In this episode of Washington Watch, we delve into the evolving geopolitical dynamics with a focus on the UK’s announcement to bolster defense operations alongside the US in the Middle East, particularly against Iranian aggression. We also explore a significant administrative change within the Trump administration’s DHS as high-profile figures are repositioned amidst growing immigration challenges. The discussion continues with an analysis of recent congressional subpoenas regarding the Epstein files, highlighting bipartisan concerns over transparency and accountability at the Department of Justice. The episode also touches upon the expanding US-Iran conflict and its implications for regional and global stability,
SPEAKER 30 :
FROM THE HEART OF OUR NATION’S CAPITAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., BRINGING COMPELLING INTERVIEWS, INSIGHTFUL ANALYSIS, TAKING YOU BEYOND THE HEADLINES AND SOUND BITES INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR NATION’S LEADERS AND NEWSMAKERS, ALL FROM A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. WASHINGTON WATCH WITH TONY PERKINS STARTS NOW.
SPEAKER 01 :
I CAN ANNOUNCE TODAY THAT WE’RE SENDING FOUR ADDITIONAL TYPHOON JETS TO JOIN OUR SQUADRON IN QATAR. to strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region. And we have allowed the US to use British bases to conduct defensive operations to take out Iranian missiles before they’re fired at our people and our allies.
SPEAKER 15 :
That was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier today announcing that the U.K. will allow U.S. forces to use British bases for operations against Iran. Welcome to this March 5th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. Well, coming up, Iran is expanding its strikes against its neighbors, now targeting another country, Azerbaijan. Texas Congressman Keith Self joins me shortly to share his perspective on the growing tensions in the Middle East and the Democrats effort to limit the president’s power. As the political analysts sift through the results of Tuesday’s first primary, were there any surprises? Will the war with Iran influence voters as more elections are just around the corner? John Rogers, senior partner and pollster with Signal, joins me to break it all down. Well, a major shakeup tonight in the Trump administration’s immigration leadership. President Donald Trump says Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will step down at the end of the month and take on a new diplomatic role, while Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is set to become the next head of the Department of Homeland Security. The move comes after months of controversy over the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown and criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. some Republicans following deadly enforcement incidents in Minnesota. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. So, Casey, what do we know? This is coming just this afternoon, just hours ago. What’s behind this change?
SPEAKER 31 :
Yeah, this is breaking news, big shakeup at DHS, Tony, as you said, with Senator Mullen replacing Secretary Noem in this position by the end of the month. Now, while Noem is moving to this new position for regional security—it’s kind of a new position called the Shield of the Americas—she’s not going without kind of a tainted reputation, after all the criticism she faced, really, from both parties over the DHS handling of a lot of issues, but particularly what went on in Minneapolis, the really strong-arm crackdown, not just on illegal immigrants in the area, which was broadly supported, but on the protesters that rose up. In fact, two protesters who were killed—Renee Goode and Alex Preti—were killed by DHS. She called those incidents responses to, quote, domestic terrorism. Now, that got her a lot of flack at hearings this week, and she really didn’t back down from it. She had sort of an apologetic tone as I watched the hearings. But she initially—she stood by her comments, which I think was maybe the last straw for her. Now, the shakeup raises questions about whether the administration is going to double down or maybe take a softer tone as they go into hitting these cities, Tony. But one more thing I’ll say is, I think this all plays into the negotiations over reopening DHS, because I think there’s a group of Democrats who were never going to vote was in place.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, I was wondering about that, Casey, if maybe this was kind of a gambit, a negotiating gambit for the president to say, all right, I’ll have her step down if we can move forward in funding the government. It’d be interesting to see what happens in, well, actually very soon. We’ll see what happens with that. All right. Another topic, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Epstein files. Wow.
SPEAKER 31 :
What’s that about? I mean, this is a pretty amazing, unprecedented story and development that we’re seeing here. The Republican-led committee has subpoenaed the Republican appointee, Pam Bondi, to offer testimony in a closed-door deposition similar to what we saw with the Clintons. Both, you know, Republicans and Democrats voted in favor. In fact, here’s a clip from Congresswoman Nancy Mace.
SPEAKER 29 :
Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee issue a subpoena to the Honorable Pamela Jo Bondi to appear before the committee for a deposition regarding the department’s handling of the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in compliance with the Epstein-Fidles Transparency Act.
