- [Announcer] This is CBN Newswatch.

- And thank you so much for joining us

on this Monday, July 19,2021, I'm Efrem Graham.

Ahead today, controversy over COVID,

with critics claiming theWhite House is working

with Facebook to censor freespeech online over the virus.

With crime rising anda crisis on the border,

Republicans are aiming torecapture Congress next year.

It is more than just a classic movie.

We're gonna introduce you toa man who's been searching

for the lost Ark of theCovenant, and he says finding it

will have major prophetic implications.

- If it does exist, we'rereally gonna see it,

hopefully in our lifetime again.

It is a catalyst for the Messiah to come.

- [Efrem] So where does hebelieve the Ark is located?

We'll hear what he has to say coming up.

And we'll meet a coupletouring the United States

to help support some veryhardworking people, pastors.

- Many of them receive nobenefits, no health care,

no retirement, no employee benefits,

and yet they're working50 to 70 hours a week.

- So what can congregationsdo to show their appreciation?

We'll hear some practical tips on

how you can bless your pastor.

All those stories and more are ahead

in today's edition of CBN Newswatch.

We begin this half hour witha controversy over free speech

and online discussions about COVID-19.

Health officials claimthat nearly every state

is seeing increases mainlyfueled by the Delta variant.

But how far should the government go

to get more Americans vaccinated?

Should free speech online be monitored?

Dale Hurd is on this story.

- [Dale] The WhiteHouse is frustrated that

what it calls misinformationon social media

is preventing peoplefrom getting vaccinated,

and it wants the misinformation stopped.

- What's your message toplatforms like Facebook?

- They're killing people.

I mean, they're really...

Look, the only pandemic wehave is among the unvaccinated,

and they're killing people.

- [Dale] Facebook refuted the claims,

saying vaccinations are up,

but health officialssay it's an urgent issue

with a new rise in COVIDcases in most states,

fueled by the Delta variant.

- This Delta virus is reallya cause of greater concern.

This is not last year's virus.

- [Dale] More than 65%of Americans 12 and over

have received at leastone dose of the vaccine,

but the White House believessocial media platforms

that allow posts attacking thevaccine are keeping millions

of other Americans from being vaccinated.

- I've been deeplyconcerned about the flow

of misinformation acrosstechnology platforms

and throughout societyover the last many months.

- [Dale] And a firestormerupted in Washington last week

when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

said the White House is inregular contact with Facebook

about flagging posts seen as problematic.

- We're flagging problematicposts for Facebook

that spread disinformation.

- [Dale] Which led a WhiteHouse reporter to ask-

- For how long has the administration

been spying on people's Facebook profiles

looking for vaccine misinformation?

- That was quite a loadedand an inaccurate question.

- [Dale] But Texas Senator Ted Cruz

accused the Biden administrationof colluding with big tech.

- It makes clear thateverything we thought

about the Biden administration,about their willingness

to trample on free speech, totrample on the Constitution,

to use government power to silence you,

everything we feared they might do,

they are doing, and worse.

- [Dale] COVID cases areup in all but two states

in the U.S.

Officials in Los Angeles County

are even reinstitutingan indoor mask mandate.

But the sheriff says he won't enforce it.

Among the latest cases arefive of the Texas Democrats

who fled to D.C. to stalla vote on election reform.

They met with Kamala Harris last week.

Dale Hurd, CBN News.

- Amid the controversyover COVID, big tech,

and free speech, alongwith the immigration crisis

at the Southern border andgrowing concerns about crime,

Republicans are aiming toretake Congress next year,

and possibly the Senate as well.

Abigail Robertson looks athow the races are shaping up.

- In 2022, Republicansare specifically targeting

57 vulnerable DemocratHouse and Senate seats.

While former President DonaldTrump won't be on the ballot,

he's making it clear he will very much

be a part of these races.

- Now, for the next 16 months,

we must pour every ounce of our energy

into winning a historicvictory in the mid-terms.

- [Abigail] This pastweekend, Trump took credit

for expanding the GOP's base.

- [Women] Drain that swamp!

- [Abigail] And believes his supporters

will help Republicans win big.

- We will lead the conservative movement

and the Republican Party back to victory,

and it will be a greater victory

than this party has ever had.

- [Abigail] RNC spokespersonParis Dennard tells CBN News

Trump will definitely play a role.

- When it comes to electingRepublican candidates,

his support is important.

- [Abigail] Dennard alsobelieves the key for Republicans

will be recruiting diverse candidates.

- Look at the last election.

We had a won over a dozen seats

that we flipped fromDemocrat to Republican.

Those seats were won byeither a Republican woman,

a Republican veteran, ora Republican minority.

