(dramatic music)
- [Jenna] Tonight.
- Those people are living in hell.
- [Jenna] The presidenttrashing Baltimore.
This, after a White Housemeeting with inner-city pastors.
- America is troubled.
- [Jenna] Our exclusive sit-down
with one of those faith leaders.
(siren blaring)
Increasing violence in Afghanistan,
then the slaying of twoAmerican soldiers comes
as the U.S. prepares to drawdown troops.
And a new book explainswhy evangelicals have stood
by President Trump despite his past.
- There really was atransactional relationship
from evangelicals.
- [Jenna] Plus.
- They came from God and country.
- [Jenna] Today marksthe 400th anniversary
of the birth of democracyin Jamestown, Virginia.
All this and more tonight on Faith Nation.
(upbeat music)
- Welcome to FaithNation, I'm John Jessup.
- And I'm Jenna Browder.
The battle over Baltimore heats up.
President Trump saying the people
there are living in quote "hell."
- The commander in chief is notbacking down from his attack
against MarylandCongressman Elijah Cummings.
CBN's White House correspondent
Ben Kennedy joins us with the latest.
Ben.
- John, Jenna, PresidentTrump says he has no regrets
when it comes to hiscomments on Baltimore adding
that the people ofBaltimore really appreciate
what he's doing.
Today, Trump said the WhiteHouse has been flooded
with letters, emails, and even phone calls
thanking him for getting involved.
- Those people are livingin hell in Baltimore.
- [Ben] President Trump doubled down
calling Maryland's 7th District corrupt.
- It's a corrupt city,there's no question about it,
all you have to do is look at the facts.
- [Ben] The poverty rate in 2017 hit 22%,
almost double the national average.
To top that, the cityreceived nearly 17 billion
in federal funds in 2018 alone.
- Billions and billions
of dollars have been given to Baltimore.
It's been misspent, it's beenmissing, it's been stolen.
- [Ben] Alveda King, theniece of Martin Luther King,
pushed back on critics
who say the presidentis making things worse.
- [Interviewer] Are you okaywith the comments he made
about certain cities likeBaltimore being infested
which some folks took as racism?
- Well, you know, America is troubled.
And if we say we're colorblind,
we need to put on our glasses.
We can see.
We can see a troubled America
but we can see a blessed America.
The employment rates areup in every community
including the black community.
- Disgusting and racist.
- A racist president.
- [Ben] While Democratsoffered fierce backlash
to Trump's comments,Republicans have been hesitant
to call out his attacks.
Congressman Mark Meadowsrefused to take a side
concluding that neither man is a racist.
- What are you talkingabout by political strategy?
Are you talking withrespect to Elijah Cummings?
There's no strategy, I have no strategy.
There's zero strategy.
All it is is a pointing out facts.
The most unsafe city in the country,
in our country is Baltimore.
- Now President Trumpmade today's comments
after heading to Virginiato speak at Jamestown.
It is there a group ofblack state lawmakers
boycotted Trump's appearanceciting his repeated attacks
on minority members of Congress.
John, Jenna.
- Thanks, Ben.
Bishop Perry Jackson, senior pastor
of Hope Christian Church, wasat the White House yesterday
for that meeting with President Trump
and inner city faithleaders and he joins us now.
Bishop Jackson, thanks for being here,
it's always good to have you.
- Good to be here, Jenna.
- You have been in the White House a lot
in this Oval Office withthis administration.
You've been up close to President Trump.
Is he racist?
- Absolutely not.
He's a problem solver andin this politically charged
kinda antagonist the atmosphere,
he is someone who speaks his mind.
It's sort of like theJames Bond adage straight
with no chaser kinda thingor those kinds of thoughts.
And in this atmosphere, therecoil is heavy so the narrative
of racism is what isbeing thrown against him.
I believe the DemocraticParty wants to take him out
by claiming that he is a racist.
They feel that's his Achilles heel.
So no matter what he says they come back
with that kind of rhetoric.
- Bishop Jackson, a lotof people characterize
yesterday's White Housemeeting with faith leaders
that you attended as a photo-op.
You were there, was itjust a photo opportunity?
- Absolutely not.
Remember, we met with himone year ago today actually
so it was a checkup,
it was something to findout how we're doing.
We talked about criminal justice reform.
We also talked aboutthe Opportunity Zones.
- [John] So it was planned in advance?
- It was planned way in advance.
Again, when we left last year,
we were told we're gonna bring you back.
So I don't know wherethe media got this idea
that this is just apolitically charged strategy.
