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Join us in dissecting the policy shifts under the Trump administration, focusing on their implications for the Middle East and beyond. Hear from influential political figures as they discuss the potential outcomes of Trump’s executive orders. The show also pivots to spiritual reflections with contributions from House Speaker Mike Johnson on the power of prayer in governance, underscoring the resurgence of faith among young people and policymakers in the nation’s capital.
SPEAKER 06 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 07 :
The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, do a real job, do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years. I’m hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all.
SPEAKER 11 :
That was President Trump yesterday during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Welcome to this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. President Trump’s suggestion that the United States take over Gaza and develop it has a few heads spinning, if not exploding.
SPEAKER 13 :
He’s not seeing any realistic solution. The fact that nobody has a realistic solution and he puts some very bold, fresh, new ideas out on the table, I don’t think should be criticized in any way. I think it’s going to bring the entire region to come with their own solutions if they don’t like Mr. Trump’s solution.
SPEAKER 11 :
That was National Security Advisor Mike Waltz defending the president’s suggestion earlier today on CBS. We’ll explore this possibility with Dr. Eric Bordenkircher, a research fellow at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. And today was our national gathering for prayer and repentance at the Museum of the Bible.
SPEAKER 08 :
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
SPEAKER 11 :
That was House Speaker Mike Johnson early this morning. He took part in the gathering once again this year. Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson was also there. He’ll join us in just a moment to discuss the event and to weigh in on President Trump’s proposed plans for Gaza. Also, following President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, Argentina announced today that it would also withdraw from the U.N.-based health organization. Former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, now dean at the Regent School of Government and a noted WHO expert, will be here to discuss these developments. And finally, today is National Girls and Women’s in Sports Day. Today, to mark the occasion, President Trump signed an executive order banning biological men from participating in women’s sports.
SPEAKER 07 :
Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes and we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls. From now on, women’s sports will be only for women.
SPEAKER 11 :
What a novel idea. Well, Stephanie Bice was at the signing, Congresswoman from Oklahoma. She’ll join us to talk about it. If you’ve not yet gotten your 100 days toolkit, your first 100 days toolkit, you can get that by texting the word toolkit, that’s one word, toolkit, to 67742. In the toolkit are all the tools that you’ll need to stay up with legislation as we move through this first 100 days of the Trump administration. Contact information keeps you abreast of the movement of particular legislation and just helps you be a participant in your government. So text the word toolkit to 67742. As I mentioned yesterday, President Trump made several executive moves that will not only have implications for the Middle East, but also globally. Most talked about, of course, about his out-of-the-box proposals is for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip in order to do something different with it and what will possibly produce a different result than what we’ve seen in the past. So how significant are the latest moves that the president has made? And is it possible? Will Congress be with him? Joining me now to talk about this and more, Congressman Warren Davidson, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Financial Services Committee. He represents the 8th Congressional District of Ohio. Congressman Davidson, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Always good to see you, Tony. Thank you for talking with me tonight. Well, before we get into the president’s latest announcements, I want to get your reflections. You were there early this morning for the national gathering for prayer and repentance. You were among about 30 members of Congress who were there and praying.
SPEAKER 09 :
Give us your thoughts on that. Well, it was just so encouraging. What a refreshing way to start the morning with a bunch of Christian brothers and sisters, worship and praise, and just a time to reflect on the state of our nation. And, you know, just like as individuals, we’re in need of prayer, we’re in need of repentance. And thankfully, the Lord Jesus Christ provides the only remedy for that. And it was a great place to recognize that in an unflinching way. And just thank you and others for getting it started. And it was really encouraging to see my colleagues there. The way it went was delightful.
SPEAKER 11 :
In my observation, and you’ve been here for a while, Congressman Davis, but there appears to be a stronger presence of Christian faith and members willing to express it and talk about it.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, look, I mean, when we said for years, send reinforcements, the American people have. And, you know, when people say they’re praying for you, you can really feel that they’re praying for you. And there’s a lot of energy and encouragement. And just look at like Vice President Vance talking about an order of love. Yes, of course, we should pray. love our neighbor as ourself. But, you know, the explaining that, you know, first and foremost, we love God and the pushback against that and just the idea that you’re openly talking about our faith today and being encouraged by it. And I tell you the other thing, young people embracing their faith is really maybe the most hopeful sign I’ve seen in a long time that maybe there’s a spirit of a revival in our country.
