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Join us for insightful commentary on the most pressing issues from Washington and beyond. This episode brings a thorough analysis of the recent US budget victory, highlighting the strategic frameworks that drive Republican policy advancements. We also tackle the growing concerns over China’s global influence and examine its backing of aggressive regimes such as Russia and Iran. Additionally, the discourse on women’s sports legislation spotlights the ongoing cultural debates over fairness and biological distinctions in athletics. Featuring expert insights from Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger and Dr. A.J. Nolte, expect a compelling discussion that challenges our concepts of governance, ethics, and
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 12 :
Israel has accepted President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff’s plan to extend the temporary ceasefire by 50 days. Israel has accepted this plan. I accepted this plan. But so far, Hamas has rejected it. Hamas had also put forward positions for a permanent ceasefire that are totally unacceptable.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday agreeing to U.S. negotiated temporary extension of the ceasefire with Hamas. Welcome to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host, broadcasting from his channel, Israel in Jerusalem. I’ll share more about my visit here in Israel later in the program. We have already had various meetings, both in Judea and Samaria, where concerns are growing about another Iranian attack. focused and facilitated attack on Israel. We’ll be joined later by former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Trump and his first administration, Victoria Coats.
SPEAKER 17 :
The President of the United States of America And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country. It’s back to you. Far more than a lot of people said they should have.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was Friday’s Oval Office exchange between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. I’ll talk with Regent University Professor Dr. A.J. Nolte about the global implications of the relationship between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. Well, last week’s budget victory in the House was just the first of many obstacles to overcome.
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As Leader Thune has said, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Ted Cruz, and others who were initially in favor of a different strategy, of a two-bill strategy, they acknowledge the importance of the House leading on this, I think, and I believe we’re ultimately going to combine forces and get the one big, beautiful bill done.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was House Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday on CNN’s State of the Union. We’ll talk with Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran about what comes next on Capitol Hill. And later this evening, the Senate is expected to vote on legislation that would protect girls’ sports from biological men. We’ll get the latest from Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. And today we’re releasing another episode of God in Government. Will God judge nations based upon his word? We tackle that question in our third episode. To access it, text the word COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742. Well, European leaders met yesterday in London to develop a plan for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine following Friday’s blowup in the Oval Office where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Now, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the development of a coalition of the willing who will be a part of the plan, which he hopes will get the backing of the US. But many are still wondering just how much of an impact did Friday’s dust-up have on peace talks. Joining me now to talk about this and more, Congressman Nathaniel Moran, who serves on three House committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, He represents the first congressional district of Texas. Congressman Moran, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 11 :
Hi, Tony. What a great pleasure to be with you today.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, we appreciate your insights on a number of these issues. And the first one I want to tackle is your thoughts on that heated exchange that took place in the Oval Office on Friday.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, clearly this was a disaster for President Zelensky. I think he’s getting really bad advice. He approached this meeting in the, in the wrong way. He did not show wisdom or humility in the way he dealt with President Trump in a time of need for Ukraine. I think what he did on Friday was he put his personal pride ahead of the mission of saving his country and Ukraine. And when you go back and look at the history of what President Zelensky has asked of others, he’s asked his military to lay down their lives, to sacrifice their lives. He’s asked the civilian population in Ukraine to sacrifice lots over the last three and a half years during this conflict. He’s asked the American taxpayer to sacrifice dollars. At this point in history, frankly, I think the next sacrifice that needs to be made is the political sacrifice of his position. He needs to resign, step aside, let someone else lead Ukraine in the negotiations with the United States and ending this conflict.
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, I think the patience of many are wearing thin. And I understand he’s under pressure. He’s been in war. His country’s being, you know, in many ways decimated by the Russians. You know, one thing I’d recommend is he buy a suit, you know, and he show up in the Oval Office meeting with the president of the United States, not in a T-shirt as if he just came off the field of combat. but as the leader of his country. I did see some signs of hope over the weekend that it sounds like, you know, as cooler heads may prevail, that they may revisit, have a conversation again, pursuing the rare earth minerals that they were supposed to have signed on Friday, that deal, which I think will be very good for Ukraine.