- [Abigail] And when asked if the RNC

will support outspoken Trump critics

like representatives LizCheney and Adam Kinzinger-

- If they're out of touch or out of step

with where the Republicansconstituents are,

they'll be voted out of office.

- [Abigail] Dennard argues the GOP needs

to remain united on the broader goal.

- We have to be focused on making sure

that the Democrats are held accountable.

Republicans need not tohave this party infighting

and this palace intrigue thatthe media just feeds off of.

It does us no good.

- [Abigail] Republicans need to gain

just a single seat in the Senate

and five seats in theHouse to win the majority,

with the main battlegroundstates being Georgia, Arizona,

Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Nevada.

- We're talking aboutsuch narrow majorities.

- Inside Election's Nathan Gonzalez

told CBN News' Faith Nationit's too early to tell

which party has the advantage.

- I'm not sure we're evergonna have a clear idea

about who has firm control

because the majority is so narrow.

And in the House, we'rein a holding pattern

because we are in a redistrictingcycle and the states

have not yet finalized theirnew congressional maps.

So we don't know whatthe districts look like.

- Unless Democrats hold the House

and substantially expandtheir Senate majority,

it's unclear if PresidentBiden will be able

to accomplish much more of his agenda

without working with Republicans.

Reporting from Capitol Hill,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.

- [Efrem] Coming up, she's a star

in the Women's NationalBasketball Association.

Then she shocked the sports world

by putting her career on hold.

So why did Maya Moore do it?

What did she accomplish, andhow did it change her own life?

We're gonna bring you theamazing story when we come back.

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- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside.

- It's a big diplomatic tug ofwar here in the Middle East.

- [Announcer] Go inside thestory with Jerusalem Dateline.

- Israeli archeologists aretalking about a discovery

that could change the thinkingabout the Temple Mount.

- [Announcer] Join CBN JerusalemBureau Chief Chris Mitchell

and get the biblical perspective

on the events shaping the world.

- It's what starts inIsrael then ends up going

to other places.

- [Announcer] Watch Jerusalem Dateline

Friday night at 8:30 onthe CBN News Channel.

- [Announcer] Life, it'smeant to be lived fully.

Jesus said it, "I came to give you life.

Life to the fullest."

Life in your family.

Life in your finances.

Life in your body, mind and spirit.

Life in your every day.

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At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.

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- Welcome back.

Maya Moore was in the prime of her career

in the Women's NationalBasketball Association.

Then she put her careeron hold and walked away.

Here to tell us why she didit and exactly what happened

is Dan Andros of Faithwire.com.

So Dan, why did MayaMoore decide to walk away

from such an outstanding career?

- Yeah, it's really anincredible series of events

that all started back in the late 1990s

with an armed robbery.

This was when Maya Moorewas just eight years old.

A young teenager namedJonathan Irons was convicted

of this armed robberyand eventually sentenced

to a whopping 50 years in prison.

And then Maya's extendedfamily at the time

were doing some prison ministry,

and so they struck up arelationship with Irons here

while he was a young teenager in prison.

And then Moore eventuallybecame kind of involved

with that effort whenshe was in high school.

This was before she hadgone on to star at Yukon

and star in the NBA, winning championships

and MVPs and all the rest.

And so they were heavily involved,

and she decided to quither career full time

when she was in the WNBA.

This is after years oftrying to help Irons.

She quit at the top of her game.

- Wow, so what part didher Christian faith play

in those actions?

- Yeah, it played a huge role,

because you could see inthis film, by the way,

it's really great, thewhole family has strong

Christian faith and it's veryevident throughout this film,

which I appreciate it,'cause a lot of times

that gets pushed to the background.

But it was very much front and center.

And Maya was exploringher faith in middle school

and in high school, andshe said that it's then

that she deeply rootedher identity in Christ.

And later in life, when shewas a superstar in the WNBA,

that's what enabled her to step aside,

because she didn't put heridentity in basketball,

which is a very remarkablething for somebody

on top of their game notto put their prime identity

in the sport.

So it was that early identityin Christ that enabled her

to make this decisionand put her priorities

in a different place.

- So was she successful,

and is Jonathan Irons a Christian as well?

- They were successful.

After 23 years in prison, Irons was freed,

thanks in large part tothe efforts of Maya Moore

and her family.

And yes, Irons is a strong Christian,

became a Christian when he was in prison.

In fact, the first thing he said,

you could hear it on thephone in the documentary

when he was freed was, "Praise you, Jesus,

thank you, Jesus," so yeah,his faith is very strong.

- And what's happenedsince he got out of prison?

- This story really hasa fairy tale ending.

He and Maya Moore actually got married

because they became veryclose over the two decades

that his family wasfighting for his freedom.

And they got married, sofairy tale ending there.

- What can we look forwardto this evening on Faithwire?

