- [Announcer] This is CBN Newswatch.
- Thanks for joining us for CBN Newswatch.
I'm Mark Martin.
More fallout today from ahuge college admission scam.
The Department of Justicesays it's the biggest one
it has ever prosecuted,
with 33 parents accused ofpaying $25 million in bribes.
One of those parents,actress Lori Loughlin,
turned herself in to the FBI this morning.
Our Heather Sells is inthe newsroom with more.
Heather.- Yes, Mark.
This scandal involved alot of wealthy parents
who paid bribes to get their kids
into eight elite universities.
You might know, might remember,actress Lori Loughlin.
She played Aunt Becky onthe sitcom Full House.
Prosecutors say that she and her husband
paid half a million tohave their two daughters
labeled at recruits
for the University of SouthernCalifornia's crew team.
In fact, neither of the two is a rower.
One daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli,
started at USC last fall
and she is a big social media influencer.
- To know that there's people
who are just scamming theirway in is really upsetting,
especially when it's someonethat I've looked up to
on YouTube for so manyyears as like a role model.
- To be honest, it's awful.
It's sort of a disrespect tomy hard work that I put in.
Because, I mean, just because you're rich
doesn't mean you can dowhatever you want, right?
- [Heather] Authorities have also charged
another well-known actress,
Felicity Huffman of ABC'sDesperate Housewives.
They say she paid a bribeto have an SAT proctor
fix her daughter's test score.
Other parents are also chargedwith paying similar bribes
to the scam's allegedmastermind, William Singer.
- Numerous parents paid Singerbetween $15,000 and $75,000
to have someone either takethe exam for their child
or to correct theirchild's answers afterward.
- Mark, other parents chargedinclude movers and shakers
in the corporate world,
and authorities say theirinvestigation is not over,
and this is all raising a lot of questions
about the college admissions process
and just how fair andtransparent it is or is not.
- All right, Heather,thank you for that report.
And for more on this, we're joined now
by Nathan Harden who'sthe Education Editor
for Real Clear Education.
Nathan, thanks for joining us.
- Good to be here.
- In the wake of this scandal,
many are saying college admissions
have always been for sale to some degree,
but this scandal seems different.
How do you see it?
- Well, I mean, it reallysort of takes the mask
off the system, doesn't it?
I mean, to see that somany people were involved
in this scandal is what's really striking.
It would be one thingif this were, you know,
a couple of administratorsin one or two schools,
but we see dozens of people
across many of the eliteuniversities in our country
involved in this, so itreally makes you wonder
if we're just seeingthe tip of the iceberg.
- There are so many stakeholdersin the education world,
from college administrators and professors
to students and their parents.
What are you hearing, Nathan,
from some of these different groups?
- I think people feel likethe optics aren't good.
In other words, these arealready kids who are privileged,
they're coming from very wealthy families,
they've had all theright test preparation,
all the best privateschools, and yet still,
they're getting this extra, unfair,
and illegal advantage on top of all that,
so I think there's a sensethat maybe already we felt like
it's not necessarily amerit-based system to begin with
but to see that this, over and above that,
it's really disheartening for people
who had trust in the system.
I mean, think about theperson who got denied
and one of these other kids got put in
because their parentpaid a million dollars.
It's just disheartening.
- What do you think's going to happen next
as the investigation unfolds.
Do you think it mightlead to increased scrutiny
when it comes to college admissions
and maybe even possible reform?
- Well, I mean, first of all,
a lot of people are gonna lose their jobs
if they haven't already.
But I do think this raises the question of
what are the standards that these schools
are usin' to begin with?
You know, there are so many other factors,
extra-curriculars, and isit really that important
that you're on the rowingteam to begin with?
Should that be an advantagefor getting into college?
If you go to Australia, for instance,
they have a much moretransparent, merit-based system.
It's purely based on your academic record,
and so all of these wildcard factors about, you know,
your grandpa gave $2 millionto name a building after you.
Those are eliminated in that system,
so I think there could be acall for more transparency
and a more straightforwardsystem of standards
for entrance into these schools.
- At the root of this scam is parents
who desperately wanted theirkids to get into elite schools.
You went to Yale as a student,
so you understand some of this world.
Do you think thatgetting into a top school
should be a priority, and doesit really make a difference?
- Look, parents areputting too much emphasis
on the brand name of these schools.
