On today’s program: Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and Host of the “Outstanding” podcast, reports on the possible results of Obamacare subsidies ending today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearings, the
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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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All we need is a little cooperation. I guarantee we’re going to do the best to be professional, to respect people’s rights, to not do anything that we don’t have to do in order to enforce immigration laws. But it would make our lives a lot easier. It would make our officers a lot safer. And it would make Minneapolis much less chaotic if we had a little bit of cooperation from the state and local officials.
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That was Vice President J.D. Vance earlier today in Minnesota asking state officials to work with federal authorities, not against them as they enforce immigration law. Welcome to this January 22nd edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. Well, coming up, the House of Representatives is racing to pass key appropriations bills to beat the government funding clock, which runs out on January the 30th. Texas Congressman Michael Cloud, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, will join us from the House floor in just a moment. Also today, President Trump officially launched the Gaza Peace Board in Davos, raising eyebrows after inviting Vladimir Putin and allowing Turkey and Qatar to take part. Middle East expert David Azdeznik joins us with his analysis on what this could mean for Israel and the Middle East. Well, millions of Americans now face spikes in their health insurance costs following the expiration of the Obamacare COVID era subsidies. Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing aimed at looking into the root causes of rising health care costs. Joining me now is Casey Harper, who has been tracking today’s top stories. Casey, what will be the impact of these expired subsidies?
SPEAKER 06 :
Sure, Tony. A big hearing about a big story, which is these expiring subsidies, which I know you know, shut down the government last year. So health insurance CEOs, they testified before the committee, which is looking at health insurance affordability, which has a possibility to be a defining campaign midterm election issue. Now, Republicans said that the insurance companies and Obamacare are the reason that premiums have gotten so expensive. Democrats predictably argued that the failure to extend the subsidies, so more government spending, is why the costs are going up. Now, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Morgan Griffith had this to say.
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When Democrats passed Obamacare without Republican support, they sold the bill on the promises that premiums would fall, competition would rise, and if you like your insurance plan, you can keep it. Instead, Obamacare has increased health care costs, warped incentives, federalized benefit, restricted plan design, and limited access to care. Many patients have fewer plan choices than they did before Obamacare was enacted.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, if you listen to the media, you wouldn’t know this, Tony, but the expiration of subsidies won’t impact all Americans. In fact, a family with four with a household income below $129,000 is not going to face higher insurance costs. Now, nine Republicans voted with Democrats to extend those Obamacare COVID-era subsidies. And, you know, another important thing that I know we’ve been following closely, you’ve been following and the stand has been following, is whether any new health plan covers gender transition surgeries and abortions.
SPEAKER 20 :
All right, Casey, let’s switch now to the latest coming out of Minnesota and the protest over ISIS immigration enforcement. Now, arrests have been made reportedly in connections to the recent Minnesota church protest. What’s the latest on that, Casey?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, so federal agents have arrested three Minnesota protesters with more on the way, but those possibly on the way, that’s the language we’ve been seeing out of the DOJ. But those protesters are the ones who took part in that explosive demonstration inside a church because they say that one of the pastors was working in a leadership role with ICE. Now, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says that the FBI and Homeland Security have arrested two who helped actually organize the protests, as well as an anti-ICE activist army veteran who was also arrested. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance went to Minnesota today, and here’s what he had to say about the situation there.
SPEAKER 07 :
I’m proud of the fact that we’re standing behind law enforcement, and I’m proud of the fact that we’re enforcing the country’s laws. Most of these protesters, as much as I may disagree with their politics, most of them have been peaceful, but a lot of them have not been peaceful. And if you go and storm a church, if you go and insult a federal law enforcement officer, we are going to try very hard. We’re going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison.
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now vice president there, weighing in on what’s really become a powder keg in Minneapolis. But a U.S. magistrate judge in Minnesota did reject a DOJ effort to arrest Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, rather, who was there live streaming the protests from within the church. On X, Bondi’s made clear, quote, we don’t tolerate attacks on places of worship. She’s promised more rest over that Sunday protest, which you can see there. And meanwhile, the DOJ is continuing its investigations into leaders in Minnesota where this all started. It seems like we’ve already forgotten what started this, which was that rampant fraud in the state. And they’re also looking into whether those leaders conspired to impede ICE agents. So a lot of investigations going on here, Tony.
SPEAKER 20 :
All right, we’re going to watch that one very closely because Don Lemon may need some aid. So we’ll see what happens.
