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In this episode of Washington Watch, we delve into the dynamic interplay of international relations and domestic policy. Dr. Will Hall from the Louisiana Baptist Convention discusses the critical letter addressed to President Trump regarding the Biden-era mailing policy of abortion drugs, heralding a pivotal moment in the nation’s pro-life movement. Tune in as Senator Steve Daines exposes the unprecedented stalling of over 130 nominations on the Senate floor, highlighting the political brinkmanship at play. Also, discover the Family Research Council’s recent initiatives in the digital realm and their commitment to strengthening family values across the nation.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason in waiting. There’s no reason I’m waiting. It’s 50 days. I want to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.
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That was President Donald Trump yesterday shortening Russia’s 50-day window to reach a ceasefire or face crushing sanctions to just 10 to 12 days. Welcome to this July 29th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, despite the increased pressure, Russia appears unmoved. Just last night, it launched a major barrage of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who has authored legislation to ramp up sanctions on Russian oil, will join me in just a moment. Also ahead, Baptist pastors and leaders from 22 states have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to end a dangerous Biden-era policy that allows abortion drugs to be mailed even into states with laws that protect the unborn. We’ll talk with Dr. Will Hall of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, one of the signers of the letter. Plus, more than 130 Trump administration nominees are stalled on the Senate floor. What’s behind the delay? Montana Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate leadership team, well, he’ll fill us in and tell us why.
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And finally. The UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September. unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
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That was UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier today saying that if Israel does not come to a ceasefire in Gaza and agree to a two-state solution, UK is going to join France in September at the United Nations General Assembly and call for a Palestinian state. Carolyn Glick, International Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, will join us later from Jerusalem. All of that and more coming up on this edition of Washington Watch. Let me encourage you, if you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app so that you can keep up with Washington Watch no matter where you are, go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app. Not only will you have access to Washington Watch, but we also have our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand. That is a constant news feed on the Stand Firm app, as well as my morning devotional, Stand on the Word. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store, download the Stand Firm app. Well, earlier today, a Russian spokesman told reporters that Moscow has taken notes, or taken into account, President Trump’s announcement of a new deadline for Russia to end its war with Ukraine. But they said its special military operation, but its special military operation continues. Yesterday, President Trump said he would give Russia 10 to 12 days to end the war rather than the 50 he had given back on July the 14th. What might President Trump do if Russia fails to meet that new deadline? Joining me now to discuss this and more is U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Serves on four Senate committees, including the Budget Committee. He joins us by phone. Senator Graham, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you for covering this. It’s a very important topic. Thank you.
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Well, let’s start with the president saying, all right, you only have 10 to 12 days now instead of the 50. What actions might the president take? Does this bring in your measure that calls for increased sanctions on Russian oil?
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Yes, I think so. There’s two ways. What is he going to do? He said today on the airplane coming back from England, it was 10 days. So he said 10 days. So the clock is ticking. Now, what would he do? At the end of 10 days, if there’s not a ceasefire, he’s going to put sanctions on those who buy Russian oil and gas. Putin could care less, apparently, about how many Russians get killed in the battle. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded. I don’t think he cares about sanctions because he lives pretty well, him and his cronies. So what we’re doing, I’ve talked to President Trump about, is go after the customers. He’s a fossil fuel economy, Putin is. So Trump is threatening to go after China, India, Brazil, and other countries that buy Russian gas that prop up Putin’s war machine with tariffs 100%. So in other words, China, if they keep buying Russian sheep oil to prop up his war machine, Putin, Trump’s going to put 100% tariff on Chinese products coming into America, and they’re going to have to pick between the American economy and helping Putin. I think that’s the best way to get Putin to the table.
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So these countries that are buying this Russian oil, despite the international pressure not to do so, then the United States will take actions against those secondary countries, secondary sanctions on those countries in what they sell to the United States.
