Join Tony as he navigates dialogues with political leaders and experts such as Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, analyzing sweeping legislation changes and efforts being undertaken in regard to U.S. partnerships overseas. This episode promises to keep you informed and engaged, offering important resources and toolkits to equip you in making informed decisions at the polling stations.
SPEAKER 02 :
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.
SPEAKER 04 :
Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, or Puerto Rico, where I’m in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was President Joe Biden yesterday on a call with the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. The White House and the media are doing their best to sanitize the president’s toxic comments. We’ll talk about it. Welcome to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Reminiscent of Hillary Clinton calling Trump supporters deplorables after Donald Trump spoke at the Family Research Council’s Values Voters Summit in 2016, the White House and the media are in crisis mode, trying to clean up the fallout from President Biden calling Trump supporters garbage.
SPEAKER 09 :
Nobody’s defending the president himself. This is the president himself wanting to clarify what he said. He wanted to make sure that it was not taken out of context. These are the president’s words. Nobody here is defending. We are laying out what the president said himself, and he wanted to clarify that.
SPEAKER 08 :
That, of course, was White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier today. I’m not sure how you can take what the president said out of context. We’ll get a reaction from Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts. The Pentagon official reportedly linked to the leak of US classified information on Israel’s preparation for a retaliatory strike against Iran has been transferred to another position within the Department of Defense. We’ll talk with Texas Congressman Keith Self, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Vice President Harris held a campaign rally on the National Mall yesterday evening, making her final pitch to the American people.
SPEAKER 10 :
When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. Proudly.
SPEAKER 08 :
Folks, take her at her word. This is her top policy priority. Abortion until birth for the entire nation. No limits. And speaking of abortion, we’ll look at another state where Planned Parenthood allies have put abortion measures on the ballot. Jeff Trimbath, president of the Maryland Family Institute, will join us to discuss the pro-abortion amendment that will be on Maryland’s ballot. Some good news on the election front. Early voting is setting records in some states, including Georgia, where opponents of election integrity law said that protecting the integrity of the ballot would result in lower turnout.
SPEAKER 01 :
Georgia voters are smashing. through every voting record with more than 3 million for in-person early voting turnout, which is unprecedented in Georgia history.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensburger. We’ll get an election update from FRC Actions’ Matt Carpenter a little bit later. And speaking of the election, we have for you a voter toolkit that will help you cast an informed ballot. I know some Christians are saying, you know, I just don’t like what I see. I’m just not going to vote. As Americans, we have a right to vote. As Christians, we have a responsibility to vote, to know where the candidates and the parties stand on the issues and vote with those who are most closely aligned to biblical values. And we’re doing the hard work for you. The Voter Toolkit will show you where the two parties stand on the major issues. And there is a contrast. There is a presidential voter guide to show you where the two candidates for president, two main candidates for president, stand on the issues. And let me assure you, there is a contrast. And for many places in the country, we’ve got a personalized voter guide based upon your zip code. You can get access to that by texting the word toolkit. That’s toolkit, one word, to 67742. That’s 67742, the word toolkit. And by the way, pray vote stand election 2024. Election 2024, FRC is teaming up with Real Life Network for live election night coverage. Pastor Jack Hibbs and I will help you navigate the night and be prepared for November the 6th and beyond. We’ll be looking at all the election results from a biblical perspective. Coverage begins at 8.30 p.m. Eastern Time on the Real Life Network and on the FRC Stand Firm app. So get ready for election night 2024. Well, last night, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing argument speech to the American voters, stating that she offers a different path than former President Donald Trump, who she said offers more chaos and more division. Of course, stealing the thunder from her speech were the remarks that President Biden was giving within the same hour regarding Trump supporters who he called garbage. Now, this coming from the man who said he would be the president for all Americans. And we really believe that the Vice President has something different to offer, something that’s good. Joining me now to discuss this and more, Congressman Keith Self. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee. He represents the 3rd Congressional District of Texas. Congressman Self, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
I want to get to President Biden’s remarks, but let’s start off with Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech. What did you draw from her speech?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, she continued the lies of the left. In fact, she projected on us exactly what they do. They say that Trump will be a dictator, that we will be dictators in office. That’s exactly what they’re doing. They censor people. They’ve sent Navarro to jail. They’ve sent Bannon to jail. They tell you you must buy an EV vehicle within eight years. You can’t have a stove. They are the dictatorial party. And, frankly, the lies of the left and the division and the chaos all come from them. She says they don’t want to go back to Trump. Trump had peace and prosperity for this nation. They are the ones that have been at war. They are the ones that are putting their opponents in jail. She projected onto us exactly what the Democrat Party does.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re absolutely right, Congressman. The projection is stunning. I want to play a clip of just what you pointed out, clip seven.
