(upbeat music)

- [Jenna] Tonight, guns under fire.

- I don't need to wait anotherminute, let alone an hour

to take common sense stepsthat will save the lives

and the future...- [Jenna] The president

taking executive action on gun control,

in the wake of a spat ofdeadly mass shootings.

- The good news is the Senate is 50/50.

- In a split down the middle Senate,

a moderate Democrat is insistingon Capitol Hill compromise.

Plus, the latest in theDerek Chauvin murder trial

over the death of George Floyd.

And what the new jobs numbersmean for economic recovery

in light of the pandemic.

All this and more tonight on Faith Nation.

(upbeat music)

Gun control stalls on Capitol Hill.

Welcome to Faith Nation,I'm Jenna Browder.

Well despite the stall in Congress,

president Biden is takingaim at gun violence,

with a series of executive actions

including new firearmrestrictions and initiatives.

And that is where we begin tonight.

CBN Senior Washingtoncorrespondent Tara Mergener is here

with the latest, Tara.

- Jenna this is presidentBiden's first big

push on gun control since taking office,

and the white house says,this is just the beginning.

(gun firing)

- Gun violence in thiscountry is an epidemic.

Let me say it again.

Gun violence in thiscountry is an epidemic.

- [Tara] Bypassing Congress,the president announcing

a series of executive orders.

- I asked the AttorneyGeneral and his team

to identify for meimmediate concrete actions

I could take now, without havingto go through the Congress.

- [Tara] The measures whichfollow three mass shootings

in three weeks, thelatest in South Carolina,

among the most aggressivegun policy prescriptions

in a decade, including ajustice department crackdown

on so-called ghost gunsmade with 3D printers.

- Modern guns are not simplycast or forged anymore,

but can also be made ofplastic, printed on a 3D printer

or sold in self-assembly kits.

- [Tara] Biden is also callingfor tightening regulations

on pistol stabilizing braces,

like the one used by theBoulder Colorado shooter

in last month's rampage.

Investing in violenceintervention programs,

a firearms traffickingreport and Red-Flag Laws

allowing courts to temporarily remove guns

from people in crisis.

On Capitol Hill, theSenate Majority Leader

also vowing to overhaulgun laws and pass reforms

requiring stricter background checks.

- It's going to be different.

A Democratic majority inthe Senate is going to act.

I have committed to put legislation

to expand background checkson the floor of the Senate.

- While the house passedits version last month,

Gun control measures face slim chances

in the evenly dividedSenate, where the GOP seems

near unified against mostof Biden's proposals.

- The focus ought to be onidentifying people in advance

who have the capacity and the interest

in carrying out these atrocious attacks.

- Biden has also nominated David Shipman,

a former Bureau of Alcohol,Firearms and Explosives

Special Agent to lead the agency.

Meanwhile, pundits point outBiden's announcement falls

far short of the sweepinggun control agenda

laid out on the campaign trail,

underscoring the limitationsof executive power

to act on guns, Jenna.

All right, Tara, thank you very much.

Well, Democrats hopes to push through

their bold legislative agendawithout any Republican support

appears to be squashed tonight.

West Virginia Senator JoeManchin declaring today

he will not vote to remove orweaken the Senate filibuster.

For more on what this meansfor the Biden administration

here at CBN news CapitolHill correspondent,

Abigail Robertson, Abigail.

- As a key moderateDemocrat, Senator Joe Manchin

is showing his potential as a power broker

by reasserting his position.

He will not support anypermanent change to Senate rules

that would allow just a simple majority

to pass most legislation.

- I am not willing to take away

the involvement of the minority

- [Abigail] In a WashingtonPost op-ed, Manchin stated

there is no circumstancewhere he will support

removing the filibuster, andencouraged his colleagues

"to end these political games,"

and "find common ground"on major policy debate.

- Can you imagine not having to sit down,

or there's no reason for you to sit down

with your colleagues on bothsides and have their input?

- [Abigail] Senate Democratshave floated the idea

of using the BudgetReconciliation Process,

which only requires a simple majority

to pass a few more party line bills,

like president Biden'sInfrastructure Plan.

- But here's what we won't be open to.

We will not be open to doing nothing.

Inaction simply is not an option

- [Abigail] But in a 50/50 split Senate,

Manchin's approval is critical.

- He holds all the power.

- [Abigail] and he'snot currently on board

with the proposed increaseto the corporate tax rate

to pay for the $2 trillionAmerican jobs plan.

- This idea of the 28%.

He's not fond of, thatmeans it'll go down,

to about 25, 24%.

It'll go up the corporate interest rate,

but Manchin has a lot of powerto keep it down a little bit.

