Crosstalk America from VCY America

Alex Newman is an award-winning international freelance journalist, author, researcher, educator and consultant. He is senior editor for The New American. He's co-author of Crimes of the Educators, author of Deep State: The Invisible Government Behind the Scenes and author of, Indoctrinating Our Children to Death. He's also founder & CEO of Liberty Sentinel and a national syndicator of radio and TV programs including Behind the Deep State which airs on WVCY Television & vcy.tv.President Trump has made it known that he wishes to shut down the Department of Education. He wants to eliminate the bureaucracy and turn education over to the states. We're told that the workings of an executive order are under way yet others believe we should hit the brakes on this. They say that because the Department of Education was created by Congress, you can't simply eliminate it by the stroke of a pen. Teachers unions have vowed to fight this as well. Is the elimination of this department a step in the right direction or will it bring about even more calamity (or possibly education collapse) to a nation that is suffering from major problems already in the education sector? Such questions are answered as Alex looks at the history of the Department of Education going back to President Jimmy Carter, the establishment of the religion of secular education beginning with people like Robert Owen, Horace Mann and John Dewey; there's discussion about Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, parental rights, home schooling and more.Listeners contributed their input on this subject to wrap up the broadcast.

There was much news from the home front but also from other parts of the world. Hear what made headlines this week on this edition of the News Round-Up program. Here's a sample of stories that were mentioned:--Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week said that the U.S. condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including the foreign jihadis, that murdered people in Western Syria in recent days. --Hamas agreed today to release the last living American hostage.--Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has indicated that he will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down. --Russian President Vladimir Putin offered high conditional support for the proposed 30 day cease-fire deal with Ukraine.--Dalton provided audio of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reacting negatively to a question from a reporter who compared tariffs to tax hikes on the American people.--The European Union announced on Wednesday retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products.--During his talks with European nations on Thursday, President Trump threatened a 200% tariff on wine, champagne and other alcoholic products from France and the European Union. --The hacking group, Dark Storm, reportedly known for its infiltration of highly secure systems, claimed responsibility for a cyber attack on Monday that caused periodic outages on the social media platform known as "X" (formerly Twitter). --FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the law enforcement agency, along with staff for Attorney General Pam Bondi, arrested two current U.S. Army soldiers and one former U.S. Army soldier who allegedly stole government secrets.

Julaine Appling is president of Wisconsin Faithful and President Emeritus of Wisconsin Family Council.On April 1st, Wisconsin will be holding a critical Supreme Court election. As Jim demonstrated by presenting several headlines, this election will not only affect Wisconsin, but every state in the nation. Why is that? Julaine responded to that question by noting that in 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped from 4-3 conservative to 4-3 liberal with the election of Janet Protasiewicz. So since August 1st of 2023, the court has been acting in a liberal, judicial activist type of mode.Now we have the April election coming up where Brad Schimel is facing off against Susan Crawford in what amounts to the filling of an open seat as liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley has decided not to seek reelection. This means that if Schimel wins, the court reverts back to 4-3 conservative and if Crawford wins, it remains 4-3 liberal.Julaine believes the reason for the national attention is that liberals like what they've been able to accomplish with this court. One item concerns the redrawing of the state legislative maps in a way that favors Democrats. Also, Julaine indicated that there's a lawsuit waiting to be filed that would challenge the legality of Wisconsin's congressional maps.If you look at the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans have only a 4 vote majority (218-214) with 3 vacant seats. So Democrats believe if they can get the current Wisconsin Supreme Court to stay liberal, and file a lawsuit challenging the legality of our constitutional maps forcing new ones that favor liberals, that could flip at least two seats.

