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In this episode of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins dives deep into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, outlining the latest developments in a 500-day war marked by violence and political struggle. The episode features discussions with various political figures highlighting the urgency for peace and the influence of international players such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. As the world watches closely, what are the steps towards achieving lasting resolution and stability in the region?
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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 sound bites 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 president’s been very clear. Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force. And frankly, as long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force that can administer or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible. They must be eliminated. They must be eradicated.
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That was Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Welcome to this Monday edition of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Well, today marks the 500th day of the war between Israel and Hamas that started when terrorists from Hamas invaded Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking hostages back to Gaza. The president’s ceasefire is nearing the end of the first phase of the negotiated deal, and the exact number of hostages that are still alive in Gaza is unknown. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was in Israel today, leading a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. Senator Graham was raising the alarm about Iran.
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I believe that Iran is accelerating its efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon. And my fear is that they will see a nuclear weapon as not only the antidote for their problems, but also one day they will use it.
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We’ll talk with CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell in Jerusalem. And the Middle East, Saudi Arabia to be exact, will be the location of talks to end the Ukraine-Russian war. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said Ukraine must be at the table for them to accept any deal that’s negotiated between the U.S. and Russia. We’ll talk with Missouri Congressman Mark Alford in just a moment. And the left, well, the left just can’t stand free speech.
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Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide.
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Censorship was specifically about the right. No, I have to disagree with you. Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide. The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews and they hated minorities and they hated those that they had a list of people they hated, but primarily the Jews. There was no free speech in Nazi Germany. There was none.
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That was CBS’s Margaret Brennan yesterday on Face the Nation with Secretary Marco Rubio. Well, over the weekend, I spoke with Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan about last week’s Capitol Hill hearing entitled the Censorship Industrial Complex, which was working overtime during the Biden administration to kill the First Amendment. The left hates free speech. I’ll share that conversation with you later. And what does God have to do with government? Well, quite a bit, actually. That’s the focus of a new FRC resource being released today, a 13-week series on God and government. Does the Bible provide practical insight into the government of man? What is the history of our nation when it comes to civil government? And is America a Christian nation? What does the Bible have to say about poverty and the economy? Those are just a few of the questions that the series explores in depth. I’ll discuss it more later with Gina Gleason and Tim Throckmorton. But if you’d like to get a head start and take a 10-question test, engage your knowledge, you can text the word COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742. Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart about ending the almost three-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff will also be joining Secretary Rubio. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said Ukraine will not accept the outcome of the talks if they are not a part of them. Joining me now by phone is Congressman Mark Alford. He represents the 4th Congressional District of Missouri. Congressman Alford, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you so much. We’re driving across a snowy Missouri right now.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I appreciate you taking time to join us. And I know as a former member of this House Armed Services Committee, you’ve been tracking the situation in Ukraine very closely over the last three years. You know, peace treaties don’t usually come out of just one meeting. So what do we know about the goals of this meeting that the stage is being set for in Saudi Arabia?
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Well, look, Tony, thanks for having me on. I am not in the administration, so I could not clearly define the goal, but I know I think the goal of most Americans, including those in the 4th Congressional District, is to get this war over with. The American people, the American taxpayers, have invested some $300 billion now. Joe Biden was slow in getting the F-16s, the attack missiles, the Abrams tanks to Zelensky so he could win this war early on. His weakness in Afghanistan, the way he pulled out of there, only encourage Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. So a couple of strikes against us from the beginning and against Zelensky. Now what do we do? There’s $100 billion supposedly unaccounted for. I think the American taxpayers have had it with funding this war in Ukraine, which is threatening to turn into somewhat of a Vietnam situation. So now there are peace talks that are being held. This should have been done several years ago. And yet the Biden administration did not have the intellect or the temerity to do so. And Zelensky is they’re providing, I think, some cover for Zelensky in this case. to go over there and start these peace talks. As I had predicted even more than a year ago, I think this is going to end up with Vladimir Putin retaining at least part of the Donbas region and certainly Crimea that he gained during the Obama administration, because Obama didn’t do anything about it when he took over Crimea. I think he’s felt even more emboldened. This gives cover to Vladimir Zelenskyy, in that if he’s not part of the process, he is not going to be threatened at home with not being reelected. As you heard President Trump say, his poll numbers are down. He will not call for new elections. If he is not part of this process and he is not going to be willingly give up land to Vladimir Putin, then he has cover to say, I was not part of this. He was negotiated around my back. He stays on as president, perhaps. And Putin is stopped there at the Donbass region and does not transgress any further, especially into Poland.
