In this episode of Washington Watch, host Jody Heiss delves into the looming government shutdown and the ongoing negotiation challenges facing Congress. Senate Democrats and President Trump have reached a funding deal, but the House stands inactive until Monday. We explore the heart of the battle: ICE reforms and stricter immigration guidelines. Congressman Pete Sessions shares his insights, as complicating factors like recent protests and agent abuse allegations add layers to the already tense discussions.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview.
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Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss. If Republicans are serious about the very reasonable demands Democrats have put forward on ICE, then there is no good reason we can’t come together very quickly to produce legislation. It should take less than two weeks because what we’re asking for is very simple and our Republican colleagues know that we need to make changes.
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Well, that was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier today talking about Democrats’ request for ICE reforms as the shutdown deadline looms. Welcome to this January 30th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, a senior fellow here at the Family Research Council, former member of Congress, and of course, your Friday host here for Washington Watch. Thank you so much for tuning in. Coming up, a funding deal that is backed by Senate Democrats as well as President Trump is set to pass sometime tonight as the clock certainly continues to tick toward the midnight deadline. But still a partial U.S. government shutdown is expected to begin tonight as the House is not scheduled to return until Monday. So what happens next? Well, Congressman Pete Sessions from Texas will be joining me in just a few moments to break all of that down for us. Plus, Dr. David Claussen will join me for our weekly Biblical Worldview segment to analyze this week’s news headlines through the lens of Scripture, including today’s arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon for his role in the protests that disrupted a church service in Minnesota. So the U.S. government is on the verge of yet another partial shutdown, even as progress was made on a bipartisan funding agreement in the Senate to keep the federal agencies open. And at the heart of it are calls for stricter guidelines for federal immigration agents. And joining me now is Washington-Stan reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following all of today’s stories. Casey, let’s start with this one. Can you walk us through the basic outline of what this deal is?
SPEAKER 08 :
Sure, Jody, this is a big story we’ve been following closely. So this bipartisan deal would allow Congress to pass a spending bill that covers a wide swath of government operations, from the military to their health programs, while they negotiate these new limits on Trump’s immigration crackdown via ICE, which expires at midnight. Here’s one of your favorite guys, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
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I hope we can get voting quickly here in the Senate today, so we can move forward on the important work of reining in ICE. The clock is ticking, the nation is waiting, and the abuses of ICE must come to an end.
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So what reforms are Democrats asking for? Well, they want to end these roving ICE patrols, which inevitably end up bumping into protesters. They also want to require body cameras on these agents and prevent them from covering their faces. They also want to require immigration agents to get a search warrant from a judge rather than from their own officials, an administrative warrant. And those ideas are things that, Jody, Republicans say they could be open to.
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Well, we will certainly keep a watch on all of that as it unfolds. Casey, also today, President Trump tapped a new head for the U.S. Central Bank, former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Marsh. If that appointment goes through, what could this mean for interest rates, among other things?
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Well, you know, the president has consistently called for lower interest rates. That’s no secret. And reporters in the Oval Office actually asked him that very question today. Here’s a clip from the president.
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We talk about it, and I’ve been following him, and I don’t want to ask him that question. I think it’s inappropriate, probably. It probably would be allowed, but I want to keep it nice and pure. But he certainly wants to cut rates. I’ve been watching him for a long time.
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Now, that question of purity is something Democrats are concerned about. Senator Chuck Schumer warned that Warsh would have to make it clear that he would be independent from President Trump in his leadership. Now, if he is approved by the Senate, he would replace Jerome Powell after Powell’s leadership term ends in May.
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All right. One more question for you before I let you go, Casey. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon, of course, has been arrested for his involvement in a protest at City Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Can you fill us in on some of the latest developments there?
SPEAKER 08 :
Sure, Jody, that arrest did come after he invaded that church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where him and other protesters disrupted a worship service that was going on there. They were protesting the fact that one of the elders at that church was working for ICE. Now, according to the DOJ and to a DOJ official, Lemon is being charged with conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the FACE Act by allegedly obstructing access to a house of worship. Lemon is expected to have his day in court in Los Angeles, Jody.
SPEAKER 03 :
Casey, thank you so much, as always, for keeping us up to speed on what’s going on. We appreciate it. All right. I want to turn attention now back to the government funding battle and get an assessment from a member of the House. Joining me now to discuss this and more is Congressman Pete Sessions. He’s a member of the House Financial Services Committee, as well as the Oversight and Reform Committee. He represents the 17th Congressional District of the great state of Texas. Congressman Sessions, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you, my friend.
