Menu
In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins dives into the recent aviation disaster in Washington, D.C., raising questions about air safety and military-civilian coordination. With insights from former President Donald Trump and newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the episode examines if the recent collision highlights broader flaws in airspace management. Additionally, the episode navigates the turbulent waters of political weaponization within the federal government, drawing on expert opinions from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman and others. We transition into global politics with a focus on South Korea, where President Moon Seok-yool's impeachment adds to concerns about democratic stability in the region. Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman provide commentary on the ongoing struggles against political weaponization. This episode is packed with expert insights and critical analysis on pressing national and international issues. Behind the scenes, the looming Super Bowl prompts discussion on the need for family-friendly entertainment standards following controversial performances in previous years. With a letter from Louisiana legislators prompting a commitment from the NFL, could this signal a shift in cultural values at major events?
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 15 :
We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now. Because over the years, I've watched as things like this happen and they say, well, we're always investigating. And then the investigation three years later, they announce it. We think we have some pretty good ideas. But we'll find out how this disaster occurred and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was President Donald Trump earlier today responding to last night's tragic collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at Washington Reagan's National Airport. Welcome to Washington Watch, and thank you for joining us. Well, this morning, the rescue effort at the crash site shifted to a recovery mission after it was confirmed there were no survivors. Now the big question is, how did this happen?
SPEAKER 18 :
We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but to back up what the President said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was newly confirmed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaking earlier today. We'll get an update from Congressman Troy Nels of Texas. He's the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. And for anyone who flies frequently in and out of Washington, it's obvious there are a lot of military helicopters in the air. But have they made the skies above D.C. too crowded? We'll discuss that with retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert later here on Washington Watch. Meanwhile, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The topic of government weaponization took center stage.
SPEAKER 08 :
And in many ways, the worst legacy, in my opinion, of the Biden administration. was the complete politicization and weaponization of both the Department of Justice and the FBI, turning them into tools to attack the perceived enemies of the Biden White House.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. We'll get reaction from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, a member of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. And amid ongoing news from the Middle East and the continuing war in Ukraine, there's been less focus on South Korea, where impeached President Moon Seok-yool faces charges of insurrection. Is South Korea's democracy at risk? We'll talk with Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea. And finally, as I mentioned yesterday, there's some encouraging news regarding the content of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges will join us later to share the details. All of that and more coming up on this Thursday edition of Washington Watch. Be sure and check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, if you've not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app so you can take Washington Watch with you wherever you go. Well, there was quite a bit of fireworks today during the confirmation hearing for three of President Trump's most, I'd say, controversial picks for key roles in his administration. Among the issues that came up during the hearing for Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel was the weaponization of the federal government, which Democrats claim is what President Trump is threatening to do. But as Republicans have rightly pointed out, weaponization is what we saw from the previous administration under Joe Biden. And President Trump has made clear that he will not be continuing a weaponized DOJ. Well, that message doesn't appear to be getting through to Democrats. Here now to discuss the issues, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. She represents the at-large congressional district of the great state of Wyoming. Congresswoman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Wonderful to see you, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Before we get into the confirmation hearing and the president's executive order on the weaponization of government, I want to get your reaction to the tragic crash that took place in D.C. last night.
SPEAKER 02 :
It is absolutely heartbreaking. I flew out of DCA just a couple of hours before that to head home to Wyoming. One of the observations I had was looking out the window at the Potomac and thinking how absolutely frigid cold it looked with all the ice flows in it. And to hear about that last evening as I was driving from the Denver airport, again, it's just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to those families, to the teammates, to everyone who was affected by this terrible, terrible tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
I am pretty confident, as we've heard from the president, Sean Duffy, former colleague of yours, this is going to be thoroughly looked at. And I think it will be, given the fact that so many members of Congress fly in and out. And we've seen it. I mean, I'm flying it out every week. And you see the aircraft. It's a very crowded airspace. So I imagine that something is going to be done there. to deal with this. Let's talk about the weaponization. Let's first start. One of the first executive orders of President Trump was dealing with the issue of the weaponization of the federal government. Talk a little bit about that and how, given the position that you had on that weaponization committee, looking at all those issues, are we going to get a handle on this quickly?
SPEAKER 02 :
I've had a front row seat to see what happens when the federal government is weaponized against political opponents. We saw it play out in a couple of different ways under the Biden-Harris administration. One of them was the manner in which they charged and prosecuted the J6 folks, going after people who might have just simply walked through the Capitol, not even knowing that there were barricades up. and overcharging them dramatically. We know that because the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of many of the people who were charged, where the Biden-Harris administration was actually using a statute that was adopted to address the Enron situation of disposing of and destroying documents and records. And they used that as a way to try to enhance the sentences of the people on January—who were involved in anything associated with January 6. Then you contrast that with what happened in Portland, what happened in Minnesota during the summer of 2020, what happened in New York City. And the reason that I say you have to contrast it is, for one group of people that were disfavored by the Biden-Harris administration, they did everything they could to destroy them. For the people such as Antifa, the people who were involved in CHOP in Seattle and those kinds of things, they not only dropped charges or didn't bring charges in the first place, many of those people they settled with and paid them tens of thousands of dollars if they were at all inconvenienced at any time while they were burning down cities and causing billions of dollars of damage. If you look at what they did to President Trump, it's so clear in the cases in New York, Florida, and D.C. that the folks aligned with Biden and Harris and the Democrats, again, were using our justice system to go after a political opponent. As an attorney, as a long-term advocate for civil rights and civil liberties and adhering to our Constitution, I was pretty shocked to see how the government was weaponized as quickly as it was. When you look at the Russia, Russia, Russia collusion hoax and what the FBI did and their involvement and what the White House knew, in fact, they knew in August of 2016, before the 2016 election, that the Steele dossier was a hoax, that it was paid for by Hillary Clinton, that there was no validity to it. Yet they use the whole-of-government approach to get FISA warrants against the Trump team, to spy on them, to continue with an investigation against President Trump for a year-and-a-half under the auspices of claiming that he was conspiring with or colluding with the country of Russia to undermine America. I mean, all of these things together give you an idea of how weaponized the federal government became under the last administration.
SPEAKER 07 :
Congresswoman, I think it's been a process, because I think back into the 80s and 90s, where, even early turn of the century, where RICO statutes, which was, they were created back in the 1970s to go after the mob and racketeering, were used against pro-lifers. So I think, you know, those things were allowed to go forward, and I think it's kind of like the camel's nose under the tent. If you don't address it, it only gets worse.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's why I refer to what President Trump is doing as accountability. People want to say, well, he's going to weaponize this against his enemies, and Dick Durbin is saying that now. No, the people who engaged in this contact need to be held accountable for the decisions that they made. And so far, no one has been held accountable. One of the things that we did a lot of work on with the Select Committee on weaponization of the federal government related to the First Amendment and the mechanism that was used by Biden and Harris and their cohorts within that administration to stop us, the conservatives and Republicans, from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights. We know that from the Twitter files and the testimony of Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, what Professor Jonathan Turley has found. All of these things, all of these mechanisms by which the government was used to suppress the First Amendment rights, not only the freedom of speech, but as you point out, freedom of religion, using the FACE Act and literally turning it on its head and taking, you know, 72-year-old grandmothers who are praying outside of an abortion clinic and trying to throw them in prison for five years, not because that woman was any kind of a threat or violating anyone's civil rights, but for the purpose of making her as an example so that no one else would dare risk objecting to and fighting back against abortion. So that's what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes. And that's probably the most chilling aspect of this is that it was designed, it was to shock others into silence so that they would not speak or challenge these policies. And that's what happened with the J6 folks and what they endured. But the EO, the executive order, is great. I mean, you look at it, it addresses this issue, but it's an executive order. It can be repealed by the next administration. Congress has to deal with this. Are your colleagues ready to statutorily deal with this so that the government cannot be weaponized in the future against the American citizen?
SPEAKER 02 :
So a couple of things. In some ways, we already have. So being on the Judiciary Committee, part of our jurisdiction was revising Section 702 of the FISA warrants. And so after we learned what the FBI was doing in collusion with the Hillary campaign, in going after the Trump campaign during the 2016 cycle, we made fundamental changes to Section 702 of FISA that makes it much more difficult for the FBI to be using that process, at least to be weaponized against us. So we've already started that process. And I agree with you that this is an executive order. To the extent that any of these executive orders should be turned into statutes, we are already working through that process. so that we can be introducing them. But the other thing that I think is going to happen over the next four years, Tony, is that we're going to see so much exposed. And I think it happened over the last year and a half. I think that the reason that Donald Trump won with the resounding victory that he did was that people were horrified at what had happened with our legacy institutions, with those institutions that all of us grew up revering and thinking, hey, maybe I want to go and work for the FBI. What has been exposed over the last couple of years and what will continue to be exposed, number one, will help us to draft better legislation and make sure it doesn't happen again. But the other thing we need to do is just simply enforce the Constitution as written. I have an absolute First Amendment right in speech, in press, to peaceably assemble to petition my government for redress and to exercise my religion as I see fit. And one of the things that I have done is I have introduced a bill called the First Amendment Restoration Act. It is patterned after a similar federal law that applies to states. But basically what it says is that any federal employee who under color of federal law violates someone's First Amendment rights, they can be held liable in damages. We can get injunctive relief and we can also seek attorney's fees. So that's one of the bills that I actually worked with Jonathan Turley and some of my cohorts on the bill. Judiciary Committee, that we're going directly at these things, that it will be very clear that if you violate the First Amendment and you are a federal employee, I can sue you personally. So that's the kind of legislation we're pushing forward with.
SPEAKER 07 :
Harriet, I want to help you with that. We need that. We need accountability. That is a means of accountability. We're out of time, but always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. And we look forward to working with you to protect that first freedom and to get rid of the weaponization of our federal government. All right, folks, we're going to look at South Korea next. The crisis there. Don't go away.
SPEAKER 17 :
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.
SPEAKER 03 :
Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you on this Thursday afternoon. The website, TonyPerkins.com, but better yet, get the Stand Firm app. And by the way, on the app, we have our first 100 Days Toolkit. That will enable you to engage in the process of helping correct some of the things that have happened in the last four years. There'll be action items. You'll have contact information for your member of Congress and your senators. You can find it, and it'll keep you up to date on what's happening. So you can get it on the app or just text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742. All right. We're waiting for our guest. I've been tracking what's been happening in South Korea. South Korean President Eun Suk-yool shocked the world when he declared martial law in his country, a move widely condemned as an abuse of power. Now, that set off a political firestorm that has only grown more intense. Well, on Saturday, the impeached president was then indicted on charges of leading an insurrection. Now, A lot of stuff sounds very familiar, does it not? And this guy, he's kind of a conservative. And it's been the moderates, the liberals that have been opposing him in South Korea. Well, this ongoing political turmoil in South Korea has raised serious concerns about the stability of one of America's key allies. I mean, their democratic form of government is relatively new going back to the 1980s. And so it has some asking, can South Korea's democratic government And it's an important question because they're a stabilizing force there in that region of the world. All right, while we're waiting for a guest, I'm going to go to Meg Kilgannon, Senior Fellow for Education Studies here at the Family Research Council. She's been tracking a number of the confirmation hearings as we're watching these go through the process. And so I'm going to bring her in. Meg, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Great to be here, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let me continue my conversation I was having with Congresswoman Harriet Hageman regarding the – weaponization of government. Today, Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing in the Senate. This issue factored in very heavily, and Harriet made reference to this. This is what was brought up in the committee, that President Trump simply wants to weaponize government to be used against the left. How do we prevent this tit for tat, back and forth?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, I think that the problem with that analysis is that you're assuming that what happened the previous four years to former President Trump and people who had worked for him was not the weaponization of government. and that it was in fact perfectly legal behavior and something to be proud of, whereas we know that it was illegal behavior that has consequences. And so when you're enforcing consequences on people who've behaved badly, that doesn't mean you're weaponizing the government against them. It means that they are paying the price for the mistakes that were made. very grievous mistakes that have repercussions across the entirety of society. I mean, everything that was done to those folks that were serving in political power could be done to you or me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. But does it also kind of reveal with the Democrats the – They're kind of projecting. I mean, this is what they did when they had power. So they're just assuming that Donald Trump's going to do the same thing. Republicans will do the same thing. This is what they did.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. I think you're seeing the trouble they're having sort of getting their foothold in this new paradigm since the big Republican win in November and this shock and awe campaign we're seeing from the White House and the executive branch. The Democrats are not responding, I think, very well. responding in their usual fashion, but it's not meeting the moment, right? People see through this now.
SPEAKER 07 :
So we're going to see a course correction. I mean, we've already seen the president in his executive order on January the 20th regarding the weaponization of federal government, the personnel that he is appointing. But how can the people that were targeted by the DOJ under the Biden administration and the victims of the weaponization of the federal government, how can they be made whole?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. This age old question, where do I go to get my good name back? Right. It's it's there. These are these are crimes against people that are hard to to to really make right. And so I think maybe that is part of the reason why the other side is so focused on it. They understand on a primal level the grievous wrongs that were done, and they're probably operating out of a sense of fear that they will be held accountable for what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Meg, we've got our guest now to talk about South Korea. So unless you want to talk about South Korea, I'll let you.
SPEAKER 11 :
I can't wait to hear the guest.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. All right. Meg Kilgannon, thanks so much for joining us. All right. Do we have him now? Okay. All right. So we don't have it. Okay. All right. This is the joys of live programming. So we're going to see if we can get connected with him. There's some issues there with our connections. But again, let me jump back here to South Korea. When we look at the parallels, we talked about this a while back when this was first unfolding, but it's continued. And we need to be aware, especially when you look at South Korea's spiritual history and the vibrancy of the church and what's been happening over there, and then all of a sudden it just began to implode. And The conservative, progressive, liberal, whatever you want to call it, leftist, have been fighting and taking their fragile democratic government really to the edge. And so anyway, it's something I think we need to keep an eye on while we're looking at domestic issues, looking at issues in the Middle East and elsewhere. All right. We're almost out of time in this segment. And when we come back, we're going to talk about some good news. All right. You want some good news? Good news is that the NFL is responding to a group of pro-family leaders and legislators from the state of Louisiana regarding the halftime show in the upcoming Super Bowl. So we're going to be joined by state senator, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges next, to share their response to this letter and a commitment. We'll see if they hold to that commitment. But nonetheless, they're listening. We could be in a moment of sea change where we see a lot of things shifting. All right, don't go away. We're back with more Washington Watch after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Have you ever been to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? Well, now you have a special reason to be there on Wednesday, February 5th. First, you can take part in the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. God's ways are higher than our ways. The Lord clearly reveals in Scripture any nation that genuinely worships Him is a nation with leaders willing to repent and ask forgiveness for sins. The NGPR is a unique public gathering where scores of congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, join with international leaders representing more than 50 nations for one sole purpose.
SPEAKER 12 :
Forgive our nations against you and you alone have we sinned.
SPEAKER 06 :
You can be there in the room to pray along with members of Congress, dignitaries from other nations, and Christian leaders from across the U.S. The NGPR is hosted by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Dr. Jim Garlow, founder of Well-Versed World, along with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former Congresswoman Michelle Buchman. Right after the prayer and repentance gathering, participants will move to the World Stage Theater for a private update on important events happening in Israel. and watch a preview of the historic new documentary on the Megiddo Mosaic, the most remarkable archeological find in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is truly one of a kind opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in Israel and how it could affect the whole world. Both of these Bible honoring events require tickets. Go to PrayDC.org, register today to attend in person on February 5th. As a bonus, your ticket grants you a free admission to experience the rest of the Museum of the Bible. Seating is limited for both events. Go to PrayDC.org to get tickets today.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Thursday. Well, in just 10 days, the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans. And this year, there's some good news for families across the country. After concerns were raised over past halftime performances featuring explicit content, event organizers have confirmed that the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 59, their halftime show will be a family-friendly event. So will this be the year that families won't have to switch the channel when it's halftime? Could this be a pivotal point going forward for the Super Bowl? Joining me now to discuss this, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges, who led Louisiana lawmakers and pro-family groups in addressing this issue to get this commitment. Senator Hodges, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for having me, Tony. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So it's always good to have some good news. Tell us about the response that you received to the letter.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we got a I didn't know whether to really expect a response or not. We sent the letter on the 16th and all the press releases went out on Monday and they were very quick to respond. After that, we got a letter from Jay Cicero saying, who is the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. And he issued a statement in response to the letter that I was very, very excited about and impressed by. And I don't know if you want to read the response, but I have it in front of me. No, go ahead and read it, Valerie. Okay, it says, he wrote, we respect and value the comments of our legislators who play a critical role in our ability to secure large events, providing an economic boost to our city and our state, Cicero said. We have shared the letter with the NFL, and we are all in agreement that this year's halftime show will be a family-friendly event befitting New Orleans' storied history hosting Super Bowls. And I was very, very pleased with that. He recognizes that the legislature does contribute greatly to this event and that we're all excited about the event being here in Louisiana and that it should be a family-friendly event. And he agreed that the NFL would do something about it. So we'll see.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I know it's a trust but verify as we look at this. But it's encouraging that they responded to it. There's recognition there's a problem. They're now on the record saying that we want to see this as well. And, of course, we also know I've been in touch with the the head of the Louisiana State Police, as well as the attorney general in Louisiana. And they are going to be watching a lot of the, whether or not laws are violated. They're also going to be addressing the issue that you and I talked about earlier in the week, and that was the issue of human trafficking, which is at its peak around such events as the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER 13 :
Correct. And I thought... the quote that was released was through the Louisiana Illuminator. And I posted the response from Mr. Cicero and the link to the article from the Louisiana Illuminator on my Facebook. It's Valerie Hodges State Senate page. And I want to ask your listeners to go to that and look at it, read the letter, read the response. And the article was really a good article. And they even referenced at the end the fact that the NFL and Roger Goodell still, They signed a contract last year with, I think, I don't remember, J.C., J.Z., that was accused of rape. And I don't know where that court case is. But these are not issues that we can any longer ignore. We've seen the issues that are going on across the nation with the... with P. Diddy, I'll just say it. And so this is not appropriate behavior, and it's certainly not appropriate behavior at one of the largest sports venues in the nation of the year. And so that's what we're hoping, that they will take the letter into account and make some changes. And that's all we're asking is family-appropriate halftime shows.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. I mean, everybody's watching a sports event, and next thing you know, you've got a script show. The good thing about this, you pointed out, when you look at everything that's happening across the country, is that you have... Corporate America is taking note of the last election. They've been taking note of the grassroots efforts pushing back against their woke DEI policies. And so I think sports is not immune from that. They've been bitten by that as well. And I think when you look at this in context... It was a great time to weigh in and ask for them to clean up their act because I think that's the moment we are in. So hopefully this will not just be for this Super Bowl, but maybe we change and raise the standard going forward.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I believe that, Tony, and it's time for our voices to be heard. And they've been, a few have spoken up, I think, even though, so many people told me, I'll never watch the halftime shows. I'm not even going to watch the Super Bowl anymore. Well, that affects their advertisers. The advertisements, the... the ads are great, that they spend a lot of money. But then when people turn off the television or they switch the channel, that's hurting their viewers, their viewership and the advertiser. So I'm hoping they take this into account. This is not a small handful of people. Everywhere I go in the last this last week, people have come up to me, gone out of their way to thank me for the letter and say because they said, thank goodness somebody is saying what we all feel. And there's And that's the thing, that when you have got 18 legislators, you have got national groups like your group, other groups, statewide groups, local groups, this is a large majority of people who are expressing the same thing. And, hopefully, they are listening, according to what Mr. Cicero said, and that they have agreed to make it family-friendly. And this is what America wants. This is who we are. We are people of dignity. And I believe we have moral values. And there are places to go if you want to see a strip show or pole dancing. But the Super Bowl is not the place to do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, let's play football. All right, Valerie Hodges, thanks for joining us. Great to see you. Good work.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good to see you, too.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, folks, coming up next, we'll discuss the latest developments following the Reagan Airport disaster last night. So stay tuned. Don't go anywhere.
