Join guest host Jody Heiss on this episode of Washington Watch as we dive deep into the current geopolitical tensions impacting the United States, from the Iran War to domestic challenges such as the partial government shutdown. Our discussions also touch upon the ongoing energy security concerns and their effects on global oil markets. Special guests including Dr. Brigham McCown and Congressman Bob Onder provide insights on what the future holds for national and energy security.
SPEAKER 26 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 17 :
I can tell you that when this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation, so is everything else. But frankly, much more important than short-term or even long-term oil prices, you can’t let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon.
SPEAKER 11 :
That, of course, was President Trump earlier today discussing the war in Iran as the conflict now enters day 17. Welcome to this March 16th edition of Washington Watch. I am your guest host today, Jody Heiss, filling in for Tony, and I’ll share a little bit more about that in a moment. But thank you so much for joining us today. Coming up… Energy security has become a major concern amid the U.S. military operations in Iran. So what can we expect with possibly two to three more weeks of conflict remaining? Well, we’ll discuss this when we’re joined in just a little while by Dr. Brigham McCown, who’s a former energy company CEO, and he also has held some senior leadership roles across the Department of Defense and Transportation. Plus, the partial DHS shutdown has caused staffing shortages at airport security, as many of you probably have experienced, has led to thousands of flight cancellations as well as delays. So how long will Democrats continue to hold Americans hostage to get what they want? Well, we’ll discuss this in just a few moments when I’m joined with Congressman Bob Onder from Missouri. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. All that and more straight ahead. Okay before we begin today I want to share some heart moving family news with our Washington Watch audience. Earlier today, Tony’s father, Richard Perkins, was called to be with the Lord. He was 87 years old. And so many of us here at FRC knew him, loved him deeply. And I just want to call on you to join me and all of us here at FRC in praying for Tony, praying for his family as they mourn the loss of someone that they loved dearly. And certainly they at the same time are rejoicing in the reality that he is now with his Savior. In fact, Tony shared on social media earlier today that because of Christ, death does not have the final word. What a great comfort. What a great promise that is. So we all here love Tony. We’re praying for him. And we ask you to join us in doing that as he’s spending some time, obviously, with his family right now. Thank you so much. All right, let’s transition to some important news items that we want to cover as well. We’re now about a month into this partial government shutdown, and TSA checkpoints at airports all across the country are being impacted. The shutdown has resulted in much longer security lines and delays, as many TSA agents are – not coming to work anymore. And some hundreds of them have quit, and hundreds of them also are not showing up for work for various reasons. Joining us now to discuss this and more is Washington-Stan reporter Casey Harper. All right, Casey, walk us through some of the challenges that travelers are facing right now at airports all across the country.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sure. Thanks, Jody. And thanks for saying that about Tony. A really powerful message that he posted. I think we all hope that we have that level of faith and clarity when the time comes. Absolutely. Yeah. And on the news question you asked, we are seeing that many travelers are experiencing three to four hour waits at the airport. These lines are getting longer and longer. And I have to tell you, Jody, it’s probably only going to get worse. We’re only one month into the shutdown. But one of the reasons it got worse suddenly is last Friday, 50,000 TSA employees missed their first full paycheck in this one month long partial government shutdown. And so as they miss more and more paychecks, it’s only natural and human to expect more people to quit as hundreds have, as you mentioned. But they’re not just quitting. Some aren’t fully quitting. They’re just only showing up for some of their shifts, which is almost creating more chaos because you don’t know if you’re going to have a full team of staff, if people are just going to not show up. You kind of lose your leverage when you’re not. paying people and you have to wonder if they’re working other jobs to make ends meet while this is going on. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been hammering Democrats to reopen VHS, to fully open the government. In fact, we have a clip of him saying just that.
SPEAKER 13 :
I think Democrats are going to come to their senses. Look at Senator Slotkin from Michigan, where there was a synagogue attack. She voted every time against funding DHS. And once the threat to her community was real from radicals, now she says, let’s open up DHS.
