WORLD Radio Rewind

LEIGH JONES: This is WORLD Radio Rewind: a 10-minute review of some of our news coverage and features from the past week on WORLD Radio. I’m managing editor Leigh Jones.

First up, a pandemic silver lining. Many Americans lost their jobs during COVID-related shutdowns. And some turned that setback to their advantage. On Tuesday’s program Katie Gaultney reported on the increase in small businesses started in the last 18 months.

KATIE GAULTNEY, REPORTER: This beige, brick warehouse sits on a busy Dallas street. The 4,000-square-foot rectangle conceals a feast for the senses inside.

AUDIO: DOOR OPENING AND MIXER

The tantalizing smell of warm butter fills Color My Cookie’s headquarters. Ovens and coolers hum, mixers whir, and half a dozen cookie decorators deftly pipe royal icing onto giant trays of whimsical shortbreads. This hubbub of delicious activity has been a labor of love for husband-wife team Sam and Nancy Major.

MAJOR: We have the capicity to be so much more flexible than we had when we were a custom bakery. 

The Majors are part of an economic trend Scott Pearson’s had his eye on since the start of the COVID-19 era. Pearson is a business owner and professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

PEARSON: People have been rethinking their lives and some people have found opportunities in starting their own businesses, because they think that that's going to give them more of the lifestyle that they really want.

In 2020, U.S. entrepreneurs created 4.4 million new businesses. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase over the previous year.

PEARSON: Obviously you've had a lot of people put out of work, a lot of businesses that didn't survive during this time. And that's put a lot of people into situations where they have to find a new alternative.

The Majors represent an adaptation economists are seeing in the workforce: taking business online-only. Pearson said it’s not a coincidence that the Roaring 20s followed the Spanish Flu of 1918.

PEARSON: You're going to see a lot of older businesses that haven't adapted, that haven't changed, that haven't moved with the times that are going to be in decline, but you're going to see newer businesses taking on new leadership and growing faster than anything you've ever seen.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Katie Gaultney in Dallas, Texas.

LJ: Next up, GOP strategies. Republicans celebrated a significant off-year victory in Virginia this week. And they’re hoping it means good things ahead for the party in next year’s midterms and beyond. On Wednesday’s program, Mary Reichard talked to political strategist Matt Klink about who we might see on the ticket in 2024.

REICHARD: We know Donald Trump may very well run again for president, but let’s suppose that he does not. Let’s talk about a few possible GOP presidential contenders to watch. Last weekend’s political action conference was held in South Carolina, as we said, Sen. Tim Scott’s home state. How would you size up Tim Scott as a contender for the nomination?

KLINK: Tim Scott would be a very powerful representative for the Republican Party if he decides to run. He's already said he's not going to run for reelection again to the United States Senate. But he obviously has not ruled out running for president. Obviously African American, United States senator, small business owner. He can talk about the struggles that hard working men and women face around the dinner table. But he also has an international perspective on politics and world events. He would be very powerful.

We also, though, can't forget South Carolina's former governor, Nikki Haley, who also is determined to throw her hat into the ring. And again, she presents a really interesting picture for a Republican nominee. Obviously female of South Asian descent, has Executive Office experience running for governor, extremely well-spoken, gets the international issues. So two from the state of South Carolina.

Interesting enough, you may have two Scotts as well, because you have former governor, now Senator Rick Scott from Florida who faces a challenging re-election in 2022. But if he wins, which is highly probable, he gets essentially a free ride to run for president in 2024 because even if he were to lose, he still has four more years left on his Senate seat. But he is a very large business owner. He has Executive Office experience in a very multicultural, diverse state. He knows what it takes to run and win in a competitive environment.