SPEAKER 04 :
Tariffs, not sanctions. And this EU deal with the European Union is the most fantastic deal I’ve ever seen an American president negotiate. We’re going to put a 15% tariff on European products, some of them, a lot of them coming in, like $100 billion a year. We’re going to replace Russian oil and gas in European countries over time. This is a fantastic deal. But what Trump is telling people like China, countries like China and India, who buy cheap Russian oil to benefit their economy – that you’re going to pay a price for keeping this war going, because without you helping Putin, he wouldn’t be able to prosecute the war. This will be a game changer and it’s coming in 10 days. And my bill has Congress allowing, you know, setting, um, uh, this up for him so he can do it through executive action, or he can have Congress pass a bill, allowing him to do it. Uh, I want to help the president given the most leverage possible. I think there’d be 90 votes in the U.S. Senate to allow the president to put tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil that don’t help Ukraine from zero to 500 percent. Let him pick the number.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, currently, is Russia selling this oil cheaper in order to get it to these?
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, dirt cheap. I mean, this is, you know, India is buying oil from Russia and reselling it. Now, Europe last week put a price they will pay on Russian oil at $48 a barrel versus what had been $60. Well, the goal is to stop buying Russian oil and gas, but that’s going to take a while. We’ve got to build pipelines and ships and all that stuff. But Russia is selling it well below market because Putin just needs enough money.
SPEAKER 12 :
And this is what’s financing their war machine.
SPEAKER 04 :
Totally. I mean… Trump, as always, goes for the juggler. Trump has figured out, we’ve talked about this for about a year, without oil and gas customers, Putin’s out of business.
SPEAKER 12 :
And this doesn’t require any military assistance from the United States.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is all economic. Not one bullet. You’re telling India and China, you have been profiting off this war. You don’t do a thing to help Ukraine, you’re buying oil from Russia well below market. It’s cheap oil, helps your economy, but keeps the war going. you’re going to have to make a decision 10 days from now. If you keep doing that, you’re going to lose access to the American economy.
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Senator Lindsey Graham, I’d like to have a conversation at some point about India because they play both sides.
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100%.
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They want to have a close relationship with the United States, but they’re unwilling to make a commitment to the same values that we embrace. They’re playing with China and Russia. I think they’re unreliable, but that’s another conversation. I only have five more minutes, and I want to go to another foreign policy issue. I want to play a clip of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Zar responding to the international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. Play clip four, please.
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The international pressure on Israel during critical days in the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal has already caused Hamas to harden its position. This pressure is directly sabotaging the chances for a ceasefire and the hostage deal.
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Today, the prime minister of the UK coming out saying that if we don’t have a ceasefire and Israel doesn’t agree to a two-state solution, we’re going to join France in September and vote for a Palestinian state. That’s counterproductive, is it not?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I know this is a religious radio show, but it’s asked backwards. You should be doing the opposite. I’ve been telling Israel that if Hamas doesn’t agree to lay down their arms and the leaders exit Gaza, go in and do what we did to Berlin and Tokyo, take the place by force. The Europeans are prolonging the war by – Putting on the table a Palestinian state makes, as the foreign minister said in Israel, Hamas harder to deal with. I’ve talked to the British today. I’ve talked to the French. You’re making it harder to find a ceasefire, not easier. So here’s my position to our friends in Israel. Do what you have to do to finish Hamas off if they do not agree to lay down their arms, period.
SPEAKER 12 :
Does the United States stick with him? I mean, the president, you know, I know he’s been very good on Israel, but even he seems to be moved by Hamas propaganda coming out of Gaza.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t mind having humanitarian quarters to help feed people.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
But we’ve got Hamas over in a corner now. You’re negotiating with the ISIS. That’s like asking the, you know, Israelis to negotiate with religious Nazis, Hamas. They were to kill all the Jews and their religious fanatics. So if you can’t convince them to lay down their arms and the leaders go somewhere else, then I think Israel needs to use everything at their disposal to end this war quickly. And I don’t mind helping feed people, kids, But the goal is to end the war so there’s no future October 7th, and the Palestinian people will never have a better life as long as Hamas is around. We’ll come in gunpoint two years after the most brutal attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Enough already. Finish Hamas off.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. I’m going to be joined by Caroline Glick a little bit later in the program. We’re going to talk about that. What I think is a pretty bold and pretty aggressive humanitarian effort that they put forth down there. But Hamas has been hijacking and stealing and selling a lot of the humanitarian relief.
