(soft music)
- Well, welcome to The 700 Club.
We're going to take you toIsrael for a potential king-maker
who could create chaos inIsrael's upcoming election,
who is this guy?
And how did he get so much power?
And where does he stand onthe Iranian nuclear deal?
Chris Mitchell bringsus a CBN News interview
with this major power player.
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- [Chris] His name is Naftali Bennett.
He served in one of Israel'selite commando units
and made millions as asoftware entrepreneur.
Now head of the Yamina Party,
Bennett is poised to play a key role
in the upcoming election.
CBN News sat down with Bennett
at his campaignheadquarters near Tel Aviv.
- How would you look atthe electoral map right now
and how does Yamina fit in there?
- Because of my unique positionin the political scene,
where I'm not, I don'tbelong to any of the blocks
neither the pro Bibi or anti Bibi block,
I've got the ability and leverage
to form a stable right-winggovernment that'll represent
the majority of Israeliswhich are right of center,
but they also want change
- [Chris] The upcomingelection like the past three
is a complicated political puzzle,
that revolves around primeminister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Even though Netanyahu and his Likud Party
will likely gain the mostseats in the election
several parties have vowedthey won't serve with him.
That narrows his optionsto former a coalition
of at least 61 seats.
Bennett has left openthe door to join Likud
in a right wing government.
That puts him in a positionof a likely kingmaker
and possibly propelling him tothe office of prime minister.
He tells CBS news, he feels up to the job.
- And I'm ready to takethat responsibility,
as former defense minister,
former entrepreneur and CEO of companies
I think I've got what's necessary
to pull Israel out of this hole
and sort of go to the next phase of Israel
as the startup nation.
- [Chris] Like most Israeli leaders,
Bennett warns about the US
reentering the Iranian nuclear deal.
- It's a terrible dealand I want to explain why,
it gives a false sense of confidence that
we've got Iran covered, but it doesn't.
The deal in fact, allows Iranto proceed to the very verge
of acquiring, not onenuclear weapon, but dozens,
all they need to do is press a button
and they'll have within days,dozens of nuclear bombs.
- [Chris] Several parties likeBenny Gantz' Blue and White
might not even cross the3.5% electoral threshold
to get into the Knesset.
That favors parties like Bennett's.
Still the question remainswhether Bennett could unseat
Israel's longest serving prime minister.
Voters will answer thatquestion on March 23rd.
Chris Mitchell, CBN Newsat the Yamina headquarters
near Tel Aviv.
- Interesting king maker you know,
if he'd sided with theNetanyahu a long time ago,
Likud would've been,
they wouldn't have hadall these extra elections
but he didn't want to do it.
So we'll see what happens but I tell you,
they're our strongestally in the Middle East,
they're a bastion againstthe terror that's there
and the, I just want things to settle down
in Israel as fast as they can,
because these are our dear dear friends.
Well in another news,
the Biden administration won'tcall this crisis what it is,
a crisis.
Immigrants are floodingour Southern border,
and officials are taking thousandsof children into custody.
What are they going to do with them?
John Jessup has more.
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- Than is right Pat,
a fresh surge of migrantson the Southern border
is overtaxing the system especially
increasing numbers ofchildren now in custody.
More than 3,200 minorsare in holding facilities
most of them detained in justthe last couple of weeks.
This week, officialsare expected to announce
nearly 100,000 detentions at the border
in the month of February.
This as a flood of migrants
are moving North from Central America
in hopes that President Biden's policies
will make it easier to enter the country.
For some, the journey to the United States
stretches all the way to South America
where migrants from other countries
are big business forthieves and smugglers.
CBN contributor Chuck Holton
is tracking the most dangerouspart of their journey
as they move from a Colombian port city
into the jungles of Panama.
(light whoosh)
- [Chuck] Hundreds ofmigrants arrive every day,
already exhausted from their journey.
Many with small children in tow.
Many left their home countries years ago,
looking for a better life
but now they believe it'stime to try their luck
at getting to the United States.
The northward flow has allbut stopped since last March
when the pandemic hit,
and most countries in Latin America
still have COVID restrictions in place,
but with a new American administration,
widely seen as welcoming all comers,
the pressure to fill the human pipeline
has become too great
and a pent up surge ofhumanity is now again
looking to make it to America's shores.
Most migrants who joinedthe well-publicized caravan
start from Central America,
but the pipeline startsmuch further south.
People are coming fromall across the globe,
ostensibly fleeingviolence and oppression,
but they often pass through a dozen or so
non-violent countries on theirway to the United States,
like this Sikh man from India.