- [Jenna] When you seethe president's comments
about Baltimore, how are the people
of Baltimore feeling, Bishop Jackson?
- I have members in Baltimore.
I live equidistantbetween DC and Baltimore
so I know a little bit about it.
I think many of theelected officials are irate
because of the brandingissue of their city.
I think that the people are happy
about Opportunity Zones, economics,
but they're gonna be happier
when we start seeing moreprojects, more results.
I think we're in a timewhere the president
needs a hearing and he needs cooperation.
I'm concerned that what Baltimore can do
with the Opportunity Zones.
We know shovel-readyjob opportunity creation
as well as housing, that thatwill not be received well
and partnered with.
I hope they rise upand do the right thing.
- Bishop Jackson, we onlyhave less than half a minute.
Yesterday someone said thatthe president can do more.
Can you give us examples of what you think
that he can do to help heal the divide?
- I think he can continueto speak in unifying terms.
I think he is a fighter and a doer
but I think if he willreally work on trying
to mend bridges I thinkthat's what he can do
and the work will speak for itself.
But I think he's doing a lot better
and I'm proud of him now.
- Bishop Perry Jackson, thankyou so much for your time.
- Thank you.
- Turning overseas tonight,
reports indicate two U.S. soldiers killed
in Afghanistan were shotby an Afghan Army soldier.
- The insider slayings comeas the U.S. plans a troop
drawdown and after apresidential bombshell
last week in the Oval Office.
CBN News National Security Correspondent
Eric Phillips has the lateston the increasing violence.
- John, Jenna, for some, the deaths
of two American soldiersonly underscores the need
for the U.S. to pull out of Afghanistan.
The question is how do we withdraw?
Recently, the presidentthrew out one option
and why he has not chosen it.
The mission in Afghanistanis far from over.
In addition to the two U.S.soldiers killed Monday,
just last week three back-to-back blasts
killed 20 people in Kabul.
The Taliban claiming responsibility
for at least one of those blasts.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Translator] I was sitting in my room
when I heard the explosion.
The air was filled with smoke and dust.
I opened the door andsaw two wounded people.
- In areas where the Talibanhave reclaimed control,
there are reports of honor killings,
stoning, and otherattacks on women's rights.
Peace, security, and economicstability are urgently needed.
- [Eric] Against that violent backdrop,
the president said this last week.
- We're not fighting a war.
If we wanted to fight a warin Afghanistan and win it,
I could win that war and a week.
I just don't want tokill 10 million people.
- He would have been muchbetter off editing himself
and not uttering those words at all.
- [Eric] Monday, Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo
said the administrationwants to withdraw troops
from Afghanistan by the 2020 election.
Right now, there are 14,000U.S. servicemembers there.
That would be a challenge inthe midst of so much unrest.
- Every president thatwe've had in recent years
and probably almostevery American would love
for this mission to end.
But whenever we really try to get out
or even to reduce dramatically,
we realize we could be giving ISIS
or Al-Qaeda an opportunity.
- O'Hanlonm says he could seethe administration meeting
its goal of a partial U.S.drawdown by next fall.
Still, he says becauseof the complex nature
of the conflict inAfghanistan the president's
statement was in poor taste he says
and not reflective of any viable option
by the military, John and Jenna.
- All right, thank you, Eric.
Up on Capitol Hill this week,
the Senate will vote ona two year budget deal
between the White Houseand Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The bill passed the House last week.
- The spending bill eliminates the threat
of another governmentshutdown through the rest
of President Trump's first term
and raises the national debtlimit until the middle of 2021.
For more now, we go to our CBN News
Capitol Hill CorrespondentAbigail Robertson.
Abigail, why are someRepublican senators voting no
even though the president is urging them
to support this agreement?
- John, fiscal Conservatives like
Senator Mike Braun tell me they understand
why President Trump and LeaderMcConnell politically support
this bill but he ranon bringing some sanity
to our government spendingand he can't vote for a bill
that piles on to our alreadymassive debt and deficits.
- The fact that it doesn't have any
reforms associated withit, that it's now kind
of standardized Republicans rolling over
for Democrats on domesticissues and likewise
and Democrats on defense for Republicans,
we haven't done a budget in 20 years
that we've appropriated to.
So I think that we bred into the system
and that this is just the way it should be
but we're avoiding the hard decision.
- Brown added that he believesRepublicans will win in 2020
and if that happensit's time for his party
to start looking at real spending reform
including cutting back on defense spending
or we're headed towards calamity.
