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Join Jody Heiss as he engages in crucial conversations on pro-life initiatives and international events. This episode of Washington Watch features an analysis of the recent pardoning of pro-life activists by President Trump, the House’s action on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and insights into the geopolitical consequences of the Hamas hostage release. Expert commentary from Eric Stackelbeck and a closing segment on the biblical perspective on current events offers a comprehensive view of the issues that matter.
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. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, good afternoon. Hope you have had a fantastic week. Welcome to this Friday edition of Washington Watch. I am your Friday host, Jody Heiss, the Senior Vice President here at the Family Research Council and President of FRC Action. Thank you so much for joining us today. We’ve got a lot going on. Coming your way, as you probably are keenly aware by now, thousands of pro-lifers converged on Washington, D.C. today for the 22nd annual March for Life. And before taking to the streets, they heard from President Donald Trump, who delivered remarks virtually.
SPEAKER 02 :
In my second term, we will again stand proudly for families and for life. We will protect the historic gains we have made and stop the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion on demand up to the moment of birth and even after birth.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, it was cold, it was frigid today in Washington, D.C., but what was the real atmosphere like for this year’s March for Life? Washington Stand reporter Sarah Holliday will join me in just a moment to share what she saw and heard firsthand. Also speaking at this year’s March for Life was Vice President J.D. Vance, who was there in person. And in his remarks, he celebrated the president’s pardoning of 23 pro-lifers who were unjustly targeted by the previous Biden administration’s weaponized Justice Department.
SPEAKER 05 :
No longer will the federal government direct FBI raids on the homes of people like Mark Houck. and other Catholic and Christian activists who are fighting for the unborn every single day. And no longer will our government throw pro-life protesters and activists, elderly, grandparents, or anybody else in prison. It stopped on Monday, and we’re not going to let it come back to this country.
SPEAKER 13 :
So what’s it going to take to stop this type of thing from ever happening again? Well, Congressman Chip Roy will join me later to discuss that. And yesterday, the House passed the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which failed to advance in the Senate. But how many Democrats voted for it? Well, you’ll be interested to find out if Congressman Andy Harris will be joining me in just a few moments about that. And then in international news, the Hamas terror group will be releasing some more hostages tomorrow. And while this is certainly cause for rejoicing, the heavy cost of the deal. Israel agreed to has certainly raised some concerns, and geopolitical commentator Eric Stackelbeck of TBN will be joining me about that. And then later in the program, we’ll be joined by David Claussen for our weekly Biblical Worldview segment. So we have a lot coming your way today. You don’t want to miss it. We’ve got, man, so much. Let’s go ahead and get started. Today, as I mentioned a while ago, was the 52nd annual March for Life. It took place all across the country as well as here in Washington, D.C., literally drawing thousands of marchers who braved the frigid temperatures to stand in the gap for the pre-born. Washington Stand reporter Sarah Holliday was there in person to experience the march, and she joins me now to tell us a little bit of her experience. Sarah, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you for having me, Jody.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I hope you’ve thought out a little bit by now. But listen, real quickly, I was I sat back and I wanted to ask you this and then I want to get real quickly your overall response. But was this the first time ever that both the president and vice president had comments to share for March for Life?
SPEAKER 07 :
From my understanding, that just may be the case. I believe Trump actually in 2020 was the first sitting president to attend the march in person.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, I recall that vividly. All right, real quickly, Sarah, what was your experience? Well, I know it’s frigid cold, but what was the atmosphere? What was it like for the people who were there?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it was cold, but, you know, it was remarkably sunny. And as President Trump stated, people’s hearts were warm and our spirits were high. The atmosphere was just joyful. I would even say electric. I can’t help but wonder if part of that is because of this new administration that has come in and vowed to help out this pro-life movement and the cause in which it seeks to protect women and the unborn. So the atmosphere was just so exciting. There was praise and prayer going on throughout the morning, conversations, laughter, there was dancing. It was a wonderful gathering of people that despite any other differences we may have, came together to fight for the sanctity of life.
SPEAKER 13 :
That is awesome. Sarah Holliday, reporter with Washington. Stan, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch, and thank you for being a part of the March for Life today. I want to switch over now. I want to continue this discussion on the life issue from Capitol Hill. perspective there, specifically coming from Congressman Andy Harris, who represents Maryland’s first district. He’s the chairman, by the way, of the House Freedom Caucus and also chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus. He’s got his hands in a little bit of everything. Previously, he was a physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital. And so most of all, most of us refer to him as Dr. Harris. Dr. Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch. So good to have you.
