoy empezamos a dar vuelta a la página de nuestra historia, y volvemos a retomar el camino que nunca deberíamos haber perdido. Hoy se termina el modelo empobrecedor del Estado omnipresente, que sólo beneficia a algunos, mientras la mayoría de los argentinos sufren.

[TRANSLATION: I want to tell all Argentines that today begins the end of Argentina's decadence. Today we begin to turn the page of our history and we return to the path we should never have lost. Today the impoverishing model of the omnipresent State, which only benefits a few while the majority of Argentines suffer, is coming to an end.]

Argentina is the world’s eighth largest country in terms of landmass, and the second largest in South America. With almost 46 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populated in the Americas. And its economy is the second largest in South America, behind Brazil.

The United States is Argentina’s main strategic partner in the Western Hemisphere and there’s a long history of political, commercial, and cultural relations between the two. All the more reason for Argentina to get its inflation in check. 

Agustín Laje, a political scientist, and well-known Latin American author, founder of the conservative think tank Fundación Libre, explains:

AGUSTÍN LAJE: We will have a reduction of government to the bare minimum, where the government's focus would be on security, defense, justice, and education, with another form [restructuring?] of financing. This type of political philosophy trusts more in the freedom of the citizens than in the actions of the politicians.

Before politics, Javier Milei was an anti-establishment television personality. He won a seat in the Argentinian Congress only two years ago. That same year he founded his political party – La Libertad Avanza or The Freedom Advances.

Laje says it’s incredible that Milei, with so little political experience, could defeat the well-established ruling party.

LAJE: What it shows is that this is the time of the outsiders.

Milei’s bombastic style and wild hairstyle earns him comparisons with both Donald Trump and Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsanaro, two conservative leaders he is said to admire.

But while Trump congratulated Milei on the victory, other leaders were less supportive. The leftist presidents of Mexico and Colombia called Milei’s win “a sad moment for Latin America.” Milei’s opponents in Argentina expressed their concern for the future of democracy, human rights, and social justice. But enough Argentines were fed up with the status quo and ready for a change.

DÍAZ: I believe that this is the era of the new generations and the search for new alternatives, new models, new leaderships that bring fresh air to politics with new ideas and that all of this can encourage citizens to participate much more actively in the political life of their country.

Whether or not the Milei’s leadership encourages citizens to be more engaged with him or against him remains to be seen. What is for certain is that Milei will have plenty of work cut out for him.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Javier Bolaños.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: Farmers. The most recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the average American farmer is 57 and-a-half years old. That’s up from just over 50, four decades ago.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: One reason is that it’s quite difficult for farmers approaching retirement to pass the farm off to the next generation. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry reports.

SOUND: [WALKING ON A FARM]

LAUREN CANTERBERRY, REPORTER: David Bliss is a third-generation farmer in Illinois who has been raising corn and soybeans since he was young.

DAVID BLISS: I graduated from high school in 1956 and my junior year in high school I rented a farm. So I was farming and going to high school at the same time.

When Bliss’s father retired, he took over his family business and grew the farm to 2,000 acres. He eventually expanded to raise cattle and hogs.

SOUND: [COW MOOING]

BLISS: We started out with crops and then we got into some cattle and at my peak I had about a cow herd of about 60 cows and calves and at my peak, I raised 3000 head of hogs a year.

But since then, he’s had to downsize. Now he’s down to about 1,500 acres and no livestock. It’s still huge compared to his father’s farm, but small compared to the farms around him.

At 85 years old, Bliss plans to retire in a few years. His children aren’t planning to take over the farm, so he’ll have to sell and let leases go, even though one of his grandsons is interested in agriculture.

BLISS: He would love to be a farmer but there’s no way that I can extend mine on to him because it’s mostly all rented ground.

The next generation is interested in farming, but young people face significant barriers to entry— high input costs, a stressful work environment, and difficulties finding land, to name a few.

Since 2012, more than 20 million acres of farmland have been repurposed for development and other uses…meaning that aspiring farmers are facing stiff competition to keep farmland going as farmland.

Peyton Sapp is a University of Georgia county extension coordinator for the southeast district.

SAPP: As population grows, land values grow. That puts more pressure on the AG economy because now you’re paying triple for tractors and double for land.

In 2022, the National Young Farmers Coalition surveyed more than 10,000 farmers age 40 and younger. Nearly half of respondents said trying to fund growth is extremely difficult. And 35 percent said a major challenge is input costs that are higher than their income from products.

SAPP: It’s quite possible to find a younger person interested in farming. Sometimes the reason that they can’t get in and get started is just the sheer expense.

It makes it more risky for young people to get in and folks don't want their kids to face all that.

David Buys is associate professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion at Mississippi State University. He says agriculture is a highly stressful industry as farmers wrestle with unpredictable weather, changing markets, and other factors outside their control.

BUYS: Farmers are very resilient, strong people who have a lot of pride—healthy pride.

They’re not going to be the first to say, ‘we’re struggling, we need help.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that farmers, ranchers, and agriculture managers have the sixth-highest suicide rate in the country by occupation.

