Join Tony Perkins in this compelling episode of Washington Watch as he analyzes the critical issues that are shaping our world today. Dive deep into the recent trade talks between President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping and discover the implications of these discussions, which lack attention to the ongoing religious persecution in China. Meanwhile, Chris Mitchell, CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief, provides updates on the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting the tense situation as Hamas continues to test the limits. The episode further dissects the ripple effects of the U.S. government shutdown and the pressure mounting on Democrats
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From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and 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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There was an outstanding group of decisions, I think, that was made. A lot of decisions were made. There wasn’t too much left out there. And we’ve come to conclusion on many very important points.
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That was President Donald Trump earlier today on his way back from South Korea, where he met with China’s leader to discuss trade and other issues. But no reports indicate that the persecution of Christians by the CCP was discussed. Welcome to this October 30th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Coming up on today’s program, Israel continues airstrikes on Hamas terrorists but vows to maintain the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Chris Mitchell, CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief, will join me in studio to talk about the significance of this moment as it pertains to Israel and the Middle East. Also, Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey will join me to discuss the Trump-Xi meeting and the ongoing persecution of Christians in China and elsewhere. Israel forces struck Gaza today, hitting terrorist infrastructure after an ambush that killed an Israeli soldier. Fears are growing that Hamas’ repeated challenges to the truce could make it crumble. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following today’s main developments. Casey, what’s the latest from Israel as this fragile truce continues to be tested by the Hamas terrorist?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, Tony, seemingly tested every day as Hamas is continuing to violate the ceasefire and Israel is holding them accountable. Now, one key violation here has been the release of those deceased hostages, and we do have an update on that. Hamas said it actually released two of those hostages today. The remains are currently being transported to Israel for identification and burial. Now under the peace agreement, Hamas was supposed to release all the hostages, living and dead, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and Israel pulling back somewhat from Gaza. But as you know, Hamas has held back bodies, which is threatening the peace deal. On top of that, Israel killed dozens of Hamas terrorists in airstrikes after an attack that killed an Israeli soldier. And even just this morning, we have a report of new airstrikes in southern Gaza, raising fears that this shaky truce is about to collapse. Now, one more thing, Tony. Israel actually carried out attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon today in response to an overnight raid that killed a local worker.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, this ceasefire is certainly shaky. Chris Mitchell with CBN News. He is the Middle East Bureau chief. He’s going to join me here in the studio a little bit later to discuss the future of this fragile truce. And we’re going to talk about a little bit more, I’m sure. So, Casey, President Trump has returned from his trip to Asia and his meeting with China’s leader has dominated headlines over the last 24 hours. What were the outcomes that we’re aware of from this meeting in South Korea?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, President Trump called the meeting a 12 out of 10, and that’s because they hit several of their goals going into that meeting. So, President Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, it’s actually their first face-to-face talk since 2019 in Trump’s first term. And we did have some big developments. FOR ONE, THE TWO LEADERS AGREED TO CUT TARIFFS ON CHINESE GOODS IN EXCHANGE FOR CHINA CRACKING DOWN ON FENTANYL, SINCE OF COURSE THAT FENTANYL INEVITABLY ENDS UP IN THE U.S. AND KILLS AMERICANS. ANOTHER TAKEAWAY IS THAT CHINA IS GOING TO RESUME PURCHASING SOYBEANS AND THEY’RE GOING TO PAUSE THEIR EXPORT CONTROLS ON RARE EARTH MINERALS FOR A YEAR, AND THOSE MINERALS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR MICROCHIP AND A.I. DEVELOPMENT.
SPEAKER 10 :
group of decisions I think that was made. A lot of decisions were made. There wasn’t too much left out there.
SPEAKER 09 :
We had a long meeting, as you know, but a lot of things we discussed in great detail. A lot of things we brought to finalization. A lot of finalization.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now, we had one more kind of surprising announcement before the president’s meeting with Xi. He announced that the U.S. is going to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 30 years. He pointed out that Russia and China are already doing the same. And according to initial reports, as you mentioned, issues like Taiwan and, sadly, the religious persecution of Christians in China apparently did not come up in the meeting. But Trump said he plans to visit China in April and invited Xi to the U.S., so there could be another opportunity, Tony.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thanks, Casey. The persecution of Christians in China is a major issue. As I mentioned, Congressman Chris Smith will join me shortly to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Christians and what steps are needed to defend Christians in China and around the world. Before we go to Congressman Smith, let’s shift gears just a moment and discuss the latest on the government shutdown. You know, Casey, if the Schumer shutdown continues, many programs including those that support children and the most vulnerable Americans, will run out of money. Is there any indication that the Democrats are concerned about this?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, well, you’re right that the pain is ratcheting up from this shutdown, Tony. I think Democrats are feeling the pressure, and maybe they do care, but they feel stuck. And if this shutdown continues, it’s only going to get worse. For instance, education and child care services for tens of thousands of kids will face cuts this weekend. That’s $12.3 billion for the Head Start program, which serves nearly 70,000 kids and is running out of funds. House Speaker Mike Johnson, he put it this way. He said this morning that Democrats are basically being held hostage by their far left base.
