In this eye-opening episode of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins dives deep into the strategic importance of protecting America’s farmland. Congressman Greg Murphy joins the conversation to discuss the alarming trend of foreign entities purchasing U.S. agricultural land, especially near strategic military installations. As the U.S. plays catch-up with proactive states, this discussion underscores the urgent need for national security measures that prioritize American interests. Later, attention shifts to Israel, where geopolitical dynamics are rapidly shifting. With insights from Former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, the episode explores the recent advancements in Middle Eastern diplomacy. Highlighting the changing power structures and
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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 soundbites 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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American agriculture is not just about feeding our families, but about protecting our nation and standing up to foreign adversaries who are buying our farmland, stealing our research, and creating dangerous vulnerabilities in the very systems that sustain us. Reshoring and nearshoring our food and agriculture supply chain is essential for our nation’s security.
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That was Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins yesterday announcing the National Farm Security Action Plan. Welcome to this January 9th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in and making us part of your day. Well, coming up, North Carolina Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy explains why protecting America’s farmland isn’t just about agriculture. It’s about a national security imperative. And could the District of Columbia soon come under new management?
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We have tremendous power at the White House to run places where we have to. We could run D.C. I mean, we’re looking at D.C. We don’t want crime in D.C. We want a capital that’s run flawlessly, and it wouldn’t be hard for us to do it.
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That was President Trump yesterday during his cabinet meeting talking about management of the District of Columbia. We’ll talk with Texas Congressman Pete Sessions about Washington, D.C., and what it might look like if Congress reasserts control over the federal city. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been making the rounds here in Washington, D.C. Earlier today, he was at the Pentagon meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. And just a short while ago, he returned to Capitol Hill, where he was asked about his conversations with President Trump regarding a path to peace in Gaza.
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President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price. I want a deal, but not at any price. Israel has security requirements and other requirements, and we’re working together to try to achieve. Everything else that you hear and are being briefed on is folly.
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Former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann joins me in studio with her insights. Also, on our July 4th broadcast, we featured highlights from FRC’s God and Government course. Nearly 6,000 people have already taken part in this unique online experience. Brent Kylan, FRC’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, will join me later to share how you can tap into this resource and learn more about God’s design for government. All of that and more ahead on this edition of Washington Watch. Well, yesterday, the Trump administration said it will be engaging at every level of government to ban foreign adversaries from purchasing farmland in the U.S., most notably China, which has purchased an uncomfortable amount of land near strategic U.S. military bases and installations. It will also do everything possible to claw back land that has already been purchased. Not surprisingly, China is not happy, but many here in the United States are. With me now to talk about this is Congressman Greg Murphy, who has been actively involved in legislative efforts to address concerns about China’s purchase of U.S. lands. He represents the 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina. Dr. Murphy, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, Tony. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 17 :
And I know this is a topic you and I have talked about before on the program. This had to be music to your ears to hear the Department of Agriculture make this announcement.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it was, Tony. You know, I live in a very rural part of eastern North Carolina, and we have a lot of farmland around with us. And so having it secure, having this something that we treasure to make sure that foreign hands and foreign entities are not taking advantage of our goodwill is going to be critical, really, not only for so many things that we saw during the pandemic, but for national security also. Sure.
SPEAKER 17 :
Because a lot of this land that they’ve been purchasing happens to be around vital military installations. I mean, is that just coincidence?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, you know, knowing how nefarious and malign the Communist Party of China is, you can’t take anything for granted. You know, as was pointed out a few weeks ago, they tried to put in a fungus, push into a fungus into the country that would have been disastrous for crops. You know, I’ve said this many times, Tony, and I firmly believe it. I believe we are at war with China. It’s not ballistically, but it’s economically, it’s agriculturally, it’s via trade. It is every other way that China is trying to get into this nation somehow and gain a foothold. If they’re able to control our food supply, then all bets are off. This is what we need more than anything, food and energy, obviously. But it’s great for the Trump administration to put the hammer down and not allow it and actually start trying to reclaim some of the land that has been taken up by Chinese foreign nationals already.
