Join Tony Perkins as he unpacks the Senate’s political maneuvers with John Thune, analyzes the controversial AI regulation provisions, and highlights concerns brought forth by bipartisan state attorneys general. Marzia Amirzadeh sheds light on the current humanitarian crisis in Iran, offering a unique perspective that bridges international relations with grassroots hope for societal change. Stay tuned for critical insights and calls to action.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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By acting to defend ourselves, we’re also acting to defend others in the Middle East, in Iran itself. The people of Iran, I think, have a brilliant future, and our friendship can be restored to what it was and what it should be. This is the time.
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That was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking earlier today on the Iran International News Channel. Welcome to this June 17th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, coming up on the program today, President Trump’s comments today suggest the U.S. may be inching closer to direct engagement with Iran. We’ll get reaction from Congressman Warren Davison of Ohio, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We’ll also hear an Iranian perspective from Marzia Amirzadeh, who was arrested and imprisoned after converting to Christianity. She fled the country and now speaks out about the regime’s oppressive tactics. Israel has declared air superiority over Iran, but exactly what does that mean and what will it take to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities and for Israel to declare victory? Retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert will join us with insights into the unfolding situation in the Middle East. Plus, the Senate has taken the next step on the one big beautiful bill.
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The Senate now, Finance Committee, has completed its portion of it and it was released, the text was last night. We believe it leads to a stronger and more prosperous America. And so we are excited to get this bill out and on the floor.
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That was Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota earlier today. Could Senate revisions trigger a political showdown with the House? We’re going to break that down as well on today’s edition of Washington Watch. And a little-noticed provision in the reconciliation bill has drawn bipartisan opposition from 40 state attorneys general. What is it and why the concern? Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Scrimetti will join us later with answers. And by the way, Washington Watch is made possible only because of listeners like you. We receive no government funding, only support from people who believe in our mission, who defend and support faith, family, and freedom. And now, right now, through June 30th, your impact can be doubled thanks to a $1.5 million challenge match by some generous supporters. So if you would like to stand with us to partner with Washington Watch today, Simply text the word family to 67742. That’s family to 67742. Well, President Trump made headlines yesterday when he made an early exit from the G7 summit in Canada. His early return to Washington, D.C. caused many to speculate on how he was going to respond to Iran and Israel’s escalating conflict. Well, since his return, he has published some statements that seem to suggest greater U.S. involvement in the conflict. What might this involvement look like? We’re here to discuss this and more. Congressman Warren Davidson, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Financial Services Committee. He represents the 8th Congressional District of Ohio. Congressman Davidson, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Always an honor. Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 23 :
So let me get your take on President Trump’s most recent language towards Iran, suggesting that the United States may join Israel.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think a lot of people are concerned that President Trump is willing to cross the line from tactical support of our friends in Israel to actual tactical participation. And look, I think people know that President Trump’s bias is towards peace. He’s worked to try to secure a way for Israel to feel safe and secure, and frankly, the world to feel secure. Iran has been the destabilizing force in the Middle East. They’ve not just done things directly. They’ve used proxies. I mean, as predictable as gravity is, if Iran has money, they’re going to attack Israel with it. They funded the Hamas attacks, the 10-7 massacre in Israel, and they funded the Houthis, Hezbollah, and others. So this has been something that’s been building towards this. They’ve been refusing to be transparent about their nuclear program. So it’s understandable that Israel felt threatened. But I think a lot of people are surprised to see, you know, a willingness potentially by President Trump to get involved in an aggressive way.
SPEAKER 23 :
And you think that’s because Israel has shown it appears that they struck out on their own initially remarkable success in the first five days of this conflict. The language of President Trump has grown stronger in terms of engagement as Israel has become more successful.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, you know, I think, look, if Israel’s incredibly successful, then they don’t really need our support. And frankly, you know, this isn’t really our war to fight or fund. I mean, if President Trump wants to declare a war, he’s got a lot of groundwork to lay in Congress. Congress is the body that declares wars. If he’s responding to an immediate threat where Iran attacks troops, of course he needs to defend our troops and respond in a way that deters future action by Iran. So far, the United States hasn’t directly attacked Iran, and Iran hasn’t directly attacked the United States. So I think that’s a line that, you know, we’ve been supportive tactically in other ways for Israel. But it would be an important shift for the president to cross over to tactical support and actually engage directly with Iran.
