FRC - Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Steven Moore, Peter Breen, Rosemary Jenks, Edward Graham, Kyle Campbell

0:00From 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, sitting in for Tony as today's host, Jody Heiss. Our commitment in the Trump administration is that we would like to have nine Supreme Court justices. That's the way that it's been for a long time, and we think that's the way that it should stay. We also know that Democrats have explicitly promised that they will pack the United States Supreme Court if they're given additional power. I think, frankly, so long as Republicans are in power, we're going to have a Supreme Court that is good and honest and fair in the Constitution. That was Vice President JD Vance earlier today at the White House commenting after House Democrats defeated a constitutional amendment to permanently cap the Supreme Court at nine justices. Welcome to this Thursday, September 3rd edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host, Jody Heiss, sitting in for Tony Perkins.

1:06Coming up on today's program, there's a high stakes legal battle over pro-life groups sharing information about a Borschenpil reversal. It's on the cusp of a court decision and Peter Brin of the Thomas Bors society will be joining us to discuss this case and what's next. Plus a congressional subcommittee is looking into potential legislative responses for immigration policy after the Supreme Court blocked President Trump from taking action against the abuse of birthright citizenship. Rosemary Jeanx from the immigration accountability project testified at the hearing yesterday on birthright citizenship in the 14th amendment, and she will be joining us to discuss all of that. Later in the program, Edward Graham of some Americans per purse will be joining us for an update on the tragic situation in Nepal. Also political strategist and commentator Kyle Campbell will be joining us to discuss a federal judges dismissal of a lawsuit challenging California's policy, which allows biological males to compete in female sports.

2:20So all that and much more is coming your way in the next hour on this edition of Washington watch. Let's start with some news coming out of Washington. House Democrats have rejected a constitutional amendment to permanently cap the Supreme Court at nine justices and joining us now to discuss this is Washington watch reporter Mary Stackhouse. Okay Mary, take this one and run with it walk us through what happened. Well, Joni almost all House Democrats voted against the proposed constitutional amendment to keep Supreme Court justices at nine. The measure failed to reach the necessary two thirds threshold and was voted down to 12 to two of six. The U.S. Constitution does not establish how many justices should sit on the Supreme Court. Since 1869, the Supreme Court has had nine. President Trump has warned that if Democrats take back control of Congress that they could aim to expand the Supreme Court.

3:20The concern is that if one administration adds seats to the Supreme Court to suit its agenda, another administration could do the same. And that could turn the judiciary into a political tool, ultimately undermining the court's legitimacy and the balance of power. All right, thanks Mary. Let's shift to some other domestic news. The House has approved a measure that penalizes universities that boycott Israel. What's this all about? Well, earlier today, the House passed legislation that cuts off federal aid for universities that participate in boycotts of Israel. The Chamber voted 237 to 169 in favor of the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. 33 Democrats approved the legislation, but most voted against it. This comes as anti-Semitism continues to be an issue in the U.S. following the October 7 terrorist attack against Israel. Anti-Semitism has also been an issue on college campuses. In the spring of 2024, Israel's war against the Hamas-Ferrous Group in Gaza sparked protests and calls for boycotts in many college campuses.

4:23Now, sponsors of this bill say that the measure was not intended to hinder academic speech or debate, but to prevent the targeting of Israel and Jewish people. The proposed legislation now heads to the Senate. Jody. All right. Let's turn real quickly to some news regarding the conflict with Iran. What's the latest developments there? Jody, we've seen a spike in attacks by the U.S. and Iran in recent days. And earlier today, Iran said that it struck U.S. military bases in the UAE and Kuwait. However, a U.S. official said that no bases were impacted by Iran's attacks. Iran said that today's attacks were in retaliation to American strikes that Iran says killed more than a dozen Iranians. And they said that that included people at a wedding party. Now, earlier today, Vice President Jody Vance held a White House briefing where he said that he's extremely skeptical of Iran's claims, but he said that it's being investigated because the administration cares and wants to know what happened. During the press briefing, Vice President Vance was asked about negotiations with Iran. Here's what he said.

5:25Our message to the Iranians is simple. It's been the same for the very beginning is you've got to stop shooting at commercial shipping. They've got to stop. It's that simple. And to your point about negotiations, the President has been very clear, we're not talking to them. And we're not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping. By the way, the U.S. military said that it is aware of the Iranian reports, but that it never targets civilians. Jody. All right, Mary. Thank you so much for these updates. We appreciate it. Let's turn now to Russia's war with Ukraine and get an on-the-ground perspective joining us now live from Ukraine is Stephen Moore. He's the founder and president of the Ukraine Freedom Project. Stephen is a former chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. And he's been in Ukraine most of the time since day five of the war. In addition to humanitarian work, Ukraine Freedom Project also provides firsthand data-driven information to policymakers in the media about the situation there in Ukraine.

