(intense music)
- [Announcer] This is CBN Newswatch.
- And thank you so much for joining us.
I'm Efrem Graham.
Ahead today on Newswatch the aftermath
of Hurricane Michael, one of the strongest
to hit the Americancoastline in recorded memory.
We're gonna show you howdevastating it was in Florida
and what is being done to help those
who are just beginningthe recovery process.
Plus, could freedom finallybe in sight for American
evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson
who's been in prison inTurkey for two years.
And the movie that shows you the story
you won't hear in majormedia about abortionist
Kermit Gosnell, who has been called the
biggest serial killer in American history.
Those stories and somuch more are ahead today
on CBN Newswatch.
We begin now with theaftermath of Hurricane Michael
and the devastation it left behind.
After Michael passed throughFlorida, video drones
took to the skies over Panama City
revealing the extent of the damage.
One example, Mexico Beach, once a pristine
and popular destination, now wiped out
as if a bomb went off.
Michael came ashore 20 milessoutheast of Panama City
with winds of 155 milesan hour and a storm surge,
catastrophic sea waves of 13 feet.
By this morning, at leastseven people were dead
and entire neighborhoodsand beaches disappeared.
- So many lives have been changed forever.
So many families have lost everything.
Homes are gone, businesses are gone.
- Downgraded to a tropical storm,
Michael moved quickly through Georgia,
the Carolinas, Virginiaand then out to sea.
Floodwaters surged through the Carolinas,
already drenched by Hurricane Florence.
Downed trees and gale forcewinds knocked out power
to 900,000 homes and businesses.
Our reporter Gary Laneis covering this story
for us today.
He's here now with more.
So Gary, some of those images, especially
from Panama City, are unbelievable.
What have you learnedabout what happened there?
- Well the devastation is just
as you said, unbelievable, catastrophic.
Some people are sayingit's like an apocalypse,
like a gigantic bomb went off.
But what we've learned issome people who stayed behind
and many people were supposed to evacuate,
but there's alwayssomeone who stays behind.
People who stayed behindsaid, they saw entire houses
just blown away.
The force, that wind,I can't imagine that.
But then you have the stormsurge, 13 feet the waves were.
- Unbelievable.
Now, it didn't just hitFlorida's panhandle of course.
This storm also caused a lot of heartache
and hardship elsewhere.
What's happening now?
- Well, elsewhere, as itmoved up through Georgia
and into the Carolinas,of course the Carolinas
were already devastated a couple weeks ago
by Florence, as you remember correctly.
We reported that.
Floodwaters everywhere.
And they haven't recovered from that
and now more rain, more wind.
In Virginia, in thewestern part of Virginia,
also similar situations with floodwaters.
People were in their cars.
One woman said she barely got out alive
as she was, all of asudden, water rushed by
and she couldn't get out.
- Unbelievable.
Any update in terms of the storm?
Now what's happening?
- Well what's happening now,it's off into the Atlantic.
But believe it or not, there is still a
rescue effort going on in Florida
because some people may stillbe trapped in their homes.
- Oh, so sad to hear.
Thank you Gary for that.
- And that'll happen before the recovery.
- Indeed, indeed.
- CBN's Operation Blessing ismoving into the disaster area.
Workers at OperationBlessing staging centers
are loading up bottled water,food and other relief items.
Meanwhile, a mobilekitchen, support trucks and
a construction trailer are on the road.
Right now Operation Blessing team
is involved in moremovements across more states
than nearly any other time in history.
Operation Blessing is alsoconnecting with area pastors
to set up volunteer anddistribution centers.
Operation Blessing's TomWiley met with one pastor
in Panama City Beach, whosaid the promise of help
can't come too soon.
- It was devastation.
It felt like you'd walked into a war zone.
- - [Reporter] For pastor, Ben Pittman
of First Assemblies of GodChurch in Panama City, Florida,
it's been a devastating realityfor him and his neighbors
after witnessing the havocof Hurricane Michael.
- I think for the majorityof the people here
in Panama City, they weren't ready
for this storm to be what it was.
I don't even know the damage to the people
of this city yet.
I don't know if there's been loss of life,
I don't know what familydamages look like.