It's really a sad storyto think these people
could be facing jailtime over this obsession.
And we all understand wewant the best for our kids,
but building good characteris so much more important
than the name of theschool that you get into,
and what is the message that these parents
were sending their kids?
That it's okay to cheat to get ahead.
I think that it's a time for all of us
to really reexamine ourpriorities, if you would.
- Okay, Nathan Hardenwith Real Clear Education.
Thank you for your time today, sir.
- Yeah, good to be here.
- The US Department ofEducation has announced
it will no longer enforce a restriction
barring religious organizations
from serving as contractproviders of services
solely because of theirreligious affiliation.
US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
made the announcement Monday.
The Department said in a press release
that the restrictions that require
an equitable servicesprovider to be independent
of any religious organizationare unconstitutional
because they categoricallyexclude religious organizations
based solely on their religious identity.
This comes from a 2017 rulingby the US Supreme Court
involving a church-runpreschool in Missouri
that stated that the governmentcannot exclude churches
and other faith-based organizations
from a secular government program
simply because of theirreligious identity.
Mounting pressure on theFederal Aviation Administration
and Boeing to groundits 737 Max 8 airliners
after the deadly crash in Ethiopia.
Several countries are grounding the jets
or closing their airspace to the planes.
But so far, the US hasnot made that decision.
Here's Charlene Aaron.
- [Charlene] The FAAfacing growing criticism
for not grounding Boeing's 737 Max 8 jets
after the Ethiopian Airlines crash,
the FAA saying there's nobasis to order grounding.
US carriers, Southwest and American,
are still using the jet,
but the list of countriesbanning it continues to grow.
Hong Kong recently joinedFrance, the UK, China,
Australia, Germany, andseveral other countries
no long allowing the jetto fly in their airspace.
In the US, lawmakerscalling for the FAA to act.
- The 737 Max 8 shouldbe immediately grounded
until the FAA can assureus that they are safe.
- Well I think out ofan abundance of caution
and, frankly, common sense, it makes sense
to ground aircraft that's been involved in
two very tragic accidentsin only six months.
- [Charlene] Flight 302crashed Sunday morning
shortly after takeoff
from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa
killing all 157 passengersand crew onboard.
The crash follows a similar one
of a Lion Air jet of the same model
in Indonesian seas last year killing 189.
Boeing is sending a technicalteam to the crash site
to help Ethiopian and US investigators
determine the cause of the crash.
The plane's black box has been recovered,
but it's damaged and the Ethiopians
will have to send it to another country
to access the information.
It could take days.
- If there's a problem with the airplane,
the world needs to know now.
- [Charlene] At least twoUS pilots have complained
about the planes in the past,
saying that an automated system
seemed to cause theirBoeing 737 Max planes
to tilt down suddenly.
They recovered afterdisconnecting the autopilot.
President Trump hasspoken with Boeing's CEO
who said he is absolutely confident
in the safety of the airplanes.
Charlene Aaron, CBN News.
- Venezuela's oppositionleader Juan Guaido
addressed a peaceful crowdin Caracas Tuesday afternoon
saying that as an engineer,
he could fix the country'selectrical problem.
Guaido, who's trying to oustPresident Nicolas Maduro
and hold elections, blamescorruption and incompetence
for nearly a week of nationwide blackouts.
The outages have deprivedcitizens of not just electricity,
but also water and communications.
Venezuela's chiefprosecutor announced Tuesday
that Guaido is being investigated
for allegedly sabotagingthe national power grid.
The US is dismissing accusations
that it triggered the powercrisis with a cyber attack.
The most senior Catholic to beconvicted of child sex abuse
was sentenced in anAustralian court today.
Cardinal George Pell was sentenced
to six years in prisonfor molesting that is
two choir boys in a Melbourne cathedral
more than 20 years ago.
Pope Francis' former finance minister
had been convicted by a unanimousjury verdict in December.
A court order had suppressed
media reporting the news until last month.
- Today's a victory for notjust Australians, but globally,
because today we sent a message
that our children are importantand their lives matter,
and in the future we create good people
by treating them well.
And these people who callthemselves the good and the just
have deceived not just us as children,
but our entire society.
No more!
- The 77-year old denies the allegations
and will appeal his convictions
in a Court of Appeal on June 5th.
