It’s Monday, January 13th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (adam@theworldview.com)
Iran admits to shooting down Ukrainian jetliner – “accidentally”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Saturday acknowledged that it “accidentally” shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed last week, killing all 176 people aboard, after the Iranian government had repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible, reports the Associated Press.
Exodus 20:16 says, “You shall not lie.”
The plane was shot down early Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was hurt in the attack on the U.S. bases.
Iran had promised harsh revenge after Soleimani’s death, but instead of killing American soldiers, its forces downed a civilian plane in which most passengers were Iranian and none survived.
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division, said his unit accepts full responsibility for the shootdown. In an address broadcast by state TV, he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, “I wished I was dead.”
He said, an officer made the “bad decision” to open fire on the plane after mistaking it for a cruise missile, noting “we were prepared for an all-out conflict.”
The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians — including many Iranians with dual citizenship — and 11 Ukrainians.
(Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky wrote on Facebook, “We expect Iran… to bring the guilty to the courts,” calling also for the “payment of compensation” and the return of remains, reports AFP.)
And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this.
TRUDEAU: “We need full clarity on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred. Families are seeking justice and accountability and they deserve closure. I reiterated to President Rhuhahni it is absolutely necessary that Canada participate in this investigation. We expect the full cooperation of Iranian authorities.”
Iranian protesters demand leader resign after shooting plane down
A group of Iranian protesters demanded Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down on Saturday after Tehran said that its military had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board, reports the Jerusalem Post.
Listen.
(audio of Iranians chanting)
Minister to Warren: You sided with the terrorists
An Elizabeth Warren presidential campaign rally in Dover, New Hampshire was interrupted by a supporter of President Trump protesting her position on Iran and Qassem Soleimani, reports Fox News.
WARREN: “It’s so good to be here with you.”
MINISTER: “My grandfather was killed in World War II. You’re siding with ISIS, you’re siding with Iran. What are you siding with terrorists for?”
He also said, referring to Iranian General Soleimani, “He killed 600 Marines. We killed a terrorist. Trump is great. You’re a fraud.”
The protester appeared to be referencing Warren’s reluctance to characterize Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed last week in a strike ordered by Trump, as a terrorist. In an appearance on The View on Tuesday, Warren avoided calling Soleimani a terrorist but eventually said that he “of course” was.
Sneak Peek: Hurricane Dorian’s long-term impact on Bahamas
Stay tuned for a Worldview Special Report with more information about the rebuilding process in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian and the challenges they are facing there.
Trump allies looking to buy One America News Network
Allies of President Trump are pursuing an effort to acquire right-leaning news channel One America News Network, in a bid to shake up a conservative media market that has been dominated by Fox News, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The investment firm Hicks Equity Partners is looking to acquire the channel and is pitching other wealthy GOP donors to arrange a bid of roughly $250 million for the channel’s parent company. The firm is owned by the family of Thomas Hicks Jr., co-chairman of the Republican National Committee and a close friend of Donald Trump Jr.
(One America News Network President Charles Herring said, “With the 2020 political season in full swing, expressed interest is on the rise. Yet our family didn’t build our operations to sell it.”)
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan make their “Meghxit”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, caused an uproar last week when they announced that they would “step back” from their roles as senior members of the royal family, seek financial independence, and live part of the year in North America, reports the New York Times.
Critics suggest the couple is cheapening the royal brand and will compromise themselves for money. According to one report, during tense talks before Christmas senior members of the royal family accused the couple of already signing a deal with “firms including Disney”.
Puerto Rican earthquake rocks already traumatized island
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools, reports the Associated Press.
Puerto Rican Governor Wanda Vazquez estimated damage from Tuesday’s earthquake at $110 million, with a total of 559 structures affected. Thankfully, no injuries or deaths were reported, officials said.
Arsonists lit 103 of the Australian blazes leading to arrests
Australian authorities have arrested 183 people on bushfire-related offenses after they determined that arsonists lit 103 of the blazes. Ninety-eight culprits have been identified, 67 of them juveniles, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Twenty-five people have died, thousands of homes have been destroyed, 13 million acres of land have burned – twice the size the state of Maryland, and hundreds of millions of animals and livestock have been killed, reports The Epoch Times.
Wisconsin woman adopts 6 boys out of foster care
And finally, after experiencing years of childhood loneliness in the foster care system from the age of 12, Jessica Benzakein, a single mother, has just adopted six young boys into her home, reports GoodNewsNetwork.org.
In addition to co-parenting two biological sons with her ex-husband, Benzakein welcomed the six boys from the foster care system several years ago. Four of the boys are biological brothers currently ranging in age from 8 to 18; the other two boys, aged 4 and 6, are also related.
Last week, the judge, who was touched by her act of compassion, said this.
JUDGE: “I am very pleased to announce that I am granting your petitions for adoption.”
Choking back emotion, the 46-year-old mother said,
BENZAKEIN: “I need them. They keep me grounded.”