SPEAKER 17 :
Dr. Murphy, you talked about the fungus that they tried to sneak into the country. I mean, when you consider, and you were on the program many times during the COVID pandemic, what that did to the world by releasing that virus there in China. I mean, if they were able to do something here and release it into our country that would destroy our crops or affect our food supply. I mean, this is what they have accomplished. I mean, given, as you said, the nefarious actions they’ve taken in the past, this is what I think we need to be protecting against.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. You know, there’s one thing we live, you know, as Lincoln said, we’re only going to end up taking over ourselves because we’re protected by two oceans. But if they’re able to sneak in biological agents, we saw this with COVID. And, you know, I don’t think there’s any doubt now. in the scientific community, if there are a few quadrants that are still trying to say that this came out of nature, but everybody else believes it was made in that lab. Whether it was made, actually, there are a few people who think it was made in the US and transported there. That’s a whole different story, a different show. But it leaked in that lab. Was it done on purpose? I doubt it. But this just goes to show you how one small incident can lead to worldwide disaster. You bring in something that kills our crops, it’s essentially Armageddon for us. We can’t feed ourselves, much less the rest of the world.
SPEAKER 17 :
And we’re talking about 45 million acres of American agriculture land that is being held by foreign entities. Now, when you look at collectively of all the agricultural land we have in this country, about 3.5% of all privately held agricultural land is in the hands of foreign nationals. But when you look at the Communist Party of China, or I know they have these shell companies, so they have layers in between them, but we know who actually is behind it. How much farmland does Americans own in China?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I’d love to say probably about zero, Tony. I don’t know that for a fact, but I can’t see that the Chinese Communist Party would allow us to own any land over there. And so having other countries, you know, China actually doesn’t own the most land, in my understanding. We have some other countries that own more land, but they don’t want to see our destruction. So, no, I don’t believe we own anything in China. I don’t know that for a fact, but I don’t see the Communist Party allowing us to do anything in their country.
SPEAKER 17 :
They don’t even let their own people own the land, let alone let Americans own the land. So what’s this look like? I was interested, and you made reference to this, the clawing back of the property already purchased. Again, a lot of this around strategic military installations. What does that process look like?
SPEAKER 08 :
You know, it’s interesting you say that because I think it was probably about three years ago. I have three military bases in my district, all Marine bases, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point, which is the fixed wing for the Marines, and Rotor Wing is New River Air Station. We had two Chinese nationals of all places that were trying to buy land outside Cherry Point, the fixed wing installation. That got kiboshed very quickly, fortunately. But you don’t know how much has gone on otherwise around strategic lands. And now that you don’t need landing fields, you essentially need an acre of land or so to have a drone take off. It’s an entirely different calculus. It’s an entirely different game about how much damage they can do to this country.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s a really good point considering what we’ve seen Ukraine do to Russia. and how they’ve been able to really turn the tables on Russia by utilizing modern technology of drones. This is a good example of, from my perspective, and you feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong, But there’s, I think, 23 states that have already taken action to restrict China from purchasing farmland in their states. The states were far ahead of the federal government. It takes the federal government a long time to catch up on these things. This is a good example of why our federalist system works well, because states are quicker to act, and eventually the federal government catches up.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. North Carolina has done it, which is a good thing, considering how agriculture is still our number one economy. And we have so many military bases also in North Carolina. It was critical that we protect those. You know, you go back and you look at what’s being done nationally versus statewide. You know, we had pushback from the other side of the aisle that we were being xenophobic or racist. some other you know slur one way or the other no it’s called national security it’s about protecting our homeland you know i think you and i have talked also about the chinese mal influence malign influence rather on college campuses it’s no different they are trying everything they can to get in on every sector of our society be it at the educational system the agricultural system around our military our security system our economy they’re trying every way possible to destabilize this nation And I’m, for one, extremely glad, really breathing a sigh of relief that we have an administration that actually cares about that, understands about that, and is not worried about some nonsense social justice parameter really to do the right thing.