SPEAKER 11 :
And that’s definitely what we need. And that was the theme this morning. While we embrace the reforms that we see coming from the president, from this administration, we know to sustain it, the country must have revival, a spiritual revival that will change the very core of our nation. Let’s turn to some of those policy ideas. The latest one by the president, the United States taking over Gaza.
SPEAKER 09 :
Were you surprised by that? I was very surprised by it. And, you know, I came into the house with a mutual friend of ours, Steve, and he’s telling me what’s going across the news. And I said, you know, I didn’t have that on my bingo card. And, you know, how’s that jive with America first? But you start looking at what President Trump has done and you read the body language of Benjamin Netanyahu as he’s there. And President Trump, I think, is changing the negotiation. He’s really framing it differently to say, well, you guys can’t get along. That’s nothing new. People like Saudi Arabia and your Arab neighbors don’t want the Palestinians. They insist on a two-state solution, but they don’t want any refugees from this people group either. So how are we gonna create peace? Israel says we can’t allow Hamas to stay in charge of Gaza in the wake of 10-7. And certainly that’s how we felt about Al-Qaeda after 9-11. And I think that’s a just outcome. So it was kind of cut short with the negotiations and yet you’ve unresolved what happens to Hamas. So I think President Trump framed it and said, well, what if we just control this land? How do you think about it now? And I’m hopeful that it really produces a peaceful outcome. and a unified nation of Israel.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, it certainly has people talking, and I do think it’s going to, as your former colleague Mike Waltz now, National Security Advisor to the President, said, it’s going to force some of these other surrounding countries that have been hands-off, not really being involved, it’s somebody else’s problem, are now going to have to come to the table, or at least to the White Board, and start working through some potential solutions.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I mean, I think they’ll say, well, OK, we all agree we don’t want America there, right? And that might be the starting point for where they pick up. And maybe that’ll force some sort of dialogue. I don’t know how it’ll turn out. I’m not sure President Trump knows exactly how it’ll turn out. But I think his sense was you have to change the paradigm so that you can have a different kind of negotiation than we’re having right now.
SPEAKER 11 :
And that is very characteristic of how President Trump has approached issues. He did it in the last administration. But let’s talk a little bit, if we were to walk this thing through, you’re both on the Foreign Affairs Committee and on the Finance Committee. One of the issues, I was with the speaker last night, and I know the Republicans are still trying to wrestle through a reconciliation bill, how that is done. There’s a lot that want to see spending cut. I’m among them. I think we’ve got to cut spending. This would have a huge price tag.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, aside from a huge price tag, I mean, America is not in a state of war with Israel or Hamas. We’re not under imminent threat of attack. So it’s not clear that the president would have a legal authority to deploy troops into what would inherently become a combat situation. And then you deal with all kinds of other complications from it. So You know, I don’t think it’s something that people say, I really want that to happen or see that as a likely outcome. I think most people are viewing it as a negotiating tactic at this point. But it would be problematic if the United States wanted to do that. And I think that’s a fair assessment.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, I want to also ask you about another one of the executive orders, kind of hard to keep up with them. We’ve seen a flurry of these almost every day. But one of the more recent was the president removing, withdrawing the United States from the UN Human Rights Council and banning funding for the UN relief agency in Gaza, UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. Your reaction to both of those?
SPEAKER 09 :
I mean, all very positive developments. I mean, you have the Human Rights Council dominated by successive leader after leader that are some of the worst human rights abusers on the planet. And so it’s a non-serious organization. And UNRWA was essentially funneling aid to Hamas and working against peace, not just working against Israel. They’re working against peace. They’re working to facilitate the very attacks. We need to change the paradigm of the UN. And look, I’ve got a bill that a colleague of mine, Louie Gohmert, used to carry. And I picked it up when he stopped serving in Congress, which is for countries that don’t vote with us at least 50% of the time at the UN, there’s no foreign aid. Now, a lot of people would support no foreign aid, period. But even to get to the idea that we don’t give it to people that won’t even vote with us half the time, is a massive change in the status quo. And as he would always say, we don’t have to pay them to hate us. They’ll probably do it for free. And they’re certainly doing it now. What you’re finding out with Doge and USAID, though, is they might have not been doing it for free. They might have been part of the government funding groups that were working against other parts of our government. And when you’re funding both sides of a war, that’s a bad idea.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. The time has come to move us out of the United Nations. The maximum pressure campaign that was on Iran before the president, again, another executive order, putting that the twist really to Iran, again, to try to prevent them from having a pathway to nuclear weapon. Is it too late or can that still be done?
