In a comprehensive look at recent political proceedings, Washington Watch delves into the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. As the government resumes operations, host Jody Heiss discusses the significant political implications, including tensions surrounding healthcare policies. Congressman Mark Harris highlights the Republican perspective, emphasizing the impact of these events on the upcoming elections and the disillusionment with Democrat strategies.
SPEAKER 18 :
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. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 12 :
The federal government will now resume normal operations, and my administration and our partners in Congress will continue our work to lower the cost of living, restore public safety, grow our economy, and make America affordable again for all Americans again.
SPEAKER 10 :
That was President Donald Trump after signing the bill to end the longest American government shutdown in U.S. history. Welcome to this November 13th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Jody Heiss, and honored today to be sitting in for Tony Perkins. And thank you so much for joining us. All right, coming up, the government services have certainly reopened, but the consequences of this 43-day shutdown is certainly going to be felt by many Americans for quite some time. Congressman Mark Harris will join us momentarily to discuss what’s next on the agenda for Congress. Plus, Middle East expert Dr. Jonathan Schanzer will break down the challenges that are being experienced trying to disarm Hamas and the current state in the Gaza ceasefire. All right, it was 43 days of impasse. But last night, Republicans in the House approved a stopgap funding measure to reopen the government. And after signing the funding package at the White House last night, President Trump said, quote, this is not the way to run a government. Very true words. Well, joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, it has been a long and grueling government shutdown. Many people have suffered. The House voted to reopen the government. I’m curious what you’re seeing and hearing in terms of how Democrats are reacting today.
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, Jody, it’s an interesting question. The deal did clear Congress last night after the House of Representatives passed it, as you said, with a vote of 222 to 209. Now, speaking before the vote, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, he blamed the Democrats for the shutdown.
SPEAKER 13 :
And then they admitted, many of them, and we could name them here, but I’m not going to take the time. They admitted that they were using the American people as leverage in this political game. They knew that it would cause pain, and they did it anyway. The whole exercise was pointless. It was wrong, and it was cruel.
SPEAKER 22 :
So to answer your question, Jody, a lot of House Democrats share that feeling. They’re angry that this long standoff orchestrated by their Senate colleagues failed to actually secure a deal to extend those federal health insurance subsidies. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke before the vote.
SPEAKER 01 :
House Democrats will continue to fight to address the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created. And House Democrats will continue to fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans. This fight is not over. We’re just getting started.
SPEAKER 22 :
While the deal sets up a December vote on those subsidies in the Senate, no such promise was made in the House. Now, this funding measure in question reopens the government after that government record-long 43-day shutdown. Now, it’s going to restart disrupted food assistance, will pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and revive a gridlocked air traffic control system, but the bill will only keep the government open through January 30th, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
I hope we don’t see a repeat of all this the end of January. Casey, although that issue is certainly taking all the oxygen out of the room, it’s not the only issue that’s taking place. I understand there was a very important executive order that was signed today. Can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, that’s right. This is an important one, Jody. President Trump signed an order today called Fostering the Future for American Children and Families. It’s aimed at helping youth in foster care succeed.
SPEAKER 12 :
The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans. So important, and it’s so big in the Bible. So as we make America great again, we are going to protect American children in foster care.
SPEAKER 22 :
Good to hear the president citing scripture there. But First Lady Melania Trump launched this initiative, which connects federal agencies, private businesses, and universities to provide scholarships, mentoring, workforce training, and financial literacy programs, Jodi.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, that really is a big one and very much needed. So thank you for bringing us up to speed on that. There’s some other news that caught my attention today. I see that Florida is suing Planned Parenthood, claiming that they had broken state laws. What specifically is behind that lawsuit?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, Jody, Florida’s Attorney General filed a $350 million lawsuit against Planned Parenthood. They’re accusing the organization of misleading women by claiming abortion drugs are, quote, safer than Tylenol. Now, the state alleges that Planned Parenthood’s statements amount to deceptive marketing and racketeering. They cited a recent study showing higher complication rates from the abortion drug mifepristone, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. Well, we certainly here at FRC for a long, long time have been talking about the health risks that are associated with all these abortion drugs. So it’s going to be interesting to see how that case moves forward. Casey, in other news, more international news, if you will, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Canada at the G Summit meetings, and he actually made some remarks I was encouraged to hear there pertaining to the situation in Sudan. What can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, so the U.S. is calling now for global action to stop the flow of weapons to Sudan’s paramilitary rapid support forces. That’s the RSF. The RSF have been accused of mass killings and sexual violence in the city of Al-Fashar. Speaking after G7 talks in Canada, Rubio said that the RSF’s atrocities amount to genocide.
