(riveting news music)
- [Jenna] Tonight, the president visits
tornado-ravaged Alabama afterdeclaring a major disaster
in the state where 23 died.
- [John] And a slap on the wrist.
- I feel very badly for Paul Manafort.
- [John] The president's formercampaign chairman sentenced
to less than four years in prison.
- The motion to reconsideris laid on the table.
(gavel bangs)
- [Jenna] Republicans saya wide-ranging resolution
against hate fails to focussolely on anti-Semitism.
- [John] All this as the Democratic field
in the 2020 election begins to take shape.
- The economy is very, very strong.
- [Jenna] Plus, today's job report comes
in lower than expected, comingup tonight on Faith Nation.
(upbeat, fresh music)
- The commander in chief takes
on the role of counselor in chief.
Welcome to Faith Nation, I'm John Jessup.
- And I'm Jena Browder.
- Well, President Trump touched down
in Alabama to visit thetornado-ravaged area.
- The deadly twisters killed 23 people,
carrying wind speeds ofup to 170 miles an hour
and spanning a path ofdestruction a half a mile wide.
CBN's White House correspondentBen Kennedy's here now
with more on the president's visit, Ben?
- Well, Jenna and John,
today President Trumpsaw the damage firsthand.
The National Weather Service says this
is the worst tornado tohit Alabama since 1932.
The commander in chief and First Lady met
with victims and their families
in some of the hardest-hit areas.
You can see the First Family here walking
among 23 crosses honoring those who died.
90 others were also hurt.
The president said that he wanted
to come the next day it happened.
Now, we're talking about an EF4.
It is the deadliest tornado to hit the US
in nearly six years.
Journalists covering the trip reported
that President Trump even signed Bibles
for volunteers and survivorsat a Baptist church in Alabama.
Volunteers from all over the country
have poured into Alabama tohelp in the cleanup effort.
The governor has orderedflags in the state
to be flown at half staff until Sunday.
John, Jenna?
- All right, thank you Ben.
Well, for the Democraticmajority in the House,
figuring out how to condemnanti-Semitic remarks made by one
of their own members proveda big challenge this week.
Lawmakers finally passeda resolution yesterday,
but not before drastically expanding it.
Jennifer Wishon joins us to explain.
- What began as a House resolution
condemning anti-Semitism morphed
into a seven-page documentcondemning anti-Muslim bigotry
along with a whole hostof other bad behaviors.
It all started when freshmancongresswoman Ilhan Omar,
one of two Muslim members of the House,
suggested lawmakers who support Israel
are pledging allegianceto a foreign country.
Talking to reporterson his way to Alabama,
President Trump calledThursday's vote a disgrace.
- The Democrats have becomean anti-Israel party,
they've become an anti-Jewish party.
- [Jennifer] Lawmakers on both sides
of the aisle were offendedby the expanded resolution.
- We are having this debatebecause of the language one
of our colleagues, languagethat suggests that Jews like me,
who serve in the United States in Congress
and whose father earned aPurple Heart fighting the Nazis
in the Battle of the Bulge,that we are not loyal Americans?
Why are we unable to singularlycondemn anti-Semitism?
- [Jennifer] A question asked passionately
by members on both sides of the aisle.
- We came here because ofan anti-Semitic remark,
and we came here to condemn anti-Semitism.
But this resolution, aschanged up over the last hour,
now condemns just about everything.
- [Jennifer] Along withanti-Muslim rhetoric,
the resolution condemnspast white extremist attacks
on African Americans,bigotry against Latinos,
Native Americans, AsianAmericans, Pacific Islanders,
other people of color, Jews, Muslims,
Hindus, Sikhs, the LGBTQcommunity, and immigrants.
- We left out
the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints,
we left out Wiccans, we leftout Jehovah's Witnesses,
we left out disabled people who
are often discriminated andhad hateful things about.
- [Jennifer] And somemembers were outraged
congresswoman Omar wasn'tcalled out in the resolution.
Speaker Pelosi pushedto keep her out of it.
