- Welcome to "The 700 Club,"I wanna ask you a question.

Who has more people locked up,

what nation is the worst in the country?

Is it China?

Is it Russia?

No, no, no, it's the land of the free

and the home of the brave.

America has the largestpopulation of prisoners

in the entire world.

Why?

Because hundreds ofthousands of regulations

that carry criminal penalties.

What's the cost oflocking so many people up?

Hundreds of billions of dollars,

not to mention what happensto the torn up lives

of people who are ensnared in the system.

Jennifer Wishon explainsabout the nation of criminals.

- Two major stories dominatingthe headlines for weeks,

find themselves at acontroversial crossroad.

The COVID-19 lockdown and protests,

following the death of George Floyd,

are bringing renewedfocus on law enforcement

and America's freedoms, or lack thereof.

We first saw this, when citizens who dared

to break government quarantine orders

or protested to reopen their states,

were threatened with criminal prosecution.

Something Timothy Head

of the Faith and Freedom Coalition writes,

is a dangerous misuse of criminal law.

- We're seeing that that kind of

heavy-handed approach across the country,

literally impactingevery single human life

in the United States of America right now.

- [Jennifer] And duringthis wave of civil unrest

and protest, we've seenpeaceful demonstrators,

even journalists,arrested, pepper sprayed,

and shot with rubberbullets like criminals,

for exercising theirConstitutional rights.

A demonstration somesay of America's problem

with over-criminalization.

- If we end up criminalizing conduct

that your average personwould never have recognized

was wrong, then people willall of a sudden lose respect

for the rule of law.

- [Jennifer] These are regulationspeople break unwittingly

because it doesn't seemlike behavior that would,

or should be criminal,and they're everywhere.

In North Carolina for example,counties, cities and towns,

even metropolitan seweragedistricts have the power

to create ordinances that automatically

carry the punishment of aclass three misdemeanor.

And on the federal level, efforts to count

the number of regulationswith criminal penalties

have been abandoned becauseit's an impossible task.

- I've seen the estimateof at least 300,000,

it's probably more like400,000 or 500,000 regulations

that carry criminal penalties.

- [Jennifer] And the fact is,

it's hard to get them off the books.

President Trump couldsign an executive order

directing the agenciesto get rid of regulations

with criminal penalties, butit wouldn't happen overnight.

To do it legally would take years.

So during this time of civil unrest,

there's actually somethingthat unites Americans.

"There is no one in the United States

"over the age of 18 who cannot be indicted

"for some federal crime.

"That is not an exaggeration,"says John Baker,

a retired LSU law professor.

For years in a number of citiesfrom Flint to Shreveport,

wearing saggy pants was criminalized,

a regulation thatdisproportionately targeted

young black men for sportinga popular fashion trend,

despite its controversy.

- When the same law isapplied differently,

or has different impactsin different constituencies

and communities, itmakes all of us actually,

fundamentally suspicious of the system.

- [Jennifer] And that suspicionhas reached a boiling point.

- We don't want no more police.

Is that clear?

We don't want people with guns,

toting around in ourcommunity, shooting us down.

- [Jennifer] In New York,the nation's largest city,

Mayor Bill de Blasio vowsto cut police funding.

In Minneapolis, the city council has voted

to dismantle its police department.

- Our commitment is to endour city's toxic relationship

with the Minneapolis police department,

to end policing as we know it.

- [Jennifer] And, in the midstof this debate over policing

and crime many Americans are hopeful

the nation's problemswith over-criminalization

will begin to be addressed.

- When light shows up,darkness has to go away.

We are hoping with all this light,

that all the darkness willgo away and stay away.

- I hate to have this discussion

with that nonsense ofdefunding the police.

I mean it's just a nightmare to think

that Minneapolis is maybeon the way to doing it.

But who then is going to,if there's a 911 call,

who's gonna answer the call.

And if somebody's breaking into my house,

well tough luck, thepolice isn't available.

911, nobody to answer your callbecause we just defunded it.

Well that's nonsense.

Nobody's gonna go along with that.

Anybody who does for it is gonna be crazy.

But before all this happened,

the United States still hadon the books, can you imagine,

so many criminal penalties

that people can't even count them.

Is it 300,000, is it400,000, is it 500,000?