Coming up, a big winfor pro-lifers in Ohio.
What a new ruling could mean
for the abortion industry in that state.
(cinematic news music)
- [Announcer] CBN presentsThe I Wills of God:
Your Path to Overcoming Fear and Anxiety
- We're going to talk aboutsome of the incredible promises
God has made to His children.
- [Announcer] In PatRobertson's newest teaching,
you'll discover the I Wills of God:
I will rescue him,protect him, answer him,
be with him in trouble,deliver him, honor him,
satisfy him with long life,show him my salvation,
and see amazing stories ofGod's promises in action.
- What I felt was loved and treasured.
- God spared my life twice in three days.
- The Good Lord hadgive me a second chance.
- [Announcer] Break freefrom stress and despair.
- [Pat] The Lord doesn'twant you to live in fear,
but to know the rewardsgiven to those who love God.
- [Announcer] Call1-800-700-7000 or visit CBN.com.
The I Wills of God:
Your Path to Overcoming Fear and Anxiety.
- Hello, I'm Terry Meeuwsen.
Did you know there are more than
148 million orphans in the world today?
148 million.
But it was three littlegirls that taught me
about the plight of orphans.
My husband and I spent nearly a month
immersed in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utter loneliness,
the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changed me forever,
and out of it grew a ministry
from my heart called Orphan's Promise.
Today, we're helping orphansand vulnerable children
in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes,
they're being educated, andthey're learning life skills.
I'm asking you to join with me
and become family to these children.
Will you call the numberon your screen right now
because every child deservesa chance to be happy.
- A federal appeals court
upheld an Ohio pro-life law on Tuesday,
declining public fundingfor Planned Parenthood.
The ruling overturned House Bill 294
which was signed into law in 2016
and blocked the state from stripping
about $1.5 million of annualsupport from the clinics.
Tuesday's ruling refusedPlanned Parenthood
any financial help thatthe organization receives
from the state's health programs.
The legislation also rejects funds
from entities that eitherendorse or carry out abortions.
And joining us now with more on the case
from Alliance DefendingFreedom is Kevin Theriot.
Kevin, what are the chancesthe ruling gets appealed
and heads to the Supreme Court?
- Ah, well, there'scertainly a good chance
that it will be appealed.
Whether or not the SupremeCourt takes it or not
is a different issue.
They don't take many of these cases,
and this is a situation where the state
has the right to control its own funds
and not allow abortion providers,
especially ones like PlannedParenthood who have a,
who are much criticized
because of their fraudulentbehavior over the years.
- If it does make it to the Supreme Court,
what do you think would happen?
- Well, it's difficult to predict,
but I think there is someSupreme Court precedent
that says that the governmentdoesn't have to fund abortion.
There's a Supreme Courtcase right on point
when the federal governmentdidn't want to fund abortions,
so, certainly, states like Ohio
who don't want to allow abortion,
abortionists to participate,
and then use tax moneyto pay for abortions,
they have a constitutional right to do so.
- It's a pretty big win for pro-lifers.
Should we expect to see more laws
like this one in other states?
- Absolutely, there are manystates across the country
that are doing their best tonot allow Planned Parenthood
to get government funds
so that they continuetheir abortion agenda,
and it's become more radical.
You see that in New York,you see that in Virginia,
in just the past couple weeks.
Illinois, Texas is also battlingagainst Planned Parenthood
to make sure that they don'thave to fund abortions.
- Let's talk a little bit more
about what's going on across the country.
What's the next stepin the fight for life?
- Well, there arenumerous cases right now.
There are a couple cases pendingbefore the Supreme Court,
one out of Indiana that,
where Indiana prohibits abortion
because the baby is disabledor because of the race
or the sex of the unborn child,
and the Seventh CircuitCourt of Appeals upheld that,
but the Supreme Court could take that
and uphold the right ofIndiana to do what we do
in every other aspect of society
and that is not allow discrimination
against people even thoughthey haven't been born yet.
- Are you encouraged by whatyou're seeing from pro-lifers
in response to what youtalked about earlier,
the extreme pro-abortionmeasures that have been passed.
- We really are.
You see the states thatare, that feel threatened,
by the gains that pro-lifers have made,
not only in the courts,
but also in the courtroomof public opinion,
that many young people now are pro-life
because they can't deny the science,
that this is an unborn baby.