6:32Stephen, thank you for staying up late and welcome to Washington watch. I understand bombs are taking place even as we speak. So if you need to leave, we certainly understand. But let's start. Can you share with us what you've been seeing and hearing on the ground there in Ukraine in recent days? Yeah, so Putin has really wound up his air game against the Ukrainian people. And I say to Ukrainian people because this is all about killing civilians and making civilians miserable. And you're probably aware that Patriot missiles are now a short supply after about 4,000 of them were used in the Iran theater war. And Ukraine has used about 600 of them over three years and they're out. And that's the only defense against ballistic missiles. So Putin knows this and he's sending in about three times as many ballistic missiles this month as he did last year in August.

7:34So it's just Putin charging civilians trying to kill civilians. Yeah, I understand just over the last week or so. I mean, these attacks have really been virtually around the clock. In fact, just yesterday we saw where there was a couple injured on the road there in Kiev. So what can you tell us about the effect that these new attacks from Moscow are having on the Ukrainian people? Well, you know, I saw Tony Perkins at the Ukrainian prayer breakfast and had a nice word with him. And yeah, so you know, God's protection was on him because there was no missiles at that time. And so, but you know, what we're seeing here is that, you know, I'll tell you, you know, when you go shopping and target and they say, you know, attention to shoppers, target will be closing in 10 minutes.

8:41Please take your purchases to the front and here in Ukraine, they say attention shoppers. We're expecting missiles and drones in about 15 minutes. Please take your purchases to the front. And it's just an effort to, you know, families are shopping for clothes for their children for school and trying to do normal things. And it's just is Putin just keeps coming with these things. The good news though is this is also happening in Moscow. Moscow is, you know, black smoke is over Moscow almost all of the time now. And President Zelensky actually issued a statement. He said, you know, we got 300 drones a day going into Russia. If I were an international airline flying into Russia, I would be very careful because Russian air defenses in the past have already shot down two passenger jets in, you know, in the in the 12 years this war has been going on. And so, you know, the Russians aren't having a good time of it either.

9:45Well, there's no doubt about that. And as you mentioned, the black smoke rising there in Moscow earlier today, Russian President Putin said that there was a chance underscore a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war against Ukraine. What's your take on that? Well, you know, Putin's already in violation of 26 peace agreements cease fires and various other things with Ukraine. And he's in violation of a couple of dozen different treaties with the United States of America. So it's difficult to take Putin as word. You know, he's also, you know, he's talked to Trump, President Trump 14 times in during President Trump's second term. And every one of those times during or after the call, he sent drones and missiles into Ukraine after. So let me just rephrase that every time he talked to President Trump about peace, his finger was on the button to send missiles and drones into Ukraine. So it's difficult to believe anything that Putin says that being said Putin understands strength. And right now he is back on his heels.

10:54You know, the black sea, he had this, you know, amazing black sea fleet. A third of that black sea fleet is underwater right now. And Ukraine's got an navy smaller than that of the desert country of Algeria. You know, the oil revenues are going down and Russia is essentially a gas station with an army. And if you cut off the gas revenues, the army can't do much. And those gas revenues are falling. I want to ask about a new documentary you have coming out of faith under siege, but I also root before getting there in just a couple of minutes we have less. Is real quickly your response to the meeting between Russia and China and India this past week. Yeah, well, that's Vladimir Putin talking to his customers because China and India by two thirds of Russia's fossil fuel exports. So and if they didn't, Putin wouldn't be able to wage this war. So, you know, in it, in it does not bode well for America because, you know, what your viewers may not know is America is in a global war right now.

12:05And the only people acting on that information is our adversaries China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, all these long, extreme movements. They're all working together. And, you know, and the vast majority of Americans are spending their time scrolling TikTok. So, so again, this is just another instance of our enemies conspiring against us. Absolutely. Art of Adam and left tell our viewers and listeners about your documentary of faith under siege. Well, we've got a faith under siege. It's been shown by it's I mean, sorry, it's been seen by about 3.1 million American Christians. It's been on CBN TV and Newsmax and a bunch others in your viewers can see it at faithundersege.com. And we also have a new series that's come out. It's called Faith in War. And it's five short films showing the Ukrainian people. The Ukrainian people are very faithful people.

