Tonight, on Washington Watch, join Tony Perkins as he delves into the intricacies of President Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address. Join alongside experts like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry as they explore topics from American achievements to international tensions, including rising issues in the Middle East and responses to cartel violence on our southern border. With firsthand insights, understand the dynamics of the Democratic counter-event happening simultaneously and the avenues the president may take to highlight his administration’s progress.
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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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Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now. Tonight, the president will deliver his State of the Union, and he said, as a preview, it may be a little long because there’s a lot to talk about. There’s a lot of wins to tout, and he’s excited to do that.
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That was House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today suggesting it could be a long night on Capitol Hill as the president gives his State of the Union address. Welcome to this February 24th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up, Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry joins us to preview the president’s State of the Union address and to offer his perspective on rising tensions in the Middle East. And late last week, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law to take effect in public schools. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry will be here to explain what the ruling means for students, parents, and schools across the state of Louisiana. Well, tonight, President Donald Trump will deliver the 2026 State of the Union address under the theme America at 250. Strong, prosperous and respected. Join me now as Washington stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, as the president prepares to address the nation, what should Americans be anticipating from tonight’s address?
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Sure, Tony. A big speech tonight and a long speech from the president. No offense to the president, but he can give long speeches. So his idea of long, it’ll be interesting. The speech starts at 9 p.m. Eastern time, so it definitely could be a late night. Indeed, the president is expected, of course, to tout his administration’s accomplishments over the last year, and he does have many, from the tax cuts, the economy, the closing of the southern border, and more. Now, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt previewed the speech earlier today. Here’s a clip.
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State of the Union Day. I know the president’s really looking forward to his address tonight. You’re going to hear a speech that is a celebration of 250 years of our nation and our nation’s independence. You’re going to hear the president share the stories of everyday Americans who have benefited from his policies. You’re going to hear the president share tear-jerking stories of American heroes past and present who really exemplify what it means to be a patriotic American.
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So you and I will be watching, Tony, but at least a dozen Democrats have said that they are going to skip the event and attend their own counter event at the National Mall. Feels like some anti-prom energy going here. But Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has been tasked with giving the Democratic counter message. And President Trump is also facing some growing pushback on some parts of his agenda, at least according to the recent polling, which shows that his approval rating going into this State of the Union is lower than we’ve seen in past years for other presidents. There’s also been reportedly a drop in his approval rating among independent voters, which is top of mind right now as we head into these midterm elections, Tony.
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Well, Casey, I guess with the competing event taking place, that might take out those prone to disrupt the State of the Union address?
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It’s certainly possible. We saw one lawmaker had to be escorted out last time, and there were signs and there was a lot of chatter. Ultimately, the takeaway from that was the Democrats felt it made them look bad. So I think Democratic leadership is eager to give a release valve for some of the more raucous members.
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All right. Casey, another story. Amid the violence that erupted in Mexico following the military operation that killed the drug cartel boss, El Mincho, numerous Americans are still stranded there. What’s the latest?
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That’s right. Hundreds of calls have actually poured into the State Department’s crisis hotline from Americans who are very concerned. They’re stranded either at resorts or other places. In Mexico, some had their flights canceled. And this, of course, all started because of the taking out of El Mencho, the notorious and very violent, really, drug lord who had been not just terrorizing Mexico, but really killing a lot of Americans with the drugs that he was sending into the U.S. Now, we do know some details about how this raid went down. No U.S. forces, American personnel, were directly involved in the taking out of El Mencho, but there was a lot of U.S. work on this, and U.S. intelligence that was given over in an operation that even has domestic implications. I mentioned the drugs. But even Texas Governor Greg Abbott is also stepping up security in Texas in response to this outbreak In cartel violence, he sent a surge of personnel to the border. And Tony, when you see the outbreak of violence, it’s kind of amazing that we left our southern border open to this violence and lawlessness for so many years.