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It’ll be interesting to see if the Ukrainian officials will accept a negotiated deal. But, you know, as you said, that’s something yet to be seen. I want to talk just a moment and get your take, Congressman, offered on the location. This is the first time we’ve seen Saudi Arabia use the Middle East, use to negotiate a resolution of a conflict in Europe. Is this the Trump administration elevating Saudi Arabia to a greater leadership role in the Middle East, possibly to jumpstart once again the Abraham Accords?
SPEAKER 09 :
I think that’s definitely part of it. We were over there in October visiting with the leaders there in Saudi Arabia and Riyadh as part of an appropriations committee. there. It is amazing the reforms that they are doing in Saudi Arabia to bring them into the 21st century. They’re going to be a leader, I think, when it comes to this peace negotiations, and I think they’re also going to be a leader when it comes to the situation in Gaza. However that is resolved, Saudi Arabia is going to be a part of that. They fully want to be on board with the Abrahams Accord. They were ready to do that until Sidmore prematurely pulled the trigger on October 7th and really snatched it out of the hands of Saudi Arabia in signing on, I think was part of the grand scheme to cause that disruption so Saudi Arabia could not sign on and have normal relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia is clamoring. And they told us this, their finance minister when we were there. They want to be a normal nation dealing in normal trade with other normal countries and be part of a civilized society.
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And of course, they share a common enemy with Israel and, of course, with the United States and most of the rest of the world, Iran. And so that normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel will do further to isolate Iran. So I have to think that that might be a part of the thinking of the Trump administration to choose that as the venue to negotiate an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
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It’s very wise on President Trump’s part. If he can make Saudi Arabia look strong and other nations like Jordan look strong, that only makes Iran look weaker. Iran must be isolated. Everywhere we went on this trip in October to Jordan, to Egypt, we met with the president there, al-Sisi. We met with King Abdullah of Jordan. They want something done about Iran. They know that Iran is poisoning the well when it comes to relationships between Islamic countries and the West. And short of taking out through kinetic activity, bombing, taking out Iran that way, through economic isolation might be the factor and isolating them on the world stage to bring some sort of change that’s necessary to bring them into the fold of rational countries that want to do business with other countries and want to act like good partners in the world.
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Congressman offered one final question on Russia. Where would this leave Russia? I mean, they’ve been exposed as more bark than bite when they’ve been, you know, three years in this slog against Ukraine. Do they just kind of go back home, tail tucked between their legs? Or what happens to them in the future?
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Well, Russia has lost certainly a lot of treasure and and men in this fight, some three quarters of a million soldiers, some Russian, some Korean, and others have died on the battlefield. So that’s taken a big toll. It’s also taken a big toll on their armaments. It’s taken a big toll on the psyche for the Russian people. And keep in mind, China is ready, willing, and able to help in their affiliation with Russia to overtake the West, to overtake the United States of America. I think by bringing an end to this war, it will allow the U.S. to move on to recoup our resources, our armaments, so that we might be ready, God forbid, if we have to take on China over Taiwan, as some are saying, some of the generals are saying, as soon as 2027. I hope and pray that does not happen, but we need to be ready. And the sooner that we can get this war in Ukraine over with and make sure that Poland and other countries are secure. And by the way, Tony, only 35 percent of the the European countries have met their NATO obligations of 3% of GDP to bang the NATO. If they are so serious about defending Europe, they need to put up or shut up. Germany and France are among the two big countries that have not met their obligations. That needs to be done. They need to protect Europe. We stand alongside them in NATO. But I think as President Trump made clear in his first administration and will again, that they need to pay their fair share to make Europe strong.