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Mondami winning New York City would be the biggest win for the Marxists, the socialists in the history of this country. We have to this point. in nearly 250 years, been able to hold off those kinds of ideas. We’ve been able to cling to the foundational principles of America, the ideas of individual freedom and limited government and the rule of law and peace through strength and fiscal responsibility and free markets and human dignity. All those things are in jeopardy when the Marxists take over. And it’s the clearest sign yet that the Democrats’ radical Marxist wing is winning the battle for control of their party.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, the shutdown has also furloughed 700,000 federal workers and threatens to cut SNAP benefits or food stamps for 42 million Americans, all making the pressure grow to make a deal and reopen the government on what is now day 30 of the shutdown, Tony.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, Casey, thanks for that update. You took us around the world in just a couple of minutes. That’s right. All right. I want to continue with the discussion on President Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Joining me now in studio is Congressman Chris Smith, who has several roles in the U.S. House of Representatives. Among them, he is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He’s co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. He represents the 4th Congressional District of New Jersey, and he is a champion for the persecuted and the voiceless. Congressman Chris Smith, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 14 :
All right, so let’s – you know, news just coming out. I mean, we’ve been – this dominated the headlines for the last 24 hours. But as I mentioned, no reports suggesting the president discussed persecution of Christians.
SPEAKER 03 :
We don’t know yet. The hope is that he did. And Marco Rubio, who is obviously the Secretary of State, he and I co-chair the China Commission. He’s very well aware of all things related to human rights abuse by Xi Jinping, including and especially the ongoing and ever-escalating crackdown on believers in China. It is awful. They’re committing genocide, Xi Jinping, against the Uyghurs and the Muslims. repression of the Buddhists, but the Christians have been singled out in a very, very horrible way by this dictator, Xi Jinping, to destroy them.
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And what we’re seeing here recently is one of the most intense we’ve seen in decades. I know this may sound like a rhetorical question, but prior to President Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping. You co-authored, you co-wrote a piece with our friend Sam Brownback that was published Monday in The Washington Times, and it was entitled Why China’s War on Religion Matters to the U.S. You are persistent, as I am, in raising this issue. Why? Why does this have to be a part of our foreign policy?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I think it’s good governance. Obviously, if you have, and we wrote this into our op-ed, people of faith, you need less laws. They are self-contained. They have parameters in their lives. They’re more honest, hardworking.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s worked historically for our government. It sure has. John Adams said that our government, our laws were made for a moral and religious people. They’re wholly inadequate for the government of any other. There was this understanding that people of faith, Christian faith in particular, as our country goes, would restrain themselves by self-government.
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly. And that was part of our op-ed that Sam Brownback, who’s a great, great leader as well, like you, you chaired the Religious Freedom Commission and you did that amazingly well. I do think that people need to understand, and that goes for Xi Jinping, it is in his interest to allow religious freedom. But they’re afraid of it. They’re afraid of everything. And anything that he doesn’t control and his people – you know, in a speech I gave earlier today, pointed out that Solzhenitsyn – Yeah, by the way, you spoke at CPAC. Yes, I did.
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They have – they’re rolling out an initiative for persecuted Christians around the world. And you were the keynote today.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, 380 million people worldwide, Christians, are severely repressed, many of them to the point of incarceration and torture. It is bad and getting worse. And we have tools, the Frank Wolf Law, International Religious Freedom Act. Do we have an obligation to speak up? Oh, I think we have to. And to do it, looking dictators or other people that are doing it in the eyes, raising it and saying it matters, it should matter to you, we stand in solidarity with the oppressed, not the oppressor. What happens if we don’t? If we don’t, we enable it. Maybe unwittingly, but we enable it. If it’s not something we’re willing to raise and to do it in an informed way, because if you do it just haphazardly, the dictator says they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s just a talking point. But you talk about specifics. You talk about individuals. That’s why it’s always important, I think, that presidents and prime ministers and certainly members of Congress, meet with people who are part of the diaspora or those who were asylum seekers and got the asylum because they were being repressed, like Bob Fu, people like that. You need to get their insights. That’s why I hold so many hearings on religious freedom.
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If we ignore it as a nation, and I would say this goes for us as individuals, especially as Christians, if we ignore it, does that not have a… an effect upon us domestically where we begin to lose the value and understanding of these fundamental rights that we take for granted.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I think it also sets us up for losing it here, too. You know, it’s not just over there. We have, you know, we look at the guy that’s running for mayor in New York. He is so anti-faith, Christian faith, and Jewish.
