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On today’s program: Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and Host of the “Outstanding” podcast, summarizes top stories, including an Israeli attack on Hamas, the 30-day countdown to releasing the Epstein files, and an
SPEAKER 16 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 08 :
Mr. Chairman, thank you so very much for convening this very important hearing and the sense of urgency you and our distinguished witnesses are bringing to the further deterioration of religious freedom, lack thereof, in the People’s Republic of China. I say urgent because the Chinese Communist Party, directed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is engaged in one of the most extensive crackdowns on the Protestant Christian house church in 40 years.
SPEAKER 14 :
That was Congressman Chris Smith earlier today at a hearing on China’s war on religion as the Chinese Communist Party continues its terrible crackdown on churches and Christians. Welcome to this November 20th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host Jody Heiss. An honor today to be sitting in for Tony Perkins and thank you as well for joining us. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released a peer-reviewed study on the medical risk to children from so-called gender-affirming procedures. Admiral Brian Christine, which is the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, will be joining us to break all that down. And ahead, President Trump signs a transparency bill demanding the Justice Department release the long-sealed and long-awaited for Epstein files. Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs will be joining us with what comes next. Well, today, the Congressional Executive Commission on China held a hearing on Beijing’s war on religion. Lawmakers and witnesses detailed how the Chinese Communist Party is cracking down on Christians, Muslims and other people of faith, both inside China and abroad. Experts at the hearing warned that these attacks on faith are a severe human rights violation, and they called for stronger American action to protect religious freedom worldwide. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, thanks for joining me. I know you’ve been following this very important religious freedom hearing all day long. What came out of it that stood out to you?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, Jody, this is a big story you’re not going to get from the mainstream media, so I’m glad we’re covering it. Like you said, the growing persecution of Christians in China was front and center at the hearing today. Witnesses shared stories of arrests, imprisonment, and harassment. Dr. Bob Fu, who’s the founder of China Aid, he testified that the Chinese government treats faith as a threat, and they’re targeting believers both inside China and abroad.
SPEAKER 04 :
The CCP is no longer satisfied with just controlling churches and mosques. It now seeks to control the entire inner life of its citizens. Its goal is nothing less than to eliminate all independent faith and replace it with absolute loyalty to the CCP and Xi Jinping’s thoughts. The CCP is now criminalizing normal Christian life. Pastors are now being sentenced to 10 or 15 years for receiving tithes and offerings.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s terrible, but despite these efforts, these persecutions, the underground churches are continuing to adapt and persevere using online and offline gatherings to worship and grow. Now, Sam Brownback is the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. He argued that protecting religious freedom needs to be elevated to the same level of priority as national security.
SPEAKER 09 :
What I’m going to suggest today is that we take really a shift in our strategy towards religious freedom. I think for too long we’ve looked at it mostly as a human rights issue and often kind of a boutique human rights issue, really not a central one. To me now and in our conflict with China, this is a national security issue.
SPEAKER 15 :
Lawmakers on that commission emphasized that religious freedom is a universal right, and they called on the US to support persecuted Christians, impose sanctions, and make protecting religious freedom a priority, Jody.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yes, Casey, it really is a big story, and I appreciate you bringing it up. You mentioned Dr. Bob Fu being a senior fellow here at the Family Research Council. Well, he’ll also be joining me a little bit later in the program to discuss this in greater detail. Casey, in some other news, today at the White House, President Trump met with some Israeli hostages who were released last month. And that happening, of course, while Hamas continues to violate the ceasefire there. But what’s the latest on that situation?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, Jody. So after Hamas terrorists fired on Israeli troops yesterday, Israeli forces struck back. They hit targets across Gaza, and at least 30 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City’s suburb there and another city. So while Israel was reporting that no soldiers were injured in just another exchange, Hamas terrorists condemned Israel’s strikes, but U.S. officials say Hamas’ attacks show that the terrorist group is testing this new ceasefire. And as you know, Jody, since October 10th, the truce has allowed aid to flow and displaced families to return home. But these ongoing attacks have repeatedly threatened the peace there. Now, regarding the meeting at the White House earlier today, Jody, President Trump welcomed those released hostages, and he told them, you’re not hostages anymore, you’re heroes.
