Transcript

Only 10% of evangelical churches have a truly biblical worldview, study finds

>> Ed Vitagliano: Mainline Protestant churches have softened and even rejected the Bible, the gospel of salvation, and biblical sexual morality. Even in evangelical churches, only about 10% of members have a truly biblical worldview. Satan desires to do to the Bible believing evangelical churches what he did to the mainline churches, and he's made progress. Your financial support now is critical to AFA's efforts to defend and strengthen the church. Go online at afa.net equippedchurches welcome to today's Issues, offering a Christian response to the issues of the day. Here's your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.

>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Today's Issues here on the American Family Radio Network. Today's Wednesday, July 1st or July 1st, whichever you prefer. 2026. And in studio with me is Ed Bagliano. Good morning.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Good morning. We start the second half of the year. It's already here today.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Wesley W. Good morning, Wesley.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Good morning. we have a new hire.

>> Tim Wildmon: You want to introduce him? He's a Canadian. American.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes, he's from Canada. He's from Canada. A longtime listener to American Family Association, Fred Jackson.

>> Fred Jackson: Well, thank you so much that you mentioned Canada on July 1. It's the birthday of that country, as we well knew. Yes.

>> Tim Wildmon: Happy birthday, Canada.

>> Fred Jackson: Yes. 159 years old today.

>> Tim Wildmon: Now, Canada was a, part of Great Britain prior to that. True.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. And it still was. It didn't separate. They just didn't want to be a little kid anymore, so they became part of, of the British Commonwealth, but they still had their own government, et cetera, et cetera. There's still remnants of the British Empire there. They have a Governor General. And I, think it's a she right now. She reads what they call the speech from the throne, which is kind of like, State of the Union address down here. Now, that Governor General doesn't dictate. She gets a speech from the government and she reads it.

>> Ed Vitagliano: She has to read it. She can't make changes.

>> Fred Jackson: She sits in a big chair up front and reads the things. So, and of course, when Pierre Trudeau was the, prime minister of Canada, Canada, got its own flag. Up to that time, it was the Union Jack.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: So, yeah, back, 1867, a bunch of people got together in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We want to be our own country. So.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And then some, for the most part, it's, the remnants, I mean, of that relationship with the Brit, with Great, Britain. But then you get that one little spot kind of in the middle with all those French Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: Quebec. And they're still a restless bunch. Yes. Yeah. And over time, a, bunch of other provinces joined up. Newfoundland was the last one. 1949, they joined up. And it has the distinction of being a half hour time difference from the rest of the country. Go figure.

>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, Newfoundland.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. half hour.

>> Wesley Wildmon: A half.

>> Fred Jackson: Normally you go one hour.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: But, they looked at latitude and longitude and said, no, we want to be a half hour time.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Now, do you think they actually looked at that, or you think they just said, look, we want to be different.

>> Fred Jackson: Knowing Newfoundlanders, probably. We want to be different.

>> Tim Wildmon: so they broke away from Great Britain officially, and it was a bloodless separation.

>> Fred Jackson: Oh, yeah, yeah. They get along fine.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, well, we had to do it different here in America, you know?

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah, we did.

>> Tim Wildmon: So we had to actually kick them out. You know what I'm saying?

>> Fred Jackson: Yes, I understand.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It's like. It's like Uncle Harry who comes to visit, won't leave.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Right.

>> Tim Wildmon: Kick them out.

American Family Radio will celebrate 250 years of independence this weekend

All right, so, July 1st is the birthday of Canada. Of course, the United states will celebrate 250 years of independence coming up in, what, Friday? No, Saturday.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Saturday.

>> Fred Jackson: Saturday.

>> Tim Wildmon: Right.

>> Fred Jackson: Yep.

>> Tim Wildmon: All right. much to talk about today. Thank you for listening to American Family Radio and, all of our shows here on AFR throughout the day. Is there something you wanted to.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah, I don't have in front of me. I was about to pull it up on my email. But we do have some special programming this weekend. Or is it this weekend coming. Yeah, coming up.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And starting Friday, this, we won't have Trivia Friday hour Nav. We're gonna have, well, Brent, clearly our producer is gonna explain what we're going to do

>> Tim Wildmon: here for Put him on Friday.

>> Ed Vitagliano: So during Trivia Friday hours, 10 to 11:30 Central Time, we will have, AFA at home. our American Family Studios team, filmed, this documentary about America's 250th anniversary, hosted by Walter Wildmon.

>> Don Wildmon: Walker Wildmon.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yep.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay. And so Rick Greene is on it. And,

>> Tim Wildmon: He's on it.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Tim Barton. He's hosting it. Walker Robbins, hosting it. Rick Greene. It's a panel discussion.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. It's not a chemical problem.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Steve McDowell. What now?

>> Tim Wildmon: You said he's on it. I didn't know he's. I mean, I know there's not, like, on crack.

>> Fred Jackson: No.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Okay.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I just want to make sure he's, on the program. Walker, will be the host. Rick Greene, Tim Barton and Steve McDowell, and they're going to talk about the nation's fine.

>> Tim Wildmon: It's gonna be good.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Oh, it is.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It is good. So that'll be the audio version of the video that was produced because our

>> Tim Wildmon: offices will be closed on Friday, as a combo to Canadian Independence Day.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And that's right, it's a combination. It's a combo, recognition.

Did Italy break away from Great Britain or did you survive the British Empire

>> Tim Wildmon: All right. Did Italy have to break away from Great Britain or did you survive the British Empire? By you, I mean your people.

>> Ed Vitagliano: British. Your people. Well, I'm half Italian and half Greek and no, Great Britain didn't control either of those.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. Yeah, the British Empire, you know, they

>> Fred Jackson: said sun never does that.