SPEAKER 10 :
Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, the irony here is this is after Steve Bannon gets out of the same day Steve Bannon gets out of jail for refusing to be forced to testify before the January 6th committee.
SPEAKER 07 :
And the hypocrisy is Garland. It took us three times to impeach Garland, Mayorkas. But Garland was held in contempt. They didn’t prosecute him. The hypocrisy, as well as the projection, is just stunning. I will tell you, if you just listen to her words and match it up to the last four years, ask yourself what the Democrats have been doing, the Biden-Harris administration. What they are doing is sowing division and chaos. It goes back to Obama. Obama started this division, this race theory that we have, this identity politics that started under Obama. They’ve put it on steroids.
SPEAKER 08 :
And she also claimed that she will make sure that America has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. You’re a retired colonel from the United States Army. How can she do that and push DEI and all of the woke policies that her and Joe Biden have been pushing on the military?
SPEAKER 07 :
We see the impact of their policies already. Recruiting is down. Only one service is even coming close to making its numbers. That’s the Marine Corps. They’re doing a little bit better. But frankly, it’s because of the wokeness, the DEI. Young men and women don’t want to go in the military because they want a challenge. They want the camaraderie. They want to serve something bigger than themselves. But they don’t see that in the military today. So you’re seeing the impact right now. Then you move to Israel. They have put every obstacle they could in the way of Israel completing their mission in Gaza and now in Lebanon.
SPEAKER 08 :
I want to turn now to President Biden’s remarks made during the same hour in which she was making her appeal to the American people. I want to play this clip again just so, you know, I don’t want anybody thinking I’m putting words in the president’s mouth. Clip number three.
SPEAKER 04 :
Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don’t I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know or Puerto Rico where I’m in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, before I ask you to respond, I want to read from the Associated Press to make my point here. And I’m reading directly from the third paragraph of the AP report on this today. In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comic at Trump’s rally who called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Biden’s initial comments were garbled. Were those comments garbled? Could you not understand them?
SPEAKER 07 :
I understood them very clearly, and I think the American people did. But this is not the first time he has stepped on Kamala’s event. So you have to wonder, whose side is he on? Because he must have known the pushback was going to be dramatic. So if he continues to step on her events as the president, he’s going to get some airtime. But I tell you, garbage. We started out as deplorables under Clinton. We went to Nazis under Kamala. CNN calls us Nazis and fascists, and now we’re down to garbage. They are descending into dystopia.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s time to take out the garbage. All right, let’s talk about the Department of Defense. A leak, and you’ve been tracking this, I’ve been watching your comments, a leak that is suspected to come from an individual with links to Iran that has now been transferred. But we’re talking about U.S. classified information that was released that was tracking Israeli preparation for their retaliatory strike against Iran. What do we know about this individual and what do we know about the transfer that has taken place?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, we know that this individual was a member of the Iran experts initiative, which was specifically to bolster Iran’s view in the U.S. for their foreign policy. Now, she holds a classified clearance in the Department of Defense. Now she’s been transferred to a place that they say she will have fewer classified documents available to her. My question, Tony, is, why do we not see an indictment coming down, a federal indictment for this woman? I served in the Pentagon in the black programs, the black intelligence programs, as deep as you can get. And if I had done anything like this, I wouldn’t be in Leavenworth. I would be buried underneath Leavenworth. This is a chargeable offense. This is a felony offense. And I hope that Congress is going to take a really hard look at what happened to our greatest ally in the Middle East because of this woman’s treachery and treason.
SPEAKER 08 :
Congressman, we only have about a minute left. I’ve held a security clearance and I know any contact I have with foreign officials, I have to report that. That has to be disclosed. How could she be a part of an influence peddling operation from Tehran and not disclose that?
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s a great question, Tony. I think that is also an indictable offense, a felony offense. And again, I believe Congress will have to do this because the Department of Justice is not going to do it. The DOD IG could do it. Will they? I doubt it.