SPEAKER 31 :
So with the Clintons and Pam Bondi being subpoenaed, it seems no one is off limits. But I think a reason that Bondi is probably facing this is while we have over 3 million files that have been released, committee members say that that’s possibly only about half of the Epstein files that exist at the DOJ. And as you know, there’s a lot of pressure to get them out. Bondi and the DOJ have also faced some criticism for how they maybe did not conceal the identities of some victims as they released these files or in other cases maybe over-redacted them, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, Casey. As I’ve said before, this is something that’s not going away, the Epstein whole thing. It is. Well, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. Casey, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, Simon. I want to turn now to the situation in Iran with the U.S.-Israeli operations taking place there. The conflict continues to expand. Joining us now to discuss this, Congressman Keith Self. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He represents the 3rd Congressional District of Texas. He also served our country in the United States Army for 25 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Congressman Self, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining me. You bet, Tony. Good to be here. All right. I think I have a pretty good idea of where you stand on the president’s decision to go after the Iranian regime. But I’m going to give you a chance to comment on it and your thoughts on these initiatives as we’re moving into the completion of the first week.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, the president is ending a forever war. Look, since 1979, when the Ayatollahs took control with this tyrannical regime, they’ve been chanting death to America, death to Israel. They’ve killed at least hundreds, if not thousands of Americans. The real forever war, the 50-year war, 47 years, has been with Iran. And they are the leading sponsor of terrorism around the world. So this is ending a forever war. I don’t think the air campaign, we now have air superiority over Iran. That’s vitally important. I do not want American boots on the ground other than perhaps some advisors or trainers, which I think we might have to do, special forces types. But I think that the air campaign will go on for several weeks longer until we totally obliterate their ability for offensive operations. And that’s the goal. Look, the regime may survive depending on the groups inside Iran, starting with the Kurds. There are others. How they rise up. Do the Iranian people rise up? So those are my initial thoughts. We could go on forever. I’ll turn it back to you, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I want to explore the Kurds. A lot of focus has been on the Kurds. Who will be—will someone be resourcing the Kurds to aid them in their efforts?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, that’s a great question, because whoever it is—and I’m sure the United States government, the administration, is deciding who are we going to supply, who are we going to train— Because I think it’s got to be somebody. So if it’s the Kurds, and I think the Kurds are natural, then we should supply them, perhaps train them. But they’re very capable in and of their own right. With the Kurds, though, you have to be careful because Kurds are not just in Iran. We bring Syria into it. We bring Turkey into it. And I will tell you, there are countries, Iraq, there are countries that do not want to see the Kurds have a major seat at the table. So it’s not just an Iranian issue. It brings the region into this issue. I want to see the Iranian people rise up for us to somehow supply them to see if they can take over their own country.
SPEAKER 15 :
That’s going to be—there’s going to be a longer ramp-up for that, because they don’t have the resources and material to do that. But I’m going to go back to the Kurds for just a moment, because, to your point, yes, they’re a real problem for Turkey, but could this not even be a way to keep Turkey in check?
SPEAKER 18 :
It could be. I have heard one of the princes of the Gulf region use the word Turkistan. I’m sorry, Kurdistan. So if they’re using that word now, they may be actually socializing amongst themselves that, yes, we need a Kurdistan because they’re a significant group of people, ethnic group. that are in four countries. Maybe we ought to provide them the wherewithal to have their own country. And it would certainly, as you say, perhaps keep Turkey in check.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s a very dynamic situation, and it’s not like you move one piece and then nothing else happens. I mean, trying to predict what may come from this reshuffling of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East is somewhat difficult because, frankly, in the past, we’ve not gotten it right. But I do think when you look at—and I want to get your thoughts on this— Iran has a Western mindset, and if we return them to a democracy of sorts, I actually think Israel and Iran could become really pillars of stabilization in the Middle East. What do you think?
SPEAKER 18 :
Oh, absolutely. I’ve been saying this. Iran has a culture that is 5,000 years old that is not Islamic. The Islamic regime was imposed on them. And most of them do not want to be Muslim. They want to be Persian. They don’t even refer to themselves as Iranians. They are Persians. They have their own culture. They have their own language. So absolutely, I think this is a real possibility if we get this right. So I couldn’t agree more, Tony, that this is a nation that could be an outlier and come out of Islamization. I’m very optimistic that if we get this right and the people do their job, this might happen.