SPEAKER 04 :
So, Jody, as you can see, it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better. And I would say you might want to get to the airport a little earlier next time.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, absolutely. I’ve heard one friend of mine say five and a half hours it took him to get through an airport. It’s just absolute insanity. Yeah, absolutely. So thank you for that, Casey. Let’s transition to overseas. We’re now day 17 of the United States and Israel’s military operation in Iran. And of course, as the strikes continue across the Middle East, the global energy market is under tremendous pressure as the Strait of Hormuz, which of course is a key oil route, is closed. at least in most traffic. So what’s the latest developments that you’re hearing in this conflict?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, sure, Jody. So two main focal points have emerged in the Iran war. One is the Ayatollah. Who’s going to lead Iran? You know, they took out one Ayatollah and now we have another seemingly missing and it’s unclear what happened to him. But the second focal point is exactly what you mentioned, the Strait of Hormuz, which is a narrow passageway off the coast of Iran. that carries 20%, one fifth of the world’s oil. Now, obviously, shutting that down, as it has been shut down almost entirely since the world began, is affecting gas prices around the world, but that includes the US, where prices have risen pretty significantly. So President Trump’s trying to address this problem. And right now he’s trying to recruit European allies to do it. He sent out a clarion call asking them to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to try to secure it so that the oil can start flowing again. And you might say, I thought we were winning this war against Iran. How could they shut down the entire Strait? And they don’t have to fully occupy the Strait, Jody, to shut it down. They’ve just put enough mines and shot enough missiles to hit ships to spook the commercial ships that they don’t want to go through. You know, even if there’s a 95 percent chance you won’t hit an Iranian mine for the insurers and for these companies, that’s not good enough. And so President Trump is working on that. He was talking about it at a White House event earlier today. We have a clip. Let’s listen to that.
SPEAKER 17 :
We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm. I have that from a number of them, and I’d like to say their names, but frankly, I don’t know if they would want me to or not because maybe they don’t want to be targeted. But I say it wouldn’t matter if you’re targeted or not because this is a paper tiger that we’re dealing with now. It wasn’t a paper tiger two weeks ago. It’s a paper tiger now.
SPEAKER 04 :
It was a clear message from the president. So far, France has agreed to help. We’ll see if others join, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, Casey, thank you so much. Always good to get the bird’s eye view from you. We appreciate it. All right, let’s turn back now our attention and discuss the delays that we’re seeing at airports all across the country. Thousands, as we’ve discussed, U.S. flights are canceled or delayed. as this partial DHS shutdown causes staffing shortages at airports all across the country. And meanwhile, Democrats continue to block the funding measure as the standoff in Washington drags on. And joining us now to discuss this and more is Congressman Dr. Bob Onder. He’s a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He represents the 3rd Congressional District of Missouri. Congressman Onder, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Jody. Great to be back.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I don’t know if anyone has any better information and can help us through all of this than you right now and the committees you serve on. But I do know that some CEOs of several major airlines sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging them to end the standoffs so that TSA officers can be paid. What do you make of all of this? And do you think that this is going to be enough pressure on the Democrats to try to move forward and reopen DHS?
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, I couldn’t agree more, Jody. The 270,000 employees of DHS need to be paid. The great majority of those, including the TSA workers, are working without pay. On Friday, they missed their first full paycheck. And this is following the 43-day Schumer shutdown last last fall. And it’s a common theme. Once again, the Democrats are standing up for the interests of illegal aliens. The Schumer shutdown, remember, in the fall began with the Democrats wanting to make sure that illegal aliens got government subsidized health care. This Schumer shutdown is about the Democrats wanting to rewrite immigration law. It’s not about funding levels. We’ve already negotiated a bipartisan appropriation bill for DHS, but the Democrats decided to move the goalposts, take a second bite of the apple, and they want to… basically use this this the pain they’re inflicting on the American people to give essential amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to put the American people first. Unfortunately, the Democrats are putting an illegal aliens first.
SPEAKER 11 :
Are you seeing any kind of movement, seeing or hearing for that matter, any signs of progress as Democrats are blocking this? But is there any negotiating that’s taking place at all?
