Crosstalk America

Dalton manned the controls as he stepped in for Jim Schneider on this edition of the "Round-Up." Here's a selection of stories he looked at from the past week: --Republicans lost every major contest in Tuesday night's election as it was a "clean sweep" for Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey while Zohran Mamdani became the next mayor of New York City. --California voters approve Proposition 50, allowing the state to circumvent the independent redistricting process. --Senate Majority Leader John Thune expects Republicans to be laser-focused on affordability issues ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections. --The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York is not necessarily bad news if you're a real estate agent in states like Florida, as interest in new homes in that state is already exploding due to his election win. --In the Senate, bipartisan negotiations to reopen the government appear to be making limited progress. --A federal judge in Rhode Island says that the Trump administration must fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November. --More than 1,000 flights across the nation were canceled as the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines looked to deal with staffing shortages exacerbated by the ongoing shutdown. --According to a new report, American military planners have drawn up a list of targets to be attacked in Venezuela as soon as the president gives the order. --Russia wants to provide hypersonic missiles to Venezuela amid their frayed relations with the U.S.

Robert Knight is a former Los Angeles Times news editor and a columnist for the Washington Times as well as other publications. Robert has had senior positions in a number of pro-family organizations. He has written several books including, The Coming Communist Wave: What Happens if the Left Captures All Three Branches of Government, Liberty on the Brink, Crooked: What Really Happened in the 2020 Election and How to Stop the Fraud. He's with us today discussing his newest book, The Battle for America's Soul, in which he provides "10 Steps to Restore Freedom." America was once the hope of the world because of the freedoms we hold dear. Now, not only are those freedoms under attack, but also we are losing the moral authority that backed them up. If we are to restore our freedoms, we must regain our moral authority. That can only come about if Christians are fully engaged as active citizens, unafraid to evangelize and to be salt and light in their communities. For too long the Christian community in America has been on the defensive and slowly adapting to a hostile culture. But, according to our guest today, "We are admonished to go on the offense against the darkness, not cower in church buildings and homes, hoping it all goes away." How do we change this?

Mat Staver is founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. Mat is a constitutional attorney with three landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He's an author and the host of the radio broadcasts Faith & Freedom and Freedom's Call and the TV broadcast Freedom Alive. It was on June 26th, 2015, when five members of the U.S. Supreme Court invented the constitutional right to same-sex marriage. At that point, states were thrown into a tailspin. For example, Kim Davis, now the former clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, was not willing to bow down to Caesar and would not compromise her religious convictions by issuing marriage licenses to those outside the biblical mandate. For refusing to comply, Kim went to prison. She's now saddled with a $360,000 judgment against her (for emotional distress and hurt feelings claimed by the plaintiffs). The Supreme Court will meet this Friday in conference regarding whether or not to hear this case. Two other cases were discussed. One involved the Texas Supreme Court that ruled unanimously 9-0 to amend their judicial code of ethics so that judges that refuse to participate in so-called, same-sex weddings for religious reasons will not be disciplined. Finally, during the COVID vax mandate of 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the State of New York issued a mandate to all health care employers saying that you cannot give or consider any religious accommodation request. In other words, all health care workers had to get the COVID vaccine. Mat indicated that this overrides Title VII, the federal law that says there's no discrimination on account of religion in the workplace.

From time to time, Crosstalk features a program titled, "What in the World?" This expression is often a response to things heard that are bizarre or outlandish and this broadcast highlighted just such stories. For example: --Zohran Mamdani, the far left, pro-socialist, anti-Israel candidate for New York mayor, has a campaign ad in Arabic with a strategically placed Palestine Liberation Organization flag in the background wooing Muslims to go to the polls. --Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour issued a thinly veiled warning to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani saying that she will hold him accountable to fulfill campaign promises including dismantling an NYPD unit that polices terrorism threats, protests and riots. --Zohran Mamdani sought to blame President Trump for bomb threats at polling places. --An internal report confirms that the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) was caught in a serious lie concerning words spoken by President Trump on January 6th, 2021, to his supporters. --A poll conducted by the Henry Jackson Society reported that 32% of British Muslims favor the implementation of Sharia in the UK. --Suspects in an alleged Dearborn, Michigan, terror plot were said to be Muslim terrorists. They were accused of stockpiling weapons for an ISIS inspired attack according to an FBI affidavit. Feds found over 1,600 rounds of ammunition, multiple firearms and tactical vests in raids of their homes and a storage unit. --Former Vice President Kamala Harris accused college age individuals of being stupid and that's why they're put in dormitories. Ironically, at the same time, she wants to lower the voting age to 16.