SPEAKER 17 :
I think this is a prime example of America first policy, that we’re going to protect the American people and we’re going to protect American interests first and foremost.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right, right. You know, we saw that during the pandemic. I think that’s such a lesson for us. We were careening towards an oblivion of just politics. ignorance. The world is fine. It’s been 80 plus years since we had a world war. Everything’s going to be fine because people are nicer to one another now. That’s not true. Sadly enough, we still live in a world where sin creates evil and evil creates sin. And we live in a country that has been isolated and we think nothing would ever happen to us. But remember, hard times create easy men and easy men creates soft times. And that’s what we’re facing right now. And it’s great that we have an administration that actually recognizes that we have to be concerned about security. We have to be concerned about those things that are in part of guaranteeing our freedom and well-being.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, and back to the issue of just how China is taking every avenue they can to undermine the United States and what we stand for. Yesterday, I was on Capitol Hill speaking on a panel on China with Bob Fu with China Aid regarding religious persecution in China, which, by the way— I think should be a part of every conversation we have with China in regards to trade, any diplomatic conversations ought to include religious persecution and human rights. But that wasn’t my point. Right after I left, there was a CCP kind of agent that disrupted the event and started an altercation with one of the panelists there. They are bold in our face. They are not hesitant at all. to advocate for their intimidation tactics that they take toward Chinese nationals who have come legally to this country.
SPEAKER 08 :
Sure, sure. Because it’s the secret sauce. It’s their secret sauce. Keep everybody within the confines of the Chinese Communist Party as far as the theology, if you will, of what they think and believe. You know, try doing it for an American being over in China and disrupting something. They go away to a prison for a very long time. So they’re taking advantage. of our free society. And, you know, we’re not going to give up our freedom because of those risks. But it’s really true, Tony. They don’t care. They’re taking advantage of the United States in so many different regards because of the free society in which we live. And it’s great that we have an administration that understands with that freedom comes the cost that we have to make sure that we have security. Without that, we don’t have our own freedom.
SPEAKER 17 :
But also understanding that it’s okay to target those who are the threat and not everybody. I mean, that’s how we have to approach this. We don’t need to take away everyone’s freedom. We just need to take away those who are here to do bad things and undermine America. Dr. Murphy, we’re out of time, but always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, Tony. God bless. Have a great rest of the week.
SPEAKER 17 :
You as well. All right, folks, stick with us because we’re coming back after this break with more Washington Watch. So don’t go away.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained, and yet there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 10 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
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It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
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FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
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You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Hello, friends, this is Tony Perkins. You know what? We just finished our 21 day family Bible challenge to the book of Matthew. And if you joined us, I pray that it has already borne fruit in your life and in your home as you place the Lord and his word at the center of your home. Now, our journey through the Bible doesn’t end here, though. The challenge was a part of our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. And from here, we’re going to cover the rest of the New Testament. And now that we’ve finished the book of Matthew, let me ask you, would you consider joining us for the rest of the journey through the Word of God? In 10 to 15 minutes a day, you’ll see how the good news of Jesus transformed the lives of common people, people just like you and me, and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to continue the journey with me and discover the life enriching power of the Word of God. Visit FRC.org slash Bible for a reading plan. That’s FRC.org slash Bible to learn more. This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host, and it’s good to have you with us on this Wednesday. All right, we didn’t talk about this today, but it’s still percolating, and I still need you to lean in on this and help us. It’s something we were working on. We talked about it last week with the reconciliation package as the final negotiations were being made. And that is the… The FDA’s guidelines for mifeprestone, that’s the abortion chemical drug. And right now, the Biden era policies are in place. And this is allowing this abortion drug to be mailed into pro-life states like my home state of Louisiana that has very strong pro-life laws. Well, those laws don’t mean anything. So there are a number of states, like 13 in particular, that have very strong pro-life states, and they’re just being completely ignored because of a Biden-era policy that is still in place. That has to change. So I need you to help us communicate to the Trump administration. It’s in process. The conversations have begun, but it’s not done yet. And so we’ve got to get this across the line to protect unborn children and stop what’s actually led to an increase in abortions in this country. We’ve actually seen an increase