Dive deep into the controversies enveloping the national discourse as Tony Perkins converses with key influencers. The episode delves into President Trump’s reaction to the Epstein files saga, with Judicial Watch’s Tom Fenton offering a detailed analysis of the transparency battle. The discussion further highlights an alarming shift within the National Education Association, as it transforms from an educational champion to a partisan entity—prompting legislative action. Through engaging narratives, the importance of accountability and the role of principled leadership in shaping a more responsible governance structure are emphasized.
SPEAKER 05 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending. And now it’s time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget. It’s a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.
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That was Senate Republican Leader John Thune earlier today as the Senate moves toward a final vote on the Trump administration’s now $9 billion rescissions package. Welcome to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Glad you’re tuning in. The measure advanced last night after a dramatic 50-50 vote. Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote after three Republicans broke ranks. North Carolina Senator Ted Budd joins us in just a moment to… Tell us what’s happening behind the scenes. Also ahead, a major pro-life victory in the courts. The Fourth Circuit upheld West Virginia’s Unborn Child Protection Act, a law that protects life in part by restricting chemical abortions using mifeprestone. The court ruled that the state, not just the FDA, has a right to safeguard its citizens. We’ll talk with Erin Hawley from Alliance Defending Freedom, who argued on behalf of the West Virginia law.
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It’s all been a big hoax. It’s perpetrated by the Democrats. And some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net. And so they try and do the Democrats’ work. Instead of talking about the things we’ve achieved, we’ve had tremendous achievement. They’re wasting their time with a guy who obviously has some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was President Trump earlier today responding to growing calls to release the Epstein files. We’ll get the latest from Judicial Watch President Tom Fenton. Also, Washington’s Sam McCarthy will provide some history on the controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
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and later. The National Education Association’s time is over. The NEA was created to champion America’s teachers and serve our schools, but it has spiraled into a partisan machine that’s more about radical ideology than education.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris proposing to repeal the federal charter of the National Education Association. He’ll join us later to explain why he believes the NEA has abandoned America’s students. All of that and more coming up on this edition of Washington Watch. Well, Congress is just two days away from the deadline to pass the White House’s first rescissions package. If passed, it would codify the cuts in funding for NPR, PBS and USAID, among many woke priorities. Just yesterday, the rescissions package cleared its first procedural vote with the help of the vice president. As the bill proceeds, Democrats are doing what they do best, lie.
SPEAKER 13 :
Donald Trump’s hatred of foreign aid has nothing to do with making government more efficient. Republicans do not care about eliminating waste. They simply want to cut funding and the consequences, even if it means kids starve to death abroad. It’s incomprehensibly mean-spirited.
SPEAKER 08 :
That, of course, was Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer. Here now to share more is Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Senator Budd, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 07 :
Glad to be here. Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, Senator, give us the latest on the rescissions package. Where does it stand?
SPEAKER 07 :
We are in the voterama right now. So by doing this precision package, the deadline is Friday and we have to get this done. Hopefully we’ll get it done by midnight tonight. The Democrats are throwing up obstacle after obstacle on the floor as we speak. So I am in between votes in this voterama right now as we speak. And they are trying to put out amendments that essentially would kill this bill. and take back $9 billion because there’s so many things in there that would promote their leftist agenda that we’re trying to take back. We’re trying to rein in the intent of the taxpayers when they sent their tax dollars to Washington, D.C. The things that are being rescinded right now in this rescission package are not things that are good for the American taxpayer. It’s leftist agenda things. It’s horrible stuff that we don’t need to be spending our taxpayer dollars on.
SPEAKER 08 :
Agreed. But so let me ask you this, Senator. You had some Republicans, some of your colleagues that that caved on four hundred million dollars on PEPFAR funding when that’s a program that has ballooned over the course of its almost quarter of a century of existence. And you talk about woke policies. I mean, it’s filled with them.
SPEAKER 07 :
IT’S NOT A GOOD STEWARDSHIP OF THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND IT’S JUST WRONGHEADED POLICY ALL AROUND. IT’S IMMORAL. THAT WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY JOE BIDEN. You’re correct. You’re correct, but we’ve got to fix it.
SPEAKER 08 :
I mean, when it started out, I was here in 2003 when it started. It started out at $1.5 billion a year. Now, last allocation was $7.1 billion. I mean, it’s just over a 300% increase, and as you pointed out, It’s wrongheaded policies.
