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- Hello, everyone, thankyou so much for joining us

for CBN Newswatch, I'm George Thomas.

50 days into his presidency,

Mr. Biden delivered hisfirst prime time address.

While the president urged Americans

not to let down their guardin the fight against COVID-19,

he set a July 4th goal for Americans

to again be able to gather.

Reaction to the speech,as divided as our nation.

Caitlin Burke has the story.

- Speaking to the nationexactly one year to the day

since the declaration ofa nationwide lockdown,

President Biden told Americans

that he feels their pain and frustration.

- We all lost something,a collective suffering,

a collective sacrifice.

A year filled with the loss of life

and the loss of living for all of us.

- [Caitlin] He promised some hope.

We'll have enough vaccine supply

for all adults in Americaby the end of May.

- [Caitlin] And raisedthe prospect of being able

to gather together by the 4th of July.

- Where we not only mark ourindependence as a nation,

but we begin to mark ourindependence from this virus.

- [Caitlin] Biden alsotook a couple of shots

at the Trump administration'searly response to the virus.

- We were hit with a virusthat was met with silence

and spread unchecked, denialsfor days, weeks, then months.

- [Caitlin] Reaction to thespeech has been divided.

On Facebook, FranklinGraham called it positive,

but added that he wishedBiden had acknowledged

the work done by the Trump team that led

to the vaccines in the first place.

Jennifer Granholm, the newEnergy Secretary tweeted out,

"Independence Day takeson a whole new meaning.

Talk about freedom!"

But conservative punditKatie Pavlich pointed

to government-issued guidelines

and the suggestions of whenand how people could gather,

saying, "Biden isn't a moderate,

he's a big government tyrant."

- In the coming weeks, wewill issue further guidance

on what you can and cannotdo once fully vaccinated.

- Biden's address came only a day

after he signed the massive$1.9 trillion COVID relief bill,

legislation thatRepublicans argue is stuffed

with left wing spending thathas nothing to do with COVID.

Caitlin Burke, CBN News.

- Thanks, Caitlin.

Ken Blackwell with theFamily Research Council

joins me now with more.

Welcome, Ken.

First of all, your thoughts on the speech.

- Look, I think he could havefocused a little bit more

on bi-partisan sharing and what has been

a remarkable response by theprivate and public sectors

in getting the vaccine into people's arms.

The Trump administration was ridiculed

when it talked about Operation Warp Speed

and getting this to market as soon as

he was predicting that wewould get it to market.

And he, in fact, met that goal.

Anyway, look, this $1.9 trillion,

only a small portion of itgoes towards making sure

that we are safe andshots are in people's,

vaccines are in people's arms.

A lot of it covered for failedfiscal policies of states

and localities that shouldn't be rewarded

for those mistakes withmore national debt.

It was just unseemly that he in fact

tried to sell this as a COVID 19 response

when it was in large measure cover

for big government failure.

- The president took a lot of heat

that it took 50 days for himto come before the public

to hold a news conference.

Can you talk about, didlast night's address

quiet some of those criticisms?

- I doubt it.

He needs to sort of stand in the well

and take sharp questionsfrom a curious media.

I would hope that the media is curious

and has tough questions for him

and that they didn't runout of tough questions

when President Trump left office.

We have plenty to be concerned about.

One, this $1.9 trillionpackage added substantially

to the federal debt.

He has to answer questions,who's picking up that debt?

How much of that debt is China picking up?

What is the nationalsecurity threat to China,

picking up a debt that is just covering

for bad fiscal policy?

Look, we need to get oureconomy open and growing again.

And we need to appreciatethat one of the things

that the Trump administrationdid was it took

$3 trillion that was parked off shore,

got it back into our economy.

That put Americans back to work.

This $1.9 trillion packageputs us in a situation

where we expand musculargovernment in our lives.

And we all know thatthere's a relationship

between the organized power of government,

or the state, and individual liberty.

When government gets big,bloated, and bureaucratic,

our liberty is at risk,and that is what he needs

to stand in the well and answer questions

from a curious media and a public

that wants answers toour real independence.

(audio garbled) its own government,

we, in fact, optimize individual liberty.

- And real quickly, to that very point,

"The Wall Street Journal" this week,

the editorial page talkingabout this 1.9 trillion

relief bill as creating sortof a COVID welfare state.