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, so yes, the Democrats are blocking. We in the House, mostly Republicans, I think the last time we got a couple of Democrat votes, the House has twice passed Department of Homeland Security funding, but three times the Senate Democrats have blocked DHS funding. I think we will see movement as these delays in air travel Yeah, and Houston Hobby, they’re recommending that travelers arrive four hours before their flight. And we’ve seen enormous lines in Houston, in Atlanta, in, of course, in New Orleans, horrible lines over the weekend. I think that is what finally got the Democrats back to the table and back to opening up the government at the end of the Schumer shutdown in December. I think that’s what will happen. I would like to think my Democrat colleagues would also care about national security. Here we had two terrorist episodes just last week, and that following the bar shooting in Austin, Texas, where three lost their lives and 13 were injured, all of which appeared to be inspired by Islamic radicalism. precipitated by the conflict in Iran. So I hope Democrats at some point will put the safety of the American people ahead of their own narrow political interests.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yep, I hope you’re right. And there’s a lot of other things going on. We’ve only got about 60 seconds, but I know the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Save America Act that would mandate ID a polling before elections. Do you anticipate any chance of that passing?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I sure hope so. I would hope we get, and most every Republican, one or two Republicans have expressed concerns. You know, and I’m excited, too, that the Chloe Cole Act, protecting children from transgender mutilation, something I’ve been working on very hard, will be included in that vote. I don’t know whether it’ll all be one vote or a separate amendment, but at least it gets that issue front and center.
SPEAKER 11 :
Congressman Bob Onder, we’ve got to end it right there. Thank you for joining us. All right, we’re going to go to Iran after this break. Stay with us.
SPEAKER 22 :
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.
SPEAKER 21 :
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.
SPEAKER 22 :
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 23 :
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, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
SPEAKER 05 :
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 06 :
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. Amen.
SPEAKER 14 :
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. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
SPEAKER 23 :
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 11 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Thank you for joining us. We want to move our conversation now to discuss Iran, the conflict there and how it is having an impact on our own security right here in the United States. And an example of that is, of course, we have authorities that are still investigating last Thursday’s attack at the synagogue in Michigan, as well as a university classroom in Virginia. And there are law enforcement veterans who believe the two attacks are linked to the war in the Middle East. And one such connection, in fact, has already been established so far, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The man who attacked the Temple, Israel, in Michigan, was the brother of a Hezbollah commander. And that individual, the commander, was killed during an Israeli strike in Lebanon last week. So considering the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security and at the same time the escalation in the war against Iran and its proxy network, how vulnerable is the United States right now? Well, joining me now to discuss this is former FBI special agent and former Navy SEAL, Jonathan Gilliam. Jonathan previously operated as a security specialist for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was responsible for performing threat assessments. Jonathan, welcome back to Washington Watch. It’s an honor to have you with us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Good to be with you, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. So publicly, authorities seem to be somewhat hesitant to link the latest attacks to the Iran war. But is it, in your opinion, a stretch at all to consider the possibility, at least, that the alleged attackers were retaliating for the U.S. and Israeli military strikes in Iran?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, to say that they’re directly linked as though they got a phone call from the regime or the intelligence apparatus, maybe not. I don’t know. That is still yet to come out in the investigation. But let me show you how this is all tied together. And I don’t think it’s a great mystery to anyone. In 1978, Jim Jones convinced almost 1,000 people to go down to French Guiana. And when the pressure was put on him, a congressman that we all remember went down to meet with him. Jim Jones convinced everybody, the majority of the people, to kill themselves, as well as the congressman. And so that is a term that’s been coined as a revolutionary suicide term. And that is exactly what’s happening when you see these individuals. We call them lone wolves. I don’t really like that definition. But these people are committing revolutionary suicide. They believe in Iran. They believe in Hamas or Hezbollah. But overall, they believe in the caliphate. And that’s see, this is where. The media and government get it wrong. And when I say the government, even the FBI and the federal agencies, is that they do not educate the people, and sometimes I wonder if they even know, on the complete background of what you’re actually seeing. This isn’t just about Iran and us finally taking it to them and eliminating that regime it’s about the caliphate and what they these religious zealots believe and it is a belief that their messiah will come through and unfortunately that is israel is where their messiah is going to end up and rule the world from that location so They believe that this caliph will come through, and they have to clear the world. And that’s what this is all about. That’s what Iran is all about. It’s not just about a regime that hates Israel. It’s about a caliphate. They have a mission. And until we realize that and research that, you’re going to hear things like, we don’t know if these attackers are connected directly. They may not. It may not just be about Iran and us attacking them. This has been happening since 1979, and they believe that they are pushing the calif