SPEAKER 11 :
Sure. It would be good for Ukraine. It would be good for the United States as well. And, and let’s, you know, let us not forget Putin is the aggressor here and, and, and Putin and Russia are the wrongdoers in this situation. They illegally invaded and, and have continued to illegally pursue a land grab in Ukraine. And so make no mistake, Ukraine is not the bad guy when compared to Russia here. But I completely agree with you. Zelensky missed the opportunity. He had an opportunity to get Trump on his side, to be diplomatic. He did not approach it in the right way. He should have, frankly, apologized during that meeting for his interference in our political discussions in the fall. And he should not have met with Democrats before the meeting to get advice. He’s hearing from the wrong people, and he’s misunderstanding the approach he needs to take.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, I think all that’s right. And I do think it’s very important, as you pointed out, the aggressor here was Russia. And I think in part that could have been weighing on him as he came in, because President Trump has been pretty, you know, his statements have been a little soft on Russia when it comes to the statements he’s made leading up to that meeting.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, they have. But Zelensky and even some of the Europeans, some of our European partners, they’re really sometimes in an echo chamber and they get myopic in their view and they don’t see America and the American perspective the way that they should. They don’t quite understand what the American taxpayer is thinking. And quite frankly, President Trump does. He is in tune more than any other president I think in recent history with what the American people want to see and where they stand on issues. And, and he’s doing a great job advocating for the American citizen.
SPEAKER 16 :
I’m going to switch gears, Congressman Moran. Let’s talk about the budget framework that was passed last week. Big victory, quite frankly, for Republicans. And I think, you know, many people just kind of move on and say, OK, what’s next? But it was a big victory. It was a huge victory given the margins that the Republicans have to work with in the House. But let’s talk about next steps and in the process that we’re going to be going through here.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, it was a big victory. Nobody thought that we would get it passed. In fact, there were headlines that came out during the vote that seemed to indicate that the vote had failed when, in fact, we got it passed through. Now, the next step for us is we’ve got to get the Senate to agree with our version of that budget resolution because we’ve got to be working from the same page. And then once both the Senate and the House agree on the version of the budget resolution to move forward, Then it goes to committees like the committee I’m on now, Ways and Means, to undertake the real substantive task of putting together bills that conform with that budget resolution. Right now, the budget resolution gives the Ways and Means Committee about $4.5 trillion to work with. We think that extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will cost about $4.3 trillion. But we’ve got to do some work to find some additional pay-fors to make sure that the priorities of the president get included as well. The no tax on tips and social security and overtime. There’s things that the president wants to see in this bill. And frankly, permanency is really important here too, because we’ve got to give our business community the ability to understand that this is not going to change in four years if and when an administration changes. They cannot make plans in four-year increments. They need permanency on the tax bill.
SPEAKER 16 :
And that actually is a difference between the Senate and the House. The Senate is pushing for the permanency of that tax cut. The House, that’s not yet baked in.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s not yet baked in. We’ve got hard work to do, but I am confident that we’re going to do it because we’ve got the support of President Trump. We are mission minded. And the mission is we’re going to stand on behalf of the taxpayers, not just in extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, But the equally important task of reducing spending, because we cannot grow ourselves out of the debt issue that we’re in right now. We have got to reduce spending. I was glad to see $1.5 trillion included as a minimum threshold for spending. I’d like to see more spending cuts than $1.5 trillion. So we’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of committees.
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, this is the moment. This is the moment for a lot of things to happen. And we see the leadership and appreciate the leadership of President Trump. But when you look at our deficit of, you know, we’re around $36 trillion, almost $2 trillion a year in deficits right now. If we don’t do it now, Congressman, when do we do it?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, it’s not sustainable. This is the point in history when we must do it, because if we can’t do it as Republicans who claim to be fiscal conservatives, if we cannot do it with the trifecta in the House, the Senate, and a president that’s leading strongly in the White House, it will never happen. And if we don’t get our debt under control, folks, forget about the bond market. That bond market is going to respond negatively. We see just a 1% increase in the amount of interest we pay on those issued bonds over 10 years. That’s $3 trillion added to the deficit that we didn’t already have. And we’re just talking about making $1.5 trillion in cuts over those 10 years. So we’ve got to get our debt under control. Otherwise, we’re going to see the markets react in a way that is going to make it impossible for us to get out of this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Just have a few minutes left. No dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act. This is a bill that you introduced. You reintroduced it last week. Deals with China, deals with their repression of Uyghur Muslims. Talk about that bill and its prospects.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, as part of the China Select Committee, those are pushing back on China in a number of different ways. This is one of the bills that we led on last session. We refiled it this session. It says just easily, look, we recognize that slavery is going on in the Xinjiang region of China. The Chinese government is oppressing the Uighur population there. We want to take no part and be, and playing a part in, in that. We, we think that’s horrific. It’s, it’s, it’s terrible that the government of the United States should not enter any, into any contracts that use the labor that comes out of the Xinjiang region. And so this bill says we cannot do that. And I think that’s appropriate, both economically and morally in particular.
