- Well welcome to "The 700 Club."
For today's top headlines,
let's go over to the CBN news desk.
- Gordon, Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu
blasted the indictment announcedagainst him late Thursday.
It's the first time in Israel's history
a sitting prime ministerhas been indicted.
As Chris Mitchel reports from Jerusalem,
the announcement puts the political future
of Israel's longest-servingprime minister in doubt
and pushes Israel's political landscape
into even more turmoil.
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- [Chris] Attorney GeneralAvichai Mandelblit announced
indictments against Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in three separate cases
for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.
He called it a sad day for Israel.
(Avichai speaking foreign language)
- [Interpreter] A day inwhich the attorney general
decides to serve an indictment against
a seated prime ministerfor serious crimes,
a corrupt governance,is a heavy and sad day
for the Israeli publicand for me personally.
- [Chris] An emotionaland defiant Netanyahu
defended himself.
(Benjamin speaking in foreign language)
- [Interpreter] Tonight, we'rewitnessing an attempted coup
against the prime ministerusing false accusations
and a tainted and biasedinvestigation process.
- [Chris] Netanyahu calledfor a separate commission
to investigate the chargesand said the investigators
were not hunting for thetruth, but hunting him.
He vowed to remain in office.
(Benjamin speaking in foreign language)
- [Interpreter] I won't let the lie win.
I will continue to lead thecountry according to the law
exactly as written.
I will continue to lead thecountry with responsibility,
with dedication, and withcare for the security
and the future of all ofus and for our country
and for democracy and for the rule of law
and for justice.
We need to do one thing.
We need at last toinvestigate the investigators.
- [Chris] After the announcement,
some Israelis from the right and the left
took to the streets.
- All the attorney and the justice system,
they belong to the left, butthe left, they anti-democracy.
They see that after election,election after election,
they lose, Bibi win the election,
so what they make?
They make investigation.
- I'm here because today,the prime minister of Israel
has been indicted forbribery and breach of trust,
and he must resign hisoffice today, tonight.
- [Chris] After years of investigations,
Netanyahu will have his day in court.
Despite the indictments,Netanyahu remains prime minister
until the results of his trial,
which could take months or even years.
If he is convicted, hewould have to step down.
It comes at a critical timepolitically for Israel.
Both Benny Gantz, the leaderof the Blue and White Party,
and Netanyahu have beenunable to form a government.
Now for the first timein Israel's history,
the members of theKnesset will have 21 days
to choose a prime minister.
If they can't, Israeliswill go to the polls
in several months.
Whatever happens, Israelis facing one of its most
uncertain timespolitically in its history.
Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.
- Here at home, evangelistFranklin Graham says
Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathyassured him the fast food chain
is not caving to pressurefrom LGBTQ groups.
News that Chick-fil-A isending donations to the
Salvation Army and theFellowship of Christian Athletes
sparked outrage among manyChristians and conservatives.
Those organizations require their members
to adhere to Biblical marriage.
Chick-fil-A has beenunder extreme pressure
from the LGBTQ communitysince Cathy publicly spoke out
against gay marriage seven years ago.
In a Facebook post, Grahamsays he called Cathy
who told him Chick-fil-A remains committed
to Christian values and isnot bowing down to demands
from the LGBTQ community.
In Washington, the HouseIntelligence Committee
wrapped up its public hearings Thursday
and the Democrats' push toimpeach President Trump.
Now the issue is expected to go to the
House Judiciary Committee next month,
and if the House votesto impeach the president,
the Senate would then hold a trial.
Abigail Robertson brings us this look
at yesterday's testimony andthe president's response.
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- Two weeks of publictestimony wrapped up Thursday
after Fiona Hill, a formerNational Security Council
Russia expert, made it very clear
she was not there to play games.
- I have no interest inadvancing the outcome
of your inquiry in anyparticular direction,
except toward the truth.
- [Abigail] Hill raised serious concerns
about the involvement of President Trump's
personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani,in Ukraine foreign policy,
adding this description ofhim from her former boss,
National Security Advisor John Bolton.
- Rudy Giuliani was a hand grenade
that was going to blow everyone up.
- [Abigail] CallingGiuliani's smear campaign
against Ambassador MarieYovanovich shameful.
- He was clearly pushingforward issues and ideas
that would probably come back to haunt us,
and in fact, I think thatthat's where we are today.