since Dobbs, believe it or not. So text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742. And sign the petition to help us put an end to this. It’s got to happen. So text the word LIFE to 67742. All right, if you happen to have tuned into the program last Friday, you got a little taste of FRC’s God and Government series, which we launched earlier this year on our Stand Firm app. Well, with last week’s observation of Independence Day behind us, we’re now moving toward the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth. I remember 1776. I mean, 1976, not 1776. But I remember the 200th. I do. I was a kid. I remember it. Well, Lord willing, I’m going to be around next year for the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth. And as we do so, it is our hope that more Americans will rediscover the foundation of our nation, what the founders understood when they began to build this nation. And our God and Government course is a great way to do that. Joining me now to share more is Brent Kylan, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives here at the Family Research Council. Brent, welcome back to Washington Watch. I appreciate it. Tony, thank you. All right. Give us very quickly kind of a broad overview of this course.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah. So Tony, I feel a little bit out of place as you’re actually the one who developed this over many years and taught it, but- Well, give us the student’s perspective. All right. From the student’s perspective, like you said, we recently added the full course to the StandFirm app. Got some really encouraging feedback. First time we’ve put it to video. It’s available there now. You can access that for-
SPEAKER 17 :
I taught it for almost 30 years. First time we put it on video this last, actually almost a year ago, last summer, end of last summer, we recorded all of it. Took a while to get through all the editing, but launched it this spring. And close to 6,000 people have participated online.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, over 5,700 people participated in the launch, watching either all or part of it. That number actually might be over 6,000 by now because it’s continued to live on the app. But like you said, Tony, I think the timing of this being available now, going into the 250th year, is just so good. And we asked people, we said, what are your thoughts on the course? Because this is the first time we’ve captured it via video. Was it helpful? What did you like? What would you recommend? And if I could, just a couple of the comments we got.
SPEAKER 17 :
As long as they didn’t say get a new instructor, right?
SPEAKER 19 :
I left that one out. So 91% did say that they would recommend or strongly recommend this to friends or family. So we’re just very encouraged. One person said, I liked understanding concepts clearly that had always been very foggy in my mind before. I had an idea of what I believed but couldn’t articulate it. Now I can. Somebody else said it’s a wonderful discipleship tool and really has helped me to read the Bible through a different lens. Somebody else said how it has enabled them to share snippets with family and friends and things like that. So it really does seem to have helped people. They just really enjoy the ability to understand that biblical perspective on government.
SPEAKER 17 :
What’s unique about this particular course, there’s a lot of, you know, American history courses that bring in America’s Christian heritage, and there’s a lot out there like this. This takes both, well, actually, there’s three aspects of this. One is America’s history. So we look at America’s history. All of this is footnoted and documented. But then we take the Bible and look at the biblical design for government, and we see how the founders actually utilized that in structuring our government. But then we take those biblical principles, and we have an application portion, which is not theoretical. I actually did it as I was in office and put these principles into play. And talk about that in the course, some of the legislation that I passed, and how why I crafted certain policies based upon biblical principles in America’s Christian history.
SPEAKER 19 :
And we live in a day where so often you hear separation of church and state, you’re supposed to check your faith at the door. And we got feedback on that. People said, I did not realize the impact we as Christians can have when we stand together and engage. Yeah, that’s why they don’t want us to do it. Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER 17 :
So this is, it’s currently on the Stand Firm app. So folks, if you get the Stand Firm app, there are 13 sessions that you can have access to. But we’ve got something special planned coming up as well, don’t we? Yeah.
SPEAKER 19 :
We do, Tony. So this is still in the development stage, so we’ll be announcing more of this in the months to come, but we’re working on a really exciting initiative, and the God and Government course is really gonna be the launching pad of that. So even monitor that, because we’ll be walking you through ways where you could host a group, you could bring people together. But then, like I said, we’ll tell you more specifics about the initiative coming up. I can tell you it revolves around three words that you hear a lot at Family Research Council. What might those words be? So pray, vote, stand. So these are gonna, we’re gonna have some things that we’re gonna be releasing, specific ways for you to do that in your local communities.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, so I’ll go a little bit further. We’re going to be launching this fall an initiative for Pray, Vote, Stand chapters in every county in America. And so we’re going to be recruiting churches and individuals to be a part of that in the coming weeks. And Brent’s heading that up. But as you mentioned, the Ghana Government Series is going to be one of many, many resources available for these chapters as they launch.