SPEAKER 09 :
I think it can be done, and part of it can be done by the Iranian people. And the president’s always been careful to say, look, we love the people from Iran. Nothing against you. You have a terrible government. We just insist that you don’t have nuclear weapons. So he’s providing a golden bridge where they can exit. and save face and maybe even save their country and turn back towards a sane place. But clearly, the destabilizing force in the Middle East for decades has been Iran. I mean, they’re funding the proxies of Hezbollah in Hamas, the Houthis, and so many other things that create chaos in the Middle East. It all goes back to Iran.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is a paradigm shift when we look at foreign policy, a sea change, if you will, from the Biden administration. We’ve got about 45 seconds left, but this really kind of back and forth from one administration to another really kind of throws off our allies abroad.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it does. And look, there clearly are divisions in the United States. Maybe one of my my classmates from from West Point said, you know, maybe the President Trump saw all those free Palestine signs and said, OK, my people, I can unite the unite the country. And that’s a little bit of tongue in cheek. But the idea that Iran are somehow the good guys. You know, even when we were helping Israel, the funding package gave money to Hamas. And they said, no, it’s to the refugees. But everywhere we’ve tried it, we know the people with the guns wind up with the aid. And that’s exactly what happened in Gaza with Hamas.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, hopefully we can get this on a pad and get it locked in and we won’t see a reversal four years from now. Congressman Warren Davidson, always great to see you. And it was great to see you this morning. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Likewise, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
God bless you and all your viewers. All right. Thank you. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we’re making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, D.C. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC’s outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God’s intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel’s peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government, Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family, and freedom.
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Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC’s Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into Scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God’s Word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Wednesday. And again, let me encourage you to get the first 100-day toolkit. This will help you work through the first 100 days and not just be a spectator, but be a participant in your government. So text TOOLKIT to 67742. That’s TOOLKIT to 67742. Among President Trump’s first executive orders was to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization. Well, guess what? Today, Argentina announced that it also has withdrawn from the U.N.-based health organization, which, if you recall about a year ago, we were tracking it because with the help of the Biden administration, they were in a massive global power grab and We barely dodged that one, but it was because of many of you that weighed in on that issue and my next guest who helped shine a bright light on the issue. Former Congresswoman Michelle Bachman is among one of those who was at our event this morning, but she is also the dean at the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, the chair of FRC’s board of directors. Michelle, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you. Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Before we get to this good news about the World Health Organization, an organization you’ve been tracking their activities very, very closely, even going to Geneva to their meetings. Today, the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, you were there, you were part of the event. Why is that important that we, as a public policy organization, you’re the chair of FRC, that we focus on prayer and repentance here in our nation’s capital?
SPEAKER 02 :
Because the Bible calls us to do that because we’re sinners as individuals, but also as nations. And so the Bible clearly, historically, through the Old Testament, New Testament, he calls on people and nations to repent before him and return to him. So we can’t do anything we want. When we sin, we’ve got to turn away from that sin. That’s what today was about, Tony. It was reestablishing before the Lord our covenant, our commitment that we’re going to pray for our nation, pray for our government, but we’re also personally going to turn away from our sin and we’re repenting as proxies on behalf of the sins that our nation has committed and continues to commit.
SPEAKER 11 :
Is that important coming from our nation’s capital with our nation’s leaders actually being up there praying and repenting themselves?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, because it’s more than symbolic. We saw the action. Today, nothing was more authentic in the room this morning than seeing the legislators themselves repenting. prostrate themselves before the Lord. In fact, one of the legislators said, I’d like to put my face on the floor right now to prostrate before the Lord. You could tell their hearts were rendered. They meant what they were saying. And so it was an overwhelming number of legislators, including the Speaker of the House, including a member from the U.S. Senate, saying, I repent. I want to repent for my nation. I want to repent for my sins. I want to legislate biblically. Do you realize how huge that is, how many decades we have asked the Lord for this, and now we’re seeing it happen?
SPEAKER 11 :
I think it’s changing the environment.