They went on to say that thisis basically a way station

on the Democrat's high-speed train

to a cradle-to-gravewelfare entitlement state.

Is that what you see unfolding here?

- Absolutely, you can't sayit any clearer than that.

That what they moved towardswas an accelerated growth

in the political muscleof a big welfare state.

And when you couplethat with a Senate bill,

House bill, one, you're talking about

a one-party controlled system,which is really similar

to totalitarian and authoritarianregimes across the globe.

- Okay, we'll have to leave it there.

Mr. Blackwell, thank you so much

for coming on the broadcast.

Stay safe, have a great weekend, okay?

- God bless.- God bless you, too.

In other news, folks, blackand Hispanic Americans

experienced higher joband income loss compared

to white Americans during the pandemic.

The "Associated Press" and the NORC Center

for Public Affairs conducted the research,

and here's what they found.

62% of Hispanics lostjobs, had cuts in pay

and hours or unpaid leave.

54% of black Americanshad a similar experience.

In comparison, WhiteAmericans only saw a 45% loss.

President Biden signedthe American rescue plan,

and now many Americans willstart receiving relief money

of up to $1,400 per individual.

For those with directdeposit, you can expect

to see that money put into your account

as early as this weekend.

If you do not have direct deposit,

then expect your checks to bemailed in the coming weeks.

President Biden saysthat the rescue plan is

about rebuilding thebackbone of this country

and giving people in thisnation a fighting chance.

Coming up, we take a look at the life

and legacy of the lateevangelist Luis Palau.

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- Welcome back to the broadcast.

Evangelist Luis Palauis home with the Lord.

He passed away early morning Thursday,

in Portland, Oregon at the age of 86.

My colleague, CBN News AnchorJohn Jessup, gives us a look

at Palau's love for God and for people.

- Hey, hello there, this is Luis Palau.

(speaking Spanish)

- [John] Caring, charismatic,and even comedic.

- Brilliant, huh?

I thought of it myself, you know?

(audience laughs)

- [John] Luis Palau connected with people.

Raised Catholic andinfluenced by missionaries

to his home country of Argentina,

a young Luis took on therole of supporting his family

when his father died.

In his early 20's, at his mother's urging,

he went to America tostudy at a Bible college,

where he met his wifePat and eventually worked

with Billy Graham, forminga lifelong friendship

that led Palau to hold hisown large-scale crusades

in Latin America and beyond.

From Colombia to the former Soviet Union

up to his final tour in Spain,

the Palau organizationestimates he shared the gospel

with a billion people across 75 countries.

- (speaking Spanish)

- [John] Palau also helped to train

and mentor thousandsof the next generations

of Christian evangelists.

His reach amplified on radio, internet,

and TV from his home base in Portland.

- I want you to know thatthis, as the ad said,

is more than just a talk show.

- [John] Diagnosed with stagefour lung cancer in late 2017,

Palau remained active in his final years,

publishing a memoir whileundergoing chemotherapy...

- This is Luis Palau.

- [John] And permitting hislife story to be portrayed

in a 2019 film that bears his name.

- Don't look at me, I'm a bad example.

But look at Jesus Christ, He is the best.

- [John] His commitment toshare the love of Christ,

along with his humble past, helped Palau

to reach world leadersas well as those living

on the margins.

Another source of his passionfor people, his own family.

Palau telling CBN News after his diagnosis

that he was prepared for eternity,

although pained to leave his loved ones.

- I'm not begging to be healed,

because I don't know God's purposes.

And I trust Him entirely.

And the only sad thing isleaving my wife and my kids

and the team and a few ofmy best friends, you know.

That's the only thing, butreally I'm ready to go.

I have the peace of the Lord.

- [John] Palau outlived thedoctor's initial prognosis

by more than two years.

- Heavenly Father.

- [John] Defying theodds with a life devoted

to serving the kingdom to the very end.

He leaves behind his wife of 60 years,

four sons, and their families.

- I say, I hope my boyswill put on my burial tomb,

"My father wasn't perfect, buthe sure loved Jesus Christ."

Something like that.

Hey, I'm gonna say it, I'llsee you in heaven, alright?

Bye, bye.

- [John] Palau was 86 years old.

- Palau's influence andministry spanned the globe.

CBN's Wendy Griffith spokewith Reverend Samuel Rodriguez

with the National HispanicChristian Leadership Conference

for a closer look at theevangelist's spiritual legacy.

