The American economy. The latest on third quarter growth, unemployment and what it all means for Americans. And appealing to Christian voters ahead of the election. How both campaigns are reaching out to people of faith. Plus the clean-up begins ...
Read Transcript
(bell ringing)
- [John] Tonight, the American economy.
- The market is right now looking
at the word uncertaintyin all capital letters.
- [John] the latest onthird quarter growth,
unemployment, and whatit means for Americans.
And appealing to Christianvoters ahead of the election.
How both campaigns are reachingout to people of faith.
Plus.
- [Homeowner] Oh my God.
The roof just blew off.
- [John] The cleanup begins after
Hurricane Zeta crashedashore on the Gulf Coast.
Where the storm is heading now.
All this and more tonight on Faith Nation.
(uplifting mood music)
- All eyes on the economyand some new, very positive
numbers just five days from Election Day.
Hi everyone, thank you for joining us.
I'm Jenna Browder.
- Good evening, I'm John Jessup.
Well the rivals for the 2020 race
for the White House held dueling rallies
in the battleground state of Florida,
and a new talking pointin President Trump's
closing argument, the economy.
- A new report out todayshowing the US economy
roaring back at a recordpace as businesses
recover from the initialcoronavirus shutdown
and people get back to work.
Senior Washingtoncorrespondent Tara Mergener
joins us now with tonight's top story.
Tara?
Well John and Jenna, thisis one for the books really
with the US economy growing at a record
33.1% last quarter and recovering much
of the historic groundit lost last spring.
A fact the president will surely highlight
on the campaign trail in thelast days of the election
as Joe Biden attacks hishandling of the pandemic.
- I think it's gonna be maybe the biggest
number in the history of our country.
- [Tara] A campaign trailprediction comes true.
- You're so lucky I'm your president!
(cheering)
- [Tara] In the largestquarterly gain on record,
the commerce departmentshowing the US economy grew
by more than a thirdbetween July and September.
President Trump tweeting"GDP number just announced.
"Biggest and best in the history
"of our country, and not even close.
"Next year will be fantastic."
A dramatic three month recoveryafter the second quarter
imploded at nearly thesame rate after lockdowns
closed businesses, putting tens
of millions of Americans out of work.
Crediting the gains to the first round
of stimulus money, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi downplayed the news.
- So it's as if, somebodyused an example this morning,
as if you lost $100 in the second quarter
and now you're making up $65.
Glory hallelujah, no.
- [Tara] And in another positive sign,
the number of Americansseeking unemployment
benefits fell last week to 751,000.
The lowest since March.
Economists credit the rapid rebound
to more consumer spending in areas
like healthcare,restaurants, travel and cars.
Still, as COVID infectionsspike and cooler weather begins,
some experts say this remainsa marathon, not a sprint.
- We are still underwater with respect
to output for the US economy.
I look at this a littlelike a football game.
The home team suffered a significant
setback in the second quarter,
it has rallied in the thirdquarter, but there's still
a way to go before we can declare victory.
- All right, and after days of slides
in the stock market WallStreet ended the day up today.
The Dow Jones industrial averageclosing about 140 points.
That's up, the S&P about 40 points,
and the NASDAQ endedthe day up 180 points.
John, Jenna.
- All right, thank you.
CBN's Tara Mergener.
Well here now for more, author, economist,
and independent advisor toPresident Trump Stephen Moore.
Stephen, no doubt theseare phenomenal numbers,
no disputing that, but Business Insider
has a report that says the economy
is still three and a half percent smaller
than where it was this point last year.
What does the annualized33% GDP mean for the economy
overall and its impactfor the average American?
- Well John, I just haven'tbeen able to stop smiling today.
I mean this is the best economic report
I've seen in the 35 yearsI've been doing this.
It's incredible.
As you heard Donald Trump just say
it's double the previous record.
I went back all the way to 1948
when we started collecting this data.
