The World and Everything in It: September 16, 2025

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

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Russian drones are shot down over Poland. Is the NATO Alliance next in Moscow’s sight?

RUTTE: As a defensive alliance, we are always ready to defend.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And with children spiraling in despair, WORLD opinions contributor Brad Littlejohn says Big Tech must step up.

And Downton Abbey fans got their grand finale over the weekend.

HAROLD LEVINSON: You trusted me, and I wasn’t worthy of that trust.

LADY GRANTHAM: You’re worthy of my love, and that won’t change.

Arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino will tell us about it.

And singer-songwriter Matthew West invites the hurting to draw close to the savior.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, September 16th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

MAST: And I’m Lindsay Mast. Good morning!

REICHARD: Now the news. Here’s Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Trump says U.S. hit another Venezuelan drug boat » President Trump says the U.S. military again targeted a boat running drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel.

The president told White House reporters last night that there was zero doubt about what the boat was carrying.

TRUMP:  We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was like, it spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place. And, uh, it was, plus we have, uh, recorded evidence that they were leaving.

The strike comes two weeks after another military strike on what the administration says was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11.

In the past the U.S. military or Coast Guard might have boarded such boats and detained drug-runners. But with cartels and violent gangs now designated as terrorist groups by the White House, the rules have changed.

TRUMP:   You know when the first one we went, there were hundreds of boats. Now there are no boats. I wonder why … meaning no drugs are coming across.

The U.S. military’s mission in the Caribbean is to disrupt drug-running out of Venezuela.

Israel-Qatar latest » The president, speaking to reporters last night, also addressed the diplomatic firestorm over Israel’s recent airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Trump reportedly spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about that strike.

REPORTER:  You said that you don't want to see, uh, Qatar hit again. Do you, um — are there any guarantees that, uh …

TRUMP: Well he won’t be hitting in Qatar.

That comes after Netanyahu said Israel will strike Hamas leaders “wherever they are.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday said there are only two ways for Israel’s war with Hamas to end.

RUBIO:  Every single hostage is released, all 48, including those that are deceased. Hamas no longer exists as an armed group that's threatening Israel. If it's not gonna end that way, then it's gonna have to end through the military operation.

Rubio is meeting with leaders in Qatar today, working to smooth things over the US ally.

His visit comes on the heels of a stop in Israel to reaffirm U.S. support for the Jewish state, though not for last week’s airstrike in Doha.

Leaders in Qatar slammed that Israeli strike, calling it an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty.

Kirk shooter » FBI Director Kash Patel says evidence is mounting against the man suspected of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

PATEL:  The DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody.

That screwdriver was recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox over the weekend said that Robinson was not cooperating with investigators.

Authorities in Utah are preparing to file murder charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as early as tomorrow.

Kash Patel also added:

PATEL:  He, uh, had a text message exchange. He the suspect with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.

It’s unclear if the person the suspect texted in that exchange will also face charges.

Law enforcement is investigating to determine if others connected the accused shooter committed any crimes.

Kirk memorial, vigil » Meantime, thousands across the country are paying tribute to Charlie Kirk and what he stood for.

On Capitol Hill, Speaker Mike Johnson led a prayer vigil in Statuary Hall.

JOHNSON:  Principles that Charlie stood for were faith and freedom and family and virtue and patriotism.

And in Phoenix, Arizona, many have been paying their respects outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA, an organization Kirk founded in 2012 when he was just 18 years old.

AUDIO: He created all of this from scratch. And he was passionate about his movement and what he believed in, he was passionate about it.

[cross-fade]

AUDIO:  I don't want what Charlie died for to die with him. I want it to be carried by the people that have come here in droves to say we've had enough.

A vigil was also held last night on the campus of Arizona State University.

And on Sunday, State Farm Stadium in Phoenix will host a public memorial service for Kirk. President Trump is expected to be among the speakers.

