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In this episode of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins delves into President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at ensuring election integrity across the United States. Join Tony as he welcomes former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell to discuss the ramifications of this order and the potential obstacles to its implementation. The episode also features a riveting exchange on Capitol Hill where CEOs of NPR and PBS are grilled about their use of taxpayer dollars in a politically charged environment. Moreover, Congressman Tim Burchett sheds light on the apparent media bias and the fight to defund public broadcasters.
SPEAKER 15 :
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 16 :
Perhaps some people think I shouldn’t be complaining because we won in a landslide, We got to straighten out our election. This country is so sick because of the election, the fake elections and the bad elections. And we’re going to straighten it out one way or the other.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was President Donald Trump yesterday as he signed an executive order to ensure integrity in America’s election system. Welcome to this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up on today’s program, Ken Blackwell will join me in studio to discuss the particulars of the president’s latest executive order addressing election integrity. And we’ll talk about what might be the obstacles to its implementation. And there were political fireworks on Capitol Hill earlier today as the CEOs of National Public Radio and PBS appeared before the House’s Doge subcommittee.
SPEAKER 17 :
A few years ago, NPR educated America about, quote, the whole community of genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts. Do you think that that’s an appropriate use of tax dollars?
SPEAKER 11 :
I was not at NPR at the time, sir.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s not the question, though. Do you think that that’s an appropriate use of our tax dollars?
SPEAKER 11 :
I think our tax dollars that we use are to be able to provide a wide range of… I’ll take… Well, hopefully that will become extinct.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that was Texas Congressman Brandon Gill questioning NPR CEO Catherine Maher. We’ll get a firsthand update from Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett, who sits on the subcommittee. Also yesterday, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee had his confirmation hearing for U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
SPEAKER 09 :
If I’m confirmed, I will be… absolutely clear to carry the president’s policies. They have been clear that Hamas will have no future in Gaza. It can’t. This was not simply a cold-blooded murder in which people came across the borders and shot innocent people. They massacred them. And they did it in the way that was most physically painful
SPEAKER 08 :
We’ll discuss why this appointment is so significant. And Troy Miller, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, joins me in studio to discuss the fight to keep AM radio in cars and why that matters to Christian Talk Radio. All of that and more coming up on this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. Before we dive in, here’s a quick reminder. Session six of our God and Government course is out now. The series combines biblical principles with historical insights to offer a practical approach to government. The latest session covers the legislative and judicial branches and the power of the jury. You can find it exclusively on the StandFirm app. If you don’t have the app, text the word course. That’s course to 67742, course to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. All right, before we go to our first guest, there is a lot going on this week on Capitol Hill. In fact, I was up on Capitol Hill earlier today in a meeting with the House Speaker. Some very positive policy developments are underway, and I want to bring in FRC Senior Director of Government Affairs, to highlight some of what FRC is working on and tracking on Capitol Hill. Kena, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, it’s good to be here, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, there are a couple of bills that you and your team are working on and tracking as it pertains to abortion, abortion funding, Planned Parenthood, and gender transition procedures on minors. Tell us about it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Tony, if Capitol Hill gets any more busy, we’re going to have to hire more people to track all of it. It’s exciting. We are working on defunding Planned Parenthood, as Sarah highlighted at the beginning of the program. Chris Smith has introduced the no taxpayer funding bill again this year. That bill keeps getting stronger and better. And of course, under this president, we are very hopeful that there will be action to defund Planned Parenthood. We’re also, as the president’s executive order indicated on gender identity and minors, we are hoping to see minors protected on Capitol Hill through law and gender procedure providers to be defunded completely so that taxpayers are not complicit in the decisions of adults. I brought a whole list of other things. We’re working on election integrity, bills that are on the Hill, and we’re working with offices as they prepare bills to roll out to codify the president’s executive orders.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, let’s talk about that for just a moment. Election integrity later in the program. Former Ohio Secretary of State Kim Blackwell will be here to react to the president’s executive order on election integrity. But these executive orders are just that. They’re executive orders. They can be changed by a different administration. And so on Capitol Hill, Republicans are working to pass the SAVE Act, which is an election integrity bill. That, I believe, is up next week. Give our viewers and listeners a heads up on that and how they can lean in on it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, the SAVE Act is a great bill or a horrible bill, depending on who you listen to. But all the SAVE Act does, really, it’s a bill that Chip Roy is bringing with Senator Mike Lee in the Senate. And it simply says two things. You have to have an ID to vote. You have to have an ID to do anything these days. So you have to have an ID to vote to prove that you’re a citizen and eligible to vote as an American in an American election. The second thing that it does is it requires states to remove non-citizens from their voter rolls. That’s it. So when you hear all the shouting about how this disenfranchises people, that’s what they’re talking about.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. It sounds pretty common sense to me. You’ve got to be an American to vote in an American election. Kena Gonzalez, thanks for joining us. Thanks for the heads up.