SPEAKER 04 :
Just one last thought. Did anybody suggest we should feed the Germans or the Japanese during World War II? Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Here’s what’s happened. Why do we hold the Jewish state to a different standard?
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t. They’re in a place where they’re like, do you agree with us? They’re surrounded by groups. ISIS, al-Qaeda types that want to kill all the Israelis. They believe they have to kill the Jews to honor God. They’re religious fanatics. And when we were in the fight for our lives in World War II, if you had suggested we need to start feeding the Germans or the Japanese – as we’re fighting their forces, people to run you out of town.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. They would have looked at you like you were from outer space.
SPEAKER 04 :
Like, yes. And we’ve lost the sense that this is a war for the survival.
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That Hamas started, a war that Hamas started. They started it. Not Israel. All right, Senator, we’re out of time. Out of time. Always great to talk with you. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, thanks for joining us. All right, folks, we’re going to talk more about that a little bit later with Carolyn Glick, who works with the prime minister of Israel. But coming up next, a letter to President Donald Trump regarding the dangerous and deadly abortion drug Mifepresto. Don’t go away.
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A family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think had they not been here that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
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The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
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It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
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FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
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You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag fly. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the Word who dwelt among us. Come with us and discover the glory of the Word. Read the Gospels and witness the life-changing story of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed the lives of common people and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come with us for 10 to 15 minutes a day and read the entire New Testament before the new year. Find our Bible reading plan in daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us and stand on the word.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us on this Tuesday. All right. This week, 40 Baptist leaders representing 22 states signed on to an FRC letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to take immediate action on the dangerous abortion drug Mifeprestone, which has been a growing threat to women and unborn children. Thanks in part to a Biden era policy that still remains in place. Now, 63% of abortions are now being performed through this abortion pill. Now, considering how President Trump has been so forceful in fixing the debacles of the last administration, why is this deadly policy still in place? Joining me now to discuss this is Dr. Will Hall, director of the Louisiana Baptist Office of Public Policy, the executive editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message. Dr. Hall, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
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Absolutely. And thanks for the conversation that preceded this. Excellent.
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Well, a lot going on in the world and we bounce all over and we want to come back to this domestic issue because I think. Actually, Dr. Hall, there are two things I think we have to get right as a nation. One is how we align with the Word of God when it comes to Israel. And second, and actually I would say first, is how we align with the issue of life as God has ordained it. Because every human being has the fingerprint of God, the image of God, they’re image bearers. And we’ve seen something happen. And post Roe, since the Dobbs decision, we’ve actually seen an increase in abortion in this country, primarily because of the abortion pill. And you’ve been speaking out on this, and so have Baptist leaders, and now they’ve signed a letter to the president to that effect.
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Well, I want to thank you for taking the lead in this letter and allowing our state leaders to participate in this, because it is very critical to all of us. And especially for us, there are 12 states that have totally banned all abortions. And this letter will help us put that last piece of the bulwark in place that will help us to stop the illegal abortions that are taking place in our states.
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Let me ask you about that, Dr. Hall, because you’re the head of the Office of Public Policy. So you know policy there in the state of Louisiana, my home state. I helped pass a lot of the pro-life laws there. Louisiana is one of the strongest pro-life states in the nation. And as you pointed out, there’s about 13 that have totally lined up on the side of life. But in effect, that’s being nullified by a federal policy that allows abortion pills to be mailed into those states.
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Yeah, and it seems to contradict President Trump’s position on this, which he has stated is a states’ rights issue. And so in order to protect states’ rights, he needs to come alongside us as a partner in completing a ban on the shipment of of abortion bills in the states that ban it. I think you ought to ban a national shipping of the abortion bills, but specifically for those states that have taken the law and the legal measures to say, we don’t want of Mifepristone and Misoprostol to be shipped into our state. We don’t want our women and children being exposed to telemedicine appointments for abortions without a state doctors.
