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In today’s episode, delve into complex global politics with insights into President Trump’s geopolitical maneuvers including the controversial Greenland acquisition strategy. Engage with critically acclaimed experts to discuss the turbulent Chinese military leadership and the realpolitik of U.S.-European relations against the backdrop of a revived Monroe Doctrine. Additionally, explore the profound implications of recent NIH policy changes affecting stem cell research, highlighting the ethical dimensions of science and biomedical advances.
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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. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
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The work to rebuild a culture that supports life continues in every state, every community, and every part of our beautiful land. This is a battle that must be fought, must be won, not only in the corridors of power, but above all in the hearts and souls of the people.
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That was President Trump delivering a message to March for Life participants earlier today. Welcome to this January 23rd edition of Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss. Thank you so much for joining us. All right, coming up, this week has been a very good week for the pro-life movement, culminating with today’s March for Life. Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health, also known as NIH, announced a new policy ending the funding of research that involves aborted baby tissue. I’ll discuss this later in the program with Dr. David Prentice, an internationally renowned expert in stem cell research and therapies. An engagement between the United States and Nigeria has reportedly accelerated since President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern late last October, and that took place over the severe religious freedom violations in that country. We’ll be discussing this later with Brad Brandon of Across Nigeria. So all this and much more is coming straight ahead. Today, thousands and thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 23rd annual March for Life. President Trump delivered a prerecorded remark, a video that was shown at the event. He’s vowing to protect the unborn. Also, Vice President J.D. Vance, along with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, delivered strong messages defending life. Joining me now is Washington stand reporter Casey Harper, who has been following all of today’s stories. Casey, let’s start with this one. Can you walk us through the events of the day?
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Sure, Jody. I went with the rest of the Family Research Council family down to the march today, where I saw thousands of protesters. A lot of young people really stood out to me, carrying banners, signs, all with the same message of supporting life. Now, as you mentioned, President Trump, he promised attendees protecting life is a battle that must be fought and won. Now, he does still face a lot of pressure from many of those pro-life attendees to put restrictions on the abortion pill. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance, as you showed that clip, he spoke. Here’s a clip of what he had to say. VICE PRESIDENT J.D.
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Let me just say, my friends, that we have to be clear. We cannot be neutral. Our country cannot be indifferent about whether its next generations live or die. You marched today. We marched today because you have an answer to this question about what kind of civilization we are and about what kind of civilization we’re going to become in the future.
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Powerful words from the vice president. Now, at the rally, there were many pro-life groups and Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who highlighted some of the efforts of the House of Representatives on pro-life initiatives that they’ve gotten done. Here is the speaker.
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With President Trump and Vice President Vance, the Republican team is making and taking a new approach. For the first time, our greatest metric of success is not just the size of the gross domestic product or highs in the stock market. It is the strength of the American family again. That’s what we’ve brought back. That’s what we’ve brought back.
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Now, as we celebrate life and the protection of it this week, the House of Representatives actually just passed the last government funding bills for the year, and among them were two pro-life bills. One is the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which will offer services and resources to mothers and families, including counseling, education, pregnancy testing, diapers, and baby clothes. Now, the other bill, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, will mean that colleges that receive federal student aid will be required to inform their students about the rights and resources available to carry a baby to term. So a lot of pro-life news happening today, Jody.
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A lot of pro-life news and voice. Exciting. Thank you so much, Casey. At the March for Life today, Washington Stand reporter Sarah Holiday was also there, and she was able to speak with Congressman Michael Cloud and Andrew Clyde, along with pro-life leader Ryan Bomberger. Take a look.
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I am Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand reporter. As you can see, we are gathered here today for the annual, 53rd annual March for Life. It’s a cold day, but it hasn’t stopped thousands of people from coming all around the world to celebrate the values that we hold dear, with that being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I’ve spoken with people here on the ground and several members of Congress who are all here to rally behind the same cause, that life matters, life is worth protecting, and that the fight is not over. It’s in the birth certificate.