SPEAKER 04 :
Great to be here.
SPEAKER 08 :
And folks, you can track all of this if you have the Stand Firm app. In fact, you can get notifications when you need to weigh in on these issues, as I often say. Our republic was not made for spectators. It was made for participants. And so you need to know what to do. We make that easy for you. We give you all the tools. So get the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store. Download the Stand Firm app. All right. As I mentioned, the House’s Doge subcommittee created some worthwhile taxpayer funded content today, unlike NPR and PBS, because they had the CEOs of PBS and NPR in the spotlight over their leftist political views. Joining us now is a member of the committee, Congressman Tim Burchett, who represents the second congressional district of Tennessee. Congressman, welcome back to the program. Great to see you. Great seeing you, Tony. Thank you so much for having me on, brother. All right. You put a spotlight on the CEOs of NPR and PBS today. You asked some very pointed questions. What were your takeaways?
SPEAKER 18 :
They got their hands caught in the cookie jar. I hope America has some guts to follow through with this. I mean, I hope Congress does. America does. You know, Congress, we are elected about three votes. We’re one flu season away from being out of the majority. But dadgum President Trump was elected overwhelmingly, and I think we need to remember that, and we need to honor his the wishes of this country. I almost said this congregation, but this country. But the truth is, is that the Doe stuff is written in pencil and it can be erased under the next president. And this is a perfect example. These people at NPR and PBS, they literally hate this country. They hate everything it’s about. They hate our patriotism. They hate our Lord. And they don’t hide it. Now they got caught. I asked her about these horrible things she said about President Trump, and she says, well, sorry she said those. She wished she hadn’t said them or something. It’s like you catch a robber in the parking lot of a bank, and they hand you the money back, and you say, oh, I’m sorry. You go, oh, okay, that’s okay. This is your tax dollars that are paying for this. They have drag shows. And I asked them, I said, my first question literally was about – I was listening to their miserable radio show one time not long ago, and they asked a lady what their definition of propaganda was. And she said, God bless the USA by Lee Greenwood. And I asked her about that, and she said, well, that was one of the guests or one of the hosts’ opinion. Can you imagine if somebody had gone in there and said something overtly racist or just something just gross, they would immediately have come on and cut that out. And they would have said, hey, we are so sorry. That is not our intention, blah, blah, blah. But because they attacked something of traditional values that we hold near and dear to our heart. They are allowed to say that garbage, and our tax dollars are paying for it. Now, they can say all the garbage they want as long as I don’t have a dollar – as American taxpayer doesn’t have a dollar invested. I think that’s the issue. Currently, we’re helping them.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s the issue. You put the question to the CEO of – MPR. NPR, Marr, you asked her about her statements, her tweets in 2020, calling Trump a racist, a psychopath or whatever it was she called him. And she said, well, I shouldn’t have put that out. Well, no, not now that he’s president and that he has influence over your budget.
SPEAKER 18 :
Do you think she would have said if Joe Biden was in office, Joe Biden is one step away from a president? hospital room for folks that are mentally infirm. I mean, you know, that’s, what if she just said that? I guarantee she wouldn’t have said that. And so it’s the same deal. Look, this place is so left and they are so out of control and Congress better get some guts, dadgummit, and start codifying this stuff and getting it into, because all they’re doing is tying it up in the courts. And we have no mechanism in the House or the Senate that’s honoring this country’s wishes, and we need it, and we need it immediately.
SPEAKER 08 :
Congressman Burchard, I thought it was very interesting. You asked the panel, including Marr, if they felt like Newsmax, American Voices, now I was a little disappointed you didn’t put Washington Watch on that list, should receive federal funds. And none of them said, oh yeah, they should be right up there next to us competing.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, they said no. No. Can you imagine if you all got a dog? Well, you wouldn’t want it.
SPEAKER 08 :
I wouldn’t want it.
SPEAKER 18 :
You don’t want those idiots telling you what up here, what telling you what to do. I mean, if it was our idiots, it’d be OK. But when they’re idiots, you’re back in control. And if we’re not careful, we’re fixing to hand it right back to them. Look, Tony, we got our work cut out. These post offices are not going to name themselves. I realize we’ve got valiant work to do in that department. But dadgummit, let’s start moving this stuff through committees. Let’s quit. The sewer up here is the committees. You’ve got these staffers. You’ve got 40 or 50 staffers that staff big committees on one side of the aisle, and then you have 40 or 50 on the other. I mean, you don’t think there’s corruption there? You don’t think there’s unethical— behavior. How many times have I heard a chairman say, oh, I can’t do that because my staff would kill me. Who cares what your staff thinks?