Tiktok possible sale » The popular social media platform TikTok could soon have new, American, owners within the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday:

BESSENT:  We do have a framework, uh, for a deal with TikTok.

Lawmakers last year, citing national security concerns, passed a law giving TikTok’s Chinese parent company an ultimatum:

Sell its U.S. operations to a new owner that is not under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party or any other US adversary, or face a nationwide ban.

And Sec. Bessent said the framework does involve U.S.-controlled ownership.

BESSENT:   President Trump and party Chair, she, uh, will speak on Friday to complete the deal. We have a framework. They'll have to confirm the deal.

The deadline for the sale was actually back in January of this year, but President Trump has provided several waivers to keep the app operational until a deal could be struck.

China’s international trade representative also told reporters that the sides have reached “basic framework consensus."

I'm Kent Covington. 

Straight ahead: Russian drones and the NATO response. Plus, holding tech-giant Apple accountable for what’s available to minors in the App Store.

This is The World and Everything in It.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 16th of September.

This is WORLD Radio and we’re so glad you’ve joined us today. Good morning, I’m Lindsay Mast..

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Up first, Russia tests NATO.

Last week, Dutch fighter jets shot down Russian drones deep inside Poland. This marks the first time since the Ukraine war began that NATO forces have directly engaged with Russian drones.

Since then, NATO has moved forces closer to the east in an operation called Eastern Sentry. Here’s NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

RUTTE: Eastern Sentry will add strength and flexibility to our posture, and make clear that, as a defensive alliance, we are always ready to defend.

MAST: Is Russia picking a fight Europe is ready to resist?

Joining us now is Brad Bowman. He previously advised Congress on National Security issues. He now leads the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

REICHARD: Brad, good morning.

BRAD BOWMAN: Good morning. Thank you.

REICHARD: Well, what do we know about the Russian drones that flew into Poland? Just lost, or testing the defenses? Were they armed or reconnaissance?

BOWMAN: It's a great question, and details are still emerging, even though we're this is several days in the rear view mirror. But what appears to have happened? We've had at least 19 Russian drones violate Polish airspace, some of them flying deep into Poland. Many of them were near the border with Ukraine. Some flew deeper in. The ones that were retrieved were what we call decoy drones, and that is, drones that didn't have explosives on them, that are used to either collect intelligence or information for targeting purposes for others, or just are used to consume finite air defense assets of the Ukrainians or others. So these are Shahed-style drones. Shahed, referring to the types of drones that Iran produced and provided to Vladimir Putin early in the war that Russia now has replicated with Iran's help and started to build within Russia. And then we saw a similar Shahed style, Geran-2 style drone violate Romania's airspace, and that one was not shot down, whereas some of the ones that violated Poland's airspace were shot down.

REICHARD: You know, I'm wondering about NATO's response to the drones using multi million dollar jets and weapons to shoot down relatively cheap drones? Is that a sustainable thing to do if Russia were to keep doing it?

BOWMAN: It's a great question. It's something I've dealt with through the years. And I talked to two US Air Force F-15 pilots about this on a podcast who were in the air on the night of April 13 last year, shooting down Iranian drones, very similar to these type of drones and cruise missiles that were headed toward Israel and and we got into this question, and they said, you know, that's not really something I need to be worrying about when I'm in the cockpit. Because, you know, if I don't shoot those things down, it's you're gonna, you're gonna have people dying. And so the you know, what you save by shooting these things down, in terms of not only lives saved, but also a property damage is well worth the even if the costs of the interception are quite expensive. But I take the point behind your question, and that is, when you look at the type of air launched munitions that were used to shoot down some of these drones in Poland, it's roughly a 10 to one cost ratio when you look at the cost of the drone versus the cost of the interceptor. So if we're going to have more, not fewer, of these in the future, we need to make sure that the United States and our allies have effective means to shoot them down. That's the most important thing, but also things that are where we're not wasting money when they can be shot down more economically. And there's individual systems like the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. There's ground based systems that are less expensive that should be employed, because, unfortunately, Russia is building these in large quantities. And if you look at the attacks that we've seen in Ukraine over the last year, we're not talking about a few dozen drones. We're starting to see hundreds of drones per attack, and the NATO alliance needs to be ready for that, both in terms of capability, what you can do and capacity, how much you can do of it.

