The World and Everything in It - September 7, 2021

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning!

Prescription drug prices. Why are they so high despite efforts to rein them in?

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also the last dictator in Europe and where things stand in Belarus.

Plus our Classic Book of the Month.

And the difference between joy and happiness. They’re not the same thing.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, September 7th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

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

REICHARD: Up next, Kristen Flavin with today’s news.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, NEWS ANCHOR: Taliban takes Panjshir valley » The Taliban claims it has seized control of the last provinces resisting its takeover of Afghanistan.

SOUND: [Man speaking Dari]

In a news conference held Monday, a Taliban spokesman said there is no reason for war in the country to continue.

Resistance fighters led by the former vice president retained control of the eight districts of Panjshir province until Sunday night. Leaders say they were trying to negotiate a ceasefire when the Taliban overran the district. They vowed to continue opposition efforts.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials say they are actively trying to get Americans left in the country out. On Monday, the government confirmed it had helped a family of four escape over land into a neighboring country. But about 100 U.S. citizens remain in Afghanistan.

U.S. allies are also trying to get people out of the country. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the issue Monday in a speech to Parliament.

JOHNSON: Let me say to anyone to whom we have made commitments, and who is currently in Afghanistan, we are working urgently with our friends in the region to secure a safe passage and as soon as routes are available we will do everything possible to help you to reach safety.

Johnson said more than 300 Afghans who helped British forces are still trying to leave. He did not say whether any British citizens remain in Afghanistan.

Justice Department looking for ways to challenge Texas abortion law » The Justice Department is looking for ways to challenge the Texas abortion law that went into effect last week. WORLD’s Leigh Jones has that story.

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that federal prosecutors are urgently exploring all options. In the meantime, he warned the Justice Department would enforce federal protections for any women trying to access abortion facilities in Texas.

A federal law known as the FACE Act prohibits blocking access to abortion centers or using threats of force to intimidate or interfere with anyone trying to go in. Garland said the federal government would not tolerate any violence, although no threats of violence have been reported.

The Texas law prohibits abortion after babies develop a heartbeat, at about six weeks gestation. But it relies on private citizens, not state law enforcement officials, to file suit over suspected violations.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones.

Prison break in Israel » AUDIO: [Crowd chanting]

Supporters of the Islamic Jihad movement marched in the Gaza Strip Monday to celebrate the escape of several Palestinian prisoners from a high-security Israeli prison.

Israeli officials confirmed the breakout and said a manhunt is underway. The prisoners apparently managed to dig a tunnel that started under a sink and came up outside the prison wall.

The escapees include a prominent militant leader from the West Bank city of Jenin who once led the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, called the escape “a heroic act” by “heroic detainees.”

Marvel breaks Labor Day box office records » The latest release from Marvel Studios gave Hollywood something to celebrate over the normally slow holiday weekend.

AUDIO: [Trailer from Shang-Chi]

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings smashed the record for Labor Day openings with an estimated $71.4 million in ticket sales. That helped ease fears movie goers weren’t ready to return to the theater amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases.

Several other studios have opted to delay big-budget releases, including the latest version of Top Gun and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Shang-Chi will remain exclusively in theaters for 45 days. It is the first Marvel movie to get an exclusive theater run since July 2019. Since the pandemic began, Disney has joined other studios in releasing films on streaming platforms as well as in theaters.

I’m Kristen Flavin. Straight ahead: Belarus marks another year of authoritarian rule.

Plus, contemplating what we really need.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 7th of September, 2021.

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

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

In August 2020, protesters took to the streets in Belarus following a presidential election there that almost no one trusted. But more than a year later, the man often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator,” Alexander Lukashenko, remains in power.

And opposition leader, Svietlana Tsikhanouskaya is still in exile in Lithuania with top officials in her political party sentenced to prison just yesterday—even though observers say Tsikhanouskaya was the rightful winner of the election.

REICHARD: So where do things stand now? And how are Christians faring?

WORLD’s European correspondent, Jenny Lind Schmitt, reports.

JENNY LIND SCHMITT, CORRESPONDENT: In the year since protests filled the streets of Minsk, many Belarusians watched in dismay as the nation’s troubles faded from the international spotlight. That changed in May when Alexander Lukashenko forced a flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Belarus. Authorities boarded the plane, arrested opposition journalist Roman and his girlfriend, Sofia Sopega, and threw them in jail.

The European Union and the United States quickly imposed sanctions. Lukashenko retaliated by releasing migrants across the border into the EU.

Hanna Liubakova is a journalist from Minsk and a fellow with the Atlantic Council.