- It is one resolutionaddressing these forms of hatred,
not mentioning her namebecause it's not about her,
it's about these forms of hatred.
- [Jennifer] The debatecomes as American support
for Israel is falling.
When asked about theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict,
a new Gallup poll finds59% of Americans say
they're more sympathetic towards Israel.
That's down from 64% just last year.
The divide among Democratsover support for Israel
may have politicalimplications heading into 2020
as the party works to winback more moderate Democrats.
President Trump won in 2016.
Jennifer Wishon, CBN News, Washington.
- Thanks, Jennifer.
The president's former campaign chairman
is heading to prison, thoughserving a much lighter sentence
than expected.
Paul Manafort got lessthan a four-year sentence
from a financial fraud case.
Sentencing guidelines for the crime carry
up to 20 years in prison.
The president said todayhe felt for Manafort,
bashing the Special Counsel investigation.
- I feel very badly for Paul Manafort.
I think it's been a very,very tough time for him.
But if you notice, both his lawyer,
a highly respected man, and avery highly respected judge,
the judge said there wasno collusion with Russia.
- President Trump stopped short of saying
whether he will pardon hisformer political consultant.
Manafort will face anotherjudge for sentencing
in yet another caseinvolving conspiracy charges
that could tack on an additional10 years to his sentence.
Well, as the 2020 Democraticfield takes shape,
one major player has yet to jump in.
Will he or won't he?
That's the question many people are asking
of former Vice President Joe Biden,
who's reportedly meeting with advisors
about possible campaignmessaging and strategy.
- And then with election now a little more
than a year and a half away,there's still a bit of time.
But as other potential candidates
for the Democratic nominationstart dropping out,
many are waiting with bated breath
for Uncle Joe to eitherstep in or step away.
- And for more on the 2020 election,
we're joined now by chiefpolitical analyst David Brody.
David, let's start withthe elephant in the room.
People wanna know, what'sJoe Biden gonna do?
Will he or won't he jump in?
- Yeah, I think he's gonna do it.
I think he just wantsto dot Is, cross the Ts,
and make sure everything thathe has a path to victory.
And I think that really isthe most important thing
for Biden at this point.
So we'll see Uncle Joe, yeah,we'll be calling him a lot.
(John and Jenna chuckle)
Some people call him crazy Uncle Joe.
That's not me saying it,that's not me saying it.
I'm just saying that he's beenout there, so he's gonna run.
- Yeah, we'll have to seewhat name President Trump
possibly gives him.
- That'll be interesting.- David,
what are Biden's strengths and weaknesses?
- Well, he's authentic; that's a strength.
And here's his weakness: he's authentic.
In other words, he callsit like he sees it,
and it has led to a lotof gaffs along the way.
Donald Trump, same thing, right?
Very authentic, but that cuts both ways.
I had a chance to speak to himabout 11 years ago, actually.
11 years ago, did I just date myself?
During the 2008 presidentialcampaign, he was--
- Wow, that's a while back.- Thank you, John.
Thank you for pointing that out.
There I am, look!
And he grabbed me by the lapel,
and I've never recovered since.
I haven't washed the jacket, either.
But we were there in Iowa,and here's what he had
to tell me about, now this is interesting.
(chuckles) His first wife,we can cut back on camera
for a second 'cause I thinkwe're running out of video.
But his first wife and his daughter died
in a car accident many, many years ago.
I think a lot of folks know that.
Killed by a drunk driver.
We had a chance to talk about this,
and this is the authenticitythat I'm talking about,
he wears it on his sleeve.
It was pretty emotional,
one of the most emotional interviews
that I've been a part of.
Have a look.
I know this is emotional for you
still 30 something odd years later.
Can you emotionally take meback there just a little bit
and tell me a little bitabout what was going on
and how that probably neverleaves you till today?
- Well, look, I've been really lucky.
When something like that happens to you,
it's like there's a bigblack hole in your chest,
and you feel like you're beingsucked into that black hole.
But my mom has an expression.
She said, "God sends nocross you cannot bear."
