(dramatic music)

- [Announcer] This is "CBN NewsWatch."

- It is Tuesday, thefirst day of December.

I'm Efrem Graham.

Ahead today, hope on the horizon

with encouraging newsabout coronavirus vaccines

even as officials are warning

of a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases.

We're going to speak with our

medical reporter Lorie Johnson.

Many churches are closedbecause of COVID lockdowns

at a time just when manypeople need it most.

We're going to show you howministries are finding ways

to reach out to their communities.

A new hate speech law in Norway outlawing

hate speech against transgendered people

including remarks evenin private conversations.

And the pilgrims brought morethan Thanksgiving to America.

We're going to show youhow they also helped

to shape our very system of government.

All those stories and more are ahead

in today's edition of "CBN NewsWatch."

Want to begin this halfhour that encouraging news

on the coronavirus vaccine front.

The first batch of Pfizer's vaccine is now

in the United States awaiting approval.

Moderna is now asking foremergency authorization.

This all comes as the CDC meets today

to decide who gets the vaccines first.

Jenna Browder brings us the story now.

She's in Washington.

- From production in Belgium

to a storage facility in Michigan,

Pfizer is getting readyto distribute its vaccine

as soon as it gets the go-ahead.

And that could be injust a matter of days.

This as Moderna also seeksFDA emergency authorization

- I say that by January,we'll have 40 million doses

to distribute across the country.

- [Jenna] All eyes are on the FDA

which could give Pfizer the green light

for emergency use after December 10th

and Moderna after ahearing on December 17th.

- We've been clear about the fact

we're not going to cut corners

and the authorizationprocess, although expedited,

has very similar criteriato what we would use

for the regular approval of a vaccine.

- [Jenna] Moderna reportingsome impressive numbers

with its vaccine, 94% effective

and 100% effective against extreme cases.

- This is something that can be trusted

and will be safe forthem and their families

and can save potentiallyhundreds of thousands of lives.

- [Jenna] Healthcare workers and other

first responders could bethe first to get the drug

but there's not enough for all of them.

Today a panel at the CDC will meet to vote

on recommendations for whoshould get immunized first.

But the states willmake the final decision.

And for the rest of thenation, look to June.

- 100% of Americans that want the vaccine

will have the vaccineby that point in time.

- All of this good news on vaccines comes

as case numbers across thecountry continue to rise.

Right now, 96,000 hospitalizations.

That number nearly doublingsince November 1st.

And health officials warn

of a possible post-Thanksgiving spike.

In Washington, Jenna Browder, CBN News.

- Jenna, thank you.

Medical reporter LorieJohnson joins us now.

So we heard talk of June.

How long until vaccinesare available to everyone?

- So June is sort of like thelongest out that it'll be.

And so a lot of people are saying by May,

maybe a little bit earlier,

people will have access to vaccines.

We know that there areprobably going to be two,

Pfizer and Moderna.

But there were a lot ofother ones in the pipeline.

So we know Pfizer andModerna say they can produce

enough for about 25million people every month.

And so when you think aboutthere are 330 Americans,

right now, it looks likeabout 58% of all Americans

say they want to take the vaccine.

But that number will likely increase.

It's already gone up 8%.

And so when we see thesefrontline healthcare workers

and all these millions of other

people get the vaccine and do well,

it's likely more people willwant to take the vaccine.

So a lot of experts aresaying herd immunity by May

which means about 70% of thepopulation will be immune.

There are two ways to get immunity, Efrem.

One is from having the virusand recovering from it.

That now makes up about 10to 15% of the population.

And then the other way, ofcourse is to get a vaccine.

So if you add those twotogether, it's about 70%.

58% of people say they wantthe vaccine and 10 to 15%

of the people have alreadyrecovered from the virus.

- Now are there concerns though in terms

of side effects from getting the vaccine?

- There are some sideeffects that are reported,

not any long lasting ones,

but we're talking about side effects

like pain at the injection site, achiness.