Proverbs 27:1 reads: "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." In other words, as we open our eyes to a new day each morning, we don't really know what the day holds for us. However, as believers in Christ, we do know who holds the day, and we can trust in His sovereignty. It's from that perspective that we present to you the testimony of Hannah Glass, a young girl simply living her life. She was a student at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin. She was getting ready to celebrate her 19th birthday, a day she wanted to celebrate by volunteering at Bearing Precious Seed, a Scripture publishing and distribution ministry in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 2 day later, Hannah took a bite of a brownie that contained refined peanut flower and in less than a week, she was ushered into eternity. Today would have been Hannah's 20th birthday. Don't miss this edition of Crosstalk as David Glass, Hannah's father, presents more background concerning Hannah and the incident that took her life, the gift of life Hannah left behind, the lessons David and his wife have learned from this, the formation of the Hannah Helps ministry and more.

This edition of the "Round-Up" looked at not just news from the past week, but began by remembering the great reformer, Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Reformation on this date in 1517. Also, an update was given concerning VCY's Central Asia project. News stories from this past week included: --The FBI thwarted a potential terror attack in Michigan, arresting multiple suspects accused of plotting violence over the Halloween weekend. --Authorities are sounding the alarm over drug laced candy and snacks. --Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rebuffed a request from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to suspend immigration enforcement over the Halloween weekend. --Samaritans Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has airlifted more than 38,000 pounds of emergency relief supplies to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa tore through the island leaving widespread destruction and thousands homeless. --Left-wing TikTok'ers are shamelessly promoting rioting and stealing as a pause of food stamps or the Snap benefits looms due to the government shutdown. --New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency to financially support food banks as the government shutdown threatens the food aid program. --President Trump has called on congressional Republicans to invoke the "nuclear option" by ending the Senate filibuster to bring the ongoing government shutdown to an end. --Jim provided audio from Chris Cuomo who appeared on NewsNation to call out Democrats for peddling the farce about the "Schumer Shutdown." --The nation's largest union representing federal workers has called on Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown immediately!

Todd Nettleton is vice president of message for the Voice of the Martyrs-USA. Todd is also host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. In his position, he serves as a voice for persecuted Christians, inspiring Christians with the faithfulness of Christ's followers in over 70 nations where they face persecution for wearing His name. During more than 25 years serving at VOM, Todd has traveled the world and conducted face-to-face interviews with hundreds of Christians who've endured persecution in more than 30 nations. He is the author of When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians. Others bring comfort when they pray for you. However, when was the last time you prayed for the persecuted church? There are many who suffer on account of their faith in Jesus Christ. Some are behind bars, some have received physical beating, some are being denied a place to live or a job to earn a living, while others are cast out of their family. Like you, such individuals are greatly encouraged when they know other believers are praying for them. This is the focus of this Crosstalk as we approach the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Some churches will be participating this Sunday November 2, while others will participate the following Sunday. Regardless of the date, it's important for us to be praying for those suffering on account of their faith in Christ. So don't miss this broadcast as Todd had much to talk about!

