In this riveting episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins takes us through the heart of pressing national issues from immigration debates to international conflicts. Join Tony as he discusses the ongoing reform efforts around ICE operations in Minneapolis amidst public scrutiny and political pressure, as well as the broader implications this holds for government funding. The episode also covers the humanitarian crisis in northeast Syria, shining a light on the plight of the Kurds and religious minorities bravely holding their ground against advancing forces, and how the U.S. foreign policy intricacies are unfolding in this troubled region.
SPEAKER 04 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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If Republicans refuse to work with us to rein in ICE and to end the violence, they’re telling the American people they’re choosing to protect ICE over choosing to protect people’s safety. Americans, by and large, support law enforcement. I do. And most people support border security. I do as well. But Americans do not support ICE terrorizing our streets, operating outside the law, killing American citizens. The madness and violence must end. Congress must act to rein in ICE and end the violence. Rein in ICE. and end the violence.
SPEAKER 11 :
That was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier today on the Senate floor calling for reforms to ICE operations as Democrats push toward a partial government shutdown. Welcome to this January 29th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up, Tom Holman, the Trump administration’s border czar, says ICE operations in Minneapolis are shifting to more, quote unquote, targeted actions. A change in the wake of intense public scrutiny after multiple fatal shootings involving federal agents in the city and mounting political pressure. We’ll break down what that means next with Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde. Also, the United States is stepping up efforts with Nigeria to protect Christian communities under siege there. Last week, senior officials from both countries met to discuss strategies to halt rising violence against Christians. Curtis Bostic, who is the founder and board chair of Remember, a South Carolina-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting families of Christian martyrs, has just returned from Nigeria, and he’ll share his firsthand update. The Trump administration’s borders are Tom Holman is on the ground in Minneapolis, pledging to dial down tensions. But critics say fundamental issues remain unresolved. Joining me now is Washington stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following today’s developments very closely. Casey, what can we expect to see unfold in Minneapolis in the days, maybe even hours ahead?
SPEAKER 05 :
Sure, Tony. I covered that press conference today, and it seems like Minneapolis may be able to turn the page to a more peaceful city. Now, what are some of the details? Well, Tom Homan said he may reduce the 3,000 deployed agents. There’s 3,000 ICE agents in the city now. And he may decrease that number if local authorities agree to cooperate with federal law enforcement efforts. And that’s been the big sticking point. Why won’t they help ICE? Now, Homan also said that he has had productive meetings with Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz and the mayor there, Jacob Fry. In fact, here’s what Tom Homan said today at the press conference.
SPEAKER 01 :
Nothing’s ever perfect. Anything can be improved on. And what we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient by the book. The mission is going to improve because of the changes we’re making internally.
SPEAKER 05 :
Now, Homan went on to say that ICE has made significant gains and promised big changes to occur in Minneapolis, which has been in so much turmoil. His tone and his remarks suggest that there could actually be a de-escalation in a city that’s been rife with protests. And he’s also reporting that a new internal memo from a high-ranking ICE official, it’s telling agents to cool it down, to refrain from any unnecessary communication and engagement with these agitators. Now, Holman was very clear in his remarks that the Trump administration is still deporting anyone not living in this country illegally. But it seems now that the tone is a bit softer, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I kind of like Tom Holman. He seems like a no nonsense guy, but also very seems to be reasonable. All right. Today, police in New York City are investigating a car crash into a Jewish synagogue as a hate crime. Can you walk us through what happened there?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, this is a really troubling story, Tony. So a car crashed into the side of the entrance of Chabad Lubavitch on Wednesday. Now, New York City’s mayor, Zoran Mamdani, he said the man was arrested, but that he intentionally and repeatedly, repeatedly crashed his car into the building. Now, the mayor condemned the act, but it is worth noting that he has had sort of a maybe unfortunate relationship with the Jewish community there in New York City. Thankfully, there were no injuries, and the driver, as I said, was arrested, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, Casey, thanks so much. Appreciate the update. Well, a partial government shutdown is a growing possibility as the Senate earlier today failed to advance the six-bill appropriations package that passed the House last week. Now, even if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House come to an agreement on a change to the funding package, the House would have to sign off on it because they’ve already passed it, and they’re not going to return until Monday. The deadline is midnight Friday night. Joining us now is Congressman Andrew Clyde, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Budget Committee and the Freedom Caucus. He represents the 9th Congressional District of Georgia. Congressman Clyde, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Well, thank you, Tony. Great to be on with you today. All right. So the Freedom Caucus earlier this week sent a letter to the president saying, hold fast, don’t budge, don’t negotiate with the Democrats over ICE funding. That obviously can’t happen unless it goes back to the House. And I’ve talked to the speaker in passage of something like that, and the House looks very problematic.