I remember literally the weekof the accident her saying,
"Joey, out of everythinghorrible something good
"will come if you look hard enough."
And I thought that was the cruelest thing
in the world someone could say.
But it's true.
Neilia, my wife, who's looking down on us.
It never leaves.
But there comes a time, and it happens
earlier than you think.
There comes a time whenthe memory brings a smile
to your lips rather thana tear to your eyes.
- His liberal critics willcall him Crazy Uncle Joe,
but right there we saw Uncle Joe,
the authentic Uncle Joe that has feelings,
that cares about people,and it's really a big part
of his calling card politically.
- Really a great and revealing sound bite.
Thank you so much for digging that up.
The Democratic party isn'tthe same Democratic party
as it was even when he left the office.
So how do you think Democrats now
would feel about Joe Bidenbeing the party's nominee?
- It's a great question.
Here's the choice Democrats have.
They have to win back Trumpvoters, right, or do they?
Joe Biden can win back the Trump voters
in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania,
the blue collar Rust Belt Democrats, okay?
That is one path.
But if they choose to go a different path,
then they wanna gopotentially with minorities,
suburban women; that's theway the party is going.
So the Democrats are gonna have a choice.
The sources that I'm talking to
in the Democrat party all say we're not
gonna win the Trump votersback, forget about that.
Biden's old news.
That they believe minoritiesand the suburban women,
that's the way to go.
I personally don't thinkthat is the way to go.
I think the way that they're gonna win,
I think Joe Biden isthe Democrats' best shot
to beat Donald Trump.
I've said that on thisprogram, I still believe it,
and I'll still believe ittill he gets outta the race
or if he ever gets outta the race.
So we'll see; they're gonnahave a choice to make.
- Yeah.
David, do you thinkPresident Trump loses a lot
of sleep thinking about JoeBiden and if he could run?
- Publicly, no.
Privately, a little bit, I think so.
He doesn't lose any sleepover Pocahontas, as he says,
that's his words, notmine, or Bernie Sanders,
or a few other folks.
But I think Joe Biden is one guy
that he has his eye on for sure.
Kamala Harris is another one.
I think she is a sleeper in all of this.
And we'll come back, andwe'll talk on the program
about Beto O'Rourke.
I'm sure that would--- David, real quickly.
I wanna squeeze in another question.
- Another question?
- The current White Housecommunications deputy chief
of staff Bill Shine resigned today.
What's that about, whythe abrupt decision?
- He was a bit on theouts with President Trump.
They didn't quite have that chemistry.
They thought they would, didn't happen,
and that's just the wayit works in Trump World.
It's episode seven of seasonthree of the White House,
princess style.(Jenna chuckles)
So Bill Shine, he's voted off the island.
- Well, all right, David, thank you.
- Thanks, guys.
(boom)
- [Jenn] Well, disappointing jobs numbers
for the month of February,but it's not all bad.
When we come back, what it means
for the economy and the White House.
(dramatic, riveting music)
- It seems we've been left alone.
(suspenseful, building music)
- [Manav] The law states that no person
shall convert any person
from one religious faith to another.
- Who is he?
- And yet not onemissionary has been charged.
- Graham Staines, niceto properly meet you.
- [Man] You'll bring meevidence of illegal conversion
by Graham Staines, I'll giveyou a permanent position.
(haunting, dramatic music)
- Need new floors?
Empire Today makes gettingbeautiful new floors easy.
Impossible? Let me show you.
Empire brings hundreds of samples to you.
We call it shop at home.
The floors are high qualityand come with great warranties.
Plus, Empire handles the installation.
You don't lift a finger,and the job's done right.
Shop at home, quality floors,professional installation.
That's Empire Today.
- [Announcer] Get $250 off new floors.
Call the special numberon your screen now.
- [Announcer] Attention,if you currently do
not get health insurancethrough your employer
or if you do not have health insurance
or if you just got divorced or married,
had a baby, moved, or lostyour health insurance coverage,
listen closely.
You are eligible for a new healthcare plan
using Health Insurance America.
A family of four canmake up to $97,000 a year
and still qualify fora new healthcare plan.
