On today’s program: Sarah Holliday, Reporter for the Washington Stand, covers President Clinton’s deposition before the House Oversight Committee about the Epstein probe, the Pentagon’s announcement regarding Scouting America, and the U.S. decision
SPEAKER 06 :
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, Casey Harper.
SPEAKER 14 :
Again, no one’s accusing anyone of any wrongdoing. But I think the American people have a lot of questions. And our House Oversight Committee is committed to getting answers. We’re committed to transparency. We’re going to continue to seek the truth, try to figure out how the government failed the victims, and try to hopefully hold more people accountable.
SPEAKER 28 :
That was Congressman James Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, earlier today as another day of depositions began regarding Jeffrey Epstein. Welcome to this February 27th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, the managing editor for broadcast at the Washington Stand, and I’m honored to fill in today as your guest host. Coming up, it’s been seven days since President Trump warned Iran of, quote, bad things if a deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was not made within 10 to 15 days. And after yesterday’s negotiations in Geneva concluded without a deal, the president said he’s not happy. What does that mean? We’re going to discuss that. Plus, the Pentagon is trying to help the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts find its way out of the woods of wokeness. But are they in too deep? That and more is straight ahead. Former President Bill Clinton testified today before congressional leaders who are investigating sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The former president was questioned by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a closed-door deposition. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Sarah Holliday. Sarah, what came out of this deposition today?
SPEAKER 26 :
Thank you, Casey. Today, former President Bill Clinton was questioned about his ties to Epstein from over two decades ago. In an opening statement he shared on social media at the outset of the hearing, the former president said, quote, I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong. The deposition, which took place in Chappaqua, New York, marks the first time a former president has ever had to testify to Congress. Speaking to reporters today, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, along with other Democratic representatives, called on President Trump to be brought in to testify.
SPEAKER 21 :
We are now asking and demanding that President Trump officially come in and testify in front of the Oversight Committee. He appears in the Epstein files next to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell almost more than anybody else. So it’s time for the president to answer questions about why files are missing from the DOJ, why there’s been a White House cover-up, and why we continue in that administration to call this investigation a hoax.
SPEAKER 26 :
Here is House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s response.
SPEAKER 15 :
Reggie member Garcia asked President Clinton, quote, should President Trump be called to answer questions for this committee? And President Clinton said, that’s for you to decide. And the president went on to say that the president, Trump, has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved. And he meant with that, sir.
SPEAKER 26 :
Casey, today’s deposition comes a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before members of Congress. She claimed she had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and doesn’t ever recall meeting him. Casey.
SPEAKER 28 :
Thanks, Sarah. Yeah, she didn’t seem too happy to be there. Well, I want to move to a different story. We saw today at least 25 arrests have been made in connection to those anti-ICE protesters who invaded a worship service at a church in Minnesota. Sarah, can you give us the latest?
SPEAKER 26 :
That’s right. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today in a post on X that the Justice Department has charged more than 30 people who took part in the attack on City’s Church in Minnesota. In the post, she warned, quote, you cannot attack a house of worship. If you do so, you cannot hide from us. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. In addition to the 25 arrests that have already been made, she said there will be more to come. Earlier today, FBI Director Kash Patel said to date, 39 people have been indicted over their role in targeting City’s Church, with multiple arrests occurring last month, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
SPEAKER 28 :
Thanks, Sarah. One more. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced that the Department of War will continue to support Scouting America, which was formerly known as Boy Scouts of America, after they agreed to drop their DEI initiatives. Pretty interesting. Sarah, can you walk us through this story?
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, in a video released on social media today, Secretary Hexess said he had seriously considered ending support for Scouting America over their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and essentially woke culture efforts. He said that the organization had lost their way and that the focus on God as the ruler of the universe had been watered down to include openness to humanism and earth-centered pagan religions. Here’s how he put it.
SPEAKER 11 :
I decided to meet with the current scouting leadership to convey our deep concerns. Based on that face-to-face conversation and subsequent conversations, Scouting America agreed to make several key reforms. These and other changes that Scouting America’s leadership committed to, in that room right over there, will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined scouting for generations.
SPEAKER 26 :
Scouting America did agree to some reforms, such as ending its DEI initiatives. They also agreed to eliminate a merit badge requiring scouts to, quote, realize the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership. The Pentagon will introduce a new military service merit badge. On scout applications, there will only be two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant’s birth certificate. Casey.
SPEAKER 28 :
Sarah, I was in the Boy Scouts. I never got the equity badge, I guess.