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Marxism is against it. You have to eliminate faith and the family in order for the Marxist ideology to take root.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. Solzhenitsyn said it’s militant atheism in his books about Russia, or then the Soviet Union. And he pointed out, it’s not that they don’t believe in God, they don’t know, they’re more agnostic than atheists, but they hate God.
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And I’ve actually been in a number of- And people who are associated
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, that’s the people you crush. You can’t reach God, per se, but they can certainly reach those people or co-opt them. And that’s what I’m worried about Xi Jinping with his sinitization campaign to take over the faith and dictate what goes into the Bible, what doesn’t. And that’s antithetical to everything we believe in. Remember, we’re admonished by God himself. Don’t change a word of this. Well, they’re changing major books of it. I’ve met with top leaders in China, including the head of the Patriotic Association years ago, which was the official Catholic dictatorship-run church, and whole parts of the Bible were excised. I said, how could you do that? You know, who are you? You know, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and certainly St. Paul and all the others, don’t touch it. Preserve it. Put sandbags around it. But they don’t. They try to co-opt it. And if you fight it, you’re in prison. You’re tortured. You’re going to be killed. Which is what we see happening right now. It’s happening right this minute with the Zion Church.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, Congressman Chris Smith, I appreciate you speaking out and drawing attention to that. There’s other hot spots in the world. Nigeria, one that we’ve spoken about frequently. North Korea. It’s cropping up everywhere. We’ve got to go to a break. We’ve got to come back. We’re going to continue this conversation. Also, some new polling out. And you’re also co-chair of the pro-life caucus in the House. New information out that Americans… understand the dangers of the abortion drug Mifeprestone, and they feel like the policy should reflect the dangers. And right now those policies are not. Congressman Chris Smith, my guest, he’s going to stick around. I hope you will as well. So don’t go away. Go anywhere. We’ll be right back. Our founding scripture for this is Ephesians chapter 6, verse 13. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. and having done all to stand, stand therefore.
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Family Research Council’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit 2025 brought together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action.
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We are equipping the body of Christ to understand that what is happening around us is not just political. It’s not just cultural. At its heart, it is spiritual.
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we gather in a nation that has torn the foundation apart and we have separated our governing documents for my divine source, Jesus Christ. We need truth now more than ever to guide us.
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I’m believing, God, let this be a testimony of the American church that we become so full of the fire of the word of God that we cannot contain it. We have to tell people about it. We have to make disciples.
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The idea of America was the idea that our rights don’t come from governments. They come from our divine creator, right? Government’s main job is to protect those rights. And because that was the foundation of America, We’ve enjoyed over the last 250 years more freedom, more prosperity, more stability than any other nation anywhere in the world, and that should be celebrated.
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We are living in a moment. What’s that moment? It’s a prophetic moment on God’s timeline. That’s right. And so he needs the church more than ever to act biblically for the blessing of our political leaders and of our nation.
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The number one issue facing America domestically, which is the epidemic of fatherlessness. 40% of all American children today enter the world without a father in the home married to the mother.
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We cannot win the pro-life fight without acknowledging that this is the pro-family fight, that this is the pro-marriage fight. We’re never going to end abortion if we do not secure and shore up marriage.
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We pray that this would be an opportunity, Lord God, for you to use us mere little mortals, but we possess the name of Jesus. God, use us mightily. We pray in Jesus’ name and all God’s people said, amen.
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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.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in on this Thursday. All right, this evening, members of Congress will come together publicly, not to debate or to campaign, but to pray for America in a national prayer call. The House Freedom Caucus and Family Research Council are hosting together a prayer call at 8 p.m. Eastern. We’ll be seeking the Lord together on behalf of the nation, asking for wisdom, protection, and renewal in this what I would only describe as a critical time. And you can join us. Dr. Ben Carson will be there. Frank Turek will be joining us and members of the House Freedom Caucus. To join us, text the word praise, P-R-A-Y-S, P-R-A-Y-S to 67742. And I’ll send you information on how you can join us for this prayer call. All right. I’m continuing my conversation with my guest and my friend, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, who, as I mentioned, several different roles in the House of Representatives, but among them championing the cause of the persecuted and the unborn. Two things I want to continue our conversation about. So we were discussing China. the increased persecution of Christians that’s happening there. It’s interesting, and you’ve been around a while, so maybe you can speak to this, but it seems like there’s a pattern that prior to the Chinese Communist Party leaders meeting with the U.S., it’s like they intensify their persecution. It’s almost as if they’re testing and probing to see if we will do or say something.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s a great analysis and observation. You know, often when discussions with the warring parties come together, one or both accelerate the amount of atrocities being committed. Putin does it every time. And, you know, I think that’s what we’re seeing here. But the hatred that Xi Jinping has for people of faith and the people around him is unpalatable. You could cut it with a knife. And the only people they want, like with the Uyghurs and others, they want them for their organs. I have a bill, Forced Organ Harvesting Act, passed the House 406 to 1, and it hasn’t gotten out of the Senate.