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I actually think that’s probably one of the other messages being communicated very subtly here by choosing the Middle East as the location to negotiate this cease or the end to the hostilities between Ukraine and Russia. I think that’s a part of Trump’s message to them. Congressman Mark Alford, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you so much, and God bless, Tony. Take care.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, Congressman Mark Alford of Missouri, 4th Congressional District there in the show-me state. All right, on the other side of the break, we’re going to be joined by CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief, Chris Mitchell. We’re going to talk more about the ceasefire and the hostage deal and what the future looks like there in Israel. But I just say the world remains a very volatile place. And with the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump providing leadership once again, it is a different style of leadership. It is kind of disruptive. But he’s got everybody kind of on their toes. They’re not sure what to expect. And I think that may very well be the type of international leadership we need right now. They’ve got to be careful, but it has to be covered in prayer. So this is why we need to be praying that our president and his team would be led and directed. Very important. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of the break.
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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, D.C. 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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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us on this Monday. All right, today marks the 500th day of the Israel-Hamas war that started with Hamas’s invasion of Israel and the massacre of nearly 1,200 people. Now, the number of hostages remaining in Gaza stands at 73. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he and President Trump are working in, quote, full cooperation and coordination, end quote. His statement was released the day after Hamas released three more hostages ahead of the Saturday noon deadline that President Trump had given in his ultimatum. Now that the deadline has passed and hostages still remain, where do things stand presently? Well, here to report on some of the latest developments in Israel is Chris Mitchell, the Middle East Bureau Chief at CBN News, reporting from Jerusalem. Chris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us tonight.
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Great to be with you again, Tony.
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Well, a lot happening there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visiting over the weekend today. In fact, just a few hours ago, Senator Lindsey Graham led a delegation, a bipartisan delegation from the Senate, held a press conference there. So a lot of activity. Give us the latest in the wake of this latest hostage release.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, obviously, you mentioned the 500 days. Israel has actually gone through a collective trauma for the past 500 days with not only the more than 1,200 murdered there on October 7th, but the 251 hostages. Right now, Saturday, just three more hostages released and really a gut-wrenching time for Israel. Jubilation about the reunion. of the family members. But as you said, dozens and dozens of hostages are yet to be resolved. It looks like in phase one, Tony, we’ll see three more hostages potentially Saturday. But actually, that might be accelerated as well. But phase one ends a week from Saturday. Then negotiations have already begun for phase two. Whether they get a resolution of the phase two remains to be seen. And as you mentioned, that press conference with Lindsey Graham and a delegation bipartisan delegation of senators, the one overarching message they were giving was nuclear Iran. They’ve met with the prime minister, the defense minister, the foreign minister, and the speaker of the Knesset, and they say that is the overarching message, is that Iran, the nuclear Iran, must be stopped, and hopefully with U.S. help as well.
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Well, and looking at what some experts are saying about Iranian experts that have been tracking their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Given their vulnerability right now, this might be the time that they would try to rapidly move forward so that they would have some kind of negotiating gambit.
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That’s exactly right, because we know that with the two attacks by Israel last year, they’ve really destroyed probably most of the air defenses of Iran, including the air defenses in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad. So they are quite vulnerable, but also understand that they’re accelerating their nuclear program. So perhaps if they did get a nuclear weapon, they could use that as leverage. So really a sense of urgency among the senators and I think also among Israeli leaders. And that was also a theme yesterday in the press conference with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu about the resolve among both the U.S. and Israel to make sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon. Senator Graham in the press conference also, Tony, said that if President Trump does negotiate with Iran, put him on a clock. Don’t let him extend indefinitely the negotiations and make sure that what keeps him up at night is a nuclear round. So that, I think, is the theme of the senators and much of Israel right now.