I know people have justlost a lot of jobs.
- Panama City, along withmany of these coastal regions
have been hit so hard,it's literally gonna be
a multi-year rebuilding effort.
It's going to be a longterm recovery that's gonna
really require a lot ossupport from outside agencies,
like Operation Blessing.
Pastor Ben believes thisis a time for the church
to come together.
- Conflict and struggledoesn't create in us
who we become.
It exposes who we are.
And so as a pastor, I'mlooking at my people
because that's the church.
And I'm about to find outwhat kind of people we have
as a church.
Now is where the rubbermeets the road for me.
What kind of people dowe have in our church?
And from what I've seenalready, it's pretty phenomenal.
And it's strange, it's a little bit crazy
to think that even in something like this,
that we would see God move.
When I find out thatOperation Blessing is here
to serve us, the initialreaction that I have
is we are not worthy
to keep this blessing for ourselves.
This had better go to the whole city.
When I hear of an organization coming in
like Operation Blessing,I have to give it away.
It has to go bigger thanPanama City First Assembly.
- And you can help make that happen.
You can learn more aboutwhat Operation Blessing
is doing by visiting itswebsite, that is OB.org.
Want to turn overseas right now.
After two years of prison and detention,
American pastor AndrewBrunson faced another
court hearing in Turkey today
with the possibility hemay finally be released.
As Chris Mitchell reportsnow from Jerusalem
Brunson's arrest hasbrought two NATO allies,
the United States and Turkey, face to face
in a confrontation overthe fate and future
of this evangelical minister.
- [Chris] Pastor Brunson'sordeal has mobilized
Christians around the world.
- Hundreds of thousandsof people have been
praying for Pastor Brunson.
Not just in the UnitedStates but around the world.
- [Chris] Before the courthearing, US Vice President
Mike Pence said, "Therelease of Pastor Brunson
"has been a priority forthe Trump Administration."
- Our Administration's made very clear
that we will continue to stand strong
until Pastor Andrew Brunson is free
and back home in the United States
with his family and with his church.
- This is historic, inthat how many times they
have actually brought this subject up
in high level conversations
with the Turkish administration.
- [Chris] Turkey accusedBrunson of participating
in a 2016 coup to overthrow the government
of Turkish President Erdogan
and faces up to 35 years if convicted.
His latest trial took placenear the city of Izmir,
known as ancient Smyrnain the New Testament.
Brunson ministered formore than two decades
in his church and denied the charges.
The Trump Administrationimposed economic sanctions
against Turkey to secure his release.
Middle East analyst Michael Karem said
"Pastor Brunson stood formore than his own freedom."
- I believe this isreally a call to prayer.
Not only for Andrew, but for the Turkish
and Kurdish and Arab andSyrian and Iraqi and Iranian
people, all living very much enclosed,
because it's clear thatAndrew Brunson is in prison
or under arrest for one reason.
And that's his hope andfaith in Jesus Christ
as the Messiah, not only of the west,
but of the entire world.
- Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.
- It's been two weekssince the killer quake
and tsunami struck centralSulawesi, in Indonesia.
Tremors are still beingfelt by the people there
and that is why most still live in tents,
fearful that it'll happen again.
Despite having to deal with aftershocks,
our CBN and OperationBlessing International teams
are there continuously, givingaid and hope to survivors.
Lucille Talusan brings usthat story from Indonesia.
(wind blasting)
- [Lucille] Ferman shouted,"Jesus help, Jesus help."
while recording this video ofmud swallowing up his village.
- [Translator] It's a miracle I managed
"to come out of it alive."
- [Lucille] While therewere miracle stories
of surviving the earthquake and tsunami
there were thousands who did not make it.
One of the many tragicstories includes Fatna,
her husband died during the earthquake
when the building where heworked collapsed on him.
- [Translator] Now thathe's dead, I don't know
where to turn to.
- [Lucille] Fatna is onlyone among tens of thousands
affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
Many lost loved ones, homesand now live uncomfortably
in makeshift tents.
According to community leader Abdul Latif,
food and clean waterare desperately needed
in these refugee camps.
Today an Operation Blessingteam came to Fatna's village
to teach them how to purity water.