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Yeah, I do think it’s very telling when you see the depth of the response of the cartels to the government’s forces there. I mean, this is almost like a third world country where these cartels and these gangs are running the country. And as you pointed out, that’s right on our southern border. And that border has been porous with many of those individuals coming into the country. Today marks the fourth anniversary, speaking of violence, of the Russian full-scale war in Ukraine. President Zelensky wants President Trump to actually visit the war-torn country. Casey, is this becoming a war of attrition?
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Yeah, I think it is, sadly. It’s a very tragic situation the more you look into it. It’s a very grim anniversary of four years into this war. And as you said, President Zelensky, in remarks, he invited… President Trump to come visit. I’m not sure that that would actually really happen. It’s pretty dangerous over there, of course. But it’s a very pivotal time for Ukraine, which does have increasing support, it seems, from the rest of the European Union. In fact, they just agreed to deliver a loan of $90 billion to the war-torn nation. In fact, here’s a clip from President Zelensky earlier today.
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Today, we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began. The threat hasn’t become smaller. Yes, we are holding Russia back, but we have not yet guaranteed security. And only together can we do this together in Europe. Yes, together with America.
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He certainly needs all the help he can get. But Ukraine’s ambassador today to the U.S. said that Ukraine does not feel abandoned by the U.S. government and says that she expects President Trump to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine tonight during his address. I guess we’ll see if that’s the case, Tony.
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Yeah, I think that it will be one of many topics. I don’t know how deep the president will go on that. I think as the house speaker alluded to earlier, the president is gonna kind of tell some of the successes and victories that the administration has seen in the first year of a full year of the administration. While we’re waiting our first guest, let’s explore a little bit. What are some of the themes that we can anticipate hearing tonight?
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Yeah, I mean, I think that so much happens in the Trump era of the presidency that sometimes really big accomplishments can feel like they were 10 years ago, but they actually were less than a year ago. I mean, a big one that we alluded to earlier was the closing of the southern border. When former President Joe Biden was in office, we were told time and time again that It’s impossible to close the border or we need tens of billions of more dollars. The Republicans won’t give us to close the border. It just can’t be done. Sorry, the border is too big. It’s too complex. President Trump did it almost immediately. And I think that he has to hammer that as much as he can. The tax cuts are really big, too, as we go into the affordability issue, Tony.
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Well, and it’s the second time he secured the border. He did it in his first administration as well. So he’s proven it can be done. If there is a will, there is certainly a way. Casey, thanks so much for joining us. Well, as we were discussing, as the nation awaits the State of the Union address tonight by the president, the Middle East is also in a state of anticipation with the rapid increase of U.S. military presence near Iran. Joining us now is Congressman Scott Perry from Pennsylvania. He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He represents the 10th Congressional District. General, he’s also a retired general, 40 years in uniform. Congressman General Perry, welcome back to Washington Watch.
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Great to be with you, Tony. This is a special night. A lot of electricity around town here.
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It is. There’s a lot to celebrate. The president has accomplished quite a bit. As we were just discussing, the border is secure once again. He did it in his first administration. But before we get into kind of the particulars of tonight, let’s talk Middle East. A lot of military presence of the U.S. building in that region. What are you anticipating?
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Well, I anticipate a lot of leverage being placed on the mullahs of Iran to do exactly what the United States wants, which is essentially to disarm nuclear, their nuclear program, but also to dismantle their ballistic missile program, which unfortunately threatens every one of their neighbors in the area. And of course if they have it their way, will threaten much further out. They want the range capability to reach out to include the United States of America. And then finally, to stop sowing the seeds of terror around the globe, not just in the Middle East, but everywhere. Unfortunately, Tony, I just don’t see the Iranians agreeing to this. And if they do agree in any principle, I certainly don’t expect them to keep their word. And I think that is why they have the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads right now.
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Well, you anticipated my second question, because this is not new for you. As I mentioned, 40 years in the military and retiring as a brigadier general, you know the mindset, the ideology that is driving them. I don’t see them changing now. I mean, we’ve seen this for over four decades. Right, right.