And so it's just, I just had to laugh
when Nancy Pelosi triedto put a negative spin
on this incredible,incredible performance.
And you're right, we alsogot really good numbers
on jobs where we've now created,
15 million Americans have dropped off
unemployment insurancein the last six months.
It's a blockbuster economy.
It comes at a perfecttime for Donald Trump
four days before an election.
He just has to say look, you don't
want to change pilots right now.
We're flying high.
- You mentioned jobs, Steve.
The economy has added back some
11 million jobs over the last five months.
As we head into the holiday season
do you expect the unemployment rate
to continue this downward trend?
- I do.
Look, this gets tough.
I mean we've gotten back well over half
of the jobs that were lost, you're right
about that, and that'sfantastic performance.
By the way, nobody expectedus to be where we are now.
You go back six months ago and listen
to all the economists on Wall Street,
all the government economists,the people at the fed,
they didn't think we'dbe anywhere near this.
They thought we'd havean unemployment rate
of 12 or 13% now, we're down below 8%.
And one of the things that's going on
is that all the growth ishappening in the red states.
It's happening in Georgia and Florida
and Texas and Utah and the Dakotas.
Whereas New York andIllinois and Connecticut
and those states drags on the economy.
Now the Christmas season,you asked a great question
Jenna about the Christmas season.
That's gonna be huge for our retailers
who really got flattened in the first half
of the year, will really determine
how many of these companies,the big retail companies
will be able to surviveand how many will not.
But as long as we keepthe economy open, yeah,
I think we're gonna seecontinued good numbers.
- Stephen, you hit on this a little bit,
but can you dig down a little deeper
and explain if economists had predicted
the unemployment rate wouldn't be this low
even by the end of2021, what changed here?
- Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has beenan incredible economic
steward in terms of this crisis.
He hasn't done everythingright and there were
certainly mistakes made at the beginning
of this crisis with respectto how we handled it.
But what Trump has done is learned
as we've gone along,and what he has become,
this whole presidentialrace has really become
do you wanna elect somebody who's
gonna shut down the economy?
I'm looking at a lot of these,
I was in Chicago this weekend,
Chicago's locking downtheir economy again.
They've got a democratic governor who just
loves locking and shutting things down.
Trump wants to open it up.
He said in his speech todayI'm the open the economy guy
and the media, not themedia, but the public
is coming around to that idea
that we have to soldier through this.
So it's gonna be anamazing next four days.
I think this is a, I really do think
Trump has turned a corner here.
And I think you're gonnasee real improvements
in his poll numbers as people digest
these really, really blockbuster numbers.
All right, Stephen Mooreit's good to see you.
Thank you for joining us this Thursday.
- You too, guys.
Have a great weekend.
Take care.
- Thanks Steven.
Well to the campaign trail,both campaigns appealing
to religious voters with two new op-eds
published today by the Christian Post.
In one Vice President Mike Pence
makes the argument that President Trump
is the best choice for people of faith,
highlighting theadministration's pro-life record.
In the other op-ed Joe Bidenoffers his own personal appeal
for why Christians shouldvote for him, explaining how
God's greatest command iswhat drives him, writing quote
"Loving God and loving others are at
"the very foundation of my faith.
"Throughout my career in public service
"These values have kept me grounded
"in what matters most," end quote.
Well John Grano worksat the Christian Post
as its senior managing editor.
He joins us now withsome inside information
about these op-eds and howboth campaigns were eager
to get their message tothe Christian audience.
John, welcome.
Can you tell us the backstory
of reaching out to the campaigns
and getting them toparticipate in these op-eds?
- Oh yeah.
We've always had contactswith both campaigns.
It is markedly differentfrom the democratic side
this election compared to Hillary Clinton.
She wasn't that interestedin the faith vote.
Very different for BarackObama who did reach out
and develop an organization that tried
to respond to Christian interests.
That's back to 2008, really.
2012 Barack wasn't asactive, but certainly
Biden is back to the2008 version of Christian
involvement in terms ofthe democratic party.