SPEAKER 17 :
It’s great to be with you, Jody.
SPEAKER 13 :
Okay, so, man, the March for Life has been organized every year since the Roe v. Wade decision. And while certainly Dobbs’ decision may have been tossed into the dustbin of history, pro-life, there is still a lot of work to be done for the pro-life cause. Wouldn’t you agree?
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s absolutely right, Jody. Now it might be a state-by-state fight, but we’re in it. And in the end, we will show everyone and we will prevail because the fact of the matter is, is that it is a human life. It does need to be protected. And abortion does take a human life.
SPEAKER 13 :
So there were a lot of folks, I just had a brief conversation, don’t know if you were able to hear it, with Sarah Holliday, who’s one of our reporters who was there in person. The weather was frigid, cold to say the least, but thousands were there. What message do you hope is going to be sent to the rest of the country here again on another day of marching for life?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, the message is pretty clear. You know, we stand for human life, that despite, you know, Dobbs’ decision, many states, as you know, have legalized abortion, even in their constitution. But again, it may take us another 50 years to get these efforts in the states overturned, but we will prevail. We will keep marching and we will prevail.
SPEAKER 13 :
I love that confidence, Dr. Harris. Thank you for inspiring us with that. And I believe it. I mean, life must prevail at the end of the day. I did want to throw this across your way and get your reaction. Democrats don’t seem to be getting the message that you just shared at all. And it’s a message that’s shared from the majority of Americans. But none of the Democrats in the Senate voted for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. What in the world does this tell us about where the Democrats are on this issue?
SPEAKER 17 :
Uh, Jody, it just tells you how extreme they are. Even in the House, only one Republican, Henry Cuellar from Texas, voted with us. Uh, but again, this is an issue, you know, the vast majority of Americans agree, if you botch an abortion and the baby is born alive, society has the right to protect that life. And again, uh, the, the, the vast majority of Democrats in the, in the Congress disagree. It’s, I don’t think the vast majority of Democrats, registered Democrats around the country disagree But the vast majority of elected Democrats do.
SPEAKER 13 :
What is causing this disconnect? Because I agree, this was not a strong pro-life bill. This is a bill that said if a baby is born alive, it is there in the hands of the doctor or the mother or whomever, the baby is alive there in that hospital room. A botched abortion, the baby is alive, and Democrats voted to kill the baby. There is no way in my mind the average Democrat voter across his country supports that kind of thing. What is the disconnect, do you think, with the federal National Democratic Party and average people across the country?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, it’s more than just the national Democrats. It’s Democrats in state houses, the ones who have voted to put these constitutional amendments on the state constitutions that allow abortion right up to birth.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, good point. Any idea what’s causing this? I mean, how can there be this big of a disconnect? I mean, we’re talking about a live baby. What makes this not? Well, of course, abortion does the same thing, but a born baby, they’re murder.
SPEAKER 17 :
Look, these elected Democrats are beholden to the most radical wing of the party. It’s not only true on this. It’s true on other. It’s true on immigration. It’s true on other issues. Again, the American people.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s what Donald Trump is president of.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, let me shift gears to you again with the pardoning of the pro-lifers. I thought this was a fantastic step forward and a huge statement, frankly, overall. But unlike the previous administration, this administration is not going to be going after pro-lifers. And of course, that was made clear, and we had a little clip a moment ago of President Trump pardoning 23 pro-lifers. Tell me your thoughts about that.
SPEAKER 17 :
Look, I think it was a great pardon. I was shocked when the Biden administration went after these pro-life protesters violating their First Amendment rights. Again, you know, you’ll have Chip Roy on later. Look, Chip has a bill and it’s filed in the Senate as well to eliminate that federal law that doesn’t allow people to exert their First Amendment rights outside abortion clinics.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, you’re right. Chippa is going to be joining us here in just a little bit. What more are you anticipating or hopeful that you will see from this administration as it relates to pro-life causes?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, the most obvious thing is to stop the funding of abortion, especially abortion overseas. We spend we send thousands and millions of dollars to organizations that actually also provide abortion overseas, just like Planned Parenthood here. We send money to them and they provide abortion. We’re doing that overseas. And I hope we could actually possibly eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. That would be a huge step.