SPEAKER 08 :
So in your view, is this transfer just to try to sweep it under the rug, hoping people just forget about it?
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. This is trying to put cover for between them and her treason. That’s all it is. It’s a CYA exercise.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Congressman Keith Self, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for joining us today. Well, after the break, FRC Actions’ Matt Carpenter joins me to discuss what the early voting data reveals. And also, we’re going to talk about election resources we have available for you. because we want you to cast an informed ballot. We’ve done all the hard work. We’re showing you where the candidates stand on the issues, and we’re putting it at your fingertips. In fact, simply text the word toolkit to 67742, and it’ll be right there for you. All right, don’t go away. Matt Carpenter joins me next after the break.
SPEAKER 15 :
Let’s not be discouraged. Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose the faith. Stand now strong because the Lord has given us the great privilege of living in a time when our choices matter, when our lives matter, when our courage matters. So let’s stand together and save this great country. God bless the United States of America.
SPEAKER 17 :
The American Republic has a freedom like no other. It has roots in the scriptures far more than any other heritage. And if we as followers of Jesus and conservatives don’t defend it, who will?
SPEAKER 11 :
Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, if we just don’t say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You’re naive if you think that, because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.
SPEAKER 18 :
Part of the dilemma of Christianity in our generation is that we’ve relied a little too much on human wisdom and human reasoning, human strength, human resource, and we’ve relied too little on the power of God and God’s ability to open doors that we can’t open and do things that we couldn’t even hope to begin to do.
SPEAKER 12 :
This may not be an easy task, But we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. And we know always that we are not alone, that his spirit empowers us and protects us, and that he can do the unimaginable. Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to have.
SPEAKER 08 :
Father, we thank you. You have entrusted us with this moment in history, and I pray that we would be found faithful, and that as a result of our faithfulness to you, that thousands, millions would come into the kingdom as they would experience the forgiveness of sin and the new life that is found only in Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPEAKER 16 :
Hello, I’m Jody Heiss, president of FRC Action. Here in America, we thank God for the right to vote, and we can all agree on the importance of this upcoming election. Many of us want to support candidates who share our values, but we’re not comfortable supporting the big national political organizations. Well, we have a solution for supporting candidates through FRC Action’s Faith, Family, and Freedom Fund. Being a Super PAC, it allows for unlimited individual and corporate donations, so we can endorse and fund campaigns for people who share our values. By giving to this fund, we’re able to pull all of our contributions together and support and endorse like-minded candidates. That’s how we move the needle. So let’s be the best stewards possible and get the most out of our political contributions by uniting our efforts. For more information or to contribute, visit faithfamilyfreedomfund.org. Thank you so much and God bless you.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, this is Washington Watch, and it’s Wednesday, right? Yeah, it’s Wednesday. And so far, nearly 60 million early votes have already been cast across 47 states and the District of Columbia. Now, according to data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab, that’s 10 million more than the total early votes cast in either 2012, 2016, and I believe even 2020. And there’s still six days to go. So what do we know so far from what we’ve seen in this data? Joining me now to break this down, Matt Carpenter, director of FRC Action. Matt, thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks for the invite, Tony. Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. So other than record turnout so far, what else is the early voting data showing us in this election cycle?
SPEAKER 03 :
So Tony, kind of the meta trend overall is a dip in the number of mail-in ballots that have arrived. You look at a place like Georgia, right? In 2020, 1.3 million Georgians had voted by mail. And just now you look at it, less than 200,000. But if you look at those early in-person voting numbers, you see an uptick there. And so this is kind of, I think, indicative of maybe Republicans getting some in voting early and kind of getting the idea that you vote early, you bank your vote, and then the campaign can spend resources looking after low-propensity or no-propensity voters. Another state, North Carolina, also has some interesting numbers there as well. Look at, again, look at that drop-off in vote-by-mail. Almost a million folks have voted by mail at this time in 2020, and similar to Georgia, less than 200,000 this time around. But you still see some very strong early in-person numbers there as well. So voters really like that early in-person option. I guess they might not trust the mailman. I don’t know for sure. But going into the voting booth, filling in your bubbles, handing in your ballot, voters are responding to that option. And they’ve been telling pollsters for a while now, typically, Republican voters, prefer to vote in person, and Democrat voters tend to vote by mail. We don’t know how these voters are voting, but you can draw some inferences that you don’t really get with standard head-to-head polling at this stage.