>> Tim Wildmon: On the British Empire at one time it was around the globe.

Far left socialist defeated longtime Democratic incumbent in Denver primary last night

All right, you're listening to today's issues. Fred, what is our first story?

>> Fred Jackson: Well, there's a member of Congress, her name is Diana DeGette, Democrat.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.

>> Fred Jackson: her district represents the city of Denver, Colorado. And the folks in Denver, Colorado have loved her being a member of Congress, in fact for 30 years. And she was up to go into a 16th, 16th time to represent that city. There was a Democrat primary last night and she was defeated. Now, was it because she's a conservative?

>> Tim Wildmon: Where is she now?

>> Fred Jackson: City of Denver.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Color?

>> Fred Jackson: City of Denver, Colorado.

>> Tim Wildmon: Denver. Okay.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. she was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who supports abolishing ice. she argued her seniority on an influential House committee would allow her to push for Medicare for all. And she's a hard lefty, but

>> Tim Wildmon: she's been in office 30 years.

>> Fred Jackson: Yep, she's been there.

>> Tim Wildmon: She was challenged.

>> Fred Jackson: She was challenged and was defeated last

>> Ed Vitagliano: night in a primary.

>> Fred Jackson: In a primary.

>> Tim Wildmon: Just not far left enough.

>> Fred Jackson: Not, far left enough. Her opponent, Mallet Kiros.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: Now you may have heard of her lately. 29 year old far left socialist, some may call her a communist, but she defeated that longtime Democrat leftist incumbent last night. This was part of Mallette Kiros's victory speech last night. Cut number five.

>> Tim Wildmon: We will not wait to take the fight to Donald Trump and the oligarchy.

>> Jeff Chamblee: We will not wait.

>> Tim Wildmon: We will not wait to abolish ice. We won tonight. But this is not something so much

>> Jeff Chamblee: bigger than this moment, than one moment.

>> Ed Vitagliano: This is a movement.

>> Fred Jackson: Ah. I, tell you what, she's carrying on a theme of the socialists that we have seen. and I tell you she's anti Israel. she is, she's got some real far left policies, but this part, is part of a movement that is creating huge problems for the establishment Democratic Party, for The Hakeem Jeffries of this world, for the Chuck Schumers of this world. Because this is a movement as we have seen, some are calling it the Mamdani movement within the Democratic Party. And so we're seeing more and more of these far, far radical left taking over in primaries. And it's got some of the hierarchy of the DNC very much concerned.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Go ahead. Do you think though that we're seeing this? Obviously what you're saying is true, but these are also, from what I'm looking at are mostly or all blue states that these are happening in. How far down do you think the downstream effect to where that may actually affect the actual national party though?

>> Fred Jackson: Well, it's very interesting if you watch some of the Kiros rallies, including the rally, the victory rally last night, m her constituency I would say are the 25 to 35 to 40 year olds, across the board, white, black, Hispanic, you name it. She, her message and the messages of these far left Democrat socialists who. It's kind of interesting I just mentioned that demographic, but they're kind of the Bernie Sanders political mentality that's there now I mentioned in particular some of the common thread is this anti Israel movement.

Millette Quiros says American foreign policy contributed to 9/11

I want to you to listen to what Millette Quiros had to say about who's at fault in 911 cut number four.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Do you believe that the 911 terrorist attacks on America were the inevitable consequence

>> Tim Wildmon: of American foreign policy?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle east, that forced people to believe that another act of violence was the only response. And again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to getting rid of those conditions that lead to violence in the first place.

>> Fred Jackson: I hope you understand what she was saying.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: America was to blame for the terrorist attack that killed more than 3,000 people in this country.

>> Ed Vitagliano: listen, this, this is, this is a real challenge to the foundations of our republic. I'm talking about this movement. She Malat Kiros. Kiros, how do you pronounce? She is a member of the Democr Socialist, party of America. Democratic Socialists of America. And now that is, it's going forward, we're all going to have to, everyone's going to have to learn about socialism and communism. This is a, a brand of socialism. They claim that they do not support the totalitarian communist regimes that that road going to a socialist country. They believe in voting your way in. But these are socialists, okay? These are redistribution of wealth, your freedom, to own property, to own you know to have money in the bank. All that kind of stuff is sub. Should be subject to the will of the people. That's why in California they are passing laws, taxation laws that want to tax your net worth, not your income, your net worth. Okay. These are socialists. This is a real legitimate threat to the country. I'm not sure it's going to win in the end. Primarily because these people like Kiras, Mamdani, others are running headlong into the Democratic Party establishment. You mentioned Fred Hakeem Jeffries who is the House minority leader for the Democratic Party. Kiras said she is not going to support him as the House minority leader or I suppose the House Majority leader should the Democrats win this year. She's not going to support him because he takes PAC money which means these, this younger group of socialists is going to run headlong into the Democratic Party establishment. I'm not sure who wins that fight.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, it just hurts my heart that there's a civil war going on inside the Democrat Party. I just, I'm very disappointed.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Sounds sincere.

>> Tim Wildmon: I'm very disappointed in both sides.

>> Wesley Wildmon: They get along.

>> Tim Wildmon: They don't get along. I wish they could find some way to, to reconcile.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well we talked yesterday or the day before. I know he's in full tongue in cheek mode but I think we played Bill Maher saying this is not, he's not going for this hating the Jews and full on socialism. He's James Carville. But these are the old type of liberals in the Democratic Party. Someone's going to wind up leaving this, this political party. I'm not sure whether the establishment tells the socialists to leave or the socialists take over and say you can't win without us, you leave. I'm not sure who wins this in the Democratic Party.