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Look, they are wholly committed to the destruction of the state of Israel and the United States and, of course, the Islamification of the entire globe. That is their mission. And even though their population doesn’t support it, their population, of course, lives under tyranny. I mean, they’ve spent a billion dollars re-arming and re-equipping themselves after the last US and Israeli strike. Meanwhile, their own citizens can’t find food, water, or power. And so, unfortunately, I have a captive population. It’s essentially a criminal element that has captured a so-called state or a nation, a sovereign nation. And I really don’t see the ideology changing whatsoever. They have been able to bluff and obfuscate and delay their way to their current position for the last 47 years. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’ve really had to deal with the likes of a resolved Donald Trump, President Trump. And I think that that is the The change in the calculus here, we are at a critical, pivotal moment in history unlike any other where the Iranian people are rising up. You have President Trump in the White House, a united Republican Senate and House. And I think the elements of change in the Middle East are on the table right now as we speak.
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I think that is a fair assessment of the situation. The only thing I would add is I believe the people in Israel are praying hard for this president because their future is very much entwined with the decisions that he makes. Less than two minutes left. Congressman Perry, I want to turn now tonight to the president’s State of the Union address. What are you hoping to hear?
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Well, I’m hoping to hear where he tells the American people all the things that together the Congress and he have gotten completed and the successes that we’ve had over the last year and a couple months, which are astounding, especially when you think about the small majority that we have. But most Americans don’t know what was in the reconciliation called the BBB, the big, beautiful bill. They don’t know what’s in there. That was multiple, multiple successes from no tax on tips and overtime, reducing taxes on social security, and quite honestly and quite literally stopping the biggest tax increase in history. Every Democrat is on record of voting to increase taxes. Every Republican is on record to vote to actually decrease your taxes. Most Americans don’t know those things, all the things that occurred because we usually pass one bill at a time. But on that occasion, there were multiple bills, literally dozens of bills all passed at one time. And the effects are being seen in an economy growing at a five percent gross domestic product when the experts told us we’d never get above two. Right. So the president has to talk about our successes and then has to show the roadmap roadmap for future successes, including the Save America Act.
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You know, Congressman Perry, it’s interesting when government does its job and it works well, the American people don’t know it because because things are as they should be. And that’s the way we have it right now. Congressman Scott Perry, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks for joining us.
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Great to be with you, Tony. God bless you.
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All right. All right. Coming up next, I’ll be joined by the governor of Louisiana. Governor Jeff Landry joins me with some good news. So don’t go away. We’ll be right back. You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
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At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
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Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent. And we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
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I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped to humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord. Amen.
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We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
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Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan with us. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words, pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. because the Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in and making us part of your day. The website, TonyPerkins.com. And you can find out more about FRC and the resources available on the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app. You’ll have access to Washington Watch. You’ll also have access to Stand on the Word, my daily Bible devotional. All that can be found at The App Store, the Stand Firm app. All right. A federal court has lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s law requiring the displaying of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12 to 6 on Friday to lift the block, stating that it cannot declare that every possible display would violate the establishment clause. Doing so, it stated, is not judging, it’s guessing. Now, I was in the courtroom a few weeks back when they had the oral arguments on this case. This is a victory. It’s not total. Just saying that those that are opposed to it really don’t have anything to stand on just yet. So what does this mean for schools and students in Louisiana? Joining me now to discuss this is the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, who signed the law, House Bill 71, into law back in 2024. Governor Landry, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Oh, it’s great to be with you, Tony. It was good to see you this morning as well. Let me ask you this. This is a victory. The court saying that the lower court’s block has to be lifted. And this allows the state of Louisiana to post 10 commandments in classrooms.
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That’s correct. I would say that this is, we just finished round two and we won a very decisive victory. And now schools can use the Attorney General’s guidance that she has posted on her website as a roadmap to being able to put these posters up. I think the Attorney General and her team did a phenomenal job in the Fifth Circuit. Of course, as you mentioned, you were there. I was there as well. Sherrod and I were there. We listened to the arguments. We saw the justices’ reactions. I thought that they did a phenomenal job and they came out with a phenomenal opinion. And now it paves the way for us to go ahead and implement the which we’re going to implement.