13:05This is 80% Christian country. And Vladimir Putin has shut down every church and occupied Ukraine. He does not control and made a having a Bible study in your home, punishable by 20 years in a nasty Russian prison. And we talked to Christians that, you know, in Ukraine, Ukrainian Christians that tell us about this. And, you know, and so they're suffering horribly. It's like first century stuff, but they're also overcoming through faith. So this is like everyone here is the Michael Jordan of faith. It's amazing. Thank you so much for joining us live from Ukraine. Stephen Moore, founder and president of the Ukraine Freedom Project. All right, stay safe, my friend. All right, coming up, we're going to get an update on what is being referred to as the pro life trial of the century. Stay with us. We'll be right back on the other side of this break. Everyone wants wisdom, but few know where to find it. In wisdom of Solomon, Tony Perkins takes us on a 24-day journey through proverbs and pleasesy asties to discover God's unchanging wisdom for our changing times.

14:15Each day's studying explores key passages, offers practical reflection questions and focuses on life application. Get it now at frc.org slash wisdom or text wisdom to 6742. America, what formed the fabric of our freedom? What stitched together the hearts of those that fasten the stars and stripes? 250 years ago, our founding fathers pin the invisible words woven within every heart that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. United with others who will pledge to defend these eternal truths today at Family Research Council's Prevote Stand Summit September 24th to the 26th at Cornerstone Chapel outside Washington, D.C. In 1776, our country declared independence in reliance upon divine providence. In 2026, in the same spirit, will declare dependence upon God by gathering for a time of prayer, inspiration and action.

15:22Per faith, per family, per freedom. Register now at prayvotestand.org. Washington, D.C. is more than a place of political power. The city proclaims our national story, a story woven with faith. In God, we trust is a commemorative book from Family Research Council, celebrating 250 years of America's biblical foundations through the monuments of Washington, D.C. This special resource will inspire you to make America's future as God honoring as her past. For to your copy today, text book to 67742, that's book to 67742. Stand on the Word is a simple yet powerful daily Bible reading plan designed to center our hearts, homes and culture on Scripture. This free resource invites you to read a couple chapters a day to grow in biblical understanding and be equipped to frame current events through the ever-relevant lens of Scripture. Stand on the Word is transforming how thousands engage with God's Word.

16:22We're enjoying, learning and growing so much as a family with Stand on the Word. I like how you lay things out and dive deeper into each chapter. I am gleaming much critical, political and cultural insight from a biblical worldview that is grounded in God's Word. This devotional study is phenomenal. It's like being in a small group every morning. Our lives are transformed and we have shared everything you all do with others. Thank you. To join these and countless others, visit frc.org-slashbible. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm Jody Heiss, filling in today for Tony. Thanks for tuning in with us. Just a quick reminder, our Prevotes Stand Summit just a couple of weeks away. September 24th through the 26th, happening at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, just outside of Washington, D.C.'s.

17:25Be sure to join us at all possible to get more details and register text summit to 6742. Earlier this summer, we shared with you what some are labeling the pro-life trial of the century. This is a trial in California that pits the Golden State against pro-life pregnancy resource centers. California's Democrat Attorney General Rob Bonta, he is seeking to punish and silence heartbeat international and real options medical clinics, accusing them of faults advertising. But as we shared then, this is a case about information. It's about information that the left does not want to flow freely. Well, closing arguments are set for September 17th, which is just a couple of weeks away.

18:27And the legal group that is defending these pro-life ministries has filed its closing trial brief and joining us now with an update on how the six-week trial went. Peter Breene is executive vice president and head of litigation at the Thomas Moore Society. Peter, welcome back to Washington Watch. We're glad to have you. So let's begin. What are the key takeaways that you saw from this trial? Well, the Attorney General came in claiming that abortion pill reversal, which is this process where you help a woman who has ingested that first pill of the two pill abortion regimen, the chemical abortion regimen, she changes her mind. You help her to save that baby by giving her extra progesterone. The AG came in saying this is medically unsound. It's unsafe. It's ineffective. Well, once the experts actually got on the stand, their key witness, a late term abortionist medical expert, could not swear under oath that this was unsafe or that it was ineffective.