Acts 20:35 says, “‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, January 13th in the year of our Lord 2020. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
After Dorian, Bahamians fighting mold, lack of electricity, & despair
By Emily Swanson
Time now for a Worldview Special Report by Emily Swanson. I’m Adam McManus
Hurricane Dorian was the strongest hurricane to strike Grand Bahamas since 1851, and the churches on the island are still feeling the effects of it. Many are still living in their front yards, others are fighting mold, and still more are unable to obtain fresh water.
The Worldview spoke to Pastor Kenneth Lane of Lucaya Presbyterian Church from the Grand Bahama, the hardest hit island during the hurricane. He shared the biggest dilemmas Bahamian people are still facing.
Lane explained that the four feet of water which flooded the homes became a problem.
LANE: “Other things that are just continuing issues for us; one of which is mold. My wife is outside on the back porch taking a dresser out, and we’re unloading everything from the dresser, spraying it down for mold, trying to get all that stuff so it will just kind of get everything cleaned up. We’ve had mold on the walls here. Some of the people here still don’t have electricity.”
Lane shared that many are still even without power on the eastern side of the island, and they are running generators.
LANE: “Kind of the eastern end of the island. We’re on Grand Bahama, and the eastern end of the island which is closest to Abaco, which was hit very, very hard by the hurricane. That end of the island still has not been powered. By that I mean that the power company still doesn’t have power out there, and from what I understand they’re not planning on doing it, simply because there are so many poles between here and there that are down, that it’s not cost effective for them. So, they’re looking at another way to try and power that end of the island. They might do solar. They might do something, but in the meantime everybody that lives down there and all the businesses down there, are having to use generators. That’s pretty rough for them.”
Lane shared that there are still people camping in their front yards after their houses were flooded with four feet of water.
LANE: “One person that I was talking to said that it is in the hundreds of households; people are basically camping out in their own yards or in their own houses cause they don’t have power, they don’t have water, and all of their furniture; has been washed away. By away, I don’t mean necessarily that it left the premises, but that it was soaked and ruined and destroyed by water.”
But Lane did tell The Worldview that he is encouraged by the progress of the rebuilding efforts.
LANE: “We just went down to the hardware store, which the store, itself was flooded, but now they’re selling things, instead of selling things out of the store, they’re selling things out of the warehouse that was behind the store. Everything’s on open shelves; that’s just kind of how they’re selling stuff right now. People are trying to get stuff back up and running. We have snowbirds down here, and we’ve have several families come in after Christmas which has been nice because they come and they’re kind of checking on their condos, making sure everything’s okay, but with them comes a little boost to the economy.Because they come and they spend money, they eat at the restaurants, and they buy things that need to be repaired.”
He said that there are ongoing needs that people can assist with.
LANE: “First of all, let me just say that we appreciate remaining in your thoughts and prayers, and I know that sometimes seems like a cliché, but that’s so important for folks to remember us and to keep us in their prayers. That’s very important to us. I would say, ‘Continue to support the relief efforts financially.’ If you know of an organization that’s here working, you can send funds directly to them. You can send funds directly to some churches; I know our church has a way that, if you contact us, we can help make that happen.”
Lane asked that people pray for those struggling with depression and fear after the hurricane.
LANE: “I’m seeing a lot of depression. People are overwhelmed by all of the needs. You know; imagine if everything that you had was taken away, overnight, and not just that, but there are a lot of people that are still in fear for their lives. I talked to someone the other day who said that their child is afraid to go in the water; the water came into their house. One person even said that they knew of kids that are afraid to take a bath. Talked to a lady this week who said her house; they lived in a two-story house, and they had to take shelter in the second floor, because the first floor was completed flooded. So, they were in the second story, and while they were up there, there was debris floating past, and they have kind of a porch area that’s on pillars, that go down to the ground. And a boat came that had been moored, that had broken loose, and it hit that pillar and the flood hit that pillar so hard that it just rattled their house.”
Please pray that the Bahamian people would find their comfort and hope in Christ Jesus and that this would be an opportunity for the churches to share the gospel of Christ.
Pray through the verses of 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 for them.
It says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. . For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
This has been another Worldview Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.
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Bernie Sanders springs into Iowa lead
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont leads the Democratic field three weeks ahead of Caucus Day in Iowa — narrowly overtaking his closest competitors, who remain locked in a tight contest just behind him, reports the Des Moines Register.
A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows 20% of likely Democratic caucus-goers name Sanders as their first choice for president.
Senator Elizabeth Warren is at 17%; Mayor Pete Buttigieg as at 16%; and former Vice President Joe Biden, 15%.
CNN pays $76 million in back pay to union workers
CNN has agreed to pay $76 million to settle a back pay case involving union workers that marks the largest “monetary remedy” in the 85-year history of the National Labor Relations Board, reports Variety.com.
The dispute began in 2003 when CNN fired 300 unionized video technicians and replaced them with non-union employees.