SPEAKER 23 :
The issue that Israel is bringing up is that they have neutralized most of the air defenses of Iran, and they have targeted some of the nuclear facilities. But in order to eliminate them, they have to have munitions that, quite frankly, they don’t have. The United States has them and really are the only ones that can deliver them. At what point do we say, all right, this is in our best interest that we eliminate this nuclear capability of Iran? Because I feel like they’re probably going to accelerate their efforts if they’re, you know, if Israel stops at a certain point, they can’t go any further. Many think that Iran’s going to accelerate the development of their nuclear weapons once the heat is off.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mean, I think if Israel doesn’t have a way to finish a war, it’s not really wise to start one. And the United States is an expert in that. We’ve started all kinds of wars and failed to finish them well. And a lot of them have been in the Middle East. So I think we’d be wise to, you know, take every effort to avoid getting involved in a war. But if we do, we should do it the right way and make sure the entire country is behind it, have Congress authorize it. and continue to authorize it, not just use some sort of executive action. And the reality is, once you drop the bunker busters, then there’s destabilization and further escalation. It just draws and expands the war. That’s been the history of conflict in the Middle East. I think we’d be wise to be cautious.
SPEAKER 23 :
Do you think a regime change is needed in Iran?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think that the Iranian people would be better off with a very different leadership, but I don’t think it’s America’s place to decide who leads which country. We struggle to do that for our own country, frankly.
SPEAKER 23 :
So what does America’s proper involvement look like to you in terms of the threat, the growing threat that we see from a nuclear-equipped Iran? And they’ve been pursuing this. And depending on who you listen to or what intelligence information you get, they’re closer each passing day to developing that and reaching that point of breakout. What should be the U.S.’ ‘s response in terms of assistance to Israel to eliminate this threat?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, look, you know, like you, I’m sure we have friends in Israel. Israel is a friend of the United States. I wish them safety and success. I want them to be secure. And the United States has provided support for Israel in lots of ways. Israel, of course, we would sell weapons to Israel. But, you know, the idea that the United States is supposed to fight and fund every war around the world, I think, is fallacious. And frankly, even when our friends get get into a war or start one, they shouldn’t say, oh, America is going to come and save it. I just kind of have to get it started. I don’t think we want to set that condition for anybody, including Israel.
SPEAKER 23 :
And I agree. I mean, look, as a Marine veteran, I’m actually not a hawk. I believe that we should not be seen as the world’s policemen. But I do think as the world leader, we have a responsibility to provide both diplomatic efforts to resolve issues. But when those are exhausted, you know, There comes a place that we have to be a part of making the world, as best as possible, a safe place. I also see, and I’d like to get your thought on this, I see a difference between Israel and just other countries, say Ukraine. I feel like we have a closer relationship. We have a stronger obligation with that country.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, we certainly have a special relationship with Israel. But again, you know, we should decide the terms of that. And if the United States is going to get involved, we’ve set out in the Constitution in Federalist 69, Federalist 41. I mean, it’s well established. And part of the reason is you don’t want just a small percentage of the country at war. If America goes to war, you want the whole country committed to it and you want to win decisively and swiftly. The idea that America is somehow made stronger because we’re in a constant state of war is fallacious. These endless wars have left us less free, less safe, more burdened by debt. We’ve grown the surveillance state. And instead of focusing on our enemies, we’ve focused it inward on American citizens. We’ve seen it abused in every way that people were forecasting that it would be abused. And I think it’s really important that we stay focused on the mission that was the core of the Make America Great Again campaign, And Donald Trump has been very effective at avoiding wars. I hope this is a very effective peace negotiation. We do some brinkmanship here, and we get a peaceful resolution to it. But you’ve got to look at the challenge that President Trump’s up against. Everyone he was negotiating anti-nuclear negotiations weaponization programs with Iran is dead. I mean, Israel killed them, specifically them. So I think, you know, you’d be hard pressed to find an Iranian who wants to be listed as a nuclear negotiator right now in the wake of that.
