(dramatic music)
- Joe Biden jumps in therace for the White House.
What he said in his longanticipated announcement.
Removing nuclear weapons from North Korea.
How Russia is positioning itself
in the push for securityon the Korean peninsula.
And we sit down with Ben Shapiro
to discuss his new book,The Right Side of History.
All this and more tonight on Faith Nation.
(rhythmic music)
Well it is the campaign announcement
most Americans knew was coming.
Welcome to Faith Nation.
I'm John Jessup.
- And I'm Jenna Browder.
It's official, Joe Biden is in,
announcing his candidacyfor president today,
the former vice president wasting no time
pitting his vision for Americaagainst President Trump's.
- CBN News Capitol HillCorrespondent Abigail Robertson
has the details behind Biden 2020.
Abby, Biden's already doingwell among potential voters.
- That's right, John.
Biden's long awaited announcement
into a crowded Democrat presidential field
comes as he's alreadyleading in the polls,
making him an instant frontrunner for the 2020 nomination.
And the former VP's targetwas instantly clear.
- We are in the battle forthe soul of this nation.
- [Abby] Gearing for war,Joe Biden is painting
President Trump's timein office as a fluke.
- I believe history will look back
on four years of thispresident and all he embraces
as an aberrant moment in time.
- [Abby] With this added caution.
- If we give Donald Trumpeight years in the White House,
he will forever and fundamentally
alter the character of this nation.
- [Abby] To draw the line,
Biden pointed to the violentprotest in Charlottesville
that left one counter-protester dead
and nearly 40 others wounded.
- And a brave, young woman lost her life.
And that's when we heard the words
of the president of the United States.
He said there were, quote,
some very fine people on both sides.
Very fine people on both sides?
- [Abby] Those words were spoken
in this 2017 pressconference at Trump Tower,
three days after theUnite the Right rally.
- You had some very badpeople in that group,
but you also had peoplethat were very fine people,
on both sides.
- [Abby] The president's remarks
ignited a political firestorm.
- And you had people,and I'm not talking about
the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists
because they should be condemned totally,
but you had many people in that group
other than neo-Nazis andwhite nationalists, okay.
- [Abby] By highlighting the president's
misfire on Charlottesville,Biden is working to circumvent
another challenge.
- Oh!♪ To the people ♪
- [Abby] A far left armof the Democratic party
and the field of 19 otherDemocratic candidates.
The second in command underformer President Obama
is prone to gaffs.
(audience cheers and applauds)
- [Abby] Like this hot mic moment
after the 2010 signingof the controversial
Affordable Care Act.
- The boundaries ofprotecting personal space
have been reset and I get it.
- [Abby] The former vice president
addressed accusations ofunwelcome physical contact
earlier this year, and thenjoked off those allegations
of touching or kissing earlier this month.
- By the way, he gave mepermission to touch him.
(audience laughs)
- [Abby] After Biden's video announcement,
President Trump anointed Uncle Joe
with a new nickname onTwitter, Sleepy Joe.
- America's coming backlike we used to be,
ethical, straight, telling the truth.
- [Abby] At 76 years old,
this is the Scranton,Pennsylvania born Biden's
third run for the White House.
- America's an idea,and idea that's stronger
than any army, bigger than any ocean,
more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.
- By running in 2020, Bidenis fulfilling the wish
of his late son, Beau Biden,
who died from brain cancer in 2015.
On Monday, the formervice president will hold
his first big campaignkick-off event in Pittsburgh,
where he's betting hisworking class appeal
will pay off in a historically blue state
that President Trump carried in 2016.
- Abigail, another challenge,of course, for Biden is money.
Bernie Sanders rightbehind him in the polls,
but he's already proven himself
to be very successful at fundraising.
How does Biden now catch up?
- Well Biden knows thatmoney is very important
and his campaign really wantsto have a strong showing
in this first 24 hours.
And in a rather unusual move,
they're hosting a bigdonor fundraiser tonight,
the day that he announcedthat he's getting in the race.
They're hoping to raise about $500,000
from this event alone,and they're also hoping
for donations around the country.
But in Biden's long political career,
he's never been known asa prolific fundraiser,
so this definitely couldbe weakness for him.
- Abby, let's talk about Biden
and his major endorsements.
