- [Jenna] Tonight, theSupreme Court issues decisions

in two blockbuster cases.

What they mean for religious freedom

and the future of Obamacare, plus...

- Who's unemployed,who's looking for a job.

- [Jenna] The latest on unemployment

and growing inflation in America.

And QAnon unmasked.

- [Karl] It reminds me moreof PSYOPs and propaganda.

- [Jenna] Its conspiracytheories have been debunked,

so why are so manyChristians still fooled?

All this and more tonighton "Faith Nation."

(upbeat music)

- A win for religiousliberty at the Supreme Court.

Good evening, I'm Jenna Browder.

The high court ruling today,

a Catholic foster careagency in Philadelphia

does not have to violate their beliefs

and hand children over tosame-sex married couples.

A senior Washingtoncorrespondent, Jennifer Wishon,

has more on this landmark case.

- This is a question that'sbeen lurking under the surface

since gay marriage becamethe law of the land in 2015.

In this case, the city of Philadelphia

prevented a Catholic foster care agency

from placing childrenbecause it doesn't consider

same-sex couples, andthe Supreme Court ruled

that's unconstitutional.

It was a unanimous decision

with Chief Justice JohnRoberts writing the opinion.

"The refusal of Philadelphia to contract

with CSS for the provisionof foster care services

unless it agrees tocertify same-sex couples

as foster parents can notsurvive strict scrutiny

and violates the First Amendment."

- This is a really landmarkcase for religious liberty.

It's about the power of the government.

Whether the governmentcan force you to change

what you believe when you're trying to be

a part of the solution,when you're trying to

identify a social ill and really be there

to make a difference.

- [Jennifer] Child welfareadvocates say at its core,

Philadelphia's restrictions hurt children.

I was praying, "God, please.

Please give a win for the children."

This is a win for the children.

- [Jennifer] The city ofbrotherly love was established

by William Penn as a havenfor oppressed Christians

seeking religious freedom.

But in this case, the citytargeted a Catholic organization.

- It was clear from thefactual record that the city

had it out for Catholic Social Services

because of their viewson same-sex marriage.

In fact, multiple justices themselves,

during oral argument,referenced the fact that

they were essentially itching for a fight.

- [Jennifer] And while critics argue

this opinion hurts gay couples.

- I feel sad about it becauseit still creates a situation

where that feels archaic in 2021,

where qualified LGBTQcouples can't contract

with a government-fundedfoster care agency.

- [Jenna] Chief JusticeRoberts points out,

no same-sex couple hasever sought certification

from Catholic Social Services.

And if it did, could bedirected to one of more than

20 other agencies in thecity that would assist them.

Some wish the court had addressed this

and other related issues, butstill consider it a major win.

- This could have been abroader ruling than what we got,

but at the same time,we should be celebrating

the ruling that we did get.

- And celebrate they are.

It is important to notethat this decision applies

only to the city of Philadelphia.

Jennifer Wishon, CBN News.

- Thank you, Jennifer, andjoining us now is Brad Jacobs,

an associate dean at Regent University.

Brad, thank you for joining us.

It's great to have you.

So every justice ruled in favor

of this Catholic foster care agency.

Brad, why was it a unanimous decision?

- Well, it was aunanimous decision because

it's a very narrow decision.

A great victory forCatholic Social Services,

but many of us were hopingthat this would be an occasion

for the court to revisit theoverall free exercise clause,

which they really limited back in 1990.

They redefined it to takeaway most of the protection.

And today, the court wasable to find a victory

for Catholic SocialServices without dealing

with the bigger question ofwhether their whole approach

to free exercise is off-base.

- To date, no gay couple hasattempted to foster a child

from this agency as Jennifer pointed out.

Do you think there wouldhave been a different outcome

in this case if even oneinstance of a gay couple

attempting to foster achild had been turned down?

- No, you can always findthe people who are just

looking to make trouble,just looking to shut down

those who disagree with them.

Masterpiece Cakeshop a couple of years ago

out in Colorado, dozensand dozens of bakers

who would make a cakefor a same-sex marriage,

they find the one whohas a religious objection

and go there and say, "We want our cake."

The same thing could happen here.

But the point is, no same-sex couple

is going to ever be deniedthe ability to foster

in Philadelphia because of this ruling.

This really is a win for everybody.

The same-sex couples canstill do what they want,

but Catholic Social Servicesisn't forced to be a part

of something that violatestheir convictions.