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Chris Mitchell, I’m going to go back to that second phase because the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is saying that he he’s going to pursue what Donald Trump laid out, President Trump laid out in terms of kind of clearing out Gaza. And then Hamas saying they’re not about to lay down their weapons. They’re going to go back to fighting as well. They’re going to hold on to what they have. Is there going to be a second phase?
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It’s unclear right now, Tony, because ever since October 7th, there have been two contradictory efforts. Israel is saying they’re going to defeat Hamas militarily. They will not allow Hamas to rule Gaza. On the other hand… Hamas is saying, in phase two, that is, we need to make sure that there’s an end to the war and there would be a permanent ceasefire. The contradictory goals of Hamas and Israel. And we’ll see. I think now with the Trump administration, with President Trump’s ultimatum, with a new administration that really is giving a tailwind to Israel, I think we’re going to see probably a stronger position by both Israel and the U.S. And as Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday, they’ll be held to pay. We can’t tell you when, but it’s coming.
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I want to go back to that press conference. Not only is there a focus on Iran, we’re looking at the second phase of this ceasefire hostage negotiation that’s taking place, but also in that press conference, normalization of Saudi Arabia. This is another big discussion item that’s out there. How does that fit into the overall picture?
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Well, Lindsey Graham, Senator Lindsey Graham said he first talked about Iran. Then he said number two would be normalization is on the way. And he said it’s just a matter of time. He also believes that Saudi Arabia is play will play the definitive role in reconstruction. after the war in Gaza is over. But he was saying that normalization is coming. Also made the point during that press conference that October 7th was designed to make sure that normalization did not happen because they were on the cusp of actually normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. So that interfered with that, obviously. But he said it’s coming. And he said also that One of the things that will happen will be, one, a defense pact with the U.S. That’s what Saudi Arabia wants. The second thing they want is some sort of dignified resolution to the Palestinian problem. We’ll see if those two things happen. But he was very optimistic about normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he believes will transform the region.
SPEAKER 10 :
Just about 30 seconds left, Chris Mitchell, but I’d assume that that threat from Iran, a nuclear Iran, is creating that pressure for normalization with Saudi.
SPEAKER 08 :
Definitely, because Saudi Arabia knows that Iran is their mortal enemy, not only for Israel, but also for Saudi Arabia. So that is a sense of urgency. It’s also a sense of why they want this defense pact with the United States, because Iran wants to defeat or conquer Saudi Arabia, just like it wants to destroy Israel. So that certainly plays a major role in what’s happening here in this normalization.
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All right. Chris Mitchell, thanks so much for joining us today. Always great to see you, my friend. Great to be with you, Tony. Chris Mitchell from Jerusalem. All right. Don’t go away. More Washington Watch straight ahead.
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Oh, beautiful for spacious skies. For amber waves of grace.
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At the 2025 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, hundreds gathered with Christian and government leaders at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., to pray for the nation and ask God to forgive us of our sins.
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The fruit is plain.
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We gather here not to appeal to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are appealing to heaven. Today we make our appeal not in the authority of a political party or in the name of a denomination. We come in the name and the authority of Jesus Christ. who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and we have been commissioned to operate in that authority.
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Father, we pray in Jesus’ name for our complacency, our greed, our pride, our gluttony, our sloth, and tolerance of sin.
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Lord, your word is the food that can make America healthy again. May your word be exalted and believed in our nation again.
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Lord, we ask that you allow us to become that shining city on the hill once more for your love, your grace, and your mercy.