Hundred thousand regulations.

Our Washington correspondentJennifer Wishon joins us now.

Jennifer, why can't the President

just sign an executiveorder, at least in relation

to these federal agencies, tonullify some of these laws?

- Well Pat he certainlycan and I can tell you,

a few weeks ago, he actuallydid something similar to that

with the economy.

He is, as you know, desperatelytryin' to get our economy

back on track.

And so he signed an executiveorder directing his agencies,

and I have the language here,to rescind, modify, weigh,

or provide exemptions from regulations

that inhibit economic recovery,

that are consistent with the law,

and that do not, that protectthe public health and safety.

And so he did that citing thiscurrent economic emergency

that we're in.

So certainly the President

could direct his cabinetsecretaries to take a look

at the regulations under their purview,

that have criminal penalties,

and work to get rid of them.

The issue as you said Pat,

is that there are hundredsof thousands of these.

I mean as I reportedthere have been efforts

to actually count themand people have given up.

These are smart people andthey just say there's too many.

We're already at 300,000 and we're done.

We're not gonna keep counting.

And so it's a problem.

And the other part of that is

that if you go through the normal process,

which we've seen the President doing,

he's already slashed anumber of regulations

throughout his firstterm, it's a long process.

So when these agenciesget a law from Congress,

they have to figure out whatit is Congress it tryin' to do,

they have to write the regulations,

and then there's a public comment period.

So when you get rid of one

it's kinda the process in reverse.

It takes a long time.

So I think if you're tryin'to get rid of all of these,

or even a fraction of these,it's gonna take a long time.

But certainly, this issomething the President

could take a look at and speed it along.

- Well Jennifer, if somebodyis labeled as a criminal,

say he's 18 years old,say he's a black guy,

and he went into a convenience store

and he put some gum in hispocket and they pick him up.

And they say that that's a felony.

That's larceny, you stole something.

And so he gets a felony conviction,

what happens to him the rest of his life?

- Well, it depends onwhere he's locked up.

I mean states are very different

and of course politics change in states.

But, I mean you mentionedthe societal impact

that this has on familiesand on communities.

And I know that we've talkedabout these three strikes laws.

So you know in some casesyou have young people

that have got into some trouble

and then they get caughtstealing a pair of socks,

or some chewing gum ata convenience store,

three strikes and you're out.

And they are serving a life sentence.

And again think aboutthe toll that that takes

on that person's life,on their family's lives,

and also to the taxpayer.

It costs about $30,000 to$60,000 a year per inmate,

depending on what state they're in,

to keep them incarcerated.

$60,000 is a salary a lot of Americans

would certainly like to have.

And so, it is huge cost to society,

both morally and financially.

- Well Jennifer, if somebodyhas a felony conviction,

he or she can't run for office,

they can't be a member of the bar,

they can't be a police officer,

I'm not even sure in certainareas whether they can vote.

I mean you've taken awaymost of their privileges

as a citizen.

Is that right?

- That's right, that's right.

And so that's a big problemthat a lot of Americans have.

And they say look, if you've done the time

and you get out, then you should be able

to have your rightsrestored as a human being,

or as a citizen of this country.

My husband's an attorney

and he is often working with people

to get their gun rights restoredand their voting rights.

But again that's a process.

That's an expense that people have.

They have to get through this barrier

after they have served their time.

- You know it's just horrible account,

but I was listening, I justhappened to flip across

that show called "The Doctors"

and they had an eminentpsychiatrist talking about

the brain of a young person.

And he said basically,until a person is about

25, 26 years old, the raging hormones

that are going on inside him,

even though his prefrontalcortex may be formed,

that he can't really controlall these things he's doing.

And if he get arrestedon one of these charges,

he's ruined for life.

And yet in a sense, he'smaybe just a teenaged prank

and yet he's got a felony conviction

all the rest of his life.

You can't expunge it can you?

- That's right.

I mean there are ways to do it,

but it's not easy for theaverage person to get past that.

So you're right, it is amark for life, for life.

We have one life to live

and so that is a heavyburden for so many people

who are locked up in America.

And you said it Pat,I mean who would think

that the United States of America

would be the country in the world

that locks up the most people per capita?

You have to think aboutthe morality of that,

and why is that?