19:33And in fact, when asked, is it biologically plausible? Their expert said, yes, it is. And yet we continued the trial for six weeks. And so at every turn, we had just incredible evidence come in. Some of the moms whose babies were saved actually came and under their own names. They came to court. They brought their children. And we were able to hear their testimonies, which was extremely powerful in court. It was real lives that have been saved by this critical, critical ministry of heartbeat international and pregnancy centers across the country. And so it really was a wonderful and heartening trial. Still, it's a tough case. We never want a guarantee victory, but the evidence came in really well. And we're very pleased by that. It is amazing that this went on for six weeks here in what you're saying. So where do you go from here? What do you go? Where do you go with an argument in the closing trial?

20:35The brief that you just filed on behalf of heartbeat international and real options. What's the, what's the argument there? And so we are now that we have the trial record, we were able to really add to some of the earlier arguments we made and now really sharpen them up. Not just that the first amendment protects this speech. So when you're talking about speech on a significant issue of public concern, it's not on the government to tell you what's true or false. I mean, we've seen people try to do that, try to impose orthodoxy on Americans. You can't do that. That's not what the government's job is. We were able to buttress those arguments with the testimony in court, but also going right at their claims, the AG claim that well, the major medical groups, they don't agree with this. One of the key pieces of evidence we put in was there's a group called ACOG. It's the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. They like abortion. They gave a statement against abortion till reversal. Well, we brought in testimony that showed it turned out the statement had been drafted by their public relations team.

21:39And that their physicians weren't willing to stand behind it. So we were able to put all of that into this trial brief. And now we're going to get a blockbuster closing argument, September 17th, right there in Oakland. And it will, we will make this case to the judge, not just that the Constitution prohibits this sort of, you know, just witch hunt prosecution that they're trying to do against pro life pregnancy centers, but that they didn't improve the case in the first place. And so that is, we're very hopeful that that will be successful with the judge on the 17th. Yeah, so you know, there's so many ironies here and frightening aspects of this as it continues in spite of the evidence that you have been able to bring forth. But the AG claims to be a champion on the right to choose, but he is trying to shut down choice here, isn't he? Right. So these women, I mean, so again, this is a fiction that you go somehow, you know, the child's not a baby when you're going in for the abortion, but if you change your mind now, the son is a baby.

22:46But you know, and we who are pro life and Christian understand the truth of that, but even on the left's framing of this once a woman wants that child, that is a baby. I mean, we all agree on that. And, you know, and a doctor then has two patients, they're supposed to treat that woman in whatever way she, you know, she can to save that baby. And we've got supplemental progesterone. It's perfectly safe. It's been used when you've got difficult pregnancies for at least 70 years. You know, we had that in evidence as well. And so this idea that somehow it's now unsafe just because pro life people want to use it to help save babies after the men's subject to the first chemical abortion pill. It's just who we and again, 70% success rate for this process so we can save a lot of those babies. We can't save them all, but we can save a lot of those babies and those babies came to court. So we're very hopeful for a good outcome here. All right. So you say this is safe. Two part question and we've got about a minute left. Have any comfort claiming that this abortion pill reversal has created harm.

23:49And from there, where's this case go from here? What do you anticipate? You know, they've been doing abortion pill reversal in California widely for over a decade, not a single victim stepped forward. Not one person claimed even for those for whom it didn't work because it doesn't work for everyone is sad. You know, sometimes it just we can't can't save the baby. But even for those folks, no one, no one complained. And so, you know, we're looking at that going, you've got a perfectly safe substance. You've got no complaints. In fact, a lot's a happy women and happy babies, beautiful little babies. So where we go here real quick, like where do we go? Okay, we'll get our closing argument about three months later, you're going to get a decision from the trial judge. Hopefully that will go well for us. And but probably either way, it will then go up to the California Court of Appeal and we'll go up to that process. And so but again, hoping for a great result. Thank you so much for joining us today, Peter Bring, executive vice president and head of litigation at Thomas Moore Society. We appreciate it. Keep up the great work.

24:50Alright, coming up, we're going to discuss the issue of birthright citizenship and birth tourism. So stay with us. I think all people really need to have this type of education. Well, I can tell you that it's been an amazing course period. I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we're doing with our families and with our work. God and government is a video driven Bible based training course from family research council that explores the connection between biblical principles and American government. In this six session video series, FRC president Tony Perkins, equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview. I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this. I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.

25:55So I'm an attorney and for me, it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community to make better legislation, to try to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want. Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens, right? We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, but we're also citizens of just great land and that comes with responsibility. Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you're learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it's also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it's the videos, whether it's doing it in person, bring your Bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it, and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead. View the course at frc.org slash God and government or on the stan firm app.

