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Tony Perkins talks with former National Security Advisor John Bolton about the ongoing issues surrounding Russia and Ukraine, and the potential impacts of recent discussions. Further, Ambassador Bolton provides his take on recent US diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, exploring the implications of President Trump’s visit and the delicate balance America must maintain with Gulf states. Additionally, learn about faith-inspired initiatives like the FRC’s 21-day family Bible challenge, aimed at encouraging deeper engagement with biblical teachings.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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The One Big Beautiful Bill passed the House Budget Committee last night, bringing it one step closer to final passage. The One Big Beautiful Bill is perfectly named because it represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver on the Make America Great Again agenda responsible for President Trump’s landslide victory on November 5th.
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That was White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt earlier today. Welcome to this May 19th edition of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. We’re coming up, Kansas Congressman Ron Estes, a member of the House Budget Committee, joins us with the details of this weekend’s vote and what’s next for the one big, beautiful bill. And former National Security Advisor John Bolton joins me to talk the Middle East and the latest on Russia and Ukraine. Also, not that it is news, but rather an admission that former President Joe Biden’s condition was kept from the American public.
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We were told he was sharp as a tack. He had a photographic memory. He was intense and brilliant. And what’s amazing is the sources of this book were the same sources that told us that we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. It’s a stutter. Stop talking about him. The fact is they were managing his decline in a nursing home in the White House.
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Jared Bridges and Suzanne Bowdy joins me to take a look at this weekend’s stories. That, of course, was Reince Priebus, former chief of staff to President Trump in his first term. All of that and a bit more coming up on this edition of Washington Watch. Before we jump into our first interview, there’s a lot competing for the family’s attention right now. But no voice matters more than the words of Jesus. And that’s why we’re inviting your family to join FRC for a 21-day family Bible challenge through the book of Matthew. It starts June the 11th. As a part of our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan, it’s a 21-day plan. You and your family can walk together through the life of Christ with a study guide, weekly discussion questions, kid-friendly activities, and more. We want everyone to engage with the transforming power of the Scripture. Maybe you’re already on this journey. this would be a great opportunity to invite someone else to join you as well. So to join us on this Matthew challenge, simply text the word Matthew to 67742. That’s Matthew to 67742. Well, after being stalled on Friday night when four Republicans voted against the one big beautiful bill, the House Budget Committee advanced the measure late last night after a weekend of talks and negotiations. The bill has one more stop in the Rules Committee before advancing to the House floor for a vote. just ahead of the Memorial Day deadline set by House Speaker Mike Johnson. Here to discuss this is Congressman Ron Estes, who serves on three House committees, including the Budget Committee. He represents the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. Congressman Estes, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us after a long weekend.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, thank you, Tony. It’s great to be back.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right, so let’s talk about the process. Late last night, after a weekend of negotiations, the bill passed. What concessions were made to conservatives to get this bill across the line?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, you know, this was a great next step that we took last night in the Budget Committee, moving towards passing this one big, beautiful bill. There’s so many good components in this in terms of focusing on how do we make sure we increase funding for the defense? How do we help support with all the illegal immigration and border security here? How do we start to work on the deficit reduction as well as making sure Americans don’t get a 22 percent tax increase? And over the weekend, I think a lot of the work was done, particularly the discussion from most of the budget committee members were talking about how do we get more deficit reduction and focus on some of those policies, particularly some of the ones the way the bill was originally structured in the different committees was a lot of the spending increases was up front in the first few years.
