- This is CBN NewsWatch.
Hello everyone, thank youso much for joining us
for CBN NewsWatch, I'm George Thomas.
Ongoing unrest in Portland, Oregon,
the head of the police union there is
accusing city leaders of allowing the city
to be destroyed, as violent protests are
in their seventh week.
Dale Hurd has the story.
- Two straight monthsof rioting in Portland,
but judging from hiscomments to the media,
Portland mayor, TedWheeler's, chief concern is
not the destruction of his city,
but the presence of federalofficers in Portland,
trying to stop the chaos.
Portland police declareda riot Saturday night,
after hundreds of demonstrators broke
into the Portland PoliceAssociation building
and set it on fire.
(rioters shouting)
Protestors were chanting,"Every city, every town,
"burn the precincts to the ground,"
but with increasing violenceand damage now in the millions,
what Portland's mayor wants is
for federal law enforcementofficers who are in the city
to protect federal property, to go away.
He's accusing them of violatingprotesters' civil rights.
- Leave, your presence hereisn't wanted, it's not needed
Unmarked vehicles driving into crowds,
pulling people off the streetswithout any probable cause,
as far as I can tell, andthe people who are engaging
in those activities aren't even willing
to identify who they are
and they don't wearinsignia on their uniforms.
That's a real threat to democracy."
- In a tweet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
called the federal officers stormtroopers,
but on Fox News Sunday,
President Trump defendedfederal involvement.
- If you look at what'sgoing on in Portland,
those are anarchists and we'vetaken a very tough stand.
If we didn't take a standin Portland, you know,
we've arrested many of these leaders.
If we didn't take that stand right now,
you would have a problem like,
they were gonna lose Portland.
- There were alsocontinuing violent protests
in Seattle and Chicago whereBlack Lives Matter protesters
pelted police with projectiles.
Former 60's radical David Horowitz
accuses Democratic leaders of helping
what he calls terrorists.
- Why is half the country torn up?
Because Democrats are aidingand abetting terrorists.
What else can you callthese people on the streets,
destroying everything, beating up people?
They're terrorists, and the Democrat party
is in bed with them.
- And the head of Portland's police union
accuses city leadersof condoning the chaos.
- This is no longer about George Floyd.
This is no longer about racial equity.
This is about violence,rioting, destruction.
- But incredibly,Oregon's attorney general
is seeking a court orderto stop federal agents
from arresting rioters in Portland
and three House Democraticchairs are calling
for an investigationof federal involvement.
Dale Hurd, CBN news.
- Thank you, Dale.
Meanwhile, Prager university is hoping
to bring communities together
in a show of support for police.
Today they launched theirnew Back the Blue campaign,
a nationwide initiative to spread messages
of gratitude and appreciationfor law enforcement.
Joining us now from PragerUniversity is Will Witt.
Will, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
So what is your reactionto what's been happening
in Portland and othercities with ongoing riots?
Was it situations likethis that inspired you
to Back the Blue initiative?
- Yeah, I think what's goingon is a terrible thing,
I heard on that video before,
the guy said that it's notabout George Floyd anymore,
and it's really not, ofcourse, that the police officer
who murdered George Floyd
should be held accountablefor his actions,
but most police officers,the vast majority,
are good cops who are risking their lives
every day to defend us.
So with what's been going onin the media, these protesters,
the radical left out in the streets
trying to defund the police,
we decided at Prager U that it was time
to defend the police and back the blue.
So that's why we started this campaign.
- What about those who saymajor police reform is needed?
- If there's major policereform needed, you know,
those are things that are really held up
to the city councils ofthese different communities.
You know, we're seeing it in Minneapolis.
We're seeing it in differentplaces across the country,
but as we're seeing that,in places where they are,
police presence isdiminishing, like in New York,
where they cut that anti-crimeunit, crime is going up.
So murders are going up,violent crime is going up
in all these places where we're seeing
the police being defunded.
So this police reform doesn'tseem to be doing the job
that the left is actuallyclaiming it would do.
- Yeah, Will, what are ways your group
and others can support police reform
while also standing for public safety,
law and order and respecting officers?
- Well, I think we can alwayslook and say, you know,
police officers canalways use more training.
