>> efrem: straight ahead on "newswatch," donald trump launches his thank you tour, announces his pick for secretary of defense, and lays out a broad agenda for this presidency. we've got all of the
details. plus, the smoke is lifting in gatlinburg, revealing a town de decimateed by wildfire. and now they're facing the heartbreak of it all. >>> and it is the end of the dynasty, find out what
is next for the robertson family as "duck dynasty" comes to a conclusion. >>> and thank you for joining us for cbn "newswatch." i'm efrem graham. president-elect donald trump spoke to the nation
in his first post-election rally on thursday, kicking off his nationwide thank you tour. in addition to thanking the crowd, he made a big announcement and laid out what he wants to do when he takes office.
charlene aaron is on this story. >> charlene: the president-elect returned to his campaign roots on thursday in his first major public appearance since election day. first in indiana, at the
carrier plant, where he helped safe 1,000 jobs. then in the buckeye state. >> i love you ohio. this is a great state. >> charlene: he spoke to thousands of his adoring fans in the key state of ohio.
where he made this surprise announcement: >> we are going to appoint mad dog as our secretary of defense. they say he is the closest thing to general george patton that we have, and it is about time.
it's about time. [applause] >> charlene: mr. trump also mapped out a broad agenda on the economy, repealing obamacare, and national unity. >> we denow denounce all of the hatred.
and we're going to come together. we have no choice. my plan begins with a bold structural reform to create millions of new jobs and rapidly expand our economic growth. >> charlene: and he also
laid out his plans on immigration and changing american policies about who comes into the u.s. >> we will construct a great wall at the border. u people are pouring in from regions of the middle east.
we have no idea who they are, where they come from. >> charlene: meanwhile, trump's transition team is considering including a few democrats for its cabinet. senator joe mansion of west virginia could be
tapped for energy secretary. the conservative democrat is being considered to show the coal people how serious trump is about the coal industry. and another democratic senator, heidi hydecamp,
of north dakota, is set to make a trip to trump tower today. she could also be considered for secretary of energy or interior. the president-elect ended his speech in cincinnati by appealing to everyone
in the country: take part in helping to make america great again. >> we have many challenges, but this is truly an exciting time to be alive. there has been no time like it.
the script is not yet written. we do not know what the next page will read. but, i'll tell you, it is going to be a great page. but for the first time in a long time, what we do know is that the pages
will be authored by each one of you. >> each one of you. >> americans will be the captain of their own destiny once again. >> charlene: charlene aaron, cbn news. >> efrem: the obama
administration is supporting the idea of including women in the military draft. "u.s.a. today" reports president obama believes adding women to the draft will show a commitment to gender-equality.
under current law, women can volunteer, but they are not required to enter the draft. the report says the obama administration remains committed to an all-volunteer comi military, and there are no plans to
re-institute the draft. >>> the u.s. senate has unanimously improved legislation that will extend the iran's sanctions act for 10 more years. it will allow the u.s. to impose sanctions on
companies for doing business with iran. senators voted 99-0 on the measure, which the house already passed. trump already threatened to scrap president obama's nuclear deal throughout his campaign.
>>> hundreds of thousands of muslims protested in jakarta, indonesia, accusing their christian governor of blasphemy against islam. the protestors were calling to jail him over comments he made about the
quran during his campaign. the president arrived at the rally to pay tribute to those attended, while chanting "allahu akbar", along with the people in the crowd. the associated press reports 200,000 people
attended the rally. the governor will soon face trial for blasphemy. >>> a court in germany has authorized a group of self-appointed shar'ia police to continue enforcing islamic law. the seven islamists to
formed the vigilante force have established a shi'a-controlled zone. the court ruled that the group is not breaking german law, but is exercising its right to free speech. >>> back in the u.s., the
cities of gatlinburg and pigeon forge, tennessee, are still days away from reopening after devastating wildfires ripped through the area, leaving 11 people dead. today residents and business owners get their
first chance to check and see if they have anything left. caitlin burke is in gatlinburg, and brings us more on this story. >> reporter: the waiting game continues here in severe county, as they
search through the ashes left behind by this week's fires. business owners, waiting for access to their shops. for the sims family, the wait ended on thursday. >> we went back to the house on yesterday, and
there was no evidence of fire in and around our section. >> reporter: they evacuated monday night as flames from distant mountains moved closer. >> i thought we weren't going to make it.
my son in the back seat told me, i totally thought we weren't going to make it tonight. and i was with him. >> reporter: their home was spared, but their hearts are heavy. >> when i walked in, i
felt heat. and i've never been so grateful for my home in my life, as i was today. and i thought of all of the ones who had lost their homes, and thinking, oh, gosh, they don't get to walk back into their
homes. >> i've been talking to a lot of my friends, asking them what they need, what size clothes they wear so we can go shopping for them. >> reporter: this blockade you see behind me
is as close as many can get to downtown gatlinburg, where many of the restaurants and banks and churches are, and dozens of them were destroyed or severely damaged by fire. starting thursday,
business owners were allowed back in with an escort to gather some of their most important documents and to take care of payroll. harold and nancy thompson own two downtown businesses.
nancy was in her shop on monday when smoke moved down from the mountain. >> most of the shops started closing down around mid-afternoon. we did stay until about 5:00. and the smoke was really,
really bad. >> reporter: the thompsons heard from their landlord that the buildings are intact. today they have one hour to go in and get anything they need and assess the damage.