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, you know, these appropriation bills were all pre-negotiated with the appropriations committees in both the House and the Senate, Democrat and Republican. And so, you know, we in the House, we added some amendments to it that did not pass. So we didn’t get any additional amendments beyond what was actually negotiated. so you know for the democrats to now step back and say hey you know because of this uh quote crisis now in minneapolis which has been going on for for a long time and it honestly is the is a a tremendous amount of the responsibility rests with the political leaders who refuse to support the federal government in its responsibilities to uphold immigration law But because of that, all right, they’re trying to use that as leverage then to get some sort of a settlement to handcuff the immigration ice, you know, to handcuff ice in what they’re doing. And that’s just not right. They need to stick to the deal that was pre-negotiated and agreed upon. We in the House passed it. We’ve passed all 12 of our appropriation bills now. And the Senate has to finish their job and the Democrats have to have to uphold their end of the deal.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s interesting today, earlier today, eight Republicans joined with the Democrats in blocking the advancement of these appropriations bill. Now, their reasoning was different. Some said that there were too many egregious earmarks in this package. What do you see as the way forward here? I mean, are we going to experience another partial government shutdown?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, you know, I have a problem with those earmarks too, Tony. As a matter of fact, we had an amendment in the House to strip those earmarks out of the bill because some of them are absolutely egregious. So we could save about $16 billion of spending if we would eliminate all those earmarks. But that didn’t happen in the House. That amendment was defeated. And so, you know, if the Senate wants to try and do that, that’s fine. You know, we’ll be back in on Monday and we can vote early next week if that’s going to be the case. But but I think what needs to happen is this bill needs to pass so that we can continue to fund ICE in its entirety. Now, mind you, the one big, beautiful bill gave ICE a tremendous amount of money, 100 or gave the Department of Homeland Security, $100 billion for this illegal alien removal program and the things that go with it. They’re not going to run out of money anytime soon, but you still have the other aspects of the Homeland Security. agency that need to be funded, like the Secret Service, like TSA, like the air traffic controllers, you know, all of these, like Customs Border Patrol, all of these are incredibly important for the security of our nation and the Democrats are putting that at risk by refusing to fund the government and to fund this agency.
SPEAKER 11 :
And they’re not being totally honest with saying that they’re going to withhold this funding to affect ICE because, as you just pointed out, ICE is not going to be affected by this.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s correct, but the other departments in ICE, excuse me, in Homeland Security, the other agencies in Homeland Security are certainly going to be affected by it. I mean, that’s literally what stopped the last government shutdown, was the fact that the airlines were not going to be able to continue safely flying And the Department of Transport, the Transportation Secretary said, hey, we’re going to have to start cutting out flights between cities because we cannot guarantee them to fly safely because of the lack of air traffic controllers and the fact that TSA wasn’t getting paid. I mean, this is a huge problem that is completely avoidable, but it’s of the Democrats own making.
SPEAKER 11 :
The Republicans in the Senate that oppose some of them, some of your colleagues, conservative colleagues, Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, could it be they’re sending a message to the Republican leadership? Hey, if you negotiate with Democrats over this, you’re going to have to talk with us about the concerns we have in these appropriations bills.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, sure. I think that’s certainly part of it. You know, this is the thing. We need to eliminate the filibuster in the Senate. That’s what has to happen. Whether we go to a talking filibuster, which is what we had prior to 1975, and make the Democrats, you know, speak up and they can talk as long as they want, but once they’re finished speaking… And once they’re exhausted, then only 51 votes for passage. That’s really what needs to happen here. And I think the Democrats are really, really pushing their luck. And I hope that Leader Thune realizes that and eliminates the silent filibuster, as we call it. Because as we know, a couple of years ago, the Democrats tried to eliminate it, and it was only Senator Manchin. And Senator Sinema, who neither of which are here today, all right, they’re no longer serving. It was only those two who stopped it. So as soon as, if the Democrats ever get the majority again in the Senate, I believe the filibuster will be gone for Republicans.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, that’s been an ongoing debate since I’ve even been here for the last 25 years, is the fact that the filibuster, if it goes away, the same rules apply for the Democrats when they come in. And so a lot of the stuff we would be able to pass could quickly be undone by the next ruling majority in the Senate. I think there’s… There’s an argument to be made on both sides of that. I’m a little hesitant to say that the filibuster is the problem. I think we need to get more people out voting and get the balance in the Senate a little higher so that we can pass these measures. Where do you see this coming down to? Do you see a negotiated agreement? Maybe I’m hearing word that there could be a temporary extension partial, but wouldn’t that still require the House to vote on it before they could do that?