SPEAKER 26 :
It’s probably for the best.
SPEAKER 28 :
I missed my chance. Thanks for that report, Sarah. Thank you. Now, I want to go deeper now into the closed-door depositions of the Clintons before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Joining us now to discuss this is criminal defense attorney Joseph Tully. He’s a founding partner at Tully & Weiss Attorneys at Law. Joseph, welcome to Washington Watch. Thank you so much for having me on, Casey. Absolutely. I want to start with yesterday’s deposition with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER 05 :
Essentially, she denied everything, did so very sternly. The conclusion from her point of view is she knew nothing. She didn’t know Epstein. She never met him. She had no knowledge of any criminal activities that he was participating in. And that’s her ground that she stood on. That was her hill to die on. And I believe she successfully defended that. I didn’t see a lot of impeachment going on.
SPEAKER 28 :
Sure, and so today, former President Bill Clinton is testifying. What do we know coming out? I know it’s behind closed doors, but what do we know so far?
SPEAKER 05 :
So Bill Clinton released his opening statement on social media, and he’s essentially doing the same thing as Hillary, denying everything. He’s saying, I knew Jeffrey Epstein because we have, it’s provable that they had a lot of close contact. There’s a lot of photos. them together however he’s saying I had no knowledge of his illegal activities I had no knowledge of any sex trafficking had I known I would have turned him in that’s disgusting behavior and then I think an extra job he put in there to insulate himself is and by the way that was my wife that you had in here yesterday and you should be ashamed of yourselves for bringing her in here when she knew nothing and you knew that she knew nothing and And I’m summarizing or paraphrasing, but I think that’s what his testimony is boiling down to today.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah. And yesterday we saw the former secretary really say things like, you should ask my husband that question. She, as I said earlier, didn’t seem too pleased to have been invited or really compelled to go. Let me ask you as an attorney, when you see all this evidence that we do know of in the Epstein files, I mean, Some of it is more relevant than others. But if you’re thinking about maybe the Clintons or others involved as your clients, how do we think about all this evidence and how serious or damning it really could or could not be?
SPEAKER 05 :
So in terms of Hillary Clinton, I don’t see strong connections between her and Epstein, but I don’t think that her connection to Ghislaine Maxwell was probed that significantly. We know that Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to their daughter Chelsea’s wedding. There are photographs of that. So I didn’t think that there was… a lot of a full court press, so to speak, on Hillary Clinton. It was pretty subdued and very cordial, which is that that’s nice to see in American politics. With Bill Clinton, I do think that there is a lot of significant evidence. So you always want to, as an attorney, look at the evidence. What does the evidence show is your guide. You don’t go by emotion. You shouldn’t go by bias. You should, as an American, assume everybody is innocent until proven guilty. But that being said, you should explore the evidence. And law enforcement has a duty to explore the evidence here and go where the evidence goes. We have flight logs with Bill Clinton on the Lolita Express. We have photographs with Bill Clinton and minors. Now, some of those minors who were minors at the time have been interviewed, and I haven’t seen any reporting talking about Bill Clinton doing anything bad by the people that he’s pictured with. However, I do think there are significant ties that would be very troubling if I was Bill Clinton’s attorney.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, and I absolutely agree that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and this isn’t just directed at the Clintons either. Just more broadly, I think many Americans feel that there’s a whole lot of evidence about a whole lot of different people, and yet no one’s really going to jail except maybe a couple of people overseas. But why has there been such a lack of transparency and accountability in this whole Epstein saga?
SPEAKER 05 :
So I think, disturbingly, we can look to Pam Bondi’s statement and her saying, well, if we were to prosecute everybody in the Epstein files, the whole system will collapse. And if you were to ask the average American their responses, then let it collapse. Americans aren’t overly fond of Washington, DC. It hasn’t been performing to our benefit in decades. And for that statement to come out, I think, is very tone deaf on the part of the Department of Justice. And what the evidence shows is that there’s a significant network that’s operating above government, that’s operating above agencies. And this is not a conspiracy theory. This is confirmed in the Epstein file. So it’s really not… Individuals and individual prosecutions really won’t cut it. If Americans really wanted to address the evil that we see in the Epstein files, we would have to prosecute the network and look at it. Look at how treat maybe treat it like a Rico case. What is this conspiracy again that that is a legal term which I believe the evidence justifies?
SPEAKER 28 :
Well, there’s a lot there. Another question people have, I think, is Jeffrey Epstein was doing this for a long time. Why did it take so long for this to come out? And for those not aware, what did the Democrats do on this when they were in power?
