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FOR CBN

NEWSWATCH.

I'M EFREM GRAHAM.

IT IS AN ALL OUT HUNT IN

BERLIN AS

POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE

SUSPECT

FROM THE ATTACK WHO IS A MAN

TIED TO

TUNISIA.

AUTHORITIES LATCHED A

MANHUNT FOR

THIS MAN.

32-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM TUNISIA.

PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES AND

MANY

INJURED.

AFTER A TOP SECURITY

BRIEFING, THEY

KNEW IT WAS IN DANGER FROM

IMMIGRANTS.

IT'S A TRAGEDY TOWARDS

HUMANITY.

THERE WAS AN OPEN DOOR

POLICY AND

GERMAN OFFICIALS HAD THEIR

EYE ON HIM

FOR SOME TIME.

OFFICIALS TRIED TO DENY HIS

ASYLUM.

THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO BLOCK

THE

DOCUMENTS BECAUSE HE WAS

TUNISIAN.

ALLOWING HUNDREDS OF

THOUSANDS OF

ASYLUM SEEKERS WITHOUT BEING

PROPERLY

VETTED.

THIS MAN HAS A SIGN THAT

SAYS

MERKEL MASS -- HAS TO GO.

HE SAYS HOW MANY DOES IT HAVE

TO BE?

1,000.

MEANWHILE THE STORES ARE OPEN

AND

TRYING TO BE NORMAL. THEY

CAN'T LET

THEM WIN.

> THE ABORTION INDUSTRY

MAYBE

PROFITING OFF THE SALE OF

BABY BODY

PARTIES.

THEY HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE THAT

ABORTION

CLINICS SOLD FETAL TISSUE AND

TRIED TO

COVER IT UP. THE GENERAL

FINDS THIS

DISTURBING. THIS IS AFTER A

YEAR LONG

PROBE INTO ABORTION INDUSTRY.

NORTH CAROLINA FAILED TO

REPEAL THE

STATE'S CONTROVERSIAL

BATHROOM ISSUE

WHERE IT'S LISTED FOR THE SEX

ON THEIR

BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

IT MAY HAVE COST PAT McCRORY

HIS JOB.

THE DEAL FELL APART AFTER A

6-MONTH

MORATORIUM ON THESE

ORDINANCES FOR

LGBT PEOPLE.

THE LEGISLATURE HAD THE

OPPORTUNITY

TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR

NORTH

CAROLINA AND THEY FAILED.

THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO

DO SOME

GOOD WORK.

THE NEW GOVERNMENT WILL

TAKE OFFICE

IN NORTH CAROLINA NEXT YEAR.

AN EXPLOSION OUTSIDE THE

HEADQUARTERS OF A LOBBYING

OFFICE

THURSDAY.

BLOWING OUT THE WINDOWS.

THE CHRISTIAN LOBBYIST SAY

THEY WERE

ATTACKED BECAUSE THEY SUPPORT

THE

GROUP.

YOU DON'T PARK AROUND HERE AT

NIGHT

AND DETONATE IT UNLESS YOU

ARE TRYING

TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE ACL.

P POLICE SAY THEY WERE

INVESTIGATING

THAT GROUP.

> SHOULD THE OLD COMMON

STANDARD

GREETING AT STORES BE AT

CHRISTMAS.

WE HAVE THE LATEST.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY

HOLIDAYS!

POLLING SHOWS AMERICANS ARE

DOWN THE

MIDDLE WHEN IT COMES TO WHICH

GREETING

TO USE.

PEOPLE CALL IT CHRISTMAS

AND SAY

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HANG ONTO

THE

CHRISTIAN PART OF THE DAY.

AND SOME SAY, EVEN THOUGH

MOST OF US

ARE CHRISTIAN, WE SHOULD HAVE

THE

RHETORIC MATCH AND CHANGE OF

REALITY.

IT'S OKAY, WE'LL SAY HAPPY

HOLIDAYS.

THE PUBLIC RESEARCH

INSTITUTE ALSO

BROKE IT DOWN POLITICAL LINES.

60% OF DEMOCRATS SAY HAPPY

HOLIDAYS IS

BETTER AND 67% OF REPUBLICANS

MERRY

CHRISTMAS.

NEARLY 98% SAY MERRY

CHRISTMAS BUT

NONE OF US SEE IT AS A MERRY

CHRISTMAS.

SOME SAY IT'S SOMEWHAT A

RELIGIOUS

HOLIDAY AND ABOUT THIRD OF

THE COUNTRY

THEY CELEBRATE IT BUT NOT

REALLY

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY.

THEN YOU BREAK THAT DOWN

ALONG

POLITICAL LINES TOO.