- [Abigail] Senate MinorityLeader, Mitch McConnell,

says even if Democrats try this end around

to pass infrastructure, it won't be easy.

- Even a simple majority requires having

all 50 Democrats and thevice-president and the chair,

even under the processyou're talking about.

So with or without those,the Reconciliation Process,

this is a tough sell.

- [Abigail] Adding that sofar Biden has not fulfilled

his campaign promise to unite the country.

- I'm really alarmed.

There's nothing at all moderateabout the administration

so far.

- [Abigail] While Republicans

support improved infrastructure,

they argue Biden's planincludes unrelated things,

like $400 billion forelderly and disabled care.

- The idea of infrastructurehas always evolved

to meet the aspirationsof the American people

and their needs.

And it's evolving again today.

- President Biden saysin the next few weeks,

he will hear from both sideson the Infrastructure Plan.

So far, however, Republicansare not supportive

of what they refer to as a Trojan horse

disguised as infrastructure.

Reporting from Virginia,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.

- Thanks Abby, well to the Southern border

and new numbers outfor the month of March.

The US government reportingit apprehended a record

19,000 migrant children last month,

the most in at least 15 years.

The surge of children and teenagers

traveling without a parentdoubled the number of migrants

from February.

Some 30% of the 172,000 migrantsencountered at the border

were making repeat attempts to cross.

DHS secretary AlejandroMayorkas made his trip to,

his third trip to theUS-Mexico border today,

to meet with officialsto address the crisis.

And here with us now is JuliaManchester political reporter

with The Hill.

Julia, welcome, good to haveyou with us this Thursday.

So Secretary Mayorkas is there right now,

but when do you think we'llsee either The President

or Vice-President go downto the Southern border?

- Well, it's unclear whenwe'll see the president

or vice president, it appearsthat their focus right now,

or at least publicly, is elsewhere.

And we know that vicepresident Kamala Harris

has been appointed toreally oversee the issue

at the border.

So I think we'd likely see her

before the president at the border.

But this is becominga big public relations

crisis for the Bidenadministration right now.

Remember this is a crisisthat Biden and other Democrats

very much hammered theTrump administration for,

this issue of unaccompanied minors

traveling from CentralAmerica into the United States

and the United States essentiallyhaving to deal with them

in these holding facilities.

So, we have yet to reallyhear the administration

refer to this as a crisis,

but clearly there is an issue going on.

- It, you know, we really haven't heard

from the vice president on this,

who's been tasked to head this up.

Julia, do you think thatshe and the administration

are kind of hoping that this blows over?

- You know, I think they'rehoping that it blows over.

And I think, you know,they're probably hoping

to deal with this behind the scenes,

so it goes really underthe radar, you know.

We saw the vice-presidenttoday at the White House

and announcing thesegun control restrictions

that the Biden administration announced.

But you're right, we haven'tseen her speak about this

too publicly recently.

So I think you're goingto probably see them

working behind the scenes and hope that

the new cycle kind ofmoves so fast it eventually

kind of leaves this issue behind.

- The new cycle definitely does move fast,

you and I both know that.

Well on the Senate filibuster Julia,

Senator Joe Manchin says hewill not vote to get rid of it.

You know, I feel like we'veheard him several times

say this, but the issueit keeps coming up,

how much pressure do you thinkSenator Manchin is getting

from others within his party?

- I think he's getting anenormous amount of pressure

within his party.

And it seems that Joe Manchin

is turning into a bit of aspoiler for the democratic party,

and the Biden administrationhoping to really

move more in a progressive direction.

You know, Joe Manchin is seen as valuable

to the Democratic Party becausehe is a Democratic Senator

from a red state.

But with that, comes thefact that he is going to be

more moderate and he is likelyto be able to have a deal

broker between theRepublicans and the Democrats.

And we're seeing thatProgressive's in particular

are frustrated with Joe Manchin.

Whether it's him opposingraising the corporate tax rate

to 20%, or opposing the filibuster.

He is becoming a bit ofa spoiler for the party

in the first couple of weeksof the Biden administration.

- Yeah, and we shouldmention the President's

also nominated SenatorManchin's wife, Gayle Manchin

to the Appalachian Regional Commissioner,

a very prestigious seat seat.

Julia on infrastructure, thereis a lot of back and forth

on what actual infrastructureis and what it includes.

How much sway in in this situation

does Senator Manchin hold.

- I think Senator Manchinholds quite a bit of sway

in this situation.

We've heard him talk aboutinfrastructure and you know,

for a while, for yearsinfrastructure was seen

as one of really the onlybipartisan initiatives

that Republicans and Democrats

could really come together on.

