Skip to content 11/2/2026 Experts Preview the Midterms and President Zelensky Discusses the Ukrainian War with Tony Perkins Nov 2 · 59 min ...more
11/2/2026 Experts Preview the Midterms and President Zelensky Discusses the Ukrainian War with Tony Perkins
November 2, 2026 · 59 min
Midterm analysis and speculation abound from experts with multiple vantage points, as President Trump makes an 11th-hour plea for voters to support the Republican Party again, and a former Michigan Democratic candidate endorses the Republican Senate candidate. Tony also shares a special interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from his weekend program This Week on Capitol Hill.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
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November 2, 2026 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Midterm analysis and speculation abound from experts with multiple vantage points, as President Trump makes an 11th-hour plea for voters to support the Republican Party again, and a former Michigan Democratic candidate endorses the Republican Senate candidate. Tony also shares a special interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from his weekend program This Week on Capitol Hill. ...more Show the full description Show less Midterm analysis and speculation abound from experts with multiple vantage points, as President Trump makes an 11th-hour plea for voters to support the Republican Party again, and a former Michigan Democratic candidate endorses the Republican Senate candidate. Tony also shares a special interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from his weekend program This Week on Capitol Hill.
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In this video 0:00 Election Headlines and Michigan Senate Race Endorsement12:00 Sharia Law, Islamism, and Threats to the Constitution27:00 Importance of Every Vote in Close Races37:00 Interview with President Zelensky on Ukraine Peace and Religious Freedom48:00 Key State Ballot Measures and Christian Voting Responsibility
Election Headlines and Michigan Senate Race Endorsement 0:00 Hello. I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and host of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Every day, we offer a biblical perspective on the news as well as insightful interviews with elected0:12 leaders, newsmakers, and culture experts. We have a great program planned for you today, but first, get up to speed on the top headlines with Washington Stan's news brief.0:27 Welcome to the Washington Stan news brief. I'm Casey Harper bringing you today's big stories. Election day is Tuesday, and there's no shortage of last minute news. In Michigan, Democrat Haley Stevens shocked the nation0:38 by endorsing the Republican in the senate race, Mike Rogers. Stevens said that Abdul El Sayed, the Democrat and more liberal candidate who beat her in the primary, said she isn't welcome in the campaign. Stevens also0:50 pointed to El Sayed's ties to Hassan Piker, a far left Internet streamer who has a string of antisemitic comments.0:58 I do not stand with Hassan Piker who gets trafficked on our college campuses. A dear friend of mine, earlier today, was saying that education is on the1:10 ballot, and she's absolutely right. And what our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate and1:22 is not, what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now. So I am just one person. I love this state.
1:31 Senator Chuck Schumer blasted that decision as, quote, despicable and said they're still behind El Sayed. Needless to say, Democrats are not happy with Stevens, but the endorsement could help Rogers. He's neck and neck
1:43 in that race. Of course, Republicans were very happy to have her.
1:48 Haley Stevens endorsing Mike Rogers. That was a big move, I think. I... Nobody expected that, but it's a smart thing to do because Al Sayed would destroy our country.
2:00 However, pro lifers expressed frustrations of their own with Rogers over the weekend. El Sayed posted on X saying that Rogers supports a national abortion ban. In response, Rogers went out of his way to say
2:12 he won't push for pro life policies in the senate.
2:15 I'm Mike Rogers. I know that a decision about a pregnancy is one of the most difficult and personal decisions a woman will make. Michigan voters have already decided the issue, and I respect that decision. In the
2:27 senate,
2:27 I won't do anything to change it. Of course, that sparked pushback and criticism from conservatives and pro lifers. But that isn't all. El Sayed also made headlines over the weekend for his
2:39 response on sixty minutes to a question about transgenderism in schools.
2:45 The notion somehow that you are going to prevent your child from being exposed to something that you may find disagreeable and that that is going to be because of school is so profoundly outdated.
2:57 We'll see how it pans out on Tuesday. But meanwhile, a legal battle in Alaska gave Democrats a win. A bombshell New York Times report found that the Democratic senate campaign for Mary Peltola allegedly worked with the
3:09 national senate Democrat staffers to recruit a second Dan Sullivan to run. Why? Well, presumably to confuse voters since there's already a Dan Sullivan on the ballot, the Republican candidate.