- Different kind of treatments of water,
not only chlorine, wealso have some little
filtration systems andalso we have the aqua tabs
that they can put in on the water,
and they can disinfectthe water with that too.
We're trying to do our best
to support them in this hard time.
- It will take several monthsbefore the city can recover
and this is why OperationBlessing will continue
with this rehabilitation programs
to help survivors get backto their normal lives.
(speaks foreign language)
- Lucille Talusan, CBNNews, Palu, Indonesia.
(chatter)
(tense music)
- [Efrem] Coming up, themysterious disappearance
and quite possibly murder, ofa Saudi Arabian journalist.
Was the Saudi government behind it?
That's what people want to know.
Now both members of both political parties
here in the US are tellingthe Saudis they want answers.
We're gonna have that story,coming up right after this.
(tense music)
- A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived
in Turkey today as partof an investigation
into the disappearance ofa Saudi dissent journalist.
Jamal Khashoggi vanished last week
after entering the SaudiConsulate in Istanbul.
Some Turkish officialsbelieve he may have been
murdered inside theconsulate but they haven't
offered any evidence.
And Saudi Arabia calls thatallegation, quote, "baseless."
But many believe thatKhashoggi, a contributor
to the Washington Post, mayindeed have been killed.
Dale Hurd is on this story.
- [Dale] Video shows Saudijournalist Jamal Khoshoggi
walking into the SaudiArabian Consulate in Istanbul
more then a week ago.
There's no video of him every coming out.
But there are imagesin video of an alleged
15 member Saudiassassination squad entering
the country by private plane.
And surveillance videothat shows that two hours
after Khoshoggi walked into the consulate,
a van with diplomatic license plates
left with someone or something inside.
News reports suggest Khashoggi, a writer
for the Washington Postand a frequent critic
of the Saudi government,was tortured, killed
and his body dismembered.
Khashoggi had gone into the consulate
to get a document to allow him to remarry
while his fiance waited outside.
Saudi Arabia dismisses theallegation of murder as baseless.
However, the Kingdomhas offered no evidence
that the writer didindeed leave the consulate
and is still alive.
- It's a very sad situation.
It's a very bad situation.
And we want to get to the bottom of it.
- [Dale] President Trumpsays the US is demanding
answers from Saudi Arabia.
And he plans to invite Khashoggi's fiance
to the White House.
- His wife wrote us a letter
and addressed it to my wife and myself.
And we're in contact with her now.
We want to bring her to the White House.
- [Dale] The reaction among US Senators
from both parties to thereports of Khashoggi's
disappearance has been shock and anger.
Senator Lindsey Graham saysif the Saudis did murder
Khashoggi, there willbe quote, "Hell to pay."
- Well, we're gonnaget to the bottom of it
and I hope there's a good explanation.
If not, this will be a game changer for me
regarding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- If Saudi Arabia took a US resident,
lured him into a consulate and killed him
it's time for the United States to rethink
our military, politicaland economic relationship
with Saudi Arabia.
- [Dale] The incident calls into question
whether the heir apparentto the Saudi throne,
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, is the
pro-democracy reformer he claimed he was.
- [Translator] To go back towhat we were, the moderate
Islam that is open to the world, open to
all the religions,
Khashoggi's democratic credentials
have also come under attack.
He was an open supporterof the Muslim Brotherhood
but as a fierce criticof the Saudi regime,
he reportedly toldfriends a few months ago
he had reason to fear for his life.
Dale Hurd, CBN News.
(tense music)
- Still ahead, he's been called America's
biggest serial killer andhe was an abortionist.
Now the true story of Kermit Gosnell
comes to the big screen today
in the new movie Gosnell.
We'll have that story when we come back.
(tense music)
- The long awaited storyof Philadelphia abortionist
Kermit Gosnell hits theaters today.
The movie follows the investigation, trial
and conviction of the man dubbed,
America's biggest serial killer.
As Charlene Aaron shows us, film producers
faced many obstaclesin bringing this story
to the big screen.
- This groundbreaking movie highlights a
true life horror story, that went almost
ignored by politiciansand the main stream media.
CBN News, however, followed the story
from the crime scene to the courthouse.