SPEAKER 02 :
Amen. Oh, it does. Well, because God answers. When we cry out to Him, would we be so faithless to think He won’t answer? God is answering prayers. What we’re seeing happening today in D.C. is because God’s people prayed. All of the listeners from Washington Watch, they’ve been faithfully praying for months and for years. This is the fruit of those prayers. So why would we stop? We continue and we double down now because we want to remain in blessing. We don’t want to deviate into cursing. That’s why we pray.
SPEAKER 11 :
A good example of that is we prayed, and it was a prayer point for months, was the World Health Organization. Yes, that’s right. A year ago, they were in the midst of a massive global power grab to try to force upon the entire world their ability, when they declared a health crisis,
SPEAKER 02 :
Public health emergency of international concern. To be able to take over. That’s right. Because I’m so thankful that you’re explaining this because the World Health Organization created a perch for global governance. The Bible talks about in the last days there will be global governance. And it was shocking for the first time since the Tower of Babel. Right. This was the first instance of global governance. It was created under Joe Biden. He introduced the first 29 amendments to make this happen, and it effectively happened on his watch. Now the United States is pulled out, and I assume that will mean defunding as well. We want to make sure the United States stays out of the World Health Organization. In fact, I hope that it goes away because there’s so much more that we could do that’s better. to help people across the world with our own financing so that we want people to live. We want people to have better health. And I think we’ll be able to do that directly from the United States to help the poor and the suffering.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, we saw just with a national approach to COVID here yesterday, in America where the federal government and then you had states, they were all over the place. It was better left at the local level. In fact, it was better left to individuals to make the decision what was best for them, not some bureaucrat working out of Geneva.
SPEAKER 02 :
And yes, it was that bad that our Centers for Disease Control, we took our orders from the World Health Organization. So a guy who was actually working on behalf of the communist Chinese was giving the world orders through the World Health Organization website. And our Centers for Disease Control published whatever the World Health Organization said. And guess who followed them? All the social media companies, Facebook, Twitter, all of them followed that. Corporations followed and the U.S. government and health insurance industries. So this was a global travesty now over. I attribute that to the prayer of the saints and God hearing our prayers when we cried out to him.
SPEAKER 11 :
And then with President Trump coming in, it’s both, it’s prayers and it’s action.
SPEAKER 02 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 11 :
We’ve got to vote. We’ve got to be involved. We’ve got to pray.
SPEAKER 02 :
We’ve got to vote. We’ve got to stand.
SPEAKER 11 :
Pray, vote, stand. It makes a difference. I mean, this is, I mean, this was, and you talked about, like I said, you went to Geneva multiple times to pray and to go to the meetings. This was one of the most significant attacks on national sovereignty that we have seen. Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
If this is the only thing that President Trump did as president, it would have been worth getting him elected for this to pull us out of the World Health Organization. I spent the afternoon with one of President Trump’s senior advisors today. We talked about the World Health Organization and how imperative it is that the United States doesn’t give them money or go in and that we get out completely.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s important, and I appreciate all that you’ve done to bring attention to it. Because it was one of those backdoor approaches. No one would have seen it coming. Michelle Bachman, always great to see you. Thank you. All right, folks, coming up, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, another one, this time protecting women’s sports from gender-confused men. Congresswoman Stephanie Bice from Oklahoma will join me to discuss that after the break. So don’t go anywhere. There’s a lot more Washington Watch straight ahead.