3:21 The Department of Justice filed to block the Alaska results if the Democrat wins. They argue she cheated. However, US district judge Sharon Gleason threw out the case. The DOJ is planning to appeal
3:33 and Peltola has denied involvement. While other key center races include place in Texas, Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and South Carolina, all of which are considered toss ups
3:45 and will determine which party holds the senate. The house is in a similar position with dozens of close races and control of the chamber still up for grabs. There are handful of ballot measures on transgenderism,
3:57 abortion, and religious liberty as well. One other news, president Trump warned of more strikes against Iran.
4:05 The only reason why not finished with Iran is I wanna be nice. I wanna try and save all those lives if I can. And they're sitting there with a very bad... But at some point, we're gonna have to give them the
4:17 hammer. Most of it's gone.
4:21 The president said something similar last week. And in recent months, the president said he wanted to pause strikes until after the midterms. He also said the Iranian leaders are holding out on making a deal until after
4:32 the midterms to hurt the president politically. All that means that after Tuesday, the strikes, the negotiations, or both could take off. Well, that's today's news. I'm Casey Harper. We'll see you next time with more
4:44 stories that matter.
4:55 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers,
5:08 all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:13 The Democrat party is nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history and all committed to the same radical agenda, open borders,
5:25 raising your taxes by trillions of dollars, taking away your guns, transgender utilization of your children, abolishing oil and natural gas, sending energy costs
5:37 skyrocketing, and opening the floodgates to millions of migrants from all over the world.
5:43 That was president Donald Trump earlier today at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, making, a closing pitch to voters ahead of tomorrow's midterm elections. Welcome to this election eve edition of
5:55 Washington Watch. I'm your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. Well, coming up, election day polls begin opening tomorrow morning, just a little over twelve hours from now, and a stunning endorsement is shaking up
6:06 Michigan's senate race. Democrat congresswoman Haley Stevens is backing Republican Mike Rogers over her party's nominee, Abdul Al Sa'ed, following a public dispute over
6:17 Israel. Could her endorsement help determine control of the US Senate? Texas congressman Keith Salve joins us to discuss the political fallout. A cofounder of the Sharia Free America Caucus, he'll also
6:29 address the debate over Sharia law and constitutional protections. Plus, some very close races could be decided by a handful of votes, and who show up... Who shows up tomorrow to vote could determine the
6:41 outcome. Then Matt Carpenter, director of FRC Action, and Casey Harper, managing editor for the broadcast at the Washington Stand, will examine Keib's state ballot measures affecting faith, family, and
6:52 freedom later in the program. All that and more straight ahead. Well, we begin in Michigan where Democratic congresswoman
7:04 Haley Stevens has crossed party lines to endorse Republican Mike Rogers for the US Senate. Joining us with the latest is Casey Harper of the Washington stand. Casey, Stevens has already voiced
7:16 concerns about al Sayed's positions on Israel. What letter to take this additional step of endorsing his Republican opponent?
7:25 Yeah, Tony. I mean, this is a bombshell move, and and part of it that's been less reported is this controversial figure, Hassan Piker. Of course, Israel was front and center in this, but Piker is a far left streamer
7:36 who's made a really a string of anti Semitic comments who's been linked to El Sayed. She expressed in her video that that was a big problem for her. She also reportedly took issue with his request that she stay away from
7:48 his campaign events. Kind of got the impression that she didn't treat... Or he didn't treat her very well or respectfully, honestly, by the way she told it. Now we have a a clip here of of... In her own words of what she
7:58 had to say after attending church, which were... With Rogers yesterday.
8:02 My vote for senate is gonna be with Mike Rogers, and I will tell you why. Because we have to stand with country. We can't stand with hate. We can't stand with Hassan Piker.
8:14 Friend of mine was talking about how education is on the ballot, and it's very true.
8:22 Of course, Republicans welcomed the news and the endorsement. Democrats weren't so happy. Senate, minority leader Chuck Schumer called it despicable. But tomorrow, I guess, we'll see whether it made a difference, Tony.
8:32 It is very, very interesting, especially given the Democratic Party's move away from Israel. But it's, it's good to see, actually. Alright. So every vote does matter, so people need to
8:44 get out there and make their voices heard. And speaking of the midterms, Casey, president Trump had a message for voters delivering his closing remarks, from the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial.
8:56 What all did he have to say?
8:58 Yeah. Well, president Trump made one final pitch to voters who are maybe still on the fence or maybe those who are committed but are considering whether they're gonna, you know, make the effort to turn out. He tried to
9:09 draw a sharp contrast between Republicans and Democratic policies, and he also went after al Sayed. In fact, we we have a clip here.