SPEAKER 05 :
They’re clearly receiving assistance from outside that’s allowing them. And clearly that assistance isn’t just coming from some country that’s paying for it. It’s also coming from countries that are allowing their territory to be used to ship it and transport it. So in order for this to be solved, that needs to be addressed. I don’t know if you saw the RSF a few days ago agree to humanitarian ceasefire, but they don’t intend to comply with it. And when you raise the issue of these atrocities, they always hide behind the argument that this is rogue elements. Well, it’s not rogue elements. They’re doing it systematically. And it’s something that we have taken very seriously and are doing everything we can to bring the relevant countries to the table to stop it. It needs to end.
SPEAKER 22 :
Sudan’s army blames the United Arab Emirates for arming the group, which is a charge that the UAE denies. The RSF actually captured al-Fashar last month after a year and a half siege, leaving thousands dead, as satellite images actually showed mass graves, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely unthinkable what’s happening, what’s taking place there in Sudan. Thank you so much for keeping us informed, Casey. We appreciate it so much. All right. I want to go back now to yesterday’s vote to reopen the government and get a perspective straight from Capitol Hill. And joining me now to discuss this and more. is Congressman Mark Harris. He serves on several committees. He’s also a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He represents the 8th Congressional District of North Carolina. Congressman Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you, my friend.
SPEAKER 11 :
Jody, it’s great to see you. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, so 43 days, long, grueling 43 days for so many across our country, but the government is finally back open. But this was not a new deal that was voted on and passed last night. This was actually proposed very early on, wasn’t it?
SPEAKER 11 :
Absolutely, Jody. I think when you look at the situation, you recognize that the Democrats actually caved because their position was really utter nonsense from the very beginning. And when you stop and think about where we ended up, to your point that. They actually ended up with something that was offered as early as September 30th. Senator Thune kept telling them that he would give them an opportunity to vote on the subsidies and those kind of things. And they just kept saying they didn’t trust him. They didn’t trust him. Well, something happened and they decided, I guess they weren’t going to trust him. And they got the same deal they would have had on September 30th.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, President Trump actually expressed optimism that this whole shutdown debacle could be a political boon to Republicans as we enter into next year midterms elections. And others are saying the same thing, basically, that Americans are not going to forget what the Democrats did to them. So what do you anticipate? Do you think this really is going to be a major issue going into the elections next year?
SPEAKER 11 :
I think it needs to be. Of course, you know as well as I do, having been in this business, that memories are often short when it comes to situations. But this was a unique situation. It was the longest shutdown in the history of the country. And we had them on tape with their own statement saying that they knew that it was causing pain, and yet it was the only leverage they had. On so many fronts, they continued to admit over and over again that this was about trying to stop President Trump, trying to stop his America First agenda, and all they wanted to do was try to put the brakes on what he was doing and the successes that the American people were experiencing. And so I think when you got that message that we can continue to play over and over again, it didn’t turn out for them the way they wanted, for sure.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I would certainly agree with that. I’m sure they would too right now. A twofold question for you right now. This only goes through January. Do you think we could see a repeat of all this at the end of January, or do you think they’ve learned some lessons? And then secondly, I’m thrilled that this is going through January, so we’re not going to have an omnibus come Christmastime, which is always horrible for America. And that’s a big deal, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 11 :
You’re exactly right. And that, listen, you mentioned that was one of the big wins out of this whole deal was that it went to January 30th and it avoided us being put in a corner and coming up on Christmas and then just having an omnibus bill forced on us or at least tried to be forced on us. And that was something the Freedom Caucus and a lot of conservatives spoke out about early on. Speaker Johnson, to his credit, he did a wonderful job of maneuvering through this and guiding this every step of the way. I think one of the reasons we were so successful was because we saw the president taking leadership and we saw Senator Thune, really, this is the first time we’ve seen Senator Thune in this position, and he held strong, solidly, and Speaker Johnson along with them. And I think that the unity that the Republicans had, the strength of standing together, made a huge difference in this situation. And look, I’m hopeful we’re not going to see it. We’re going to get back to Washington. We’re going to move appropriation bills as swiftly as we can between now and January 30th. And we’ll see how far we get. But I think that, honestly, having that date pushed out to January 30th is going to help us get the work done that we need to get done.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, you’re going to have your hands full. There’s no doubt a lot of work to be done. And with that, among some of that work, I know House and Senate Republicans have all negotiated to some extent or another with the Democrats that there will be discussions on the COVID-era Obamacare tax credits, and a vote even by mid-December has been promised. So how do you see all that playing out? What do you think needs to happen with our health care, possibly Trump care? Where do you see this going?