SPEAKER 10 :
Any change by the Senate, any, even a small change will require a vote by the House because the bills have to be absolutely identical both in the House and the Senate. So that means if the Senate changes this or if they delay it and simply don’t pass it, then absolutely the House is gonna have to weigh in on it. And you know, we in the House have already spoken. And we said absolutely no continuing resolution for Homeland Security. So that’s going to be a discussion that’s going to have to be had. If the senators really want to push this and do a little bit of brinkmanship here, then that’s going to be a problem for a number of us in the House. So they better be careful about that.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, and I do want to point out, I was talking to the House Speaker about this earlier, that the fact that you have moved back to pretty much the normal appropriations process, passing these appropriations bills as opposed to the continuing resolutions or the huge omnibus bills is quite significant. That hasn’t happened in a couple of decades. So we’re seeing progress, and I agree with you. We should not allow that to slip back. We need to hold that ground and continue to build on it. Congressman Andrew Clyde, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us today. Keep up the good work. Thank you, Tony. Always great to be with you on Washington Watch. All right. Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. We’re going to talk about it a little bit more later in the program. So stick with us. After the break, we’re going to get an on the ground report from a freelance war correspondent, our friend Chuck Holton, who is in northeast Syria. So stick around. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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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.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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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.
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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 is now time to deal with this issue.
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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.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 22 :
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 11 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. All right. We’ve been discussing the situation in northeast Syria throughout the week. While a ceasefire is technically in place, the situation remains volatile and the ceasefire is really not holding. Joining us now from the ground in northeast Syria is freelance war correspondent Chuck Holton, who has been monitoring the situation firsthand. Chuck, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, Tony. I would have done this outside, but it’s about 20 degrees out there, so I thought that discretion would be the better part of valor at this point.
SPEAKER 11 :
I want you to stay warm, my friend. So let’s start with the status of the situation. What’s happening there on the ground as it pertains to the Kurds, the Christians, the other religious minorities that are in that region?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Tony, as you know, the Kurds have been administering the eastern third of Syria for more than 10 years, and they’ve done a very good job at it. They have had… various disparate religions and ethnicities all living together in peace. They’ve done a great job at maintaining the law and city services and all that sort of thing. But al-Jilani’s forces have been pushing into that area that the Kurds call Rojava. with the intent of taking it over and making it submit to the new administration in Damascus. The Kurds are not willing to submit to the new administration in Damascus because they say that al-Jilani is essentially the Islamic State. He’s a… kinder, gentler version of the Islamic State, perhaps, but he’s the Islamic State nonetheless, at least too extreme for them. And keep in mind, most of the Kurds are Sunni Muslims, just like, you know, so is ISIS, but it’s a whole different thing to them. And then you add in the Christians that are here, the Armenian Christians, the Assyriac Christians, Chaldean Christians that are in this region, the Yazidis, the Druze, all the different groups that are here, and none of them want to live under Sharia law. So while Ahmad al-Sharah has been putting this very westernized, civilized face toward the West, and sort of wooing all these world leaders that way. In the areas that are under his control, they are instituting Sharia law, they’re forcing women to wear burqas, they’re making them ride in the back of the bus, all that kind of thing. Kurdish women don’t wear burqas, and they’re not about to. That’s not a thing for them. So what that’s created, Tony, is a real humanitarian crisis, because as al-Jalani’s forces, who have a lot of military hardware that they got from the previous administration, are pushing into these areas with tanks and things like that that the Kurds just can’t counter. So the Kurds are having to pull back and pull back and pull back. So the area that al-Sharah has taken over represents about two-thirds of the area the Kurds controlled, and that means all of the Kurds are now sort of concentrated into these two little areas, one in the far northeast, and then one around the city of Kobani. And they are preparing to defend this area with their lives. They’ve armed everybody to the teeth. Everybody’s walking around with weapons. And as you mentioned, there is supposed to be a ceasefire right now, but last night there was shelling in Teltamer, not too far to the west of here. And so there really has not been a ceasefire, even though one was declared.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, when we talk about the Kurds, they have been like the American allies. They helped us in the fight against ISIS. But they’ve also been the protective force for the Christians and the other religious minorities in that region. And I’ve talked about this many times. The northeast region of Syria has become like the only place outside of Israel where you really see religious freedom taking place in the Middle East.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, that’s very true. And on top of that, the Kurds lost more than 12,000 people fighting the Islamic State with the backing of the United States. And they just were abandoned by the U.S. this last week when Tom Barak, the ambassador to Turkey, told them, we’re going to start supporting al-Sharah and his troops, so we don’t really need you anymore. And the Kurds are just bewildered at that. They are so hurt. They feel so betrayed. And they’re saying, no, we can never trust America again. So the United States still needs the Kurds because we still have a large air base in Erbil in northern Iraq. That’s Iraqi Kurdistan. And we definitely need that to project power in this region. But we are not treating the Kurds with the respect that they deserve at all. And this is not the first time we’ve done that to them.