SPEAKER 15 :
Will this conflict expand before it settles down?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, it depends on the regime. Whoever’s in charge, whoever’s making the decisions. Look, they’ve attacked every single country now on their Western flank. And these are Sunnis. Remember, the Islamic regime in Iran is Shia. Sunnis and Shias have nothing to do with each other. They hate each other. So they’ve attacked a bunch of Sunni nations, and that’s not going to go well for them because they are totally different sects under Islam. So, yeah, it could expand as the regime gets more desperate. It could very well expand, which is why we need to continue to take out their offensive weapons, their missiles. Aircraft are gone. Navy’s gone. So, yes, it will expand as they get more desperate.
SPEAKER 15 :
Now, many thought after Midnight Hamra in June of last year that, you know, basically they were decimated and set back. But new information suggests that they have been busy working and were very close to once again breaking out with a nuclear weapon.
SPEAKER 18 :
And they certainly— Is that accurate? Well— I don’t think anyone knows that they were close to breaking out. I’m not going to go there. But they certainly had recovered their fissionable material, their uranium. So they definitely had recovered that from the rubble. So absolutely, they were working on it. I don’t know how close they were, but they also had the missiles restocked and ready to go. And I think that was the primary reason that we attacked when we did, not only the meeting in which we took out the Ayatollah and the senior leadership, but also the fact that they were ready to go on the offense. We just beat them to the punch.
SPEAKER 15 :
Just about 45 seconds left, Congressman South. Any concern about sleeper cells here in the United States that could respond?
SPEAKER 18 :
Absolutely. Look, the lone wolves, such as the shooter in Austin that killed several people, wounded several more, those are bad enough. I am far more concerned about the sleeper cells in the United States that would be well-trained and able to work together as a unit. That’s much more concerning to me. The DOJ has identified thousands of known terrorists that are in the United States today. So Some of them are obviously Iranian. It is a real concern, not the lone wolves. They’re going to do a lot of damage. But the sleeper cells could do more.
SPEAKER 15 :
Agreed. Congressman Keith Self, always great to have you on the program. Thanks so much for taking time to talk with us today. Thank you, Tony. All right, folks, stick around. We’re going to take a look at Tuesday’s elections. So don’t go away.
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When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. That they’re endowed by their Creator. With certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.
SPEAKER 12 :
Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th. Happy 250th birthday, America. May God bless America.
SPEAKER 14 :
You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
SPEAKER 28 :
At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
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Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent. And we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
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I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your Son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped to humble, and we are asking just now that you would help us, Lord. Amen.
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We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
SPEAKER 14 :
Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen.
SPEAKER 15 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in and being a part of the program on this Thursday. Let me encourage you, join the effort to pray for what is unfolding in the Middle East, for our men and women in uniform, for our leadership that are making decisions for the spiritual strongholds in that region, for Israel, for the innocent people in Iran, those that want freedom. Let’s pray. Text the word Iran to 67742, Iran to 67742, and take the prayer pledge and join us in praying. All that prayer points for you. So again, text the word Iran to 67742. All right. The 2026 midterm campaign season officially kicked off this week with the first primary elections in the states of Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. And they offered some, I think, very interesting storylines and some early warning signs and possibly a gut check for both political parties. So. What were the main takeaways? Joining us now to talk about this, to analyze the results, is John Rogers, senior partner and pollster at the polling firm Signal. John, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for taking time to join us.
SPEAKER 19 :
Great to be with you as always. All right.
SPEAKER 15 :
So let’s start with the early warning signs. Were there any early warning signs that this that Tuesday’s election results give us?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, so Tuesday you had three primary elections in three different states, North Carolina, Texas, and in Arkansas. And in North Carolina, there were 200,000 more people who voted in the Democratic primary election than voted in the Republican primary election. So a little bit of a warning sign there in the Tar Heels state that it seems like Democratic enthusiasm is extraordinarily high and maybe a little bit higher than it is for Republicans in that state. And then in Texas, for the first time since 2020, it looks like that there were more votes cast in the Democratic primary election than in the Republican primary election. And if you look at, like, for instance, in El Paso, turnout on the Democratic side was 77% higher than it was in 2022, the last midterm election. The Republican turnout was also higher in El Paso, but it was just 33 percent higher. So not quite matching the really stratospheric levels of enthusiasm that we saw in Texas. But one caveat is that Texas doesn’t have party registration. And so some of that could be some kind of moderate Republicans going over to vote in what was a hotly contested Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it was pretty hot on the Republican side, too. That was a pretty contested race as well.