SPEAKER 14 :
Wow. That’s a powerful, powerful thing right there. All right, Casey, listen, before I let you go, I guess if I had one, I’d give you a drumroll right now. No surprise, but there’s been a lot of news on the Epstein files. Anything there that you can report and fill us in on?
SPEAKER 15 :
Sure, yeah. I mean, everyone’s asking that question. You’re absolutely right. But last night, President Trump, he signed a new transparency bill forcing the DOJ to release the long-awaited, as you said, a drumroll, files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Now, many Republicans, they’re saying this is a major step forward. We’re finally exposing what really happened in ending these years of unanswered questions and conspiracies. For many Americans, the government’s handling of this issue, from Epstein’s 2008 plea deal to his 2019 death, which was ruled a suicide under suspicious conditions, has never added up. They argue that sunlight, transparency is the only way to restore trust. Attorney General Pam Bonney, she said the DOJ is going to release the documents within 30 days, and she promised maximum transparency as Congress continues to bring the truth to light here, Jody.
SPEAKER 14 :
Wow. All right, Casey. Well, thank you so much. We, as always, appreciate you tracking all of this for us. All right. I want to go ahead and continue discussing the latest developments on these Epstein files and the saga behind it all. We want to get a perspective from a member of the audience. from congress he serves on the house oversight and reform committee he’s joining us now by phone as congressman andy biggs he serves on several important committees and represents the fifth congressional district of arizona congressman biggs welcome back to washington watch thank you for joining us jody it’s always great to be with you thanks Well, listen, I know you’ve got votes swirling around there, so we’ll try to be quick. But thank you for coming off to the floor to speak with us for a few moments. All right. It’s all within just a few days. There’s been a lot of movement on these Epstein files. That, of course, was all capped by a president signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act. What’s your thoughts on what all has unfolded the last few days here?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, what you’ve seen is everybody kind of coalescing, President Trump, members of the House, members of the Senate, to say let’s just rip the Band-Aid off. Let’s see what’s in the Epstein files. Now, the Epstein files, Jody, is a bit of an amorphous term. It includes police reports, supposedly phone logs, airplane logs. all these things that we want to get a look at. And it also may contain a list of perpetrators advanced by the victims. And so a lot of stuff coming out. And the other thing is, most of the stuff that you’re seeing that’s brand new, that’s throwing a lot of dirt on Democrats, is coming from the Epstein estate files. That is to say, The oversight committee that you served on with me when you were in Congress, they basically subpoenaed the Epstein estate and got a bunch of documents and released those. Wow.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, so, you know, while all this is unfolding, and I would imagine it’s going to take quite a while to get through all the information that’s there, but we have Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer basically saying that the Republicans have been spending months now trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files that pertain to him. But when you look at what the Republicans are doing, I mean, they’re pushing for these files to be released. You compare that with what the Democrats did under the Biden administration, constantly hiding and protecting him. How in the world do you compare the two?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, there is no comparison. You were here and you and I and a few others, not many, but there were a few others of us, even Donald Trump in the first term, were seeking a basically release of these records, but we picked it up during the Biden term. We really were pushing hard and the Biden, Biden released none. No, not a single document or record was released while Joe Biden was president. And then when Donald Trump came in, you’ve seen in excess of 60,000, somewhere actually getting close to a hundred thousand records have been released. So there’s no comparison. And, um, And I find it absolutely hypocritical for anybody on the left to stand up and say, you know, Donald Trump was hiding this stuff. He wasn’t hiding it. It was Biden administration. And now we know why. I mean, you have things like the Plaskett delegate from Virgin Islands was actually coordinating, if you will, colluding, whatever you want to say it. with Jeffrey Epstein to try to discredit President Trump in real time in an actual committee hearing, Jody. It’s just unimaginable. You and I would never, I just never would have imagined such a thing.
