9.10 | Grace at Ground Zero

Mary Reichard (0:03)

15 years of weekday mornings, and now the world and everything in it is probably about two weeks away from hitting 100 million downloads.

Myrna Brown (0:13)

That's because you listened. These programs don't download themselves, y'all.

Mary Reichard (0:18)

Exactly. So to celebrate, we had a special commemorative sticker designed, and we would love to send you one as a way of saying thanks.

Myrna Brown (0:27)

Request yours by September 30th at theworldandeverythinginit.org/sticker.

Mary Reichard (0:34)

Just tell us where to send it.

Myrna Brown (0:43)

Canadian military chaplains are being told no prayers, no mention of God at public ceremonies.

Bruce Cleminger (0:49)

It's reducing religious language, pushing it out of the public square.

Mary Reichard (0:54)

Also today, NATO's growing drone problem and Mississippi's remarkable reading turnaround from near the bottom to near the top. And at Ground Zero, the church that became a refuge.

Krystyna Sanderson (1:05)

It was God's grace shining through this trauma and bringing us some solace.

Mary Reichard (1:11)

And World Commentator Daniel Suhr on Charlie Kirk's legacy one year after his assassination.

Myrna Brown (1:24)

It's Thursday, September 10th. This is The World and Everything In It from listener-supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

Mary Reichard (1:31)

And I'm Mary Reichard. Good morning.

Myrna Brown (1:35)

Up next, Kate Covington with today's news.

Kent Covington (1:39)

Brent Crude, the world's benchmark oil price closed above $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time since May.

That as the US and Iran are in their seventh month of war. Central Command said American forces destroyed five Iranian tankers on Tuesday after Iran twice tried and failed to hit a Navy warship. President Trump says Iran's leaders are hanging by a thread trying to leverage the November midterms.

Donald Trump (2:04)

The war will end immediately after the election. Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.

Kent Covington (2:22)

AAA put the national average for regular unleaded at $4.22 on Wednesday. But the president also predicted those prices will come down substantially not long after election day, which is now less than eight weeks away. Democrats though predict drivers will continue to feel pain at the pump from what they call a war of choice in Iran.

And President Trump headlined a gathering of Republicans Wednesday in Texas at the Republican National Committee midterm convention. Rosemary Muncie reports now from Dallas.

Donald Trump (2:56)

Friends, distinguished guests, Vice President Vance and the proud citizens of the United States of America, welcome to the first ever midterm convention of any party.

Rosemary Muncie (3:10)

President Trump says the government will give out $5,000 dividends to every US adult if the GOP wins the midterms. He called it the Trump dividend. He spoke for nearly two hours to an energetic crowd, saying he would visit every state with a Republican running for Congress to drum up support for the midterms. He touted substantial drops in illegal immigrants and fentanyl coming across the border, and called men and women's sports demeaning. The GOP also got an unexpected boost from Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. He appeared in a video saying he's a common sense Democrat against socialism.

New Yorker Rusat Rampagal says maintaining a GOP majority would mean the president can further his agenda.

Ruspat Rampagal (3:51)

People understand we may have frustrations with a party and power at different points in time, but the case needs to be made that if the midterms are lost, that is basically the end of the enacting the Trump agenda come the beginning of next year.

Rosemary Muncie (4:08)

Vice President JD Vance will wrap up the convention tonight with his keynote address. Reporting for World, I'm Mary Muncie in Dallas.

Kent Covington (4:17)

Israel is facing growing international pressure over the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Earlier this week, the United Kingdom banned trade with those Israeli settlements and imposed sanctions, singling out what it called settler terrorists. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says he believes a so-called two-state solution is the only path forward.

Charlie Kirk (4:39)

Two viable and secure states alongside each other, and that prospect is being destroyed by the facts on the ground, the creation of all of these settlements, which have been with increasing pace. And we weren't willing to stand by in the face of that.

Kent Covington (4:54)

France and Canada say they plan to take similar punitive actions. But Israeli President Isaac Herzog says in his view, those measures would only backfire.

Isaac Herzog (5:03)

It will serve no one.

It will directly harm, unfortunately, Palestinians, robbing them of business and employment. And ultimately, it will undermine the interests and national security of freedom-loving nations.