SPEAKER 09 :
of the 10-year window whereas a lot of the reductions were in the latter part of that so a lot of the work was how do we bring some of those reductions forward as well so that we can help work and address the deficit as it stands right now well and i think that’s important for people to know because there’s a lot of budget gimmicks that are used and you can push things out you know to the 10-year window the end of that 10-year window and you’re not going to have control over it so what you can control is only what is happening in this congress or maybe the next Congress you’ll have influence. So I think it’s right for conservatives to push this up, especially in light of Moody’s rating cut of the U.S. sovereign credit rating, down one notch. I mean, they’re concerned about America’s continuing deficits and our big debt.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s right. And Moody’s hasn’t always gotten it right, but there’s certainly some indications here that our spending is out of control. You look back, going back to 2019, our spending has gone up 70 percent, even while revenue has gone up 50 percent. But spending has just gotten so large at the federal government level. And, you know, Moody’s missed the boat earlier when they were talking about the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, when they said that that would not cause inflation and it would lead to a lot of jobs. And that did not happen. And so we want to make sure that as we pass the one big, beautiful bill that it helps focus on how do we keep the economy going and lowers the deficit as we move forward.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I mean, you’re right on Moody’s. But I think we all can recognize that when we’re carrying nearly $37 trillion in debt and we’re adding almost $2 trillion a year now at the clip that we’re running at, we cannot sustain this. And so I applaud the work of conservatives on the Budget Committee and the Republicans as a whole. But there’s been a lot of give and take. I was actually talking to the speaker over the weekend. And as we accommodate the conservatives here, what’s going to happen next with the moderates who are wanting an increase in the deduction for local estate and local taxes? Are they going to get a bigger deduction for that from the blue states?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I think that is one of the difficulties as we go through this process because there’s so much good in this bill that we’re looking at and we’re trying to focus on so many things. Obviously, there’s lots of dynamics that affects different districts as well as affects different senators in different states. So we want to make sure as we’re structuring the bill that we address it and we keep moving forward with deficit reduction as well as making sure that we don’t have this huge tax increase next year.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, those are two very significant items you just brought up. Number one, the tax increase, which if this is not passed, almost every American family that pays taxes is going to feel it. But that deficit reduction, that’s one that I don’t think people… pay as much attention to because we’ve heard it so often. It’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf. And people have heard it over and over again, and nothing’s happened. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to. I think we’re reaching a point where the level of our debt that we have amassed as a nation is just unsustainable. And we’re paying a trillion dollars a year just on interest, more than what we pay for national security. I’m wondering, has that awareness gripped the Congress to go beyond the parochial issues that you talked about? You got this program here, got this program there, got this state that wants this. But looking at this as a whole as a nation, have we reached that point yet?
SPEAKER 08 :
I think as we’ve seen over the last year and a half, as the interest costs have risen from roughly $300 billion up to a trillion dollars, there’s a lot more visibility in Congress as well as across the country that it’s an issue we have to address. Right now, as you said, interest is higher than defense spending. It’s behind only Social Security and Medicare, and in the next couple of years, it’s expected to pass Medicare costs. And so… One of the things we need to make sure is that even though people recognize it’s a concern, we’ve got to be willing to actually address some of our issues and recognize that there’s got to be some decisions made. Even though there are provisions we may not agree with 100 percent, I may not agree with 100 percent, all the provisions that end up in there. But we’re trying to make sure that we get the best solution moving forward.
SPEAKER 09 :
And it’s a combination, I think. You’ve got to address the spending side, but you also want to increase growth. I mean, you’ve got to increase economic growth, which is going to create more tax revenue. And a part of that, I think, is the tax cuts, because that’s going to spur on, I think, more investment, more activity. So it is a combination of doing both. Frankly, I think we’ve been, Congress has been a little hesitant to do the spending cuts because once a program is created, rarely does it ever go away.
SPEAKER 08 :
It really is. I mean, as President Reagan said, that’s almost the closest thing to eternal life is a federal government program. And it’s much difficult to stop those programs once they get started because they take on a constituency of their own. But we’ve got to make some of those tough decisions as well as making sure that when we put policy in place, it does address those pro-growth things. Our bipartisan scorekeepers, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation, tend to look at things mostly in a static view. And we recognize that we want to make sure that we incentivize businesses to grow. We want to incentivize having that economic growth because we know with that economic growth, we’ll continue to get more tax revenue. If you look back consistently over the last several decades, our tax revenue has come in about 17 to 18 percent of our GDP. So a growing GDP means we have more tax revenue, but our spending is now ballooned up to roughly 24% of GDP, and that’s where our problem is right now.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, that’s a really good point. We ought to tie our spending to our GDP. So you can’t have any more growth in spending than you do in economic growth, except maybe in an emergency situation, war or something like that. Congressman, just a couple minutes left here. So the bill passed last night. It now has to go to the Rules Committee. So what are the prospects there?
