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2/13/2026 Jody Hice and Guests Celebrate the Liberation of Children and Cover Interpreting God’s Word Properly
February 14, 2026 · 54 min
3,000+ unaccompanied migrant kids found in Minnesota, voting on election integrity, protecting minors from gender mutilation, and the Bible’s cultural influence based on interpretation.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio February 14, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
3,000+ unaccompanied migrant kids found in Minnesota, voting on election integrity, protecting minors from gender mutilation, and the Bible’s cultural influence based on interpretation. ...more Show the full description Show less 3,000+ unaccompanied migrant kids found in Minnesota, voting on election integrity, protecting minors from gender mutilation, and the Bible’s cultural influence based on interpretation.
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In this video 0:00 Crisis at the Border: DHS Shutdown and Immigration Enforcement13:38 Acknowledging the Marijuana Menace: A Cultural Wake-Up Call24:47 Safeguarding Children: AI Risks in Education37:14 Biblical Worldview: Faith, Politics, and Church FidelityComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Crisis at the Border: DHS Shutdown and Immigration Enforcement 0:01 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 and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. View. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.0:20 The senate will come to order. Under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 6 30 PM on Tuesday, February the seventeenth0:32 20 26.0:37 Well, that was senator Chuck Grassley earlier today, gaveling the senate out for the weekend. Welcome to this Friday, the thirteenth edition of Washington Watch, and I0:48 am your Friday host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for tuning in. Alright. Coming up today with congress gone for the holiday weekend, the Department of Homeland Security is certain1:01 all but certain, I'll put it that way, to shut down tonight at midnight, and I'll be discussing that here in just a few moments when I'm joined by Missouri congressman doctor Bob Onder. Plus,1:13 there is a surprising and welcome acknowledgment. In fact, an admission, if you will, by the New York Times editorial board. They are saying that marijuana is a problem in1:25 our country, and we'll discuss that as well as the program unfolds. All that and much more straight ahead.
1:39 The Department of Homeland Security is facing a partial shut down this weekend. All this comes as Democrats and the White House are at an impasse over the issue of illegal immigration.
1:50 And joining me now is Washington stand reporter, Sarah Holliday, who's been tracking all of today's stories. Sarah, what's the latest on this
2:00 1? Thank you, Jody. Yesterday, a funding bill for DHS failed to pass the senate, and the funding is set to expire tonight at midnight. Now over 260000 federal
2:12 employees will be affected. Negotiations between Democrats and the White House on immigration reforms have been unsuccessful since the 2 week funding extension. Here's what Democratic senate minority
2:24 leader Chuck Schumer had to say yesterday.
2:27 Republicans chose chaos, and the Democrats, we refused. Republicans chose to put a bill on the floor that ignored the abuses, ignored the outrage, ignored what the American people
2:39 want overwhelmingly, and they failed to get the votes to avoid a shutdown at DHS.
2:48 Democrats have sought changes to how immigration agencies operate following the deaths of 2 Americans during ICE operations in Minneapolis. But as of 12 o 1 AM, funding will
3:00 lapse for FEMA, TSA, and the coast guard, all while ICE and CBP will still be able to continue their operations. As the funding deadline quickly approaches, much of congress has
3:12 already left the capital for a week long recess. Jody.
3:17 Thank you, Sarah. You know, and right in the midst of all of this is a report of a large, a shocking number of missing children that have been found as a result of the Trump administration's immigration
3:29 crackdown and all of that just in Minnesota alone. Can you tell us more about that?
3:35 Yes. After announcing a drawdown of immigration agents in Minneapolis, borders are Tom Homan said in a news conference yesterday that thousands of unaccompanied minors have been found by federal agents in
3:47 Minnesota.
3:48 In addition to taking public safety threats off the street, ICE here in this state have located 3364 missing,
4:00 unaccompanied alien children. Children in the last administration lost and weren't even looking for. That's because the leadership of president Trump and these children were located.
4:11 Jody, as part of the de escalation efforts in Minnesota, Homan asked state and local officials to tone down the rhetoric and condemn unlawful actions conducted by agitators. Homan then went
4:23 on to tout the efforts of ICE, citing record numbers of arrests and deportations under the Trump administration. Jody.
4:32 Wow. A lot going on. Sarah Holiday, thank you so much for keeping us up to speed on all of it. Alright. I wanna go back now to the fight over DHS funding, and I'd like to bring in
4:43 now a member of congress. Joining me is Missouri congressman doctor Bob Onder. He serves on several committees, and among those is the education and workforce committee. He represents the third
4:55 congressional district of the great Show Me State. Doctor Onder, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you.
5:02 It's great to be back, Jody.