And you look at our federal code,

you look at the hundreds of thousands

of these regulationswith criminal penalties,

you look at state codes, Imean here's the thing Pat.

When state legislatures andCongress go to work every year,

they're not goin' to work to take away,

they're going to add.

And you look at, I meanoftentimes it is not unusual

for state legislatures to pass

several thousand bills every year.

Many of those deal withtheir criminal codes.

And you think about it, ina year did we really need

a thousand fixes to our law?

Probably not.

But that is the system that we live in.

And like I mentionedPresident Trump doing away

with a lot of these regulations.

He's now cut eight regulations on average

for every one that he has added.

That is unprecedented inthe history of this country,

in the history of theoffice of the presidency.

Because again, that'snot what elected leaders

tend to focus on, not getting rid of,

but they add to.

And so we're kind ofin this vicious cycle.

- Jennifer we wanna talk,we can't do it right now,

but I understand part two of this,

we wanna find out how muchit's gonna actually cost.

And the whole idea as I understand,

they're farming the prisonsystem out to private enterprise

and they in turn get their money

from how many prisoners get incarcerated.

So you'll tell us about that tomorrow?

- Absolutely.

- How much do you think it's gonna be,

the cost is from all this incarceration?

- It's hundreds ofbillions of dollars Pat.

And as you mentioned,this private prison issue

is to many Americansit's really outrageous.

- Jennifer.

Ladies and gentlemen,

we wanna talk to you about it.

But listen, something has got to be done.

We are a nation of criminals.

Imagine this land, this land of the free,

home of the brave, andall that stuff we've got,

bring me your tired and huddledmasses learning to be free,

and all that stuff thatwe feel is the heart

and core of our American experience,

and the fact that we lock up more people

because of zealous legislators

who want to go beforethe people and say quote,

"we are tough on crime.

"Look what we have done.

"Look at all these criminalsthat are locked up."

And then you've got threestrikes and you're out.

And again, a kid takessome gum at a candy store,

he gets convicted of anything

and he can spend the restof his life in prison.

And if he's 18 or 19,

he's not quite in control of his brain,

he doesn't quite know what he's doing.

And he takes a joy ride ina car, so he gets arrested.

Then he becomes a felon

and the rest of his life he has to report

that he has a felony on his record.

And he cannot vote, he cannot be a lawyer,

he cannot be a police officer.

I mean it's pretty shocking.

Ladies and gentlemensomething's got to be done.

And if the President reallywanted to do something big time

to help the black people,we have all this business

about Black Lives Matter,which I think is okay.

Of course they matter.

Of course they do.

Of course people are suffering.

But how are we gonna fix it.

Well part of what we can fix it

is we don't give 'em somany laws to enforce.

And this is something,the cost is staggering.

300,000 to 400,000 criminal sanctions

in our federal system right now,

not to mention the state and local ones.

A nation of criminals, let's change it.

- Pat.

- It's horrible isn't it?

- Well especially, it'shorrible for anyone,

but especially young people.

You're right about that.

Getting a job, even ifyou're not in for life,

getting a job when you come out.

The stigma that goes with that is just.

- Do you have a criminal felony, well yes.

- Have you ever been arrested?

- You're convicted, I meanarrested you can get arrested,

but if you've been convicted.

Have you been convicted of acrime, class one, class two,

class three felony and so forth.

Well in other news, believe it or not,

President Trump and JoeBiden are on the same side

of a volatile issue.

And they're voicing theiropinions loud and clear.

John Jessup has more on that.

- That is right Pat.

The national outcry to end police abuse

has entered the race for The White House.

Many on the left are callingto defund the police.

And as Dale Hurd reportsthat may create a problem

for the presumptiveDemocratic nominee, Joe Biden.

- What do you know,President Trump and Joe Biden

actually agree on something.

The two candidates areboth rejecting calls

to defund the police.

- I don't support defunding the police.

- [Dale] President Trump sayshe's appalled by the idea.

- There won't be defunding,there won't be dismantling

of our police.

- [Dale] House and SenateDemocrats then unveiled

a sweeping police andcriminal justice reform bill.

Among other measures,it would ban choke holds

and no-knock warrants, givestate Attorneys General

more independence toinvestigate alleged abuses,

and make it easier for people

to recover damages from police

when their rights are violated.