Chris Katulka is assistant director of North American Ministries at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and host of The Friends of Israel Today radio program. He is a Bible teacher, and writer for Israel My Glory magazine and is author of the book: Israel Always. From street demonstrations, to the takeover of university and college campuses, to vandalism against synagogues, physical threats and assaults, violence and death against Jews, it should be plain to everyone that such headlines highlight the rise of antisemitism.Where does such hatred come from? It's certainly not new as history records such activities, one of which is recorded in the Bible's book of Esther. Through the course of events that unfolded, a special celebration has emerged known as Purim which is being celebrated this week.Join Jim and Chris as they discuss this celebration and its significance. Considerable time is given by Chris to the story of Esther and how it wonderfully communicates God's relationship to the Jewish people, in spite of the fact that God's name is not mentioned in the text! You'll also hear discussion on the rise of antisemitism today through individuals such as Mahmoud Khalil, while listeners put a cap on this fascinating broadcast.

Reverend Jim Harden is president and CEO of CompassCare Pregnancy Services in New York. Theirs is one of many centers targeted with criminal activity including firebombs, vandalism and threats.From the American Civil War to Afghanistan, it's estimated we lost 1,122,422 lives. Take that number and multiply it by 59. Why? That's the number of deaths that have occurred during the war on the unborn. That's over 66 million purposeful deaths due to abortion and it's increasing by the second.In response, Reverend Harden has just opened two state of the art, pro-life medical offices last week into the two largest abortion hubs in America: Brooklyn and the Bronx.Why is this significant? It's because it's been reported that Brooklyn and the Bronx have the highest number of abortions of any counties in the nation. Looking at it more broadly, Reverend Harden noted that the state of New York is the abortion capital of the U.S. More abortions take place there, per-capita, than in any other state, while New York City is the headquarters for the abortion industry nationwide. It's the home of Planned Parenthood (estimated to be responsible for 40% of all U.S. abortions) and Danco Laboratories (responsible for chemical abortions).So Brooklyn is number one in terms of abortion numbers with the Bronx at number two with 11,000 abortions. Another way to view it is the fact that there are 87 abortionists in the New York City metro area. On the other hand, CompassCare's new offices in these locations represent the only pro-life, medical alternative for women.

Dr. Richard Schmidt is Pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church and founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries. He is the speaker on the weekly TV program Prophecy Focus and the radio broadcast Prophecy Unfolding. He spent 32 years in law enforcement including that of Acting Sheriff until his retirement. He has authored several books including Are You Going to a Better Place?, Daniel's Gap Paul's Mystery, Tribulation to Triumph: The Olivet Discourse, Globalism: The Great World Consumption, Artificial Intelligence: Transhumanism & the De-Evolution of Democracy and now has transcribed & expanded lectures delivered by Dr. Jimmy DeYoung titled Presidents, Politics & Prophecy.We firmly believe that God is sovereign over the affairs of men. God uses human government to accomplish His plan and His purpose. The prophet Daniel proclaimed, "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:" Proverbs 21:1 reads, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it withersoever he will." Just as God worked through the kings in Israel, so also God works through the leaders of human government in countries around the world including the Presidents of the United States.Now concerning Israel from its inception as a nation, the United States has had a significant impact upon her. While some Presidents have shown unwavering support for Israel, others have been more reluctant. We'll unfold that today.One of the enthusiastic speakers on Bible prophecy who addressed issues like this was Dr. Jimmy DeYoung who went home to be with the Lord in August, 2021.

Sitting in for Jim Schneider, Dalton Windsor presented news items from the past week that are of importance to you. Here are some of the headlines from the first half of the broadcast:--In response to a massive air offensive that was launched by Russia against Ukraine, President Trump has sent out a brief warning to Russia on Truth Social to back off. He's considering placing large scale banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a cease-fire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached. --Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that last week's clash with President Trump and V.P. J.D. Vance at the White House was regrettable, yet they are pledging to sign the minerals deal and hold peace talks. --American military aid to Ukraine was stopped so abruptly that planes carrying weapons were ordered to turn around in the sky.--Trump's administration is demanding a recorded, public apology from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Fox News Peter Doocy has said that nothing will happen with the minerals deal until Zelenskyy goes in front of cameras and makes an explicit, public apology for the way he behaved in the oval office. --Ukraine's acceptance of the U.S. peace deal, instead of China's, would be a major win for the U.S., weakening Beijing's influence and setting a precedent for future defense agreements. --The Trump administration's top diplomats and national security figures will reportedly meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next week.--France will keep providing military intelligence to Ukraine after Washington announced that it was freezing the sharing of information with Kiev.