SPEAKER 11 :
Yep, good point. And that has to be brought into the discussion, no doubt. And whether we’re talking lone wolves or terrorist cell groups that are here, many are worried that individuals with ties to these extremist groups are in the U.S. Do you share those concerns?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, absolutely. I mean, I’m almost positive that there are cells here. I mean, there’s definitely people here who are part of groups outside of the country that were part of groups outside of the country that made their way into this country. Some of it has to do with the fact that there wasn’t a wall and the Biden administration created this mess that we all know about. But other parts of it have to do with the fact that DHS and the then Department of Defense were not communicating and sharing data. So there were people coming in that the Department of Defense knew were a part of terror groups over in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were able to come here because DHS allowed them in. Because when they did a search, they didn’t pop because they didn’t have access to the DOD information. So most likely there are people here. Some of the most important people for Iran and for this caliphate to come over here are not the people who are going to carry out the attack. It’s the force multipliers, the imams, the radical speakers, the people that work with leftists, you know, the Red Green Alliance. And they go out and create this propaganda and this narrative that divides the country and then motivates individuals to carry out attacks that may not be a part of a sale.
SPEAKER 11 :
those are the real danger that’s the one that keeps me awake yeah i get it so without uh going crossing a line to of alarm for the public we do want to help at the same time prepare the american people so in our last minute or so what kind of encouragement or advice do you have for our viewers and listeners
SPEAKER 08 :
First of all, be aware. Be aware of what’s normal in your surroundings and what is not normal. Look at yourself and your life and your school and your job and everything you do from the attacker’s point of view and ask, if I was going to attack, when would I do it? Where would I carry out the attack? What kind of attack and what would my avenue of approach be? And then you just avoid those areas or mitigate that by having a plan to escape, evade, or fight. and that’s what we can do now the the other thing is jody is that the the islamic community can police their own um unfortunately that’s a difficult task to ask them to do because they’re not willing to do it they could they know all of these people they’re in their mosques they should be turning them in if they believe they’re going to carry out an attack or if that chatter happens absolutely and that’s not happening
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you so much, former FBI special agent and former Navy SEAL Jonathan Gilliam. Always great to have your input on the program. Thank you so much for joining us. And we encourage you, urge our Democratic leaders to restore funding to DHS. Text DHS to 67742. All right. Next, we’ll discuss how the war is impacting the economy. Stay with us. I think all people really need to have this type of education.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I can tell you that it’s been an amazing course, period.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we’re doing with our families and with our work.
SPEAKER 20 :
God and Government is a video-driven, Bible-based training course from Family Research Council that explores the connection between biblical principles and American government. In this six-session video series, FRC President Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 03 :
I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this.
SPEAKER 01 :
I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
SPEAKER 25 :
So I’m an attorney, and for me, it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community, to make better legislation, to try to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
SPEAKER 02 :
Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens, right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but we’re also citizens of this great land, and that comes with responsibility.
SPEAKER 12 :
Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you’re learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it’s also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this, so… I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it’s the videos, whether it’s doing it in person, bring your Bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
SPEAKER 20 :
View the course at frc.org slash God and government or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. I’m your guest host today, Jody Heiss, filling in for Tony, and a great honor to have you with us as well. All right. Energy security has certainly become a major concern amid the conflict that’s taking place in the Middle East. And by now, you’ve probably seen the fruits of that, in fact, at your local gas station. Well, earlier today, President Trump tried to assure Americans that the prices of oil will go down, and he reminded the public of the bigger picture.