SPEAKER 08 :
They’re not elected. Exactly. Exactly. So we just have two minutes left, Congressman. Can and will Congress defund NPR and PBS?
SPEAKER 18 :
I doubt it. I doubt it. I hope they prove me wrong. But somebody is going to come up with some way. We’ll have two or three defectors or they’ll purposefully be absent and the Democrats will stick together because this is their taxpayer paid.
SPEAKER 08 :
It’s their honeypot. I mean, this is where they get their message out. Let me give this real quick. Folks, what do you think? Should tax dollars be used to fund NPR or PBS? I’d like to know what you think. think, and in fact, I’ll send this to Tim and he can use it with his colleagues. Text poll, P-O-L-L, to 67742. That’s poll to 67742. I’ll send you a link. Take the poll. Let us know what you think. Should NPR and PBS receive funds? I mean, there’s no question, Tim. You asked, I think it was you, you asked the question of whether or not they had evaluated their content to see if it was balanced.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, and of course, they said, sure, it has. And then Jim Jordan, so eloquently, as he always does, he gutted them. He said, you know, you have 83 members on your staff, and every one of them are registered Democrats. 83. There’s not, there wasn’t three Republicans and the guy who called it out, he got fired. So, you know, if you want to talk first amendment, let’s talk first amendment. Yeah. But, but this thing is, it’s out of control, Tony. Call your elected, call your Congressman, call your senators, say, I don’t need any more hearings. I want that bill on the floor. I want it. I want president Trump signing it. I don’t want to see it in the courts anymore. Let’s take it out of the court’s hand. We have God gave us an incredible gift in this country. And look, I don’t want Donald Trump teaching my daughter Sunday school class. But dadgum, I love him. I want him as my president. He is right. Let’s defund this stuff right now.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. Absolutely. Congressman, thanks for joining us. We’ll see you later. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more Washington Watch on the other side of the break.
SPEAKER 12 :
At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. That’s why FRC President Tony Perkins went to Capitol Hill to testify on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria. Islamist terror groups target Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria with brutal violence. Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said 55,000 people have been killed and 21,000 abducted in the last five years alone. The congressman also stressed that 89% of Christians in the world who are martyred are from Nigeria.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yet the government of Nigeria has failed to make progress against religiously motivated persecution of Christians despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in their constitution.
SPEAKER 12 :
Tony Perkins called for the United States to send an unmistakable message.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is systematic religious violence. Nigeria must be redesignated a country of particular concern. The Biden administration’s removal of this designation was a reckless mistake that emboldened the very terrorists who are slaughtering Christians.
SPEAKER 12 :
Redesignating Nigeria will enable the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians.
SPEAKER 08 :
These are not just numbers. These are fathers, their mothers, their children, their families.
SPEAKER 12 :
Bishop Wilfred Anagabe risked his life to speak out, sharing firsthand accounts of the danger faced in his church district in central Nigeria.
SPEAKER 01 :
We live in fear because at any point it can be our turn to be killed. But to remain silent is to die twice. So I have chosen to speak.
SPEAKER 12 :
FRC is calling on President Trump to act now to promote religious freedom around the globe and speak up on behalf of Christians in Nigeria.
SPEAKER 03 :
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 13 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We’ve created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events, and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family, and church members, and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. I want to make sure you have a chance to let your voice be heard so you can take the poll. Should tax dollars be used to fund NPR and PBS? Simply text the word poll, P-O-L-L, to 67742. That’s 67742, the word poll. I’ll send you a link, and let me know what you think. All right, if you are hearing this program right now, there’s a good chance you’re listening via one of the many AM radio stations that airs this program and other programs like this. Many Bible-believing Christians rely on AM radio for spiritual growth as well as news and information that they can trust. Well, right now, Congress is considering the AM radio for every vehicle act. Why should you care? Well, here to answer that question is Troy Miller, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters and International Association of Christian Communicators, who together reach millions of viewers, listeners, and readers. And Washington Watch is a part of that. And National Religious Broadcasters receives no federal money. Troy, welcome to Washington Watch. Tony, it’s great to be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, so I want to make a clear distinction.
SPEAKER 07 :
Nothing to do with PBS or NPR. That’s right. Nothing to do with PBS or NPR. I saw your last segment. That was great. They should level the playing field there.