SPEAKER 1 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
Brent Kylan, always great to have you on the program. Thanks so much for stopping into the studio. Absolutely, Tony. Thank you. All right. And folks, you can get the Stand Firm app. If you don’t have it, I highly recommend that you do get it. Go to the App Store or text APP, that’s APP, to 67742, 67742. And here’s why. Because you’ll have access to Washington Watch. You’ll have access to our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, The Washington Stand, and my daily devotional as well. All right, we’re coming back after this, so don’t go away.
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The Center for Biblical Worldview’s all-day workshops delves into the formation of a worldview, what it is, how it’s formed, when it’s formed, what that means to them personally and their churches and communities.
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My hope for people when they come to these worldview workshops is that they will come away better equipped to engage the people and the ideas that they’re living with and around. And our goal is to give people more confidence in the gospel, And the fact that what God said to us actually is true, actually is the path to happiness and human flourishing for all of us, but also more confidence in their ability to have these conversations and help lead other people to the truth.
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For Bible-believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
SPEAKER 20 :
The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principle.
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Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 17 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. All right. Could Washington, D.C. come under new management? President Trump told reporters yesterday that, well, we could run Washington, D.C. We’re looking at Washington, D.C. with the crime rising and all of the mismanagement in the city. Congress is talking about reasserting its control over the federal city. Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Pete Session, who serves on the House Oversight and Government Reforms Committee, which has oversight of D.C. He represents the 17th Congressional District of Texas, and he joins us now. Congressman Sessions, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 12 :
Tony, what a delight. And by the way, before we get too far into it, I found the previous piece very interesting. Probably 10 years ago when I was chairman of the rules committee that I was for six years, we had a lot of people that needed education and the opportunity to understand how Congress worked, what all the terms meant, how things moved out. And I created what was called Patriot University. And it was essentially a four-level game that could be played whereby people would learn about the government, how it worked, what the roles of government was. And I had a young man, Kyle Matus, who was from University of Virginia. law school, and he wrote pretty much the thing, and it was an amazing thing. I think what you’re doing is awesome, and I support it fully.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, thank you, Congressman. I appreciate that. We’re just trying to get people to understand how government was designed to function and what happens when we don’t operate according to the way it was designed. It doesn’t work, and that’s actually what we see happening in the federal city, is it not? It is.
SPEAKER 12 :
And in fact, the question you ask is something that has brought about, at least in Texas, an amazing result. As you may recall, Austin, Texas, loves to say that they want to be weird. They want to be what they are. But what it turned out to be was not only dangerous, but a city that was taken over by socialists where criminals would be dealt with based upon the color of their skin. And it became very dangerous. And Governor Abbott noted that, brought in a large number of Texas state troopers who picked up about, I don’t know exactly, but about 40 well-known criminals. And all of a sudden, the neighborhood got a little nicer. And all of a sudden, fewer reports of women being assaulted, fewer problems with children being taken advantage of. I think that it’s important to note that the people who I think are in Washington, DC, who are law enforcement and who have other responsibilities would really choose to want to use their skills better to keep the city safe. and to do the things that would be required. But the management, meaning the city council, does not want that. And so if we did decide that we would do this, I think it would be overwhelmingly successful. But perhaps more than that, it would give the workers confidence that they had a job that mattered. and solve problems. So I think that this is an amazing, another an amazing, so to speak, trick that the president has that waiting to do. And I think James Comer, who is our chairman, would see the value of us vetting the idea and making sure that Washington, D.C. would become a model city for the nation as opposed to an embarrassment and a crime model.
SPEAKER 17 :
This is not a stretch because the way the District of Columbia was created, it was created as a federal city where Congress actually has jurisdiction. Now, they have delegated a lot of that through Home Rules Charter to the District of Columbia. But it doesn’t mean they can’t take back that authority and operate and maintain the city.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think you remember last year, about this time, there were a number of high value crimes that were committed, one of them against a Democratic member of Congress. And it was at almost the exact same time when they were going to liberalize what would be the rules and regulations of dealing with criminals. And this woman was beaten up. by a person who was not just a criminal, but a person who had repeated instances where they did these things. And it overnight changed the whole volume where even the Democrats in Congress who were going to side with the D.C. Council and reject Republicans’ calls, even they joined in and denounced the crime bill that Washington, D.C. was attempting to move to leniency on. And it made the news all over the country.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I remember that. Of course, we just recently had a congressional staff, actually an intern at a congressional office was shot and killed here in Washington, D.C. So it is, of course, America is suffering violence all over. It is a symptom of a much deeper issue that we have to deal with, the moral decay of our country. But we have to maintain law and order in order to get to those underlying issues. Congressman Pete Sessions, we’re out of time, but it’s always great to see you. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today.