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And you’ve already reached out to a lot of the schools. Some of the schools have been hesitant based upon the legal challenge. But now that the circuit court has said, look, there’s no reason to challenge it at present. According to the law, as it’s written and as the guidance that has been put out, there’s nothing to suggest that this would violate the establishment clause. So there’s no reason for schools in Louisiana not to post them now. Is that correct?
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That’s correct. Look, we’re going to be putting out a letter to superintendents and to school boards and then messaging to our schools directly that, yes, it’s time for them to go ahead and implement the law. These posters have been donated and have been distributed to our schools, and they have no reason not to be able to post them. They don’t have to worry about any litigation or legal recourse. The attorney general will handle any of those types of issues that may come about. But again, you know, we’ve got some great displays that talk about the historical context of the Ten Commandments in conjunction with the rest of our founding documents. And I think it’s just so important. You know, I’ve had so many people ask me questions, you know, the critics out there, like, why? You know, what can you do? I can’t believe this. What do people say? And, you know, the first thing I say is I didn’t know that the Ten Commandments were a bad way to live your life. to start off with. And the second thing I do is tell them that your child will either read the Ten Commandments or they’ll be forced to read the criminal code at some particular point in life. And look, I think that this is high time to get those foundational documents and good Judeo-Christian principles back into our educational system.
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So the opponents, I guess they’re afraid that kids might read this and they won’t steal, they won’t kill.
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Yeah, I don’t know how they raise their kids. I guess they want them to steal and kill and do all those other things, but it’s amazing. I mean, it really is. The thing of it is that when you ask reporters who ask you those questions, well, do you want your child to steal? Do you want them to kill? Do you want them to do this? When you just go down the line, Of course they don’t. You know, no sane person would want that. This is just the left’s way of trying to keep the foundation of what created the greatest country on earth from going back to golden age, something that the president of the United States is so desperately trying to get America back to its foundation. And look, we’re going to do our part here in Louisiana.
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Well, Governor, I want to commend you and the Attorney General, Liz Murrell, for Yeoman’s work here in getting these, not just passed and into law, but the implementation. I found in my time in the legislature, passing a law is just half of it. The implementation and making sure that it is enforced is really the bulk of the work, and you’ve really leaned into this. I want to go back to something you said a moment ago, because I want everybody to hear this, especially our folks in Louisiana. If a school district follows the guidance put out by the attorney general, because this is the law of Louisiana, this was passed by the legislature. This is not something that you did by executive order. The legislature did this. This is a duly passed law. The court has said it’s you know, we we don’t see anything wrong with it at present. If a school district follows the guidance of the attorney general, as the law is written, the attorney general will defend these local school districts. They don’t have to worry about any kind of liability or legal risk.
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That’s correct. That’s correct. The attorney general is happy to take on any of those lawsuits that are brought to those particular schools. She’s very familiar with doing that. You know, she served as the solicitor general when I was attorney general and did an unbelievable job. She’s doing a great job as the attorney general. And I will say this for folks, you know, not only in Louisiana, but outside as well. It goes to show you what happens when you when you elect people in these types of offices, especially attorney general and governor, where they work together in a concerted effort to bring back the things that made America great, you can make progress.
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Yeah, absolutely. And I am hopeful that other states are going to follow the lead of Louisiana. Governor Jeff Landry, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks again for your leadership on this. Greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much.
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Do appreciate it.
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Have a great day. All right. Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana. You know, kind of as he was talking about, it reminds me of George Washington, first president of the United States, in his farewell address, talked about the pillars that hold up our form of government. And he talked about two of those pillars being morality and religion. Morality and religion. He said, don’t think that you can have morality without religion. It’s essential. You cannot have people do the right thing without a religious foundation. All right, folks, we’re going to come back with some more Washington Watch on the other side of the break. So don’t go away.