I think, myself, that policeofficers are trained very well.
They're not trained to be racist.
They're trained to deescalate situations,
but of course there canalways be more training
that can be done, but police need
to be heralded as heroesin our communities.
If you make them feel terrible,
who's going to want tobe a police officer?
Then, the only people who are going
to come and become police officers
are going to be the bottom-of-the-barrel
type of people with noother options in America.
You want to make themfeel proud of their job,
proud of their position so thatwe get the best of the best.
- How can people participatein the Back the Blue campaign?
- Well, the first thing you can do is
go to prageru.com and sign
our thank you letter to police officers.
Second thing you can post ourPrager U pro-police content
all over your social media,
and you can also makea message of gratitude
to the police and postit on your social media,
tagging Prager U and we're doing a lot
to try and defend the police,
and I hope that you guys all join us
with the #backthebluetoday and all this week.
- All right, terrific.
We'll have to leave it there.
Well, thank you so much forcoming on the broadcast.
Now to the latest on the Corona--
- Thank you.- You're welcome.
- to the latest on the Coronavirus crisis,
the US now reportingnearly 3.8 million cases
with many of America'shotspots still struggling
to contain the virus.
Texas is one of the eight States
setting new records for daily deaths,
officials there bringing inrefrigerated mobile morgues
as hospitals are becoming overrun.
In Florida, 12,400 new cases on Sunday,
one of its highest daily totals
and less than 20% of ICU bedsare available nationwide.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
admitting his stateprobably opened too soon
and warning of a likely second shutdown.
- I think we're on the brink of that.
We have to be as vigilant right now
as we were the first day.
But good news, potentiallypromising early results
from Oxford university'sCovid vaccine tests
showing a positive immuneresponse in phase one
and phase two of its initial trial.
China still faces, I'msorry, one other note,
be sure to tune into Faith Nation
for the very latest on this issue
as our nation's capital, anotherpotential relief package,
as Covid-19 shows no signs of going away.
As always, you can watch it right here
on the CBN News Channel.
Overseas, China stillfaces global criticism
for its mishandling ofthe Covid-19 crisis.
Now, some say the Chinese Communist party
is using the pandemic as anexcuse for targeting Christians.
- Now under this, the pretext
of Covid-19 Coronavirus,
the Chinese Communist partyhas intensified its persecution
by banning all the church activities,
even those services orworship or prayer meetings
in believers own homes withtheir own family members.
- The government also arresting Christians
who call for online prayer meetings.
And earlier this month,
more than 100 publicsecurity Bureau police
and others were sent tooversee the demolition
of crosses at more churchesin China's Xinjiang province.
Security guards eportedly beat Christians
who tried to stop the cross removals.
Chinese police are alsointerrupting services
and arresting church leaders.
Here to talk more about
what's going on inChina's church crackdown
is senior internationalcorrespondent, Gary Lane.
Gary, Christians say itis the worst persecution
that they have seen since MaoZedong's cultural revolution.
Tell us, when did this latestwave of persecution begin?
- Well, of course, itdidn't start with Covid-19,
as you know, that's just the excuse now,
as we mentioned, but George,this started back in 2015.
And if you recall, I knowyou reported about it,
I did too, the removal ofcrosses from atop churches,
mostly in Zhejiang province.
Hundreds of them were removed
and then raids on churches,
and you know, back in2018, you reported this,
Wang Yi, Wang Yi was the head pastor
of the Early Rain Covenant Church.
On December 9th, 2018, he was arrested,
and along with about ahundred members of his church,
the leadership there, most ofthem have been released now,
but he received nine years in prison,
simply for leading an unregistered church.
The church was growing and that's
what the Communists were worried about,
but we still don't know where he is
or what's happened to him.
- Yeah.
- It's recent examples.
- You talked about the crosses,
but can you talk aboutmore recent examples
of this latest crackdownagainst Christians?
- Well, we mentioned the twochurches in Zhejiang province.
We had two of them on July 7th,
where crosses were removed fromthe top of their buildings.
The Christians come out toprotest, they get beaten.
And an 80 year old man,George, was violently
shoved to the ground, an 80 year old man.