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Everything we do begins as an idea. Before there can be acts of courage, there must be the belief that some things are worth sacrificing for. Before there can be marriage, there is the idea that man should not be alone. Before there was freedom, there was the idea that individuals are created equal. It’s true that all ideas have consequences, but we’re less aware that all consequences are the fruit of ideas. Before there was murder, there was hate. Before there was a Holocaust, there was the belief by some people that other people are undesirable. Our beliefs determine our behavior, and our beliefs about life’s biggest questions determine our world view. Where did I come from? Who decides what is right and wrong? What happens when I die? Our answers to these questions explain why people see the world so differently. Debates about abortion are really disagreements about where life gets its value. Debates over sexuality and gender and marriage are really disagreements about whether the rules are made by us or for us. What we think of as political debates are often much more than that. They are disagreements about the purpose of our lives and the source of truth. As Christians, our goal must be to think biblically about everything. Our goal is to help you see beyond red and blue, left and right, to see the battle of ideas at the root of it all. Our goal is to equip Christians with a biblical worldview and help them advance and defend the faith in their families, communities, and the public square. Cultural renewal doesn’t begin with campaigns and elections. It begins with individuals turning from lies to truth. But that won’t happen if people can’t recognize a lie and don’t believe truth exists. We want to help you see the spiritual war behind the political war, the truth claims behind the press release, and the forest from the trees.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, and it’s good to have you with us on this Wednesday. If you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, where you can have access to Washington Watch no matter where you’re at, plus the Washington Stand and our daily Bible reading, Stand on the Word, download the Stand Firm app. All right, just about an hour ago, President Donald Trump signed an executive order protecting women’s sports from gender-confused men and preserving the original meaning of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 as biological sex, not gender identity. The order will establish sweeping mandates on sex and sports policies and will direct federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to interpret federal Title IX rules as prohibiting the participation of biological males in female sports. I mean, whoever thought that would be required? I mean, it’s just common sense. I will tell you, that’s the refreshing thing about the Trump administration thus far is that common sense has returned to town. Congresswoman Stephanie Bice is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on House Administration. She represents the 5th Congressional District of Oklahoma, and she was there today. Congresswoman Bice, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Nice to see you as well, Tony. Thanks for having me on.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. So tell us more about the executive order. I believe you were there when it was signed today.
SPEAKER 01 :
It was a great day. President Trump invited members of Congress, members of Senate, governors, attorneys general, as well as a slew of young girls and women who have participated in sports to sign an executive order to do exactly what you said, and that is return us to common sense. And that is that men should not be participating in women’s and girls’ sports. God has made us And we are different for very important reasons. And for people to sort of, you know, confuse that, I think it doesn’t make any sense for most Americans. And so it was a great day to celebrate women and girls in the United States today. And I’m so thankful that President Trump is here. acting on his promises that he made when he decided to run for president to get this country back on track. It was a great day. I was so honored to be a part of it and looking forward to, you know, getting back to those common sense policies that should have been in place from the very beginning.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, according to White House officials, they expect sports bodies like the NCAA to change their rules in accordance with this order now that it’s signed. You know, the White House, the administration has a lot of ability to shape what’s happening in the country they’re doing it in this case the trump administration doing it very overtly they’re not backing away from they’re just saying hey this is what the policy is it’s common sense a male’s a male woman’s a woman but the previous administration many of the democratic administrations that push this stuff do it very covertly They use their influence, whether it’s trying to use social media to censor conservative voices or it’s to push this radical gender ideology through our schools and workplaces. They do it covertly and try to say, oh, we have no control over it.
SPEAKER 01 :
I mean, you know, it’s really, I think, surprising to me that you saw so many particularly higher ed institutions that were pushing this narrative that, you know, biological men could actually play in women’s sports, transgender, if you will. And one of the, I think, biggest voices out there in opposition to this, you know, narrative was Riley Gaines, who is a athlete at the University of Kentucky. And if you’ve ever heard her talk, she really talks about not only was this an affront to her and her faith, but that it was dangerous. You’ve had situations where biological men have been competing in women’s sports and have actually caused physical harm to them, whether it is volleyball players, a or other sports, they’re being impacted. And we just wanna make sure that first of all, that women are competing against women. President Trump in his executive order today, the speech that he gave mentioned that 3,500 awards have been given to men that have won in women’s sports. And it’s just wholly unacceptable. So I’m glad that the administration is taking this step. I think Congress has a role in this as well, and that is to codify in law some of the things that the president is pushing, and this is one of those. So it wouldn’t surprise me if my colleagues or myself try to draft legislation to codify this. So for a future administration, they don’t try to reverse course in these very important policies.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up. Very important because there’s a lot of that. And when we look at across the spectrum on these executive orders, it could go away in four years. And so it does need to be codified. I know there is a bill dealing with women’s sports that has made its way through the House before. It’s always gotten stuck in the Senate. I got another question for you, Congresswoman Bice. The executive order, I believe, also has… Instructions for the Olympics. It speaks to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. What is it to speak to in terms of Olympics?