9:17 Abdul Al Sayed qualified for the ballot by campaigning and soliciting signatures at radical mosques and called the, United
9:28 States the House of Satan. And we don't want people that call the United States the House of Satan. When you vote, remember a party that hates America cannot be allowed to rule over the
9:40 people who built our country.
9:43 Strong words from the president. But forty fifty four million Americans have already cast their ballot during early voting, Tony. In fact, in Michigan, we're seeing record numbers, but I'm sure plenty more will be
9:53 heading to the polls tomorrow.
9:55 Alright. Well, Casey, we'll be tracking that tomorrow night with our election night coverage that people can find on the Stand Firm app. So folks, you can tune in and watch Casey and I, kinda give election results
10:07 beginning at ten PM tomorrow night. Is that right, Casey?
10:10 That's right.
10:11 Ten PM. It's past my bedtime, but we'll be, I'll stay up just for the occasion. And, you gotta have the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app. Alright, Casey. Let's turn to some international
10:22 news. The ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, expired last night and the hopes that it could maybe pave the way for a broader agreement now appears to be
10:33 slipping away. Where do things stand there?
10:36 Those hopes were quickly dashed, Tony. Russian forces resumed attacks in the Kherson region, including the area around Oleski, almost as soon as that local cease fire expired. Still, the pause did, you know, it did
10:48 do some good. It gave aid workers a chance to get food and that medical supplies to the people there in the surrounding areas. And, also, they had many people who were in poor health who were who were able to be
10:57 evacuated. But right now, it doesn't seem that that local ceasefire is going to stick or spread to anything bigger. Although, I will note, the Kremlin has said that they are open to more temporary monthly ceasefires,
11:07 Tony.
11:08 Alright. Thanks so much, Casey. Folks, I'll, share a little bit of a conversation I had over the weekend with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky a little bit later. Alright.
11:20 I wanna go back to the, this... The midterm elections and the surprising endorsement of, Republican Mike Rogers by Democrat congresswoman Haley Stevens. Joining us now to discuss this and more is
11:32 congressman Keith Self, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Freedom Caucus. He represents the third congressional district of Texas. Congressman Self, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks
11:43 for joining us.
11:45 Great to be here with you, Tony. Thank you.
11:47 So let me ask you this. Your Democratic colleague, congresswoman Haley Stevens, has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the US senate seat in Michigan after raising concerns about his,
11:59 heard his Democratic challenger's rhetoric on Israel and association with Hassan Piker, an outspoken critic of Israel. This is, this is quite significant. Is it not?
Sharia Law, Islamism, and Threats to the Constitution
12:11 It is. Now what? Kaley Stevens serves with me on the science based and technology committee. She is no Republican, but she obviously realizes that, El Sayed is a hardcore
12:23 Islamicist Muslim that's trying to portray himself as a moderate, but he can't run from his past. You've laid out some of it. He has a past, and Israel is squarely in the red
12:35 green alliance target. I... I'm applaud her, but we need to realize she's no, Republican, but she understands what the progressive left, the red green
12:47 alliance is doing to her party.
12:49 Well, I think that's what make this makes this significant. She is not a conservative. But if she sees a threat here, a risk here, that should be saying something.
13:01 Absolutely. It says a lot because, look, Hakeem Jeffries is absolutely terrified of the DSA of what they're going to do, should they get, in power and and throw him
13:13 out of leadership. So this is very significant. I don't know that it'll have a a a... Make a difference in in this state, but it's, people are now realizing just how radical
13:25 the progressive left red green alliance is.
13:28 Well... And and and in particular, al Sayed's, in the past, and back in twenty twenty two, criticized Oklahoma's attempts to prohibit state courts from
13:40 considering Sharia law, something you've been very much involved in. I mean, what does that say about what he might bring to the United States Senate?
13:49 Oh, it says it says everything. First of all, the progressive left loves to play the victim. Victimhood is is one of... Is that right out of their playbook. But frankly, we know that Sharia...
14:01 And and frankly, he he went after a Sharia compliant mortgage, because it was an obligation. That tells you everything about Islam. Islam means submission. There's no separation of church and state in Islam like his
14:13 campaign tried to say. Islam is everything. It controls the individual. It controls the family, controls culture, controls the nation, and that's exactly what they want to do here, and he is the precursor
14:25 of this. He is the progenitor of what they want to do in the US senate.
14:30 Now you, lead the Sharia free caucus, America's free Sharia free caucus. The, you have a resolution that would oppose its implementation in
14:42 the United States. What happens if the Democrats gain control of the Congress? Is that effort dead?