SPEAKER 23 :
But do you really, I mean, look at the history of Iran. Can we really trust them? I mean, they’ve been dragging this out, I think, just buying time.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, that’s a fair concern. And look, I mean, when when President Trump’s first term, he was working with Kim Jong-un in North Korea to deescalate tensions between North and South Korea. I mean, that hadn’t crossed into a hot war, but tensions were escalating, and President Trump basically kind of famously said, hey, I got a bigger button. But he also put the burden on South Korea. I mean, who’s benefiting from this first and foremost is South Korea. So he charged them for THAAD missile systems. He said, yeah, well, we’re glad to sell them to you, and we’ll help you reach a peaceful resolution. And I think that’s, you know, for our friends, of course, we’ll help you. And we want peace. So we, you know, I think that’s a great role for the United States to play.
SPEAKER 23 :
And I would definitely agree that it should not come without a price tag. I mean, we have to, we can help other countries, but they got to help pay the freight for that. Speaking of paying the freight, we just got a couple minutes left. I want to switch over to the issue of the reconciliation bill, the one big, beautiful bill. The Senate has released the framework for their version of What do you think about it? Is it going to fly in the House?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, look, I’m hopeful that at the end we’ll wind up with a product that every Republican in the House and Senate can vote for. We were close in the House. That’s really what it took to get it out of the House to the Senate. We hear some House members saying, well, I can’t vote for what the Senate’s talking about. A lot of this comes down to something most Americans don’t even know about, state and local tax deductions. This is a way for most of the country to subsidize high tax states like New York, where they get tax deductions so they effectively pay lower federal taxes. So they get a bigger tax break out of this package. in blue states than you do in the rest of the country.
SPEAKER 23 :
We just have a minute left. There are five, I think, five House Republicans that are in those blue states that have gotten that cap up to $40,000, the Senate lowering it down to $10,000. Will five Republicans in the House derail this entire thing?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, they’ve threatened to. I mean, that’s why they moved all the way to 40,000. I mean, last Congress, they said they were content with 20,000. The Ways and Means Committee opened at 30, thought they would be able to get their vote. And I think the reality is these guys have kind of abused it. It’s a very expensive provision. I mean, over $300 billion in deficit addition because we’re subsidizing these guys. So in a way, they’re out negotiating everyone else and holding us hostage.
SPEAKER 23 :
It’s going to be very interesting to see. Warren Davidson, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us today for a conversation.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, likewise. Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 23 :
All right. Congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio. All right. When we come back, we’re going to talk about one of the provisions that was in this reconciliation bill that has drawn unique bipartisan opposition. Forty state attorneys general. We’re going to talk about it next. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, and we’re here in Jerusalem, the city of King David. And I’m excited to announce the launch of our Family Bible Challenge to read through the Gospel of Matthew. Now, this 21-day challenge begins on June the 11th, and it’s a part of our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. It’s in bite-sized readings. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes a day, and we provide a toolbox full of resources to help you along the journey, including a study guide titled Matthew, the King and His Kingdom. We also provide downloadable resources such as age appropriate questions to engage children. And we have a variety of family friendly projects as well as this, listen, a coloring book, coloring pages about the life of Jesus for the younger kids and your grandkids. Think about it. What could be a better summer activity than to go on a journey through the life of Jesus as a family? Just think what God could do in the lives of your loved ones as they read Matthew. Unforgettable stories about the greater son of David, Jesus the Messiah. I hope you’ll join us for our family Bible challenge beginning June the 11th. Text the word Matthew to 67742. I hope you’ll join us. Thank you.
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It’s very important for us to have organizations such as FRC. First of all, I think it keeps us grounded. In addition to which, the issues that you champion are issues that we should all be championing.
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FRC is very, very good at honing in on those things that really affect Christians’ lives. Also, working with members of Congress, too, to make sure that those values are instilled in the legislation that we create.