SPEAKER 05 :
The Democrats didn’t do too much. Right now, I believe currently, Americans are fortunate enough that we’re all together behind standing up to evil, particularly evil as it relates to children and sex trafficking and some of the other horrors that we’ve seen in the files. Americans are united on that, and that’s really what is pressing this. Congress didn’t want to pass the Epstein Transparency Act. The American people were united and pressed for that. So I think that we can, to some degree, use the two-party system. The Democrats want to get Trump. The Republicans want to get the Clintons. We just need an unbiased investigation of what’s going on. We need a solution.
SPEAKER 28 :
We can’t allow this to persist. We have to leave it there. I appreciate that. coming up. Thanks, Joseph. Coming up, we’re going to talk Yvonne. Stick around.
SPEAKER 20 :
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal That they’re endowed by their Creator. With certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th birthday, America. May God bless America.
SPEAKER 19 :
You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
SPEAKER 24 :
At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, DC, members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
SPEAKER 13 :
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent, and we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
SPEAKER 07 :
I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your Son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped the humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord.
SPEAKER 06 :
We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you.
SPEAKER 08 :
We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
SPEAKER 19 :
Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen.
SPEAKER 28 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host for today. Tensions continue to thicken between the U.S. and Iran amid these ongoing nuclear talks as a U.S. military presence in the Middle East is growing. The U.S. has positioned its first kamikaze drone squadron into operational readiness as President Trump weighs strikes against Iran. The president warned Iran of, quote, bad things if no deal is made within 10 to 15 days. We’re now seven days in to that warning. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be traveling to Israel on Monday, where he will discuss Iran as well as other regional priorities, such as President Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Is hope fading to reach a diplomatic solution to this standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program? Is the U.S. on the verge of military action? Sure feels like it. Well, joining us now to discuss these topics is Christopher Holton, Senior Analyst and Director of State Outreach at the Center for Security Policy. During his 20-plus years with the Center, Christopher has directed the Center’s Divest Terror Initiative and Sharia Risk Due Diligence Program. Christopher, welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you very much for having me.
SPEAKER 28 :
Sure. I want to dive right in. I’m glad you’re here. What do you make of these latest nuclear talks between the US and Iran and the growing military presence in the region? Because right now, to me, it feels like a powder keg.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s difficult to view these talks outside the prism of the last 40 years in which we have tried to talk to the Iranians, others in the West have tried to talk to the Iranians, and it’s a waste of time to try to make a deal with the Iranians. If they make a deal, all they’re doing is playing for time. So I don’t think much of the talks at all. History shows that talking to the Iranians plays into their hands.
SPEAKER 28 :
You’re not alone in that assessment. But let me ask you, just considering the scale of the military power currently in the region, which to my knowledge is the largest since the Iraq invasion, to what extent is this actually just preparation for potential military force, not just diplomacy?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think that partially it’s a show of force. President Trump has said that he was considering a military strike to try to convince the Iranians to negotiate in good faith. Those types of strategies in which a military operation is conducted to send a political signal to get the other side to react the way that you want them to historically has not worked very well in any scenario. So I hope that, in reality, it’s a show of force to show the Iranians what is waiting for them. But I have no faith that the Iranians are going to view it that way. The regime is in a place right now where it sees its future in a very short timeframe. And they don’t like that. And they’re not going to be very easy to negotiate with in good faith. They’ll just lie, as they’ve always done for 40 years. So the military buildup is something that’s meant to send a signal and also to get the assets in position to launch an attack if it’s necessary. But in reality, We should be letting the Israelis take the lead on this. They have assets on the ground in Iran. In fact, there were four major fires in sensitive Iranian facilities today in Iran, which is probably the work of the Israelis. They have assets on the ground in Iran. They have intelligence, human intelligence, that we don’t have access to. But they also have a very robust military capability as well. It’s important that we back up the Israelis in this scenario. But it’s, in my opinion, probably best to let the Israelis go after the Iranians first.
SPEAKER 28 :
You know, one thing we’re seeing is everyone’s trying to predict what’s going to happen. I mean, at a certain point, the aircraft carriers can only stay in that region so long. Things are so tense. We have this 10 to 15 day deadline. So the big question is when, especially with Rubio heading over there allegedly early next week to Israel. Let me ask you if this is meaningful to you. The State Department authorized that non-essential personnel leave the U.S. Embassy in Israel due to what they call safety risks. Does this signal anything, maybe that the administration believes the retaliatory strike from Tehran could be imminent?
