Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20171226 : comparemela.com

Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Sreenivasan messages of peace marked christmas celebrations around the world today, from the u. S. To the u. K. To the vatican. Pope francis used his christmas remarks to call for a twostate solution in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Speaking to a crowd of thousands, he also urged an end to confrontation on the korean peninsula, as well as in syria, iraq, yemen and elsewhere. translated today, as the winds of war are blowing in our world and an outdated model of Development Continues to produce human, societal and environmental decline, christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the child. We see jesus in the Children Worldwide wherever peace and security are threatened by the danger of tensions and new conflicts. Sreenivasan Britains Queen elizabeth used her christmas address to remember the victims of terror attacks in london and manchester. President trump sent his Christmas Greetings today as well. In a white house video with the first lady, mr. Trump urged americans to renew the bonds of love and goodwill between our citizens. Mr. Trump is spending his first christmas in office with his family at his estate and private club in palm beach, florida. Elsewhere, it was a white, cold christmas for millions of americans in the northeast and great plains. Forecasts called for up to eight inches of snow in parts of new england, while areas in the midwest saw windchill temperatures well below zero. Meanwhile, nato soldiers in kabul today donned santa hats and celebrated the holiday with a roast turkey dinner. In the days other news, israels Prime Minister praised guatemalas plan to move its embassy in the country to jerusalem. The Central American nation is the first to follow President Trumps lead on the change. Guatemala was among a small handful of countries that voted against a United Nations resolution denouncing mr. Trumps recognition of jerusalem as israels capital. The u. S. Says its negotiated a significant cut in the u. N. s budget. The u. S. Mission to the u. N. Said the bodys 20182019 budget would be slashed by more than 285 million. It wasnt immediately clear how the change would impact the u. S. Contribution. But Ambassador Nikki Haley said she wouldnt let the generosity of the American People be taken advantage of. Election officials in russia have banned Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny from running for president. Navalny had been convicted in a fraud case, which was seen by outside observers as a way to sideline him. After the decision, navalny called for a boycott of the election in march. translated i am saying with absolute certainty that the decision of the central election commission, in case it is made, to bar me from the election will exclude millions of people from this election. It will exclude millions from the political system itself because it wont allow them to take part in the election in any way. Sreenivasan navalny is seen as the most serious challenger president Vladimir Putin has faced, but putin is expected to easily win a fourth term in the march election. Authorities in vietnam are bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm tembin. It claimed some 200 lives in the philippines over the weekend. About a Million People are being evacuated from vietnams southern areas, where tembins winds and rain could start hitting tonight. The government says thousands of fishing boats shouldnt go out to sea. At least six people are dead, after a suicide bombing in afghanistans capital. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. The suicide bomber struck near the Afghan National intelligence agencys headquarters in kabul. At least three others were wounded. The former authoritarian leader of peru has received a medical pardon. Alberto fujimori was serving a 25year sentence for human rights abuses, corruption and the sanctioning of death squads. The 79yearold was in power in the 1990s. Demonstrators took to the streets in lima, protesting the current president s decision to pardon fujimori. They called the move a political deal. Still to come on the newshour President Trumps promise to end whats been called the war on christmas. Rohingya refugees living and attending school in chicago. Its politics monday. We explain why the president is lambasting the deputy f. B. I. Director, and much more. Sreenivasan as millions of christians in the United States and around the world celebrate today as the birth of jesus, President Trump is taking credit for the return of the phrase Merry Christmas. He tweeted people are proud to be saying Merry Christmas again. I am proud to have led the charge against the assault of our cherished and beautiful phrase. Merry Christmas William brangham takes a closer look at whats behind the so called war on christmas. cheers and applause brangham from the campaign trail by the way, were also going to be saying Merry Christmas again. Brangham to the white house. We are saying Merry Christmas again. Brangham President Trump has taken a vocal stand on saying Merry Christmas. We can and people