- You'd think a caseabout a medical doctor
killing babies born alivewould be a big news story.
But what was also shocking about the trial
of Kermit Gosnell was now little
media attention it received.
I was in the courtroom forCBN News covering the trial
just one of a handful ofjournalists in that courtroom.
- You are not gonna believewhat I saw last night.
- [Charlene] StarringDean Cain as a detective,
the PG-13 film exploresthe shocking crimes
and trial of Kermit Gosnell who received
a life sentence forkilling thousands of babies
over three decades.
The jury found Gosnell guilty of murdering
three babies born alive.
Producers, Phelim McAleerand Ann McElhinney
told CBN News of their uphillbattle in making the film
which began with trying to raise money
through the site Kickstarter.
- We telemarket, we'll campaign
and suddenly they'rebasically censoring us.
They said, "Oh you can'tmention babies murdered."
"You can't mentionbabies stabbed to death."
The didn't want to haveanything to do with us.
- [Charlene] The filmmakers also faced
backlash from other sources.
They blame PlannedParenthood for a recently
canceled screening of the film.
Plus numerous media outletsrejected ads for the movie.
- We had NPR refusing to run our ads,
like refusing to run the ads.
They wouldn't allow usto call Kermit Gosnell
an abortion doctor.
Facebook have rejected ad upon ad upon ad
that we have put up.
- [Charlene] Meanwhile,McElhinney points out
similarities between theleft's lack of outrage
in the Gosnell case andDemocrat's treatment
of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavenaugh,
saying, it just goes toshow how far they will go
to protect abortion.
- I see a huge parallel here
between what has happened tous and what happened to him.
I don't know what thatman had to do to prove
himself worth to the Democrats.
It's not about anythingbut about abortion.
This is all about abortion.
- Gosnell, the Trial ofAmerica's Biggest Serial Killer
open in theaters today.
Charlene Aaron, CBN News.
(tense music)
- [Efrem] Still ahead, alook at another major film
opening this weekend aboutthe historic first landing
on the moon in 1969.
It's called First Manand we'll have a review
of this new film when we come back.
(tense music)
American astronaut NeilArmstrong made history in 1969
when he became the firstman to set foot on the moon.
Now the story of thatamazing accomplishment
is the subject of a majornew film coming out today.
It is called First Man.
Here's a review of the newmovie from Focus on the Family.
(shocking music)
(rocket blasting)
- The movie First Mantells the story behind
the first US trip tothe moon and of course,
the iconic astronaut atits center, Neil Armstrong.
- First man to walk on the moon,
that's be something.
- - [Reporter] But thisisn't a pic that simply lauds
achievement and heroes.
It's a movie that shares the hard parts.
- This isn't just another trip Neil.
You're not just going to work.
- Do you think you're coming back?
- - [Reporter] It depictsArmstrong as a real person,
a somewhat charisma freeguy who's emotionally
detached and both hauntedand motivated by the
cancer death of his young daughter.
The movie also introducesus to Armstrong's
iron willed wife Janet.
- You don't have anything under control.
- And all the other men and women required
to hammer 1961's almost laughably fragile
technology into somethingthat can make its way
to the moon, some 240000 miles away.
- Here we go.
- Six, five, four
- This is a film about fear,determination and daring.
It's about peoplestepping into the unknown
and reaching a goal thatmany thought was impossible.
This film is involving and moving.
It does indeed talk ofthe grit and sacrifice
needed for a nearly impossible feat.
And it lauds the sacrificesmad by astronauts'
families as well.
On the other hand though, we are shown
fiery deaths and the violenceand peril of spaceflight.
And the harsh language will at times
launch this film outside aviewing family's comfort range.
With that in mind, I'll give the First Man
an two and a half out offive for family friendliness.
For the full review, besure to visit Pluggedin.com.
Plugging you into themovies, I'm Cheryl Wilhelmey
from Focus on the Family'sPlugged In Review.
- The film is in theaters today.
Time now for your FridayFaithful and I leave you
with this message.
Don't dim God's lightin you to allow others
to feel comfortable in darkness.
Shine in every arena you enter.
With that word, Iencourage you to make this
a fabulous Friday and carry your light
into the weekend and makeit just as wonderful.