SPEAKER 07 :
Just way too much spending and it’s on the wrong things. And so we need to rescind it. We’ll have to look at it in another package and get at it another way. But a goal for the rest of the $9 billion is we got to do this by Friday. We need 50 votes plus one to do it.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and I hope you get there. This is a step in the right direction. I’d like to see more, but it’s a good step in the right direction. Before I go, I want to go to the National Defense Authorization Act. You have some measures. You’re on the Defense Committee. But before we do that, you were over in the House. You’re now over in the Senate. You’ve had enough time under your belt there in the Senate. Compare the House to the Senate. Which chamber seems to be more aggressive in getting things done?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it’s going to depend on Congress by Congress. In the 119th Congress, I’d say that we’ve taken more votes than any Senate in history, and that’s under Leader John Thune. I think he’s doing a great job. And we’ve been very aggressive, really taking the Democrats to task for their policies that aren’t representative of America. You played a clip earlier of Chuck Schumer. That was completely cringy. They’ve had to make the most outlandish arguments, and I don’t think America is buying it. So I’d say right now the U.S. Senate is the one that seems a little more conservative and really aggressive. But I also have to thank my colleague. We came in together in 2016, and he was a great Louisiana. And I’m from North Carolina, but I think he’s from your original state of Louisiana, Speaker Mike Johnson. And he is a wonderful individual. And a great leader. And it seems like he’s doing the best he can with his majority over there. And so hats off to him as well.
SPEAKER 08 :
I think it’s a fair assessment of both chambers. One final question on that. Do you see does the House tend to work closer together when you talk about your colleagues as opposed in the Senate? It seems like the Senate’s a little more independent.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I would say this time I’ve seen great collaboration between the speaker and the leader and a lot of interface member to member. I still stay in touch with friends from the House, colleagues from the House, and we’re working closely together. So I see that more than I saw when I came in in 2016 under Paul Ryan. And again, there was like this divisiveness between Republicans there and Republicans here. I don’t see that now. I see a lot of collaboration. We can always do better. There’s more we can accomplish. But we’re getting great. We’re getting great things done. And we’re going at it at a really good clip.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and I think that’s because in my time I’ve seen more individuals like you elected to the Senate, you know, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and others who are a little more aggressive. They’re not just happy with the status quo. So I think it is it’s revving the engine up a little bit in the Senate a little bit more to make it move more quickly. You introduced the Front Act. Explain what that is. Tell our viewers what that is.
SPEAKER 07 :
We’ve seen these horrible protests, whether it was back during COVID or whether it was just a few weeks ago in Los Angeles. And we’ve had the suspicions and now we have evidence that it is funded by outside the US entities, those that are adversarial and hostile to the freedoms that we have in America. a communist, a pro-communism, pro-China millionaire from overseas that’s funding us and that’s funding these radical protests. And we would make these groups that receive that money register as foreign agents. We can’t have outside dollars. Look, do we want to protect First Amendment rights to protest and freedom and freedom of assembly? Absolutely. But we cannot have adversarial dollars from these nations coming in funding these groups. That’s out of hand and we can’t do that. So we need accountability and transparency. That’s what the Front Act does.
SPEAKER 08 :
What do you think the prospects are of that getting through?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I’ve got some great colleagues, Senator Ricketts, Senator Hawley, that we’ve worked together on this. And we think we’ve got good chances. Again, it’s like you’re trying to thread a needle. You’ve got a lot of things we need to accomplish. President Trump’s got a lot on his plate that we need to sign off on here in the Senate. And we’ll see where we can fit it in. If it attaches to something else, if it’s on a standalone bill, that’s fine, too.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, you know, it’s an important issue. I mean, we cherish freedom, but we can’t allow people to come and undermine that freedom who want to see our freedom collapse, these foreign actors. So I applaud you on threading this needle and getting it through in the right way. Before I let you go, you led several National Defense Authorization Act provisions that deal, of course, that deals with our military. But you focus on, in part, banning discriminatory affirmative action policies at our service academies.
SPEAKER 07 :
This makes the Supreme Court decision that we saw to colleges around the US apply to our service academies. When you think of West Point, Navy Academy, Air Force Academy, we want the same standards based on merit. That’s really all we want. And that’s an American value is that you win based on merit, not based on the color of your skin or your ethnicity or anything like that. And the U.S. military and these academies have been the greatest leveler in all times. And so we want people to have a shot not to be driven on a social agenda, but to be there because they want to serve our country and they’re qualified to do so in these academies. So that’s what this is about. And I’m very excited about this year’s NDAA. It supports our troops and it creates a great opportunity in these service academies.