27:01Welcome back to Washington watch. So glad to have you joining us today. I'm your host, Jody Heiss, filling in for Tony. Okay, yesterday a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the president's second executive order regarding birthright citizenship. Now the first E O executive order had been overturned by the Supreme Court in a June ruling this year. And in fact, that was the subject of a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing that took place yesterday. The second executive order, which was signed on August 6, took particular aim at birth tourism. You may remember that. We reported on it. And that was discussed at yesterday's hearing. So are the courts getting all this wrong? Well, joining us now to discuss this further is Rosemary Jinx. Rosemary is the policy director for the immigration accountability project.

28:04She was one of the witnesses who testified at yesterday's hearing. Rosemary always great to see you. Welcome to Washington watch and let's just start with the 14th amendment review our listeners and audience. What does it say and how is it being interpreted or misinterpreted right now by the courts? So the 14th amendment is pretty simple. The citizenship clause says that if you are born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof. You are a citizen of the nation and of the state wherein you reside. So instead of looking at what they should have looked at, which is what does subject to the jurisdiction thereof mean. The Supreme Court instead went back to British feudal law in 1608 and said that, you know, anyone born on feudal territory is the subject of the king and the king owes that subject protection.

29:05Well, you know, we fought a revolution to repudiate that exact idea of monarch to subject relationship. And we decided and we said this in the Declaration of Independence that Americans America's government is based on the consent of the governed. That means Americans consent to what our government does we didn't consent to letting anyone from around the world come here and have a baby and that baby become a citizen. That devalues American citizenship immensely. And so yes, the Supreme Court got it wrong. The district judges that are over that are blocking the president's latest executive orders got it wrong. And it's time for Congress to step into the breach. There's a lot that Congress can do since Congress runs immigration policy. If people aren't here, they can't give birth to US citizens here.

30:06If you broke it down in such an understandable way as you always do. So let me let me go back to the hearing yesterday. Obviously, Republicans were highlighting the issue of birth tourism, meaning foreign nationals travel to the US specifically to have children and thereby obtained citizenship. So a lot of concerns obviously wrapped up in all of this did Democrats any of them in the hearing did they have any concerns about this at all? It doesn't seem like it. They kept they had a line, you know, as they do, they practice one line and they just keep repeating it and it was something along the lines of well birth tourism doesn't happen very often. So we're not going to be there and we don't really need to worry about it, which, you know, very rare. It's a multi billion dollar industry. We have evidence of, you know, Chinese billionaires who have a hundred children born to surrogate mothers in the United States so that they can get citizenship for those children and then fly them back to China.

31:16Are the top two countries that engage in birth tourism and you have to ask yourself why is it that our adversaries are engaging in this practice. Could it be that they want those children to come back to the United States at some point when they become adults and do something nefarious. I don't know, but I sure would like to ask that question because remember a US citizen is not vetted in any way when they come into the United States. So these children, even though they have never lived a day in the United States since they were born, they will not be vetted before they come back into the United States at the age of 18 or 21. So you mentioned a while ago that Congress and I agree needs to step up with this. Just less than two minutes. What are your recommendations to Congress? Well, one of the main ones is actually a bill that you carried when you were in Congress, the Nuclear Family Priority Act, which would stop chain migration and mean that the parents of illegal, the illegal alien parents of so-called anchor babies would not be able to get legal immigration status, which they shouldn't be able to get.

32:29Congress clearly controls that. There's no question about that. Congress needs to codify President Trump's border security policies. So that we don't have another Biden border crisis with the next administration. Congress needs to outlaw birth tourism. We should be going after the birth tourism centers, the employers are the businesses that actually provide the services to these women who come in on tourist visas to have their babies. So you should be in jail. Congress clearly has the power to do all these things. They just need to act. I need to act and it just seems like there's been a revolving door on this year after year after year. And Rosemary, I just want to personally say thank you for being on the tip of the spear on this issue for so long. Your voice and your influence is so needed and the clarity with which you break all of this complicated stuff down is just masterful.

33:31I want to thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch Rosemary Jeans policy director for the immigration accountability project. Thank you so much. Thank you. Coming up we've got a heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time account of Samaritan's work in Nepal. Evergreyam will be joining us with the situation there. So stay with us. We'll be back. One Nation under God. America's undeniable foundation of faith. The United States Capitol an iconic symbol of the American Republic. But few know that this building at the heart of our nation's government was once something more. The largest church building in America. Since its inception and for decades following several rooms throughout the Capitol including the House and Senate chambers were used to host church services weekly.