SPEAKER 08 :
The next steps, as you said, are going through the Rules Committee. A couple things that are being done. There’s some of the final negotiations on which provisions go in for the deficit reduction, as well as some of the tax provisions as well, and looking at how do we move some of those deficit reduction provisions forward. There’s also, as we have to look at it, because of the rules in the Senate, around the bird rule, we have to make sure that the bill that passes out of the House doesn’t conflict with some of those provisions over there. So that’s the step right now that’s going on in terms of crafting a manager’s amendment for the bill as it goes into the Rules Committee, and it’ll be passed, and we expect to have it passed and passed the floor of the House this week.
SPEAKER 09 :
Now, Chip Roy, a congressman from Texas, is on the Rules Committee. He is also a member of the Budget Committee. He voted against it. He was one of the four that voted against it on Friday night. Last night, the four Republicans just voted present, so their vote didn’t count against it. Is he going to be satisfied, you think, when it comes to the Rules Committee? Will he vote for it in the Rules Committee?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I think that’s part of the process. One over the weekend. I mean, there was a lot of time being spent as they focused on what are some of the types of issues that they could do to bring some of that deficit reduction forward. And I, you know, I’ve talked with Chip last night and talked with some of the other members and they’re focusing on how do we make sure some of these good provisions get included? That’s kind of the part of the next steps as they’re working towards that manager’s amendment for the Rules Committee. I do expect that we’ll get 218 votes on the House floor so that we can pass this legislation and keep it moving forward. It’s too important for America not to. Optimistic that it will be done by Memorial Day? I am optimistic. I think it may be Thursday or Friday this week when we get that done, and they’re looking at trying to schedule a vote on Thursday.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay. I’ve got my schedule cleared through late Friday because sometimes I know these things come up to the wire, trying to get them across the line. Congressman Estes, I want to thank you for joining us. Always great to have you on the program.
SPEAKER 08 :
Great. Thank you.
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Congressman Ron Estes of Kansas. All right. There’s still time for you to weigh in. There’s still provisions in this bill that we want to make sure get across the line. That is the defunding of Planned Parenthood and also to strengthen the language to make sure that that your tax dollars are not going for gender reassignment surgeries or these experimental drug uses. to deal with gender dysphoria. The government shouldn’t be doing this. So text Congress to 67742. That’s Congress to 67742. All right, don’t go away. When we come back, former National Security Advisor John Bolton joins me.
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SPEAKER 09 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on CBS over the weekend discussing the latest on the negotiations of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
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We don’t want to be involved in this process of just endless talks. There has to be some progress, some movement forward. Ultimately, one of the things that could help break this long jam, perhaps the only thing that can, is a direct conversation between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, and he’s already openly expressed a desire and a belief that that needs to happen.
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Well, earlier today, reportedly, those conversations took place. Here to discuss this and more is Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor and ambassador to the United Nations. He is also the author of Surrender Is Not an Option, Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad and the Room Where It Happened, a White House memoir. Ambassador Bolton, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 11 :
Ready to be with you. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 09 :
Before we jump into the Middle East and kind of what took place there last week, I want to talk about Ukraine, Russia. President Trump engaged in a phone conversation this morning with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This has been, I think, frustrating for President Trump. He thought he would have this thing resolved quickly. It’s not been. Is Putin, is he being straightforward in these conversations he’s been having with President Trump?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think he’s not being straightforward if he’s saying he’s eager to find a way to get a ceasefire, notwithstanding that it might be in Russia’s interest to have a ceasefire, given the enormous casualties that they’ve suffered over the three-plus years since the Russian invasion. I think Putin believes that momentum on the battlefield, slight though it is, is moving in Russia’s direction. And as long as that’s the case, he’s happy to continue the war, notwithstanding the huge cost in life and resources to his government. I think what he really wants is to make either a ceasefire or an ultimate solution to this directly with Donald Trump. He doesn’t want to have to deal with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. He doesn’t want to have to deal with all the European leaders. He would like to have basically a one-on-one resolution with Trump because he thinks he knows how to get what he wants from Trump. I think this call today was something that Putin wanted. We may see in the near future as well an actual meeting between the two of them, which Putin, I think, would like to see because it would help bring him out of international isolation.