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Thank you for your love and your grace and your mercy, for the opportunity that you have provided us to heal our land. We ask you to do it, Lord. We ask you for the wisdom, discernment, and stamina to do the thing that you have called each one of us, all of us here, to do. May we be found faithful. We trust it, pray it, believe it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Well, yesterday’s comments by CBS’s Margaret Brennan. that, quote, free speech was weaponized to conduct genocide in Nazi Germany, was shocking but not surprising, considering how the left has tried to bludgeon that freedom with censorship. Now, that was something that was highlighted during last week’s House Judiciary Committee hearing as well on the censorship industrial complex. Well, after that hearing, I interviewed the chairman of that committee, Congressman Jim Jordan, for my weekend program this week on Capitol Hill. And I’d like to share a part of that interview with you right now. So here’s how that conversation started. This was very enlightening as you have been. I mean, this is not new. You’ve been working on this. But this censorship industrial complex didn’t start with the Biden administration. They just utilized it to its max.
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Yeah, no, it’s big government working with big tech, all the various government agencies, but it’s also universities. It’s also, in some cases, the media who doesn’t cover certain things. It’s the term that Michael Schellenberger, one of the guys who first was the authors of the Twitter files, coined the censorship industrial complex. We think we made huge, huge gains in pushing this back and getting back to the First Amendment and free speech. I always point to the letter from Mark Zuckerberg that he sent to the committee, oh, about eight, seven, eight months ago, when he said, the Biden administration pressured us to censor. We did it. We’re sorry, and we won’t do it again. And they’ve now changed their policies at Metta or at Facebook to actually embrace the First Amendment and let— You know, the way our great Constitution works, the way the First Amendment works, the way free speech is supposed to work, is if there’s dumb speech, if there’s wrong speech, if there’s false speech, in some cases even hateful speech, the best remedy to that is more speech and the argument on the other side, and then Americans are sharpened up to figure it out. So that’s what we’re now getting to on these platforms, which is exactly where it should be, an embrace of the First Amendment.
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Chairman Jordan, you know, when we looked at this during the Biden-Harris administration, you know, we got reports. We knew this was happening. We’ve had some states, state attorneys general that have been involved in this, suing all the way to the Supreme Court. And it sounded as if, you know, this was the White House calling these social media platforms to get them to censor speech, which they did. But in the testimony coming out of your committee, I mean, this is a whole of government. I mean, you had the USAID. You had the National Science Foundation, all of them funding outside groups to censor speech they disagreed with.
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Yeah. And remember what they tried to do. They really tried to formalize it in a direct way when they attempted to set up the Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security, as if they were going to create some bureaucrat agency that could tell you what’s OK to say, what’s not OK to say. That is not how America works. And it got so bad. We had— We had RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard. I invited him in to testify. I always joke. I said I took heat for that a couple years ago in the last Congress when, you know, people were saying, what’s Jordan doing inviting in Democrats to testify? But when they came in, they came in to defend the First Amendment. And the hearing we had—think about this. The hearing where we had RFK Jr. testify— The Democrats made a motion to go to executive session, which, as you know, Tony, you kick everyone out of the room and no one would be in there except the members. So think about this. They made a motion to go to executive session so no one could hear what RFK Jr. was going to testify to in a hearing about censorship. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. So that’s how pervasive it had become with the left. embracing this idea that, oh, big government’s smarter than we, the people, and we’re going to tell people what is misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and we’re going to have a disinformation governance board. It was moving in that direction. Now, here’s the scary thing. The good thing is we believe we have largely stopped it. God bless Elon Musk purchasing Twitter and the Twitter files and President Trump and the work that we did on the committee. But the scary thing is, around the world, censorship is on the march. I mean, in Europe, it’s definitely happening. You see all the crazy things going on. We heard about people being arrested for things they post online because someone in government doesn’t like the meaning of it. I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me. So we’re looking at how we can have an impact there as well. But one of our witnesses last Congress, and she testified again this week, a Canadian journalist who covered the trucker blockade, if you remember. She had a great line last year. She says the core value of Western civilization is this ability to have open debate, free speech. So you can you can make your argument. And, you know. That’s so true.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s a safety valve. If you lose your ability to speak, that’s where you have conflict and revolution. So, I mean, free speech was the wisdom of the founders to provide this safety valve, this outlet, where we can peacefully assemble— Great point. —and have our grievances addressed. I do want to point out that the two reporters regarding the Twitter file were not conservatives, these guys who had been on the left. So this is not like this is, you know, baked-up information coming from the right.