SPEAKER 04 :
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 07 :
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 10 :
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 09 :
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 04 :
The 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 07 :
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. 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 05 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Be sure and get your first 100-day toolkit. You can get it by texting TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter four, where Jeremiah reflects upon the prophetic message he has received. Oh my soul, my soul, I am pained in my very heart. My heart makes a noise in me. I cannot hold my peace because you have heard, oh my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered and my curtain in a moment. As followers of Christ, if we are following him and we are in his word, we will see the words of warning from the Lord unfolding right before our eyes. It is a burden to see and it should grieve us to see the steady drumbeat of our nation marching toward destruction because of our rejection of God and his word. Understand the reality of hell as the coming judgment for all who do not repent. We should be motivated to issue the same warnings as Jeremiah with passion. Repent and return to the Lord. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That's Bible to 67742. Recovery operations are underway now following last night's mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts. At least 28 bodies, including all three soldiers who were on the helicopter, had been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River near D.C. when the collision took place last night at 8.48 p.m. Eastern. Now, many right now are searching for answers in what do we know so far and what steps can be taken to prevent something like this from occurring again. Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Troy Nels, who serves on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation. He represents the 22nd District of Texas. Congressman Nels, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So what's the latest? What do we know regarding this incident that occurred last night?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, we know that there are still recovery operations continuing. You know, you had 67 lives lost, and we need to make sure that we can account for each and every one of those individuals. We know that the NTSB, they've been on the ground within a few hours of this taking place last night. I believe they're up to almost 44 people or so from the NTSB is assisting first responders and others, but they will also be the lead investigative group in this crash. So we know that there are dive teams there. The FBI has sent their response team. There are dive teams there trying to recover the black boxes You know, there's two black boxes on that aircraft. There's the data recorder and then there's the cockpit voice recorder trying to get those two black boxes recovered. And I know that the NTSB has received what they'll call like a full package, a full ATC package, which is the air traffic controller. So all the communications prior to the crash and moments after the crash are all in the hands of the NTSB, and they'll be doing their investigation. I had a briefing with them, and Chairman Graves, he's the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We had a briefing with NTSB a few hours ago, and they informed us on the most current information, and it's just, you know, very, very sad. when you see what took place. And now the real question is, you know, the NTSB report, how long will it take for them to, you know, to conduct an investigation and what kind of findings will there be. But I just, I encourage the NTSB and FAA to make sure that, you know, they have accurate information. It's all factual. And then we will look at that information and see if it leads to any type of recommendation. But that's what we have up to this point.
SPEAKER 07 :
It's been nearly two decades since we've had an air disaster such as this right here in our nation's capital. I would assume, being that so many in Congress are flying that same route, each week. And the skies in D.C. have become more crowded. We're seeing a lot of military aircraft, a lot of commercial aircraft. I would think all of those things are going to be looked at by members of Congress because they want to make sure that this is, in fact, made safe again.
SPEAKER 14 :
Sure. I do it every week. I fly out of Houston, Intercontinental, and I got a direct flight right into D.C.A., so I'm very familiar. with that route. They're very familiar with that airport. And so we'll have to wait. A lot of people coming up with their own opinions as to whose fault, pointing fingers, this and that. I think that's, I want to just say, maybe a little irresponsible at this time. We have to give the NTSB an opportunity to look at everything, come up with a report. And And speaking to them earlier today, they stated they could have a preliminary report, possibly within 30 days. So I think that's a step in the right direction. I don't want to see something like this be drug out where we don't know anything for 18 months, because I don't think President Trump is going to want that. He's going to want a very thorough, deliberate investigation into this. I believe that President Trump would want to have some answers and then to try to rectify any type of issues going forward to make sure something like this never happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I would imagine that he's going to be pushing for that report very, very soon. Congressman Troy Nels, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you joining us by phone. Great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Congressman Troy Nels of Texas, 22nd District. And I want to continue this discussion on last night's tragedy that took place. As Troy was saying, he flies it. I fly it every week almost as well. Same route as I fly from my home state of Louisiana into D.C. And, you know, you can't help but see the military aircraft that's around. There's a lot of it. It's also just the slightest weather issue backs up the traffic because it is so heavy coming into Reagan National. So what do we need to be looking at here? And if you look at some of the video, it looked very odd from the helicopter that collided with the jet. Joining me now to discuss this, retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert. He was a former command pilot with more than 2,000 hours and 38 different aircrafts. As a distinguished military career, General Teichert retired as the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
So what can, I know you've been discussing this with others, your contacts. What can you tell us that you have learned so far from last night's crash?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, very clearly there was a breakdown in deconfliction between the airliner and the helicopter. And normally when that happens, it's due to some sort of confusion or breakdown in communication. And as these mishap investigation boards stand up, one from the NTSB, one from the Army, They're going to be gathering the information. Part of that will be collecting the full tapes of the air traffic control transmissions over the course of that flight. And then those black boxes, or flight data recorders, are going to have information about what was being discussed within both of those cockpits. And I think the breakdown and deconfliction is going to tend back to a root cause of confusion or lack of communication that those pieces of evidence will help sort to reveal.
SPEAKER 07 :
JOHN YANG What do we know about the Black Hawk helicopter? What was its mission? What was it doing?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, any helicopter pilot that flies within the D.C. area has special training and qualifications because it is such a congested and highly prescripted area based on national security concerns. But any helicopter that flies is either performing or training to perform one of three primary missions, distinguished visitor transport. protecting Washington, D.C., from the air or responding to a national emergency. In this particular case, the Black Hawk crew was training for one of those mission sets. And in order to train, you need to fly in the airspace in a realistic way. And that's what they were doing last night.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have you seen the video that was caught that you just see the lights? It was a clear night, as the president pointed out, that you can see. And it just appears that the helicopter just flew right into the airplane. It is.
SPEAKER 16 :
That aircraft was on a very predictable, slow and vulnerable part of its approach from the south to the north at DCA. And clearly that helicopter, for whatever reason, did not see that aircraft, was not provided deconfliction help by air traffic control. And you're right. You see a very fast vector from the left to the right that slams the helicopter into the aircraft that initiated this tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have the skies over our nation's capital become too congested?
SPEAKER 16 :
It is worth the discussion, Tony. And several legislatures have had this discussion already as the number of flights out of DCA grows. And you think about those number of flights and then all of the helicopter traffic that is only there for first response law enforcement or military purposes. But it is such a tight area of airspace because of the population and the limits based on national security that it is worth having a full discussion about whether there is too much traffic in and out of DCA and to reassess the processes, procedures and techniques of military and law enforcement aircraft to make sure that there's no unnecessary missions going on in that airspace.
SPEAKER 07 :
So, General, as you point out, the three reasons for them to be flying missions there are, We've seen an increase in the commercial air traffic because every time the FAA is reauthorized, we see more slots created for D.C. because it makes it convenient for those of us who fly into D.C., for members of Congress. But also, we live in a different time. Increasingly, the security threats to our nation's capital have increased. So is that also a part of... creating a greater need for those assets to be in the air in our nation's capital.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, part of the answer is yes. But we have two very capable airports in the D.C. area, one up in Maryland, BWI, one out at Dulles, that could handle some of this traffic. And we need to be careful that we're not trading in convenience and creating risk like seemingly happened last night. And, you know, the investigators First, we will preserve perishable evidence. Second, they will figure out what happened. But, most importantly, they will get to the root cause of why it happened, so that we can update procedures, policies, techniques and airspace, so that nothing like this happens again. That's their primary charge. And I think part of that assessment is going to be air traffic control and the amount of volume of traffic both at DCA and those other missions around the D.C. area.
SPEAKER 07 :
Now, I know no one wants to jump to conclusions on this because there is an investigation, and I'm sure it will be thorough. Again, I think this will be investigated very, very closely because it is in our nation's capital, and so many members of Congress are directly touched by this. But some have said, and there's certainly reason and justification to say it, that when you look at both the commercial, the FAA, and you look at the military, there's been such a misplaced focus on non-essential services. skill sets, DEI, that it could distract from the necessary training that is needed to make people proficient in their jobs. Is that justified?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I have seen some of that distraction in the DOD during the last four years. And we see now a president and a secretary of defense who are insisting that we get back to a constitutionally grounded, mission-focused, merit-based system within the national security sphere. And we heard some of that from the president about air traffic controllers as well. And we think about how diversity has been elevated during the last four years to the sacrifice of unity and shared purpose. And I have seen many in the military who have lamented the fact that we have drifted away from the focus that the military is there to be lethal and ready because of all these other distractive elements. And now it is very welcome amongst the vast majority of the military members to get back to a focus on the mission and a focus back on merit-based elevation.
SPEAKER 07 :
General Teichert, it's sad that it requires a tragedy to bring us back to focus on what is essential. I mean, I can cite several recent examples going back to July of this last year, President Trump nearly then died. former President Trump, nearly assassinated because there was issues in the Secret Service. We're looking at California that's been on fire because their fire department looked at DEI as opposed to fighting fires. And now we see, and I hope it's not the case, but there's enough to point to it that that's probably a contributing factor to what happened last night.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I think you're right. And I think the breakdown in law enforcement in New Orleans over New Year's is one of those same types of situations where when you focus on things other than the mission, then you're naturally going to have the opportunity cost where you are less professional, less capable and less able to handle the situations that are demanded by the mission. And we see it in a variety of areas in our country. And I really do hope, whether you take that away from this accident or not, that we recognize that institutions are there to accomplish a mission. And when you don't focus on that mission, then there are harms that will result from the distraction that is a part of those lack of focus and lack of unity.
SPEAKER 07 :
It unfortunately is the reality. It just is. General Teichert, I want to thank you for joining us and appreciate your insights on this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks as always, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
And folks, that's another matter of prayer. We just need to be praying that our nation would move back to operating in truth, common sense, constitution, truth, so that the mission of our government becomes its focus, its real mission is its mission. Right, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you've done everything you can do, when you've prayed, when you've prepared, and when you've taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
Come here for great content about civic engagement, voting, and everything you need to make a conscientious decision this election cycle. America is divided, and our hope is that we can help you thoughtfully step through the process.
In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins dives into the recent aviation disaster in Washington, D.C., raising questions about air safety and military-civilian coordination. With insights from former President Donald Trump and newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the episode examines if the recent collision highlights broader flaws in airspace management. Additionally, the episode navigates the turbulent waters of political weaponization within the federal government, drawing on expert opinions from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman and others. We transition into global politics with a focus on South Korea, where President Moon Seok-yool's impeachment adds to concerns about democratic stability in the region. Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman provide commentary on the ongoing struggles against political weaponization. This episode is packed with expert insights and critical analysis on pressing national and international issues. Behind the scenes, the looming Super Bowl prompts discussion on the need for family-friendly entertainment standards following controversial performances in previous years. With a letter from Louisiana legislators prompting a commitment from the NFL, could this signal a shift in cultural values at major events?
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 15 :
We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now. Because over the years, I've watched as things like this happen and they say, well, we're always investigating. And then the investigation three years later, they announce it. We think we have some pretty good ideas. But we'll find out how this disaster occurred and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was President Donald Trump earlier today responding to last night's tragic collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at Washington Reagan's National Airport. Welcome to Washington Watch, and thank you for joining us. Well, this morning, the rescue effort at the crash site shifted to a recovery mission after it was confirmed there were no survivors. Now the big question is, how did this happen?
SPEAKER 18 :
We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but to back up what the President said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was newly confirmed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaking earlier today. We'll get an update from Congressman Troy Nels of Texas. He's the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. And for anyone who flies frequently in and out of Washington, it's obvious there are a lot of military helicopters in the air. But have they made the skies above D.C. too crowded? We'll discuss that with retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert later here on Washington Watch. Meanwhile, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The topic of government weaponization took center stage.
SPEAKER 08 :
And in many ways, the worst legacy, in my opinion, of the Biden administration. was the complete politicization and weaponization of both the Department of Justice and the FBI, turning them into tools to attack the perceived enemies of the Biden White House.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. We'll get reaction from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, a member of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. And amid ongoing news from the Middle East and the continuing war in Ukraine, there's been less focus on South Korea, where impeached President Moon Seok-yool faces charges of insurrection. Is South Korea's democracy at risk? We'll talk with Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea. And finally, as I mentioned yesterday, there's some encouraging news regarding the content of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges will join us later to share the details. All of that and more coming up on this Thursday edition of Washington Watch. Be sure and check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, if you've not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app so you can take Washington Watch with you wherever you go. Well, there was quite a bit of fireworks today during the confirmation hearing for three of President Trump's most, I'd say, controversial picks for key roles in his administration. Among the issues that came up during the hearing for Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel was the weaponization of the federal government, which Democrats claim is what President Trump is threatening to do. But as Republicans have rightly pointed out, weaponization is what we saw from the previous administration under Joe Biden. And President Trump has made clear that he will not be continuing a weaponized DOJ. Well, that message doesn't appear to be getting through to Democrats. Here now to discuss the issues, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. She represents the at-large congressional district of the great state of Wyoming. Congresswoman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Wonderful to see you, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Before we get into the confirmation hearing and the president's executive order on the weaponization of government, I want to get your reaction to the tragic crash that took place in D.C. last night.
SPEAKER 02 :
It is absolutely heartbreaking. I flew out of DCA just a couple of hours before that to head home to Wyoming. One of the observations I had was looking out the window at the Potomac and thinking how absolutely frigid cold it looked with all the ice flows in it. And to hear about that last evening as I was driving from the Denver airport, again, it's just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to those families, to the teammates, to everyone who was affected by this terrible, terrible tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
I am pretty confident, as we've heard from the president, Sean Duffy, former colleague of yours, this is going to be thoroughly looked at. And I think it will be, given the fact that so many members of Congress fly in and out. And we've seen it. I mean, I'm flying it out every week. And you see the aircraft. It's a very crowded airspace. So I imagine that something is going to be done there. to deal with this. Let's talk about the weaponization. Let's first start. One of the first executive orders of President Trump was dealing with the issue of the weaponization of the federal government. Talk a little bit about that and how, given the position that you had on that weaponization committee, looking at all those issues, are we going to get a handle on this quickly?
SPEAKER 02 :
I've had a front row seat to see what happens when the federal government is weaponized against political opponents. We saw it play out in a couple of different ways under the Biden-Harris administration. One of them was the manner in which they charged and prosecuted the J6 folks, going after people who might have just simply walked through the Capitol, not even knowing that there were barricades up. and overcharging them dramatically. We know that because the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of many of the people who were charged, where the Biden-Harris administration was actually using a statute that was adopted to address the Enron situation of disposing of and destroying documents and records. And they used that as a way to try to enhance the sentences of the people on January—who were involved in anything associated with January 6. Then you contrast that with what happened in Portland, what happened in Minnesota during the summer of 2020, what happened in New York City. And the reason that I say you have to contrast it is, for one group of people that were disfavored by the Biden-Harris administration, they did everything they could to destroy them. For the people such as Antifa, the people who were involved in CHOP in Seattle and those kinds of things, they not only dropped charges or didn't bring charges in the first place, many of those people they settled with and paid them tens of thousands of dollars if they were at all inconvenienced at any time while they were burning down cities and causing billions of dollars of damage. If you look at what they did to President Trump, it's so clear in the cases in New York, Florida, and D.C. that the folks aligned with Biden and Harris and the Democrats, again, were using our justice system to go after a political opponent. As an attorney, as a long-term advocate for civil rights and civil liberties and adhering to our Constitution, I was pretty shocked to see how the government was weaponized as quickly as it was. When you look at the Russia, Russia, Russia collusion hoax and what the FBI did and their involvement and what the White House knew, in fact, they knew in August of 2016, before the 2016 election, that the Steele dossier was a hoax, that it was paid for by Hillary Clinton, that there was no validity to it. Yet they use the whole-of-government approach to get FISA warrants against the Trump team, to spy on them, to continue with an investigation against President Trump for a year-and-a-half under the auspices of claiming that he was conspiring with or colluding with the country of Russia to undermine America. I mean, all of these things together give you an idea of how weaponized the federal government became under the last administration.
SPEAKER 07 :
Congresswoman, I think it's been a process, because I think back into the 80s and 90s, where, even early turn of the century, where RICO statutes, which was, they were created back in the 1970s to go after the mob and racketeering, were used against pro-lifers. So I think, you know, those things were allowed to go forward, and I think it's kind of like the camel's nose under the tent. If you don't address it, it only gets worse.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's why I refer to what President Trump is doing as accountability. People want to say, well, he's going to weaponize this against his enemies, and Dick Durbin is saying that now. No, the people who engaged in this contact need to be held accountable for the decisions that they made. And so far, no one has been held accountable. One of the things that we did a lot of work on with the Select Committee on weaponization of the federal government related to the First Amendment and the mechanism that was used by Biden and Harris and their cohorts within that administration to stop us, the conservatives and Republicans, from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights. We know that from the Twitter files and the testimony of Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, what Professor Jonathan Turley has found. All of these things, all of these mechanisms by which the government was used to suppress the First Amendment rights, not only the freedom of speech, but as you point out, freedom of religion, using the FACE Act and literally turning it on its head and taking, you know, 72-year-old grandmothers who are praying outside of an abortion clinic and trying to throw them in prison for five years, not because that woman was any kind of a threat or violating anyone's civil rights, but for the purpose of making her as an example so that no one else would dare risk objecting to and fighting back against abortion. So that's what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes. And that's probably the most chilling aspect of this is that it was designed, it was to shock others into silence so that they would not speak or challenge these policies. And that's what happened with the J6 folks and what they endured. But the EO, the executive order, is great. I mean, you look at it, it addresses this issue, but it's an executive order. It can be repealed by the next administration. Congress has to deal with this. Are your colleagues ready to statutorily deal with this so that the government cannot be weaponized in the future against the American citizen?
SPEAKER 02 :
So a couple of things. In some ways, we already have. So being on the Judiciary Committee, part of our jurisdiction was revising Section 702 of the FISA warrants. And so after we learned what the FBI was doing in collusion with the Hillary campaign, in going after the Trump campaign during the 2016 cycle, we made fundamental changes to Section 702 of FISA that makes it much more difficult for the FBI to be using that process, at least to be weaponized against us. So we've already started that process. And I agree with you that this is an executive order. To the extent that any of these executive orders should be turned into statutes, we are already working through that process. so that we can be introducing them. But the other thing that I think is going to happen over the next four years, Tony, is that we're going to see so much exposed. And I think it happened over the last year and a half. I think that the reason that Donald Trump won with the resounding victory that he did was that people were horrified at what had happened with our legacy institutions, with those institutions that all of us grew up revering and thinking, hey, maybe I want to go and work for the FBI. What has been exposed over the last couple of years and what will continue to be exposed, number one, will help us to draft better legislation and make sure it doesn't happen again. But the other thing we need to do is just simply enforce the Constitution as written. I have an absolute First Amendment right in speech, in press, to peaceably assemble to petition my government for redress and to exercise my religion as I see fit. And one of the things that I have done is I have introduced a bill called the First Amendment Restoration Act. It is patterned after a similar federal law that applies to states. But basically what it says is that any federal employee who under color of federal law violates someone's First Amendment rights, they can be held liable in damages. We can get injunctive relief and we can also seek attorney's fees. So that's one of the bills that I actually worked with Jonathan Turley and some of my cohorts on the bill. Judiciary Committee, that we're going directly at these things, that it will be very clear that if you violate the First Amendment and you are a federal employee, I can sue you personally. So that's the kind of legislation we're pushing forward with.
SPEAKER 07 :
Harriet, I want to help you with that. We need that. We need accountability. That is a means of accountability. We're out of time, but always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. And we look forward to working with you to protect that first freedom and to get rid of the weaponization of our federal government. All right, folks, we're going to look at South Korea next. The crisis there. Don't go away.
SPEAKER 17 :
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.