- India to Amsterdam,Amsterdam to Suriname,
Suriname to bypass Brazil,
Peru, Ecuador, Ecuador to Colombia.
- [Chuck] In this group we found migrants
from Turkey, Nepal, India, and Africa
though the biggest number were from Haiti.
That will require trekkingthrough the forbidding Darien Gap
between Columbia and Panama.
I spent two days trying to catch up
with some of these migrants
as they traverse this very dangerous area
without much success.
I've been walking the Darien Gap trail now
for over an hour up and down these hills,
it's incredibly hot,
I feel like I've beenstanding in a warm shower.
It's just kind of hard to evendescribe how miserable it is
and I'm unencumbered.
Imagine being out herewith a baby or pregnant,
or even in a wheelchair,
I've seen all three of those things
with the migrants in the last 24 hours,
they're actually doing that
and it's because they have no idea
the smugglers that bring themthrough here, lie to them
about how long this isand how difficult this is
and that's why many of themend up dying along the way.
I found this smuggler,but he refused to take me
to where the migrants were in the jungle.
He said, they're well cared for.
(speaking in a foreign language)
- They're privileged and wenever treated them badly.
It's only four days tothe camps in Panama.
- After two days of searching,
I finally found the right place,
but then I was immediatelysurrounded by angry smugglers.
These migrants arestarting their hike now,
but the smugglers are tellingme I can't go any further.
They're telling me Ican't go any further here
and telling me I got to leave,
they don't want me filming this,
they obviously don't wantthis story coming out.
(indistinct chatter)
(speaking in a foreign language)
As the threats became more intense,
it was clearly time to leave.
So I caught a ride with ateenager on a motorbike,
and that's when Irealized why the smugglers
don't want this story to get out.
More than 10,000 migrants will likely
pass through this tiny village this year.
It's big business,
which is why all the guides
tend to have a brand new motorcycle.
From Capurgana, Colombia, I'mChuck Holton, for CBN News.
- An important and revealing report, Pat.
- Thank you, you know
Biden has acted like it's not a crisis,
it is an incredible crisis that they,
were not hesitant to blamethe Trump administration,
but this is horrible.
Ladies and gentlemen,it's a humanitarian crisis
and it's because Biden hasacted as if you are welcome here
you know, and as NancyPelosi was joking about open,
instead of open Sesameopen Biden and oh boy,
this country is wide open
and they think that there'san invitation to come here
and you're gonna have a better life
or you're suffering down in Honduras,
you can't make ends meetthis poverty down there
come to America there'splenty of work and jobs
and don't worry about COVID,
we'll take you in however you are,
it's horrible andsomething's gotta be done
and Biden's got to say, no more.
He's got to let those people know
they cannot come to this country.
But instead of that,
they're making moreand more migrant camps,
they used to complain aboutTrump having these cells
and putting familiesinto jails and so forth
and the Biden administrationis vastly worse,
but it is a humanitarian crisisthat's got to be dealt with
and they won't do it,
you've got to face the problemand if they don't do it,
there's going to be, well
terrible consequences forthis nation and for others.
We cannot accommodatethousands and thousands
and millions of people comingfrom other poor countries.
You just can't do it,no nation can do that.
We've got to protect ourborders and if you don't do it,
you have chaos, there are not enough jobs,
there's not enough food,there's not enough medical care
to take care of all of our citizens,
but that's what's happening
and there's some that think,
well, the wealthy people like it
because they can get cheap labor.
That's not the way thegame is played, John.
- Pat turning to the health crisis
that's shaken the nationnow for the past year,
President Biden will deliver
a prime-time address Thursday night
one year to the day sincethe nationwide shutdown.
The pandemic claiming now
more than 525,000 lives in that time,
this as the CDC currently says,
people who've received both shots
can now visit with eachother in their homes
without masks or social distancing.
They can also get together
with those who are consideredlow risk for example,
grandparents visiting healthy children.
In another positive developmentscientists are hailing
a COVID-19 pill as theHoly grail of the pandemic.
Molnupiravir works like Tamiflufor people with the flu,
designed to stop thevirus from replicating
more research though is needed
as the drug has only beentested on about 200 people,
and Pat we've witnessedsome pretty amazing
medical and scientific breakthroughs.
- It is nothing short of a medical miracle
that we got the shots this fast
and I really think that Johnson & Johnson
deal with one shot isthe answer if possible,
but if they've developeda pill it's even better,
but I just cannotemphasize strongly enough
how deadly this COVID virusis, what it does to your brain
what it does to your lungs,
what it does to the rest of the anatomy
and wherever you are if youcan possibly get that vaccine,
I would recommend that you do it
and then not be afraid of it.