- All right, Abigail Robertsonon Capitol Hill, thank you.
On the campaign trail, debate two
for the Democrats is tonight in Detroit.
10 of the 20 qualifiedcandidates will deliver
their message to the American people.
And here they are as theywill appear on stage.
Since the last debate,Senators Elizabeth Warren
and Kamala Harris haveseen a rise in the polls.
According to a new Morning Consult poll,
Vice President Joe Bidenis still a front-runner
but down nine points since June.
Senator Bernie Sanders andPete Buttigieg also saw a dip.
Senator Warren however isup two points since June
and Senator Harris sawa seven point increase.
Tonight's debate startsat 8:00 p.m. Eastern
and will last two hours.
- Joining us now is MikeViqueira a veteran correspondent
who has spent decadescovering Washington politics
both on the Hill and at the White House
for various networks.
Mike, thanks so muchfor being with us here.
- It's great to be here.
- President Trump stealing a little bit
of the Democrats' thunder ahead
of tonight's debate sayingthat he thinks sleepy Joe,
of course Mike, Joe Biden,would be the nominee.
Is he the candidate that Trump
feels is best suited to challenge?
- I think that it's quite the opposite.
I think that the presidentsingles out Joe Biden
because he thinks that Joe Biden
might present the strongest challenge.
Joe Biden is obviously leading the polls,
although as we report, Jenna reported,
he's sinking somewhat at this point.
I think the president wouldfar prefer to have someone
who's not seen as somiddle-of-the-road relative
to the rest of the field.
And I think that's one of the reasons
why you see the presidentsingling out Joe Biden so much.
Of course, the president has attacked many
of the Democratic candidatesat every opportunity he can.
But I think that Biden,perhaps in the president's mind
and the White House's mind,and the Trump campaign's mind
poses the biggest threat at this point.
- What about Senator Elizabeth Warren?
A new polling by Firehouseand Optimist shows her
actually slightly aheadof Joe Biden in Iowa.
- In Iowa.
It's fascinating becauseElizabeth Warren got off
to such a slow start but she'sreally playing to her brand.
Remember, nobody had ever heard
of Elizabeth Warren beforethe financial collapse.
She was in Massachusetts.
She had served in the legislature there.
I'm sorry, as the AttorneyGeneral, I believe,
was going after the big corporations,
really making a name for herself.
There was talk that the Obamaadministration would appoint
her to the new ConsumerFinancial Protection Bureau.
But this is her brand.
She shares a certainpopulism with the president,
ironically enough.
She's also a very good campaigner.
She's energetic.
And remember, Iowa is a caucus state
and only the most motivatedvoters go out for caucuses.
As opposed to primaries and certainly
as opposed to general election.
So I think because she isseen as such a firebrand
and is defined sort of the anti-Trump,
notwithstanding some of thesimilarities that we see
on trade and other issues,I think that's part
of the reason why she's getting traction.
- Mike, in the last debate the candidates
who stood out the most were theones who went on the attack,
both Kamala Harris and Julian Castro.
Do you think we're gonna see more
of that tonight and tomorrow?
Even Joe Biden was saying
that he was overly politethe last go-around.
- Right and I think Joe Biden,
there's a danger for Joe Biden.
Of course, he's on the second night,
on Wednesday night not tonight.
I think there's a dangerbecause his performance was so
sort of halting and he was sodeferential towards the host
that I think he's gonna be alittle bit edgier for sure.
But I think what's gonnacharacterize these debates,
frankly, is the fact that many of these
second-tier candidatesare going to be eliminated
unless they make a move in the polls,
unless they make a movewith their fundraising.
I think you're going tosee a lot of them try
to get out on the front foot,try to talk over each other,
try to talk over thehosts and the announcers
and the people who areasking the questions,
try to get a rise out of the audience,
and look for that one bigmoment that goes viral.
- What else are you looking for
in these two nights of debate?
- I'm looking for sort ofa status quo performance
from the frontrunners and I'm looking for
that one big sort of Hail Mary,
if you'll excuse the expression,
moment from some of thepeople in the second tier.
We've had Beto O'Rourke just out now
with his new environmental policy,
his $5 trillion policy on climate change.
We've got Elizabeth Warren outwith a new proposal on trade.
And we've got a Kamala Harris out
with her latest proposal on health care.
She seems to be a bit of a moving target.
So I think we're in the policy stage now
for the frontrunners.
I think those who are trailingthe field are really going
to have to make a splash overthe next couple of debates,
next couple of nights.