It's a fully separate human entity
from the point of conception
and we're winning on the science
and the hard line pro-abortionistsare threatened by that.
- Okay, Kevin Theriot withAlliance Defending Freedom.
Thank you for your insights today, sir.
- You're certainly welcome.
'Preciate you havin' me on.
- Coming up, how two college students
are hoping to encourage theirpeers to read the Bible.
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- [Announcer] Parents,the Superbook Bible app
is a great way to get yourchild reading the Bible
because in today's busyworld, we can use some help.
The free Superbook Bible app
has fun stuff your kids will love.
They'll have a blast learning the Bible,
playing great games.
- Did you win?
- [Announcer] Watching cool videos.
- [Gizmo] Follow me.
- [Announcer] Discoveringheroes in the Bible.
They'll have fun whilethey learn God's word.
The Superbook Kid'sBible App, available now.
- [Announcer] Life.
It's meant to be lived fully.
Jesus said it, "I came to give you life."
Life to the fullest.
Life in your family.
Life in your finances.
Life in your body, mind, and spirit.
Life in your every day.
(gentle piano music)
At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
We're here to help you discover life.
Life, live it fully.
CBN.com.
(gentle piano music)(logo whooshing)
- [Announcer] Discover The I Wills of God:
I will rescue him,protect him, answer him,
be with him in trouble,deliver him, honor him,
satisfy him with long life,show him my salvation.
- What I felt was loved and treasured.
- God spared my life twice in three days.
- The Good Lord hadgive me a second chance.
- [Announcer] Call1-800-700-7000 or visit CBN.com.
The I Wills of God.
The latest teaching from Pat Robertson.
- Welcome back.
A pair of college studentshave created a Bible
made for millennialsand made by millennials.
They were involved in the campus ministry
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
at the University of Southern California.
They saw an opportunityto redesign the Bible
for today's visually-centric culture.
CBN's Wendy Griffith spoke
with Brian Chung of AlabasterCompany earlier today.
- You grew up Buddhist.
We've gotta find out, first of all,
how did you become a Christian?
- Yeah, well, my parents are Buddhist.
I went to a Catholic middle school,
and went into college agnostic.
I got reached out to by some nice people
who happened to be Christian.
They were part of thisgroup called InterVarsity,
and so they invited me toone of their Bible studies
and that's where I really discovered God
for myself as an adult.
And so, it wasn't until aftermy freshman year in college,
where I decided to follow Jesus.
- And what happened when youreceived your first Bible?
- When I received my first Bible,
I was a little intimidated.
I didn't know where to begin.
I really wanted to dive into the Gospels,
but that's sort ofburied within the Bible.
I flipped through the couple of pages
and it had some background,
it had some informationabout the translation,
and so for me, as someonethat was new to faith,
as someone that was a designer,
I thought, could this be done differently?
- So it sounds like youwere the perfect person
to redesign the Bible forthis Instagram generation,
using imagery, tell us about that.
- Yeah, so, we were inspired by this book
that said that each generationhas a spiritual question
that they ask that points them to Jesus.
In the past it's been whatis true, what is real,
what is good, and theauthor makes a prediction
that we're moving into a generation
where asking the questionwhat is beautiful,
and we found that just to be true.
We're constantly on our phones,
consuming media throughInstagram, through Facebook.
We judge a company by thebeauty of their website.
We love restaurants whenthey're designed well,
and so we thought what would it look like
to turn an already beautifulstory, the story of Jesus,
into also just a beautifulreading experience,
and so, we thought about everything
from how does the paper feel,how does the cover feel,
how does it flip between your hands?
How can we integrate negative space
for a more breathableexperience for the reader?
- I love it.
Well, what's the mission of the new Bible?
Of course, you mentioned some of that,
but what do you hopeto see happen with it?
- One of our biggest goals toshow that beauty is important
in our understanding of who God is.
As both Bryan and I, the co-founders,
we were really interested
in sort of the intersectionof art and faith.
In the past, in the church,
art has played a very strong and high role
with the Renaissance paintings,
the stained glass windows.
So we wanted to put artagain at the forefront
of showing the world how beautiful God is.
- Oh, sorry to interrupt.
I just want to interjectthat your co-founder's name
is also Bryan Chung,
spelled a little bitdifferently than your name.
- Yes, yes.- That's amazing.