So, we have two South Carolinians and two Scotts that are at the front of that list. DeSantis, governor of Florida. He has made great hay for himself by positioning himself as the anti- de Blasio, Andrew Cuomo, Governor Gavin Newsom of California. They haven't struggled with mask mandates that have so burdened other coastal cities like California, where I live, and New York. You know, I think the field is going to be long and deep, and a lot of different people are going to throw their hats in. And that election is a lifetime away, but Republicans will have lots of choices, with or without Donald Trump deciding to run again.

REICHARD: We'll leave it with that. Matt Klink with Klink Campaigns has been our guest. Matt, thanks so much!

KLINK: Thank you so much for having me.

LJ: Next, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s geopolitical ambitions. On Thursday’s program, Jill Nelson reported on key areas that could affect Turkey’s standing in the West following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

JILL NELSON, REPORTER: First, a flood of Afghan refugees into Turkey. Burak Bekdil is a fellow at the Middle East Forum.

BEKDIL: If Taliban's rule sparks a new wave of refugees into Iran and then into Turkey, and if say, a million more Afghans arrived in Turkey, this would be a Turkish problem, but also a European problem.

Bekdil says Turkey already hosts more refugees than any other country in the world, and their welcome is wearing thin. A new wave of refugees could over-tax the system. And Erdogan could unleash migrants on Europe as a way to cripple the European Union.

Second, increased tensions between Greece and Turkey. Bekdil says this is an ongoing problem.

BEKDIL: The two nations also have had 1,000 years in conflict. It's religious, it's ethnic.

The third red flag to watch for is Erdogan’s budding friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The final area that could affect relations between Turkey and the West is the Turkish presidential election scheduled for 2023. Bekdil says this will likely be Turkey’s most critical election in modern history. And he believes if it were held tomorrow, Erdogan would win. And that would boost his Islamist agenda.

BEKDIL: Erdogan is an Islamist of the rather Hamas or Muslim Brotherhood flavor. His political mission is not about building a Sharia based system in Turkey. It's different. All the same, this is not the end of the story. All Islamists in Turkey, including Erdogan, feel a kind of ideological kinship with groups like the Taliban.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jill Nelson.

LJ: And finally, keeping missionaries safe. The 17 Christians snatched by a criminal gang in Haiti last month are still captive. Their kidnappers are demanding $1 million each to set them free. On Thursday’s program, Mary Reichard talked to a security specialist about how to stay safe in dangerous places.

REICHARD: Christians are clearly called to carry the gospel into some dark places. Where do you think the line is between recklessness and faith?

JAY: Jesus told his disciples that when you go into a city and they persecute you, flee to the next city, so have yourself an exit strategy. If you're going there with the purpose of spreading the gospel, then you can embrace the danger. But if you're going there simply for the danger, that's reckless.

REICHARD: Let’s talk about practicalities. There’s security, and then there’s armed security. I wonder if that’s something ministries should consider, to raise money for? Any thoughts on that?

JAY: That's very interesting. Armed security. So I know like, for most places, you're not allowed to bring arms across a border. So there would be that hindrance. But if you're thinking in terms of hiring it in the field, I guess there could be some uses for it. If you needed an armed escort, for instance, to get to where you're ministering, then that might be an option. But I would think that that would be not the norm, but that would be an exception. And I think, ultimately, you're going to want to go to these places, unarmed—armed only with the gospel and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. So I think that's ultimately what your goal is.

REICHARD: Our guest today assesses risk on mission fields and advises missionaries on staying as safe as is possible. Jay, thank you and may God bless the work you’re doing!

JAY: Thank you very much. Grace and peace to you and thank you for what you're doing for the Kingdom.

LJ: That’s it for this edition of WORLD Radio Rewind. We’ve posted links to each of the stories we highlighted today in our transcript. You can find that on our website. Next week, we’ll talk to pediatricians about the COVID vaccine just authorized for children. And we’ll find out how China is using its massive consumer spending power to bend U.S. companies to its political will.

For the latest news, features, and commentary from WORLD News Group, visit wng.org. For WORLD Radio, I’m Managing Editor Leigh Jones.

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.