SPEAKER 17 :
I can tell you that when this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation. So is everything else. But frankly, much more important than short term or even long term oil prices. You can’t let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Well, I don’t think any of us would disagree with the president about that bigger picture. But we also, at the same time, don’t want to overlook or downplay the energy security concerns. So joining us now to go over all of this is Dr. Brigham McCown. He’s a senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at the Hudson Institute. Dr. McCown is a former CEO of an Arctic Energy Company, and he’s also held some senior leadership roles across the Departments of Defense and Transportation. Dr. McCown, welcome back to Washington Watch. It’s a great honor to have you join us today.
SPEAKER 18 :
Thank you so much, Jody. It’s a pleasure to be here with you.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, so let’s start off. I think a lot of talk is happening with the Strait of Hormuz. We keep hearing about that. What’s going on there, and what kind of impact is that having?
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, absolutely. Well, as we know, the Strait of Hormuz, which is 24 regular miles wide, 21 nautical miles wide, handles about one in five of every barrels around the world. That’s 20% of global oil supply. However, it’s only 2% of American supply. So that’s the good news, number one. Number two, though, Iran has been threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz. which they have no right to do. It’s an international shipping line. And they’ve threatened that for 35 years. And with the changes in drone technology and surface-to-surface missiles, they’re making good on that. But the big question is, can they really close it? And if so, for how long?
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. So what do you make of the president’s remarks? I’m sure you heard them while we were coming into this segment.
SPEAKER 18 :
I did. I did. And, you know, we have previously escorted ships to the Strait of Hormuz. I did that when I was in the Navy. That was 1987, 1988, Operation Ernest Will, where we re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers to American flags because of threats from Iran. But this is the first time they’ve made good on it. And a lot has changed since the 1980s. The proliferation of drone technology and low-cost technology aerial vehicles. It’s a different ballgame out there. So, can Iran effectively prevent ships from going through? Not necessarily. The real issue is war risk insurance, which everybody has to carry, and whether or not Lloyd’s of London will even insure these. Right now, the risk is too high. And what needs to happen with both United States is to continue its aerial bombardment, removing Iran’s ability to launch surface to surface missiles or to launch drones. And at the same time, he has asked for a coalition of the willing to help ensure security through the Gulf.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, so that coalition of the willing, it makes perfect sense to me. Do you think there is a possibility that the president will be able, in fact, to establish a coalition of other nations to join in defending and protecting, securing the Strait of Hormuz?
SPEAKER 18 :
Right now, I think other countries are wary. They’re concerned because their ships, their navies are not nearly as robust as ours. If you look at the UK, they’ve dwindled from ships stretching across the world to fewer than three dozen combatants. The French have talked about minesweeping assets in the area. But again, there’s a little bit of heartburn with some of our allies who feel they weren’t consulted before the president moved forward. Now, the good news is we can bypass the Strait of Hormuz no matter what happens with about 5 to 7 million of those 20 million barrels a day. That is already well underway with the Saudi Arabian East-West pipeline and the United Arab Emirates moving. 40 to 45% of that oil goes to China. Another 25 to 30% of that oil goes to India. And so, you know, the United States should be in a much better position. Frankly, I think the markets have overreacted to oil prices because while we say it is a worldwide fungible product, the reality is different types of oil and the infrastructure, it doesn’t actually work out that way. So the United States should be seeing relief at the pump any day regardless of what happens, but the Strait needs to get opened in the next couple of weeks.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Well, less than a minute to go before we have a hard break, but this underscores, does it not, the importance of American energy independence?