SPEAKER 14 :
No, and I can only imagine that even that is just the tip of the iceberg of more that’s going to unfold with all of this. And the Democrats seem bent on one thing, and that is to try to tie Donald Trump with all of this. And I think that was underscored even last week with the documents that they released from the Oversight Committee. What does that tell you about where the Democrats are on all of this?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, they want to hide this stuff. I mean, the debate that we had over Plaskett was obvious. She basically dug herself a hole and admitted that the reason she was willing to talk to him, meaning Epstein, was because she wanted to get Donald Trump. And that’s kind of everything, whether it was Jamie Raskin, it was ranking member Himes, whoever it was, they were kind of always pointing back that this was about Donald Trump, which begs a bigger question, Jody. Why don’t they care about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein? Why is it all about a political attack on Donald Trump?
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. Real quickly, if I can, Congressman Biggs, we’ve got less than a minute to go here before a hard break. But a pretty big move with Washington, D.C., a couple of bills that remove cashless bail and some police reform. Real quickly, what’s your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, we’re trying to bring safety and the rule of law back to D.C. It’s been miserable. High crimes, high violent crimes rates here. Donald Trump made it safer with National Guard immediately. And so we’re just bringing two common sense rules of law into the place, saying you can’t get out on bail if you’re a violent criminal. You’re going to have to stay in. And guess what, Jody? These are the things that are most common. where you actually have the rule of law. And you can’t have freedom unless you have a rule of law. That’s why we’re here. It’s going to help out. It’s going to help out the D.C., yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs, thank you for stepping off the floor. You better run, vote. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
SPEAKER 11 :
Happy Thanksgiving. All right, friends, come.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. All right, stay tuned. We’ve got some big news from the Department of Health and Human Services on protecting vulnerable kids from sex-rejecting procedures. You don’t want to miss what’s coming next. Stay with us. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan as we finish our two-year journey through the living and active Word of God before the new year. Join us for 10 to 15 minutes a day as we read the last books of the New Testament and discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us and may the Word of God come alive in you.
SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you so much for joining us today. Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss. An honor today to be sitting in for Tony, and thank you for joining us. All right, yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published its peer-reviewed study of the medical dangers posed to children by procedures that the left misleadingly refers to as gender-affirming. It’s really sex-rejecting. I mean, we’re talking things like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, even surgical operations. Before submitting this particular report for peer review, HHS commissioned the most comprehensive study to date of the scientific evidence and clinical practices surrounding the treatment of children and adolescents for gender dysphoria. So what did the report find? And could this potentially mark a turning point in the battle to protect vulnerable children. Well, joining me now to discuss this is the Assistant Secretary for Health at the HHS, Admiral Brian Christine, MD. Admiral Christine, welcome to Washington Watch. We’re glad to have you join us, sir.
SPEAKER 10 :
Jody, thank you so much for this opportunity. And let me start out by saying that there is no way that we could be having this effort to protect the most vulnerable children and their families without the leadership and the direction of President Donald Trump and the strong leadership of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy. They deserve so much praise for taking this head on and leading our country forward to try to reverse the wrongs that have occurred under the last administration and certainly my predecessor, Rachel Levine.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, we give a huge hats off and thank you to them and all of you there who are working to make this wrong right. So let’s start off with some of the key takeaways from the report. Can you share some of those with us?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes, exactly. So the report was, of course, dealing with the transgender or rather with gender dysphoria in our adolescents and children. And what was released yesterday were peer reviews of that original report. In other words, we wrote this original report and then we reached out to a group of nine scientists, physicians, researchers to give their opinion on the report. And what they overwhelmingly agree with is that treating these vulnerable children, children with gender dysphoria, treating them with hormones, injections, surgeries that remove body parts and even mutilate these children, this all does not have sound science backing it up. A much better way to treat these children would be with compassionate mental health and psychiatric care.