SPEAKER 08 :
So let’s break down by party. We do know in some places where the early voting is taking place by party. It appears to be that more Republicans in the 2024 election cycle are voting early.
SPEAKER 03 :
Correct. Yeah, I mean, at this stage in 2020, I think the overall share of the early vote was about 40% Democrat and 36% Republican. This time around, it’s actually 39% Democrat and 36% Republican. So the Democrat margin is shrinking a little bit here. We’re seeing Republican enthusiasm across the board. Another place you look at, like a state like Pennsylvania, where they don’t have typical kind of in-person voting. You don’t just go into a precinct location before Election Day and vote in person, but you can go down to your precinct office, get an absentee ballot and vote by mail there in person. We’re seeing a steady drop really across the board. And remember, Pennsylvania was a state in 2020. Joe Biden had banked, I think, a 1.1 million vote firewall going into Election Day that then Republicans had to overcome. just a monumental task. And so this time around, that firewall is looking more like a 380,000 vote lead for Kamala Harris and Democrat candidates statewide in Pennsylvania. So, you know, frankly, the Republicans are in a much better position this time around than they were in 2020.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s very interesting, Matt, when we looked at the enthusiasm behind Harris after the Democratic Convention and, you know, she was kind of tapped and the media was all in. But then, you know, it appears that that is stalling and we’re seeing now more enthusiasm on the Republican side. And I’m wondering if it isn’t the just listening to her and what she is promoting. And I want to play this clip again of of the president yesterday stepping on her speech on the mall. But again, I think kind of an unvarnished view of how they look at conservatives. Play clip three.
SPEAKER 04 :
And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know or Puerto Rico where I’m in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is just supporters.
SPEAKER 08 :
That sounds so much like what Hillary Clinton said in 2016 about Trump supporters after he spoke at the Value Voter Summit. She called them deplorables. And that was a key part of tanking her candidacy.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Tony, at this point, I think it’s an American political tradition. You think about Barack Obama in 2008, I think it was, that said Pennsylvania voters were bitter and clinging to their guns and Bibles, right? I mean, it’s almost like it’s just part of our kind of presidential election tradition at this point, that you have Democratic presidential candidates disparaging voters. And I completely agree with what you said earlier. This is just stepping all over the momentum for the Harris campaign. They were really hoping, if you’ve watched some of her remarks at the Ellipse recently, she was hoping for a message of unity. She wanted to close out talking about what she might do for the economy. And now they’re forced to backpedal. And it wasn’t too recently ago that they were comparing Trump to fascist dictators. And so it just makes you wonder. They’re overstepping on one side, and then they’re retreating and apologizing the next day. It’s a ham-fisted response from the campaign. And if you’re on the Kamala Harris campaign, you have to be worried about how she’s closing out this election.
SPEAKER 08 :
And, of course, the White House and the media doing their best to try to sanitize his comments, saying they’re taking out of context. And there’s no way to take those comments out of context. All right, Matt, just have about a minute left. What resources are available for those who have not yet voted?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, so, Tony, definitely want to encourage our listeners to download the Stand Firm app and get access to that toolkit that you’ve been mentioning. In that toolkit, you’ll find voter guides. for the presidential race, for Senate races in Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin. We’ve got house guides as well there. We’ve got information on pro-abortion ballot initiatives in 10 states. It’s really important Christians be educated as to what’s on their ballot. But I also want to just challenge your listeners, share that information. We’ve seen some studies from George Barna. There’s a large number of Christians who could sit this election out, but we do know that they can be motivated to vote. If you share information with them and encourage them to vote and let them know how important this election is.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. Absolutely. Matt Carpenter, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, Tony. And folks, you can have access to those voter resources. Text the word toolkit to 67742 and you’ll get a link right to it. You can share it with family and friends. And I know if you’re a listener to this program, you’re probably more informed than the average Christian voter. And so people are going to be asking you for direction and you can point them to the voter toolkit. Also, if life is on your ballot, text life to 67742, which we’re going to talk about next. Don’t go away. More to come.