LIUBAKOVA: The regime came up with this idea to bring migrants from Iraq and other countries from Belarus and to “help” them cross the border.

Authorities in Lithuania and Poland have reported seeing Belarusian guards forcefully push migrants into their countries. Last week Poland declared a state of emergency for two provinces as more than 3,200 migrants tried to cross from Belarus illegally.

LIUBAKOVA: Of course it was revenge from Lukashenko. He wanted to destabilize the situation. He wanted to artificially create a crisis on the EU borders with Belarus.

But Liubakova says that means Western sanctions are working. Lukashenko’s recent release of a few political prisoners is another sign. But Liubakova says the sanctions have loopholes that should be closed.

AUDIO: [Woman protesting]

Last month, the International Monetary Fund decided to grant funds to Belarus. That was a hard blow to members of the opposition, who vehemently opposed it. Liubakova says the international community considers Lukashenko’s government illegitimate and should treat it accordingly.

LIUBAKOVA: On a political level there is an understanding of that I think. At the same time, what the IMF did and given the examples of Myanmar and Venezuela, Lukashenka is being treated in a different way, and he still apparently can preserve some sort of legitimacy to such organizations as the IMF.

As the crisis in the country drags on, Western companies with offices in Minsk, especially in the IT sector, are moving out. Many of the country's most talented citizens are leaving with them. Journalists are also leaving the country in droves, finding refuge in neighboring countries. They are working to report the truth back to Belarus, even as Lukashenko attempts to squelch anything other than official state media.

But as the cases of Protasevich and Vitaly Shishov show, even dissidents outside Belarus aren’t safe. Shishov was a Belarusian activist found hanged in Kiev in early August. Hanna Luibakova says that has other journalists and opposition leaders worried.

LIUBAKOVA: I am very much concerned about my own safety. I’m in the EU but that doesn't mean I’m safe... Now all the forces of the regime are being accumulated and used to fight the dissent outside Belarus. Those who are most vocal might be targeted by the regime.

Lukashenko’s government has also been shutting down NGOs inside the country, everything from groups assisting the disabled to bird sanctuaries. Authorities claim the groups haven’t followed their organizational charter, but the real reason is that some of their funding came from the West. The closures began after Western countries imposed sanctions. Leaders of some organizations have been summoned for police questioning, leading more people to flee the country.

Churches are also caught in the middle of the turmoil, with members often disagreeing on how best to interact with Lukashenko’s regime. But preaching about things the Bible is clear on—opposition to cruelty, corruption, and injustice—is now enough to get pastors in trouble. Michael Cherenkov works with Mission Eurasia overseeing field ministries and pastors in Belarus.

CHERENKOV: It is an extremely difficult time for the whole nation and especially for evangelical churches. They are not silent. They speak out. They speak against this corruption and injustice. And that’s why they’re in danger actually.

At New Life Church in Minsk, pastors were particularly outspoken against the post-election violence. In February, the government seized their building. Since then the congregation has gathered in the parking lot. Still, the church has had many new worshippers join, precisely because it has shown bravery in the face of government intimidation.

CHERENKOV: Some of my friends are jailed, some are persecuted, some are fined many times. And that’s the price they agreed to pay. Not because they support any political parties, but because they are faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ…That’s not a political agenda, that’s a gospel agenda.

After the disputed election, some churches organized cross-denominational, peaceful prayer gatherings. In response, Lukashenko banned public prayer.

CHERENKOV: Some of my friends were jailed or beaten severely just for praying publicly on the streets of Minsk. So It is a kind of a spiritual battle I would say. Because if this dictator believes that this prayer activity is dangerous to him and his dictatorship, then that means that it’s more than politics. It's a spiritual battle.

That battle is felt in the intense fear many believers have wrestled with during the past year and the discouragement of wondering where God is leading. Young, dynamic Christian leaders are also leaving the country in droves, leaving a hole in the church’s future.

Last week I interviewed a Christian whose organization had faced threats of government shutdown. When I recontacted him this week, he asked me not to quote him directly to protect his colleagues, as police pressure has ramped up. He told me that if he’s arrested, someone will let me know.

He also told me Belarusian Christians know God controls history and is active in it. But after a year of uncertainty and discouragement, they are praying for a better understanding of where God is taking their country.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jenny Lind Schmitt.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: paying for prescriptions. 

Former President Donald Trump promised to lower the cost of prescription drug prices. But he couldn’t get it done before he left office.

NICK EICHER, HOST: President Biden recently made a similar pledge. But will it provide lasting relief?