That is gonna do it for thisedition of CBN Newswatch.
Thank you so much for watching.
Remember you can find moreof our exclusive coverage
of the issues you caremost about at CBNnews.com
And we'd love to know whatyou think about the stories
you've seen here today.
You can do that by emailingNewswatch at CBN.com.
And you can always reach outand touch us on Facebook,
on Twitter as well as Instagram.
Hope you'll join us againright here next time.
For some of you the newscontinues in just a bit.
For others, we'll seeright back here on Monday.
Goodbye and God bless.
(tense music)
- [Announcer] This is CBN Newswatch.
- And thank you so much for joining us.
I'm Efrem Graham.
The recovery process has begun in Florida
in the aftermath ofHurricane Michael and the
devastation it left behind.
After the monster stormpassed through Florida,
a video drone took tothe sky over Panama City
revealing the extent of the damage.
One example, MexicoBeach, once a pristine and
popular destination, now wiped out
as if a bomb went off.
Michael came ashore 20 miles southeast
of Panama City with windsof 155 miles an hour
and a storm surge, catastrophicsea waves of 13 feet.
By this morning, at least11 people were dead and
entire neighborhood andbeaches disappeared.
- So many lives have been changed forever.
So many families have lost everything.
Homes are gone, businesses are gone.
- Downgraded to a tropicalstorm, Michael quickly
moved through Georgia, the Carolinas,
Virginia and then out to sea.
Floodwaters surged through the Carolinas
already drenched by Hurricane Florence.
Downed trees and gale forcewinds knocked power out
to at least 900,000 homes and businesses.
Michael has finished itjourney through the southeast
and has headed out to the Atlantic.
Accuweather brings usthis look at how powerful
Michael's winds were and howmuch rain it left behind.
- Well, on this Friday,Michael is no longer tropical
but still a big windproducing machine here
as it zips its way off towardthe north end of the east.
It did bring some verygusty winds to portions
of the Jersey shoreline,to Del Marvin last night.
And also some very heavy rain south of our
Nation's capital, especiallyfrom Roanoke to Danville.
There's some dangerousflooding going on last night.
Still some river flooding here for today.
Although, from this point going forward
it looks like the heaviest of the rains,
eastern tip of LongIsland out toward Newport,
Narragansett Bay and out toward Cape Cod
as we go through the mid day hours.
As we look back, Michael and a short list
of the strongest hurricanes in US history,
coming in at number three,
again, behind HurricaneCamille and the Labor Day
hurricane of 1935.
Look at some of the rainfall totals again,
since late Tuesday night.
This in North Carolina alone,Spurt near a foot of rain.
And at Michael's peak, thesewere some of the highest
wind gusts, that were recorded.
Right around 125 to 130 miles per hour.
Going forward throughtime, talking about the
impacts throughout the northeast.
And notice the heavier rains sliding east
of Cape Cod, Martha'sVineyard and Nantucket here
toward the noontime hour.
But still some gusty breezes again,
back behind this precipitation shield.
Flash flood watches stillup for a bit longer here
as we talk about areassouth and east of Boston.
Now, in the wake of Micheal,we are talking about,
vast improvement throughout the Southeast.
As cleanup continues, lots of sunshine,
not overly hot or humid.
Like I said, gusty breezesthroughout the shoreline.
A lot of these windadvisories go up through
the mid-morning hours.
So we're still talking about winds
of 30 to 40 miles per hour in gusts.
Little bit higher here towardthe immediate shoreline.
And also some high surf type criteria
toward the shoreline as well.
We're talking about clearing back behind.
(tense music)
- Coming up from ride sharesto automatous vehicles
the future of car ownership is here.
See how it's transforming our city roads
all the way to your driveway.
The story's coming up next.
(tense music)
Millennials are migrating to urban areas
and many find it notso practical to drive.
That's led to newmethods of transportation
springing up all over the country.
Caitlin Burke reports,technology is upending
what it means today, to own a car.
- [Caitlin] If you're inthe market for a new car,
you may want to get a clunker.
Experts say car ownership is changing
and they predict that beforelong, it will look nothing
like it has for the past century.