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I do not think we should be having conversations about economic trade unless we’re also talking about human rights.
SPEAKER 03 :
It all has to be combined. Because we facilitated this.
SPEAKER 14 :
You go back to the most favored nation status that was granted to the Chinese back in the 90s. And it was, well, we’re going to change them by doing business with them. No, what’s happened, we’ve changed.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, Frank Wolf and I led the effort. to ensure that MFN, most favored nation status with China, and human rights conditionality were one and the same, combined. Bill Clinton de-linked it on May 26, 1994, and said, we’ll just trade, and somehow they’ll matriculate from dictatorship and doing horrific things to Christians and others, just because they’re trading more. That never works. And, you know, I have a billion right now to do just that, reimpose the linkage with human rights of trade.
SPEAKER 14 :
But American businesses have changed their values.
SPEAKER 03 :
They sure have. They conform.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s right, because they wanted to do—we’ve seen this. We’ve seen it. Like, for instance, in the movie industry that’s been doing movies with China, they’ve allowed China to edit their movies so that they’re favorable toward China.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, look at the NBA, what it did to freedom. I mean, it was ridiculous. He speaks out for a genocide and the victims of the genocide, and the NBA throws him out. You know, we’ve asked the NBA to come and testify. I want to get them in front of us as a witness and defend that. And he even told us that many of his friends in the NBA were fearful of saying anything, that they would be excised from the National Basketball Association.
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You and I can sit here and talk all day, and I’m going to run out of time. I want to get to another issue that’s… Very important to you, very important to me. It’s a new study that was released, a survey by McLaughlin Associates. It shatters a major pro-abortion talking point. Now, this study revealed that voters do, in fact, care about health and safety protocols when it comes to the dispensing of this dangerous chemical abortion drug. pill, Mifeprestone. Now, abortions have actually gone up in this country since the overturn of Roe because of the abortion bill. Seventy percent or more of abortions are now because of this pill. They’re being mailed into states without any in-person consultation between doctor and woman. I mean, we’ve got upwards of 80 percent of the people saying, yeah, we shouldn’t be doing that.
SPEAKER 03 :
which is very encouraging that the American public gets it. You know, Bill Clinton brought mephipristo into this country. He begged the maker of it, beginning in his first term, to bring it over here. They did sham trials about the safety, the efficacy. We know it works. It kills babies. It starves them to death. But they fudged terribly on the issue of safety for women. And women are… dying. There’s no reporting of it. Adverse effects under Biden completely don’t even report.
SPEAKER 14 :
We wouldn’t treat any other drug this way.
SPEAKER 03 :
No other drug. It’s in a league of its own in a very dangerous way.
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So even 57 percent of liberal voters say an in-person doctor visit should be required before this drug is prescribed.
SPEAKER 03 :
a fantastic motivator for us to do something. Why is it not happening? Well, we’re asking the administration to take it, I would love for them to take it off the market because of the deleterious effects to women. The newest study that came out on April 28th of this year, found that 11% of the women suffer very serious deleterious effects, including hemorrhaging, sepsis. All of that has been put under the table by the abortion industry. So minimally, what the president, I hope, will do is say this mail order scheme, where it is being mailed into Texas and everywhere else, where states have pro-life laws. needs to be pulled back and stopped. And again, to require, I don’t want it to be out there, but at least have the doctor involved with it so you don’t just type something up and you get it.
SPEAKER 14 :
But Congressman, you also have under this current protocol where an in-person visitation or consultation is not required, you have men ordering this drug from out of state and putting it in drinks and food.
SPEAKER 03 :
There have been so many cases, it’s the tip of the iceberg, where this guy drops the pill in there while she’s drinking her coffee, and next thing you know, she has an abortion.
SPEAKER 14 :
Is the federal government’s policy facilitating that?
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, definitely. It started under Biden. We need to reverse it. We’re asking the president to reverse it. Many of us have done letters asking it be reversed. And at a minimum, again, make sure that the safety protocols are in effect for the women.
SPEAKER 14 :
I mean, where do you find something where you have nearly 80 percent of the people agreeing to it?
SPEAKER 03 :
Almost nothing. And that’s encouraging that the American public get it so and have said so.
SPEAKER 14 :
Folks, you can weigh in on this. You can sign the petition that will be delivered to the administration. Text LIFE to 67742. LIFE to 67742. This is too important to let go. Congressman Smith has dedicated his political career to protecting the unborn. We’re not going to stop now.
SPEAKER 03 :
And can I also say, the abortion pill is now being promoted aggressively by the World Health Organization. It has been, but now more than ever. So when we say it’s okay, it’s safe, it gives the green light, and it’s happening all over the world. And these women are going to die. Some are already dying.