William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, historian, author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc. He is the speaker on "The American Minute" daily broadcast. Polls seem to show that Gen "Z" voters (age 18-29) are drawn to socialism and therefore it's this demographic that appears to be the source for the current popularity of candidates like Zohran Mamdani who is a New York State Assembly member running for mayor of New York. What's behind this appeal for socialism? William explained that there's two ways for people to give up their freedom: fear and free stuff. After WWII and the cold war, the communists couldn't defeat America from the outside so they tried doing it from the inside. It's the idea of making everyone dependent. He used the example of wild pigs. You put a post in the ground and throw some corn down. The pigs come and eat the corn and ignore the post. You keep adding posts and throwing down more and more corn. Eventually all you'll have left is a small opening for the pigs to enter the circle. The pigs will still squeeze their way in. Eventually, you shut the gate behind them and you've caught yourself some wild pigs. In other words, you've trapped them by dependency. Drug dealers use a similar approach in order to take over a neighborhood. They can cause fear by use of guns or they can be so nice that for a time they give away free drugs. They may do this until you are hooked at which point you are dependent upon the dealer as the source to supply your addiction. These examples are known as the Cloward-Piven Strategy, named after Richard Cloward and Frances Piven who were professors at Columbia University.

Last month, VCY held its fall rally and the guest presenter was Chris Katulka from the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. He spoke on the issue: Why Israel Matters. Why does Israel still matter? Chris had this to say in his opening comments concerning the Bible: "From Genesis to Revelation, this book is Jewish, OK? Do you know that your Savior Jesus is Jewish? You know he never went to church, he went to synagogue. He never celebrated Christmas or Easter. That would be awkward, OK? Jesus celebrated Passover. He honored Yom Kippur. He kept the Feast of Tabernacles. He celebrated Hanukkah. Jesus is Jewish and we believe that if you have a passion for God's Word, then you should automatically have compassion for God's chosen people." That pretty much says it all, but we encourage you to listen to this larger portion of audio from the rally as Chris explains how the existence of a Palestinian state would really be a reward to Hamas. He breaks down Genesis 12:3 (the promise to Abraham) and how it extends throughout the entire Bible. Find out why the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Assyrians and numerous other people groups are gone, yet Israel is still in existence. Other points are examined as well, all to show that Israel still matters!

Pastor Jack Hibbs is senior and founding Pastor of Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills, California. Moses, David, Elijah and Esther are just a handful of individuals who stood fast, taking a bold stand when the circumstances required it. However, as our culture today continues to slide deeper into violence, immorality and overall chaos, it's easy to become discouraged. Pastor Jack Hibbs says it doesn't have to be this way. He says that everything changes when you say "yes" to God's call to be diligent as you await the coming of the day of God. So don't miss this edition of Crosstalk as Jim has Pastor Hibbs present practical insights and biblical teachings from his new book, Called to Take a Bold Stand. These teachings and insights will help you to boldly and courageously present Christ to a world in great need. As you listen you'll learn the following: Why does this issue burn on the heart of Pastor Hibbs. Why should we take a stand which can end up "creating waves"? His book says: "Hostile aggression demands decisive action." Is he promoting hostility as a response? Pastor Hibbs believes that much of the professing church resembles America at the start of WWII. What does he mean? Is it biblical to stop at becoming a Christian or is there more? Are Christians to be contentious against those who oppose the Gospel or the evil that manipulates them?

Alex Newman is an award-winning international freelance journalist, author, researcher, educator and consultant. He is senior editor for The New American. He is 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 is founder & CEO of Liberty Sentinel and a national syndicator of radio and TV programs including Behind the Deep State which airs on WVCY Television and VCY.tv. Today is United Nations Day. It was 80 years ago today that the United Nations came into being by the signing of the UN Charter. The UN was created to maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations between nations. They longed for international cooperation. How is that working out? So much of the world is sitting on a powder keg. Instead we have the UN lusting for control over the world's energy, the world's food supply, the world's housing, the world's transportation, the world's healthcare and even the world's education. As a matter of fact, the UN has just released a report titled, "Homeschooling Through a Human Rights Lens." This report, overseen by a communist, outlines the most draconian global assault on homeschooling in history. It claims governments must take total control, if they allow it at all.