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Having the Family Research Council to guide us is critically important to being able to do the right thing consistently.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. And by the way, I want to encourage you to join with us in praying for Israel as this situation continues to intensify and unfold before us. We need to be praying for Israel and, quite frankly, for the Iranian people who want to be free and not under this regime. We need to be praying for our leaders. And I was, anyway, we want to invite you to be a part of that. And so if you’d like to text the word Israel to 67742, I’ll send you a link because we have a prayer pledge. And I’m going to be communicating that pledge to some of our friends in Israel. I’ll talk more about that in a little bit. But anyway, text Israel to 67742. All right, a provision in the one big beautiful bill, which quite frankly did not get approved. much attention in the House, has now garnered strong opposition as it is over in the Senate. The provision was added kind of at the 11th hour by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It imposes a 10-year restriction on states from enforcing laws or placing restrictions on artificial intelligence, AI. The result has been 40 state attorneys general. Now, this is Quite frankly, unusual you get a bipartisan group, 40. There’s only 50 states, remember. So 40 state attorneys general have joined together to oppose this provision and have it removed in the Senate. So what is the reason for such strong opposition? Well, here to discuss this, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Scarametti. He is one of four state AGs leading the bipartisan effort to remove this AI provision. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me back, Tony. All right. So this is unusual to have 40 AGs, bipartisan effort. This must be pretty significant. Walk us through this provision and why such strong opposition.
SPEAKER 11 :
So this provision carves out the enforcement of state laws with respect to AI. And it doesn’t specify what state laws. So it could be everything from state laws specifically looking at artificial intelligence. Like in Tennessee, we have the Elvis Act protecting the voices of performers. But it could be general application laws, our consumer protection, our antitrust laws. If they’re directed at AI in a unique way because of the unique problems that AI poses, then potentially we could not be able to enforce those laws for 10 years in a very fast-moving industry that’s affecting more and more people in more and more ways.
SPEAKER 23 :
That sounds like we’re creating like the wild, wild west. Because the federal government, correct me if I’m wrong, but has been very slow to do any type of regulation on artificial intelligence.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I mean, technology moves fast and Congress moves slow. And we have no confidence that the federal government will be able to regulate at a pace that will keep people protected from some of the really obvious harms that we expect AI will bring. And even scarier, it’s moving fast. It’s growing quickly. We don’t know what future problems AI products will bring. And it’s essential that the states be able to serve as laboratories of democracy and protect their citizens from this. Now, the flip side is China is developing its own AI products, and we don’t want litigation or legislation to kneecap the American industry. But there is a balance there. And this goes so far over the line and leaves us all at the mercy of big tech companies.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, isn’t this, at the end of the day, a consumer protection issue? I mean, as the attorney general of your state, you’re protecting the people oftentimes from being exploited. And AI is certainly, as we’re seeing even in the early days of this, something that can be manipulated and used to exploit people.
SPEAKER 11 :
Absolutely. You know, we see various forms of misrepresentation and deceit, but even scarier is as AI gets access to more and more data and AI products refine the way they can use that, we’re going to find ourselves being manipulated in ways that we don’t fully understand based on factors that we don’t fully understand. And there is all sorts of opportunity there for bad actors, corporate bad actors to exploit us.
SPEAKER 23 :
So, General Scrimetti, just to be very clear, states, in fact, there were, I think, about 75 provisions or so introduced this year in the state legislatures. Many states have already adopted laws and regulations regarding AI as it has grown in the last few years. And as rapidly as it’s changed in the last three years, I can only imagine what it’s going to be like 10 years from now. But are you saying that those laws and regulations that have already been put into place, that you will not be able to enforce them? That is correct. So what’s going to take the place of those regulations and those laws?
SPEAKER 11 :
I know a few members of Congress have suggested that Congress can act, but we’ve seen Congress is not very busy these days in terms of passing legislation.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, I mean, the problem is getting something through the Congress that, I mean, it’s hard to get legislation through that makes it through, number one, the three vote margin that you’ve got in the House, and then crossing the 60 vote threshold needed in the Senate. I mean, that’s just extremely difficult to do. Plus, I’m not sure, does a one size fits all work when we’re talking about the various states and AI?
SPEAKER 11 :
You know, we have these 50 laboratories of democracy. It’s one of the strengths of our country that we can try different laws in different places. And we’ve been able to do it in ways that promote innovation in the past. We ought to be able to protect our people the way we want to. Tennessee is not California, and it doesn’t want to be California. But both states have the right and the obligation to protect their citizens.
SPEAKER 23 :
All right. Just about a minute and a half left. What’s been the response thus far from the Senate? Any progress in getting this provision removed?