SPEAKER 18 :
It absolutely does. And quite frankly, had this been 1973 or even 2003 again, we’d be at $5 or $6 a barrel right now. Again, markets price risk, but I think the analysts have a little bit off. Oil is higher than it should be. And when you put the U.S. and North American barrels in play without even getting into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, oil prices are too high right now.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. Well, that’s good to hear. I’ll certainly agree with you. They’re too high where I live. I want to see them come down. So I hope you’re right. Dr. Brigham McCown, as always, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch. He’s a senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at the Hudson Institute. Thank you for joining us. All right, friends, coming up, we’re going to discuss a new type of gambling. It’s been growing in popularity and drawing a lot of concern, and for good reason. You want to be informed about it? We’ll give it to you right after the break.
SPEAKER 23 :
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 28 :
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 09 :
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 30 :
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 20 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill. And that should never be the case.
SPEAKER 19 :
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 15 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 29 :
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 30 :
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 09 :
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 28 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 27 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Thank you for joining us. All right. Before I get into this final segment, some of you have already heard about this free digital resource that we have that we want to put in your hands, especially as we approach tomorrow, St. Patrick’s Day. We have a resource called St. Patrick, A Life Transformed. It tells the story of St. Patrick that many of you won’t be aware of, that he was a former slave. He was changed by his faith in Christ and became a courageous witness, literally credited now with spreading Christianity all across Ireland. It’s a powerful, powerful testimony of what happens when believers stand for boldly truth in Christ. It’s a powerful thing. We want to give it to you free. Simply text the word Patrick to 67742, and you’ll receive a link to download, again, this free resource from FRC. So again, Patrick to 67742. All right, what do you think of when you think of gambling? If you’re like me, you think of things like slot machines, cards, sports betting, maybe horse racing. But there’s a whole new area of gambling that most people are totally unaware of, and it’s what’s called prediction markets. Now, there are some other names for it, but prediction markets are basically platforms where people gamble on real-world events. They’re predicting specific outcomes. And we were just talking about gas, for example. That may be… People may predict what the gas prices will rise to in a certain point, how much snowfall. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of different issues that people really gamble on, real-world issues. Now, this may sound innocent, but there’s more to it than most people realize. In fact, there was a story published earlier today in the Times of Israel that details the exchanges that one reporter had with alleged bettors who wanted him to change his report on a missile impact in central Israel in order to ensure that they would win big. He actually literally received death threats over this. Now, all this type of stuff is really quite alarming, and the impact doesn’t stop there. There are families, teenagers right here in America that are feeling it, too. So we want to unpack some of this, and joining me now is Les Bernal. He’s the national director of Stop Predatory Gambling. Les, welcome to Washington Watch. Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Let’s first talk about these prediction markets. How does this whole thing work?
SPEAKER 10 :
So just in simple terms, it allows people to wager on real-life events. So just last night was the Oscars, and you had these prediction markets like CalShee and PolyMarket were actively encouraging people to wager on which movie was going to get best picture, which um you know actor or actress was going to win you know the the best actor award and so it’s it’s constantly pushing people to wager on things that we never would have thought we could wager on so the most glaring and egregious example i’d love to point to on this if you know when we’re done here you can some you know viewers can go on on uh you know the internet and research and Google this, that you have young people today filming themselves wagering on Calshi and Polymarket, these prediction markets, on how many cars are going to run an intersection red light. So a lot of municipalities film intersections. And so you have these live streams now of people sitting around been wagering on how many cars are going to run a red light and they do it for hours like these people it’s so it’s just it’s completely dominated our culture and and the key is if you’re a little bit you know if you’re you know older older than the 30 years old this may not be affecting you that much but this demographic that’s being targeted with these prediction markets are largely college students because you only have to be 18 years old to sign onto these prediction market gambling apps. So you have an epidemic as the Wall Street Journal just reported a week ago, a huge epidemic now of gambling addiction and just an epidemic really of young people on these gambling apps relentlessly.
SPEAKER 11 :
So you’re saying this has become, not going to become, but already has become a big industry.
SPEAKER 10 :
90% of the money being wagered on these platforms is coming from sports. So as much as we talked about those other aspects of gambling that are taking place on these prediction markets, they’re using gambling on sports to lure young people to sign in on these apps. And so that’s how they get them hooked. And so the NCAA tournament, the Super Bowl and so on, they’re allowing these under 21, these young people to sign on to these apps to gamble relentlessly.