SPEAKER 09 :
What does he want other than kind of this image makeover? Is he wanting Donald Trump, President Trump, to agree to allow him to keep the land that he’s taken in Ukraine?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yes, I think that’s a very important point. And in comments by J.D. Vance and others in the administration, I think that’s already been given to Putin, if that view holds. Vance said as far back during the campaign that Ukraine was not going to be returned to its full sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine would not join NATO. NATO would not provide security guarantees, which are pretty critical elements from Ukraine’s point of view, because even if they get a ceasefire now, remember, they had a ceasefire back in 2014 after the first Russian invasion, and it took the Kremlin eight years to invade again. It may take another long period before a third invasion takes place, but Zelensky wants to find a way to prevent the third invasion before it happens, which is why he’s pressed so hard for security guarantees.
SPEAKER 09 :
Is that not maybe part of the rare earth minerals, that agreement that might bring American interest permanently into Ukraine that could provide some level of protection?
SPEAKER 11 :
I think that’s the long range intent. I agree with that. And I think the minerals deal is a political plus for Zelensky. But digging mines is not a short term operation, particularly since a lot of the minerals we’re talking about are in areas near the current front line, some of them actually behind the Russian position now. But undoubtedly, getting that minerals deal signed moved beyond what happened in the Oval Office on February the 28th. I think we’re back on an even keel with Zelensky now. And for that reason alone, I think it was important to get done.
SPEAKER 09 :
Let me ask you about that, Ambassador Bolton, because it appeared there for a while that the Trump administration kind of seeing Vladimir Zelensky as the holdout here, the hard one to deal with. And it appears that now they’re starting to see that it’s Putin that does not want to come to a peaceful agreement.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, Zelensky and the Ukrainians believe they’re fighting for their freedom and independence. So you can understand perhaps why they’re not inclined to trade much of that away. Putin is trying to recreate the Russian empire. This is something he said. beginning back in 2005 and repeated many, many times since then for the Russian dream of a renewed Russian empire absolutely has to include Ukraine. So there are strong reasons on both sides, not the same reasons by any stretch of the imagination. And it’s because Putin thinks, rightly or wrongly, that his chances are on the upswing here that have made him really the obstacle. He doesn’t want to stop when he thinks he’s ahead.
SPEAKER 09 :
So are we dealing with a rational individual when we’re talking about Vladimir Putin in his approach to negotiations? Or is he driven by this vision that overrides what we would call a rational man view?
SPEAKER 11 :
No, I think he’s rational. I’ve met with him any number of times over the years. First time just a month or so after 9-11, when I accompanied Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to Moscow to talk about things we needed to go after al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. And in several of the meetings I’ve had with him after we’ve discussed some issue or another on which we didn’t reach agreement, Putin would say in English sometimes, which he speaks relatively well, he’d say, well, you have your logic, we have ours, we’ll see which one prevails. His logic is the logic of recreating the Russian empire.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, we’re almost up against a break, Ambassador Bolton, because I want to switch now to the Middle East, the president making a kind of whirlwind trip through there, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, bypassing Israel. It’s caused some to speculate, is there a rift in that relationship? But talking about rational in Russia, I think there’s a different element at play in the Middle East that I don’t think the United States and our foreign policy have always gotten right. And I want to talk about that when we come back. So I’ll give you a moment to think about that as we head into a break. My guest, Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to President Trump in the first administration. When we come back. We’re going to visit more about the Middle East and is it being remade as a result of President Trump’s visit there last week? So don’t go away. A lot more Washington Watch straight ahead.