SPEAKER 16 :
Just about two minutes left. You’re on the China Commission. You’re looking at what China is doing. You’re just talking about what they’re doing from a humanitarian standpoint of suppressing the Uighurs. talk about right now, we’ve got so many volatile places around the world. We’re watching what’s happening in Ukraine and Russia, watching their aggression, China, the Middle East. What do you think is the greatest area of focus right now that we should be focused on when you’re looking long-term threats to the United States?
SPEAKER 11 :
The long-term threat, no doubt, is China, because a lot of these conflicts would not exist or persist without the support of China. China’s been in the back pocket of Russia throughout this conflict. China is supportive of Iran. You know that the Iran, North Korea, China, Russia conglomerate together has been working to support one another. China, though, is the big dog in that corner. And it’s because they have the economic resources to support what’s going on. So we’ve got to stop the unfair trade practices of China. We’ve got to expose their moral depravity that’s going on with the Uyghurs and others, the illegal fishing that’s taking place around the world. They are using the disguise of all of these other conflicts to then be able to go out and do the things that they want to do under the radar. And if America is not careful, we’re going to be left behind when the dust settles.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, and we’re funding them by doing business with them. We need to watch where we spend our dollars. Congressman Moran, thanks for joining us. Pleasure to be here. All right, folks, stick with us. We’ll be back with more Washington Watch after this.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we’re making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, DC. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit. to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting Sage Cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over five million views. FRC’s outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God’s intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel’s peace, prosperity and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government. Available now on the Stand Firm app, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us in standing for faith, family, and freedom.
SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. We’re broadcasting from his channel, Israel in Jerusalem. If you’re watching, you can see the city of Jerusalem behind me. Well, Friday’s heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump, along with Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office, turned heads all across America and literally around the world. And no doubt among those who watched and analyzed Friday’s incidents, incident where leaders in China and Taiwan, who had been uncertain about America’s commitment to that country, to Taiwan, after their experience with the schizophrenic Biden administration. So how have they and the rest of the world been viewing the Trump administration’s interactions with Russia and Ukraine? And what might those implications be globally? Joining me now to discuss this, Dr. A.J. Nolte, Chair of the Government Graduate Program and Director of the International Development Ministries Program at Regent University, is also the Director of the Institute for Israel Studies at Regent University. Dr. Nolte, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Tony, it’s great to join you this morning. I’m jealous that you’re in Jerusalem, but I’m happy to be with you remotely regardless.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, it’s a beautiful day here. So I want to get your take on Friday’s extraordinary public exchange, volatile exchange between Vice President J.D. Vance, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think you’re right in describing it as historic and unprecedented. And oftentimes when we talk about historic and unprecedented things happening in the Trump administration, we talk about them in terms of sort of, this is a good thing. I would not describe Friday’s exchange as historic in that sense. I would say it’s not a good thing for a couple of reasons. One, I think obviously allies are going to have disagreements, but normally for purposes of diplomacy, we tend to want to keep those disagreements quiet. We want to keep them behind the scenes. And we want to present a united front, especially when you’re going into tough negotiations and difficult negotiations with Vladimir Putin, who we know from past history is going to take any advantage that he can possibly find. And so my first thought is, you know, as John McCain once said to Barack Obama in the first presidential debate, that they had talking about bombing Pakistan, you don’t say that out loud. So that’s the first comment that I have. The second is, One of the concerns that I see from this, and you know, Tony, I’m primarily a Middle East guy, and I’m just struck by the way President Trump and Vice President Vance are responding to Russia. It’s eerily and I think unfortunately reminiscent to me of the way in which the Obama administration responded to Iran. And let me just point out a couple of similarities. Number one, seeming very desperate to get some sort of deal and some sort of reset, and assuming that the previous administration is the only actor that’s responsible for those negative relations. Number two, seeing our allies that won’t go along with that as impediments to that deal or to that sort of wonderful agreement. And number three, this leads then, and what we saw with the Iran deal was this led our allies to start working around us. Now that in some ways it was a good thing because it led our allies to be more active, but it does give you less influence as the United States over the eventual outcome. So I do have some concerns about what we saw on Friday.