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Well, while the life issue certainly has been front and center today and in many regards all week, there’s some other things that have been happening as well this week. President Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, for example, which he says is under threat. from Russia and China, and which Denmark cannot secure from these dangers. So European leaders have pushed back against those efforts, but are they in reality ignoring a very real threat? Well, to kick things off for me today is our next guest, Gordon Chang. He’s a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of Plan Red, China’s Project to Destroy America. And we always encourage you to follow him on X. You can do so under the handle Gordon G. Chang. Gordon, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you.
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It’s always an honor to talk to you, Jody. Thank you.
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Well, listen, we’ve got a lot going on here, but let’s look at this Greenland deal. Are the concerns of European leaders misplaced, do you think?
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Well, certainly European leaders were more focused on their hatred for President Trump and their anger rather than on their national interests. And they’ve got to realize that their job is to protect their countries. And they don’t have an alliance with Trump. They have an alliance with the United States. And the United States is—and they know this— The United States is the only power that can protect Greenland and Canada and the Arctic from increasing Chinese and Russian activity, because we’ve seen a noticeable increase in what Beijing and Moscow are doing up there, not only with their commercial activities, but also with their military flybys and with their naval patrols.
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So when we look at what the president has done, and I would include in that both this term as well as the last, I don’t think there’s any question that he is focused on what’s doing, what’s good for America. But in that process alone, I think what he’s done has also been good for other nations, like those in Europe. What do you think?
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Oh, certainly. America first is also really good for Europe. Got to remember that NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte last month said that NATO has never been stronger, and he was saying it because of what President Trump did. And he was focusing on Trump getting the organization’s members to commit to spend at least 5% of their gross domestic product on their militaries. That was something which was considered almost impossible just a couple of years ago. But Trump, by threatening and by actually doing a number of things that irritated the European leaders, nonetheless got them to do what’s important for their own interests. And of course, for us as well, because it is collective defense right now against militant China and Russia. So what Trump has done has been great for Europe.
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Yeah, I think that’s a point that needs to be communicated. Do you think the European leaders really understand that? And as you said a while ago, their real issue is they don’t particularly like Trump or certainly they’re not going to walk away from their own national security over a relationship that they don’t like.
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no, they’re not gonna walk away from the United States. You know, if you look at Europe, it was in an almost terminal slumber. You know, Russia had invaded Ukraine twice, 2014 and 2022, and Europe was still incapable of mounting an effective defense. So really what has happened is this is a problem about Europe. And there are many, many issues in Europe right now. Some of them discussed in the National Security Strategy of the United States, which was released last month, and others as well. So really what Trump has done is he’s forced the Europeans to start to take more active interest in their own defense and in protecting places like Ukraine. So this has been very good for the West. Western leaders in Europe, they don’t quite understand it. At least they don’t say that in public, but I think in private they do because they know they need the United States to protect them, and they know that both sides of the Atlantic need each other.
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Yeah, I think that’s a very good point, and I would agree with you. There’s been a lot of discussion about the so-called Dunrow Doctrine. What’s your take on that?
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Well, President Trump clearly has revived the Monroe Doctrine. He did that in his first term, and clearly in the national security strategy, it’s made it clear that the United States will not tolerate malign foreign interference in this region. And that’s good, because we need to get the Chinese, the Russians, and the Iranians out of Latin America and away from our borders. But, you know, a lot of people make a mistake. They think that because President Trump has said that, that he is abandoning Europe and Asia to a Chinese sphere of influence and a Russian one in Europe. But no, people need to read the national security strategy because it makes it very clear that the United States wants Europe to be strong to protect its own interests. And it certainly does not want China to close off East Asia. So this is really good foreign policy. People who’ve been criticizing the national security strategy actually need to read it because what they say in public bears very little relation to what the Trump administration has been declaring.
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Yep, absolutely. You’ve mentioned China a couple of times. So while I have you, there’s been reports of a wave of arrests of Chinese military officers coordinated by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. What’s going on there?