- I think the future of car ownership
is going to be a mixtureof private ownership
but a increasing number of people will
opt for car sharing andride sharing services.
- If you're looking fora glimpse into the future
add Arlington, Texas to yourlist of cities to visit.
Here in the entertainmentdistrict, you can get a chance
to ride in an autonomous vehicle.
That means there's nobody driving.
However, for now there is acertified operator on board.
- Our two main goals with the program are
really testing thetechnology in a real world
environment and two, educating the public
about it and raising awareness.
So the technology is very new.
It still has some limitations.
- If riding around withno driver isn't what
you're looking for,you can try Arlington's
on-demand rideshare program, Via.
- It is a smartphone app based service
where you can call up a ride
and they will come withina block of two of where
you're located and dropyou off within a block
or two of where you'd like to go
for a very cheap cost of just$3.00 per person per trip.
- [Caitlin] It sounds alot like Uber or Lyft,
the leaders in the rideshare market.
The difference is cost.
- With Uber or Lyft,the cheapest trip that
we could find was aboutsix dollars and the
most expensive was 14 dollars.
And we could do all ofthose same trips with Via
in the service area forthree dollars per trip.
- Our next interview iswithin Via's service area
so we decided to test it out.
We're sharing this ride in Via with Irmin.
Irmin, where are you doing?
- I'm going to (mumbles) station.
- Do you use Via a lot?
- Yeah, a lot.
I work in Dallas so I usually use Via
in the morning and evenings to go to work
and come back from work.
- [Caitlin] That's great.
Well, thanks for sharingour ride with us. (laughing)
- A great pleasure.
- [Caitlin] Another technologycompany in the rideshare
space, is Turo.
- Turo is a peer to peer,car sharing marketplace.
So we enable car ownerswho have a car sitting
in their driveway , to rent it out
and they rent these vehicles to travelers
who are looking for a unique experience.
- Why let a stranger drive your car?
Because it could ultimatelyhelp you pay for it.
While I may never be ableto afford a car like this
Tesla, which typically sellsfor about 107000 dollars.
If I buy one, and then rentit out when I don't need it,
I could theoretically coverthe cost of owning it.
Pierre Arnold and hiswife started using Turo
to rent out their Tesla several years ago.
- Initially we thought it would be fun
to just earn a littleextra income on the side.
And then it turned into a thing where
we're making enough money from doing it
that it totally pays forthe both of our cars.
Even to the point wherewe bought a second car
specifically to put on Turo.
- [Caitlin] The averageowner renting through Turo
makes about 500 dollars a month.
The Arnolds do so well,they're adding another car
to their fleet.
- We have a reservationin on a model three.
So we're going tofinalize that very shortly
here and then put thatup on Turo right away.
So our intention withthat one is specifically
rent it out.
- [Caitlin] Even if youaren't looking for luxury
owning a care and getting fromhere to there costs money.
- There are three componentsinto transportation costs.
The cost of vehicleownership, the cost of driving
a car and the cost of public transit.
- [Caitlin] Shima Hamidiresearches transportation
affordability and car dependency.
She says low income families pay the most
for car ownership, mainlybecause affordable housing
is rarely close to public transportation.
Technological advancements could alleviate
some of the financialburden on these low income
families by making the need
to own a personal vehicle obsolete.
Thomas Bamonte is theman charged with steering
the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas
towards the transportationmodel of the future.
In this phase it is engaging colleagues
and regional partners
in just starting to think ahead.
What might the future look like
when 30 percent, 50 percent, 90 percent
of the rides are done via shared mobility?
- [Caitlin] There's stilla lot of uncertainty
around how all of the newtechnology will roll out
and its timeframe.
But Bamonte says, thecities that have taken
time to prepare will be rewarded.
Caitlin Burke, CBN News, Arlington, Texas.
(tense music)
- Still ahead, a look behind the scenes
of two major movies.
First Man, which openstoday and about the historic
landing on the moon.
And Unplanned, the true story of a woman
who was an abortion clinic director
and then gave it up tobecome a pro-life activist.
We' re gonna take a lookat both of those films
when we come back.
(tense music)
- Director Damien Chazelleand actor Ryan Gosling
saw six Oscar wins with La La Land.