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I think, obviously, as you pointed out or pointed out earlier in the news part, the Senate obviously has committed that they’re going to take a vote in the second week of December, a bill that the Democrats are invited to draft up, and it’s going to be put on the floor. I don’t think that’s going to go anywhere. The House has not made a commitment to vote on the extension of those subsidies. But I’ll tell you what this has done, Jody. This has certainly put health care back in the light. And if it has done anything, it has reminded folks that Obamacare was a failure. You know, people hate to have to say, I told you so. But Republicans said all along that if we got into this, it was going to eventually collapse on itself. It could not be sustained without the government continuing to add billions and trillions of dollars even. And we’re finding ourselves in exactly that spot. And so I think Republicans are putting our heads together. We want to come up with some alternatives that are going to include giving Democrats You, the individual, the more options with the insurance company and with plans and with different groups and giving you more control and more power in the decisions about your own health care. And I hope getting government out of the health care business more and more. Those are some of the things on my mind and heart that I want to see us do.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you so much, North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris. Always great to see you. We appreciate you joining us today on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, friends, coming up, we’ll give an update on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Is there progress or are we a log jam? Well, we’ll discuss it next, so stay with us.
SPEAKER 08 :
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SPEAKER 15 :
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. Judea and 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.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss sitting in today for Tony. Thanks so much for tuning in with us. All right, it’s been more than a month now since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect. And not only are they still in phase one, but the pathway forward is extremely unclear. In fact, that was highly underscored in a trove of private documents that was brought to light this week. So what do those documents tell us about what is known and what is not known about the pathway to fulfilling President Trump’s 20-point peace plan? Well, joining me now to unpack all of this is Dr. Jonathan Shanzer. He’s executive director at the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, the author of several books, including Gaza Conflict 2021, Hamas, Israel, and 11 Days of War. Dr. Shanzer, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch. Welcome back.
SPEAKER 23 :
Thanks, Jody. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, so these documents, what a big deal that is. Tell us where they came from and basically what they tell us.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, we got a new trove of documents coming out of Gaza that are basically giving us an indication of what Hamas had planned to do and how they did it with the kinds of support that they got from places like Iran and from Qatar. And at the end of the day, I don’t think any of it is particularly surprising, but it does give us a sense that we’re really just probably not moving in the right direction. with this terror group. And of course, we know that they’ve gotten significant support from countries like Qatar and Turkey. And these are, of course, some of the same countries that are placing a stake, if you will, in the future of Gaza. That’s something that’s worrying a lot of analysts right now in the region, worrying the Israelis as well.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I think these documents highlight that there are enormous challenges with the Trump administration, our allies, and the entire region as a whole. So let me ask you this. While everyone, I think at least most of us, we’ve been wondering how in the world do we move to phase two, what has Hamas been up to while everyone’s been trying to figure out how do we go from phase one to phase two? What has Hamas been doing?
SPEAKER 23 :
Sure. Well, I mean, I think there’s a couple of things that are going on here. And the easiest way to explain it is that they’re slow playing everybody. If you look at the 20 point plan that Donald Trump put out, we were supposed to see the return of every single hostage, both alive and dead. And they were supposed to come back within 72 hours. Well, here we are weeks later. And as of our conversation right now, you got three hostages still in Hamas control. They’re saying that they don’t know where they are in some cases, or maybe it’s hard to find them. They’re under rubble. But let me just be clear. These are the most valuable assets that Hamas has. They should have been able to pull all of them out. They should have been ready to do it on day one. They weren’t. They’re trying to buy time. And it’s, I think, not a surprise that they’re trying to buy time because when the hostages are finally all returned and laid to rest in Israel, phase two is supposed to include the full dismantling of Hamas. Now, this is an organization that’s been around since 1988. They don’t want to dismantle themselves. No organization really does want to dismantle themselves. And a lot of that right now is going to hinge on the Qataris and the Turks. You’re going to hear me mention them a lot because they are the key patrons of Hamas outside of Iran, and they’re also allies of the United States. I don’t think they’re particularly good allies, but they’re allies nonetheless. So it looks like right now these two countries are trying to keep Hamas on life support, In the meantime, the last wrinkle here is that Hamas is pinned down in 47% of the Gaza Strip. In other words, they had the entire Strip under their control back on October 6th of 2023. After the war that began on October 7th, the Israelis began pushing back on the territory that they controlled. Right now, it’s an enclave that’s roughly half the Gaza Strip. They’re pinned down against the Mediterranean. And I got to say, if they don’t dismantle, there are open questions about whether the Israelis are going to want to let… Gaza, go back to whatever normal was. They might try to keep Hamas pinned down, keep your population pinned down there. That won’t be popular with the French or the Brits or the Spaniards or the other Europeans that have been attacking Israel and calling for that two-state solution. But from Israel’s perspective, it may be the smartest thing they could do is to keep them inside the so-called yellow line. That’s that area inside that 47%. That may be where we end up.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. Very interesting. So what’s your thoughts as we move into that next phase? What may happen next or perhaps even what should happen next, do you think?