SPEAKER 12 :
It might mean that, but it might also be for show to try to put pressure on the Iranians. Like, we’re getting ready to attack. We’re pulling all of our diplomats out and non-essential personnel out. Incidentally, we can have carriers in that part of the world almost indefinitely. Not necessarily the Lincoln and the Ford, but we can rotate carriers in and out of that region of the world, just as we’ve had. I’m 63 years old. My entire lifetime, we’ve rotated aircraft carriers in and out of that region. So I don’t think that’s an issue.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, that’s a good point. I mean, there’s questions about the crew, and I know at least one of the crews has been deployed quite a while, but there’s ways to switch them in. You know, this raises questions, though, if we do get entangled in some kind of military conflict with Iran, which seems very possible, how does this impact China? Does this embolden them to move against Taiwan when so many of our resources are suddenly tied up? Or do we deal with Iran so quickly that they wouldn’t be so bold?
SPEAKER 12 :
China has to be ready to go after Taiwan on its own. So it wouldn’t necessarily give China an opportunity if China is not ready to conduct an amphibious assault to take over Taiwan. But what we are seeing are reports that the Chinese are taking advantage of the situation to try to sell advanced weaponry to the Iranians, including hypersonic anti-ship missiles. So, this does involve China, because China does sell weaponry to the Iranians, and so do the Russians, by the way. And China will be a customer for Iranian oil, if allowed to be as well. So, China does play a role in this.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, there’s the economic concerns as well. We got about 30 seconds. I want to ask you what you make of, you know, Vice President J.D. Vance’s meeting with these Omani negotiators. And it surprised me to see Rubio heading over to Israel when there might be about to be a war breakout in the region. What do you make of that? About 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think Rubio will be safe. I don’t think it’s necessarily. I’m glad to see that he’s going over there. I think he’s got a very sober view. I prefer him over Witkoff. For sure. I think he’s got a lot more experience in these matters than Woodcock does. I don’t have a whole lot of faith in Woodcock.
SPEAKER 28 :
All right, we’re gonna have to leave it there. Christopher Holton, really appreciate you coming on, taking the time. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. All right, up next, we’re going to talk about the Boy Scouts. Not called that anymore, but have they lost their way? And can they come back? We’ll be back. Stick around.
SPEAKER 17 :
The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
SPEAKER 06 :
Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 01 :
FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 04 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
SPEAKER 25 :
It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 15 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand.
SPEAKER 19 :
And again, we don’t retreat. You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent.
SPEAKER 28 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host for today. For the past about decade and a half, the organization that we once lovingly referred to as the Boy Scouts of America have been lost in the woods, so to speak. Their focus on God, which we loved, was watered down, or in some cases, disappeared altogether. Then inevitably, DEI crept in. Eventually, girls were included, and the name was changed to Scouting America. Took the boys out of Boy Scouts. But it appears there might be at least a slight course correction for the dwindling organization. Or is there? Well, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said he’s begun to seriously consider ending all the Pentagon’s support and announcement today.
SPEAKER 11 :
I decided to meet with the current scouting leadership to convey our deep concerns. Based on that face-to-face conversation and subsequent conversations, Scouting America agreed to make several key reforms. These and other changes that Scouting America’s leadership committed to, in that room right over there, will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined scouting for generations.
SPEAKER 28 :
So Scouting America survives for now. Well, Secretary Hegseth noted that this new agreement between the Pentagon and the organization is contingent on Scouting America making, quote, substantial progress on the agreed-upon changes over time. How tall of an order is that? Is it sincere? And is it going to last? Well, joining us now to discuss this is John Stemberger. He’s the primary founder and chairman emeritus of Trail Life USA. That’s a Christian scouting movement for boys that’s been a really increasingly popular alternative to scouting America. You can probably imagine why. He’s also senior counsel for Liberty Council and president of Liberty Council Action. John, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 10 :
Great to be with you, Casey.