REICHARD: Let's talk about NATO's charter now. After all the dust settled, Poland invoked Article Four of NATO's charter to call allies to consider their response. So tell us, if you would, what is Article Four and what does it require of members such as the US?

BOWMAN: A lot of people have heard the term Article Five, but they're not quite sure about the larger context. Let's be clear what we're talking about. We're talking about the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed in 1949 right there on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. And Article Five of that treaty is really the heart of the Alliance. And Article Five says that the parties agree that an armed attack against one or more dot, dot, dot, shall be considered an attack against all. And Article Four is really simple. It's one sentence. It says basically what the parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened. That's article Four. That's it. And so that's what's happened here. Poland has obviously asked for article Four proceedings. Those consultations have occurred, and that's all within the context of a potential Article Five determination.

REICHARD: The only time Article Five of the NATO Treaty was invoked was after 911 when NATO did come to the aid of the US during the war on terror. So what level of Russian action would need to happen to trigger Article Five in a country like Romania or Poland?

BOWMAN: Some people treat Article Five like it's this automatically self implementing mechanism. It's not, if you actually read it, everyone you know, everyone starts with the attack against one is. Attack against all but they don't read the rest of that same paragraph and where it says they will determine how to respond, as each member quote deems necessary, including the use of armed force. So that's why discussions about whether these particular drone attacks were deliberate or an accident is relevant, right? Because it's if it was an accident that's not an armed attack. And even if it is right, each nation is going to decide how to respond. And so the supreme allied commander would say, well, we respond very effectively. We shot a lot of them down, and we're and we're starting this new Eastern century where Denmark, France, UK, Germany and others are going to be beef up the tenses along the defenses along the eastern flank, but Article Five, in the end, comes down to a political decision in each capital about how they're going to respond. And that's why the statements of the president United States are are so important. Because even if Article Five is invoked, how we respond can be everything from a harshly worded communique out of, out of the State Department. It can be a vote at the UN Security Council, or it can be sending the United States military to war against Russia, something we avoided during the entire Cold War, and Article Five doesn't implement itself.

REICHARD: Is there anything else you're seeing in the region? You think we should note?

BOWMAN: Well, my main point would be that this is the worst invasion. What we're seeing in Ukraine. This is the worst invasion of Europe since World War Two. This is a brazen, naked aggression, a war of conquest by Vladimir Putin. And the longer the war goes, the more we're going to see stuff like this happening. And we, it's in our interest to help Ukraine defend itself, and if we don't do that, we're going to see more problems, I predict, along NATO's eastern flank. And if we want to avoid a war between NATO and Russia, we better help Ukraine, and we better make clear to Vladimir Putin that we're prepared to defend every inch of the Alliance, just as the leaders of NATO have been saying.

REICHARD: Brad Bowman researches military strategy for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Thanks so much!

BOWMAN: Thank you.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: holding Big Tech’s feet to the fire.

Earlier this year the House Energy Committee held a hearing on app store regulations and child safety.

JAMES: It's vital to make sure that we hold our virtual stores to the same standards that we hold our physical stores when it comes to material that is (for) adults or addictive…

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: That’s Michigan representative John James. He criticized Big Tech for putting children at risk, adding that online stores should require the same age verification laws that brick-and-mortar stores do.

JAMES: We don't rely on Marlboro or Budweiser to ensure kids aren't purchasing their products. We look at CVS. We look at 7-Eleven. We look at the supermarkets to age-gate. The app ecosystem should be no different than what is currently established in the United States of America. These app stores are out of touch and they need to come to reality.