SPEAKER 06 :
Start a legal fund.
SPEAKER 20 :
Yeah, that’s right, a legal fund. We should, instead of send, maybe send me, send me to prison. We’ll start that. All right, Casey, thanks so much for joining us. All right, I want to go to the House floor now as the House is working to pass a number of bills to beat that January 30th deadline for government funding. Joining us now from the House floor as the House is voting on a number of measures this afternoon is Congressman Michael Cloud, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He represents the 27th District of Texas. Congressman Cloud, thanks so much for stepping off the floor to join us.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, sure thing.
SPEAKER 20 :
So let’s start with the progress that’s being made on appropriations. Where do we stand? Are we going to beat that clock?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, we have just passed the bills in the House, so they will head to the Senate, where I expect they will pass as well. And then we should beat the House. And this is pretty monumental, really. Nobody thought we’d be able to get there with such a small majority. Not perfect bills, but far better than the alternative of a shutdown or what we’ve been doing in the past is continuing the spending of the Biden-Pelosi era with all their policy writers. And so this is a big step forward. So happy to see that we’ve made this happen and it’s passed on the floor.
SPEAKER 20 :
I would have to think, Congressman Cloud, that the Republicans are you mentioned the the the slim majority that you have in the House. But this is not something that we’ve been doing for a long time. I mean, for almost for over two decades, we’ve just been doing continuing resolutions or these omnibus cobbled together funding bills. I mean, the it appears the appropriations process is now starting to work once again.
SPEAKER 15 :
Exactly. And again, we’re not where we want to be, but we’ve taken some big steps forward. As you mentioned, what would happen every September 30th, we know when the funding deadline is for government, but yet somehow Congress is always shocked and surprised that September 30th is there. And so we see a CR and then a CR. And then usually what we get is that Christmas tree omnibus that’s thousands of pages long, spends trillions of dollars. No one actually really knows what’s in it. And so We’d like to get to the point where we’re passing 12 individual purpose bills. Some of these were packaged together where we had a package of three together or a couple together last week. But this is still so much better. These are bills that have been through the right process. We’ve stripped out the DEI funding, the funding for abortions, transgender surgery. We’ve done a lot of work to get rid of those Biden-Pelosi policies and to put this on the right path. And It saves us a little money as well. So and again, we need to save a whole lot more money. But again, by standards of Congress, this is a step in the right direction.
SPEAKER 20 :
It is turning the direction in the right direction. Now, in addition to working on these funding bills this week, the House has also passed a number of pro-life measures. This comes obviously in advance of tomorrow’s annual March for Life. Tell us about the pro-life measures that the House has given approval to.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, we’re working to make sure that we continue to protect life. It’s so essential to what’s going on. And those first fundamental freedoms of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, we’ve got to make sure that we continue to protect life in every single way that we can. And so we’re doing everything we can to make sure we continue to do that. And we’re going to keep working to do that in every single way we can.
SPEAKER 20 :
We’ve got a couple of minutes left. Congressman Cloud, you’re on the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, one of the committees that’s been looking into what’s been happening in Minnesota. Are you surprised by the widening scandal that’s there? I mean, it looks like a criminal conspiracy. Are you surprised at the depth of this?
SPEAKER 15 :
The blatant, you know, we knew there was waste, fraud and abuse in the system. The way that it’s been systemized and blatantly – and now we see riots basically defending $9 billion of fraud that have been coming to that state. It’s just so egregious. Child care centers that don’t have child care in it, for example, or any children, it’s – And I feel like we’re only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s been going on. The way that it was defended, the way that it was enabled by the leadership of the state there, especially the governor, is what’s really atrocious in this particular situation.
SPEAKER 20 :
What about these reports that we’re hearing of money being put in suitcases, transferred out of the Minneapolis airport to overseas locations by Somalians that are living here in the United States, going in some cases to entities that have links to terrorist organizations? organizations. I mean, this is shocking that federal tax dollars, we don’t know. I mean, a lot of this is alleged. We don’t have all the evidence yet. But this speaks to how wasteful these government programs are. We don’t even know where the money is going. We’re actually funding our enemies.