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SPEAKER 09 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in to the website, TonyPerkins.com. If you don’t have the StandFirm app, I encourage you to download the StandFirm app. That’s the best way to connect with Washington Watch and the Washington Stand. All right, we’re here with former Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Ambassador, thanks for sticking around. I want to go to the Middle East. Last week, the president was there. What do you make of his trip?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think the major emphasis was continuing a policy we’ve had really now for over 40 years of trying to bind the Gulf Arab states closer to the United States. We face the common threat from Iran, both its nuclear weapons program and its support for terrorism. That’s the same threat that the state of Israel sees. So our interests there are really aligned. And we’re also trying to continue the longstanding U.S. policy of keeping China and Russia effectively as far removed from influencing events in the Middle East as we can. So there was a lot of flash and pop about the business deals that were announced. But that’s the kind of indication of the tightness of the connection between the U.S. and the three states that President Trump visited, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. So I think there it was very successful. I think there’s some other aspects, notably Syria, that I think are more disturbing. But that part of it, I think, was a clear success.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s kind of a delicate dance. I mean, when you look at the history of Saudi Arabia, Qatar in particular, UAE is a little different. I mean, they’re kind of a standout. They’re a little more open to Western values to some degree. They have religious freedom to a degree there in that country. Saudi Arabia, not a single church. And both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been connected to financing terrorism. How do we make that relationship in such a way, in an environment where there’s an ideologically driven motive to really conquer the West?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I think the threat coming from Iran is something that disturbs everybody else in the region, and it comes in the form of both Shia and Sunni terrorists. and people who would just as soon see us gone from the region entirely. You know, I think there’s change coming across the Gulf Arab states, including Saudi and Qatar, and I think it’s going to be unpredictable and hard to constrain, but there’s a lot going on. I think had it not been for the Hamas attack on Israel, October the 7th and 23, I really do think that Saudi Arabia was very close to an Abraham Accord deal with Israel. I think there’s still a lot going on under the surface. The structure of many of the governments there and the way the culture has evolved isn’t exactly how we would do it. But I think there’s plenty of room for progress on areas of mutual interest, particularly dealing with the threat from Iran.
SPEAKER 09 :
You mentioned October the 7th, Ambassador. Has Israel’s success in taking on Iran and its proxies, did it set the stage for last week’s historic meetings?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I really think that beginning with the Abraham Accords, you could see how the tectonic plates in the Middle East were changing with the common view of the Gulf Arab states and Israel on the threat from Iran has even dating back to the late 20-teens, was beginning to show its effects. But now, since October the 7th, the balance of power in the region has materially changed. The Israelis have pummeled key terrorist surrogates that Iran had built up with billions of dollars of aid over the years. So, they’ve deeply wounded Hamas and Hezbollah. The Houthis still need some more work, but the Assad regime, a key ally of Iran, has fallen in Syria. And Israel itself has struck Iran’s ballistic missile production facilities back in October, doing considerable damage. So, if you look around, Iran’s strength is significantly reduced. And the real question now is, will Israel deal with the Iranian nuclear program if the Iranians don’t give it up. I think that’s very much a possibility in the near future, depending on how the ongoing U.S. talks with Iran go. But I think the Arab states see that this is a difference. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, notwithstanding the ongoing conflict in Gaza, that other Abraham Accords are not possible in the very near future, maybe even this year.
SPEAKER 09 :
Ambassador, just about a minute and a half left. So, Iran, the common enemy, the Shiites versus the Sunni. But… When we talk about these business deals, I think history would tell us we’ve got to be careful when it comes to military technology, because if Iran is eliminated and we have some of these other Gulf states, and in particular you made reference to Syria and that conversation that took place between the new leader and the president, should we not be guarded about our military technology going to that region?
SPEAKER 11 :
Absolutely. And I think steps are normally taken there. We consult with Israel on any major arms shipment to the Arab states to preserve what has been called over the years Israel’s qualitative edge. And I think that that continues to be the policy. But hopefully, if diplomatic recognition spreads and Israel gets more contacts, you could see a much closer relationship between Israel and the Arab states. And that in and of itself would be a real guarantee. With that conflict fading into history, the Middle East really would have changed prospects.