SPEAKER 28 :
Well, John, you know, I want to ask you first, right out of the gate, can you give us an autopsy, I would call it, on what has happened to Boy Scouts of America over the last, say, 15-ish years?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Well, the problem starts with their DNA and their motivation. They are absolutely passionate about being in on what they perceive as the mainstream of society. Their board is now infiltrated with corporate executives, no longer veteran scouters who understand the DNA of what scouting used to be, camping, hiking, masculine energy. They’re woke. And so they have guided the organization down this path, looking at Barack Obama’s leadership going, oh my gosh, Look at this. The whole world is going to become LGBT. So they started making changes over time, over the last decade, and they’ve gone down a way that there’s no way they’re going to come back. So the problem is they’re not willing to stand up. They don’t have the guts to stand up for what they believe in. And the saddest part about this is that all these changes are going to increase boy-on-boy sexual contact. I applaud Pete Hebsek for what he’s trying to do, but it’s just not going to work, because the problem is the culture has changed. All those troops in the Northeast, they’re marching every week with gay pride. parades and rainbow flags, that’s not going to change. I mean, literally, you can’t change that overnight by adding a merit badge and asking them to identify whether they’re the boys. That still doesn’t stop the problem of openly gay boys in the movement, which increases boy and boy sexual contact. That is in direct violation of basic youth protection policies. And this is what makes the program not just unprincipled, but it is dangerous, and parents should run away from it. put their kids into Trail Life USA, Christian Scouting Movement for Boys, or the American Heritage Girls. Both of these programs are very sound, conservative, and Christian, but the Boy Scouts have become corrupt at a national level. They’re just unprincipled. Now, at the local level, those Scoutmasters are salt of the earth. They’re amazing men trying to do the best they can, but now the wind is shifting again. So all the leadership is doing is putting their finger in the air and trying to see where the culture is going. Now that the culture is going back more common sense conservatism, they’re going, oh, no, we need to be on the mainstream again. So they’re now begging to be back on the mainstream. But the sad part about it is it’s not going to work.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, you mentioned the word leadership a couple of times there and it sounds like the whole organization is rising and falling on leadership which is in some ways fitting because if you’re trying to make boys and bring them into manhood, it’s all about leadership and you can’t fake leadership in the organization. I think your view sounds somewhat similar to Tony Perkins who actually shared on Twitter today his reaction. I think we have have that tweet, but he was generally skeptical, as you were, and he said, while I applaud what the Secretary of War is doing for trying to save the Boy Scouts from themselves, it’s probably too late. Do you agree it’s too late?
SPEAKER 10 :
It is too late. You’ve already had the top leadership moving in one direction. This is causing confusing signals. They used to have a slogan called the timeless values of scouting, right? From the scout oath and the scout law. And that’s out the door. All they care about is numbers. They care about money. And most of all, they care about being popular. They want to be in the mainstream society. They want to be Norman Rockwell, right? They don’t want to be some extreme element. And this is why they’ve made the changes to begin with 12 years ago. This is why they’re now turning back because they see the tide turning. that the LGBT experiment that we forced upon kids is dangerous. It’s hurting children. And so now they’re going, oh my gosh, we got to see this because the government and the Trump administration has laid the law down and said, you know what? We’re no longer going to give you preferred status amongst all the other youth organizations in this country.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, it’s really sad for me to see. Honestly, I was a Boy Scout before, I guess I got out off the Titanic just in time. This was not really a part of my experience. I guess I’m too old for that. But I did notice, and you probably noticed as well, that Secretary Hegseth gave a shout out to Trail Life USA. He noted it as one of the boys organizations that is complying with not just President Trump’s executive order, which is important now, but also basic scriptural common sense, principles, and church history. You know, I want to say complying with our faith, but really some of this stuff is just common sense, about 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I really appreciate that. Shout out to Trail Life USA. Folks can go to traillifeusa.com or .org and find a troop in your area and get plugged in. If there’s not one, you can create a troop. It requires about four or five people and parents that are willing to throw in. But this is a great program. We need to promote godly, conservative Christian values, not the wokeness of the BSA.
SPEAKER 28 :
Thank you, John Stenberger. Great to have you, Chairman Emeritus of the Trail Life USA. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 28 :
Guys, discipleship is especially important for young men. That’s what Boy Scouts of America was really about. That’s why it’s so sad to see what’s happened to them. I love what’s being done at Trail Life. When it comes to young men, discipleship is everything. Right after this break, we’re going to have our Biblical Worldview panel. You don’t want to miss it.
SPEAKER 19 :
We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 26 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 27 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 29 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 18 :
And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 09 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 23 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 29 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 27 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 26 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 22 :
The Stand Firm app brings trusted Family Research Council resources together in one place Stay informed with news articles from the Washington Stand, watch interviews from Washington Watch, explore courses produced by FRC, and find many other resources to equip you to engage culture and government from a biblical perspective. Download the Stand Firm app today by texting APP to 67742, or by searching for Stand Firm in your app store.