Get coverage for doctor visits,
prescriptions, hospital,dental, and vision
for as little as $25 a weekwith copays as low as $0.
Health insurance rates have nearly doubled
in the last three years.
Stop paying the rising costof traditional major medical
and learn how Health Insurance America
is saving people thousandsof dollars a year
on their healthcare plans.
Don't waste hours on the phoneor on a government website.
Talk to a live healthcareconsultant right now.
- [Announcer] Call 1-800-940-5020.
That's 1-800-940-5020, 1-800-940-5020.
- Welcome back.
President Trump could meetwith his Chinese counterpart
in Mar-a-Largo as soon as this month,
though the White HouseEconomic Advisor Larry Kudlow
would not give a time tableon a meeting or a final deal.
- But as the White House works
on a potential trade deal with the Chinese
over teleconferences and phone calls,
the president remains optimistic,
hyping a possible deal today.
- As soon as these trade deals are done,
if they get done, andwe're working with China.
We'll see what happens.
But I think you're gonnasee a very big spike.
A lot of people arewaiting to see what happens
with the China deal.
- Well, the United States addeda disappointing 20,000 jobs
in February, the smallestgains since September 2017.
- Ben Kennedy sat downwith President Trump's
former economic advisor, Stephen Moore,
to help us make sense of the report.
- Well, Steve, we're talking
about the jobs report released today.
Economists were predicting180,000 new jobs in February,
but it turns out only 20,000were created just last month.
Your reaction?
- Well, there's good newsand bad news in this report.
Obviously, we want a lot morejobs than 20,000 a month.
That's a big decline from300,000 the month before.
We had been on a torrid pace,
and certainly that was gonna slow down.
I think this is a temporary pause.
But the good news here is that what we saw
in terms of wages rising, whichis great news for workers,
we also have now thelowest unemployment rate
in nearly 50 years in this country.
And we also are seeing job opportunities
that we haven't seen for workers.
So if you're a worker looking for a job,
this is about a good a job market
as we've seen in half a century.
- Now, Steve, PresidentTrump tweeted earlier today
that women's unemployment rate is
- 3%.- down, yeah, 3.6%
from 7.9% in January 2011.
He said things are looking good.
Is he right?
- It's really good if you're a worker,
and one of the reasons we did our tax cut
and we did the deregulations was to try
to create a very tight labor market
so that workers could bid up their wages.
And we are seeing nice gains in wages.
They're up three and a half to 4%.
That's the biggest wage gain in 15 years.
So again, workers outthere looking for jobs,
it's a tremendous opportunityeconomy right now.
- Do you expect jobsto heat up this month,
and we'll see a bit of a rebound in March?
- Well, I sure hope so 'cause20,000 jobs is way too few.
Of course, I expect that to happen.
We also need to worry alittle bit about the fed.
Remember the slowdown in the economy
'cause the economy sloweddown since September of 2018,
and that really was precipitated
by those disastrous rate increases
of interest rates by the fed back then.
And they need to reverse course
and get us back to the4% growth path we were on
with very solid monthly job gains.
- So Steve, basically, bottom line,
20,000 was not what we were looking for
but also take the goodwith the bad, right?
- You've got to do that.
And again, if you're an American worker
and you're looking for either a new job
or if you're looking atentering the workforce,
the opportunities are probably as good
as we've seen since back in the 1960s.
- Wow.
Steve Moore, we appreciate your insight.
Thanks so much for joining us.
- Thank you.
- Thanks, Ben.
Well, we've often told you
about Israel's groundbreaking technology
and how it's been describedas the startup nation.
Much of that technology convened together
in one place this week, andCBN's Chris Mitchell shows us
how it's changing the world.
- Nearly 20,000 innovators and investors
from almost every country cameto see or signed up online
for the largest tech meetingin the history of Israel,
the OurCrowd Global Investors Summit.
The summit brings togetherextraordinary technologies,
like Beyond Meat that developed
a plant-based meatsubstitute, and many more.
Very good.
They make water out of air.