REICHARD: We’ve all heard the line that with great power comes great responsibility. But the Big Tech companies say, easier said than done.

WORLD Opinions contributor Brad Littlejohn says it’s time they were forced to accept responsibility, and a new effort is underway to do just that.

BRAD LITTLEJOHN: Last month a new organization launched an assault on Apple’s digital fortress in an attempt to force them to change their ways. The Digital Childhood Institute submitted a 55-page formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission—documenting more than a decade of the tech giant’s callous violations of child safety and parental rights. The complaint could very well provoke a formal investigation by the FTC as Chairman Andrew Ferguson has shown a fierce commitment to rein in Big Tech and empower parents.

Apple is certainly not the worst offender when it comes to digital threats to childhood—apps like Snapchat and TikTok have been meticulously designed to addict adolescents and feed them age-inappropriate content. Some apps are virtual playgrounds for child sex predators. More recently, other apps have been specifically designed and marketed for their “nudify” capabilities…allowing students to generate deepfake pornography of their classmates.

Apple has attempted to wash its hands of the problem posing as primarily a hardware company…yet it is no innocent bystander to this digital crime scene. It has aggressively marketed smartphones to teens with great success. Nearly 9 out of 10 now own an iPhone despite overwhelming evidence that few of them are ready for the dangers and addictive impulses of these devices. Semi-smart phones, like the Gabb Phone or Wisephone, are designed with the interests of kids and parents in mind. There is no reason that the design wizards in Silicon Valley could not have created such devices many years ago. No reason, that is, except the immense profits to be reaped from selling apps to teens.

As the complaint from the Digital Childhood Institute documents, Apple bears heavy responsibility for today’s youth pornography and mental health crisis.

Most fundamentally, Apple has displayed gross negligence in its vetting and rating of apps. For instance, teens are more likely to find pornography on X than on mainstream porn sites, yet the App Store lists it as having—in its words—“infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity.”

Apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are rated safe for 12-year-olds, even though they’re well-known for feeding children adult content and connecting them with sexual predators. Grok is also no better, yet is still widely available for minors even with its new widely touted sexual companion feature. Many far more dangerous but less well-known apps have proliferated on the app store for years. Without legal pressure, Apple has every incentive to do minimal vetting…as it is very expensive. And Apple’s bottom line is maximized by the number of apps downloaded…regardless of what they are.

Apple has also consistently deceived parents about the efficacy of its so-called parental controls. Numerous apps operate with “in-app browsers” that serve as backdoors to explicit content even when parental controls are turned on. Some of these apps even suppress third-party controls. As the complaint writes, “Taken together, these practices reveal a pattern of deception and misleading advertising.”

Perhaps worst of all, the entire premise of the App Store is on legally shaky ground, since every app download comes with a contract, a legally binding agreement between the user and the developer. Minors, of course, cannot enter binding contracts without parental consent, and yet Apple has consistently allowed and encouraged anyone 13 or older to enter into these contracts—which usually involve long pages of legalese agreeing to a systematic collection and monetization of their personal data.

Unfortunately, parents are not entirely passive victims of this exploitation. Many have lined up to buy these phones and download these apps for their kids…buying into the lie that their children will be “left behind in a digital world” otherwise. In fact, the children who are flourishing most today are those who have kept their feet firmly anchored in the analog world.

But parents need help in the battle against $3 trillion companies. If the FTC will take firm action on this complaint, millions more children may be able to enjoy childhood again, rather than being dragged prematurely into digital adulthood.

I’m Brad Littlejohn.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: “Be prepared” is the Scout’s motto. Good thing, too! A Boy Scout troop bike ride in Virginia turned life-or-death when scout leader Laurent Lee collapsed from a heart attack.

But 12-year-old Raphael Loosen knew what to do. Audio from WTOP News:

LOOSEN: I said I got this because I learned it like a week before that in school.