SPEAKER 28 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Casey Harper, your guest host for today. Thanks for joining us. I want to take a moment to read Matthew chapter 11, verses 7 through 9. As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in king’s palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet. Well, what a thing for the King of Kings to say about a man. But that is Jesus’ description that we see in Scripture of John the Baptist. And it’s very fitting, not just for our D-Block Biblical Worldview panel here, but what we talked about in the last segment, where people are putting their finger up to the wind to say, which way is culture going? Which way are the winds blowing? And that’s a test that we see here for all Christians. Are we going to go as the winds sway the reeds? Oh, transgenderism is okay now, so we support it. Oh, it’s not okay anymore, so we’re against it. Do we go back and forth? Or are we those Christians like John the Baptist who have a prophetic backbone, who are not swayed this way and that, but stand with the Scripture regardless of where the winds of culture are blowing? It’s a hard word, and it’s a hard one that’s convicting for myself, but it’s a good challenge for all of us as we go into this discussion about biblical perspectives on this week’s news. So at the end of each week, we like to look back and review some of the stories and headlines that popped up, but look at them through the lens of Scripture. You know, there’s a lot of news out there, but there’s very few who are doing what we’re doing right now. Well, joining me today for our Biblical Worldview segment is Dr. David Claussen. He’s the director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview, and he’s helped today by Washington Stand reporter, Sarah Holliday. Sarah, Dr. Claussen, thanks for joining us. Great to be with you. Thanks for having us. Absolutely. So, we saw the State of the Union this week, a big story, watched it closely, all two hours of it, by the way, very long, David. Very long. Longest ever, actually. Longest ever. I think we have a clip about Sage Blair, a woman that you have been, the FRC has been working with for a while, who has a really tragic story, which the president laid out. Let’s listen to that clip.
SPEAKER 16 :
Sage and Michelle, please stand up. Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about this? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately. Look, nobody stands up. These people are crazy, I’m telling you. They’re crazy.
SPEAKER 28 :
CRAZY, DAVID. VERY STRONG WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT. CAN YOU CATCH US UP ON THE STORY WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT AND WHY THE PRESIDENT MENTIONING IT HERE IS SO IMPORTANT?
SPEAKER 03 :
WELL, CASEY, ONLY A DECADE OR SO AGO THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS TUNING INTO THE STATE OF THE UNION WOULD HAVE HAD NO IDEA what the president was even talking about. We wouldn’t have even had a category for this, the idea that school officials would socially transition a minor child without their parents’ knowledge to identify as something that’s not their biological sex. But, tragically, we now understand that very well, because this has happened across the country in numerous places, numerous states, numerous jurisdictions. This isn’t a one-off. No, it’s happened a lot, Casey. And I think the president needs to be commended for using kind of the national platform of the State of the Union. for using the bully pulpit of the moment to raise attention to this issue. So, again, want to give him credit. Again, just to catch our listeners and viewers up, Sage Blair, this is a Virginia teen who her officials—I think she was a freshman at the time—began to socially transition her, using pronouns and different names not in congruence with her biological sex, not telling the parents. Eventually, she was removed from her parents’ home. A judge wouldn’t allow her to be taken back to her parents because they wouldn’t agree with her gender identity.
SPEAKER 28 :
So, kept from the—just, I don’t want to interrupt you too long, but kept from the parents because they wouldn’t agree with transgenderism. Your child could be taken from you.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, that’s absolutely right. And a judge would not allow that. She ended up being placed in an all-boys school and then was actually the victim of sexual abuse and was completely exploited. She’s now identifying as the beautiful young lady that she is and is using her story to try to raise attention that, again, this is an issue that no parent should ever have to deal with, Casey. And so, it’s a powerful story that makes a profound point, I think. President Trump’s moral impulse and calling his detractors on this issue crazy, I think it’s entirely fair. And I give him credit. I think a point that I want to make is, the moment at the State of the Union really crystallized what’s at stake. What’s at stake kind of with this gender debate is really the issue of our embodiment as male and female and parental rights. And I think that’s what we need to realize is at stake with this issue, because currently, the political left— is in support of this. I don’t know of another issue where you see a starker worldview divide, where there is one side that says it is completely permissible to remove a minor child from their parents’ custody if they want to affirm this gender identity. And the other side, President Trump is bringing to our attention that this is crazy, that this shouldn’t even be allowed. And so, again, from a biblical perspective, we know God makes us male and female in His image. Parents are given primary discipleship responsibility of their children. This is Deuteronomy 6. And so, again, credit to where credit is due for President Trump really trying to awaken the nation’s conscience on this issue. I think it’s an 80-20 issue. I think it’s good politics, but it’s even better with his moral impulse here.