SPEAKER 14 :
I think that is extremely worth repeating, that this was a peer-reviewed study. And as you referenced, I believe nine different experts, research groups. That’s a notable size of peers, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, it is. Exactly it is. And this speaks to Secretary Kennedy’s commitment for transparency in terms of as we roll out our health care policies and we talk about how to treat individuals in the country, in this case, children and adolescents. Secretary Kennedy wants radical transparency. And what he wants us to do is to be able to reach out to these individuals, these scientists who are noteworthy and say, give us your opinion. Look at what we’ve done. Tell us what you think. That’s transparency. That’s gold standard science. That’s what Secretary Kennedy and President Trump want.
SPEAKER 14 :
I think it’s also worth noting that HHS invited the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society to contribute their evidence to this report. Did they come on board with you?
SPEAKER 10 :
No, no, Jody. They chose not to. Again, they have an agenda. that in my opinion, in the secretary’s opinion, does not stand for taking care of these children and supporting their families. They did not want to come on board with us.
SPEAKER 14 :
I think that in itself is a huge, huge statement. You know, many of us have been watching this for quite some time, and we’re thrilled to see where HHS is leading us right now. But we’re not the only country that has reached some of the same conclusions as were attained in this report, are we? I mean, this is something that others are coming to the same conclusion.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, unfortunately, we have countries like England, countries like Sweden, countries like Finland that have actually led the way. And they’ve been ahead of the United States in realizing, whoa, this is not the right way to treat these kids. We don’t mutilate them with surgery. We don’t pump them full of hormones. We don’t give them medications to really basically reject their sex. They’ve been ahead of us. And it is certainly long past time that we do this in the United States. But with President Trump, and again, the bold leadership of secretary kennedy we are moving forward we’re charging ahead we’re protecting these kids these children’s parents they want the best for their kids and understand that children adolescents with gender dysphoria they truly suffer they truly suffer it’s a real condition uh it’s it’s a mental health condition they need emotional support they need mental support and frankly i would say that if their families wish even pastoral care But Secretary Kennedy is leading the way forward, and we are going to be now moving forward in this country to protect these kids.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yep. And I agree. Pastoral care is a huge part of ultimate healing. HHS also, and I commend you for this as well, noted the voices of whistleblowers and detransitioners, if you will, that all of them played such a critical role in drawing public attention to all the risks and harms associated with all of this. But the left really doesn’t want anyone to hear those voices. But we can’t let that happen, can we? Those voices are critical in this discussion.
SPEAKER 10 :
No, they are. And when you hear that, when you hear the stories of individuals, young men and women who have been led astray, who have had hormones or even, unfortunately, these surgeries, these perform, I mean, these cause rather lifelong irreversible harm. So we have to listen to these voices. These voices are like a voice crying in the wilderness saying, don’t do this to our kids. Listen to what we’re telling you. We’ve been down this road and it’s the wrong road.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, less than a minute to go here before a hard break, but in light of this report, what’s the way forward now? Where do we go from here?
SPEAKER 10 :
We’re going to continue to lead the way with gold standard science, and as I said, radical transparency. And please, Jody, understand that the response to this report, now the reviews, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The vast majority of men and women in this country, parents, they understand that what’s gone on in the past with the prior administration and my predecessor, Rachel Levine, the road that they took them down was wrong. Again, irreversible harm, not the best for these kids. So we’re going to continue to lead the way with gold standard science. We’re going to continue to help parents understand the best way to treat these children. And we are always going to stand for these children. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy take very, very seriously, as do I, that we will always stand for these kids. We will always protect these kids. We always love these kids.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you so much, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Brian Christine, MD. We appreciate your leadership. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. Happy Thanksgiving to you. All right, coming up more, what’s happening in China as it relates to attacks on Christians and religious freedom. We’ll cover it right after the break. Stay with us.