- We think that we found the solution
for the entire world for thenew source of drinking water.
- [Chris] They plan to connect the world
through microsatellites.
- There are four billionpeople in the world
that are not connected.
They need to be able to choose
whether to connect, to be connected.
- [Chris] And they help theparalyzed get on their feet.
- It's very innovative, it's perfect.
It's so stable, and when Iwalked down the aisle with it,
it was a dream come true.
- [Chris] OurCrowd showcasedall these technologies.
Jon Medved is the CEO and founder.
- Our crowd is the world'slargest investment platform
for investors to invest instartups, online and in person,
events like this OurCrowd Summit.
- At the summit,investors meet innovators.
OurCrowd democratizes capitalby giving smaller investors
an opportunity to investin cutting-edge innovations
just like the venture capitalists.
After six years, OurCrowd iscelebrating $1 billion raised
for 170 companies.
But the bottom line is changing the world.
They call it the double bottom line,
making money and doing good.
- What's most exciting about today's event
is that we're focused on impact,
on how startups cantackle global challenges,
and how can startups really bring
to humanity a huge impact for the better.
- [Chris] Medved explainsit as an expression
of (speaks in foreign language),
the Jewish concept of healing the world.
Betty Wu Adams believesChristians can play a role.
- God is our first entrepreneur.
He create this world out ofnothing the first six days.
I believe there's a callingfor us as Christians
to partner with OurCrowdas we invest in companies
that's gonna transformand change the world.
- [Chris] Medved sees the summit
through the lens of the Bible.
- It's a little bit biblicaltoday because the nations
are flocking to Israelto see what we can do
to help tackle globalchallenges and how they
can bring back those lessonsto their own countries.
- [Chris] Chris Mitchell, CBN News,
OurCrowd Global Summit, Jerusalem.
- And today on The Daily Rundown podcast,
Chris is on there talkingabout OurCrowd Global Summit,
the biggest tech meetingin Israel's history,
as you just saw.
It highlights the latest
and greatest innovationscoming out of Israel.
(boom)
Well today is International Women's Day.
Coming up, the story of one Iranian woman,
how she went from being abattered wife in a Muslim marriage
to baptizing hundreds of former Muslims.
(dramatic, riveting music)
- [Announcer] Why have thousandsof aspiring authors teamed
up with Christian FaithPublishing to publish their book?
Because Christian Faith Publishing
is an author-friendly publisher
who understands that yourlabor is more than just a book.
Professional book editing,award-winning design,
and some of the highest royalty structures
in the publishing industry.
Christian Faith Publishingwill publish, market,
and sell your books inall major bookstores,
online book sellers,
as well as specialty Christian bookstores.
Call for you free author's submission kit.
- [Announcer] Please call 800-717-1065.
- Need new floors?
Empire Today makes gettingbeautiful new floors easy.
Impossible? Let me show you.
Empire brings hundreds of samples to you.
We call it shop at home.
The floors are high qualityand come with great warranties.
Plus, Empire handles the installation.
You don't lift a finger,and the job's done right.
Shop at home, quality floors,professional installation.
That's Empire Today.
- [Announcer] Get $250 off new floors.
Call the special numberon your screen now.
- [Announcer] Attention,if you currently do
not get health insurancethrough your employer
or if you do not have health insurance
or if you just got divorced or married,
had a baby, moved, or lostyour health insurance coverage,
listen closely.
You are eligible for a new healthcare plan
using Health Insurance America.
A family of four canmake up to $97,000 a year
and still qualify fora new healthcare plan.
Get coverage for doctor visits,
prescriptions, hospital,dental, and vision
for as little as $25 a weekwith copays as low as $0.
Health insurance rates have nearly doubled
in the last three years.
Stop paying the rising costof traditional major medical
and learn how Health Insurance America
is saving people thousandsof dollars a year
on their healthcare plans.
Don't waste hours on the phoneor on a government website.
Talk to a live healthcareconsultant right now.
- [Announcer] Call 1-800-940-5020.
That's 1-800-940-5020, 1-800-940-5020.