- What made Luis Palau soeffective as an evangelist?

- His integrity, hishumility, his sense of humor,

that your story just referenced,

his unbridled commitment tothe centrality of Christ.

Luis Palau was unique.

He became the bridge betweenglobal evangelicalism

and preaching and the Americanpopulace, for example.

So he became probably the most prominent,

recognized Latino evangelist

within the American Christian world.

So he leaves behind a legacy that cannot

and will not be denied.

- [Wendy] Amen, what can youtell us about him personally?

- I had the privilege of, he did a number

of events in California,and I had the privilege,

my wife and I actually, hadthe privilege of just meeting

with him and interactingand eating with him.

One of the funniest people I've ever met.

His sense of humor was just brilliant.

And his commitment, histrue, authentic humility.

There was no divawhatsoever in him at all.

He loved Jesus, and everythingyou saw was authentic.

It was transparent.

His commitment to seeing everyone saved.

He would treat everyone the same,

from the production team to those

that were not Christians settingup the stage in Sacramento,

to those that were Christfollowers and pastors.

Again, if there's someoneI have met in the world

who I have stated thatperson reflects Jesus,

it's Luis Palau.

- Wow.

He trained and discipledso many evangelists.

What would he tell thisgeneration of preachers?

- Don't water down thegospel, and keep it simple.

Keep it simple, don't make it complicated.

It's Christ crucified, resurrected,

coming back again.

The simple message of the gospel of Jesus.

Don't compromise it, don't water it down.

Don't make it complicated.

It still works.

- Reverend Rodriguez, is it possible

for his baton to be passed to any one man?

- No, no, no, just like Billy Graham.

Luis Palau is for the Latinoworld, he's our Billy Graham.

So no, no, it's impossible.

It would take an entiregeneration of spiritual sons

and daughters to run with the baton.

It's impossible.

He's one of a kind, and God bless him,

he's in heaven now, but it'sgonna take my generation

and my children's generation,a bunch of us together,

to run with that baton,that legacy of faith

and commitment to our Lordand Savior Jesus Christ.

- What was it like tobe on stage with him?

I know you were with himduring many of his events

and preached alongside of him.

- Amazing, humbling.

Again, this is the legend, and I say this,

you know, my heart is grieved.

At the same time, I'm celebrating

just thinking of hishumor and of his grace.

Just an amazing, humbling,honoring experience.

Because again, he paved the way

for many of us to deliver the gospel.

As I'm speaking to youright now, I'm in Panama

in a conference, and Iwouldn't be here right now

if not for the initialsteps that Luis Palau took.

So he had very strong, prophetic courage.

I want to remind the audience,he did something amazing.

He's from Argentina, hemastered the English vernacular.

He was able to build that bridge

with the non-Spanish speaking world.

And we need to continueto build upon that legacy

and that foundation indeed.

- Wow, alright, beautiful insight.

Thank you so much, Samuel Rodriguez.

We appreciate it, God bless.

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- Welcome back to the broadcast.

Murder, forced sterilization,and concentration camps.

China's governmentreportedly is using these

and many other brutaltactics against millions

of Muslims known as Uighurs.

China's top leaders,including the president,

now facing accusations ofgenocide against their own people.

Take a look.

The authors of a newreport say they have proof

that Beijing is intent on destroying

China's Muslim Uighur population as part

of a broader campaign to unify the country

under one ethnic identity.

- The evidence is overwhelmingthat China is clearly

in breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

- [George] That evidence included public

and leaked Chinese state documents,

testimony from more than10,000 eye witnesses,

and satellite images.

(lively music and rhythmic clapping)

The overall conclusion, it all points

to President Xi Jinping's brutal goal

to meld the countries55 ethnic minorities,

including Uighurs, intoChina's Han culture.

Han Chinese account for morethan 90% of the population.

- You know, he himselfis less of a Communist

and more of a Han Nationalist.

He is in the process of sinification

of the entire country, andit's not just the Uighurs

that are Muslims.

They are the most prominentones, but there's actually

other minorities, too.

There's Kazakhs, there'sUzbeks, et cetera.

And even actually Christian minorities.

They have a process ofbulldozing down churches.

- [George] Seven years after President Xi

told authorities toshow absolutely no mercy

to the Uighurs, as manyas two million of them

are now locked up in concentration camps

spread across China's Xinjiang Province.