He already has a few.
So how does that separate himfrom the rest of the pack?
- Well John, as I've been on the Hill
for the past couple of weeks and months,
I've been asking some lawmakers,some Democrat lawmakers,
who they're supporting, and none of them
have given me an answer.
I've received a lot of laughing responses
to that question.
But Biden, this is a different case.
We've already seen Senators Chris Coons
and Tom Carper of Delawareand Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
are all already throwingtheir support behind Biden.
And that's, I mean for context,
compare that to Democratpresidential candidate
Pete Buddigieg, who todaygained his first endorsement
from a US representative,
so that definitely is separating him
from the rest of the pack.
- Abigail Robertson,thanks for that report.
So what do Democrats want,
a new direction or a return toold guard leaders like Biden?
Here now to discuss are Julia Manchester,
a reporter for The Hill,
and CBN News Chief PoliticalAnalyst David Brody.
Julia, let's start with you.
So what's your sense?
Old school or new school?
- So it's really difficultto really, I guess,
delve into this right now
because we're seeingreally Biden and Sanders
really leading the pack on this.
And Biden has, I would say,pretty much universal popularity
I would say among the Democratic party.
The problem is justbecause people like him
doesn't necessarily meanthat he's the best choice.
So a lot of younger progressives
have really gravitatedtowards Bernie Sanders
because he really promotes a lot of issues
they tend to care aboutsuch as climate change,
universal health care,free college tuition.
Biden, you're not seeing as much of that.
So Biden will definitelyhave to work on messaging
and I'm wondering if hisexperience could, in a way,
be an impediment to howhe runs this campaign
because he does this all old school.
He doesn't have thatsmall dollar donor base
that Bernie Sanders oreven Elizabeth Warren has.
He's going off of these,
going to these big majorfundraising events.
One of them is being hosted
by a Comcast Universal executive,
so I'm wondering if BernieSanders or Elizabeth Warren
will really take the bait onthat for corporate involvement.
But, you know, it's gonna be,
you're gonna see how thesetwo camps really play out.
Hillary Clinton's campaignwon last time, obviously.
However, things have changed since then.
- Yeah.- David, what about you?
- Well you mentioned school,old school or new school.
Here's what all Democrats know,
is that they want DonaldTrump kicked out of school.
That's the only thing they can agree on.
Look, Biden wants to do old school.
And as Julia was saying that'sgonna be part of the problem
because the new kidsare running the school
with AOC and a few others.
The question then becomes, I believe,
where does the gravity in the party go
from a policy perspective,and I think we'll get
a better sense of that whenthe debates start to happen
and whether or not Bidenstays true to who he is,
which is center left,
or does he really go further to the left,
and the debates are gonna be very telling
as to where he goes from there.
- With all of the Democrats in the race,
Biden is late to the game
even though we are stillquite a ways out from 2020.
What do you make, David?
We'll start with you this timeand then go to you, Julia.
But David, what do you make of his rollout
of this announcement?
- Well I thought it was excellent.
I mean I thought it was purposeful,
I thought it had moral clarity to it,
and that's the way I thinkyou're gonna beat Donald Trump,
especially in the suburbs with women
and even men, obviously.
And what I mean by that
is that there are a lot of folks
that are just sick andtired of Donald Trump
and enough of his shenaniganson Twitter and Charlottesville
and a few other things along the way.
And I say a few, maybe few is in all caps
and it's plural, for sure.
So, you put all of that together
and I think Biden was making the case
not from a policy perspective
of where he's gonna take the country.
In a way, he's gonnatake the country back,
the way he sees it, to a timewhere protocol was followed,
there was moral clarify, andDonald Trump has just been
an aberration to all of that.
- Julia, what about the timing here?
Is he a little late?
- I think he is a little late.
However, he can afford to be late.
Remember, people like Pete Buttigieg,
or even Elizabeth Warren,
don't have the same namerecognition that Joe Biden has.
Joe Biden has the Obama advantage.
He already has, we were talkingabout small dollar donors,
he has a big dollar donor base.
He's already getting all these,
his congressional endorsementscoming in the door.
So I don't think it's necessarily late,
and I also think his campaign
potentially would've launched earlier
if it weren't for those allegations
of inappropriate touching that surfaced
just a couple of weeks ago.
