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- [Announcer] This is "CBN NewsWatch."

- And thank you so much for joining us

this Tuesday, March 2nd, I'm Efrem Graham.

Ahead today, New YorkGovernor Andrew Cuomo facing

allegations of sexual harassment.

This comes as the stateattorney general has already

started investigationsinto the previous claims.

Another step forward forthe Middle East peace

deals known as the Abraham Accords

as the ambassador from theUnited Arab Emirates comes

to Israel and Israel may be working

with Islamic countrieson a defense Alliance.

We're going to talk to ourMiddle East Bureau Chief

Chris Mitchell from Jerusalem.

From science to fiction to science fact.

How super soldiers are becoming a reality,

part man and part machine.

And Super Bowl winning coachTony Dungy talks to CBN News

about how families can helpdeal with racism in America.

All those stories and more are ahead

in this edition of "CBN NewsWatch."

We begin this half hour in New York

where Governor AndrewCuomo is under more fire

after a third woman has now come forward

with her claims of sexual harassment

after the first twowomen, both former members

of the Cuomo administration,told their stories.

Cuomo released a statementas an attempt at an apology

but critics called it tone deaf.

Now Cuomo is facing an investigation

by the New York attorneygeneral and increasing pressure

over his handling of the COVID crisis

in the state's nursing homes.

Tara Mergener has our report.

- [Tara] The state attorneygeneral's office is now leading

what's being called arigorous investigation.

This as calls for GovernorCuomo's resignation grow louder

and he maintains his innocence.

- I know that there isa pattern of abusive

and manipulative behavior from him.

I do think that it is timefor our governor to resign.

- [Tara] Calls from inside his own party

that Cuomo should stepdown are intensifying

after several women came outwith sexual harassment claims,

among them two former staffers.

- She alleges that the governor asked her

direct questions about her sex life,

whether or not she wasmonogamous in her relationships,

whether or not she had everslept with an older man.

- [Tara] Charlotte Bennetttelling the New York Times

it happened last spring and that,

while the governor never got physical,

he told her he was open to relationships

with women in their 20s.

She says, "I understoodthat the governor wanted

to sleep with me and felt horribly

uncomfortable and scared."

Cuomo denies the allegationsand in a statement Sunday says,

"Some of the things I havesaid have been misinterpreted

as an unwanted flirtation.

To the extent anyone felt that way,

I am truly sorry about that."

- That's not an apology.

He seems to be saying, "Oh,I was just kidding around."

Sexual harassment is not funny.

- [Tara] Cuomo also deniesearlier sexual harassment claims

by former aid Lindsey Boylan.

- It's just not true.

- [Tara] Facing backlash over plans

to name his own investigator,Cuomo has referred the case

to the New York state attorney general.

- We have to keep politics out of it,

get what actually did or did not happen.

- [Tara] The White House also now calling

for an independent review.

- And that's certainlysomething he supports

and we believe should moveforward as quickly as possible.

- [Tara] The new allegations come

as the FBI investigateswhether Governor Cuomo covered

up the coronavirus death tollin New York's nursing homes.

- The truth is everybodydid everything they could.

- [Tara] The scrutiny growing by the day

and now reaching a boiling point.

Fox News contributor JaniceDean telling CBN News the death

of her in-laws in a NewYork nursing home led her

to speak out against the governor.

- And I was learning thisafter my in-laws died.

We had no idea that there wasthis executive order in place

and I wasn't seeing thenews stories out there.

- [Tara] There are alsoreports that bipartisan calls

to strip Cuomo of emergency pandemic

powers are gaining steam.

Tara Mergener, CBN News.

- Turning now to the Middle East.

Another step forwardfor Israelis reactions

with its Islamic neighborsunder the Abraham Accords

peace deals negotiated underthe Trump administration.

The first ever ambassadorfrom the United Arab Emirates

to the Jewish statearrived in Israel Monday.

The Emirati national anthem played

to welcome the new ambassador.

Muhammad Al Khajapresented his credentials

to Israeli president Reuven Rivlin

who thanked God in Hebrew and Arabic.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] You shouldknow that not only am I moved,

the entire Israeli people are excited

and welcome you with joy.