And the two are backtogether again for First Man
which hit theaters today.
It is the riveting storybehind the first manned mission
to the moon.
Take a look.
- [John] These areextraordinary times and we face
an extraordinary challenge.
- [Damien] It was incrediblydangerous and difficult
and came with a whole host of doubts
and uncertainties and sacrifices and loss.
- [John] The impact of this adventure.
- [Damien] But it happenedand I think it's just
incredibly inspiring story.
- [John] Time for a greatnew American enterprise,
time for this nation totake a clearly leading
role in space achievement which--
- I wanted the whole feelof the film to reflect
what it must have felt like to be going
on these missions.
So when we're inside the spacecraft
we tried to really make youfeel the claustrophobia,
really put the viewerinto it, totally immersive
sort of experience.
(blasting off)
We had astronauts onset as we were shooting
to kind of make sure wewere getting things right.
People like Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
They wanted us to get this right.
- Alright here we go.
- [Damien] There's nogrander story to tell
than mankind's quest to go to the moon.
That grand cosmic adventure was
fueled by things made by hand
and piloted by people like Neil.
- [Film Reporter] Neil, ifthis flight is successful,
you'll go down in history.
What kind of thoughtsdo you have about that?
- We're planning on theflight being successful.
- He was not necessarilythe sort of all American
hero from the outset.
He was a human being, he was vulnerable,
he made mistakes, he had flaws.
And yet at the sametime, there was obviously
something special about Neil,
there was something about his drive
and about his vision,something you could see
in his eyes.
(suspense effects)
- Here we go.
- Six, five, four, three, two,
- [Film Reporter] Do youquestion whether the program's
worth the cost in money and in lives?
- You're down here andyou look up and you don't
think about it too much
but space explorationchanges your perception.
- It's hard to communicatejust how dangerous
and how e%xtreme thesemissions really were.
(blasting off)
He takes it to such an extreme that
this life is really in jeopardy.
This achievement made it
everyone feel as though
what we were capable of if there was
enough of a collective interest
to accomplish one thing.
We could accomplish impossible things.
(suspense effects)
(breathing)
- In the pursuit ofexcellence there's always
a cost and this film isnot scared to show that.
If we can show people who are up against
great odds and manage todo something extraordinary
we love that.
And there'll be those of usthat get inspired by that
and feel like we too wantto try to do something
great in our own lives.
- [John] We choose to go to the moon
in this decade and do the other things
not because they are easybut because they are hard.
- [Neil] That's one small step for man
one giant leap for mankind.
- Abby Johnson spenteight years working for
Planned Parenthood as a clinic director.
She helped to facilitatemore than 20,000 abortions.
Then one day, she walked away from it all
and became a pro-life activist.
Now they're making a move about her life.
Unplanned brings thestory to the big screen,
an eye-opening look insidethe abortion industry.
Charlene Aaron visited the set
for this ground-breaking motion picture.
- Unplanned takes the audience inside
the abortion industry,courtesy of Abby Johnson,
once a passionate pro-choice advocate.
As clinic director for Planned Parenthood
Johnson says played a partin some 22,000 abortions.
The film depicts her emotional decision
to quit after watching anabortion via ultrasound.
I interviewed Johnson onthe set of the new film.
- A movie about your life,how exciting is that?
- It's very exciting andit's a little surreal
if I'm honest, to watch someone play out
the worst version of yourself
in a film.
But it's also just a good reminder
that God can literally use anything
from our past and use it for his glory
and use it for his kingdom.
- [Cheryl] Johnson's past included
becoming one of theyoungest clinic directors
for Planned Parenthoodand also a spokesperson
for the nation's largestabortion provider.
Actress Ashley Bratcher, who appeared in
other Christian films suchas 90 Minutes in Heaven
and War Room, plays Abby in the film.
- I only got four pages ofthe script when I auditioned.
And I thought, wow,just in those four pages
there's this really interesting, amazing,
charismatic woman who'shaving this experience
and it's real, it's gritty
but it's compelling.
And I thought, man I needto know who this woman is
and I want to tell her story.
And after I saw Abby's testimony
I was just in a puddle on the floor.
- [Cheryl] When Bratcher's mother learned
of there movie role,she shared a deep secret
with her daughter.