That was a bit of aroadblock there I think.
- David, he is of coursepart of Obama's legacy,
but he reportedly said thathe didn't want President Obama
to endorse him.
Why not?
(David chuckles)
- I'm not quite sure if Ibelieve that whole story.
I think there was a conversationbetween Biden and Obama.
We're just speculating asto what was said exactly,
but I'm sure it was Obama saying to Biden,
hey, I don't think it's agood idea if I get involved
and Biden's like you're probably right.
I mean look, why wouldBarack Obama get involved?
I mean he's got a legacy toprotect as well, let's remember,
and why cast your lot on thelosing horse with Joe Biden?
So I think it was, itmade sense all around
to just stay out of it,
and I don't think it necessarilyhurts Biden at this point.
If anything, it might be a good thing.
Let Biden win on his own terms.
- The Biden campaign hashired Symone Sanders.
What does that signalabout Biden's attempt
to reach out to women and people of color?
- So first of all, what'sinteresting with Symone Sanders
is she was actually BernieSanders' press secretary
in 2016, so I think thisis definitely a ploy
to reach out to progressives,
and I think she will havesomething to say in that,
but also women and women of color
will be a huge part of thisrace amid the MeToo movement
and a lot of what Democrats have called
a lot of attacks from President Trump
and what they view asattacks on women of color.
I think that's reallygoing to play into that.
And I think Symone Sanders
will be able to givesome of her experience
in this area to Joe Biden,who is an older, white male,
and I think with a lot of progressives,
that might necessarily,at first, place you well.
- David, Biden obviouslya career politician.
When he got into politics,the Democratic Party then
was very different than theDemocratic Party of today.
Has he evolved enough as a candidate
to be competitive and relevant today?
- Well, we don't know.
We really don't know.
I mean that's the truth.
I think the jury's still out on that.
I really do.
I really think that,overall, Biden specifically
is gonna have to figureout is this campaign
something that he cannavigate the waters in.
And you know, during a time in Iowa,
when I spoke to him in 2007,
I want to play a little bitof that for a quick second.
He was at a campaign stop.
We had our CBN cameras with him.
We actually miked him up.
Here's a little bit of what he says about
each specific presidential election.
Have a look.
- I believe every single year
that we have a presidential election
there's a different criteria
the American people are looking for.
In 1976, it was Jimmy Carter.
They were looking forrestoring integrity and honor.
It was about honesty.
And we picked the right guy.
In 1992, it was about the economy,
and a brilliant, young governor
who had an incredible amountof talent, as we all know.
Today, it's about security.
Today, it's about terror.
- And the reason we played that clip
is what is it today about, specifically,
and where has the criteria gone?
Seems like the criteria andthe energy's on the far left.
That might not play wellfor Biden this time around.
We'll see.
- All right, David Brodyand Julia Manchester,
thank you both.- Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Well since the Muellerreport came out a week ago,
it has been debated and dissected,
yet nothing seems to have changed.
While one side of thecountry wishes to move on,
the other wants to pursueits own investigation
toward possibly impeachingPresident Trump.
CBN News White HouseCorrespondent Ben Kennedy
joins us with details.
Ben.
- Well John, President Trump is holding
to a nothing strategy inthat he will give no ground
while blaming Trump hatersand even angry Democrats
for not letting this go.
- The subpoena is ridiculous.
- [Ben] Democrats don't think so
and want former White Housecounsel Don McGahn to testify.
The Mueller report statesMcGahn told investigators
the president asked himto fire Robert Mueller.
Not true, said Trump, pushingback in a tweet Thursday.
Mueller was not fired and wasallowed to finish his work
on what I, and many others, say
was an illegal investigation.
The president insists his team cooperated
fully with the investigation,which found no collusion
between his campaign and Russia.
Former Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions agrees,
saying it's about timeto accept the results
and get on with business of America.
- Well, the subpoena is ridiculous.
We have been, I have been themost transparent president
and administration in thehistory of our country by far.
- Lawmakers will getanother chance next week
to ask questions about the final report
when Attorney General WilliamBarr is back on Capitol Hill,
this time to testify to the Senate.
House Democrats want McGahn to testify
in public on May 21st.
The president's lawyersare now considering
using executive privilege toblock former and current aides
from appearing before Congress.