- [Abigail] And she recounted a meeting
with Ukrainian officialswhere E.U. Ambassador
Gordon Sondland laid out conditions for a
White House meetingafter getting directives
from Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
- Ambassador Sondlandleaned in basically to say
well we have an agreementthat there will be a meeting
if specific investigationsare put under way.
- [Abigail] Prompting Bolton to advise her
to take this message to lawyers.
- You tell EisenbergAmbassador Bolton told me
that I am not part ofthis whatever drug deal
that Mulvaney and Sondland are cooking up.
- [Abigail] Ukraine diplomat David Holmes
also gave his accountof a phone conversation
he overheard between President Trump
and Ambassador Sondland.
- When the president cameon, he sort of winced
and held the phone away from his ear.
- [Abigail] A conversation hedescribes as quite memorable.
- So you heard PresidentTrump ask Ambassador Sondland
is he going to do the investigation?
- Yes, sir.
- [Abigail] Adding after the conversation,
Sondland told him Trump doesn'treally care about Ukraine.
Just big stuff.
- I asked him what kind of big stuff.
We have big stuff going onhere like a war with Russia,
and he said, "No, big stufflike the Biden investigation
"that Mr. Giuliani's pushing."
- [Abigail] President Trumpcast doubt on Holmes' testimony,
tweeting, "Never have Ibeen watching a person
"making a call ... and been able to hear
"or understand a conversation."
- Democrats likely have thevotes to impeach the president,
but after nine witnessestestified publicly,
the question remainshow is this playing out
in the court of public opinion?
Reporting from Capitol Hill,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.
- The hearings don't appearto have changed any minds.
Polls show the public, ormany minds I should say.
Polls show the publicis almost evenly split
about impeaching the president.
While Congress is sharply divided
along party lines on impeachment,
Republicans and Democratsagreed on a key issue this week,
overwhelmingly voting fora bill in both the Senate
and the House that stronglysupports freedom and democracy
in Hong Kong as the protestsare still under way,
but China is promising whatit calls tough countermeasures
against the U.S. if PresidentTrump signs the bill.
Gary Lane has that story.
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- [Gary] Members of Congresssent a powerful signal
to China Thursday by standing with
the pro-democracy protesters of Hong Kong.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
- If America does notspeak up for human rights
in China because of commercial issues,
we lose all moral authorityto speak about human rights
anywhere in the world.
- [Gary] 23 protesterssurrendered to police
and left Hong Kong PolytechnicUniversity Thursday
after the worst anti-government violence
since Hong Kong'spro-democracy protests began.
- The protests havecontinued because the people
of Hong Kong see what's coming.
They see the steady effort to erode
the autonomy and their freedoms.
- The United States haslong stood as a beacon
of freedom and a country thatsupports and calls out to
those who are demonstratingfor their rights.
We need to be a more forceful
and effective voice in Hong Kong.
- [Gary] The Hong Kong HumanRights and Democracy Act
is more than just symbolic.
Government officialsresponsible for violating
human rights in Hong Kong couldbe hit with tough sanctions,
including bans on their visa and freezing
of their assets in U.S. banks.
Another bill approved byCongress suspends the sale
of munitions to Hong Kong police.
Meeting with former DefenseSecretary William Cohen
in Beijing Thursday, China'sforeign minister said
the U.S. move is a stark interference
in China's internal affairs,
but protesters say policehave killed some of them
like this demonstratorwho was shot point-blank
in the chest last week.
Hong Kong police havealso reportedly sprayed
chemical-laced water onpro-democracy protesters.
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy says,
"China President XiJinping is quickly becoming
"a pariah on the world stage."
- He is destroying oneof the economic jewels
of the world, but certainly,
one of the economic jewels of China.
- [Gary] Andrew Duncan is co-producer
of a Netflix documentary onHong Kong's umbrella movement.
On this week's episode ofthe CBN News Channel program
"The Global Lane," he said President Trump
needs to sign the bill,despite the potential threat
it may pose to a U.S.-China trade deal.
- We've yet to hear from thePresident of the United States
who needs to firmly speakout in defense of democracy,
in my opinion, and firmlyspeak out in support
of Hong Kong's rightsunder the joint resolution.
- [Gary] Although news reports say
the president will sign the bill,
the White House won't say if he will.
Gary Lane, CBN News.