5:05 Well, let me begin. You were able to join us earlier in the week at our headquarters, at, Family Research Council. You and a number of other members of Congress scored
5:17 100 percent on FRC Action Scorecard. And I just wanna say how great it was to see you. Congratulations for standing firm and for receiving that award.
5:29 We appreciate it greatly.
5:30 Well, thank you, Jody. That was indeed a great honor. I've worked with FRC for a long time, actually, on various issues going back 20 years, but, it was an honor in my first year as a member of
5:42 congress to receive that that award.
5:46 Well, keep the torch ablaze, my friend. We we are so grateful for you. Alright. Let's talk about the, DHS shutdown. It all is gonna be taking place, goodness, less than 7 hours from
5:58 now. What exactly is gonna happen, do you think?
6:03 Well, it's a tragedy, Jody, that the congressional Democrats put illegal aliens ahead of of Americans. Americans depend on the coast
6:15 guard, on FEMA. You you know, hurricane, hurricane Fern or rather a winter storm Fern, killed over 100 people, left, tens of thousands of people without
6:27 electricity. And TSA, the when we travel by air, TSA helps to keep us safe. The Democrats, just like they did with the 43 shut day
6:39 shutdown in the fall, put illegal aliens ahead of of the rest of us Americans. And, in this in this case, it's criminal illegal aliens that
6:51 they want to protect. President Trump and the congressional Republicans, I will keep the American people first, and we remain committed to the mission of securing our border.
7:02 Well, it's my understanding that the Democrats are expected to send a a new offer to the White House here over the weekend. Is there any indication that there'll be willingness
7:13 to, from them to compromise on any of the things that they're demanding, do you think?
7:20 Yeah. I sure hope so. I I sure hope so. I I'm hoping that, they will hear from their own constituents. And from the 270000, employees of the Department of
7:31 Homeland Security, as they inflict pain on the American people in order to score points with their far left base. I mean, look, President Trump has already
7:43 reassessed the situation in Minnesota. He's he's drawn down forces. He sent, Tom Tom Holman of the borders are a consummate professional with 40 years of
7:55 experience in this area of law enforcement and border security. He's already, done some things that I think needed to be done. But the issue here is, will the Democrats,
8:08 in order to tell their base that they're somehow fighting president Trump and they're fighting immigration enforcement, shut down ICE. Shut down TSA, shut down Homeland Security, and shut down, the coast
8:20 guard, in order to score political points with their far left base. Well, you know, certainly, I'll I'll never do that. President Trump will never do that. And, eventually, the Democrats will just have to come
8:32 to their senses and do what's best for the American people, not what's best for illegal aliens.
8:39 Yeah. It's gonna be very interesting to to watch. I know the lawmakers now, have have left Washington for a week long recesses coming up, but, I also understand that members have been told to be ready to
8:50 come back if some sort of deal is reached. Do you think that's really very likely to happen?
8:59 Unfortunately, I wish I wish I were wrong. I hope I am proven wrong in the next few days. But I really do think that the, Democrat leadership, especially Chuck
9:10 Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, they really feel like their far left base, is is restless, and they wanna shut down in the name of fighting immigration
9:22 enforcement. But, look, 82 percent of Americans overall, not just 82 percent of Republicans, it's like 95 percent of Republicans. 82 percent of Americans overall believe
9:34 we should detain and to deport illegal aliens, especially the 10 to 12000000000 illegal aliens who came recently in the Biden administration. So
9:46 it is really, in in in opposing law immigration enforcement, it is Schumer and Jeffries and the congressional Republicans were really out on an extreme ledge. But
9:57 will they come to their senses as their constituents and mine, feel the pain of the DHS shutdown. I don't know.
10:07 Yep. Well, we all agree with you on that. If I can turn to another, development that took place this week, the Save America Act passed the house. What what's your take,
10:19 your read on what'll happen in the senate? Do you think it moves over there?
10:24 Yeah. So, of course, the Save America Act, concerns that fundamental right of us as citizens of the right to vote and, the right to vote in a way that our votes are counted
10:36 and our votes aren't canceled out by people who are cheating, including illegal aliens. So with the Save America Act, of course, does is requires voter photo ID, something we need almost in
10:47 every area of life from, from, cashing a check to getting on an airplane to picking up a prescription and also verifying citizenship before being registered registered to vote. You know,
10:59 unfortunately, the Democrats are not going to want to cooperate with us on this either. But I really think if, if if if, the leadership led John
11:11 Thune and and the other Republicans sit together and really force the Democrats. If they want to if they wanna go against again, this is about an 82 percent issue with the American people. If they
11:23 wanna go against the overwhelming, majority of Americans who wanna see our elections safe and secure, then they're gonna have to stand up and talk and obstruct, the hard way, not
11:35 just say, hey. You need 60 votes to pass this. So, I, I am very hopeful that Republicans will muster the political will to get the Save America Act
11:46 done.