>> Wesley Wildmon: I remember back when Obama was in office and Pryor there were, there were people like Melata Karas, Kiras.

>> Ed Vitagliano: We're all going to have to figure it out.

>> Wesley Wildmon: That one we'd have a lot of people like her and we either on the radio or in discussion we were like hey, the Democratic Party socialist. The Democratic M these people socialist and all. They would always go they're not self described socialist. You're like well their policies are and you're like yeah but that not entirely. Okay, fast forward 15 years later. She's the member of the Democratic Socialist Party by she she describes herself self as that they're not hiding anything. Yeah we're way past trying to Enter.

>> Ed Vitagliano: You know, Bernie Sanders kind of started that. He identified himself as a socialist. I don't think he was a member of this Democratic, Socialist of America group. I'm not sure it's a party, it's a organization.

>> Tim Wildmon: But let me ask you this real quickly and then we'll move on here. people are having to. People have a general idea, I think of what socialism is when they say it sounds like to me from listening to these people like her. Again, we're talking about last night. In case you didn't know. In in Denver there was a, was a special election or. Okay. It was a primary between a life. A 30 year incumbent.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: Who is a lefty. I mean the deep blue person. Okay. She was, it, she. Yeah, she was upset by someone to her left that attacked her from the left and lost. So it was just like the Mondami story in the city of NewSong York. A, what I would classify as a far, far left, candidate won in Denver. So it's kind of got the attention of political observers across the country in light of to what happened in NewSong York City. So there is a civil war inside the Democrat Party between the far far left and the left. And you know we've had challenges like this before. On the Republican side you've had, I remember when Pat Buchanan led a revolution against the establishment of the gop. It didn't conquer it, but it led to the Tea Party.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Right.

>> Tim Wildmon: Which made the Republican Party more conservative at the time. So there's all. There's always been these rifts within the major parties themselves, Republican and Democrat and But we'll see. But it seems like this time, there is a real chance, real opportunity that the far far left will you know, take over the mechanism, that controls the Democrat Party. But it could cause a schism. It already has caused a schism. But it could cause a. They could splinter. Yeah, they could splinter. and Because the one big, big reason, two big reasons and one is the Jew hatred.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: That exists.

>> Ed Vitagliano: This is a unique feature because there

>> Tim Wildmon: are a lot of Jews in the Democrat.

Fred Quiroz says Hillary Clinton favors an immediate pathway to citizenship

The Jews vote Democrat most of the time. 80, 20 probably, and have forever. So that's true. And then But the people that they're having to contend with now within their own party are Jew haters. So so that's going to be. You know, how do you, how do you sit in a room with those folks here? You know that. And then this, the social, the economic Socialism is another big problem. as you know, we see it, they see it as fundamentally changing America to make it, get rid of the oligarchy and get a rich people and you know, free stuff for everybody.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Right? Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: And. And they're that sales. Huh? That sales. That sclls. That sales among a lot, especially people 40 and years and old and under. Because. Yeah. Why? Why? You know, we're a rich country. We should have free stuff forever. Free Medicare, free. Free medical care, free babysitting, all this stuff. Rent control, groceries, all these things.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah. Government run grocery stores in NewSong York City.

>> Tim Wildmon: Go ahead, Fred.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, there's one more point I wanted to make about, Ms. Quiroz. you heard her say she wants to get rid of ice. Yeah. But she would take, ah, another step down that direction she favors. She said if she gets into office, gets power, she wants an immediate pathway to citizenship regardless of how you got into this country. Three cut number three.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Abolishing ICE is just one step. Right. Democrats have been in power multiple times over the last few decades and did nothing to address the immigration reform that

>> Tim Wildmon: we actually spice expenditures, increased spending.

>> Don Wildmon: Exactly.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah. And so if we're. I think there has to be an immediate pathway for every single undocumented immigrant that's here in this country today that does not require them to shell out thousands of dollars to go through the process for it to take decades, at a time to be able to get to citizenship. An immediate pathway to citizenship.

>> Fred Jackson: Now, remember when Joe Biden was President, at least 10 million entered this country illegally, probably more. Yeah. You just heard her say she used the word undocumented.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: So she's saying an immediate pathway, basically a rubber stamp to citizenship for these millions.

>> Tim Wildmon: I think that's mainstream Democrat thinking, though. I don't think that's out of the mainstream in the, in the Democrat Party. What she just expressed, do you?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I think abolishing ICE is probably not that.

>> Wesley Wildmon: I.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It's hard to tell what you mean by mainstream. I think amongst young people who have, I don't know what the percentages are. Maybe 40% of young people in this country have been radicalized through college education and stuff. I think amongst that younger group, getting rid of ICE and hating Israel and hating the Jews, I think that's mainstream for them. I think it's probably mainstream for the Democratic Party as a whole to have a pathway to citizenship, for those who are here illegally. But getting rid of ice, I wouldn't say that was mainstream for the whole Democratic Party.

Burl: Democrats defunded ice during government shutdown last year

>> Wesley Wildmon: All right.

>> Tim Wildmon: I Challenge you to get one Democrat to raise their hand. Are you in favor of continuing with ice?

>> Ed Vitagliano: I throw that challenge right back. You get a establishment Democrat who says they want to get rid of ice. I don't think you're going to find. You're not going to find Chuck Schumer saying, I think they're not going to say get rid of ice, because what are you going to. You can't tell the American people you actually want open borders.

>> Tim Wildmon: They defunded ice. Remember? They stuck that out. The Democrats did.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Burl.