34:39These services were filled with individuals from all levels of government. The attendance was so pervasive that often it was standing room only. Quote, going to the Capitol on Sundays was then one of the most common things in Washington, Margaret Bayard Smith. This practice was not merely accepted but encouraged. Quote, I consider it as one of my public duties as a representative of the people to give my attendance every Sunday morning when divine service is performed in the hall. President John Quincy Adams. Housing worship at the center of our Capitol was a living representation of the role that biblical principles played as a cornerstone of our nation's foundation of faith. Have you noticed the upsurge in gambling ads? How could you not? The ads are big, bold, shiny. They virtually glitter with gold. Well, full-scaled. Because as they say, the House always wins.

35:42But some lessons are easily forgotten and nowhere is this more evident than the rise of the sports betting industry. Since 1992, 39 states and Washington DC have legalized sports betting and as a result, more than 600 billion has been wagered on sports since 2018. Now, Christians should be instinctively concerned about the latest growth in gambling. For one, gambling profits are often losses for those least able to afford them, causing unnecessary friction within families. Secondly, it's inherently exploitative. The gambling industry necessarily harms one person to benefit another. Gambling offers me the chance to gain at your expense. For me to win, you must lose. But even if I win, I lose the dignity and satisfaction of earning what I have. By greenlighting gambling, cities and states across our nation take the short-term game of a little extra revenue for the long-term loss of strong communities. The states think they're winning when in the long run, really, they are losing. Remember, the House always wins.

36:43Follow Family Research Council's news outlet, The Washington Stand, for more stories that speak out against policies undercutting strong families and strong communities. Because the only house that truly wins is a house built on a solid rock. God Himself. You're tuned in to watch and welcome back in good afternoon. I'm Jody Heiss, filling in today for Tony. So glad to have you with us. Just another real quick reminder. Our pre-vote stand summit is just three weeks away. September 24 through 26. September 24 through 26. Write it down. Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia, just outside Washington. You'll be hearing from Christian leaders and various experts on multiple issues. There will be government officials who are standing for our faith, all of these folks, a standing for family, standing for freedom. And tons of topics from abortion to AI to the Middle East, and next generation, our future is a country, socialism, surreal all.

37:47Tech summit to 67742 for more information and to register. We want to together equip you to stand for truth. All right, it's been over a week now since the catastrophic flash floods struck northern Nepal and the Nepal to better border region. Unpressed a denied humanitarian crisis that has been created there and as they have so faithfully done for so long, our friends at Samaritan's Purse have been responding to the disaster. And by the way, they do it without government support. In fact, just recently it was revealed that Samaritan's Purse turned down a $300 million grant from the US Army. And in a statement, Samaritan's Purse president and CEO Franklin Graham said while we deeply appreciate the confidence that the State Department has placed in Samaritan's Purse.

38:53After prayer and discussion, we have withdrawn from being a recipient of these funds. Throughout my history, leading Samaritan's Purse, we have always relied on God, not government for funding. Well, we here at the Family Research Council applaud this decision. In fact, during the COVID pandemic, we declined funds from the government as well for the same reason. So let me just say as Samaritan's Purse responds to disasters like what we're watching in Nepal, we do hope that you are watching watch family will be led to be part of upholding this great ministry, both in prayer and in your finances. And here to share more about the situation in Nepal and their relief efforts is Edward Graham, Chief Operating Officer of Samaritan's Purse. Edward, welcome back to Washington watch. Always good to see you.

39:53Jody, thanks for having us and always great to see all. All right, let's start with the latest. What are you hearing about the situation in Nepal? Where does it stand? You were just talking about it, absolutely horrific images and videos that came out of that country, the destruction. I think because it's on so many cameras and it was recorded so much, but it is hard to believe it almost looks like an AI image or something you would see in a Hollywood movie made in a green screen somewhere. But just the horrific downpour of water that came down these valleys destroyed communities and homes and you saw people running for the lives and screaming. I think I brought a lot of fear to these communities, but there's a lot of hurt. There's still a lot of people thousands missing to include US citizens, but you had over 1200 right now that they've been confirmed killed. And so they're still searching for bodies makes it more difficult with continued rain and unstable ground as a search.