SPEAKER 14 :
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 worldview. 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.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. All right, next week, 10 states will be heading to the polls to determine if their states will enshrine a so-called right to abortion in their state constitutions. Now, this is new, okay? Abortion has not been in state constitutions. Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota. And if you live in one of those states, you need to know what the ballot measure says, and we have that available for you. Simply text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742, and we have a whole publication for you to educate you on those ballot initiatives. Well, we’ve been going through each of these states, and today we’re going to examine Maryland’s abortion referendum. And joining me now to unpack this is Jeff Trimbath. He is the president of the Maryland Family Institute. Jeff, welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Tony. Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, tell us about Maryland’s question one, the so-called right to reproductive freedom amendment. I mean, I love how they twist the language, the right to reproductive freedom, the right to kill an unborn child. Talk about what this would do in the state of Maryland.
SPEAKER 06 :
We think it’s more aptly named the Parental Replacement Act because this fundamentally will take parents out of the equation for these decisions that Marylanders make. Despite our best efforts as a brand new family policy council, I can tell you there really is no serious effort to curb the practice of abortion here in Annapolis. That’s because of the makeup of Maryland as a very blue state. So this is simply another step in this war on the family, and it’s going to be extending to children the ability to make reproductive health decisions without parental involvement or even notification. We know that because of how the amendment is written. We know that this will open the door to transgender surgeries on minors in Maryland. And so we think it’s a very, very bad idea for our families in Maryland and certainly for our daughters in Maryland.
SPEAKER 08 :
So I think people need to understand what these do. And in every case, they’re almost all the same, same people behind them, Planned Parenthood and their allies raising the money to put these on the ballots, is that this puts into the Constitution. They’re saying, well, we’re just restoring. They’re not restoring. They’re putting this into the Constitution, which means the legislature can’t touch it. And if it is a constitutional right, as you’ve pointed out, this means it eliminates parental notification laws. This will limit the ability of legislators to establish safeguards for mothers and unborn children. This puts it into the hands of the court. And we know what the courts do with issues like this.
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s exactly right. This becomes the supreme law of the state of Maryland. By definition, what that means is it supersedes all of the other laws pertaining to this particular issue. And so what that means is that any kind of parental rights law that currently exists is now superseded by this law. So we think it’s a very dangerous precedent, and we’re trying to fight it as hard as we can at Maryland Family Institute.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, Jeff Trimbath, what does a vote against this amendment do?
SPEAKER 06 :
A vote against this amendment restores parental rights in Maryland. It says to the Maryland governing authorities, we as parents have the right to make health care decisions for our children. We know our children best. We love our children in a way that the state or some health care authority can’t love them. And we want a priority over what our children do. That’s what a vote against this does. A vote for this is a vote to cut parents out of the equation, and it’s just a very bad idea.
SPEAKER 08 :
Jeff, you made reference to the transgender ideology that’s being pushed by the left as well. And we see that in many of these amendments driving a wedge between parent and child, because when you look at the transgender issue coming under the umbrella of reproductive freedom, when this is left to the courts, I mean, there’s no telling how far these could be taken.
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s right. It’s an individual’s subjective sense of what reproductive health means. And for this amendment, that individual includes people, minors. It includes eight-year-olds, six-year-olds, 14-year-olds, I can tell you, Tony, as the father of three kids, thankfully, my youngest is coming out of the teenage years. Teens simply don’t have the capacity to make good decisions many times in a lot of different areas, certainly with regard to their sexuality. And so this amendment will open the door to all of these terrible things that will cut parents out of that equation.
SPEAKER 08 :
I mean, this is stunning how the left is pushing this across the country. Jeff Trembath, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate the work you do there in Maryland. I know it’s uphill battle, but thank you for shining a light.
SPEAKER 06 :
And we want to be helpful to your listeners, Tony. Marylandfamily.org is a place where they can go to get resources on this and to fight this in Maryland. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
And we’re going to encourage them to do just that. And also, folks, you can get the publication from the Family Research Council, a PDF, a link to it, free of charge. Simply text the word LIFE to 67742. It breaks down just what we talked about. It analyzes that amendment there in Maryland, as well as the other nine states in which this is going to be on the ballot. In fact, Nebraska is one of those states where it will be on the ballot. And coming up next, we’re going to be talking with Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, former governor of Nebraska. We’re going to talk to him about that. And we’re also going to discuss his efforts to defund the United Nations and UNRWA. the organization linked to Hamas, that the Biden administration continues to push for the Israelis to let in to Gaza and bring in more humanitarian aid. Of course, we know that that aid is propping up the terrorists. All right, be sure and vote. Text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. Make your plans now if you’ve not already voted to vote. Vote for those who are most closely aligned to biblical values. All right, don’t go away. Senator Ricketts joins us next here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 13 :
Jesus said in John 15, these things I’ve spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. In 2024, in these divided and uncertain times, how can this be possible? By abiding in him through his word. At Family Research Council, we want to help you do that, which is the reason for the Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. In just 10 to 15 minutes each day, you will have read the entire Bible in just two years. But more importantly, you will be abiding in Him daily. Find our Bible reading plan at frc.org slash Bible. And join Tony Perkins each weekday for a 10-minute devotional inspired by the daily reading and designed to encourage you on this journey through the Bible. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. And remember, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.