SPEAKER 13 :
That would be a huge step. And also, doing away with the FDA approving the shipping of abortion drugs, the abortion pill, across state lines. What is your take on whether or not some of this defunding can occur, be it internationally, domestically, or even here with the FDA and the mailing of the abortion pill?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, the international defunding, I think, is going to occur. I think there’s going to be more defunding domestically. With regards to the interstate shipping, look, Jody, the problem is that what Planned Parenthood will do and the people they conspire with are just going to set up a place in every state to ship the drug. I don’t think that’s going to be a solution. We just have to—again, we have to— tell all Americans that we have to remind them that this is a human life. And whether you take it in an abortion clinic, whether you end it in an abortion clinic or with Mifepristone, it is still ending that human life.
SPEAKER 13 :
It is ending that human life. And in the case of Mifepristone, I mean, it’s extremely dangerous for the mother as well. I think it’s like one out of 20 who take it, something like that. You know better than I do end up in the emergency room. So a lot of work yet to be done just for the safety of that drug for the mother, let alone the death of the baby. Congressman Andy Harris, always great to see you. Thanks for your leadership on this and so many other issues. We appreciate you coming on Washington Watch with us.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thank you, Jody.
SPEAKER 13 :
All right, friends, we’ve got much more coming your way today on Washington Watch. We’re covering a gamut of issues. You just heard Congressman Andy Harris mention Chip Roy and a very important piece of legislation that he has coming up. Well, Chip will be joining us right after the break in context of the March for Life and his important piece of legislation. Just don’t go anywhere. Much more coming your way in just a moment.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we’re making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, DC. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC’s outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God’s intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel’s peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government, Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family, and freedom.
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SPEAKER 13 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. So great to have you joining us. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss, and welcome aboard. All right, yesterday, President Trump pardoned 23 pro-lifers who were unjustly targeted by the previous Biden administration’s weaponized Justice Department. And in signing the pardons, the president said that it was a great honor to sign this, adding that they should never have been prosecuted in the first place. And while this is certainly welcome to all of us, there’s still a lot to be done. And joining me now to discuss this is Congressman Chip Roy. He serves on several House committees, including the Judiciary Committee. He represents the 21st Congressional District of Texas. Congressman Roy, joining us by phone. Welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 14 :
Great to be on, Jody. How are you, brother?
SPEAKER 13 :
I am doing great. Good to hear your voice. Thanks for joining us. All right. Listen, Chip, for those who have not been tracking all of this, tell us a little bit about these pro-lifers who were pardoned. What happened to them? Just how serious was this?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, first of all, let’s take a step back and just consider what a great first week this has been with the president taking extraordinary action in executive orders and leadership where it has been sorely lacking, restoring the rule of law at our border, and importantly, with respect to the J6ers, who were unfairly targeted and politicized, 1,500 individuals, many of whom have been sitting in jail and dealing with that. Now we’ve got this issue with respect to the abuse of the Faith Act, which we’ve talked about on this program many times. You and I have, Tony and I have, And I introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act because it was being abused by the Biden Department of Justice. We still should do that, by the way, because we should make this permanent. That law should not be there to be abused against pro-lifers. 97% of the application of the FACE Act has been against pro-life individuals. And unfortunately, that meant that these 21 individuals who were pardoned yesterday, thankfully, by President Trump, and great credit to him and his team for doing that, Those 21 individuals were sitting in jail, and they were sitting in jail because they exercised their free speech and their views on pro-life. And to give you an example, right, we had a gulag survivor from Eastern Europe, Eva Eidel, who was 89 years old and had survived the gulags in Eastern Europe, and she was prosecuted by the Department of Justice and to be targeted for for putting in jail. I don’t know if she’d received her sentence yet before the pardon. But then we had Laura Handy, who was a progressive activist, Jody, meaning she didn’t agree with you and me and most of these listeners on most issues, but she was pro-life and a valid progressive. I met with her, a wonderful lady. Again, we disagreed on a lot of issues, but she was put in jail for 57 months, five, seven, almost five years. And President Trump came in and he’s pardoned these individuals. Paula Harlow, who was able to get out, she’s a 75-year-old who had health issues. So these are all, this is a great victory, not just for life, as we sit here on the day of the March for Life, but for, you know, an end to, at least a pause in weaponized government. We still have more to do to make that permanent. That’s why we should still pass the FASAC repeal.