SPEAKER 11 :
There’s been bipartisan concern about this in the Senate. I think I’m actually doing a press event tomorrow with Senator Blackburn from Tennessee and Senator Cantwell, I believe. And we’re going to have a Democratic AG on as well to talk about how this is really threatening the state’s ability to protect citizens. And it will leave a vacuum that a few giant big tech companies can fill with whatever they want. We’ve seen bad action from these companies in the past. They do great things, but they need to be checked. They need to be held accountable. And this provision eliminates the ability of the states to do it. And we know that Congress isn’t capable of doing it in any meaningful sense.
SPEAKER 23 :
So on the other side of this is big tech. They’re the ones pushing for this no regulation, this wild, wild west? The same ones who have been mining our data, the same ones who have been exploiting the American people without Congress being able to provide any oversight?
SPEAKER 11 :
We’ve seen so many problems in terms of social media, which is a fine technology, but it’s been abused in ways that hurt users, especially kids. And there’s no reason, based on that experience, for us to have any confidence that things will be any better with AI.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, General, I appreciate you fighting this fight. It’s one worth fighting. I absolutely agree with you on this. General Schimetti, always great to see you. Thanks for joining us. Thanks, Tony. All right, folks, when we come back, a special guest who has insight on what is happening on the ground in Iran. You won’t want to miss my conversation, so don’t go away.
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for Bible-believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
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Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how… incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
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SPEAKER 23 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. All right, as Operation Rising Lion continues into day five, how are the Iranian citizens feeling about this war between Israel and the Iranian regime? And what are they thinking about the possibility of seeing their ruthless government replaced what we call a regime change. Well, here to share her insights on what is happening on the ground is Marzia. She is an Iranian Christian convert from a Muslim background. Through evangelism, though evangelism is illegal in Iran, she and a friend managed to covertly put copies of the New Testament into hands of about 20,000 Iranians and started two secret house churches. In 2009, she and her friend were both arrested and sentenced to death. They spent almost nine months in prison in Tehran. And after their release, they fled to the United States and authored a book sharing their story, Captive in Iran. Marzia, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you so much, Tony, for having me.
SPEAKER 23 :
Now, I know that you actually was at the Family Research Council about five years ago and shared your story, but you continue to stay abreast of what is happening with contacts on the ground and reading through various means. What are you hearing coming out of Iran? What are the Iranian people saying?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, every day, almost every day I watch the news and follow the messages that people, Iranians are sending out, mostly in Farsi, and the films that they are sharing. And honestly, majority of Iranians, millions of Iranians are very happy with the elimination of, seeing the elimination of IRGC terrorists. Israel is targeting nuclear facilities and military bases. They are sharing videos and films, mocking them. And especially the first day, they shared their celebration of how much they are happy. Unfortunately, some people, West and leftists, and the agents of the regime, those who are supported by the regime outside, try to spread lies and propaganda to show that how much people are upset against Israel. This is not true. No one likes war, to get killed in the war. But that shows how much Iranians suffered for more than 40 years, and their pain and sufferings is much higher. That’s why they prefer to see that the butchers of their children are getting killed in this war.
SPEAKER 23 :
Marzia, do you see the possibility of a removal of the repressive regime, a new government emerging in Iran? Is that possible?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s the hope of the majority of Iranians, including me. And unfortunately, you know, when I moved to the United States, I learned that we Iranian freedom fighters are fighting against two Islamic Republic regions. One is inside Iran, that everyone knows who they are. And the other one is their agents outside in America, in Western countries, who infiltrated politics and a media education system. So despite the misleading politicians and what they are doing with what’s happening right now in Iran that Israel I started supporting Iranian people, because we know that we are fighting against the same enemy. There is a high hope that Prince Pahlavi, that’s the only legitimate opposition that Iranian people trusted him. Because the regime also sent their fake oppositions outside to mislead politicians and leaders, but to create division among people that Iranians are not united. But many times during many protests, Iranians called his name and asked for his return. And that’s a big hope among Iranians, that finally America and Israel stand with Prince Pahlavi and help him to restore democracy and freedom in Israel. Iran.