SPEAKER 01 :
You know, I haven’t actually read all of the details, but I will tell you the president also mentioned this important piece. And again, he wants fairness in competition. There was a Olympian in the last Olympics, a biological male that competed in, I believe it was a boxing match. and won. And, you know, it’s an unfair advantage. Men and women are built differently. God created us in different likenesses. And so, you know, making sure that it’s a fair and even playing field for women to be able to compete, you know, that’s what really Title IX was all about. And so not only is he looking at this from a education standpoint within our, you know, our school institutions, but he’s also looking at it for the Olympics to make sure that these biological men don’t have an advantage over female athletes that are participating in the sports in the upcoming Olympics in the future.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, it is encouraging to see. Congresswoman Bice, I want to thank you for joining us again. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Absolutely. Common Sense. It’s been in short supply. But you know what? I hope also this emboldens people to speak up about common sense. I mean, the emperor has no clothes. I mean, you need to be able to say that stuff. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with more. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But do you know the Bible talks about four institutions of government? Do you know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this thing, separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 03 :
The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor. You do. But you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion, and this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable Word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N SageCon to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N SageCon to learn more.
SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome back to this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. Be sure and download the Stand Firm app. You can find it in the App Store, Stand Firm. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter 9. Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me. that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight, says the Lord. So what should we boast about or celebrate? Well, here’s what God says, for us to know him and to boast in that reality alone. Our boast is not in our wisdom or the wisdom of man. It’s not in our strength or our military might. Our boast and celebration is not on our economy or our savings account or even religious ritual. It is in knowing and glorifying the Lord, our Creator, who exercises justice and mercy on the earth. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Throughout the Israel-Hamas war, the Biden-Harris administration repeatedly asserted that the only real solution to pursue following the end of the war was the failed two-state solution. So when President Trump yesterday offered a different idea, everyone was caught off guard. While the president may have made the statement about taking over Gaza to kickstart a new conversation or get people to think outside the box like him, it’s still worth asking, is such a plan doable? What would it take and how would it change not just the Middle East, but, I mean, this potentially could have global implications. Joining me now to discuss this is Dr. Eric Borden-Kircher. Borden-Kircher. Help me with that. We’re Kircher. Borden-Kircher. Thank you, Eric.
SPEAKER 04 :
Kircher in German, church. So the person who lives next to the church or the neighbor of the church. Okay, Borden-Kircher. Yes. That’s nice. Although my family now lives in France due to the moving of the lines between France and Germany.
SPEAKER 11 :
So the name, you’re right next door to the church, huh? Yes, yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Did they attend? I would assume so, because I do, and my parents brought me up that way. Well, let’s talk… But they’ve been here since in the 1830s, the first boarding culture came, so it’s hard to know now.
SPEAKER 11 :
So you’re a research fellow at UCLA Center for Middle East Development. You publish extensively on Middle East policies. You’ve been on the program before. So let’s talk about the president’s… idea here of, I mean, this is pretty radical, taking over Gaza Strip, the United States, taking it over, developing it, moving the 1.7, 1.6, whatever is left of the Palestinians to a border country, which during this entire 15-month ordeal, they’ve been in these camps because Egypt wouldn’t take them, Jordan, nobody would take them. Is this to start a new conversation, or what is this?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s never a dull moment with the Trump administration, and his energy is quite remarkable how he keeps going like this. But this is going to be a tough sale, and it will be difficult to achieve. The reason the Jordanians don’t want the Palestinians is because the Palestinians have caused problems for the Jordanians in its history. Black September attempt to overthrow the monarchy there.
SPEAKER 11 :
And to their defense, Jordan’s defense, they’ve taken in a lot of refugees from Syria in recent years.
SPEAKER 04 :
And Iraq as well.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. So, I mean, I’ve actually been in the refugee camps in Jordan. And they’ve done, I think, quite frankly, they’ve done a pretty good job because their population is not huge. And they’ve absorbed a lot.
SPEAKER 04 :
And a significant amount of the population is Palestinian or has Palestinian roots as well. So this is going to increase that population. So it is understandable that they see this as a concern, as a threat. But there’s a lot of space there. It’s a lot of space. It’s a lot of desert. I guess they’d have to make the desert bloom for the Palestinians in certain areas.
SPEAKER 11 :
What about Egypt? I mean, of course, they seem to always be very fragile on the edge there, just kind of a chaotic place.
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, the Egyptians have their own problems. They have issues with the Suez Canal, with the Houthis, and they’re losing a lot of money because you don’t have a lot of ship maritime traffic going through there. So the situation with the regime there was rather precarious, I would say, and this would just add to that element of precarity. And the Egyptians have not wanted to deal with Gaza. They’ve kept that wall up and never incorporated it.