>> fortunately it didn't get into our scare, but it burned all the way around us. it is a miracle they didn't burn. >> reporter: we have heard over and over again from the people of this
community, that they are strong and they will pull together to take care of their own. what they need from you are your prayers and your business. >> if you really, really want to do something for
gatlinburg, we're going to be back on our feet in a short time. come and visit us. come back and vacation here. >> reporter: cbn news, gatlinburg, tennessee. >> efrem: the penalty
charga districtjudge has ruled that the 12 people will be selected next wednesday for the case against dylann roof. he faces charges for the 2015 rampage at a church. >>> france is refusing to lift a ban on a viral pro-life video because it
might upset women who previously aborted a down syndrome baby. a down syndrome advocacy group produced the video called "dear future mom," sending a powerful message to anxious mothers who's babies were diagnosed with
the disorder. >> don't be afraid. [speaking a foreign language] >> efrem: french officials called the video inappropriate and banned it from ever being on television.
but pro-life advocates believe this is just the message france needs. almost 90% of babies prenatalie diagnosed with down syndrome in france are aborted. the video is still banneded, despite numerous
petitions. >>> next year marks a milestone of a diving accident that left her as a qua quadriplegic in a wheelchair. she has gone on to be a disabilities advocate and to write more than 50
christian books. her new book, "a spectacle of glory," and she said as she gets older, she still finds herself waking up in the morning unable to face the day and desperately needing jesus. >> every single morning
when i wake in, i need jesus so badly. i can't tolerate the thought of another day, as a quadriplegic, with somebody else giving me a bed bath and exercising my legs. it all seems so
overwhelming. so freshes i fresh in the morning, i'm saying, jesus, i need you. i can't do quadriplegic, but i can do all things through you as you strengthen me. >> efrem: and she
recently studied a new study bible called "the beyond suffering bible," for those with chronic diseases or illnesses. >>> coming up, they may be the country's most famous duck hunters, but willie robertson says he feels
closest to god when he is fishing. >> efrem: fans of "duck dynasty" are enjoying the final season of the hit reality series, featuring the colorful robertson clan. but it doesn't mean the
end of the expot light. spotlight. i recently sat down with willie robertson to talk about his new book and what is ahead for the family. >> reporter: meet the robertson clan, they
turned duck calls into a multi-million empire. but running a family business is tough when the family wants to run wild. millions fell in love with the robertsons, when they began sharing the family business and their daily
life on television. >> willie, are you as excited as i am about your reunion this weekend? >> reunion? willie, do i have to remind you how much you've changed since high school? >> he still looks the
same. >> reporter: sometimes they average more than 11 million viewers, and "duck dynasty" is coming to an end. >> it is over five years we've been filming the show, which on television
is a lifetime. there is always something going on. we'll wait and see what happens. i'm not a big goal guy. i don't try to set my five-year plan. five years ago, if someone
would have asked me what my goal was, i probably would have been way short of what was going to happen. so i don't want to limit myself or limit god or anything. it will be nice, at some
point, to slow down a little bit and kind of enjoy some of the things that we've done. >> efrem: that willie robertson slowdown will have to wait. the husband, father, and c.e.o., has a new show
with the family's favorite uncle, sy. >> i've got a show on the internet. i'm not even sure what that is yet. >> efrem: it is called "going syral," and willie is the side kick.
and he has written a new book, "the american fishermen." tyrece i mean, t>> to be honest, growing up, we were way more about fishing even than hunting, because we fished for fun, just like we hunted for fun.
dad kind of had this duck call he was trying to sell, so we were trying to get it off the ground. but to pay the bills, my dad fished. >> efrem: you said that fishing is how parents and children discovered what
they're made of together. >> right. >> efrem: how so? >> i think with fishing, you can learn a lot about yourself and about others. you learn patience and you learn how to stick with it.
you can't see what exactly you're going after. and so i think we learn a lot about ourselves. especially nowadays, because the world kind of really slows down. >> efrem: is dad still the best fisherman you
know? >> probably so. probably so. he has probably forgotten more about fishing than the rest of us. he can fish for really >> efrem: your dad took your son and the girl he
was dating -- >> one of my favorite episodes of "duck dynasty" -- >> you've got old pop being your chaperone. what is your opinion on that? >> well...