SPEAKER 23 :
Marzia, we just have a couple of minutes left. How strong is the church, the Christian church? How large is the community of believers there in Iran? Is it growing?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, of course it’s growing. And there is big news about is that millions of people are coming to Christ. And the reason is that people are tired of this tyrannical regime living under the harsh rules of Islam for so many years. And there are news that out of 75,000 mosques, of those mosques were closed, and people refused to go to the mosque. They don’t like Islam anymore. They don’t like this regime anymore. And they are, they could see the true face of Islam through these evil people. That’s why they are turning their back to And I myself, when I was in Iran, I experienced that. For four years I was serving the Lord. I distributed 20,000 Bibles with my friend Maryam Rostampour. And we evangelized thousands of people. And I could see that how much Iranians are thirsty to come to the Christ. And right now I’m in the United States, but I can hear the news that Iran has the fastest growing churches.
SPEAKER 23 :
30 seconds left. How can Christians here in the United States be praying for the people of Iran?
SPEAKER 13 :
We appreciate to pray for Iran to get back their freedom. And my big prayer is to have the kingdom of Jesus Christ in Iran, to restore, to bring peace kingdom to Iran, because people need to not only to get rid of the chain of this evil regime, but also to get rid of the chains of Islam. And that’s my big prayer for Iran, to see that millions of Iranians come to Christ, give their hearts to Jesus. And also to pray for people who are suffering right now to be courageous and to fight for their freedoms.
SPEAKER 23 :
All right, we will be praying. Folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
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Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
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There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
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How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture. and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 23 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. All right, this is a critical moment, not only for Israel, but the entire Middle East and, frankly, for America. And this morning I was communicating with U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, assuring him that we were praying for him and for our friends in Israel and praying for our own leaders to make the right decisions. And I want to ask you to join me in this. I mentioned this earlier, but I’d like you to sign a prayer pledge so I can send this to Ambassador Huckabee so that he knows that there are thousands of Christians here in America praying for him and for Israel, along with the people of Iran. So text Israel to 67742. That’s Israel to 67742. And I’ll send you a link to sign that pledge. But do so today because we’re going to get that over to them to encourage them in what is unfolding right now. Well, our word for today comes from Matthew chapter 10. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.” Jesus doesn’t hide the reality of persecution. He prepares us for it. But notice the purpose, for my sake. What does that mean? Well, it means we face persecution for his glory, for his purposes, for his kingdom. The kingdom of God, I don’t want to shock you with this, but it’s not about us. It’s about bearing witness to Christ, even in suffering. That’s hard to embrace in a comfort-driven culture, but it’s the path of discipleship. But here’s a promise that comes along with it. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Even in hardship, we’re blessed because it’s all for him. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Well, Israel’s air superiority is granting them a huge leg up in the conflict against Iran. The IDF has successfully bombarded Iranian military targets, including some nuclear sites, missile launchers, and they have targeted Iranian generals and scientists. In fact, the IDF announced that a series of overnight strikes resulted in the death of Iran’s newest military leader, who had only been in the position for less than a week. I don’t know if they’re asking for volunteers or not at this point. So how exactly did Israel gain this superiority? And what else is the Israeli military looking to accomplish while they have this clear advantage? Here to discuss this with me, Brigadier General John Teichert, former Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for Air Force for International Affairs. He is retired. General Teichert, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, thanks for having me on again.
SPEAKER 23 :
So General, let’s start with this, Israel announcing air superiority. This actually started several months ago in one of their first missions into Iran to begin taking out their air defense systems. Walk us through that.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, it did. And as a response to those ballistic missile and drone attacks from April and October of 2024, Israel took the fight to Iran and very specifically started striking some of those air defense sites that defended Iran, so that when Israel had the opportunity or made the decision to do something more robust in their strike, they would have the freedom to do so. And it’s been dazzling just in the last few days to see, as they’ve struck leadership targets, command and control in some of those surface-to-air missile sites, that Iran has now become a permissive bombing range for the Israeli Air Force, such that they can strike any target at will and don’t have the concern that Iran can even stop them from doing so.
SPEAKER 23 :
So what does that mean in modern combat? What does that mean that they can fire basically at will anywhere in Iran?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, it is a game changer. Air superiority is defined as freedom to attack and freedom from attack. And the idea that over a sovereign territory like Iran, that the Israeli Air Force can get there, they can loiter over target areas until they find exactly the right target. And then they can strike any target they desire. And it really is amazing in modern history to understand that whoever has air dominance or air superiority will eventually prevail because there’s nothing that the adversary can do to stop them. And in this case, there’s nothing that Iran can do to stop the Israeli Air Force from prosecuting targets as they’re in hunting mode now, freely finding targets in Iran.