SPEAKER 16 :
Dr. Dalton, my sense is from conversations with those close to the meeting that this was not an anticipated outcome, that President Trump did not go into it in a volatile way or in a way to provoke. He thought he was going to come away with the signed deal on the rare mineral or earth minerals. And that didn’t happen. But I think it may go back to what you said earlier, is I think maybe President Zelensky feeling that the United States was becoming too close to Russia and that he was going to get the short end of the stick.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think that’s part of it. I think also, you know, I would say Zelensky tactically made a couple of mistakes. One, I think he should have had an interpreter with him. It was obvious that, you know, some of the things that he was saying were not translating perfectly. And number two, I think he let himself get baited into a debate with Vice President Vance, who I think President Trump is not particularly ideological when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. I think that J.D. Vance, whether you like this or don’t like this, has an ideological pre-commitment to America doing less abroad. And so I’m not saying Vance was spoiling for a fight, but I think Vance and Zelensky were going to come in with very different attitudes toward this. And so there’s a little bit of an oil and water situation there. So I do think that President Trump kind of got caught up in the dynamics of the moment, and that wasn’t necessarily his intent. So, you know, but I think if I was Alinsky, I probably would have come in with an interpreter. I would have come in expecting, you know, Vance was going to try to push buttons and maybe try to not respond to that. So, you know, I think there’s plenty of blame to go around in this situation. And just my question is, where was the person who was going to say, hey, guys, obviously this is a very heated exchange. We have some stuff to work out. Let’s go sit down around the table behind the scenes and get a deal done. and take the cameras away from that situation because I think that would have also deescalated things in a way that needed to happen.
SPEAKER 16 :
Dr. Nolte, I think that’s a good read on it. I do think the president was not anticipating that kind of caught up on it. I do think in looking back at it that J.D. Vance may have been more geared up for that. But final question for you, we just have a couple minutes left, Dr. Nolte. The implications that this has for elsewhere around the world, in particular Taiwan, that has China breathing down their neck.
SPEAKER 04 :
There’s two reads on the implications of this for Taiwan. The read that you get from some folks in the Trump administration is, well, we’re trying to pivot to Asia. Of course, we remember, and I hate to make these analogies between a Republican president and President Obama, but we remember the Obama administration talked about a pivot to Asia the entire time there as a means of moving away from the Middle East, right? So you could look at it through that lens. I look at it through a different lens and I look at it this way. If I’m the Taiwanese and I see a democratic country, obviously Ukraine has problems with corruption and it’s imperfect, but I see a smaller country that’s reasonably democratic being invaded by a neighbor. And I see the U.S. maybe not wanting to back that country to the same extent. And I’m wondering, will they take the same approach toward Taiwan if China starts to push and China starts to get aggressive? And so I do think this has potentially negative implications for our ability to deter China, which is our goal, right, to deter China from attacking Taiwan, because it might make the Chinese think that we’re irresolute and make Taiwan think that maybe we won’t defend them as much as we should.
SPEAKER 16 :
And that I can see that that would put them on edge. Hopefully, it looks like there is a cooling off period and the parties will get back together, President Trump, President Zelensky, and work toward a peace there between Ukraine and Russia. Dr. Nolte, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. And I hope I’m wrong, but we’ll see what happens. Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right, folks, and thank you for joining us as well. But don’t go away because we’ve got a lot more Washington Watch straight ahead. Next, we’re going to be talking girls sports, keeping men out. Don’t go away.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, beautiful for spacious skies.
SPEAKER 01 :
For amber waves of grace. At the 2025 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, hundreds gathered with Christian and government leaders at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC to pray for the nation and ask God to forgive us of our sins.
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We gather here not to appeal to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are appealing to heaven. Today we make our appeal not in the authority of a political party or in the name of a denomination. We come in the name and the authority of Jesus Christ. who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and we have been commissioned to operate in that authority.