There, they endure torture, rape,

forced sterilization, slave labor,

and are stripped of their Muslim faith

and told to embrace Communist ideology.

- The Chinese Communist propagandists

call this reeducation camps orvocational training centers.

They must think we're idiots.

- [George] Some half amillion Uighur children

have been removed from their parents,

placed in state-runorphanages and brainwashed.

- Forced labor andcentralized care of children

so often effectively inhibitthe intergenerational

transmission of culture,religion, and language

by reducing joinedfamily times and instead

drastically increasing parents'and children's exposure

to secular governmentteaching and training.

- [George] The government is reportedly

sending Han Chinese men tosleep with Muslim Uighur women

while their husbands are in prison

or shipped against their willto far off towns and cities,

all in an effort to promote ethnic unity.

- Han Chinese are actually being moved

from other parts of China into Xinjiang,

and they are encouraged toin many cases forcibly marry

Uighur women to essentiallydilute their identity

through their offspring.

So this is a very calculatedand thought-out process

from the state apparatus in China.

- [George] China has repeatedly denied

its ethnic policies amount to genocide.

- [Translator] The claimthat there is genocide

in Xinjiang could notbe more preposterous.

It's just a rumor fabricatedwith ulterior motives

and a total lie.

- [George] Meanwhile,dozens of U.S. companies

like Nike, Coca Cola,Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger,

and others are facing renewed pressure

to stop using Uighur workersto produce their goods

in Xinjiang Province factories.

The United StatesCommission on International

Religious Freedom accusedthese companies of complicity,

fueling Uighur persecution.

- Because if corporateAmerica won't take action,

consumers need to and stop doing business

with companies like Nike and Coca Cola

and others who benefitfrom forced labor in China.

- [George] Secretaryof State Antony Blinken

will meet top Chineseofficials in Alaska next week.

He is expected to bring upBeijing's actions in Xinjiang.

- If China claims thatthere is nothing going on,

let it give access to theinternational community,

to the United Nations.

If they have nothingto hide, show it to us.

Show the world.

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- Welcome back to the broadcast.

March Madness begins next week,

but safety protocol isstill being worked out.

For months the NCAA hasbeen laying out the plan

to ensure the tournament will go off

in a somewhat normal looking fashion.

CBN Sports Reporter, Director as well,

Shawn Brown joins us now to discuss

what will look the same andwhat will look different.

So Shawn, what's thebiggest change players

and fans will notice next week?

- Well, you mean besidesDuke and possibly Kentucky

not advancing into the tournament.

I usually have them atthe top of my bracket.

But besides that, I shared last week

how the tournament,the entire tournament's

gonna be played in Indianapolisand different stadiums

in the Indianapolis area,including Lucas Oil,

where the Colts play, as wellas Bankers Life Fieldhouse,

where the Pacers and the Fever play.

In addition to that, ofcourse, players will be tested,

players and coaches willbe tested consistently

and regularly to make surethat they test negative.

But what's interesting is thatplayers will wear a device

that will track theirlocation so that teams

can monitor who they'vebeen in contact with

in the event that one ofthe players tests positive.

And that is extremely important,

impressive, might Iadd, because if a player

does test positive,they can see immediately

who they've been in contact with

and potentially stop the spread

should a player test positive.

So that's the biggest change.

- So what happens if a team,

the entire team is struckby the virus, what happens?

- Well, the committee voteda couple of nights ago

and they said that if ateam, as long as the team

has five players that testnegative, they can compete.

So if one player, twoplayers test positive,

as long as they have fiveplayers on their roster

that can play, excuseme, that test negative,

they can compete.

And so that's the biggestchange in terms of,

a few weeks ago they said ifany player tests positive,

then it's over for that particular team.

Duke decided to pull out themselves

because possibly a player tested positive.

But that's the new rule.

As long as they gotfive, they can compete.

- What factors, I'm curious, are going

into deciding which teamswill play in the tournament?

- Well, that hasn't changed.

That's one of the things that's the same.

Depending on how they play

in their conferencechampionships, obviously.

Duke started getting a lot better.

They optioned to be out.

Kentucky, they lost to Mississippi State.

And so that's a big factor in determining

whether or not they're going to advance.

So that process hasn't changed.

The committee will voteon Sunday to determine

who the 68 teams will be advancing

into the NCAA tournament.

- All right, that's it, folks, goodbye.