- All right, Mike Viqueira,
thanks so much for being with us.
We appreciate your analysis.- It's good to be here.
- Thanks, Mike.
Coming up, a new book explores
why evangelicals havestood by President Trump
despite his past transgressions.
(upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Introducingthe CBN Bible from CBN.com.
Now an easier way to study theBible and grow in your faith,
highlight your favorite verse,
read separate versions at a glance,
click and read a commentary,
or cross-reference your favorite verse
using the Strong's Concordance.
All the right tools to studythe Bible all in one place.
The CBN Bible available at CBN.com/bible
or the iTunes app store.
- [Announcer] It has the powerto influence weight loss,
boost your immune system,and improve brain function.
- We've seen explosion of data on the role
of the gut microbiome in health.
- [Announcer] The freeBuild a Better Gut booklet
reveals the latest informationabout the gut microbiome.
You'll discover how your gut
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- The gut microbiome has been linked
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- The microbiome, if it's in good
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all the time from more invasive things.
- [Announcer] Get the Builda Better Gut booklet free
from the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Call 1-800-700-7000 or goto CBN.com/BuildABetterGut.
- You need to make sure thatyour microbes are working
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- [Announcer] And if you order online,
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(dramatic music)
- Here, we're committed to a heritage
of rigorous scholarship datingback over a thousand years.
- [Student] And to afaith tradition dating
back a thousand more.
- [Student] This is how wecreate a culture of inquiry
where no topic is off-limits.
- [Student] And a culture of hope.
- [Students] Where anything's possible.
- It's Christian leadership.
- And it's changing theworld for the better.
- It's higher learning.
- It's greater knowing.
- It's what makes us whole.
- It's what makes us Regent.
(dramatic music)
- Talk to anyone, Republican or Democrat,
about the tone of today'spolitical discourse
and you'll likely hear the same answer.
- That's right, they'll probablysay it's downright nasty.
But the question is whenand why did American
politics take such a hard turn?
Tim Alberta, Politico's Magazine's
Chief Political Correspondent is out
with a new book called "American Carnage:
"On the Front Lines ofthe Republican Civil War
"and the Rise of President Trump"
currently the number two non-fiction book
on the New York Times Best Seller List.
I sat down with him yesterdayto discuss evangelical support
for the President and the storyline
he wrote about DonaldTrump and Ken Blackwell,
a black Conservative, thatoffers a little perspective
on the current discussion about race.
- Look, Ken Blackwell, Ithink if you talked to him,
he would not be ready tojump to the conclusion
that President Trump is a racist.
But I think Ken Blackwell, like Tim Scott
and like some other prominentblack conservatives,
would tell you thatPresident Trump is at best
probably racially insensitive.
President Trump has a habitof stoking these racial fires.
Sometimes it seems quite intentional,
other times it seems unwitting.
And this was one of those moments
where for people in the room,
they were just sort of watching him
and listening to him when he was talking
to Ken Blackwell and questioninghis street credibility
and they were just thinking to themselves,
"Gosh, does this guy not know
"how that must sound to a black man?"
- Tim, you discuss evangelical support
for Donald Trump in your book.
Who did you talk to and what did you learn
about this demographicgroup after discussing
their support for President Trump?
- I talked certainly with anumber of grassroots leaders,
Tony Perkins at theFamily Research Council,
Marjorie Dannenfelser withSusan B. Anthony List,
Ralph Reed with the Faith ofFreedom Coalition among others.
But I also talked with a lot of voters
and I talked with a lot offriends and family members.
I grew up in an evangelicalhousehold myself
so I'm familiar with this world.
I think what was importantto understand is that
while many votersrecognize that Donald Trump
himself is transactional,
that there really was atransactional relationship
from evangelicals' perspective as well
because many of them felt as though
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubioand Jeb Bush and others
maybe understood theiruniverse a little bit better
and could speak their language that none
of those folks werenecessarily going to fight
for their values in theway that Donald Trump was.
Which of course is very strange
because Donald Trump doesn't share
their values in many cases.
And plenty of those voters I spoke with
readily were recognizingthat and they said,
"Look, even though he's not one of us,
"even though he doesn'tsit in the pews with us,
"we still think that he iswilling to take the fight
"to the left bothpolitically and culturally
"in a way that none of these other
"established politicians are willing to."
- Last month, there wasa Twitter war of words
among evangelicals aboutchildren at the border
and you tweeted, "There areRussell Moore Christians
"and Jerry Falwell Jr. Christians.
"Choose wisely, brothers and sisters."