SPEAKER 11 :
You mentioned Tom Brock, the ambassador to Turkey, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. What I’ve seen him say and do, it appears that he is advocating more for the interest of Turkey than that of the United States.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, there’s a lot of claims to that effect and even claims that he’s receiving his talking points through Turkey. al-Sharah’s group in Turkish language. So there was a kind of a scandal in this local news here where they were showing screenshots of messaging from Turkey to al-Sharah saying, tell Tom Barak to say this and this and this. And so it does sound like he is being directed by Turkey. And that obviously is not going to go well for the Kurds.
SPEAKER 11 :
Very quickly, we’ve got about a minute and a half left. What evidence do you see of Turkish involvement there in the northeast region?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, they have a ton of troops in the northern part of Syria, and they have for some time, and they’re adding more to that all the time. But also they are supporting al-Sharaz troops as they’re fighting against the Kurds with drones. And so the Kurds have had to contend with drone strikes from Turkish Bayraktar drones flying overhead. I passed a hospital yesterday that was hit with a Turkish drone just a week ago.
SPEAKER 11 :
So, Chuck, how – what – does the United States need to do, number one? And number two, how do Christians here in the United States need to be praying right now?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Christians need to be praying that our government will do a 180 and start to live up to the commitments that we made to the Kurds. And that’s the most important thing. You know, we might be able to attain peace by abandoning our allies, but it’s not a just peace. And so I think we need to pray for that and pray that our government will see the light and respond to the pressure that’s being put on them. by the likes of Lindsey Graham and people like that to actually support the Kurds. And they are our only real friends in this region, just like the Israelis.
SPEAKER 11 :
Chuck Holton, we’ll also be praying for your safety as you make your way out of northeast Syria at some point. Thanks so much for joining us. All right, folks, stick with us. When we come back, we’re going to look at another situation that has been very dire for Christians. That is Nigeria. So don’t go away.
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From the beginning, America has understood that liberty flourishes only when grounded in faith, humility, and dependence on the Lord. America needs God. So in 2026, as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, we pause not simply to celebrate history, but to seek the God who gave it purpose. Family Research Council invites you to join us online Wednesday, February 4th at 7 a.m. Eastern Time for the fourth annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C. This sacred gathering will bring together members of the U.S. Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation. United as one voice, we will seek the Lord together, praying for all 50 states that God might bless the next 250 years of our historic nation. To watch the live stream, visit PrayDC.org. That’s PrayDC.org.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host. Thanks so much for tuning in. Be sure and check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. The U.S. has been working with Nigeria’s government to improve security conditions and protect vulnerable communities across the West African Republic. And last week there were in-person talks between the US and Nigerian officials about how the two countries can work together to deter violence against Christian communities. All this follows President Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern back in October, something we did when I was on the commission back during the first Trump administration that was removed by the Biden administration and we were grateful to see. the redesignation as a country of particular concern. So how optimistic can we be that relief for Nigeria’s persecuted Christians is on the way? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Curtis Bostic. He’s the founder and board chairman of Remember, a South Carolina-based nonprofit that is devoted to helping the families of Christian martyrs. The organization draws its name from Hebrews 13, 3, which says, Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body. Curtis, welcome to Washington Watch. Good to see you, my friend. Tony, it’s so good to see you. So you just returned from Nigeria. You spent a couple of weeks there. What do you make of the new role that the U.S. has been playing with Nigeria, these conversations that have been taking place between government officials?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, Tony, thank you again for having me. Let me say that our organization, Remember, makes it a point not to just to send resources to countries of concern, but actually to be there, to get firsthand accounts of the suffering and to be able to analyze the significance that our efforts are placing there. And so it was privileged to be with our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ. Let me just put a little context, if I can, for your audience. If you were to if you were to count the number of Christians in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, China, Sudan, Somalia, and we could add a number of other countries to that list, but if you added the number of Christians who have been killed in those countries in 25, that would account for about 25% of the Christians who were martyred in 2025. The other almost three quarters comes from Nigeria, alone in 2025. More Christians killed in Nigeria than every other country in the world combined. In direct response to your question, Tony, I think our help is coming too late. First of all, this genocide has been going on since 2009, between 50 and 100,000 Christians killed in Nigeria. So I’m thankful to see it. It’s too late. It should have come a long time ago. I’m also grateful to say that believers on the ground say that it’s being very, very effective.