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Because the president and others, I don’t, necessarily agree with this interpretation of the Dobbs decision, but many have said, well, this gives the states the rights, the right to protect the unborn. I think it gives policymakers, all policymakers, federal and state, to do that. However, let’s just take the state for a moment. We have 41 states that have actually adopted some form of law restricting abortion, protecting the unborn. But again, those are all being nullified because of the the non-enforcement of the Comstock Act that allows abortion pills to be mailed into states, and secondly, the FDA policy that no longer requires an in-person consultation in order to dispense these abortion pills. It’s led to about 11% increase in emergency situations with women ending up in emergency rooms as a result. But this is not something new for the Southern Baptist. This was an issue at the most recent convention where Baptists gathered. Speak to that issue and how this is an issue that, as a whole, the whole Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, is speaking into this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, first I want to say that banning Mephistopheles or both of worship idols is essential to protecting the lives of young people. And as you notice, there’s been a tick up across the nation in abortions because of the easy availability of these drugs. But This letter asking President Trump to take action is also essential to protect the health of women and children. We have a case that is getting a lot of attention where we’re suing a doctor in New York because she shipped abortion bills to a mother. had no contact with the young girl that actually ended up with abortion pills. The mother coerced the young girl to take the pills. The young girl was actually planning to have a gender reveal party. And the only reason that we found out about this coercion and also about this legal activity by New York is because the young girl had severe hemorrhaging. and made a 911 call, police arrived, thought that something else was going on, and realized that she had taken the abortion pill, and she ended up in the emergency room in critical condition. And so we’ve got to do something, one, to protect the unborn, and two, to protect our women and children from bad medicine.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is a human trafficker’s dream to be able to do this. We’ve got a case, a similar case in Texas where a boyfriend got the pill through the mail and put it into, I think it was his girlfriend, I don’t think it was his wife, his girlfriend’s drink and a similar outcome. So this is an issue of health for the women, and obviously it’s deadly for the babies. Do you see this as continuing to be an issue with Southern Baptists across the country? I mean, 22 states signing on to this is pretty significant. It’s a pretty widespread element of the Baptist convention across the country.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, look, I talk with my peers across the states that are part of the Southern Maps Convention, and it’s an issue in their states. Of course, you can tell because of the number of leaders that signed on. We passed a resolution in 2023, our state asking the government to do the very same things that you ask in this letter that you submitted. led in getting to President Trump. And then, of course, the Southern Baptist took the story. You know how difficult it is, Tony, to get an agreement on such a contentious issue among the diverse people that make up the Southern Baptist Convention. But it passed without objection.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I’m prayerful and hopeful that the president will respond to this letter from these 40 Baptist leaders. Dr. Hall, thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this.
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At Family Research Council, defending the family isn’t just a mission, it’s our daily calling. Every team member at FRC uses their God-given talents to stand for biblical truth, protect life, and uphold religious freedom.
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Here at Family Research Council, we face many threats to the family, threats that have been with us for some time. Abortion, the gender ideology threat, the attacks on marriage, the attacks on parental authority, and the attacks on religious freedom. We have to promote, support, strengthen, and incentivize family growth so families take their place in society in a place of honor.
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I’m defending the family by working in the Center for Biblical Worldview to provide cutting edge research and resources for pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian parents.
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Through my work at the Washington Stand, I passionately defend what God has defined for marriage and family. I don’t see the Washington Stand as just a place to talk about cultural events. It’s a place to share biblical truth with the perfect outlet to advance and defend what God has defined as good, true, and beautiful.
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Because of you, we’re able to frame things in such a way that help Christians stand for truth on the things that matter most like life, faith, family, and freedom. Thank you for standing with us.
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Thank you for your support. It is so critical to the work that we at Family Research Council are doing day to day as we support and strengthen the family. So thank you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. We ran out of time in that last segment, but we also have a petition to the president on the abortion drug, asking him to reverse the Biden era policy, along with that letter that the pastors have sent to him. You can sign this petition. Text the word life to six, seven, seven, four, two. That’s life to six, seven, seven, four, two. Well, House members are back in their districts right now, and the Republicans are touting the one big beautiful bill and other successes of the Republican unified government over the first six months. But the Senate, well, they’re still here in town, and maybe, actually, they might be here for a while, thanks to what Senate Majority Leader John Thune described as a historic level of obstruction from Democrats.
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When I say this is a historic level of obstruction from Democrats, I mean it. That’s not a Republican talking point. It’s just a fact. Democrats haven’t offered a shred of courtesy to President Trump, to the voters who elected him, or the people who have stepped up to serve our country in his administration.