SPEAKER 08 :
They really should. I mean, today, where things stand, with Internet access to create podcasts, I mean, there’s so many platforms which we can communicate. PBS and NPR have kind of outlived their purpose.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, they really have, and they’ve really become very based, very biased in their, you know, programming. I think it was about 11, 12 years ago, they came out with what they called a non-sectarian policy, which says, you know, we’re not going to do any religious programming. But what that really meant was we’re not going to do any conservative Christian programming, but we’ll do all kinds of other religious programming. And we’ll do all kinds of programming that will debunk, you know, Christianity, but we’re not going to do anything. One-sided.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah. One-sided. Well, the fight to have the platforms continue because we see an effort to eliminate AM radios out of vehicles, which is what percentage of Christian broadcasting is found on the AM dial?
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, I’d say right now probably a full 30 to 40 percent of Christian broadcasting is on the AM dial. But it’s the number two genre on AM across the board. So the number one is conservative talk and number two is Christian talk and teach. So it’s a number two genre. Number three behind it is Spanish programming. So if you look at the nation, a lot of the rural communities, they depend on these AM stations, these AM broadcasters, to get them the information and to get the localization for their communities. Lots of local pastors are carried on AM radio.
SPEAKER 08 :
Because the bigger ones, the FM stations, have kind of become part of conglomerates.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 08 :
And so you don’t get, and I know I’ve watched this. I started on FM radio 35 years ago and those have now been gobbled up. And so local broadcasting is really becoming a thing of the past on FM.
SPEAKER 07 :
On FM it is. A lot of national groups now, you know, program those. And so you get a lot of the great national programming, national pastors, but that local programming, what’s going on in those local communities is provided by AM.
SPEAKER 08 :
I’m not complaining because Washington watches on those FM stations as well. But FAM has a place and it has a very key role. It’s also a platform that’s used during natural disasters and stuff. I know in Louisiana going through hurricanes when power is out, we still have the battery operated AM radios.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, you know, most people have still a lot of people, again, in these key areas. If you’re in Tornado Alley, if you’re in the Hurricane Pass, if you’re if you’re in where there’s a lot of fires, you have these AM weather radios in your house or, you know. That if you tune AM radio in, you’re going to get a signal during these storms and you’re going to know what to do. The largest outlay of the infrastructure of the emergency broadcast system is all based in AM radio. And so there’s not really a plan right now to say how that’s going to move and where it’s going to move to. Because, Tony, as you know, one of the first things that goes down are all the cell towers and the Internet’s gone.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. They’re going to use, try to say, well, we use the cell tower emergency notification, which you get those pushes all the time. But that’s only when it’s working.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 08 :
And it doesn’t work during those storms. I can attest to that. So, Troy, tell us why. Why are AM radios coming out of cars?
SPEAKER 07 :
So, look, this first started to say as a, quote, technical issue that there was in the EVs and the electric vehicles, that there was an issue with the electric vehicles, the battery causing interference with the AM radio. And so they’re saying, look, AM radio is outdated. It’s not used anymore, even though. Some 40 million Americans still depend on AM radio as their primary source of information. So that was the first issue. That was really debunked even by the government accounting office that looked into it and said, look, the shielding either around the battery of the radio, we’re talking a few dollars. to every car to do this. The real issue, Tony, is around what’s called the connected dashboard. So all these cars today that are being developed, they all have these nice big screens in them, right? And what are on those screens? They’re all internet connected. They’re connected to these cell towers and they come with subscriptions. So if you buy a new General Motors car or a Ford car today, you can’t even get the navigation system to work without buying a subscription. And Ford right now is in the battle with Apple over whether Apple CarPlay should be on there or not because that limits or that opens up the option for them to have. So it’s about who controls that connected dash. There’s a lot of money to be made by the car manufacturers if they can sell these annual ongoing subscriptions to people who are riding in the cars. But that puts them then in the driver’s seat of all of the programming. So it’s the same thing we have on the internet and the same thing with these big social media companies or the Apple store or the Google Play store. They can decide what apps get in, what apps don’t get in. And we’re saying, look, there’s several issues here. First of all, the defranchise of free over-the-air information, okay, that a lot of people, especially people, as you know, in poor communities depend on this. And then there’s just the access to that information in general. Who’s going to decide?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I mean, there’s been a lot of concern over the years for the fairness doctrine. This is a backdoor to basically silencing conservative and Christian voices.
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely, because you have to ask yourself, well, if it’s a car manufacturer, why just AM? Why are they starting? Why is it AM and not AM FM? I think AM is just their dip into their toe into the pond here, stepping in. Radio in general is going to be in the car.
SPEAKER 08 :
Because they can’t make it. They can’t make money off of it.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s right. Can’t make it.
SPEAKER 08 :
So now’s the time to take the stand. What do people need to do to weigh in on this?