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Father, we pray in Jesus’ name for our complacency, our greed, our pride, our gluttony, our sloth, and tolerance of sin.
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Lord, your word is the food that can make America healthy again. May your word be exalted and believed in our nation again.
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Lord, we ask that you allow us to become that shining city on the hill once more for your love, your grace, and your mercy.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for your love and your grace and your mercy, for the opportunity that you have provided us to heal our land. We ask you to do it, Lord. We ask you for the wisdom, discernment, and stamina to do the thing that you have called each one of us, all of us here, to do. May we be found faithful. We trust it, pray it, believe it all. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SPEAKER 16 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. We’re broadcasting from his channel, Israel in Jerusalem. All right, two roll call votes are expected in the United States Senate later this evening, and one of them will be regarding the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which passed the House earlier this year by a bipartisan vote. Although President Trump last month signed an executive order protecting Title IX, and banning men from competing, biological men, from competing in women’s sports, as I’ve outlined a number of times, these executive orders can be reversed. So legislation like this is absolutely essential. But what hurdles? Will the bill need to clear in order to make it to the president’s desk and become law? Joining me now to discuss this is Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, who serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She represents the 1st Congressional District of Tennessee. She joins us now by phone. Congresswoman Harshbarger, thank you so much for joining us today. Welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 08 :
It’s always my pleasure, Tony, to be with you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Now, this made its way through the House. This is one of those issues that really nationally, it’s an 80-20 issue. What do you anticipate in the United States Senate?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, there’ll probably be debate because the Democrats have not learned their lesson, Tony. It’s as if, you know, I had a town hall this week and these people are still adamant, the protesters and the Democrats are adamant that men should play in women’s sports, even if the women get injured while playing that sport. And it’s unconscionable, but I’m sure they’ll have some dissent over there. We’ll see how many Democrats join them in voting for the legislation in the Senate.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, in the House, the vote was 218 to 206. Two Democrats joined the Republicans in supporting that bill. Diana, let me ask you a moment about that town hall meeting, because we’ve seen a rash of these across the country where there’s been this very vocal opposition to Republicans, in particular on the issue of Doge and cutting government spending and waste. You know, my take, this is a bit manufactured, but I’d like to get your read on what took place.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, it’s totally manufactured. And we know for a fact that a lot of the move on, you know, the George Soros organizations are causing them to come to these really red districts. I have like the second reddest district in the country, Tony. And when those people show up, and I had over 300 waiting on me when I walked in, when they show up, they just want to disrupt. They don’t want the people who legitimately came to to ask questions or get an update, which is what I do, is get an update, answer any of their questions. They want to scream over you, and they want to talk about things that have no relevance whatsoever. And, you know, you just have to set the tone at the beginning. And I said, if you’re disruptive, if you interrupt while someone’s asking the question, if you yell and shout, the police officers are going to take you out. They only had to take one person out, but they disrupted the whole hour and a half. And so it’s meant to make red districts look like that they are upset with what the president is doing and what Elon Musk and Doge is doing. And it’s just for optics. That’s all it is. It’s just for optics.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, let me first say thank you for not surrendering to the mob and going ahead and talking and have those conversations with your constituents. I think that’s very important because some shrink back in the face of that opposition, even though it’s manufactured. And I think you handled it just right. You know, we’re going to be fair. But we’re here to have a meeting. We’re here to talk about the issues. And if you want to be disruptive, go down the street to a Democratic meeting. Don’t do it here. But I think that’s extremely important that you’re out there having conversations with your constituents.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that’s what we are in office for a reason. We are to communicate the things that are going on in D.C. You’ve got 1% of the population is the way I look at it, telling the other 99% exactly what’s going on in Washington. And we have to get down to a level to where we can explain that to constituents. Heck, I have to dumb my language down to talk to the other side about issues on energy and commerce. If you cannot communicate to that person, that other member or your constituent, then it’s a lost cause, and they will believe the propaganda media instead of the person who is representing them in Congress. And I’m not going to have it. I told them they could go outside. We were at an agricultural center. I said, if you want to scream and yell, go outside, and you can yell to the top of your lungs to all the livestock in the area because that’s the only ones that are going to listen to you.
SPEAKER 16 :
You can go outside and scream until the cows come home, and you’ll have at it.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s it.