SPEAKER 02 :
Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over 60% of US abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life-threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic. Without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger, and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
SPEAKER 14 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Thank you so much for tuning in as well. Okay, earlier today, the co-chairs of the Congressional Executive Commission on China held a public hearing on the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing assault against religious freedom and its national security implications for the United States. And among those who testified were former Ambassador Sam Brownback. He was the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Also there was Grace Jin. She’s the daughter of incarcerated Chinese pastor Ezra Jin. And there were three other human rights advocates, including my next guest. Joining me now to discuss the hearing is Dr. Bob Fu. He’s the founder and president of the Christian Human Rights Group China Aid. He’s also the Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom here at the Family Research Council. Bob, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you and great to have you with us. Thank you for having me again. Okay, so let’s begin, Bob, with just summarize for us, if you would, what you shared today during the hearing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I think the theme of the hearing says clearly the CCP under this dictator Xi Jinping has launched a war against the faith. Basically, instead of the old paradigm of controlling Christian churches and other independent religions in the past, now they launched an all-out war to eliminate any independent Christian churches and even their minds, the thoughts of independence, and other religious minorities as well. So when Xi Jinping took power, he launched this three or four wars, the war against the cross and the forced demolition of cross campaign. All of a sudden, the cross, the wooden cross, was declared as the enemy of the state, as a national security threat. It really shows how fragile, actually, how fearful of this militaristic, atheistic regime. and thousands of crosses were taken down. If you don’t take down the cross voluntarily, these are government-sanctified churches. The pastors were even arrested. Some were sentenced to 12 to 15 years imprisonment. And then the war against the Bible, basically, especially the access of the Bible to children. Millions of Chinese Christians were children were ordered to sign a Communist Party prepared form to renounce their faith in public. And the Bible was totally forbidden to be in the hands of the Chinese children. And then, of course, the war against the Christian leaders. We have the Zion Church founder and pastor Ezra Jean’s daughter testifying. And two days ago, all 18 of the criminally detained were formally arrested. That means they will go to trial and facing a long sentence. And the CCP even criminalized the tithes and offering for Christian practice for centuries. And now many pastors were arrested. for simply receiving or organizing the tithing and offering of the church. And the pastor Yang Rongli and her husband received 15 years and nearly 10 years respectively back to June this year. And other 10 pastors also received these various years of sentence. for being accused of fraud. So these are the new trend. Of course, we have seen the Communist Party is not satisfied by just controlling the churches and synagogues and mosques and Buddhist temples inside China, but they also extend their long arms to overseas in American soil. by establishing their overseas police station, by even surrounding my own home in West Texas and forced my whole family into exile from our Texas home for three months back to 2020. Their only purpose is really to intimidate and to silence our voice for freedom for the persecuted brothers and sisters. And many Chinese pastors, even in the U.S., or threatened to be silent and not able or not allowed even to speak up for the persecuted church in China.
SPEAKER 14 :
Stunning, stunning and disturbing information. Of course, the title of the hearing today was China’s War on Religion, but there’s also an economic war going on with China. There’s all sorts of tensions with Taiwan and even the United States relationship there. Dr. Bob Fu, so much going on. Let me just, less than a minute, we have less. How would you encourage our viewers and listeners to pray for China right now?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I really want to encourage the viewers of Farsi and your show to continue to lift up. I mean, pray for those who are imprisoned and many, many of them. These are suffering body of Christ and also pray for their family members. And part of the, some of the family members of Zion Arrested pastors were still breastfeeding their children, their babies, and some lost their homes and became homeless after their father or mother being arrested. And their bank accounts were frozen. And I think we should also know their names. We’re going to have to leave it right there, Bob. Yes, and support them.
SPEAKER 14 :
Bob Fu, Senior Fellow for International Religious Studies here at FRC, thank you for this update and a call on all of our viewers and listeners indeed to pray. All right, we’re going to have a discussion of other headlines that popped up right after the news break, so stay with us.
SPEAKER 13 :
For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria is nearly a quarter of Israel’s current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity. The October 7th massacre, launched from Gaza, shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution, became a launchpad for terror. Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East.