SPEAKER 12 :
Tony, thank you. As you know, I only want to do well enough to get invited back, and I hope you are doing well. And thank you for your message to so many people who believe America, one nation under God.
SPEAKER 17 :
Amen. Thank you so much. Pete Sessions from Texas. Yeah, folks, we’ve got a lot of problems in this country. We need to pray, we need to vote, and we need to stand. All right, Michelle Bachman joins me next, so don’t go away. There’s more straight ahead.
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Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 09 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 04 :
There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 09 :
This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
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Order today at embracethedesign.com.
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How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Our word for today comes from Luke chapter eight. Now it came to pass afterward that he went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the 12 were with him. and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities mary called magdalene out of whom he had cast seven demons and joanna the wife of cuza herod’s steward and susanna and many others who provided for him from their substance the women whose lives were healed and transformed by jesus became instrumental in financing his ministry Their gratitude turned into generosity and their support helped carry the gospel to others. The same Jesus who touched their lives invites us to join him in his mission today. He doesn’t need our help. The one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills lacks nothing. Yet in his grace, he allows us to partner with him. And there’s no greater privilege than investing in what matters most, reaching others with the life-changing message of the kingdom of God. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. All right, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to meet with leaders here in Washington, D.C., stopping by the Pentagon earlier today for a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The prime minister has made very clear his resolve to carry out all of Israel’s war objectives, even as a temporary ceasefire deal is being worked out. How will the U.S. come alongside Israel? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more, former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, who serves on the board of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. She is also the dean at the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, also chair of the FRC Board of Directors. Michelle, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thank you. Great to be in studio with you.
SPEAKER 17 :
I should also mention that when you were in the House, you were a part of the Intel Committee in the House, so you were tracking all these things internationally. Let me start with this. I want to play a clip of the meeting today at the Pentagon that Prime Minister Netanyahu had with Pete Hegseth. Play clip number two, please.
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President Trump and I always talk about peace through strength. First comes strength. Then comes the peace.
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And I can attest to that, being privy to not all, but many of those conversations. It does start with strength, but it always goes to peace. And we have that opportunity in the region because of your efforts and the efforts of our president. So thank you.
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The Middle East is in a much different position than it was October the 7th in 2023. I mean, things have changed dramatically.
SPEAKER 25 :
Dramatically and for the better. And I think, you know, we hear a lot about war, but what we’re seeing, I think, is the downslope. So if you think of a hill, you’re going up a hill and down a hill. I believe we’re going down the hill now in terms of redesigning the Middle East. We’re in a much better position today. Israel’s in a much better position today than they were pre-October 7th, 2023. That’s saying a lot. I think what your viewers need to appreciate is how historic and biblical these last two years plus have been. This is a complete read. aligning of the Middle East, but it’s been for the better, despite the pain that doesn’t undercut the deaths and the woundings and the difficulties, the price that’s been paid. But coming out of this, we have a very strong Israel, I believe, and a much strengthened the United States. And so the axis of power has shifted. before the power lay with Iran and with Iran’s proxies. Now the power has shifted. And so little tiny Israel is seen as a first world regional power in that region.
SPEAKER 17 :
And I know that the United States helped in the efforts of finishing off Iran’s nuclear facilities, or at least setting them back tremendously. But prior to that, Israel operated pretty much on its own. Now, there were a couple of times the United States stepped in when Iran launched its missiles last year. But to the point of Israel being in a much stronger position because they had to go it alone during the Biden administration and because the Trump. administration early on was kind of watching to see what would happen. I think Israel is in the strongest position I think it’s been ever been in since it became a nation in 1948.