Jim reviewed the president's speech from last evening before a joint session of Congress. Highlighting the review was a series of audio clips including:--Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who represents California's 37th Congressional District, said Democrats will continue to speak lies to Trump's truth, stealing and cheating.--Speaker Mike Johnson as he announced that the Sergeant at Arms was to restore order by removing Congressman Al Green.--CNN presented the results of a poll regarding the ouster of Congressman Al Green.--President Trump shamed the Democrats in attendance.--Hear the line that social media has decided was President Trump's best during his speech.--President Trump's comments on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).--President Trump's comments on biological men competing in women's sports, specifically citing how that affected former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb.Jim had much more to present as the hour moved along, while the second half of the broadcast featured input from listeners.

William F. Jasper is an investigative reporter and senior editor at The New American Magazine. He's an author, journalist and commentator. For more than three decades he served as an accredited correspondent at the United Nations in New York and U.N. summits around the world.From 1904-1914 the U.S. built the Panama Canal. Today, it's once again at the forefront of geopolitical discussions as President Trump believes that giving away the canal was a bad idea. William began with a brief history of the canal and moved into discussion regarding a number of canal-related controversies that bring up some interesting questions including:What about those who claim we can't break the treaties and go back on our word?Is it true that Panama has one treaty and we have another and the two don't compare with one another?Who was "pulling the strings" of Jimmy Carter? Jimmy Carter is often the focus of the canal turnover but what part did Bill Clinton play?Have we really paid for the Panama Canal multiple times over?In the end, even if it's possible to take back the canal, is it a good idea? Get to the bottom of the issue, and hear what your fellow listeners had to say, on this edition of Crosstalk.

Andrew Arthur is Resident Fellow in Law and Policy for the Center for Immigration Studies. He began his legal career through the Attorney General's Honors Program as a clerk to an administrative law judge in the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer at the United States Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review.This past Saturday, President Trump declared that through the month of February, his first full month in office, we saw the lowest number of illegal immigrants trying to enter the U.S. in history. Then there's also the quest to deport those already here illegally, with the primary focus on those who committed heinous crimes. Sadly, there are activists who have doxed ICE agents and revealed their whereabouts. Some within the media have also become involved by providing warning. Members of Congress have provided guidelines regarding what illegals should do if they are stopped by immigration officials. Then there are the states that are fighting the Trump administration in an effort to shield those who are breaking the laws of our nation. Review this broadcast and hear how President Trump has legally been able to get control of the border in ways other presidents chose not to, the effect of migrants on America's welfare/social programs, why you can be a Christian and believe in strong border control, what responsibilities our troops have on the border, the latest on fentanyl seizures and much more, including input from callers on this important issue.

Another very active news week has passed. Listen to Crosstalk to get caught up on what you may have missed. Here's a sample of what Jim had to offer: --Sparks flew during a discussion in front of media between President Trump, VP J.D. Vance and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a cease-fire deal with Russia.--President Trump kicked Zelenskyy out of the White House as a press conference and lunch was canceled. The critical minerals deal that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday was a done-deal was not signed as planned. --Zelenskyy said this past Sunday that Russia launched more than 200 drones in an overnight attack, the largest of the war. --President Trump said that a lot of progress has been made in ending the war in Ukraine after French President Macron joined him at the White House for a call with G7 leaders.--The U.N. adopted a resolution, despite opposition from the U.S., that voted against the European-backed measure demanding Russia's immediate withdrawal from Ukraine, reaffirming Ukraine's territorial integrity and also strongly condemning Russia's invasion on the war's 3rd anniversary.--Israeli decision-makers plan to resume the Gaza war in 4-6 weeks with overwhelming force, sending in tens of thousands of troops to conquer the entire strip in a single, coordinated offensive against Hamas.--Hamas released 6 living hostages last Saturday.--In Buenos Aires there is a street named, "State of Israel" and another named, "State of Palestine." Following the murder of the Bibas children, Argentina has decided to rename the street, "State of Palestine" to "Bibas Family Street."