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Over 130 nominations are stalled on the Senate floor. Why? Joining me now to discuss this and more, U.S. Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who serves on four Senate committees, including the Senate Finance Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. He’s part of the Senate leadership. Senator Daines, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Glad to join you, Tony. All right, so answer the question. Why do we have 130 nominees that are awaiting confirmation stalled on the Senate floor?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, Leader John Thune had it right in that clip you showed, Tony. This is an unprecedented level of obstruction by Chuck Schumer and the Democrats. This is an all-time low watermark. We’ve never seen this kind of opposition. In fact, President Trump now, as Trump president number 47, is the first president to go this many days, virtually six months into his administration, without a single nomination via consent or agreement with the Democrats. In other words, they’re not giving us any consent agreements, which allows us to reduce some of the time, these sometimes archaic rules of the Senate. And this has never before been seen. That’s the biggest problem. And so we are playing hardball right now with Chuck Schumer. And we are negotiating, getting the list from the president. President Trump’s given us what he needs to see in August. We’ve got that list. We’re negotiating right now. And either Schumer’s going to cut a deal with us, we’re going to play hardball with him.
SPEAKER 12 :
So just so our folks understand this, the rules allow for so much debate over each nominee. And what the Democrats are doing is using up all of that time and knowing that the outcome is predetermined because you only have to have 51 votes and you’re going to confirm these individuals. They’re going to get confirmed, but they’re just using, well, actually, let me play this clip from Senator Schumer. Play clip number nine.
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Senate and House Democrats are united in creating an America that works better for everyone, not just the wealthy, not just the well-connected. And we will use every tool at our disposal in the appropriations process and beyond to fight back against the disastrous Donald Trump Republican agenda.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that is dragging your feet and making sure that no agreements are reached.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, let me contrast two important points here, Tony. First of all, I talked about an unprecedented level of obstruction from Chuck Schumer. They’re trying to stop President Trump, throw sand in the gears every chance they have. But on the other hand, we’ve actually been the most productive U.S. Senate under John Thune’s leadership working with President Trump in the history of the Senate. We’ve cast more votes, advanced more legislation, gotten more nominations through the old-fashioned way with John Thune’s leadership. But the problem is there’s some 1,100 political nominations at any given time for any president. It takes up to three years or more to fill all the nominations. Tony, this is a broken institution in terms of the process. And so there’s some things we can do, like we’ve made reforms in the past. to get Supreme Court noms through, Circuit Court noms through, important nominations by shortening time with simply 51 votes and not 60. And we’re prepared to take additional action if needed to make sure President Trump gets his nominations through in a timely fashion.
SPEAKER 12 :
When Joe Biden was the president, about 60 percent, I believe, of his nominees were approved by unanimous consent. So the Republicans actually worked with the Democrats, knowing what the outcome was going to be, so it wouldn’t waste time and the Senate could get work done. But you’re saying that’s not happening now?
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s the worst we’ve ever seen, Tony. It’s just the facts. Zero cooperation. Generally, there’s cooperation with some ambassador nominations. Very important. We get our ambassadors representing the United States of America around the world, what we call our soft power. Very important. And yet zero, zero cooperation from Democrats.
SPEAKER 12 :
Senator Daines, is this setting a dangerous precedent of political division? I mean, the Senate is supposed to be the place where people kind of get along. but it doesn’t look like it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, there’s not getting along in terms of cooperation with Chuck Schumer. There’s still collegiality between members, but I want to see results.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, that’s what the American people want. They want to see things happen.
SPEAKER 10 :
The first thing I chatted with President Trump when I was chairman of the Senatorial Republican Committee in this last election cycle, I did that for two years, elected leadership position, one of the first meetings I had with President Trump was in January of 23, down in Mar-a-Lago. I told him the most important thing we can do, Mr. President, Remember, then we only had 49 Republicans. We were in the minority. So we’ve got to give you the majority so we can get your legislation passed, that one big, beautiful bill, and get your nominations through. Well, now we have the nominations. We have the majority, I should say. But it still takes some cooperation to go faster. We can do it through brute force, but it’s way too slow. We’ve got to get President Trump’s team on the battlefield as soon as possible. That’s the hardball moment right now we’re facing, Tony. Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, you’ve got one cabinet member, too. You’ve got the U.N. ambassador, Mike Waltz, is waiting for confirmation. So that’s kind of a critical point right now with what’s happening internationally. All right, Senator, we’re out of time, but always great to have you on the program. Thanks for joining us. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
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Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 08 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 16 :
There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
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This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
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And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
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Order today at embracethedesign.com.