SPEAKER 16 :
Congresswoman, I want to thank you for joining us. I know you’re busy day, but I want to thank you for taking time to join us. And, again, thanks for standing firm for those things that really matter, faith, family, and freedom, and the truth. So thanks for being with us today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes. My pleasure, as always.
SPEAKER 16 :
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, you know, this just happened last week. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers was he’s been criticized for his budget proposal replacing the word mother with get this inseminated person in state law. I mean, as Diana was saying, have they not learned their lesson? This is what. calls the Democrats to be hammered during the last election. This nonsense that there’s not male and female. This is a moment, what I would say a revival of common sense. We need more than a revival of common sense. We need a spiritual revival, an awakening of the heart and soul of America, turning back to God and his truth. But in this moment, we need, as I’ve been saying, we’ve got to take advantage of this moment. It’s a critical time for our nation. And I thank God for President Trump and other leaders who are willing to stand and say what is true. We’ve got to rush in and back it up. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch right after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful 13-part series that equips you with biblical truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. From the Ten Commandments in classrooms to the immigration crisis of America, we’ll uncover The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked.
SPEAKER 05 :
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.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. We’re broadcasting from his channel, Israel, here in Jerusalem. Also, let me remind you today, the next episode, the third episode, actually, of God and Government is out. You can get it by texting the word COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742 to take advantage of this 13-week course in God and Government. So text the word COURSE to 67742. All right, our word for today comes from Jeremiah 38. The prophet Jeremiah was lowered into a cistern where he sank into the mud with no hope in sight. Despite his faithfulness to God, he found himself in a desperate situation, possibly questioning God’s very presence. Yet at his lowest point, God sent an unexpected helper, Ebed-Melech in Ethiopia. Upon hearing of Jeremiah’s plight, he boldly approached the king and urged him to rescue the prophet. The king commanded Ebed-Melech to gather 30 men and to lift Jeremiah out before he starved. Sometimes we, too, feel stuck in muddy circumstances, unsure of where to turn. Yet God’s care often arrives through unexpected channels. Like Jeremiah, you may feel trapped, but your story isn’t over. God is always working, sometimes using people that you least expect. to pull you out of despair. Take heart, your troubles do not escape the Lord’s notice, and He will help you, and His help is closer than you may think. Keep your eyes on Him, trusting that in due time, He will raise you up from the depths and set you on solid ground. Never doubt God’s perfect timing. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Earlier today, the Board of Governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency commenced its five-day quarterly meeting to address a number of key nuclear issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. In his opening remarks to the board, the iae a director general rafael grosse expressed serious concern in light of iran’s latest spike in uranium enrichment since december an increase of approximately one full nuclear weapons worth per month so While Israel has been dealing to deal with the proxies of Iran and have dealt them some significant blows, it’s clear that the Islamic Republic continues to pose a threat not only to Israel, but to the rest of the world. Joining me now to discuss this and more, Victoria Coates, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Trump during his first term. She is currently the Vice President of the Catherine and Shelby Coleman Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation. She’s also the author of the book, The Battle for the Jewish State, How Israel and America Can Win. Victoria, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Of course, Tony. I’m jealous that you’re in Jerusalem.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, it’s beautiful weather here right now, but I will say that there’s a lot at stake here as Israel is actually kind of retooling the IDF, a new chief of staff coming into the IDF agreement over the weekend for an extension of the ceasefire. but with an understanding that Iran is still the most significant threat that Israel in the Middle East is facing. What is your sense in terms of timing? Do you think that this is the moment for Israel to take the initiative?