- We'll be talking to a pastor, author,

Lucas Miles about hisbook, "The Christian Left."

We're gonna be looking at,among this political divide,

how can Christians pursue unity?

- [Efrem] Beautiful, DanAndros, the faithwire.com.

Thank you so much, weappreciate your time.

Want to remind you at homethat you can catch Faithwire

at 8:30 Eastern on the CBN News Channel,

or simply download the CBN News app.

Still ahead, we're gonnatake a look at a man

who's been carrying out a real life search

for the lost Ark of the Covenant

from the Old Testament Israel.

We're gonna hear why he says finding it

will be a sign of the return of the Lord.

We've got the story for youfrom Jerusalem right after this.

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Life to the fullest."

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Life in your every day.

At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.

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Stay informed, go toQuickStart.news and subscribe today.

- Movie makers, archeologists,and even the Queen of England

have all been fascinated by the search

for the Ark of the Covenant.

Some legends claim the Ark is as far away

as Ethiopia or Ireland.

But one explorer believesit lies behind a giant rock

at Judaism's holiest site.

Why is he so convinced?

Our Chris Mitchell explains.

- [Chris] Researcherand author Harry Moskoff

took CBN News throughthe Western Wall tunnels

up to the ramparts of the Temple Mount

and into the chambers surroundingJudaism's holiest site.

His book, "The A.R.K. Report," chronicles

his two-decade quest tofind the legendary icon.

- [Harry] So here we areapproaching the three arches.

- [Chris] He says one theory is

that it was taken out of the Temple

and carried to Jericho 18 miles away.

- It says in Jeremiahthat some of the vessels

of the Temple were exited,sort of escaped as it were,

through this area after thedestruction of the First Temple.

- [Chris] But Moskoff took us to the spot

where he believes the ark lies.

- This particular sectionof the Western Wall

is really fascinating actually,

because this stone is 570 tons.

- [Chris] Moskoff believes a key clue lies

behind this giant rock andsays high-tech search tools

give credence to his theory.

- There were tests done bythe University of Nebraska,

sonar tests, et cetera,using electromagnetic waves.

And they actually foundwhat's called a storage space

across from here.

So actually there was a purpose

for putting this giant stone,this massive slab, here.

One of the reasons inmy opinion is to protect

whatever it is on the other side.

And according to my theory,the Ark actually was buried

by King Josiah, I think it was a 568 BC,

in back of these boulders,these massive stones.

- [Christ] In fact,underneath the Temple Mount

lie dozens of undergroundtunnels and chambers.

- Back then, 150 yearsago, Charles Warren went

and actually did a survey.

Nothing's really been donefor political purposes,

obviously, unfortunately-- Since then.

- Since then, no one's been allowed

to even put a shovel, nothing.

But basically they were the ones

that surveyed the whole area.

And they were the ones whopicked out the tunnels,

et cetera.

They couldn't find the Ark.

- Maybe it wasn't time.

Warren, a British explorer,documented those tunnels

at the request of Queen Victoria,

just one of many throughouthistory looking for the Ark.

- When people like the Crusadersand the Knights Templar,

even the Palestine Exploration Fund,

which was originallycommissioned by Queen Victoria,

came over the centuriesto look for the Ark,

what they were looking for wasa golden box with the staves.

But what they really shouldbe looking for is a room.

They could have beenright up against the wall

and on the other sideof the wall is the Ark.

- [Chris] Moskoff says theoriginal Holy of Holies

had another chamber directly below it.

- Actually, the blueprint itself

of the First Temple,chambers should be built

exactly the same, Holy of Holies,

exactly the same level of holiness

as the one right above it.

It was set up right from the beginning

to house the Ark, with thegolden floor and everything.

- [Chris] That's how Solomonbuilt it, instructed?

So there's the Ark itself could go down?

- [Harry] Right, it could go down.

- Do you feel like there'sa time when the Ark itself,

when the time is right, will be revealed?

- I do, timing is incredibly important,

incredibly significant.

Obviously, it's agroundbreaking, game-changing,

biblical type of discovery.

My person opinion isthat when it does happen,

it won't be in a clandestine way

where we're sneakingthrough these tunnels,

you know what I mean,and we're bringing it out

under cover of darkness.

It will be a great occasion

and it will help bring the Messiah.

It'll be something that allnations will really rejoice in.

- [Chris] Moskoff credit"Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark"

for the renewed interest.

- There are some things theygot right about the power

of the Ark, et cetera,and its destructive forces

shouldn't get in the wrong hands

and it knows where it is, so to speak.

It suddenly became a thing, you know?

What is the Ark of theCovenant, what is that?

Oh yeah, and it sortof put it into the face

of the public, and maybethat was its best success.

I loved it, personally.

It's Hollywood.