The problem is, you havethe Biden administration

really trying to maybe hittwo birds with one stone

with this infrastructure package

and include other initiativeslike universal pre-k,

universal communitycollege, paid family leave,

things that we wouldn't normally classify

as traditional infrastructure

like rebuilding roads and bridges.

I think Joe Manchinwill likely try to play

a compromising role in this.

- All right JuliaManchester with The Hill,

thank you so much.

It's great to get your insights.

- Thank you.

- [Jenna] All right coming up,

jobless numbers back on the rise.

What that means for economicrecovery post COVID.

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- Welcome back, more testimonytoday in the murder trial

of former Minneapolis policeofficer Derek Chauvin.

On the stand today, a pulmonology doctor

who says he believes George Floyd died

from a low level of oxygen.

Dr. Martin Tobin, a lung andcritical care expert says

the combination of being pinnedface down on the pavement

with his hands cuffed behind him,

made Floyd's breathing tooshallow to take in enough oxygen.

- Bane forces that are going to lead

to the shallow breath are going to be,

that he's turned prone on the street,

that he has the handcuffs inplace combined with the street,

and then that he has a knee on his neck,

and then that he has a kneeon his back and down his side.

All of these four forces

are ultimately going to result

in the low tidal volume,

which gives you the shallowbreaths that we saw here.

- And Tobin, a specialist

at Loyola UniversityMedical School in Chicago,

also noted that the video evidence

shows Chauvin's entireweight was on Floyd's neck.

New jobless numbers fromlast week show an increase

in unemployment claimsfrom the previous week.

The higher than expected claims,

though, they do come aswe see other hopeful signs

of an economic recovery

with continuing jobless claims dropping.

First time unemployment claims

for the week ending onApril 3rd, totaled 744,000,

well above the expected total of 694,000.

That's an increase of 16,000

from the previous week's 728,000.

And here with us now is Mark Hamrick,

Senior Economic Analystand Washington Bureau Chief

at Bankrate.

Mark welcome, good to see you.

Jobless claims up again.

What does all of this meanfor the economic recovery?

- Good to see you, Jenna.

It means that there is stillan uneven path moving forward,

and sometimes sideways and backwards

as we work through this recovery.

Many believe that therecession essentially

ended around January of this year,

and we're now in the 55thweek believe it or not

of historically high unemployment claims.

We had two States, importantStates, New York and California

both with big increaseshere in the latest week.

Those two alone accountedfor 55,000 new claims,

and the total number of individuals

still on some form ofunemployment assistance

is above 18 million.

We had great news last week onthe monthly employment report

that showed us getting theunemployment rate back down

to 6%, and we addedabout a million new jobs

when you included the revised totals

from January to February.

So, let's think about perhaps

choppy waters beneath the surface,

but overall we're making progress.

And I think that probablyis to some degree

where we wanna focus.

- Yeah, that's great news to hear.

Well the Federal Reserve released minutes

from its March meetingand it looks like the Fed

will continue to buy bonds.

Is there any reason toworry about inflation Mark?

- Well, I think we are experiencing

some inflation in the near term.

For example, the price ofwholesale used cars are up

more than 20% over the past year.

We're seeing home prices riseacross much of the country.

Manufacturers areexperiencing supply shortages

for things like computerchips that are needed to build

cars and all the gadgetsthat we like to use,

including our cell phones.

But the Federal Reserve believesthat these price increases

are going to be short-lived,and we hope that they're right.

But you can rest assuredthat the Central Bank

will always keep in mind it's dual mandate

of stable prices alongwith maximum employment.

If it sees signs that prices are rising

more than just in the short term,

that there's a moresustainable increase in prices,

then they'll start talking about

paring back those asset purchases

as a prelude to eventually,

and that's on the long-term right now,

raising interest rates.

- So Mark, even as theeconomy gains speed,

the US trade deficit is at a record high.

What are the implicationshere for tariffs put in place

by the Trump administration?

- Well, first of all, thefunction of this trade deficit

is that the US economy is outperforming

the rest of the world right now.

So our American consumers,fellow American consumers

are buying more than peopleoverseas are essentially

buying on their end of the equation.

This is unfortunatelyone of the consequences

of the US economy performing better

than essentially all ofour trading partners.

It's interesting, I thinkthat the Biden ministration

is taking a go slowapproach with respect to

reviewing the issue of tariffs.

But so far, the economicperformance doesn't seem

to be hindered by that,but we'll see whether

there are any changescoming on the, essentially,

the taxing trade front.

- All right, to bedetermined Mark Hamrick.

Good to have you with us, thanks Mark.

- Thank you.