WORLD correspondent Bonnie Pritchett reports.

BIDEN: My administration has already taken significant steps to lower the cost of prescription drugs. That’s why I’ve instructed the Federal Drug Administration to get these genetic drugs to the consumers faster…

BONNIE PRITCHETT, CORRESPONDENT: On August 12th President Joe Biden announced his prescription for lowering drug prices. It sounded awfully familiar.

BUSH: I am taking immediate action to ensure that lower cost, effective generic drugs become available to Americans without any improper delays…

OBAMA: Then we’ll tell the pharmaceutical companies, ‘Thanks, but no thanks, for overpriced drugs…’

TRUMP: Today, my administration is launching the most sweeping action in history to lower the price of prescription drugs for the American people…

That’s 20 years of promises. And some would argue, 20 years of broken promises.

In July, the Food and Drug Administration gave pharmaceutical company Biogen special approval to dispense an experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s. The list price? $56,000 a year.

CANNON: Why $56,000? Where did Biogen come up with this price of $56,000 for this drug? Did they pick it out of a hat? Do they use a dartboard…

That’s Michael Cannon, director of Health Care Studies at the CATO Institute.

CANNON: They are free to set the price wherever they want. And I think they should have that freedom. I think that's a very important freedom. I think it's a fundamental human right in fact, to be able to set the price wherever they like. And I also think we have a fundamental right to tell them to go jump in a lake if we don't like the price…

So, why haven’t consumers done that? And why have four presidents found their promises so hard to keep?

Mark Hobbs has his suspicions. He’s a second-generation pharmacist in Merritt, Florida. He began working in his father’s independent pharmacy in the early 1980s.

MARK HOBBS: You know, when I started, prescription products were average $5. And today, that average for brands is up close to $300. So, seeing a lot of changes through the years, see some problems in the system. And I think everybody does. The real controversy is, how do we solve them? And so far, I have not seen the political will to do what needs to be done….

Michael Cannon agrees.

CANNON: The answer is largely that in the United States, we have a situation where we are paying for too many drugs, too many drug purchases, via third party payers. That's an umbrella term that includes employers, insurance companies, the government. And third party payers are not very good at negotiating prices…

Hobbs says a significant problem is the lack of price transparency from the drug manufacturer all the way to the drug counter.

HOBBS: Nobody really knows what the price that you price of the medication is…

President Trump proposed lower prices under Medicare Part B and D. Those cover treatments administered in a doctor’s office and prescription drugs purchased from a pharmacy.

To lower costs, Trump proposed recalculculating the pricing formula for Medicare Part D by averaging the U.S. price by what other countries pay. Because we pay more for prescription drugs than any other country, that would automatically lower prices.

But pharmaceutical companies lobbied against the plan. And some conservatives balked at the pricing calculation, claiming it incorporated government price controls.

The proposal also prohibited a complicated rebate system between drug manufacturers, third party payers, and the middlemen who broker the rebates. Trump’s plan allowed rebates only for consumers at the drug counter. But Cannon said while senior citizens might pay less for their drugs, the plan could create more third party payers—those groups with the poor negotiating skills. The result could be higher Medicare premiums. 

CANNON: I think the most credible neutral observers are the folks at the Congressional Budget Office. And they said this would cause Medicare spending to rise, and rise substantially. I think it was $187 billion over 10 years. That's a lot of money. Even in Medicare…

President Biden’s plan also includes foreign drug prices in calculating what Medicare and Medicaid will pay. Cannon thinks both proposals are reasonable if they lower costs for American consumers without raising the tax burden.

CANNON: Where Democrats go wrong is they take a perfectly sensible idea like that, and they completely ruin it by then saying, not only will Medicare not pay any more than this price that the new formula spits out, but neither can private payers. But if Democrats, some Democrats had their way, and were able to hold drug prices low enough and were able to impose drug price controls that were stern and repressive enough, then we might not get any or many or enough new drugs…

Cannon and Hobbs aren’t confident Biden’s plan will prove any more effective than his predecessors’.

They both noted Congress created the regulations, so Congress must find the will to fix the problems.

But Hobbs says incremental change is possible and pharmacists can help, one patient at a time.

HOBBS: One of the issues we have in a system right now is a pharmacist are paid to dispense. Their incentive is to dispense prescriptions. That's the only way to get paid. Well, there is not a mechanism for pharmacists to be paid to sit down with a patient, make a clinical intervention…

He suggests Medicare pay pharmacists to provide consulting services—something many already do. But they aren’t paid for that time—time taken away from dispensing medications.