SPEAKER 09 :
I think you’re right. I think it’s something we have to go into with our eyes wide open. And it’s a managed piece. I don’t think it’s going to be a permanent piece. That’s yet to come in the future. Ambassador John Bolton, always great to see you. Appreciate your insights. And thanks for joining us today.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, thank you for having me. Glad to do it.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right. Ambassador John Bolton, we know peace is coming in that region, but it’s going to be a while. In the meantime, we just need to manage it. All right, coming up next, we’re going to be joined by Jared Bridges and Suzanne Valdi with the Washington stand. So don’t go away. We’re back with more after this.
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How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ and in all of life follow outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week
SPEAKER 09 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. If you are not a part of FRC’s journey through the Bible, or if you are and you want to invite someone to join you, guess what? I have the perfect on-ramp to the journey. Starting June the 11th, you can be a part of FRC’s 21-day Family Bible Challenge through the Gospel of Matthew, which kicks off, as I said, June the 11th. To join us for this transformative journey through Scripture, text the word MATTHEW to 67742. That’s MATTHEW to 67742. We have lots of resources available for you and your family. Maybe you want to give this to get your grandkids or your kids to join you. Text the word MATTHEW to 67742. All right, speaking of the Bible, our word for today comes from Ezra 5. Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddu, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. So Zerubbabel and Joshua rose up and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. Well, as soon as the rebuilding resumed, opposition arose. Look at what it says in verse 3. At the same time, Tatnai, the governor of the region beyond the river, came to them and asked, who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall? Well, here’s something we need to recognize. Obedience to God often invites opposition from man. Why? Because whatever God calls us to, Satan will attempt to keep us from. So, what should be our response? Just like Zerubbabel and Yeshua, stay calm, obey God, and keep working. When we remain faithful in the face of resistance, we position ourselves to see the breakthroughs of God. For more on our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. The weekend news shows were consumed with the continuing fallout from trickling revelations that former President Joe Biden was in a clear state of declining mental acuity in the final years of his administration. But are these news shows and their journalists part of the cover-up that occurred in the Biden administration’s final years? Also, a lot of focus on the Supreme Court ruling of the use of the Alien Enemy Act to deport Venezuelans. Is the court letting illegals roam the country? Joining me now with a look at the news stories going into this week are two members of the Washington Stand team, editor-in-chief Jared Bridges and editorial director and senior writer Suzanne Bowdy. Jared, Suzanne, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining me on this Monday. Thanks, Tony. Let’s start with something that I heard quite a bit about over the weekend. People read the headlines about the Supreme Court decision or ruling, rather, on the use of the Alien Deportation Act. Let me play a clip from one of the weekend shows. This is the ABC show with Sarah Isger. And so play clip number nine, please.
SPEAKER 03 :
Is the Supreme Court turning against Trump?
SPEAKER 02 :
The Supreme Court, including the conservative members of that court, are becoming increasingly clear to quote… Not two of them.
SPEAKER 06 :
There were two on the other… That’s true.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, to quote future Metro boomin, like, we still don’t trust you, that is the message they are sending to this administration. So much of that opinion was about not trusting what the administration was telling them.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right, again, that was from ABC This Week. Suzanne, are people misreading the court ruling?
SPEAKER 25 :
I think it’s very unfortunate that you’re seeing this decision being framed as an issue about Trump, when in fact what the Supreme Court is tasked with is upholding the rule of law. And in this instance, I think the Supreme Court is being very misunderstood. If people look beyond the headlines, and unfortunately I think too many people don’t, they just take the headlines at face value. what they would see is that the Supreme Court didn’t say that Donald Trump couldn’t deport Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act. It just said we need to take a pause and see if he’s doing so legally. Those that have studied this case know that Trump gave very little warning when he was going to deport these gang members. And so what the Supreme Court is truly looking at is, one, was Trump Did Trump give the right amount of warning to these illegal immigrants, too? Did he apply his due process being applied here? And and while in the clip, you’ll notice that on CNN, they said, oh, two justices are with the Trump administration. The reality is that justices Alito and Thomas are. ruled against this temporary pause but they also did rule in a previous uh case argued last month that aliens do deserve due process so they’re not fully embracing this idea that that trump can do whatever he wants he also has to abide by the rule of law and i think that if we care about the biden administration following the rule of law then we need to care about the trump administration following the rule of law and that’s what’s at stake in this case it is it’s far from finished They have not decided on the merits of the case. They’ve simply paused it.