SPEAKER 08 :
Senator, we’re at what I would say is a historic moment of turning in our culture. People had had enough of the DEI, woke ideology, and they pushed back, starting at school boards, state legislatures, Congress, electing President Donald Trump, returning him to office, and he has not been slow in addressing many of these issues. But from your perspective, what do we need to do to make sure this is not a flash in the pan, that the pendulum doesn’t swing back three years from now, but that we continue to chart a course that preserves freedom, individual freedom, preserves the very foundational elements of our republic?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, never stop praying. And if you’re somebody out there to you, Tony, your team, your viewers, if you’ll continue to do so. And I would also say, remember that regular folks make a difference. I was a regular individual who went to our state Capitol and signed up and decided to run for Congress and ended up winning. And, you know, you could put your name on the line. You could step up for a school board, a county commission, a city council, and show up and allow your values to be heard and represented because you’re representing a lot of people. It could be Congress. It could be the U.S. Senate. You never know. But I took a shot one day and won, and I’m just a regular guy. And so I would say make sure that you’re willing to stand up and volunteer and stay engaged and always be prayerful and never lose hope.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Senator, you’re doing more than just a regular guy. You’re doing a really good job. We’re grateful for you on Capitol Hill and always thankful for you to come on the program. Thank you, Tony. All right. You heard that. You know, we can each make a difference right where we are. And Senator Budd’s doing a great job in the Senate. And he cares about the values you and I care about, and he’s not shy about them either in the Senate. And that’s what we need. We need more individuals who have strong beliefs and convictions, biblical beliefs and convictions, and are willing to stand up and defend those things. And… create policy from that vantage point and from that with that understanding that worldview. All right. Don’t go away. When we come back, a court victory. We’re going to talk about it on the other side of the break.
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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.
SPEAKER 19 :
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.
SPEAKER 14 :
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.
SPEAKER 17 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight.
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We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat. 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. Hello, friends, this is Tony Perkins. You know what? We just finished our 21 day family Bible challenge through the book of Matthew. And if you joined us, I pray that it has already borne fruit in your life and in your home as you place the Lord and his word at the center of your home. Now, our journey through the Bible doesn’t end here, though. The challenge was a part of our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. And from here, we’re going to cover the rest of the New Testament. And now that we’ve finished the book of Matthew, let me ask you, would you consider joining us for the rest of the journey through the Word of God? In 10 to 15 minutes a day, you’ll see how the good news of Jesus transformed the lives of common people, people just like you and me, and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to continue the journey with me and discover the life-enriching power of the Word of God. Visit frc.org slash Bible for a reading plan. That’s frc.org slash Bible to learn more. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Yesterday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a West Virginia law that protects unborn children from almost all abortions, including those performed by the abortion drug Mifeprestone. Something we’ve been talking about a lot here because it’s flowing freely across state lines into pro-life states. Well, the lawsuit was brought by GenBioPro, a maker of the generic version of Mifeprestone, who challenged West Virginia’s Unborn Child Protection Act. Now, what are the implications of this legal ruling? Here to share more about this is Erin Hawley. She is a senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life and Regulatory Practice at Alliance Defending Freedom. And ADF joined forces with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, now the governor, to litigate this case. Erin, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thanks so much for having me. Great to be here.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, congratulations. I mean, this is quite significant. Break this case down for us so that folks will get kind of a basic understanding of what was litigated and what the outcome was.
SPEAKER 25 :
Sure, so Jen Beyer Pro’s claim here was really sweeping. And what the abortion drug manufacturer argued was that because the FDA had approved mifeprestone and subjected it to the regulation that only applies to the highest risk drugs, that that meant no state could protect life prior to 10 weeks. which is the limit for the abortion drug. So a super sweeping theory of preemption advocated by GenPriorPro. If the case would have come out the other way, it would have indicated that no state could protect life before 10 weeks. Thankfully, the Fourth Circuit said that preemption, that theory of preemption was simply wrong. Congress had not indicated that it intended to federalize abortion in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
SPEAKER 08 :
I mean, Erin, that would go against the Dobbs decision, would it not?