40:53But I would tell you there is a local church there and we partnered with them in 2015 during the earthquake. This was before my time. I was still in the military when Samarins person was there and they had an office there for three years. So we have great partners and friends that quickly allowed our disaster assistance response team to come in, assess what was needed. Then we just sent our 767 cargo plane. It's landed all floated materials. These are like solar lights, water filtration systems, Jerry cans, hygiene kits, all things that are needed for those that are hurting and suffering, lots of their homes to be able to get back into their homes or their community start living. And have a better quality of life. But we do all this to the local partners that we have. And this brings God the glory. We don't this isn't for man or for Samaritan's purse. This is a gods entrusted with these resources and we go. It is so heartbreaking as you said to see these images into realize that this is real. Like you said, there's not an AI driven or Hollywood produced creation. It's real life.

42:00Can you just share with us real quickly Edward how our viewers, how our listeners can help and how we can most effectively pray right now. Yeah. Great question. Pray prayer. I'm a firm believer in the power prayer and not only does this country, but next door to to bet as well, they need our prayers. Those that are suffering and hurting the local church that's there and that serving and being bold with the gospel. Pray for their encouragement and their strength. But also if people want to get involved with Samaritan's purse, you can always do that. You can go into our website and our disaster assistant response team are not volunteers. These are staff members. They go through a hiring process, but many of professionals, whether they're doctors, nurses, logisticians, I call them a guiver. Someone that can figure out any problem with shoe string and a pocket knife. They sign up and they deploy with our normal staff or regular staff that goes over. But we also have opportunities here in this country after disasters. So you can always volunteer and go out with Samaritan's purse if you want to get involved. So prayer and then volunteer. You go to Samaritan's purse.org and there's a drop down how to get involved first way to do its prayer.

43:14Thank you so much for joining us. Edgar Graham Chief Operating Officer of Samaritan's purse. God bless you. All right. Let's turn now to California where a federal judge this week. Weak pave the way for biological males to continue competing in female sports by dismissing a Department of Justice lawsuit and joining us now to discuss this and more is political strategist and commentator Kyle Campbell host of the politically basic podcast. Kyle welcome back to Washington watch good to have you. Let's start with with this court decision. Did they avoid really the underlying debate over biological fairness entirely. Well, Jodi are we surprised this is California and it's a federal judge in California. So here we go again. And this is really indicative of what's going on out here in this state. We know that as California goes so goes the nation.

44:14And this is no different with this issue of fairness in sports, particularly when we're dealing with miners. So Gavin Newsom really has an issue here and then that he is slowly walking himself backwards out the door of the governorship of the state he's grabbing as much as he can for himself on the way out. And this is one of those issues he has absolutely refused to be clear on to stand on one side of the issue or not saying he's for it. He's against it. There should be fairness, but there should be more trans kids. So we're still dealing with it here. And I think this is a case in which you're going to see that the issue can just keeps getting kicked down the road. And you know, the Bible talks about people like Gavin Newsom flattering lips and a and with a double tongue, he speaks, you know, and this is just more of the same that we're seeing from him. So unfortunately, this issue is not getting resolved in our state anytime soon. And the young girls and children who are trying to be competitive to have their own privacy and bathrooms and lock rooms are the ones who are suffering under it.

45:19And the one of the big issues politically, let's underscore that title nine. And of course, the Trump administration is suing to enforce title nine. It's intended to be a shield for females. A shield that protects them, a shield that gives them opportunities to compete. And it's not intended to be a loophole for males, which is what the Biden administration created out of it. This should provide more opportunities for women, not take those opportunities away. Correct. Well, you're absolutely right. And sadly, we're seeing the opposite go down here from a legal standpoint, the federal judges and the state governance. And you know, we have a Democrat supermajority here in California. They want to shield the what they think is the minority, right? The illegal immigrant, the trans boy trying to play in girl sports, they'll never shield the ones they are elected to protect.

46:22And that's what our taxpayer dollars are going to. So on the legal side of title nine, they're going to say, well, this is a state. So we're not going to follow federal law and we're going to make our own laws about that when it comes to the ideological side, the moral side of this issue, we are not protecting our kids and we're really not protecting our girls. Gavin Newsom has two daughters. I wonder if you asked him point blank what he thinks about this. What if he, one of his own daughters was put in this position of having to change. In front of a biological boy having to compete and having opportunities stolen out from under her from a biological boy, if he would again flip flop. But the point is we need different leadership here that respects the God given uniqueness of males versus females and will protect our children. We don't have it now. We're pretty desperate for it. So I think that's something I would say in all this and just interjecting all this. I saw it time and again, my time in Congress on the oversight committee, but so many on the left struggle with even defining what is a woman, which always just was remarkable to me the inability.