SPEAKER 07 :
Call your congressman. There’s a bill in both the House and the Senate, the AM in Every Vehicle Act. Call your congressman and tell him you want AM radio to stay on the air and they need to sponsor and support this bill.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Very good. Troy Miller, always great to see you. Thanks so much for stopping by. Thanks, Tony, for having me. All right. All right, folks, on the other side of the break, we’re going to be joined by Chris Mitchell from Jerusalem. He has the latest news on what’s happening there. We’re going to talk about Mike Huckabee and his hearing yesterday in his confirmation hearing for U.S. ambassador to Israel. We’re also going to talk about protests in Gaza, some positive things. Don’t go away.
SPEAKER 05 :
Everything we do begins as an idea. Before there can be acts of courage, there must be the belief that some things are worth sacrificing for. Before there can be marriage, there is the idea that man should not be alone. Before there was freedom, there was the idea that individuals are created equal. It’s true that all ideas have consequences, but we’re less aware that all consequences are the fruit of ideas. Before there was murder, there was hate. Before there was a Holocaust, there was the belief by some people that other people are undesirable. Our beliefs determine our behavior, and our beliefs about life’s biggest questions determine our world view. Where did I come from? Who decides what is right and wrong? What happens when I die? Our answers to these questions explain why people see the world so differently. Debates about abortion are really disagreements about where life gets its value. Debates over sexuality and gender and marriage are really disagreements about whether the rules are made by us or for us. What we think of as political debates are often much more than that. They’re disagreements about the purpose of our lives and the source of truth. As Christians, our goal must be to think biblically about everything. Our goal is to help you see beyond red and blue, left and right, to see the battle of ideas at the root of it all. Our goal is to equip Christians with a biblical worldview and help them advance and defend the faith in their families, communities, and the public square. Cultural renewal doesn’t begin with campaigns and elections. It begins with individuals turning from lies to truth. But that won’t happen if people can’t recognize a lie and don’t believe truth exists. We want to help you see the spiritual war behind the political war, the truth claims behind the press release, and the forest from the trees.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Wednesday. Hundreds of Palestinians staged protests in northern Gaza on Tuesday. Now, this is a major development as the citizens now are demanding that Hamas go away. They want peace. They don’t want war. They’ve had enough of this. This, to me, is quite amazing. And here with more from Jerusalem is Chris Mitchell, the Middle East Bureau Chief for CBN. Chris, welcome back to Washington Watch. And again, thanks for staying up late to join us this evening.
SPEAKER 10 :
Great to be with you, Tony. All right.
SPEAKER 08 :
So tell me if I’m overreading this, but this looks quite significant that the citizens of Gaza under the repressive hand of Hamas are finally saying enough is enough. We want peace.
SPEAKER 10 :
I don’t think you’re misreading it, Tony. If this continues and increases, it could mark a turning point within the war since October 7th. You have to realize that Hamas brutally cracks down on any opposition. And what does that mean? That means beatings in public. It could be torture, could be imprisonment and even death. So this is for any opposition. group of hundreds and maybe even more of people to come against Samas could be a big deal. Could this help release some of the hostages? We don’t know. But but it’s a very, very major, significant change in events inside Gaza and There was a report a few months ago, Tony, by a Channel 12 reporter interviewing some of the people moving from one area to another. They were cursing Yahya Sinwar and cursing Hamas. That was more isolated, but this seems like a growing group, and we’ll see what happens. It’s a hopeful sign that maybe people inside Gaza will come against Hamas itself.
SPEAKER 08 :
Is this in part because of the presence once again of IDF as they’ve moved in divided north and south in terms of the Gaza Strip that Gazans now feel a little more comfortable that they can come out given the presence of the IDF?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, definitely. I think, Tony, their presence in both the north and the south, and maybe they feel a sense of security in case the IDF actually continues its offensive against Hamas. And it’s making, it seems, significant inroads against Hamas, and it’s increasing its presence. Another division just went in the other day. So this could be one of the factors why many of these people seem to be speaking out against Hamas right now.
SPEAKER 08 :
Is this similar to what we’ve seen in the past in Iran, where Iranians have stood up against the regime from time to time? Of course, they’ve found the heavy hand of suppression, the brutalization that has taken place at the hands of the regime. But as you said, with the presence of the IDF, maybe that fear is not as strong.