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I would like to know, along with everybody else outside China and a few people inside China, but Zhang Yuxiao, who is the number one uniformed officer, the number one vice chairman of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, is reported to have been arrested. Some people think he’s merely sidelined. Some people think that he will retire in March. We really don’t know. But it’s him and about 17 others. And that raises the question, is anybody in control of China’s military right now? Because it appears that with so many people taken out of chains of command, that maybe nobody is running the world’s biggest military, the People’s Liberation Army.
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Very concerning. So real quickly, we’ve only got a little over a minute here. What does this development suggest to you? What’s kind of the bigger picture?
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Communist Party is in turmoil. Xi Jinping hasn’t controlled it. These purges have gone on for years and he’s still not accomplished what he set out to do. And that means China is not stable.
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And that obviously has impacts around the world. For what, for good or bad? Is this a good thing you think taking place or a dangerous thing?
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We will only know. You know, it means certain things like it’s unlikely that China will start hostilities by launching an invasion of the main island of Taiwan because the Chinese military is not capable of that. But the Chinese military and Xi Jinping are capable of blundering into war. And when you have such a big country unstable, we will only know after it is over. And there’s some pretty bad things that could happen because of this.
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Wow. It’s absolutely incredible what’s happening all around the world. And I want to thank you, Gordon Chang, Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. It is always our privilege to have you on the program and help you unfold a lot of complicated issues happening around the globe. As always, thank you, sir, for joining us today on Washington Watch. Well, it’s been my privilege to talk to you, Jody. So thank you. All right. Okay, friends, coming up, the U.S. and Nigeria have reportedly made some tremendous strides in their partnership to better protect vulnerable communities there in Nigeria. So what could this mean for Christians? Well, stay tuned. We’ll discuss it next.
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We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates, and multiple Republican congressmen.
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There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
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The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land. It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
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We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
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We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
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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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You’re tuned in to Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us today. I am Jody Heiss, your Friday host, and we are honored to have you with us as well. Engagement between the United States and Nigeria has reportedly accelerated since President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern late October over the severe religious freedom violations in that country. And the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Alison Hooker, is currently in Nigeria. In fact, she met with government officials yesterday. And after that, she said the U.S. and Nigeria have made tremendous strides together in our partnership to better protect vulnerable communities in Nigeria. Well, so could Nigeria be nearing a turning point? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Brad Brandon. He’s the founder and CEO of Across Nigeria, who actively serves in foreign mission fields, including high-risk, highly persecuted areas like that in northern Nigeria. Brad, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you with us.
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Thanks, Jody. Good to be on with you.
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Well, listen, while Undersecretary Hooker’s remarks are certainly encouraging and very much welcome, there’s even been more violence against Christians in Nigeria as recent as this week with the kidnapping of some 170 people from a church. So if you would, walk us through the serious danger that Nigerian Christians are currently facing.
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Yeah, so if you take all the Christians in the entire world that were killed in 2025, 70%, 72% of them were killed in Northern Nigeria. So this is a serious problem. More Christians are killed in Northern Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. 60,000 Christians have been killed since 2009. And there’s 3.5 million people in IDP camps, internally displaced persons camps. Means that their homes have been destroyed by the violence. Their villages have been burned by the violence. They’ve been left with nowhere to go but to be thrust into the horrible conditions of these IDP camps, where there’s shortage of food, shortage of clean drinking water, medical care, and the essentials for life. The camps are horrible. I’ve been to thousands of these camps, and the conditions are horrendous. And that’s the conditions that the Christians that survive, that live through the attacks, are often thrust into those IDP camps and into those conditions. They’re second-class citizens. Most of northern Nigeria is controlled by Sharia law. Under Sharia law, under the blasphemy doctrines, if you’re a Muslim and you convert to Christianity, or you’re from a Muslim family and you convert to Christianity, that is a crime punishable by death. And we often go in and extract people out of those situations because their lives are under imminent threat. So that’s some of the conditions that Christians are living in northern Nigeria right now.
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It really is a horrifying situation. And yet in the midst of the reality, the Nigerian National Security Advisor, Nuhu Rabadu, said that their government there in Nigeria remains committed to strengthening justice for affected communities. So based on what you’re seeing and hearing, what you just shared with us, are there some specific areas where the Nigerian justice system is currently failing to to protect those who are facing religious persecution.