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Congressman Chris Smith, always great to see you. Thank you, Tony. Stick with us, folks. We’re back after this. For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria is nearly a quarter of Israel’s current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity. The October 7th massacre, launched from Gaza, shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution, became a launchpad for terror. Today, only 21% of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace, but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Let me remind you this evening, members of Congress will come together publicly not to debate or campaign, but to pray for America in a national prayer call co-hosted by the Family Research Council. The House Freedom Caucus and the Family Research Council are hosting this prayer call at 8 p.m. Eastern. And you can join us. as we ask for God’s wisdom, protection, and renewal in this urgent time. We’ll be joined by Dr. Ben Carson. Frank Turek will be joining us as well. You can join us. Text the word PRAISE, that’s P-R-A-Y-S, to 67742, 67742. The word PRAISE, P-R-A-Y-S, to join us. All right, we’re just a few days away from next week’s off-year elections, and while many have noted how they will set the stage for the midterm elections in 2026, how might they impact the current political landscape, even the government shutdown? Joining me to discuss this and more is Mark Mitchell, head of polling and operations for Rasmussen Reports. Mark, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Yeah, great to be back. All right, so what are the polls telling us in terms of next week’s races?
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Well, I think there might be some surprises. And I’ll tell you what, I look at the polling and it’s actually kind of closer than you would expect, considering that Donald Trump lost New Jersey, for instance, by six points. And right now, Mikey Sherrill is only up three points in the RealClearPolitics aggregate. And then when you look at Virginia, Spanberger’s up seven. So that’s not as close of a race, but some really good pollsters have close. Trafalgar’s got Spanberger up three, and Qantas Insights, also another honest pollster, has Spanberger up five. Now, I think New Jersey’s probably closer than Virginia, but I think the reality that we all have to address is it’s surprising that the race is this close in the polling, considering how well Trump did. Because in my polling, 40 percent of Trump’s support in November of 2024 actually came from Democrats and independents. And if you look at New Jersey, I mean, it’s not a Republican state. And everybody says, well, it’s moving to the right. And I think that that really kind of doesn’t capture exactly what’s happening. I think that. The 2024 election was a referendum on mistrust in the government and Joe Biden’s statism, overreach and corruption of the federal government. And people wanted Donald Trump and they gave him the Republican Party to go along with his victory. And my polling has shown that I think people aren’t really happy with the level of effort coming out of the Republican Party right now. And I don’t know if the people in these special elections are going to necessarily going to be able to convert all that Trump support. So it really comes down to what’s turnout going to look like. You know, are these low propensity voters that now vote for the Republican Party, are they going to turn out? And I don’t think we have enough elections to really know. So I think there will be some surprises.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, turnout is obviously always the key. Polls can tell us one thing, kind of general direction, but it’s the people who turn out and vote. Let me go back to something you just said, Mark, about people do not think that the Republicans have delivered or followed through. So what is that? I mean, obviously, this administration has been pretty aggressive, but is it not what people anticipated?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, first, Trump was elected for a domestic policy agenda, and he’s had a lot of attention overseas in foreign policy entanglements. His job approval rating right now is negative eight, the lowest of his term. Obviously, some of it’s because of the shutdown, but our polling said that Americans are okay with a shutdown as long as they actually get… spending cuts and freezes, and that’s not happening. So we have a shutdown where basically nobody’s doing anything. I think that that’s adding to the problem. And how does he fix that? There needs to be some plan. Congress is not in session. There’s been very little legislation passed. And then the polling says that, well, people don’t like what they see. Only 38% of Trump supporters have a very favorable impression of the Republican Party. And when we ask, 60% of Republicans agree that the Republican Party— in Congress hasn’t delivered on Trump’s mandate. And that was back in May. So it’s only gotten worse since then. And the window, in my opinion, is closing because it doesn’t necessarily look like November 2026 is going to be a slam dunk for Republicans. And what are they going to run on? They’re going to run on we’re not Democrats. But actually, especially the under 40s are kind of OK with Democrats. They’re kind of OK with Democrat socialists. And even the under 40 Trump supporters that we polled on support socialistic policies because they think this entire system, this entire free market conservatism that Republicans have been championing doesn’t work for them anymore. And so how is this entire system going to be fixed? They want to burn the system down. And Republicans aren’t speaking to that at all.
SPEAKER 14 :
So does that give us the backdrop to New York and what’s happening there with Mandani?
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly. You’re going to see a lot more about literally 62 percent of under 40 think the economy is not fair to young people. Three quarters of Trump 2024 supporters under 40 support nationalizing major industries like energy, health care and tech. And 56 percent of them supported excess wealth confiscation. So they think the system doesn’t work. They don’t see Republicans really trying to fix it. They support Donald Trump. But when did the under 40 support Donald Trump most? 60% job approval rating when he was hacking apart the federal government back with Doge. And what happened? In my opinion, behind the scenes, Republicans probably curbed Doge, drove it into a ditch. You don’t hear about it at all, but Doge was even more popular than Donald Trump was, and everybody loved what was going on then. So under 40s went from 60 percent Trump approval down to high 30s. Now he’s basically like lost those people. Independence. He’s underwater. Twenty seven points. A lot of those are younger people as well who aren’t happy with either political party. And the Republicans don’t really seem to have a plan. Their plan seems to be like, OK, well, this will shut down. We’ll end eventually and we can get back into reconciliation stuff. But that just looks like business as usual in Washington, D.C. People want something different.