>> Tim Wildmon: Remember that? That wasn't too long ago. That was the whole thing about the federal government shutdown.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, but that was restricting ice. I think that was against hiring new ICE agents, and they didn't want to fund the deportation. Right.

>> Don Wildmon: Well.

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, okay, maybe we're splitting hairs here, and you and I don't have a lot to split based. I don't hear. But I'm just saying. I just saying, I remember not a few months ago, the government was shut down because the Democrats didn't want to fund Homeland Security. Remember that? Remember the TCA agents said that and everybody was going unpaid. Well, the reason they were doing that was they didn't want ICE funded any longer. They wanted ICE defunded. The Democrats. Do you not remember that?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I. Yeah, I do. I do remember. I don't think. I don't think they wanted to. You're saying they wanted to abolish ice?

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, they wanted to defund them at the time. Okay, maybe. Maybe they.

>> Wesley Wildmon: They weren't using the word defund, which is why it was. I think it's confusing.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, what were they. They were. Maybe they were wanting, quote, reforms or something within ice. But the whole reason for shutting down the federal government. Remember the Democrats did that, Homeland Security, and they eventually, yielded on that because it was becoming very, very unpopular. All these waiting lines at airports and things like that. But the reason they were doing that, that was in response to what happened in Minneapolis with the two deaths up there at the, you know, got in confrontations with ice, and they were saying, well, ICE is, you know, violent and.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: And also we've seen, Maybe it's. I don't know why it's out of the news, but I don't know if it seems like to me the Trump administration may have responded by softening the ICE approach.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, President Trump did say that. Remember, he said, we can't have.

>> Tim Wildmon: Right.

>> Ed Vitagliano: We can't have that kind of.

Democrats withheld support for the DHS budget, demanding changes to ICE

>> Tim Wildmon: All right, we're going to take a break. Take a break right here. You're listening to today's issues in the meantime.

>> Ed Vitagliano: But this looks like it's the wave of the future for the Democratic Party, these kind of radicals.

>> Wesley Wildmon: So Democrats withheld support for the DHS budget, demanding policy changes and accountability measures for ICE and Customs and Border protection for after craft federal agents. Right.

>> Tim Wildmon: So they. So it's. I think we're both right here, Ed.

>> Ed Vitagliano: We could. Absolutely. I'm okay with that.

>> Tim Wildmon: They were holding back funds because they wanted, ICE to be changed. And I would. I would argue, though, that the objective would be for probably at least a half or a third of the Democrat Party just to get rid of ICE off.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: Like that woman right there just expressed.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: You know, she said. She said, we, the Democratic Party, have had control, and yet we still got ice. That's, in essence, what she was saying.

Wilson Thomas Turner charged with manslaughter after drunkenly killing his son

All right. we'll be back momentarily with more of today's issues on the American Family Radio Network.

>> Don Wildmon: It's my turn. Here is your host for my turn, Don Wildmon. Wilson Thomas Turner was sitting at the bar. The date, September 12, 1964. The place was Bradenton, Florida. One more little drink won't hurt anything, he could have thought. Turner took one more little drink. Maybe it was one for the road. Then he ordered another bottle to take home. It's always good to have a bottle around the house, isn't it? Turner got up from his seat, turned and walked through the door. He got into his automobile to drive home. He had done it before. Like most folks, he thought a little toddy wouldn't affect his driving. Some folks, you know, do their best driving with a shot or two under their belts. He opened the door and sat down behind the steering wheel. Then he headed down the road toward home. Turner had had a hard day. He was looking forward to seeing his son, Randall. Randall was in the fifth grade now. He'd grown up so fast. Turner was proud of his son. He always liked to spend some time with him. The automobile roared down the street. The speedometer went higher and higher. Turner didn't notice the speedometer. Maybe, like a lot of other folks who drive after a shot or two, he was an expert driver. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, came a kid riding a bicycle. Turner turned, applied the brakes. He waited for a split second. Then he heard a loud thump. He looked back. The kid was on the pavement. He sped away. Witnesses at the scene identified the car. Officers found it later at the home of Turner. The blood was still on it. They found Turner in the attic, a bottle in his Hand. It was the bottle that was good to have around the house. Officers questioned him for more than an hour. Then the news came. The boy was dead. He just went to pieces when he was told that the boy was dead, said Sheriff Ken Gross. Turner was taken to jail. He was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. His attorney, Jerry Hussey, carried him a Bible. He sat in the jail day after day reading the Bible. He sworn up and down to his wife and to me that he'll never touch another drop of liquor, said Mr. Hussey. Turner was allowed to leave the jail long enough to attend the funeral service for the boy. It was one of the hardest funerals Turner ever had to face. The minister tried to bring comfort in such a trying hour. They carried the casket to the grave and lowered it into the earth. The life that Turner had taken so foolishly. Nothing anyone could do would ever bring the boy back. A little drink never hurt anyone, did it? Well, Turner couldn't say that now because it had hurt so awfully hard. It hurt. If there was only another chance. But it's too late now. Too late. The story is true. It was carried by the news service. Oh, there's one other item in the story. The boy that Turner killed was Randall Turner, his 12 year old son.

Tim Wildmon: We are going to Italy and Greece in 2027

>> Tim Wildmon: This has been my turn with Don Wildmon, a production of the American Family Association. Hello everyone. Tim Wildmon, president of American Family association and American Family Radio. We are going to Italy in March of 2027. We're also going to Greece in March of 2027. And we're doing those tours back to back. If you want to do both of them in Italy, we'll be going to Venice Gondola and see all the sights there and go to Pisa and walk on the Leaning tower of if you fall off, we're not responsible. Also, we're going to Rome and see the Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum and all the catacombs. We see all the sites of Rome and in Greece it's the footsteps of Paul trip. So the places where Paul went in the Bible mentioned in Greece. If you want information on any of these tours, go to tours.afa.net tours.afa.net tours.aca.net

>> Jeff Chamblee: all praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others when they are troubled.