SPEAKER 09 :
But to be clear, Jared Bridges, they’re not opening the floodgates for illegals to come in the country or to Rome. These remain detained.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. Yeah, they remain detained, and it just puts a temporary hold on sending them back to Venezuela. So we’ve got the rule of law is still being upheld. They’re still in place. They’re not being let loose, as we’ve seen in previous administrations.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right. Another big news story this weekend. Revelations coming out about former President Joe Biden, kind of his cognitive decline, as if we didn’t already know that. So CNN, Jake Tapper had Laura Trump on. I’m going to play this clip. Clip number eight, please.
SPEAKER 23 :
I think what we see on stage with Joe Biden, Jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline. That’s what I’m referring to. It makes me uncomfortable to watch somebody on stage search for questions. It’s so amazing to me that… And try and figure out an answer.
SPEAKER 05 :
A cognitive decline.
SPEAKER 23 :
But when you’re trying to tell me that what I was suggesting was a stuttering… I think that you were mocking his stutter.
SPEAKER 05 :
I have no idea, Joe Biden. Yeah, I think you were mocking his stutter. And I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody’s cognitive decline.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay, I play that clip because that goes back to 2020. I play this clip because Jake Tapper, it’s coming out in this tell-all book that he was actually a part of covering some of this up. Jared Bridges.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I mean, it’s amazing how nearly six years later, Jake Tapper is singing a different song. And that wasn’t the only instance where Tapper questioned the narrative that Biden was in some sort of cognitive decline. And he’s coming out with this now in his book, Original Sin, and making big headways about it, making waves about it. The big news over the weekend that was released was the audio from special counsel Robert Herr’s interview with Biden. Also, the fact that Biden didn’t appear to recognize George Clooney at an event, and it wasn’t because he was unfamiliar with Clooney. Clooney was one of his biggest supporters. And this all comes out today where yesterday you have President Biden announcing that he has prostate cancer in advanced stages. And that is devastating news to have to announce, to put down this narrative that was coming out just over the weekend earlier about how there had been a cover up over the president’s decline. Biden’s doctor in February 2024, White House physician Kevin O’Connor, right after the her report, said that Biden was fit for duty. He said he fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations. You had people like Jake Tapper and other media outlets vouching for him. They would go after the Trump administration or Trump campaign when they would make comments about or even question Biden’s mental acuity. So there is a there has been something going on here where we haven’t been told the entire story.
SPEAKER 09 :
So Suzanne, why now? Why are they coming forward with this information?
SPEAKER 25 :
I’m sure, to cover their own tracks. The media is responsible for actually propagating this narrative that Biden has been OK all this time in order to hang on to power for the Democratic Party. I also think not enough blame has been thrown at the feet of Democrats, including those in the White House who’ve been around his inner circle a lot, but also Chuck Schumer. Over the weekend or a little before the weekend, we saw him on CNN saying, look, I don’t want to talk about this when he was pressed about Biden’s mental ability. He said, I just think we need to move forward. Well, that’s a very hypocritical stance, considering that the Democratic Party hasn’t wanted to move forward when it comes to Donald Trump. When he was out of office, did we see them leave him behind? No, they pursued him with relentless lawfare. did they leave j6 behind no they did not they’re still trying to make that a core issue so so there’s a lot going on here be very convenient for them to put this in the rearview mirror but the matter is that they they actually put national security in jeopardy along with a lot of decisions i think James Comey’s announcement last week that the House is going to investigate the cognitive decline of Biden is important because this is a man with his fingers or maybe his aide’s fingers on the hand of a nuclear weapon. The auto pen signatures are also a big deal. So we need to get to the bottom of who knew what and when just for our own country’s security and peace of mind that whoever’s in charge actually does have the mental ability to make the right decisions.