SPEAKER 14 :
We have 30 seconds left. If New York prevails for the socialists, does that give the Democrats an off ramp to agree to reopen the government?
SPEAKER 05 :
I really don’t know what’s going on. They wanted this shutdown. I think everybody felt this shutdown was coming. It hasn’t really affected Donald Trump’s numbers. And, you know, they’ve been talking about the snap funding like going away and talking about protests. So I feel like there’s an aspect of accelerationism that people are overlooking. And I don’t see an out really right now at all.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Mark, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. Great to be back. Thanks. Yeah. You know, I don’t see an off ramp either, other than if they could claim victory because some of the unions are pushing. All right. Don’t go away. We’re going to be back with more right after this.
SPEAKER 21 :
How are you handling the pressure of life? The Apostle Paul knew what it meant to face pressure. He wrote some of the most powerful letters of the Bible from prison. Yet those letters overflow with joy, courage, and unshakable freedom in Christ. Paul’s prison letters is Family Research Council’s 14-day Stand on the Word study guide that takes you deeper into these life-giving truths. calling you to stand firm, rejoice in every season, exalt Christ above all, and extend forgiveness that sets others free. Starting November 1st, join us as we read God’s Word, reflect on God’s Word, and apply God’s Word to our lives. Order your study guide now at frc.org slash prisonepistles. or text letters to 67742. Join us and discover where true freedom is found.
SPEAKER 20 :
Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over 60% of U.S. abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone. Unborn lives will remain in grave danger, and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail-order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
SPEAKER 14 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right, Saturday, for those of you who are on our journey through the Bible, stand on the Word, we begin the first of Paul’s prison letters. And it covers about 14 days. And we’re going to go through Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. And to help you on this journey, we have a new study guide, Paul’s Prison Letters. This is available in print or digital, so you can get it right away. The guide will help you apply Paul’s message of steadfast faith and freedom in your own life. As we wrap up tomorrow, the Book of Acts, we’re going to move right in to those prison letters. So to get a copy, text the word LETTERS letters, that’s plural, to 67742. That’s letters to 67742 to get your copy. Well, speaking of the word, our word for today comes from Acts chapter 27. Paul’s on his way to Rome as a prisoner. Earlier, he had warned the crew of a coming disaster, but they refused to listen. Now, as the storm rages and the ship begins to break apart, Paul gives them crash instructions. Verse 33, “‘And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “‘Today is the fourteenth day. You have waited and continued without food and eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.'” Though chained and confined, Paul became the steady voice of faith and reason. A prisoner by circumstance, he was a leader by conviction. Because he walked closely with God, he possessed divine confidence in the face of chaos. So how did Paul go from captive to captain? In every storm, those who hear from God and trust His promises remain calm when others panic. Their peace becomes their authority and their faith, the anchor that steadies everyone around them. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. I want to thank Jody Heiss for filling in, hosting for me yesterday here on Washington Watch. I was tied up, actually pleasantly tied up, hosting the Watchman on the Wall Pastors Briefing at the Bible Museum. FRC hosted a number of pastors here in Washington to just encourage them, to strengthen them, to inform and educate them. In fact, we had the House Speaker joined us last night to talk with those pastors. And by the way, if you are a pastor… And you would like to know more about how to connect with the Family Research Council and our pastor’s outreach and the resources that we provide to pastors, you can email me, tony at tonyperkins.com. Well, we covered a lot of ground in that pastor’s briefing, from personal ministry to evangelism to a briefing on the transgender. gender movement, and an update on Israel from our next guest. Chris Mitchell, the Middle East Bureau Chief for CBN News, traveled from Jerusalem to Washington to join us and brief the pastors. And he joins me now in studio. Chris, thanks so much for coming to Washington to join us. And thanks for joining me today.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s great to be with you, Tony, and great to be with you at the Pastors Conference, the Watchmen on the Wall. A wonderful time for pastors to get a briefing, to get refreshment as well, because they’re on the front lines of the spiritual battle here in the United States.
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, and the issue of Israel is front and center among those, as we talked about, spiritual battles that are raging.
SPEAKER 11 :
And what I was hoping to bring, and why you invited me, is to give a biblical, geopolitical perspective on what’s happening in Israel right now, certainly some of the issues of Gaza. But I think the two-year window since October 7th, really to help give a perspective of what Israel’s gone through, what they’ve done to mitigate civilian casualties, for example, And also the spiritual battle, the battle, this sort of red-green alliance, this Islam and the left that has bonded together to really have an assault against Israel, not necessarily on the battlefield, but the information battlefield, which is crucial to the future of Israel and Christian support for Israel.
