Crosstalk America from VCY America

A nation and world in turmoil. We're certainly seeing that in the news cycle as Jim presented the following stories and much more on the Round-Up this week. --Jim presented numerous stories related to the tragic flooding that occurred at a Christian camp in Texas. In the aftermath, hundreds gathered for a ceremony at a Texas high school stadium to remember at least 120 people who died in the flood over the 4th of July holiday. --At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Trump, Vice President Vance and the full cabinet bowed their heads for a spontaneous prayer on behalf of the people of Texas. The prayer was led by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Jim provided audio of the prayer. --A Texas pediatrician who took to social media to wildly claim that Texas flood victims were supporters of President Trump and got what they voted for has been fired. --White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt debunked the notion that President Trump is responsible for the flooding in Texas. --Monsoon rains trigger flash floods in New Mexico. --Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced legislation to ban weather modification. --The skies over President Trump were busy with uninvited company last weekend as the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled aircraft to chase airplanes out of restricted airspace. --6 Secret Service agents were suspended for failures involving the assassination attempt on then candidate Donald Trump last July in Butler, Pennsylvania. --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rev. 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. As Jim noted in his opening comments, we call ourselves a civilized society. In spite of that we continue to prey on human life in the womb. He cited Hope Clinic in Chicago, a business that advertised they perform late term abortions up to 34 weeks. Also, while some states are acting to protect life, others are putting unborn children in the crosshairs and declaring open season on them all year long and at all stages of development. Yes, the battle is raging and is, in fact, intensifying as you'll hear as Reverend Harden comments on the following: Recently, Wisconsin's liberal supreme court determined that the state's 1849 law that banned abortion doesn't ban it. They reason that prior to the Dobbs decision, the 1849 law was superseded by newer state laws regulating abortion. An abortionist in South Korea is facing murder charges after allegedly performing an abortion on a 36 week pregnant woman which resulted in the baby being born alive and then left to die unattended. The problem of rogue activist judges who feel it's their duty to enact a form of secular fundamentalism in government policy which then circumvents both the legislative and executive branches. This undermines the rule of law by way of law. In other words, are we seeing a judicial coup in America? Reverend Harden summarized the current battle this way: The enemies of life don't care about women, choice or access to medical care. They only care about abortion and what it gives them.

Todd Nettleton is the Host of Voice of the Martyrs Radio and is Vice President of Message for the Voice of the Martyrs-USA. Todd is author of When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians. Despite what some skeptics of Christianity might try to claim, Christian persecution is as strong as ever, particularly outside America. The situation can be summed up by noting this troubling headline Jim read from the Free Press: "As Christians are Slaughtered, the World Looks Away." So don't miss this edition of Crosstalk as Todd has returned from Asia. He joined Jim to bring an update regarding persecution hot spots and what you can do to make a difference. Some of what you'll hear on this broadcast includes: The amazing story of a Hindu priest who came out of that religion to faith in Christ. A pastor whose life was taken in front of his wife and children. A former leader in Al Qaeda and ISIS now leads Syria. What does this mean for Christians there? An evangelist martyred in Ethiopia. A Christian woman came under attack by her own family so that voodoo rituals could continue in the family. The Taliban is stepping up persecution against Christians in Afghanistan.

Martin Mawyer is president of Christian Action Network. Martin began his career as a journalist for the Religion Today news syndicate and as the Washington news correspondent for Moody Monthly magazine. In 1990 he founded the Christian Action Network. As Jim opened this edition of Crosstalk, he noted a just-released Newsmax story that someone used Artificial Intelligence-powered software to imitate Secretary of State Marco Rubio's voice and writing style in contacting foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress. It's thought that the offender was likely attempting to manipulate powerful government officials with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts. So exactly where is Artificial Intelligence (AI) going and into whose hands is it falling? If you haven't been concerned up to this point, consider that just recently Mark Zuckerberg announced the creation of META Super Intelligence Labs to propel the advancement from Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). ASI can hack into any system in existence such as water treatment systems. It can also break codes or even come up with biological weapons. However, what's even more concerning is his desire to make this open source. This means that anyone would have access to this super intelligence machine, and if they choose to, they could remove any human life parameters that are part of it in order to pursue unlawful goals.