SPEAKER 03 :
I’ve probably invited more Democrats than any Republican chairman ever. But I invited them in because I thought that would help. You know, they embraced the First Amendment. I thought that would help with the message. But you’re exactly right, Tony. If you can’t have healthy debate, if we can’t settle our differences with healthy, robust debate, the alternatives are frightening. And we never want to get there. This is the beauty of America. RFK Jr., when he testified a year ago, had another great line. He says, when you look at history— It is never the good guys who are for censorship. It is always the bad guys. And we’ve got to keep that in mind and make sure we fully embrace and have this robust First Amendment free speech rights that we enjoy as Americans.
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Well, that was part of my conversation with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan during my weekend program This Week on Capitol Hill. To find out more about that program, to watch the entire program, you can go to thisweekoncapitolhill.com or you can Download the Stand Firm app and you can watch it there as well. Well, after the break, I’ll be sharing with you a great new resource that will equip you to have an impact on government at every level. And it’s out today. It’s our God and Government course. We’re going to be talking about that next. So don’t go anywhere. More Washington Watch coming straight your way. Stay tuned. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, president of the 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 do you know the Bible talks about four institutions of government? Do you know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this thing 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.
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The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor, you do, but you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion, and this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting, and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to do that. You can go to the App Store and download the Stand Firm app, or you can text APP to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. Our word for today comes from Habakkuk chapter three. Though the fig tree may not blossom nor fruit beyond the vines, though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like deer’s feet and he will make me walk on my high hills. Well, the prophet closes this short but hard prophetic word with a psalm of praise, which paints a beautiful picture of the book’s underlying theme, and that is the just shall live by faith. Regardless of what we see, regardless of what we’re facing, regardless of what we’re feeling, those who follow the Lord do so by faith, trusting and rejoicing in him, for he is our strength, he’s our hope, and he is our salvation. For more on our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Well, today FRC is launching a new online resource, God and Government. It’s a 13-week educational series designed to inform, encourage, and equip Christians to engage in government at every level from a position of biblical strength. As we see many policy reforms coming out of this current administration, most of which we applaud. How should we determine what is good and what is beneficial for our republic, and how do we maintain a steady hand on the wheel of government? Well, joining me now to discuss why every spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, that’s a sage con, should be a part of this is Gina Gleason. She participated actually in the training course that was filmed for this special online series, and she is the executive director of real impact. Gina, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Oh, so glad to be with you, Tony. Thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, you were actually here at the FRC Faith and Freedom Chapel when we filmed this God and Government series last year. Share with our listeners and viewers why you think this is something that other Christians need to take part in.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I remember as I was there and being surrounded by the excellent set, the excellent information and walking away feeling inspired. The whole entire program was just something that I feel that is something that I would want to share with others because it was so well executed.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, when you look at it, of course, you’ve been involved for quite some time, working with Pastor Jack and helping Calvary Chapel Chino Hills and now working with other churches across the country. There are some basic things here that we learned to take. It’s different than many courses. It’s not just a history course. It’s not just a Bible course, but it’s a practical application of all the above. Were there any takeaways for you as you went through this 13-series course?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, as you mentioned, I’ve been in this circle for many, many years. And what I was surprised by was the fact that I learned a lot of new things that I didn’t know before. I thought it was fairly well educated, well rounded in my understanding of American history and our Bible and how they mesh and how they relate to one another. And I was really inspired because I learned so many new things.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, I have a, folks, if you’re interested, there’s just a kind of a pre-course test you can take to kind of gauge, you know, your understanding of government. It’s pretty basic. You know, which of the following would most closely be associated with government? The federal government in Washington, D.C., you and your family, your church, all the above. And there’s a several other questions. For instance, the government of the United States is best described as a socialist dictatorship, a democracy, a republic, or none of the above. And if you’d like to take the quiz, just text the word COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742. Now, Gina, as people engage in government, and we’re seeing, encouragingly, we’re seeing a lot more people wanting to engage because of what’s been happening at school boards and what’s been happening in our schools, more parents are getting involved. Why is it important that we understand, number one, how our government should work, and number two, having that biblical foundation of the way God would have government work? Why is that important when it comes to our engagement?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, because we need a foundation. You know, there are so many spinmeisters, masters out there distorting the truth. And we as believers should have a good foundation and know where our beliefs come from. And I think that this type of course is foundational for every Christian, for every citizen who really wants to understand why we’re in the situation that we’re in right now, because the truth has been distorted and we need good resources to find the truth.