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How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in for this Tuesday edition. Let me encourage you, if you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app, where you can have access to Washington Watch no matter where you go. You also will have access to our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand, and my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. All of that, all of that can be in your pocket. on the Stand Firm apps. Go to the app store and get the Stand Firm app. Well, our word for today comes from Mark chapter eight. When he had called the people to himself and his disciples also, he said to them, whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me forever. Desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. You know, the kingdom of God is counterintuitive. It doesn’t operate by the world’s logic. To find your life, you must surrender it. True life is discovered not in self-preservation, but in self-denial and full devotion to Christ. Jesus went on to say this. He said, For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. You know, this is a sobering challenge to believers. As our culture grows more hostile toward biblical truth, will you stand firm in faith or will you shrink back in silence? When pressured to compromise, will you confess Christ or be ashamed of Him? To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Well, Israel’s war against terror is approaching two years. And while the Jewish state has been physically fighting on seven fronts, its battle on the eighth front, that’s the one that appears to be escalating most right now. And that is the battle for truth. As Israeli’s prime minister put it recently, images of malnourished children have provoked a strong international response. Even the White House has weighed in, calling for Israel to do more to get aid to people in Gaza. Well, earlier today, the UK said it would formally recognize the state of Palestine this September at the United Nations General Assembly, unless Israel abides by a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution in the Middle East. Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is Carolyn Glick, the International Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel. Carolyn was previously a senior contributing editor to the Jewish News Syndicate. Carolyn, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for staying up late to join us there from Israel.
SPEAKER 23 :
Oh, it’s always a pleasure to join you on your program. Thanks for having me, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I want to get the facts, okay? I want to get the facts. I know most of the facts coming out of Gaza are manufactured facts from Hamas, the same people who have been miscounting and manipulating casualty numbers, the same people who attacked Israel on October the 7th. But the international community is taking their pictures, their stories wholesale. So let’s just start with this, Carolyn. Is Israel continuing to take relief and humanitarian aid into Gaza? And if so, how much?
SPEAKER 23 :
Thanks for the question, Tony. Yes, I think it’s pretty amazing that the international community, the Western media, the places that we all go to to find out facts, have been presenting Hamas’s lies as fact, really, in some cases since October 7th, and in many, many cases since shortly after October 7th. The myth that Israel was trying to star of the people of Gaza began getting disseminated just days after the largest, most brutal and sadistic massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023 at the hands of Hamas terrorists. And yet, you know, it was very, very quick, the shift to say, oh, Israel is indiscriminately bombing Gaza. Oh, Israel is causing a famine, and none of this was remotely true. It also wasn’t true that Israel was deliberately targeting civilians. To the contrary, everything that Hamas has been putting out of Gaza, and they control the information flow out of Gaza, have been deliberate lies. The goal of those lies is to paint the light as dark and the darkness as light and to pretend that Israel is the side that is responsible for the atrocities from the outset of the war, from October 7th still today, when the facts are the exact opposite. It’s Hamas that’s responsible for all the suffering that has happened to the people of Israel and to the people of Gaza since October 7th. And today, as has been the case throughout the war, Israel is not starving the people of Gaza. Israel is not denying vital humanitarian aid, particularly food and medicines to the people of Gaza. To the contrary. There have been over 94 million tons of food delivered to Gaza since the outset of the war. That’s about 3,200 calories per person per day. As speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson said that Israel has delivered enough over the past year and 10 months to feed the 2 million people of Gaza all day, every day, and it has continued to do so throughout the war.
SPEAKER 12 :
So let me ask you this. Has that humanitarian aid made it to the people or has Hamas intercepted it in some cases?