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, we need to get those last three hostages back into Israel. I will say that the Israelis never thought that even getting to this point was possible. So full credit to Donald Trump for having put the squeeze on Hamas and its patrons to get us there. But the next phase of this really is about disarming Hamas and putting in some sort of new international force. Now, the disarming part, as I already mentioned, that’s not going to be easy. The international force will also not be easy because, I mean, really two things I’d like to mention here. One is, you know, when was the last time that we saw an international force be a force for good in the Middle East, right? When you look at the UN and the forces that it’s put in place in Lebanon, for example, or in Gaza itself with UNRWA, these have been disasters for Israel. These International agencies have become full-on partners with terror organizations. So I’m not particularly optimistic about their prospects. The other thing to just note here is that for the countries that are maybe willing to deploy some of their own troops, question that I ask is, who wants to lay down their lives for Gaza? You just don’t see people actively fighting, wanting to engage directly in military confrontation with a terrorist organization, knowing that they could lose their lives for this. We have to ask, for what? Most Israelis don’t want to fight in the Gaza Strip if they were given a choice. Why would Indonesians or Emiratis want to do that. So I think there are a lot of open questions here right now. All of them hinge on whether Hamas dismantles itself. And again, that’s not something that they want to do. So I think some high drama heading into phase two, assuming we get there.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow, excellent points that you bring up. All right, we’ve only got about 30 seconds or so, but I know Israel Today is seeking for a 20-year security agreement with the U.S. Good idea. Do you think that’s going to happen?
SPEAKER 23 :
Look, I think it’s great that the United States would be willing to support the Israelis. What worries me is that when you have somebody like Joe Biden as president and he’s withholding assistance to the Israelis during an existential war, that’s something the Israelis need to account for in this new memorandum of understanding. If we do get it signed and you get 20 years, can’t hold back on the weapons.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you, Dr. Jonathan Shanzer. We appreciate it so much. Great discussing this with you. All right, friends, coming up, we’re going to highlight a lawsuit against Michigan’s attorney general over the targeting of organizations that are labeled hate groups. And you got it. Southern Poverty Law Center is behind that. Stay with us. We’ll be back after the break.
SPEAKER 07 :
Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over 60% of US abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life-threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic. Without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger, and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. All right. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is being asked now to hear a case against efforts by Michigan’s attorney general to target organizations labeled hate groups by the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center. Now, this type of thing has been going on for a long time, but this lawsuit is huge. The Michigan-based American Freedom Law Center filed this lawsuit back in 2019, and they’re claiming that they were unlawfully targeted for and experienced horrible treatment based on their political views and the political views of those that they represent in court. And they also are claiming that the government endorsements of the SPLC exacerbated the problem, their financial and reputational harm that they experienced by the government involvement with all of this. So are they going to be heard as this lawsuit goes forward? Well, joining me now to discuss this is constitutional law expert Robert Mews. He’s co-founder and senior counsel at the American Freedom Law Center. Robert, welcome to Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us. Great.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s my pleasure to be here with you, Jody. Thank you very much.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, let’s go back, if you will, take us back to 2019. What lit the match here? How’d this all get started?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, very interestingly, I received a phone call from, I believe it was a reporter from the Detroit News who said, so what’s your response to the attorney generals and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights press release where they just announced that they were going to go after all the 31 so-called hate groups that are operating in Michigan? And they linked to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate map. And you click on that link, and it’s listed alphabetically. The first hate group that’s on the list of the Southern Poverty Law Center is the American Freedom Law Center. And in this press release, they… pulled no punches. They said they were going to go after these organizations. You know, the so-called hate can’t, you know, thrive in the state of Michigan. And they’re going to start this database with all these groups and their activities they’re going after, that they’re pursuing. They said that Dana Nessel, the attorney general, said she’s creating this hate crimes unit specifically to go after these organizations and these groups. So my response was to file a lawsuit six days later. and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. And, you know, it’s interesting. So that was filed in 2019. And I know that, you know, the Family Research Council has been targeted as part of this list as well, and domestic terrorists went after them because they were on this list. You know, if you’re on this list, and there’s been organizations that try to debank anybody who’s on this list. There’s organizations that try to, you know, get organizations like Charles Schwab and these other financial institutions where a lot of these donations go through because we’re a 501c3 like you are. We have to rely on donations to stop them from coming through. Amazon has a program called Amazon Smiles where people could donate a certain amount of proceeds to their favorite organization. But if you’re on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate list, then you’re ineligible to be part of this. We filed a lawsuit. Because as you mentioned, it’s one thing when the Southern Poverty Law Center, a private organization, wants to name you or designate you as a hate group. But when you have the top law enforcement officer of a state using that as a means to target political opponents with all the power and authority that the state attorney general has, now you’re triggering constitutional violations. And that’s why we have violations of the First Amendment. Yes.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, that’s the big deal. I mean, it is one thing when the SPLC says what they want to say, but when the government gets behind them, endorses those comments and gets behind it, it gives a stamp of approval and authenticity to the claims. That’s an entirely different issue.