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, thank you for covering this story, Tony, because with all the hoopla here in Washington, no one’s paying a great deal of attention. And I think the IAEA meeting that you described is critical for exposing what is going on with Iran’s nuclear program. And President Trump inherited an Iran that was very different than the one he handed over to President Biden in January of 2021. When they were starved of resources, they had severe domestic problems. They were unable to fund their proxies. The four years of the Biden administration have made the mullahs in Tehran fat and happy. And they’ve imported those resources that they’ve gotten from illicit oil sales mostly to China. into their proxies, yes, and that’s October 7th, but also into this nuclear program. And they are enriching at such a higher rate than they were four years ago and have made great strides with their missile capabilities. So the IAEA can’t do much about it, but they can expose it. So then the question becomes what Israel is going to do about it and what the Trump administration is going to do about it.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yesterday I was over in Judea and Samaria and briefings by various governmental officials and they’re uncovering more advanced weaponry that’s coming in to Judea and Samaria from Iran. Iran doesn’t seem to be Their wings do not seem to be clipped at all, even though they’ve lost a number of their proxies. They are doubling down, and there’s some thought, it hasn’t been proved, there’s investigation going on, that the recent bus explosions that took place may have been a diversion for possibly another invasion coming from Judea and Samaria.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, and that’s something we’ve been concerned about for a long time. Congressman Chip Roy and I wrote about this in the summer of 23, that we actually thought the terrorist attack was going to come from Judea and Samaria. And so this is an ongoing threat right in the heart of Israel. The weapons are being smuggled in through Jordan. It’s a terrible problem. But just finally, on the nuclear program, one thing I did want to point out is Secretary Rubio yesterday released another $4 billion in arms that the Biden administration had been holding up. And there have been great words coming out of the new administration of support for Israel. That’s a really material demonstration that they have Israel’s back and that they are not going to try to restrain the Jewish state when it’s facing such terrible dangers?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, if I understood the Secretary Rubio and what he did in terms of the arms, you mentioned the dollar amount, but I think in comparison of the bombs, there was like, I think 1700 that had been held up by the Biden administration. And I believe he announced 40,000 would be coming from the United States to Israel. And I mean, that’s quite a significant difference.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, it’s the mirror opposite. And so we’re going to have, I’m sure, a lot of squawking from the international community that Israel has cut off additional humanitarian aid to Gaza until Hamas agrees to release the rest of the hostages. I mean, quite frankly, Tony, this should have been done a year ago. The amount of aid that’s poured into Gaza is staggering. And you’ve never had a situation where you’re asking one aggrieved party, the attacked party, to feed the enemy while they’re at war with them. It’s really an extraordinary kind of oxymoron that’s going on. But we have to put all pressure on. on Hamas now, to let those hostages go. This is beyond any kind of, you know, beyond a joke that they’re still holding these poor people. Over 500 days later, we’ve seen the kind of condition they’re in. They need to come out now. And what the difference is, is rather than withholding arms and pressuring Israel to continue feeding the monster that attacked them, you’re going to have the Trump administration rather wholeheartedly supporting Israel, both in this effort to pressure Hamas, and also, as you described, with increased arms shipments.
SPEAKER 16 :
Victoria, yesterday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the new U.S. kind of lead negotiations for an extension of the ceasefire. But it also falls at a time when they’re reworking the IDF, the new chief of staff coming in. I think this is allowing them time. One of the reasons they agreed to it is because they still plan on accomplishing one of their war goals, and that is the elimination of Hamas.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, and I think that’s the key point, that Hamas cannot be allowed to reconstitute itself and attack again, because that’s what they will do. They’ve told the hostages that they released on their way out, don’t live down by Gaza because we’re going to come for you again. They have absolutely no intention of reforming or becoming any kind of a responsible organization. element in Palestinian society. So for anyone who actually cares about the Palestinians, which Hamas does not, they should support this effort to eradicate them, because all they are doing is trapping the Palestinians in Gaza in this cycle of intolerable violence and and extremism, and they have no opportunities to kind of revise themselves, revise their society, build anything new. That was what was sort of interesting about the AI video President Trump released last week. Yes, it was kitschy and campy, and we all saw Elon Musk eating hummus, you know, on the shores of the Mediterranean. But it was a hopeful vision of what Gaza could be if the people of Gaza were de-radicalized, if Gaza were rebuilt. President Trump’s the only one who’s talking that way. And I think that to have that any kind of positive progress forward, you have to eliminate Hamas. And that’s what Israel is going to do.