Also on July 5th, raids ofanother church in Guilin,
and some of the believers there stood out
in front of the PublicSecurity Bureau office
and started singing hymns as they awaited
the release of some of theirleaders, but this is ongoing.
- Yeah, and you talk aboutsome of these individuals,
are they actually beingarrested and charged
and sentenced to prisonfor a certain period?
- Well, they're charged.
Now, whether they're sentenced to prison,
they have to wait until their trial,
but what is happening, George,
this is all part of sinisthization,
which is, in other words,it is China saying,
"This is a new policy whereby,
"to be a good citizen ofChina, you must be faithful.
"You must show fidelityto the Communist party
"and to our leaders, to our nation."
You do that by putting up posters
or portraits of our leaders.
Here's a church where youdon't see a cross there,
but you see Mao and nextto him is Xi Jinping,
the president for life,no cross in that church.
Also on the sides of the churches,
things like propagandaposters and sayings,
rather than quotes fromJesus and the Bible.
And this is happening toindividuals in their homes as well.
- Obviously very familiarto what's, you know,
similar to what'shappening in North Korea.
- Yes.
- You know, with the leaders
of the Kim dynasty and so forth.
- Almost like a cult following.
- Exactly, I'm curious,
what can we in the United States do?
What can the presidentof the United States do?
- Well, there isn't a lotyou can do, but you know,
the President and Congress have enacted
the Hong Kong Autonomy Act.
In addition to that,for the Uighur Muslims,
the Uighur Human Rights Act,
those things can punishthe Chinese and individuals
who are involved in violatinghuman rights of the people.
But, Christians say, weneed something like that.
Well, there is the InternationalReligious Freedom Act,
which grants the Presidentand members of Congress,
the authority to enact legislation
that would punish individualswho violate human rights.
Beyond that, George, I would say, pray.
We as believers need topray for the Christians,
like Pastpr Wang Yi,nobody knows where he is.
He's suffering in prison.
Also pray for revival in China.
- All right, terrific, Gary, as always.
Thank you so much forcoming on the broadcast.
Coming up, one Christian photographer
and blogger takes action when it comes to
protecting his beliefs and his business.
But, before we go to the break,
here's a look at what'strending on CBNnews.com.
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- [Narrator] Life is betterwith a good night's sleep.
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Get your free DVD or bookletof Protect Your Sleep.
- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside.
- It's a big diplomatic tug ofwar here in the middle East.
- [Announcer] Go inside the story
with Jerusalem Dateline.
- Israeli archeologists aretalking about a discovery
that could change the thinkingabout the Temple Mount.
- [Announcer] Join CBN Jerusalem
bureau chief Chris Mitchell,
and get the biblical perspective
on the events shaping the world.
- What starts in Israel thenends up going to other places.
- [Announcer] Watch Jerusalem Dateline,
Friday night at 9:30 onthe CBN news channel.
- [Narrator] Life, it'smeant 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 everyday.
At cbn.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
We're here to help you discover life.
Life, live it fully, cbn.com.
- Welcome back to the broadcast.
You are watching the CBN News Channel.
A Virginia photographer andblogger is suing the state
over a new law that he believes threatens
his freedom of religion and his business.
It all centers aroundthe Virginia Values Act.
Faithwire.com, Tre Goins-Phillips is here
to tell us more about this.
So Tre, thank you for coming on the show.
What is the Virginia ValuesAct, and what it does?
- Yeah, thanks for having me.
So the Virginia Values Act is really,
it codifies an additional class of people
who are protected from discrimination and,
you know, sort of just male,female, black, white, Hispanic,
it adds now sexual orientationand gender identity
as a governmentally-protected class
from any sort of discrimination,
whether that be inemployment or in housing
or in public spaces, public or private.
They're now considered a protected group.
- Chris Herring, thephotographer and blogger
is being represented byAlliance Defending Freedom.
What are they saying aboutthis law and the case?
- So the concern forChris, as a photographer
who's also a Christian, is that this law
would make it easieressentially, for individuals
and for the state tofile lawsuits against any
sort of organization,Christian or otherwise,
that doesn't, for example,he's a photographer who refuses
to do photography for a gaywedding, a same sex marriage,
'cause that goes against this conviction.