John, Jenna.
- All right, Ben Kennedyfor us at the White House.
Thank you, Ben.
Well the president's pick
for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
remains hopeful tonighthe will get the job.
But Stephen Moore sayshe'll step aside if, quote,
something I've donebecomes a political problem
for the administration.
Since President Trump signaled
he planned to nominate him for the job,
Moore has faced tough questions
over his qualificationsfor the Fed, his taxes,
and just in these last couple of days,
old comments he made about women.
But Moore tells The Wall Street Journal
he's still excited for the opportunity
to serve on the Fed board,
quote, I am totally committed to it
as long as the White Houseis totally committed to it.
- [John] Kim Jong Un sitsdown for a nuclear summit,
but this time it's not with Donald Trump.
Instead, it's with RussianPresident Vladimir Putin.
The details when we come back.
- In Sri Lanka, places ofworship could be targeted
by militant attacks this coming weekend.
That new warning today comingfrom the US Embassy there.
On Twitter, the Embassy urged people
to avoid places of worshiptomorrow through Sunday
and to continue to remainvigilant and avoid large crowds.
It comes on the heels ofEaster Sunday's attacks
on churches and hotels,killing more than 350 people.
ISIS has claimed responsibilityfor those bombings
and Sri Lanka's prime minister says
he still believes more militants
with access to explosivesremain on the loose,
possibly planning similar attacks.
- Russia and NorthKorean leaders met today
for their own summit on nuclear weapons
on the Korean peninsula.
But some say not to expectany positive results
given the players.
CBN News National SecurityCorrespondent Eric Philips
joins us with a look athow the meeting went.
Eric.
- John, the summit betweenVladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un
had been in the plans for some time
and it seems a lot ofissues were discussed,
though it's unclear if those discussions
will turn into action.
The two leaders metThursday near Vladivostok
for the summit, whichreportedly was all encompassing.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Eric] Russian PresidentVladimir Putin saying
they discussed bilateral relations,
issues related to sanctions, the UN,
their relations with the US,as well as denuclearization.
Putin underscored the NorthKorean leader's willingness
to move forward with denuclearization,
but that Kim needs solidsecurity guarantees.
That led to healthyskepticism from observers.
- It's probably not true
because denuclearizationis not going to happen
no matter what.
North Koreans will neversurrender nuclear weapons.
- [Eric] Experts say Putin's desire
to get involved in this issuemay have been more tactical
than anything else.
- But Russia wants toessentially send a message
not just to Washington and,to a degree, to Beijing,
but also to Seoul thatit is an important player
and Russia should be factored in
when Korean issues are discussed.
- [Eric] Putin may also be hoping
that the summit providesleverage with the US,
but analysts say that's not likely.
- That's simply because therelations between Russia
and the United Statesare at such a low level
that we simply don't haveany areas of cooperation
except from some very limiteddialogue on security issues.
- There was a definiteagenda on both sides
and the US was squarely on both of them.
And you can be sure the details
of the summit are beingdiscussed at length
with President Trump right now, John.
- National SecurityCorrespondent Eric Philips.
Thanks for that report, Eric.- Yeah, sure.
- [Jenna] When we come back,we'll talk to Ben Shapiro
to discuss why he creditsJudeo-Christian values
for making the Westernworld what it is today.
(dramatic music)
- Welcome back.
Well Ben Shapiro is aleading young conservative
known for his unsparing candor.
In his new book, TheRight Side of History,
he takes a deep dive into whatmade the Western world great.
- That's right, he saysfaith tops the list.
I recently caught up with him.
Take a look.
(protesters chanting)
Ben Shapiro can certainly draw a crowd.
(protesters shouting)
And sometimes protests, like this one
at the University of California, Berkeley.
But he doesn't let that stop him
from sharing his conservative views.
- The reason that I am here
is because fascism doesnot own this university.
- And oftentimes, runningintellectual circles
around just about everyonehe goes up against.
Ben, talk about what it's like
when you go to some ofthese college campuses.
You spark a pretty big reaction.
- Yeah, I think there's a willing attempt
to undermine the verybasis of what I stand for.
People deliberately lie aboutwhat it is that I am saying.
People will suggest that, for example,
I'm a white supremacistwhen I am militantly
anti-white supremacist.
