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In addition, we cover the latest on the Trump administration’s substantial budget cuts aimed at government downsizing. Hear insights from Arkansas Senator John Bozeman on how these changes could reshape public spending and international relations. We also unpack the significant trade discussions with China and other nations, highlighting economic strategies intended to fortify American industry and self-reliance. As we shift focus to a nationwide Bible reading event, we recognize the cultural and spiritual foundations crucial for sustaining policy advancements.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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These actions are not about anti-Semitism, they’re about authoritarianism. This is about an effort to try to break the backs of American universities until they start saying what the administration wants to hear. Because the administration knows that universities are a central component of a free and open constitutional democracy.
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That was Harvard Law Professor Andrew Crespo on CNN responding to the Trump administration’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard over leftist campus activities. Welcome to this Tax Day edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, coming up, Utah Congressman Burgess Owens, a member of the House Education Committee, joins us to discuss the movement to withhold taxpayer dollars from elite institutions like Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Princeton, and others, schools that many argue are advancing an agenda that is out of step with at least half the country’s taxpayers. Also on this tax day, the Trump administration is reportedly preparing to cut several programs in its proposed budget, starting with foreign aid. We’ll get reaction from Arkansas Senator John Bozeman. And on the tariff front, Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a Southeast Asia free trade tour, pushing for an agreement between China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A move seen by some as an attempt to pressure the U.S. to roll back tariffs. The White House doesn’t seem impressed.
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The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them. China wants what we have, what every country wants, what we have, the American consumer. Or to put it another way, they need our money. So the President, again, has made it quite clear that he’s open to a deal with China, but China needs to make a deal with the United States of America.
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That was White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt earlier today. And the White House, well, they’re not budging. We’ll break it down with John Solomon, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Just the News. Plus, starting tomorrow and running through Saturday, the Bible Reading Marathon returns to the top of the Louisiana State Capitol. Mike Herbster, Director of Southland Christian Ministries, will join us with the details. And don’t miss this. Session 9 of our God and Government series is now live. In this episode, we take a biblical look at poverty, what causes it, and who does Scripture say is responsible for addressing it? Well, you can find that exclusively in the StandFirm app, which is found on the StandFirm app. That’s the God and Government course. If you don’t have the StandFirm app, Simply text the word COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742. Yesterday, the White House announced it would freeze over $2 billion in multi-year grants from going to Harvard University after the Ivy League school announced earlier in the day that it would not agree to the provision set forth by the White House. The White House had noted that federal funding for the school is, quote, an investment, not an entitlement. And it stated that Harvard has in recent years failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment. But the left is decrying the White House decision, accusing the Oval Office of authoritarianism. Are universities entitled to federal tax dollars with no strings attached? Here now to discuss this, Utah Congressman Burgess Owens, a member of the House Education Committee. Congressman Owens, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 10 :
Antonio, looking forward to chatting with you, my friend. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 14 :
So let’s talk about this. Was the administration right to put a freeze on Harvard’s funds, as they have done with some other Ivy League universities?
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely. You know, what it comes down to, and you made a point, this is about an investment, not entitlement. An investment means that we want a return on investment. And what we’ve shown over the decades is that Harvard, with its Marxist-based culture, has given us a terrible return on investment. So they are proud of school. And I think what we’re seeing now is a culture that is very arrogant and very entitled. It’s a private school, so I think they should do what they want to do, just don’t expect taxpayer dollars. Let them use the 50, close to 50, over $50 billion in entitlement. Let them use that to continue their process and see how well it goes for them. So I’m excited about being where we are today. This has gone on way too long with this entitlement mentality from folks who hate our country and teaching our kids how to hate our country. And so at the end of the day, continue what they’re doing. If they don’t want to change, then we’ll just stop funding them, period.