SPEAKER 11 :
Is are there any regulations at all in this?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. So, you know, your viewers will know like this came in under like that. There’s a long history in this country of, you know, came under the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, which is a federal agency that allows farmers and other entities to have a legitimate economic interest to. hedge their future, right? So you’re planting a crop of corn and you want to eliminate some of that risk, you know, you could buy corn futures, right? You could buy pork belly futures and wheat futures and so on. So because commercialized gambling today has become so normalized from state governments, you know, Commercialized gambling, advertising, and marketing has become the public voice of American government. It’s what we advertise to the American people more than anything else. And so it’s given license to these financial schemers to come in now. Instead of coming through your state, they’re coming in under the federal government saying, look, we’re just we’re no different than you wagering on wheat futures you know what this product that we’re offering it’s the same type of thing we’re we’re just going to call them prediction markets and even though you know you allow you to wager on sports and traffic lights and so on we’re just like wheat futures and all these other legitimate interests and so there’s been a huge amount of litigation around this uh that’s been a huge amount of pushback because they’re really we believe in in violating federal law on this. The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has allowed this to happen, and they could put their, they could end it tomorrow just by saying we’re no longer going to tolerate this. But they’re coming in through a loophole in the federal government to, regardless of what a state gambling law is in, gambling law, state’s gambling laws may be, to push these extreme forms of gambling into every home in the country with an internet connection.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. I know last week there was a federal judge in Ohio denied one of the major prediction market operators, Cauchy, who you mentioned a little while ago. But the preliminary injunction that was involved there against state officials. And so, in essence, this is going to allow Ohio to continue enforcing its sports gambling laws against the platform. Can you kind of break that down a little bit better for us, explain what this case is about and the arguments that are being made here?
SPEAKER 10 :
Sure. So that case is similar to what we’re seeing in other states. We, as an organization, we have filed four amicus briefs in four different federal cases that are now in circuit courts where you have state governments like New Jersey, Ohio, Nevada, and so on, who are suing these prediction market companies for violating their state gambling laws. And so some are, like Massachusetts, for example, filed in state law, in state courts, but many of the states have filed in federal courts. So Ohio is just yet another example of states really pushing back on this because this is a huge violation of states’ rights. Historically in this country, gambling policy has been left up to states. So each state has a different, you know, can approach gambling the way they choose to. And so these apps, these prediction market apps, are deliberately targeting states that don’t allow any form of gambling, for example. So Utah and Hawaii are two states that don’t allow any form of predatory gambling within their borders. And so these companies are just saying, We’re coming under federal law and pushing these extreme forms of gambling into people’s homes. So the Ohio case is just an outgrowth of this very intense litigation that’s happening across the country today in pretty much every state.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, and we’re seeing this across the board. We’ve talked a lot about it here on this program, about how mifepristone is being used to advance abortion against states who have strong pro-life laws. And you’re talking about a similar thing now taking place on the gambling side of things, just circumventing state laws to press this kind of thing. This is an issue that has to be dealt with. How would you describe, has the
SPEAKER 10 :
commercialized gambling industry paved the way for these prediction markets can you kind of unfold that yeah so that’s a really important question so like this it’s important to understand that there’s no there was no grassroots movement in this country for state lotteries there was no grassroots movement you know citizens movement demanding regional casinos there was no grassroots movement for online gambling and there especially is no grassroots movement for these prediction markets. This has been driven by very powerful financial interests in partnership with some state government officials of both political parties. Okay, so it’s driven by greed and a lust for political power. Like that’s what’s driving this process. And so, you know, there’s an incredible backlash now that’s occurring in our country because of these forms of gambling. Because what’s unique about this moment that we’re living through is for the last 40 years, and you mentioned to kick off this discussion that, you know, slot machines and lotteries and so on, like that’s been happening. Predatory gambling has been happening in our country and has had very severe impacts. But the brunt of those impacts have fallen largely on low-income families in this country and low-income communities. what’s unique about this moment is with online gambling particularly through prediction markets it’s not only affecting low-income citizens it’s also coming into middle middle income and upper income homes whose families have never been exposed to these extreme forms and dangerous forms of predatory gambling so that’s why you’re seeing more and more headlines about this problem because it’s much more of a public awakening about how broken how much of a broken public policy the institution of predatory gambling is in America. It’s one of the biggest public policy failures of the last 50 years.