Those of us who havehad the shingles vaccine

know what this is like.

For example, I had myshingles vaccine last year

and I was already preparedthat this one's going to hurt.

And so for about three days

after that first initialshot, my arm really hurt.

And that's concerning because just like

with the shingles vaccine,the coronavirus vaccine,

at least the Moderna and the Pfizer ones,

they require two shots.

And so the concern is peoplewill get that first shot

and it will hurt so much

that they won't go backand get that second one.

So that's the main concern.

But as far as any moresevere side effects, no,

and that's the good newsabout both of these vaccines.

- We know we're just gettingoff the Thanksgiving holiday.

We're now seeing states andcities imposing new restrictions

because of the possibilityof a surge in cases.

Likely?

- Very, very likely becausewe saw nine million people

travel for Thanksgiving and that's about

half as much as we normally see,

but still a very high number.

So what we normally see is a week or two

after these gatherings, people get sick,

another week or two,then they're hospitalized

and then sadly, another week or two

until we see a lot of these deaths.

And so we really are concernedabout hospitalizations,

hospitals reaching capacity,

but also about hospitalpersonnel not being there.

So we all need to do our part to try

to keep these hospitalizationsand reduce the burden

on our healthcare system,flatten the curve.

It's been a while since we'veheard that phrase, isn't it?

- Absolutely, that was at the start

and now we're approaching Christmas.

So let's please, please, let's do that.

You're following something else

this week on "Healthy Living."

Tell us about that.

- That's right.

So we're taking a breakfrom talking about COVID-19

on "Healthy Living" and we're talking

about something very serious.

And a lot of people haveprobably never heard of it.

It's called Alpha-1Antitrypsin Deficiency.

Now this is a veryoftentimes deadly disease

but as you know, probably manypeople haven't heard of it.

And what's most interestingabout it is a lot of people

who are diagnosed withemphysema are misdiagnosed

and actually have the Alpha-1Antitrypsin Deficiency.

This is something that canbe detected from a DNA test,

the 23andMe, the ones thatyou get over the counter.

And when you know that you have the gene

for this you can take precautions

against having some seriousdifficulties with it.

So it's a great show.

- All right, we look forward to that one.

Want to let you know at home

that you can catch "HealthyLiving" with Lorie Johnson

this evening on the CBS News Channel.

It begins at 9:30 Eastern Standard Time.

We turn now to election newsas two battleground states,

Wisconsin and Arizona,have certified their

presidential election results

even as President Donald Trump's

legal team continues its challenges.

And here's that story thatshows that every vote counts.

Officials in Iowa havecertified a Republican candidate

the winner of a seat for Congress

but just by six votesout of nearly 400,000.

Marianette Miller-Meeks defeated

Democrat Rita Hart inIowa's second district

with 196,964 votes to Hart's 196,958.

It is another pickup inCongress for Republicans

as the seat was previouslyheld by a Democrat.

Want to turn now overseas.

Norway has outlawed hate speechagainst transgender people

including even in private conversations.

The measure was passedby parliament last week.

Reuters reports the law carries a penalty

of up to three years injail for public remarks

considered hate speechand up to a year in jail

for remarks made in private.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley points out

that could even include commentsmade in people's own homes.

He warns the movementagainst free speech is also

gaining strength in America,

including in the Democratic Party.

And he says if the USimposes speech controls,

it's going to be hard to go back.

Coming up, the coronavirusoutbreak has created

all kinds of problems forpeople throughout the country

and it also led to manychurches being closed down

just when people need the church most.

Even so, some industries are finding ways

to reach out to people in the community

and we're going to showyou how when we come back.

(dramatic music)

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- [Shawn] It's about the competition.

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- We use this phrase allthe time, keep chopping,

keep practicing hard.

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- I think as a father,it's my job to lead,

just be the best husbandand father I can be.