SPEAKER 14 :
So I want to emphasize what you said, because I agree with you 100 percent. They should be free as long as it’s not criminal. And of course, some of what they’re doing is allowing criminal activity. And that was a part of the stipulations for the funds that they could not support institutions or entities to meet on the college campus that advocated for breaking the law, which some of these anti-Semitic groups had done last spring. Now, that I put into a different category. But in terms of their leftist ideology, I agree with you 100 percent. They should have the right to do it, but on their own dime. not on the taxpayer dime, $53.2 billion in endowments that university has. I want to read a quote from the new Harvard president, Alan Garber. He said this, “…withholding federal funds from Harvard risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals, but also the economic security and vitality of our nation.” I hate to say this, but it sounds like he has an inflated view of Harvard University.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, this is what happens when you get an ideology that doesn’t believe in God, they replace themselves with it. And I think they need a little checkup to recognize that we’re going to do okay without Harvard giving us what they’ve been giving us lately. So Tony, I’m so excited because we’re finally having a conversation about what’s best for our country. And the upside, too, is that we’ve had the last couple of years Americans are realizing that these, quote, elitist colleges are not for our good. And so we’re beginning to change our ways in thinking about where we get the best return on investment. And that’s when kids can come out without the debt, with a degree that means something, with the ability to have competency and go on to work. So we’re in the right place. We’re having the right conversations. And institutions like this, if they don’t change their way, they will go the way of the dinosaur. I really believe that. Just give it time because we’re not going to pay for it.
SPEAKER 14 :
So let’s talk about the way forward, Congressman Owens. I mean, look, for years they’ve had outsized influence. They’ve been doing it with our tax dollars and they have a leftist ideology and an agenda. They never complained when the tax dollars that were flowing to them came from the left with those strings attached. But now that there’s a change and we actually have an administration that’s willing to push back, they don’t like it. But let’s talk about let’s put them aside. Let’s talk about the way forward for education. This is an opportunity to level the playing field and look at other alternatives and basically minimize their voice on the education scene and allow other voices to rise.
SPEAKER 10 :
Tony, we’re at a place, and I hope in those who are just really getting engaged with the politics, we’re at a remarkable place in the history of time. We’ve never been at a time where we had so much. First of all, we have an America first Congress, Senate, and a president who’s unlike anything I’ve seen ever in my lifetime. And we all have the same same angle again. And that’s what calls with with American people. We want our kids to be educated, want them to be proud of themselves, proud of our past, our past and where they head off to the future. So we’re right in the ship. And in getting that done, we’re going to start looking at what is best for the student, not the institution. Where can the student come in with their passion, their goals, their dreams? and we can feed that and go out and build a remarkable future for themselves and give back and make sure that we’re passing this new proud of country down to the next generation. So I would say that we’re living during a time that we have to look back and remember we’ve been blessed to be here at this time because we’re pulling our country back from the abyss and we have the right president and right leadership to get it done.
SPEAKER 14 :
And Congressman, I would think one of the ways to to really give this traction is, you know, oftentimes you see these Ivy League universities as kind of the the fishing ground, so to speak, for government agencies and others looking for people to come into the ranks. Isn’t this an opportunity to look at those institutions that are not left-leaning but rather conservative higher learning entities that are maybe not traditional, maybe not what we’ve seen in the past, and really find a place for those young people, pull them into the administration, and let them begin to shape the future of government?
SPEAKER 10 :
We’re looking at education in a way that our founders did. Our founders said, ignorant and free can never be. And to paraphrase, we’re looking at education as a play to produce our children, to help our children to be producers, to look at merit, to look at what does it take to work hard, to dream big, to overcome obstacles and not blame somebody else for it. We’re getting away from this whole Marxist ideology is against everything we stand for. So understand that. That’s what we’ve been dealing with for decades now. They have been working against faith, family, free market education, and the result is what you see on these campuses today. We’re now changing that process to we’re looking for merit. And with America comes confidence. It comes pride in each other. It comes that unity, that teamwork that we look so much for. And that’s where we’re heading off from this point moving forward. And they’re not going to change the ship. We have four more years. And after that, we’ll get some more time. I really believe that because American people are going to love what we’re doing right now, giving them back the country and the dreams and the vision that has always been part of our nation. So I’m excited about where we are and just know they’re going to yell a lot, but we don’t need Harvard. We can go out and build our great business and great country with other communities that care about our kids first.
SPEAKER 14 :
And we need somebody like you advocating for those young people coming out of those alternative institutions, Patrick Henry University, Liberty University, my alma mater, and get them into the ranks of government because they’ll begin to shape the future of our government. And I think that will raise the voices and influence of those institutions to counter that of Harvard and those other Ivy League institutions.
SPEAKER 10 :
Just imagine we get back to merit again, the folks that are smart, that show wisdom, that love our country, can kind of articulate that. It could talk with different people that don’t agree, might not agree exactly what they believe in. When we start having that being taught, that’s going to be the process of our new government employees also. So, yeah, we’re heading in a different direction. The most important thing is we’re getting away and understanding that we’ve been under attack for so long. Once we get that and American people realize it, then we fight back. And we fight back in a way that we really want to make sure our kids are the very best in the history of mankind, which we have a chance to do. And I look forward to the next few years to make sure that happens.