SPEAKER 23 :
Hamas has made over half a billion dollars in stolen aid money because what we see is it’s only over the past several weeks, really since late May, since the Gaza Humanitarian Fund started distributing food packages in Gaza, in southern Gaza, that for the first time, the Gazans are realizing that all of the food that has been delivered by international aid agencies to Gaza since October of 2023 was supposed to be delivered to them for free. Because what’s really happened is that aside from what’s been going on for the past two months with the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, that’s supported by the Trump administration in Israel, all of the aid in Gaza has been purloined by Hamas, who then, first of all, uses it to supply its terrorists, and second of all, sells the A, that is supposed to be distributed for free to the people of Gaza at jacked up prices and uses the money, A, in order to pay its terrorists, B, in order to mobilize new terrorists, particularly young children, to serve as terrorists in its terror army, and C, to steal the money from the people of Gaza who are then forced to pay for aid that the international community donated to the people of Gaza to be distributed free of charge.
SPEAKER 12 :
Carolyn, I know that Israel has been very deliberate as they’ve gone into Gaza. They’ve warned the civilian population when they’ve gone into certain areas, when they’ve targeted areas that Hamas has been using, whether it’s been under hospitals or schools or whatever. Can you point to… Other places in history, other times in history, for instance, when the United States or another country has been battling an opponent, an enemy, whether it was, say, Germany in World War II, where those opposing armies actually fed the civilian population of the country they were trying to stop.
SPEAKER 23 :
No, Tony. In the history of modern warfare, there’s never been an instance where one party feeds the other party in the midst of war, particularly not the aggrieved party that was invaded and whose people were massacred. But no, nothing that Israel has been doing in Gaza has any precedent in the history of warfare. including the civilian to terrorist casualty rate. It’s the lowest in recorded history. It’s about one to one, one civilian for every terrorist that’s killed. Nobody has ever had a ratio that low in the history of warfare, and yet Israel’s being accused seemingly by everybody except, you know, the Trump administration of committing genocide against the people of Gaza when the exact opposite is the case. And Israel is on trial for committing genocide at the International Court of Justice at The Hague when All of the facts speak to the fact that Hamas carried out acts of genocide on October 7th. Its goal as an organization, as a jihadist army and jihadist terror organization, is to annihilate the Jewish people, every single one, not only in Israel but around the world. It’s a genocidal terrorist organization. Its terrorist acts are defined by the Genocide Convention as being acts of genocide, and yet Everything is turned upside down. And you have, as you mentioned in your intro, you have these seemingly enlightened governments in Western Europe, the French and the British and before them, the Spanish government who want to reward the Palestinians for their acts of justice.
SPEAKER 12 :
I want to ask you about that. But first, before we move to that, I just want to make sure I’m clear on this. We wouldn’t be having this conversation had there not been October 7th.
SPEAKER 23 :
Of course not. There would never have been a war if they hadn’t invaded Israel and slaughtered our people.
SPEAKER 12 :
So where’s the outcry from the international community about what Hamas has put the people of Gaza through?
SPEAKER 23 :
It’s a very chilling thought that really all of these people that you would have expected to side with civilization, against barbarism, to side with a peace-loving democracy, against the jihadist terrorist cult that invaded and murdered men, women, children, and babies, and took hostages, grandmothers with their granddaughters. you would think that that would have happened. And really what’s ensued is the exact opposite. So people really have a lot to be ashamed of today when you think about where the truth is and where they are.
SPEAKER 12 :
We’re going to talk truth here on Washington Watch. And, you know, well, let me move on here. I want to go to the UK.
SPEAKER 23 :
That’s why I love coming on your show, Tony. Thank you. You give truth prime billing on your show. In fact, exclusive billing.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it is because I feel very passionate about this because, you know, all you have to do is look at history and how the Jewish people are treated. And you’ve got to know there’s more to it than than what meets the eye. And it’s inexplicable. And I want to go to that’s that sets me up for my next question coming from the prime minister of the UK, Stormer, where He says this. He says, ultimately, the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement. He told reporters this. He said, he goes on to say, our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. I mean, isn’t that what we had prior to October the 7th? In effect, we had Gaza self-governing. Israel wasn’t there. The IDF wasn’t there. There was no Israeli involvement whatsoever. And it was nothing more than a launch pad for terrorism. And that’s just a sliver of property compared to what they’re advocating under the two-state solution.