Barbara Loe Fisher is the President of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), a non-profit charity she co-founded with parents of DPT vaccine injured children in 1982. NVIC is a national, grassroots movement and public information campaign to institute vaccine safety reforms and informed consent protections in the public health system. She has researched, analyzed and publicly articulated the major issues involving the science, policy, law, ethics and politics of vaccination to become one of the world's leading non-medical, consumer advocacy experts on the subject. There has literally been a shakeup at Health and Human Services since President Donald Trump took office. In recent weeks HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has disbanded the old vaccine advisory committee and has appointed new members to provide guidance. Indeed, HHS has taken a new direction, and as such a leaked report indicates there is a plot to get rid of RFK Jr. The staunch recommendations of the COVID shots have been lifted to some extent as cardiac deaths have increased significantly since the pandemic. There are many who are concerned by the childhood vaccination schedule and there are many parents concerned by vaccine mandates as children head back to school as early as next month.

William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, historian, author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc. He's the speaker on "The American Minute" daily broadcast. He has authored numerous books including, America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations, Who is the King in America?, Socialism: The Real History From Plato to the Present - How the Deep State Capitalizes on Crises to Consolidate Control and the newly released, Silence Equals Consent: The Sin of Omission. On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. At that time, those living in the colonies were outraged concerning the control that England held over them. The Declaration carefully laid out their grievances and reasons for seeking to break away from Great Britain. There were 56 signers of the Declaration, all of whom pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. In other words, they had much to lose if the war was lost and many did suffer hardship because of their resolve. Contrary to what some skeptics may try to allege, at its birth, America revered God so allegiance to Him was naturally assumed. With all of the blessings we have, it should shame us that we have drifted so far off course. Therefore it's critical that we remember Psalm 33:12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for his own inheritance." Don't miss this edition of Crosstalk that looks back at the forming of this powerful document. The discussion begins with what led up to the Revolutionary War and the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775, the specific grievances against Great Britain and more!

Michael Germi is a former Muslim who was born in Iran into a Shia Muslim family. In this setting he learned to practice Islam praying 5 times a day toward Mecca. He fasted during Ramadan. He practiced self-mutilation for the cause of Allah. He migrated to Australia in 2006 and in 2009 placed his trust in Jesus Christ. He later moved to the States where he now proclaims the Gospel to Islamic nations. He has written several Farsi Christian books and desires to plant churches around the world where Persians are scattered. Iran has a population that is ten times larger than Israel. It's land mass is also many times larger than Israel. According to worldData.info, Iran is 96.5% Muslim. Its primary language is Persian. It's citizens are low-income and deal with high inflation. Most importantly, it's a nation and people greatly in need of the Gospel. Michael's biggest fear while living as a Muslim in Iran was the thought of going to hell. So what circumstances caused him to move from Islam to Christ? What is Michael's burden for Iran and the Persian people? What does it mean to be a Christian in Iran? Michael explains all this and more when the political, economic and spiritual aspects of Iran take center stage on this fascinating edition of Crosstalk.

John DeWaard & Arthur Perkins fought against modernism in the Presbyterian Church. Brian DeJong is a pastor and archivist of the Midwest Presbytery of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The transcript recounts the stories of two Wisconsin pastors, John DeWard and Arthur Perkins, who courageously stood against theological liberalism within the Presbyterian Church USA. DeWard, facing criticism for questioning educational materials and foreign missions, was ultimately disciplined and helped found the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, while Perkins, a former farmer and evangelist, was similarly ousted for his unwavering commitment to biblical truth and local ministry. Both men demonstrated remarkable faith and resilience in the face of adversity, leaving a lasting legacy of theological integrity and a call to stand firm in the face of cultural shifts, ultimately shaping the formation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and inspiring continued faithfulness to scripture.

This edition of Crosstalk began with a number of news stories dealing with President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Senate vote for the bill came to a tie which was broken by Vice President J.D. Vance, therefore the bill has passed. The bill goes on to the House of Representatives and the president is seeking a July 4th deadline. Beginning with the second quarter hour of the broadcast, Jim opened the phone lines to let listeners get on their "soapbox" and talk about what's on their hearts concerning news events taking place in the U.S. and around the world. From immigration to trade schools to media manipulation and more, hear what your fellow listeners had to say!

Andrew Arthur is Resident Fellow in Law and Policy for the Center for Immigration Studies. It's amazing that we have public officials who are "linking arms" with those who attack individuals that work for our safety and security. That is the current state of affairs as America's war on illegal immigration continues. Andrew indicated this has been going on ever since Donald Trump came back into office. He also noted that while we can have differences of opinion with the policies carried out by the executive branch and the governors in each state, at a minimum he believes we should have respect and support for law enforcement; those who put themselves between us and the dangers we face on a daily basis. According to Andrew, under the Biden administration, 8 million people came into the U.S., yet only a handful were ever vetted. How has the Trump administration been doing in this war thus far? Preliminary estimates from DHS show that about 239,000 individuals here unlawfully (75% of which were criminal aliens) have been arrested and about 207,000 have been removed from the U.S. At the same time, about one million people have self deported. Keep in mind that while the work is getting done, there are other facets to this war that require great attention as well. For example, there are issues such as birthright citizenship, 3rd country removal orders, the threat of sleeper cells, needed detention space, and much more. So get caught up on this critical issue by reviewing this edition of Crosstalk.