14:52 No. The effort is not dead. We will continue to do everything we can, to message from the minority if we're in the minority. But this is something that we... I think people are waking up to the
15:03 danger of the red green alliance, the Marxist communist and the Islamicist. So we will we will continue to, make our case to the American people, because this is an existential
15:15 threat to the US constitution, Tony. We have to continue to make the case that we live under the rule of law, given the Christian foundations of our nation. And if we ever divert from that totally
15:27 as a nation, we will be in trouble.
15:30 Congressman Seff, you've been making the... You've been educating the American people on this. This has been a part of, the focus that Sharia is incompatible with our nation's constitution.
15:43 Some pushback say, well, we have to have religious freedom. It's not about religious freedom. It is about a judicial system. It is about a whole system that is incompatible with our constitution in the way
15:55 of American life.
15:57 Absolutely, Tony. Because there is no freedom of conscience in Islam. There is no right of freedom of religion that does not exist in Islam. You are
16:09 commanded to... Down to the... What you will do as a citizen. You are commanded. You are commanded into submission. You have basic, you are... You either live as a convert
16:21 or you're a dhimmi, a sub citizen, or you are under the penalty of death. It is that simple. There are two worlds out there. There's a Muslim world and there's the non Muslim world, and they
16:33 are commanded to make the non Muslim world into a Muslim world. Freedom of religion does not exist in Islam. We've got to get past that, that idea because we think that every religion has freedom
16:45 of religion. They don't believe that. They don't preach that. We've got Imams across America preaching that we will make America a Sharia nation, an Islamic nation.
16:56 Well, and to show how they're responding to this, last month, authorities arrested a teenager accused of plotting to assassinate you and carry out an ISIS related
17:08 attack. What have investigators been able to tell you about why you were targeted?
17:15 Well, not a lot. Obviously, he had been radicalized online... Starting online. We don't know how far it went, but he started radicalizing online, and the FBI was actually
17:27 following him. But when he acquired the weapon, and they understood how serious it it could be, he is now in federal custody. But because he's a minor, we don't know a lot other than that.
17:39 We know what he had planned to do, which event he had planned to attack. But, as to the person itself, he's a minor. We really don't know much.
17:49 Obviously, this is, when you look at how people are... You don't see Baptist being radicalized online to kill people. I mean, this this is... You
18:01 know, you'll see Methodist even though some of them are out there, like we see at Texas there. But the the reality is we have we have disagreements in this country, and we work peacefully together. Now
18:13 I think we've lost a little bit of civility, but this shows how this is incompatible with our our system. Keith, we're up against a break. Can you can you stick around?
18:23 Absolutely.
18:24 Alright. I wanna finish this conversation, on the other side of the break. I think this is quite significant. We show... It shows how this doesn't work with our system of government. It it just absolutely does not. And
18:35 it is something that in many ways is on the ballot tomorrow. Alright, folks. Stick with us. We're coming back with more Washington Watch right after the break with congressman Keith Self of
18:46 Texas. So don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.
18:54 One nation under God. America's undeniable foundation of faith.
19:07 Youssef from Family Research Council here in Washington, DC. We're continuing the celebration of two hundred fifty years of our home sweet home by walking the historic streets of our nation's capital today.
19:19 And if you were here walking around with me, you would see the timeless architecture, iconic statues, and solemn memorials that grace this city. All of it designed to tell our nation's story.
19:32 If you look closely, if you seek, you will find that these monuments still whisper to those who listen, that God has been at work in America from the beginning. So for he who has ears, let him hear the
19:44 frozen music of these monuments and buildings, because the song sounds something like this. America, America, God shed his grace on thee.
19:56 Consider the Washington Monument, over five hundred feet of stone soaring into the sky, the highest point in Washington, DC. Written at the top of the monument are the words, Laus Deo,
20:07 Latin for praise be to God. So when the sun rises on Washington, DC, our praise rises with it. Head to the White House. Imagine sharing a meal in
20:19 the state dining room. There you will find this prayer from president John Adams carved into the mantle above the fireplace. I pray to heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house. May none
20:31 but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof. At the center of the US Capitol, the home of Congress, eight grand paintings rest in the rotunda. A
20:43 friar holds a cross as Columbus and his crew land in the Americas. Pocahontas is baptized in a Jamestown church in sixteen thirteen. Before crossing the Atlantic, the pilgrims pray
20:55 over an open bible, the words God with us on the sails of their ship. Go to the Jefferson Memorial. Engraved on the wall are these stirring words. Indeed, I tremble for
21:06 my country when I reflect that god is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Walk by the supreme court, the highest court in the land, and find Moses sculpted into the top of the
21:18 building's east entrance holding the ten commandments. What more can I say? I do not have time to tell about Asbury and Witherspoon, Hamilton and Grant, FDR's D Day prayer, or Lincoln's appeal to
21:31 to God. But our nation's story isn't finished. It's still being etched in stone by us so we can make the promise of America real and the idea of America complete. And that is our
21:42 foundation of faith.