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. And I don’t know that everyone understands this. It’s been a fantastic week, as you said, with executive orders. But at the end of the day, when a different president comes in, all of these executive orders can be changed just with a mark of a pen. So the importance of codifying these things is critical. So let’s talk about your repeal of the FACE Act. What would that look like? What would it accomplish? What would it have meant to these individuals who the president had to pardon yesterday?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I introduced that legislation, I think, two years ago. The new bill that I introduced to this Congress is H.R. 589, and it would repeal the FASE Act, a law that was passed in the 1990s, under the promise that it wouldn’t be abused and used in ways that were incorrect, even though some Republicans protested at the time. Chuck Schumer guaranteed people, I think, on the floor of the House, oh, don’t worry, this will never be used nefariously. Well, of course, if you look at the data, 97% of the prosecutions, arrests, and so forth by the Department of Justice were targeted to pro-lifers. For example, we’ve had 91 attacks on pro-life facilities that are there for pregnant women to assist them, and those attacks have been ignored. Those 91 attacks have occurred since the Dobbs decision. And, you know, so those were not pursued by the Department of Justice. Instead, they focused all of their animus on any individuals who dared to express their pro-life views at an abortion clinic. Now, look, you and I are rule of law guys. If somebody’s exercising their free speech rights to talk about life in front of an abortion clinic, they block access in some way that violates the law. Or they do something, you know, is that a misdemeanor? You know, do they need to pay a fine or do something? Maybe, right? The law is the law. But 57 months… You know what they’re doing here, right? And it’s the same stuff they were doing January 6th. They were using the law as a political sword, and that takes the blindfold off of Lady Justice, and that kills the rule of law. President Trump is restoring the rule of law.
SPEAKER 13 :
Wow. So the FACE Act repeal would do what quickly?
SPEAKER 14 :
So it would repeal the law that was passed in the 1990s and remove it from the books so it could no longer be used as a sword against pro-lifers. It is not being used in any meaningful way to protect against, for example, church arson. There’s already other legislation on the books that would deal with that. This was put on the books, and it was being used as a sword against pro-life individuals, and we should simply just take it off the books. That’s it. That’s all it does is repeal that law. We should do it. We should move it through the Judiciary Committee. We should move it to the floor of the House. We should make this a permanent change so that no future president has to pardon, as President Trump did yesterday, the 21 individuals who were unfairly politically targeted and charged under the Department of Justice.
SPEAKER 13 :
With the, I’m sorry, Chip, with the slim majority, what’s the chances, both in the House and the Senate, what’s the chances of this making it to the president’s desk, do you think?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, obviously difficult when you’ve got 60 votes that you need in the Senate. But I would love to pass that out of the House. I mean, no Republican should oppose it. And, you know, we just passed the Born Alive Prevention Act with unanimous support among Republicans. And that was a good thing. I managed the bill before yesterday. But this is a bill that goes beyond life and goes to the weaponization of the Department of Justice for people exercising their political views. and their pro-life views. It should pass unanimously by Republicans. We should send it to the Senate. We should force them to vote on it. And if it doesn’t pass, then at least we know where they stand.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. Thank you so much, Congressman Chip Roy of Texas. Always great to have you on the program. We are all deeply grateful for your leadership on this life issue and a host of other issues. Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
God bless, Jody. Take care.
SPEAKER 13 :
You too. All right, friends, much more coming your way. Next, we’re going to shift gears. We’re going to be talking about the Hamas terror group and this hostage and ceasefire deal that’s underway. What’s it going to mean to Israel and beyond? Stay tuned. We’ll get into that right after the break.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 09 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 09 :
They really are making waves out in the political world and doing it from the light of the Lord.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But you know, the Bible talks about four institutions of government. You know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this saying separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 13 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am your Friday host Jody Heist. So glad to have you joining us today. All right. Earlier today, the Hamas terror organization identified the next four hostages that they will be releasing. That is scheduled to take place tomorrow. It’s all part of the hostage and ceasefire deal with Israel. And while Israel certainly is going to and is rejoicing in the release of these four women, it is also well aware that the agreement that they made for the release comes at a heavy, heavy cost. And among those costs is the opportunity that it gives Hamas to rebuild after the beating that it’s taken from Israel over the last 15 months. So how big of a threat does that pose for Israel in the near and as well in the distant future? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is geopolitical commentator Eric Stackelbeck, who has spent nearly two decades covering the Middle East and national security issues in depth. He’s the host of the Israel and Middle East-focused newscast called The Watchman, and he’s the author of three best-selling books, including ISIS Exposed. Eric, welcome back to Washington Watch, an honor to have you with us.