- Now in a broader sense, whatdoes it mean for gay couples

even outside of Philadelphiawho want to foster children?

- Well, the problem withthis particular law was that

it said there could be exceptions

to the non-discrimination rule

if some government bureaucrat decided

there ought to be an exception.

And that was enough forthe Supreme Court to say,

you've got to allow a religious exception

if you leave the possibilityopen of other exceptions.

Other places are gonnawrite probably smarter laws.

They're gonna say no sexualorientation discrimination.

No exceptions, no loopholes.

And such a case will probably end up

back in the Supreme Court andmay actually force the court

to consider whether its 1990ruling is correct or wrong.

Today, they could avoid that question,

but long-term, this battle continues.

The LGBT side is anxious to stop people

from disagreeing withtheir worldview about

what's moral and what isn't.

- What does it mean forthe lower courts, Brad?

Does this set a precedent for them?

- Not very much of aprecedent, because again,

this is a very fact-specific case.

You've got this weird statute that says

a government bureaucrat cangive exemptions to the law.

And that was the reason why theCatholic Social Services won

just as in Masterpiece Cakeshop.

You had a state agencythat basically trashed

Jack Phillips' religion and thecourt sent it back and said,

"No, you can't do that.

You're hostile towards religion

to an extent what you'redoing is giving a roadmap

for them to do it right the next time."

- Okay. Brad Jacobswith Regent University,

Thank you for joining us.

We appreciate your time.

- My pleasure.

- Meanwhile, the Supreme Courtruled on another case today

keeping Obamacare alive.

The court dismissing a challenge

to the Affordable Healthcare Act,

ruling in a seven-to-two decision

that Texas and 17 other states

plus two individuals lacked the standing

to challenge the law's constitutionality.

The justices ruling thatbecause they do not demonstrate

any past or future harm,these states and individuals

were not in a positionto bring their claims.

It's welcome news for the White House.

President Biden in astatement calling the decision

a victory for more than 130 Americans

with preexisting conditions.

This is the third case of its kind

to make it to the Supreme Court.

Each time, the justices haveruled to keep Obamacare intact.

To the economy, the number of Americans

applying for unemployment is up.

New numbers from the labor department show

412,000 new applications last week.

That's up from 37,000,up about 37,000 rather,

from the previous week,and the first uptick

in about two months.

Another 118,000self-employed or gig workers

are seeking government help.

In total, nearly 15 millionpeople are utilizing

some sort of jobless benefit.

Tonight, there are growingconcerns over inflation, too.

A new pullout finds amajority of Americans think

President Biden's bigticket spending plans

would lead to high inflation.

According to the MonmouthUniversity survey,

71% were concerned the USwould see greater inflation.

47% of those were very concerned.

Republicans were the most worried.

93% expressing unease with Biden's plan

leading to more inflation.

Only 55% of Democrats felt the same way.

And joining us now, MarkHamrick, Washington Bureau Chief

and Senior EconomicAnalyst at bankrate.com.

Mark, welcome.

Good to have you.

Let's start right there with inflation.

The Federal Reserve said yesterday

it expects inflation tohit around 3.4% this year.

With the inflation reportswe've had recently,

does that seem too lowto you or about right?

- Well, the Federal Reserveis hard to argue with.

They've got a lot of PhDson their staff collectively

on the Federal ReserveBoard and at the various

regional banks across the country,

but I think it's importantalso to know what

Chairman Jerome Powell saidduring his news conference.

A lot of humility to these forecasts,

because think about howthe last year has gone

and how difficult to forecastwhere we would be by now.

The good news is, theeconomy has healed a lot.

But to your question specifically,

the expectation is thatmost of this will be passing

because some of the thingsthat are contributing

or many of the thingsthat are contributing

to rising prices rightnow have really been

bouncebacks from last year.

We think about hotel roomprices, airline fares,

used car prices, and gasolinehas been part of that.

But it's really beenbouncing back from low levels

a year ago and then less socompared to two years ago

before the pandemic.

- Many analysts, Mark, think the economy

is looking so strong, theFed will have to start

raising interest ratessooner than they expected.

What do you think about that?

- Well, the Fed itself is saying that

the timeline on that isprobably being brought forward,

but it's really saying that

it probably won't happen until 2023.

If I had to say where therisk is in that forecast,

I would say that it willhappen sooner than that,

but we're just gonna haveto see how things unfold.

But Chairman Powell and his colleagues

have a fairly high degree of confidence

that inflation will not be a persistent

and more damaging problem thanwhat we're seeing right now.