SPEAKER 19 :
It was. So Senator John Cornyn is the incumbent Republican senator. He faced two challengers, current Attorney General Ken Paxton and then also current Congressman Wesley Hunt. Cornyn finished in the poll position, narrowly edging out Paxton, but didn’t get to 50 percent. So he and AG Paxton are headed to a runoff election.
SPEAKER 15 :
Now, some are reading into these numbers anti-incumbent mood. Do you see that at all?
SPEAKER 19 :
There’s an anti-institutional mood that we see in our polling all across the country. And unfortunately, that applies across the board to Congress and also a lot of other pillars of American society. So to some extent, I do think that bleeds over into an anti-incumbency feeling. If you look at the last two cycles, about 94% or 95%, depending on if you’re looking at 2024 or 2022, 94% to 95% of incumbents won their reelection. So incumbency still confers an advantage, although it’s not probably quite as much as it used to.
SPEAKER 15 :
So let’s talk just a moment about that enthusiasm level. When you look at—let’s just take the House, which is really in the balance. It has been for the last few cycles. But when you have just a couple of seats determining control, flipping one way or the other, determining control of the United States House, what do you make of the enthusiasm deficit that you saw in Tuesday’s elections?
SPEAKER 19 :
Right, so that gap of 200,000 votes between what Democrats cast in North Carolina versus what Republicans cast, it can’t be a harbinger. It has to be a warning sign that Republican committees and people who are running campaigns have to take very seriously. And so for what that means for this midterm election is, You have to make sure that the Republican base is there. You can’t neglect issues that Republican primary voters care about, like the life issue. You have to show them that you’re committed to advocating on their behalf in state capitals and then also on Capitol Hill for the issues that the base cares about. And then you go out and try to appeal to some of the voters in the middle, talking about things like inflation and how Republicans are going to be able to keep prices lower than Democrats would.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, John, this is not meant to be offensive, but I want to talk about polling for just a moment, because not everybody—I don’t buy into every poll that I see. And there’s been some polls out there this week that show the American people are not supportive of the efforts the president has taken toward Iran. I’m not saying they’re accurate or not. I personally think the president’s made a great decision here. I think it was a timely decision. And I think as the facts come out, more people will see that, even if this polling is correct. That said, though, how do you see the U.S. military operations against the Iranian regime influencing voters as we now move forward in this primary season?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, it’s a great question. And we have a national poll that actually just finished yesterday and we’ll be publishing in the next day or two. And we found that 50 percent of voters across the United States support the actions taken by the Trump administration against Iran, 44 percent opposed. So that’s a plus six support for the actions that the administration has taken. Generally, elections are not decided on foreign affairs. Generally, especially midterm elections, are decided on domestic political issues. But you look back to 2006, that was an issue where the Iraq War, I think, had a pretty large effect on some races. But I think right now, what we’re seeing in our data is that the American people are willing to give the administration a chance. And obviously, it’s a dynamic situation. And a week or two from now, the situation could totally have changed.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it is a foreign policy issue, but it has domestic implications when you look at the rise of oil, the cost in oil. In fact, the president working to address that issue because that’s been a signature effort of his is bringing down the price of gasoline. How might that factor in?
SPEAKER 19 :
Right. The administration is very keyed on trying to make sure that Americans understand all of the efforts that they’re doing to lower costs for American families. But one thing in Iran, too, that I think is a little bit different than some other hotspots around the world is a lot of Americans remember back to the 1979 revolution. They remember the hostage crisis. And so there’s a long memory, I think, for a lot of American voters that they understand that the regime that has been in power in Iran is It’s a deadly regime. And I think that voters are factoring that into how they look at the administration’s actions.
SPEAKER 15 :
And I also think as the days progress and more information comes out, that I think that support for what the administration has taken, the actions they’ve taken will build. John, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate your insight.
SPEAKER 19 :
Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, folks, more to add to your prayer list. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with some more of today’s Washington Watch after this.