YES, IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR

THAT

REPUBLICANS ARE TWICE AS

LIKELY AS

DEMOCRATS FOR EXAMPLE THAT

THE HOLIDAY

VARIES AT CHRISTMASTIME.

OFTENTIMES FAMILIES GET

TOGETHER

AND OFTENTIMES FAMILIES DON'T

SHARE

POLITICAL IDEAS. ARE WE

SEEING

FAMILIES ARE AVOIDING EACH

OTHER?

VERY FEW. THEY WERE

ACTUALLY

CHANGING THE PLANS TO FACE

THE UNCLE.

MORE THAN ONE AMERICAN SAY

THEY

HAVE BLOCKED OR UNFRIENDED A

CLOSE

FAMILY MEMBER OVER THE

ELECTION.

BUT IT'S UNEVEN.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT.

THE REAL SPLIT IS OVER THE

GENDER AND

PARTISANSHIP.

30% OF DEMOCRATIC WOMEN SAY

THEY HAVE

UNBLOCKED OR FRIENDED SOMEONE.

THE WORLD HOLIDAY ARRIVES

ON HOLY

DAY.

. FROM CBN NEWS IN WASHINGTON.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Efrem: A PLAY HITS THE BIG

SCREEN.

IT'S FROM THE LEGENDARY

PLAYWRIGHT

WILSON TO HIT THE BIG SCREEN.

I HAD

AND OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN

WITH HIM

LAST WEEK.

WOULD YOU SAY IT'S IN THE

PRESS?

WE PAY ABSOLUTE RESPECT TO

OTHERS.

THE BEFORE WE STARTED

SHOOTING WE CAME

TO HIS GRAVE SITE AND SAID A

PRAYER

AND PRAYED FOR GOD TO GUIDE

US.

DENZEL WASHINGTON AND

DAVIS WILL BE

IN THIS FILM. THE FILM WILL

BE

RELEASED ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

COMING UP, THE FACT BEHIND

THE

MISSION.

MEET THE REAL LIFE SAINT

CALLED THE

LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS.

LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS.

SANTA CLAUS IS A FAMILIAR

CHARACTER

THIS TIME OF YEAR BUT MANY

MIGHT NOT

KNOW THAT HE'S BASED ON A

CHRISTIAN

SAINT.

THIS IS THE LATEST ON JOLLY

OLD ST.

NICK.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS UNDER

THE TREE,

A STOCKING FULL OF TREATS.

MOST KNOW THIS AS SANTA

CLAUS. THIS

DATES BACK TO HUNDREDS OF

YEARS IN

TURKEY. NICKLAUS WAS BORN

BEFORE 1880.

HE WAS LEFT WITH A HUGE

INHERITANCE.

INSTEAD OF SPENDING IT ON

HIMSELF, HE

GAVE IT TO MANY.

HE WAS ABOUT TO BE FORCED TO

PAY HIS

DAUGHTER TO PAY HIS DEBTS,

KNOWING THE

MAN COULDN'T PAY THE DEBT

HIMSELF.

HE WENT INTO THE HOUSE WHEN

THEY WERE

ASLEEP AND LEFT GOLD.

AT TIMES HE HAD NO WHERE TO

LAY HIS

HEAD EXCEPT THE HOUSE OF GOD.

SEEING HOW HE SACRIFICED FOR

OTHERS,

THE CHURCH ELECTED HIM.

FOR THE CHRISTIAN

PERSECUTION,

NICKLAUS SPENT YEARS IN

PRISON

OFTENTIMES BEING TORTURED.

HE HAD A DREAM VISION IN THE

WORDS --

YOU SHALL CONQUER.

THEN NICKLAUS WAS FREED.

THEN HE WAS SOON CONSIDERED

ONE OF THE

TOP CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN THE

EMPIRE.

HE WAS ONE OF MORE THAN 300

BISHOPS

WHICH CREATED THE "CREED" TO

HELP

UNIFY THE CHURCH.

NICKLAUS NEVER STEPPED AWAY

FROM HIS

FAITH.

THIS IS THE SPOT WHERE

NICKLAUS DID

HIS SPEECH.

OVER THE CENTURIES, ARE MANY

TRADITIONS WERE ASSOCIATED

WITH SAINT

NICKLAUS. BUT THE ACT OF

GIVING GIFTS

ON HIS ANNIVERSARY OF HIS

DEATH WAS

THE DAY THAT BECAME THE MOST

POPULAR.

ON NICKLAUS DAY, THE ELF

WOULD KEEP OF

RECORD OF NAUGHTY OR NICE.

THERE WAS THE GERMAN WHO

WOULD RIDE ON

DONKEY.

