In a search for justice and clarity, today’s episode of Washington Watch addresses not only the ongoing debate over a two-state solution but also delves into domestic policies affecting the U.S. Senate and veterans. Discover the newly proposed Veterans Home Care Choice Act aimed at expanding care options for veterans, while continuing to explore America’s abortion drug challenges. Kerry Schumer’s call for transparency on the Epstein files sparks further discussion on governmental and legal transparency, inviting listeners to tune into the latest strategic pushes and political negotiations shaping current legislative outcomes.
SPEAKER 24 :
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, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 20 :
Two independent, contiguous, democratic, and sovereign states recognized by all and fully integrated into the international community. It is the only credible path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaking Monday in New York at the UN conference entitled The Peaceful Settlement of Palestine and the Two-State Solution. Welcome to this July 30th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, it wasn’t just the UN pushing this well-worn agenda. The UK also joined the chorus.
SPEAKER 01 :
The Netanyahu government’s rejection of a two-state solution is wrong. It’s wrong morally and it’s wrong strategically. It harms the interests of the Israeli people, closing off the only path to a just and lasting peace. And that is why we are determined to protect the viability of a two-state solution.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was David Lammy, the U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, echoing calls for the failed two-state solution. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville joins me in just a moment to respond. Later in the program, we’ll go to Jerusalem with CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell for the latest on the renewed international pressure against Israel. Also today, sensing a political opening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the floor of the Senate to speak on the Epstein files.
SPEAKER 02 :
This morning, I join all of my Democratic colleagues on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in invoking a century-old law known as the Rule of Five. to compel the Department of Justice to release the full and complete Epstein files. Under federal law, when any five senators on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee call on the executive branch to release investigative documents, they must comply. PAUL SOLMAN.
SPEAKER 07 :
We will unpack what’s really going on a little bit later. Well, in other news on Monday, Baptist pastors and leaders from 22 states sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reverse FDA and DOJ policies that have allowed deadly abortion drugs to be mailed into pro-life states. Well, yesterday, 16 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congress demanding action against what they describe as the federal nullification of state pro-life laws. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley will join me. And in North Carolina, a major win for parental rights and biological reality. House and Senate Republicans there overrode Governor Josh Stein’s veto of a comprehensive pro-family bill. The measure in part defines gender based on biological sex, gives parents greater transparency into school libraries, protects girls in vulnerable spaces, and prohibits state funding for gender transition procedures. We’ll hear more from North Carolina State Representative Jennifer Balcom later in the program. All of that and possibly a bit more on this edition of Washington Watch. Well, as I mentioned, Israel has been facing increased pressure over the past few days as the media pushes out claims of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The media is also suggesting that President Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill are turning on Israel. But the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, says the U.S. relationship with Israel is as strong as it’s ever been. So are we just seeing a lot of fake news? Joining me now to discuss this and more is U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who serves on five Senate committees, including the Armed Services Committee. Coach, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 26 :
Thank you, Tony. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s good to see you. It’s been a while. So we’ve known that Hamas has been pushing out anti-Israel propaganda and the legacy media eats it up. The latest being we’re going to talk about this a little bit later about some of the photos that have been construed misappropriate or have been, I guess, misused. not fully described as they were. We saw these children that looked malnourished that actually you would find out they had other health issues. It wasn’t the fact that they weren’t getting food. So does it appear like some Republicans may be falling for this latest narrative or is that just more media spin?
SPEAKER 26 :
No, that’s just more media spin Tony. We all know the New York Times and that’s that’s the picture you’re referring to. It’s a shame that that people do things like that, but I was. I’m with Governor Huckabee. You know the the. The state of Israel is strong as ever. The problem is with Hamas. If it’s my understanding that what’s almost two years now that they’ve had hostages and refused to let everybody go, that was a complete disaster on October the 7th. brutal. It was gruesome. There’s nights I wake up after looking at those videos. I wish to God I hadn’t have done it. But it was an animal atmosphere on October the 7th, all caused by Hamas. And everybody wants to blame Israel on the left. But I think we’re working through that. And hopefully we can continue to work towards a resolution. But at the end of the day, there’s not going to be a two-state solution. You and I know that. That ship has sailed a long time ago. And hopefully we can work this out and stop the bombing and save a lot of these young people over there that say is starving.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. I mean, we have humanitarian aid going in, but no, I mean, there’s no way that you can say there’s not a crisis. There is a crisis, but it was crossed by Hamas, not by Israel. I want to go back to the two-state solution. You’re absolutely right. It’s a failed proposal. It’s been out there for over half a century. It hasn’t worked. never gotten traction because in reality it doesn’t work. Post-October 7th, we saw what a two-state solution looks like when Hamas had control over Gaza. How can the UK and France continue to push that idea?