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. And the Fourth Circuit actually said that in an opinion by Judge Wilkinson. Judge Wilkinson said for us to federalize abortion immediately after Dobbs would be one small step short of defiance. He was crystal clear that Dobbs returned that issue to the states. West Virginia took the Supreme Court up on its invitation and its democratic elected law protects life. And nothing Congress said in the FDA changes that.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, Aaron, let’s talk about something else that you and I and your husband, Senator Josh Hawley, have talked about here. The fact that, OK, the state has the right, the court, the Fifth Circuit said, I mean, the Fourth Circuit in this case said you can you can have this law that restricts the abortion pill Mifeprestone. But that’s being abrogated by the FDA and the DOJ through failure to uphold the Comstock Act because these are being mailed illegally into states and nothing’s happening.
SPEAKER 25 :
So you’re exactly right. In 2023, the Biden administration took away the sort of last safeguard for women taking abortion drugs. And make no mistake, these drugs are dangerous. The FDA’s own label says that roughly one in 25 women who take them end up in the emergency room. Mifeprestone has a black box label that warns about serious infection and even the risk of death. But despite that, the Biden administration said we’re going to do away with the last in-person doctor’s visit. And that means that a woman can go online or her husband or boyfriend or someone can go online and order the abortion drug shipped directly to your door. It only takes a couple of minutes. You just answer a couple of questions. And those drugs are flooding into pro-life states, despite those pro-life laws that should protect women and their unborn children.
SPEAKER 08 :
And that’s still the case. That’s still the case today. Am I correct?
SPEAKER 25 :
That is absolutely correct. You’ve got states like New York setting up what are called shield laws. The state of Louisiana, for example, has recently filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor for prescribing mifeprestone to a woman in Louisiana who ended up having an emergency. No doctor to help her through that. She ended up going to the hospital. Louisiana sought to prosecute that doctor, but New York says they won’t extradite her under their shield law. So other states are affirmatively helping women, or excuse me, helping doctors to get high-risk drugs to women without ever seeing a doctor. And regardless of what you think about abortion, that’s not good medical care.
SPEAKER 08 :
So the victory that the state of West Virginia gained in this decision by the Fourth Circuit, it’s significant. I mean, and I’m going to ask you the ramifications for other cases. But in practice, it’s being undermined by the federal government at present based upon what Joe Biden put in place.
SPEAKER 25 :
So absolutely, the Biden administration’s rule that allows these drugs to be shipped without a doctor’s visit is dangerous, and it undermines states’ pro-life laws. This ruling is very significant. However, it would mean, if it went the other way, that no state could protect life until 10 weeks. And as Judge Wilkinson’s opinion points out, the same provisions apply to other dangerous drugs like opioids. And that would mean states couldn’t protect patients taking opioids. They couldn’t set limits on amounts or days taken, things like that.
SPEAKER 08 :
When I was reading this, Aaron, I know it’s another case, but it kind of reminded me of the Tennessee case regarding the state putting in place protections for minors against the transgender procedures. The court said the state has a right to protect the well-being and restrict these practices. It seems like there’s kind of a common kind of parallel there, maybe.
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. And the Fourth Circuit’s opinion really explains that states have been the historic player in protecting health and safety for their citizens. And because that’s the state’s traditional role, GenBioPro here had to overcome something called the presumption against preemption. That means they had to show a statute that clearly showed Congress’s intent to preempt local laws like West Virginia’s. But all GenBioPro could offer was silence. Nothing in the FDCA or any of its amendments even mentions abortion. And the court said there was no way to get an attempt to federalize and mandate abortion in all 50 states from that statute.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, again, Erin, Holly, congratulations. Another job well done. We appreciate the work that you do in Alliance Defending Freedom. Very grateful for your defense of the unborn and the rights of states to protect them.
SPEAKER 25 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. And folks, again, I’m going to get you to weigh in on this. We’re not finished. Not going to let it go until the Biden policy is reversed by the Trump administration. So text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742 and sign the petition. We’re seeing under Dobbs, states are taking actions. And this law in West Virginia was enacted after Dobbs because they were given the right to do so. But it’s being undermined by the FDA and the Department of Justice that’s refusing to enforce the law on these abortion pills. It needs to change. Text LIFE to 67742. All right, stay with us. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 09 :
The Center for Biblical Worldview’s all-day workshops delves into the formation of a worldview, what it is, how it’s formed, when it’s formed, what that means to them personally and their churches and communities.
SPEAKER 02 :
My hope for people when they come to these worldview workshops is that they will come away better equipped to engage the people and the ideas that they’re living with and around. And our goal is to give people more confidence in the gospel and the fact that what God said to us actually is true, actually is the path to happiness and human flourishing for all of us, but also more confidence in their ability to have these conversations and help lead other people to the truth.