NICKLAUS GOT AROUND WHILE

RIDING A

REINDEER.

THAT WAS FROM A VISIT FROM

SAINT NICK

OR TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE

CHRISTMAS.

THE NEW JERUSALEM BECAME

SAINT

NICKLAUS' WORKSHOP.

MANY CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS

FIND THIS IN

THE BIBLE. WHAT CAN WE LEARN

FROM

SAINT NICK? FOR ONE, NO

MATTER HOW

DIFFICULT OUR LIFE BECOMES,

WE SHOULD

STAY FOCUSED ON GODLIKE

NICKLAUS DID.

IT'S ALSO BETTER TO GIVE THAN

TO

RECEIVE.

AFTER ALL THAT'S HOW NICKLAUS

LIVED

HIS LIFE WITH THE EXAMPLE OF

JESUS

CHRIST.

UP NEXT, IN THE MIDST OF

WAR, A

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE BRINGS

PEACE AND

BROTHERHOOD TO ENEMIES.

TODAY WE'LL TAKE YOU BACK

IN TIME

TO THE YEAR 1914 IN BELGIUM

WHERE THE

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS OVERCAME

THE

BITTER CONFLICT OF WORLD WAR

I.

ENEMIES BECAME FRIENDS FOR 24

HOURS

ALONG THE STRENGTH OF THE

WESTERN

FRONT.

THE GLORY OF GOD.

EACH YEAR ANDREW HAMILTON

LAYS A

WREATH IN THE WORLD WAR I

MONUMENT.

A TRADITION TO HIS

GRANDFATHER HE

BARELY KNEW.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

I JUST REBECKA ANN -- AN

OLD MAN

WHO SHOUTED A LOT BECAUSE HE

WAS DEAF.

WHEN I READ HIS DIARIES I WAS

AMAZED

AT THE LIFE HE HAD BEEN

INVOLVED IN.

THIS WAS ONE HE KEPT IN HIS

TOP POCKET.

HIS GRANDFATHER KEPT

DIARIES FROM

1913-1950.

MOST WERE MUNDANE UNTIL ONE.

WE MOBILIZED AT 5:00 A.M..

HAMILTON WAS PART OF THE

INITIAL

WAY OF BRITISH TROOPS TO WHAT

CAME TO

BE KNOWN AS THE FIRST WORLD

WAR.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER BY

CHRISTMAS.

JUST 1 DAY EARLIER, GERMAN

TROOPS HAD

INVADED BELGIUM AND THEN

ENGLAND

JOINED THE FIGHT.

IRONICALLY THE LEADERS OF THE

OPPOSING

SIDES.

THIS VERY RURAL AREA OF

BELGIUM WAS

AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

ATTENTION.

I GREW UP LISTENING TO

STORIES OF

ELDERLY PEOPLE IN MY VILLAGE

THAT HAD

TO DO WITH THE WAR.

GERMAN TROOPS CAUGHT THE

DISRUPTION

AND PUSHING THEM BACK. A

STALEMATE IN

SUED WITH BOTH SIDES DIGGING

THEM IN.

THE WARFARE ON THE WESTERN

FRONT HAD

BEGUN.

SEPTEMBER 18TH, SEVERAL

MEN KILLED

AND WOUNDED BY SHELL FIRE.

THIS IS

WITHOUT EXCEPTION THE MOST

MISERABLE

NIGHT EVER SPENT.

I STOOD FOUR NIGHTS IN WATER

UP TO MY

ANKLES AND THE RAIN POURING

DOWN.

THIS IS ONE OF THE

ORIGINAL

TRENCHES FROM MORE THAN A

HUNDRED

YEARS AGO, WITH A LINE

STRETCHING MORE

THAN 450 MILES.

THE ARMY WAS ONLY 50 YARDS

APART.

BOTH PARTIES HAD DUG IN

AND THE

COLD IS COMING IN.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE FIRST

ENEMY IS

NOT YOUR OPPONENTS TO THE

OPPOSITE

SIDE TO NO MAN'S LAND.

IT'S THE COLD.

BY THE END, THERE WERE

OVER 1 1/2

MILLION CASUALTIES.

AS THE STALEMATE CONTINUED,

IT WAS

OBVIOUS THE WAR WOULD NOT BE

OVER BY

CHRISTMAS.

THEY IMPOSED A CHRISTMAS

TROUST WHO

ASKED THAT THE GUNS MAYBE

SILENT ON

CHRISTMAS.

THEY ISSUED A DIRECTIVE

SAYING IT

DESTROYS THE OFFENSIVE SPIRIT

IN ALL

RANKS.

SEPTEMBER 24TH, WE MARCH

DOWN OUR

TRENCHES TO STAY IN THEM.