SPEAKER 03 :
Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you on this Thursday afternoon. The website, TonyPerkins.com, but better yet, get the Stand Firm app. And by the way, on the app, we have our first 100 Days Toolkit. That will enable you to engage in the process of helping correct some of the things that have happened in the last four years. There'll be action items. You'll have contact information for your member of Congress and your senators. You can find it, and it'll keep you up to date on what's happening. So you can get it on the app or just text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742. All right. We're waiting for our guest. I've been tracking what's been happening in South Korea. South Korean President Eun Suk-yool shocked the world when he declared martial law in his country, a move widely condemned as an abuse of power. Now, that set off a political firestorm that has only grown more intense. Well, on Saturday, the impeached president was then indicted on charges of leading an insurrection. Now, A lot of stuff sounds very familiar, does it not? And this guy, he's kind of a conservative. And it's been the moderates, the liberals that have been opposing him in South Korea. Well, this ongoing political turmoil in South Korea has raised serious concerns about the stability of one of America's key allies. I mean, their democratic form of government is relatively new going back to the 1980s. And so it has some asking, can South Korea's democratic government And it's an important question because they're a stabilizing force there in that region of the world. All right, while we're waiting for a guest, I'm going to go to Meg Kilgannon, Senior Fellow for Education Studies here at the Family Research Council. She's been tracking a number of the confirmation hearings as we're watching these go through the process. And so I'm going to bring her in. Meg, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Great to be here, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let me continue my conversation I was having with Congresswoman Harriet Hageman regarding the – weaponization of government. Today, Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing in the Senate. This issue factored in very heavily, and Harriet made reference to this. This is what was brought up in the committee, that President Trump simply wants to weaponize government to be used against the left. How do we prevent this tit for tat, back and forth?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, I think that the problem with that analysis is that you're assuming that what happened the previous four years to former President Trump and people who had worked for him was not the weaponization of government. and that it was in fact perfectly legal behavior and something to be proud of, whereas we know that it was illegal behavior that has consequences. And so when you're enforcing consequences on people who've behaved badly, that doesn't mean you're weaponizing the government against them. It means that they are paying the price for the mistakes that were made. very grievous mistakes that have repercussions across the entirety of society. I mean, everything that was done to those folks that were serving in political power could be done to you or me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. But does it also kind of reveal with the Democrats the – They're kind of projecting. I mean, this is what they did when they had power. So they're just assuming that Donald Trump's going to do the same thing. Republicans will do the same thing. This is what they did.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. I think you're seeing the trouble they're having sort of getting their foothold in this new paradigm since the big Republican win in November and this shock and awe campaign we're seeing from the White House and the executive branch. The Democrats are not responding, I think, very well. responding in their usual fashion, but it's not meeting the moment, right? People see through this now.
SPEAKER 07 :
So we're going to see a course correction. I mean, we've already seen the president in his executive order on January the 20th regarding the weaponization of federal government, the personnel that he is appointing. But how can the people that were targeted by the DOJ under the Biden administration and the victims of the weaponization of the federal government, how can they be made whole?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. This age old question, where do I go to get my good name back? Right. It's it's there. These are these are crimes against people that are hard to to to really make right. And so I think maybe that is part of the reason why the other side is so focused on it. They understand on a primal level the grievous wrongs that were done, and they're probably operating out of a sense of fear that they will be held accountable for what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Meg, we've got our guest now to talk about South Korea. So unless you want to talk about South Korea, I'll let you.
SPEAKER 11 :
I can't wait to hear the guest.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. All right. Meg Kilgannon, thanks so much for joining us. All right. Do we have him now? Okay. All right. So we don't have it. Okay. All right. This is the joys of live programming. So we're going to see if we can get connected with him. There's some issues there with our connections. But again, let me jump back here to South Korea. When we look at the parallels, we talked about this a while back when this was first unfolding, but it's continued. And we need to be aware, especially when you look at South Korea's spiritual history and the vibrancy of the church and what's been happening over there, and then all of a sudden it just began to implode. And The conservative, progressive, liberal, whatever you want to call it, leftist, have been fighting and taking their fragile democratic government really to the edge. And so anyway, it's something I think we need to keep an eye on while we're looking at domestic issues, looking at issues in the Middle East and elsewhere. All right. We're almost out of time in this segment. And when we come back, we're going to talk about some good news. All right. You want some good news? Good news is that the NFL is responding to a group of pro-family leaders and legislators from the state of Louisiana regarding the halftime show in the upcoming Super Bowl. So we're going to be joined by state senator, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges next, to share their response to this letter and a commitment. We'll see if they hold to that commitment. But nonetheless, they're listening. We could be in a moment of sea change where we see a lot of things shifting. All right, don't go away. We're back with more Washington Watch after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Have you ever been to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? Well, now you have a special reason to be there on Wednesday, February 5th. First, you can take part in the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. God's ways are higher than our ways. The Lord clearly reveals in Scripture any nation that genuinely worships Him is a nation with leaders willing to repent and ask forgiveness for sins. The NGPR is a unique public gathering where scores of congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, join with international leaders representing more than 50 nations for one sole purpose.
SPEAKER 12 :
Forgive our nations against you and you alone have we sinned.
SPEAKER 06 :
You can be there in the room to pray along with members of Congress, dignitaries from other nations, and Christian leaders from across the U.S. The NGPR is hosted by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Dr. Jim Garlow, founder of Well-Versed World, along with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former Congresswoman Michelle Buchman. Right after the prayer and repentance gathering, participants will move to the World Stage Theater for a private update on important events happening in Israel. and watch a preview of the historic new documentary on the Megiddo Mosaic, the most remarkable archeological find in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is truly one of a kind opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in Israel and how it could affect the whole world. Both of these Bible honoring events require tickets. Go to PrayDC.org, register today to attend in person on February 5th. As a bonus, your ticket grants you a free admission to experience the rest of the Museum of the Bible. Seating is limited for both events. Go to PrayDC.org to get tickets today.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Thursday. Well, in just 10 days, the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans. And this year, there's some good news for families across the country. After concerns were raised over past halftime performances featuring explicit content, event organizers have confirmed that the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 59, their halftime show will be a family-friendly event. So will this be the year that families won't have to switch the channel when it's halftime? Could this be a pivotal point going forward for the Super Bowl? Joining me now to discuss this, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges, who led Louisiana lawmakers and pro-family groups in addressing this issue to get this commitment. Senator Hodges, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for having me, Tony. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So it's always good to have some good news. Tell us about the response that you received to the letter.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we got a I didn't know whether to really expect a response or not. We sent the letter on the 16th and all the press releases went out on Monday and they were very quick to respond. After that, we got a letter from Jay Cicero saying, who is the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. And he issued a statement in response to the letter that I was very, very excited about and impressed by. And I don't know if you want to read the response, but I have it in front of me. No, go ahead and read it, Valerie. Okay, it says, he wrote, we respect and value the comments of our legislators who play a critical role in our ability to secure large events, providing an economic boost to our city and our state, Cicero said. We have shared the letter with the NFL, and we are all in agreement that this year's halftime show will be a family-friendly event befitting New Orleans' storied history hosting Super Bowls. And I was very, very pleased with that. He recognizes that the legislature does contribute greatly to this event and that we're all excited about the event being here in Louisiana and that it should be a family-friendly event. And he agreed that the NFL would do something about it. So we'll see.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I know it's a trust but verify as we look at this. But it's encouraging that they responded to it. There's recognition there's a problem. They're now on the record saying that we want to see this as well. And, of course, we also know I've been in touch with the the head of the Louisiana State Police, as well as the attorney general in Louisiana. And they are going to be watching a lot of the, whether or not laws are violated. They're also going to be addressing the issue that you and I talked about earlier in the week, and that was the issue of human trafficking, which is at its peak around such events as the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER 13 :
Correct. And I thought... the quote that was released was through the Louisiana Illuminator. And I posted the response from Mr. Cicero and the link to the article from the Louisiana Illuminator on my Facebook. It's Valerie Hodges State Senate page. And I want to ask your listeners to go to that and look at it, read the letter, read the response. And the article was really a good article. And they even referenced at the end the fact that the NFL and Roger Goodell still, They signed a contract last year with, I think, I don't remember, J.C., J.Z., that was accused of rape. And I don't know where that court case is. But these are not issues that we can any longer ignore. We've seen the issues that are going on across the nation with the... with P. Diddy, I'll just say it. And so this is not appropriate behavior, and it's certainly not appropriate behavior at one of the largest sports venues in the nation of the year. And so that's what we're hoping, that they will take the letter into account and make some changes. And that's all we're asking is family-appropriate halftime shows.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. I mean, everybody's watching a sports event, and next thing you know, you've got a script show. The good thing about this, you pointed out, when you look at everything that's happening across the country, is that you have... Corporate America is taking note of the last election. They've been taking note of the grassroots efforts pushing back against their woke DEI policies. And so I think sports is not immune from that. They've been bitten by that as well. And I think when you look at this in context... It was a great time to weigh in and ask for them to clean up their act because I think that's the moment we are in. So hopefully this will not just be for this Super Bowl, but maybe we change and raise the standard going forward.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I believe that, Tony, and it's time for our voices to be heard. And they've been, a few have spoken up, I think, even though, so many people told me, I'll never watch the halftime shows. I'm not even going to watch the Super Bowl anymore. Well, that affects their advertisers. The advertisements, the... the ads are great, that they spend a lot of money. But then when people turn off the television or they switch the channel, that's hurting their viewers, their viewership and the advertiser. So I'm hoping they take this into account. This is not a small handful of people. Everywhere I go in the last this last week, people have come up to me, gone out of their way to thank me for the letter and say because they said, thank goodness somebody is saying what we all feel. And there's And that's the thing, that when you have got 18 legislators, you have got national groups like your group, other groups, statewide groups, local groups, this is a large majority of people who are expressing the same thing. And, hopefully, they are listening, according to what Mr. Cicero said, and that they have agreed to make it family-friendly. And this is what America wants. This is who we are. We are people of dignity. And I believe we have moral values. And there are places to go if you want to see a strip show or pole dancing. But the Super Bowl is not the place to do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, let's play football. All right, Valerie Hodges, thanks for joining us. Great to see you. Good work.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good to see you, too.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, folks, coming up next, we'll discuss the latest developments following the Reagan Airport disaster last night. So stay tuned. Don't go anywhere.
SPEAKER 04 :
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 07 :
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 10 :
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 09 :
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 04 :
The 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 07 :
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. 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 05 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Be sure and get your first 100-day toolkit. You can get it by texting TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter four, where Jeremiah reflects upon the prophetic message he has received. Oh my soul, my soul, I am pained in my very heart. My heart makes a noise in me. I cannot hold my peace because you have heard, oh my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered and my curtain in a moment. As followers of Christ, if we are following him and we are in his word, we will see the words of warning from the Lord unfolding right before our eyes. It is a burden to see and it should grieve us to see the steady drumbeat of our nation marching toward destruction because of our rejection of God and his word. Understand the reality of hell as the coming judgment for all who do not repent. We should be motivated to issue the same warnings as Jeremiah with passion. Repent and return to the Lord. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That's Bible to 67742. Recovery operations are underway now following last night's mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts. At least 28 bodies, including all three soldiers who were on the helicopter, had been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River near D.C. when the collision took place last night at 8.48 p.m. Eastern. Now, many right now are searching for answers in what do we know so far and what steps can be taken to prevent something like this from occurring again. Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Troy Nels, who serves on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation. He represents the 22nd District of Texas. Congressman Nels, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So what's the latest? What do we know regarding this incident that occurred last night?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, we know that there are still recovery operations continuing. You know, you had 67 lives lost, and we need to make sure that we can account for each and every one of those individuals. We know that the NTSB, they've been on the ground within a few hours of this taking place last night. I believe they're up to almost 44 people or so from the NTSB is assisting first responders and others, but they will also be the lead investigative group in this crash. So we know that there are dive teams there. The FBI has sent their response team. There are dive teams there trying to recover the black boxes You know, there's two black boxes on that aircraft. There's the data recorder and then there's the cockpit voice recorder trying to get those two black boxes recovered. And I know that the NTSB has received what they'll call like a full package, a full ATC package, which is the air traffic controller. So all the communications prior to the crash and moments after the crash are all in the hands of the NTSB, and they'll be doing their investigation. I had a briefing with them, and Chairman Graves, he's the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We had a briefing with NTSB a few hours ago, and they informed us on the most current information, and it's just, you know, very, very sad. when you see what took place. And now the real question is, you know, the NTSB report, how long will it take for them to, you know, to conduct an investigation and what kind of findings will there be. But I just, I encourage the NTSB and FAA to make sure that, you know, they have accurate information. It's all factual. And then we will look at that information and see if it leads to any type of recommendation. But that's what we have up to this point.
SPEAKER 07 :
It's been nearly two decades since we've had an air disaster such as this right here in our nation's capital. I would assume, being that so many in Congress are flying that same route, each week. And the skies in D.C. have become more crowded. We're seeing a lot of military aircraft, a lot of commercial aircraft. I would think all of those things are going to be looked at by members of Congress because they want to make sure that this is, in fact, made safe again.
SPEAKER 14 :
Sure. I do it every week. I fly out of Houston, Intercontinental, and I got a direct flight right into D.C.A., so I'm very familiar. with that route. They're very familiar with that airport. And so we'll have to wait. A lot of people coming up with their own opinions as to whose fault, pointing fingers, this and that. I think that's, I want to just say, maybe a little irresponsible at this time. We have to give the NTSB an opportunity to look at everything, come up with a report. And And speaking to them earlier today, they stated they could have a preliminary report, possibly within 30 days. So I think that's a step in the right direction. I don't want to see something like this be drug out where we don't know anything for 18 months, because I don't think President Trump is going to want that. He's going to want a very thorough, deliberate investigation into this. I believe that President Trump would want to have some answers and then to try to rectify any type of issues going forward to make sure something like this never happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I would imagine that he's going to be pushing for that report very, very soon. Congressman Troy Nels, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you joining us by phone. Great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Congressman Troy Nels of Texas, 22nd District. And I want to continue this discussion on last night's tragedy that took place. As Troy was saying, he flies it. I fly it every week almost as well. Same route as I fly from my home state of Louisiana into D.C. And, you know, you can't help but see the military aircraft that's around. There's a lot of it. It's also just the slightest weather issue backs up the traffic because it is so heavy coming into Reagan National. So what do we need to be looking at here? And if you look at some of the video, it looked very odd from the helicopter that collided with the jet. Joining me now to discuss this, retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert. He was a former command pilot with more than 2,000 hours and 38 different aircrafts. As a distinguished military career, General Teichert retired as the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
So what can, I know you've been discussing this with others, your contacts. What can you tell us that you have learned so far from last night's crash?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, very clearly there was a breakdown in deconfliction between the airliner and the helicopter. And normally when that happens, it's due to some sort of confusion or breakdown in communication. And as these mishap investigation boards stand up, one from the NTSB, one from the Army, They're going to be gathering the information. Part of that will be collecting the full tapes of the air traffic control transmissions over the course of that flight. And then those black boxes, or flight data recorders, are going to have information about what was being discussed within both of those cockpits. And I think the breakdown and deconfliction is going to tend back to a root cause of confusion or lack of communication that those pieces of evidence will help sort to reveal.
SPEAKER 07 :
JOHN YANG What do we know about the Black Hawk helicopter? What was its mission? What was it doing?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, any helicopter pilot that flies within the D.C. area has special training and qualifications because it is such a congested and highly prescripted area based on national security concerns. But any helicopter that flies is either performing or training to perform one of three primary missions, distinguished visitor transport. protecting Washington, D.C., from the air or responding to a national emergency. In this particular case, the Black Hawk crew was training for one of those mission sets. And in order to train, you need to fly in the airspace in a realistic way. And that's what they were doing last night.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have you seen the video that was caught that you just see the lights? It was a clear night, as the president pointed out, that you can see. And it just appears that the helicopter just flew right into the airplane. It is.
SPEAKER 16 :
That aircraft was on a very predictable, slow and vulnerable part of its approach from the south to the north at DCA. And clearly that helicopter, for whatever reason, did not see that aircraft, was not provided deconfliction help by air traffic control. And you're right. You see a very fast vector from the left to the right that slams the helicopter into the aircraft that initiated this tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have the skies over our nation's capital become too congested?
SPEAKER 16 :
It is worth the discussion, Tony. And several legislatures have had this discussion already as the number of flights out of DCA grows. And you think about those number of flights and then all of the helicopter traffic that is only there for first response law enforcement or military purposes. But it is such a tight area of airspace because of the population and the limits based on national security that it is worth having a full discussion about whether there is too much traffic in and out of DCA and to reassess the processes, procedures and techniques of military and law enforcement aircraft to make sure that there's no unnecessary missions going on in that airspace.
SPEAKER 07 :
So, General, as you point out, the three reasons for them to be flying missions there are, We've seen an increase in the commercial air traffic because every time the FAA is reauthorized, we see more slots created for D.C. because it makes it convenient for those of us who fly into D.C., for members of Congress. But also, we live in a different time. Increasingly, the security threats to our nation's capital have increased. So is that also a part of... creating a greater need for those assets to be in the air in our nation's capital.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, part of the answer is yes. But we have two very capable airports in the D.C. area, one up in Maryland, BWI, one out at Dulles, that could handle some of this traffic. And we need to be careful that we're not trading in convenience and creating risk like seemingly happened last night. And, you know, the investigators First, we will preserve perishable evidence. Second, they will figure out what happened. But, most importantly, they will get to the root cause of why it happened, so that we can update procedures, policies, techniques and airspace, so that nothing like this happens again. That's their primary charge. And I think part of that assessment is going to be air traffic control and the amount of volume of traffic both at DCA and those other missions around the D.C. area.
SPEAKER 07 :
Now, I know no one wants to jump to conclusions on this because there is an investigation, and I'm sure it will be thorough. Again, I think this will be investigated very, very closely because it is in our nation's capital, and so many members of Congress are directly touched by this. But some have said, and there's certainly reason and justification to say it, that when you look at both the commercial, the FAA, and you look at the military, there's been such a misplaced focus on non-essential services. skill sets, DEI, that it could distract from the necessary training that is needed to make people proficient in their jobs. Is that justified?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I have seen some of that distraction in the DOD during the last four years. And we see now a president and a secretary of defense who are insisting that we get back to a constitutionally grounded, mission-focused, merit-based system within the national security sphere. And we heard some of that from the president about air traffic controllers as well. And we think about how diversity has been elevated during the last four years to the sacrifice of unity and shared purpose. And I have seen many in the military who have lamented the fact that we have drifted away from the focus that the military is there to be lethal and ready because of all these other distractive elements. And now it is very welcome amongst the vast majority of the military members to get back to a focus on the mission and a focus back on merit-based elevation.
SPEAKER 07 :
General Teichert, it's sad that it requires a tragedy to bring us back to focus on what is essential. I mean, I can cite several recent examples going back to July of this last year, President Trump nearly then died. former President Trump, nearly assassinated because there was issues in the Secret Service. We're looking at California that's been on fire because their fire department looked at DEI as opposed to fighting fires. And now we see, and I hope it's not the case, but there's enough to point to it that that's probably a contributing factor to what happened last night.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I think you're right. And I think the breakdown in law enforcement in New Orleans over New Year's is one of those same types of situations where when you focus on things other than the mission, then you're naturally going to have the opportunity cost where you are less professional, less capable and less able to handle the situations that are demanded by the mission. And we see it in a variety of areas in our country. And I really do hope, whether you take that away from this accident or not, that we recognize that institutions are there to accomplish a mission. And when you don't focus on that mission, then there are harms that will result from the distraction that is a part of those lack of focus and lack of unity.
SPEAKER 07 :
It unfortunately is the reality. It just is. General Teichert, I want to thank you for joining us and appreciate your insights on this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks as always, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
And folks, that's another matter of prayer. We just need to be praying that our nation would move back to operating in truth, common sense, constitution, truth, so that the mission of our government becomes its focus, its real mission is its mission. Right, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you've done everything you can do, when you've prayed, when you've prepared, and when you've taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
Join Roger Marsh in an enlightening conversation with Gary Bauer on Family Talk, as they unpack the current political climate following the Inauguration Day of 2025. Amidst a new presidential term and changing policies, the dialogue flows around maintaining Christian principles while engaging in today's societal debates. Reflecting on the previous administration, they analyze how political decisions affect cultural values and discuss the necessary involvement of faith communities in shaping moral standards.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, hello, everyone. I'm James Dobson, and you're listening to Family Talk, a listener-supported ministry. In fact, thank you so much for being part of that support for James Dobson Family Institute.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, welcome to Family Talk, the broadcast ministry of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Roger Marsh, and today here on the program, a very, very special installment of Family Talk. Today is Inauguration Day 2025, and who better than to join me in studio to have a conversation about what we're anticipating with a brand new presidential administration than Gary Bauer. Gary is our Senior Vice President of Public Policy here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute and And he knows, he's been around Washington a little bit. He knows a little bit about what happens on Capitol Hill. Gary, Happy New Year and welcome back to the broadcast.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you, Roger. It's an exciting day in Washington, D.C. You know, this is one of the little things that happens every four years here. We inaugurate a president, but this year seems particularly profound. And it's also historic, as you know, because we're inaugurating a president who was Wow, wow. We've already made some history today. Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I love the fact that we do have this history. It does seem like the Trump administration is now going into its third term because the last four years were somewhat tumultuous. I think first and foremost, we are giving glory to God, not because we here at the JDFI were backing any particular candidate, but I know the work that you did and Dr. Dobson did and we did with our Countdown to Decision 2024 program. The whole name of the game there was to encourage people to vote biblically, if you're a Christian, especially to vote for your biblical values. But secondly, to get Christians who typically sit on their hands to get engaged. And I think we saw a huge turnout of people who ordinarily don't engage get engaged.