Do you really see evangelicalsdivided in just to two camps?
- I have covered the Conservative movement
and Conservative Christianpolitics for about a decade now.
While I do think it'san oversimplification
to just put them in two camps,
to pretend that this isa spiritual dichotomy,
there does seem to be thatfundamental disconnect
between Christians who tend to approach
these policy issues morethrough a traditionally
sympathetic Christian worldview
about caring for the leastamong us versus those
who are viewing it morethrough a political prism
in terms of border crossings,
in terms of refugee numbers,things of that nature.
- [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.
At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
We're here to help you discover life.
Life, live it fully.
CBN.com.
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- [Announcer] Come home to the sounds
of Southern Gospel from CBN Radio.
You'll enjoy a richsouthern blend of bluegrass,
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(bluegrass music)
- A bill that could haveserious consequences
for religious freedomprotections is making
its way through Congress.
It's called the Do No Harm Act
and if passed wouldstrip away certain parts
of the Religious FreedomRestoration Act or RFRA.
Supporters of the billbelieve the RFRA is often used
as a weapon against women, minorities,
and the LGBTQ communityand that's why they want
to chip away at it.
Religious freedom advocates though
say these protectionsare absolutely necessary
for people of faith tobe able to hold onto
and live out their religious beliefs.
One of those advocates is Matt Sharp
with the Alliance DefendingFreedom who joins us now.
Matt, good to see you,thanks for being here.
- Thanks for having me on.
- You say the name of thisbill is misleading, Do No Harm.
Why is that?
- As you mentioned thatthis bill would gut
very important religiousfreedom protections
for countless Americans,people of all walks of life,
Christians, Muslims,Jews, and so many others
that throughout the 25 year history
of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
have had the right to freely live out
their faith protectedagainst government efforts
to tell them that they mustviolate their conscience
or do something thatviolates their beliefs.
- Matt, who's pushing thisand what's their motive here?
- The lead sponsor
in the House isRepresentative Joe Kennedy.
They're pushing this ideathat RFRA is harmful,
that it's being used tohurt other individuals
and that's simply false.
For its 25 year history,the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act has beenused to, for example,
protect the freedom ofa Native American boy
to be able to wear his hairlong consistent with his faith.
It's protected health careproviders and individuals
who objected to paying for contraceptions
or abortions or things like that.
And it even helps faith-basedadoption providers be able
to operate consistent with their faith
while helping kids to find a forever home.
We want to make sure that theseprotections are protected.
- What would this look like if it passed?
Can you give some examplesof how people might
negatively be affectedespecially people of faith?
- Absolutely.
One of the examples ofthis would be, again,
take the Little Sisters of the Poor.
They object to paying for contraceptives
and they were able tosucceed in their claim
because of laws like RFRA.
So if the Do No Harm Act was enacted
then Little Sisters of the Poor
and other religious groupsthat don't want to pay
for abortions orcontraceptives would be forced
to do so in violation of their faith.
There's many other examples of how people
of faith would find themselves losing
this important procedural protection
if Do No Harm Act was passed.
- Matt Sharp with ADF, good to see you,
thank you so much again.
- Thank you so much.
- And we'll be right back.
- [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.
At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
We're here to help you discover life.
Life, live it fully.
CBN.com.
- [Announcer] On October 1st, 1961,
history was made when a tiny station
began transmitting the first signals
of the Christian Broadcasting Network.
- [Reporter] CBN, theChristian Broadcasting Network.
- [Announcer] And now, a new era has begun
with the all new CBN News Channel.
- Just moments ago theIron Dome intercepted
an incoming rocket righton the Gaza border.
- In ministering in this area,
spiritual warfare is definitely involved.
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you want from a source you can trust.
- In Kenya, 40% of themedical services are actually
provided by these Christian hospitals.
- Let's talk about the economy.
- Believers here are joining together
to win people to Jesus Christ.
- [Announcer] All your favoriteshows now in one place.
Go to CBNNewsChannel.com to find out how
to get the CBN News Channelon your TV all day every day.
CBN News.
- And finally tonight, Americacelebrates a milestone:
400 years after the birthplaceof American democracy.
- That's right.
Today in a visit toJamestown the president
commemorated the first meetingof the House of Burgesses
in a small wooden churchin Jamestown, Virginia.
- They came from God and country.
They came in search ofopportunity and fortune
and they journeyed into the unknown
with only meager supplies, long odds,
and the power of their Christian faith.
- And that is it for tonight'sedition of Faith Nation.
- Have a great evening.