- [Efrem] Earlier, AlKhaja met with Israel's

foreign minister and saidthey were already talking

about how to get toknow each other better.

- We are very much lookingforward to working together.

My mission here is to fosterand develop this relationship.

The Abraham Accord is aparadigm shift in the region.

- Israel's already sentambassadors to Abu Dhabi

and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Joining us now with moreon this is Chris Mitchell.

So Chris, tell us whythis visit, including

the Israeli presidentaccepting the UAE ambassador's

credentials is so significant.

- Well, Efrem, it'shistoric, it's unprecedented,

and it's the unfoldingof the Abraham Accords.

And Israel really put out the red carpet.

I've been many times up tothe president's residence

when they had ambassadors.

Now they went really over the top

to welcome the UAE ambassador.

It shows a very warm relationshipbetween these countries.

Also for decades, Efrem, theIsraeli-Palestinian issue,

many felt had to come firstbefore there could be any peace

between Israel and its Arab nations.

And now this provesthat wasn't true at all.

It means more tourism andtrade for both countries.

And, Efrem, don't forgetthe Iranian threat.

That's overarching here, thegeopolitics in the region.

The Abraham Accords meanpeace, but they also mean war

and it means these are natural allies

given the current MiddleEast geopolitical conditions.

- Chris, there's also areport the UAE, Saudi Arabia,

and other Gulf states arelooking at a defense alliance.

What's led to that and what impact could

this have on the region?

- Well, Efrem, it's anotherunprecedented develop

here in the region.

What led to this was a USdesire to renew the Iranian deal

and that is alarming toIsrael and the Gulf states

'cause they both see Iranas an existential threat

and they really see themselves

as the only reliableallies in the Middle East.

And so this represents

that huge geopoliticalshift in the region.

Part of this became because of an idea

that was broached by Ron Lauder.

He's a major Jewish leader.

He called this a NATO of the Middle East.

And the signs?

First of all, Israel didn'tobject to the US sale of F-35s.

That was back in the Trump administration.

And also there's been reported a meeting

between Benjamin Netanyahu

and Prince Mohammed binSalman of Saudi Arabia.

And then just lately, theforeign minister of Israel

Ashkenazi, who you justsaw in that report,

he spoke with his Oman counterpart.

So all this is happening with the idea

that these Gulf nationsand Israel see Iran

as an existential threat

and they want to get together about that.

- Chris, let's talk about a very important

domestic issue there in Israel.

The Supreme Court made an historic ruling

on non-Orthodox conversions inside Israel.

What does this mean andwhat are the consequences?

- Well, Efrem, it's been aruling 15 years in the making.

The first appeal

to the Supreme Courtwas about 15 years ago.

And what this ruling says,

it allows non-Jews thatare living in Israel,

if they convert to Judaism under reform

or conservative conversions,they can become citizens.

Now here in Israel, theOrthodox and the ultra-Orthodox

rabbis don't recognize these conversions.

The reason, there's bigtheological difference

between the Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox

as well as the reformand the conservative.

For example, some of thereformed and conservative,

they don't believe in divine revelation.

This was told to me by a well-known

Orthodox leader this morning.

For example, when Godgave the Ten Commandments

on Mount Sinai, they may not believe that.

So they have a very liberalinterpretation of the Bible.

This may go to anextreme, but some may say,

Well, this is what I feelit means to be a Jew."

But one Orthodox rabbi toldme on a personal level,

"These things are not as important.

We're here for everybody."

In other words, a reformedJew is going to look

at an Orthodox Jew insometimes the same way

on a personal basis.

But there's a hugepolitical ramifications.

For example, later on this month is going

to be a national election.

Some of the Orthodox parties are saying

they're not going to join any party

that won't pass a law tonullify this decision.

So major implications here.

It's a very hot buttonissue here in Israel, Efrem.

- And we'll continue following.

Chris Mitchell, ourMiddle East bureau chief,

thank you so much.

Back here at home, an update on a story

we brought you yesterday.