Buys and his team have partnered with the Spiritual First Aid program from Wheaton College to train communities on how to support farmers.

BUYS: Without healthy farmers, you can’t have healthy farms. And we need healthy farms to ensure that we feed the world. That we clothe the world. We’re a leader in that respect across the world and we don’t want to lose that.

SOUND: [TRACTOR/FARM]

Even as farmers struggle to find someone to take over their business, a few are passing their farms down, but it’s not without challenges. Bill Godowns and his son, Cole, farm 2,500 acres in eastern Georgia where they grow corn, cotton, and peanuts.

GODOWN: We've been very fortunate. My granddad and my dad went into farming. I went into farming, and now I have two sons to follow along behind me.

Cole says he didn’t fully understand the costs until he joined the family business, and he understands why some young people balk. But for the Godowns, the hard work is worth keeping the farm profitable. Even if it stops with Cole.

GODOWN: Working with family’s not always easy but just knowing that Cole just knowing that he wanted to follow on with me, I mean, it’s been, just makes my heart swell.

SOUND: [WALKING ON THE FARM]

WORLD Radio Reporter Mary Muncy contributed on-location sound to this story.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Preparing the Thanksgiving turkey can be daunting. So I called up the Butterball talkline, figuring we’d hear a story worthy of a kicker:

BARB FROM BUTTERBALL: Hi, this is Barb at the Butterball Turkey Talkline. How can I help you?

Hi, Barb. I’m wondering: Have you heard any unusual cries for help this Thanksgiving?

BARB: Someone said that their mom had bought a turkey and she gave it to her son to hold for several days. And he, for some reason, put it in the microwave oven, left it in the microwave for several days.

To be clear, that’s several days at room temperature. So, Barb’s advice:

BARB: Do not consume that turkey! (laughter) Because of course, we're all about food safety, and you need to have it in the refrigerator or at least in cold water. When a turkey is held at room temperature, it's just not that food safe.

Undercooked is just one extreme. Overcooked is the other. But at least it’s not life-threatening. No, the wise way is neither extreme. Which, come to think of it, may be a fitting metaphor for extended family conversation. Avoid extremes!

It’s The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thanksgiving Day, 2023. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your holiday. Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: Giving thanks. First off, let me say that each of us at WORLD Radio is thankful to you, the listeners and supporters of this program. Brothers and sisters in Christ who come alongside to create biblically sound news, features, and commentary. It takes a team!

BROWN: That’s right. So thankful. Mary, let’s go around the table, so to speak, and hear what our radio colleagues are thankful for this year. And why don’t you start us off?

MARY REICHARD: I’d be happy to do that! Here's a quote I read: “The world is full of wonders and miracles. But man takes his little hand and covers his eyes and sees nothing.” That's attributed to the Jewish mystic, the Baal Shem Tov who lived in the 18th century.

So this year I have made a real effort to remove my hand from my eyes. Every morning, I write down in a journal what I'm grateful for and what would make today great. And then every night I write down three amazing things that happened that day and how I might have made it even better. It doesn't have to be a mountain top experience kind of amazing thing. I mean, one of my entries was, “I got out of bed and took a good deep breath.” That's it. But amazing. And over time this practice has changed my old hard wiring that seemed to just catastrophize the trivial and minimize the lavishness of my life. I recommend that you try it just like it says in the Psalms: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

MYRNA BROWN: That’s a good idea! Well, first, I'm thankful for your prayers and your kind words during my dad's brief illness and subsequent passing at the end of April. I want you to know my family and I felt loved. I'm also thankful for our heavenly father who is all knowing and, oh, so gracious. You see, my husband Stanley and I relocated from Georgia to Alabama in 2021. A move that had many people scratching their heads. But, you know, God paved the way, and we got to spend nearly two years, sweet, sweet years, with my daddy before he passed. So that's what I'm thankful for.

NICK EICHER: Myrna, I'm thinking of second Corinthians, the first chapter, the third and fourth verses: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

The comfort you received going through that difficulty, you were so kind to share with me. Same with Mary, though she lost her dad many years before. But how were we to know that when your dad died, that my own father would live just four more months, and that he would die this August? It was the prayers of so many, and especially my colleagues here at WORLD, my dear friends who helped me through. So I am deeply thankful.

And as a practical matter, I'm thankful for technology: to be able to set up a temporary recording booth close to my mom and dad in his last months, that time was so valuable. Thankful for that! And finally, thankful for my Dad, his strength, his love, and his example. And thankful to Jesus for dying for his sins and purchasing him a place in heaven.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN: I’m Anna Johansen Brown. Similar to Mary, this year I’m grateful for the ordinary. The ordinary and the sacred, which always seem to be wrapped up together.

Right now I’m in a sleep deprived sort of haze, with Beckett on his 87th time asking…

BECKETT: Wassis? Wassis”

And his little sister is due at the end of December. Breathing is kinda hard sometimes.

All of it is hard sometimes. But it’s the ordinary kind of hard. The mundane, normal life stuff. And it’s that ordinary that I’m thankful for this year. The everyday ordinary where so much of God’s work, so much spiritual formation, actually happens.