- She said, "I'm gonna tell you something
"that I haven't told you before."
And she said to me, "I was in the clinic,
"I had my name called, I wentback, I was being examined
"by a woman who was very pregnant.
"And I was on the table and that was when
"I changed my mind."
to hear I was seconds awayfrom just not existing,
and then also to know that here I am
telling Abby Johnson's story, what?
It's so clear to me andevident that God's hand at work
is present on this project.
- [Cheryl] Meanwhile,faith based filmmakers
Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon say
they're preparing for the likely backlash
against a film thathighlights the ugly truth
inside the abortion industry.
- We're taking on amonster, we're taking on
a great evil, we're taking onthe Devil's grinder machine.
So when you go up againstthat, he's gonna protect that.
We have no naive thoughtthat Planned Parenthood
won't fight back.
- There's nothing pretty about abortion.
Both sides know that, bothsides, if they're honest
will admit that.
Both sides are dug inpretty tight, as far as
whether they think itshould be acceptable or not.
- [Cheryl] Johnson,now a pro-life champion
says the cast and crew know aspiritual battle lies ahead.
- We pray every day.
We pray against spiritualwarfare in our home,
in our marriage, with our family,
and certainly withvarious pro-life projects
that I'm a part of andcertainly this film.
- [Cheryl] But Bratchermaintains this project
isn't about attacking the other side.
- I think this film is about healing,
about redemption, aboutknowing that you've never gone
to far, that you canescape the grace of God,
that he's so merciful.
And that you can absolutely be forgiven.
- Unplanned is set tobe released next Spring.
Charlene Aaron, CBN News.
(tense music)
- Coming up, a positivestory to end your week
about a company thathelps military spouses
in times of need.
We're gonna have thestory right after this.
(tense music)
- The weekend is hereand want to leave you
with an uplifting storyabout a handbag company
helping military spousesduring their time of need.
Talia Wise brings us thisweek's Good News story.
(plunky music)
- Long deployments aren't justtough on the people overseas
they're hard on the families left at home.
Military spouses oftenhave to be mom, dad,
the chauffeur and the handyman.
That's why one company decidedto create a support network.
(riveter)
This is R. Riveter, ahandbag manufacturing company
that crafts their materials from upcycled
military parachutes, coats and uniforms.
But they have a bigger mission.
Co-founders Lisa Bradley Cameron Cruse
say they wanted to serve military spouses
who were often left without support
once their partners leave home.
- Military spouses, they'repulling double and triple
duty at some times.
We always say that you've got
a lot of times you'rethe primary caretaker
of your kids, of thehousehold, when your husband
or wife is off for deployedor on training missions.
- Think about militaryspouses and what they're doing
at home, they're the ones,although they're not wearing
the uniform, they're stillserving their country
in a unique way.
- [Talia] These twomilitary wives came up with
the idea to create a flexible network`
where men and women cannot only provide for their
families, but find a sense of community
wherever the military takes them.
- I think the military,
military spouses are so important to
support because they're the ones that are
behind our service membersthat are doing so much.
And sometimes theyreally are unsung heroes.
They are at home worryingabout their spouse.
They do so much for our country
that we don't really realize.
- It's a growing community that's finding
a reason to smile despite the hardships,
sacrifices and challenges they face.
That's CBN Good News.
I'm Talia Wise.
Until next time, make timeto spread a little bit
of good news.
- Alright now, it is time for your Friday
faithful and today I willleave you with this message.
Don't dim God's light in you to allow
others to feel comfortable in darkness.
Shine in every arena you enter.
With that word, I encourage you to make
this a fabulous Friday and carry you light
into the weekend and makeit just as wonderful.
That is gonna do it for thisedition of CBN Newswatch.
You can find more ofour exclusive coverage
of the issues you care most about always
at CBNnews.com
and we'd love to knowwhat you think about the
stories you've seen here today.
You can do that byemailing Newswatch@CBN.com
and of course you can always reach out
and touch us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
Hope you'll join us againright here next time.
Make it a fabulous Fridayand a wonderful weekend.
We'll see you right backhere, same time Monday.
Goodbye and God bless.
(tense music)