SPEAKER 03 :
I think all people really need to have this type of education.
SPEAKER 27 :
Well, I can tell you that it’s been an amazing course, period.
SPEAKER 20 :
I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we’re doing with our families and
SPEAKER 21 :
with our work. God and Government is a video-driven, Bible-based training course from Family Research Council that explores the connection between biblical principles and American government. In this six-session video series, FRC President Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 27 :
I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this.
SPEAKER 03 :
I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
SPEAKER 13 :
So I’m an attorney, and for me, it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community to make better legislation, to try to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
SPEAKER 24 :
Any pastor would benefit from taking this course. because we are dual citizens, right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but we’re also citizens of this great land, and that comes with responsibility.
SPEAKER 20 :
Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you’re learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it’s also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it’s the videos, whether it’s doing it in person, bring your Bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it, and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
SPEAKER 15 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. The website, TonyBergens.com. Better yet, get the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app. That way you can have Washington Watch with you no matter where you go. Also can have access to our news and commentary that comes to you from a biblical perspective. That is the Washington Stand. And my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app. Well, this past Sunday, I had the opportunity to speak at First New Testament Church in Baton Rouge as they launched FRC’s first pray vote stand chapter in the state of Louisiana. Goal that FRC has embraced is a pray vote stand chapter. in every county in America over the next 10 years. All right. So we spoke Sunday morning, Sunday night. They had their first meeting, and they began with the God and Government course. And I’ll have to say, I’m pretty excited about the impact that these chapters can have in helping change America from the bottom up. And here to discuss this is Brent Kylan, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives here at the Family Research Council and FRC Action. Brent, thanks so much for joining me today. Hey, good to be with you, Tony. All right. So let’s talk, you know, first off, define pray, vote, stand chapters. Some people may be hearing that for the first time. What is a pray, vote, stand chapter?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah. So these launched literally just over a month ago. And I’m also super excited about these. And these, I’ll just say the chapters that have been going over this last month, it’s been super cool to see what they’re doing. They’re doing a number of different things. A lot of them, like the one you mentioned, Tony, are starting out with that God and government course. Some of them are doing other types of prayer events. One of them’s already got a prayer breakfast program. scheduled with local officials. One of them found out that there’s an abortion clinic that’s scheduled to be open in their area, and they’re working on ways that they can hopefully prevent that. But Tony, to your question, what these are, these are church-based groups, and they equip believers to engage prayerfully. and biblically and locally. That’s kind of a pray, vote, stand chapter in a nutshell. We built it around those three words, praying, voting, and standing really intentionally, just knowing if we are going to see cultural renewal, prayer is so essential. We have to start with prayer, praying for our churches, our communities, our leaders, and then voting, voting and influencing government officials for good, and then standing for biblical truth. practical ways.
SPEAKER 15 :
By the way, folks, if you’d like to find out more, text the word chapters, chapters to 67742. That’s chapters to 67742. So, this is different. I mean, there’s a lot of groups out there that have chapters and different things like this. This is a couple of different aspects of this that I think need to be pointed out. Number one, we’re targeting every county in America, so over 3,200 of these over the next 10 years. But as you pointed out, Brent, the focus here is first and foremost spiritual. There’s a recognition that we’re in a spiritual battle. This is not another political move. This is about, number one, educating believers on their role as Christian citizens. And so we start with the prayer because we want everything to be Holy Spirit inspired and driven. And it’s not just about elections and getting involved in elections. But as you pointed out, some already starting prayer initiatives. having breakfast, holding breakfast, prayer breakfast with county leaders, city leaders, just praying for them and building relationships. So this is much different than other types of citizen engagement initiatives that are out there.
SPEAKER 06 :
Tony, it really does blend all of those in very intentionally. And I look at even the timing of these launches this year. It’s our nation’s 250th anniversary. We didn’t exactly plan it that way. We thought we would launch last year, and then it ended up just working out, being better for this year. But then I look at that, and I look at the importance of this year for our country, and then it makes me ask the question, if our nation wants to see 50 more years of freedom or 100 or maybe 250 years more of more freedom, what is that going to take? And we know it’s going to take cultural involvement, being that salt and light influencing government, every area of culture, but it also has to embrace the spiritual element of it as well. And then we’ve also got to get back to that biblical foundation, those biblical truths, and our chapters really try to weave all of those together.