- [Jenna] And up next, a steepdrop in suicides in 2020.

We have the report next.

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- Well, we've heard alot about mental health

during this pandemic.

But tonight some hopeful news

shows a steep drop in suicides in 2020.

Suicide deaths declinedby 5.6% from 2019 to 2020,

according to early data from the CDC

and the Journal of theAmerican Medical Association.

Close to 45,000 people tragicallydied by suicide last year.

By contrast, COVID-19 was thethird leading cause of death

in 2020, with an estimated 345,000 deaths.

This behind heart disease and cancer.

And here with us now is JacobRich, health policy analyst

at The Reason Foundation,and an associate contributor

at Young Voices.

Jacob, thank you for beingwith us this evening.

You know, I think this reportcomes as a bit of a surprise,

given how tough 2020was for so many people.

How do you account forthis drop in suicides?

- It definitely is a surprise.

Because halfway through the year, the

Substance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administration,

one of the departments under

the Department of Healthand Human Services,

they reported that about25% of young adults

had serious thoughts of suicidal ideation.

And those increases in suicidal ideation

we actually saw across all age groups.

The one thing we must consider though

is that when we look atthese data at the macro level

and the large geographicallevel like the state level,

we really don't see a correlation between

thoughts of suicide andactual suicide rates.

At individual level, it'sdefinitely important,

but not at the geographical level.

So keeping that in mind, wesaw that there was actually

a decrease in suicide eventhough thoughts of suicide

at the geographical level went up.

And my hypothesis onthis is pretty simple.

When we look at States rankedby their suicide rates,

the States that have thelowest population density

such as Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho,

they by far have thehighest suicide rates,

while the denser States likeNew Jersey and New York,

where most people live in New York city,

they had the lowest rates of suicide.

My opinion, looking at themoving data from from USPS

with people moving andchanging their addresses,

I think people moved out of the States

and repopulated the areas thathad very sparse populations,

and actually reduce the riskof suicide in the States

that had the highest riskof suicide previously.

- So it does seem likeyoung people have been

significantly affectedby by COVID, you know,

are there more suicidesamong young people in 2020?

- That's a great question.

And the JAMA report did not cover that.

There was no breakdown of suicide by age.

However, there weresome early released data

from Massachusetts, which were published

in one of JAMA's sisterarticles, I'm sorry,

sister publications, JAMA Network Open.

And they showed that the suicide rate

I think through March, 2020,

the average age of thesuicides from March, 2020

compared to the same periodin 2019 was the same.

So with those early preliminary data,

it doesn't look like the demographics

of who committed suicidechanged that much,

but that's only one state fora limited amount of months.

So we really won't knowuntil the detailed data

are published in December.

- What about unemploymentinsurance enhancements?

Is there evidence that that contributed

to a reduction in suicides?

- Well, it would be hardfor it to contribute

to a reduction, but itcould prevent an increase.

Because after population density,unemployment is the second

most predictive factorin determining a state's

suicide rates.

So, it's not like providingmore insurance would necessarily

lower the suicide rates, but if there was

a potential risk of suicideby people going unemployed,

the Trump administration's intervention,

increasing the amount of payments

and the amounts of money being paid,

certainly softened the conundrums

that come with being unemployed.

It probably prevented the suicide rate

from going to unprecedentedlevels once again.

- All right, Jacob rich, wewill leave it right there.

But we appreciate you taking the time

to talk to us this evening

and help us break down this information.

Thank you.

- Thanks for having me.

- [Jenna] And still ahead, by God's grace,

a special honor for theone and only Dolly Parton.

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are standing with the Israelis, but why?

In CBN's free magazine,"Friends of Israel,"

you'll discover whyChristians are supporting

the Jewish state, how Israelis fulfilling Prophecy

as a light to the nations,and ways you can pray

for the people of Israel.

Israel needs the supportof friends like you.

Call now or go to CBN.comto get your free copy

of "Friends of Israel."

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- 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 schools.

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- [Voiceover] Watch The Prayer Link.

Tuesday morning at 7:30on the CBN News Channel.

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- And finally tonight,there's a lot Dolly Parton

wears on her sleeve, including her faith.

Movieguide's Movies ThatInspire awarded the beloved

country singer andphilanthropist, the Grace Prize

on Easter Sunday for herinspiring performance

in "Dolly Parton'sChristmas On The Square."

(gentle music)

The faith-based musicalreceived a lot of praise

but Parton says, everyaccolade she receives in life

just gives her reason to thank God.

She adds that God's grace hasalways been a part of her life

and she prays for guidance everyday.

Good for her.

Love Dolly Parton.

All right, thank you so muchfor joining us everybody.

Have a great night.

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