SPEAKER 15 :
And that’s one of the big reasons we’ve got to stop funding the NGOs, because exactly what’s happening, a lot of these, and they go through several shell organizations. So it becomes pretty hard to track down. They’ll send it to someone and then, you know, one NGO, that NGO sends it to something else, and eventually it ends up in the hands of the wrong people. And, you know, only in D.C. do we let politicians get away with defining their personal worth and value by how much of other people’s money we give away. In true care, compassion, concern for the people who are footing the bill, for working really hard, does the due diligence to make sure that these dollars are going to the right place. And so we’ve got to continue the work. We’ve got to defund it. We’ve got to get the House to the point where we’re willing to – every single dollar of fraud we find should be savings for the American people. And we’re working on getting to that point, but we still have a lot of work to do.
SPEAKER 20 :
Congressman Cloud, final question for you. I know you’ve got to get back to the floor to vote. But earlier today, you took part of a press conference hosted by Live Action, along with several of your colleagues, regarding the abortion drug Mifeprestone. Can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER 15 :
Sure. Yeah, this is, you know, we’ve all celebrated the passage of Roe v. Wade. But what we’ve seen take its place is that many of those lives that should have been saved are still being lost uh… with this mythocristone and the the drugs are being mailed across state lines coming out of the country obviously uh… terminates the life of the baby but also puts the mother’s life in danger uh… many times we’ve we’ve seen cases as well where almost like a day rate drug they’ll drop an abortion you know uh… father who doesn’t want the mother to have the child will unsuspectingly to the mother drop an abortion pill into a drink, for example, and then that mom ends up in the hospital having to deal with this. And we’ve got to clamp down on this and make sure that we reverse the Biden era policies that have allowed the expansion of this. But we also got to continue to weed out every single dollar that’s going to any organization that is providing abortion and make sure that no taxpayer is forced to pay for someone else’s abortion.
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Congressman Cloud, we’ve got to leave it there. We’re up against a break. Thanks so much for joining us. Always great to hear from you. Stick with us, folks. We’re back after this. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
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There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
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The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
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We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 09 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
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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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All right, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in and making us part of your day. Well, earlier today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump hosted a signing ceremony for his Board of Peace, which he said would become one of the, quote, most consequential bodies ever created.
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We’re committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt. It’s going to be a great plan, and that’s where the Board of Peace really started. And I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza. We’re going to be very successful in Gaza. It’s going to be a great thing to watch.
SPEAKER 20 :
All right. So the Board of Peace, its initial task is to deal with the situation in Gaza. But it appears that it may have a life after Gaza. And so right now we have, let me see, we have about almost 20 countries that have signed on. Now, if you want to have permanent status, if you sign up, invitations have been sent out to about 35, well, almost 50 countries. Roughly 35 nations are said to have joined with others invited. And if you want to be a permanent, a permanent, you want a permanent seat on this board, it’s a billion dollars that you’re going to bring to the table. IRLs have been raised over who’s been invited and, you know, what might the mission of this peace board be after Gaza? Joining me now to discuss this is Dr. David Dusnick. He is the vice president of research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Dr. Dusnick, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Always glad to join.
SPEAKER 20 :
So what do we know so far about this board? I know that we’ve got some information, not in its totality, but what do we know thus far?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, there’s been somewhat mixed messages. Of course, it has its roots in Gaza and in the challenge of solving the war in Gaza, having something better follow the Hamas-run mini-state that was the cause of that war. There is a charter. As you discussed, you can sort of purchase permanent membership. And it’s also worth noting it’s very much an America- or Trump-controlled membership. ORGANIZATION. THE CHAIRMAN HAS A LOT OF POWER TO INVITE AND EXPEL MEMBERS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE THERE’S SOME TALK OF IT BEING LIKE THE UNITED NATIONS, IT’S BY INVITATION ONLY AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE NECESSARILY A GLOBAL GROUP.
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PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE CHAIRMAN. IS THAT WITH THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR IS HE JUST THE PERMANENT CHAIRMAN EVEN AFTER HE IS NO LONGER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it’s not permanent. The charter does specify that he should even designate a successor. What’s interesting is it doesn’t say that the chairman will necessarily always be the president of the United States. It could be, I mean, he could nominate someone from another country. He could nominate an American. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be a world leader necessarily. It suggests, though, that it would be a head of state.
SPEAKER 20 :
But it does not run concurrent with his term as president? He could remain as chairman?
SPEAKER 05 :
I guess that’s possible. You know, it doesn’t seem to envision it. I think, you know, it’s not like he doesn’t have a fixed term exactly.