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I question that commitment. I don’t see any areas where they are striving to do anything. I’ve been working in these conditions for 10 years. This genocide has been happening for over 15 years. They don’t even admit that there’s a genocide or a targeting of Christians happening in northern Nigeria. In fact, it was the foreign affairs minister of Nigeria who just recently said that nothing could be further from the truth that Christians are being targeted. Well, I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. I’ve stood at the mass graves of friends of mine who’ve been buried. I’ve carried the bodies of friends of mine who’ve been killed, pastors who work for our organization. They outright deny that there is a Christian persecution. And if you can’t admit it, then you can’t condemn it. And how can you help Christians in northern Nigeria when you’re not even willing to admit that they’re being targeted? So I strongly question this commitment that they have to helping Christian communities.
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So what do you think when our Undersecretary Alison Hooker says that tremendous strides are being made, does that bring you some encouragement? What are you hoping ultimately comes of the talks that are taking place between the U.S. and the Nigerian government?
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I think the Nigerian government is very good at snowing people and making them think something is happening when it’s not. I’ve seen it happen for the last 10 years. I’ve seen it time and time again. What they’re interested in, according to the Foreign Affairs OF THE REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IS THEY’RE INTERESTED IN INVESTORS AND THEY’RE TRYING TO CLEAN UP THEIR IMAGE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE FOREIGN INVESTORS ARE RUNNING FROM THEM AS FAST AS THEY CAN. SO THEY NEED TO CLEAN UP THEIR IMAGE SO THAT THEY CAN ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTORS BACK INTO THE COUNTRY. That’s what the foreign affairs minister has said. Yousef Tugar said that just in December 22nd, made that very statement that they were more worried about the image of Nigeria because it’s chasing away investors. So what they’re trying to do is change that image. They’re not actually trying to do anything on the ground, at least anything of substance that I’ve ever seen.
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So from your perspective, this from Nigeria’s perspective, certainly not from the U.S. perspective, but from Nigeria’s perspective, this is all about optics. So with this, let me just, last question, how would you encourage our viewers and our listeners right now to be praying for Nigeria and the people, particularly the Christians there?
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Well, our organization not only helps persecuted Christians in northern Nigeria, but we go into areas that are controlled by Boko Haram and ISWA, which is the ISIS of West Africa. And one of the tenants of our organization is to bring the gospel into those areas. So I always encourage people, pray that God would open the hearts of Muslims in that region. THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE ANSWER. THAT IS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION BY THE U.S. CAN HELP. CERTAINLY INSTITUTIONS CAN HELP. ALL OF THAT CAN HELP. BUT THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. SO I ENCOURAGE CHRISTIANS IN THE U.S. TO PRAY THAT GOD WOULD OPEN THE HEART. AND ONLY GOD CAN OPEN A HEART. WE LEARNED THAT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. WHEN HE OPENED THE HEART OF LYDIA, PAUL PREACHED THE GOSPEL, SHE CAME TO CHRIST. Governments can’t win the hearts.
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We’re going to have to end it there. Brad Brandon, founder and CEO of Across Nigeria. Thank you. The gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed the answer both there and here. We’ve got some great news to share with you from the pro-life front. We’ll get to that after the break.
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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 israeli 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.
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Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss, and we are so grateful to have you tuning in. Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health, also known as the NIH, they announced a new policy that ends the use of human fetal tissue in NIH-supported biomedical research. In particular, we’re talking human fetal tissue from elective abortions. So what can we make of this development? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Dr. David Prentice. He’s an internationally renowned expert in stem cell research and therapies. He’s also president and founding board member of Science Alliance for Life and Technology, also known as SALT. Dr. Prentice, welcome to Washington Watch. It is our honor to have you with us.
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Well, thank you so much for having me. Great to be with you to talk about some real truth.
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a major, major development here. Why don’t we start, first of all, if you can, just give us a little background, if you will, on human fetal tissue and how it’s been used in research in the past.