SPEAKER 10 :
It could be. The idea may be a factor. We know so many times, tragically, that Iranians have protested against the government, and they have a history of a brutal crackdown, whether that means hitting people on the street, arresting people, even death, imprisonment. But the idea of maybe making a difference inside Gaza, we hope that this can continue. And maybe this is the answer to many people praying for what’s happening in Gaza, for the release of the hostages, and for finally many of these people in Gaza to be free as well from the oppression of Hamas, which is just brutal in the way that it can come against people that oppose it.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s a great reminder, Chris. I know as I pray almost every day for the peace of Israel, I include the Palestinians, the Arabs that live there, because there are many people there that don’t want what Hamas has been dishing out. And I think this is a reflection of that and why we need to pray into that situation. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that this is evidence that their plan in Gaza is actually working.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think it does. I mean, I would probably agree with the prime minister right now. It’s the military pressure that seems to create these kind of conditions certainly puts pressure on Hamas. And really, in the last week or so, they’ve eliminated maybe 10 Hamas leaders inside Gaza right now. So Hamas right now may be reeling in terms of a lack of leadership. And maybe this is another factor where many of these people in Gaza feel uncomfortable. safer and more free to go ahead and oppose this oppressive terrorist regime that really has committed atrocities on October 7th and really indoctrinated as we speak about these these Gazans that really a generation has been indoctrinated with his Hamas ideology. And they hopefully would be free of this as well. Chris, any plans to go down to Gaza to cover those protests? Not inside right now, Tony. I don’t think that would be very safe.
SPEAKER 08 :
Just checking, because I’d have to alert the prayer warriors to be praying for you. Hey, final question for you. Just got about a minute and a half left. Yesterday, Mike Huckabee, who has been selected as the ambassador to Israel, had his hearing before the United States Senate, his confirmation hearing. What’s the sense in Israel to Mike Huckabee, first evangelical that was to be tapped to be ambassador to Israel?
SPEAKER 10 :
Overall, I think it’s a very receptive reception for the possibility that he’ll be confirmed and become the first Christian U.S. ambassador to Israel. Certainly, he’s a great friend of Prime Minister Netanyahu. He’s supportive of the current coalition government. So I think he’ll be very well received if confirmed. There’s a lot of people in Judea and Samaria because he doesn’t believe in a two-state solution. He believes that’s the biblical heartland. So a lot of support there. Predictably, some groups that believe in a two-state solution are not very interested in him being the next president. U.S. ambassador, but I think overall a very, very receptive audience for here. And he’s been here more than about 100 times. He came here after October 7th, and he gets, I think, what Israel is going through right now. And also, you know, with the prospect of a looming attack on Iran by both Israel and the U.S., I think it’s a very strategic time that he would be here. And apparently he would like to be here by Passover, which is on April 12th next month.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I hope he’s there by then. He’s going to be great for Israel. It’s thrilling to see this development. And Chris, always great to have you on the program as well. So thanks for joining us. Great to be with you, Tony. All right, folks, stick around. Ken Blackwell joins me on the other side of the break.
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 foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. New episodes available each Monday. To view the series on the Stand Firm app, text COURSE to 67742.
SPEAKER 05 :
The world is hurting. Streets are filled with crime. Families are broken. Sin is celebrated and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor. You do. But you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion. And this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable Word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting, and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Session six of our God and Government course was released this week. FRC’s God and Government course, which I teach, combines biblical principles with historical insights from America’s past to offer a practical approach to governance. In this new episode, we examine the legislative and judicial branches and the power of the jury. You know how powerful a jury is? Well, you can find out by joining this week’s course. So it’s exclusively found on the Stand Firm app. But if you don’t have the Stand Firm app, you can text the word course. It’s the word course to 67742. And I will send you a link. Our word for today comes from Ezekiel chapter 11, where God warns the inhabitants of Jerusalem who believed they were secure behind their walls, that because they feared the sword and failed to follow his statutes, he would hand them over to their enemies. Though they trusted in their physical barriers and rejected God’s word, they would not escape his judgment. Ezekiel’s message reveals a sobering truth. If we refuse to know the Lord through his word, we risk encountering him through his righteous wrath. The people clung to the illusion of protection while neglecting the Creator whose rules they had broken. God proclaimed He would judge them at Israel’s borders as they were being carried out, and they would finally know that He was Lord. Their downfall from the sword was the result of hardened hearts unwilling to accept divine authority. These verses challenge us to consider whether we, too, are shutting out God’s Word and His ways. True security is found only in surrender to Him. We either embrace Him as Lord willingly, or we meet Him under far harsher circumstances, for He will not be walled out forever. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Yesterday at the White House, President Trump signed an executive order to better safeguard the integrity of our elections. Among other things, the order would enforce the citizenship requirement for federal elections and provide a means to better integrate information sharing between the federal government and the states. Well, what else would this executive order do to secure America’s elections? Well, here in studio to join us with his expertise and insights is Ken Blackwell, who is Family Research Council Action Special Advisor for Election Integrity. He also previously served as Ohio’s 48th Secretary of State, serving in the post during the 2004 presidential election when Ohio was a critical swing state. Ken, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining me here in studio. Hey, Tony. Good to be with you, sir. All right. As Ohio Secretary of State in 2004, you oversaw the presidential elections. You were right in the midst of that. That was back the year of the hanging chads and all of that. Based on your experience in elections and the… Quite frankly, the responsibility that flows to the states as well as the federal government, there is a line of separation. What is your assessment of this executive order? I think it’s sweeping.