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The family is the oldest, most tested and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
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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 flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you on this Tuesday afternoon. All right. Early voting in the state of Texas in the Republican primary is underway ahead of next week’s March 3rd election day. All right. So the primaries are going on. In fact, we’re going to see these all across the country. It’s primary season. But there are some other issues on the ballot. Among the 10 advisory questions on the ballot is this simple statement. Texas should prohibit Sharia law. While the propositions being voted on are all non-binding and are more like an opinion poll, they are used to gauge voter sentiment about party positions. And my next guest says that support for Proposition No. 10 is a strong first step to prohibit Sharia law in Texas. This is something that is moving rapidly across the country. Joining me now to discuss this further is Frank Gaffney, president of the Institute for the American Future and host of Securing America program on Real America’s Voices. Frank, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Wonderful to be with you, Tony. Thank you, as always. All right, so let’s first, let’s talk about what Sharia law is. It is connected, you know, people talk about Islam, the Islamic faith. It’s all part of this. Unlike, say, the Jewish faith, the Christian faith, the Islamic faith is a political and legal system all rolled into one. Sharia law is part of that. Talk about that.
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Yeah, the… Islamists, some call them, I think of them as Sharia supremacists, are very clear about this, Tony. They say that Islam is not a religion, that it is instead a complete way of life. Well, I believe political ideology at best, and at worst, a diabolical death cult. And if you look at this body of law, if you will, some of it is… clearly of a religious sort of patina, but the rest of it is about power. How you get it, how you keep people from taking it away from you, and how you wield it to advance the cause of global domination. which is at the core of Sharia. It’s what the prophet Muhammad, the guy they call the perfect man, directed be pursued, pursuant to revelations that he claimed to have gotten from Allah, the moon god. But the reality is that it’s fundamentally totalitarian in character. And I would actually go so far, Tony, especially with your audience, to say it’s diabolical.
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Well, it’s also incompatible with our Constitution. And Congress has a responsibility under Section 4, I believe, Article 4, Section 4, that they have a responsibility to ensure that states have a Republican form of government, meaning that it is compatible with our Constitution, and Sharia is not. However, that said, it is popping up. There is a push… around the country. We’ve seen it, of course, over in the UK, but we’ve seen it in Texas, we’re seeing it in Oklahoma, obviously in Michigan, but there’s places where there’s great concern about this. So explain what’s on the ballot there in Texas and what this will mean to the voters in Texas.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Texas is one of those places, and it’s growing by the day. Well, both Sharia supremacism is growing by the day and a degree of very profound concern about where that would take Texas. And to be blunt, it would take it— into the darkest of dark places. When I say diabolical, I mean truly evil places. And again, this is in part a reflection of the so-called perfect man. Muhammad was evil. I think that’s the only way to characterize his behavior and sharia is a formula for making everybody emulate him and that means if you’re a non-muslim texan that you are going increasingly to face oppression from those who are following Muhammad, those who are set on imposing Sharia on the state of Texas and, yes, on our country altogether. And Tony, don’t take my word for it. This is what imams and scholars and other Muslim leaders are increasingly saying very explicitly, the Internet is chock-a-block with their statements. And the reason that is so is they are following the prescriptions of Sharia.
SPEAKER 14 :
It explicitly calls for its conquest worldwide. We’re seeing the evidence of that in Europe. I mean, it’s popping up and you have this push for Sharia law in places in Europe. Very quickly, let’s talk about this ballot initiative number 10 in Texas. Non-binding, but what will this be used for? How will this be used as a tool to address this growing concern?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, thank you for calling attention to it, Tony. And, you know, you’ve spent time in state legislatures. You understand the dynamics. The sentiment of the public operates. I think the beauty of our constitutional form of government is that at the states and local levels in particular, where they’re closest to the people, that will is expressed and is meant to translate into policy and legislation and other, you know, governing regiments. I would say that the practical effect of this Proposition 10, it’s at the very end of a very long ballot. But this proposition is arguably the most important single measure being voted on in the course of this primary, that’s for sure, and maybe across the country, because it offers the people an opportunity to say, I don’t want to go that way. I do not want our country, our country’s various states to submit to Sharia, and they shouldn’t either. So we need them to vote. We need them to get out in this remaining couple of days of the early voting and for sure by the third of March.