SPEAKER 02 :
You're absolutely right, Roger. This is something that's been dear to the heart of Dr. Dobbs in his entire career. He and I, over the years, over the decades, have been complaining about Christians not being good Christian citizens. It seems like for about 100 years we've been complaining about that. But in fact, in recent years, and particularly in this last election, there has been a more encouraging turnout. of men and women that believe the Bible and believe that our liberty comes from God, not from government. And they made a difference. And, of course, it needs to be mentioned. You know this, Roger, but I know a lot of Christians are still confused about it. We hear over and over again from people that say, look, I'm just going to go to church on Sunday. I'm going to worship God. I'm going to leave all that noise outside of the church. It has nothing to do with me. Well, that's really flawed thinking. This is a country whose founders believed that it could only exist, it could only survive if the population were moral people. Everything they built was was based on that idea. It's also a country that has sent more missionaries around the world to bring the good news about our Savior Jesus Christ than any country in the history of the world. So America is deeply intertwined with our Christian faith. So that means today on Inauguration Day, the battle really begins in a very profound way. And one of the things we want to do at JDFI is keep people informed and let them know when they're going to need to weigh in on legislation that's pending or something that the president is or isn't doing as we deal with these great issues that will determine the future of our country.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, you know, it's interesting, Gary, because I appreciate the position that you have with us here at the JDFI as the senior vice president of public policy, because a lot of people don't realize. They think, well, that's politics and those are laws and that's not my lane, if you will. And realizing that as Christians, that's absolutely something that we should be concerned with. The policy decisions that are made by an administration have huge ramifications in the culture. And then this year, we also launched, brought in Dr. Owen Strand as our senior director of the Dobson Culture Center to help us understand the policies, kind of set the agenda for what the administration is going to do. And then the cultural impact causes us as believers to head back to Scripture and say, wait, is this forcing me to compromise my values or not? Maybe one of the black eyes, if you will, of the Biden administration has been the fact that they have sought so aggressively to to seek out ways to basically undermine biblical and traditional values that, beyond the fact that they're an offense to God, but they really do bring havoc in society. Talk about, from your vantage point, what we've seen over the past four years and why Donald Trump being in the White House means we're going to see a shift in those policies.
SPEAKER 02 :
It's a great question, Roger. And I think all of us here at JDFI, we get a little nervous. Maybe that's not the right word, but we don't want to come across as being political partisans or tied to one political party or whatever. But there is a certain reality in American political life and public life right now. And one of the ways we've addressed this is to look at the platforms of the two parties. And nobody in the Democrat Party is going to disagree with what I'm getting ready to say. The Democrat Party platform is all in on abortion on demand, to give you just one example. And it's all in on the political demands of the LGBTQ community or special interest group, however you want to refer to it. And because of that, the Biden years have been four years where our religious liberty, our rights of conscience, have been under constant attack. It's not just that the president promoted abortion and promoted LGBTQ issues. President Biden did that at the expense of our right to not be involved in those things. That's good. So, in fact, right now we're part of a lawsuit against the outgoing Biden administration over regulations they issued to try to make Christian ministries and Christian businesses – violate our conscience by promoting abortion or paying for abortions or promoting LGBTQ issues or being implicated in the whole transgender movement and all that's going on with that that threatens our children. All that ends, all those things that were coming out of Washington, all that ends today on Inauguration Day.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. You know, Gary, you brought up an excellent point in the fact that there are a lot of people who don't see the interrelativity, if you will, the interconnectivity of the things that the previous administration, the outgoing one, thank the Lord that we've survived four years of that. But isn't that a testament to the great American system that we have here, Gary Bauer? I mean, let's face it. There are a lot of people every four years who say, I'm so glad that person's not president anymore. Other people who say, thank the Lord they are. But the system still works. I mean, it really does. It's a testament to the Constitution and to God's hand of providence on our nation that even a fascist dictatorial type and maybe fascist is a bit too strong. But the Biden administration really did have those tendencies in terms of saying, look, we're going to push abortion rights. We're going to push transgender ideologies at the expense of religious liberty. I mean, if it weren't a zero sum game like that. There's no way you can do one without the other, and yet they keep saying, no, no, no, everybody can be accepted. Everybody's welcome. But as you duly noted, that's a place where Christians have to stand in the gap and say, wait a minute, not only is that not morally right, it's also unconstitutional.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's a great summary, Roger. You know, to stay on the LGBTQ part of this, and I don't know if any new letters have been added since our show began, it seems to be a growing phenomena. But early on in that movement, the appeal that it made to the American public and, quite frankly, to Christians was – look, we know you don't agree with us, but we're not asking you to marry somebody of the same sex. We're not asking you to have an abortion. We're just saying, let us live our lives the way we want to. If we love someone, who are you to question our love? And that was a very effective argument. And I think, quite frankly, there's a lot of evidence that particularly younger Christians believe Found it persuasive and said, well, yeah, why are you being so mean-spirited and not letting those people have the same rights that we do? Well, now that that movement got traction, the LGBTQ movement got traction, it was no longer a live and let live movement. It was an iron fist movement. You will participate and bake cakes for our weddings. Right, right. And all the rest of it, you will not preach about this in your churches or we will sue you for denying us our constitutional rights. So it's been very, I think, instructive to see the live and let live argument really doesn't play out. And there's no society that's neutral. Right. Every society will have a set of things that it admires, that it looks up to, that it wants to teach its children to follow and to be committed to. And it will have a series of things, of ideas and ways of living that that society will say, no, don't do that. That is not right. That is wrong. Somebody always wins in a society. in our society over these sorts of things. And thank God for JDFI, and thank God for Dr. Dobson's voice over the decades, because we have said that the things to look up to here in America are faith, family, and freedom. That's what the country was built on, and that's what we remain committed to following and to defending.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, today here on Inauguration Day, Gary Bauer is with us here in studio on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh, and we're talking about what this new administration, we used to call President Trump President 45, now he's also President 47, which is kind of interesting, hasn't happened in this country in well over 100 years. But as I was just thinking, Gary, of the image as Donald Trump placing his hand, left hand on the Bible, right hand in the air to take the oath of office, I could hear the border closing. You know, I could hear the gates, the doors shutting up. And not only that, but I could hear Homeland Security under the capable direction of former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem coming in and saying, OK, we're shutting things down now. That open border issue, I think that's a hand that the Democrat Party horribly overplayed in the election as kind of downplaying the fact that, well, it's really not that important to American families. And yet the open border has put so many families at risk. So many communities are being overwhelmed. We think about right even here in Colorado, you know, I mean, the gang activity moving into taking over apartment complexes and things of that nature. A lot of Christians are going to say, but Gary, you know what, though? It's not right. People are coming here. And they need a place to flee their homeland and they need a safe place to land. Why is it good and godly for us to close the borders and have not keep people out necessarily, but have a better way of filtering those who come in?
SPEAKER 02 :
Roger, you're absolutely right. This is another one of those issues that there's been division in the church about. Although when you do polling on it, Americans overwhelmingly are against what they watched the last four years. And that goes for men and women of faith, men and women who are in church every Sunday. Just their common sense told them you can't have 8, 10, 12 million people walk into America without having a profound impact on the country. And now some of it might be a positive impact, but a lot of it is a very negative impact. If a good person can walk across the border and now go wherever they want and never leave, even if a court demands that they leave, well, then what would stop a bad person from walking across the border?
SPEAKER 01 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 02 :
Or a terrorist from walking across the border. And in fact, we know that that has happened. And the reason we know it is that American citizens – The people that our government has the first responsibility to defend and protect have been raped and killed and robbed. That's unacceptable. There's nothing Christian about that. I will often hear someone, usually a progressive, self-identified progressive in the church, who thinks that the argument is over if that person simply says, Jesus loves migrants. Well, Jesus loves all human beings. He sent his son to die for our salvation as the perfect lamb. The fact that Jesus loves men and women that he created does not in any way settle the argument about what a nation's border policy should be. Jesus loves taxpayers. Jesus loves American citizens. So you've got to bring a more— well-thought-out moral mindset to deal with these sorts of issues.
SPEAKER 01 :
I remember one theologian one night, the guy was trying to do the open border thing with him, and his response was, well, do you lock your door before you go to bed?
SPEAKER 02 :
Exactly right, yes.
SPEAKER 01 :
I mean, of course we do. So that's the thing, and last time I checked too, heaven does have a gate and does have a narrow way in, and there is a way that people can get in, but there's also... provisions for keeping people out. That's a godly principle.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, there's a half million children we shouldn't forget about. That's the number of children during the Biden years that crossed our border, many of them unaccompanied by an adult. And those children were given to other adults in the United States that claimed they were a relative or claimed that they were somebody that there had been a prearrangement made with the family in the home country. child comes from to take care of that child. And we found out in the closing months of the Biden administration that we were no longer able to locate the great majority of those children. There is absolutely no doubt that some of those children are being abused. They've been trafficked. Others are no doubt working in sweatshop factories as illegal minor workers for businesses that are off the grid. So this is a human tragedy. No country can legitimately allow something like that to happen, and yet that's exactly what happened over the last four years. And I know that the Trump administration – has said all during the transition period, they're going to do everything they can to find those children and rescue them wherever they are. That is something that Jesus would be smiling about.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. Well, we're smiling about it here at Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk in the JDFI. Gary Bauer is our Senior Vice President of Public Policy. He's the host of the Defending Faith, Family, and Freedom podcast and a regular contributor, of course. to the Family Talk program. And today here on Inauguration Day, Gary, also having served in the Reagan White House for many years, and also you served President Trump in a capacity. I didn't want to make you a cabinet member or anything like that at that point if it wasn't more to give you that promotion. But you served the last couple of years of his first term working in an area that I know a lot of people think is kind of an anomaly. Donald Trump and religious liberty, especially as it pertains to Christians, And yet he's got to look at all his foreign policy decisions. Look at the Christians that he's picked to cabinet posts and ambassadorships and things of that nature. It's a very exciting time for Americans, again, to see men and women of faith put in these positions.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. Well, it's an old saying in Washington that personnel is policy. A president brings six, seven, 8,000 people with him to all these posts. There are Christians everywhere. all over the Trump administration. There wasn't his first term. You mentioned the assignment I had. It was not a paid assignment, but he nominated me to be one of the nine members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. And our job was to look at every nation in the world and rate them on whether they were allowing the citizens of their country to enjoy the most fundamental right that all human beings should have, which is to seek God and worship God as they see fit. And President Trump was very committed to that issue, remains committed to it.
SPEAKER 01 :
Did I read this correctly, Gary? There's a new faith office that's going to be coming in as part of the Trump 47 administration? Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, there is going to be a faith office. Now, he had an office in the administration in his first term, and it was very effective. But it still had to deal with bureaucracy and so forth, like all these departments and commissions and agencies do. This faith office is going to report directly to the president. And there's going to be an individual in each government cabinet agency that is part of that faith office and will represent it in each of those agencies around Washington, D.C. For years, Donald Trump has had a faith advisory board— He had that in his first term, and Dr. Dobson is a member of that faith advisory board, continues to be a member of it today. And it will this time report directly to the president, this faith office. So I think it's another example of how seriously Donald Trump is committed to religious liberty. One other thing on this, Roger, that I think a lot of Christians forget – Religious liberty right now at the Supreme Court is in a stronger position than it's been in in 50 years. And the reason for that is that in his first term, Donald Trump had three Supreme Court vacancies that he was able to fill. And that gave us, depending on the issue, somewhere between a five or six vote margin. majority on the Supreme Court in defense of religious liberty. We don't know what's going to happen in the next four years. I believe there could be another vacancy of another one of the liberal justices. And if that happens, I have no doubt that Donald Trump will appoint somebody that is committed to the First Amendment. and its guarantee of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, what we call the first freedoms that are part of our Constitution.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, it's an exciting time. It's an exciting day, Inauguration Day 2025. We've been having this conversation with Gary Bauer, who's the Senior Vice President of Public Policy here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, former Undersecretary of Education, and served on the advisory board for the—I always get the lettering wrong—the
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, it's USURF is the alphabet name, but it's U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom. And by the way, Roger, the most persecuted group in the world, we found at the commission, and this won't surprise anybody, are followers of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER 01 :
It's come to that point. So this is the world we live in. For such a time as this, we are very hopeful and anticipating that the next four years are going to be years of not necessarily just easy-feasy for Christians, but rather to see the biblical worldview carried out from the highest level of government here in the United States. Gary, thank you for handicapping that with us. Would you take the final moments of our time together and just offer a prayer for the incoming administration, for our nation, and also for maybe believers who are kind of scratching their heads saying, wait a minute, why would God put this man? As our president, how is that a good thing from God, if you would be so kind?
SPEAKER 02 :
Of course, Roger. Well, Father God, we just thank you for the incredible blessing we received when you allowed us to be born or to immigrate legally to the United States of America. Of all the places in the world that someone could be born in, to be born here is an unbelievable blessing. This is a nation built on the idea that liberty comes from you. You weren't surprised by the fact that we were born in America. You knew exactly where we were going to be born. And so because of this gift you gave us, Father God, we have an obligation to preserve it, to take care of it, to protect it. Otherwise, we would be ingrates. Nobody would want to abuse or ignore a wonderful gift given to them. And you've given us this gift to be citizens in the United States. So thank you for that blessing. Give us the courage as Christian citizens to speak up for our faith and to stand for faith, family, and freedom. And Father God, for some who still don't understand why Christians voted by massive margins for Donald Trump, help them to have the wisdom to know that the Bible is full of stories of heroes and heroines, often unlikely and fallen men and women. who you used for your purposes in ways that helped the world of the time they lived in. Father God, we pray for your protection on President Trump and the members of his administration, that you would keep them safe. We would pray, Father, that all those in the administration, followers of Jesus Christ, would be strengthened in their faith, but also members of the administration that may not yet understand you and your message of salvation to us that may be during their time of public service. This will be when they find Jesus and being even better in the jobs that they've given us. Father God, finally, we ask that this great country that has done so many good things, we're a flawed nation, as all nations are, but we pray, Father, that you would continue to help America follow your will to make us a nation that, in fact, is a shining city on a hill. Father God, we know that America can't be great again until it's godly again. We ask these things in Christ's name and for his sake. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. Gary Bauer, thank you so much for helping us to get the proper spiritual perspective on Inauguration Day 2025 here on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. Gary, it's always a pleasure to be with you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Always great to be with you, Roger.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, you've been listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, featuring an insightful conversation about Inauguration Day 2025 with our own Gary Bauer, our Senior Vice President of Public Policy here at the Dr. James Dobson Policy Center. Now, if you missed any portion of today's historic broadcast, or if you'd like to share it with others, go to drjamesdobson.org forward slash Family Talk, or you can also access this audio through the Family Talk app. And speaking of apps, you can now follow JDFI on the Bible app, the YouVersion Bible app, which is utilized by millions of people worldwide. You can join the nearly 100,000 people who have subscribed to three-day devotional plans with practical biblical insights to strengthen marriages and equip others. parents. For example, you can get started with one of these popular plans, Dr. Dobson's three-day marriage plan for improving communication skills or finding true love in your marriage. You'll also benefit from Dr. Dobson's three-day parenting plan for a mother's impact on her children and opting for effective discipline. You can follow JDFI when you access the YouVersion Bible app, and you'll find that information in Google Play or the App Store. Well, I'm Roger Marsh, thanking you so much for listening to the broadcast today. Be sure to join us again next time for another edition of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, the voice you trust for the family you love. This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
This week on The National Crawford Roundtable, the conversation transcends the typical talk of school shootings and gun control. The hosts engage in a meaningful discussion about what really stops criminal acts and how security can be improved in schools, often described as 'gun-free zones'. Are there real common-sense gun laws that would make a difference? Does the deterrence factor work both at schools and in churches? The Roundtable offers a fresh approach to outdated debates. Don't miss the conversation about groundbreaking LED technology – how it uses the power of light for healing – and a candid wrap-up of the complexities of holiday shopping. This is a packed episode filled with insights and valued reflections.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to the National Crawford Roundtable podcast, a view of culture, current events and politics through a biblical lens brought to you by Preborn, saving babies and souls. Join us in the fight to save babies from abortion. Your gift provides a free ultrasound for a mother in need. 80% of the time she will choose life. Visit CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on the Preborn logo to donate to save babies now. and by SunPower LED light therapy devices. Bring light to your pain. Visit CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on the SunPower LED logo to get out of pain and improve your overall wellness. And now, here are your hosts, Neil Boron, Bob Duco, and John Rush.
SPEAKER 05 :
Back with another week of the National Crawford Roundtable podcast. And, of course, very happy to have the guys with us, Neil Boron, Neil Boron, live out of Buffalo, New York. And, of course, John Rush, Rush to Reason out of Denver, Colorado. Guys, how are you? Great. Doing good. One week to go until Christmas. We are getting closer and closer. You guys get your Christmas shopping done, you do that stuff.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
Does anybody still go out to the stores? No. I was actually at a mall last week, and I was amazed how empty it was right before Christmas.
SPEAKER 03 :
I don't know how they stay alive.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I'm not sure either. Honestly, don't know how they stay alive. I'm a small business guy, so I try to go out, but I don't do much shopping. And, you know, there's, what, five shopping days till Christmas or something? So I've got about four days left till I start. There you go. That's just how it works for me.
SPEAKER 05 :
And it's, hey, you know what? Thank the Lord for 7-Eleven and gift cards, I guess. Anyway, we're going to talk this week about, obviously, the tragic Wisconsin school shooting and all the gun debates that are... You know, propping up every time something like this happens. We'll also talk about the latest with the drones, the New Jersey drones and such. And some of the stuff in presidential politics. We've got a few things to get to. But first, though, let's talk about the Wisconsin school shooting. This is obviously just a horrible tragedy. Anytime you see something like this, 15-year-old girl goes into the school and shoots up a bunch of people, kills a teacher, kills a student, injures a few others, and then kills herself. according to police with her gun. And they're still trying to determine exactly what the motive is. As of Wednesday morning, the police chief says, well, it looks like there's a number of factors involved in the motive, but they're not really releasing anything yet. So you hate to see stuff like this. Obviously, people need to be in prayer for those families that are grieving in such a tough time, and right before Christmas, of all things, too. So as Christians, we certainly need to be doing that. But, you know, we know and John, I'll throw it over to you. We know that things like this get politicized, especially by the left. We've already been hearing, you know, a bunch of different liberals saying, you know, how many more children have to die before, you know, Republicans take action? We have common sense gun laws and whatever. You know what? You could take every single gun law on the books in liberal left-wing California, apply them all in Wisconsin, and you know something? It doesn't stop things like this. We talked about this before. Sometimes bad things happen in an evil world. It doesn't mean we minimize it, but new gun laws wouldn't change anything.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I hear even, you know, Joe Biden and others, you know, we need more common sense gun control, which, by the way, there's no such thing. We need background checks, universal background checks. We need this. We need that. What reality is this young girl, 15 years of age, I don't believe and I might be corrected on this. And if so, I'm sure somebody will let me know. But I don't think there's a single state. out there that will allow a 15-year-old to buy a handgun. I'd be very surprised. I would be shocked if there is. I know there's some states where young people can buy long guns and things like that, but I don't believe that she could legally go into a gun store. Number one, she doesn't really even have the ID to pass most background checks that are in a lot of states that are out there now. And no, there's not universal, but a lot of states still do that. I'm not sure about Wisconsin. I, by the way, have not looked at their gun laws. I would be surprised, knowing as liberal as they are, if they don't have some things on the books similar to what California and Colorado have when it comes to buying guns at that age. I would be shocked in Wisconsin if she's able to legally buy a gun as a 15-year-old. Point being, it doesn't make any difference. And they use every one of these tragedies to further their agenda, which, by the way, guys, at the end of the day is to remove – all guns, period. They don't want the Second Amendment. They look at that as archaic. They want it to go away. They don't understand nor care. Actually, I think they do understand and they do care. That's why they want to see it go away, because if you can remove it, you can remove all of the rest of the Bill of Rights that we have, because that's the one that really keeps the rest of them in check.