The organization thatpreserves author Dr. Seuss's

legacy says it will stoppublishing six titles

because of racist imagery.

It comes after one of thelargest school districts

in Virginia removed his books

from its Read AcrossAmerica Day celebration.

That day is today March 2nd,

which is also Dr. Seuss's birthday.

President Biden has alsoreportedly taken Seuss's books

out of his proclamation fora Read Across America Day.

Although Fox News reports both presidents,

Obama and Trump, includedthe famous author.

The Senate is scheduled totake up the Equality Act

after the House took it up late last week.

The act is designed to expand

civil rights protections for LGBTQ people.

But critics say if it ispassed, it would be devastating

for religious freedoms andfor babies in the womb.

Alison Centofante withLive Action told CBN's

"The Prayer Link" this piece

of legislation is also aclear attack on womanhood.

- This is an incredibly outlandish

dangerous piece of legislation.

I am shocked, guys, that we'recelebrating the first female

vice president of Kamala Harris

and by March, we're already talking

about erasing what it means to be female.

And she's in support of the Equality Act.

That's just how and completelyhypocritical illogical

what's happening rightnow in Washington DC is.

so I hope that we can find common ground

even with people who maybe aren't pro-life

or don't consider themselvesconservative to say,

"Look, if we're goingto keep honoring women

who advance, we have toensure that we can honor

what it means to be womenadvancing in our arenas."

- You can watch "ThePrayer Link" this evening

at 6:30 Eastern Standardtime on the CBN News Channel.

Bethany Christianservices announced Monday

it will begin placing childrenin LGBTQ families nationwide.

Bethany is one of thecountry's largest adoption

and foster care agencies.

It started offeringservices to gay couples

in 2019 after a legal settlement.

The international agencywill begin training all

its employees including those at locations

that have not worked with gay couples.

In a statement to CBN News Bethany said,

"Faith in Jesus is atthe core of our mission.

But we are not claiming a position

on the various doctrinal issues

about which Christians ofmutual good faith may disagree.

We acknowledge that discussions

about doctrine are importantbut our sole job is to

determine if a family can provide a safe,

stable environment for children."

You can find out more aboutthis story at CBNnews.com.

We also want to remind youof our new free service

from CBN News, a CBN Newsdaily email called QuickStart.

It gives you the storiesyou need each morning

at seven o'clock Eastern Standard time.

Get important national, international,

and faith-based news deliveredright to your email inbox.

You can subscribe at quickstart.news.

Coming up, it sounds likesomething out of science fiction

but it's becoming science fact.

Super soldiers and theycould literally be part man

and part machine.

We're going to tell you whichcountries are in the lead

to create these soldiers ofthe future when we come back.

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- [Announcer] Life is betterwith a good night's sleep.

Get your free DVD or bookletof "Protect Your Sleep" today.

- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Grahamand this is "Studio 5".

Cruise with me as I discoverthe good things happening

in the world of music, sports,television, and movies.

- The fact that Ryan Coogler was going

to be directing the film, I knew that

something special was gonna happen.

- [Efrem] We'll chat withartists at the forefront

of entertainment andexplore 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, "No, you already have a pulpit."

- [Announcer] Watch "Studio5" Wednesday night at 9:30.

- Remember for a moment whatit 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 childshould 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 old.

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?

(children giggling)

- Welcome back.

As we told you before the break,

super soldiers are moving from the realm

of science fiction to the real world.

Now the international race is on

to be the first nationto create these soldiers

of the future part man and part machine.

But some have asked even if it's something

America has the technology to do,

is it right to do it?

Dale Hurd has the story.

- This is the US Army's concept

of the soldier of the future.

This video makes it look like

it's just a better equipped soldier.

But notice the words neural engineering.

That can mean a brain implant

that connects a human to computers.

The defense agency DARPA has been working

on an advanced implantthat would essentially

put the human brain online.

There could also be eye and ear implants

and more circuitry under the skin

to make the ultimate fighting machine.

Americans are going to have to decide

whether this is ethical because some

in our military clearly want it.