SPEAKER 11 :
Jody, great to be with you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 13 :
All right, so first of all, let me just kind of a 30,000-foot view from your perspective on this three-phase hostage and ceasefire deal. What’s your take on it?
SPEAKER 11 :
You know, Jody, I sat down with the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, just a few hours ago, and he said, you know, is it possible to hate this deal but still – support’s a strong word – but still say, you know, it’s a no-win situation of sorts with Israel because he wasn’t clear how else Israel would get the hostages back without some sort of deal. That said, Jody, it’s – look – Israel is getting 33 people back, which is great. We celebrate their release. They’ve been literally through hell on earth over the past 15 months. But what a heavy price to pay. I mean, Israel, at the end of the day, at the end of these three phases, will give up at least 1,900 terrorists. So it’s just such a difficult, difficult situation. But I think Israel feels that – It’s going to be difficult to get any of the hostages out without kind of biting the bullet, so to speak, and and and releasing some of these Hamas terrorists. I think Prime Minister Netanyahu feels more confident doing this, knowing that Donald Trump is back in office because Trump has been very clear with Israel that look. If Hamas tries to reconstitute, tries to take power in a major way in Gaza once again, you have free reign. Israel, do what you need to do. So I think Bibi is saying, OK, we’re taking a major risk here, but Trump has our back. Also, Hamas has largely been smashed in Gaza over the past 15 months. Still a danger, but nowhere near where they were. And Israel also has excellent intelligence in Gaza now. So as soon as these terrorists are released, they will be tracked and monitored. And Israel also has a buffer zone between Gaza and southern Israel. So it’s a lot different landscape than it was on October 7th, for sure. But still, this deal, it’s far from perfect, no doubt.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, those are all excellent points, Eric, that you bring out. And great for us to ponder that and look at it from that perspective. So with Trump, I think that’s a powerful point for Israel. But what is the next step for Israel? I mean, they’re releasing tons of terrorists. At the same time, they’re giving a significant timeframe for Hamas and other terrorist organizations to rebuild. So what’s the next step for Israel from your perspective?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, Jody, I don’t think that most Israelis expect all three phases of this three-phased deal with Hamas to go through. You would think, judging by their track record, that Hamas eventually will break this deal somehow and violate the deal. Then Israel is fully prepared to go back into – and they’re not gone from Gaza altogether, but – to kind of use the full brunt, the full might of the Israel Defense Forces to crush Hamas once and for all. I would say Hamas right now in some ways is kind of a ragtag guerrilla fighting force now. They can still cause damage, but their rocket arsenal has been completely deplenished. They themselves have no— a possibility of carrying out an October 7th-style attack with thousands of jihadis invading southern Israel. Those days are gone. Hamas, as we know it, is gone. And, again, the IDF has had great success in smashing Hamas. Now, Hamas has had some new recruits in recent weeks and months, yes, But Jody, remember, these are a lot of young guys with no experience. Who they’re replacing, and Israel has killed close to 20,000 Hamas terrorists since October 7th. These new recruits, the men they’re replacing, were hardened, seasoned, battle-tested, battle-trained Hamas operatives. So it’s a big step down in quality, the quality of Hamas fighter as well. But I think next steps for Israel… In the immediate future and anytime soon, really, Israel will have to maintain some sort of presence in Gaza. That’s a no-brainer. They can’t go anywhere. And President Trump, interestingly enough, earlier this week talked about the potential in Gaza, beautiful waterfront properties there right on the Mediterranean. Who knows down the line? But in the meantime, as long as Hamas has any sort of leadership or exercises any sort of leadership in Gaza, you’re not going to see that happen.
SPEAKER 13 :
Wow. Well, and I think, too, we’ve only got about 30 seconds, but scale of 1 to 10, how committed do you see the Trump administration backing Israel?
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh, I would say a 10 for sure. I mean, based on President Trump’s first term and based on the team he has around him right now, people like Mike Huckabee, his incoming ambassador, Michael Waltz, national security advisor, Marco Rubio, secretary of state. So I would say as of now, until I see otherwise, a 10. I know there have been some concerns about Steve Witkoff, who’s negotiating these deals. So we’ll see there. But based on the first term team he has, I’d say a 10 right now. And I hope it stays that way. I hope it stays that way.