SPEAKER 20 :
So the initial task, as I mentioned earlier, is Gaza. But it appears by what I’m seeing that they could take on other issues globally that require a peace initiative.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s absolutely the case, if you listen to what the president’s aspirations are for it. That’s also the reason there’s been a measure of backlash. Some European countries are concerned precisely that it’s an effort to sideline the United Nations. And it’s also not clear, would there need to be members who have some sort of jurisdiction? If you’re dealing with some different war, what if the country involved or none of its neighbors are members of the Board of Peace? Would parties to the war be ready to listen, or would it be a problem if all the neighbors are not in on the game?
SPEAKER 20 :
David, I want to ask you from a perspective of Israel. I mean, Gaza, this was the launching pad for October 7th, the terrorist attack. All these international countries, all these countries gathering together there. I mean, I know not physically, but they’re all going to have a stake in Gaza. And some of these are not friendly to Israel. I mean, we’ve got Turkey, we’ve got Qatar, both that were harboring Hamas.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. I think that’s the principal objection that the Israelis themselves initially raised. It’s also unclear exactly what their role would be. So there’s this Gaza executive board that has been sort of appointed beneath the Board of Peace to carry out certain roles. But the point about Qatar and Turkey stands, right? Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they explicitly said, he explicitly said, we are pro-Hamas. We do not consider Hamas terrorists. They are the resistance. And, of course, they gave sanctuary to Hamas leaders. There’s been a lot of terror financing running through Turkey. Qatar is home to a number of the Hamas leaders. They have had terror finance there. So it really is quite a problem, if the priority is solving the Gaza crisis and sidelining Hamas, why you want to invite in some of the countries that have been its biggest supporters.
SPEAKER 20 :
I want to go back to your comments regarding the United Nations and why some of the European countries like France and the UK have refused to sign on to this. Could this be and I mean, there’s no love lofts for the United Nations when it comes to the United States of America. Could this be a flanking movement on the United Nations kind of undercutting their influence and power?
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s possible, but it is also wise to recall just how many institutions the U.N. has grown up over time that can do functional things like provide aid, regulate telecommunications. And my colleagues and I have been very critical of a lot of those organizations and how they run at the U.N., the amount of influence given to dictatorships, including those hostile to the United States. But the fact is, tens of billions of dollars are going each year to run it. It has the kind of prestige over time that usually gives it a seat at the table regardless of the crisis. So it has assets that’ll be hard to replace with this new group.
SPEAKER 20 :
What do you see the long term for the, is it too early to determine what this Gaza peace board will, will it take shape? Will it be successful? What are your thoughts?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think perhaps its first test is going to be one of its most difficult, right? It’s born out of the situation in Gaza. It’s framed broadly as a board of peace, not tied explicitly to Gaza or permanently. But what if it can’t bring peace to Gaza? Will it have a reputation that allows it to function elsewhere effectively? And right now, it’s not clear what the means are, right? Just like the United Nations doesn’t really have its own troops, or even when it has peacekeepers, they’re very reluctant to tackle certain jobs, especially if there are terrorists willing to shoot back at them. Hamas hasn’t settled disarm.
SPEAKER 20 :
Right. Well, if history is any indication, their first task is going to be a difficult one. David, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate your insights on this. Of course. Glad to be here. Well, it’s another matter of prayer. I do hope that we can get a managed peace in Gaza and the Middle East, and it does not become a launching pad for more terror. All right, stick around. We’re back with more after this. For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. judean samaria is nearly a quarter of israel’s current land mass not a small strip of land on the jordan river but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity the october 7th massacre launched from gaza shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace gaza which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution became a launch pad for terror Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East. Welcome back to Washington Watch, the website TonyPerkins.com. There are a lot of resources there for you, but also you can find more resources at the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app. That way you can have access to Washington Watch no matter where you are and access to our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand. Also, my daily devotion, Stand on the Word. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app. This past weekend, the Syrian government announced that a ceasefire deal had been struck with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, but that agreement proved to be short-lived as military attacks by the Syrian government reportedly resumed over the past couple of days. Now, there’s questions as to… What that means, some say these forces have not entered those villages. Kurdish officials and allies worry that President Trump is turning his back on the SDF, a longtime U.S. ally in counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, ISIS. So what could the president’s support for the new Syrian government mean for religious minorities in that country? Joining me now to discuss this, Nadine Medanza, former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. She served with me on the commission. She is presently co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and board chair of the Institute for Global Engagement. Nadine, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 20 :
All right. So lay out for us. We were discussing this last week with another think tank expert on this. But what’s the latest? What’s unfolding right now in northeast Syria?