SPEAKER 15 :
And as you mentioned, many of them are beginning with the God and Government series, some of them taking the six-week series, some of the 13-week version of that, just bringing people through to give them an understanding of, number one, what the Bible has to say about government. Number two, the actual history of our country that is built on those biblical principles that has not been taught. And then third is, how do you take that and integrate it into action? And that’s really the focus. Pray, vote, stand. All right. Let’s say folks want to start a chapter. Now, it’s anchored in a church. So how do they go about that?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, so if you want to reach out to us, we would love to even walk you through that process. You can text CHAPTERS to 67742. You can also find all of this information on our website, frc.org slash chapters. But yeah, just go to your church leadership, let them know about this plan and get them on board. And then you can just… Get a group together. The God and Government course really is a great place to start because it both provides that foundation your chapter is going to need, but it’s also a great way of bringing a group of people together. You’re just watching a six-week course together. So that’s a great starting point. But then after that, there’s a number of resources, Tony, on the website and that we can equip you with to walk you through the process.
SPEAKER 15 :
Just about 20 seconds left, but you also do regular sessions online. Yes. Just kind of walking people through the process. They can find out more about that by texting chapters to 67742 as well.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, that’s right. We can answer all of those questions for you. We would love to do that.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, Brent, thanks for joining us. An exciting initiative at chapter, Pray, Vote, Stand chapter in every county in America. Maybe you can be a part of that. Text chapters to 67742. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 02 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates, and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 09 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 08 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 16 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill. And that should never be the case.
SPEAKER 10 :
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 should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 17 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 26 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 08 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It is now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 09 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 22 :
Stay informed with news articles from the Washington Stand, watch interviews from Washington Watch, explore courses produced by FRC, and find many other resources to equip you to engage culture and government from a biblical perspective. Download the Stand Firm app today by texting APP to 67742, or by searching for Stand Firm in your app store.
SPEAKER 15 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Let me encourage you to go to the website, TonyPerkins.com. Resources there for you from today’s program. Also, even better is the StandFirm app. Go to the App Store, get the StandFirm app. You have access to Washington Watch and a lot of other resources like Stand on the Word, our daily Bible devotional, and you have news and commentary from a biblical perspective with The Washington Stand. All of that, plus a lot more. He is on the Stand Firm app. Well, speaking of the word, our word for today comes from Leviticus chapter 24. Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light to make the lamps burn continually. The lampstand and the tabernacle symbolize the light of God’s presence and that Israel was to be God’s light to the nations. From that symbolism, we see in the New Testament Jesus as the light of the world. And notice the Israelites were responsible for bringing pure oil to keep the light of God’s presence burning in the tabernacle outside the Holy of Holies. Now, was this a burden on the people? It certainly was a responsibility, but it was really an opportunity. God was inviting the people to be a part of keeping the light burning. Certainly, God could have accomplished this another way. The temple tax could have been allocated for the oil. God could have kept the lamps miraculously burning, as Jewish tradition says happened during the time of the Maccabees. But here’s the message. Just as God called the Israelites to keep the light of his presence burning, so it is for us. We’re to keep the light of Christ burning for all to see. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. All right, as we’ve discussed, we are six days into the U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran, and the conflict has directly impacted nearly every country in the Middle East. Moreover, the Iranian regime’s attacks across the Gulf and wider region have drawn other countries deeper into the fray. with the UK announcing today new military deployments and the green light for American forces to use British bases for the operation. So, as we near the end of the first week of Operation Epic Fury, what can we draw from what is unfolding so far, and kind of what’s the historical context? Joining us now to discuss this is retired Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin, the executive vice president here at the Family Research Council. General Boykin spent 36 and a half years in the United States Army and served as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. He was also one of the original members of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force. General Boykin, welcome back to Washington Watch. As always, good to see you.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thank you, Tony. It’s good to be with you.
SPEAKER 15 :
So given your experience, in fact, you were a part of the effort to rescue the American hostages from Iran back in the late 70s. What’s your take on Operation Epic Fury?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, well, first of all, I think this was a good decision on behalf of the president. I think that it should have been done quite a distance back in time, and it took a guy like him to actually have the courage to do this. So I think that I regret that we have lost some people, but that said, that’s the price that we pay for being what we are as a nation. God bless them.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, as you said, this has been a long time in coming. This threat from Iran didn’t happen just overnight. As I made reference to, you were a part of an effort under the Carter administration to try and rescue the hostages that were held when this regime came into power.