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Well, it’s really got a sordid history, if you will. It’s medieval research. What people have done is taken aborted baby body parts, parted these little babies out after they’ve been ripped out of the womb. tissues and organs, and then sold them, literally, to researchers for experiments. And this research, frankly, has been going on over 100 years, yet in all that time, not a single cure has happened in terms of their promises of what could happen to the research. So we’ve been kind of fighting this fight, and a lot of groups have for years, decades. What we found was in the last Trump administration, after we talked about the science and the ethics, of this kind of research, the Trump administration then actually cut back some of the research that was being done, certainly on the NIH campus. They formed what’s called an ethics advisory board to look at not the science, but the ethics of doing this type of research. And we rejected, frankly, almost all of those requests for funding. What we’ve heard from the other side is that there’s no other way to do this research, that you’re going to delay cures and treatments and so on, but it’s patently false. This is research that has not delivered on anything but a grisly history of death.
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Wow. Very, very interesting. I know these funds, the NIH funds, are still permitted for research involving HFT, as it’s known as, obtained from miscarriage and stillbirth. But effective yesterday, these funds can no longer be used for HFTs from elective abortion. So can you explain the significance of this new announcement? It’s a pretty big deal, isn’t it?
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It’s a huge deal and it’s been a long time coming. It’s very gratifying to see the Trump administration and this NIH cut off using any of that unethically obtained tissue. Again, this is after the abortion, parting out little babies that are dead and using their tissues and organs for research. In scientific research, you always talk about informed consent. Well, there’s no way you can get consent to do this type of research. But the tissue that’s obtained from miscarriages or stillbirths, these are babies that are already dead, and the parents said, you know, maybe you can get some use of this tissue, but it’s obtained ethically. You’re not killing this young individual to get that tissue. And there are other alternatives as well for doing this kind of research, but to finally cut off this grisly type of practice of parting out aborted baby body parts and selling those parts for research, it’s good to see that go away.
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It really is. This has been something that you and others have been fighting for a long, long time. Listen, speaking of science, while we have you here, could you tell us a little bit about your organization, something that you really brought in the world last year or so? But tell us a little bit about SALT.
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Well, it’s a small group of about seven of us, mostly scientists, couple of policy experts. We’d been working on not just fetal tissue and that type of research and trying to stop the grisly parts for years, but embryonic stem cells and cloning and talking about the good things like adult stem cells. We’re very young. We might say at an embryonic stage of our organizational development, just a few months old. But we’ve come together to try and speak some truth into the culture to educate in terms of not just the science, but the ethics of research. I mean, we’re not against science. We’re scientists ourselves. But we think it ought to be done ethically. It ought to be done to respect human life and human dignity. And so we finally got this group together. We’re kind of the only voice in terms of scientists in this space right now that stands up for life, that stands up for ethical scientific practices. And frankly, it’s the ethical ones that are the effective ones that really are helping people.
SPEAKER 04 :
Less than a minute before I let you go, you brought it up. The left often says conservatives are anti-science. 30 seconds or so, how do you respond to that?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it’s patently false. We are scientists. We agree that science can produce some amazing innovations, treatments and therapies and new technologies. But it ought to be done to honor and respect and protect human life, and human dignity. No human being should die for a research or experimental purpose. And so our point, again, is as SALT, this science group, to season those debates and try and get the science and the ethics together.
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Dr. David Prentice, president and founding board member of SALT, Science Alliance for Life and Technology. Thank you so much for the incredible work you’re doing. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. All right, friends, after the break, our biblical worldview segment with Dr. Clausen. Stay with us.