And indeed, many of thosepressures will essentially

go back in their cavebetween now and, let's say,

this time next year.

- We'd mentioned the unemployment numbers.

When it does come to unemployment,

when we last talked, wediscussed the importance

of the 400,000 application number.

Last week, we were belowthat, which is a good sign.

And now we're back above that.

Mark, will this country justbe ebbing and flowing around

that number for a while now?

- I don't think so, Jenna.

I think that we have reasonto be upbeat on the outlook

because this is actually thefirst increase in seven weeks.

The other part of that isby the end of September.

Programs will expire,and so that means that

many of the people who have had extended

and heightened unemploymentbenefits will essentially

no longer be eligible for those.

Question is, will theyre-enter the workforce

and be absorbed back into employment.

That's the hope.

And I know a number of employerswould like to have them

available to hire as well.

- All right, Mark Hamrick with Bankrate.

Thanks, Mark. Have a great night.

- Always a pleasure. Thank you.

- [Jenna] And comingup, a voting rights bill

that could change the futureof American elections.

Why some say it goes too far.

(lighthearted music)

- [Narrator] 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.

- [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.

- Woohoo!

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" episodesthat you can watch for free.

Oh, no.

There's trivia, a fun daily devotional,

and answers to your Bible questions.

Plus, an easy to understand Bible

the whole family will enjoy.

You can even create yourown "Superbook" character.

Ta-da!

Whoa!

Sorry, sorry.

Pardon me.

Sorry, excuse me.

Ouch.

- [Reporter] Are you getting this?

- Earn super points towin daily prizes, too.

And so much more!

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.

- Welcome back.

Overhauling how Americavotes became a top priority

when Democrats gainedcontrol of the Senate,

so much so that Senate Bill 1 became

the election reform measureknown as the For the People Act.

As the upper chamber gears upnow to vote on the measure,

all eyes are on Senator Joe Manchin

and the changes he wants to seebefore he can back the bill.

A CBN News Capitol Hillcorrespondent Abigail Robertson

joins us now for more.

Abigail, do Democrats believethey still can get this done?

- Well, Jenna, a few weeksago, it did not look likely

that this bill was goinganywhere in the Senate.

But now, Senator Manchin sayshe's open to voting for it

if a few of his demands are met.

But he'd like to seesome GOP support, too.

- We have to get it done.

It's very important.

It will be voted on.

- [Abigail] With the filibuster in tact,

Majority Leader ChuckSchumer needs 50 Democrat

and 10 Republican votes to send it

to President Biden's desk.

- And we're working aswe speak with others,

including Senator Manchin,

to see if we can get abig strong bill passed.

- [Abigail] Republicans strongly opposed

the House-passed bill.

- The mother of all powergrabs is going to fail.

This has got nothing todo with improving voting.

It has everything to do with locking in

perpetual power by the left.

- [Abigail] The currentbill expands mail-in voting,

allows same-day voter registration,

outlaws voter ID requirements,

creates a non-partisan process for drawing

congressional districts, and establishes

a federal campaign finance fund.

- Chuck Schumer. heshould like this a lot.

Here's a chance of getting $44 million

in your tax money for his campaign.

That's wrong.

We should never be taking taxpayer dollars

and giving to politiciansto go run attack ads

and win an election.

- [Abigail] In a memo circulatedfrom Manchin's office,

he said he's open to getting on board

if the bill allowslimits to mail-in voting,

uses computer models to drawcongressional districts,

requires voter IDs but allows alternatives

like utility bills, and leaves out

the public financing system for campaigns.

- Equally unacceptable,totally inappropriate.

All Republicans, I think,will oppose that as well.

- [Abigail] Manchin believesfederal voting reform

must be the result of bothDemocrats and Republicans

coming together, buteven with his changes,

Republicans aren't on board.

- When Stacey Abrams immediately endorsed

Senator Manchin's proposal,

it became the Stacey Abrams substitute,

not the Joe Manchin substitute.

- Manchin's also not confidenthis democratic colleagues

will support his changes,including President Biden.

The Senate plans to voteon the bill next week,

though it's unclear rightnow which version of the bill

they'll be considering.

Jenna?

- [Jenna] All right, we will see.

Thank you, Abby.

The internet has become ahotbed of conspiracy theories

leading some Christiansdown the wrong path.

That's next on "Faith Nation."

- When I came to Regent University,

it's like the world opened up.