HOBBS: It's a terrible dichotomy in healthcare, when the right thing is not really what the system pays for. And it's difficult. So, we can see that and see the incentive is to dispense. The reality is we’d do better to dispense less and spend more time honing in on the proper balance of cost and effectiveness.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Bonnie Pritchett.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Researchers in Japan say a cure for baldness may be more accessible—and affordable—than you think.

You can find the cure in McDonald’s French fries. Well, all their fried stuff.

You see, an anti-foaming agent used in the frying oil contains a chemical called dimethylpolysiloxane. (Try saying that five times fast.) The compound helps grow the cells that become hair follicles.

Scientists tested the method on mice and saw success using the chemical as a growth medium to mass produce those hair-growing cells in a lab environment. It’s pretty specialized and sophisticated stuff.

OK, so maybe a little more complicated than running out and scarfing down a supersized carton of deep-fried delights on the belief that the results will be something—other than weight gain.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, September 7th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

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

Emily Whitten joins us now with her Classic Book of the Month. She talks with WORLD Senior Editor Mindy Belz about a book that helped Americans understand the threat of the Taliban after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, Belz says, it’s just as relevant today.

AUDIO: There’s the second plane. Another passenger plane hitting the World Trade Center. All of the suspects the United States is looking at right now are in the Middle East. We will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them. We’ve got to do something now, and do it immediately. We’re entitled to some semblance of security…

EMILY WHITTEN, REPORTER: Those clips from 2001 come from the Economic Times and CNN. They give some sense of the urgency many Americans felt after 9/11. Who were these terrorists? And how should we meet this new threat?

To help answer those questions, many turned to Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid and his 2000 book, Taliban. Here’s a clip of the Blackstone audio version, read by Wanda McCadden.

TALIBAN: The Taliban had set out as an Islamic reform movement. Throughout Muslim history, Islamic reform movements have transformed both the nature of belief and political and social life. This political change has always been made possible through the concept of jihad. 

By 2010, the book had sold more than 1.5 million copies and been translated into 26 languages. Rashid explained, “Demand for the book has been kept alive by students, soldiers, academics, government officials, and the man and woman on the street.”

WORLD’s Senior Editor Mindy Belz told me recently that journalists also turned to the book. A friend in the State Department gave her a copy.

BELZ: I think it just helped me understand the worldview that was coming from this movement, and just how critically opposed to our own worldview it was.

For one thing, Rashid describes the roots of the Taliban during Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Here’s another clip from the book:

TALIBAN: The jihad took on new momentum as the US, China, and Arab states poured in money and arms supplies to the Mujaheddin. Out of this conflict, which was to claim 1.5 million Afghan lives and only end when Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, would emerge a second generation of Mujaheddin who called themselves Taliban (students of Islam).

Chaos reigned in Afghanistan after the Soviets left. Corrupt, tribal leaders fought for power, and the Taliban stepped in, providing some hope for stability.

BELZ: These were young boys and young men who were left rootless, who were left without jobs, because of the long time of war in Afghanistan. They couldn't even farm anymore. And so they were ripe for what the Taliban was offering, what al Qaeda was offering.

Rashid makes clear the Taliban is more than just an isolated threat, but fits within a network of terrorist organizations across the world. That’s something policy makers since 9/11 have often tried to ignore.

BELZ: We're not talking about just a band of guerillas operating out of the mountains of Afghanistan anymore. We're talking about a vast movement that is organized, that is disciplined, and that has a very rigid worldview attached to it. Rashid just described that so well, and and really, with a lot of journalistic detail, brings that to life.

I asked Belz if she would caution readers about the book in any way.

BELZ: We should recognize that he's a product of, of the the culture that he comes from. He has on some levels what I would call sort of a secular Muslim world viewpoint.

Rashid’s emphasis on oil is a bit out of date. But Belz says the country continues to be a pawn in larger political conflicts.

BELZ: One of the underlying things that has been at work in this whole situation Afghanistan, is, is that definitely the Chinese, definitely the Russians, they want an inroad there because of rare earths and minerals, the new oil, I would say, is, you know, the the minerals needed to power our, our cell phones and our, our gadgets.

One thing that sadly isn’t out of date: Rashid said “not much has changed” with the Taliban in an NPR interview last month.

RASHID: In many areas, the commanders are imposing Sharia, forcing women to cover up. There is talk about greater freedoms for women, that women will be allowed to work. But, also, at the same time, we've recently heard of stoning of women as punishment for adultery, heads being chopped off as punishment for stealing. So there is a very strict interpretation of Islamic law, which, of course, was very prevalent in the early '90s when the Taliban had captured most of the country.