SPEAKER 14 :
Got to leave it there, Frank. We’re up against a break. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this. 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 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 is 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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SPEAKER 14 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Again, let me encourage you, if you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app. You’ll have access to Washington Watch. We’re on over 850 radio stations across the country and a number of TV platforms. So many of you are watching. But we want to expand that. And so you may have friends that are in areas that do not get the signal. And so encourage them, share with them the Stand Firm app. You can watch Washington Watch on the Stand Firm app. You can also get access to our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand, and my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. All of that can be found on the Stand Firm app. Well, speaking of stand on the word, our word for today comes from Exodus chapter 35. And Moses said to the children of Israel, see, the Lord has called by name, and has filled him with the spirit of God and wisdom and understanding and knowledge and all manner of workmanship to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze and cutting jewels for setting and carving wood and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And he has put in his heart the ability to teach in him and Ahaliab, who has filled them with the skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer of the tapestry maker. Now, these were craftsmen filled with the Spirit of God, not prophets or priests. God gave them wisdom, understanding, knowledge, skill, and even the ability to teach others. Their craftsmanship was not secular labor, it was sacred service. They were building the tabernacle, but also modeling a principle. Doing our work for God is doing the work of God. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. All right, we’ve talked a lot about this. Earlier this month, the American Medical Association came out in agreement with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons on how there is insufficient evidence backing surgical trans procedures on minors. Took them a long time to arrive at the fact that there’s not facts out there backing up what they were promoting. But even with that, they stopped short of calling for a halt on the use of experimental drugs to mask the biological gender of children. Well, yesterday, a coalition of 20 state attorneys general called on the AMA to recognize that the evidence base is similarly sparse when it comes to the cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers used on minors. And they want the association to halt its endorsement of these hormonal procedures for children. Joining me now to discuss this and more is the attorney general who led the charge on this, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. General Marshall, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Good to be with you, Tony, and to talk about progress. This is progress. It’s a lot of progress in a large part because the state AGs have leaned in on this issue. State legislatures have leaned in, but those laws have to be defended by you and your colleagues. I want to start with your letter. You opened your letter by recognizing the position that the AMA is in. You wrote, when the AMA makes a recommendation, it matters. Patients and doctors listen. So their statement earlier this month on surgical trans procedures was very significant. Now when it comes to these puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone, what does the evidence tell us? Now in your letter, you said that you laid out more than a dozen questions regarding the position of the use of these puberty blockers. What’s been the response thus far?
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, first of all, the AMA ultimately needs to be a medical organization that’s not in political advocacy, but defining what’s best medical practice for doctors across our country. And we were obviously very pleased to be able to see the AMA endorse the position. of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that we’re going to not take scalpels to the bodies of kids and understand there is no basis for being able to do that, absent a political agenda on the left. Now they need to be able to step up and recognize what the science also tells us, is that there’s no basis for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones being used to deal with gender affirming care and we’re now giving them the opportunity by this letter to be able to state very clearly what their positions are do they stand with science do they stand with what we’ve seen has been the overwhelming trend coming from europe to identify this as experimental treatment of kids and to be able to make it loud and clear to physicians across our country that this is not what we need to be doing to our children
SPEAKER 14 :
General, we talked about progress being made, and it didn’t happen overnight. This was a freight train coming down the track during the Obama administration, and then it picked back up speed with the Biden administration. Is a part of this… putting the medical community on notice that we know that their promotion of this type of experimental treatment is on flimsy ground, on thin ice, whatever analogy you want to use. Many states, states differ, but oftentimes it’s incumbent upon the attorneys general to enforce consumer protection laws. I mean, there’s so many vulnerabilities in the medical community when they’re taking these steps, mutilate children with the surgical, but also there are some significant damage done to children through the experimental use of these drugs. Is this in some way putting them on notice as well?