SPEAKER 23 :
Congressman, thank you very much. We’re freezing cold in Texas, but you know, the rest of the country is not enjoying much better. So my best to you and I hope you’re good today.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, we are doing great. All right, let’s start with this whole funding battle. Sheriff, what’s the latest? What have you been hearing?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, the latest is, to go back a full week, Jody, the House passed on a bipartisan basis six funding bills, DHS, DOD, all of these bills. And then we went on, in essence, back home work. And the Senate that had been on break now goes in this week. Of course, we know then what happened is we had the shootings that occurred in Minnesota, which changed the calculus for Democrats’ agreement to vote on a bipartisan basis. What is happening as of today is the president has, I think thoughtfully, agreed that he needs to re-look at the process you heard, which was just discussed, the parameters under which Democrats would ask that the president change the operations of ICE. I would also equally ask, if I were the president, and we need to get an understanding, that we know that these protesters want to come and obstruct and get in the way of what ICE is doing. They want our ICE officers to take masks off and to be able to do a whole lot of things. But I didn’t hear any responsible content about them changing their behavior. I think both sides would have to acknowledge we should not move forward with what has been happening, but it will require a good bit, I think, of comfort on both sides to restrain what they are doing as well if they expect us to do this. Absolutely. the house is going to have to re-look at this and the president has his views about trying to avoid much of a shutdown to make this as short of a shutdown as possible members of congress were advised this afternoon please get in town please get in town in time for a vote on monday afternoon I intend, as I always do, to travel. It takes me all day to get there. So I will get in tomorrow and be ready to vote. But the belief is they’re trying to get it expedited through some process, but that would require a vote by every member that I’m sure, as you remember this, Jody, well, the majority has to pass it first before it becomes bipartisan.
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Absolutely. Well, if I can, while I still have you, Congressman Sessions, some other news, I wanted to get your take on the president’s nomination today of former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. What’s your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 23 :
Jody, this is an important piece part of the president’s economic package. As we all remember and recall, the chairman of the Fed, Jerome Powell, openly supported President Biden’s what turned out to be $3 trillion worth of extension of money to pay down the loan to the government to pay for during the government shutdown, I’m sorry, the shutdown during COVID. And they extended $3 trillion. We’re still paying the interest on that. We’re figuring out where the money went now. And of course, we’re finding out some of the holes in that. But the Fed would not give in to President Trump then, now, to say that the risk is not as high as they say it is, and that we need to bring down costs, cost of people getting housing, cost of small business, and we need to lower these interest rates. So it has been a simmering battle between the president and Chairman Powell We know Chairman Powell, and it’s the way House Republicans on financial services looked at it, that he would be leaving by May of this year, 26. So it’s now time to nominate a person. I’m delighted that he has nominated Kevin. I think he will do a good job. But will he be completely independent? Well, that’s the request. But he’s got to be able to pass in the Senate, and I think he will bring realistic viewpoints about not only the balance of the risk out in the economy, but also the advantages of making sure we reduce the interest rates.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to be quite a battle in the Senate. I can only imagine what that hearing is going to be like. And of course, today, the inflation is up higher than anticipated, household goods and so forth. So we need the Federal Reserve that’s going to work to better the lives of the American people. While I have you, before I let you go, there’s another item that I wanted to hit on with you. Word is trickling around that the House may, in spite of having your hands full, that you may be working on the framework of yet a second budget reconciliation measure. Is there anything you can tell us about that? Kind of what are the thoughts on what that would look like?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, in fact, I can. Reconciliation, which might be called reconciliation part two, is a process that would allow when the House and the Senate and the president are of the same party, it allows them to pass a piece of legislation that would not require 60 votes in the Senate. It is revenue-oriented. It is intended to help a party and their political views about the economy, about the size of government. And the committees have been hard at work on this, but essentially a lot of work that is done, an organization you and I belong to called the RSC. The RSC is putting together their plan and package that would deal specifically with encouraging the free enterprise system and to make sure that we are fully utilizing them before we turn to government resources. And that would save, obviously, not just the government money, but it would immediately make the government more effective and efficient. And when we say that what we want to do is move away from government programs, We’re meaning that we would like the private sector to pick up much of this slack. And this is part of why we’re involved in health care. I believe, Jody, that we need to move a health care model. We talk a lot about the Affordable Care Act. But what we need to move to is getting the 170 million Americans to have same or similar health care that I do and that you had when you were in the House of Employer Provided Health Care.