SPEAKER 01 :
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 14 :
Good afternoon. Hope you have had a fantastic day. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am Jody Heiss sitting in today for Tony. Listen, before we get into our final segment, I know some of you can’t believe this, and it’s hard to believe, but Christmas is around the corner. I mean, we’ve all got to face this. And for some of you who are looking for some gift ideas, I have a way out for you, a great idea. I want to encourage you to visit the Stand on the Word store. Just take a look at some of the items that we’ve put together. All of these items, by the way, are inspired by our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan, including we have a brand new study there, Paul’s Letters to Leaders. But there are tons of other resources there also. All of them are designed to encourage you and your family and your friends to keep standing on God’s Word. No better way to end this year and no better way to begin next year than being firmly grounded on God’s Word. So check it out. If you want to get these gifts before Christmas, you need to be sure to make your order before November 23rd, which is this Sunday. So go check it out. To get to the store, simply text the word STORE to 67742. That’s STORE to 67742. Okay, as we often like to do on Thursdays, we want to take a look back at some of the news items of the week and dissect them some with a panel from the Washington stand. They always do a great job putting all of this into perspective for us. And certainly the saga, if you will, over the Epstein files was the most talked about item of the week. There are other notable items to discuss. So joining me now with some of those issues is Casey Harper and Joshua Arnold from the Washington Stand. Casey, Joshua, thank you so much for joining me. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thanks, Jody. Hi, Jody.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, let’s start off some very disturbing news, and I was hoping we would be able to cover this at some point. So now’s a good point. But coming out of Ohio, there was a surgical resident at the University of Toledo Medical Center there that had his medical license suspended after allegedly forcing the woman that he impregnated to take the abortion-inducing drugs. Casey, let me just throw this your way. Can you give us some of the details on this and what kind of response that has resulted from this news breaking?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, this is a really tragic story, Jody. And, you know, we have to talk about it, but it’s a sad one. And, you know, it’s also raising a lot of questions about the abortion pill, again, which you’ve been talking about on the show a lot. So some more of the details we can flesh out here are that, as you said, this is a surgical resident in Toledo. All this is, you know, alleged. We have to say, you know, the investigation is still ongoing. But the allegations are that he was married, separated from his wife, met a patient, impregnated the patient, which is already an ethical violation, and then he wanted to get rid of the baby, she didn’t want to get rid of the baby. And so he allegedly, using his estranged wife’s name, he got the abortion pill and he crushed it up, force-fed it to her, And the abortion pill did what the abortion pill does. It killed his baby and her baby. She unfortunately miscarried the baby after being fed this. And so it’s unclear if he’s going to face charges yet. I think that’s still being worked out. But right now his medical license is off the table. And Jody, it’s just another example that for all the hemming and hawing about abortion and the pill, we all know that babies are being killed. And despite some good news with Roe v. Wade, Because of the prevalence of the abortion pill, which can be shipped across state lines, a lot of the other victories are purely symbolic because anyone, anywhere can have abortion on demand because of this pill. And now we know sometimes women are miscarrying. And maybe it could be women who think they’re just miscarrying, but they were secretly fed an abortion pill.
SPEAKER 14 :
Wow. Yeah. And, you know, the left continues to tell us that this is this pill is not no different than something like Tylenol in terms of its effect. Of course, what’s happened in Toledo is not necessarily an isolated incident, is it, Joshua? I mean, we’re seeing some fearful things happen up, pop up in other places.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, we’re just seeing a wide range of what seem to be ethical violations. There’s a Florida representative who was recently indicted for apparently stealing FEMA funds for emergency victims and using that to fund her campaign. We just learned about that today. If the story is true, though, that is a… grave violation and there’s many others out there. You might remember from a few years ago, the BLM movement raised $90 million and lo and behold, the co-founder of the movement showed up with a $4 million house and now there’s an investigation to see what fraud is in that organization or or the the chief of staff for some California officials Gavin Newsom and Javier Becerra were also indicted for embezzling funds so it does it’s not just elected officials its anyone related to politics especially because in politics there’s a lot of money floating around there’s a lot of power on the line and you see that with with politicians trying to take advantage of their power Another example is in Illinois, where a representative filed to run for reelection. He knew he wasn’t going to run. Hours before the deadline, his chief of staff also filed to run using his campaign apparatus, and then the next day he withdrew. The point was to prevent anyone else from jumping in the race and leave that so she was uncontested. Actually, the House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by one of his fellow Democrats. condemning his actions as morally reprehensible and a violation of free and fair elections.