Loosen stepped up with the CPR he’d just learned. Fellow scouts and parents rotated in, keeping Lee alive until paramedics arrived. Lee paid tribute:

LEE: I wouldn’t be here without you guys, and I’m so forever grateful.

Doctors found a 90% block in his artery. But he’s back on his feet, determined to get CPR-certified himself, and finish that ride.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Tuesday, September 16th.

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

Good morning. I’m Lindsay Mast.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Coming up next on The World and Everything in It, saying goodbye to the Crawley family. After 15 years, six seasons, two movies, and countless cups of Earl Grey, the final installment of the acclaimed British drama Downton Abbey hit theaters over the weekend.

The film pulled in $18 million at the US box office, well below the first movie’s debut six years ago.

MAST: Arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino saw Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and says the film gives audiences what they expect, but not much more.

COLLIN GARBARINO: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale wants to be, well, a grand finale for writer Julian Fellowes’ high-brow soap opera.

This installment doesn’t stray from the franchise’s regular themes: familial scandal, financial woes, and changing social customs—all of which threaten Britain’s ruling class in the early 20th century. The Crawley family story has now made it to the year 1930, and the latest scandal has to do with the family’s eldest daughter Lady Mary.

LADY PETERSFIELD: A rather tricky situation has arisen.

LADY GRANTHAM: Why? What’s happened?

LADY PETERSFIELD: My maid just told me…

LADY EDITH: Your maid just told you what?

LADY PETERSFIELD: That Lady Mary is divorced.

Lady Mary’s race-car-driving husband—whom she married in Season 6—has abandoned her. I can only assume the actor who played him wasn’t available for this sequel. Anyway, Mary—once again played by Michelle Dockery—has become something of a social pariah.

LORD GRANTHAM: You’re chucking my daughter out of your house?

LADY PETERSFIELD: Most reluctantly, I assure you. The royal highnesses would be badly compromised if anyone found out.

LORD GRANTHAM: I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous—

LADY MARY: Papa, it’s alright. I’ll go.

Troubles compound when the family finds out part of their fortune has evaporated because Lady Grantham’s American brother, played by Paul Giamatti, has made some poor investments.

HAROLD LEVINSON: I’m the one who’s let everyone down. You trusted me, and I wasn’t worthy of that trust.

LADY GRANTHAM: You’re worthy of my love, and that won’t change.

The plot, such as it is, revolves around extricating the family from these twin disasters of losing its good name and its money. But the movie doesn’t possess a tight narrative. Instead, Fellowes has given us a vague impression of a story. People do and say things that are meant to drive toward a resolution, but upon reflection, you realize the challenges and the consequences seem fabricated. For example, Mary, reeling from her divorce, abandons morality in a scene that should carry some emotional ramifications… But she carries on, stoic and self-centered as ever. The family continually praises her as she pushes her far-from-infirm father out of his role as head of the family. And don’t get me started on Mary’s nonsensical plan for restoring the lost fortune. She says the family needs to keep its wealth in real estate to weather the impending economic downturn, but then she forces her father to sell a beloved piece of real estate to weather the impending economic downturn.

And then there’s the film’s progressivist moralizing. But I admit this theme that the social customs of the upper classes need to give way to more up-to-date ideas was baked into the series from the very beginning.

THOMAS BARROW: I suppose you think Lady Mary has lost her moral compass, Mr. Carson.

MRS. HUGHES: Perhaps we should all have a different compass these days.

The movie feels preachy when you hear characters repeat the same tiresome statements about how the world would be better if we all just loosened up a little. There’s always been some irony at the heart of this series that glorifies the British aristocracy while simultaneously resenting their beliefs.

At its core, the most important lesson of Downton Abbey is that every problem can be solved if you invite the right guests to a dinner party.

DAISY PARKER: This really is the night that shook the world.