SPEAKER 28 :
You know, this is something—you made a point at the end that I think is really important out of Deuteronomy, that you see China is totally thrown out the window. And we seem to be increasingly headed that direction, which is, hey, parents, not the government, have the final say on kids, even if they have a politically incorrect opinion. That’s something that I think we’re seeing in a lot of these policies. I know California has been pushing legislation to a similar extent to be able to basically make them a sanctuary state for kids who want to run away and not be sent back to their parents, very young kids as well, over this whole transgender issue. What’s interesting about this issue in particular and why it fits with sort of my opening devotional, which I think you’re humoring me on that, but it is this idea that Prophetic voices are right before it’s popular. Jesus spoke of John the Baptist. He’s preaching the truth at a time he eventually lost his head for it, right? Prophets, as Jesus said, there’s not one prophet that you didn’t kill. And so to be a prophetic person, to be a prophetic organization is to speak the truth even when it’s not popular. And then what inevitably happens is later you’re vindicated. either in this, you know, in man’s generations or at the judgment seat. And this has happened with FRC on this issue because Sage, who was at the State of the Union, was at FRC a few years ago when it was not nearly as popular to be against transgenderism, really at the height of wokeness and DEI. It was FRC that had her here. And I think we have a clip, actually, of Tony speaking at that event, if we can play it.
SPEAKER 19 :
Sage’s mother, Michelle, is with us tonight. Michelle, thank you for being here. She is here because she wants to prevent other families from having this horrific experience. Thank you, Michelle. Michelle, we’re praying for you and other families and other moms just like you.
SPEAKER 28 :
So that was clearly Sage’s mother there. I think actually Sage was, you know, still being processed and getting out of the situation. Sarah, off camera, you talked about how so many of these people at the State of the Union were so moving to you. And I think that was true for many Americans, that they found them, regardless of their politics, to be very moving. Why do you think this resonates so deeply with people when they see Sage’s story?
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, you know, there are some issues that we can agree to disagree, but there are many issues in which that’s just not an option. And transgenderism is one of those issues, for a lot of reasons, too. First of all, it’s nonsensical. It’s the fact that it ignores biological reality. From a spiritual standpoint, it’s also in complete rebellion against creation order and what God has designed for the human body, for us to be male and female, for when He makes us male and female, for us to stay that way, because that’s how we were meant to be. And we glorify God in the way we were created. But it’s also so tragic, because it’s not just political. It’s not even just a matter of conjuring scripture. There are real consequences. As you mentioned, Sage was not just away from her mom for a little—for a year or so. It was the fact that she was actually groomed. She was a victim of sex trafficking. THIS IS REAL TRAUMA THAT I BELIEVE IN MANY CASES ONLY THE GOSPEL CAN TRULY REDEEM, AND YET SHE’S GOING TO LIVE WITH THAT FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. AND THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE, AS WE MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SEGMENT, THAT HAVE ALSO GONE THROUGH SIMILAR THINGS, PEOPLE WHOSE STORIES ARE NOT TOLD AT THE STATE OF THE UNION. Maybe they’ve never even been noticed yet, and they’re still struggling. That’s why when Tony says, we’re praying for you, he really means it, because we’re praying for the people who are suffering from past trauma. We’re praying for the people who are actively going through it and are trying to escape. And we’re praying for the people who are going through it and have no idea how it’s harming them. and just destroying their lives and their understanding of the world and themselves and goodness and truth and beauty. And so when it comes to Sage’s story alone, it pierces the heart. And yet it’s so beautiful that she was able to come out of that. But we’re reminded of how this is not an issue that has gone away. It’s still so prominent. Sure, we’re not in the Biden administration anymore, where they were pushing it in every sphere of society, but it’s still being pushed and it’s still being pushed against policies, federal or local. And so there’s still a very prominent fight going on. And it’s not just because it’s biological, it’s spiritual, it’s we’re actually protecting people from spiritual, emotional, mental, physical harm.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah. Well, I think what’s getting at also and what you’re hitting on there is there’s real victims to these policies. Things, you know, tax cuts, trade policy, there’s politics, there’s lobbyists, there’s regulations. But on things like this, on things like abortion, on things like transgenderism, they’re real victims. And often the, you know, aborted children, we don’t see them. But when you see these detransitioners, so I don’t really call them that because they never really transitioned in the first place. They’re not transitioning back. They’re victims of a system. You can look them in the face and say, wow, like girls like Fox variant and these different, you know, different people who are real victims here. But David, Dr. Clawson, I noticed something was notably absent from the State of the Union. Life issues. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, you’re right. In an almost two-hour speech, the longest State of the Union that a United States president has ever given, It was a notable thing that was absent. You think of President Reagan, President Bush. Even President Trump, in some of his first-term State of the Unions, devoted time to talk about the life issue. And, Casey, there’s certainly political calculations at play. I think the GOP political class sees the midterms approaching. They see this as a political liability. Let me make two very brief points politically. My message to the GOP would be ignore pro-life voters at your peril. I think a third of voters, GOP voters, have indicated in one recent poll I saw that they will stay home if GOP candidates are not firm on the life issue. But secondly, more basic theological issues, those of us who are pro-life, who are Christians, even if the political winds shift on this issue, which they have since Roe was overturned in the Dobbs decision in the summer of 2022, we’re not going to change on this issue. There’s a thus saith the Lord. The Bible speaks very clearly to this issue. And so, again, credit where credit is due. The president did a lot of good things in that speech, moments where I was really proud to be an American. I really wish, though, he had used the bully pulpit of the State of the Union to stand for the unborn, the class amongst us who has no voice.