SPEAKER 28 :
Absolutely. I mean, look, we have 26 states now that are protecting kids in the way that Alabama and the law for Tennessee that was validated. And we were so excited about this committee decision that came last term. But we still have children throughout our country right now that have no same protections. And our consumer protection laws are universal across our 50 states. The AMA has the opportunity to make sure to send a message to physicians that if, in fact, you’re in one of those states that continues to allow the experimentation on children to take place, that they are grabbing great risk to be able to not only financially for themselves, we’ve already seen a verdict come from a detransitioner, but they’re also clearly harming kids in ways that aren’t validated by science.
SPEAKER 14 :
You mentioned that case, a case out of New York where a $2 million award was made for malpractice based upon a 16-year-old girl at the age of 16 that she was basically healthy body parts cut off. She sued, and the jury awarded her $2 million. I know that conservatives don’t necessarily always like trial lawyers. I have been saying we needed them on this. And I actually think that’s what because it was just days after that award that the AMA and the American surgery plastic surgeons came out with their statements. I think it’s a dollar issue. I think they realize there’s vulnerability. I think it’s going to become an issue of gaining malpractice insurance. I think the game, the whole field is changing.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, and you’ve seen it even with larger hospital facilities in many of our blue states suddenly backing up from being able to allow these clinics to take place in their facilities. And I think that’s a liability concern. It’s driving that. It’s not philosophical. But if you think, Tony, the fight that we’ve been able to win has been exposing WPATH, which had the so-called standards of care for physicians across the world in this area, that we exposed it for the fraud that it was. And when we saw that there was no science and no evidence to back up these standards of care, no longer could physicians of an ideological perspective hide behind these international standards as a way of avoiding liability. knowing that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has weighed in, at least as it relates to surgeries, we’re now giving the AMA an opportunity to be able to do the same things with regard to these hormones. We think children justify being able to be protected in this way, and we’re excited to be able to see their responses.
SPEAKER 14 :
General, I know that you enforce the laws that legislatures pass. This may be a question to ask you to speculate a little bit, but feel free to let me fill in the blanks if you don’t want to fill them in. When we’ve seen a string of events, incidents in the last year and a half, where individuals that were being treated with these cross-sex hormones have engaged in violent, deadly behavior. We’ve seen shootings with transgenders. And the evidence suggests that this high dose of these cross-sex hormones has an effect upon someone who’s already emotionally or mentally unstable. Could there eventually be not only civil but criminal liability for those that facilitate this?
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, I think that’s clearly something that the law can allow enterprising lawyers to be able to look at. And there’s no doubt, Tony, we’re seeing more and more of those occurrences take place. And in some ways, the general public doesn’t know it because mainstream media doesn’t want to be able to identify the transgender status of that individual shooter. And I think if you talk to both federal and state law enforcement, it’s now becoming part of the literature to be able to evaluate and consider those active shooter situations and what may be the driver of those situations. And I think the facts themselves speak to this being an issue that we have to address.
SPEAKER 14 :
You know, I want to go to another topic, but before I do, I just want to underscore, you know, it’s become extremely important. And in many ways, George Soros made AG’s elections important because they have been trying to and people sat back and wondered why was he so interested in the attorneys general of the state? But you guys are really on the front line holding back bad policy and in helping to support the good policy that state legislatures pass.
SPEAKER 28 :
No, it’s no doubt. We have a unique opportunity, not only being the voice of our respective states, but being the chief legal officers to be able to weigh in on multiple issues. Even as part of this last week, we had a coalition of 24 states attorneys general supporting the rule of the Trump administration, saying that we’re not going to use Medicaid dollars to be able to pay for these issues. gender changing surgeries. And it’s a unique opportunity for us across a spectrum of issues that matter to many of your listeners to be able to be that voice of sanity. And at least here in the Biden administration was that last line of defense of things that were coming.