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We’re going to have to leave it right there.
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Good.
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Well, get ready.
SPEAKER 23 :
I hope I did well enough to get invited back, Jody.
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You’ll be back. Texas Congressman Pete Sessions, always great to have you on Washington Watch. Thank you for joining us. You bet. All right, friends, coming up, the FBI executed a search warrant at an elections operations center in Fulton County, Georgia. Why is this big news? Well, stick around.
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We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
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There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
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The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
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It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
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We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
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We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
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Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at the Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
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You’re tuned in to Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us. I am your Friday host, Jody Heiss. Again, an honor to have you on board with us today. All right, earlier this week, the FBI executed a search warrant at an elections operations center in Fulton County, Georgia. They’re seeking records related to the 2020 presidential election. Now, you may recall that Fulton County became literally ground zero for the 2020 election concerns and complaints. Many were suspecting that the elections there were at best lacking transparency and at worst, completely fraudulent. So what can we make of this latest development with the FBI? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Cleta Mitchell. She’s a senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partner Institute and founder of the Election Integrity Network. Cleta, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you join us.
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Thank you, Jody. It’s always nice to be with you.
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So let’s start with this, Kalita. Can you share with our viewers and our listeners what led us to this point of the FBI raiding the election headquarters?
SPEAKER 20 :
Well, this goes back to 2020. There has been an effort going on since November of 2020 to get access to the records and the ballots because it is Fulton County basically conducted a completely fraudulent election. I can go through some of the specifics, but a voter GA filed an action in November of maybe December of 2020 to, uh, to get the judge to issue a court order, a protective order to prohibit the destruction of the ballots and the election materials. That order, that protective order was issued, if you can believe it, on January 6th of 2021. That’s why these records are still, were still in the election warehouse, the Fulton County Election Board records. and a court clerk of Fulton County. They share a warehouse. And so these records are supposed to have been preserved. And the reason is because I just want to read you just a couple of bullet points about, uh, about what the problems in Fulton County have been. Let’s start with the fact that the day after the election, November 4th of 2020, Brad Raffensperger said on the Today Show that there were only 94,000 ballots left to be counted in Georgia. When the results were completed, there were 500,000. more ballots than he had said were still outstanding. And so if you look at Fulton County, we know that what happened all over the state was that the digital images of the ballots were destroyed almost instantaneously after the election, which is a violation of federal and state law in Georgia. But then I just want to share with you some information about some of the problems that existed in Fulton County. They have no digital record for all the votes cast in person, which is 300 and almost 400,000 ballot images that were destroyed. The official returns tabulator closing tapes for all tabulation are fraudulent, invalid, and uncertified. Now, let me tell you what that means. When you have a tabulator, Georgia law requires that there be an opening tape that shows zero votes, that this tabulator starting with zero before the ballots are starting to be inserted in the tabulator. There are no opening tabulator tapes. And then you have closing tapes that are required that are supposed to be signed by the poll manager and two poll workers. Three people are supposed to sign every tape showing they’re looking at the tape and they’re looking, that is supposed to tell what the total number of ballots were that were processed and tabulated by that machine for that. And every machine, every tabulator has a serial number. And when you print those tabulator tapes, it has the serial number, the date and time. It has the number of ballots tabulated and it’s supposed to be signed. You have some tabulator tapes that had the same serial number that says that they were at different polling locations. That is impossible. One tabulator cannot be at two physical locations at the same time. So that’s fraudulent. So I could go on and on. In fact, there was just a report filed last night by a researcher who has been Working on this for five years has filed many complaints with the state election board, and he pulled together all of the complaints. And if people want to read that, I don’t know where else it’s posted, but it’s posted on his Twitter account, which is at Kevin Moncla, M-O-N-C-L-A. It’s a 263-page report, but the first 14 pages tells you all you need to know about the problems. And finally, that’s why the FBI went in.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I saw part of that report. It’s stunning. Everything you’re talking about, Cleta, is absolutely horrifying. It seems to me, and I’m no judge, no attorney, but it seems to me somebody’s going to be in big trouble over this, or probably ought to be. At least some folks end up in jail with this. So let’s land on this. We’ve got less than two minutes here. But we have midterm elections. We’ve got election integrity. How would you describe the state of election integrity right now as we’re headed into this midterm?