CAPITAL HAMILTON CAPTURES

HIS

EXPERIENCE.

I REMEMBER FEELING REALLY

DOWN

LOOKING AT THIS AS THE NATURE

OF

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES WERE

KNOCKED IN

THE HEAD.

BUT THE GERMANS DIDN'T LET

THE WAR

STOP THEIR CELEBRATION.

THEY DISPLAYED CHRISTMAS

TREES IN

THEIR TRENCHES AND THERE WERE

CHURCHES

AND A REFINERY.

WE SANG A SONG.

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS

MADE.

I THINK CHRISTIANS IN

THOSE DAYS

WERE MUCH MORE -- AN

IMPORTANT

FESTIVAL IN THE GERMAN

CULTURE THAN

FRENCH OR BELGIUM OR

ANGLO-SAXON.

I WROTE THAT NO FIRES

SHOULD BE SET.

NO SOONER IN THE TRENCHES DID

WE DRAW

ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER.

SILENT NIGHT.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

BEGAN TO

PERMEATE AND WE TRIED TO MAKE

THE NEXT

DAY, CHRISTMAS DIFFERENT IN

SOMEWAY TO

OTHERS.

AN ENGLISH MAN CALLED OVER

TO OUR

TRENCHES.

I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND HAPPY

NEW YEAR.

TO WHICH I REPLIED TO HIM.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I WISH YOU TOO.

THIS EPISODE CAME AS AN

INVIGORATING TONIC AND A

WELCOME

RELIEF.

ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, I WOKE

VERY

EARLY.

IT WAS A PERFECT DAY.

A BEAUTIFUL CLOUD LESS DAY.

SEPTEMBER 25TH.TH --

DECEMBER 25TH.

A DAY UNIQUE. I MET THE

OFFICER.

AS FAR AS I CAN GATHER, THIS

EFFORT OF

OURS EXTENDED ITSELF

THROUGHOUT THE

WHOLE LINE AS FAR AS I CAN

HEAR.

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIMES,

SOLDIERS

UNDER HIS COMMAND HAD A ROUGH

TIME AND

HE WAS CHRISTIAN HIMSELF.

IT WAS NATURAL TO ALLOW IT TO

HAPPEN.

SO STARTED THE CHRISTMAS

CELEBRATION, THE CELEBRATION

OF LOVE.

ENEMIES BECAME FRIENDS FOR A

SHORT

TIME.

HERE THEY WERE, THE

SOLDIERS OF THE

GERMAN ARMY.

THERE WAS NOT AN ACT OF FAITH

ON THAT

DAY.

ALTHOUGH FIGHTING CONTINUED

ON THE

WESTERN FRONT.

THE TROUST EXTENDED ALL THE

27-MILE

LENGTH OF THE BRITISH LINE.

BOTH HELPED TO BURY THEIR

DEAD AND

EXCHANGED FOOD AND THEY EVEN

PLAYED

SOCCER IN NO MAN'S LAND.

IT MAKES THEM HAPPY

BECAUSE THEY

FEEL HUMAN AGAIN.

WHEREAS THE INDUSTRIAL

WARFARE OFTEN

REDUCES THEM CANNON FAULTER

AND

KILLING MACHINES.

I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS

CHRISTMAS

CELEBRATION.

THE LAST I SAW WAS A

VISION OF ONE

OF OUR MACHINE GUNS WHO WAS A

HEAD

DRESSER.

I VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND

A MOST

EXTRAORDINARY ONE BUT I

DOUBLE THE

CENTURIES.

NEARLY FIGHTING CONTINUED

THROUGHOUT THE WAR, BUT NONE

OF THEM

LIKE THIS.

STAY WITH US.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

FINALLY ISRAELI LEADER,

NETANYAHU

SAYS HE WAS PROUD OF HIS

CHRISTIAN

BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

IT MOVES US TO BOND WITH

YOU

BECAUSE WE KNOW ISRAEL IS

THE LAND OF

THE PEOPLE AND ONE PLACE IN

THE MIDDLE

EAST THAT THE CHRISTIAN

COMMUNITY NOT

ONLY SURVIVES, BUT THRIVES.

IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR EMBRACE

OF OF OUR

HERITAGE, IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR

EMBRACE

OF OUR COMMON FUTURE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

NETANYAHU INVITED

CHRISTIANS TO

COME VISIT ISRAEL.

THAT'S GOING TO DO IT FOR OUR

CBN

NEWSWATCH EDITION.

YOU CAN FIND MORE STORIES ON

INSTAGRAM

AND TWITTER.

HOPE YOU JOIN US NEXT TIME.

HAVE A

GREAT DAY, EVERYBODY.