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, they’ve lost their countries almost with their mass immigration. They have a different ideology there now. They’re a socialist country. Both of them are. Their leadership is absolutely awful. That’s a situation we’d be in today at President Trump, not one. But just fortunately, that didn’t happen. And we’re on the road to recovery after the Biden administration. But it’s an absolute mess over there. Europe’s not helping at all. But again, if If they want their own state, number one, they couldn’t prove that they can handle that with what happened on October the 7th. There is no government. It’s a terrorist organization, Hamas, and it’s a complete disaster.
SPEAKER 07 :
You know, it’s really good that you pointed out, Senator, immigration connected to this, because Europe has been overrun in many ways from migrating Muslims who have brought in a different ideology. And I think what we see there in the UK and France is they’re pandering to this very vocal minority.
SPEAKER 26 :
Yeah, there’s no doubt about that. I think the ideology from the from the Islamic side is taken over. It’s taken over the streets. There’s nothing about Christianity anymore in Europe. It’s almost disappeared. And it will slowly continue to go the wrong way unless they get good leadership there. But they have nobody. They have nobody that’s really going to stand up and look at Macron and Stommer, even all the way up with Germany and some of those countries. They’ve absolutely lost it. And President Trump told them what last week when he was there and the week before. Listen, unless you stop your immigration problems, you’re in huge trouble. And again, Tony, that was exactly what they’re trying to do the last four years in our country. Just try to overrun us and try to overtake our country. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
SPEAKER 07 :
I thank the Lord every day that the election turned out the way that it did. We still have issues to deal with, but at least we can deal with them under the current administration. I want to switch gears. Speaking of the current administration, the Senate has been busy trying to confirm President Trump’s nominees, but Democrats have been obstructing this process. I talked about this yesterday with Senator Daines. Are we seeing any movement there on the Senate floor?
SPEAKER 26 :
I think you’ll start to see some. They’re trying to be— As hard headed as they possibly can, they still have the Donald Trump syndrome. But Chuck Schumer is between a rock and a hard place. AOC is thinking about running for his seat. If she runs, she’ll beat him into the ground. And he’s trying to act like that he is a far left Democrat, which he is, by the way. But he showed that one crack in the armor with voting for the CR what last spring. and given us that opportunity to move on with government. So this is all about playing hardball against President Trump’s nominees. What’s going to happen? I don’t know. We’ve met the last two days about it, about changing rules, about doing different things. What I’m for is just staying up here and going 24 hours a day for the next 30 days and just sleep in your office and go vote. Because if they want to play hardball, we better learn to play with them. And if we don’t do that and we give in to them, we’re going to have huge problems in the long run.
SPEAKER 07 :
Coach, I could not agree more. It is time to play hardball. And you’ve suggested that when it comes to the Senate parliamentarian. The Senate parliamentarian is the one that gutted a lot of the provisions in the reconciliation bill that came from the House. She booted it out in the Senate. And Frankly, I’m not sure some of your colleagues fought real hard to keep some of that stuff in, but you’ve said that she needs to go.
SPEAKER 26 :
There’s no doubt about it. I mean, she’s not on our team. We’re in the majority. And just because they’ve been up here a while and they’ve made friends, that doesn’t play ball with me. I understand referees. I understand officials. I understand how things go. When times get tough, those things show up. Now, most of the time, probably there’s a balance between Republican and Democrat when it comes to parliamentarian. But When they’ve got in the back of their mind that they really lean the other way, then you’re going to have problems. And we saw that during the big, beautiful bill. So why in the world are we even talking about this, that this should have been done day one? And again, if you go back and look at what happened to Senators, what, 1991? from Mississippi. I can’t remember his name right now, but Trent lot. Yeah. Trent lot. He actually did, did what we should have done after they started to vote on the bill. He said, well, wait a minute, wait a minute. We’re just, I’m just going to fire the parliamentarian. I’m going to replace this one with somebody else. He can do that. That’s what you call leadership and a leader leader. The Senate can do that anytime. And we should have done it. And, It should have been cleared up and off and running. We’ve still got three and a half years left. So hopefully we come to our senses.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and you have more reconciliation bills coming. I mean, she was appointed by Harry Reid, a Democrat. And you’re right. I mean, if you the way. Washington, D.C. is right now. It is very partisan. And I’m sure that John Thune didn’t want to make waves. I can’t imagine that he thought the Democrats would play nice with him if he left the parliamentarian alone.