>> Tim Wildmon: We will be able to give them

>> Jeff Chamblee: the same comfort God has given us. Second Corinthians 1, 3, 4.

>> Tim Wildmon: This is today's issues.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Email your comments to commentsfr.net Past broadcasts of today's Issues are available for listening and viewing in the [email protected] now back to more of, Today's Issues.

Today's Issues comes from American Family Radio Network

>> Tim Wildmon: Welcome back everybody, to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Tim, Ed, Wesley and Fred here, thank you for listening. by the way, we've got like 35 people already going with us to Italy, signed up to go to Italy in March and, I think, not too far behind. They're The, I think 25, 20, 25 or so have signed up to go to Greece with, Wesley and Walker.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Footsteps of Paul.

>> Tim Wildmon: Footsteps of Paul. Those are both in March 2027. We're doing them back to back too. If you want to go in both.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Wait, somebody could go to both of those? Back to back?

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. You'll need to take out a second mortgage, but, but you can do it.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It's a once in a lifetime trip.

>> Tim Wildmon: Once in a lifetime. Yeah. It's going to be a lot of fun. go and go into. But yeah, they're going to, Walker, Wesley going to Greece and Alison. I are going to take a group to, to old Italy and we're going from, we're going to land in Venice and then trek down to Florence. Pisa, end up in Rome. So much to see in Rome.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: You know, aroma, as the locals call it.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Aroma.

>> Tim Wildmon: all right. You're listening to Today's Issues on American Family Radio. One day, Fred's gonna lead a tour of Nova Scotia.

>> Fred Jackson: Yes. I can guarantee it'll be July or August. It will not be January.

>> Tim Wildmon: January. January. Nova Scotia is just not appealing.

>> Fred Jackson: No, no.

>> Tim Wildmon: To most people.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Is that where the Acadians were that trekked on down to Louisiana area?

>> Fred Jackson: Yes. the Acadians are still a strong element both in Nova Scotia and NewSong Brunswick. but there were some, who left. They were driven out by the Brits and they came down to Louisiana and became known as Cajuns.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Pretty fascinating.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. So once again, the Brits kicking people around. That's a long, that's a long punt to punt somebody all the way down to Louisiana from Canada.

>> Ed Vitagliano: You outrun your kit coverage on that one.

>> Tim Wildmon: I would like to been on the, I'd like to see the first settlers coming from, you know, from What part of Canada did they come from that. The Acadians, they went to Nova Scotia.

>> Fred Jackson: Nova Scotia, NewSong Brunswick. But they were French.

>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, yes. And The British said, get out of here. Yeah, we don't care where you go. And then. So they decided to go to a. I don't. You really think they knew they were going to the swamp, though, huh? with alligators and hurricanes and you're

>> Ed Vitagliano: going from one extreme to the other there.

>> Tim Wildmon: They had to arrive. They had. Speaking of January, they probably arrived in January because they arrived in the summer in South Louisiana. I think that it. Hey, we turned this thing around.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, this is one of those things where life is not what you expect. If they arrived in Louisiana in January, they're all going, you know what? This is the best decision we ever made. There's no snow, no freezing weather. And then July and August come around. This is the worst decision we ever made.

>> Tim Wildmon: How about the first one that saw the alligator for the first time, you know what I'm saying, there in the swamp?

>> Fred Jackson: And they would have said Kes Kassay in French.

>> Ed Vitagliano: What is this?

>> Tim Wildmon: What is it?

>> Ed Vitagliano: He got a big mouth.

>> Tim Wildmon: But you know what developed as the, Cajun people, the Cajun culture, which is, ah, it's really. It's really a fun thing to look at. You know how that all developed? Because, I remember I used to listen to. When I was a kid, I had an album about vinyl. You guys know what.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: You know what a vinyl album is, Wesley? Well, you have to ask him because that precedes your era.

>> Wesley Wildmon: You notice I'm a little bit insulted.

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, but you do. But you know what a vinyl album is. Okay, so I had a vinyl album of a fella named Justin Wilson. And he was a Cajun, cook, slash comedian. Best. I remember. I know he's a comedian because that. What. That's what the album was. and it was hilarious. And he was. He, was like a Cajun Jerry Clower.

Southern American chef and humorist Justin Wilson died September 5, 2001

He could tell stories. Look him up, sometime. Justin Wilson was his name, but he had an expression. He would say, say, I garon told you. Oh, you remember that guy?

>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't remember.

>> Tim Wildmon: I guaran told you. I can't mock him very well. But, Justin Wilson, I don't know how long.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Is that him?

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, that's him. That's him.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Southern American chef and humorist.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Known for his brand of Cajun inspired cuisine, humor and storytelling.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I just remember that guy, Justin. I hadn't. But somehow I came across. I had a record, you know, album. I play that over and over again. Let's just listen him talking Cajun, Cajun American, talk there. But when Did. How. When did he pass? How long has he been gone?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Six, days before 9, 11. He died September 5, 2001. But he was born in 1914.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, 1914.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Justin Elmer Wilson.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, but he was. Like I said, he was a cook. I think that's what he was known for, first and foremost. But he was a hilarious commentator while he made food.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I, guarantee.

>> Tim Wildmon: No, it's. I guarantold.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay, it was just saying he was known for the catchphrase.

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, maybe he did say guarantee, but, he would also say, I guarantold you.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Ah, yeah, that's past tense. Yeah, I guarantold you.