SPEAKER 10 :
So as you explained, the Syrian forces have decided to claim northeast Syria. and to force it, integrate it into the Syrian government, saying that their negotiations had failed with the Northeast, which actually, they never actually had any conversations about how to integrate the government in. It was always about how to integrate the SDF in. So they decided to go ahead and take it by force. As they were entering, even CENTCOM, you know, Central Command… the US military told them to stop and they continued. So as they did, they took all the Arab areas. We saw videos online of all sorts of atrocities against some of the Kurdish forces. We’ve seen videos of beheadings that included women. We’ve seen the ISIS flag be put over Raqqa. We saw some executions on video. So they haven’t even gotten – at this point, they went through the Arab areas, took the Arab areas, and the SDF really did fall back to the Kurdish-majority areas. And it’s important to understand these Kurdish-majority areas are rich with religious minorities, Christians, Yazidis. Zoroastrians, Circassians, we have Alawites, Andrews, and a wide range of different ethnicities as well. So this is a very vulnerable area. And so right now they are in negotiations, they’re saying, They have a ceasefire right now, they’ve agreed to, and that they’re discussing how to integrate it in. But as that’s happening, as we speak, they’ve still surrounded Kobani’s. They’re still fighting. They’re still fighting at Hasakah. So instead of having a ceasefire that’s working right now, they just continue to attack these Kurdish areas, putting them at risk.
SPEAKER 20 :
So there’s a couple of reasons I believe we should be concerned about this. Number one, you made reference to the religious freedom that is in that northeast portion of Syria. This is something that has taken root. It’s one of the few places outside of Israel in the Middle East that there’s been a functioning government that has actually represented or respected, I should say, religious freedom. That began to… teeter a little bit after the first Trump administration when U.S. forces were pulled out of that region. What role has Turkey played in destabilizing this area?
SPEAKER 10 :
So Turkey is behind all of this, of course. In fact, these attacks have happened with Turkish drones. There have been Turkish planes in the air, although most of it have been drone attacks, but dropping bombs. It’s important to understand that Syrian security forces, I already just talked about the atrocity they’ve committed this week, but we also know of the massacres that so many of them were involved in against the Alawites, against the Druze. And they should not be in charge of providing security or governance to Yazidi, or Christian villages in the Northeast, or Kurdish villages. And so what the leaders of Northeast Syria are trying to negotiate, how to integrate in in a way that preserves that religious freedom that you talked about, that keeps local police and local administrators, so somebody from their own community, As the mayor, as the co-chair, right now the co-chair is a man and a woman in the different ethnicities and religions as part of a council, and they want to keep that council. I was up near Latakia in August, and I visited all these Christian villages, and I stumbled upon the fact that every single mayor was from Idlib, or Hayat Tel El Sham’s headquarters, or from HGS. And then I found out all the municipal buildings were no longer staffed by any of the Christians in the village. They used to work in the municipal building. They were all from Idlib, all from HGS. started checking around further, all of the Arab areas are from HTS and Idlib. And so now, just a couple of days ago, after they took Raqqa, they put a new governor in place. And of course, he’s with HTS. And so what’s going to happen, what they want is they’re not asking for a ceasefire. They’re asking for a surrender. And Ambassador Barak, who’s a part of this negotiation, seems to also be pushing them towards a surrender of letting the Syrian security forces come in and take over these villages and take over the governance and take over the security. And we have to say that that cannot be possible if we’re going to protect these religious minorities.
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, the history of what has happened so far under this government would say you can’t believe what they’re saying. You have to look at what they’ve done.
SPEAKER 10 :
Exactly. Just look at the history.
SPEAKER 20 :
So this is really the true test of the new president of Syria, is that if they will allow this region that has been self-governing, autonomous for quite some time, will they allow them to continue to do that? Or will they, as you’ve already pointed out, what they’ve done in the other regions, replace him? 30 seconds, Nadine, final thoughts.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, what we need to be standing up for and asking the president, asking Secretary Rubio, is to make sure that these forces do not enter these Kurdish, Christian, Yazidi, religious minority, ethnic minority areas, but they can integrate in under the Ministry of Interior regulations. It may not be a perfect environment, but be a way to help keep them safe. And whatever happens here is going to be a precedent also for Suida. And so if we get if we if they invade and take everything now, we’ll look at we’re going to keep having more. This is the only way this is the only way Syria can be successful. And this is what we need to be pushing for.