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely. Right. And in the attorney general, think about all the power and authority she has, the law enforcement authority, the law enforcement power. And this has a chilling effect. Right. When she says very publicly, we’re going to target these organizations listed. Right. That’s that has a chilling effect not only on our work, but, you know, clients who might want to hire us to to to do the legal work for them or donors who want to support us. And I’m sure, you know, you’ve probably seen this, the Family Research Council with the American Freedom Law Center. You know, anytime you have, you know, a mainstream media news story about us, it always will say, you know, American Freedom Law Center, designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, right? They always have to throw that in there. But, you know, again, the point is when you have the attorney general who has publicly said that she’s going to use her law enforcement resources and power and has already done so by issuing this press release that, you know, Detroit News and everybody else is picking up on, that is targeting and harming our reputation. We’re not a hate group. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 10 :
Let me give you a final question. We’ve only got about a minute left. What’s your hope with this case looking ahead?
SPEAKER 09 :
What do you think is going to happen? In 2019, they filed a motion to dismiss on standing grounds. The judge denied it in a great opinion in 2020, waits four years to rule on our summary judgment motions, and then dismisses us on standing. We plainly have standing under Supreme Court precedent, Sixth Circuit precedent. Harm to reputation is an injury. And quite frankly, I’m pretty confident that we’re going to ultimately prevail in this lawsuit and get the relief that we want to declare that this is unlawful to target us and to expunge all the government records that list us as a hate organization. And so that’s what we’re after. And hopefully, again, that will help repair our reputation and others who have been targeted, like Family Research Council by the Southern Poverty Law Center. That’s ultimately our goal.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, Robert Mews, co-founder and senior counsel for the American Freedom Law Center, I want to thank you so much for standing, for pushing back. This type of stuff by the SPLC has gone on long enough, and it’s time for this to come to an end. Not only the false claims, but the way it’s been used by the government to inflict all sorts of damage and dangerous situations. Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. All right, friends, coming up, our panel from the Washington stand will discuss some other battles to look out for now that the government is up and running again. So you don’t want to miss this. Stick around. We’ll be back right after the break.
SPEAKER 15 :
Our founding scripture for this is Ephesians 6, verse 13. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand therefore.
SPEAKER 16 :
Family Research Council’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit 2025 brought together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action.
SPEAKER 15 :
We are equipping the body of Christ to understand that what is happening around us is not just political. It’s not just cultural. At its heart, it is spiritual.
SPEAKER 06 :
We gather in a nation that has torn the foundation apart, and we have separated our governing documents from our divine source, Jesus Christ. We need truth now more than ever to guide us.
SPEAKER 17 :
I’m believing, God, let this be a testimony of the American church, that we become so full of the fire of the Word of God that we cannot contain it. We have to tell people about it. We have to make disciples.
SPEAKER 04 :
The idea of America was the idea that our rights don’t come from governments. They come from our divine Creator, right? Government’s main job is to protect those rights. And because that was the foundation of America, We’ve enjoyed over the last 250 years more freedom, more prosperity, more stability than any other nation anywhere in the world. And that should be celebrated.