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, you’ve opened up a whole Pandora’s box of issues to discuss. Casey, let me just throw it back to you. You hear some of these issues happening in different places around the country. What’s your take?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, corruption in government. Who would have guessed, right, Jody? But I mean, it’s not a surprise. I mean, if you and I, Jody, had been following Nancy Pelosi’s stock trades for the last 20 years, maybe we could be doing this show from a penthouse in Dubai or from the beach in Miami. So people have known for a long time something has been going on. And I think it’s growing. Part of it is the internet is allowing a lot of things to be exposed that maybe would have been hidden in the past. where journalists maybe weren’t doing their job. But the Internet, it’s creating kind of a sunlight effect in a lot of ways, and it’s exposing things that have always been there. But if we took a spiritual tack on this, I think that in some ways, you know, the moral quality of the leaders reflects the moral quality of the people. And as an American people, we’ve increasingly, I think, degraded our character, whether it’s, you know, widespread divorce and pornography use or… There’s a lot of issues. I don’t want to list the sins of the American people, but I think we have this sense that as a people, we’re declining morally and leaving church and leaving our faith and leaving our founding ideals. And so it shouldn’t be too surprising when our leadership starts to reflect that. I mean, a good example of that would be we can all complain about the national debt, and it’s a major problem, but most Americans are in debt. And so it’s not that surprising when the state of the leadership affects the state of the people. But I guess… You know, I want to end on hope. I do still have hope for the country. But I think overall, it’s good that these things are being exposed because if they’re not exposed, we’re never going to be able to address and rectify it.
SPEAKER 03 :
And can I just add, this is one reason why God calls us to pray. In 1 Timothy 2, for kings and all who are in high positions, they face the same temptations as everybody else and probably more. The Bible says that good government is a gift from God. Good government does what is right. Bad government does what is wrong. We need to pray that our leaders are helped by God to do what is right and overcome the many temptations they face.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely, and therein is the answers to the issues we’re facing in our country. We have to return our heart to truth, and that is found in God. It’s found in God’s Word, and He can navigate us through these issues. Casey, you mentioned a departure of our founding ideals, and I think that comes at a really good timing as tomorrow comes. the anticipated meeting between President Trump and Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani, New York’s mayor-elect. Certainly there’s a departure from our founding ideals and there’s a recent poll that’s come out that describes where Americans stand on socialism. What did that poll say?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, Mamdani feels like a symbol of something that we don’t fully understand, but he feels really important. You’re right. I have some of this data right in front of me. 44% of Americans, according to this poll, have an unfavorable view of socialism. You say, well, is that good? Only 44%. a third, 33%, have a favorable view. So that is the, as you can mostly imagine, and the poll sort of bears this out, that is the left wing of the Democratic Party, which has become increasingly rabid, increasingly all in on DEI, transgenderism, and socialism. And the Democratic Socialists of America platform marries those things together. That’s not just conjecturing from, you know, or kind of painting with a broad brush. If you look at their statements, it all backs this up. And this is the most interesting thing to me. It may be most troubling. A quarter, 23%, said they weren’t sure of their views on socialism, Jody. So that means actually a majority of Americans, or about half of Americans rather, either support socialism or don’t have the moral conviction to say, no, we’re not socialists. I think that’s a pretty disturbing number, honestly.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, it’s a lack of education of understanding what socialism is and how in contrast it is to free enterprise and to liberty. Before I let you go, Casey, and run back to Joshua, the meeting tomorrow between Mamdani and Trump, what’s the buzz that’s coming out on that?