SPEAKER 11 :
They’ve got their own history of the Muslim Brotherhood. That’s true as well, yes. And it’s not that long ago that the Arab Spring took place. So, I mean, those things are still very fresh in their mind.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. Now, maybe there are other countries as well. I think one of the countries that has to be involved in order for this to get some kind of credibility has to be the Saudis. But it doesn’t appear at the moment from what they have expressed.
SPEAKER 11 :
They responded pretty quickly saying that this is off the table as an idea. Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
But at the same time, obviously, it’s a tough sell. But you still have a two-state solution on the board here because you still have the West Bank. And you can still have a Palestinian state in the West Bank.
SPEAKER 11 :
But you go down that path, Judea and Samaria. I mean, you look at the security situation Israel would then have because that’s really the heart of Israel. Mm-hmm. I personally think, having been to Israel many, many times, post-October 7th, that the idea of a two-state solution within the current boundaries of Israel is not workable. I mean, I would think that this was a two-state solution, at least in theory, and it didn’t seem to work.
SPEAKER 04 :
True. I think the Gaza situation has always been the most problematic because Hamas governs Gaza and Hamas has an absolutist approach to the state of Israel, and that is –
SPEAKER 11 :
the demise of Israel. But the people elected Hamas, Hamas took over in 2007. The Gaza Strip, the withdrawal from Israel was in 2005. And it’s steadily been a problem ever since then. But we’ve also got other issues in Samaria and Judea under the Palestinian Authority. So it would almost seem that you’ve got to find, if you’re going to go a two-state solution, you’ve got to find that second state someplace else outside of the boundaries of Israel.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that’s going to be a very tough sell, very tough sell with the Arab world. And at the moment, I don’t see the Saudis supporting it, and the Saudis seem to be the linchpin of this. One of the reasons I do wonder if the Saudis would warm up to the kind of normalization of Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state is after Israel. the transition in power in Saudi Arabia because you’re seeing a process here where the king is still in power, but MBS is, in a lot of ways, a de facto leader. But that transition still hasn’t occurred, and that’s a significant transition because you’re moving from generation. You’re no longer moving from brother to brother. So until that happens, I don’t think MBS and the Saudis are going to jeopardize that instability that would come from the domestic scene in Saudi.
SPEAKER 11 :
So, Dr. Borden-Kircher, let’s talk about it from this way. Let’s say the president put the—and he does this. He has a history of doing this, throwing out these out-of-the-box ideas that makes people’s heads explode to force them to think. And so this now becomes a real problem for those in the Middle East saying, wait a minute, I mean, he could be serious. He might do this. We’ve got to get together and figure this out. What could be some of those possible solutions they could come up with?
SPEAKER 04 :
Possible solution in regards to Gaza? Yes. I’m very pessimistic on the situation. I find that the Arab world, particularly with the Arab governments, work very slowly. They have allowed Israel to do a lot of their bidding vis-a-vis Hamas, vis-a-vis Hezbollah, vis-a-vis Iran.
SPEAKER 11 :
And it’s kind of like, why do I— Let me clarify that for our viewers and listeners. They see, the Arabs see Hamas, Hezbollah as problematic. And so they’ve allowed Israel to do the dirty work of having to keep them harnessed.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. And I think, you know, they kind of keep going down this path. Why should we make any concessions? Because they’re doing our work for us.
SPEAKER 11 :
As they say, it’s time to fish or cut bait. Because now this problem is theirs.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and Trump, by making this announcement, has kind of put the onus on the Arabs and forces them to respond and to kind of follow up, put action behind their words of being kind of brothers of the Palestinians. And now they have to respond and to show that support. And I don’t think it is there in quite a significant way as sometimes it appears because we don’t see – You know, Saudis, we don’t see Jordanians, Lebanese showing up in Gaza fighting for the Palestinian movement anymore. This is a national and increasingly reduced national movement.
SPEAKER 11 :
Saudis have a lot of money. It’s going to take a lot of money to clean up the West Bank. I mean, as the president made it very clear, I mean, it’s just like a big pile of rubble. Is this part of them funding the bill to come in and provide security and clean it up?
SPEAKER 04 :
I think that’s the hope. But as you can see with the Jordanians, you can see with the Egyptians, they don’t want to get their fingers messy. They don’t want to get involved in this because it becomes a very nasty situation because then it looks like they’re behind the Israelis propping up an Israeli agenda and they’re going to be targeted.