Because the story is such a mess, I can’t in good conscience call this a good movie. But I have to admit that I enjoyed it nonetheless. Fellowes’ dialogue doesn’t sparkle like it used to, but there are some amusing scenes. Like the one in which Lord Grantham and Lady Mary go hunting for an apartment.

LORD GRANTHAM: The family upstairs? What about downstairs? Is a family there too?

LADY MARY: I don’t know if it’s a family.

LORD GRANTHAM: How peculiar… a sort of layer cake of strangers.

Fundamentally, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale isn’t so much a film as an excuse to hang out with old friends. Mr. Carson the gruff but lovable butler, Mrs. Hughes the wise housekeeper, Mrs. Patmore the formidable cook, Daisy the meek yet steely kitchen maid, and most importantly Anna and Mr. Bates whose romance was the only thing that kept me watching the series after the first season. Of course, the absence of the late Maggie Smith’s Lady Violet looms over the entire film.

Getting to see these enduring characters in opulent settings and luxurious costumes one last time will undoubtedly delight most fans of the franchise. But the only beautiful things in this film are its atmospherics and vibes. For the most part this grand finale relies on our craving for nostalgia to impart pleasure, rather than offering any merit of its own.

LORD GRANTHAM: So this is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.

I’m Collin Garbarino

[Downton Abbey theme]

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, September 16th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

On Friday we heard Pastor Kevin DeYoung encourage parents and mentors not to feel pressured to say everything about Christian conservative Charlie Kirk’s death all at once. That’s our approach here, too.

REICHARD: Since Wednesday’s assassination, prayer vigils and memorial services have sprung up worldwide, some planned, some spontaneous. Our reporters will cover several of those later this week. But now, we turn to a moment of reflection.

MAST: Singer-songwriter Matthew West has written a new song in response to Charlie Kirk’s death. WORLD’s Myrna Brown spoke with West earlier and brings us part of that conversation:

MYRNA BROWN: Good morning, Matthew.

MATTHEW WEST: Hey, good morning. It's great to be with you as always.

BROWN: Thank you for being here. Many of us, Matthew, are still coming to terms with Charlie Kirk's assassination. Everyone, as you know, processes grief and pain in different ways. You chose to write a song. Would you tell me about how that helps you?

WEST: Yeah, absolutely. I woke up early in the morning the day after we had found out about what happened to Charlie Kirk. And I literally woke up in the morning with the verse of Psalm 34:18 in my mind and I had a melody right off the bat. I was like, Jesus be close to the broken heart and save those who are crushed in spirit. And I just started singing that to myself and just singing God's promise over myself. And I just sat down and I thought, okay, you know, this is just how I process because you know what my other option is, if I'm being honest, it's to be angry, it’s to go down rabbit holes and to be obsessed by the news and just to watch the news 24/7. And I think it's great to be educated and aware of what's going on, but that can be all consuming. And so I found solace in God’s word. And I was also comforted by the thought that like in my confusion, in my anger, in the feelings that I was feeling as I was watching the news and then having to, you know, try to shield my daughters from what they might see on social media, it was God’s word that came back to me and I didn't open my Bible and read it, it was God's word that I had hidden in my heart that returned to my heart and to my memory in a moment when I needed to be reminded exactly where God is when guess what, a lot of us were asking that very question, God where are you in times like this? Well he tells us, he's close, he is close.

BROWN: What a testament to Bible memorization, you know, hiding the word in your heart so you can call it up when you need it. You mentioned the lyric is based on Psalm 34:18. As you said, “the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Why should we meditate on that scripture right now?