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If you’re talking about Fulton County, it’s terrible. It’s still terrible. They are still not providing transparency and accountability. They’re not following the law. They’re supposed to provide certain documents to the members of the Board of Registration and Election so that they can tell whether or not the number of… of voters who signed up to vote, who registered to sign up, matches the number of ballots issued at every polling place. They will not provide that information. And so look, it varies in different places. We’ve made a lot of progress in a lot of places in the country where we have active citizen involvement and oversight of these elections. Fulton County is still ground zero for a complete mess of an election. And there’s no effort by the powers that be in Georgia or the Atlanta Journal Constitution. There’s no reporter, no TV, none of them pay any attention to trying to fix the problem. So they just keep doing it. Hopefully this FBI action will start to get to the truth.
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Yeah, I think it absolutely will. That’s the purpose of it. And I think it is going to get to the bottom of it. Thank you so much, Cleta Mitchell, founder of the Election Integrity Network. Always great to have you join us on Washington Watch.
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Thank you so much.
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All right, friends coming up, we want to move on. There are hundreds of anti ice protests were expected to take place today and tomorrow. So what’s behind it? Who’s behind it? All these demonstrations? Well, we’ll discuss that next. So stay tuned.
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From the beginning, America has understood that liberty flourishes only when grounded in faith, humility, and dependence on the Lord. America needs God. So in 2026, as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, we pause not simply to celebrate history, but to seek the God who gave it purpose. Family Research Council invites you to join us online Wednesday, February 4th at 7 a.m. Eastern Time for the fourth annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C. This sacred gathering will bring together members of the U.S. Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation. United as one voice, we will seek the Lord together, praying for all 50 states that God might bless the next 250 years of our historic nation. To watch the live stream, visit PrayDC.org. That’s PrayDC.org.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host Jody Heiss. Thank you so much for tuning in today. All right, tensions in Minnesota continue to ramp up, prompting new protests today in Minneapolis and nationwide for that matter, all against ICE operations. Of course, all of this is following two shooting deaths this month, both of which involved federal agents. And although President Trump has said that he’s wanting to de-escalate tensions, literally hundreds of protests are expected to take place today and tomorrow. So what’s behind all the growing momentum of these demonstrations? And perhaps more importantly, who’s fueling these protests and agitators? Well, joining me now to discuss this is a good friend and a great leader, Dr. J. Michael Waller. He’s senior analyst for strategy at the Center for Security Policy. He’s also authored and edited books relating to intelligence, political warfare, public diplomacy, terrorism, and subversion, and so forth. Dr. Waller, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you, my friend.
SPEAKER 24 :
Good to be back with you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, well let’s start with what do you make of what we’re seeing with all these anti-ice protests? Is there something else going on behind the scenes or are these just random protests?
SPEAKER 24 :
These are not random organic protests. These are orchestrated protests, probably orchestrated by people outside Minnesota. If you look at different movements like this around the world over the past few decades, you saw them in Northern Ireland in support of the IRA. You saw them in El Salvador in support of the communist guerrillas. You saw them in Iraq when U.S. forces went in and you had the Shiite crowds. They were all orchestrated by the Iranian regime against us. So there’s some larger force behind this that’s orchestrated in a very technical way, the way you would expect in a foreign unconventional warfare operation.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and that’s really disturbing. I want to point out a post that you shared on X where you said that you were trained, frankly, by professional organizers while you were a teenager. And in your experience, can you share with us how these professional organizers operate and how they influence others, influence non-professionals to be agitators for whatever cause?
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Yeah, it happened in my case. I was 15 years old. I was a high school student and my social studies teacher, who I really liked a lot, got me involved because he knew I was interested in the outdoors. I was interested in fishing. I was interested in the environment. I was not a leftist, but those were my interests. So he got me involved in the protest movement against a nuclear power plant that was under construction in our state, saying that this is going to radiate the earth and it’s going to destroy the fishing beds with the water coming out of the cooling systems and so forth. And so that sincere concern of mine got me involved. And being a kid, I thought, it’s kind of cool that these older people are taking interest in me and they want me to attend and they’re, you know, sending you along to help you in leadership positions and so forth, just as a nobody. And I was able to express in what I thought was a really edgy kind of way, my concerns about the environment, which were real, but they were naive. And it wasn’t until I was put through what I later learned was a struggle session where these were actual communist organizers, professionals who’d come in from California to New England specifically to train dupes and useful idiots like me to become militant agitators. So I broke with them.
SPEAKER 03 :
So is it fair to say that many of these people are simply getting manipulated to join these protests and actually are being used for political purposes?