SPEAKER 11 :
by Palestinians. So could the further development of the Abraham Accords, where you’ve got the United Arab Emirates was kind of the first one. You’ve got some others that have joined in that. Saudi Arabia is the next one they’re hoping to get. Could that be a joint project of those nations?
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, it’s a great idea, but those nations don’t generally cooperate too well. We see this with the Arab League, and the Arab League doesn’t really function, doesn’t really enforce, isn’t really taken very seriously. So bringing those kind of members of the Abraham Accord together—
SPEAKER 11 :
If the choice is between that and more Gaza, where Trump building a big, as people are joking, I know that’s not what he’s proposing, but to develop the Gaza Strip, which is a very nice piece of property there. If they’re concerned that America might plant a flag there, maybe that will force them to work together.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s worth an attempt. I mean, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And, you know, Trump has done something here that has kind of woken people up, forced them to respond. And this is his MO. We saw it with North Korea. I mean, it didn’t necessarily work out the way that he’d hoped, but he took a path here that no one had considered. And it’s worth giving it a try. So yes, it is worth giving it a try. But having spent a lot of time there and seeing how things operate over a long period of time, I’m not overly optimistic.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s a different culture. Yes. But how is the Iranian mullahs looking at this right now? How are they viewing all of these developments?
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, the Iranians are reeling. Their assets in the region have taken a hit. They’re down, but I wouldn’t say they’re out.
SPEAKER 11 :
Are they the type that could make a desperate move to try to regain their footing? I mean, are they a greater threat right now?
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t know if they’d make a desperate move to regain their footing, but they have the potential to disrupt things. disrupt things in the region, disrupt things with the Palestinian, Arab, Israeli dynamic, or even for the Americans as well. So that’s not beyond them.
SPEAKER 11 :
So, Eric, how volatile is that region right now, do you think?
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, we’re looking at several failed states. Failed states do not operate well. They become bastions for radical extremists, non-state actors. So going forward, this is going to be a very precarious situation.
SPEAKER 11 :
So not like today, it’s not at the level, it’s not at red, but- If these, like Syria you’re making reference to, becomes a haven like Afghanistan was for terrorists, this could be a long-term, could be a problem for the next couple of decades.
SPEAKER 04 :
Long-term problem. I think we’re looking here now at a different shade of Islamism. So the Shia Islamism that had dominated, particularly this kind of crescent of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, has dissipated. But we’ve seen kind of move in here this other shade of Islamism, a Al-Qaeda-ish Muslim Brotherhood element that is not friendly towards American presence, not friendly towards Israel. So the problems haven’t gone away, maybe to a certain extent, while they’re trying to get their – act in order in Syria, it’s going to be rather quiet, but I don’t know for how long.
SPEAKER 10 :
So what’s the best move that the United States can make at this moment?
SPEAKER 04 :
I think even though Trump comes across initially as crazy, I think it’s not a bad idea what he’s done here. And to put the onus on the Arabs, particularly the Saudis, and make them respond, make them step up and act and put some action behind those words of theirs and see what they can do here.
SPEAKER 11 :
He has a way of doing that. And I think people, again, they obviously are not watching him over the long term because this is how he does his negotiations. He throws something bold on the table, gets people to respond to it, and then it moves from there. Now, I would… I agree that, you know, at some point that type of radical, you know, shock treatment does it. It could be dangerous. It could have a boomerang effect.
SPEAKER 04 :
True, true. And also, too, I think Trump’s focus changes quite quickly. So if there isn’t an immediate response, he kind of moves on to another issue. So this could take a backseat for a period of time as well.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think, I mean, something’s going to happen at the end of this six-week ceasefire hostage deal. And I think, well, we’re halfway through that. So something’s going to happen pretty soon when that comes in, because Israel’s not going to stand around long allowing Hamas to rearm and regroup. Dr. Borden-Churchill, I want to thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
My pleasure, Tony. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thanks for coming into the studio. I always appreciate your insight.
SPEAKER 04 :
Anytime.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. And folks, I want to thank you for joining us as well. And add this to your prayer list. This is one of those things we need to be praying about. We live in volatile times. I’m grateful that as we pray, we see the Lord moving in our midst. And frankly, it’s kind of an exciting time because things are happening. All right, until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul, found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve prepared, and when you’ve taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 06 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