SPEAKER 20 :
Nadine, we got to leave it there. Thanks so much, folks. Stick with us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Should a Christian support Israel? That question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time, both in the world and within the church. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer. In his latest book, he examines Israel’s past, present, and future through the lens of scripture, revealing why support for Israel is not rooted in politics, partisanship, or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian’s support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies, returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
SPEAKER 13 :
What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 04 :
The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan with us. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words, pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. because the Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
SPEAKER 20 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host. Glad to have you along. On this Thursday. All right, if you live in Slidell, Louisiana, in that area, which is southeast Louisiana, I invite you to join me at the Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast tomorrow morning where I’ll be speaking. The breakfast event begins at 7.30 at the Municipal Auditorium. Tickets are still available online. That’s tomorrow morning at 7.30 a.m. in Slidell, Louisiana. All right, our word for today comes from Job, chapter 1. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil? So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Well, when his family and wealth are taken by Satan, Job proves he is not a fair weather follower. Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and he fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job worshiped and praised God, recognizing that everything is by him, from him, and for him. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. All right, as we were mentioning at the top of the program, tomorrow is the annual March for Life. It’ll be the 53rd March for Life. And despite the fact that we’ve seen the overturn of Roe v. Wade, as we were talking about with Congressman Michael Cloud, The issue of abortion has in no form or fashion faded. We’ve been talking about this a lot. Last week, we did a press conference on the Senate side. Today, Live Action did a press conference on the House side, drawing attention to the issue of Mifeprestone, the abortion drug, which now, these are all estimates because it’s hard to get the exact numbers, but somewhere between 60% and 70% of all abortions are now done through abortion. And even though at least a dozen states have outlawed the taking of the life of an unborn child, meaning the abortion pills are illegal, they’re still being shipped into those states. In fact, my home state of Louisiana experiencing more abortions now than prior to the overturn of Roe, all because of the abortion pill and the Biden-era policy that is allowing these pills to be sent into the states without any medical consultation with the women. All right, I want to turn now to, I’m going to bring in, rather, our panel from the Washington stand, Casey Harper, the managing editor for broadcast, and Suzanne Bowdy, editorial director and senior writer. Casey, Suzanne, thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 20 :
All right, so let’s talk a little bit about the life issues. I mean, we’ve seen a number of things this week, Casey, and positive things. A lot of it is just reestablishing what the Trump administration did the first time, but good to see.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, it is. We’ve seen just today the HHS announced that they’re not going to use fetal remains in federal research. That’s a big win. It’s something, as you said, that was in the first Trump administration. But I think the elephant in the room here is what you mentioned at the top, which is the abortion pill, which talk about HHS is reinstating a first-term policy. Many people don’t know. that there were restrictions on the abortion pill during President Trump’s first term, things that are pretty common sense, like getting a doctor’s visit, which, you know, we focus a lot on the life of the baby, which is very important, but there’s real danger to the life of the mother when they’re taking these pills. We have research showing that when women take the abortion pill, there is a real chance of an adverse effect, and they often can end up in the emergency room. And so when we’re talking about going back to the first term, this might be something that the president considers.
SPEAKER 20 :
Suzanne, we can certainly celebrate these announcements, policy changes in Department of Health and Human Services and other things. But really, the heart of the matter is what Casey was saying. I mean, when 60 to 70% of abortions are being done by abortion pills, and we’ve seen abortion numbers rise from 933,000 a year to over 1.1 million, we really need to address the heart of the matter.
SPEAKER 11 :
And honestly, this is a no-brainer for President Trump. The fact that this happened under Biden is not a surprise to anyone. The Democrats are sold out on abortion, unlimited at any time throughout pregnancy, taxpayer-funded. The fact that President Trump has not come out and created a policy where Americans are, A, not financing this, but, B, where his Justice Department is not allowing these abortion pills to be shipped from state to pro-life state against the state law is just mind-boggling to me. And I know that a lot of people think, well, this is maybe a politically losing issue for Republicans. I heartily disagree. I actually think the fact that some Republicans believe that they should actually align more with Democrats, become closer to Democrats on this policy, makes them more electable, is absolutely crazy. At this point, you need a clear contrast to motivate people for the midterm elections. And unfortunately, on chemical abortion, President Trump is not providing that. We’d also love to see him come out and defend the Hyde Amendment, which has been standard policy for 50 years. That’s another area where we’d love to see President Trump improve and actually use his bully pulpit to call for no taxpayer funding of abortion. So it’s disappointing. Yes, President Trump has done a lot of things that we’ve outlined here. He’s pardoned pro-lifers. He’s upheld the Mexico City policy. We’ve seen him restore conscience rights. We’re no longer paying for abortions at the VA or abortion travel at the Department of Defense. So, yes, there are a lot of good things, but there’s a lot of work to be done when people are marching tomorrow, and they need to be praying about that.