AUDIO: [Beckett talking, Wesley singing while doing dishes]

Making dinner with Wesley. Beckett begging to do the dishes with Dada. Feeling my tiny daughter inside me get the hiccups and then get mad about it.

I want to be awake to what God is doing in this ordinary season. Because whatever it is, he’s building a foundation for whatever extraordinary seasons lie ahead.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: Hi, I'm Travis Kircher, and I work on the breaking news team here at World News Group.

I'm thankful for Hebrews 12:2, which calls Jesus the “founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.”

Think about that. He endured the cross. He didn't come to it stoically. It wasn't just a mere irritation for him. He hated it. He despised it.

So why did he go through with it? For the joy set before him. The joy of redeeming us, of adopting us into his family, of spending eternity with us. With me, even though I don't deserve it. Happy Thanksgiving you all. God bless.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Hi there, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Every year my response to the question of what am I thankful for tends to revolve around family in some way or another. This year is no different, but the theme is the joy of children.

My son is two and a half, my daughter is nine months. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so tired or so totally in love. It’s not that I wasn’t warned, but it’s really something you just have to experience.

And of course, there’s something special about watching them grow and develop and learn how to love each other. And there’s so much that’s difficult about being a parent, wanting to make sure I’m bringing up my children with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord, as I’ve read in Ephesians.

I have to say, though, my favorite part is just how much they make me laugh.

KRISTEN: But did Pete cry?

OLIVER: Doodness, no.

If it’s not Oliver’s tiny little voice reading parts from his books…

AUDIO: [Phoebe giggles]

…Then it’s Phoebe giggling at her mermaid toy or trying out new expressions.

It’s truly no wonder that the Psalmist describes children as a reward. They really are. And I’m thankful for them every day.

JENNY ROUGH: Happy Thanksgiving. This is Jennifer Rough. I’m using my proper name today instead of my nickname, Jenny, because my dad gave me my name. And this year, I want to thank my heavenly father for my earthly father. My dad is generous, kindhearted, and lights up a room. He’s the reason I became a lawyer, which eventually led to my job here at WORLD, so I’m grateful for that, too! A couple years ago, I was so touched to watch him take such good care of my mom in her final months. I’ve noticed that no matter what challenges my dad faces, health scares or otherwise, he’s an upbeat person. I love and admire his optimism and hope.

PAUL BUTLER: This is Paul Butler, Executive Producer of WORLD Radio. A year ago my wife and I bought a starter home in our small town with my son and his wife. We knew it needed some deep cleaning, and refreshing, but as we worked from room to room it became clear that a fresh coat of paint wasn’t going to be enough.

SOUND: [DEMOLITION AND WORK]

Gutting, rebuilding, reinforcing, updating, we’ve done most of the work ourselves, but friends and family have come alongside us and helped us hang drywall, insulate, and install a few new windows. Slowly, a tired, dark old house is being transformed into a strong little house full of light and love.

We really hoped to be done by now, but I’m grateful for the object lesson in sanctification. A year ago, the house was paid for, it was set apart for a purpose, but then the hard work began. Some things had to be addressed right away, while others were set aside until we had more time. Along the way the work was sometimes slowed down by cuts, bruises, smashed thumbs, fat lips, and other demands on our time. And isn’t that like our lives? Thankfully, the creator of the universe is the contractor on that project, and He’s working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Each year, for His glory, another room is cleaned up and made right. That’s what I’m thankful for this year.

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

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Up next: WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on how to have a happier Thanksgiving.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: There are two old songs whose lyrics seem to resonate as we approach another Thanksgiving observance. One is you've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative. Don't mess with Mr. In- between. The other was a song by the Everly Brothers. That lyric said problems, problems, problems all day long. We have a choice. We can embrace the affirmative or we can focus on the problems. The two are not mutually exclusive.

We live in an age of entitlement that would have shocked the greatest generation. We are more prosperous in the financial sense than any generation that has ever lived. And yet we seem angrier as our politics grows more corrosive.

What difference would it make if we started being thankful instead of so negative? It certainly would improve individual attitudes and collectively might raise our national psyche to a healthier level. A Gallup poll found one in six Americans say they are depressed or receiving treatment for depression. That's an increase of more than 7% points since 2015 when Gallup first began polling on the topic. Granted some of this is clinical depression but could a focus on negative things cause others to be depressed.

There's another song that should be sung this Thanksgiving and during the year. The 1978 lyric composed by Henry Smith says, “Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks for the holy one. Give thanks because he's given Jesus Christ, his son. And now let the weak say we are strong, let the poor say we are rich because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks.”

That song reminds us, there are two kingdoms. One is of this world that is passing away. The other is the Kingdom of God which will never pass away. Give thanks for that kingdom and you will have a happier Thanksgiving.

I'm Cal Thomas.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Tomorrow: Culture Friday with Katie McCoy: Her take on why young women in the west are turning to Islam. And, two big-budget movies many theater-goers won’t be thankful for. Plus, your listener feedback. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Mary Reichard.

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.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” —Philippians 1:3-6

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.