- [Shawn] Watch Going theDistance with Shawn Brown

Saturday night at 7:30on the CBN News Channel.

- Orphan's Promise iscommitted to loving and serving

at-risk children, to helpingkeep families together,

and to creating opportunities for strong

and sustainable communitiesaround the world.

We're working in over 60countries around the world.

And with your help, we can do even more.

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Will you join us?

(upbeat music)

(children giggling)

- Welcome back to "CBN NewsWatch."

The coronavirus pandemic has upended lives

all across America.

And in a time when peopleneed their churches the most,

many have been labeledhotspots and shut down.

So how are these ministries reaching out

to their communities?

CBN's Tara Mergener has the story.

- Experience and helpingpeople deal with tragedy

and disaster allows the faithcommunity to gain trust,

reduce fear, and spreadhope where it's needed most.

- And religious gatheringsare as hotspots now.

- [Tara] As COVID restrictions ramp up

again across the country-

- We also put out new guidelinesfor places of worship.

- [Tara] Churches must remain creative.

- And how was that for you?

- In the 20 years I've been ministering,

so I just had to imaginethat they were out there

and try to ignore all the empty seats.

- [Tara] To ensure meaningfulworship while encouraging hope

and fellowship amid a relentless pandemic.

- In the great solidarity,we too shall rise.

- [Tara] Still, we find our social

and spiritual interactionslimited not by choice,

but in many cases by law.

- Church services haveresumed here in New York City

but with limited capacity.

- [Tara] Since COVID first hit,

we've seen how loneliness,fear, and stress can overwhelm.

- The church is oftentimeswhere people turn first

when they're in a crisisand looking for help.

So that one of the immediate things that

churches can do wouldbe to provide counseling

or other types of support services.

- I was like, "Hey, I believethat the Lord is calling us

out of the boat like Peter."

- [Tara] Ernest Cloverof DC's Dream Center says

following that divine directionmeans leaning on faith.

- I don't know where the other side is.

I don't know how bad this storm will get.

Lord, we are grateful that we have

this opportunity to come here today.

- [Tara] With the blessing of his team,

Clover and the Dream Center have been

supporting the community.

- Seven days a week,giving out non-essential

items has been a drastic change.

- How many?

- Just one cold, one hot?

- [Tara] Temporarily scrappingother community programs

to focus on food.

- And I get to work there onSaturdays in the open market

when they distribute produce to everyone.

- [Tara] And other suppliesto help those in need.

- I help prepare the meals that go out

every day since March 16th.

- It fills the gaps, Iwould say, due to the income

that comes in for me rightnow, it's not a whole lot,

but it does what it does.

- We've had over 50,000 meals go out

of that window in that little white house.

We've had over 100,000 hygiene items

and non-perishable food itemsgo out of this Dream Center.

And something I wouldn'teven have the parameter

to pray for, which was fresh produce.

- [Tara] And much like churchesand ministries elsewhere-

- [Ernest] As the structuresof society have been so

thoroughly rocked to their foundations.

- [Tara] People are coming to the center

with a hunger for more than food.

- Even when we're not giving out items,

they just want to talk.

- [Tara] A basic need that forsome is no longer easily met

which health experts saycan have grave consequences.

As the government andhealthcare system deal

with areas like testing,masks, and social distancing,

Dr. Stephen Grcevich saysministries play an essential

role addressing the unprecedented

social isolation felt by so many.

- Being able to offer people the hope

that we have in Jesus Christ,

and being able to offer peopleopportunities for connecting.

We as a church are uniquelypositioned to be able

to care for them and tooffer encouragement and hope.

- Experts say outreach during this

holiday season could bemore important than ever.

Even before COVID, thistime of year can be lonely

and even depressing for someof your family and friends.

In Washington, I'm TaraMergener, CBN News.

- [Efrem] Still ahead, wejust celebrated Thanksgiving,

but the pilgrims who gave us that holiday

also brought far more to America.