SPEAKER 14 :
I think it’s a major overhaul of our election system from a security standpoint. I think one of the things in terms of the backstory that President Trump said, And signing the executive order was that he was going to establish the election system as part of our national security apparatus.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I mean, but it really is what you had. You’ve had these foreign actors trying to infiltrate our election system.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And so I think what’s so important about this is that President Trump has bought into our slogan, make it easy to vote but hard to cheat. The left has always made it easy to vote and easy to cheat. And that means that there are some legitimate ballots that have been negated by illegitimate ballots. What Trump said yesterday is that this is going to come to an end on his watch. I think it’s important that we take a look at two tracks. One is the chain of custody of ballots. And in that regard, Trump is saying when you expand election day to election month, you create internal difficulties and challenges in terms of the chain of custody. And so… Squeezing it back down to as close to a day is smart from a security standpoint.
SPEAKER 08 :
Let me stop on that for just a minute because that’s one of the elements of this executive order is basically election day is election day. No more ballots after election day are supposed to be counted. This is something you’ve been talking about for a number of years now is that this election month needs to come back to where it was historically as election day.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And before anybody starts wringing their hands, stumping their feet, we will make an exception for the ballots of our military personnel that are all protecting us in foreign lands. But that, too, can be greatly reduced by making sure that the U.S. Postal Service and others get those ballots back to us in a secure and quick manner. But the other track that is the voter verification track, that we need to make sure that voters are who they claim to be. And in that regard, one of the smart moves of President Trump’s executive order is to basically say that we’re going to use all of our databases to make sure that only citizens can vote. And so that verification dimension of his executive order is so very, very smart. And as someone who’s administered elections, one of the things that I know is that we have databases that can help us to make sure that we stop this runaway notion that we are a nation without borders and that we allow voters without borders.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, in voter rights groups are jumping up and down, expressing concern about this requirement that you prove your citizenship because it’s an estimated nine percent of U.S. citizens of voting age. Twenty one million people do not have proof of citizenship readily available. But if it’s a priority, you’ll have it available. I mean, how is it you can become a citizen and not have documentation proving that you’re a citizen?
SPEAKER 14 :
You have all kinds of documentation, and that’s why it’s going to just be very smart that we use not only our Social Security system, but we use our Homeland Security database, as well as the Department of State’s databases. We can establish proof of citizenship very easily and without any overly burdensome apparatus on voters.
SPEAKER 08 :
I mean, the private sector does it all the time. If you’re buying a car, you’re getting a loan, you go through all kinds of stuff. And if you think about it, buying a car or getting a loan, obviously, it’s a big deal for you. doesn’t necessarily directly impact the nation. But if you’re voting fraudulently, you’re impacting the entire nation.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And that’s what I’m saying. We cannot tolerate a system that allows a bad and illegitimate vote to negate that of a legitimate voter, that vote of a legitimate voter.
SPEAKER 08 :
OK, so this is I made kind of alluded to this. The states by the Constitution are given the authority to to determine certain aspects of elections, the times, the places in the manner according to the Constitution. So there’s the bulk of the responsibility lies with the states.
SPEAKER 14 :
how how is the federal government going to bring how’s this executive order going to bring the states along well i think one is going to be important that we use this opportunity presented to us where republicans have the trifecta they have the presidency the house and the senate they in fact can say within the scope of our responsibilities, this is what we’re going to do in terms of saying citizenship should be required. I then think when you push that back to the states, that is where we come into play. Grassroot organizations, individual citizens will start to demand that they have that proof of citizenship at the state level.
SPEAKER 08 :
So it’ll be up to each state to determine how that is proven.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah. Now, the federal government can require that for federal elections. And the question will be, will the state decide that they’re going to have two systems?
SPEAKER 08 :
So it’s kind of like, is it like the real ID? The state doesn’t have to do it? But if you live in a state and you don’t have a real ID, one that is approved for federal use, you have to have another ID. Absolutely. So either they can have a two-track election system, which is going to cost them more money, or they can have one that meets the federal standard. And I think the federal government also, according to this executive order, the federal financing for election systems will flow to those states that are actually in compliance.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, absolutely. And, Tony, you and I both know that it is a bogus argument to say that there is a burden to require people some sort of photo ID. It’s just crazy. I mean, whether it’s somebody— You have to do it to fly.