SPEAKER 14 :
Now, I would be remiss, Congressman Owens, on this tax day if I didn’t, again, make the connection between this is our tax dollars that have been going to fund these institutions. And not only are we saying no to that, this administration saying that, but they’re also cutting the spending. They’re actually giving tax dollars back to the people who they came from. Talk a little bit about that and what you hope to see coming from both the reconciliation that’s going to be advancing as well as the rescissions, the cutting back of some of the spending that was already allocated.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think the biggest thing is we’re looking at just a different way of viewing government. We’ve kind of taken for granted that government is bloated, that they have people that work there that are very lazy, that have no return on investment, no sense of accountability. We now have entrepreneurs, innovators, all in and around this government structure. So we’re going to come away with a different mindset, a different expectation of what we should expect. And you’re right. We should now be looking at how do we make sure we leave our country with a place where our kids are not burdened by debt, where they have a remarkable future and they have so much excitement about what they can do because they have an appreciation for what the past had given them. We’re going to leave our nation in a place where, really, the American dream to all people. And I’ll say this, what I’m excited about is that we have every faction of our country, blacks, Hispanics, Muslim, it doesn’t matter, across the board, that are finally saying, you know what, this country is something I could be proud of if I’m part of the right party with the right vision thinking about the American people first. So the Republican Party has a remarkable opportunity right now to go ahead and just fulfill the promises we’ve given them, follow the lead of our president, and for generations to come, we’ll have something we can pass down that people will be very, very excited about. So this is a remarkable time for us, Tony, no question about it. We just have to take advantage of it.
SPEAKER 14 :
It is. It’s a time of hope and opportunity. Congressman Owens, always great to see you. Appreciate your enthusiasm, excitement, and thank you for coming on the program.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you, Tony. All the best, my friend.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, you too. It isn’t a time of opportunity. It’s time to be praying that we continue on the right course and we have the spiritual foundation necessary to sustain it. All right, when we come back, we’re going to talk more about budget cuts with Senator John Bozeman of Arkansas. So that’s next. Don’t go away. More Washington Watch straight ahead.
SPEAKER 05 :
At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. That’s why FRC President Tony Perkins went to Capitol Hill to testify on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria. Islamist terror groups target Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria with brutal violence. Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said 55,000 people have been killed and 21,000 abducted in the last five years alone. The congressman also stressed that 89% of Christians in the world who are martyred are from Nigeria.
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Yet the government of Nigeria has failed to make progress against religiously motivated persecution of Christians despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in their constitution.
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Tony Perkins called for the United States to send an unmistakable message.
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This is systematic religious violence. Nigeria must be redesignated a country of particular concern. The Biden administration’s removal of this designation was a reckless mistake that emboldened the very terrorists who are slaughtering Christians.
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Redesignating Nigeria will enable the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians.
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These are not just numbers. These are fathers, they’re mothers, they’re children, they’re families.
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Bishop Wilfred Anagabe risked his life to speak out, sharing firsthand accounts of the danger faced in his church district in central Nigeria.
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We live in fear because at any point it can be our turn to be killed. But to remain silent is to die twice. So I have chosen to speak.
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FRC is calling on President Trump to act now to promote religious freedom around the globe and speak up on behalf of Christians in Nigeria.