SPEAKER 20 :
We are living in a moment. What’s that moment? It’s a prophetic moment on God’s timeline. And so he needs the church more than ever to act biblically for the blessing of our political leaders and of our nation.
SPEAKER 21 :
the number one issue facing America domestically, which is the epidemic of fatherlessness. 40% of all American children today enter the world without a father in the home married to the mother.
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We cannot win the pro-life fight without acknowledging that this is the pro-family fight, that this is the pro-marriage fight. We’re never going to end abortion if we do not secure and shore up marriage.
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We pray that this would be an opportunity, Lord God, for you to use us mere little mortals, but we possess the name of Jesus. God, use us mightily. We pray in Jesus’ name and all God’s people said, amen.
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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.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Hope you’re having a wonderful day. I’m Jody Heiss and honored to be sitting in the chair for Tony. If you have the Stand Firm app, you’ll be able to get the latest from Washington Watch. You’ll have the Washington Stand. You have Stand on the Word and much, much, much more all in one place. The app also will connect you with a growing, growing network of believers who are staying informed on what’s happening in the world from a biblical perspective, biblical worldview. So to get the Stand Firm app, simply text the word APP, A-P-P. to 677-42. Okay, the big attention getter, as we’ve already been talking about a lot on the program, is the reopening of the federal government. And that, of course, brings an end to the longest shutdown in our nation’s history. But there’s still more ahead on those issues on Capitol Hill and a whole lot of other issues. Things like, and we touched on it briefly, but the yet to come tussling over the fate of Obamacare. We have the Epstein files, and there’s just a host of other things that this Congress is going to have to deal with. And here to go over these and other battles that are on the horizon is today’s panel from the Washington stand, managing editor for broadcast Casey Harper, and editorial director and senior writer Suzanne Bowdy. Casey and Suzanne, thanks so much for joining me. Great to see you both.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, Suzanne, let me start with you. I spoke a little bit earlier with North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris about the upcoming fight over Obamacare. And as Congress enters into this, literally millions, millions of Americans are suffering from sticker shock. with the insurance plans on Obamacare, the exchange. And I will say it’s not just Obamacare. I mean, a sticker shock with the insurance period has skyrocketed. But let’s stay focused here on Obamacare. So how high have some of these insurance prices gone, skyrocketed behind Obamacare, and what’s behind all of that?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, Jodi, it’s sort of a perfect storm right now. You know, we have all known on the conservative side that Obamacare is a disaster waiting to happen and in many cases has already happened for years. Republicans have been trying to undo the damage of Obamacare. But recently with these subsidies that we’ve seen has sort of been masking a lot of the impact that higher prices have had on consumers for a long time. And now that these subsidies are set to expire, Ninety-three percent of Americans who are enjoying some of these subsidies on their Obamacare plans are about to find out that not only is insurance price going up, but that their subsidies are going to end. And that results in about double the price that they’re paying for their next year’s insurance. Insurers are already saying that they’re going to have to raise prices about 30 percent on their plans. on their part. So it’s really a perfect storm. You have the subsidies set to expire and you have insurance costs just skyrocketing. And really, this is a crisis of the Democrats’ own making. You know, they rolled in these subsidies to hide the disaster that Obamacare was during the COVID era. So they’ve just been hiding with a Band-Aid. They’ve used these tax credits to really hide the disaster that’s coming. And now that these subsidies are set to expire, which incidentally, as John Fetterman has pointed out multiple times, Democrats are the ones that decided to sunset them in 2025, not Republicans. So the Democrats are to blame for this situation. Everything’s happening at the same time, and Americans are paying the price for it, literally.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, that’s a great point. I forgot that the Democrats did lead that time to sunset it. Casey, so what do we do about all this? President Trump, we had a clip of him earlier talking about we’re going to make all this affordable again from a host of different aspects of our country. But what is the suggestion you think that the administration will lay out to address this health care problem?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, President Trump really raised eyebrows with that comment from the Oval Office, basically announcing, I think to the surprise of many, that there would be some kind of Republican health care plan. The language he used there, it honestly sounded a lot like health savings accounts, where you have your account and money is deposited directly. Also, it was reminiscent of like a school voucher. He said that… I think he rightly diagnosed that part of the problem is that insurance companies are getting rich off of these programs while prices continue to rise. I read a report today from the Paragon Health Institute I have right here that said for every taxpayer dollar that is spent through Obamacare, through like these ACA subsidies, only 34 cents, so 34% of the money, actually helps an American beneficiary. The rest is kind of lost in the shuffle of insurance bureaucracy and federal bureaucracy and all the rest. And so he’s identified rightly, I think, the problem. Democrats own the healthcare issue, and they really always have. And so Republicans are in a tough spot where they want to do something on healthcare. They don’t want to just say no to the subsidies and not offer any solutions. But when you look at the polls, it shows that voters overwhelmingly trust Democrats on health care. So what’s the solution? Well, I think they’re trying to do something very similar to what the Democrats tried to do in 2024, just before the last election, which is when there was a border crisis, they tried to pass a border bill to neutralize that problem politically. And so I think that’s what’s happening here. Republicans, they know they have to come up with something. There’s a lot of different ideas out there for healthcare. There’s a lot of very complicated reasons why healthcare is expensive. But ultimately, politically, Republicans are trying to put something forward so that this issue doesn’t define the midterm elections.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, while I have you there, Casey, real quickly, I asked Congressman Mark Harris this earlier, but it seems to me this whole health care issue is going to end up being a big deal in the midterm elections. Would you agree with that?