- [Jenna] In fact, the 35-year-old,
Harvard-educated lawyer isdevout in his Jewish faith.
- The attempt to paint meas some sort of racist,
the attempt to paint meas some sort of bigot
or somebody who wantsto hurt other people,
I'm some sort of fascist, those lies
are the way that the left avoidsthe debate, unfortunately,
the hard left avoids the debate anyway.
- The debate is somethinghe doesn't shy away from,
and in his new book, TheRight Side of History,
he makes his case for howJudeo-Christian values
and Greek natural law made the West great.
And you say this book isreally about two things,
it's about two mysteries.
The first is why are things so good,
and the second, why are we blowing it.
Explain what you mean.
- So we live in the mostprosperous time in human history,
a time when a baby born canexpect to live past year 80,
a time when virtually no one
is living in starvationconditions in the West,
when virtually everybodycan expect to have
a long, healthy life,when racial tolerance
is at an all time high, whenfreedom is at an all time high.
So how did things get so good?
How did we end up here?
Because two centuriesago, everybody was dying
in nasty, brutish, and short fashion.
So what exactly changedis question number one.
And number two is why arewe so angry at each other
amidst the most glorious conditions
ever lived in by anyhuman beings at any time?
And the answer is we have to investigate
the roots of our civilization.
- He says the reason we'retearing each other apart
is because we've forgotten the foundations
that brought us together.
- And those foundations,
I contend in The Right Side of History,
lie, one, in Judeo-Christian ethics,
and two, lie in Greek teleology,
the idea that we can applyreason to the universe
and come up with good, moralanswers and scientific answers
to the conditions that surround us.
So that combination, the push and pull
between human reasonand divine revelation,
that push and pull created the West.
We have tried forcibly, in many cases,
to undermine both of thosebases for Western civilization
and then we're surprisedwhen we return to the chaos
that preceded them.
- And it's that chaos he'strying to fight against
on his radio and podcast show, cable news,
and columns he writes for TheDaily Wire, which he founded.
Ben, how does moral purposeplay into all of this?
You say we've reallyabandoned this as Americans.
- Well, I mean there are two perceptions
of moral purpose thattend to merge in the West.
Perception number one is thatit is your job to serve God,
that God put you on the planet
not to serve your own ends,but to serve His ends,
and this is in theJudeo-Christian tradition,
the idea of revelation, thatGod gave you a moral purpose
and that you have tolive out that morality
if you want to fulfill the purpose
for which you were put on planet earth.
- [Jenna] And perceptionnumber two, Greek tradition,
which he says suggests we allhave the capacity for reason,
and that, paired with virtue,is what it means to be human.
In the West, he says thesetwo perceptions merged.
- So the idea was that serving God
was serving reason at the same time,
and that we push andpull between those two,
applying reason toJudeo-Christian morality
and applying Judeo-Christian morality
as the fundamental foundations of reason,
that that is how you get to human rights,
that's how you get to science,
that's how you get to the idea
that we ought to havepolitical discussions,
that's how you get to democracyas opposed to dictatorship,
that the push and pull, the tension,
between these two polesis what creates the bridge
upon which Western civilization sits.
- [Jenna] As for why Christians
should be especially interested.
- I mean I think the reasonthey should buy the book
is because it gives a rationale
for why Judeo-Christian values
lie at the root of Western civilization
because what we're hearingfrom all of our relatives
is that you're an idiot if you believe
in revelation at Sinai orthe Sermon on the Mount,
that you're a fool if you believe
the tenets of Judeo-Christianity,
that if you believe any of those values
that you're basically a dunce,
and that we could come toall these values on our own.
This book is a ringingrebuke to that notion.
You do need to make certainfundamental assumptions
about the nature of the universe
that are rooted in aGod-based, orderly universe
if you actually want tohave a Western civilization
worth fighting for and preserving.
- [Jenna] He does.
- Threatening to lock up
journalists is--- I had, I needed 600 officers
to protect me at Berkeley.
- And puts himself on thefront line leading that charge.
Interesting guy, and he really does,
he runs circles around everybody
pretty much that he goes up against.
- Definitely thought provoking.
- Yeah.
- Well that's gonna do itfor tonight's Faith Nation.
- Have a great evening.
(soft upbeat music)