SPEAKER 13 :
Eric Steckelbeck, host and executive producer of The Watchman on TBN, thank you for joining us. Thank you for this great insight, and I agree with you all the way. Thanks for joining us on Washington Watch. Thanks, Jim. All right, friends, coming up next, David Claussen will join me for our weekly Biblical Worldview segment. Stay tuned.
SPEAKER 07 :
As President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration approached, a powerful prayer gathering took place in Washington, D.C., drawing Christians together to intercede for our nation.
SPEAKER 06 :
The church does not recapture its prophetic zeal. It will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. God help us to recapture that prophetic zeal.
SPEAKER 18 :
This is not an interreligious service. We will not be praying to Allah or Buddha. We’ll be praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We’re talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God.
SPEAKER 01 :
We’ve not been a secular nation. We don’t want to be a secular nation. We’ve been a nation built around God, and our history shows that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well-versed and Family Research Council led the inauguration praise and prayer convocation, urging attendees to pray for the incoming presidential administration and for the church to embody holiness and righteousness, champion biblical justice, and proclaim truth prophetically.
SPEAKER 06 :
Lord, may this not be the end, but may this be the beginning, this convocation, this gathering. And may we commit to pray and to seek you and to walk in your word and in your ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
All of us are born with the desire to find truth and meaning. Where did I come from? What happens when I die? While our answers to these questions may divide us, we are united in our need for the freedom to answer life’s biggest questions and make life’s biggest decisions for ourselves. That’s why religious freedom matters for everyone. Religious freedom matters because the powerful have long wanted to control those who are less powerful. Religious freedom matters because the freedom of those who are different is often threatened by those who believe different is dangerous. at the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council. We promote religious freedom for everyone because the only alternative is religious freedom for no one. We encourage Americans and the American government to engage and advocate for the persecuted, and they do. We work every day to bring good news to the afflicted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. We do it because that’s what Jesus does. We work to give freedom to others because we ourselves have been set free.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss. All right, before I go to my next guest, I want to take just a second to encourage you, each of you, to get involved, to get involved with moving important policies forward during this new Trump administration. And you have the capacity of doing that. We’ve provided a toolkit for you. It’s our first 100 days toolkit. That’s what we’re calling it. It’s available exclusively on FRC’s Stand Firm app, and I’ll tell you how you can get that in a moment. But inside this toolkit, you’ll find the ability to find your members of Congress, how you can support key legislation, how you can get some insights on some of the nominees to various positions that are being presented, how to pray effectively, and so much more. And catch this. Underscore this. Many of you have been asking, and it is now at your fingertips. That is a brand new tracker to track Trump’s commitments, the promises that he made on the campaign trail, the commitments he made. You want to track that. You want to follow it. Well, it’s in the toolkit. And you’ll be able to monitor these commitments that were made on the campaign trail, and you’ll be able to check them and see them when they’re checked off. Now, that tracker is available independently if you want that. It’s at frcaction.org slash Trump tracker. It’s also you can just text the word TRACKER to 67742. But if you want that tracker and the toolkit to get involved, to move things forward, you can text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That’s one word, TOOLKIT, 67742. So, friends, this is an incredible opportunity we have, and it’s going to take all of us, we the people, making our voice heard, and getting involved, and we’ve provided the tools for you to do just that. All right, and by the way, if you don’t yet have the Stand Firm app, you can get that by texting the word APP to 67742. All right. It has been another busy, busy and should I say historic week in Washington, D.C. Of course, it all started Monday with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. And with so many headlines coming at us. It is easy at times like this just to hop from one story to the next story and to miss the significance of it all. But as Christians, as believers, we want to slow down. We want to back up. We want to try to analyze what’s happening in the news and evaluate the news through the lens of Scripture. And that’s precisely why… We like to conclude each week here on Friday with a segment that just deals with the news from a biblical worldview perspective and have a conversation with some of the news items that have popped up over the week. Joining me for that discussion is David Claussen. He, of course, is the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at the Family Research Council. David, thank you yet again for joining us. It’s been a busy week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, happy Friday. A joy to be with you, and it sure has.