This Crosstalk featured guest Dr. David Brown. Dr. Brown is Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He has a Masters in Theology and a Ph.D in History specializing in the history of the English Bible.The United States Supreme Court has upheld that the Second Amendment to the Constitution is an individual right, yet there are many questions that people have. So if you're wondering, for example, if you can be pro-gun and pro-life, you'll want to review this important edition of Crosstalk as Dr. Brown brings clarity on these and other points of concern. For example:-Was Jesus a pacifist?-How do we deal with "Thou shalt not kill"? According to the Bible, when is killing not murder?-Does Romans 12:19-21 mean that we're to just leave things up to God for vengeance every time? What is the place of law enforcement in this?-What is the difference between self-defense and vengeance?-Does carrying a gun show a lack of trust in God?Listeners had Dr. Brown answer additional questions to round out the broadcast.

Some of the most powerful people on earth believe that one day they'll be able to "upgrade" at least some human beings through genetic engineering and technological schemes such as brain implants. They're so confident in their schemes they're touting benefits as wild as eternal life and the ability to evolve into gods. Returning to bring listeners details on this issue, Crosstalk welcomed Alex Newman. Alex is an award-winning international freelance journalist, author, researcher, educator and consultant. He is senior editor for The New American, co-author of Crimes of the Educators and author of Deep State: The Invisible Government Behind the Scenes. He's also founder of Liberty Sentinel.Alex pulled no punches in his opening comments. He described this as a diabolical agenda. This doesn't mean that everyone involved is evil or even understand the implications. However, if you listen to the leaders of this movement, people like Ray Kurzweil, Yuval Noah Harari and Klaus Schwab, they explain how they feel they'll become gods and will achieve immortality without Christ by merging with technology through things like brain implants, genetic engineering or uploading of their minds with computers systems. Christians realize how blasphemous this is and how it's the oldest lie in history if you go back to Genesis 3 where Satan told Eve she could be like God and that she would not surely die. Klaus Schwab, the head of the World Economic Forum, has touted what he calls "The Fourth Industrial Revolution." Alex noted that Schwab first mentioned this in Foreign Affairs magazine published by the Council on Foreign Relations. It comes down to two simple choices.

Why did He do it? Why did He die?

News from around the nation and the world. Crosstalk looks at it all from a Christian perspective and reports as much as time will allow each Friday. Here's a sample of stories from this week's broadcast: --*Breaking News*--Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has fired the fire chief who said the city failed residents as it pertains to the wildfires. --*Breaking News*--U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is saying the Jeffrey Epstein client list is "sitting on my desk right now."--In response to a blood parade by Hamas where they celebrated the deaths of hostages, including young Jewish children, President Trump said, "I want to see Gaza wiped out. I don't want to see even one building standing." --At the end of an incredibly hard day of mourning, Israelis had to deal with a series of mass transportation terror attacks. Bombs exploded on 3 public buses on Thursday evening. Miraculously no one was injured in the explosions that police believe were coordination terror attacks, most likely carried out by Hamas.--Argentina's president, Javier Milei, is declaring a national day of mourning following the return of the remains of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons who were kidnapped by Hamas back on October 7th, 2023.--The Republic of Fiji, known as one of the friendliest nations toward Israel, has decided to open an embassy in Jerusalem.--The IDF confirmed Monday that troops will stay in 5 strategic locations in southern Lebanon beyond Tuesday's withdrawal deadline under a cease fire with Hezbollah, despite Lebanon's government expressing frustration over the delay.--Lebanon has indefinitely extended its flight suspension to and from Iran.