And the concern in hislawsuit is that they could
essentially discriminate and really
fine a Christianorganization out of business.
- [George] And to this point,
could he and otherChristian business owners
be fined out of business?
- Yeah, that actually isa top concern for Chris,
and it's also the AllianceDefending Freedom,
which is the organizationrepresenting him,
they're concerned that that could happen.
In other cases, they see this as,
really could be punitivetoward Christian organizations,
because Chris has madeclear that he serves people
regardless of their sexual orientation.
There are just certain events,
certain instances like asame-sex wedding that he won't do
because of his convictions.
And he fears that that could be used,
this act could be used against him,
that he could be tied up in litigation.
He could be buried in finesfor every day that he refuses
to photograph a same-sexwedding, for example.
- Yeah, as I mentioned,Chris is being represented
by Alliance, Defending Freedom.
I'm curious, are theyarguing that such a law
goes against constitutionalfreedoms of speech and religion?
- Yeah, they are.
They see this as 100% athreat to religious liberty
because Chris, like many others,
I'm sure has said, as a Christian,
he also wouldn't do things
that promote pornographyor that promote abuse.
So he's saying that,or promote alcoholism.
He said, "So it's not likeI'm just picking one thing
"and saying I'm against it."
If it goes against Christian orthodoxy,
he's opposed to it.
And they definitely see thisas something that infringes
on the right to religious liberty
that are guaranteed in our Constitution.
- All right, terrific. Tre,
thank you so much forcoming on the broadcast.
Tre Goins-Phillips with faithwire.com.
By the way, you can hear more
on today's importantspiritual and cultural issues,
you can catch it on Faithwire's,Faith versus Culture
tonight at 9:30 Eastern,
right here on the CBN news channel.
After the break, howCBN's Operation Blessing
is helping families struggling
to survive in the Philippines.
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- [Announcer] On October 1st, 1961,
history was made when a tiny station
began transmitting the first signals
of the Christian Broadcasting Network.
- [Broadcaster] CBN, theChristian Broadcasting Network.
- [Announcer] And now a new era has begun
with the all news CBN News Channel.
- Just moments ago,
the Iron Dome interceptedan incoming rocket,
right on the Gaza border.
- In ministering in this area,
spiritual warfare is definitely involved.
- [Announcer] A 24/7 news network
bringing you the news you want
from a source you can trust.
- In Kenya. 40% of the medical services
are actually provided bythese 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 Channel
on your TV all day every day, CBN news
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Get your free DVD or bookletof Protect Your Sleep today.
[Narrator] Life, it'smeant 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 everyday.
At cbn.com. We're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
We're here to help you discover life.
Life, live it fully, cbn.com.
- And welcome back tothe CBN News Channel.
We head overseas where the iconic jeepneys
that usually run throughthe city and streets,
the city and streets of The Philippines
are sitting idle becausepassengers, as you can imagine,
are staying home in the middleof this Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the drivers, sometimesalong with their children,
are still on the streets,begging for food and help.
CBN's Lucille Talusan reports from Manila
on how Operation Blessing is helping them
in their struggle to survive.
- [Lucille] While other kids are
in the comfort of their homes
during the Covid-19 pandemic,
11 year old Cedie Sebastianis out in the streets
begging for money to buy food.
- (speaking in foreign language)
- [Interpreter] I pity myfather because he cannot work.
We don't have food to eat.
That's why I beg, so wecan have money to buy rice,
food and milk for my sister.
- [Lucille] Cedie's fatheris among the thousands
of jeepney drivers whoare struggling financially
after they lost their jobswhen the Philippine government
imposed a Corona virus lockdown in March.
- [Interpreter] It hurtsto see my son begging,
but I can't stop him.
He tells me just to stand nearby,
so I can quickly come tohim when the policeman
tries to arrest him.
- Although some routeshave recently been opened,
allowing 6,000 drivers to operate,
this is only a small fraction
of the more than 50,000 jeepneys
that used to fill thestreets of Metro Manila.
I have to keep my face mask on
so that I will not getfined for a hundred dollars.
Behind me are the jobless jeepney drivers
and they have resorted tobegging for food and money
out here in the streets.
Most of them have been evictedfrom their rented places
because they don't havemoney to pay the rent.