SPEAKER 20 :
We applaud those things that have been done, but we also want to address, again, the heart of the matter. This is the lion’s share of abortions are being done through the abortion pill, and it doesn’t have to be that way. And women are dying as a result as well. Now, Casey, one of the issues goes back to the 2022 midterm election when, right after the overturn of Roe, a number of Republicans didn’t know how to talk about this issue. And they didn’t fare well because they were defined, they allowed the Democrats to define the issue. Those that did talk about it, many of the governors that ran in that cycle, I don’t remember the exact number, Suzanne, you might remember, but there was a number of governors who had passed heartbeat bills and other very strong pro-life bills, and they knew how to talk about it, and they went straight at it, and they won reelection without a problem.
SPEAKER 11 :
It was almost a dozen, yeah.
SPEAKER 20 :
I think it was, yeah, it was 11 or 12, and they ran, they won handedly. Casey, talk about who’s extreme on the issue of abortion. I mean, we’re seeing that on full display in Virginia with a constitutional amendment that’s being advanced.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, that’s right. This constitutional amendment really, I think it could be a defining way to think and talk about what Democrats are doing on these issues, because Democrats, they always want to characterize Republicans as being extreme and attacking women and all this. Nonsense. But when I’ve, you know, a lot of reporters are writing about the amendment. I feel I might be the only one who actually read it based on the reporting I’m seeing. And when you read the text, it says clearly that abortions will be, that the government cannot regulate abortions in the third trimester if the doctor feels it will harm the mental health of a woman. So essentially, under this policy, it will ban any regulation of abortion, even in the third trimester, for a woman who has something as, even as like anxiety and depression, if they want to remain pregnant. And this is, talk about radical and extreme. That’s a radical and extreme position. People know, have friends who have premature babies. You know, I’ve been in the NICU. One of my children was in the NICU. And you walk through the NICU, and you see these premature born babies. It’s a baby. There’s no doubt about it. But under the Virginia constitutional amendment, that baby could easily be killed in the womb, taken apart. Or in some cases, if a woman takes an abortion pill for one of these late pregnancies, which some of them are doing, they’ll kill the baby and also put their own life in danger.
SPEAKER 20 :
Suzanne, what Casey just described, has actually been what the Democrats have been advancing for years, but very quietly. Now they’re blatantly saying, because we had this huge loophole in many of these laws about the health of the mother. Well, they would include the mental health of the mother. Now they’re openly saying it. So, I mean, they are being very clear where they stand. It kind of reminds me of the former governor of Virginia, I remember Governor Northam talking about really basically fourth term abortion after a baby’s been born. In fact, we’ve got that clip, just so people know we’re not putting words in his mouth, clip number five.
SPEAKER 01 :
If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.
SPEAKER 20 :
So it was in January of 2019. And just this prompted me, I forgot about this, but I was in the White House like a day or two after that. It was right before the president’s, I think his first State of the, well, it would have been his, it was before the State of the Union. It would have been his last State of the Union, where he came in the room and he was, visibly shocked by these comments. And I remember how he reacted to that. I’m talking about President Trump. This is pretty blatant where the Democrats stand. They are now openly discussing. I mean, they’re telling us what they want to do. They want abortion without any limitations whatsoever.
SPEAKER 11 :
And I think it’s very disturbing to hear how nonchalantly Northam talks about it. And while people would say, oh, that’s just Governor Northam, it is not. 99.9% of the Democrats in the House and Senate voted for Northam’s position in January of last year. In the House and the Senate, both chambers had an opportunity to say, if a child is born as a result of a botched abortion, there should be legal protections for that child. One Democrat in the House, Henry Qualar from Texas, is the only Democrat who voted to protect a child. So this is mainstream now in the Democratic Party. I mean, the common ground is a killing ground for Democrats.