SPEAKER 11 :
So tell us about your experience here as you were traveling through Nigeria, talking to these communities, vulnerable communities, communities that have been attacked, that have suffered this. And so our listeners know, and I’ve talked about this many times, Nigeria, it’s not necessarily the government that is perpetrating this violence, but they’re ignoring the threat and turning a blind eye to these Christian communities. Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, that’s very fair to say, Tony, as I understand it. Nigeria is the most populous African nation. 237 million people call it home. It has 36 states. And what’s important to understand is that while it has a secular constitution, the northern 12 states, kind of a band from east to west, have adopted Sharia law. And in those 12 states, the Fulani, who are Muslim, and Boko Haram, who is a terrorist organization in the Northeast, have found their home. And they are periodically, and have been for many years, making raids south of their borders into Christian communities. And what I saw on my visit there was that in those raids, they will burn entire villages. Tony, we could talk about the number that have been killed. Candidly, I think what is most importantly, particularly for the Christian community, is the number that have survived. because while 5,000 almost were killed this past year, another 7,000 is estimated, women and girls, to have been taken captive, either sold as sex slaves or held for ransom. For all the men that were killed, there are thousands of children who are now without a father, a breadwinner in a poor country, women without a husband, women who have been disfigured and maimed, traumatized by sexual abuse. The carnage goes far beyond the killing.
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s the state of the church spiritually?
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s a great question, Tony. And as I assessed it, I think the gospel is going forward in Nigeria. Interestingly, one of the initiatives that our organization, remember, is going to adopt is we are going to adopt a safe house approach in Nigeria because a number of men from the Fulani community and from Boko Haram have come to faith in Christ because the church in Nigeria is active. And so our intent is to disciple those men, to help to reorient their thinking, to train them in the gospel. And these are men who want to go back to their communities to share the message of Christ, even in their own life.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. Curtis, we just have about 40 seconds left. Number one, how can people find out more about your ministry? Remember, and two, how can Christians here in the United States be praying?
SPEAKER 06 :
RememberThose.org. RememberThose.org. The Bible’s clear about our command. We’re supposed to love our brother and sister in Christ. That’s how the world’s going to know that we’re Christians. And so pray that the church, pray that believers in Nigeria are strengthened in Jesus Christ internally. Pray that other believers around the world will take note of them and bring aid and relief, as James would say, recognizing that that is what pure and undefiled religion does.
SPEAKER 11 :
Curtis Bostic, always great to see you, my friend. Thank you so much for joining us today, and thank you for the great work that you do. Folks, I would encourage you to check out the website. Go to TonyPerkins.com and follow the links over. All right, stick with us.
SPEAKER 12 :
On a cold January day in Washington, D.C., thousands still gathered on the National Mall for the 53rd National March for Life. Participants came from across the United States and beyond, united under the event’s simple theme, Life is a Gift. The event began with powerful speeches linking faith, the sanctity of life from conception, and America’s founding principles to defending the vulnerable. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the crowd and expressed his thankfulness for the gift of life.
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I was the product of an unplanned teen pregnancy exactly one year before Roe in January of 1972. And a lot of people try to convince my very young parents that they should just take care of that problem. But I am eternally grateful that they allowed me the chance at life. Think of the millions of children that did not have that same opportunity. And every single child deserves the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential. And it is up to us to defend that freedom and that right.
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The stage welcomed numerous members of Congress, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance, who highlighted God’s design for the family.
SPEAKER 07 :
We know that family is not just the source of a great joy, but it’s part of God’s design for men and women, a design that extends outward from the family to our neighborhoods, to our communities, and to the United States of America itself.
SPEAKER 12 :
Representative Andrew Clyde stressed the government’s duty to secure and defend life.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s in the birth certificate of our nation that says that government’s responsibility is to protect life. And for so long, government has been giving people the authority to destroy life through Roe v. Wade. And the Dobbs decision, the incredible Dobbs decision, reversed that from the federal level. And so finally, government is here under the Trump administration defending life. And that’s what we’re supposed to be doing.