>> Tim Wildmon: But he knew when to use past and present tense. He was real particular on that. all right, you're listening to today's issues. There's your Cajun, history lesson right there. And then they became pretty good at football, too. Yeah, except for the Saints. Four Saints, they had their moment of glory, but the ain't. But the LSU I'm talking about primarily became pretty good at football. All right, Fred, go ahead.

>> Fred Jackson: You will remember part, of the story coming out of the. We'll call it the Assault on Capitol Hill. The sentencing some of the demonstrators, protesters received.

>> Tim Wildmon: You're talking about back on, January 6th, that whole.

>> Fred Jackson: Yes, January 6th.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, go ahead.

>> Fred Jackson: And some were sentenced seven years and more. Some of those protesters, I think they've all been given pardons, I think, by the president. Well, I want you to think about that for a second.

Six more demonstrators are to be sentenced today on terrorism charges

But today, a lot of attention is going to be paid to, another court involved case, this one out of Dallas. About a year ago, there was a protest at the Prairieland Detention center near Dallas occurred on July 4th. And, there was, one of the officers there was shot and wounded. Well, some of the protesters, ah, already have been sentenced, and six more are to be sentenced today. One of the protesters already sentenced is a man by the name of Benjamin song, a former U.S. marine reservist who was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting. He has been sentenced to 100 years in prison. this story has just popped up. last week, US District Judge Reed o' Connor called the protest, quote, an assault on democracy. I've heard that phrase before before. He and another judge handed down lengthy prison terms to eight demonstrators who were convicted on terrorism charges. Today, six more defendants could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to providing material support to the terrorists. so I find this very interesting. Seven others received prison terms. I guess a few weeks ago, ranging from 30 to 70 years. Now, they're all saying they're going to appeal, but I thought it very interesting. We don't hear prison terms this long, very, very much, but this is a result of a protest about a year ago at this Prairieland detention center near Dallas.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And this is after, wasn't it, after President Trump, labeled Antifa as a domestic terror organization?

>> Fred Jackson: Yes, yes.

>> Ed Vitagliano: designating.

>> Fred Jackson: And the prosecutors are using that term, that these are members of Antifa.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Now, the. The. The, Benjamin Song. He. He was convicted of attempted murder, right?

>> Fred Jackson: Yes. There was a shooting.

>> Ed Vitagliano: The cop.

>> Fred Jackson: Yes.

>> Ed Vitagliano: But now the rest of them were not convicted for that, right?

>> Wesley Wildmon: No.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay.

>> Fred Jackson: They were convicted. I, guess, as the prosecutors told jurors at trial, that the group's actions, including bringing firearms first aid kits and wearing body armor, signaled nefarious intent. so, we're going to be watching this now. The ACLU and others are already getting involved with this. And as I say, the sentences are going to be appealed, but a hundred years.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, can I. Can I ask a question here?

>> Tim Wildmon: Sure, go ahead.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't want to listen. I think what they did, I. I can't stand Antifa. I think it is a terrorist organization. I think it. I think it is being funded by nefarious groups. All that.

>> Tim Wildmon: I.

>> Ed Vitagliano: All of that. Okay. I just. I just want to make sure. I'm just talking. I'm just talking, Tim. like you say, I just want to share my heart.

>> Tim Wildmon: You share your heart?

>> Ed Vitagliano: I want to share my heart.

>> Tim Wildmon: Please do. I don't.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't want us to get into this deal where, depending on who's in the White House, the opposite. The opposing political faction is going to be labeled terrorist. Because I disagreed with what the Biden administration did to, the J6ers. Okay. I think that was politically motivated. I want to know. With the exception of Benjamin Song, I want to make sure that this isn't political targeting as well. These are some serious.

>> Wesley Wildmon: I got a question now.

>> Ed Vitagliano: 70 years.

>> Fred Jackson: Good.

>> Wesley Wildmon: It's for you, Ed.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm just asking.

>> Tim Wildmon: All that did with Shari's heart.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Some people say my heart's gonna be shared, but it's gonna be a little bit more intensified.

>> Tim Wildmon: All right, go ahead.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Share your heart.

I do have a question. As a Christian, we need to be consistent as possible

>> Wesley Wildmon: I do have a question. I've had a lot of time to think about this because of that. That's a fair point. Okay. Objectively, that's. As a Christian, we need to be as consistent as possible. Right. Not showing favoritism. you know, that. What would you do? Or what's your. What's the reasoning? Or how do you handle when the rules have been changed? And the rules that have been changed are the. We would disagree with the rules, but they're. But it's the new playground. My point is, so if the opposing team. Now, we're getting a little bit more generic than we were specific here.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.

>> Wesley Wildmon: But if the opposing team changes the rules and says no, you can. And we're gonna do. We're gonna. We're gonna target you J6ers and we're gonna jail all of you.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.

>> Wesley Wildmon: And then you get in charge, but the rules change, and we. We jail people for this stuff. I mean, like, at what point do you go, okay, because I think if you take that approach, the approach you just presented, if you take it too far, that's how our country will be taken over by Muslims.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes. No, that's. That's. No, listen, that's a. That's a valid point, because if we're the only side that plays by the rules.

>> Tim Wildmon: that's right.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Then we're at a disadvantage because we're fighting with one hand behind our back. That's fair. I'm just. I'm just saying this. This. I don't want protest.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Sure.

>> Ed Vitagliano: To be treated as. As. As political terrorism. I want to make sure neither side does it. But your point is very good. Because if. When a Republican gets in and we follow the old rules and then a Democrat gets in and they come in with the radical rules, then we're the only ones who suffer our side. no, that's valid. That's what I said. I was just asking a question.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Now, there were some. There were some guns. There were some gunshot fire. Isn't that right? There were some gunshots. Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: There was an officer wounded. Yeah. Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: So, next story.