SPEAKER 13 :
All right, we’re going to jump into some of it. Before we do that, though, I know you are en route or perhaps already there, but going to a conference in Florida, just real quickly, tell us what you’re doing in Florida.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, so this is the Founders National Conference. Founders is a great Christian ministry that has a large pastor’s network. And so this is actually the sixth year, Jody, that the Family Research Council has sponsored This conference, about 2,000 pastors, I got up this morning for a few moments and shared about the Family Research Council. So just very encouraging, at least especially this week, Jody, to escape the frigid temperatures of Washington, D.C., and to come down to the balmy 45-degree weather here in Florida, which folks down here are complaining about the cold, but I’m going to take it.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, well, listen, you took the cold with you. I mean, first time in history that much of portions, at least, of Florida received a blizzard. It’s just unbelievable. Part of our family was in all of that. But anyways, David, glad you had a safe trip there and glad you’re enduring the frigid 45 degrees there in Florida. But listen, let’s, if we can, let’s transition a bit. I know that you were likewise at the inaugural events earlier this week at Capital One Arena. And I’d just like to get your thoughts on it’s been a busy week, but your thoughts there at the inauguration events that you attended. What was it like?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, Jody, the phrase that has continued to kind of rattle around in my brain really all week is what God’s mercy. that this nation this week has experienced God’s mercy. Now, look at the apostasy, the sin that is all around us. We talk about this often, Jody. As a nation, I don’t think we deserve God’s mercy. And yet, with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president, I believe this is a form of his mercy. This is what I’ve been thinking about. I think this is a reprieve. Jody, just think about this. Earlier this week, Kamala Harris could have been inaugurated president of the United States. We could be living under Kamala Harris right now as president. And she, again, this is someone who campaigned on the most aggressive abortion platform in the history of American politics. This is someone who I think the issue of transgenderism hurt her campaign. This is someone who, when pressed by reporters, would not back down from her position that taxpayer funding should go to transgender inmates. And so, again, Kamala Harris could have been president, easily could have been president. And so, Jody, I think just thinking about and seeing what President Trump has done these first couple of days is extraordinary. I’m sure we’ll talk about that. But I think as Christians, it’s OK this week. to say, you know what, we are experiencing a reprieve. And I think there’s a responsibility now on us as believers to steward these next four years, to use our influence. Donald Trump’s only president because tens of millions of Christians turned out for him. We need to be putting a lot of pressure on this administration to honor the commitments they made to Christian voters.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. And had that been, had she been elected, I was just thinking, there you are. All of Florida might have frozen over had it been someone else inaugurated this past week. But we’ll leave that as it may. Listen, in terms of worldview, David, there seems to be a massive and remarkable shift. And I totally agree with what you’re saying with this moment, this historical moment of mercy. and grace that has been given our country. There seems to be a remarkable shift in what seems to be driving this new administration compared to the last. So what are some of the developments? What are some of those changes that Christians should be aware of? Social conservatives, as some call us. But what are some of the things that we should be mindful of right now?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, just in these first couple of days, it’s almost hard to keep track. There’s just been a torrent of executive orders and pronouncements and memorandums coming from the White House. Just very briefly, I can tick through just a couple of things that we would be well to be aware of. One of those executive orders that President Trump signed repealed a Biden executive order that had established a White House executive gender policy council. If I’m being honest with you, Jody, I have no idea what that council did under the Biden administration, but I know it couldn’t have been good. President Trump’s on day one ended that. He eliminated DEI throughout the federal government, which that’s going to save us tens of millions of dollars, I assume, but saying that merit matters, not your skin color. He undid a real specific executive order that I think a lot of people are unaware of. But Biden had put an executive order in place that he had instructed the federal government that wherever a law deals with sex discrimination, that the federal government should interpret that as referring to gender identity. which is very problematic for a number of reasons, that was repealed. He repealed another executive order that had ordered the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to specifically promote an LGBT agenda. He repealed that. Another executive order, let me just read the title of this one to you, Jodi. It was called Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. And then just even in his inaugural, looking out at the crowd of very distinguished guests, sitting feet from Joe Biden, announcing that the policy of the United States government is that there are only two genders, which is so refreshing after the last four years. But also, who would have imagined in any other era of American politics that that would even need to be said? And then finally, Jody, at the March for Life today, J.D. Vance spoke to the marchers there in person. And President Trump also appeared via video, talked about his pardoning of the 23 pro-lifers who had been jailed. So there’s a lot to be thankful for. And I think that just kind of scratches the surface.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned some of the initial savings. I was informed today. I’ve not yet gone to look at it. But, you know, we have the debt ticker that lets us all know how high the debt is increasing. But there is now a doge ticker of how much we are saving. And it’s already up in the billions and billions of dollars. So I’m not sure where to find it, but that’d be something if people are interested to go check it out. Another big issue that’s happening is this whole issue of immigration. We’re seeing planes fly many people away. The border is getting shut down. There’s arrests being made with criminals here, all sorts of stuff. How should Christians look at this issue of immigration? immigration and what’s happening with the deportation, all that sort of thing right now through the lens of scripture and biblical justice.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, Jody, this is an issue that obviously has been all over cable news, even watching cable news from my hotel in Florida last night. I’ve seen, you know, just the outrage that Donald Trump’s actually deporting criminal illegal migrants. I saw one stat that it was over 534 criminal migrants, some of these who have committed horrific crimes, sex crimes, murder, have already been rounded up. And I think Tom Holman last night, who’s the czar at the border, said we’re up to 3,000 criminal aliens who have been apprehended by ICE agents. And Jodi, this is a matter of biblical justice, first and foremost, because as Christians, we believe in justice. We believe in retributive justice and the fact that hundreds and thousands, and we know it’s more than that, but people who committed crimes, who shouldn’t even be here, but they’re committing crimes against American citizens. Some of these are heinous, Jodi. Really, it’s unspeakable to think about some of these sex crimes that some of these people have been convicted of, the fact that they are off our streets is something that Christians should see as a major issue of biblical justice that, again, we should be grateful for.