SPEAKER 23 :
They want us to give Jerusalem to Hamas. We have to realize, you know, when they’re talking about all of the aid that they want to bring into Gaza, these countries have collectively donated billions and billions of dollars to Gaza over the 20 years or the 18 years that Israel wasn’t there and even before that to support the Palestinians and their dream of a Palestinian state. And all of that aid, billions of dollars, was just taken, diverted by Hamas to build the most complicated, complex defenses ever seen. Again, 450 miles of subterranean tunnels whose sole purpose was to wage war against Israel, to hold terrorists, to hold hostages, to hold missiles and service launching pads. against innocent civilians in Israel.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, so, Caroline, for France and the UK, I mean, what happened? Did all that go down in the memory hole? I mean, all the international aid that has gone into Gaza should be, I mean, it should be the most fascinating place in all the world. It should be like Dubai. But yet it is a pile of rubble because it was nothing more than a launch pad for terrorism. What, did we just forget all of that? And now advocating that Judea and Samaria become home to the next terrorist operation?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, the thing is, is that we warned them what was happening. Of course, we didn’t realize the extent until October 7th, 2023. It made it very clear. But we were warning about this all along, and they didn’t care. They didn’t care then, and they don’t care about the truth now. I mean, it’s just not what’s interesting. They have very large rest of Muslim minorities that are controlled to a large degree by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the mother organization of Hamas and Al Qaeda and many, many other terrorist organizations. And they keep thinking, apparently, like Winston Churchill said, you know, that the problem with feeding the tiger is that, you know, you’re going to run out of food and he’ll eat you. I grossly misstated the quote, but that’s the gist of it. And they think that if they keep feeding this jihadist tiger, Israel, and the Jews, that it will leave them alone. But as you see with the rape gangs and the terrorism in Britain and throughout Europe, that it’s not working out for them. And they really should start doing something revolutionary, which is base their policies on fact and on truth rather than on some sort of – WEAK FANTASY THAT IF THEY FEED THE TIGER, THE JEWISH STATE, THAT IT WILL LEAVE THEM ALONE.
SPEAKER 12 :
WE HAVE A MINUTE AND A HALF LEFT, CAROLYN. CONTINUING THAT ANALOGY, YOU’VE SEEN THAT UP FRONT AND CLOSE. AS YOU POINTED OUT EARLIER, NOT SINCE THE HOLOCAUST HAVE WE SEEN SOMETHING like we saw October the 7th. It remains fresh in the minds of the Israeli people. Are they going to yield to this international pressure or are they going to stay the course and make sure that their borders are in fact secure and the Israeli people are safe?
SPEAKER 23 :
Okay, as Foreign Minister Gideon Tsar said today in the press briefing, we’re not going to be Czechoslovakia. We’re not going to allow ourselves to be devoured by people who want to devour us. Of course not. We saw what happens when we do that on October 7th, and we’re not going to unsee what we saw. We’re not going to unexperience the suffering that we experience. It’s not going to happen, which means that, you know, it’s a perfect setup, I think, for people who have this desire to kind of have a posture, a foreign policy of posturing, and that leads to nothing. And they can posture for the domestic consumption by being anti-Israel. And I think that that’s precisely what they’re doing. And they’re going to lose out. They’re going to be less secure. We’re going to lose out because they’re being nasty to us. And the Palestinians will lose out because they’re dooming them to continuing this war to no end.
SPEAKER 12 :
No one.
SPEAKER 23 :
That’s what they want.
SPEAKER 12 :
No one wins when the truth is not told. It is the truth that, in fact, sets us free. Carolyn, thanks so much for joining us. We continue to pray for Israel and the entire Middle East for the peace that we all desire. Thanks so much for being with us.
SPEAKER 23 :
Thanks very much, and God bless.
SPEAKER 12 :
And, folks, I do want to encourage you to continue to pray. Pray for Israel. Pray for the people in Gaza. No one wants to see this happening, but Hamas is responsible, not Israel. All right, continue to pray. All right, we’re out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, keep praying and keep standing.
SPEAKER 14 :
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