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Should a Christian support Israel? That question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time, both in the world and within the church. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer. In his latest book, he examines Israel’s past, present, and future through the lens of scripture, revealing why support for Israel is not rooted in politics, partisanship, or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies, returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash God and government or on the Stand Firm app.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan with us. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words, pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, because the Word is alive, and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Hope you’re having a great day. I’m Jody Heiss, your Friday host. Thank you so much for joining us. All right, today is a March for Life. And I want to highlight a couple of key, key petitions that we have here at FRC as it relates to the life issue. First of all, we have a petition calling on the Trump administration to take immediate and decisive action to end THE BIDEN ERA POLICIES THAT HAVE ALLOWED THE DANGEROUS ABORTION DRUGS TO BE LITERALLY TRAFFICKED ACROSS STATE LINES. AND WE WANT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RESTORE AND TO STRENGTHEN THE FDA SAFETY STANDARDS FOR MIFIPRISTON AND TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO ENFORCE FEDERAL LAW. Folks, this is a huge deal and we encourage you to sign that petition. You can do so simply by texting the word LIFE to 67742. And then secondly, for almost 50 years now, the Hyde Amendment has protected Americans from being forced to fund abortion through their tax dollars. I KNOW ALL MY TIME IN CONGRESS, THIS WAS A MAJOR, MAJOR PART OF SO MANY PIECES OF LEGISLATION. BUT NOW THAT PROTECTION IS UNDER RENEWED THREAT. AND SO WE’RE TRYING TO HOLD ON TO IT AND REINFORCE IT. AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO HELP US WITH THAT AND TEXT THE WORD HIDE, AND THAT’S SPELLED H-Y-D-E, HIDE, TO 67742. AND TO DO SO, YOU’LL BE JOINING untold numbers of other Americans who do not want their tax dollars to be used to take innocent human life. So again, that’s Hyde, H-Y-D-E, to 67742. All right, as I mentioned earlier today, tens and tens of thousands of pro-life activists, students, families, and so forth, they descended on our nation’s Capitol to publicly stand for life, the March for Life. And today, marchers heard from Vice President J.D. Vance, who spoke on the National Mall, also President Trump, delivered a message by video. So what were some of the takeaways this year. Well, joining me now to discuss this, who is also at the march today, is Dr. David Claussen. He serves as the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at the Family Research Council. He’s also author of the recent book, Life After Roe, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. Dr. Claussen, thanks so much for joining me. Happy Friday. Happy Friday. Great to be with you again, Jody. Well, listen, I know it’s been a busy day for you at the March for Life, and I want to get to that and get your perspective, what you saw, what you heard. But before we get to that, I know you published an op-ed this morning in World Opinions, and in that you explained the current state of the pro-life movement. And in particular, you noted that the Trump administration has pursued several PRO-LIFE POLICIES AND WE’RE ALL EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. BUT YOU ALSO NOTED THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS SLOW WALKED SOME DECISIONS IN AT LEAST TWO AREAS THAT COULD ACTUALLY MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. SO AS WE JUMP INTO THIS, CAN YOU KIND OF SUMMARIZE YOUR ARGUMENT, WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT TODAY?
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely, Jody. And again, what a joyful day at the March for Life. You know, I live and work here in our nation’s capital, see a lot of protest, a lot of marches. And this one, even though it takes place, you know, in the frigid cold each January, there’s always so much joy, so much love. It’s the only march, I heard it said, you know, where people are coming to support and march for the rights of others, namely the preborn children. But you’re right. I’m grateful this morning for World Opinion publishing a piece that I actually co-wrote with Katie Roberts, who works with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. And in that piece, both of us did praise the Trump administration in the last almost exactly a year. There’s been some significant policy wins. Think about reinstating the Mexico City policy. to make sure our tax dollars don’t fund or promote abortion overseas, rejoining the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an effort spearheaded by our friend Valerie Huber that says that there’s no international right for an abortion, pardoning pro-lifers that the Biden DOJ went after under the FACE Act. And there are other things we could mention. And those are things we are really, really grateful for. But Jody, you and I have talked about this. And we brought this up in the article that was released this morning. We are still hopeful and we are still calling on the White House to do two things. Number one, enforce federal law that