>> it's good. good. >> john luke, never touch her below the neck until you sign on the dotted line. that's being a gentleman about it. you know what i'm saying?
>> yes, sir. that helps. >> so he starts talking about all of these sexually transmitted diseases, and that's his dating advice. what is funny was, i heard the same speech when i was
15, and i got so tickled. so i went to my father, and i said, dad, i saw the episode where you were giving the advice, and i'm laughing. and dad said, i wasn't being funny. and i said, i know, and
that's what is so funny he kind of had the shock therapy with all of us, and it is still going. >> when you're young, all you hear on television and the internet is sex, sex, sex. don't even entertain that
thought. >> efrem: fishing anchors the robertson family, and in writing his book, willie learned how it also anchors american history. george washington, franklin d. roosevelt,
george h.w.bush, and even george bush were all avid fishermen. >>> we talk about the relationships of presidents and fishing. we have a new presidents president who you're a big supporter of.
are you going to take donald trump out fishing? >> i need to take him out i'm already eyeballing camp david. i'm thinking maybe -- i haven't asked for many favors yet. maybe my favor would be to
take him out at camp david. it would be neat, where all of these presidents have been and just to be there. his son, donald trump, jr., he and i hunted so he is a big outdoorsman
and likes to fish. i don't know that mr. trump is a big but i would love to be able to take him out and do some sort of fishing. >> efrem: and you feel closer to god when you're fishing?
>> i do. i do. >> efrem: after all, god has called all believers to be fishers of men. >>> production has wrapped on "duck dynasty", but you can catch new episodes from now until april, when
the show is scheduled to end. >>> up next, movies that are worth your while. get your family-friendly movie reviews before you head to the theater this weekend. we've got that story
coming up after this. >> efrem: our mark martin spoke with "plugged "plugged in's" bob wallashefski. >> bob, let's start with the warren beatty film, "rules don't apply," about howard hughes. what did you think?
>> warren beatty highlights howard hughes, but he mainly highlights two fiction characters in the movie. they fall in love with each other. one is a driver and one is a budding starlet.
he keeps 25 women around in case he wants them to star in one of his movies. it is a bit of a love unfortunately, some sleazy scenes and some dialogue that is inappropriate, and two characters that start out as christians, who
quickly abandoned their faith for hollywood values, or lack thereof. i only gave this one a two. i'm not a big fan of "rules don't apply." >> reporter: there is a new drama face based on an
historical case that changed the laws of america. >> it is based on the true story of richard loving, who was a loving person as well, who in, i believe it was 1958, as a white man married a black woman.
as you've already alluded to, got married and got arrested for just getting married. and then their case went all the way to the supreme court. and it ended up changing the laws of the land.
we gave this one a 3.5 out of 5, which is a pretty good score. knocked it down a point and a half for a little bit of language. the fact there is a pregnancy outside of marriage, but not in a
sleazy way, but a little caution there. i like richard loving's love for his wife. i like the strong wife she is and how she takes care of her kids and how she loves her husband. i like the fact that it is
a true story. >> reporter: bob, there is a christmas movie out called "believe." is that one worth seeing? >> this is a faith-based movie, and i would say faith light -- the christmas message comes
through a christmas pageant, so it is not an alter call-type thing. it deals with a man who inherited an auto parts business from his grandfather, but he has fallen on hard times. it looks like he will have
to layoff people and they start protesting with signs. and he helps finance an annual christmas pageant, but because everything is suffering financially, he can't do that. well, the community is up
in arms about that as well because it is a financial boost to the whole community. and things aren't going right until he encounters a group of homeless people. homeless is not quite
technically right. they actually have a roof over their head, but they just don't have any heat. as he tries to help them, things begin to click. it is a hallmark-ish-type film. it is a feel-good film,
that folks looking to take the whole family to something have an operation. >> reporter: thanks so much for being with us, bob. >> thanks, mark. >> efrem: it is time for
your friday faithful. here is a word to consider as you move into the weekend and make plans to rest and hopefully make plans to attend worship services as well. remember this: church is not a thing to do or even
a place to go. the church is what believers are called to be. with that word, remember it is important to be church seven days a week. embrace that principle and make this a fabulous
friday. >>> that is going to do it for this edition of cbn remember, you can find more of our exclusive coverage of the issues you care most about always at cbnnews.com. we would love to hear what
you think about the stories you've seen here you can do that on facebook, twitter, and instagram. hope you'll join us again right here next time. make this is a fabulous friday and a wonderful
see you monday.