SPEAKER 09 :
I put a pin in that for just a moment. I do want to mention that with the news that Jared mentioned that Joe Biden over the weekend released the diagnosis that he has advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. We certainly want to be praying for him and his family. And we understand the significance of those health challenges, especially someone of that age. All right. Let me go back to where I put the pin. Does this not – and I’ll throw this out for both of you – does this not further erode the American trust in the media and the Democratic Party? Because now they’ve been caught with their hand in the cookie jar covering up.
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, I think a lot of people will be – sorry, go ahead, Jared.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, yeah, it’s not just that. It’s the fact that they have put their leader and not honored him properly. Leviticus 19.32 says, You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God. I am the Lord. And they have not… honored him properly. They have put him forth to run again when I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that he was not able to do that. So the trust gap, you wonder why the American people didn’t trust them in the 2024 election. maybe that has something to do with it.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I would pin that squarely on the family. I mean, his wife should have never let him step into that public light again. They should have, like Nancy Reagan, I think was very, I didn’t agree with her on a lot of stuff. But I did agree with the relationship she had with President Reagan and how she cared for his image and his that he was not in any way humiliated by stepping into the arena once that mental decline began. Suzanne, I mean, this does go right at the heart of the trustworthiness of the media and that they were covering up. They were complicit in this. And now this is coming out that they all knew this.
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. And we’ve seen just in February when Gallup polled this question most recently, how much does the how much do the American people trust the media? And it’s it’s a five decade low. We’re looking at only a third of the country, less than a third who actually trust the media. And one of the really sad side effects of that is as this cancer diagnosis comes out, I’m sure that we aren’t the only ones wondering how long have they known about this? Is this something that he was plagued with while he was in office? Was the plan just to reelect him? And then if the cancer did get it more aggressive, would he be tossed aside for Harris? It raises a lot of questions that we shouldn’t be focusing on when we should, in fact, be praying for that family. Right.
SPEAKER 09 :
And was this in fact rolled out as sympathy to cover up this new tell-all book that’s out there. Jared, speaking of the, we just have about a minute, about two minutes left. Speaking of the lack of credibility and trustworthiness of the media, this past Saturday a bombing happened in Palm Springs, California at a fertility clinic. Before any of the facts were known, some in the legacy media were quick to insinuate that a pro-lifer potentially committed this act of terrorism. But in fact, it was not. It was the opposite.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, the alleged suspect, it looks like now, was an antinatalist, someone who didn’t believe that humans should continue to procreate. And it just shows how Irresponsible journalism can easily lead the wrong way very quickly. On Saturday, before the facts were known of who did this, ABC News’ chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Katursky, said he concluded his report by saying President Trump has pledged to expand access to IVF, but he has faced backlash from some in the Christian conservative movement who are opposed to the loss of embryos during the process. CNN as well on Saturday put a line in their article that said IVF and the practice of discarding embryos has been the subject of some conservative religious and religious criticism. Now, they didn’t know who did this. It’s just sort of offhanded speculation. And we know that that is dangerous.
SPEAKER 09 :
And Suzanne, there are alternatives to the legacy media.
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. You’re talking to two people that are part of one of those at thewashingtonstand.com, where you also have a piece up that I encourage people to read on Trump’s Middle East trip. So, yes, please check out thewashingtonstand.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s news and commentary from a biblical perspective. are very straightforward with our worldview. Our worldview comes from a biblical perspective, and that is the lenses through which we see the news and events, and we provide our commentary. So we’re not hiding anything. We’re telling you what you’re going to get up front. Jared, Suzanne, thanks so much for joining us, and continue to do a great job with the Washington Stand.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right, folks. And I encourage you to check out the Washington stand so that you can have a daily news feed, news and commentary from a biblical perspective. The best way to get it is to download the stand firm app, go to the app store and get the stand firm app or text app to six, seven, seven, four, two. And I’ll send you the link. All right, we’re out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, prepared, and taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 28 :
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.