They even helped to shape ourvery system of government.

We're going to have that storyfor you right after this.

(dramatic music)

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To watch the CBN NewsChannel download the app

or visit CBNNewsChannel.com.

- Hello, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter,

board certified neurologist

and number one New YorkTimes bestselling author.

Wouldn't it be great to boost your energy,

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Well, you can and I'm gonna show you how

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- The pilgrims didn't just give America

Thanksgiving celebrations,they believed religious

freedom and liberty were worth dying for

while also making the Bible

America's most read guide to life.

As Paul Strand reports,the pilgrims covenant

and form of self-rulewould eventually shape

America's Constitutionand entire government.

(waves crashing)

- 2020 is the 400th anniversaryof the founding of Plymouth.

I think that's a huge milestone,

a great milestone in human history.

- [Paul] Christian historianJerry Newcombe's documentary

"The Pilgrims" looks at howthose 51 pilgrims not only

survived their first Massachusetts winter

but went on to influencetheir future nation.

- This small, small groupcast a very large shadow.

- [Paul] From the documentary-

- Did you know that today,10% of the population

of the United States areMayflower descendants?

30 million people from 51.

- The pilgrims founded Americafor all intents and purposes.

- [Paul] In those days, England demanded

all citizens belong tothe church of England

and conform to its beliefsor face harsh punishment.

- You will worship asthey say you worship.

And so to do this illegallymeant you could be arrested.

- [Paul] Or even put to death.

So the pilgrims fled.

- They just wanted toworship Jesus and the purity

of the gospel and the kingwouldn't let them do that.

He was ruling it over their conscience

and that's why they fled.

- [Paul] They'd come tobelieve in radical ideas

they found in the Bible likethey had rights given by God

and that He wanted them to be free

to govern themselves from within.

- [Paul] The Mayflower was a cargo ship.

Bt the most preciouscargo that was carried

across the Atlantic werethe ideas in the hearts

of the pilgrims that weredrawn from the Bible.

- [Paul] And afterunexpected winds blew them

off course away fromany governing authority,

they made a covenant between God and man

for a new form of government.

- The pilgrims gave usthe Mayflower Compact

which was an agreement forself-government under God

which was really thefirst step in the creation

ultimately of theDeclaration of Independence

and of the US Constitution.

- It was a polarity changein world government.

Instead of top-down rule by these kings

that keep getting more andmore powerful, it's bottom up.

It's the people themselves deciding

what laws are going to passand agreeing to submit to them.

- [Paul] It made freedomthe cornerstone of America

as shown by the words on the Liberty Bell.

- It says, 'proclaimliberty throughout the land

and to all the inhabitants thereof.'

- [Paul] Some students arewrongly taught the Pilgrim stole

from the Indians andtreated them horribly.

The record shows the opposite was true.

- The pilgrims were kind to the Indians.

They showed them love.

They showed them compassion.

They showed them the godly way to live.

- [Paul] They did take someburied corn in cold New England

but only because theywere literally starving.

- And they even said whenthey later came into contact

with the Native Americans, they said,

"Find out whose corn thatis so we may repay them."

- [Paul] They didn'tsteal land in Plymouth.

It had been abandoned by the Indians.

- There was a plaguethat occurred three years

before the voyage of the Mayflower.

And it wiped out about 95% of the Indians

in that particular region.

- They wouldn't come backon it because of the plague.

The pilgrims took land nobody wanted.

- [Paul] And they showed the Indians

they'd treat them as equals.

- There was even a situation

where a pilgrim killed an Indian.

The pilgrim was put on trial.

- [Paul] The Indians expected-

- A mock trial, go throughthe motions, get it over with,

let him go, after all, allhe did was kill an Indian.

- And that's not what happened.

They found the pilgrim guiltyand he was hanged for murder.

- Everybody was equal under the law.

Now the Indians could trust the pilgrims.