SPEAKER 23 :
General, I don’t want to take anything away from Israel. I’ve been amazed and I’ve spent a lot of time over there and trained with them years ago when I was in the anti-terrorist business. They’re the best at what they do because their existence depends upon it. So I’m not taking anything away from them in this question I’m about to ask. But I do see somewhat of a comparison between Russia. People thought Russia was a lot stronger than it really was because they were doing a lot of, you know, Putin was doing a lot of chest pounding. The same thing from the mullahs. Were we overestimating their capabilities?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I think there’s also a bit of analogy to Hezbollah and what happened last September. And I think it’s a combination of factors. I do think that we overestimated Iran’s ability to defend itself. But I also think that when you have capable systems, capable personnel, and exquisite intelligence, then you can very quickly create chaos in a modern system like Iran, such that now, though they weren’t super strong to begin with, that Israel has found the right nodes to strike that have further taken away the ability of Iran to defend itself.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, and that includes the elimination of its leadership. I mean, they did this against Hezbollah and left them leaderless. And I guess in an organization, a terrorist organization like this, in a regime that is heavy-handed from top down, they’re not capable of operating in the absence of certain leaders.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, that’s exactly right. And in the case of Russia, Hezbollah, and actually China and Iran, that when you take out the leaders in a system that is overly top-down controlled, then it’s chaos, that they lose the ability to actually maintain a fighting force, a credible fighting force, because they don’t have the orders or the command and control or an understanding at the unit level of what they need to do. And I think Israel knew that. They precisely took out those leadership targets and command and control nodes. And now it’s a bit of disarray in the Iranian military about what to do or even how to mount a defense.
SPEAKER 23 :
All right, General. So the next objective clearly stated from day one for Israel is to take out these nuclear sites. Now, we know their capacity to do that in some cases is limited because they just don’t have the capacity. material to do that, the big buster, the bunker busting bombs, real tongue twister. So what is it going to take for Israel to eliminate these nuclear sites, not just to set them back a couple of weeks, but to eliminate the capacity for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, from a tactical and operational standpoint, apart from the United States getting involved with those very capable bombs that can penetrate hardened and deeply buried targets, that there is discussion about whether Israel has cyber capability or supply chain hacks like they did against those pagers in Hezbollah, or whether they’re willing to engage with the Special Operations Force to go into a place like Fordow and take out those centrifuges and those nuclear elements of capability. But I think it goes back a little bit to what’s going on in the mind of the Ayatollah. Because I think we and the Israelis have made very clear that either he will eliminate the Ayatollah himself voluntarily, his nuclear capability, or Israel and the United States will do it for him. And we’re getting closer and closer to the idea that, if he makes the decision not to do it, then either Israel, with our help, or with the United States’ capability, we can take out those nuclear sites and set them back for good.
SPEAKER 23 :
So let’s talk about those nuclear sites. What is the risk of nuclear contamination from destroying these sites?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I think the benefit of the fact that they are deep and hardly hardened is that if you strike them, either because you’ve set off charges from within or you strike them with a bunker-busting bomb, that now it collapses upon itself and likely contains the vast majority of the nuclear material that would otherwise escape. And so I think there is a benefit. that because they’re so buried and so deep, that once you make the decision to take them out, to some extent, it’s self-sealing and will not release some of that nuclear capability that otherwise we may be concerned about.
SPEAKER 23 :
General, over the last three nights, the number of missiles that have come from Iran into Israel have been decreasing, which would suggest that their capacity is being whittled down by Israel’s forces. What remaining capacity do they have to hit Israel during the course of each evening? Are we close to seeing them being unable to respond?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, intelligence suggested that before this conflict five days ago, there were about 2,000 ballistic missiles in the armories in Iran. They have launched about 400 of those against Israeli targets over the course of the last five days. There are probably estimates that another 800 of those have been destroyed by the Israeli Air Force or military. which means that they’re starting to be on the tail end of their capacity to continue to launch ballistic missiles. In fact, I think right now the Ayatollah is weighing, does he launch a few at a time and allow the remaining ones to trickle out? Because, otherwise, he only has one or two large salvos left before he’s out. And once he’s out, then now they don’t have an ability to defend themselves, and they don’t have an ability to take the fight to Israel or the United States. And I think he’s in a precarious position that he is on the tail end of having the ability to launch any ballistic missiles from Iran.