Here's a brief selection of headlines representing news stories that made the cut as Jim presented another edition of the News Round-Up. Numerous stories included audio as well. --After the U.S. strike on Iran earlier this week, Israel's Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to a rapid end to the war in Gaza and expansion of the Abraham Accords. --Mohammad Eslami, head of the Islamic Republic's Atomic Energy Organization told the state-run Mehr news agency that Tehran aims to avoid any disruption in its nuclear industry, although he didn't clarify whether that included military activities. --Following the Iranian parliament speaker's announcement regarding the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA and the acceleration of Iran's nuclear program, members of the parliament stood up and chanted, "Death to America. Death to Israel." --With his nuclear program in tatters, Iran's supreme leader declared victory over America on Thursday. --President Trump said on Wednesday he's fully prepared to authorize further strikes on Iran's nuclear program if the hard-line regime attempts to reconstitute its heavily damaged atomic infrastructure. He signaled that such an outcome is unlikely since America's air strikes knocked it out for years to come. --A top Iranian military commander who was declared dead by the New York Times during the 12 day war with Israel is apparently still alive. --President Trump said he would likely seek a commitment from Iran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks next week. --Senators remain divided about the success of the American military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Mat Staver is founder & chairman of Liberty Counsel. Mat is a constitutional attorney with three landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is an author and the host of the radio broadcasts Faith & Freedom and Freedom's Call and the TV broadcast Freedom Alive. Genesis 1:27 clearly shows that God created us male and female while Genesis 2:24 shows that He had a special plan for men and women called marriage. Jesus affirmed this as we see in Matthew 19:4-6. However, a decade ago, 5 black-robed individuals believed they knew better than God and created a constitutional right to so-called same-sex marriage. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Obergefell v. Hodges court decision. Former Rowan County, Kentucky, County Clerk Kim Davis is "Exhibit A" in all of this and has been since she refused to grant a marriage license to a same-sex couple. If Obergefell is overturned, what will become of current same-sex marriages? Review this broadcast as Jim has Mat go through the decision's historic timeline. Part of that involves seeing how the whole transgender and DEI phenomenon we're experiencing flows out from Obergefell. Mat delivered the updates to this critical case and listeners presented their input as well.

John Stemberger is president of Liberty Counsel Action & Senior Counsel of Liberty Counsel. He's been a conservative policy advocate for over 30 years. Abigail Forman is public policy analyst and a writer for Liberty Counsel Action. She is a former Minnesota state legislator and former Director of Public Policy for Right to Life UK. She is primary author of a groundbreaking, academic white paper exposing the horror of aborted babies from chemical abortions being flushed into our water system. For multiple decades, regardless of the administration in Washington, we've heard the mantra about clean air and water. As a result, environmental policies are set. In light of that, Jim noted a new report that has recently been issued titled: Abortion in our Water: Chemical Home Abortions and the Disposition of Aborted Fetal Remains. It notes that under the Trump administration, having the cleanest air and water in the world for generations is a priority. However, on a daily basis, our waterways are being contaminated by chemical abortion drugs and human remains. This is due to the fact that American women are often left alone at home to endure the agonizing process of expelling their pregnancy as they're often instructed by abortion providers to dispose of the remains of their aborted babies by flushing them down the toilet. This edition of Crosstalk covers much ground as it begins by looking at the back-story of this topic which takes us back to the year 2000 when chemical abortions were first approved by the FDA. At that time, such abortions were small in number. Today, they represent somewhere between 64% to 70% of all abortions.

Dr. Richard Schmidt is the pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church and founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries. He's the speaker on the weekly TV program, "Prophecy Focus" and the radio broadcast, "Prophecy Unfolding." He spent 32 years in law enforcement 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 and Artificial Intelligence: Transhumanism & the De-Evolution of Democracy. Newsmax reported yesterday that President Trump abruptly left the G7 meeting in Canada last week due to Iran telling the U.S. that it was going to activate its terrorist proxies on U.S. soil. Then on Saturday evening the U.S. military, in stealth fashion, flew B-2 bombers in order to strike 3 Iranian nuclear facilities. President Trump followed up by communicating that Iran should surrender unconditionally. In response, Iran not only fired upon Israel but also upon U.S. interests in Qatar. Afterward, a cease-fire was announced, only to have Israel and Iran fire upon each other again. Back on the homefront, there was a vote in Congress to take up articles of impeachment against President Trump. A strong bipartisan effort to table these articles was held this morning. 128 Democrats joined Republicans to kill the effort. So, as our title asks, is the cease-fire on or off? Are the Iranian sleeper cells we've been hearing about a real threat? Will Iran close off the Strait of Hormuz? Was Iran able to successfully have at least some of the enriched uranium removed prior to the U.S. bunker-buster bomb attack?