(bright, upbeat music)
- [Man] Young people, millennials,are flocking to church.
- [Woman] It's not an exaggeration
to say that we love to meet them
and that we love to know their stories.
- Welcome back.
Well, people around the worldare honoring the achievements,
moms, daughters, and sisters everywhere,
for International Women's Day,
celebrating their cultural, social,
and economic contributions.
- One such woman is amongthe many Muslim migrants
who escaped to Sweden.
She became a Christianpastor over two churches and,
as Dale Hurd reports,she's also helped lead more
than 1,500 Muslims to Christ.
- [Dale] No one would havethought a Muslim woman
in Iran simply trying to stayalive in an abusive marriage
would one day lead two churches in Sweden,
lead more than a thousandformer Muslims to Christ,
and be invited to speakbefore the queen of Sweden.
As a young woman in a Muslim culture,
Annahita Parsan waspowerless and insignificant.
Her only hope was that she might one day
find a good husband, and she did.
But he died suddenly in an accident,
and she found herselftrapped in a second marriage
so violent, she expected to die.
- I didn't know anything.
It was darkness.
It was a really bad life.
- [Dale] Although shewrites about the abuse
in her book Stranger NoMore, Parsan doesn't like
to talk about it.
- It's not easy about speak about that.
- [Dale] You were beaten with a shovel.
- Yes.
- [Dale] As a battered wife living
with bruises and cuts all over her body,
Parsan eventually tried tokill herself with pills.
But she was revived at a hospital.
Annahita's daughter Roksana remembers
when her dad threatened to slit her throat
when she was just a small child.
- I remember we had gotten cookies.
My mom had baked cookies, we got cookies.
And then we went for another turn,
like we wanted more cookies.
Super normal.
And we ran up and were like,more cookies, more cookies.
And he came up with aknife, put it to my throat,
and he said, "Ask for cookies again."
She was striving to just survive for us,
just survive to make a better life for us.
And maybe that was somethingGod had implanted in her
so that she would havesomething to hold onto.
- Annahita Parsan's journey to Christ
and across two continents isthe stuff of Hollywood movies
and one that would includeseveral brushes with death.
Parsan, her husband, andtwo children fled Iran
through the mountains to Turkey in 1984,
where she and Roksana facedmore brushes with death
before landing in Turkey'snotorious Agri Prison.
They would finally make it to Denmark
where she divorced herstill abusive husband,
and she heard the gospelfor the first time.
Then she moved to Sweden,where she and her two children
would walk into a church and announce
that we are Christians from now on.
Annahita entered the ministry in 2012
and has led more than1,500 Muslims to Christ.
She not only leads two churchesbut trains other churches
on how to reach anddisciple former Muslims
like these who fillher church each Sunday,
hungry for the God who loves.
Parsan believes this was foretold
in Jeremiah chapter 49 verse 39:
"But in the latter days, Iwill restore the fortunes
"of Elam, declares the Lord."
it is about Elam, and Elam is Persian.
When I read that, I know it is about us.
It about other life,
and it's amazing.
God told Jeremiah that time,and it's happen just now.
- [Dale] But Muslim immigration
has also made Sweden a homefor dangerous radicals,
and Parsan told us shehas received death threats
and lives with the knowledgeshe could be killed.
- It's a free country,but it's dangerous, too.
- [Dale] Were you sayingthat sometimes you wonder
if it's your last day?
- Sometimes.
- [Dale] As a young woman living
what seemed like ahopeless existence in Iran,
Annahita Parsan saw no plan and no purpose
in her abusive marriage,only random violence.
But God had a plan, a plan for her
to one day be a leading pastor in Sweden.
- I think God loved me,and He was in my life
from the beginning.
He's my everything.
I think it's wow,
it's beautiful.
- [Dale] Dale Hurd, CBNNews in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Man, incredible story of God's goodness
and just deliverance, my goodness.
- Yeah, coming from pain and tragedy
and then findingredemption, that's awesome.
Well, thank you for joining us
for this edition of Faith Nation.
- Have a great weekend.
(bright, uplifting music)