SPEAKER 05 :
And you know something? Of all of those liberals, they, yeah, you got the ones that what they really, really want is to try to make guns illegal in America, which is absurd because the criminals out there, the entire black market for illegal guns, they're not going to go, oh, well, I guess we're breaking the law, so we'll turn them all in. No, it just means the only people that are going to have guns are bad guys, lawbreakers with guns. So we don't need that. But, you know, also, John, they know. They know full well that even the ones that don't want to ban guns, actually, they know that they can use this as a political tool against Republicans by creating the false perception that there's common sense gun laws that if they were just passed, these children wouldn't have to die in school shootings. But those Republicans and the NRA keep blocking it. And if they can trick people into believing that, then it can cause those swing voters to look at Republicans with stink eye. So, Neil, I want to get your take on this as well. And I know before you get into talking about this, one of the things we really want to encourage our listeners to do is to support our sponsors and thank our sponsors. We talk about Preborn. Let's talk about SunPowerLED.com, which has just been helping a lot of people.
SPEAKER 04 :
Totally. And I'm happy to talk about it. In fact, let me tell you a quick story. Excuse me, about a little over a week ago, I was helping a guy do some drywall. He had a problem in his rental apartment and his ceiling was damaged because the shower upstairs was leaking. And anyway, we got that fixed and I fixed the drywall for him. So I was standing on the bathtub in order to reach the ceiling and decided instead of waiting for somebody to bring a stepstool, I would just jump down from the tub. Well, I did. And I landed, I stuck it like a pro, and I made a comment. I just said, I said, I'm like a cat, you know, and he kind of laughed. And that was it. I went home, and I was watching a movie with my wife. Everything was fine, didn't feel a thing. And all of a sudden, I stood up after watching the movie. I couldn't move. My leg was locked. and the pain was so intense I was hopping on one foot. I couldn't bear any weight. Went right downstairs, grabbed the SunPower LED Super Palm, and put it on my knee for about 30 minutes. Went to bed, woke up in the morning, did it again. I woke up in the morning, I was able to walk pretty well, and I did it again. Did it again that night, and the following morning, no pain whatsoever. It was unbelievable how quickly it dealt with whatever happened. And that's the thing. It's using light that God himself created to reduce pain and swelling and promote healing. And I want you to check it out. Red Light Therapy from SunPowerLED. You can find it at CrawfordMediaGroup.net. Real quick, and I know you want to talk about pre-born, but I just wanted to add my two cents on this thing. You know, I don't know what the laws are in Wisconsin, but I bet it's illegal for a 15-year-old to have a handgun.
SPEAKER 01 :
It is. I checked.
SPEAKER 04 :
And it definitely is in school, right? You're not allowed to bring it. So the point is there are multiple laws broken. Who knows how many? Who knows who maybe gave her that handgun? But ultimately, laws were broken. That's the point. I mean, and so how many laws do you want to have? They're going to be broken if somebody intends to act in an illegal fashion. Exactly. And I don't know why that argument never seems to settle on the minds of liberals and progressives. The bottom line is every crime that's committed with a gun is done so illegally because they're breaking the law in order to do it.
SPEAKER 05 :
Anyway. That's right. Yeah. You are so right about that. And actually, Neil, there's something else I want to ask you about that in just a second. First, though, I do want to take a moment and ask our listeners to please support Preborn if you haven't done that yet. Or maybe it's just a thing where you have before and it's like, you know what, I want to go ahead and give them another gift. It saves some more babies' lives. Remember, pre-born is the main pro-life group that shows these ultrasound images of unborn babies to expectant moms. They do this in pro-life centers all across the country. And you know when a mom sees a picture of her baby, she doesn't go across the street to Planned Parenthood. She usually lets her baby live. And she usually accepts Jesus Christ, too. So what we want to do is pay for these ultrasound images, everybody, plain and simple. So here's two ways you can do this. Because we don't have enough ultrasound machines and enough ultrasound images being shown across the country. So here's how we save more babies' lives. Number one, buy an ultrasound machine. We need somebody out there, some people out there to buy ultrasound machines. They're $15,000 a piece. It's a nice tax write-off for you coming up on the end of the year. And your forever legacy will be that you stopped thousands and thousands of abortions year after year. For everybody else, just pay for an individual number of ultrasound images. $28 is the average ultrasound expense to stop one abortion, to save one baby's life. So take $28 times fill in the blank, whatever that number is, and that's your gift to pre-born. And anything you give to pre-born, 100% goes to the ultrasounds, not a penny for overhead. So we want you to give right now, if you would. Here's how you do it. Go online to CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on Preborn. CrawfordMediaGroup.net, click on Preborn. You can give right there. You can also give over the phone to a real live person. They answer 24-7, 833-850-BABY. That's 833-850-BABY. And we appreciate you folks doing that. So, Neil, let me ask you, Neil Boron, Neil Boron, live out of Buffalo, New York. What about with this school shooting and the gun arguments and such? You know, it gets politicized so much from the left. Oh, if we just if we just had more gun laws, we know that, as you said, you're right. The laws are going to be broken anyway. But here's the two main things, Neil, that I see in common every time I see these these kind of school shootings. Number one. There are no new gun laws that would have stopped that shooting, okay? And number two, they're all gun-free zones. You have teachers that aren't armed. And I'm not trying to pick on this school, okay? It's a Christian school. But teachers that aren't armed, I've got to imagine there are some teachers there that probably have concealed carry licenses. They're proficient with firearms. And in cases like that... Would I rather have a police officer, a resource officer? Sure. But if I don't have somebody right there, then I'd rather at least have a teacher familiar with guns that's packing that can maybe stop something like this sooner than when police can eventually get there.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, yeah. And, you know, I realize how shocking that sounds to some people. And there are definitely teachers that want nothing to do with a handgun. They just are not comfortable handling one or whatever.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
But other teachers have backgrounds in military service or law enforcement. It's not that big a deal. And I think arming teachers is not a bad thing. In the right context, done the right way, I think it's not a bad thing. And by the way, how many churches, you know, have security teams where people are carrying in states where you're allowed to concealed carry? especially in rural areas. You know, 60, 70 percent of the congregations pack in heat, but nobody's hitting those churches, you know, for mass shootings because they know they're not going to get away with it. There's the deterrence factor. So I don't think it's a bad idea to consider something like that, and I realize it's controversial, but, you know, that ultimately is about protection and deterrence. It isn't about arming people who intend to break the law. It's about arming people who intend to protect innocent citizens like the students at that school in Wisconsin.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. So true. John, your thoughts on that? Because it is a controversial thing, the idea of arming teachers.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, no, I'm with Neil. I mean, I think if you look at most of these individuals... Not all. There's a few rare exceptions, but for the most part, these guys are not heroes by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them are cowards, and what I mean by that, and I honestly believe in this case as well, if this young lady had known that there were several teachers on site, you know, packing, quote-unquote, and that she might risk... you know, being, you know, shot back at immediately. Believe me, that changes the perception in the mind of those individuals right off the bat. And to me, Bob, it's one of the biggest deterrents you can have because when these nefarious individuals are thinking about doing these things in the first place, that has to be the first thing that comes in their mind. You know, even if it's, okay, how am I going to, you know, disarm so-and-so because I know that they've got, you know, a gun in their desk or a gun on them or whatever the case may be. Just the reality that, hey, there are going to be people there shooting back at me if I do this. That changes everything.
SPEAKER 05 :
You know, it's interesting that you would think with all of the anti-gun people out there who believe in gun-free zones, you would think there would be a huge retail market for yard signs that say this house is a gun-free zone. But you know what? There's not.
SPEAKER 03 :
There's not a market out there for that. They're all cowards. They're not going to do that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Why would you put that kind of a message out there for the burglars? Of course nobody's going to do that.
SPEAKER 03 :
And really quick, going back to what Neil said a moment ago about the churches, and I'd have to go check the stats on this, but we cover... The three of us, a lot of different things on a daily basis. And the other thing, by the way, that's been coming out here of late on a lot of the national media is how many school shootings there have been. 323 was one report, which is so far off, it's ridiculous.
SPEAKER 05 :
CNN said 83. New York Times said 320.
SPEAKER 03 :
There's been like three all year when it's all said and done. So at any rate.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, thinking about what Neil said a moment ago, and I'm thinking, okay, you know, when's the last big church shooting that we've had? And I know there's been some synagogues and things like that, but churches where in a lot of cases, especially, you know, medium to large churches, even small churches, you know, there's somebody there that's now packing armed and so on. My point is I think now that that's become more well-known that churches are doing that, and I don't want to say this because I don't want it to happen, but we haven't seen a lot of that of late.
SPEAKER 05 :
Since New Life, really, in your backyard. Correct.
SPEAKER 03 :
What happened is churches armed themselves once that happened, and again, most of these criminals know that, so again, when's the last big one of those we've heard about?
SPEAKER 04 :
It's been a long time. Well, I think since New Life, there may have been Sutherland, Texas, and then there was the shooting.
SPEAKER 03 :
But that was one where, and I've interviewed that guy, there was a guy nearby that ran in there and actually ended up diffusing that whole situation, and that didn't end well for the shooter.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, all I'm saying is that they still happen, but they're happening at a less frequent pace because of the deterrence factor. And I don't know. I mean, I think that I interviewed a gentleman. He's an African-American pastor from Niagara Falls, New York. Wonderful brother in Christ. I had him in the studio. He was pushing back on Governor Hochul here in New York, who, on the heels of COVID-19, tried to make it illegal to carry in certain settings, including churches, because, quote, in her mind, they should all be gun-free zones, houses of worship, etc. He said, I've been a pastor for like 40 years, and I've got a small congregation. I don't have money to pay a security team. No one in our church, you know, would qualify. We've got an older congregation. When I'm standing in the pulpit, and I got 35 people sitting in the pews, and somebody comes in the back door armed, I want to be able to protect my congregation, and I'm And he held his ground along with some other pastors, black and white, just pastors that care about protecting their congregations. And ultimately, that thing was thrown out, and he's caring. He's caring in church. But yeah, I mean, think of the mindset of a pastor who's preparing a sermon on Sunday but saying, I've got to protect the people that I'm preaching to.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. That's brutal.
SPEAKER 03 :
Which, guys, really quick, I mean, that attitude, which, by the way, I fully agree with. Let's protect the people that are inside of this particular building organization and so on. There's, by the way, a lot of other organizations that do exactly the same thing. Why don't we do that with our kids?
SPEAKER 05 :
I know. I know. Are they not a valuable enough asset?
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you. Yes, they are the most valuable asset we have.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay, because I'll tell you what. We protect celebrities a whole lot better. We protect members of Congress a whole lot better. I mean, we protect just about everybody a whole lot better than we protect our kids inside the classroom.
SPEAKER 03 :
Bob, we do just the opposite. We tell everybody that these are gun-free zones where our kids are actually at. We do the opposite, Bob.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, exactly. Advertising.
SPEAKER 05 :
We put a neon sign out there that says, by the way, it's easy pickings in this school because it's a gun-free zone.
SPEAKER 03 :
It's a shame.
SPEAKER 05 :
I know. Now, John, you mentioned the thing. I want to go a little bit deeper about the media reports we're seeing about how many school shootings there are every year. People need to know there are left-wing schools. groups, left-wing anti-gun groups out there that tabulate their own data of how many school shootings, mass shootings, things like that there are. And they come up with their own liberal left-wing criteria for this. And then the media uses them as some kind of an actual source, a legitimate source. But we got to remember, during COVID, remember how COVID deaths were over-exaggerated because everything was labeled a COVID death, everything. That's right. Somebody gets a motorcycle crash with a fever, okay, well, that could be probable COVID. Therefore, we can call it a COVID death. So they dramatically inflated the numbers by making a mile-wide net to catch anything and call it COVID. Well, that's how these left-wing anti-gun groups do it. They will literally, if you look at, like, for example, the organization that New York Times cited, okay, do you know what their criteria is for a school shooting?
SPEAKER 03 :
Anything that happens on school grounds.
SPEAKER 05 :
That's right. School grounds. And by the way, look at all the inner city high crime areas. It's very common for gangs to gather together and pull out their guns on school grounds, out in the parking lot somewhere. Things like that happen, not even inside the school.
SPEAKER 03 :
In July when there's not even school in session, by the way. Right. That's right. Those get counted also.
SPEAKER 05 :
And all they have to do is pull out a gun. They don't have to fire it. Just pull out a gun. One gang member to another. Three gang members pull out guns. There are three, quote, school shootings that are listed there. What? fire it it's just considered a school shooting this is how some of these left-wing groups do it also again they find any bullets anywhere okay where you can have gang members that in the neighborhood in the vicinity think about how many gang-ridden schools and the vicinities there are one of these anti-gun groups uses anything within what's considered the school zone which is usually around a four or five or six block area and so gangland activity gets credited as school shootings so Those numbers are grossly skewed.
SPEAKER 03 :
Most of them, by the way, come from every town USA. I know, and you know what?
SPEAKER 05 :
It's a way for the left-wing media to trick Americans into believing that this scenario of somebody going into a schoolroom and shooting up children is happening dozens and dozens and dozens of times a year, and it's just not true.
SPEAKER 03 :
Nope, it is not true.
SPEAKER 05 :
It shouldn't happen, and we need to stop it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Really quick, too, Bob, don't forget, even a stray bullet, so say there's a rural school out there and there's some... hunting area nearby, which, by the way, can happen even a stray bullet that, you know, in the middle of summer or, you know, an early morning, you know, whatever, something just happens to land their school shooting.
SPEAKER 05 :
I know, exactly.
SPEAKER 04 :
I was watching the news with my wife the other day, and they said something about the 300 school shootings. And I immediately thought of the overinflated numbers. I wasn't sure how they calculated that. It's shocking to find that out. But she gasped when she heard that number. She said, how is that possible? Well, I guess if you're going to count it the way you're describing, then maybe it's possible. But yeah, that's disgusting.
SPEAKER 05 :
They know if they can trick if they can trick some of those soccer moms out there into going, oh, my, this is horrible. This is happening this often in this country that making them think that the kids getting shot up in a classroom is what's happening with that kind of a frequency. Yeah, it can cause them to look over to Republicans and go, boy, I'll tell you what, maybe those Democrats are right. You know, and these Republicans are the ones with blood on their hands and blah, blah, blah. It's interesting. It's such dishonest propaganda. It just makes my eye twitch. It really does.
SPEAKER 03 :
By the way, these are the same individuals that will inflate all sorts of other things and yet deflate certain crime to make it look good on their end. So they are manipulating the data on a consistent basis, guys.
SPEAKER 05 :
And by the way, can I also say the argument of going after gun manufacturers for stuff like this? This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life, going after the gun. Look, if a gun actually malfunctions and someone's injured, then of course the manufacturer's liable for that. Right. But if the gun functions the way it's intended to function, it can be used for good or for evil because the very same gun manufacturer produces a gun that a bad guy uses, also produces a gun that a good guy uses to save people's lives. Let me... Next time somebody gets killed by a drunk driver or plows their car into a crowd of people, do we now say, well, let's go ahead and sue Ford or General Motors because they're the ones who manufactured the car? It's the same car that's used to drive the pregnant mom to the hospital real quick to have the baby. Right. What do you think about that, Neil?
SPEAKER 04 :
Sue the manufacturers? No. I mean, that's a convoluted kind of thing, and I don't want to get into it right now because I want to say one more thing, and I know we're short on time this half hour. But, I mean, there's so many nuances to that whole thing. I do think that parents should be held liable if they're giving kids access to guns who illegally would be possessing or using them at that point. In other words, to not have a firearm in a locked cabinet and allow your 12-year-old to grab it and shoot a friend somewhere, I think the parents need to be held liable and or if they know about it, particularly if a kid makes violent overtures to certain people and says, I'm going to blow that guy up one of these days and for some reason either get them a gun or let them use... a gun that would constitute illegal use, then I think parents should be held liable for that. I don't know. It's controversial in certain circumstances because you could see the overreach people would want to take by just saying, well, if you had a gun in your house, you must be guilty. But I think there are certain cases where it would matter. I think parents are letting kids get away with far too much, especially when they know that they're troubled. A kid that has been posting violent things or saying potentially violent things, I think that parents need to take action at that point.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I mean, but this is a whole other conversation we could spend really an entire podcast on, which is safe gun ownership, proper training of your kids. I mean, guys, I grew up in a home and had a father where I started shooting, and I'm not exaggerating at age five or six, understood at the very early age what that gun could do, what it meant, what you weren't supposed to do, how you were supposed to treat it, all of the gun safety that goes with it, and not to get off on a tangent, but we don't do that anymore.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
We don't teach that anymore.
SPEAKER 05 :
That happened to much. I would agree. I would agree. I think it's important that the kids know, frankly, how guns work and kind of mystify it for them a little bit, demystify it, because then that way they realize how lethal and dangerous.
SPEAKER 03 :
That's right. Exactly. Yeah, when I was a kid, you know, growing up and, you know, it was a time where, you know, gun safes, things like that really didn't exist. You know, my dad just sort of hid guns all over the place, you know, wherever, you know, he happened to think that somebody that would be breaking in wouldn't be able to find them, that kind of a thing. But we all had a very healthy, two siblings, we had a healthy respect for guns. I can remember even a few times where friends would come over and they'd ask to see such and such. And it was like, no, that is not okay. We're not going to go do X, Y, and Z. And no, you're not going to look at my dad's gun. I mean, we knew on the front side how this was supposed to work because we had been taught that way.
SPEAKER 05 :
Absolutely. No, you're absolutely right. And by the way, we are going to, in the second half of the podcast, because we're coming up on the end of the first half, we're going to talk about all these drones, the New Jersey drones, and what's the latest with that and how should we look at this as we continue through the podcast. We do want to ask you folks also, please support the sponsors to this podcast because these sponsors are supporting us and we appreciate them doing that. One of them, of course, is Preborn. And if you haven't given to pre-born yet, do it now. You're coming up on the end of the year, folks, and this is a chance to go ahead and do it. If you will give to pre-born right now, you know that you're going to save babies' lives, everybody. You're going to do this. You're paying for ultrasound images for these moms to see pictures of their baby, okay, in pro-life centers. $28 is the average ultrasound expense to stop one abortion, to save one baby's life. So will you pray about a number of babies' lives you'll save? Take $28 times fill in the blank. And whatever that number is, that's your gift to pre-born. And 100% of what you give goes to fund ultrasounds, nothing for overhead. And, hey, we need some of you out there to buy ultrasound machines. We don't have enough of them, okay? They're $15,000 apiece. It's a nice tax write-off for you coming up on the end of the year. And your forever legacy is that you're stopping thousands and thousands of abortions year after year after year. So what do you say? Give to Preborn right now. You can go online to CrawfordMediaGroup.net, click on Preborn, give right there. And you can also call over the phone, 833-850-BABY. They answer 24-7, 833-850-BABY. We appreciate you supporting them. We also appreciate, Neil, our listeners supporting SunPowerLED because they do tremendous work getting people out of pain.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and one thing we know for sure is that God created the human body to heal. If you sprain your ankle, it's going to get better eventually. If you've got a head cold, it's going to go away because our bodies can heal themselves. God made it that way. And SunPower LED helps foster that process, helps move it along. You've all seen video of an opera singer singing a particular note and can explode a champagne glass when the resonance of that particular note hits the right frequency. Well, same thing true with light waves. When the proper red light or near-infrared light is applied to the human body. It literally penetrates the skin. It goes to an area where there's swelling and inflammation. It begins to reduce that swelling, reduce the inflammation, and promote the healing process. It's an incredible thing that you really need to see for yourself. We're talking about the very light God himself created. This has nothing to do with big pharma, nothing to do with surgery. Check it out for yourself by going to CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on Sun Power LED. That's sun like sun in the sky, S-U-N, Sun Power LED. They have videos there you can watch and see for yourself how the very light God himself created can be used to help heal the human body. Thank God for that.
SPEAKER 05 :
And it's so great that it's all natural like that too, which is just phenomenal. 100%. i know we uh in the second half of this podcast we're going to be talking about the drones the new jersey drones what some of the latest is uh intel meeting that took place regarding that and what people are saying should we be concerned or not so we'll get to that maybe a few other things as well in the second half as we continue uh on the national crawford roundtable podcast we encourage those five-star reviews for us thank you very much folks and uh Of course, you can listen to us wherever you listen to our podcast. We appreciate you doing that. We're looking forward to the second half with Neil and with John and myself, Bob Duco, and that's coming up.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is a Crawford Media Group production.