Due to a special scheduling arrangement, we have a rare Thursday Roundup! Here are some of the headlines: 4 family members of Illinois governor candidate killed in Montana helicopter crash Senator Johnson Introduces the Shutdown Fairness Act Fetterman breaks with Democrats over shutdown, vows to put country over party U.S. debt tops $38 trillion for the first time, worsened by government shutdown Over 100 Pro-Life Groups Urge Republican Lawmakers Not to Cave to Democrat Demands on Abortion Trump Administration to Resume Farmer Aid Halted by Shutdown Senator Johnson calls No Kings rallies a stunt for Democrats amid shutdown Soros foundations helping fund anti-Trump No Kings protests nationwide Texas churches vandalized during anti-Trump No Kings protests China's government was detected using ChatGPT to promote communist rule, suppress dissent Criminal Illegal Alien Recklessly Driving an 18-Wheeler Kills Three in Florida Hamas returns to using schools, hospitals as hideouts, Palestinian Authority claims, as Trump issues dire warning Children among victims in Russian strikes, hours after Trump-Putin talks shelved California doctors can now prescribe abortion anonymously Please pray for the families of those killed and for America. Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

Paul Dragu is a Senior Editor at The New American. He is an award-winning reporter and host of The New American Daily. He is writer of Defector: A True Story of Tyranny, Liberty and Purpose. All over the country there is a push for AI-driven data centers. CNET.com says, "Think of them as AI factories, churning out your responses from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and all the other generative AI tools. The cost is staggering. We're talking 7-foot-high server racks with hundreds of cords connected: blue, red, black, yellow, orange, green. These are centers that host our photos and videos, stream our…shows, handle financial transactions and so much more." There is machine after machine all with an unquenchable thirst for electric power. According to our guest today, globalist equity firms are scooping up local energy companies across the country. Should there be concern?

Dr. Robert Hoffman is the Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children's Hospital. He earned his M.D. from The Ohio State University, completed his pediatric residency at Akron Children's Hospital, and completed his fellowship at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hoffman is also a member of the Scientific Policy Committee of the American College of Pediatricians. He has recently revised an important report titled Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth. A recent press release spoke of an "American College of Surgeons report revealing that over 40% of deceased drivers in motor vehicle crashes over the past six years tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana." This alarming statistic underscores a persistent and growing public health crisis. While this study does not specifically indicate the ages of the drivers, previous evidence shows that young adults are disproportionately prone to risky or impaired driving behaviors, particularly when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While there are claims that marijuana is harmless, there are also many adverse effects that not only impact the user, but also children are being impacted as well.

Rev. Jim Harden is the President and CEO of CompassCare Pregnancy Services in New York. This is one of many centers targeted with criminal activity including firebombs, vandalism and threats. All over the world you hear the shouts, chants, protests, marches, and signs to "Stop the Genocide." They are referencing certain geographic regions around the world. But one location that has been totally absent from these protests is the womb. A genocide is indeed taking place against pre-born children. According to NumberOfAbortions.com, so far this year of 2025 more than 733,000 abortions have taken place. That is more than the population of Wyoming or Vermont or Washington DC! And that is just this year alone! Where is the outrage? Where are the marches? Where are the political speeches? Where are the shut-downs over this issue? Instead of "No Kings" protests there should be "No Killings" protests.

Here's your glimpse at news headlines from this past week, with more details to be had when you review the audio of this Crosstalk broadcast. --President Trump issued a blunt threat to Hamas saying in a Truth Social post that, "...if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them." --Hamas has called on mediators to push for the next steps under the cease-fire. --Due to what was described as the mediators' leniency regarding Hamas' refusal to disarm, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have issued warnings that the effort to end the war is at risk of collapsing. --The FBI has arrested a suspect in Louisiana who allegedly participated in Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. --Demonstrators will be taking to the streets across America Saturday against the Trump administration as they participate in "No Kings" protests. --Federal officials are warning that Saturday's nationwide "No Kings" demonstrations could attract extremist elements linked to the Antifa movement, seeking to insight violence and disrupt public order. --A New Mexico County judge and his wife were indicted last week after they were caught housing illegal immigrants, including a suspected Tren De Aragua gang member. --Virginia's Republican Attorney General, Jason Miyares, kicked off a debate on Thursday with text messages in which his Democratic opponent, Jay Jones, wished death on a political rival. --Border "Czar" Tom Homan said his family has been in hiding due to death threats while reporters try to find out where his family is located.