SPEAKER 22 :
I would. I think it has the potential to do that. And I think that’s actually very dangerous for Republicans who are already facing a tough midterm. You know, they had a bad week last week with the elections, although that wasn’t much surprise in generally blue areas. But as you know, the… whoever is in power often loses the House or the Senate. They take big losses in the midterm elections in the middle of their presidential term. So Republicans are kind of going up against that precedent going into next November. And now, It’s not just that some people will be upset about the ACA subsidies, Jody. It’s that Republicans are in danger of health care being a defining issue for the election. It’s not just that. I don’t think Republicans want to out health care Democrats. They want to have good solutions. They want to have good things. But they want to make the election about their issues. And they’ve got to find a way to do that because right now, here we’re doing it. Everyone else, we’re talking about health care.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I think that’s going to be a much bigger issue in the elections than the government shutdown, quite frankly. Suzanne, so as this debate gets underway and we look at the Democrats versus Republicans, what are some of the flashpoints, if you will, from each side, the partisan flashpoints that you think this debate is going to bring forth?
SPEAKER 02 :
One of the real problems here, Jodi, is the short timeline that either party really has to work on this. Open enrollment’s already started, and if you want coverage in January, that window closes on December 15th. So we’re looking at a House that’s been out of session because of the government shutdown. They have a lot of issues to deal with that are important, including appropriations, including a lot of hearings that have been backlogged, etc., So there’s going to be real pressure on Republicans to really get something done quickly to fix either the subsidy situation or to come up with an alternate plan. And the concern, at least from conservatives like FRC and others, is that they might be tempted to compromise on issues where we really believe they need to hold the line. I was encouraged to see yesterday Senate Majority Leader John Thune laid out very clearly that the Republican Party would not accept an Obamacare subsidy extension that included coverage for abortion. As everyone knows, this was a huge deal under the original debate that passed Obamacare back in 2010. Obamacare currently does cover abortion services. There’s also concern that coverage for illegal immigrants, for example, would continue and also that this money would be used to fund gender transition procedures. So I was encouraged to see Republicans say that they will hold the line on abortion. But I think conservatives need to pressure their members also to maintain a firm stance on covering illegal immigrants, which taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for the health coverage of illegal immigrants. And we certainly shouldn’t be paying for the mutilation of healthy body parts, especially on minors.
SPEAKER 10 :
Could not agree more. But also, I mean, we’ve got to deal with the problem and not just address it by more Band-Aids, as you said, with subsidies. Casey, let me ask you this. One of the other battles that’s coming up that’s probably today even had a turning point is the whole release of the Epstein files. Remind us where we are on that.