SPEAKER 10 :
Gina, I want to take you back a few years to when you first got involved in government. What was the biggest hurdle for you to overcome in terms of making that first step to get involved?
SPEAKER 14 :
Finding good, honest people. truth information that I could use to speak about because I knew what I was saying would be factual and I remember calling people looking online and trying to really get the facts down about what we were trying to support and promote as Christians and FRC was actually one of the main organizations that I relied on to get the truth about. So I’ve been following FRC for so many years. And the materials that you have provided to us as Christians, as believers, has been foundational in my growth.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, that is a big hurdle because those in government act like they’re the professionals and that we don’t know anything. And so there’s an intimidation factor. But when we’re equipped with truth, number one, that God has laid out a way that government should work, and when we look at our history, that’s the way our founders actually saw it. Now, not all of them were Christian, but they subscribed to what we would today call a biblical worldview, the principles of Scripture. And you see that, and we go through that in this course. We go through how those are ingrained in us. our nation’s government. And if that’s the case, it would be natural that we would have Christians that would be operating at all levels of government with that basic understanding of what God calls for in our government.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And it’s not that we want to force people to be Christians. But we want people to understand that a biblical worldview really is the best for everyone. It really is the best way to operate as a government because it’s fair, it’s just, it’s right. And it’s good for every believer or non-believer. And so these types of resources are critical to get into the hands of Christians.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, it takes away the… I guess, the mystery of government, and I think it’ll give folks more confidence. We’ve had school board members, we’ve had state legislators, we’ve had congressmen. In fact, the Speaker of the House was one of the One of my first students years ago, I’ve been teaching this course for nearly 30 years. And so not to scare anyone doesn’t mean you’ll have to run for government for a public office, but it does mean that you’ll be better equipped to engage at every level of government. And I know, Gina, again, you’ve kind of got your finger on the pulse as you’re working around the country, and we’ve seen some remarkable things in California today. This is the time. And I think the faster we roll up our sleeves, we get equipped with the right understanding and the right knowledge and get involved. We have an opportunity to turn this country around.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. And I’ve seen a big difference in the involvement of individual people. wanting to stand up for what they believe, wanting to protect our country and our rights and our children, all the things that you mentioned going on in public schools. I’ve been very, very involved in that. And people want truth. And I can’t stress how important it is to get this information out. So once it’s ready for distribution, I will be sending it to all of my contacts throughout the state and nation.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. Gina Gleason, I want to thank you for being here and joining us today, and I want to thank you for being a part of putting that together when we filmed that course several months back.
SPEAKER 14 :
Okay. Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. Keep up the good work out there in California. All right. And, folks, if you’d like to know more, we are releasing one series, one episode at a time. So this today, the first episode comes out. God and government, you can find out more. If you’ve got the app, it’ll be on the StandFirm app, or you can text COURSE to 67742. That’s COURSE to 67742. And here’s another question for you, if you want to take the survey. The following, and most people missed this one, all right, so I’m just going to give you a warning. The following can overturn bad laws. Your representative… you as a member of a jury, the president, or none of the above. All right, so I encourage you to take the course, or take the test for the course. Text the word course to 67742, and you’ll get a link that will take you over to that landing page. All right, here now to continue our conversation on FRC’s New God and Government course is FRC’s National Director for Church Engagement and Community Impact, Tim Throckmorton. Tim, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Tony. It’s great to be with you, sir.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, you were also a part of the filming of this when we put it all together. I was just asking Gina, and I think you heard that conversation we had. I know you’ve been around it for a while. You’ve been at FRC for many years. Were there any takeaways for you that you thought, wow, I didn’t know that?