Scott Schara is the father of Grace Schara. Grace was a 19-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome who tested positive for COVID and was hospitalized. She was ushered into eternity on October 13, 2021. Scott launched a landmark lawsuit, Schara v. Ascension Health et al. Leading up to this he warned about the dangers of incentivized healthcare and where this leads. His work and story have been chronicled in a chapter of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Rise of the Fourth Reich. His writing has also appeared in Assault on the Image of God. After 3 years and half a dozen Crosstalk interviews, Scott's case went to a jury trial and a decision was rendered late last Thursday in favor of the hospital. This Crosstalk features Scott as he describes standards of care, aspects of the trial itself, the verdict and what happens next. Eventually all of us have to deal with the healthcare system. Learn from Scott's testimony and find out how you can protect yourself and your loved ones, on this edition of Crosstalk.

Headlined by news related to the Iran/Israel war, Jim presented details on the following stories and much more: --Iran said today it would refuse to hold nuclear talks with the U.S. while under attacks by Israel. --The Islamic regime in Tehran has shut down internet and cell phone lines across the nation. --On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters gathered on the steps of the New York Public Library in Manhattan to convey what they said was a clear message to the city and nation's elected officials: No war on Iran. --Representative Max Miller of Ohio, one of four Jewish Republicans in the House of Representatives, said that his car was run off the road by a pro-Palestinian activist who threatened him and his family earlier in the day. --Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate for next Tuesday's New York City mayoral primary refused to condemn calls to globalize the intifada, arguing that the phrase is an expression of Palestinian rights. --The Department of Homeland Security released new data revealing that ICE law enforcement is now facing a 500% increase in assaults against them while carrying out enforcement operations. --Federal agents used non-lethal munitions to shut down a large group of protesters who tried to block law enforcement vehicles from entering and exiting an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday evening. --Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday lifted the curfew on the city's downtown that went into effect due to the riots. --An appeals court Thursday allowed President Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids.

J.C. Ryle, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool and prolific author, is featured by Brian De Jong, archivist for the Midwest Presbytery of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Usama Dakdok is the Founder of the Straight Way of Grace Ministry. He is the speaker on the daily radio broadcast Revealing the Truth About Islam. It has become a common thing for Israelis to be woken by sirens. This morning was no exception. But this time there is shock as they learned that one of the country's major hospitals was hit by a missile from Iran. Additional sites were hit in Tel Aviv. We understand it was the hospital's old surgical building that suffered damage. CBN reported that one of the doctors indicated just yesterday that they had evacuated the old surgical building that took a direct hit. He said, "It's a great miracle." Israel's Prime Minister is vowing that the dictators in Tehran will pay "the full price." Tehran is calling for an Islamic Army to wage war on Israel. The Council on American Islamic Relations is demanding that President Trump halt U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. CAIR-NJ is condemning Israel for what they call "an unprovoked attack on Iran." The Al-Qaeda leader is calling upon Muslims to assassinate President Trump and other high-ranking officials. Earlier this month a Muslim in Boulder, CO was suspected of firebombing a group of pro-Israel protestors leaving 15 injured. He is an Egyptian national. And as reported recently on JihadWatch.org, The Council on American-Islamic Relations Director Nihad Awad is hosting training sessions to help citizens spot ICE agents and alert mobs to target them. One anti-ICE protestor is calling out "Allahu-akbar." Pew Research reported earlier this month that on a global basis, Islam is growing faster than all other religions. What's going on? Haven't we been forewarned this would happen?

Chris Katulka is vice president 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. Today marks the 6th day of Israel's Operation Rising Lion, an act of self-defense against the oppressive Iranian regime that for years has vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said, "Israel felt it needed to act in defense of their nation and that's what they did." Israel National News reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a public statement that Israel is working to eliminate 2 major threats: the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat. President Trump has called upon Iran to unconditionally surrender. It's being reported that he's been getting mixed guidance from his advisers on whether to join in on the targeting of nuclear facilities or not. Chris believes the current response by Israel is something that was planned going all the way back to the Obama administration, which shows that Israel has been very patient with Iran. However, while what's currently taking place in real-time between all the parties involved may make for "must see TV," Chris brings even more. He brings a prophetic view from Scripture, the kind of view you'll only get by listening to Crosstalk.