SPEAKER 12 :
Representative Michael Cloud urged perseverance in the battle to protect life.
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Our job is to be the watchman on the wall, so to speak, and to stand for life, to stand for principles of truth and righteousness. And so there’s never going to be a point where we can think our job is done. We don’t get weary in well-doing. We know we’ll get the rest of that scripture goes, you’ll reap a reward if you don’t faint.
SPEAKER 12 :
Family Research Council will always march and stand for life because every life is a gift. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, much has been achieved in this march for life, but the work is far from finished. We must remain unwavering in our commitment to stand for what God has given, this precious gift of life.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. I hope you’re taking notes. A lot to pray about. You know, I know a lot of people get frustrated and anxious about what’s happening. Look, we’re not here to make you anxious. I mean, this program is not what I call rant radio. We’re not trying to get your blood pressure up. We’re trying to inform you so that you know, number one, how to pray. Number two, how to vote. And number three, how to stand for truth yourself. And so we want to educate you and encourage you in standing for biblical truth. And we need to be praying for our brothers and sisters, no matter where they are in the world, that are being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ. All right, our word for today comes from Job chapter 23. Then Job answered and said, Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come to his seat. I would present my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in his great power? No, but he would take note of me. There the upright could reason with him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge. Job was confident if he could stand before God that God would not glare down at him in his power and might, but take note of him through his mercy and grace. Job did not understand everything about God, but he did understand God’s nature, that he was not against him. In verse 9, he says, for the eyes of the Lord, in 2 Chronicles 16, verse 9, it says, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. You see, God is for you if your heart is for him. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Well, the activities of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that’s ICE, have dominated the headlines this week, even as Democrats have linked those headlines to government funding. But there has been much more going on this week. Joining me now to talk about all of it from the Washington stand, Casey Harper, the managing editor for the broadcast, and Suzanne Bowdy, editorial director and senior writer. Casey, Suzanne, thanks for joining me today.
SPEAKER 20 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. So at the top of the program, we discussed the border czar, Tom Homan, his press conference this morning in Minnesota. Casey, what was his main message to Minnesota and to the he was speaking not just to Minnesotans, but I think he was speaking to the nation.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I think that’s why the president sent him down there. Things have gotten out of control. The violence is increasing. We’re seeing increased protesting. If you take some time to watch the footage coming out of there, you have these roving patrols of ICE agents who are getting harassed everywhere they go. Sometimes it gets physical, and then there’s arrest. And when there’s arrest, there’s a chance that it could escalate. And now we’ve seen these two very unfortunate shootings. Homan’s message, I think, was twofold. There was the what he said, which is we’re probably going to lower the number of ICE agents. We need local authorities to cooperate with us so that we can get go and get these migrants out of the jails instead of having to go knock down doors or go into the streets. He said, you know, we could avoid a lot of problems and have a safer uh… situation if we could just go into the jails and have people hand it off to us uh… he talked about how he’s had good conversations with the state level democrats who are doing more to cooperate so that’s the what he said but i think the tone that he said was even more important than that he was very gentle he was just he came in and said look guys He lowered the temperature. And I think that was really what the president needed and what really the nation needed was an adult to step into the room and say, look, it’s going to be fine and just have a dad moment with the country. And I think he succeeded at doing that.
SPEAKER 11 :
You know, it’s interesting you say that because I look at Tom Holman. I don’t know him. I’ve not met him before, but he kind of he kind of reminds me of his grandpa. A little grumpy at times, but he’s just you know, he’s just kind of a. No-nonsense guy. Tells it like it is. He does. I mean, you just kind of like him. So, Suzanne, what caused the Trump administration? I mean, what was the straw that broke the camel’s back that made them realize that they had to do something different?
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, I honestly think after the shooting, both shootings, actually, I think this last one was a lot less cut and dry in a lot of Americans’ minds. I think there’s real concern over months of this sort of shock and awe approach to immigration reform and deportations. And I think he started to see the country really turn against the tactics of ICE. In recent polling just this week, YouGov and The Economist found that among Republicans, the trust in ICE has dropped almost 10 points, and that’s just in a two-week period. So Trump really had some damage control to do. Yes, it was important to show the illegal immigrants up front that we’re serious about this, we need law-abiding citizens in the country. If you aren’t here legally, we’re going to take care of it. But to have months of this just real chaotic situation across the country, really has not voted well for Trump in public opinion. I think it will have definite effects on the midterm elections if the messaging isn’t changed and the approach isn’t changed. Americans are rightly concerned. We do need to rein in a little bit some of these tactics because these ICE agents aren’t the bad guys. They’re being set up to fail by the people who are deploying them. By putting them in these situations where they’re literally confronting rioters on the streets, it’s making them slower and less efficient at doing their jobs as opposed to just executing smaller, more precise deportations that aren’t making the mainstream news, that aren’t creating headlines and unnecessary headaches for the Trump administration.