SPEAKER 25 :
Tony, that’s exactly right. Because again, when in 1948, Israel was just like a newborn baby as a nation, brand newborn baby. Even just the geography of the whole area was completely different. It wasn’t ready for a full-term economy. Now they are. They have a magnificent economy. The numbers that I read, they actually grew during wartime. The economy actually grew. So when you look at the population, the infrastructure, I just was shocked in the most recent trip that we took when we went over there, end of April, beginning of May of 2025, just the physical infrastructure, what they’d done. And to think that was in the middle of wartime. You didn’t even necessarily feel like it was the middle of wartime. But it is a tremendous change. It’s the most powerful thing. safest that Israel has ever been in this current posture. But also I think what it speaks to is the hand of God. The scripture was fulfilled that the God of the Bible, the God of Israel didn’t slumber and sleep from October 7th before or since. What he’s been doing is he’s been fighting these battles with his strong right arm. There is no way that you could look at what has happened even in the last month or two and not see the miraculous hand of God. Miracles in terms of defeating Israel’s enemies, miracles in terms of protecting the Jewish people. It defies all statistical analysis that Israel would be as unscathed as they are and that their enemies would be as defeated as they are. And as you rightly stated, it isn’t because of the United States. As a matter of fact, we’ve taken cement blocks and we’ve tied them on Israel for the last two years in many ways. And we provided, you had mentioned prior when the missiles came in from Iran, we provided defensive capabilities. Now what we saw in the most recent ending of the 12-day war is that the United States gave offensive capabilities with the B-2 bomber as well as the 32,000-pound mother of all bombs. Thank God for that. Because in essence, that prevented World War III. And President Trump just said in the last few days that Iran, it was yesterday, in his press conference in the cabinet room, he said that Iran was weeks away from a nuclear bomb. So this was a threat to the United States as well as Israel, but to all of the world. So thank God for this moment in history when sane leaders did the right thing.
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And I believe, again, initiated by Israel, taking the first steps. So let’s talk about the concerns that you had, which I shared, going into this latest meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, that there’s discussion of the way forward in the Middle East, in particular peace with Gaza, a resolution of that conflict. And historically, that has meant… giving up some land. Every time we see this happen, we hear the resurrection of the term two-state solution. What we’ve seen out of the White House in the last 48 hours would suggest that the president is standing firm with Israel’s right to declare sovereignty over their own land.
SPEAKER 25 :
Oh, absolutely. Israel is 77 years old. From the very beginning, May 14th, 1948, the Arab enemies of Israel has made it their goal. It’s a jihadist goal. We believe in the destruction of the Jewish people and of the land of Israel. And so now what we’re seeing is their goals haven’t changed, but their ability to achieve their goals have changed. And now Israel was extremely strong in this effort. And I appreciate one thing that you said. Israel did all the work. For 12 days, Israel is the one that prepared that battle space so that the United States could, as I’ve heard it reported, put the cherry on top of this battle. We ended the battle. And President Trump made the right move, just as Harry Truman made the right move at the end of World War II. It came at a cost of life, but it came at a far less cost than had war continued to prevail. So we are at a very good moment in time.
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So let’s talk about Gaza for a moment with Hamas, because Hamas says they’re not going to give up the hostages. Intelligence would suggest that there’s about 20 hostages remaining alive in Gaza. Hamas says they’re not going to give up those hostages until the war is over. Israel says they’re not going to stop fighting until they get the hostages back. Those two approaches are in conflict.
SPEAKER 25 :
That’s true, but the more powerful of the two approaches is Israel’s approach because Israel has the means, the firepower, and the political will to continue to fight until Hamas is defeated. That’s what has to happen. Historically, wars end when one of the parties decides that they’re done. They can no longer go forward. A ceasefire prevents that. And in the Middle East, the one thing you need to have is a decisive end. And sadly, even the United States has worked to try to prevent a decisive end. And I’m so grateful for what’s happened this week because Prime Minister Netanyahu has made his goal impossible. eminently clear, and that is Hamas is defeated, they won’t be a political or military power, and we’ll get the hostages back. In other words, we’re going to defeat them. And that’s the way it’s going to be. That was your prior question asked about the potential pitfalls of the United States involvement. That pitfall was to prevent Israel from having a decisive victory. but also the idea of the last 30 years under the oslo accords complete tragedy complete failure that the united states may somehow pressure israel to divide their land or remove their people from part of the land that would be a disaster that’d be a violation of the biblical mandate as to how nations are to treat israel and nations are to bless israel and to support the right of the Jewish people to live in their land. That’s it. That’s the entire biblical prescription for nations on how nations approach Israel. We support the Jewish people living in their land, and we don’t in any way seek to prevent Israel from doing that.