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for Bible-believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how… incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
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The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principle.
SPEAKER 07 :
Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host. You can check out the website, TonyPerkins.com, but I would encourage you to get the Stand Firm app. You can go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app. It’ll make your smartphone a little smarter because you’ll have Washington Watch with you no matter where you go. You’ll have access to the Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, updated on a regular basis as stories come out. Also, other live programming that you will find only on the Stand Firm app, and you will have access to my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. So go to the app store, get the Stand Firm app. Earlier today, the National Education Association Charter Repeal Act was introduced in Congress to address the out-of-control wokeness of the nation’s only, only congressionally chartered Educational Labor Union. The bill was introduced shortly after the NEA held their annual meeting in Portland, Oregon earlier this month. We talked about this yesterday. And I mean, just nothing to do with education, all about their woke DEI ideology that they’re pushing on the children and the nation. So how does that charter empower the union to miseducate our children? And what does it mean to remove that charter? Joining me now, Congressman Mark Harris of North Carolina. He joins us to answer that question. He is a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, as well as the House Judiciary Committee. In fact, he’s in a committee meeting. He’s stepping out to join us by phone. Congressman Mark Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, thank you, Tony. It’s great to be with you. Appreciate you having me.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, so let’s talk about what it means that the NEA has a federal charter, the only one. Why and what does that mean?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, they got this charter in 1906, so almost 120 years ago. The federal government actually would offer these charters, if you will, going all the way back to 1791. And I think… In its history, the banking was the first one to receive it. But this was done in 1906 as a way of saying that they were going to support teachers and support education in this country. And I think that for all of these years, they have lived with this stamp of approval. That’s really what it is. It’s a stamp of approval from the United States Congress on an organization giving them this charter. for the purpose that they have. But I think everyone, everyone would recognize that the NEA has just gone off the rails and they have certainly not lived up to what that charter was meant to be. And I think that the United States Congress, the 119th Congress, looks at this and we have an opportunity to strip them of this charter and basically remove Congress’s seal of approval and hold them accountable for the actions that they’ve done. I mean, the idea behind the charter was to elevate the character and advance the interest of the profession of teaching. And I’m actually sharing that quote. The truth is, it no longer fulfills that mission.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s been years since they’ve actually introduced a resolution at their annual convention dealing with education. It’s all about political issues. And if you look at the open sources, I think it’s somewhere north of 90 percent, maybe 98 percent of their contributions go to Democratic candidates.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s exactly right. It is a leftist, activist, political action crowd that is simply funding the left-wing woke agenda. And it’s time for them to be called out. You know, it’s important for folks to understand this action doesn’t dissolve the NEA. I guess any group has a right to do what it is that they do. But it certainly is an opportunity for the United States Congress to say that the seal of approval that was placed upon this group in 1906 is going to be removed because of the very things that you have mentioned. I think the one thing that kind of got my attention was when I read a statement in their 2019 convention just about six years ago. They had an opportunity as an order of business to basically pass action that said that they were going to be focused again on the well-being of the students and on their education. And that was actually voted down in their convention. And instead, what do we see today? They vote to label President Trump’s policies as fascism. They’ve argued against taking pornographic LGBT books out of their school libraries. They severed ties with the the American Defamation League, which is dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism. So every leftist agenda item you could think of, they have adopted, and that’s what they do.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah. And I agree with you. Everybody has a right to have free speech out there, but they don’t have to have a playing field that’s not level. I mean, they have the benefit of having this seal of approval from the federal government. And I also think I’m not certain about this, but I think I’ve read where that charter also provides some tax benefits like property tax for some of the properties that they own around the country.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, I’m not for sure and can’t speak to that with great knowledge. But again, the point being that this is an opportunity for us to recognize that here is a group that has gone off the rails and they’ve got to be called into account. And this is something that Congress can do. And really, they’re the only federal labor union with this charter. And it’s important to, again, as you mentioned, level the playing field. and strip them of this. And I’m excited about the opportunity. And we’ve gotten great response from around the country today as this news is getting out. And hopefully, we’re going to see some action taken by this.
SPEAKER 08 :
20 seconds left. Mark, how can our listeners and viewers help?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, the most important thing they can do is call their congressman or congresswoman, ask them to co-sponsor this. I’ve had a great response today of co-sponsors. So check this out and help spread the word.