SPEAKER 13 :
And is this not also one of the biblical responsibilities of government to punish evildoers? And the word punish is pretty strong because that is in the best interest of all the society, all of the citizens, if you will, when the government takes its role to punish evildoers and punish crime.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, that’s Romans 13. Paul tells us, why do we submit to government? Well, because God’s ordained government. Why has he ordained it? He says it is to punish evil and to promote good. And so, Jody, I think anyone with two brain cells would realize that this is good to take these horrifying criminals off the streets. This is good for our country.
SPEAKER 13 :
You mentioned a while ago, and we have started the program with today being March for Life. And of course, President Trump has already made significant progress reversing some of President Biden’s policies and executive orders and so forth. So what are you tracking in terms of this new Trump administration and their actions on life?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, Judy, I am grateful that the president sent a video message to the March for Life. I’m so grateful that in his first public appearance, J.D. Vance made an appearance and gave some stirring remarks. Already, we’re seeing the bully pulpit of the presidency being used to promote a culture of life. Pardoning those 23 pro-life activists, that sends a strong signal. There is more work to be done, though. Earlier in the program, I know you talked about this, but the Mexico City policy, that, you know, Donald Trump in his first term made sure that that was in place, that taxpayer funding did not go overseas to any NGO that either funded or facilitated or promoted abortion. I want to see that. And my hope is that very soon we will hear news on that front. That’s a very low bar, but I think it’s something that’s important. I also want to see a President Trump direct the Health and Human Services Department to put back in, to reinstate the safeguards that were around the chemical abortion pills. We know that the Obama administration and then the Biden administration relaxed those safeguards to make it just very easy for these chemical abortion pills to fall in the hands of young women. I want to see that, those safeguards put back in place. I want to see Title 10, Jodi. This funding that these family planning centers use in his first administration, he made sure that none of those dollars went to abortion providers, which, by the way, Planned Parenthood defunded themselves in a sense of pulled themselves out of that program. So great start. But in the weeks to come, there’s so much more the administration can do. And I think the prayer of every pro-life Christian is that Donald Trump will live up to his own kind of moniker as being the most pro-life president because he was in the first term. Absolutely. There’s a lot to do in the second term now.
SPEAKER 13 :
Real quickly here, David, and by the way, for those who want to keep a track of Trump’s accomplishments, you can do so by going to frcaction.org slash Trump tracker, frcaction.org slash Trump tracker. All right, you’ve got a new book coming out, David. You and I have talked about this, but I’m told that your publisher is offering a special deal on pre-orders. Tell us about that real quickly.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, if you go to the books Life After Row, it looks at the life issue from a theological, biblical, historical, and legal perspective. You can go to LifeWay.com and use the code AFTERROW40, all one word, AFTERROW40 at LifeWay.com.
SPEAKER 13 :
And that’s 4-0, not spelling out the word 40, correct?
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s right. 4-0. Yes, sir.
SPEAKER 13 :
All right. David Claussen from the Center for Biblical Worldview at FRC, thank you so much for joining us from Florida. Thanks for all you do. Thank you. God bless. God bless you as well, my friend. All right. Thank you so much for joining each of you on Washington Watch this week and today. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. There’s going to be another busy week next week, and we’ll keep you informed right here on Washington Watch. We’ll see you then.
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.