11:48 Well, I you know, at the end of the day, 1 of the most important things for Americans is to have election integrity, and, that is a major major issue. Listen. Before I let you go, I wanted to get your thoughts
12:00 real quickly on last week's, acknowledgment by a couple of medical associations regarding transgender surgeries on minors. You, of course, are a physician, and the house sponsor,
12:12 in fact, of the Cloe Cole Act that seeks, in itself to prohibit physicians and clinics and hospitals and so forth from participating in, participating in chemical or surgical mutilation of minors.
12:24 But what do you make of the shift that we're seeing on this issue across the country?
12:29 Yeah, Jody. This was enormous. This is really, I believe, the, the turning point, seeing 2 major medical societies, the plastic
12:41 surgeons and then the next day, the American Medical Association, breaking with all the medical associations that have been captured by the radical transgender movement, the people who would would,
12:54 chemically and surgically mutilate the kids. I think now that these 2 dominoes have fallen and, you know, 2 very important organizations, the surgeons who actually do the mutilating surgeries
13:06 have said the evidence that this actually helps kids is not good. There's very low quality evidence for that and a lot of potential for harm, and the AMA agreed. So I am hopeful that
13:18 this is gonna be a sea change.
13:20 Well, we are right there with you. Thank you so much, Missouri congressman Bob Onder. Doctor Onder, always great to have you. We appreciate it. Alright. By the way, we do have a petition on the Save Act to try to
13:32 get, election integrity across the board. You can participate by simply texting the word save, s a v e, save to 6 7 7 4 2. Alright. Coming up next, we
Acknowledging the Marijuana Menace: A Cultural Wake-Up Call
13:44 had a surprising statement from the New York Times editorial board. The headline, well, it's time for America to admit that we have a marijuana problem. Well, we wanna bring that story to you, and
13:56 we'll do so right after the break. Stay with us.
14:00 The world says love is love, but what does God's word say? This Valentine's Day, discover the true meaning of love, the way God defines it with Family Research Council's free
14:12 digital resource, Valentine's Day, love that reflects Christ. Whether you're reading on your own or sharing with others, this resource will encourage you and equip you to love the way Christ
14:24 loves. Text Valentine to 6 7 7 4 2 to get your free copy today.
14:31 You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation
14:43 would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose to serve God,
14:55 to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
15:01 At the 20 26 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington DC, members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation
15:13 united as 1 voice in prayer.
15:16 Heavenly father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent, and we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation even when we don't deserve it.
15:25 I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne.
15:37 You said that you helped the humble, and we are asking just now that you would help us, Lord.
15:57 We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know this is not by our power. It's not by our
16:09 might. It's by your spirit.
16:11 Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen.
16:30 Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to the Washington stand, your ultimate destination for informed faith centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines,
16:42 delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at the Washington stand
16:54 where faith and facts meet every day.
17:03 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am your Friday host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for tuning in with us today. Alright. Last week, we were pleasantly surprised when a couple of
17:15 medical associations backed away from supporting transgender surgeries on minors. We were able just a few moments ago to talk a little bit about this with congressman Onder. But this week,
17:27 we get yet another pleasant surprise. That is an acknowledgment by the editorial board of the New York Times that America has a marijuana problem. Now
17:39 they they even admitted that, loosening all the marijuana policies has actually led to worse outcomes than they had expected. So and by the way, this is coming
17:51 from an editorial board that has long supported marijuana legalization. So are they and perhaps others finally, sobering up and seeing the devastation
18:03 that that particular drug has caused? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Jeff Hunt. Jeff has been for a long time speaking out on this issue. He is formerly
18:15 the director of the Centennial Institute and chairman of the Western Conservative Summit, which is 1 of the largest gatherings of conservatives, in the Western US, and I've
18:27 had the honor of participating in that. Jeff is now the host of the Jeff and Bill Show that broadcasts across Denver, Colorado. Jeff, welcome to Washington Watch. Great to have you with us.
18:39 Congressman Heiss, it's great to be with you as well, and it's nice to finally see some reality coming to the New York Times. Right? Every once in a while, they'll get it right. In this case, they're at least heading in
18:49 the right direction.
18:51 Yeah. Absolutely. So let's, let's just jump off and use that as a springboard. What do you think of the the this editorial report?