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Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We’ve created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
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Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. All right. The Trump administration continues its total government overhaul with new proposed budget cuts. On Monday, news broke that the White House Office of Management and Budget has proposed a sweeping budget cut to save upwards of $30 billion in the next fiscal year. The proposal includes cutting the State Department’s budget by half and eliminating funding for their international organizations such as NATO and the United Nations. Also, public broadcasting is a part of the proposals that they are putting forward. In rescissions, they’re going to be taking back some money. So what does this mean going forward? How serious is this administration about cutting spending and returning money to the taxpayers? Well, joining me now to talk about this, is Arkansas Senator John Bozeman. He serves on five Senate committees, including the, he’s the chair of the Agriculture Committee. Senator Bozeman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you so much, as always, for having me.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, before we get into the budget, because you’re also on the Appropriations Committee, so you know a lot about the budget, I want to start with the confirmation of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, someone you know quite well. But you helped shepherd his nomination as U.S. ambassador to Israel through the process. So talk a little bit about that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I did. I did introduce him along with Senator Cotton. And after it was over, Ted Cruz told me that that was the difference, that my introduction was so good that he decided to vote for him. But I think we probably would have had Ted regardless, in the sense that they’re dear friends and a great supporter of the governor. But, no, it was really a good hearing. Mike Huckabee does such a good job communicating and just shared his love for Israel. shared his knowledge of the Israeli history and the Israeli people, how much he’s been involved in there in the past. And I think he is an outstanding choice and will do a great job for the United States of America representing our interest in that part of the world.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I’m excited about his nomination. In fact, I was communicating with him when the Senate floor vote took place and his confirmation was made official. And I look forward to actually seeing him later this month over in Israel. So let’s move on. Let’s talk a little bit about budget. The administration proposing, this is not something we see very often. Generally, we see administrations growing budgets. Here we have the Trump administration cutting back. Talk about those cutbacks.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it’s important. We simply have to cut back. We’re in a situation now where we’re $37 trillion in debt and running $2 trillion deficits every year. interest being so great that it exceeds our spending on national defense, that’s just, you know, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that that just doesn’t work. It doesn’t work in our households. It doesn’t work in government. It doesn’t work in business. So you do have to cut back. And so I’ve got a lot of faith in Marco Rubio at the State Department. He’s a good friend and did a great job as a senator. I know he’s going to do a great job as secretary of the state. So we’ll be listening to him. Some of the programs I’m concerned about, I think there were several programs that President Bush initiated when he was in office that really have made a lot of difference. They’ve saved a lot of lives overseas. And so we’ll be looking at those and making sure that the cuts are surgical and that we are getting rid of the garbage. And there is a lot of stuff in there that doesn’t belong in there. has no business, and we won’t miss a bit. It’s a waste of money. On the other hand, there are some important programs we want to make sure that we go forward with, in some cases even increase.
SPEAKER 14 :
When you look at what the Biden administration did, and of course they’re not alone in this, but using taxpayer dollars to advance their own kind of leftist agenda, attaching foreign aid dollars to countries changing their policies that are in alignment with the left’s ideology, that has to stop. And I think that’s a part of what the Trump administration is going after.
SPEAKER 12 :
Very much so. And so much of these dollars were pumped out a lot of it even after the election was over, between the election and the Trump inauguration, to NGOs, favorite people, favorite entities that they had that, as you just alluded to, were really trying to move people in a direction that were not in the best interest of our country. I don’t think we’re in the best interest of their countries either. But, no, this stuff has to stop. And that’s easy. We can get rid of that stuff in a minute and nobody’s going to miss it. And so we need to do that. And I commend Marco and the president for doing that. And we’ll certainly be supportive of those programs being eliminated.
SPEAKER 14 :
Senator Bozeman, speaking of values and money, I want to shift topics or gears a little bit. Move to Title IX violations in higher learning institutions, colleges that have basically trampled upon the definition of woman, female, and as a result, female sports. The Trump administration, day one, saying, hey, there’s two genders, male and female, and they’ve been using their executive order ability to bring states, to bring institutions of higher learning in line. This crosses over into your territory as chairman of the Agriculture Committee, to a degree, with what we saw recently in the University of Maine where the agricultural grants that fund that institution in part are being withheld. Can you talk a little bit about that?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, the education department in the past has used money, used various grants in order to push their agenda. And that might be with, you know, various programs that, again, you and I would have a great deal of problem, most of our listeners would have a great deal of problem with. They were able to do that because when you take the government’s money, then you’re beholden to the government. And so because of that, President Trump has the ability to do this. And so right now, the policies are such that they’re not in line with the federal policy. And because of that, then he has the ability and the right in order to withhold funds. I’m very much a believer that boys should not be playing in female sports. And we could discuss that for a little bit. But It does take a genius to understand why. Physically, they just can’t compete, and you’re seeing these records being shattered by males. And again, the good thing is that females are starting now to stand up and say, no, we’re not going to be a part of this, and more and more schools on their own. Anything the federal government can do to prevent that from happening, I’m all for.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, Senator, we’re going to leave it there. Thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
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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’re 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 and the trees.