SPEAKER 14 :
The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor. You do. But you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion, and this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable Word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting, and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Wednesday. The website Tony Perkins dot com. And again. You need to be prepared to vote, and we’ve got the resources for you, so there’s no excuse, no excuse not to vote. Simply text the word toolkit, that’s one word, toolkit, to 67742. What that will give you at your fingertips is a comparison between the two parties when it comes to the policy issues. It will give you a voter guide on the presidential race, some of the Senate races, and it will give you access to a personalized voter guide program based upon your zip code. Again, just text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. As Americans, we have a right to vote. As Christians, we have a responsibility to vote and vote biblical values. Our word today comes from 2 Kings chapter 5. Now, Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, if only my master were with the prophet who was in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy. Well, this results in the king of Syria sending a letter to the king of Israel seeking the help of the prophet for Naaman. But notice who set this whole episode in motion. A nameless young girl taken captive, deprived of her family, her people. She was not bitter or angry toward God because of her situation. She had not turned away from him or lost trust in his power. Rather, she pointed others to him. we must not let our temporary circumstances shake our faith in an eternal God. For more about our journey through the Bible, text the word Bible to 67742. Well, throughout today’s program, we’ve been highlighting just how consequential this election is and how we’re seeing that play out in the campaign rhetoric. Now, the media’s coverage, the early voting figures, as well as the fight for life. Well, it’s not just those of us here in the United States who understand what is at stake. The new head of Hezbollah, Name Qasim, in his first address yesterday, since assuming leadership, said his group is waiting to see the impact of the U.S. election results, as well as Israel’s actions on the battlefield. Meanwhile, senior White House officials are reportedly planning to travel tomorrow to Israel, where they’ll meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the possibility of a deal to end the fighting in Lebanon. Join me now to discuss this and much more. U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska. He serves on three Senate committees, including the Committee on Foreign Relations. Senator Ricketts, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great. Thank you very much for having me on. Before we get into the Middle East and the United Nations, some things that you’re working on there, I want to ask you about the president’s comments. I’ve already played it several times in today’s program. But yesterday in a call, the president called President Trump’s supporters garbage. Now, they tried to walk that back. But did we take that out of context?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, if you’ve shown this to your viewers and your listeners are listening to it as well, they can see it was not taken out of context. I watched the video myself. President Biden clearly called Trump supporters floating garbage. And here’s the hypocrisy, right? So a comedian makes a bad joke at a Trump rally and the left is all in a tizzy about it. The national media is all over it. But the Trump campaign said, hey, Puerto Ricans have made great contributions to our country. Certainly they’ve defended our country. And that doesn’t represent what we think. Well, now the president himself calls Trump supporters floating garbage. And first of all, the White House is trying to cover it up, trying to lie about what the president said. Again, if your viewers have seen it, they know exactly what President Biden said. And the media, the mainstream media, the national media, is trying to cover it up. They’re complicit. And this just shows the hypocrisy of the left and of the national news media about where they are in this campaign and also demonstrates, frankly, that they’re desperate. They know that President Trump is gaining momentum because Paris is terrible. And Trump has actually kept our country safe. He actually kept our borders secure. He actually kept prices down. He did all the things that Biden can’t do and Harris won’t do. And so they’re desperate. And now they’re trying to cover this up. It just really is one of the reasons why people are sick and tired of the elite in Washington, D.C., trying to tell us what to do and trying to believe the rest of us in the country are dumb.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah. Just in case someone has joined us later in the program, I want to go ahead and play that clip again. Play clip number three.
SPEAKER 04 :
And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something. I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know or Puerto Rico where I’m in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is their supporters.
SPEAKER 08 :
I’m not sure how you take that out of context. He said the supporters are garbage. The only thing floating out there is, I mean, that’s pretty clear.