are saying Merry Christmas again. Brangham Merry Christmas never went away. I want to wish every american a Merry Christmas. Merry christmas to you, happy holiday. Merry christmas and god bleth you all. Three, two, one cheering brangham but as President Trump marks his first Christmas Tree christmas in the white house, he is taking a stand on the war on christmas. As the original war on christmas fivestar general the war on christmas heads to sin city. Boca raton florida is ground zero for the war on christmas this year. Brangham county trumps pro christmas message seemed to rally christians to his side which many thought a hard sell for a thrice married man who rarely spoke of any religious belief. One in four americans are evangelical christians and they overwhelmingly supped him 5 to 1 over hillary clinton. Despite the president s push to say Merry Christmas again, americas attitude towards the holiday seems to be shifting. A Pew Research Survey found for the first time less than half of americans celebrate christmas as purely religious and onethird say it is a cultural holiday. When shoppers head to the store spending an average on 983 on gifts, how they wanted to be greeted changed as well. Just onethird of americans wanted stores to say Merry Christmas. More than half said it doesnt matter. That didnt stop a pro Trump Organization from spending 1 million on tv ads starting today to say thank you. Thank you, President Trump, for letting us say Merry Christmas again brangham to talk about how politics and christmas intersect and how Christians Mark the birth of jesus, im joined by two evangelical thinkers and leaders. Tony perkins is president of the Family Research council, and amy sullivan is author of the Party Faithful and cohost of the podcast imply company. Welcome to you both. Tony, id love to start with you. We saw just before President Trump relishing how he gets to say Merry Christmas and thats the way the country is going to be joining him. How important is that to you and fellow evangelicals . I think its important, but from a standpoint its emblematic of a bigger debate thats within raging in this country an that is the ability to express ones faith openly without concern, and i think the president , when he made that a campaign issue, tapped into something a lot of people just didnt understand that there were a large number of evangelicals, christians, in this country that felt increasingly uncomfortable about expressing their faith, especially at christmastime when we celebrate the birth of jesus christ, to whom, as christians, that is our lord and savior and it is a very, very important and special time of the year. Brangham amy, what is your take on this . I would think jesus would not really care if we said Merry Christmas, but i think there are things jesus cares about. I think the overfocus on consumption around christmastime, even the fact that its become, as weve talked about, more of a secular holiday for people to spend with family and to focus on exchanging gifts hath r rather than actually being in church. That can be a concern to those of us who see it as a celebration of the birth of our savior and, yet, there are a whole lot of churches who, today, arent having services, even though its christmas day. Brangham tony perkins, what difference does it make what somebody days says to me when i walk into a walmart . I know jews and muslims doesnt fill their faith is impeached because no one says merry ramadan. What difference does it make . Saying Merry Christmas is a buzz word, a coword the president tapped into recognizing people want to be free to express their faith. Is it a huge deal when youre going to a store and buying something for christmas somebody says Merry Christmas, not in the context itself, but in the context of the bigger issue of what were seeing in our culture in our country. I would agree with amy, i would much rather see people in churches worshiping the lord and savior. Brangham the pew study i mentioned before, seems like the country is moving toward this being a more secular, less religious holiday, already. Well, its been a less religious holiday for a long, long time. Anybody who has a small child who is obsessed with santa claus or, more recently, elf on the shelf knows how brangham definitely nonbiblical interventions in christmas. Exactly. Its really hard to fight against those influences, yet, for a lot of people, thats kind of the sum total of what christmas is. But i would push back a little bit against the idea that most christians are really concerned about kind of the broader issues behind what christmas stands for. I mean, the way weve seen it portrayed in Popular Culture and particularly on News Networks like fox news, bill oreilly and the American Family association have really honed in on who are the corporations who are, you know, full of christmas spirit, which Department Stores are hanging happy holidays banners, i think the mistake has been in the larger debate to focus on these secular arenas instead of focusing on bringing them back to the church. Brangham tony per kens, what about the idea, as amy is indicating, there are very strong economic forces, not political