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I think that’s a really good point and one that needs to be underscored. Of course, we all, I think, are pretty familiar with an absolute abundance of societal ills that surround gambling culture as a whole. But there are concerns, as you just mentioned, that the industry now is exploiting young people, using these digital platforms and targeting literally some very vulnerable young demographic groups. So based on that, what you just said, what kind of specific protections are needed to ensure that these accessible apps don’t create a whole new generation of addicts to gambling among young people?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so your question kind of goes to the heart of the matter, and this is something that, you know, people have been talking about now almost when it comes to commercialized gambling policy in this country, they’ve been talking about it for 40 years, right? If only we had a little more regulation, right? If only states didn’t sell $100 scratch-off tickets, or only if they didn’t put Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus on scratch tickets, or if only we didn’t put slot machines in laundromats, or now if only we could just do these prediction markets and protect kids. Commercialized gambling in this country has been totally normalized. It’s become central to American life. People always talk about Hollywood values dominating America. It’s not Hollywood values. Las Vegas values have become the touchstone and the trendsetter for America. That’s where America and pretty much every state in our country today has used to point themselves to Las Vegas values. And so young people especially have borne the brunt of that. So you have an entire generation of young people who’ve grown up playing video games, using their smartphones, in constant action on these things. And now you have these gambling companies using social media, which is already an epic problem. targeting these kids to gamble relentlessly. And this isn’t me saying this. Commercialized gambling is as addictive as opioids, cocaine, and heroin, according to the American Psychiatric Association, which results in DSM-5, which is known as the mental health bible in America. Hospitals use it, and doctors’ offices use it, and so on. This is a highly addictive product that they’re targeting young people with. So pretty much every state in our country today that has legalized online gambling the number one demographic calling gambling addiction hotlines are young adults and teens and that was never happening before and so that’s why this is this has been an epic public policy failure and the only solution so this the short answer to your question is the only solution here isn’t to try to regulate this because The fact that states are a partner here, it’s like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank. The business practices that make the most money for the state are those business practices that inflict the most harm on the American people. So the solution here is we need to start rolling back the institution of predatory gambling, starting with prediction markets, starting with online gambling, and start putting government back on the side of the American people instead of exploiting and manipulating them.
SPEAKER 11 :
Could not agree with you more. Until that happens, closer to home in the last minute and a half or so that we have, how can people protect their family members from this gambling culture?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so the priority one is if you have young people in your life, you know, anyone like under the age of 35 and all the way down to like age 12, because that’s, you have kids that are getting addicted as young as that to these extreme forms of gambling, is you need to educate the loved ones in your life just like you would educate them about hardcore drugs and other very dangerous activities. Because today, for years, people have joked about gambling. Maybe families will occasionally go to a casino or whatever. The kids are seeing that sometimes in their parents. So the kind of behavior you model as a parent really matters, but you need to address this with them just like you would anything else. And some of the signs you can look for is if your young person in your life is constantly looking for money, if they’re constantly on their phones, like on these gambling apps, if they’re constantly requesting to borrow money from you, those are some real signs that there’s a problem and then you need to take immediate action.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I’ll tell you, this is a huge problem, and we love being on the cutting edge of bringing to the awareness of people issues that are silently creeping their way into normalcy in American life and doing so in extreme circumstances. dangerous lures and hooks. And I just want to say to you, Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, thank you for the work that you’re doing. Thank you for taking your time to be with us today on Washington Watch. We appreciate it. All right, friends, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. As always, we thank you so much for joining us. Hope you have a fantastic evening, and we’ll be right back with you again tomorrow here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 26 :
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.