SPEAKER 26 :
Yeah, that sometimes when your first time in leadership and and taking over for a new group, you’re kind of overwhelmed with with other things that you have to do. But you have to look at what’s what’s very important and what’s very important up here is somebody that can turn a bill around on just a. a strike of a pencil and that’s that’s what happened with the big beautiful i think it’s gonna happen again we’re gonna have these these same problems but again it all starts with leadership well i think as as a coach you know sometimes you just gotta stick your fingers in your ears and just ignore what’s coming out of the stands yep and sometimes you got to make that fourth and one call on your end of the field and uh nobody else can do it for you
SPEAKER 07 :
A final question. We got just about a minute left. You had a piece of legislation that came out of committee today regarding Veterans Home Care Choice Act. It gives veterans more options for care. Talk about that very quickly.
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, more community care. What we have to remember here. Tony is the VA is the largest healthcare system in the world. And it has more money than you can ever imagine. The problem is it’s run by 80% union workers because of the Democrats. We can’t get them to give us any more community care across the country. And my state of Alabama, we’re 60% rule. We have a lot of veterans that have to drive to maybe three hours sometimes to a VA when they could go to their rural hospital and get the same care. And so this bill just adds on to the fact that we need more community care. They don’t have to go to a VA. Just go and get your problems taken care of. Let’s take care of the veterans. Let’s quit worrying about the unions. Quit worrying about politics and take care of our veterans. That’d be a change up in this swamp.
SPEAKER 07 :
Agreed. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 04 :
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.
SPEAKER 25 :
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 21 :
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 11 :
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.
SPEAKER 12 :
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 03 :
FRC is not going to be whooped.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, we’re going to fight. 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.
SPEAKER 13 :
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the Word who dwelt among us. Come with us and discover the glory of the Word. Read the Gospels and witness the life-changing story of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed the lives of common people and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come with us for 10 to 15 minutes a day and read the entire New Testament before the new year. Find our Bible reading plan in daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us in Stand on the Word.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. The website, tonyperkins.com. Better yet, get the Stand Firm app. That way you can have Washington Watch, Stand on the Word, and the Washington Stand all at your fingertips. Go to the App Store, get the Stand Firm app. Well, there’s a growing chorus calling for action against efforts to traffic the abortion drug Mifeprestone into pro-life states. Yesterday, we discussed about a letter that had been sent to the White House from Baptist leaders representing 22 states. Well, also yesterday, there was another multistate letter that went out, this one from 16 state attorneys general to Congress urging lawmakers to take action. With more pressure coming in from all corners, will we see some movement on this issue? Now remember, the abortion pill has led to an increase in abortions since the overturning of Roe. 63%, at least 63% of abortions are now caused by the abortion pill. being mailed, many of them mailed into pro-life states. Joining me now to discuss this, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who serves on three Senate committees, including the Judiciary Committee. He has called upon the FDA to look at the evidence and the harm that this drug causes women. He joins us now by phone. Senator Hawley, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Your state was among those who joined this letter on trafficking, the trafficking of abortion drugs. And this is not only an issue about protecting women and the unborn, but also the rule of law, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it certainly is. And listen, I mean, if you look at the recent studies that have been done on this abortion drug, on Mifeprestone, Tony, what you see is it is an astoundingly high rate. of adverse health effects. I mean, that’s the official language. 11% of women who take mifepressone experience a serious health event. We’re talking things like hemorrhaging, trips to the emergency room. And here’s what is important to know. This is multiple, multiple, multiple times higher than what the big pharma companies who make this drug will admit. If you look on the label, they say, oh, the adverse health risk is like 0.002. No, it’s not. It’s over 10%. It’s an astronomically high number. they’re not telling the truth to the american people and they need to be held accountable for that now about a week well actually it was last week you called on the fda the director of the fda to look at the information and do a full review of the abortion drug what have you heard well so far nothing and listen this is something that secretary kennedy also pledged to me and during his confirmation process he said that he would absolutely direct a full-scale review of the chemical abortion drug. The truth is, Tony, there are approximately 2,000 chemical abortions a day in the United States. Almost 70% of the abortions that happen now in our country are these chemical abortions. Many states, as you were just alluding to, many states prohibit this drug and prohibit all abortions or many abortions. But here’s what’s happening now. These companies are just ignoring the law and they are mailing in these drugs to all of these states.