SPEAKER 14 :
It really was. And it was encouraging to see. As I mentioned, I want to go to another topic because earlier today, this is something you and I have discussed. Earlier today, the attorney general of Louisiana, Liz Murrell, argued in federal court, actually in Lafayette, for an injunction to stop the FDA’s authorization of drugs. mail order abortion drugs that are undermining the pro-life laws of many states. I’ve got a clip of what she said today at the court. If we can play that clip.
SPEAKER 06 :
This is common sense. The in-person dispensing requirement protects women and it protects babies. And there’s absolutely no reason why the FDA should have ever removed that requirement. They did expressly to facilitate the distribution of these drugs because they wanted to allow other states and doctors and other providers who did not agree with our legal policies to be able to nullify our laws and send those pills here illegally.
SPEAKER 14 :
You joined last month a coalition of 22 states of attorneys general supporting Louisiana’s law. Alabama is a pro-life state. This policy that is a Biden era policy still in place by the FDA is undermining the pro-life laws that many states have passed.
SPEAKER 28 :
Yeah, and endangering the welfare of the mothers that are taking it. You know, if we look, it began a little bit with the shift during the Obama administration, but using COVID as that excuse, the Biden administration changed the parameters of the prescribing of mifepristone. And look, we need doctors to be engaged and involved to the extent that patients are going to want to take this drug. They need to understand the direct risks that are associated with it. And then we got to have more transparent reporting of those medical dangers that occur when women have used these drugs and are suffering adverse medical consequences. I mean, this is a safety for women issue as much as it is protecting the life of the unborn. The Trump administration has the opportunity to be able to rectify this problem and strongly urge them to be able to do so.
SPEAKER 14 :
I’m glad you brought out the issue of protecting the women, because actually one of the arguments in the court, and it’s a brief that we filed in this case, focuses on the domestic violence aspect, that we now have a number of cases where women who have become pregnant, their partners, not always the husband, sometimes just partners, their partner has induced them to take these drugs, obtained these drugs, either forced it upon them, or in some cases, surreptitiously have given it to them. So this really is an issue of violence, of health for the women. But with that medical intervention, that one-on-one consultation with a medical provider, it can also be a lifesaver from a standpoint of stopping domestic violence and abuse.
SPEAKER 28 :
No, absolutely. I think there are multiple reasons why the change that occurred during the Biden administration has got to be reversed. And I think, again, this president, which has proclaimed his pro-life credentials and has chosen and shown that he has supported that issue, has an opportunity now to rectify what I think is the most glaring issue that we’re facing today. in the pro-life movement, and that is ensuring that we get back to the protections of women, go back to the standards of how prescribing amifepristone occurred before, giving us an opportunity for women to sit down with doctors and understand the risks.
SPEAKER 14 :
General Marshall, I want to thank you for joining us today. And I also, again, want to thank you for just leading out on a number of these issues. You’ve actually led these coalitions of your Republican attorneys general. And I just want to thank you for leaning in on those issues, I think, that are heart and soul issues for our nation. So thank you for doing that.
SPEAKER 28 :
Thank you. It’s a privilege of leadership. I’m glad to do it.
SPEAKER 14 :
General Marshall, Steve Marshall of Alabama. I want to encourage you to lean in on this as well. Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742 and sign the petition that we’re going to deliver to the FDA. This is, it’s quite significant. The fact that we have abortion rates in this country that have increased since the overturn of Roe. Now let that sink in. Prior to the overturn of Roe v. Wade that the court imposed on the nation, there was roughly 930,000 abortions the year prior to the overturn of Roe. In the latest complete statistics available in 2024, that number had jumped to over 1.1 million. Why? Because now somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of abortions are done through the pill. Even though Planned Parenthood has been defunded in terms of their brick and mortar establishments have shut down, they’ve moved to an Amazon model. They’re mailing abortion pills into states where they’re illegal. It’s illegal drug trafficking. Help us. Help the women. Help the babies. Text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742. And pray. Pray for the president that he will do the right thing on this. Folks, I want to thank you for joining us and tuning in and making Washington Watch part of your day. Until next time, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, prepared, and taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 17 :
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