So now, they have toendure the discomforts
of living in the jeepney as their home.
- [Interpreter] We livehere since the lockdown.
It's very difficult,especially for our children.
There's a lot of mosquitoesand it's very hot.
I appealed to the authoritiesto open our routes
so we can earn again,
because it's been four monthsnow that we don't have income.
- [Lucille] Like the rest of the drivers,
Nilo Malibiran is frustrated
over his family's miserable condition.
- [Interpreter] It is makingme cry to see my family suffer.
I want to buy them manythings, but I don't have money.
Our son got sick and I don'thave money to buy his medicines
and buy him milk, it's so frustrating.
- [Lucille] To alleviate their suffering,
Operation Blessing reached out
to the jeepney driversand gave them food bags
that contained rice, cannedgoods, noodles, cereal, coffee,
and other basic needs.
- [Interpreter] Thank youfor everything you gave us.
This is really a big help becausewe can't buy those things.
- [Interpreter] I am veryhappy with everything
that Operation Blessinghas given us, it's a lot.
Now we have plenty of food to eat.
I don't have to beg, thank you so much.
(man speaking foreign language)
- [Lucille] A volunteerpastor of Operation Blessing
gathered the jeepney drivers to share
with them the message ofsalvation through Christ.
He prayed for their faith tobe strengthened as they wait
for the day that theycan drive their jeepneys
in the streets again.
Lucille Talusan, CBN News, Manila.
- Up next, an Ohio couple who thought
they'd never have a baby of their own.
They just celebratedthe birth of their son.
How their journey toparenthood was unique.
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Get your free DVD or bookletof Protect Your Sleep today.
- I'm Efrem Graham andthis is Studio Five.
Cruise with me as I discoverthe good things happening
in the world of music, sports,television, and movies,
- The fact that Ryan Coogler
was gonna be directing the film.
I knew that somethingspecial was going to happen.
- We'll chat with artists atthe forefront of entertainment
and explore the connection
between popular culture and faith.
- I asked my pastor, I said,
"Well, does that mean I'msupposed to be a preacher?"
He says, "Well no, youalready have a pulpit."
- [Announcer] Watch Studio Five,
Wednesday night at 9:30.
- [Narrator] Remember fora moment what it was like
to be a child.
You believed every story you were told.
You saw a world full ofendless possibilities.
What stories will the world's orphaned
and at-risk children believe?
We believe the Bible tells the only story
truly worth believing.
We believe that every child should
have the opportunity to dream,
the chance to take challenges
and turn them into possibilities,
the chance to stand onthe promises of God,
to recognize their place inthe greatest story ever told.
They have their whole lives ahead of them.
Theirs is a world ofendless possibilities.
They are looking for a story to believe.
We will tell them that story.
Will you join us?
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- I am Regent's first RSEC graduate.
(girls laughing)
(students cheering)
(birds tweeting)
- Well, our next story is pretty amazing.
Four years after goingthrough a uterine transplant,
a woman in Ohio is celebratingthe birth of her son.
31 year old, Michelle, wasborn with a rare condition
that left her without a uterus,
thinking she would nevercarry her own child.
Michelle and her husbandconsidered adoption.
But one day, a Facebook postabout a uterus transplant,
well, that took themdown a different road.
She went through anin-depth screening process
and later a successful14-hour uterus transplant
at Cleveland clinic.
Her recovery took about six months,
but a team of caregiversfrom more than 12 specialties
helped prepare her for the big day,
which finally came true over the weekend
with the birth of their baby boy,
both parents expressing their gratitude
for their amazing journey.
- I didn't start to feel himkick until like 27 weeks.
That was one thing like I wanted
to feel and see was him moving.
To know that somebodyelse's uterus helped me
achieve him and to hold him,
it was like the best thing in the world.
- Aw, and the baby's boy's name, Cole.
And he spent a week in the NICUbefore going home in March.
Well folks, that's it forthis edition of CBN NewsWatch.
From the Christian BroadcastingNetwork headquarters
here in Virginia Beach, Virginia,
it is a scorcher outthere, please stay safe,
stay healthy and have awonderful rest of the day.
Goodbye, and God bless.
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