SPEAKER 08 :
We’ll do that. Congressman Mark Harris of North Carolina. Folks, stick with us. We’re back with more Washington Watch on the other side of this break.
SPEAKER 24 :
Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 15 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 03 :
There’s so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, right? Because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 15 :
This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
SPEAKER 03 :
And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
SPEAKER 14 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 21 :
How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host. All right, let me give you the Capitol switchboard number so that you can weigh in with your member of Congress on the bill that Mark Harris was talking about, the National Education Association Charter Repeal. Okay, the National Association, National Education Association Charter Repeal. They’ll get it. All right, it is 202-224-3121. 202-224-3121 is the capital switchboard number to weigh in on that, to remove the charter from the NEA. Also, let me again give out the text for the letter regarding life, the petition rather, for life. Text life to 67742. That’s regarding the abortion pill that is being sent in to these pro-life states, circumventing the laws that were passed. So text the word life to 67742 and let your voice be heard. Our word for today comes from Luke chapter 15, that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. You know, Jesus invested deeply in his disciples, yet he also welcomed and engaged with the lost. And since Jesus is our example, we must do the same. Now, there are two important applications here from this passage. First, our churches should be places where the lost feel genuinely welcomed by our love and our kindness. This doesn’t mean adopting a seeker-friendly model that tolerates spiritual immaturity forever or allows people to remain comfortable in their sin. Instead, it means reflecting the heart of Jesus, kind, compassionate, and open to those who are different or even difficult. pointing them to the cross. Second, as individuals, our posture must be like Christ, not condemning but caring. However, our love must not be confused with affirmation. True love cannot affirm behavior that contradicts the word and the ways of God. To affirm what God calls sin is not loving, it’s misleading. To love as Jesus loves means speaking truth with grace, extending mercy without compromising holiness, and welcoming the sinner without endorsing the sin. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. Well, earlier today, a handful of Republicans led by Congressman Thomas Massey introduced a discharge petition to force a vote in the House of Representatives on releasing documents related to the late and infamous Jeffrey Epstein. Now, this comes as the Department of Justice has been under pressure over its handling of the files. Many have been asking why the Trump administration is refusing to release the government’s files on Epstein. Should we also be saying something? Join me now to kind of navigate this mess. Sam McCarthy, the Washington Stands news writer who has been tracking the Jeffrey Epstein saga closely. Sam, welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks for having me back on the show, Tony. It’s really good to be talking to you again.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. So, you know, for those who haven’t been really tracking this because there’s just so much noise out there, give us, you know, the synopsis here. What’s going on?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, in basic terms, you know, Jeffrey Epstein was a prolific sex trafficker and sex offender. He’d been prosecuted at least once before, I believe it was in 2008, in Florida for child prostitution, essentially, and had been shielded from any serious ramifications. He then continued to cultivate friendships with rich and powerful people, including people like President Bill Clinton, numerous Hollywood individuals. Lots of tech magnates. Bill Gates was a frequent guest of his. And famously, he had an island that involved sex trafficking children, where he would take the wealthy and the famous for that purpose. He was arrested, and he died in prison, and we were told that he died by suicide. A lot of people found the circumstances surrounding his death, including missing video footage. The guards who happened to be patrolling every 10 to 15 minutes just happened to fall asleep during the time when he happened to pass away. He broke bones, supposedly, in his leg that you could not break from falling from the height that he did in his prison cell. So there were a lot of questions about it. We were really trying to find out who were his clients. One of his chief associates, Ghislaine Maxwell. She’s currently in prison. She’s been charged and convicted of sex trafficking. The question is, who was she sex trafficking to? And so that’s kind of the genesis of a lot of the controversy right now, is the public would like to know who all these rich and famous people were, and powerful people. A lot of them are politically connected, supposedly. who they were, you know?
SPEAKER 08 :
And that’s what’s supposed to be in these alleged files that the Department of Justice has?
SPEAKER 04 :
Supposedly. So there’s a question as far as what actually is in the files, what the files actually are. It’s unlikely, particularly given that we just went through four years of the Biden administration, that there was a literal list of all of Epstein’s clients just sitting around somewhere in the Department of Justice waiting for Trump to return to the White House and make it public. So it’s more a matter of releasing the information that they do have. And there have been some questions about, you know, well, what about names on there who were people who may be associated with or visited Epstein but had nothing to do with the child trafficking? Would that be damaging to their reputation? Who actually was involved, who wasn’t involved, etc.? ? So there’s a lot of questions about like trying to parse out what actually is in there, what’s actually available in the information that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have, and then determining what gets released to the public and who needs to be held accountable.