SPEAKER 28 :
Right. Back to our theme. This is an issue where the wins don’t affect us. Taxes, tariffs, you know, you might have some wiggle room as the culture pressures you one way or the other. Killing unborn children. Not going to budge. Not going to budge on that one. Sarah, I want to ask you about Texas because Texas has really been a pioneer on taking on really the crux of this issue, which is the abortion pill. The abortion pill, most abortions now, 63% are carried out by the abortion pill, not in a clinic, often at home in an unsupervised, unsafe way. What is Texas doing, especially through telehealth, and why is it important?
SPEAKER 26 :
Yes, well, Texas is trying to push back on all of the people who are trying to find loopholes in our post-Obs America. When abortion issues went back to the states, states that want to enact pro-life laws were supposed to be able to do that and to live out their pro-life values in their own states as their voters vote them to do and urge them to do, and yet these loopholes, which It really is most prominently seen in telehealth abortion. It’s so destructive, because, first of all, you mentioned that it’s dangerous, being done in dangerous ways. People are taking these pills in their homes. Of course, any abortion, whether it’s a pill, whether it’s taken at home, whether it’s in a hospital, is always dangerous, because it kills a child and harms the mother. But at the same time, it’s so tragic how these states can put in these pro-life laws and then just have these telehealth abortion cases completely undermine them. And so Texas is trying to put their foot down on this. They’re trying to do what they can to seal those gaps. And in many ways, they’ve done so by passing legislation that makes it illegal for outside sources to bring abortion pills inside, and that also gives private citizens the power to sue up to $100,000 per violation of these laws. It’s so important. And in many cases, they are just completely For example, Texas has been fighting hard for this for a while, but it doesn’t help when we have more and more cases of people who are just proving that these abortion pills are so unregulated that a boyfriend can order them from an out-of-state, in a pro-life state, which we’ve seen just recently, and they can drug their pregnant girlfriend’s, you know, drink or food with these abortion pills against her will. I mean, Texas is seeing these cases, and they’re saying, no, this is not OK. And even without those cases, they’re saying, we don’t want abortion in our states. And so, I mean, we need examples like them, of people who are unwilling to compromise, who are fighting really hard to get these pro-life laws to actually do their job and keep the abortion out.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah. These abortions pills are not as safe as they seem. And this came up—I want to quickly go to a clip, because this came up at the confirmation hearing of the Surgeon General. I want you guys to watch this clip.
SPEAKER 02 :
The question of whether it should be an in-person visit is out of the purview of the Surgeon General’s office, but I do believe that every patient needs to have a very thorough conversation with their doctor before taking any medication. Unfortunately, in our current healthcare system, because of how overburdened doctors are, this often doesn’t happen, whether it’s in person or online.
SPEAKER 28 :
Dr. Clawson, Casey means great name. Answer is so great. What do you think? 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, very disappointed in that answer, Casey. Senator Cassidy asked the question, are these pills safe? The answer is no. They’re not safe for unborn children. And according to the EPPC study that came out last year, about 11 percent of women have serious health repercussions with these pills. That answer was lacking. And so, again, if she’s confirmed, my prayer is that she will actually stand up for women and children.
SPEAKER 28 :
All right. Thank you, guys. Great points. Dr. David Clauston, Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand. Thanks for joining me. Thank you. Absolutely. And thank you for joining us, our listeners. As Tony always says, stand firm and keep standing.
SPEAKER 06 :
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.