forces, that are making christmas the way we think of it with trees and gifts and consemption. Isnt that a larger force you would like to push back against . I dont disagree with that. I think when you look at retailers determine whether or not theyre going to be successful with their black friday sales leading into christmas and the whole Christmas Season determining whether or not theyre successful, it does become about the dollar and thats not what christmas is about. I want to go back to your pew research focus. There were interesting things in that, in that 90 of americans do actually celebrate christmas, and twothirds of americans believe in the biblical account or elements of the biblical canaccount of the birth of chr. So there is still a lot of commonality in the birth of christmas and what it means. Brangham do you think that when President Trump picked up this call it took on such a force and seemed to align christian voters who many thought would not be on trumps camp and put them on his side . Well, i think its a good applause line that appeals to the idea that christians are being persecuted and it fits right in with President Trumps division of the country between us and them. In my house, im an evangelical christmas and we celebrate christmas. But my husband is jewish, we also celebrate hanukkah. And the idea that our celebration of hanukkah makes my belief in jesus christ as my savior and my celebration of christmas less special or less recognized, its just not one that i can subscribe to. I think that the table and the public scare is big enough for all of us. Brangham tony perkins, what about amys point that her husbands celebration of hanukkah doesnt really impact her celebration of christmas or my celebration in any real way . Well, i dont disagree that the table is big enough for everybody, but the issue has been that there have been some, and you look at the policies of the previous administration, that wanted people to keep their favorite hidden or been the four walls of their church or their synagogue. When you look at policies like the h. S. S. Mandate that penalizes the Little Sisters of the poor with mandatory contraception and their healthcare plans. Look, we should be tree to exercise our faith publicly, and christmas is probably the most profound december play of faith that we have in our culture today, and thats what the president was tapping into. It wasnt about what happens in those 31 days of december or from thanksgiving until christmas day. It is more about public expression and the freedom to live out ones faith without intimidation by government or the broader culture forces. Brangham tony perkins, amy sullivan, thank you both very much for being here today. Thank you and Merry Christmas. Sreenivasan various refugee crises dominated News Headlines this year, including rohingyas, more than a million of whom have fled their homes in myanmar. Many have ended up in camps in bangladesh, but some have made it to the u. S. , and the majority of those have settled in the midwest part of the country. From pbs station wttw in chicago, paris schutz has the story of Rohingya Refugees who have made the windy city their new home. Reporter in many ways, hasan is a typical chicago high schooler. The 14yearold is the captain of his club soccer team. He attends Sullivan High School in rogers park, and has a Close Knit Group of friends. But hasans new life is the result of a harrowing escape from his home region of the rakhine province of myanmar, formerly known as burma. He says the Burmese Military burned his village down, forcing him and his family to flee for their lives. The buddhist come to our country. They burned our house. They killing muslim people. Reporter hasan says he was taken in by a rohingya family in malaysia, before coming to the United States as a refugee. He says he has not seen or heard from his biological family since. I lost my whole family. Wherever we go, we run, and we just dont know. Reporter and you just had to run off on your own . Yeah, yeah. Reporter hasen is one of dozens of rohingya students in the Chicago Public School System with similar stories. 19yearold salamat says his parents arranged for his escape from myanmar but could not afford to leave themselves. Like hasan, he came here with the help of the United Nations High Commission on refugees. He worked at ohare and says hes sent all of his earnings back to his parents. I am sending money to them, so hope they will be safe. Reporter he says hes able to talk to them online every day, and they are in constant fear of the buddhist Burmese Military, which has systematically forced rohingya out of the country. They call us terrorists. They kill everyone, every children, every woman, they fire into the home. Reporter if salamat and hasan are dealing with the aftereffects of post traumatic stress, it certainly doesnt show. Do you struggle with everything thats happened . Maybe not. I think about my family in my head. I try to find my family, but here i can go school, i can learn new things. Reporter Sullivan High School has a large refugee population. Assistant principal matt fasana says administrators regularly care for kids who have experie