SPEAKER 07 :
But the federal law is not being enforced. There’s a federal law, the Comstock Act, which could put an end to this if the Department of Justice actually enforced the law.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, the Comstock Act says that you can’t mail abortion-inducing drugs in United States federal mail. And of course, these companies are totally violating that. And the other thing is, is that up until Joe Biden’s presidency, we used to have safety guardrails on this chemical abortion drug. You had to go and see a doctor before you could be prescribed the drug. Only a doctor could prescribe it. You had to have a follow-up visit. Biden bulldozed all of those things because he wanted abortion on demand. And my view is, Tony, in light of the evidence, the science, we need all of those regulations back in place.
SPEAKER 07 :
And that can be done very easily. Just as Biden undead it, this administration could put those back in place.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, that’s correct. That’s correct. And this is why I think looking at this new data that has come out, I mean, this isn’t just speculation. It’s not anecdotal evidence. There’s not been two major studies. on hundreds of thousands of reports of women who’ve taken this drug and what’s happened. And the data, it’s very damning, it’s very clear, it’s very alarming, frankly, and we need action.
SPEAKER 07 :
So Senator Hawley, put that aside for just a moment. All valid, all valid, but let me just put that aside for a moment and go to one other element that we heard from, even from President Trump after the Dobbs decision, where he said that now the states have the right to deal with the issue of abortion. Post Dobbs, we have about 41 states to differing degrees that protect the unborn. But that’s being nullified by the federal policy at the FDA and the DOJ, is it not?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, this is what was was so pernicious and sort of underhanded about what Biden did by removing all of those safety regulations because it allowed these pharma companies to ignore state laws that voters have voted on, Tony, in my states and others. So now, if your state voted to say, we want to protect life, it doesn’t matter because now these abortion drugs against 70% of the abortions in this country, performed now by a chemical abortion, they are getting mailed into the state no matter what the voters have said. So this was an attempt to gut the Dobbs decision. It was a transparent attempt to And unless we put those regulations back in place and start enforcing federal law, the Dobbs decision is not going to matter for much.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it certainly has because we’ve seen an increase. According to the abortion industry, you’ve seen an increase in the number of abortions that have taken place in this country post-Dobbs. It’s increased from about 930,000 to over a million each year since Dobbs as a result primarily of the abortion pill. Senator Hawley, I want to get your reaction to something else. I want to play a clip of your colleague, Senator Schumer, on the floor today regarding the Epstein files. Play that clip, please.
SPEAKER 02 :
This morning, I joined all of my Democratic colleagues on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in invoking a century-old law known as the Rule of Five to compel the Department of Justice to release the full and complete Epstein file.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. I’m not quite sure he knows about rules and such, but let’s talk about that. What’s he calling for?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I think what he’s talking about is a stunt. I mean, listen, the Democrats now have been grandstanding on this. I didn’t hear any of these Democrats talking about Jeffrey Epstein at all when Joe Biden was president. I haven’t heard them talk about the fact that Bill Clinton was a visitor to Epstein’s island and, of course, flew on his plane dozens and dozens of times on the island multiple times. Now, all of a sudden, they think this is a big issue. Listen, if they want transparency, I mean, sure, I’m all for that. But what they really want to do is they want to use this as a way to draw attention away from their radical agenda and, of course, to hurt the president.
SPEAKER 07 :
Would it not be in the best interest of the administration to have transparency on this and just let it out? 30 seconds left.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think what the president said The other day when he was asked about this and he said, you know, he thought that the attorney general ought to release anything that she thought was was actual evidence, credible evidence that she had the discretion to release it. And he was in favor of that. I think that’s the right answer. I mean, I think I think it makes it go away. And I think it’s just what they did with the MLK files. I think that’s a great precedent.
SPEAKER 07 :
Senator Josh Hawley, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. All right, coming up, the North Carolina legislature has overridden their governor’s veto of a pro-family bill. That’s next.
SPEAKER 22 :
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SPEAKER 23 :
At Family Research Council, defending the family isn’t just a mission, it’s our daily calling. Every team member at FRC uses their God-given talents to stand for biblical truth, protect life, and uphold religious freedom.