SPEAKER 08 :
OK, so, Sam, again, I’m not the expert on this. I’m just kind of vaguely following it. But as I appreciate the situation, part of the. controversy at present is that, if I’m not mistaken, President Trump, when he was a candidate and those surrounding him, said, look, we’re going to release all this stuff. We’re going to have transparency so people can see what’s going on. They’ll know what’s in here. We’re not going to have any more of these hoaxes that are in there because we’re going to let everybody see what’s going on. And in fact, when when Attorney General Bondi and Dan Bongino, you know, took his position at the FBI. This was something that was discussed, as I recall, that this was going to be released. Now, all of a sudden it’s not being released. And that’s where I think the controversy is is being brewed. Am I correct?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. A lot of the outrage that you’re seeing from the public right now is based on the fact that you even have, you know, Attorney General Pam Bondi. actually said that the list, the Epstein list, she said, was on her desk. And then just a few weeks later, she said that there is no such thing as the Epstein list. And you had, you know, FBI Director Kash Patel say the same thing. Then you had FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino say, you know, well, we don’t have footage, you know, of Epstein’s death because it’s missing. And then suddenly the footage has been found. It’s released and a bunch of, you know, experts look at it and say that it’s actually edited. So it’s really a question of kind of where is the transparency? We were promised, you know, you would tell us what’s going on. You know, we’d get we’d get the truth. We’d get some accountability. We’d be able to hold people accountable. Where is that? That’s where a lot of the outrage right now is stemming from from the public.
SPEAKER 08 :
OK, final question for you on this, Sam. So where does that all stand at present in terms of the release of these files? I know even Congress has been weighing in on this. Where does it stand?
SPEAKER 04 :
there we’ve got a few congressman led by a thomas massey uh… who are pushing for resolution to call for the release the public release of the epstein files uh… which but which is kind of a a euphemistic term almost for any documentation that the fbi and other law enforcement agencies have pertaining to jeffrey epstein his clients and the crimes that he committed and that he profited from other people committing uh… But they haven’t been released, and President Trump is giving people a hard time for continuing to ask about them.
SPEAKER 08 :
Interesting. All right, Sam McCarthy, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, I want to go a little deeper in this because I think— I don’t think this is going to go away. All right. I’ve been you know, it’s been brewing here for a while. And I kind of this is one of those things I kind of see out of my peripheral vision. It’s not a core issue that I track. But I mean, there’s something here. When you see smoke, you start looking for flames. So I want to dive a little deeper into this case with someone who’s been working to bring transparency to the American people on a number of things, including this. Joining me now is Tom Fenton, president of Judicial Watch. Tom, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining me. Good to be with you, Tony. You’ve been tracking this story. This is up your alley. This is the kind of stuff you do. You’ve been asking for records and for freedom of information requests. So tell me about the treasure trove of information that you have.
SPEAKER 18 :
I haven’t gotten one document yet. You know, we’ve done some Epstein-related investigations prior to this a few years ago. But then, you know, we saw what happened back in February with that kind of bungled release of information to social media influencers. And we said, what’s going on here? Let’s ask for all the Epstein records. There’s a lot of concern. Materials withheld. The Attorney General and FBI Director Cash said, well, all of a sudden we got this new batch of documents and we’re mad at the FBI and Southern District of New York and Justice Department office up there for holding material back or just giving it to us all in one mass long after we asked for it. So we said, what’s happening? We asked for records about what went on, plus all the Epstein records. Not one document’s been turned over. WE’RE IN FEDERAL COURT OVER IT NOW. WE FILED A FOIA LAWSUIT. SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN, YOU KNOW, OVER THE WEEKEND DURING JULY 4TH, THEY RELEASED THIS MEMO NOT ONLY DISCOUNTING ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE, AND I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE THE INVESTIGATION AND THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE RIGHT TO DISCOUNT IT. I CAN’T SECOND GUESS THEIR CONCLUSION. BUT WE CAN DEMAND THE EVIDENCE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THEIR PROMISES. But they also said in that memo, we aren’t going to release any more—we are not going to release any more information, which is very—which is unusual.
SPEAKER 08 :
And— Does this meet your definition of transparency?