SPEAKER 05 :
Continuing the second half of the National Crawford Roundtable Podcast with John Rush, Rush to Reason out of Denver, Colorado, Neil Boron, Neil Boron Live out of Buffalo, New York, myself, Bob Duco, The Bob Duco Show out of Detroit. You know, the first half we were talking about the whole gun debate following the Wisconsin school shooting and such. Let's talk about the drones, guys. What we're hearing now is that there was an intel meeting that the FBI and the FAA and all the security apparatus of the United States, apparently they had representatives meeting with the House Intelligence Committee yesterday. And the House Intelligence Committee is coming out, mostly Democrats, saying, yeah, they assured us that there's nothing to be concerned about regarding these drones. But they also said this is not a government operation, but there's no real harm or concern about these drones being up there. And so I guess... I don't know, John, for me, it seems like I don't want to be a conspiratorial guy. I've said all along, I'm open to the possibility. This is just a bunch of teenage nerds. I'm open to the possibility that it is some kind of government secret thing, but they just don't want to admit it. And I'm open to the possibility that you have foreign actors out there maybe working through American proxies to do some last minute surveillance before Joe Biden leaves. But it just seems to me that the answer that ought to be forthcoming right now is we now have identified these drones. These are the source of the drones. This is who's flying them. This is who's owning them. They have to know that. Why aren't they telling us that?
SPEAKER 03 :
Because I think they're looking for something that they don't want to scare the rest of the population into knowing is. Out there, there's conversation, and I think the one where some of the stories out there, conspiracies, I guess you could say, was there was a nuke out of Ukraine that was lost. I think that one's been pretty much dispelled. The one that continues to keep rolling along, and I've interviewed a couple of individuals that have some inside information. I guess you could say on my show, is that there is some nuclear waste that has been lost, and they don't know where it is, and that these drones, and the reason they're flying at night is because the signature of is much easier to find at night than it is during the day, that it's the DOE that's actually... you know, doing this. And again, why they don't tell us is, I guess, because if they don't want outright panic and people, you know, fleeing a portion of the country. I mean, I don't know. I don't know what the reasons for this would be. I mean, just be honest and tell people what's going on. But I think it's more along those lines, and I think it's the reason why you even see Donald Trump saying that basically he knows he can't say, and I don't know why they're keeping this hush-hush. I think they know the origins. They're just not saying. And I don't think it's anybody that's from another country, and I don't think it's anybody here doing it on our own shores. I think it's government.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and it is plausible, that particular theory, that if there's some nuclear waste somewhere that's been lost and they're trying to find it, people have no idea if this is going to be another Lima, Ohio chemical kind of nightmare. Correct. Neil, it does make you wonder then – If any of us were in charge, might we possibly say, and I want to defend the Democrats and the apparatus here, but might we possibly say, hey, look, the lesser of the evils is lying to the public and not telling them because if we tell them the truth, we could create a panic and mass exodus and from regions that it doesn't have to happen to. And so maybe the lesser of the evils is to just keep a secret while we look for it. If that were the case, I could kind of see that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and I only agree with you for this reason, probably. I don't think it's a good thing to lie to the public, but the government does it all the time. And I'm not justifying it, but I mean, we were lied to that Joe Biden was fit to serve as president of the United States. We haven't really had a president during these past four years. Who knows who's running the country? But all of it based on a lie that he was mentally fit. He's not. And we saw that during the debate. But You know, are we being lied to? I think it's a strong possibility. We are being lied to. There's one other theory, by the way. I have my own theory on this. I think that the New York Giants are so dreadful this year. No, listen. This is a marketing ploy to rebrand and relaunch next year as a team called the New Jersey Drones. And, you know, join the NFL. And a lot of people are interested in the New Jersey Drones, so maybe they could actually get people in the stand. That's actually a good theory. Yeah. It's not horrible. There's so many strange thoughts that I have about this. Again, if they know anything, why aren't they telling the public? And I think there's so much distrust of government right now. And you heard what Donald Trump said. He's like, they know what it is. They know exactly what it is, and they're not telling you. And I would be curious to know why they're not telling you. He's leading us to believe that they know exactly what this is. And I think a lot of people...
SPEAKER 03 :
I honestly think he knows he just he can't because of where he's at and so on. The fact that he's not president right now, of course, you know, can't say which, by the way, for all of those individuals that have always said that, you know, he he leaked documents and he did this and he did that. Well, if in fact and we come to find out down the road that he in fact did know exactly right now what's going on and didn't say a word that disproves all of that other nonsense as well. It does.
SPEAKER 05 :
Which, by the way, let me – John, do you think, though, that it's – not to try to poke holes in this particular theory of we're looking for some nuclear waste or something.
SPEAKER 03 :
And that's all it is.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mean, I have no idea. But it's almost like I could see that if there were a particular county that they were scanning. But you've got an entire state of New Jersey that's being scanned, parts of New York, even parts of Pennsylvania. It just seems like that's a huge swath of land to be looking for something.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, keep in mind, though, if it's something that's delivered on rail, for example, and somehow a – Car, for example, got lost, which don't ask me how that happens, but I guess it's happened before. Put that one in quotes. Put that one in quotes. Lost. Yeah, I mean, supposedly it's happened before. This isn't the first time. And the one thing that, and this is where I asked my guests the other day about this, if you look at the way the drones fly, they're doing it very much in a grid pattern, meaning they are looking for something. So the question is, if it's not the DOE, then why? Honestly, for me, it's more scary if it's not that. If that's not the case, what are they looking for? I know.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, can I say something, too? I mean, one of the things that's been curious to me is that these things, for the most part, I mean, one of the former congressmen, Adam somebody, Kinzinger or something, was saying that he believes, and he apparently was in the military or a military pilot or something, but that, you know, look at Some of these things I see, he goes, I haven't really seen a drone. I'm seeing small manned aircraft. Well, maybe he's just missing the drones, but we're told that there are actual drones out there. But why would they have like proper FAA lighting on them, right? I mean, if this was like a nefarious foreign government somehow launching drones from a mystery ship out in the ocean. And coming to scan out, you know, the best way to attack the United States or something or find out how secure we are from a drone attack, you know, try to assess all that. Well, why would they put proper FAA lighting on them?
SPEAKER 03 :
Furthermore, Neil, why wouldn't we have shot them down by now?
SPEAKER 04 :
Correct. And that was part of what I was also going to say. And on top of that, why haven't we like scrambled jets or sent a Blackhawk helicopter up there? Blackhawks are used to flying in traffic, man. I mean, when they're low to the ground and there's a cat fight, dog fight in the air going on, they're avoiding objects.
SPEAKER 03 :
We have technology that could land them electronically where you don't even have to fire a shot. Don't forget that as well. So The reality is we could send out a mini EMP pulse near every one of those things and destroy them immediately, and they'd fall to the ground. So the reality is we're not doing that because they're ours. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that would be the speculation, sure.
SPEAKER 05 :
Which I'm still open to the possibility that it might actually be the smarter thing to keep the public in the dark about it.
SPEAKER 03 :
And Bob, you could be, I'm not going to argue that one either. If it is something that, let's say it's even worse than nuclear waste. I don't know what that would be, by the way, but let's say it's something even worse than that. Yeah, do you want to keep the public in the dark and not have them in some sort of a panic mode where everybody immediately wants to leave the coast and drive away? you know, travel inward, I mean, that would be a total disaster. So which is better? I don't have that answer. I don't know what we're doing, so I don't have the answer to that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I know. I get it. I do know this, though. As we continue talking about this, we're going to shift the conversation to political, to presidential politics. And is Donald Trump... in essence, the de facto president right now. Frankly, I would argue that he is, and that doesn't bother me at all, but we'll talk about that. We also want you folks to support our sponsors. We appreciate them sponsoring this podcast, and Preborn is certainly one of them. You know, Preborn is a way to save babies' lives, folks. It's really this simple, okay? If you right now will decide that you're going to pay for some ultrasound images through Preborn, You're literally going to stop babies from being aborted. It's true. In pro-life centers, pre-born shows these ultrasound images. Moms choose life when they see a picture of their baby. But it takes money. $28 is the average ultrasound expense to stop one abortion, to save one baby's life. How many babies' lives will you save? Take $28 times fill in the blank. And whatever that number is, that's your forever legacy of the amount of babies' lives that you saved. And you know what? Some of you coming up on the end of the year that are looking for a nice tax write-off, how about buying an ultrasound machine? They're $15,000 a piece, and you can write it off for yourself. And you know something? Your forever legacy will be that you are stopping thousands and thousands of abortions year after year. Think about that, huh? And by the way, everything you give to Preborn, 100% goes to the ultrasounds, not a penny for overhead. So here's how you give. Go online to CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on Preborn. CrawfordMediaGroup.net, click on Preborn. Or you can give over the phone to a real live person. They answer 24-7. Call 833-850-BABY. That's 833-850-BABY. We appreciate you doing that. We appreciate you supporting our sponsors. Neil, one of the things we really appreciate, too, is SunPower LED and how they've been able to get people out of pain in a completely natural way, the way God actually intended it.
SPEAKER 04 :
There was a ton of distrust about the government that I think helped propel Donald Trump into the White House. And his victory was largely based on government distrust, distrust of big organizations like Big Pharma. So when he said that he was thinking about nominating RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, there was a lot of excitement about that, actually, because I think people don't trust Big Pharma. They've got a lot of dollars on the line and want to keep people sick, but the bottom line is there are alternative therapies for reducing pain and swelling, promoting healing, surgical wound care, etc., and simply using the light God himself created. It's an amazing thing. This same technology was used to heal my lungs after COVID. I was headed for the hospital. I wasn't able to breathe. I was at 79% oxygen saturation. And in about a week, the entire thing turned around with the help of SunPower LED. It's red light therapy. It's a particular device that shoots wavelengths of light, certain specific wavelengths into your body. You don't get burnt. You don't feel it, but it reaches the cells that need help. energizes the mitochondria, wakes up the cell, and promotes healing in your body. You need to see it for yourself. If you're a migraine sufferer, if you've got joint pain, check it out. SunPowerLED at CrawfordMediaGroup.net. Again, SunPower, like sun in the sky, S-U-N. SunPowerLED at CrawfordMediaGroup.net.
SPEAKER 05 :
Absolutely. And we appreciate you folks doing this as we continue through this podcast. You know, Donald Trump being the de facto president, actually, if we could, before we even get to that, John, I do want to get your take on the Biden administration auctioning off... Trump border wall for five cents on the dollar. Texas, by the way, is stepping in saying, you know what, we're going to buy it up then and we'll store it for Trump and then give it to him once he's in. But Ted Cruz, I thought, made a really good point when Trump, when he was asked about this, he said, you know, this may be criminal what they're doing. And then Ted, you know, people are like, oh, that's an exaggeration. But what Senator Cruz said is he said, think about his example was think if you had a sheriff in a town and that sheriff lost the election and he hated to lose. And he's mad now that he lost. And here comes the new sheriff. But before the new sheriff can be sworn in, the old sheriff decides to take the 10 squad cars that are worth $50,000 a piece and auction them off for a hundred bucks a piece. You're going to tell me that that sheriff wouldn't be indicted on charges for this. And so how is that any different than John, than what Joe Biden is doing right now with border wall?
SPEAKER 03 :
In my opinion, there is no difference. This is very criminal in its behavior, if you would, or what he's actually doing. He's doing it on purpose. It's a poke in the eye at Donald Trump and, frankly, all of the Americans that voted for Donald Trump, which, again, just as a side note, I talked in my program yesterday about how the Democrats have lost touch. With, you know, with the country. Another example right now, you've got a majority of the country that voted for Donald Trump because the very thing we're talking about in regard to the border. And yet this particular, you know, party and because, you know, let's face it, it is all part of the same party are going to do exactly what they're doing right now. That is nothing more than a poke in the eye at every voter that voted for Donald Trump.
SPEAKER 05 :
I know. Neil, what do you think about them selling off the border wall for pennies on the dollar?
SPEAKER 04 :
I just picture a kid about to lose a chess game, and he's had enough, and he flips the board and walks out of the room. Good example. If I can't win, I'm taking my sports equipment and going home or whatever. It's the idea that they're trying to stand in the way of the Trump agenda, and the Trump agenda is to crack down on illegal immigration. And I think the American people, honestly, should be outraged. I don't care what your background is. We spent money for a border wall that ultimately will be erected under the Trump administration, at least portions of it, I would think. And the idea that they're standing in the way of that so blatantly... You know, trying to step in the way to say, look, I don't care what the American people said at the polls this past year or how big of an issue illegal immigration is to people that want secure borders. We're just going to sell this stuff off because, you know, we're upset at the Trump administration and we're just going to stick it to them. And I think that they should be held accountable. And we're the ones who bought this. It's taxpayer money.
SPEAKER 05 :
It's taxpayer money. So we're the ones who bought this wall.
SPEAKER 03 :
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 04 :
So 100 percent.
SPEAKER 03 :
And believe me, I can tell you right now from being around some of that type of product, that's not cheap stuff we're getting rid of, by the way, guys.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Nothing in the government is cheap. I mean, that's going to be very expensive to replace, is my point.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and it's taxpayer money being spent, and I don't see anybody upset about this. CNN, MSNBC, a bunch of Democrats in Congress, they ought to be griping about this or not. Of course not. So they're all complicit in this. So what do you think about Donald Trump kind of functioning as the de facto president at this point? It does seem like he is. I mean, look, you've got this gazillionaire Japanese businessman – who says, Trump is making me confident enough in the U.S. economy that I'm going to go ahead and invest $100 billion in the United States. $100,000 employees, I think, as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Did I read that right?
SPEAKER 05 :
$100,000 employees, they're estimating, too. Yeah, Trump's not even in the White House yet. He's already meeting with the world leaders and basically starting to arrange the chess pieces already. I imagine that they're already doing some behind the scenes negotiations already with Iran and Hamas as far as getting those hostages released, too. So it really is, you know, if you think about it, Neil, let me ask you about this first. This is an historic thing. I've never seen this in my life before, where you have an outgoing president who's really not the functioning president anymore, and the incoming president actually functioning as the president, but before he's actually legally allowed to. I think it's a good thing that Trump is doing, but I find it incredible that he's seen as the president of the United States right now, not Joe Biden. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it really says a lot about the perceptions that the American people have about what's been happening in the White House over the last four years. And I don't think it's just that Joe Biden lost, so he's going away. I don't think he was ever present. I mean, this was sleepy Joe sitting in his basement. Remember that prior to the 2020 election? Where was he and where has he been? And why don't we see him more often or why haven't we seen him more often at press conferences and you know, in public, making public statements. It's because he's incapacitated, and I don't think he's actually been the president for the last four years. So I think Donald Trump, you know, I think that the public is welcoming the idea that we're going to have a president, a visible president, who's going to be accountable to the American people, who's going to say things and then follow up on those things, you know, make statements, make claims, and then make good on those claims. And I think people are hungry for that. So I don't see that the American people are going to push back at all. I think Democrats ought to be furious in one sense that he's sticking his nose in there. But on the other hand, I think they're just resigned to it. It's over, man. And the whole Biden thing ain't happening. Where's Kamala anyway? She's been invisible. So I think it's entirely appropriate because the world is ready for change. And here comes Donald Trump.
SPEAKER 03 :
Both of you guys understand the whole leadership principle. You've been around things long enough. Neil, you, the church, Bob, you as well. And the reality is this is something, by the way, that the other side, I think, has completely lost. They have forgotten. They don't know what real leadership is. They want to rule in a very Putin way, which, by the way, is not leading. It's dictating. And the reality is the American public doesn't want that. They will follow a good, solid, proven leader. It's why I believe Donald Trump was elected unanimously even by a popular vote. They're tired of not being led, and they're looking for a leader.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, think about John, think about the Mar-a-Lago press conference that Trump just I mean, for over an hour just the other day, allowed himself to be peppered with as many questions as the press wanted to hit him with. He was willing to do that for over an hour. And you can't even imagine just try to picture Donald Trump at that press conference only taking a few minutes and then looking down at a piece of paper saying, OK, hold on a minute. They told me who I told me to call on you. Oh, yeah. This person, OK, I'm supposed to call on you. And then the blank stares. And we just can't. Yes, you're right. Americans are hungry for some kind of leadership right now. And Donald Trump is showing that he's the guy that's in charge, let alone when January 20th comes here.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, I have the Fox News app on my phone, and I don't know if you guys do, but leading up to the election, well, after they named Kamala as the candidate, right? Sleepy Joe says, I'm backing out, and Kamala's it, and nobody had a vote on that, but here she is, and she's the candidate. Fox News started tracking how long it was before she held any kind of a formal press conference. And I believe that the last number I saw, or at least remember, was 105 days that she did not hold any kind of a formal press conference. Like you just described, that Donald Trump stood there and just took questions from the press, unprompted, no teleprompter, whatever, just answering questions. Kamala was nowhere to be found. And yet we were supposed to believe that she was capable of leading our government? I don't think so. Right.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it really is showing that no matter what you may say about Donald Trump or his personality, his style, anything like that, I don't think anybody can question his ability to lead.
SPEAKER 03 :
Really quick, Bob, which, by the way, his style and demeanor and approachability and so on has changed dramatically. And, again, I think it comes from the assassination attempt, frankly. I think a lot of things changed at that point. But the way he's handling everything is just – it's 180 degrees different than it was prior.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. Hey, what do you think about, you know, I'm curious your thoughts on how he's handling the media, because on one hand, he's basically telling, at least how it looks to me, he's saying, I am either going to be the guy who reaches out the olive branch and tries to get along with you, or I'm going to be your worst enemy. Okay. But we're not going to have some kind of middle of the road relationship. So he's willing to meet with MSNBC people. He's willing to You know, take their calls and talk with them, do the interviews, talk with the press, even have their back a little bit saying, you know, the press is important. We need to have them. But at the same time, he says to Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines Register, Iowa newspaper. OK, guess what? I'm suing you and your top pollster for election interference. ABC. OK, I'll take your 15 million dollars. CBS. I'm still hauling you into court. We'll see if we get an out of court settlement here. and they're just going to work down the line and start suing the media organizations. And you know something? I don't see that as a contradiction. I see that, John, as being smart. This is Trump saying, if you're going to lie, you're going to have to get better at it, okay? Because if you're going to play this game, I'm going to be your worst enemy. We can either be good friends or we can be horrible enemies, but the status quo is not going to exist anymore.
SPEAKER 03 :
I think the other thing that plays into this, and even Van Jones on CNN not that long ago, I think just a few nights ago, said that, you know, At one time, we were the mainstream media and all of these other sources, the social media end of things and so on, that was fringe media. And even Van Jones himself said, that has switched. We are no longer the mainstream. What used to be the fringe has now become mainstream. And I think Donald Trump, by the way, understands that. Unfortunately, I'm not sure all of mainstream other than maybe Van Jones understands that.
SPEAKER 05 :
I know. And by the way, Neil, we're coming up on the bottom of the hour. But your thoughts on that real quick. And then please tell us about SunPower LED after your thoughts, too.
SPEAKER 04 :
There's going to be a radically different administration in charge as of January 20th. And I think that so much skepticism about where our country's headed and who can be trusted. One big thing, people don't trust the government. We saw that in the election, and they definitely don't trust big pharma. Well, listen, if you're tired of big pharma telling you that you need pills or doctors telling you you've got to have surgery to deal with certain situations that you've been dealing with, like joint pain and arthritis and migraines, etc., you need to know that there's something that can completely change the direction you go with regard to treatment. It's the light. Using the light God himself created, And use that to help heal the human body. Certain wavelengths of red and near-infrared light harnessed inside of sun power LEDs, different devices. One of them is handheld. There's more like canopy kind of units that go over top of an entire table. unbelievable what light can do to restore cells, get them working properly to help heal your body. And you can learn all about it. You can watch videos and understand this for yourself simply using the light God created to heal your body. Go to SunPowerLED by visiting CrawfordMediaGroup.net. CrawfordMediaGroup.net. Click on the videos, watch and learn what the light God himself created can do to help heal your body.