SPEAKER 24 :
Sure, and that’s always been the case with political warfare. It’s never the organizers who get bagged. They never get shot. They never get arrested. It’s a combination of very sincere people, some of the kindest people in the world you’ll find in these movements. They’re just dupes. But there are also a lot of people with a lot of anger, deep-set anger against something in their personal lives or the government or the system or something else. Those folks who have psychological issues struggles are very very easy to manipulate and you put them out there as you’re as you’re cutting edge and they’re the ones who end up doing really stupid things attacking cops attacking soldiers and other federal agents and they’re the ones who end up getting shot to make the headlines but it’s it’s arranged that way this is part of the political technology to arrange for the creation of martyrs for the cause
SPEAKER 03 :
We’re hearing now that even the Chinese Communist Party is allegedly bankrolling some of these protesters. And there are other socialist groups and so forth, left-wing groups that are supposedly behind all of this. Do those who are funding and encouraging these agitators, do they want to escalate violence? Do they at all care about the safety of those who are both agitating and who are being agitated?
SPEAKER 24 :
Those types of funders know they want this to happen. They want to polarize. They want to break apart society. They want to set our society against itself so that we don’t even identify as Americans with each other anymore. They want to fuel all of this. And you saw it coming from really all our lives, right? You had the anti-war protesters in the 1960s. They had a real cause. There was a draft. It was an unjust draft. It was a war that President Johnson was kind of covering up and lying about, and then Nixon inherits it. But it was against the communists. What did the communists do? They came and they turned the anti-war agitators into pro-communist organizers in Cuba and then indoctrinated for over 50 years generations of these activists.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it’s amazing to me how few Democrats are not, how they’re not getting involved as a party. Let me put this, to condemn this, they seem to be behind it. And this seems to be in and of itself almost like a spiritual experience. This is the type of thing that happens when God is left out of the equation in our country. This is a type of thing. that happens. I want to thank you, Dr. J. Michael Waller, Senior Analyst for Strategy at the Center for Security Policy. Always great to have you with us here on Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. All right, friends, coming up, the HHS has rescinded some Biden-era policies on the abortion pill. We’ll discuss it more right after this break. Stay with us.
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On a cold January day in Washington, D.C., thousands still gathered on the National Mall for the 53rd National March for Life. Participants came from across the United States and beyond, united under the event’s simple theme, life is a gift. The event began with powerful speeches linking faith, the sanctity of life from conception, and America’s founding principles to defending the vulnerable. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the crowd and expressed his thankfulness for the gift of life.
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I was the product of an unplanned teen pregnancy exactly one year before Roe in January of 1972. And a lot of people try to convince my very young parents that they should just take care of that problem. But I am eternally grateful that they allowed me the chance at life. Think of the millions of children that did not have that same opportunity. And every single child deserves the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential. And it is up to us to defend that freedom and that right.
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The stage welcomed numerous members of Congress, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance, who highlighted God’s design for the family.
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We know that family is not just the source of a great joy, but it’s part of God’s design for men and women, a design that extends outward from the family to our neighborhoods, to our communities, and to the United States of America itself.
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Representative Andrew Clyde stressed the government’s duty to secure and defend life.
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It’s in the birth certificate of our nation that says that government’s responsibility is to protect life. And for so long, government has been giving people the authority to destroy life through Roe v. Wade. And the Dobbs decision, the incredible Dobbs decision, reversed that from the federal level. And so finally, government is here under the Trump administration defending life. And that’s what we’re supposed to be doing.
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Representative Michael Cloud urged perseverance in the battle to protect life.
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Our job is to be the watchman on the wall, so to speak, and to stand for life, to stand for principles of truth and righteousness. And so there’s never going to be a point where we can think our job is done. We don’t get weary in well-doing. We know we’ll get the rest of that scripture goes, you’ll reap a reward if you don’t faint.