Now the republican party has always
considered the Christian vote
a rock solid piece of their voting puzzle.
- John, real quicklyhere, why did we hear from
Vice President Mike Penceand not President Trump?
- Well you know, wediscussed, they offered both
and I had a conversation with them.
I think many Christiansreally like Mike Pence.
I mean he's the leaderof the Christian leaders
who have been tapped inthe Trump Administration.
If you step back and just look at that,
how have Christian leaders fared
in a Trump administration,they've comported
themselves quite well, quite nicely.
They've done an excellent job and Pence
is at the top of that list,so we decided that Mike has...
I'll use the word credibility.
Not that Trump doesn't have credibility,
but he's, Donald is an impresario,
he's braggadocio, he'sall New York all the time.
What can I say?
(chuckling)
Often the Christian witnessdoesn't meld well with that.
- John, we know youraudience, your readers
are both Republicans andDemocrats, are the campaigns
reaching out to two different audiences
within the Christian space here?
- Oh that's a great question.
That's a question that'sgonna be continued
to be unpacked in the future here.
Since Roe V. Wade, theChristian vote has been
pretty solid because of that issue.
And now that Amy Coney Barrett
has been added to the Supreme Court,
you wonder whether bothcampaigns realize that Christians
are gonna begin to think about
other issues besides Roe V. Wade.
I mean we have seen anexplosion of interest
in the subject of can a pro-lifer
vote for Biden this yearbecause of other issues.
Christians are interested in healthcare,
Christians are interested in education,
Christians are interestedin police reform.
These are seemingly democraticissues that resonate.
So we definitely have that division,
I mean it's a very divisiveelection and there are
divides in the Christian community too,
so no one should be surprised about that.
But the far reaching thing here is both
campaigns have decided to say you know,
we have to start to make our case.
What's important to theChristian community?
- All right, John Granowith the Christian Post.
We have to leave it there,but it's great to have you on.
Thank you for joining us.
- Thanks.
Appreciate it.
- [John] How accurate arethe polls This time around?
We break down someElection Night predictions
when Faith Nation returns.
- [Narrator] 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 study the bible.
All in one place.
The CBN Bible, available at cbn.com/bible
or the iTunes app store.
- [Narrator] This is CBN NewsWatch.
- Thanks for joining us.
- [Narrator] Watch breaking news.
Exclusive stories and programs.
Credible news reporting.
- We show you what'shappening in the world
and how you can pray about it.
- [Narrator] This is CBN NewsWatch.
Because truth matters.
Weekdays at 5 on the CBN News Channel.
- Woohoo!
Hi, Superbook fans!
Here's something else you'll love.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh!
It's the new Superbook Bible App.
It's packed with games, activities,
and Superbook episodes thatyou can watch for free.
Oh no!
There's trivia, a fun daily devotional,
and answers to your bible questions.
Plus an easy to understand bible
the whole family will enjoy.
You can even create yourown Superbook character.
Ta-da!
Whoa-oh-oh!
- A Hillsborough Falls man--
- Sorry, sorry!
Pardon me!
Sorry!
Excuse me!
Ouch!
- [Reporter] Are you getting this?
- Earn super points towin daily prizes too.
And so much more!
Time to get back to my adventures.
See you soon!
It's the new Superbook Bible App.
Free downloads on iTunes,Google Play, and Amazon.
- [Narrator] CBN News presentsan Election Night special
with live coverage starting at 7 PM.
Get updates on the campaigns plus analysis
on the shifting balance of power.
Watch on the CBN News Channelor on the CBN News App.
Welcome back.
Just five days from Election Day and most
polling showing formerVice President Joe Biden
with a lead over PresidentTrump, but according
to White House CommunicationsDirector Alyssa Farah
the Trump campaign feelslike it's in a good place.
- Well I don't trustThe Economist on much,
and definitely not that polling.
We're feeling great.