The super soldiers of the future

could simply have enhanced abilities

or they could be partman and part machine,

what are known as cyborgs.

China is already developing biologically

enhanced super soldiers using what former

Director of National Intelligence

John Ratcliffe calledunethical medical experiments.

- This is a big effort on the part

of the Chinese governmentand it is really horrifying.

- [Dale] China expertGordon Chang says it's part

of a Chinese governmentplan to create a master race

through genetic editing.

- They're trying to create a race

which is far more intelligentthan the rest of humanity.

And with super soldiers,they'd be stronger,

less susceptible to pain,just better soldiers.

This is eugenics.

This is creepy.

There are no ethical standards.

There are no laws.

- [Dale] Now the French militaryhas been given the go-ahead

to also create so-calledaugmented soldiers.

The super soldiers ofthe future will run fast,

need little sleep, andlittle to eat or drink.

And they'll be able to fight much longer

than ordinary humans.

But should we do it?

George Lucas, who hastaught military ethics

to Americans Naval officerssays ethical concerns lag

behind this new technology.

- It always does.

And the only question is how far.

- [Dale] And Lucas is concerned

that future militaryrecruits could be pressured

to accept computerparts into their bodies.

He believes they shouldbe allowed to refuse them.

- The further into these moreexotic technologies we go,

and the more the risks are not known,

the more we must at leastrely on volunteerism,

if not as much informedconsent as is possible.

- [Dale] But the challengefor the United States is even

if we put ethical limits on thesuper soldier of the future,

it's likely some of ouradversaries will not.

Dale Hurd, CBN News.

- Still ahead, he was thefirst African American coach

to win the Super Bowl, and now Tony Dungy

and a fellow coach have gotten together

to talk about how families can come

together towards addressing racism.

We're going to bring youthe story in our interview

with Coach Dungy right after this.

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- [Announcer] 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 studythe Bible all in one place.

The CBN Bible available at CBN.com/bible

or the iTunes app store.

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- [Announcer] This is CBN "NewsWatch."

- Thanks for joining us.

- [Announcer] 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.

- [Announcer] This is CBN "Newswatch."

Because truth matters.

Weekdays at five on the CBN News Channel.

- Woo-hoo!

Hi, Superbook fans.

Here's something else you'll love.

Whoa!

It's the new Superbook Bible app.

It's packed with games, activities,

and Superbook episodes thatyou can watch for free.

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You can even create yourown Superbook character.

Ta-da!

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- [Reporter] A Millsford Falls man-

- Sorry, sorry, pardonme, sorry, excuse me.

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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.

- He was the first African-Americanto win the Super Bowl

and now Tony Dungy and afellow coach are writing

about how families can helpdeal with racism in America.

Our Heather Sellsrecently spoke with Dungy.

Here's a look at her interview.

- Super Bowl coach

and sports analyst Tony Dungy has a vision

for helping families to talk about race.

He has written a guide for parents along

with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback

coach Clyde Christensen

and he joins us now to talk about it.

Coach Dungy, thank youso much for joining us.

- Thank you, Heather.

- I want to ask you, youcall this guide an on-ramp

for families to start talking about race.

What motivated you to write this?

- Well, actually Clydeand I had worked together

for over 15 years and wehave kids the same age

and we have a lot of conversationstogether as families.

And so we were talking andsince the George Floyd incident,

I've had so many whitefriends actually say,

"Hey, what can I do?

How can I talk to my kids?

I don't live around black families.

I don't live around minority."

And you hear thoseconversations and you say

you really do have tostart with your family.

How do you open that up?

So we kind of thought aboutjust conversation starters,

what we could say to our kids,

what we do say to our kids and try

to help people justbegin those conversations

when they maybe haven't had them before.

- And it's a simple thing, ifyou will, on the face of it.

But from your standpoint,what kind of difference can it

make if families start talking

about race more intentionally?

- I think that's wherethe solution has to come.

I'm a big believer thatit is going to come

through Christ and in the church,

but how do we develop itwith our own families?

And I can remember growing up

in the 60s and talking to my dad,

"Hey, what's going on?