SPEAKER 20 :
Now, before we move on to the next topic, and we’ve got about five minutes left, and I do want to touch on Minnesota and the arrest of those who burst in and disrupted a church service. But Casey, I want to go back to this Virginia constitutional amendment, because I want to make sure that our listeners and viewers in Virginia understand what’s happening and what they need to do. Because if they don’t act, don’t get out and vote against this amendment. It’s going into the state constitution.
SPEAKER 06 :
It is. In Virginia, the legislature has to pass it, but then it also has to go to the voters. So in Virginia, they have a role to play. It’s definitely not too late. This is not a fatalistic message here. And I think that the truth is what’s going to win out here. There’s so many lies that I’m reading in the media and you’re seeing from lawmakers about what this is, and they’re attaching so many other proposals and propositions to it to really hide what’s really going on here. And that raises the question of what you have to hide. And to your point about what’s extreme, if you contrast this with what people at the press conference that was held today and the one you were at last week that you led, what’s being called for is, hey, can a woman who’s getting an abortion pill see a doctor? That’s not extreme compared to third trimester abortions in the cases of anxiety. And one thing – one more thing is one thing I love about President Trump, and I think many of his supporters do, is that he’s courageous. maybe sometimes a little too courageous, but he says what he thinks and he’s courageous in taking on issues, this is a great opportunity for him to show moral courage and take on the abortion issue.
SPEAKER 20 :
And he’s done that before. I’d like to see him do it again. Suzanne, I want you to elaborate on a point that Casey just made about nothing extreme about a woman having medical consultation before she takes the life of her unborn child and potentially risk her own. And that’s something that even those who support abortion agree with.
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh, absolutely. In the most recent polling, 63% of people who describe themselves as pro-choice actually think that a woman should have to see a doctor and have an in-person consultation. I mean, this is the most pro-woman position you can have, is to look after the health of the mother. If you’re going to disregard the health of the child and the life of the child, at the very least, people understand that you should care for the mother. She should be informed about the consequences of the pill. As we know, almost 11% of women who have taken mifepristone have had severe adverse complications that have landed them, in most cases, in the emergency room. So, yes, it’s a bipartisan issue to have a doctor sit down with a woman and explain her options and the consequences of this pill. And I would say, back in the Virginia constitutional amendment that will be voted on in November, and it only requires a simple majority to pass, what they’re saying, they used to have three doctors sign off on a late-term abortion. Now there will be no one except the abortionists. So it’s quite a contrast to where we have been.
SPEAKER 20 :
You know, that’s quite amazing when I was just thinking of Gosnell in Philadelphia. I don’t know how long ago that’s been, 15 years ago, maybe longer. And just the atrocities that were taking place in that abortion clinic that led to all kinds of changes in federal and state law. We’re going right back to what he was doing illegally. We now have Virginia advancing to put in their constitution.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right, and it will abolish all of the safety regulations as well. Sorry, Casey, go ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, I agree. What Democrats once swore they’re not doing, now they’re putting on ballot initiatives.
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, they’re putting it in the Constitution of states. They’re not the only state that’s done that. Other states have done it. Look, as American citizens who understand, as we go into the 250th anniversary of our country, that the right to life is one of the fundamental rights that is granted to us by our Creator, We cannot take that for granted. We need to be praying and we need to be voting. We need to be educated and we need to inform our friends and our family. This is quite significant that we would be putting things like this into our Constitution on the very year that we celebrate 250 years of that birth certificate, that Declaration of Independence declaring us as a nation. Casey, some final thoughts here?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I think that it comes back to the issue of two issues. One is I don’t often plug the Washington stand too much, or I try not to, but the media coverage I’ve read on this has been really atrocious and really outright misleading. If you just Google this and start reading news articles about what’s happening, what’s in the constitutional amendment proposals or what people are pushing, it’s really misleading. And so you have to make sure you’re getting good news sources, Washington stand among them. But then I think it comes back to courage. You know, maybe some in the administration believe that this could be a losing issue for them. I really don’t think it is because you’ve made the point that we’re in the era of base elections and it’s about motivating your own base to win elections. But even if it is, I think it’s time for moral courage and that it would be rewarded.
SPEAKER 20 :
Suzanne, final 20 seconds.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think people get the government they deserve and the leaders they deserve. And so I just encourage people, don’t take any election for granted. These midterms matter. They matter for states. They matter for our country. And so just encourage people not to stay on the sidelines.
SPEAKER 20 :
Pray, vote, stand. That’s what we need to do. Casey, Suzanne, thanks so much for joining me. And folks, thank you for joining us as well. Until next time, I leave you 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 03 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