SPEAKER 11 :
In some ways, this is a case study in the American people and the complexity of the American voter. I think without question, the 2024 election was driven in large part by the immigration issue. And the majority of Americans voted for Donald Trump in large part because he said he was going to deal with an issue that many people see as problematic. And so there’s no question this was an issue that Americans wanted dealt with. And I think they supported the president in securing the border, which his team has done a great job at. But they also there’s still an element of the American people that that is, I would say, compassionate, merciful, wants justice, even if they can’t articulate exactly what it is. And I think those images, some of them, you know, maybe. manufactured to some degree that had been on the TV screens has prompted people to say, wait a minute, I want immigration reform, but I’m not sure this is what I want.
SPEAKER 20 :
And it’s ironic because, as you say, the issue that got Trump elected is now what’s making him most vulnerable. And I think the American people say the methods matter as much as the measurables here. And they’d like to see a little more justice, a little more mercy. As you had Carlos Duran on last night, he was talking about the fact that these two things aren’t mutually exclusive. And they’re at risk, really, of destroying the historic inroads they’ve made with the Hispanic community. You’re starting to see some fractures with evangelicals. So it’s a serious issue.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, let me, it clearly is an issue because the Democrats have seized upon it. You know, Chuck Schumer, I want to play this clip of Chuck Schumer because I have to laugh because, you know, there’s truth in what he says, but only partial truth because it is Chuck Schumer. Play that clip we played at the top of the program.
SPEAKER 13 :
If Republicans refuse to work with us to rein in ICE and to end the violence, they’re telling the American people they’re choosing to protect ICE. over choosing to protect people’s safety. Americans by and large support law enforcement. I do. And most people support border security. I do as well.
SPEAKER 11 :
But Americans do not support. We can stop him there. We can stop him there. It only takes so much. Well, I mean, I support law. He doesn’t support law enforcement. It supports border. Where was he when the border was wide open and Joe Biden was president? What was he doing to shut down that border? this they’ve seized upon this because it is a political leverage point and they’ve now tied it to government funding even though this funding that they’re going after with ice it’s not going it’s really not there ice has already been funded they’re going after the broader department of homeland security give us the latest on that suzanne
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, earlier today, the Senate GOP did have a lunch where I really think there’s a growing consensus that we’re not going to win this battle necessarily with Democrats over Homeland Security. So what they’re really trying to do is isolate Homeland Security funding and protect the gains that they’ve made. on appropriations. I mean, you really have to feel for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who thought he had done something really historic by passing all 12 appropriations bills. These weren’t controversial. They had broad bipartisan support. And now all of that work is being upended because Democrats have hijacked the process. So the one way that I think they can sort of salvage this is to strip out DHS, which, as you say, is very disingenuous. ICE is already funded. They’re really just punishing FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, so many other things. But at this point, it looks like the Senate will maybe succeed in jamming the House. Now, the House won’t be back until Monday. So what you’ll probably see is a partial shutdown. The real debate now is if they decide to isolate Homeland Security and sort of pass a short-term CR, which we know is a little funding bridge until they can work something out, how long will that CR be? Democrats would like for it to be short-term. They’d like to get this resolved as soon as possible and get their wish list granted. Republicans would like longer to sort of sit on this and see what concessions are made. But it’s a real problem because once you get into this mess of saying, well, I want this included in the bill and now I want this, you hear Senator Graham saying, well, if we’re going to vote on this, then I want to say that we’re not funding sanctuary cities. And the Democrats are saying we need to stop deploying ice. So it’s a real horse trading situation that nobody really wanted to get into. They thought this was solved.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, and to that point, I brought this up earlier with Andrew Clyde, but you had eight Senate Republicans that joined the Democrats earlier today in voting against the funding bills. Now, one of those was the majority leader so that he could be on the prevailing side. But these were conservatives who were raising issues. Some of them were raising issues about the earmarks. So I have no doubt that that’s going to factor in. into the discussion that they want to take out some of the earmarks that were attached to these funding bills. So you’re absolutely right. Once you open this, it’s a Pandora’s box.