47:34So how do you define woman? A human female and you know with all of those blessings and scientific biological parts that God gave to a woman. They're only two genders. And the left also really likes Jody to follow the science and when we look directly at the science and at the biology, it's pretty clear cut. We're seeing this play out and it's going to come to a head really soon the WNBA is having their hand forced on this issue. We saw it during the Olympics, the IOC had to after the fact come back and say, okay, we're going to go by chromosomes. We're going to follow the science here. And California is really digging their heels in. They don't want to answer questions. They don't want to come to a decision here because it's going to firmly place them on one side of the argument or the other and they don't want that. So they're being illogical. They're being irrational. They're dancing all around this subject. They absolutely will not tell you what a woman is because their answer is going to be, well, I'm not a biologist. I'm not a scientist, but it's pretty pretty easy to follow the research that we have from generations that has been handed down.

48:40And it's pretty clear cut. But right now it's the game is avoidance and they're playing it well. Yes, that is definitely one of those questions that does not require a rocket scientist to answer. But following this week's ruling, the Justice Department spokesperson said that the DOJ is evaluating options for an appeal. So it appears to me that this is certainly not over yet. There's more to go. So when you look at the battle on this issue, where do you think it's headed? I think that we still have to push forward from all fronts. That means these young girls who are participating in these sports, their parents, their families, you know, the men in all of our lives are churches. And then from the legal standpoint too. And the DOJ is the best in the country at this. They will find the way to make the case and make the argument to dismantle the pushback against Title IX. What Title IX talks about is sex. It does not talk about gender. And I think that's where they need to put the center of their target when they come back after it.

49:47So I am expecting a very tough response. And again, we've seen these federal judges try to overreach, try to step into authority that does not technically or legally belong to them. So imagine we're getting there, but we're still in the middle of this fight and we're not through it yet. So everybody's got to stay vigilant, got to stay strong, pray that we can get through it, but not give up and not capitulate to people who are very much on the wrong side of this and it's harming our girls and our women. Yes, don't give up, stay in the fight. Before I let you go, I want to ask and get your thoughts on another development in California last month. Governor Newsom signed the law assembly bill 2624, which watchdog groups have dubbed the Stopnic Surely Act and the Protect Fraudsters Act. Now critics say this law literally chills investigative journalism by exposing individuals like Nick Shirley to legal liability simply for exposing fraud and potential violations of the law.

50:54So while on the one hand, we have the Trump administration trying to weed out fraudsters, it appears at least that we have folks in California, California officials trying to protect them. What does all this tell you about the left and is that an accurate description? It is and it does something besides that the Stopnic Surely Act is so upside down, but that's the way legislation has been coming out of the California supermajority for the last 15, 16 years sadly. This one's pretty flagrant. It does do that. It criminalizes and tries to financially penalize anyone for exposing fraud, which really just blows your mind that that is the thing that they want to criminalize. But what it also does, Jody, is it protects the fraudsters. It goes after people trying to expose it and it shields. Again, we were just talking about this shielding they're trying to do. This is a great example of that. They want to protect these organizations taking taxpayer dollars, taking federal and state funding and siphoning it off either into the pockets of Gavin Newsom and his crony buddies pockets or to those organizations that are shadow organizations.

52:04They're not doing what they say they're doing it that they're applying for federal funding to do. They are actually then funneling that money to illegal immigrants, some into political campaigns and places that they absolutely should not be going. So it's a horrible piece of legislation and the entire state is extremely upset that Gavin Newsom just signed it into law. Well, folks have a right to know where their tax dollars go, but this is what you get when sin runs rapid. It closing thoughts. Just let me put that out there for you in 30 seconds. How how you want to wrap this up? Well, I'm born and raised California girl and I think sometimes people in other states just see the highlights on the news of what's going on in California. But Gavin Newsom has absolutely destroyed this state and the 40 million people who live here are suffering. It is sinful. It is wicked and we are so desperate for the disinfecting light to be shown on this state.

53:07We need Jesus. We need prayer and we need new leadership stats. So thank you all for your prayers and keep them coming. Thank you so much. Kyle Campbell host of politically basic. Always great to have you on Washington watch with us. And what is happening in California is it's it's infectious. Outreach is as far beyond that. We need a spiritual awakening across this country. We hear it. FRC people like you are going to continue to pray for that. Have a wonderful evening. We'll see you again tomorrow right here on Washington watch. Washington watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council to support our efforts to advance faith, family and freedom. Please text give to 67742. That's give to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information please visit Tony Perkins.com.