The president is out on the campaign trail
meeting with real Americans.
Last week he was doingthree rallies a day,
this week he's up to five rallies a day.
So that means 90 minutesor longer that he's
talking to the American people selling
his message of promisesmade and promises kept.
We're feeling good, we're taking our case
right to the American people, but we also
don't take any vote for granted.
We know we need to win theAmerican people's support.
- And joining us now, CBNChief Political Analyst
David Brody who conducted thatinterview with Alyssa Farrah,
and CBN News Senior Editor John Waage.
Guys, good to have both of you.
As we look toward ElectionDay what do you make
of the polling this time around?
David, to you first.
- Well what we learned in 2016
is that the polling definitely is off.
There's no reason to believe the polling
isn't off again this time around, Jenna,
so I guess we wait and seeexactly how much it's off
and I think the keything here is enthusiasm.
The real question Ithink is it's one thing
to poll someone on theircell phone while they're
cooking dinner or they'reon their couch watching
a rerun of their favorite television show
and that person who saysthey're a likely voter
is gonna go out and votefor a Biden or a Trump.
It's a whole 'nother thing, I call it
the broken glass strategy,it's a whole 'nother thing
for that voter, that same voter to say
on Election Day hey, you know what?
I'm gonna go.
I'm gonna miss a soccer practice.
I'm gonna miss dinner and I'm gonna
just go out there for two hours and vote.
I mean the questionthen becomes enthusiasm
and that is what Donald Trump has
to rely on if he's gonna win this thing.
- I agree.
I agree with David that it's really hard.
I feel for the pollsters to some extent
because how do you even ask the right
questions in an environment like this?
And so we know that the economy
is the number one issue on many polls
from voters who have spoken to pollsters.
The problem is that so many people
don't even wanna speak topollsters, and the ones
that do, some have admittedthat they would lie.
So you know, pollsters arein a tough spot right now.
I think that, as Davidsaid, the enthusiasm gap
is pretty solid around the country.
And I just drove through a big part
of the undecided battleground states:
the north, central states, the Midwest.
Lots of Trump signs in rural America.
If rural America turns out in huge numbers
and the city numbers are a little bit
down that helps Trump too,
but we just don't know at this point.
- Yeah, that's what I saw in Pennsylvania.
We did a Rust Belt roadtrip and just like you,
a lot of support forTrump in the rural areas.
Cities a little bit different.
- David, in your interviewwith Alyssa Farah she talks
about all these ralliesthe president is holding.
Clearly just by the looks of it
the president's support is not waning.
- Yeah, I mean I think there's
a visual aspect to this for sure.
I mean look, you seehis rallies and then you
compare them to Biden wherewe've talked about this.
There's like seven people,a couple of social distance
squares and a barbecue, that's about it.
And I think it makes a difference
I think visually, aesthetically,
but let's also rememberthe closing message
of this president is going to be
very strong with thoseGDP numbers out today.
I mean just think about it, he's saying
that we're turning the corner.
Now understand from a health perspective
we may not necessarilybe turning the corner,
but from an economic perspective I think
you can easily make that argument.
And look, momentum iseverything and elections
are won, as John knows, on the margins,
and I think all of that together could be
a potential winningticket for the president.
- Let's talk about the Senate, guys.
Many are predicting a blue wave.
John, your thoughts on that?
- Well I know, and thereare so many more chances
for the Democrats to pulloff a takeover of the Senate
because the Republicans aredefending so many more seats.
I just think theseRepublicans are coming back,
and I am counting to someextent on a Trump effect
that he's gonna pullsome of these senators
who are incumbents withhim, the Lindsey Grahams,
the John Cornyns, even the Joni Ernsts.
So that's, it remains to be seen whether
that will actually happen, but that's
what I'm predicting will happen
and that the Republicans will hold on.
- John, earlier today--
- Yeah, no I...
- I'm sorry.
David, go ahead please.