SPEAKER 20 :
Absolutely. And there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. So it’ll be either that we’ve passed 11 historic appropriations bills and now we have this CR for a very important agency that controls our national security, or we get back into a huge debate over what should be included, which I don’t think Mike Johnson or Majority Leader Thune really want.
SPEAKER 11 :
Casey, anything on that before I move to the next topic?
SPEAKER 05 :
Sure. I think what Republicans are in danger of doing here is taking one of their best political issues, which, as you said, is immigration, and even, you know, not just securing the border, but Americans broadly support deportations, especially deporting these violent criminals. And up until this point, DHS has done a pretty good job of saying, hey, we’re deporting this criminal, this violent criminal. Every day they’re coming out with pictures of child predators and, you know, three-time DUI people that they’re deporting. They’ve taken what’s been an asset, and they’re in danger of making it a liability, and not just in public opinion, but on Capitol Hill, and now this deadline for funding cannot be worse timed. So they have quite a pickle that they’ve been put into right here.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. We’ve got about four minutes left. I want to step back for just a moment because, you know, I sometimes like to do this on the program. I’m kind of a shade tree philosopher. I want to look at the bigger issue here of what is happening, because I think, as I mentioned earlier, a case study of the American people. I think this is a case study in what’s happening in our culture. Minnesota continues to be kind of ground zero for this lawlessness. I mean, we saw it during the George Floyd incident. Which spread across the country. Hopefully this won’t spread across the country. But many people are, you know, they’re looking at this and they’re saying, you know, was this the the fraud and the immigration that triggered this when the federal authorities went in there? Or is it the overaggressive? approach that the federal government has taken that triggered this conflict. I would say we need to step back and look at this as something that we’ve been sowing the seeds of this for quite some time in terms of a disrespect for law and the lawlessness that has taken root in our country. And this is, you know, we can ignore it. But I think we do so at our detriment because I think our nation is teetering in terms of its ability to stay together, live together, work together, and continue to be one nation under God.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, Tony, I mean, I think not bad for a philosopher right there. But I think, you know, Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. And we’re still contiguous. We’re still one government. But we have two different nations living within this one nation. And one has a at least semi-biblical worldview. And one has a half Marxist, half hedonist, half relativistic. And I know that’s three halves. But for relativists, it doesn’t matter because it’s all relative. So, you know, they have these two different worldviews that are coexisting, and we’re seeing strife because of that. And the spiritual side of that is the deepest root. So it’s not surprising. And I also think it’s not surprising that it’s coming out of Minneapolis. You mentioned this is where all the George Floyd riots began. I covered a lot of that rioting pretty heavily, and even the whole Black Lives Matter police reform movement even before that in Baltimore and in other cities here in D.C. as well. And it’s really a spirit of lawlessness. And I think that to bring it full circle back to what the Trump administration is doing, I think where they’re having trouble is they’re trying to take on a spirit of lawlessness and themselves starting to creep into being lawless themselves or at least appearing lawless in the way they’re doing it. And that’s why they’re having trouble.
SPEAKER 11 :
And that’s what frightens me is that you cannot protect some. Our republic needs to be protected, but you can’t violate the republic to protect the republic. We are a nation of law and order of rules, and we’ve got to do it within the confines of those rules. But I think, Suzanne, this goes back to something we’ve talked about before. It goes back to what we’ve been teaching our children. It goes back to removing God and the Word of God from the public square. And it goes back to removing it out of our schools. And as a result of that, we have opened the door to these other ideologies that Casey talks about. We’ve lost that restraining effect of biblical truth.
SPEAKER 20 :
Right. And I think you have a really great opinion article on the Washington stand right now, really tracing this back to the leftist march through the institutions. And we really on top of the spiritual problem, we really just have a common decency problem. We’ve lost the ability to have a conversation. Violence is so often now the solution to the left problem. It’s really unfortunate, and this goes for Trump, too. We need to be able to have civility as opposed to these rhetorical bombs that we’re throwing back and forth, this combative nature, and really sit down and have a conversation. We’ve lost the ability to do that in America, and I really think it’s hindered our ability to compromise. It’s really, really devastatingly sad. It’s created more divisions and at its heart, I agree, is absolutely spiritual. But we’ve lost just a human to human just notion of being able to sit down and discuss matters that, things that matter most.
SPEAKER 11 :
We can have vigorous debates over policy, but we have to have respect for persons because each one bears the image of the creator. Casey, Suzanne, thanks for joining me. And folks, thank you for joining me as well.
SPEAKER 04 :
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.