SPEAKER 05 :
I'll tell you what, it works phenomenally. It does. We're also asking you folks to wind down this podcast. Give to Preborn. Let's save some babies' lives. Okay, we're coming up on the end of the year, and this is a time to say, hey, look, let's do this. Let's pay for some ultrasound images. Preborn shows these ultrasound images in pro-life centers across the country. But you know what? We don't have enough ultrasound machines, and we don't have enough money to pay for as many ultrasounds as we could. And that's the reason why we're asking you folks – Pay for some of these ultrasounds, okay? $28 is the average ultrasound expense to stop one abortion, to save one baby's life. How many babies' lives will you save? Take $28 times fill in the blank. Whatever that number is, hey, that's your gift to preborn. And 100% of what you give goes to fund ultrasounds. And for some of you out there that can do it, we need you to buy ultrasound machines. They're $15,000 a piece. If you buy just one, it's a nice tax write-off for you. But your forever legacy is you're stopping thousands of abortions year after year. Think about that. So right now, give to pre-born if you would, okay? 100% of what you give goes to fund the ultrasounds. Nothing for overhead. And you can give online at CrawfordMediaGroup.net. Click on Preborn. CrawfordMediaGroup.net. Click on Preborn. Or they answer the phones 24-7. You can give to a real-life person over the phone by calling 833-850-BABY. That's 833-850-BABY. And we appreciate you folks doing that. We appreciate you folks listening to the Crawford Roundtable podcast. And we welcome your five-star reviews wherever you listen to your podcasts. And John Rush, Rush to Reason out of Denver, Colorado. Neil Boron, Neil Boron Live out of Buffalo, New York. Myself, Bob Duco, The Bob Duco Show out of Detroit. Guys, always great having you with us and all of us getting together again. And we've got a week until Christmas. So look forward to our special Christmas program that we'll be doing next week as well. We'll see you guys later. Thanks for listening, everybody. Thank you. Merry Christmas, everyone.
SPEAKER 02 :
You've been listening to the National Crawford Roundtable podcast, a view of today's culture through a biblical lens brought to you by Preborn, saving babies and souls. Join us in the fight to save babies from abortion. Your gift provides a free ultrasound for a mother in need. 80% of the time she will choose life. Visit CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on their logo to donate. And by SunPower LED light therapy devices. Bring light to your pain. Visit CrawfordMediaGroup.net and click on the SunPower LED logo to get out of pain and improve your overall wellness. You can download this podcast from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and more from your local Crawford Media Group station's website or at CrawfordMediaGroup.net. And please give this podcast a five-star rating on your Apple app. Look for the notification on your app for when the next weekly edition of the National Crawford Roundtable Podcast is ready for you to download. This is a Crawford Media Group production.
On today's program, hosted by Jody Hice: Andrew Clyde, U.S. Representative for the 9th District of Georgia, shares the latest on the government funding fight. Quena Gonzalez, FRC's Senior Director of Government Affairs, offers good news on the
On today's program: Pete Sessions, U.S. Representative for the 17th District of Texas, shares his takeaways from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's Capitol Hill meeting regarding the Department of Government Efficiency. Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator from
In this week's episode of The National Crawford Roundtable podcast we look at President Biden's decision to unconditionally pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
On today's program: Nathaniel Moran, U.S. Representative for the 1st District of Texas, comments on South Korean President Yoon's declaration of martial law in his country as well as President Biden's full pardon of his son Hunter. Dr. Robert
In this episode of the National Crawford Roundtable podcast the guys share the latest on Trump's Cabinet picks. They'll also discuss the wailing and trauma of the Left over Trump winning. How important is it for Christians to not also fall into the trap of disproportionate trust in politics and elections? We'll also share some gratefulness for Thanksgiving.
On today's program, hosted by Joseph Backholm: Keith Self, U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of Texas, comments on the newest developments on the multi-front war Israel is fighting, including the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant
In this episode of Washington Watch, guest host Congressman Mark Alford steps in to tackle some of the pressing issues facing our nation and the world. We begin with the intensifying conflict between Russia and Ukraine, examining the implications of escalatory actions from both sides, particularly in light of Jerusalem's purported ceasefire developments with Hezbollah. Experts and leaders weigh in on what this means for geopolitical alliances and stability, exploring the roles that key figures such as Congressman Tim Burchett play in navigating this volatile landscape, underlining the importance of restoring peace. Attention shifts toward home soil as the show delves into the internal reforms expected under the forthcoming Trump administration, particularly within the Department of Defense. Retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle lends his insights into how proposed changes could reshape military priorities away from DEI and toward a unified, merit-based ethos. Viewed against a backdrop of financial and bureaucratic challenges, these conversations frame a poignant commentary on leadership, strategic resources, and the path forward for the nation's military. Additionally, the program extends a spotlight to the heartening efforts of local communities struck by Hurricane Helene, illustrating the enduring spirit and resilience of citizens coming together to rebuild and aid one another. From heartfelt prayers and community outreach to large-scale initiatives like Operation Christmas Child, these narratives paint a picture of hope and collective strength.
SPEAKER 02 : 0:00
from the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 07 : 0:20
Well, good afternoon and welcome to this Monday edition of Washington Watch. I'm your guest host for today, Congressman Mark Alford, U.S. Representative for Missouri's 4th Congressional District. Honored to be here today sitting in for Tony. I'm in Kansas City. Glad you have joined us. Coming up on today's program, Russia's nearly three-year war against Ukraine has escalated dramatically over this past week, with both sides deploying new weapons, including the experimental hypersonic missile you've heard so much about. Moscow launched it last Thursday. This comes after the Biden administration gave Ukraine the green light to fire U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia, a decision that many see as an escalatory move.
SPEAKER 15 : 1:00
President Trump has been very clear about the need to end this conflict. We need to bring this to a responsible end. We need to restore deterrence, restore peace, and get ahead of this escalation ladder rather than responding to it.
SPEAKER 07 : 1:15
That was Congressman Mike Waltz, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the president's elect nominee for national security advisor. I'll be talking about the latest in the Russia-Ukraine war with another member of the committee, Congress' Tim Burchett, in just a moment. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, U.S. and Israeli officials say Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah are close to a ceasefire deal.
SPEAKER 16 : 1:38
I will say, speaking to where I believe we are, I said we're close because I do believe we're close, but that doesn't mean we're going to get there. We need the parties to say yes. Typically, when we say we're close, we have the caveat that nothing is final until everything is final and that it takes the parties actually saying yes and getting there.
SPEAKER 07 : 1:55
That was U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller speaking with reporters earlier this afternoon. I'll be discussing the latest news coming out of Israel when I'm joined later by Congressman John Rutherford. And American voters were loud and clear when they gave President-elect Trump his decisive victory earlier this month. They want change, and that change includes our military, which has been hurt by the woke and divisive policies of the Biden administration.
SPEAKER 17 : 2:23
And I think if you look at this election, it was disruptor versus establishment. He ran on this. And there needs to be reform in the Pentagon, whether it's procurement, whether it's getting rid of divisive DEI that's dividing our military by race. There's no place in our military. I think he's talked about eliminating that and then also making sure our focus is on our chief adversary, China.
SPEAKER 07 : 2:43
That was Missouri Senator Eric Schmidt yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press. I'll discuss what the changes at the Defense Department may look like when I'm joined later in the program by retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle. Also on today's program, I'll be joined by a pastor in North Carolina who will share how his community is still recovering from Hurricane Helene two months after it hit there. And he'll also tell us how they are also engaged in helping others at the same time. So as usual, we have a packed show for you. And if you miss any part of it, the website is TonyPerkins.com, where you can find this edition of Washington Watch as well as past editions. We'll also have a lot of resources, so be sure to bookmark that webpage. And if you don't yet have FRC's Stand Firm app, I encourage you to download it. To download it, simply go to the App Store or Google Play, wherever you get your apps. You can also text the word APP to the number 67742. That's APP to 67742. All right, folks, now to our first topic. It's the escalation of the ladder in Ukraine. Let's get to our guest today, Tim Burchett, who is with us talking about that. Tim, good to have you with us. Tim, I think you're muted there for us. Can you hear me now?
SPEAKER 08 : 4:23
Yes, sir, brother. It's a pleasure serving with you. Good to see you, brother. Thank you for having me on.
SPEAKER 07 : 4:29
What do you make of the latest escalation here by Biden? Why is he now allowing Russia to use these long-range missiles, the ATAKOMs, this late in the game?
SPEAKER 08 : 4:41
I think it has a lot to do with his mental capability and the people that are advising him. I suspect they're advising him due to their portfolios more than there are common sense. You would think you wouldn't want to escalate something and then hand it off to the next president. especially something like this that could lead. Some people are saying World War III. I don't think it's quite that bad. But somebody infirm ends up shooting a nuclear missile, that could sure put us in a bad position. And now you have with North Korea's involvement, of course, China's always poking around. It could be devastating to us. I've fought against sending any money to Ukraine, as you know. I think we're $200 billion into it. We have no exit policy. exit strategy, so to speak. President Trump said he wants to get us out of there. And I think that's a good thing. We need to shut that war down. We need to start pushing peace more than we do war right now.
SPEAKER 07 : 5:36
You know, I serve on the Armed Services Committee. We've been pushing for months now, if not years, to get this thing over with. And why did Biden wait till now to give Zelensky the armaments they need to actually win this thing, the attack of missiles? Those should have been to him much sooner.
SPEAKER 08 : 5:55
I agree. I just think right now it just looks bad. It doesn't look like any real strategy other than you want to leave your place in history thinking that this is going to turn this thing in the next few weeks. And as was noted in the report earlier, that's not enough missiles really to make a difference. And all it's going to do is escalate it. Now with him with the supersonic retaliatory supersonic missile, I think that just pushes us closer and closer into more more catastrophic war. And I don't think that does anybody any good except maybe a few of the people at the Pentagon whose livelihood depends on it and some investors. And that's a sorry thing. You know, the president kept saying how much money was coming back to this country due to that investment. And I just, I can't think of any morally more corrupt way to invest your money than at the death of others. And I think that's exactly what's going on here. We need to get, Donald Trump can't get in the White House soon enough.
SPEAKER 07 : 6:55
Do you think this will be settled before he gets into the White House?
SPEAKER 08 : 7:00
No, I don't. I think they'll make moves towards it because I know the writing's on the wall, but I just can't see them pulling out. I can't see Europe pulling out. You know, I think Trump's going to use our economic might to shut this thing down. He's going to force Russia's hand with oil and energy because that is our strategy. ace in the hole, I think. And I think Ukraine's going to have to acquiesce to those wishes.
SPEAKER 07 : 7:26
Let's talk a little bit about Michael Waltz. He serves with me on the House Armed Services. He's been picked by President-elect President Trump to serve in the Cabinet. What do you think about that selection?
SPEAKER 08 : 7:39
I think that's a very good selection. Michael Waltz and I came to Congress together. He's a decorated green beret. He's briefed presidents in the past i think he knows what's expected of him he's not just some um He's not eye candy, that's for sure. I mean, he's a good looking guy, but he's not at yours or my status yet, Mark. But he is a true warrior and he is a war hero. There's no question. And he's a good friend of mine. And I look forward to seeing him in that position because he's been on the ground and he's been in Congress. And he understands the workings in both ways of war and Congress. And I think he will be a great, great been a factor to President Trump. I don't think he could have picked anybody better.
SPEAKER 07 : 8:23
Well, he has so much on his plate. I mean, look at what's going on with Xi Jinping putting pressure on Taiwan. You have Vladimir Putin and that illicit, illegal war against Ukraine, and then the mullahs in Iran. continuing to fund terrorism with Hezbollah, with the Houthis, and, of course, Hamas. There is so much going on. We've been saying for months now the world is on fire, and President Biden has been using a squirt gun when it comes to foreign policy.
SPEAKER 08 : 8:55
A squirt gun at best. I think his mental capacity, you know, you and I have talked about this in the past. It's been come under question. for quite some time and now everybody just knows it. I mean, he's absent. The vice president is nowhere to be seen. The president is not able to make any real decisions. I worry about the people that are making these decisions. Are they some 22 year old staffers that don't have a clue about what's going on? And I'm afraid that's what we're gonna see here. We're not careful. This could cause us some real damage in the world if Biden's people don't just slow down and acquiesce to some other folks.
SPEAKER 07 : 9:33
Let's talk a little bit about the Department of Government Efficiency. I am so glad that this is coming. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy teaming up on this. You're on the Accountability and Oversight Committee. What ways will you be working with them to get the waste, abuse, and fraud out of our government so we can get back on the right track?
SPEAKER 08 : 9:55
Well, looking at all forms of government, the Department of Education, first and foremost, I mean, you and I both know as Christians, the Lord just takes 10% off the top for tithe. The Department of Education takes considerably more before it comes. There's not one, I dare say there's not one bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. in the Department of Education that's ever taught a kid how to read in Kansas or Knoxville, Tennessee, anywhere else. They're bureaucrats. They take billions of dollars off the top. Let's send that money to the states. Let's let the locals decide what to do with that. Same with folks like FEMA, you know, Franklin Graham's organization and some others that are out there. Mountain Strong's another one that's a local organization. They ought to be able to qualify for this money and be able to provide services. People up in North Carolina, I don't represent North Carolina. I've got Tennessee and none of my areas were really hit. But just east of me they have really hit bad and you got areas of North Carolina or North Carolina just to like maybe last week that theme I had not even contacted. So and Samaritan's Purse and some of these other groups were already on the ground day one. I think we ought to be able to look at look at that and say hey. Maybe FEMA doesn't need to go away. It could just be a flow through for this money, but we could decrease the size of that bureaucracy considerably like the Department of Education. I hope we look at everything. No stone left unturned. You know, we just had up here at ETSU in Tennessee a horrible, they called it art, display of they took an American flag and made it into a Ku Klux Klan hat. And then they took the Nazi swastika with the cross. And then they attached something to Speaker Mike Johnson and said something about President Trump. I get the First Amendment. First Amendment's great. I just don't want my dadgum tax dollars paying for it. And that needs to stop. Those are the things we need to look at. And we need to, you know, like NPR. Could you imagine if the federal government sponsored this TV station right now. And that would be correct.
SPEAKER 07 : 11:59
There would be so much public outcry. It would not last 10 minutes.
SPEAKER 08 : 12:05
But I listen to NPR occasionally when I can stand it. And it's for very short periods of time. And it's just an attack on everything I believe in. It's consistently that consistent attacks on conservative values, on Christians, on on the Republican Party. And, you know, just be neutral. But the government doesn't need to be funding folks like that either. So there's going to be a lot of stuff on our plate. And I hope Congress has the guts to make those cuts.
SPEAKER 07 : 12:31
Hey, we got about a minute left, Tim. When we get back to Congress after Thanksgiving, we've got a lot of work to do. We could be facing another continuing resolution. Your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 08 : 12:44
Yeah, I would hope we could pass a budget. That's all I hope is that, you know, we're constitutionally bound to pass a budget and that we are told to do that. And hopefully at some point we will do that.
SPEAKER 07 : 12:58
Tim Burchett, thank you so much from Tennessee. What do you got planned for Thanksgiving?
SPEAKER 08 : 13:03
Eat a lot and sleep a lot.
SPEAKER 07 : 13:08
In that order. What are you thankful for, Tim?
SPEAKER 08 : 13:11
I'm thankful for the men and women that fought for this country and allowed us to stay free. And that, you know, my uncle died fighting for this country and he is buried over in France. Never got the opportunity to see this. A lot of my dad's buddies and I'm thankful that the sacrifices those people made to keep us free.
SPEAKER 07 : 13:34
Well, Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, thank you so much. Put your Carhartt jacket on, take care, stay safe, and we'll see you back in Washington.
SPEAKER 08 : 13:41
Thank you, brother. See you. All right. Bye-bye. See you.
SPEAKER 07 : 13:45
After the break, we're going to talk about the latest in the Middle East, including the status of the ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah. So stick around.
SPEAKER 05 : 14:02
The throne of Jesus Christ is unchallenged. His name was never on the ballot to begin with, and it's never gonna be on the ballot. He's the King of Kings and he's the Lord of Lords, and nothing's gonna change that. And so our mission stays the same, preach the gospel, make disciples, get ready for heaven. In the meantime, that we're to advance the concerns of the kingdom of God here on earth.
SPEAKER 06 : 14:25
America has entered a critical and vulnerable period from now until January the 20th. Join Family Research Council for Operation Prayer Shield, a 10-week prayer initiative for our nation. From now until January 20th, our country faces global challenges, a transition of leadership, and a lame duck session of Congress. This season calls for heightened spiritual vigilance, discernment, and prayer. Text the word SHIELD to 67742 to join us. You'll have access to prayer points, Scripture, prayer calls, text SHIELD to 67742. Unite with us and pray for our nation.
SPEAKER 10 : 15:01
Let's not be discouraged. Don't lose heart. Don't lose the faith. Stand now strong because the Lord has given us the great privilege of living in a time when our choices matter, when our lives matter, when our courage matters. So let's stand together and save this great country. God bless the United States of America.
SPEAKER 03 : 15:19
The American Republic has a freedom like no other. It has roots in the scriptures far more than any other heritage. And if we as followers of Jesus and conservatives don't defend it, who will?
SPEAKER 14 : 15:35
Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, if we just don't say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You're naive if you think that, because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.
SPEAKER 12 : 15:57
Part of the dilemma of Christianity in our generation is that we've relied a little too much on human wisdom and human reasoning, human strength, human resource, and we've relied too little on the power of God and God's ability to open doors that we can't open and do things that we couldn't even hope to begin to do.
SPEAKER 11 : 16:14
This may not be an easy task, But we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. And we know always that we are not alone, that his spirit empowers us and protects us, and that he can do the unimaginable. Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to happen.
SPEAKER 06 : 16:36
Father, we thank you. You have entrusted us with this moment in history, and I pray that we would be found faithful and that as a result of our faithfulness to you, that thousands, millions would come into the kingdom as they would experience the forgiveness of sin and the new life that is found only in Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPEAKER 07 : 17:01
Welcome back, everyone, to Washington Watch. I'm your guest host, Congressman Mark Alford from Missouri, coming to you from Kansas City today, sitting in for Tony Perkins. U.S. and Israeli officials say Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah are close to a ceasefire deal that could see a 60-day truce between the two sides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly approved a ceasefire deal in principle, and Ambassador Mike Herzog said a deal could be reached, quote, within days. What does that mean for Israel and the multiple front war that it's been fighting since October 7th of last year, that terrorist attack by Hamas? Joining us to talk about that and more is Congressman John Rutherford, member of the House Ethics Committee and the Appropriations Committee, where he serves on three subcommittees, including Homeland Security, and he represents the 5th Congressional District of the great state of Florida. Congressman Rutherford, good to have you with us.
SPEAKER 13 : 18:00
Hey, it's great to be with you, Mark. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 07 : 18:04
Last time we were together, we were talking a little bit about our trip to Israel. You and I were there along with Tom Cole, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, just a few weeks ago. We met with Benjamin Netanyahu. There was no talk of a ceasefire deal then. Are you a little surprised that we have one potentially now?
SPEAKER 13 : 18:24
Well, I wouldn't say that I'm completely surprised, Mark. I think, you know, speaking with the prime minister and his defense minister, they were trying to work on and discover a way to get to a ceasefire settlement. And so I'm not surprised, I would say. But You know, it's also not a done deal yet, as the security cabinet, the Israeli security cabinet has indicated. But I do think, as you remember, when we spoke with Defense Minister Gallant in Israel, he mentioned then that, you know, that we're going to need this buffer zone with the southern border or their northern border with the southern border of Lebanon. to be sure that they pulled back far enough that they could create a buffer zone there to protect Israeli and, quite frankly, Lebanese citizens in those areas. So I'm glad to see this development. I'm glad to see that America is playing a role. They're going to have a security committee that's going to be involved in this. And so hopefully this 60-day kind of wind down will actually work out.
SPEAKER 07 : 19:50
Yeah, the area that's in contention below the Latani River, which previously the UN had declared off-limits to Hezbollah terrorists, and yet they had got in there and infiltrated that and fired upon the people in the Golan Heights. In fact, some 60,000 to 70,000 Israelis are now displaced out of their homes. So it just makes sense that they're able to call this area again off-limits to the Hezbollah terrorists.
SPEAKER 13 : 20:21
Yeah, listen, I think that was one of the linchpins of coming to an agreement. And it sounds like they may have actually done that now. So we can hope and pray. That would certainly be something to be thankful for at Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER 07 : 20:44
Certainly would. Of course, they also had the threat still from Hamas and they had the threat from Iran, which is funding these terrorists. What do you hope to see from the incoming Trump administration with regard to Israel and the support? We're going to have a great new ambassador. Governor Huckabee is going to be the ambassador to Israel. When we were there, we met with Jack Lew, the current ambassador. How will things be different under Ambassador Huckabee?
SPEAKER 13 : 21:13
Listen, I think you're going to see a much more structured response from America to Iran. You know, President Trump got us out of the JCCPOA last time. I think that was a necessary move. And I think we're going to see President Trump really make a hard stand for Israel in that area. You know, he was the, you know, after several presidents having said that they would move the embassy to Jerusalem, President Trump actually did it. And so, you know, I think that just shows his commitment to peace in the region. And, you know, and I think Mark, you know, on our trip When we were able to meet in Egypt, in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, it sounded like there were real cries for peace in the region. And I think President Trump is going to come in and be that cry. focal point that will help all of those countries come together and really send Iran a very strong message that the destruction that they are creating through these different proxy wars is going to stop. And if not, I think Iran will be held accountable.