SPEAKER 06 :
Absolutely. There were things and, you know, you think you understand how God and government in America come together. But this took me even deeper. It raised my level of awareness, deepened my understanding and clarified some things, which I think, you know, this information is going to be invaluable to those in America who are asking the question, what can I do? How can I get involved? This is going to be an incredible tool.
SPEAKER 10 :
So based on your involvement with the community impact teams and now having seen and been a part of this 13-week series, who would you recommend should tune in and watch this?
SPEAKER 06 :
I think homeschool families, Christian schools, Christian educators of all persuasions, along with pastors. Our community impact teams are going to benefit greatly from this. And let me just add that the workbook is tremendous. It’s very helpful. And this is something that teams can use to teach on a regular basis, on an annual basis. And something that occurred to me, Tony, For many Americans, Christian Americans, when they begin to learn our biblical story as a nation, it seems to connect the dots. There’s something that happens as they learn this is who we are and this is where we came from. And my Christian walk does apply to every area of life, and I can and should be involved.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, that is such a good point because, you know, you think of that novel 1984, you know, he who controls the present controls the past, and who controls the past controls the future. And we’ve seen a rewrite of our history, and we talk about that in this course, but we go back to the original documents, we go back to the Bible and what the Bible has to say, and we see that those dovetail together, but the difference is in this course and many of the other courses that have been out there, and there’s some really good stuff out there, is this comes from practical application. As a former legislator, I actually walk students through taking these biblical principles and applying them to policy outcomes, real-world policy outcomes.
SPEAKER 06 :
And there are Kids in their teens, late teens, headed into college and maybe a career. This is going to help them not only understand where we came from, but how they can personally, with the gifts that God has given them, be involved in life. shaping the culture, shaping our nation, shaping law. In fact, the application for me was deepened as I understood how the legislature and the judicial branches work together. And some of those questions that you asked, Gina, these are probing things to help us realize, hey, we need to know more and we must know more. If our nation is going to continue to be blessed and Christians are going to be involved. We need to understand how all of this works together.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right. And as I like to say on this program a lot, our republic was not made for spectators. It was made for participants. And this is one way to get prepared to participate. And folks, what we’re doing right now is we’re providing it on the Stand Firm app, one episode per week over the next 13 weeks, free of charge. Now, when it comes out in a packaged format, complete uh volume uh there’ll probably be a price tag attached to it but we’re providing it to those on the stand firm app now so you can walk through it and you get prepared for the fall when we’ll be doing another release you can text the word course to 67742 and i’ll send you a link you can take a test and then you can also get a link to uh to the app if you do not have it um tim I asked Gina the same question here, but we stand, I think, at a very unique moment in the history of this country. And I would even say on the spiritual timeline, God’s timeline of mankind, this is the time to jump in. This is a time to respond to the call of God to shape the culture around us.
SPEAKER 06 :
And as pastors… I think every pastor should take this course, but as the parishioners in the churches of America grasp this deeper understanding of who we are and where we came from, then I believe God’s going to be raising up and calling a number of people through this course to run for office at a local level, state, and maybe federal level, but to understand how they can pray for and be involved at every level.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Tim Thronk-Martin, I want to thank you for joining us today, and I appreciate the great work you do out there setting up these community impact teams all over the country. Thank you, sir. God bless you. Folks, I do encourage you, text the word COURSE to 67742. I’m excited about this new resource that we want to put into your hands to make a difference right where God has you. And with that, we’re out of time for today, but thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul, founder of Ephesians 6, where he says, you’ve done everything you can do, and you’ve prayed, prepared, and taken your stand. By all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 12 :
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.