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, that’s correct. We went in there on the 24th of April, 1980, trying to rescue 52 American hostages that were being held there by followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini. But that’s not the whole story. You’ve got to go back. Everybody’s talking about 43 years, 47 years, whatever the number of years it is. It actually is incorrect in terms of how this all started. It started with a coup that was created by the CIA, and it deposed the prime minister of the country. And not too long after he left, the Grand Ayatollah left right behind him and went to Spain or Paris, actually. And that brought the Shaw to power. And the Shaw was a different man. He did not believe in having a theocracy. He wanted something that was more relaxed for the people. And so he started working. opening things up there that were not open when it was a theocracy and ultimately he got cancer and and by the way during the time that we were in we were there with them we were watching the soviets from Iran. And that was a very good thing that we were doing because we could tell what they were up to better. But the Shah had to leave because he had cancer. And when he left, the revolution kind of blew out of control. And the Shah couldn’t come back. And he got his family out. He got his son out. But from that point on, it has been a series of things like supporting terrorism, like wanting nuclear weapons. like all kinds of things that we as Americans just simply could not tolerate. And when he asked for the weapons, we had a president that was willing to sign an agreement with him that ultimately we see now they were not abiding by to begin with this JCPOA. We’ve been at each other’s throats since then.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, based on your knowledge, your experience with Iran, how likely is it that this could bring down the present regime and that the people of Iran could take control of the country and we could see a normalization of relationships with Iran?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, here’s what some people don’t talk about. They don’t talk about the fact that only 61 percent of the people in Iran are actually Persians. The rest of them are different countries from different places in the world. and especially the Kurds. The Kurds are very important. And I think, first of all, they have shown no inclination to surrender. So this thing is going to go on for quite a while longer. But I will tell you that the people, if they will work at it in a deliberate way and find some leadership there that would be willing to step up and take over until they could bring in a representative government. And of course, they have somebody like that that could do it. And they have actually marched in the streets saying, bring Reza home. He’s talking about Reza Pahlavi. which is the son of the former Shah. So I think that it’s going to go on for a while. But yes, I think we’re not going to quit until this regime is destroyed. I’m absolutely certain of that. And once that occurs, it opens up a a whole new field there. And I think that we will see them turn into a different government than what we have now. And it will not be a religious government. It won’t be a theocracy. I think it’ll be something entirely different and it’ll be more representative. It may not be what we have or the Britons have, but they’ll have a different kind of government.
SPEAKER 15 :
Final question for you, General. How significant of a reshuffling of the Middle East will this have if what you just described occurs? How does the landscape, the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East change?
SPEAKER 25 :
Yeah, you know, it’s interesting because I think you’re seeing it already. We’ve got these basically Muslim countries now that are being shot at by the by these knuckleheads there in Iran. And they’re not going all out to say we’re siding with the Americans and the NATO or anything like that, but that’s basically what they’re doing. They’re not coming to their aid, and they’re not coming to the aid of these people in Iran. So I think we’re already seeing it happen, and I think it will be it will be better than we’ve ever seen it, at least in my lifetime.
SPEAKER 15 :
General Jerry Boykin, thanks so much for joining us. Always appreciate your insight. It’s good to be with you, Tony.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, to kind of wrap up today’s program, I want to—can I continue this and talk about a couple other things? I want to talk about the recent polling and what that’s telling us as it pertains to where the American people stand on this issue. Not that that should be a deciding factor, but I do think there’s an interesting element of that. I also want to talk about a Supreme Court case earlier in this ruling earlier this week. And so to help me do that, joining me is Suzanne Bowdy, editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand. Suzanne, thanks for joining us today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, so I want to—this was interesting to me. A CNN poll conducted immediately after the strike said about 60 percent of Americans disapprove of the attacks. Now, just to be clear, I’m not endorsing the poll one way or the other. It’s the response of the president that I found so interesting to this. The president who—I mean— Almost every time I have met with him talks about polls. He cites polls. He refers to polls. I mean, he lives by the polls. He’s been dismissive of these polls. I find that very interesting.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is interesting, Tony. I think actually it’s encouraging because in an instance like this, when we’re really talking about national security, we want a leader who puts America’s best interests first and who isn’t swayed by the public winds or public pressure, public backlash. In this instance, Trump has access to intelligence and classified information that the American people do not. He knows the big picture. And so to see him kind of be dismissive of this polling was actually a good thing in my mind for someone who, as you said, is very reliant on it. He embraces it when it’s convenient, like a politician, and dismisses it when it’s not. But another part of that polling that you referenced that hasn’t been brought up a whole lot is that 60 percent of the American people also aren’t sure what Trump’s plan is for Iran. So I think there is an educational moment here for the president that could help this polling. He sort of needs to bring people along, talk about the history like you were doing with General Boykin, and really explain the reasons for going after the regime without getting into the specifics that he can’t share. And I think that would help a lot. But yes, it is a fascinating phenomenon for people who’ve watched Trump.