SPEAKER 16 :
So, Victoria, with that in mind, let’s go back to Judea and Samaria, where the Palestinian Authority is actually not much different than Hamas in terms of their governance and their tactics and the refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist. You do a comparison of the size. I mean, Judea and Samaria is like 24 times the size of Gaza. This whole notion that has been out there for years, going back to… the partition plan of a two-state solution, it’s not workable. When do we move on?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I think that’s the key question. And the reality is, Tony, that 50 years ago, when the Arab nations decided they were going to stop attacking Israel because it was expensive and painful and they lost over and over and over again, what they tried to do was elevate the Palestinians into something they’re not, which is a nation state, and that there was some kind of equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians. However, logical that might have seen 50 years ago. At this point, it’s not just apples and oranges. It’s strawberries and sharks that we’re talking about. It’s totally different things. You’ve got a very successful, prosperous nation in Israel that’s now one of the top 15 most powerful countries in the world, a technological leader, a bastion of democracy in the Middle East, and a great partner to the United States. And then you have the Palestinians, who are essentially a basket case. And we just were talking about Hamas and Gaza. As you said, the Palestinian Authority is an utterly corrupt, defunct mechanism to attempt some kind of governance in Judea and Samaria. And I think that is what The burden has to be on our Arab partners, and particularly on the Abraham Accords countries, to step in and say this is unacceptable, the Palestinian Authority is broken, and there’s going to have to be some other kind of mechanism to govern the Palestinians. But they’re in no way able to establish any institutions of civil society. They have failed utterly over the last 50 years to do it. They’re dependent on international aid organizations like the United Nations, because they can’t organize themselves. And so this this fantasy of a two state solution is utterly unhelpful at this point and should be abandoned.
SPEAKER 16 :
So, Victoria, I’m going to go back to Iran and the nuclear weapon. All right. So you look at Iran. You cannot see anything happening in the Middle East without Iran’s fingerprints on it almost. If you want this to settle down, I would think that you’ve got to deal with Iran and what is making them a threat is the potential breakout with the nuclear weapons. Is this the time? Is this the window in time to deal with that decisively and set them back a couple of decades?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, this is this is going to be the critical question for President Trump. And as we’re dealing with the dustups over Ukraine and the budget and everything, everyone should remember that the president is also dealing with this critical issue. And he’s been very clear that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon on his watch. But you know that that you can say that. But then what are you going to do about it? And the Israeli strike on Iran in October really did provide a window of opportunity because they exposed how worthless Russian-imported Iranian missile defense systems were, that they can reach out and touch them. And with the additional U.S.-supplied arms… You know, the question is, can they do it on their own? As the United States postured to support Israel, not just on the day of any strike, but in days afterwards when Iran might retaliate, that’s when they’re really going to need help. And, you know, is the international community going to gather and condemn Israel or send them a thank-you note if they do it, which is what they should do, as Israel took care of You know, the Syrian nuclear program and then historically the Iraqi nuclear program, it was a great boon to the Middle East and preserved peace and prevented those rogue nations from going nuclear. If they have to do it again, we know they can. But that’s going to be a decision for the president and the prime minister.
SPEAKER 16 :
You have focused a lot on Iran. You were a part of the maximum pressure campaign during the first Trump administration. If you were advising the prime minister on this, how would you game this out? What do they need to be prepared for?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, they need to be prepared for a series of Iranian retaliations. And that’s where the current kind of confusion over NATO is really unhelpful, because it would be great if that were to happen for us to have seamless cooperation, particularly with our British, but also our French allies. NATO allies to support Israel to counter any Iranian response, any response from their proxies. Hezbollah and Hamas are pretty degraded, but, as you mentioned, they do have forces in Judea and Samaria. And then there are always the Houthis. in Yemen, who have been threatening to act up again if the cease-fire is broken. So, for all of these reasons, you know, we need seamless coordination and support. And if Prime Minister Netanyahu is going to take an action, I would encourage it to be decisive. You know, we’ve been doing incremental strikes over the course of last year. We had the first direct attack from Iran on Israel. That sort of changed the paradigm a little bit, and then Israel retaliating. But I wouldn’t do sort of a small message strike at this point. That’s been done. If you’re going to go in and take out the nuclear program, we need to take it out and, as you said, set them back decades.
SPEAKER 16 :
I mean, we are at a new level of direct confrontation, and so we’re at a very volatile point, and the next move does need to be decisive. Victoria Coates, I want to thank you for joining us. It’s always great to get your insight on what’s happening in the Middle East.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
Victoria Coates, and you can find out more about her book, The Battle for the Jewish State, How Israel and America Can Win. You can go to tonyperkins.com and follow the links over. All right, I do encourage you, if you’ve not yet downloaded the third episode of God and Government, do so. Text the word COURSE to 67742. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul, found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve prepared, and when you’ve taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 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.