I felt like I needed to advance my career

and go back to school.

Regent was a perfect fit for me.

The Regent professors are world-class.

You are equipped.

The focus of the faculty ison each individual student

whether it's online or in person,

you've become a part of Regent's family.

You carry with you, not justthe content and the knowledge,

but the confidence to understand

that we can be significant in the world.

- [Narrator] RegentUniversity, follow your path.

- [Reporter] Nigerian Christians

are being slaughtered.- Christians in Iran

are routinely arrested.

- [Reporter] NepaliChristians continue to suffer.

- [Narrator] In timesof trial and affliction,

you need to know the truth.

- One of the fastest growing

Christian populations in the world.

- [Narrator] Join WendyGriffith and George Thomas

for "Christian World News."

- Young people are the oneswho are open to the gospel.

- [Narrator] Powerfulstories of suffering and hope

that affect all Christians.

Saturday night at sixon the CBN News Channel.

- [Announcer] Get "Protect Your Sleep"

and discover how to improvethe quality of your life.

A free DVD or booklet

from the Christian Broadcasting Network.

- If you're not a great sleeper,

you can do things to makeyourself a great sleeper.

If you're already a pretty good sleeper,

you can enhance yoursleep and be even better.

- [Announcer] Five leadingexperts help remove the obstacles

between you and restorative sleep.

- When you don't get arestful night's sleep,

you wake up with anaccumulation of stress.

- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000,

or go to cbn.com to get yourfree DVD or booklet today.

- Everything you do, you do better

with a good night's sleep.

- [Announcer] You'll discoverhow food affects your sleep,

how to put insomnia to rest,explore effective remedies

for sleep apnea, and muchmore in "Protect Your Sleep."

Wake up to your best life and get

"Protect Your Sleep" today.

Call 1-800-700-7000 or go to cbn.com

to get your free DVD or booklet.

- Tonight, a new threat of violence

from members of theconspiracy group, QAnon.

An FBI intelligence reportrecently delivered to Congress

warns if predictions made an online posts

don't actually happen,some QAnon followers

could begin violently targeting Democrats

and political opponents.

The FBI report says, quote,

"We assess that some adherenceof QAnon likely will begin

to believe they can nolonger trust the plan

referenced in QAnon posts andthat they have an obligation

to change from serving as digital soldiers

towards engaging in real world violence."

So what is QAnon and how hasit hoodwinked so many people?

"Faith Nation" anchor,John Jessup, explains.

(suspenseful music)

- [John] From aliens.

- Did you ever see suchjerky looking creatures?

Typical earth men.

- [John] To Area 51.

- Why not just shootKennedy coming up Houston?

- To JFK, 9/11, and thedeath of Jeffrey Epstein,

conspiracy theories abound.

The most recent ones swirlingaround election fraud

and martial law, all courtesyof a source known as QAnon.

This Washington, D.C.restaurant was the subject

of a disproved conspiracyknown as Pizzagate.

Twice targeted most recently in 2019,

set on fire by a man with ahistory of mental illness.

Three years before, an armedgunman from North Carolina

stormed into the building to free kids

from a purported internationalsex ring that supposedly

was operating from the basement.

When he got there, hefound no victimized kids.

No basement, either.

Though now rejected by some who brought it

into the main stream.

- "I want our viewersand listeners to know

that we regret any negativeimpact our commentaries

may have had on Mr.Alefantis, Comet Ping Pong,

or its employees.

We apologize."

- Pizzagate joins acollection of conspiracies

seeking to expose a so-called global ring

of political elites who abuse children.

- [Crowd] Fight forTrump! Fight for Trump!

- [John] And the champion of the cause,

President Donald Trump who,

despite the election, isstill viewed by Q adherents

as a man on a mission, a beliefreinforced on social media

where he's depicted as a superhero,

or as in this video, Moses.

- Who is on freedom'sside? Let them come to me.

- [John] Separating thegodly from the ungodly.

That comparison and QAnon's sprinkling

of scripture and codes have troubled

a growing number of Christian leaders.

- There are probablypeople in just about every

evangelical church who aren'tsure what to think about it.

That's one of the reasons why

I think we need to talk about it.

- I'm Albert Mohler, andthis is "The Briefing."

- [John] In a summerpodcast, Albert Mohler,

president of the SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary,

joined other prominentChristians denouncing QAnon

as it gained a foothold in some churches.

- The mainstream media had failed us.

- [John] Mohler blames a liberal bias

for sending people toquestionable sources.