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All right, this is Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Two weeks from today, we’re going to be in the book of Daniel in our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. And so in anticipation of that, I want to encourage you to order a copy of our new study guide, Daniel, Visions and Valor. It’s a great resource for anyone as they navigate some tough times and pressures that this life brings, challenges, worries, anxieties. This offers profound biblical insights for overcoming adversity and maintaining integrity in and a challenging world. And it will remind you how, like Daniel, you can navigate these trials with courage as you stand on the Word of God in faith. So just text the word Daniel to 67742. That’s Daniel to 67742. And you can order a copy of the study guide and join us April the 29th as we begin this powerful book together. All right, speaking of the Bible, you know, today we’ve been talking a lot about policies, but you hear me say this a lot. We’re excited about the public policy that’s coming forth from our – from our president, from the Trump administration, and as a resident of Louisiana, as I split my time between D.C. and Louisiana, I’m excited about what’s happened in Louisiana. A big change since I was first elected there. Good policies coming forth, but we’ve got to have the foundation. And I’m encouraged because that’s happening. And tomorrow, at the Louisiana State Capitol, at the very top, which is a pretty neat view if you’ve never been there. But if you ever come to Louisiana, I encourage you to go. But tomorrow, it’ll be the site of a Bible reading marathon. Now, this marathon invites people from Louisiana and beyond to read small sections of the Bible at the state capitol. And it’s just part of a larger movement that that we’ve been seeing in our state and around the nation, a return to the word of God. And here to tell us more is Mike Herbster. He’s the director of Southland Christian Ministries, which is hosting this year’s Bible reading marathon. Mike, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you, Tony. And it’s a real privilege to be here with you. And thank you for all that you do at Family Research Council. It’s a joy to be in studio with you. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER 14 :
I appreciate that. And we had a chance to talk a couple weekends ago at the state capitol for a prayer event. And you told me about this. And I wanted to help promote it because… We believe in the word of God. And to have this word proclaimed over our state from the state capitol, I think, is huge. So tell us a little bit about this. Tell us the origins. And then most of all, tell us how people can connect and be a part of it.
SPEAKER 13 :
So we, like you, are agreeing with you that the foundation of life and liberty is in the word of God. And so it was last year that I reached out to Seedline International, which is the organization that does this in other states around the country as well as they host one nationally. At the end of this month, April 26 through the 30th, they’ll host the national one at the nation’s capital. And we hosted it with them last year. And our desire is to publicly read straight through the Bible as a way of establishing just the foundation for our lives and for our families and, of course, for our state. And so we reached out to them and we established a time frame. This year’s worked out obviously great because this is a very special week, as we all know, that we’re celebrating the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but tomorrow morning will be the prayer breakfast as well as Louisiana Family Forums briefing. And then we’ll start the marathon. So I really feel like it coincides well. And providentially, God has allowed us to get it scheduled at that same time. How long will this last? So we will start with an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Capitol Steps. There will be a service. We’ll have a couple of people share a challenge. We’ll have some music. We’ll have some scripture readings before, in unison, we read the first chapter of Genesis to kick off the Bible reading marathon. It’ll last all the way through Saturday, nonstop, even through the night. And then it will end with a closing ceremony on Saturday at 6 p.m., Saturday the 19th.
SPEAKER 14 :
How can people find out more, especially those in Louisiana? We’ve got a lot of listeners and viewers in Louisiana. How can they connect?
SPEAKER 13 :
There’s two websites you can go to. You can go to southlandcamp.org, and under the opportunities, you can see the Bible Reading Marathon slash Bible Reading Marathon, or you can go to capitalbrm.org, and you’ll see Louisiana listed there. You click on that, and you can sign up for a time slot. Particularly, there’s a lot of, of course, time slots in the middle of the night.
SPEAKER 14 :
But it’s pretty, pretty. So you sign up for a slot, not a chapter, right? That’s right. So what about if you get to the begats and all of that?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s right. Yeah, you get stuck in the middle of them. But you can sign up for multiple slots. Matter of fact, some people do that. Don’t feel bad about doing that. We’re really encouraged because I know one day we have the anchor from the local news channel, The Morning News. His name’s Reggie. Reggie’s coming out. He did an interview with me, thankfully, and publicized it here in Baton Rouge. And he’s going to read and then put it on TV the next morning. So I’m excited about that. And the governor’s been invited, the lieutenant governor, all the cabinet members, as well as the representatives. And we’ll see some of them out there, of course, as a part of this as well.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I’ll see if I can’t make it out to one of those early morning.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, absolutely. We’d love to have you.
SPEAKER 14 :
We just got about a minute left. What do you hope comes from this?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we know that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. We know that obviously as the word of God goes forth, the Bible says it will not return void. So even in the public declaration of it out loud to our state, even though not everybody will hear all of it, we know that some will hear some of it.