SPEAKER 23 :
I mean, I would think that this has been, I don’t know if they can express embarrassment, but I mean, it’s decimated Iran and their capabilities and all of their boasting that they do. I would be shocked if this did not lead to a regime change in Iran.
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, two months ago, if we rewind, Intel reports indicated that the primary reason why the Ayatollah came to the negotiating table with the United States to talk about his nuclear program is because he was concerned about regime stability. Because the economic conditions in Iran are dismal. And there is widespread dissatisfaction amongst the Iranian population. And especially now that they are getting struck brutally by the Israeli military, and economic conditions are getting worse and worse. that it makes it more and more likely that there will be a bubbling from the bottom up that will remove the Ayatollah. And ultimately, that would be a huge success as long as the successor to the Ayatollah is willing to forego any nuclear ambitions.
SPEAKER 23 :
And that’s a wild card because we’ve seen this story before where one rogue government is replaced with another one. Although I think the Iranian people are a little bit different in this scenario. They understand and remember freedom and what it’s like. And I think they would be willing to fight for that freedom in an incoming election. uh… administration or government that they might have an option to choose
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I think that’s especially true if it doesn’t come the regime change from our hands and striking the Ayatollah, but if ultimately it bubbles from the bottom up. And I think the Iranian people have such an amazing history. They’re such robust and resilient people that have been shackled since the revolution in 1979. And I think that given an opportunity based on a high level of dissatisfaction and a weakness of the regime, then there’s a real possibility, especially as Israel continues to strike economic targets and internal security targets, that they’re able to topple the regime.
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, I think Iran is much different than Syria, Iraq. The people there are much, much different. A longer history of understanding what freedom looks like. We just have a few minutes left, General Teichert. Timing is everything in war. And it would appear to me that Israel, that launched out on their own unilaterally, as the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said last week, they saw the window closing and that this was their time. If they wanted to eliminate this threat, they realized they had to move, is my assessment. What is yours?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I think that you’re right. And all intelligence reports open source indicate that this was an imminent existential threat. And, by the way, not just for Israel, but for all of humanity in the United States. We owe Israel a debt of gratitude for seizing upon this window of opportunity to strike at the Iranian nuclear program and ultimately the Iranian regime. And that window was closing. And I love the idea that President Trump very clearly gave the Iranian regime 60 days to negotiate. But they didn’t negotiate in good faith, that they drug their feet. And, ultimately, on day 61, Israel struck. And, right now, we’re not in a position to be looking for a negotiated settlement or a cease-fire that we must demand, like the president said, unconditional surrender. And that means a complete and immediate destruction of the Iranian nuclear program. And either the Ayatollah makes the decision to do it on his own, or he asks for our help, or we’re on the verge of us, the United States, taking care of their nuclear program once and for all, because it was a threat, an existential threat to all of humanity.
SPEAKER 23 :
About 30 seconds left. President suggesting or talking like more U.S. direct involvement. What role would the U.S. play? What would that look like very quickly?
SPEAKER 18 :
Tony, I think we’ve done a great job supporting Israel defensively, providing intelligence, providing them weapons. And then the president has a decision to make whether the United States helps Israel by striking some of those deep and hardly buried targets. I don’t think we’re there yet, because I do think there’s this opportunity of dissatisfaction within Iran, where if the United States helps by striking internal security sites and some of the economic and energy sites, that we give the Ayatollah to make a decision that’s in his best interest to relinquish that nuclear program or for that bottom-up bubbling of dissatisfaction to overthrow the regime.
SPEAKER 23 :
All right, very good. We’ll pray to that end. General Teichert, always great to see you. Thanks for joining us today. Thanks, Tony. And, folks, we do need to pray. We need to pray for Israel, pray for Iran, pray for our president as he makes these decisions. So text the word Israel to 67742, and I’ll send you a pledge, a link to the pledge, so that you can join with thousands of others in praying for this situation right now. All right, thanks for joining us, folks. Until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 07 :
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