SPEAKER 19 :
Here at Family Research Council, we face many threats to the family, threats that have been with us for some time. Abortion, the gender ideology threat, the attacks on marriage, the attacks on parental authority, and the attacks on religious freedom. We have to promote, support, strengthen, and incentivize family growth so families take their place in society in a place of honor.
SPEAKER 18 :
I’m defending the family by working in the Center for Biblical Worldview to provide cutting edge research and resources for pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian parents.
SPEAKER 17 :
Through my work at the Washington Stand, I passionately defend what God has defined for marriage and family. I don’t see the Washington Stand as just a place to talk about cultural events. It’s a place to share biblical truth with the perfect outlet to advance and defend what God has defined as good, true, and beautiful.
SPEAKER 15 :
Because of you, we’re able to frame things in such a way that help Christians stand for truth on the things that matter most like life, faith, family, and freedom. Thank you for standing with us.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you for your support. It is so critical to the work that we at Family Resource Council are doing day to day as we support and strengthen the family. So thank you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right, here’s an action item for you. I ran out of time there with Senator Hawley. Text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE, L-I-F-E, to 67742. And sign the petition to President Trump regarding the abortion drug. All right, that’s LIFE to 67742. Remember… A republic was not made for spectators. It is made for participants. So you got to do your part. Text the word life to 67742 and add your name to this petition. And by the way, this is one of the reasons to get the Stand Firm app because you’ll be getting notifications when you need to take action. It is a tool for citizens. So go to the app store and get the Stand Firm app. Speaking of action, earlier this month, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, Josh Stein, vetoed a bill that was originally designed to crack down on the exploitation of children and women in online pornography. But it was strengthened with several, several vital protections. It was like an omnibus for the family. and parental rights. Well, yesterday, the state legislature, the House and the Senate, overrode the governor’s veto of House Bill 805, along with a number of others. Now, here to discuss this is North Carolina State Representative Jennifer Baucom, a primary sponsor of House Bill 805. Jennifer, welcome to Washington Watch, and congratulations on successfully overriding the governor’s veto.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you very much. Thank you for having me. And yes, it’s a great day in North Carolina. Absolutely enjoyed it.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, describe for our listeners, because this is a pretty comprehensive bill. It does a whole lot of good stuff. So share that with our viewers.
SPEAKER 09 :
It does. We took a lot of bills, like you said, an ominous bill. We we put a lot of things into one bill and a lot of things for the family. Representative Jackson, Representative Stevens worked very hard on this. As far as the exploitation of women and children, a lot of that stayed the same. Verifying the ages of 18. Voluntary consent. It protects to take that down if someone wants to have that taken down. They have a 72-hour window. Civil penalties up to $10,000 if they are noncompliant. Those are just some of the things in that. Parental rights in schools. I think parents should be able to see and review the material. in the school system or what their children are being taught. And this gives them an avenue in their school libraries. They can exempt from religious beliefs. I think that that was something we did in there. And they have to have a searchable online base for these books to be reviewed. One part that I’m really excited about is the definition of a man and a woman. We’ve put that into state law, so that is awesome. I know last time we worked on protecting women in sports, this is just another avenue. We are working in North Carolina with Common Sense, so I’m thrilled that we have decided to define a man and woman. Hate that I have to come to that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Jennifer, it’s amazing that we’re at a point where we have to define in law what a man and a woman is according to biological reality. So with that in mind, I mean, all of this sounds very good. Parents having rights to see what their children are being exposed to, being able to exempt their children out of educational materials if it violates their religious convictions. And also, I think if it also pertains to any outside activities where students might be traveling, girls can’t be forced to stay in the same room with a biological male. Is that also a part of this bill?
SPEAKER 09 :
That is part of this bill. You’re absolutely right. So overnight stays on field trips, they will be roomed with the same sex. We don’t want having to share.
SPEAKER 07 :
I mean, that’s just common sense.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, sir, it is.
SPEAKER 07 :
But your governor vetoed it originally. So what was his explanation for vetoing it?
SPEAKER 09 :
We’re mean-spirited.
SPEAKER 07 :
Protecting children. Protecting children is mean-spirited.
SPEAKER 09 :
We are mean-spirited. He called us mean-spirited. And what really actually is mean-spirited, Mr. Perkins, is forcing our girls to stay the night or participate in sports with biological men. That’s really what’s mean-spirited, not this bill.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I tell you what, I applaud the efforts there in North Carolina. North Carolina, the legislature has come a long way in the last two decades. I’ve been working with the legislature on a number of issues going back to the marriage issue. So I applaud you on this. It wasn’t a good day for the governor yesterday. There were some other vetoes that were overridden. What were some of the other highlights?