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, that’s such an interesting meeting. I mean, in a lot of ways, Mamdani and Trump represent two of the loudest factions in American politics right now. MAGA, which is about to be handed off to some heir, possibly J.D. Vance, possibly someone else. And then Mamdani, who represents the rise of the far left radical socialist liberalism that’s emerged, also represented by other people like AOC. But Mamdani is the face right now. And so these two coming together is going to be closely watched. On a practical front, this is all – one, it’s just a tradition for New York City mayors to meet with the president. So in some sense, it’s not out of the ordinary. But part of the reason they’re meeting in this meeting that was initiated by Mamdani, according to the reports, is because Trump has threatened to defund some federal projects in New York City because he says, Mamdani’s a communist and we’re not going to support communism. And he actually said, kind of funnily, that if they embrace communism, then people are going to be leaving, the economy is going to die, so they don’t need money for infrastructure because the whole place is going to fall. Everyone’s going to leave anyway, so they don’t need the federal funding. So I think this meeting in Mamdani’s mind is to smooth that over. But it sort of seems to represent something bigger in the divide in American politics right now.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, it’s an undercurrent that’s there, and I think the faces of it will meet tomorrow. Joshua, what do you make of the rise of Mondani?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I think back on American history, there have been times where America has faced extremist ideologies in the past. You think of a time like the 1930s where you had socialism on the rise and fascism on the rise, you know, the Ku Klux Klan era or even the evils of racism. We faced these things before. What was the antidote in the past is a return to our founding principles, a return to truth, and especially a revival of the American church. to sort of work through the whole society like the yeast that Jesus talks about.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. Listen, we’ve got just a little bit of time left, and I want to toss a question to both of you. So Joshua, I’ve got you. Let me just keep this with you. Yesterday, and we talked about this earlier in the program, but the Department of Health and Human Services said published this peer-reviewed study of the medical dangers posed to children by procedures that the left misleadingly refers to gender-affirming care. But really, it’s just sex rejection. And we discussed this, as I said a little bit earlier, with the Assistant Secretary for Health. But what’s your thoughts on this study, Joshua?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I was researching it today. I think this study seems really solid. Basically, it continues to compile all the evidence we have that there isn’t actually much evidence that these are good for kids. They’re actually quite harmful for kids. You see countries like England, after the CAST review, and other countries moving away from this. So earlier in the year, there was kind of a preliminary version of this survey put out, and it got criticism over lack of transparency because it didn’t have all the details about the authors and the methodology. This survey kind of takes care of all of that. It lays it all out. There’s hundreds and hundreds of pages. They actually invited, in the peer review process, mainstream medical associations to critique it. They said, here’s our work. Show us where we’re wrong. And they really couldn’t come up with anything. In fact, some of them even refused to participate altogether. So I think it’s really encouraging to see it basically sets a flag on this issue and says, here’s the evidence, refute it if you can. And I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to do that.
SPEAKER 14 :
Let me bounce that over to you, Casey, your thoughts on it. And is this potentially a game changer in the making?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, it is a game changer. And I think this has been going on for a long time, but the rug is really being pulled out. I mean, RFK Jr. is a Democrat. This is not just some Trump proposal or even just like a socially conservative group pushing some science. This is RFK Jr., a Democrat appointed by President Trump. And these peer reviewed are from the top universities. I mean, this is like, you know, Duke University. experts and others from top universities you’d recognize the names of reviewing this. So this is not, you know, a small Christian school put together some kind of report. This is top-notch report. And I think one thing that’s really interesting here, Jodi, among all the research, is that it showed that transitioning your child does not decrease the likelihood of suicide, which is so important because so many parents over the last five and ten years have been taken aside by a doctor and they were told, that if they don’t let their kid transition, the kid will commit suicide. And they said, do you want a dead son or a living daughter? That’s a famous line, a dead son or a living daughter. And we know that was a lie now. And so parents all around the country were lied to on this false information. I think it’s a travesty, an outrage. And there has to be a rectification of this. We can’t keep going like this.
SPEAKER 14 :
Casey Harper, Joshua Arnold from the Washington stand. Thank you as always. Great to see and appreciate the outstanding work that both of you do. Thanks. All right. Before we go, I just want to I want to just say before we go, we talked about this with the abortion bill. We actually have a petition here at FRC to try to strengthen the standards and to enforce the law on the abortion bill. Assign the petition. Text LIFE to 67742. Thanks for joining us. We’ll see you tomorrow here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 16 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