SPEAKER 18 :
No, it doesn’t. And the irony is, the next day, they’re literally in federal court telling the judge, the Justice Department, that they are still reviewing and searching for Epstein records in the FBI and Justice Department.
SPEAKER 08 :
How can they say that if there’s nothing to release?
SPEAKER 18 :
It’s very curious. It’s a contradictory message, don’t you think? It is. But on the other hand, this is kind of the way forward. If anyone were asking me, I would tell them, just release the records through the FOIA process. It’s a process that allows for disclosure about how many records are out there, what’s being withheld, if any records are being withheld, and why, what’s the justification for it, and obviously then other records that can be withheld. released in whole or in part are released. We’ve been doing this for 30-plus years at Judicial Watch. We kind of know what FOIA is about. And it’s—I would encourage the administration to avail themselves of the court process. FOIA is their friend. Transparency is their friend. And I appreciate the president is frustrated about how this story has gotten out of hand for him. But that’s – it’s his employees that screwed up. It was the Justice Department and the FBI that screwed it up, not people asking the question.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Tom, wouldn’t it go away if they got answers?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, I don’t know if they would. I mean, we – I’ll give you a story. I was at a meeting, one of our conservative meetings, and someone came up to me and said, oh, we’ve got to investigate 9-11. AND I’M LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? HE GOES, WELL, THE PLANE, IT WENT INTO THE PENTAGON AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. AND I SAID, WELL, I DON’T THINK THERE ARE ANY REASONABLE QUESTIONS. HE GOES, BUT THEY’RE NOT RELEASING THE VIDEO. AND I SAID, WELL, THAT’S UNUSUAL. SO WE ASKED FOR THE VIDEO. WE GOT THE VIDEO OF THE PLANE HITTING THE PENTAGON THINKING THAT MIGHT ANSWER SOME OF THE CONSPIRACY QUESTIONS ABOUT 9-11. Not at all.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that’s true. I mean, there’s always going to be some, but you’ve got, I think this has taken on a much bigger life than it needed to. I mean, because, you know, like me, I’m not really paying attention to the Epstein files. I mean, so the guy was a pervert. He was abusing children. He went to jail, supposedly killed himself. But now when people have the ability to release the records they’re not releasing, it makes me suspicious. And now I’m paying attention to it.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yes, and when they tell you that not only are they not going to release the records, but there’s no good reason to ask any questions about any of these issues. There are legitimate questions about his death. There are legitimate questions about why it is, given the number of victims, according to the FBI Justice Department’s own memo, a thousand victims. who else might have been involved in victimizing those girls. And why haven’t they been prosecuted? Now, they also said there’s not enough evidence to prosecute people. Well, tell us what the evidence is. Let us figure out what the evidence is and we’ll draw our own conclusions.
SPEAKER 08 :
I would think I would think this administration of all administrations after what President Trump went through and what we saw in the last four years and how government was weaponized, that we would just pull back the curtain and let people see what we’re talking about here, because there’s a lot of distrust of government and this doesn’t help.
SPEAKER 18 :
It doesn’t. And, you know, the Epstein case is, in my view, an avatar, really, for so many other concerns the American people have. They don’t like the idea of two-tiered justice systems here in Washington, D.C. And they may not know about the other aspects of the lawfare targeting Trump. OR THE FACT THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE PROTECTED AND OTHERS ARE TARGETED, BUT THEY ALL KNOW ABOUT EPSTEIN. RIGHT. AND THAT’S WHY THERE’S SUCH HIGH PUBLIC INTEREST IN IT BECAUSE IT KIND OF BURST OUT OF THE WASHINGTON BUBBLE AND REGULAR FOLKS KNOW ABOUT IT. AND THAT’S WHY SPEAKER JOHNSON, said, oh, I want Maxwell to testify. I want all the documents released. That’s an indication, given how typically cautious he is on issues like this, that they are getting overwhelmed with public interest on the Hill.
SPEAKER 08 :
20 seconds here, Tom, before we wrap up. Are you going to let go of this? Is Judicial Watch going to stay on it?
SPEAKER 18 :
We’ve got a FOIA lawsuit, and we’re just going to keep on keeping on until we get the records or court tells us to go home.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Well, don’t go home. Just keep doing your work, Tom. Always good to see you. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 18 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
Tom Fenton with Judicial Watch. They’re bulldogs. They stay on this stuff. I just think there’s like, again, just just be transparent. It’s what we need. We need to restore trust in our government. All right, folks, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, keep praying and keep standing.
SPEAKER 05 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family, and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