SPEAKER 15 :
And like you, I’m encouraged by it. I applaud him for that, because I believe everything I have seen in the conversations I’ve had with both Americans and Israeli officials is this was the right decision, as the general said, and as I think the evidence—in fact, I have not seen a conflict in my lifetime that has probably the facts and the weight is more on the decision in favor of the decision the president took than any other. So I applaud the president. I think it’s that statesmanship-like to make a decision like that, regardless of what the polls. I want to go to another poll that you pointed out. It’s regarding the American people, their view of illegal immigration. They want the illegal immigrants out, but they have concerns about ICE.
SPEAKER 04 :
They really have a split personality where immigration is concerned. It is the issue that propelled Trump to the White House, we believe, along with the economy. And what you’re seeing now, especially this week, two very competing polls were released. One was historic in that it showed half of the American people want to abolish ICE. I think that’s incredibly alarming. It shows Republicans have a lot of work to do on the messaging side. But then on the other side, a Harvard-Harris poll released said that 57 percent, almost 60 percent of the American people, want illegal immigrants to continue being deported. Now, I find that interesting because how are you going to deport them if you’ve abolished the agency that’s responsible for it?
SPEAKER 15 :
So, yes. But could it be the conduct or the way, the tactics that ICE is using? I mean— Oh, absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s been—
SPEAKER 15 :
So, it’s not so much that they don’t want an agency removing illegal immigrants for the country. They just want to do it a different way. Could that be it?
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. I think that’s exact—I think you’ve hit on it exactly. I think people were horrified by what they’ve seen in some of these cities now that Tom Homan has come in and sort of been the adult in the room, tamping down these tensions, sort of bringing down the temperature on ICE, installing, you know, new training, some new protocol for these agents. I think the American people will start to see that not everything has to be this strong-arming tactics, breaking down doors and other things. That will be helpful.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, is that why Noma’s out?
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ll see. I mean, as the reports were going, Trump was making calls on the Hill to find out, you know, should she go or should she stay. The buck stops with her. She runs the agency.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right. I want to talk about something else. We just got about a minute and a half left. Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling pertaining to it wasn’t a decision. It was a ruling regarding California and parents out there making an emergency appeal to the court to stay a policy in California that allows or actually calls upon teachers and schools to hide information from the parents. pretending to be another gender is transitioning to another gender, even in elementary school. Talk about that.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s absolutely astonishing. You, as a parent of five, would be absolutely horrified to live in California and, well, you’d be homeschooling, as most people should right now in California, if I were them, but would be horrified to know that here you can’t get a Tylenol or take your child on a field trip without a parent’s permission, but that you can secretly transition them at school. They can go by different pronouns. This case, as you said, was not on the merits, but it is as close to a victory as you can come without being on the merits, since the justices essentially said, look, this is an absurd policy in not so many words. They cited the Montgomery County ruling of last year, which said that parents should be able to opt their children out of LGBT story time. Now, transitioning your child, they said, is a higher amount of scrutiny than even LGBT story hours. So I think they gave us an indication of where they’re going to lead when this actually comes before their deaths. But the right decision was made, and that was to keep this policy on ice, no pun intended, but to keep this policy blocked until the case makes its way through the Supreme Court, where I do hope that they will reinstate parents’ rights in the state of California. Yeah.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right. We’ve got to leave it there. Suzanne, thank you, folks. Thanks for joining us. And until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 30 :
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.