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Family Research Council will always march and stand for life because every life is a gift. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, much has been achieved in this March for Life, but the work is far from finished. We must remain unwavering in our commitment to stand for what God has given, this precious gift of life.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re tuned in to Washington Watch. Welcome back and good afternoon. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss. Thank you so much for joining us today. Okay, before I get to my final guest, I want to encourage you to join us and or pray for us. Next week, we’ll be having our National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C. It’ll be on February 4th. It’ll take place at the Museum of the Bible in D.C., and Folks, this is probably one of the most significant events our country will have all year long. We’ll be bringing together members of the United States Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, intercessors, people from all across the nation. And we invite you to join us as well. This is something you will never, ever forget. For more details, visit NGPR. That’s National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance is what it stands for. NGPR.org. and we hope to see you there. And if you can’t make it, please pray for that powerful event. All right, this past week, millions of Americans have been paying attention to the weather, of course, and there’s more, it looks like, going to be coming for millions of other Americans this weekend. But as snow has blanketed our country, there certainly has been, in addition to that, a flurry of news stories that deserve our attention. but not just our attention they deserve a biblical perspective so as we love to do here each and every friday is to conclude the week and our friday program with a biblical worldview segment and joining me again today is dr david clausen he’s the director of the center for biblical worldview here at family research council dr clausen thanks for joining me as always happy friday to you happy friday great to be with you jody All right, listen, before we get started, I want to begin with a clip. As we all know, Don Lemon was arrested, former anchor at CNN. He was arrested this past week for his role in the protests that took place at a church during a church service. Let me play this clip and then get your reaction.
SPEAKER 19 :
Make no mistake, under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely. And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. We’re coming after you. What’s your overall reaction to this? And then broaden it a little bit more. How should Christians respond to this?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, Jody, as a Baptist, one of my deepest convictions is religious freedom. I think the Baptist faith and message says it best, that a free church and a free state is the Christian ideal. And so what the attorney general said right there, again, is music to my ears. And I think all believers and those who are not believers either should want THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES TO BE ENFORCING THE LAWS OF THIS NATION, TO BE PROTECTING OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, WHICH THE FIRST IS THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION. AND SO I THINK THAT’S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT, VERY ENCOURAGING TO SEE FROM PAM BONDI. IN REGARDS TO DON LEMON, THE FORMER CNN ANCHOR, I’M NOT REALLY SURPRISED BY THIS NEWS, JODY. JUST TO BE CLEAR, IT WAS A FEDERAL JURY THAT HAS INDICTED DON LEMON. MY UNDERSTANDING, HE WAS ARRESTED LAST NIGHT, I GUESS TURNED HIMSELF IN NOW. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS HE’S NOW FACING TWO CHARGES. ONE IS CONSPIRACY TO DEPRIVE OTHERS OF THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS, MEANING THOSE CHURCHGOERS. AND THEN HE’S ALSO BEING CHARGED WITH INTERFERING WITH SOMEONE’S RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. SO THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE A CHARGE UNDER THE FACE ACT. And, you know, Jody, you know this, I’m not a lawyer, but I imagine the government’s going to have a pretty strong case here. You know, there are several videos circulating on X of Don Lemon in the parking lot a while before the church service starts, having interactions with these protesters. I saw even in one video. video of him walking up to the leader of the protest, Nikima Levy Armstrong, who has also been arrested. He walks up to her, kisses her, and then interviews her. And so I think there’s going to be a lot of video evidence that Don Lemon clearly broke the law. And I think probably the most important thing is, even when Don Lemon was interviewing the church’s pastor, Jonathan Parnell, Jonathan Parnell asked DON LEMON TO LEAVE. AND INSTEAD OF LEAVING IMMEDIATELY, HE SPENDS THE NEXT NINE OR TEN MINUTES IN THE CHURCH HARASSING MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. I KNOW ONE WOMAN WHO IS FLEEING THE CHURCH EVEN BROKE HER ARM. SO, AGAIN, DON LEMON WAS SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS CHAOS. AND SO I GUESS THE FINAL THING I’D SAY, JODY, IS, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, DON LEMON IS NOT A SYMPATHETIC FIGURE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES. My hope, and I would encourage our viewers and listeners, let’s be actually praying for Don Lemon. Of course, we want there to be justice. We need to be praying for justice. But how neat would it be if at the end of this, Don Lemon was exposed to the gospel? I think right now he’s someone who’s far from God. And so let’s even be praying to that and that Don Lemon will be someone who will actually listen to the words that Jonathan Parnell in that church was trying to teach him, that the hope of the world is the good news of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep, yep. That’s a great way for us to be praying as this moves forward. David, on a related note, it seems pretty likely, at least to me, that the escalation of violence against churches is something that is likely to continue. So first of all, would you agree with that or not? But from there, What would your advice be to pastors who might be in a similar situation as this that we saw in Minnesota?