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nor tell them what to do. We just support what they do in alignment with biblical teaching.
SPEAKER 25 :
That’s right. And it’s never been tried before.
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Think of that.
SPEAKER 25 :
No prior president. Every president has been tempted, Tony, to put their fingers in. And they’ve got the final plan that will work. President Trump himself tried this in his first term, and it was a disaster. But what does work, and President Trump is so unique, he may be the only president willing to try the biblical formula for peace, which is the United States blessing, as we recently did, in supporting the Jewish people living in their land. Period. End of story. Okay.
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Michelle, we just have about four minutes left. I want to point out what might be one stumbling block that we have to be prayerful about and watching as we move down this path, because there’s a lot of discussion about now expanding the Abraham Accords, which have been good because these countries are recognizing Israel and Israel’s right to exist. Saudi Arabia is a big player in this. What Saudi Arabia has made as one of their conditions for recognizing Israel is a Palestinian state. So the pressure is going to be there from Saudi Arabia, and we know that the Trump administration wants to do deals with Saudi Arabia. The president went over there, big fanfare. In fact, there was an opinion piece in the USA Today today saying that the president is doing the right thing, but the path to peace in the Middle East is a Palestinian state. There we see that resurrected, failed solution once again. I do think we have to be eyes wide open, understanding that this has shipwrecked a lot of efforts by both Republican and Democratic administrations in the past.
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Well, you’re right about that. The Abraham Accords on their face are excellent, but there is a fatal flaw contained in the Abraham Accords, and they are predicated in part on Israel. dangling Israel as though Israel can be divided and that there may be a provision for a Palestinian state. That was a fatal flaw of the Abraham Accords that certainly cannot be a part of any future Abraham Accord going forward because that’s a two-state proposal. It’s not a solution. It’s a two-state proposal. We need biblically as believers to provide oppose with all of our being anything that divides the land or removes the people from the land without question. And so the Abraham Accords are not good. We’d be better off if they were canceled, if they’re predicating this fatal flaw of Israel being dangled like bait in front of the Arab countries, keeping their hope alive that someday we’ll own Jerusalem, someday we’ll own Israel and we’ll kill the Jews because that’s their ultimate goal.
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So even kicking the can down the road saying, well, we may have a two-state solution in the future if you just kind of join the Accords today.
SPEAKER 25 :
What you’re doing is you’re feeding the fuel for hatred and hostilities. If you want peace, you say without a doubt, we stand for the Jews living in the land.
SPEAKER 17 :
Period. We’re almost out of time, but I think we’re in a new day as we’ve talked about. New Middle East. Post-October the 7th, people understand that a two-state solution doesn’t work. because that was tried in de facto in Gaza. That’s what that was, essentially a two-state solution. It didn’t work. It was a launchpad for terrorism. I think we’re seeing some of the tribal leaders in Judea and Samaria.
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Five sheikhs out of Hebron.
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Are saying, hey, let us be a part of Abraham Accords. We’ll recognize Israel. We want to live in peace. We don’t want the Palestinian Authority. So I think there is a different way forward than what’s been tried in the past.
SPEAKER 25 :
And they’re not asking to own a piece of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu was very clear this week. He said Israel will retain sovereignty over its security. That means they control the land. That’s God’s plan. And so President Trump, we call on him to support the Jewish people living in their land. End of story. Full stop. Nothing further is required.
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Michelle Bachman, we’re out of time. I want to thank you for joining us. Always great to have you in the program. And thank you for serving as board chair of FRC.
SPEAKER 25 :
It’s an honor.
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And folks, I want to encourage you to be praying. I mean, this is something we cannot take our eyes off of and our prayers away from. We have to continue to pray. This administration continues to make the right decision as it pertains to Israel, along with a host of other issues. But for today, we’re out of time. Until next time, I leave you with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve prepared, and when you’ve done everything else, just keep standing.
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Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