- What do you think is the main takeaway

people need to know aboutthe Ark of the Covenant?

- It's a real thing, justlike it did 2,700 years ago,

it still exists today.

It's got the brokentablets that Moses crafts

down there at Mt. Sinaiand the second tablets.

It really does exist,we're really gonna see it,

hopefully in our lifetime.

Again, it is a catalystfor the Messiah to come.

- [Chris] Until it is revealed,

the Ark of the Covenant builtby Moses in the wilderness

will continue to fascinate the world.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News,

the Western Wall tunnels, Jerusalem.

- [Efrem] Coming up, they'resome of the hardest working

and yet often underappreciatedpeople around, pastors.

So one couple is traveling the country

to show congregationshow they can encourage

and support their pastors.

We'll hear their insightson how you can do just that

when we come back, stay with us.

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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 Graham,and 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 Cooglerwas gonna be directing the film

I knew that somethingspecial 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] Wednesday night at 8:30

on the CBN News Channel.

- [Announcer] Remember for a moment

what it 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 told.

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?

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- A recent survey by theBarna Research Group shows 29%

of pastors thought aboutquitting in the past year.

The work of pastors can go unnoticed,

even in their own churches,but the National Association

of Evangelicals is working to change that.

Mark Martin caught upwith a married couple

who is crisscrossing the country

to help congregationsshow their appreciation.

- [Woman] All right, we are off.

- [Mark] Brian Kluthand his wife Mary Ellen

are traveling the country in an RV

on a mission to encouragepeople to show their pastors

how much they appreciate theirhard work and dedication.

It's all part of the nationalBless Your Pastor movement.

- Most pastors are servingthe smaller congregation

and often they cannotpay the pastor very well.

Most pastors in Americamake under $50,000 a year.

The majority of them receiveno benefits, no health care,

no retirement, no employee benefits.

And yet they're working50 to 70 hours a week.

Sometimes their spouse addanother 20 to 30 hours a week.

- [Mark] A once-in-a-century pandemic

and the resulting shutdownsadding to the workload,

and the stress.

- They had to do morethan they've ever done

to try to serve their people.

And then also every decision that was made

this last a year-and-a-half,somebody wasn't happy.

So you got more criticism than ever.

So pastors really need thelove and the support and care.

- [Mark] CBN News caughtup with the couple

on their stop in Virginia Beach.

- They are sometimesforgotten about all the work

and everything that they do.

This is our chance to get the word out

and to have people andcommunities love on their pastors.

- By the time Brian and Mary Ellen finish

the national Bless Your Pastor tour,

altogether they will havetraveled six to seven months

and hit more than 100 cities.

- And it's time to show that appreciation

and share God's love withthem in very practical

and tangible ways.

And we help people do thatwith our 50 Ways List.

- [Mark] 50 Creative Ways toBless Your Pastor and Staff,

from giving them a gift cardto lending a helping hand.

- What are you good at,what skills do you have?

I say, if you're a barber, cut their hair.

If you're a mechanic, help fix their car.

If you're a gardener, go plantsome flowers at their house.

- [Mark] Don't forget thepower of a financial blessing.

Kluth also encourages congregations

to take up a special appreciation offering

for the pastor and staff orgive them a year-end bonus.

In addition, he hopes churcheswill honor them publicly.

Pastor Marc Stephenson ofFirst United Brethren Church

in Pennsylvania and hisfamily reaped the generosity

of the Bless Your Pastor movement.

- The mental strain andemotional and spiritual strain

that comes along with ministry,

and sometimes being the tip of the spear

when people are disgruntled in life

and dealing with theirtraumatic struggles,

it can be very defeating.

And so to have a church comeand surround their pastor,

I would say adds years andyears to vital ministry.

- [Mark] Blessing your pastorand giving them a boost

to continue ministeringin very challenging times.

Mark Martin, CBN News, Virginia Beach.

- And time now for your Monday Motivation.

I want to leave you with this thought

to jumpstart your work week.

You are designed for divine connection.

God did not create youfor a life of isolation.

You are a living vessel for His hands

to use to reach others.

With that word, I encourage you

to make today a marvelous Monday.

And be sure to haveyourself a wonderful week.

I want you to do that onpurpose and do that in purpose.

That is gonna do it for thisedition of CBN Newswatch.

We thank you so much for watching.

Want to remind you, youcan always find more

of our news programs onthe CBN News Channel.

You can find them there at any time

as well as online at CBNNews.com.

We'd love to know what you think

about the stories you've seen here today.

You can email us, theaddress is right there

at the bottom of yourscreen, Newswatch@CBN.com.

And of course, you canalways reach out and touch us

on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We welcome hearing from you

and we thank you again for watching.

We'll see you right backhere same time tomorrow.

Goodbye and God bless.(dramatic music)