SPEAKER 14 :
Now, Chris, you’ve been in Jerusalem about as long as I’ve been here in Washington, D.C., and I can say that things have changed significantly here in Washington, D.C., over the last two decades. I think you could say the same about what’s happening in Israel. There’s an intensity. Look, I think we’re moving toward the end of time and the spiritual battle is raging because I think the enemy of our soul, Satan,
SPEAKER 11 :
Knows his time is short. No, I agree. And especially after October 7th, you know, from 2000 when we first got there, what’s called the Second Intifada. And there’s been several wars throughout this 25 years. But the last two years and especially.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s been the longest war in the history of the nation. That’s right. Of the modern nation.
SPEAKER 11 :
And one of the things that we mentioned yesterday was not only the prophetic things that are converging in Israel, and especially the nations coming against Jerusalem. And I think that is just intense.
SPEAKER 14 :
So let me ask you about that, because Jerusalem, it’s not like they have… natural resources. It’s not like there’s—it’s not even like it’s a geographical spot that provides power and defense. There’s something else that draws the attention of the entire world to a country and a city, a country that’s no larger than the state of New Jersey here in the United States.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, many people call it the center of the world, and many times I’ve gone out— You know, I used to live in a place called Abattoir where I could overlook the old city. I used to take my dog out for a walk and I’d watch and it’s almost like watching a watercolor painting. You don’t see it in detail, but the whole city is pregnant with prophecy and you just know something more than just the beauty of Paris or the strength of New York City.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s more than what you can see with your physical eyes. Totally, totally. But I think it’s becoming It’s like when I was a police officer, we used to do fingerprinting. And so you couldn’t see the fingerprint unless you put the powder on there. In the old days, they used powder and they would pull it off and they would be latent prints. You’d be able to see them. I think the latent fingerprint of God is upon Israel.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s a great way to put it. And you need to see it. The way you can see it is that dust is the Word. If you get into the Word and you find out what He says about Jerusalem, not only its past, its present, but its future, then you get an understanding of really what’s happening.
SPEAKER 14 :
And it’s becoming more and more clear. So I think we live in quite the significant moment, which I think explains why even in the church there is this… You know, some would push back when I make this comment, anti-Semitic rise even within the church. You know, there are those that, the replacement theology, that do not recognize Israel as the modern state of Israel or the Jewish people and their right to that land in which they live. That the prophecies of God, the covenant of God ceased. I think that fosters, now their heart may not be anti-Semitic, but that fosters anti-Semitism.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, that the Jewish people of today aren’t the same Jews as the Jews of the Bible. But when you see what’s happening, not only with the nations coming against Jerusalem, you see this miracle of Aliyah. If you look back in the last 150 years… I think we read something about that in the Bible. Many things in the Bible about that. Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
They’re coming from all the four corners of the earth. They’re coming back to Jerusalem. In fact, since October 7th, and the nation has been at war, you would have thought that people would have avoided Israel. Yeah. That’s not the case.
SPEAKER 11 :
No, the Jews are coming back. Even more so. Yeah, even during war. In higher percentages. Yeah, yeah. And the four corners of the earth, you know, some people think of Israel as a white European Sephardic, not an Ashkenazi nation. There’s so many from Middle East, North Africa, South America, all over the world. They’re coming back.
SPEAKER 14 :
It is a melting pot.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. Yeah. And so Aliyah is such a miracle. I mean, I get to see it almost every day, the birth of the nation, but also the growth of the nation in so many ways. It’s become a startup nation. Well, in the miraculous
SPEAKER 14 :
hand of God that has been upon the nation in the last two years. And I’ve spoken with members of the Knesset who are friends of mine about the actual recorded miracles of their efforts against Iran and taking out the nuclear facility. Not a single plane or pilot or anything was lost. It’s unheard of.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. And you hear stories of miracles from the men on the ground in Gaza or Lebanon, you know, miracles of how they survived. And one other thing, Tony, you know, about the Bible, it tells about Ilan Barre back in Genesis chapter 12. You know, the promise of God to the Jewish people goes back 4,000 years. Right. And where did that happen? Ilan Beret in Samaria. Okay. All right. The heartland, the biblical heartland of Israel.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s where I want to turn to next because that has become a flashpoint. Right. Because we’re talking about the historic land of the Bible, Judea and Samaria, which is often described as the West Bank. I talk about this a lot on this program, but I think it’s very important because as a nation, the United States, Our policy should be aligned with the truth of Scripture. And that is, I’m not saying we support every decision Israel made. Israel has some bad domestic policy. I mean, they do not have good policy when it comes to the sanctity of human life. They have bad policy on marriage and human sexuality. So they’ve got some bad stuff, just like our country has some bad stuff. But our support for Israel is a recognition of their right to exist in the land that God gave them. That’s what I mean by the support for Israel. But that is coming under assault. Even if you look and dissect the 20-point peace plan for Gaza, there are a few indicators in there that… do not align with a recognition of Judea and Samaria and the right of Israel to declare sovereignty over those regions.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, exactly. And also, I mean, President Trump came specifically against declaring sovereignty right now over Judea and Samaria.
