WORLD Radio Rewind

PAUL BUTLER: This is WORLD Radio Rewind: a 10-minute review of some of our best news coverage and features from the past week on WORLD Radio. I’m Paul Butler.

We begin today by turning back to Tuesday’s coverage of increasing gas prices nationwide. Consumers are seeing a 30 percent jump in the cost of a gallon of gas. WORLD senior correspondent Katie Gaultney wanted to know why. Here’s a portion of her report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Long-term” like the complicated dynamics between OPEC—mostly Saudi Arabia—and Russia. Add to that turbulent environment a sudden halt in production as governments closed businesses and restricted travel.

As the temperatures climb, so do gas prices.

ROSSETTI: Summer tends to be the most expensive time...

Is there any reason to hope drivers will get some relief anytime soon? Both Barrett and Rossetti say probably not. At least not in the next few months. For all of the contributing factors, surging gas costs come down to market dynamics: relatively low supply and rising demand. OPEC and its allies, like Russia, have agreed to gradually increase supply through June. The cartel will decide at a June 1st meeting what actions to take to impact July and August pricing.

SONG: BABY, YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR BY THE BEATLES

PAUL BUTLER: Coming up next, tracking religious persecution.

Every year the U-S Commission on International Religious Freedom issues a report. The 2021 report came out in late April. It calls attention to attempts by governments around the world to control or suppress faith. All kinds of faith. It also lists terror groups that target people because of their religion.

On Tuesday, host Mary Reichard spoke with one of the International Religious Freedom commissioners about this latest report.

MARY REICHARD: Joining us now to talk about the latest report is Anurima Bhargava. She is one of the commissioners. Good morning! As we mentioned, your commission issued its report last month. This year’s report was 108 pages long, lots to cover. What would you say are among the most troubling things?

BHARGAVA: I think that for us, in China, and the ways in which China's influence is extending across the neighboring countries to China, but frankly, in all kinds of ways through the use of their own use of technology, surveillance in targeting religious communities.

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

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

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

PAUL BUTLER: That’s U-S International Religious Freedom commissioner Anurima Bhargava speaking with Mary Reichard about their latest report on religious freedom around the world. You can find their complete conversation at wng.org/podcasts.

Our third story today comes from The World and Everything In It this past Wednesday. A recent report says that over the last four months, banks have closed more than 4,400 branches in the United States. That’s a 5 percent decline.

Some analysts worry that limits access to financial services. WORLD’s Sarah Schweinsberg brought the report and here’s a highlight.

SARAH SCHWEINSBERG: Duncan, Arizona, is what analysts call a “bank desert.” In rural America, that’s any town that doesn’t have a bank within 10 miles. In a city, a bank desert is a neighborhood without a bank within two miles.

Francisco Covas is a researcher at the Bank Policy Institute.

COVAS: Back in 2017, we found that 6 percent of the U.S. population was living in a banking desert, that number is now 7%.

Rural areas have been the hardest hit with 12 percent of people living in a bank desert.

Michael Pagano is a finance professor at Villanova University. He says brick and mortar banks are falling to the same online forces as retailers.

PAGANO: A branch, it's almost like a retail store. So we've seen retail, particularly department stores really have a tough time over the last decade or so. Soa consumer has better options now in the sense of phone based apps, and obviously, online banking through P.C.s.

And Pagano says from the bank's perspective going online saves money.

PAGANO: It's about somewhere, depending on the institution, 10 times cheaper to do a transaction through an app or through a PC-based transaction, as opposed to going into the branch.

But not everyone likes online banking … especially older populations. Kathy Rivera is the city clerk for the small farming town of Alemena, Kansas. She took the job after she retired. Her duties include collecting utility bills and depositing them in the local bank.

But last fall, the town’s only bank failed.

RIVERA: It was an uncomfortable feeling to think we would have had to do business in a different town because it’s just too convenient to have them right there.

Rivera says thankfully another larger, corporate bank took over the branch and reopened.

Villanova’s Michael Pagano says most consumers don’t have to worry about their local bank closing. Having a physical location acts like a big billboard. And many people still want a personal touch when it comes to big money decisions.

PAGANO: And as long as there's the opportunity to open a branch and steal market share from your competitor, I think they'll always be there.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg.

PAUL BUTLER: One more selection from WORLD Radio’s news coverage this week. Thursday, we reported on the physician who diagnosed U-S patient zero with COVID-19 in January, 2020. He’s been anonymous since the pandemic began. But recently, Doctor Keith Erickson broke his silence and shared his story for the first time with WORLD Correspondent Bonnie Pritchett. Here’s a portion of their conversation.

KEITH ERICKSON: In the beginning because you hear all the news about the people getting sick with the new virus were dying in China. Right? So, I was worried…

BONNIE PRITCHETT: The unfolding events made Erickson take stock of what he believed.

ERICKSON: Well, first I needed to reconcile in my head. Do I really believe what I believe? That there is a God that is all powerful. All knowing. Then there is a God that is loving. So, if I believe in a God that is all-knowing, all-powerful, yet loving, I have nothing to fear. That’s how my wife and I came to our conclusion that even if I contracted the disease and die, then my wife would be OK because the Lord is in charge.

He never contracted the virus. And, according to reports from his colleagues, Patient Zero recovered. Erickson chose to tell only family and a few friends about his role in diagnosing Patient Zero.

The pandemic’s deadly effects are starting to wane in the United States. But Erickson says the novel virus exposed ancient wounds in the human heart. He believes God can provide healing and Christians can assist by exemplifying two characteristics.

ERICKSON: He was kind and he was gentle. I think that should mark every Christian that’s what the Lord was. The Lord was gentle and kind.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Bonnie Pritchett in Stanwood, Washington.

SONG: JESUS, STRONG AND KIND

PAUL BUTLER: If you’d like to hear the full versions of any of these features, visit wng.org/podcasts. Stories we’re working on for next week: unrest in Israel, the latest vaccine initiatives by state governments, U-S infrastructure vulnerability to hackers, and much more. For the latest news, features, and commentary from WORLD Newsgroup, visit wng.org. For WORLD Radio, I’m Paul Butler. Have a great weekend.

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.