SPEAKER 05 :
It was very clear what he said. And that just shows the hypocrisy of the Democrats, the hypocrisy of the national news media are trying to cover this up because they know this is the same thing as Hillary Clinton calling Republicans deplorables. But it shows the attitude of the East Coast elites, right? This shows what the Democrats in Washington, D.C. think of the rest of us. They think they’re the only smart people in the country and they should tell us all what to do because they’re smarter than us. And that if we don’t disagree with them, we’re clearly floating garbage.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, Senator Ricketts, I want to go to the foreign front. Israel, we’ve seen repeatedly how the United Nations has been critical, castigating Israel for defending itself while giving a pass to Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran. Earlier this week, Israel, the Knesset, voted to discontinue any relationship with UNRWA, the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestinians. You have actually introduced legislation with some of your colleagues to stop U.S. funding that is going to the United Nations and to UNRWA, which is going into the hands of Hamas. Speak to that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, well, first of all, I’m surprised only by it took the Knesset this long to actually end the relationship with UNRWA. The Trump administration knew that UNRWA was basically a front organization for Hamas. They knew then that… People working for UNRWA supported Hamas, were Hamas terrorists, that the UNRWA schools were hiding weapons, that they were being used to launch attacks on Israel, that they were preaching terrorism, glorifying martyrdom, very anti-Semitic. And so the Trump administration cut off support for UNRWA. I introduced a bill earlier this year that said the stops more of Hamas Act to stop our United States funding of UNRWA. The Biden administration has given them $730 million. And now with this effort by the U.N. to basically delegitimize Israel even further, knocking down their status at the U.N., Senator Fischer, my senior senator in Nebraska, Senator Risch, who’s the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, we’ve introduced a bill to remove all funding of the United States for the UN if the UN pursues this idea of degrading Israel’s status at the UN. Again, it just shows the hypocrisy and the anti-Semitism in the UN that they are going after a democracy like Israel that is defending itself and saying nothing about Hamas, the terrorist organization that attacked and killed 1,200 people. And by the way, what is always being lost is that 46 Americans died in that attack a year ago, 46 Americans that nobody seems to want to talk about, our countrymen. We should be furious that the UN is trying to attack Israel when Israel is defending itself. And so our attitude is, if you’re going to pursue this as the United Nations, we’re going to pull our funding as the United States away from you. We’re not going to support an anti-Semitic organization like the UN.
SPEAKER 08 :
Earlier today, Senator Rickards, I was talking to one of the elected officials in Israel, actually the the governor of Samaria, called, and they’re leading this coming Sunday a prayer effort at Shiloh for America as we approach this election. When you, from your vantage point in the United States Senate, how stark is the contrast between the two potential administrations that we see as it pertains to Israel and the Middle East?
SPEAKER 05 :
It is going to be a night and day difference what happens for Israel, depending on the outcome of this election. President Trump has always had the courage to support our ally Israel. He’s the one that would move our, you know, wants to move our embassy to Jerusalem. First president to actually deliver on that promise of actually doing that. In contrast, President Biden gives lip service to the alliance, saying it’s ironclad, yet he’ll hold back weapons. You know, Chuck Schumer in the Senate, the Democrat majority leader’s Senate, has questioned the legitimacy of the government there, called for new elections. Just unprecedented. How would we feel if another elected official in a foreign country called on us to have new elections or called for our leader to leave? We’d be furious. And we need to be remembering that Israel is the democracy in the Middle East, that they share our values, that they’re fighting for their life against a terrorist organization. And, you know, the administration has now said, well, we’re going to maybe put some of this weapons stuff on hold if you don’t get enough support. you know, support or aid to Gaza. Well, I can tell you how all this can change right away. If Hamas surrenders, then this is all over tomorrow and aid can flow freely. Why doesn’t the president call on Hamas to surrender? Why doesn’t Blinken more publicly call on them to surrender? Blinken says he calls on them to surrender every day. I actually never see that. I never see what Blinken has called on Hamas to surrender. So if Hamas surrenders, aid can be restored. We need a real ironclad relationship with Israel that understands that they’re fighting for their life, and we should be doing everything we can to support them as they go about destroying Hamas. And Hezbollah is another terrorist organization. Iran is their funder. You know, there’s good guys and there’s bad guys. There’s dark and there’s light. We need to be supporting the good guys, and that’s Israel. And this administration, the Biden administration, and a future Harris administration, if God forbid she gets elected, would actually not support Israel.