SPEAKER 09 :
We have had some issues with people working in sanctuary cities and not cooperating with our law enforcement. Our speaker worked very hard on that bill as well, so we overrode that. We also rode an energy package that helps support families in lowering the cost for their energy bills. We overrode that bill as well. We did eight yesterday in the House, and it felt good to do that at one time. That was for sure.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes, I’m sure it did. Jennifer Balcom, I want to thank you for joining us today. And again, congratulations on a job well done. Grateful for the leadership that you and others provide there in the state of North Carolina.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you so much. And thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. And folks, you can find out more. Go to the website, Tony Perkins dot com. But I just want to underscore this. I’ve and I mentioned this briefly with Jennifer there. I when I first was here at the Family Research Council 20 some years ago, went down the the North Carolina legislature was in Democratic control. Last one in the legislature. the South fully under Democratic control. Hadn’t had Republicans for, I don’t know, I don’t think they ever, I can’t remember exactly. And we’ve seen this transition to being a very strong pro-life state, strong pro-family state. Now they still have some issues because they keep electing these Democratic governors. But we’re seeing this all across the South. And why is that? It’s because people like you got involved. Do not grow weary in well-doing. Now, it’s not perfect. Washington, D.C. is not perfect, but it’s better than it was two years ago. We have to stay praying. We’ve got to keep voting and we got to keep standing. All right. All right. Don’t go away. On the other side of the break, Chris Mitchell joins us from Jerusalem. So don’t go away.
SPEAKER 08 :
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 10 :
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 14 :
There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 10 :
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 14 :
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 04 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 16 :
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 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. And again, let me encourage you to get the Stand Firm app. That way you can have Washington Watch with you no matter where you go. And you can also have the benefit of having our news and commentary that comes to you from a biblical perspective from the Washington stand. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app. All right, our word for today comes from Mark chapter 9. Jesus said to him, if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. This father, desperate for his son’s deliverance, expressed both faith and honesty. Lord, I do believe, but I’m struggling. Help me overcome my doubt. You know what? Jesus didn’t rebuke him for his wavering faith. Instead, his response shows compassion and power. He honored the man’s cry for help and delivered his son. That aligns with how Jesus dealt with his own disciples. Over in Luke chapter 17, after Jesus told the apostles they must forgive, even repeatedly they responded, increase our faith. They recognized their inability and they asked for help. Like them, we often face challenges too big for our strength. That’s why Paul exhorted believers in Ephesians 6 to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We can’t do it alone, and God doesn’t expect us to. He welcomes our honest prayers and stands ready to strengthen us when we ask. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Well, the U.N.’ ‘s three-day conference in New York on the so-called two-state solution concludes today. Yesterday, representatives at the meeting issued the New York Declaration reaffirming their unwavering support for the implementation of the so-called two-state solution and laying out what they’d like to see happen. They have also called for other nations to support their push for the so-called two-state solution, including the nation of Israel. Now, is this the same song, different dance designed to pacify the Palestinians, or is this dangerously different? Joining me now from Jerusalem to discuss this and more, Chris Mitchell, Middle East bureau chief at CBN News. Chris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for staying up late and joining us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Great to be with you again, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So what can you tell us about this declaration and how is that being received there in Israel?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I don’t think there’s much of an appetite, especially after October 7th, for any form of a Palestinian state or a two state solution. They knew that Hamas is what they did on October 7th was the fruit of what they actually did 20 years ago, Tony, where they actually unilaterally out of the Gaza Strip. I was there and watched many of the almost 9,000 Jews who had lived in the Gaza Strip for many years and actually had developed crops and fields and actually exported flowers and celery to Europe. What happened at that time is that the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, in many ways, bullied or forced Israel to pull out of the Gaza Strip. There were many people at that time, Tony, that warned if Israel pulls out of the Gaza Strip, there would be a terrorist state to take its place. That’s exactly what happened. Two years later, Hamas took over from the Palestinian Authority and created Hamas and the biggest terror base in the world. And that led to October 7th. So that, in a sense, was a palestinian state for almost 18 years so there’s no appetite in israel that that would be formed once again it says in that declaration tony that it’s the palestinian authority that they want to take over gaza and And for many people here in Israel, they know what the Palestinian Authority has been doing for many, many years. They demonize Israel. They have a pay-to-slay program, which actually rewards terrorists who kill or maim Israelis. So for the Palestinian state, for this declaration to come out at this time is not either— Not, I think, taken as seriously here in Israel that there would be any kind of a Palestinian state, especially with the Palestinian Authority and certainly not Hamas.