19:00 Well, there's very few people in Colorado that look at the decision to commercialize marijuana and believe it was a good decision now 14 years after we did it. This has destroyed our
19:11 state in so many ways from, marijuana related traffic fatalities, to youth using marijuana, to babies being born with
19:29 has destroyed Colorado. It was part of really the turning point that took Colorado into a very progressive, godless direction. And a lot of people point back to that decision to
19:41 commercialize marijuana. And here's what people really need to understand about this. This is not just we're not gonna put you in jail for having a joint in your pocket type of stuff. This unleashed 1000000000 dollar
19:52 industry on our state that went out there and sought to get as many people using the drug as they possibly could. New York Times finally waking up to the impact this is having that they have unleashed a
20:04 monster upon the nation by allowing marijuana to be commercialized.
20:10 Yeah. And there's been so much happened in your state. I wish we had more time to get into that. But, you know, unfortunately, I would think and tell me if I'm wrong with this, but I I would say, unfortunately, the the
20:21 New York Times, this editorial, is not all in with where you are and where others are on this issue. But this is, on the other hand, wouldn't you say, at least a good
20:33 step in the right direction?
20:35 Oh, yeah. For the New York Times, absolutely. For years, they were promoting the idea that marijuana was harmless. Oh, if we just commercialize it, we can tax it. It's not that bad. And reality has hit them in the
20:46 face. What this drug actually does to people, we're seeing an increase in psychosis, schizophrenia, and then there's this weird sickness where people vomit a lot from smoking marijuana, and that's impacting
20:58 hospitals. You're seeing kids get poisoned as a result of marijuana. So it's, you know, hit the New York Times. Finally, they've opened their eyes to what it's doing, and they're at least heading in the right
21:15 the drug in marijuana that gets you high, has no restrictions on it. And these marijuana companies have got it so pure and so potent that it's almost like a crack cocaine
21:26 version of marijuana, and they're selling that in stores in places like Colorado, and it's having a devastating impact. So New York Times at least coming to terms with the fact that we can't let this be
21:38 just the wild west when it comes to marijuana.
21:42 Yeah. And it's not just the New York Times. I mean, there are several other institutions that seem to be sounding the alarm over the the, growing awareness of the dangers of the the the drug. I mean, you've got,
21:55 Columbia University, among others, University of California. Some of these are systematically documenting marijuana's adverse public health effects on people. So
22:07 there is indeed a lot of data out there, isn't there?
22:12 Oh, yeah. Especially as it relates to psychosis and brain development for young people, we're seeing this to have devastating impacts. And look, congressman Hice, a lot of the states that have
22:23 explored marijuana legalization are now rolling it back. Some states are just saying no. We look at Colorado, California, New York. We don't want any part of that. Doesn't look like it's helping your state at all. You
22:35 have more cartel activity. You have, people crashing their cars as a result of, being stoned and driving, and then it leads to all these other drugs. Congressman, 10 percent
22:47 of all the fentanyl pills in America are coming through Colorado right now. So it unleashes a drug culture people don't want anymore.
22:57 Wow. Wow. That's startling information right there. So so wouldn't you say that the the public itself is also, growing more and more skeptical to, marijuana? I mean, this,
23:09 is it just a matter of time before we see a sea change, or do you think perhaps that might already be underway?
23:17 Well, I think it's coming. Look. A lot of people that use marijuana when they were younger learned that it wasn't that great, and this stuff's so much more potent. But what they're also seeing is that tobacco companies
23:28 are coming back into the marketplace, utilizing marijuana to reach kids, get them hooked and addicted, and using the drug, and they don't want anything to do with that. So this was
23:40 sold as, hey. You know, you're gonna smoke a joint in your basement. It's not that big of a deal. We don't want you to go to jail for it, but it's now become 1000000000 dollar industry that has been pushed upon
23:52 our kids that people don't wanna see anymore. In fact, the marijuana industry is making as much revenue and as much money as Starbucks is right now. And with all the challenges our kids are facing, this is just another
24:04 hurdle that we have to deal with as parents. We don't want it. Let's roll it back.
24:09 Wow. We don't have time to get into this. Our time is just literally about 30 seconds away. But do you think this is going to perhaps see a change in direction even there in Colorado?
24:20 I hope so. Nobody in Colorado likes this anymore. In fact, I think we could repeal it if there was a vote today on it. But this is part of the Maha agenda. Right? We wanna make America healthy again. Pot isn't gonna help
24:31 that, and people wanna live healthy lives. So it's turning around.
24:36 Thank you so much, Jeff Hutt, host of the Jeff and Bill Show. Great to see. I love your hat. Have a great weekend.
24:43 Thank you, congressman.
24:46 You too. Alright. Coming up, there's growing concern that AI technology is, a huge danger to students, and we wanna discuss more of that right after this. So stay with us. We'll beShow more
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