SPEAKER 14 :
And it will not return void. Yes. The word of God is powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. Mike, thanks so much for joining us today. And thank you for taking on this project. I think it’s significant. Many of these things we’ll never see until eternity, the impact that it has. But anytime we can proclaim the word of God, wherever God has given us authority to do so, I think it’s powerful.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for the opportunity to share it. And we hope everybody will get involved.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, folks, check out those websites, and I do hope that if you can, you live in Louisiana, join. If not, pray. All right, don’t go away. We’re back with more after this.
SPEAKER 04 :
Are you ready to transform your trials into triumphs? Dive into the book of Daniel with FRC’s new study guide, Daniel, Visions and Valor. Perfect for those seeking courage and wisdom from one of the Bible’s most faithful figures. This 13-day journey is ideal for small groups or individual study as part of our ongoing Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. It’s a timeless resource. ready to deepen your engagement with scripture. Explore how Daniel’s life and God-given visions offer a blueprint for navigating challenges. Each day includes scriptures, reflection questions, and space for notes to enhance your understanding and application. Available in digital and physical formats, order your copy of Daniel, Visions and Valor today and start your journey of transformation. To order, text the word Daniel to 67742 That’s Daniel to 67742.
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 are 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 solutions. 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 14 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. Our word for today comes from Ezekiel 34. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Thus says the Lord God, ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves. Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth. The people of Israel, well, they fell into idolatry and immorality because they lacked godly leadership. Scripture makes clear that righteous leaders are not a luxury. They are essential. More than 200 times in the Bible, God refers to people, that’s us, as sheep. Not because they’re cute and cuddly, but because they’re dependent and vulnerable. Like sheep, we need consistent care, correction, and guidance. When shepherds fail, the flock suffers, and they’re scattered. For more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. All right, for anyone who has even remotely been paying attention to all the news, it’s tariffs almost all the time, especially as we see responses coming out of China. It may feel like there is a lot of chaos going on. I mean, you look at the stock market, people are a little nervous. But could there be order to all of it? And could the situation be unfolding just as the Trump administration anticipated? Well, here now with his insights is John Solomon, CEO and editor-in-chief of Just the News and host of John Solomon Reports. John, thanks for joining us. Welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 11 :
Good to be with you. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, let me get your initial reaction. I know we’re, you know, a week or so, a week and a half into this, but let me get your initial reaction to President Trump’s Liberation Day announcement.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, listen, I think a lot of people, and they do so at the expense of their own reputations, they tend to think that Donald Trump is completely impulsive. And I think they’re missing a big part of this. He actually had a plan. And when he decided to do this, he moved it up quickly because… He saw a couple of elements in the economy. Inflation was running a little hot because Joe Biden left it hot when he left Ossoffs. He saw a moment where inflation was going to go down with energy prices dropping quickly. OPEC was announcing increased production, which would further bring pressure down on prices. Of course, energy prices go down. The whole economy’s prices go down. And he saw this ideal moment, and so he sped up his plan for tariffs because he could hit an economic window where you could tap the brakes on parts of the economy that were running a little hot, take advantage of some price dips, which could absorb potentially a little bit of inflation caused by tariffs. and then begin the greatest negotiation in American history, which is let’s have 100 countries negotiate with America at once and see if we can get better trade deals than what we’ve had. And thus far, 10 days in, the market is kind of back to where it was before the tariff announcement. So we haven’t lost a lot of market cap anymore. You have a second element here, which is you’ve got 90 of those 100 countries already lined up to have conversations. Some longtime protectionist countries like Israel and Vietnam and Cambodia offering to drop those tariffs and protections against american products that opens up important markets particularly in the textile world so donald trump i think is exactly where he wanted to be the media maybe not understanding the four-dimensional chess he played here but He sped up this window because he saw an opportunity in the economic data to slide this in and have minimal impact on the American people. And thus far, I think he’s having it. Now, listen, China’s going to play hardball. It’s going to take a while to revive China. But I think the truth of the matter is China, without an American market, isn’t China at all. They need us much more than we need them.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I want to talk about China here just a moment. But I want to agree with you from this aspect. I think people underestimate Donald Trump in terms of they misread him. And I’ve been watching him very closely since he first ran for president. And there have been many times initially that I said, oh, he’s over. It’s over. He’s toast. He made a bet. But he is… In terms of marketing, he’s brilliant, and I think he does – either he has a tremendous intuition or these steps are planned out. I’ve rarely seen him miss it. I will say this is a big one because you’re playing with the entire economy, not just the United States, but essentially – But let’s talk about, before we get into China, because I really want to focus on that, because that’s really our biggest adversary, I think, when it comes to free trade. Let’s talk about the outcomes. What’s success look like here?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, success has to be achieved before January if President Trump has any chance of faring well in the midterm elections with the Republicans. So by January, he has got to get these trade deals in place. If the United States has better trade relations with half or more of the world, in the first eight months of this tariff policy, he’s going to have a roaring success because auto workers, steel workers, energy workers are all going to realize they have a better opportunity in the future than they have today. There are going to be three optics. One is, are the barriers lower? The Agreements lower barriers to American products. Two, are there more investments coming into the United States as a result of this? He’s got $7 trillion announced. That’s a huge number. But a lot of those things won’t be built for years, so they won’t be visible to the American people. But some early projects that are visible, a factory opening up, a new contract being announced, those would be important. I think the third thing, does inflation stay low? Does he keep it down in this 2.6%? range where it came in in March. If he does, those three optics are very politically powerful going into the 2026 election. And Donald Trump could say, I did the impossible.