SPEAKER 08 :
Senator Ricketts, with the tainted nature of UNRWA being connected to Hamas, Israel presenting evidence, overwhelming evidence of that. We’re actually finding the humanitarian aid intended for the people in the bunkers of the terrorists. If the Biden-Harris administration is truly committed to the humanitarian aspects of this as opposed to propping up Hamas, why not allow USAID to take that role on since we do it all over the world anyway?
SPEAKER 05 :
And in fact, there’s a number of different organizations that could take this up. Look, UNRWA is irredeemably flawed. We know that at least seven members of UNRWA, or nine members, rather, participate directly in the October 7th attacks, that there’s 100 people that have direct ties to terrorist organizations like Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that maybe as much as 10 percent of UNRWA employees have some sort of connection to terrorist groups. So UNRWA is unable to do its job. It needs to be dismantled. And another organization without the ties to terrorism needs to come in and do this aid work. And that is what has to happen. And what we’d like to see, I mean, again, President Trump knew this. That’s why he stopped U.S. funding for UNRWA. Well, I’d like to see this administration take a similar strong stance to say UNRWA is irredeemably flawed. It needs to be dismantled. And this can be done by somebody else to be able to supply aid to the Middle East.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. Especially, as you pointed out, we’ve given upwards of a billion dollars to this initiative. entity. I want to turn to domestic issues. We just got a few minutes left. You served for two terms as Nebraska’s 40th governor before you were elected to the United States Senate. You’re also a member of the pro-life caucus in the Senate. Nebraska actually has a pretty long ballot this year. There’s a number of measures on the ballot in addition to the president and elections for state offices. You’ve got two dueling abortion-related ballot initiatives. You have educational aspects on the ballot. In fact, the only place in the state to repeal measures on there to repeal school choice. Tell us about what’s on the ballot there in Nebraska. We’ve got a lot of listeners and viewers in your state.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. Well, actually, so first of all, Tony, actually, I got appointed to the Senate. I’m actually running in my own election, a special election this year. So I’m actually on the ballot as well this year. But as you point out, we do have a lot of ballot initiatives. The abortion one is a very, very important one. We have a national abortion lobby led by Planned Parenthood that is trying to enshrine abortion into state constitutions all over this country. They’ve been successful in seven states. We have not stopped them in any one of those states. So we’re 0 in 7 in trying to stop them. And they’re on the ballot in a number of different states again this year, including Florida and also Nebraska. Here in Nebraska, we have offered up our current state law, which protects babies after the first trimester, has exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, and more importantly, was done by Nebraskans. So this is our current state law. The National Abortion Lobby is trying to push their ballot initiative, which is 439. Their ballot initiative 439 is so woke, it can’t even admit that only women can have babies. The first few words of their initiative are, all persons have a fundamental right to abortion. This dangerous language means that you are saying that minors have a right to abortion, which means it does away with our parental consent laws, which will now open our minor girls to being sex trafficked. They have to get an abortion. Their sex traffickers won’t have to ask their parents or contact law enforcement, so it opens up the opportunities for our children to be at risk. It also means men will have a right to abortion, so they can start suing women to force them to have a right to abortion. It will also allow unlicensed abortionists to determine when the baby is viable, which means you’ll be able to have abortion up until the moment of birth, very late-term abortions. So this is very, very radical, dangerous language that the pro-abortion lobby is trying to put in our Constitution. And, again, the word women never even makes an appearance in their initiative. So Initiative 439 is very, very dangerous. People should vote no. The initiative that is our current state law, 434, is the one people want to vote for. So vote 434. Vote yes to 434. It’s our current state law. And vote no on 439. The national abortion is very dangerous, very radical language that, again, is so radical they can’t even put the word woman in it. They can’t even admit women are the only people who can have babies.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s how far this has come. And that’s what they want to do nationally, because you’re right. This is what we’re seeing in other states. This is what Kamala Harris wants to do all across the nation. Senator, we’re out of time. Always great to see you. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today. Great. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. And folks, you can find out more about the life measures on the ballot. Text LIFE to 67742. All right. Out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, remember the words of the Apostle Paul. When you’ve done everything you could do, when you’ve prayed, prepared, and taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 02 :
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.