What's happening with these riots?

Why did they shoot Dr. King?

And what happened?"

And my dad having to tell me,

"Well, here's what'sgoing on in the world,

but here's how we're goingto handle it as a family.

We're going to love people.

We're going to treat people individually."

And he had those conversations with us.

Clyde's dad was the same way.

So that's what we kind of came up with.

How can we, as fathers, as mothers,

start these conversationsand talk to our kids

about how we should treat other people.

- All right, and I want toask you a little bit more

about those conversations withyour dad that you remember.

How were his insights helpful to you

in understanding a lot ofracial turmoil at the time?

- Well, he had to explainsome things to me.

I remember watching things going on

and saying, "Dad, what is this?

Why is this happening?"

And well, "Hey, there'speople that may not like you

because of the way youlook or the way you talk

or where you live.

But for us, we aren'tgoing to do it that way.

In our household and our family,

we're going to treat everybody well,

we're going to have friendsbecause we're friends

and that's the way we're going to do it."

And so often we don'thave those conversations

with our kids.

They don't know where we stand

and they don't know what's going on

in the rest of the world.

Hey, I live in kind ofan isolated neighborhood.

And so maybe I don't have any problems.

I don't see these racial injustices.

I don't have friends whoare different from me.

But where can we startand how does that look?

And I think that has to start at home.

- And is this something that you

and your wife practice with your children?

I know you still have kids in the home,

are still following today?

- We do.

We have seven kids stillliving at home with us

and we do talk aboutthose things quite a bit.

And we feel like it's important.

They need to know what's going on.

But more than that, they needto know from us how we feel

and they need to know what the Bible says

about treating people welland about being friendly.

- All right, well, Coach Tony Dungy,

I know this resource can be found

on your website allprodad,and thank you so much

for what you're doing inthis area and coming on.

- Appreciate it, Heather, thank you.

- [Efrem] Coming up,

a Florida couple got an unwelcome visitor

in their garage, an alligator.

We're going to tell you whathappened when we come back.

Stay with us.

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Grow, connect, have fun.

The all new myCBN app.

- [Announcer] "On the Homefront."

- Thanks for joining us forCBN's "On the Homefront"

where we highlight what the men and women

of America's military doto defend our country.

CBN honors the men andwomen in our military

with an initiative calledHelping the Homefront.

It partners with churchesacross the country

to meet the needs oftheir military families

from repairing homes towiping out medical bills

for wounded veterans.

- [Announcer] Watch "On theHomefront" today at 2:30.

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- [Announcer] Too often wecarry baggage from our past.

You know what it's like.

It effects everything andeveryone in our lives.

It's always there weighing us down

and keeping us fromachieving true happiness.

But do you know God never meant for us

to be trapped in the past?

You can be free of your baggage.

Learn how God's forgiveness leads

to changed lives and new beginnings.

Call The 700 Club.

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Download the CBN News app today.

- A woman in Fort Myers,Florida got a real shock

Sunday night.

Torrie Heathcoat opened her garage door

and came face to face witha seven foot alligator.

- My husband said there'sa gator in the garage.

I thought he was kidding.

And when I opened the door

and it was literally onthe other side of the door.

Yeah.

- Heathcoat said she had seen a gator

in a lake near their homeearlier that evening.

Her garage door had beenopened only about 10 minutes

before the gator was found inside.

She called 911 and wildlife officers came

to take that gator away.

Time now for your Tuesday tweetable.

I pray this message willinspire you and you will post,

tag, tweet, and share itwith those in your circle.

Focus on you until the focus is on you.

In other words, pray and prepare

in the dark quiet moments of isolation.

And you'll be readywhen the light and eyes

of others are fixed onyou and looking to you

to do what is right and what is good.

With that word, maketoday a terrific Tuesday.

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

You can always find more of our programs

on the CBN News Channel.

You can also find themonline at cbnnews.com.

We'd love to know what you think

about the stories you've seen here today.

Email us, newswatch@cbn.com.

Reach out and touch us onFacebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We'll see you back here tomorrow.