Larry King: President Trump was asked about potential conflict of interest

>> Fred Jackson: All right. well, yesterday, President Trump did, a federal filing of what he's worth, about. And he's taken in about $1.2 billion from crypto businesses over the last year. Well, before boarding Air Force One this morning, for a trip. This is the first trip, by the way, on the new Air Force One. He was asked about this, you know, conflict of interest. You're making all this money and you're president, et cetera, et cetera, this is how he responded to that, cut number two.

>> Ed Vitagliano: You had a very lucrative year last year.

>> Tim Wildmon: What message does this send to average

>> Fred Jackson: Americans, especially those who may be struggling right now financially?

>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't get involved in My personal. We have funds that run my money.

>> Fred Jackson: But you are benefiting.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I've made a lot of money before I became president and they invest my money and I don't talk to them. I never, I don't even speak to them. So I have many people, I don't know what they call closed accounts or something. You put your money in and that's it. I don't talk to them. They're big institutions and, they run it. But, yeah, I've had a great career in business. I've had a great career.

>> Tim Wildmon: Concerns about conflict of interest.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't know if I've had a better career in politics or business.

>> Tim Wildmon: You know what? I know every, Everybody is, you know, Larry. Of politicians profiting from their office personally, because it brings into question about, you know, are you compromised? And, you know, Nancy Pelosi, remember that, insider trading accusations and how much money she. Well, a lot of these politicians, both Republican and Democrat, especially the Democrats and Obama. Yeah. They just, they somehow make a killing while they're supposed to be in public service. Okay. but in this case with President Trump, I don't know how she could call it or accuse him if that's what she was doing, or she's asking a question, the reporter there, about conflict of interest. This is a blind trust, right?

>> Fred Jackson: Yes.

>> Tim Wildmon: So a blind trust like President Trump was talking about right there. He's hands off. He doesn't even have anything to do. He doesn't even know the names. now, I don't like, personally, I wouldn't like my finances being out of my hands completely. But I guess their purpose in that is to shield him from accusations, ah, of, you know, insider trading or benefiting from your office personally or anything like that. And so this is a nothing burger. And if you're going to look for him doing something wrong, that's why

>> Ed Vitagliano: these kind of reporters. I don't want to make an accusation, so let me just ask this question. Right, let's ask this question.

>> Tim Wildmon: I think he answered it correctly.

>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I find wrong with what he said. But this reporter. Have you ever asked President Obama how he went from whatever he was worth 1 million to like $100 million? You ever asked the Clintons this question? If not, this is a clear example of bias. If you do ask politicians, including members of Congress, why you're worth so much money while your salary is, then she's a fair reporter and I'm okay with that. But his answer was fine.

The extreme humidity in Illinois and Iowa is caused by corn, Fred says

>> Tim Wildmon: Next story.

>> Fred Jackson: All right, well, that's a non story. We had a bit of fun with this this morning at our story meeting thanks to a story you sent out. Tim,

>> Tim Wildmon: scour the Internet at night for stories we can use.

>> Ed Vitagliano: The next morning you do, and you send them to us at night.

>> Fred Jackson: This may even be a kind of a Trivia Friday type story.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.

>> Fred Jackson: If I told you that corn sweats.

>> Don Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: Would you believe that?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I know that the corn on my pinky, my little toe.

>> Tim Wildmon: We don't need to know this.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It's sweat. Sometimes in the summer.

>> Tim Wildmon: Too much information.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah, much.

>> Tim Wildmon: That's not what we're talking about here.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I did not know this. This is interesting.

>> Fred Jackson: It is.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. The story. Are we talking about the humidity story?

>> Fred Jackson: We're talking.

>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. What grabbed my attention last night on that their Internet at a news site was they were saying the humidity in the mid American Midwest, such as Illinois and Indiana and some other places.

>> Fred Jackson: Iowa.

>> Tim Wildmon: Iowa there now in these days, where there's basically a heat wave across the country for the most part, except Montana, where it's snowing. Anyway, was that, the humidity was worse than it was in the Amazon region. And I found that stunning. So thus I read the story and sent it to you. But, Fred, what's causing this, rise in humidity for our friends in the Corn Belt?

>> Fred Jackson: All right, so, let me read a little bit of this because this was brand new to me. The extreme humidity in Illinois and Iowa, however, is not amplified by a weather pattern, but by corn.

>> Tim Wildmon: Corn.

>> Fred Jackson: As corn reaches its peak growth phase across the Corn Belt, the fields start acting like steam machines, fueling dangerous heat that could last through the weekend. A single acre of mature corn can release between 2,000 and 4,000 gallons of water vapor into the atmosphere each day through a process known as evapotranspiration, essentially causing the plants to, quote, sweat.

>> Tim Wildmon: What's the word?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Evapo.

>> Fred Jackson: Evaporation.

>> Tim Wildmon: It's also a religious word. I don't have time.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I think Hindus practice.

>> Tim Wildmon: I don't have time to go into it right now.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm sure you don't.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. That moisture builds up near the ground, driving dew points to potentially reach 80 degrees in parts of Iowa and Illinois and making conditions feel even more stiff, stifling.

>> Ed Vitagliano: This is why we need to get rid of corn. We need to get rid of cows for a different whole different reason. And we also need to get rid of corn because it is contributing to climate change.

>> Wesley Wildmon: And, you know, that's one of those. It's good. There's a place for it, but you could probably win that if you had to. But it's, that's a lot different than like a bacon like you. If bacon caused a problem, you just

>> Tim Wildmon: can't get rid of bacon. You're gonna have yourself a civil war.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And I'm be the first one signing up.