prohibits abortion pills from being mailed across state lines. We don’t even have to pass a law here. There’s already a law in the books known as the CompStack Act. FRC has put out a AN EXPLAINER ON THIS FEDERAL LAW. THE DOJ COULD REPEAL A BIDEN ERA MEMO THAT THEY’RE STILL ADHERING TO AND ENFORCE THAT LAW. AND THAT WOULD MAKE A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT 63% OF ABORTIONS IN THIS COUNTRY COME THROUGH THESE CHEMICAL ABORTION PILLS. AND SO THAT’S REALLY, REALLY SIGNIFICANT. AND THEN THE SECOND THING THAT WE DRAW ATTENTION TO IN THE ARTICLE IS CALLING FOR THE FDA TO REVOKE ITS APPROVAL OF These pills are always lethal for babies, but they’re also dangerous for mothers. Close to 11 percent of women, Jodi, who take the pill mifepristone, which is the first pill in the chemical abortion regimen, have an adverse health outcome, have sepsis or bleeding or hemorrhaging, have to go to the emergency room. And so these pills, of course, were approved in the Clinton administration in 2000. The Obama and then Biden administrations subsequently walked back some of the safeguards that did exist. So at the very least, we want to see the safeguards put back in place with the addition of an ultrasound requirement. But ultimately, we would like to see the FDA and HHS do what’s right by America’s women and revoke the approval of this dangerous drug.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you so much for putting that op-ed out and just hope that literally millions will read that and join the force to be a voice to try to make a difference with that. And I’m grateful, too, for the actions that you mentioned that we are grateful for, that this administration has done to protect life. I don’t know if you just saw the previous segment that we had, but the Trump administration just announced yesterday that effective immediately that they would stop funding research that involves aborted baby tissue. And there’s a fantastic discussion we just had on this. What’s your thoughts on that move?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, really significant. This is something I remember that pro-life organizations were asking the Bush administration in the early 2000s, and those cries fell on deaf ears. And so really significant. The research I did just briefly on this, Jody, is that it was 77 projects that NIH was funding in fiscal year 2024 that were using aborted baby body parts for research. And I think the previous guest was helpful in noting that there has never been any cure for any disease that has come from this research. We’ve had no business, really, funding these projects. It’s ethically incredibly problematic. And so, again, credit where credit is due. Very grateful for this strong pro-life action. And that is something that all of us should just be grateful for.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. And Dr. Prentice was just talking about that very thing. Let’s move on to the March for Life. President Trump today, in his remarks by video, talked about his appointment of the Supreme Court justices that led to the overturning of the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. And he went on and talked about some of the ongoing battle for life and how it’s not just a battle in the corridors of power. I would like to play a clip for you and get your response. So if you would play clip two for me.
SPEAKER 17 :
The work to rebuild a culture that supports life continues in every state, every community and every part of our beautiful land. This is a battle that must be fought, must be won, not only in the corridors of power, but above all in the hearts and souls of the people.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, your response to that. Yeah, Jody, as you and I just mentioned, you know, there are actions, further actions that many of us in the pro-life community would like the president to take. But again, let’s be grateful that the president of the United States took time out of his very busy schedule, just got back from Switzerland, I think, last night to send this message to the tens of thousands of pro-life marchers who were on the National Mall. I’m thinking, you know, for four years under the Biden administration, we had the really federal government weaponized in every conceivable way against pro-lifers. If you remember, after Roe was overturned, the Biden Department of Defense even started providing abortions for service members on a military basis. So again, every part of the federal government was weaponized. And so again, many of us want the Trump administration to do more. But we also need to be—we’re Christians, and we need to be grateful. And so I’m grateful for the president’s message. It was well received by the marchers. And the president’s absolutely right. There remains much to be done in this noble fight for life. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I know following the president’s remarks, Vice President J.D. Vance actually spoke and he said we can’t be neutral when it comes to the life issue. Again, if you would put up clip number three for me.
SPEAKER 10 :
Let me just say, my friends, that we have to be clear. We cannot be neutral. Our country cannot be indifferent about whether its next generations live or die. You march today. We march today because you have an answer to this question about what kind of civilization we are and about what kind of civilization we’re going to become in the future.