SPEAKER 08 :
You have to have a picture ID to fly. I mean, is it a hassle? Yeah, I do it every week. But voting is so much, again, flying affects me. You know, if I’m a terrorist, obviously it would affect other people. But if you’re voting fraudulently and it is a, and there’s an open door for that and it’s being manipulated, as evidence suggests it has in the past, that affects the entire country.
SPEAKER 14 :
It does, Tony. And it is so important that we begin to rebuild intense confidence in our election system. It is one of the major pillars, foundational pillars of a free society. And so when you start to eat away at that confidence in election outcomes, you start to weaken the legitimacy of the system.
SPEAKER 08 :
And you suppress legitimate turnout because people feel—and we heard this— We heard this in 2020 and we heard it in 2022 in the midterm election. My vote doesn’t count. You know, we were countering that to make sure people turned out in 2024. But it has a suppressing effect when people feel like their vote is going to be erased by a fraudulently cast vote. I came back back. Well, let me ask you this question as you you know, I know you’ve been you’ve been working on this issue nonstop for the last five years. What would you have added to the executive order?
SPEAKER 14 :
You know, that’s a good question. I think he got just about my my major concerns. One of the things let me just use this opportunity to say that I’ve said to the president’s team when it comes to contracting. the voting period from 30 days to as close to one day as we can, and requiring that the ballots be counted on Election Day, we need to start working with the U.S. Postal Service to make sure that those military ballots that are coming to us from across the ocean are counted. And that will be the one exception. Other than that, I tell you, that is the main thing. Contract the voting period so that we have a tighter election.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, like what you see in California two months after Election Day before some of these seats have been called.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah. And so I think I just think it’s so you track.
SPEAKER 08 :
I didn’t I didn’t mention this, but you literally have traveled the globe and have supervised elections, monitored elections in many different countries, third world countries. That’s right. that are actually quicker in reporting their results than the United States of America.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, does it just like that. We can do it. We’re so litigious. One of the things that we experienced this election is that The vote spread was too big to rig. But what about elections where you’re within the margin of litigation? You know that it’s going to be litigated. And so we want to make sure that we’re litigating over legitimate ballots, not false ballots.
SPEAKER 08 :
Ken Blackwell, we’re almost out of time, but this is an executive order. Now, we’re talking about – we’ve been talking a lot about executive orders because a lot has been done by executive orders, but this could be overturned in the next – You know, if there’s a Democratic administration at some point in time that could overturn this. So what has to happen? We’ve talked about the SAVE Act, which is a congressional action to protect elections. That type of congressional codification, this has to take place.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. We have to codify those principles and practices and policies in the executive order to make sure that they’re long-lasting and not flimsy and overturnable by a change in the White House. And I’m so proud of the job that Speaker Johnson is doing, and I’m sure that his counterparts in the Senate will understand the brilliant opportunity that we have in front of us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, Ken, just in a couple minutes left, I want you to put on, I want you to be the devil’s advocate here for a moment, because having been an election officer in the state of Ohio, you know what some of the folks on the other side of the aisle are going to be doing. There’s going to be lawsuits against this. Where is this vulnerable? Where do you think the line of attack will be?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I think clawing back the period by which elections take place. I’m not sure we can get it back to a day, but I think we can get it back from 30 days to a week. And then when people begin to build confidence and they see what people are doing around the world, both close and afar, they, in fact, will demand that we have that sort of efficiency, that sort of transparency, where you have enough confidence in the results of a system that it doesn’t take you two weeks, two months.
SPEAKER 08 :
Do you think the litigation will keep this from being in place in the midterm election, or do you think this executive order will have been enacted for the midterm election?
SPEAKER 14 :
I think it’s going to happen for the midterm election because I’m pressing that we get some of these changes to affect New Jersey and… Virginia this year. All right.
SPEAKER 08 :
Very good. Ken Blackwell, always great to see you. Appreciate the great work that you’ve been on this. You’ve been on this issue of election integrity, like we say down in Louisiana, like white on rice. You’ve been on it. So appreciate the great work you’ve done on behalf of all the groups, but in particular, your role with FRC Action. Thank you, Tony. And folks, this I’ve told you, you know, we’re working on these issues to make sure that your vote counts. And so you need to cast that vote every opportunity you have. That’s your again, as I’ve said before, our republic was not made for spectators. It’s made for participants. And that is one of the ways we participate by voting. Out of time for today. Thanks for joining me. Again, let me remind you of the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, 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 15 :
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.