>> Tim Wildmon: No, I'm, I'm signing up for that too. but the truth, the scientific fact of the matter is this is true. That, in those states you just mentioned, it's like corn sweating.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Corn.

>> Tim Wildmon: Corn. Corn and more corn. Kind of like JJ's jokes. but they're bada boom. But, but, but the corn sweats, so to speak, as Fred just described it, which causes the, the area affected to be more humid.

>> Ed Vitagliano: You know what's interesting about this? Now let me, let me put on my science cap here, because as you all know, I'm very adept at science.

>> Tim Wildmon: Sharing your heart and.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Share my heart.

>> Tim Wildmon: Right.

>> Ed Vitagliano: So corn has to get this moisture somewhere. So does it draw it from the atmosphere?

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Or does it draw it from the soil? Because it's got to come from somewhere and then it releases it as a sort of a, of a steam. But I'm thinking if it was or

>> Wesley Wildmon: within or does it create.

>> Tim Wildmon: It's, does it come from. The stalks can come from nowhere.

>> Ed Vitagliano: That, well, that water's going to come from somewhere. And if it's drawing it from the atmosphere, I would think that might make it drier. So it must be drawing it from the soil.

>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, we're all looking at you.

>> Ed Vitagliano: And then releasing it.

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, how does this work, Fred?

>> Fred Jackson: I, I, I'm assuming, having not researched this, I'm assuming. So the corn gets planted in what, April, Ish. Late March.

The amount of water being released by corn has an impact on the environment

>> Ed Vitagliano: That's when I plant mine.

>> Fred Jackson: Okay. Gets planted spring rains. So the soil gets very moist and the plant draws that moisture in. But as the corn stalk matures this time of the year, because everybody likes their corn by July 4th, so it doesn't need that water anymore, it basically has stopped growing. And so it releases. I've not heard of this before, but me either. But, the amount of water being released by the stocks of corn has an impact on the environment. That's amazing to me, Wesley.

>> Wesley Wildmon: there's a line in global warming that we've crossed, and that's the problem here. And so that's why we haven't experienced before now.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Before you know it, there will be no more polar bears.

>> Wesley Wildmon: That's right.

>> Ed Vitagliano: I think that's sad.

>> Tim Wildmon: I think, Fred, you got the makings of a sermon Right there. The way you just laid all that out. You know, the water nourishes the corn. The little seed springs up.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, he was at a Bible conference for 10 days. He ought to be able to preach on corn growing.

>> Tim Wildmon: So if you want to know why it's humid, people in, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana and that region of the country is because your corn.

>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: Is creating. And it did say it's, more humid than the Amazon. That's what got me.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Tim Wildmon: Do you think of the Amazon rainforest that's just really thick humidity?

>> Wesley Wildmon: Yep. So synonyms for score. Like score in the Internet.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Ransack, rummage, scrub.

>> Ed Vitagliano: What is this for?

>> Wesley Wildmon: Dad scored the Internet earlier.

>> Tim Wildmon: No, I scoured it.

>> Wesley Wildmon: Scored.

>> Tim Wildmon: Well, did I say scored? Because I did. I was going full on Arkansas.

>> Ed Vitagliano: That was.

>> Tim Wildmon: I shouldn't have said that because we got a lot of listeners in Arkansas. I did not mean to offend.

>> Wesley Wildmon: So that's why you save yourself by just saying ransacked, scoured. Just stay away from that one. You ran stacked here.

>> Ed Vitagliano: Sounds like the Vikings.

>> Wesley Wildmon: You rummaged. Rummaged through the.

>> Tim Wildmon: Rummaged through the Internet and found this story.

There is reportedly a shortage of gasoline in Russia because of Ukraine conflict

All right, Fred, we got about three minutes left here. Well, anything good in that sack?

>> Ed Vitagliano: Save us Obi Wan.

>> Fred Jackson: Well, it depends on how you interpret this story. We're not the only ones experiencing a heat wave right now.

>> Tim Wildmon: Like a heat wave.

>> Fred Jackson: Like a heat wave. there's heat in other places.

>> Tim Wildmon: There is, yeah.

>> Fred Jackson: And the summertime in other places.

>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.

>> Ed Vitagliano: It is our fault.

>> Fred Jackson: Like downtown Moscow. It's summertime, and, it's getting warm, and people are going on vacation. But they've run into a problem because the Ukrainians have been very good at bombing refineries in Russia. So much so that there is a gas shortage there right now. It's summertime. People want to get away on vacation. Those that are left there, so there's a fuel crisis there. What amazes me, we're year four of this conflict, and Ukrainians are still able to inflict problems for the Russian people. Saw a picture this morning of the lineups of people trying to find gas fights in mine, in Moscow going on. And it's the first time, according to the story, that Putin has admitted, yeah, we've got a problem. So could it be that the shortage of gasoline caused by people wanting to go on vacation in Russia? Could it help to end a conflict?

>> Tim Wildmon: Sounds bizarre to me to think I'm just picturing, a guy in line at the gas pump with his Bermuda shorts on. And flip flops headed for the beach, wherever it is, while drones are flying over his head attacking their. Because we're talking about the Russia Ukraine war going on and ah, and Ukraine has, you're right, has extracted a lot of pain on Russia now on the oil refineries and things like this. It's causing big problems as you said here.

>> Fred Jackson: All ah, right.

>> Tim Wildmon: We will take a short time out and then be back with more of today's issues on the American Family Radio Network. The views and opinions expressed in this

>> Jeff Chamblee: broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of

>> Tim Wildmon: the American Family association or American Family Radio.