SPEAKER 14 :
So let’s talk about the impact directly on the consumer, because, you know, all of the pain that people felt under the Biden economy. Is it the inflation only or will we see a growth in our economy as a result of this?
SPEAKER 11 :
If the trend lines are continuing, and we’re starting to see this now, hiring has come in a lot better than people thought in March. That was a big number. There are signs that people are feeling more confident about the economy. And when I mean people, I mean the people that spend money, whether it’s consumers, small business owners deciding to hire or expand their company, larger companies maybe putting back some of their contraction plans that they had under President Biden because they feel there’s a reason to be optimistic about the economy. So there will be economic expansion, most likely, provided that we don’t have any unseen circumstances. So a growing economy with slowing inflation will be the opposite, the inverse of what Joe Biden gave us for most of his four years in office. That has a psychological effect on confidence, consumer confidence, voter confidence. Now, does that translate into people going to the polls in a midterm election? It’s hard to determine. It depends what arguments President Trump makes. He’ll have to nationalize the 2026 election to help Republicans win. But if he makes it an issue between his vision of the economy and what the far left had for their vision, and he has two years of success after four years of bumbling failure, I think Donald Trump can nationalize the election and take it away from local issues and potentially defy the normal history of politics, which is a midterm election for an incumbent president usually doesn’t go well. Right. That’s the strategy. Can they pull it off? We’ll see.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, there’s clearly long-term benefits in this from a standpoint of a correction of the trade imbalance that has grown over several decades as we have stopped producing and been primarily consuming when it comes to a hard product. I mean, we produce intellectual goods and such, but in terms of manufacturing, that’s pretty much left our shores to a large degree. That’s right. Let’s talk about China. You made reference to this, and I agree with you. I think China is the big loser. They have more to lose here than we do because they need us more than we need them. But the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi, is not backing down. In fact, he’s making a Southeast Asia trade tour promoting free trade among these Asian countries. Talk a little bit about that.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, well, listen, first, those Asian countries know that free doesn’t mean free when it comes to China, right? Korea, Japan, they all know what it’s like to deal with China. It’s a one-way street with some downstream benefits, usually cash benefits short-term, but long-term, a lot of handcuffs and strings attached to it. So China’s not going to fool anyone in the Asia realm thinking that they’re going to get a good deal from China. They might get some short-term cash, but you look at Japan. What was the very first company to come to America and announce a major investment in America after the president was elected. And that was SoftBank in Japan, because Japan knows it’s a much better market to play in the United States than it is with China. And so China will try this effort. It’s more effective in third world continents like Africa and Latin America, where people oftentimes, the countries just need cash, right? And they’re willing to trade cash for long-term assets that China wants. But In Asia, the economies are pretty mature. They’re maturing, certainly even in places like Indonesia and Malaysia. And I think all of those economies would rather have an open trading relationship with the United States and the protection that comes with it, rather than the strings attached to China. So China’s not going to be able to sell that too much. It’s optics. What they want to do is see if they can scare Trump. I don’t think Donald Trump is going to be scared by China or any of his tactics. I think his thinking is, he knows China needs us more than we need them. He’s going to sweat them a little bit.
SPEAKER 14 :
So is she playing to the U.S. media, trying to ramp up that pressure on Trump?