- Today with the Justice in Policing Act,

the Congress is standing withthose fighting for justice

and taking action.

Democratic lawmakers tooka knee before introducing

what they say is a long overdue response

to racial injustices in law enforcement.

George Floyd will beburied today in Houston.

Carried home in a horse-drawn carriage.

Floyd, who was 46, will be laidto rest next to his mother.

- This man whose deathhas changed the world,

he's changed the world, you have to come.

You know you have to.

I can't explain it.

- [Dale] The former police officer

charged with murderingFloyd, Derek Chauvin,

made a court appearance in Minneapolis

via video feed, and had hisbail set at $1.25 million.

Joe Biden met privatelyfor more than an hour

with Floyd's family,including his daughter Gianna.

The protests and riotsstemming from Floyd's death

at the hands of policeare taking center stage

on the presidential campaign.

A new CNN survey released on Monday,

shows Biden with a whopping 14 point lead

over the President, 55 to 41%.

Democrats hope to use the uproar

over the George Floyd killingagainst President Trump.

But on CBN News "Faith Nation" program,

chief political analyst David Brody said,

Biden's opposition to defunding the police

pits him against the farleft of his own party,

which he needs to win The White House.

- Joe Biden just said, no Idon't wanna defund the police.

And so clearly he's gonna have to,

he's putting his markerdown in the center,

more in the moderate lane,but that's not gonna work

for the far left.

They're very active, they're very loud,

and Biden needs all of themto mobilize against Trump.

If he starts to fracture with them

that's a problem for him in November.

- Meanwhile, a Minneapoliscourt has ordered the city

to implement a series ofstructural changes in policing,

banning neck restraints andchoke holds by officers.

Dale Hurd, CBN News.

- Thanks Dale.

Turning to the economy, in caseyou hadn't guess it already

it is now official,

the U.S. economy did gointo recession in February,

and it could be the deepest on record.

There is good news though,

it also could be the shortestrecession we've ever seen.

In fact, some analysts say,it might already be over.

The Corona virus lockdownshit the economy hard,

but now that states andcities are reopening,

the economy is rebounding sharply.

The unemployment rate is dropping

and stocks are coming on strong,

with the NASDAQ alreadyhitting a new record high

and the S&P 500, and DowJones Industrial average

also approaching record territory.

Well government relief andFederal Reserve policies

have kept the economy afloat,but the federal spending

has sent the deficit soaring.

It's already near $2 trillionand could reach $3.7 trillion

when the fiscal year ends in September.

In a Monday press briefingat The White House,

CBN's Ben Kennedy, askedabout the possibility

of another relief bill.

- Does President Trumpthink we need another

Corona virus stimulus package?

And if so, what would he want to see in it

before he signs it?

- Yeah, he's remainedopen to a phase four.

There was some discussion about this.

There was a meeting lastweek at The White House

about that actually.

So won't get ahead of him, but he has said

there are several things hewants, payroll tax holiday

was one of them, becausethat directly advantages

low-income workers.

Several other things

that he would like to see in the package,

won't get ahead of him, buthe's certainly still open

to a phase four, but itcan't be as he's noted,

just state and localbailouts for blue states

that have run their states into the ground

because of decades of Democrat policies.

- And Pat, with sharpdisagreements between Republicans

and Democrats that billcould still be weeks away.

- Well, we'll see what happens then.

You know sooner or later folks,

somebody's gotta pay this stuff off.

And the deficits are so huge.

I don't think there's anyway of bailing the world out.

I think the biggest thingwe've got to face right now

is a financial collapse.

And it's serious.

The United States has spent,I mean we're talking about

trillions, and trillions,and trillions of dollars.

It's just extraordinary.

And when you look atthe unfunded liabilities

it takes up to maybe asmuch as $60 trillion.

And then you go around the world

and you see how much debt there is

and there's no enginethat's capable at this point

of moving the world economy.

China is having difficulties.

The other countries arehaving difficulties.

And now we're facingthe possibility not only

of famine because ofthe locust infestation,

but we're also looking at the possibility

of some type of a world war.

So it's not a pleasantpicture we're facing.

But I'm very optimistic andwe'll stay that way, so.