21:55 Alright. Welcome back to Washington, Washington. Thanks so much for, tuning in. Let me remind you tomorrow night, election night coverage beginning at, ten PM eastern time, and, we'll give
22:07 you the kind of the take on the results. Joining us now, holding over is congressman Keith Self of, Texas. Congressman, thanks so much for, sticking around. I I I I wanna just ask you kinda
22:19 what is the... What are the next steps? I mean, obviously, we're gonna have to wait to see what the outcome of the election, but your Sharia Free Caucus is growing. More and more
22:31 Americans are becoming aware of this. Members are now taking note of it as well as they hear from their constituents. What are your next steps?
22:41 Well, the next steps are to decide who in the next congress will be members. Will Lou Sole, they ran for higher office, they retire. Will Lou Sole, we'll gain some. I don't know the number, but we're also encouraging
22:51 states to have Sharia free state caucuses. There's one in Texas. There's one in Minnesota. We want that number to increase. We're also saying we need local action. I am encouraging people
23:03 to stand up in your city council, in your school board, in your county commissioner's court. This is where we will start to bend the curve. We will tell our local elected officials because frankly,
23:15 this is where, the Islamicists want to take power. It's at the local level, and then they'll start, imposing Sharia. And that's the difference with Sharia. They are commanded
23:27 to impose it. Our right our right religious freedom says you don't impose your religion. You're free to exercise it. So we need to start standing firm at the local level, and I encourage everyone to
23:39 get involved at your local level. So so So we will continue to message at the federal level, but we need local action.
23:45 So so, I mean, that's very important because a lot of this has just popped up, it seems like, overnight in places where you would least expect it. Texas, Oklahoma. I mean, very red states.
23:58 How how does it get started?
24:01 Well, it gets started because it's intentional. They want to take down Texas because Texas leads the conservative states. Our forty electoral votes are very important, and they know if they take
24:13 Texas, they've taken the United States. That's why it's so important here. That's why we we need to stand in Texas, but we also need to encourage other states to start standing as
24:25 well. But it's... Get started because it's very intentional. Let's let's make no mistake about it. They intend to take down Texas and I... Look, the the legislature that meets in January has
24:37 multiple bills that they are going to be passing, trying to pass, and they've got all the statewides, I believe, on on board to start fighting back at the state level. Because Congress, it's very hard to pass
24:48 anything. But at the state level, you can make a difference. And I encourage everyone to talk to your state legislators about doing exactly this. Texas has got bills drafted. I
25:00 encourage you to talk to the Sharia Free Texas Caucus members. They've got it drafted. Let's get it across the nation.
25:09 Self, gonna be tracking this very, very closely. It's it's it's like it's reached a tipping point, and now it's beginning to move forward. People are seeing it, but now is the time to, to act. I don't think we
25:21 have a lot of time left to, to contain this.
25:26 We don't because it's moving fast. And not only... Look. I know that the Trump administration has cut the immigration from Muslim countries down something like ninety six percent. However, they are going to win
25:38 at the maternity ward because they also make more babies than we do. So they've got a long term strategy.
25:44 And they're also... There's keep
25:45 it in the bud now.
25:46 There's reports they're gaming the system as well, using our generous welfare system to, to to create that population race.
25:57 Not not only that, but they're using our constitution against us, the freedoms that we have. We think that every culture is morally equivalent. It is not. Make... Don't make that mistake to think every culture is
26:09 morally equivalent. Ours is based on almighty God, the eternal God. Theirs is based on dreams that a man had.
26:18 Yeah. So important. Congressman Keith Self, thank you for joining us. Always great to talk with you.
26:24 Thank you, Tony.
26:25 And we're gonna be following up on that. In fact, we have a resource available. I don't know if it's at the website yet, but we'll try to get it up there on this whole issue of, Sharia law Islam, at, toby perkins dot
26:36 com. Alright. I wanna bring in Brent Kylan here very quickly. As we look at tomorrow, election day, and some of the very close races where just a handful of votes could determine the outcome, which
26:48 could determine the outcome of the control of congress. Joining us now, vice president of, in special initiatives is Brent Kylan. Brent, thanks so much for, joining us.Show more
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