We now have a Middle East peace plan. The problem is, how do you suddenly erase a tenet of Islam that demands the killing of infidels (Christians and Jews)? How do Islamic nations that want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth all of a sudden accept Israel as a nation? Is peace with Islam attainable or is there a deception underway that is going into silence for a time only to resurge with a greater fury than ever? Returning to Crosstalk to address this subject was Usama Dakdok. Usama is founder of the Straight Way of Grace Ministry. He is the speaker on the daily radio broadcast, Revealing the Truth About Islam. Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, the PLO...the name doesn't matter. According to Usama, they're all on the same team. This is the key point to understand, particularly as it pertains to whether or not Hamas is really ready to recognize Israel's right to exist. This would not seem to be the case as Jim indicated that Qatar and Turkey want to rebuild Hamas, not Gaza. As audio from an Islamic cleric showed, the goal is to make America an Islamic nation. In light of that, what are we to make of the security guarantees made to Qatar and the training of their military pilots on U.S. soil? Is this a "Trojan horse" that President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are somehow not aware of? Jim also reported that Pope Leo is opening a Muslim prayer room at the Vatican. All of this shows how the world appears to be rolling out the "red carpet" for Islam, but will its adherents show thanks in the form of lasting peace? How can it when the term Islam means "submission"? Hear what Usama's experience and research shows.

Micah McCurry is an evangelist & director of Bible Tracts, Inc., a ministry with a faith-driven commitment to share the Gospel far and wide with excellence. He's host of the radio program, Bible Tract Echoes. This broadcast explores why sharing our faith seems so difficult, yet on the other hand, why you should be excited to do it. For example, there are various things you can incorporate that can help along the way beginning with your personal testimony—your story! Remember, no one can tell your story quite like you can. You'll also learn how you can respectfully take conversation from the natural to the supernatural. Then there's the issue of sharing Bible tracts. Does that seem rather old-fashioned? Micah understands that sentiment. However, as he noted, like seeds, tracts need to be planted and Bible Tracts, Inc., can help you do that by supplying various types of tracts, even some for law enforcement and EMS personnel. So supercharge your personal evangelism efforts by listening to this edition of Crosstalk and learn more, including details about an exciting project: an autobiography of Bible Tracts, Inc., founder, Paul Levin.

Pastor Jim Scudder Jr. is senior pastor of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, IL. He's an author and also is the speaker on the program InGrace which airs on WVCY Television, VCY.tv and on VCY America Radio. 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. For 738 days, people around the world had been praying for the release of the hostages, brutally taken by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. Then in Egypt yesterday, President Trump, along with world leaders from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, signed the Gaza peace plan. This has resulted in 20 live hostages being returned along with the bodies of four deceased hostages, leaving another 24 behind. Listen and get details regarding the hostage release you won't get from mainstream media as Pastor Scudder, from Israel, discusses comments from the captors regarding President Trump and Kamala Harris, what he encountered at Hostage Square, the significance of Joy of Torah, Trump's quote of "peace forever," why Israel is a miracle nation and much more.

Jim began the program with news out of Israel that all remaining live hostages taken by Hamas were returned to Israel amidst great joy and celebration. He also noted that as part of this, President Trump made an address before the Israeli Knesset. Be listening to Crosstalk tomorrow where we will have more on this story as details continue to unfold. While the celebration of Halloween in America goes back many years, it's become such a phenomenon that spending on this holiday is forecast to reach a record high of over 13 billion dollars, with the average person spending just over $114. Is this day and its various activities just innocent fun or is it something that glorifies Satan and the occult and therefore should be avoided? Returning to Crosstalk to answer that question was Dr. David Brown, Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Dr. Brown began the discussion regarding Halloween with a Bible verse that should put to rest any controversy surrounding this issue. That verse is 1 Timothy 4:1 which says: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" From that basis, Dr. Brown continued by providing some background information to get listeners to see exactly why the Bible contains this warning. So this edition of Crosstalk you'll learn about: The history of Halloween going back to the days of the Druids. The history of Halloween costumes, bonfires, trick or treat and jack-o'-lanterns. "White witchcraft"--Is it really different? The astonishing number of people relying on astrology, tarot cards, fortune tellers and horoscopes.