- But our response to that has to be

even truer than the mainstream media.

It has to be more based in

objective truth and verifiable truth.

- [John] Carl Johnson, aretired Marine Corps pilot

who now leads a Christiandiscipleship program,

says the information Q claims to have

through high-levelgovernment security clearance

would never be shared in the way it has.

- These posts are also interspersed

with Bible verses and things like that,

so it's not just straightletting information out.

It's sounding an alarmand it's actually a bit of

campaigning and reminds memore of PSYOPs and propaganda.

- [John] For Mohler, it allboils down to two issues.

First, credibility.

- We want to speak of the gospel as true.

Not true-ish, but true.

And thus, if we are foundto be communicating things

that turn out not to be truein other arenas of life,

it weakens our witness to bearto the truth of Christianity,

to bear witness to thegospel of Jesus Christ,

the only message that saves.

- [John] He also points to history.

Highlighting a rift in the early church

when some claimed salvationthrough secret wisdom.

Mohler notes the apostleJohn called that heresy.

- He speaks of JesusChrist, who we have seen,

whom we have touched with our hands,

who we have heard in the flesh.

It's public truth, but ifyou have secret knowledge,

that's at the expense ofbiblical Christianity.

- [John] Now filling online message boards

with personal stories of family breakups.

- [Crowd] Christ is king! Christ is king!

- [John] And linked to multiple reports

of vandalism and violence.

Darrell Bock, a professor atDallas Theological Seminary,

warns of other issues atodds with biblical teaching.

- So if I'm making chargesthat are actually false

that deal with someone'sreputation, that's slander.

- [John] Even so, these leaders agree

most who follow QAnonhave the right motivation,

just chose the wrong path.

- We don't wanna villainize or demonize

people who hold these views.

Most of these people arereally, really good people.

There's maybe some realgood political instincts

coupled with a real desire tolive out Christ in this world

and be thoroughly biblicalin everything they do.

And sometimes, when you mixthese elements together,

they don't mesh as neatly as we think.

- I do solemnly swear.

- [John] When it comesto waging the battle

between good and evil, Bocksays believers should take

a page from the early Christian Church.

- The church in the firstcentury had no social power,

no political power, no ideological power,

but what it did have was spiritual power.

And that spiritual powerwas the authenticity

of their lived out faith and the way

they related to those around them.

They did quite well in that period.

I think we could affordto learn some lessons

from the first century church.

- Not an FBI warning, a social media ban,

or even the outcome of the election

has tamped down QAnon's hold,both abroad and here at home.

And though clues from the person or people

behind the conspiracyaren't nearly as frequent,

there's growing chatteramong QAnon followers

waiting and watching to see whether

their convictions will come true.

For followers of Christ, theChristian thought leaders

we talked to say the only place

to securely put theirhope is in Christ alone.

John Jessup, CBN News, Washington.

- [Jenna] Still ahead, a newfederal holiday in America.

You're watching CBN's "Faith Nation."

- [Narrator] Christians around the world

are standing with the Israelis, but why?

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

you'll discover why Christians

are supporting the Jewish state,

how Israel is fulfilling prophecyas a light to the nations,

and ways you can prayfor 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."

(upbeat music)

- 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.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Watch "The Prayer Link."

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

(upbeat music)

♪ And when there's joy, there's action ♪

♪ It's like a great attraction ♪

♪ That starts a chain reaction ♪

♪ Putting on more satisfaction ♪

♪ I love the way this joy makes me move ♪

♪ I got the joy ♪

♪ I dance around because I'm me ♪

♪ Joy, I move around because I got it ♪

♪ Joy ♪

♪ Joy to the whole heart ♪

♪ Joy, I dance around because I'm me ♪

♪ Joy, I move around because I got it ♪

♪ Joy ♪

♪ Joy to the whole heart ♪

♪ Joy ♪

♪ Joy to the whole heart ♪

♪ Joy ♪

- Finally tonight, forthe first time since 1983,

the nation has a new federal holiday.

Today, President Biden signed a bill

establishing Juneteenth as the country's

12th national holiday.

It serves to mark the date slavery ended

in the United States andfalls on June 19th each year.

That's the day union soldiers freed

the last remaining slaves still being held

after the civil war was over.

This week, the House andSenate both approved the move

to make Juneteenth a national holiday,

sending it to the president's desk

for his signature this afternoon.

And we'll celebrate that on Saturday.

Thanks for joining us.

(lighthearted music)