Usama Dakdok is founder of the Straight Way of Grace Ministry. He is the speaker on the daily radio broadcast, Revealing the Truth About Islam. Born and raised in Egypt, Usama learned about Islam just as every other student does in a Muslim country. He also studied for a university degree in Egypt which included the study of Sharia, which is Islamic law. He first came to America in 1992. With his knowledge of Islam, he founded The Straight Way of Grace Ministry. Usama speaks fluent Arabic and has translated the Qur'an into English. He is the author of Exposing the Truth about the Qur'an and Exposing the Truth About Jihad and the booklets, The Violent Truth about Islam and The Straight Way to Eternal Life. For many years Usama has traveled the country to equip the church to minister to Muslims and to warn Americans about the deceptive methods being used that lead many into the cult of Islam.Long-time Crosstalk listeners know that on past programs, Usama Dakdok has issued warning after warning concerning the growing influence and possible takeover of America by Islam. More proof of this has come forth as there's been the announcement of the formation of EPIC City near Dallas, Texas. EPIC stands for: East Plano Islamic Center. This city is where developers claim they will serve the evolving needs of Muslims. In fact, it's being called a game-changer, not just for Dallas, but for the Western world.The goal is not simply a bunch of neighborhood homes but instead they'll offer a full school facility (pre-K through high school), a community college/university, grocery stores and elderly assistance facilities.

Tom DeWeese is president of American Policy Center. Tom is one of the nation's leading advocates of individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, personal privacy and back-to-basics education.Tom began by explaining non-governmental organizations, otherwise known as NGO's. They're experts at pushing various policies and issues along with the grants to tell recipients to apply for. They pressure city council members, county commissioners and even state legislators to put whatever policies the NGO's have in mind, in place. Jim noted how even the media gets involved in this so that when a community or a state rejects one of these offers, they tell listeners/viewers how certain funding has been turned down, making it appear as though it was a bad decision. What they don't explain is the part about how that community or state has their hands tied if the money is accepted. In other words, that community or state has now lost control at some level.The latest trick has to do with getting citizens to voluntarily surrender a level of control of their land. It involves land trusts such as the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy and others who are pushing for farmers to sign what are called, "conservation easements." These are being offered with the promise that if they sign, the farmer will no longer have to worry about developers taking their land. It may sound good on the surface, but one problem is that the land trusts have the farmers sign these easements in perpetuity. Conversely, the land trusts aren't tied to the perpetuity clause. They can buy, sell or trade these conservation easements with other organizations or even with the government.

Historian Bill Federer talks about God's work in American history.

Marilyn Boyer is a descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier and daughter of a World War II veteran. She is deeply patriotic and passionate about America's Christian history. As the wife of an Air Force veteran, mother and home educator of fourteen children and grandmother of twenty-eight, Marilyn's dedication to family and country is unparalleled. As an author, her latest series, What a Character: Notable Lives from History, captures the remarkable stories of historical figures who shaped our nation. In the early 1980s, Marilyn and her husband were pioneers of the modern home education movement. Together, they founded The Learning Parent ministry and Character Concepts, authored dozens of books, and traveled extensively to speak at home-school and Christian parenting conferences. Sadly, millions of children have grown up learning a revisionist version of history. In some cases it has resulted in young people developing animosity toward the United States, its founders and our system of government. They simply never learned to appreciate the many individuals that sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. Is there a way we can recapture that which has been lost by our education system? Should we just 'cut our losses' and forget about the millions among our youth that have been misguided concerning our history or can we reach this current generation with historical truth that supports a biblical worldview?This is where Marilyn comes in. She joined Jim as she relayed examples from her book series: What a Character: Notable Lives from History.

Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr. is senior pastor of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He is an author and also is the speaker on the program In Grace which airs on WVCY Television and VCY.tv and on the VCY America Radio Network and on other facilities across the country. Pastor Scudder has a passion for souls and a desire to teach others about our Savior's love. He also has a special love for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.Much attention continues to be focused on Israel, especially given their war with Hamas and the end-times ramifications that involve this area of the world. This means there is much news to report and questions to be answered. Pastor Scudder presented an update, allowing listeners to get the latest information so they can view what's taking place there from a Christian perspective. Some of the questions that were answered included: What phase is the hostage process in and how many more living hostages need to be released? Who will rule in Gaza after the war? Was Trump being literal or inspirational with his comments concerning a U.S. takeover of Gaza? How is Israel reacting to the Trump presidency?What's happening along the Lebanon border?Could the next attack on Israel come from Judea & Samaria (the West Bank)?Listeners wrapped up the broadcast with their questions and comments as well.