- No no, I was gonnasay I agree with John.
How's that for being quick?
(laughing)
- David, I've never knownyou to be that concise.
- One word.
- John, earlier todayyou were on the 700 Club
and you made some parallelswith the election,
the 1980 election, can you explain
what you're seeing there, and then David
if there's time, theparallels that you see
with the 2000 electionand today's election.
- Yeah, the biggestsimilarity is that hundreds
of thousands of people gathered
in the Mall of Washington for Jesus
and to pray, to ask God to heal our land,
to bring us leaders thatHe would provide for us.
And we saw the samething earlier this year
with the return and themarch in Washington,
Franklin Graham and Jonathan Cahn,
and really I was struck bythe sincerity of the heart,
the repentant hearts of thepeople during that time.
And that's what I guessis the biggest parallel
is Christians gathering before the Lord
and asking Him to answerand heal our land.
- And I would just say,guys, that if Trump loses
it's gonna be because of Trump fatigue.
I don't think there'sany question about that
and that makes me thinkof a parallel to 2008.
Remember George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
and war on terror andweapons of mass destruction
and waterboarding, all that and along came
Barack Obama talkingabout hope and change.
Now look, Joe Biden is not Barack Obama
which is good news forTrump, but Joe Biden
is preaching this messageof kumbaya, if you will.
It does remind me a lot of that.
We'll see if that can dothe trick, but once again
the key is Joe Biden is not Barack Obama.
That's Donald Trump'spotential saving grace.
- All right, David Brody,John Waage, thank you both.
We'll see you guys election night.
- Thank you.
- Thanks guys.
- [John] Still be come, the aftermath
of Hurricane Zeta leaves millions
in the storm's wake without power.
More on that when Faith Nation returns.
- When I came to Regent University
it's like the world opened up.
I felt like I needed to advance
my career and go back to school.
Regent was a perfect fit for me.
The Regent professors are world class.
You are equipped.
The focus of the faculty ison each individual student.
Whether it's online or in person,
you've become a part of Regent's family.
You carry with you not justthe content and the knowledge,
but the confidence to understand
that we can be significant in the world.
- [Narrator] Regent University.
Follow your path.
- [Reporter] Nigerian Christians.
- [News Anchor] Christians inIran are routinely arrested.
- [Reporter] Christianscontinue to suffer.
- [Narrator] In timesof trial and affliction,
you need to know the truth.
- One of the fastest growing
Christian populations in the world.
- [Narrator] Join Wendy Griffith
and George Thomas forChristian World News.
- [Wendy] Young people are the ones
who are open to the gospel.
- [Narrator] Powerful stories of suffering
and hope that affect all Christians.
Watch Christian World News.
Saturday at 5 PM.
Get Protect Your Sleep and discover
how to improve the quality of your life.
A free DVD or booklet from
the Christian Broadcasting Network.
- If you're not a great sleeper you can
do things to makeyourself a great sleeper.
If you're already a pretty good sleeper
you can enhance yoursleep and be even better.
- [Narrator] five leadingexperts help remove
the obstacles between youand restorative sleep.
- When you don't get arestful night's sleep,
you wake up with anaccumulation of stress.
- [Narrator] Call1-800-700-7000, or go to cbn.com
to get your free DVD or booklet today.
- Everything you do, you do better
with a good night's sleep.
- [Narrator] You'll discoverhow food affects your sleep.
How to put insomnia to rest.
Explore effectiveremedies for sleep apnea.
And much more in Protect Your Sleep.
Wake up to your best life andget Protect Your Sleep today.
Call 1-800-700-7000, or go to cbn.com
to get your free DVD or booklet.
- People along the Gulf Coast yet again
picking up the pieces after the latest
hurricane hit America shores.
- That's right Jenna,Zeta pounded Louisiana
Wednesday afternoon and then moved on
to batter the region and the Southeast.
CBN's Eric Phillips is following
the storm and its aftermath.