That's a little, you know Godhas a sense of humor, right?
- Yes, I'm with a I, he's Bryan with a Y.
- Well, Brian, how are people responding
and where can people get this Bible?
- Yes, so people can buy our Bibles
on our website, AlabasterCo.com.
We ship within the UnitedStates and internationally.
We also are on Amazonfor folks who are located
within the United States.
I'm sorry, what was yourfirst question again?
- [Wendy] How are people responding,
and is it only just thephysical Bible that you have,
or do you have something online as well?
- Yeah, so people are loving our Bibles.
Our, the places that bring us the most joy
is the emails that come in saying
Hey, I have a friend
that didn't consider themself a Christian
and they started reading your Bible,
or my marriage wasn't doing well,
and we read one of your Psalmsbook together as a couple,
and it's been so helpful for our marriage,
and so it's been really,really encouraging
hearing those types ofstories from our customers.
- Do you have a copy of itsitting right next to you?
- We have, yes, right over here.
- [Wendy] I've got, you've gotta show it.
There it is, okay, Psalms, beautiful.
- Psalms.- Love the cover.
And there's lots of beautifulimagery inside as well.
- Yes.
- Well, Brian, thank you so much.
We loved interviewing you andwish you guys all the best.
I know it's gonna be a big hit out there.
- Thank you, Wendy, thanks for having us.
- [Wendy] Okay, God bless you.
(intense cinematic music)
- [Mike] Neat magazine-style Bible.
Well, after the break, a lookat what's new in Hollywood
as we look ahead to tonight'sStudio 5 entertainment.
(cinematic news music)
(gentle orchestral music)-[Pat] When you give,
smiles grow bigger.
When you care,
homes are happier.
When you comfort,
the hurt goes away.
When we all come together to love,
miracles happen.
- Hello, I'm Terry Meeuwsen.
Did you know there are more than
148 million orphans in the world today?
148 million.
But it was three little girls
that taught me aboutthe plight of orphans.
My husband and I spent nearly a month
immersed in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utter loneliness,
the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changed me forever,
and out of it grew aministry from my heart
called Orphan's Promise.
Today, we're helping orphansand vulnerable children
in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes,
they're being educated, andthey're learning life skills.
I'm asking you to join with me
and become family to these children.
Will you call the numberon your screen right now
because every child deservesa chance to be happy.
- Hello, is this thing on?
Hey kids, do you love games?- Yeah!
- [Gizmo] And do youlove discovering things?
- [Child] Yeah!
- Well, do ya?- Yeah!
- [Announcer] Then you're gonna love this!
It's the new freeSuperbook Kid's Bible app.
You can play games, watch videos,
find answers to your questions,and a whole lot more.
The new Superbook Kid's Bible app.
- [Children] Yeah!
- [Announcer] Free downloads available
on iTunes and Google Play now.
- Thanks for staying with us.
March is brain injury awareness month,
and right now, more thanfive million Americans
live with a disability relatedto Traumatic Brain Injury.
Studio 5 is taking acloser look at the issue
through the eyes of anup-and-coming recording artist.
- [Efram] Singer CristabelleBraden returns to Studio 5.
♪ Got a lot on my mind,don't know what to say ♪
♪ And I know you knowwhat I'm thinking anyway ♪
♪ So I'm just gonna start with hello ♪
- [Efram] This time as an author.
Tell me about what made you decide
that you needed to sit down
and pen a journal for people to get.
- So I thought it was justgonna be a seven-day PDF
off my website, that was my original goal.
I was just gonna writea seven-day devotional,
free PDF on my website, and Istarted to sit down and write,
and I just felt the HolySpirit just flowing out
all of these scriptures,
and as I was breaking down, itgoes through the song lyrics
of the song, it takesthrough that journey,
and as I was breaking down the lyrics
and in the Word and in thescripture there was so much more.
- That sounds fascinating.
Love her unique voice as well.
Well, get Cristabelle'sfull story tonight.
We also sit down with three-time
Grammy nominated singerBrian Courtney Wilson,
and we're taking you behind the scenes
of the new film Five Feet Apart.
It's all on Studio 5tonight at 9:30 Easern
only on the CBN News channel.
That's gonna do it forthis edition of Newswatch.
Hope you'll join us next time.
Have a great day.
(cinematic news music)