- [Paul] The pilgrims showed future

Americans a God-blessedcause was something

worth suffering for, even dying for.

The Mayflower's Captain Jones offered

to rescue them from the firstdeadly winter they faced.

- Half of their number died.

This is not what theysigned up for at all.

And Jones says, "Anybodywho wants to come back

to England with me, I will take them."

Not one of them went.

- [Paul] The pilgrimsmade living by the Bible

and loving it a very American habit.

- And the textbook was the Bible.

- The Bible was the key bookfor the first 200 years.

- [Paul] The Founding Fathers brought

America an enlightened revolution.

- And above all, they quoted the Bible

four times more than theyquoted any human author.

- [Paul] It gave themthe go-ahead to throw

off Britain's ungodly tyranny.

- They recognized thatthere is a higher law,

the law of God and that God resides

over the affairs of nations.

- You are to obey the lawful authorities.

But if the lawful authoritiestake too much authority

unto themselves andthey violate God's laws,

then obedience to God meansresistance to tyrants.

- So the pilgrims who had fled England

for their freedom laid the foundations

that shaped America andeventually its freedom.

Paul Strand, CBN News, Washington.

- [Efrem] Coming up, a newChristmas album and book

on how to live life from theChristian group Point of Grace

including a testimony from one member

about how God reached out to her

during a really difficulttime in her life.

We've got the story whenwe come back, stay with us.

(dramatic music)

(gentle piano music)

- I am Regent's first ROTC grad student.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

I'm Efrem Graham, welcome to "Studio 5."

- Get on it.

- [Efrem] All that'snew and now in the world

of uplifting entertainmentwith celebrity interviews.

- There's a highercontribution that we'll make.

- [Efrem] Musical performances.

♪ I'll give you my best praise ♪

- [Efrem] Plus, movie and TV news.

- See it and be uplifted.

- On "Studio 5."

Every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.Eastern at CBN.com/Studio5.

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- The Grammy nominated andDove Award winning trio

Point of Grace is makingthe holiday season merry

and bright with new Christmas music.

It's called "Point of Grace Christmas."

♪ Jesus, our Savior is born ♪

♪ Sing alleluia ♪

As you see, the albumfeatures more than an hour

of holiday harmonies and cheers

and the voice of Michael Tait,Michael W. Smith, and more.

But that is not the onlything from the trio.

There's also a new book, "How You Live."

And one member tellsCBN's "The Prayer Link"

one chapter highlightshow God showed her grace

when she became pregnant as teenager.

- He pursued me and Hecontinued to bring His people

of influence that demonstrated God's grace

and His mercy and His forgiveness.

And so this was somethingthat I wanted to share

with not only my community,but pass down to my children.

The importance of whateverwe've done in our lives that

that does not have to define who we are.

But if we have the opportunityto know who Christ is

and really accept all of whoHe is and all of His grace

that we really could make a difference

in the lives of our children and hopefully

in the lives of thosethat we are in front of

and have the opportunity to influence.

- And there's more fromPoint of Grace this evening

at 6:30 on "The Prayer Link"on the CBN News Channel.

Time now for your Tuesday Tweetable

on this first day of thevery last month of 2020.

It's certainly been a year to remember

and a year many would like to forget.

But I want to leave you with this thought

to ponder and to post, tag, tweet,

and share with those who follow you.

We will finish 2020 and2020 will not finish us.

God is still God and Heis still better than good.

With that word, makethis a terrific Tuesday.

That is going to do it for thisedition of "CBN NewsWatch."

I want to remind you,you can always find more

of our programs on the CBN News Channel.

In fact, you can findthem there at any time.

You can also find themonline at CBNNews.com.

We love to know what you think

about the stories you've seen here today.

Email us at the address right there

on your screen, newswatch@cbn.com.

And of course you can always reach out

and touch us on Twitter,Facebook, and Instagram.

Make it a great Tuesday.

We'll see you back here tomorrow.