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, Jody, my fear is that the kind of escalation of violence is only going to continue. That seems to be the trajectory. Now, I’ll say a couple of things. One, as Christians, we shouldn’t be surprised by this. John 15 and 16, some of the last words Jesus shared with his disciples before he went across the Kidron Valley into the Garden of Gethsemane is that as they persecuted me, they’re going to persecute you. AND THAT’S, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IS ONE OF PERSECUTION. IN THIS COUNTRY WE’VE ENJOYED KIND OF AN UNUSUAL STRETCH OF TIME WHERE WE’VE HAD RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND THE ABILITY TO NOT BE MOLESTED IN OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP. And so I do think the last few weeks have opened the eyes of a lot of pastors, a lot of ministry leaders. As far as what we ought to be doing and how we ought to be preparing, my friend Andrew Walker, a professor at Southern Seminary, had a really helpful post on his X account where he specifically talked about issues related to church security in light of what happened in Minneapolis at Cities Church. I would commend his post to pastors and ministry leaders. You know, My conviction now, Jody, is that every church really needs to have a security plan in place, whether that’s off-duty law enforcement personnel, whether it’s retired law enforcement folks who are members of your church. You need to have a plan in place, policies in place to make sure that you are protecting the children who are entrusted to your congregation. Every church has children, the elderly, those who are going to be unsuspecting. And I think it’s the obligation of the shepherds, of the under-shepherds of the church, to be thinking along these lines, how do we protect the flock? I think that’s the thing that continues to stand out to me, Jody, as I reflect on what happened in Minneapolis, those images of those children who were just terrified, teenagers who are crying, trying to get out the back of the church because they didn’t know what was happening. And so let me give you actually a scripture that comes Acts 20, that’s actually when Paul was talking to the Ephesian elders, and he’s giving them this exhortation there on the beach, and he tells them that they ought to protect the flock. And I think in the 21st century, Jody, part of protecting the flock is having this plan in place. And I think this is especially crucial, Jody, for churches in places where where Christian convictions are under attack even more. If you have a church in the Northeast or on the West Coast, I think it’s even more incumbent if your church has spoken out on the life issue or issues related to human sexuality in the family. I think it’s really, really important and part of your duty to protect the flock to make sure that there’s an actual security plan that your church has in place.
SPEAKER 03 :
Good advice. And I would just add to people need, we need to have a plan, but we do not need to be fearful. God is with us and he has not forsaken us. And that would apply individually and corporately. We don’t, this is not a time to stay away from church. This is time to continue going and praying for our leaders, our country, our church family, our communities where we live and to do so without a spirit of fear, which of course God has not given us. David, if I can switch gears with you here real quickly. Earlier this week, I know the Department of Human Health Services rescinded, and we’re so grateful for this, a Biden era rule that was related to the abortion drug. And of course, you and I have talked about this for a long time here on Friday afternoon. And I know you’ve actually played a key role in crafting a significant SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION RESOLUTION ON CHEMICAL ABORTION LAST YEAR. BUT CAN YOU JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND EXPLAIN TO OUR AUDIENCE WHAT HHS DID AND WHY THIS RULE MATTERS SO MUCH?
SPEAKER 05 :
YEAH, SO, JODY, THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THIS GOES BACK TO 2022 WITH THE DOBBS DECISION. OF COURSE, THE DOBBS DECISION OVERTURNED ROE V. WADE. THE DECISION FOR ABORTION POLICY WENT BACK TO THE PEOPLE AND THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT IN RESPONSE TO THAT, THE BIDEN an all-government approach when it came to expanding access to abortion in every department, at every level of the federal government, including HHS. And so what happened in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision is that the Biden administration put out this rule that said pharmacies that receive federal funds had to keep in stock and dispense the abortion drug. AGAIN, THIS IS THE DRUG THAT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT, MIFEPRESTONE. THIS IS THE LETHAL FIRST PILL THAT KILLS UNBORN CHILDREN. SO IT’S LETHAL FOR BABIES. IT ALSO HARMS MOTHERS. ALMOST 11% OF WOMEN WHO TAKE THIS DRUG HAVE ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. BUT THIS RULE THAT HHS PROMULGATED SAID THAT PHARMACIES, PATIENTS WHO ARE USING MEDICARE OR MEDICAID, ANY KIND OF FEDERAL FUNDS THAT ARE A PART OF THIS, THESE PHARMACIES HAD TO KEEP IN STOCK THE ABORTION DRUG. SO IT’S AN INCREDIBLY OVERREACHING POLICY THAT THEY HAD IN PLACE. THIS POLICY WAS AMENDED A LITTLE BIT IN 2023 WHEN SOME FAITH-BASED PHARMACIES PUSHED BACK ON THIS. AND SO THEY HAD TO CHANGE IT A LITTLE BIT IN 2023. But it’s still been on the books. It’s still been a source of confusion. It’s still been a kind of a looming threat in the mind of some of these pharmacies, Jody. And so this is very, very welcome news. Of course, you and I want HHS to do more on this front to protect life. But as Christians, gratitude is a virtue. And so very grateful for this move by the Trump administration.