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, so of course, just to catch the viewers up, Jeffrey Epstein is the disgraced, now deceased, very wealthy man who seemed to have a relationship, as we already knew, but really seeing in this latest release of files and emails, he seemed to know everyone from British royalty to tech giants, even to former presidents, and he had relationships with them to varying degrees. And this is pretty troubling because he’s a convicted sex offender, who allegedly was trafficking countless numbers of girls. We have plenty of testimonies. They even actually did a press conference in front of the Capitol testifying about Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. So we have reports of rampant sexual abuse from this guy, Jeffrey Epstein, who then mysteriously dies in prison. And his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently incarcerated. So that’s the stage that’s set. But leading up to today, there’s been a lot of calls for transparency. Release the files. Release the government files that are on him. Even President Donald Trump said that when he took office, he would release those files. And so this expectation was created. People like Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, who now serve in the administration, promised and pledged and really campaigned, although they didn’t formally campaign. The files haven’t been fully released, right? And so that puts us in a weird spot. These files released today, Jody, they have a lot of details that we can dig into, but one that’s really getting people’s attention is that President Trump, his name is mentioned three different times in the files. The White House has responded and said that this is nothing new and doesn’t prove anything. But I think there’s a lot of frustration about the lack of transparency on the issue.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and Suzanne, another part of all of this story happened today. A new member was sworn in, Democrat Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva. I actually served with her father, Raul Grijalva, who passed away, and now she has taken his district as the representative there. What Tell us, if you can, a little bit about her, but specifically to raise our conversation here with the Epstein files. How does her presence make a difference in that?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, she won the special election in Arizona before the government shutdown. And one of the things that Speaker Mike Johnson decided to do was to not seat her until the shutdown was resolved. Now, she was an open proponent throughout the campaign trail of releasing the Epstein documents. So it was presumed that as soon as she joined Congress, she would sign the discharge petition. Now, I’m sure that we have very educated viewers and listeners, but just to refresh everyone, the discharge petition is a tool of the minority party, which gives them a right to force a vote on an issue that concerns them if they have 218 members or more sign on. She was seen as the last person to sign on that put the discharge petition above 218 or at 218 And so as a result of her being seated, Mike Johnson will now have to act on this movement to release these files, or at least to vote on the House’s decision to, excuse me, to release those files. So unfortunately, once the House votes, and Mike Johnson has said that that is something they’ll do next week, so he’s actually acting more expeditiously than people assumed he would. He doesn’t have to act that quickly, but he says he will. Just because the House votes to demand the Justice Department release all those files doesn’t mean that the Justice Department will. A discharge petition just guarantees a vote. The Senate would also have to vote for the Justice Department to release those files, and that would have to be signed by the president. So in a lot of ways, this is a messaging tool. It certainly expresses the sentiment of the House, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the DOJ will have to comply. But her joining the House certainly does put Johnson and the other Republican leaders in a position to act.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep. And not just messaging. I think it adds a lot of pressure to move forward. Suzanne, while I have you, let’s switch gears real quickly. We’ve only got a couple of minutes left, but the battle over female sports, I know you’ve dealt a lot on this issue. We’re hearing that there’s some chatter, maybe a possible move out there by the International Olympic Committee to ban biological men from competing. What are you hearing out there?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, this is excellent news, actually, Jodi. Kirstie Coventry, who’s a Zimbabwe swimmer, took over the IOC recently this year, actually. She’s the first female president of the International Olympic Committee. And one of the things that she campaigned on for this job is that the female category should be protected. So they elected this woman who’s obviously a cheerleader of girls sports and protecting them. to the job, and she immediately asked for a scientific review among the IOC to determine whether biological men do have an advantage over females. And not surprisingly, the review came back in a closed-door session, I believe last week. The scientific report said that, yes, that was a real factor. And so there’s been a move. Now, this is obviously behind closed doors, but there have been reports leaked from that to suggest that they’re going to act as soon as next year before the Olympics take place in Italy, which is a massive development because a lot of international global bodies for various sports have already said, look, we don’t want to jeopardize women’s sports anymore. Let’s get back and level the playing field and have fairness. But if the International Olympic Committee does this, it will be a huge statement on the international stage, heading into what most athletes would consider the biggest championships and matches of their lives. So this is phenomenal news. I applaud it. Donald Trump already did sign his executive order at the beginning of the year to keep men out of girls’ sports. And he said this summer that that he wanted to apply that to the LA Olympics. I assume he’ll apply that to the American delegation as well. So this is great news for women and girls.
SPEAKER 10 :
It really is. All right, Casey, we’ve got to wrap up here in less than a minute, but I’ll let you have the final word on this policy change. Do you think it happens in spite of even woke backlash that they’re certainly going to experience?
SPEAKER 22 :
I certainly hope so. I mean, I think Suzanne raises a great point about fairness. And we’ve seen even with records that have been set that At an alarming rate, so many records set by women who are very hardworking, laid down their lives to make this record. It’s in a moment a man is able to take it from him. But it’s not just fairness, Jodi. It’s also safety because we’ve seen a lot of young girls and women actually injured playing against trans athletes. So it’s important for a lot of reasons.
SPEAKER 10 :
Casey Harper, Suzanne Bowdy, thank you both. Always an honor to chat with you. Thank you for your expertise and insight into what’s happening in our country today. Thanks, Tony. All right, friends, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us. Hope you have a fantastic evening, and we’ll see you again tomorrow right here on Washington Watch.
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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.