SPEAKER 14 :
And when we talk about this, I want to be clear, because it is somewhat complex. They’re not trying to, Israel is not declaring sovereignty over the entire region. What they are wanting to do is strategically over like the Jericho Valley or the Jordan Valley in the high places overlooking Jerusalem and Samaria. So it’s very strategic. And these are areas where the Jewish people already live in. Mm hmm. Yeah. Maybe about 500,000 or more. Right. So it’s not it’s not that they’re trying to kick anybody out. Yeah. It’s just that they want to be able to have operational control over the heartland of the country. And it’s geographically as well as ethnically. I mean, that’s their identity comes from that land.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s right. That’s where Judea, Jews come from Judea. And also in the 20-point plan, there’s a glimmer of maybe there would be a two-state solution. Well, it’s actually, it states that. Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I think in point 19, I think, or 20.
SPEAKER 11 :
And the scripture that really kind of goes against that is Joel 3. Right. Where he judges the nations.
SPEAKER 14 :
But it’s also more clearly articulated, I think, in… Point six. I’m not sure. I don’t have it in front of me where it says Israel will not annex or occupy Gaza. Now, I want to go back for a moment, because in 2005, the disengagement is what. got this ball rolling. And so that was, you know, there were many of us that were opposed to that. It’s proven that what we said, you know, you can’t give land for peace, but this plan actually solidifies that. And I know that that’s, That’s status quo, if you will, but it is solidifying what was done before that was wrong.
SPEAKER 11 :
We were there before 2005, did many stories on many of the Jews living there, about 9,000, maybe 10,000, 21 Jewish communities, thriving communities, great agriculture, beautiful nature. Buildings they’d made, beautiful communities, all destroyed because of the disengagement, which did lay the seeds for October 7th, when Hamas took over. They took over two years later, took over the Palestinian Authority, and then built the largest terrorist base in the world.
SPEAKER 14 :
They’ve been spending all of that time preparing. And, of course, there’s been skirmishes since then. I mean, there’s been—I think this was the fifth actual battle or war with Hamas. But they’ve been laying the groundwork for this. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
with international aid. Yeah, yeah. So the point, for point six, that Jews, it’s almost like it’s going to be free of Jews. Right. And could they go back? I mean, these are 9,000 that built communities. Would they have the ability to go back?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, and we’ve talked about this on the program as you’ve joined us from Jerusalem, that this international, quote-unquote, peacekeeping force, there’s concern in Israel about who’s going to make that force up is Qatar, going to be there? Is Turkey going to be there? Those are problems, because these are people who have facilitated, harbored, and financed Hamas.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, yeah. Qatar has given them millions. I think it was $30 million a month for many years that just helped fuel, fund them, pay their salaries. And Turkey, which has ambitions against Jerusalem, and they want to President Erdogan seems to want to build this neo-Ottoman empire. So his ambitions are far more so. Israel really doesn’t want Qatar or Turkey to get a foothold there in Gaza.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I think when we look at, not that we’re going to get into it, but biblical prophecy and the end times, I think Turkey is one of the ones to watch. I believe so, too. Very interesting. Chris, we have just a minute and a half left. How should the Bible-believing Christians in America be praying right now for Israel? What should we be looking for?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, obviously, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I mean, that’s sort of like a foundation scripture. But pray for wisdom, for the leaders, for Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump, all the leaders, members of the White House, members of Israel’s government. But I think To get educated, I think people need to pray, but also get educated of what really is happening. What are the scriptural foundations for the land of Israel? Why should Christians support them? Because that itself is under assault right now. And I think Pat Robertson, you know, we kind of went over there standing on his shoulders of support for Israel. I think he really made a great case of why we stand with the Jewish people for such a time as this.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s very important. In fact, I’ve got a book coming out on that topic. Twenty seconds left. Does Hamas disarm and go away?
SPEAKER 11 :
No, I don’t think so. They’re committed to keep their arms and do what they can to survive and be part of whatever post-Gaza rule there will be.
SPEAKER 14 :
Chris Mitchell, we greatly appreciate you. I appreciate your friendship. I appreciate the work that you and CBN do there in Israel. We pray for you and we appreciate you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thanks, Tony. Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 14 :
And folks, I want to thank you for joining us as well. I encourage you to join us in our journey through the Bible because it’ll help you better understand these issues. So text the word Bible to 67742 to join us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6. When you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, prepared, and taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 17 :
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.