WEST: Well, quite frankly, I think we have to push away the lies of the enemy, you know, who gets the final say? You know, like we're I think there's a lot of times we start to get discouraged and say, Lord, I know, I know that we have victory in Jesus. We sang that hymn the other night at a vigil in Tennessee last night, actually, “victory in Jesus, my savior forever.” But we were singing it from broken hearts and really trying to believe that we do have victory. Because some days it looks like the devil's winning. And so it's so important to make sure that our house is built on a solid foundation of the truth of God's Word so that when the storms come, our faith will be able to stand strong and secure. And I'll tell you what, I'm as guilty as anybody of going to every other resource in times like this, you know, I'll be obsessed with social media and what every news network’s saying and what he said and she said and they said, and my parents always taught me to come back to God’s word and now I'm trying to teach my kids the same thing. Let's return, let's go back. And I love seeing all these people picking up their Bibles for the first time in a long time, or for the first time ever, and finding their way back to church and realizing that God really is close to us in times like these.

BROWN: Yes, he is our ever present help and times of trouble. Yeah, let's listen to just a bit of the song that you wrote. Let's listen right now.

MUSIC: [BE CLOSE] I can’t unsee what I’ve just seen.
I can’t make sense of one more senseless tragedy.
Another life, put out by dark.
This wicked world makes me wonder where you are.
Jesus be close, to the broken hearted,
Save those, who are crushed in spirit,
We know that you’ve always been our only hope.
Be near, when our minds are flooded with fear,
Be the hand that’s wiping our tears,
And the voice that whispers: “Weary soul be still and know I’ll always be close…”

BROWN: So Matthew, you have written so many songs and you shared earlier how you woke up with that verse on your heart, and even a melody. And I want to know what's been the response so far?

WEST: I mean, it's been unbelievable just like the people just saying they needed that reminder that, you know, that Jesus is close and the song closes with, I mean, the second verse talks, it's really a challenge to me. It says, there is hate, let there be peace. And when I don't see a change, let change begin with me. Where there is evil, be not dismayed. And give me the strength to stare that evil in the face. And so hopefully it turns into a prayer.

I even hesitated to get on and do this interview with you when they asked me and it wasn't because I don't love talking to you but it's honestly because I struggle with like, I'm struggling to like formulate responses to what's going on right now. Maybe that's why it was easier to put my heart in a song than it is to do an interview just going like, I don't know what to think right now. You know what I mean? And I struggle with that but, and then when you read the comments and there's positive comments and there's negative comments and there's people who will unfollow you because you honored the life of somebody whose life was taken. So I guess if I could sum anything up, it's like, I just feel a stirring and it’s that stirring that made me go to my guitar and write this song. And now I feel like that stirring is turning into a stirring to be bold and to be a light where there's dark and try to meet people who are coming at us with hatred, try to meet them with love, but also with truth.

BROWN: Yes and amen. Yes, me too. Matthew West, your songs bring just healing and encouragement. So thank you for that. Matthew West is a singer songwriter and recording artist with Provident Label Group and Sony Music. Thank you so much for being with us today, Matthew.

WEST: Well, thanks for what you do. Thanks for being a bright light and encouraging all who are listening. And to everybody who's listening right now, maybe you resonate with how I'm wrestling and questioning and all the things and just know like, man, there is one place you can go, a safe place you can go with every question, with every tear, with every broken heart. And you can come to Jesus, you run into his arms. And he says, come unto me all who are weary and I will give you rest. And I just am so thankful for the promise that we can turn to a savior no matter what our world is facing. And I'm praying that our nation will turn to Jesus like never before. And I believe we're seeing it happen.

MUSIC: [BE CLOSE] Jesus be close, to the broken hearted,
Save those, who are crushed in spirit,
We know that you’ve always been our only hope.
Be near, when our minds are flooded with fear,
Be the hand that’s wiping our tears,
And the voice that whispers: “Weary soul be still and know I’ll always be close…”

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Tomorrow: Washington Wednesday with Hunter Baker. And, we head back to Georgia…where Savannah Bananas players share their faith without getting lost in the show. That and more tomorrow.

I’m Lindsay Mast.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio. WORLD’s mission is Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” —Proverbs 21:2

Go now in grace and peace.

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