SPEAKER 04 :
Great comments. How would you evaluate Vice President’s comments?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Jody, the moral clarity of the Vice President is so refreshing. And I can’t help, once again, to make some comparisons. During the Biden-Harris administration, of course, J.D. Vance’s predecessor in that office was Kamala Harris. WHO, AGAIN, DURING HER FOUR YEARS AS VICE PRESIDENT, GOING BACK TO HER TIME IN THE SENATE, EVEN BEFORE THAT AS A.G., THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA. JODY, YOU’LL REMEMBER THIS. AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, KAMALA the Planned Parenthood videos were exposed under her watch as attorney general. And rather than go after the Planned Parenthood clinics that were doing this illegal work, she went after the pro-life activist, David Daleiden, which was just, again, incredible. And so having a vice president that speaks with kind of moral force and moral clarity, I think is an absolute blessing. It forces the media to at least provide some coverage of this march. And, again, my hope is that the vice president will continue to leverage his influence in the bully pulpit of his office to see further progress made for protecting all unborn children.
SPEAKER 04 :
I totally agree with you on that. David, if I can switch gears for you, another issue I wanted to discuss is related to the incident earlier this week at the City’s Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. There were at least three protesters who interrupted that church service who have now been arrested. In fact, one of the people arrested, Nekima Levy Armstrong, was actually on CNN shortly before her arrest. And again, I wanted to play something she said and get your response to that. Play clip number one for me, please.
SPEAKER 01 :
Anyone more concerned about us going and having a peaceful disruption of a church service than the reason that they were there needs to check their heart and they need to check their theology.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. How do you respond to that one?
SPEAKER 03 :
I actually watched that interview live, and when she said that, Jody almost fell out of my chair and sent the clip to our producer, because talking about the need to check our theology, and that’s her excuse for leading dozens of protesters into that church service at City’s Church, that defies the imagination. There is no good theology that says it’s a appropriate or fitting to walk in and disturb the worship of the one true living God. And those protesters, that’s exactly what they did on Sunday, Jody. They walked into a service, and right when the pastor, Jonathan Parnell, was about to preach his sermon, They interrupted the service rudely. Again, the videos of children just kind of terrified and crying, teenagers looking terrified, families running to the parking lot to their minivan. This was—this invasion—I don’t know what else to call it—of this church has no place in the United States. And so, again, I am so grateful for Pam Bondi and for the Justice Department, Jodi. for enforcing federal law and for using the tools at their disposal to send a message. Because, Jody, here’s the thing. If the Justice Department, if the law is not enforced in this instance, we are only going to see more of this in churches around this country. This kind of action, if it goes unchecked, it’s only going to encourage folks like that to intimidate Christians and to try to disrupt more worship services. As far as her comments go, you can’t root that or ground that in any sort of Christian theology. And again, I’m just grateful for law enforcement and the Justice Department doing the right thing in conducting an investigation.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. church itself city’s church has retained some attorneys and they put out a statement that i want to put up for those who are viewing right now but they said the first amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary disrupt worship and intimidate small children there is no press pass to invade a sanctuary or to conspire to interrupt religious services. David, only about a minute left, but what are you hoping to see with this situation when all is said and done?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Jody, I’m just going to mention that the attorney who wrote that statement, Renee Carlson, is actually a good friend. I had dinner with her recently here in D.C. She’s fantastic. So the church is in very good hands. And my hope is that this whole story is just going to galvanize pastors and Christian leaders. Already you’re seeing articles and resources distributed amongst churches and pastors making sure that they know what their First Amendment rights are, making sure that they are protecting the flock that God has entrusted to them. And so I think we need to continue to follow this story specifically with this church. I don’t think we’ve heard the last from this situation. And let’s just be praying that as all of us gather to worship on the Lord’s Day this Sunday, that we’ll be safe and that we’ll have wisdom and discernment. And again, let’s just continue to pray for justice.
SPEAKER 04 :
Amen. Thank you so much as always, Dr. David Claussen, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at FRC. Have a great weekend. Thank you. All right, friends, that wraps it up. We’ve got inclement weather coming from all over the country. May you be safe and blessed and the good hand of God be upon you. And we’ll see you next week again, right here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 11 :
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.