Eric, the Gulf Coast has been hit
relentlessly this hurricane season.
- That's right, John and Jenna.
As a matter of fact thisis the fifth named storm
to hit Louisiana in what has been a busy
and brutal hurricane season this year
It left nearly two millionpeople without power,
not to mention a trail of destruction
in Louisiana, Mississippi,Alabama, and Georgia.
- [Homeowner] Oh my God.
The roof just blew off.
- [Eric] Zeta made landfall in Louisiana
as a category two hurricane,nearing category three
with winds of more than 100 miles an hour.
Flashes and sparks lit up the sky
leading to widespreadpower outages as at least
one person died after being electrocuted.
Parts of Louisiana completely underwater.
Punishing rain and wind ledto all kinds of destruction.
- [Worker] Prepare for collision, bro.
- [Eric] This barge breakingloose from its mooring.
A new Orleans apartmentbuilding severely damaged.
This batting cage now amangled mass of twisted metal.
A fisherman struggling to untangle his net
that got caught in the trees in the storm.
And businesses in the village
of Cocodrie, Louisianaleft to pick up the pieces.
Two deaths reported in Biloxi, Mississippi
where cars bogged in this casino
parking garage fromthe strong storm surge.
the Hard Rock Cafe sufferedmajor damage as you
can see parts of thebuilding completely gutted.
A church steeple toppledand power lines everywhere.
And in Alabama, this image indicative
of the damage there as atree landed on top of a car.
Zeta is now the strongest hurricane
to hit the continental US this late
in the season in more than a century.
It's now a tropicalstorm, but it could still
cause problems for theMid-Atlantic states.
John, Jenna.
- [Jenna] All right Eric, thank you.
The pandemic also makingit trickier to treat.
Still ahead, this creative workaround.
- [Narrator] This ElectionNight, with a country
divided and America's future hanging
in the balance, go toa place you can trust.
CBN News.
CBN News presents anElection Night special
with live coverage starting at 7 PM.
Get live updates on each of the campaigns
plus analysis on theshifting balance of power.
Watch November 3rd at 7:00PM on the CBN News Channel
or download the CBS News App.
CBN News: because truth matters.
(upbeat mood music)
- Heavenly Father we do thank you
for the work of your spirit, Lord God,
with this movement of getting the bible.
- Yes.
- Lord, into public school.
- [Narrator] Watch The Prayer Link.
Tuesday nights at 6:30.
- If you're tired and exhausted all day,
you can't think clearlyand you really just
need a cup or even a pot of coffee
to get through your day, then join me,
Dr. Josh Axe, for thisnew series where I'm gonna
teach you how to transform yourdiet and use essential oils
and supplements to geta better night's sleep.
- [Narrator] Get Protect YourSleep and live your best life
with innovative informationfrom five leading sleep experts.
- If you're not a great sleeper you can
do things to makeyourself a great sleeper.
If you're already a pretty good sleeper
you can enhance yoursleep and be even better.
- [Narrator] Discover a sleepenhancing bedtime routine.
How to put insomnia to rest.
Learn how to relievepain, disturbed sleep,
and much more in Protect Your Sleep.
- Everything you do, you do better
with a good night's sleep.
- [Narrator] Wake up to your best life.
Call 1-800-700-7000 to get your free DVD
or booklet of Protect Your Sleep today.
- Don't miss out on this brand new series.
- Well finally tonight, Jenna, they may
be hundreds of years out of fashion,
but catapults are making a comeback.
- They sure are.
It comes as families acrossthe country have to get
creative with their COVIDtrick-or-treating plans.
People all over are building these candy
catapults like the one you see here
built by this Pennsylvania family.
They load the candy and launchit at trick-or-treaters.
It is their socially distantsolution to make sure
this weekend is still fun and festive.
- What happens if ithits someone in the head?
- Liability.
I love the creativity though.
That's wonderful.
- Thanks for watching Faith Nation.
- Have a great night.