SPEAKER 07 : 23:02
Well, the leaders, yeah, that we met with, the king of Egypt, I'm sorry, the president of Egypt, the king of Jordan, the Saudi officials, they just want to return to normalcy so they can have normal relations with Israel, so they can conduct business. Egypt is losing over $600 million a month in lost revenue from the Suez Canal. The hoodies.
SPEAKER 13 : 23:25
Yeah.
SPEAKER 07 : 23:25
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 : 23:26
Yeah. Listen, you know, in fact, I had a great follow up call with the ambassador to America from Egypt. And he he talked about the need to stabilize the Red Sea area and the impact that it's having on their economy. resources in the area, as you mentioned, a tremendous loss. And I think that $800 million was like 60% or something of their revenue that they normally generate through the Suez Canal.
SPEAKER 07 : 24:05
Yeah, definitely something needs to get done. And I'm so glad that our destroyers are over there. We went aboard a destroyer that's actually helping. There's five or six of them over in that region helping protect Israel from incoming attacks from Iran and other terrorists. Real quick, we got about 30 seconds left. Let's talk about the criminal court that wants to put the former Defense Minister Gallant and Yetanyahu in prison, calling them war criminals. What's your take on that?
SPEAKER 13 : 24:34
Yeah. Listen, this kangaroo court, this illegitimate criminal court, you know, we passed the Illegitimate Criminal Court Act back in June of this year out of the House. I would ask the Senate to pick that up. It's very important that we send the message that we are not going to tolerate an effort to isolate Israel.
SPEAKER 07 : 24:57
Thank you, John. We'll be back with more after this.
SPEAKER 01 : 25:01
Everything we do begins as an idea. Before there can be acts of courage, there must be the belief that some things are worth sacrificing for. Before there can be marriage, there is the idea that man should not be alone. Before there was freedom, there was the idea that individuals are created equal. It's true that all ideas have consequences, but we're less aware that all consequences are the fruit of ideas. Before there was murder, there was hate. Before there was a Holocaust, there was the belief by some people that other people are undesirable. Our beliefs determine our behavior, and our beliefs about life's biggest questions determine our world view. Where did I come from? Who decides what is right and wrong? What happens when I die? Our answers to these questions explain why people see the world so differently. Debates about abortion are really disagreements about where life gets its value. Debates over sexuality and gender and marriage are really disagreements about whether the rules are made by us or for us. What we think of as political debates are often much more than that. They're disagreements about the purpose of our lives and the source of truth. As Christians, our goal must be to think biblically about everything. Our goal is to help you see beyond red and blue, left and right, to see the battle of ideas at the root of it all. Our goal is to equip Christians with a biblical worldview and help them advance and defend the faith in their families, communities, and the public square. Cultural renewal doesn't begin with campaigns and elections. It begins with individuals turning from lies to truth. But that won't happen if people can't recognize a lie and don't believe truth exists. We want to help you see the spiritual war behind the political war, the truth claims behind the press release and the forest and the trees.
SPEAKER 07 : 26:59
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm your guest host this Monday, Congressman Mark Alford coming to you from Kansas City in for Tony Perkins today. You know, this past September, many Americans were devastated by Hurricane Helene, which hit the coastal southeastern part of our nation. Unfortunately, even two months later, recovery has been slow going under President Biden's watch. Residents in Asheville, North Carolina had to endure 53 days without drinkable tap water. So what's the situation like now? Here to share about that and his community and how they're recovering from Helene and also how it's helping others is Pastor Todd Royal. He is pastor of the Fairview Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. Pastor Todd, welcome to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. Thank you, Congressman Mark.
SPEAKER 04 : 27:49
It's good to meet you and I appreciate the time.
SPEAKER 07 : 27:52
Well, hey, we just appreciate you being here and sharing what is going on in your community. It's been two months. How's the recovery going there?
SPEAKER 04 : 28:02
Well, it's coming along. Obviously, there's a lot of work that needs to be done simply because there was just so much devastation as a result of Hurricane Helene. And, you know, we're taking some steps forward, but we've got a long ways to go. This is going to be a many year process. And there's so many people in our community that are hurting and struggling through this. It was a terrible storm.
SPEAKER 07 : 28:25
We were there just a couple of weeks ago visiting our Congressman Chuck Edwards and seeing firsthand the devastation to a place where veterans had been living, and now that's destroyed. We went down to a riverfront area where the video there shows businesses just decimated. The loans, the SBA money is just not there to provide for a full recovery. How are folks handling this emotionally and spiritually?
SPEAKER 04 : 28:53
Well, there's a lot of difficult decisions that people are having to make because their lives have been just turned upside down. And that's pretty much where people are as far as taking some steps forward and trying to figure out what they're going to do for housing, automobiles, jobs. I mean, so many people lost everything. And so moving forward is going to be slow and painful for so many in our community. And obviously it gives the church the opportunity to step up to the plate, to be what God's people have been called to be. And our community's been Very much loved on by the church all around us in North and South Carolina and people from Florida, people all away from Arkansas and Wisconsin. I mean, we have touched base with so many people that have come in and brought much needed supplies and encouragement. And we've been cared on and loved on through this in many ways in the last couple of months. And so been very grateful for the help and the care that the body of Christ has been for us.
SPEAKER 07 : 29:57
Seems like in a time of tragedy and destruction that people do turn to God when they have trouble, especially. Are you seeing an uptick in people attending services or reaching out for help?
SPEAKER 04 : 30:10
Well, we have been seeing a great deal of folks. I mean, obviously, we've been praying for our community for years. Asheville is just a spiritual melting pot and in so many ways not healthy. And so we've been praying for revival and just really seeing this as an opportunity that The Lord has given us to redeem the time and love on our community. And so many people that I don't even know have come up to me and thanking us for what they see the church doing. And so, you know, as people are asking what we need, we need the body of Christ to be praying for us as we try to step up and represent the Lord well. And as much as we've been loved on by churches in the surrounding states and And in the state of North Carolina, you know, we're trying to take what has poured into here and pour into the lives of those all around us and love on them the way we've been loved on. So yes, sir, I see a great moving and an answer to prayer.
SPEAKER 07 : 31:08
Specifically, what can we pray for, for your congregation, your community?
SPEAKER 04 : 31:12
Well, that we would be wise and sensitive to the leadership of the Lord because as we've moved forward beyond those emergency needs that were taking place the first month in terms of just water and food and shelter, we're moving pretty much to that area of the short-term needs as people are trying to make decisions of what they're going to do for jobs and where they're going to live. And so there are needs concerning that as people get trailers and tiny homes and the needs that will go into that as far as connecting up to sewer and power and water. And so there's just so many needs that are going to be made as people make these decisions.
SPEAKER 07 : 31:56
Shifting gears a little bit, Christmas is right around the corner. So share with us how and why churches and families hit hard by the hurricanes are still taking part in Operation Christmas Child, the project of Samaritan's Purse.
SPEAKER 04 : 32:08
Well, like I was sharing, so much has come into our community from the outside and has just loved on us and encouraged us. And as you well know, Congressman, there's just so many people around the world that live like this on a daily basis. And so simply because we've had so much, and this is a ministry that we've been a part of for many years. And so there was just there was no way we weren't going to continue it. We had a lofty goal this year and we just want to continue to be a part of the beautiful ministry of Operation Christmas Child. So the way the body of Christ stepped up to love on our community, we just kind of transitioned and stepped up and began to put these shoeboxes together. So it was like it couldn't have been well done. better orchestrated by the Lord. And so we just took close to 2,000 shoeboxes to the drop-off center today. And our hearts just smiled as we saw really, Congressman, what the Lord did through us. And so we're just very grateful to be a part of a great ministry and looking forward to the Lord using those shoeboxes to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with children around the world.
SPEAKER 07 : 33:24
What a great testament. Thank you, Pastor Todd Royal of Fairview Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER 04 : 33:31
Thank you, Congressman. Please continue to pray for us.
SPEAKER 07 : 33:34
Yes, sure will. All right, folks, coming up after the break, I'll be joined by retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle to talk about what changes could be ahead for our nation's military under a second Trump administration. Could DEI be DOA? Don't go away.
SPEAKER 06 : 34:08
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 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.
SPEAKER 01 : 35:02
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 07 : 37:02
Welcome back, everyone, to Washington Watch. I'm your guest host this Monday, Congressman Mark Alford from Missouri, coming to you from Kansas City and for Tony Perkins. Again, if you don't yet have FRC's Stand Firm app, I would encourage you to download it. Just go to the App Store or Google Play. Wherever you get your apps, you can also text the word APP, that's A-P-P, to the number 67742. That's 67742. As President-elect Donald Trump continues announcing the men and women he's tapped to join his incoming administration, there's a lot of talk and anticipation of the changes that he'll be ushering in. And among the ideas drawing a lot of attention is the Defense Department. which has been hurt by the woke and divisive policies of the Biden administration. So what changes might we see over the next four years, and how can we better bolster our military? Joining us now to talk about that is retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle. He is vice chair of the board of directors at STARS that stand together against racism and radicalism in the services. General Arbuckle, good to have you with us on Washington Watch today.
SPEAKER 09 : 38:10
Well, thank you, Congressman. It's a real pleasure to be here with you.
SPEAKER 07 : 38:15
I'm on the Armed Services Committee, and we have dealt with this in the past two National Defense Authorization Acts, trying to strip the money out of the DEI programs that have had a very severe impact on the recruitment and retention in our military. Why did that happen to begin with?
SPEAKER 09 : 38:34
Well, in my opinion, it's all based on political agendas. We can kind of trace this all the way back to Clinton and then up until the Obama administration when it was really put on steroids. And most recently, of course, with the Biden administration, they've been pushing this political agenda called DEI into our military at full force. And that's where we are today. And its consequences are disastrous. You just mentioned recruitment and retention, but it goes further than that into the ranks. And if you would like, I can give you my opinion on why DEI is so devastating to our military.
SPEAKER 07 : 39:14
You know, only 9% of American young people right now have any interest in joining the military. Several of the branches of our military have missed their recruitment goals. The Army is up a bit this year, but we have veterans and grandparents telling young people right now, do not bother joining the military. That's a pretty sad state of affairs that we're in.
SPEAKER 09 : 39:39
Yes, it is indeed. And, you know, there's about 70 percent of the serving active force that is there because they have some kind of a family history and tradition about joining the military. And that's been longstanding. But what's happening right now is family members and others are telling their their friends and other associates not to basically not to join the military because it's gone woke and People don't join the military for that purpose. They join to serve their country, as we know, serve their nation, and do the best they can in that capacity. So that's one devastating impact of wokeness and DEI.
SPEAKER 07 : 40:22
Yeah, the enemy doesn't really care what your pronoun is. Let's talk about the president's pick to lead the Defense Department, Fox News host Pete Hegseth. What's your read on him?
SPEAKER 09 : 40:35
I think he's a great choice. He comes with a tremendous warrior background. He's young. He's energetic. He understands very deeply the disastrous effects that DEI is having on our military. In fact, he's written a book about that, as you well know, The War on Warriors. I think he'll do a great job. I certainly hope he's confirmed.
SPEAKER 07 : 40:56
There's already pushback, though, from folks you don't really hear from inside the Pentagon. But word is trickling out that, look, there are going to be some people quite upset with what he has in store of how to reform the Department of Defense.
SPEAKER 09 : 41:13
Yes, and reform has got to come from the top, as you know, and that will involve a change of leadership, certainly, and that's been discussed. But the signal has to be pushed down through the ranks from the very top, actually coming from the President through the Secretary of Defense, that wokeness is out and we're going to return to our fundamentals, and that is warfighting readiness preparation to do the job that the military is tasked to do, and that's to fight and win our nation's wars. and get rid of all this extraneous stuff that goes with DEI and Wokeness that is distracting from that fundamental principle mission. And I'm sure that Pete Hegseth will keep that right in his sight picture, and that will motivate everything he does, and that is warfighting readiness.
SPEAKER 07 : 42:00
Well, a big part of it is funding for the military. When you consider the past two budgets have only been a 1% increase through the National Defense Authorization Act and later through the appropriations process, it's really when you consider Biden's inflation, that's really a cut to our military. When we're trying to keep up with the pacing threat from communist China and these other adversaries to the United States of America, how can we continue to defend ourselves in a world that's really on fire?
SPEAKER 09 : 42:30
Well, coming back to your budget question, as you know very well from being on the Hask, it's not only the amount of money, it's how that money is spent. So two things have to happen there, in my opinion. Yes, the total amount of the defense budget needs to increase. And just off the top, I would say somewhere around 5% of the GDP. And then it's got to be applied in the right places. We need acquisition reform drastically so that we can speed up that process and get the items into the hands of our troops that are needed quickly. And it's been very sluggish, as you know, for many, many years. So that's one thing. And then again, coming back to the warfighting focus is absolutely essential throughout the entire Department of Defense.
SPEAKER 07 : 43:13
China is one of the biggest aggressors. They have their tentacles in everything we do in America, whether it's through cheap computers or Wi-Fi systems or drones. Their Belt and Road Initiative has really overtaken the world. A lot of people don't even know what that is, but they are making investments in infrastructure ports, seaports, airports, roads and bridges in Central America, South America, Africa. What type of threat Could that become to the United States of America with that type of investments in these countries?
SPEAKER 09 : 43:48
Well, it's a huge threat, obviously. And it's not just China. As you know, they're linking arms for the first time now with Russia, Iran, North Korea. So the threat basically is combined among all those. And it's interesting that a few years ago, a couple of senior Chinese colonels wrote a book called... complete warfare basically against United States. And they advertise everything that they're going to do to bring down our country. And that's exactly what they've been doing. It's unrestricted warfare to correct the title. So they're marching down that road. They're dedicating everything they have toward that objective. And we need to stand up against them and recognize that they are a principal peer adversary along with their allies, as I just mentioned.
SPEAKER 07 : 44:37
Let's talk a little bit back on the DEI subject. What policies do you think will likely be on the chopping block in addition to DEI and the CRT programs that are currently in the DOD right now?
SPEAKER 09 : 44:52
Well, along with that, what we need to do, Congressman, is take DEI out and substitute it with what we've had throughout our military until DEI came along, and that is equal opportunity for all along with meritocracy. And by that, I mean providing an equal chance for every service member to excel and be all they can be, and then select those that are best for every position. Now, part of that we're facing today is racial preferences, for example, in admission to our academies, our service academies. So the standards are basically lowered based upon the racial preferences. We need to get away, to answer your question, from any special preference based upon an identity group, whether it be based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or whatever it may be, and get back strictly to meritocracy and equal opportunity.
SPEAKER 07 : 45:50
Who do you think might be leaving when it comes to the Pentagon or the military? We've heard about this warrior board. It'll be reviewing three and four star officers. What do you think about that idea?
SPEAKER 09 : 46:03
Well, first of all, let me say that President Trump has a right and probably an obligation to select people that are loyal to him and to his agenda. And as you know, there was an overwhelming support for his agenda in the election. So he must put people into the highest level positions that will do that for him. Now, this loyalty board, we have to be careful about that. The left is using the term purge. That's really not what it will be or should be. It has to be something that's done very, very carefully, fairly, objectively, and provide due process for anybody that's involved in that so that it has credibility, not only in reality, but also in perception. So it sends the right signal. So yes, he needs to get people in place at the top level that are going to support him. But that's not enough. He's got to send a signal down through the ranks right down to the lowest level that DEI and Wilkins is out. And as I said before, it's going to be replaced with warfighting readiness, equal opportunity and meritocracy.
SPEAKER 07 : 47:06
President-elect Trump may be rolling back the Biden executive order that lifted a ban on people with gender dysphoria, trans people in the military. Critics say that's discriminatory, but those who serve do have to be fit for service, and that includes mental fitness. Are you in favor of basically doing away with trans persons in the military, basically telling them they're not fit to be in the military?
SPEAKER 09 : 47:37
Well, we have to have standards, to your point. And there is no right to serve in the military. Nobody has that right. Standards drive performance. And if the trans community cannot meet those standards, and if they're not prepared to deploy physically or mentally because of that, then they should not be serving. That's the bottom line. It's all about standards.
SPEAKER 07 : 48:04
Secretary of Defense testified before our committee, the Armed Services Committee last year. We were talking about diversity and I said, hey, if we go across right now across the Potomac and we look down at those white tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery, would you be able to tell me the skin color or the gender or the pronoun of that person? And he said, no. And I said, that's because our diversity is not our strength. Our strength is from the unity of our common purpose. Do you agree in that?
SPEAKER 09 : 48:39
Oh, absolutely. In STARS, that's been one of our themes. Unity has always been our strength, and it's reflected in the battle cry, the motto of one team, one fight, where everybody has a common focus on the mission and the purpose of what's going on. And also their loyalty, as you're pointing out right now, is not to a skin color or gender or whatever. The loyalty is to the team, not to self. It's all about selfless service. And finally, they have to have total trust and confidence in each other. That's one team, one fight. And skin color, gender, sexual orientation has nothing to do with that.
SPEAKER 07 : 49:17
What other hopes do you have for this administration when it comes to our military operations?
SPEAKER 09 : 49:26
Well, I know it will be successful in removing DEI out of the military. And with that, restoring a lot of morale that I think is suffering through the ranks right now because the mission focus has been taken away. So I see the morale coming up. I see recruitment coming up. I see retention coming up. And our combat effectiveness is a bottom line. That's a measure of why we're there. I see that increasing also. with a change of leadership and a change of focus. That's exactly what we need.
SPEAKER 07 : 50:00
For those who were kicked out of the military because they would not take the COVID vaccine in a past National Defense Authorization Act, we righted that, but we did not give them back pay because we couldn't find the money to do that. I think we should be giving those men and women who were basically fired from the military and said, thanks, but no thanks. Unless you take the jab, you aren't going to get to stay in the military. Should we be giving them back pay?
SPEAKER 09 : 50:27
Absolutely. And it's more than that, Congressman. There are a lot of other remedies we need to be pursuing for those that were harmed by that vaccine mandate. And there's more than one category. Those that were kicked out and don't want to come back. Those that were kicked out and do want to come back. And there haven't been many of those, as you probably know. And those that remain on active duty that put in requests for religious exemptions. they need to be dealt with in terms of remedies and what was done with them in terms of their official military personnel records, denial of promotions, denial of schooling, and so forth. And finally, veterans that are on the street that may be physically harmed from the effects of the vaccine, that needs to be dealt with also. So there's about four categories there that we need to take a hard look at. And we have information on that in STARS. We can get to you if you'd like to see that kind of a detail, and I'd appreciate you doing that.
SPEAKER 07 : 51:20
I would like to see that, sir. I was honored to be on the Quality of Life panel under General Bacon, who also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. And we got through a 20 percent pay increase that was long, well overdue and probably not as much as you should be for the lower enlisted. Improved child care, improved housing. Why is it important that we consider the welfare of especially our lower enlisted when it comes to the military?
SPEAKER 09 : 51:51
Simply because they struggle the most due to their economic situation. Their pay is the lowest, their housing is a problem, as you pointed out. Oh, by the way, thanks for doing that. You all in the Hask have done a great job in supporting our military at the lower levels over the pay increases. They also have, I think, the most difficult family situations for those that are married when it comes to deployments. The spouse is gone. Typically, the wife is left behind with a child or two trying to deal with that, trying to make ends meet, pay for transportation, food and all that. So they really need special attention at the lower rank levels. And that's great that you do it.
SPEAKER 07 : 52:36
You know, families are so important, and sometimes we just think about the individual soldier, but these are families who their spouses and children want to have a nice place to live. We're not building the Taj Mahal at Fort Leonard Wood. We're building a decent place to have other friends over and enjoy life.
SPEAKER 09 : 52:56
A fundamental tenet in the military is take care of the troops and their families, and the health, morale, and welfare, as we like to term it, is extremely important. That's something every leader has to put at the absolute top of their priorities. And historically, that has been done in the military. But with this shifting toward the wokeness and so forth, I'm not so certain that's been happening like it should.
SPEAKER 07 : 53:22
Well, retired Army Major General Joe Arbuckle, thank you. Happy Thanksgiving. Appreciate it. That's all the time we have for you today. I want to thank you for joining us. Be sure to check out the website TonyPerkins.com and tune in tomorrow for another edition of Washington Watch. Until then, I'll leave you with my favorite verse, Romans 12.2. where Paul says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
SPEAKER 02 : 53:46
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.