SPEAKER 07 :
Palestinian Authority versus Hamas. I mean, a lot of focus on Hamas in Gaza, but there is as much threat from terrorism in the areas under Palestinian Authority control as we’ve seen in past in Gaza.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, if you look at places in the quote-unquote West Bank, which is actually the biblical heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, places like Jenin and Tukaram, those places, there have been hotbeds of terrorism. SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE WAR GOING ON IN GAZA AND THE SEVERE FRONT WAR THAT ISABEL’S BEEN FIGHTING, ONE OF THOSE FRONTS IS THERE IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA. AND THERE’S BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT TO ROOT OUT MANY OF THESE TERROR CELLS. AND SO IT REPRESENTS A DANGER, MAYBE NOT QUITE AS SERIOUS AS HAMAS DID AT ONE TIME, BUT CERTAINLY A SERIOUS DANGER TO THOSE LIVING IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA OR PEOPLE LIVING HERE IN JERUSALEM WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW. So if you look at a website named the Palestinian Media Watch, Antimar Marcus, they’ve been documenting exactly what the Palestinian Authority has been preaching to its people, that they will one day replace Israel, that this is a jihad against the people of Israel. And one day they want to not only have a two-state solution, but eventually they would prefer, they would want a one-state solution to to replace the Jewish state.
SPEAKER 07 :
So for the benefit of Israel, the Israelis, to turn control of Gaza over to the Palestinians and at the same time calling for a second state or a two-state solution, a Palestinian state, that means Judea, portions of Judea and Samaria, which strategically, from a security standpoint, would be even more, make Israel even more vulnerable than what having Gaza under the control of Hamas in the southern part of the country.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, if you gave up that territory, and I think it was former Foreign Minister Abe Ibn who said that they would be Auschwitz borders, there would be between the Mediterranean and a so-called Palestinian state would be about nine miles. So this is a strategically it would pose a threat to Ben-Gurion Airport, to Jerusalem, to Tel Aviv itself. and much of the people that live, actually, on the Mediterranean coastline. I know you’ve been there recently. I’ve seen some of the footage from your visit there recently. And also, it’s not only strategically, but this is the biblical heartland. This is the heartland of the Jewish people that… where Abraham was and Joshua, and where God promised the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants forever. So it’s not only strategically dangerous, but it’s biblically dangerous, too, if you really believe that Genesis 12, 2 and 3 says God will curse those that curse the land or divide the land.
SPEAKER 07 :
And that would be dangerous for all those who support it as well, including the United States, if we were to go along with such a proposal. So very quickly, before we move on to the next topic, Chris Mitchell, if I mean, we’ve been hearing this. I mean, this goes back to this two state solution goes back to, you know, the 1980s. 40s, the late 40s, 50s. So is this the same old song or is this potentially more dangerous given what’s happening internationally as it pertains to Israel and the crisis in Gaza?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think it’s both the same old song and potentially dangerous right now, Tony, because there seems to be this tsunami, a diplomatic tsunami against the Jewish Jewish state. And it’s fueled and maybe we’ll address this as well by much of what’s happening in the media. And I think the media is actually pushing countries like the UK and other countries to go ahead and declare a Palestinian state. And I think the other thing, and it’s something that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, Israeli Foreign Minister, that the Muslim populations in some of these countries is seemingly goading or maybe appeasing those populations by coming against Israel and then threatening to declare a Palestinian state.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. Yeah, I do want to address that because there’s been images that have been flashed across the TV screens and on newspapers around the world. And it’s now come to light that these images, some of these children, that were supposed to be the picture, the images of famine in Gaza that, in fact, one of these was taken by a Turkish state news agency and was picked up by the British publications, The New York Times here in the United States. And it comes to turn out that this images of a young boy named Mohammed, was the fact that he had underlying, he actually had other medical issues that they hid that none of the reporters talked about. And his mom and his brother, who were cut out of the pictures, were fine. They were healthy. It was clear they were getting enough food. And so this speaks to the irresponsible nature of the media fueling this hostility toward Israel.