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh, 100%. 100%. Yeah, listen, it’s always been a sympathetic media and it’s also been a sympathetic Wall Street. You know, one of the greatest allies to China’s rise and to China’s aggression against America has been our own investors in the stock markets and the commodity markets. And so they’re going to try to put the squeeze there. They put some squeeze on tech products. But how did Donald Trump immediately resolve that? I’ll just exempt tech products short term from the tariffs. Donald Trump is staying one step ahead of the China pressure game. And I think the real thing is, at what time does Donald Trump say, listen, you can play this for the next two years if you want, or why don’t you sit down, have a bilateral discussion and get to a good deal? I bet you she blinks at that moment that Donald Trump makes that offer.
SPEAKER 14 :
The other aspect, as you talk about the Chinese influence in the United States on the stock market, they also have a large influence in Washington, D.C. They sure do. I mean, they hire a lot of former elected officials and cabinet members. to work for them. But no one has held the office of president that has, at this moment in time, this snapshot in which we’re in, no one has had as much influence and has used the bully pulpit better than Donald Trump. So I don’t think they’re going to stand a chance if they try to exert that political influence from K Street here in D.C.
SPEAKER 11 :
I think you’re right. Donald Trump seems unencumbered from the normal forces that shape and push Washington around. He doesn’t care about donations. He doesn’t care about lobbyists. He doesn’t seem to care about the news media that drives the narratives in Washington. He seems to have divested himself of all of those concerns after his first term because he realized what an unfair situation he was put to in his first term. or put through in his first time. And so I think what you’re seeing with Donald Trump is sort of this unencumbered, I’m focused on the American people. When I look at a decision, I’m asking, what’s it going to mean to the guy getting off shift in Kalamazoo, going to the bar? What’s it going to mean to the mom and dad at the kitchen table? And he has stayed to that. And to his benefit, when all the panic around him was at a boiling point, he didn’t look panicked at all. He looked calm. And in fact, Most of his predictions came true. He said the market would come back. It came back. He said countries would be making deals. They did. He said countries would be making investments. Seven trillion dollars comes in. He is playing the long game. The level of confidence he has, the learnings he got from his first term in office and all of the battering that went through that and the four years out of office with the lawfare has made him, I think, one of the most strategic and calculating and confident presidents we’ve had in a long time. You know, they say fire makes a great iron. And I think he’s forged a little bit by the incredible eight years of suffering he went through or certainly conflict he went through. And he just seems focused on the prize. He said on election night promises made, promises delivered. And he’s really checking that box. I’ll just make one comparison because I think it’s the most important comparison. There’s no comparison to Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan in personality. They’re very different people. But the notion that Ronald Reagan put into play to win the Cold War with the Soviet Union, peace through strength, is exactly what Donald Trump is using to win the trade war or to win the economic war with China. He’s trying to achieve prosperity through strength. We don’t have to negotiate any longer from a position of appeasement or weakness. You can have the upper hand and then make a good deal. By the way, a fair deal even for China. The prosperity through strength, I think, may be the tagline people will remember the second Trump presidency by if he succeeds at what he’s trying to do.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, as I said earlier, China is the one that we have to deal with the most because we’re actually funding their military and making them a military threat, a military and strategic threat. from that sense, from the imbalance in the trade we have. We just have about two minutes left, John. I want to go back. You said that, you know, and it’s right, the market has kind of settled down. We’re almost back to where we were. But we had a 90-day, the president last week issuing a 90-day stay, moratorium, Paul’s, however you want to describe it, on these tariffs while these negotiations are taking place. Are we through the turbulence or is it going to come back or are we out of that now?
SPEAKER 11 :
I think a lot depends on how quickly the Trump White House, the Trump economic team, the Treasury Department can get through agreements and start announcing them. The way to keep the markets calm is to show steady and regular progress towards securing those trade agreements that are clearly going to be more fair to America than what we’ve endured for the last 40 years under the free trade regime. We had free trade, but it was unfair to America. If you get those agreements, I think the markets stay calm. If there’s a long gap without agreements, the markets are going to panic again.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I think this is an educational moment for the American people to learn what free trade really is. It’s free and it’s fair and it’s equitable. And that’s not something we’ve seen for a while. John Solomon, I want to thank you for joining us. Great insights. And so you would say, hey, stay calm and just keep your eye on the ball. That’s it.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s the best advice I’ve heard all week. All right.
SPEAKER 14 :
Stay calm. All right. John, thanks for joining us. Thank you, sir. And folks, I would say, you know, stay calm. Pray and stay calm. We just need to pray through these things. And I do have, I’ll be honest, as I said earlier with John, I’ve watched President Trump and, you know, nine times out of ten, the decisions he makes are on the money. So we pray. All right. Out of time for today, though. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do and you’ve prayed, prepare to take in your stand. By all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 08 :
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.
