In the first half, science journalist David Ewing Duncan discussed robot and AI systems that are being built and imagined right now, all grounded in real technologies and possibilities and inspired by the imagination. He includes smart appliances and driverless cars as types of robots, and in his new book, he combines non-fiction reportage of the present along with speculative stories told from a narrator of the future, where both positive and negative scenarios of the technology play out. One of the darker possibilities he outlined is "automated warfare," in which such things as unmanned microbots and swarming drones could be unleashed upon a target. There will continue to be many advantages of robotics, such as therapeutic helpers or pets for the elderly. As far as the so-called "sexbots," the more sophisticated companies will market them to increase intimacy and companionship rather than just for sex, he noted.

Some news organizations have already started using AI for simple articles like sports, financial, and election statistics, he reported, though at this point it's hard to imagine a robot crafting high-quality creative pieces. Duncan explained the difference between AI and augmented intelligence-- AI can basically replace humans, whereas augmented assists people with tasks, and can enhance their workflow and decision making. The idea that we're in an early phase of a Matrix-like existence is exemplified by such things as calling an Uber, which is a kind of interaction with a larger AI system, he pointed out. Smartphones, while offering many conveniences and advantages, have also been designed to addict us to them, and "what is that doing to us...and especially our kids?" Duncan pondered.

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Pastor Paul Begley, a fourth-generation preacher, hosts a weekly telecast, "Coming Apocalypse" on World Harvest Television. In the latter half, he shared updates on biblical prophecy and the coming of the Antichrist. He discussed how the foxes recently seen playing at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are a fulfillment of prophecy. The Temple Mount is a sacred location for three major religions, he detailed, and in the Song of Solomon in the Bible "it talks about the return of the foxes as a sign that Israel has been fully restored as a nation," and the time of the Lord returning grows near. Begley revealed that a former NASA scientist gave him a file that showed possible effects of the incoming Nibiru or Planet X, which will culminate with an impact of debris on Jupiter in late March 2021.

According to the file, more Nibiru debris would hit Earth several years after the Jupiter collision. Begley suggested that this could be referenced in the New Testament, in St. Luke's gospel: "There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars upon the Earth, the stress of nations with perplexity, the sea, the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear...for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." The Antichrist, the leader of the one-world government, will have a god-like image built using AI technology, he continued, and many will be drawn into his supernatural or artificial aspect and ability to solve world problems. Begley has discerned 13 different candidates for the Antichrist, whom he thinks is already in a position of power, and being groomed for his eventual role. He also talked about encounters with anomalous orbs that show up on video recordings, which he related to demonic spirits said to increase in the final days.

News segment guests: Mish Shedlock, Steve Kates, Tessa Barrera