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, it really is good news. And you brought that up. I mean, this is a great, great, great step forward. But there’s more that can be done on this whole issue, as you just referenced. And we’ve talked about it before. But can you briefly reiterate some of the additional steps that you’d like to see the Trump administration take on chemical abortion?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, two things that come to my mind that we’ve talked about, Jody. Number one, right now we have law on the books, the Comstack Act, that says you can’t mail abortifacient drugs across state lines. Chemical abortion drugs account for 63% of abortions that are now taking place. And so my hope is that the Justice Department would I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO RESCIND THE BIDEN ERA MEMO THAT THEY ARE RELYING ON AND ACTUALLY ENFORCE THE COMSTOCK ACT AND THEN I THINK SECONDLY, SOMETHING THAT YOU MENTIONED, THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED THIS PAST SUMMER. IN THAT RESOLUTION, WE CALL FOR THE FDA TO REVOKE ITS APPROVAL OF THE CHEMICAL ABORTION DRUG AND AT LEAST WHILE THEY’RE CONSIDERING THAT AND THINKING ABOUT THAT, TO REINSTATE THE that women need to take. Because again, these pills are lethal for babies. They’re dangerous for women. And the Trump administration could be doing more to protect children and babies and mothers. And we need to be continuing to advocate toward that end.
SPEAKER 03 :
And by the way, we do have, for those who are listening and watching right now, we do have a petition that you can join us with calling on the Trump administration to take immediate action and decisive action to end the Biden era policies that continue to allow this dangerous abortion drug, Mifepristone, to be trafficked across state lines. And we’re asking that the FDA strengthen their safety standards for this and We’re asking the Department of Justice to just enforce the law that’s taking place. So to sign the petition, all of you, you can do this. Just text LIFE, L-I-F-E, LIFE, to 67742. All right, David, yesterday the president signed another executive order, this one related to drug addiction and substance abuse. OF COURSE, HE’S BEEN ON WAR WITH DRUGS. WE CERTAINLY HAVE WATCHED THIS WITH THE STRIKES ON DRUG BOATS AND SO FORTH IN THE CARIBBEAN. BUT WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WAS SIGNED?
SPEAKER 05 :
YEAH, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT MOVE BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER SIMPLY FRAMES THE ISSUE OF ADDICTION AS A NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. AND IT’S REALLY SEEKING TO TRY TO COORDINATE THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO DRUG ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE, JODY. I DIDN’T KNOW THIS UNTIL I KIND OF DOVE INTO THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, BUT 48 MILLION AMERICANS, ONE OUT OF SIX ACTUALLY DOES STRUGGLE WITH ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE. AND THE PRESIDENT IS CLEARLY TRYING TO LEVERAGE THE POWER AND RESOURCES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. YOU MENTIONED THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS REALLY FOCUSED, I THINK, ON THE SUPPLY SIDE OF THIS WITH HIS WAR ON THE DRUG BOATS IN THE CARIBBEAN. I think this executive order is now trying to look at the demand side. And one thing that I know hasn’t received a lot of press is this executive order does mention communities of faith as going to be an important part of this. And again, my convention, Southern Baptist Convention, has put out resolutions dating back to 1997 on the importance of Christians ministering in this area of drug abuse and addiction. And so my hope is that with this executive order calling faith communities to be part of the solution to this problem, that we’ll see some major work on this.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, David, listen, thank you. I certainly agree with you on that. My hope is right alongside with yours. I tell you, I would love probably let me jot down next time I have you. I’d like for you to give us a little bit of time about the biblical workshops, biblical worldview workshops that you’ve been participating in all across the country. I think this is something people need to be aware of. And I want to thank you for doing that. I know you’ve got one coming up in Indiana. several places. I think Ohio, Maryland, all sorts of places. I’d like to talk about that next time that we’re together. But for now, David Claussen, Dr. Claussen, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at FRC. Thank you so much. Have a great weekend. Thank you. All right, friends, that wraps up this week and this edition of Washington Watch. Have a good, safe weekend.
SPEAKER 06 :
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.