As we approach the anniversary of 9/11, I hope our Classic Book of the Month, Taliban, by Ahmed Rashid, can help a new generation go beyond the headlines and understand the enemy we still face—both as Christians and Americans.

And it’s important to note, the Taliban doesn’t represent most Afghans. To get a fuller picture of the Afghan people, Belz recommends pairing Taliban with Rory Stewart’s book, The Places in Between.

BELZ:  It's like a travelogue. And it's fascinating because he walked across Afghanistan. In 2002, so right in the middle of the war, he is making a walking track across a country at war. And he's encountering the war as he goes, but he's mostly encountering the people. And he's always taken in. And he's always protected. And so you get, I think, a really important feature of Afghan life, which is this code of hospitality.

One final recommendation—in 2017, Mindy Belz published The Say We Are Infidels. That book covers her journeys into the Middle East to learn about Christians facing Islamic jihad. In it, Belz provides a window into some of the ways God’s been at work since 9/11.

To close, I asked Belz for a Bible verse that could help us face the darkness of Islamic jihad, both today and as we consider the past. She points to the story of Stephen in the book of Acts.

BELZ: There's a picture of Jesus where he's standing at the right hand of the Father. And I love that idea that Jesus is standing, he is watching. He is caring about these kinds of things and especially about his church in hard places, undergoing hard things. And I think those are images that that sort of helped me and remind me that God has not forgotten his people. And that gives me a lot of courage. And it gives me a lot of hope too.

I’m Emily Whitten.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, September 7th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Lawyer and World commentator Steve West now, on gaining joy, which is really all you need.

STEVE WEST, COMMENTATOR: At lunch a couple days ago, a friend asked, "Do you have any spiritual needs?" I looked away from his searching face. I had to think about it for a moment. It’s not a question you hear a lot, particularly from one man to another.

"Joy," I finally said. "I need the joy of the Lord. Scripture says 'Rejoice in the Lord always,' but how do I do that?"

Joy does not equate to happiness. Joy is a depth charge, exploding underneath, reverberating. Happiness is a flash on the surface, ephemeral. Bob Dylan captured it best in a 1991 Rolling Stone interview when he said, “Happiness is not on my list of priorities. I just deal with day-to-day things.” His interviewer records that he fell silent for a few moments and stared at his hands. Then he said, “It’s not happiness or unhappiness, it’s either blessed or unblessed. As the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.’ Now, that must be a happy man. Knowing that you are the person you were put on this earth to be–that’s much more important than just being happy.”

When my wife and I took to the darkened streets for a walk this morning, a mist hung over us, curling around streetlights. Mostly, we were silent but for the offbeat footfalls and swish of clothing, the occasional audible prayers juxtaposed with the silent company of God. We crossed a stream swollen with the rain from the previous day. We looked down at the hypnotic draw of the water. Floating about in the mush of my barely awake mind was that phrase from the first line of the Creed: “God the Father Almighty.” And then another word that the Apostles use time and again of us, of me: “beloved.” Like a tiny jigsaw puzzle of weighty pieces, I put it together: The Almighty God calls me beloved. Jesus loves me. Though elementary, it’s a puzzle I must rework every day.

Happy? I don’t think much about being happy. Nor do I think much about being sad. But when I consider an almighty God calling me beloved, my brooding over the world and over me is riven by joy, by some inarticulable sense that I am just where He wants me, that I am blessed. C.S. Lewis once said that joy “jumps under one’s ribs and tickles down one’s back and makes one forget meals and keeps one (delightedly) sleepless o’ nights. It shocks one awake when the other [just doing well] puts one to sleep.” Yet by focusing on the tidal wave he missed the steady lapping wave of joy, the irrepressible love of a Savior who bids us come.

I told my friend across the table that sometimes, after being in a courtroom and having another regular reminder by a judge that I don’t know anything or, at least, that what I know is inadequate, I feel dejected. I am deeply aware of my inadequacy. Leaving the courtroom, I let the heavy door shut, take the elevator back to my office, and slump at my desk. I look at my hands, their lines and creases testifying to the friction of life and time, of water under the bridge, and with a sigh of relief say to myself, “Well, Jesus loves me anyway. Jesus loves me.”

And then I realize, that’s all I need for joy. That’s the keyhole to the light of eternity.

I’m Steve West.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: the War on Terror—20 years so far—and we’ll take stock of the results.

And, voices of veterans. We’ll hear from some of the service members who have been on the front lines of that battle.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

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

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

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

The Bible says: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is excellence or anything worthy of praise—think about these things.

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.