SPEAKER 05 :
It seems to be going hand in hand. They’re taking the word of Hamas and using some of these images, as you referred to, I think, on the front page of The New York Times that followed by, you know, maybe millions of people. And then they did issue SORT OF A NON-APOLOGY EXPLAINING THAT, AS YOU SAID, THAT THIS YOUNG BOY DID HAVE EXTENDING MEDICAL ISSUES WHERE HE LOOKED SO EMATIATED. BUT I THINK THAT REALLY IS FUELING WHAT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK IT’S A MEDIA CAMPAIGN that Hamas is running, talking about starvation and Gaza. I don’t think anybody disputes the fact that there is hunger in Gaza and there’s a problem of getting aid. But what happens is that much of this aid that comes into Gaza is stolen and looted by Hamas, hoarded, and then sold back to the Palestinian people at exorbitant rates. They use those to finance their war machine. on the other hand there is an alternative called the gaza humanitarian foundation that our good friend johnny moore is part of that the director of that and they are providing free food and providing i believe up to now 90 million meals so it’s seems to be hamas along with the un that is trying to stop uh aid going to the gaza humanitarian foundation uh where it it bypasses what hamas has been doing to control its population and now with this media campaign let’s go on global talking about starvation and gaza it’s really trying to undermine uh gaza humanitarian foundation and demonize uh israel who is trying to get the aid into the people of Gaza. But it’s been thwarted by Hamas.
SPEAKER 07 :
So, Chris, if as we’ve seen from this declaration that was put out and of course, we now have the British, we have the French saying that come September, if this is not resolved, they’re going to support a two state solution. Is this not rewarding? the terrorist, Hamas, by giving, by this push for a Palestinian state after October the 7th?
SPEAKER 05 :
It seems like it is exactly rewarding Hamas for what happened on October 7th and trying to reward Palestinian authority and give them sort of what Hamas has done. So I think it’s a very, very difficult situation. And many of these places right now, these countries that are threatening this, you have to ask yourself, What would they be doing if they were fighting the kind of war that Israel is fighting? Israel is fighting an embedded terror group, Hamas, for almost two years now. Many of those fighters come from tunnels. They use Palestinians as human shields. And you wonder how they would react. It seems like there’s just no recognition. OF THE DIFFICULTY OF WHAT THE IDF IS DOING. AND THE IDF IS NOT ONLY FIGHTING THIS TWO FRONT WAR ABOVE THE GROUND AND BELOW THE GROUND, AS WELL AS DEALING WITH HUMAN SHIELDS, BUT THEY’RE ALSO PUTTING AID INTO THE ENEMY. If you can compare it to World War II, would the allies be sending aid into Nazi Germany when they were trying to find them? I certainly want to have compassion on the people of Gaza who are caught in the crossfire, but what they’re doing actually is aiding their enemy. That’s why some people in Israel really don’t want any aid going in, only because the young men and women, they’re in harm’s way. It puts them in a more dangerous situation.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right, in a prolonged situation. Of course, much different than World War II because we have instant media and people are looking at this and no one wants to see people suffer. We want to see an end to this. We’ve just got about a minute and a half left, Chris. Today, the Prime Minister’s office confirmed in a post on X that any country that truly wants to help with conducting Airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip is welcome to join Israel. So it sounds like there’s more that nations can do besides pressuring and blaming Israel. They can help if they want. Any word yet as to if other countries are going to help?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I know that the UAE has dropped some aid. Egypt has, I think, believed for the first time. But the aid by air is really just a drop in the bucket compared to what can come in by trucks. But to your point, if countries really wanted to help, They could provide aid themselves and it can go hopefully into Gaza, not be stolen by and looted by Hamas and given directly to the people. So it’s a very, very difficult situation for Israel trying to do the right thing by providing the aid, but being usurped and thwarted by not only Hamas, but by the UN itself.
SPEAKER 07 :
Chris, 25 seconds left. Speaking of support from above, how can we be praying for Israel and the whole situation there right now?
SPEAKER 05 :
Pray for the truth to come out and that the media would tell the truth about what’s happening and that Israel continue to stay strong to try to release all of the hostages that still remain there and try to defeat Hamas that’s trying to destroy Israel. And pray, as always, for the peace of Jerusalem.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and so that the truth will come out, that’s why we have you on the program today. Chris Mitchell, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, Tony. All right, folks, pray, pray, pray. We’re out of time for today, but we leave you with this encouraging word from the Apostle Paul. When you’ve done all that you can do, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve planned, and you’ve taken your stand, just keep standing.
SPEAKER 24 :
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 Tony Perkins dot com.
