Skip to content 8/15/2025 Assessing Risks on International Borders, Congressional Boundaries, and Kids Returning to School Aug 15 · 59 min ...more
8/15/2025 Assessing Risks on International Borders, Congressional Boundaries, and Kids Returning to School
August 15, 2025 · 59 min
Initial Trump-Putin Summit observations, Israel’s sovereign claim to Judea and Samaria, the Texas-California redistricting war, and helping students form a biblical worldview in a new school year.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio August 15, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Initial Trump-Putin Summit observations, Israel’s sovereign claim to Judea and Samaria, the Texas-California redistricting war, and helping students form a biblical worldview in a new school year. ...more Show the full description Show less Initial Trump-Putin Summit observations, Israel’s sovereign claim to Judea and Samaria, the Texas-California redistricting war, and helping students form a biblical worldview in a new school year.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
94K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
94K followers
Up next Autoplay More from Tony Perkins 11/13/2026 Regardless of Who Appears to Be in Power in Washington, a Christian’s Call to Service Doesn’t Change Tony Perkins
Michael Rubin, Bob Maginnis, Kelly Shackelford, Chris Smith, Arielle Del Turco Tony Perkins
11/12/2026 The Consequences of Recent Elections Become Clearer as We Move into the Final Months of 2026 Tony Perkins
Steven E. Moore, Robert Spalding, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Josh Brecheen Tony Perkins
11/11/2026 The Jewish Vote Shift Amid Rising Anti-Semitism, American Security Targets, and Peace Talks Tony Perkins
Woe to the At-Ease: Amos' Call to Repentance Tony Perkins
Seek the Lord and Live: A Call from Amos 3-5 Tony Perkins
Harriet Hageman, Peter Doran, Joel Griffith, Glenn Grothman, Casey Harper Tony Perkins
11/10/2026 Ending Wars, a Lame Duck Congress, and Biblical Instruction for Leaders, on Today’s Washington Watch Tony Perkins
Ron Johnson, Andrew Clyde, Blaise Misztal, Michele Bachmann, Gary Hamrick Tony Perkins
11/9/2026 Reflections on How the Midterms Will Shape the Future Congressional Agenda and Foreign Policy Tony Perkins
In this video 0:00 Addressing Crime and Controversy in Washington, D.C.2:02 Global Diplomacy: Trump, Putin, and the Quest for Peace28:43 Redistricting Battles: Texas vs. California38:47 Raising Gender-Confident Kids in a Confused Culture
1:35 Despite the controversy, the situation on the ground tells a different story. As the NPR correspondent just highlighted, many DC residents are living in fear, feeling so defeated by crime that
1:46 they stopped reporting it altogether. And so many do welcome Trump's efforts to restore security. Opinions may be divided, but 1 truth stands out. The concern about
1:58 crime is real, and solutions are urgently needed. Now let's shift gears to a global stage that's got everyone's attention. All eyes are
Global Diplomacy: Trump, Putin, and the Quest for Peace
2:10 locked on today's meeting between president Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. The air is thick with anticipation and frankly, no 1 knows what's going to happen. Whispers are swirling that Putin
2:21 might want to propose a nuclear deal with the US. Adding to the intrigue, he's reportedly been in close contact with North Korean president Kim Jong Un, having called the communist leader earlier
2:33 this week. Many see this as yet another sign of their deepening alliance. How could these developments shape president Trump's mission to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia?
2:45 This is our final look at the situation before the big sit down, so stay tuned. We'll bring you a full update on Monday. Turning back to America, get this. Nearly
2:57 275000 illegal immigrants have been removed from the country's social security program. You're probably thinking, if they're illegal, why were they there in the
3:09 first place? Bingo. That's the great mystery, isn't it? In any case, Trump addressed it during a press conference.
3:16 To protect our benefits, we've already kicked nearly 275000 illegal aliens off of the Social Security system. Biden never kicked anybody off. Everybody
3:28 joined, and we're carrying out historic deportations to remove many more illegals committing Social Security fraud. It's a Social Security fraud that was taking place at levels that nobody's ever
3:40 seen.
3:41 It turns out the Trump administration isn't stopping at Social Security reform. They're also zeroing in on so called sanctuary cities that prioritize illegal immigrants. Attorney general, Pam Bonney,
3:53 announced it loud and clear. Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court. Demand letters have been sent
4:05 to sanctuary cities, counties, and states nationwide. Bondi warned that states like California could lose billions in federal funding if they don't abandon their sanctuary policies.
4:18 So far, California governor Gavin Newsom is the only 1 to have received an official letter from Bondi. But with the efforts spanning from coast to coast, other states can expect to hear from her soon. And those are
4:30 today's headlines. I'm Sarah Holliday. Dive deeper with the Washington stand at washington stand dot com. Up next is Washington Watch with guest host Jody Heiss. We're back Monday with more stories that
4:49 matter.
4:52 From the heart of our nation's
4:55 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington
4:56 DC, 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 is
5:07 today's host, Jody Heise.
5:11 Well, good afternoon. Hard to believe Friday is already here, but happy Friday to you. Welcome to this edition of Washington Watch. I am Jody Heise, senior fellow here at the Family Research Council and your
5:23 Friday host. A lot coming your way today. We'll start with what's happening this very moment. President Trump and Vladimir Putin are in a high stakes talk over a potential
5:35 ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war that is now over 3 years old. So what would a successful summit look like?
5:44 What will make a success of this summit today? I can't tell you that. I don't know. It's, there's nothing set in stone, but I wanna see a ceasefire rapidly. I don't know if it's gonna be
5:56 today, but I'm not gonna be happy if it's not today. Everyone said it can't be today, but I'm just saying I want the killing to stop. I'm in this to stop the killing.
6:06 That, of course, was president Trump. He was speaking earlier today commenting on what his vision of success would look like. And congresswoman Claudia Tinney will be joining me in just a few moments
6:18 with a Capitol Hill reaction to it all.
6:22 We saw that Russia continued its violence into Ukraine last night launching even more drones. What did you make of that?
6:28 I think they're trying to negotiate. He's trying to set a stage. I mean, in his mind, that helps him make a better deal. It actually hurts him. But in his mind, that helps him make a better deal
6:40 if they could continue the killing.
6:44 So a little bit later today, brigadier general retired brigadier general John Teichart will join me and offer his analysis of the talks between Putin and Trump. And what could a peace deal signal to
6:56 other adversaries, specifically countries like China and Iran and North Korea? And then right here at home, a battle continues between Texas and California,
7:07 an arms race of their own, if you will, over redistricting efforts, efforts, which, of course, is being supported by president Trump. Just yesterday, though, California governor Gavin Newsom riled up a rally of
7:19 supporters in Los Angeles over his redistricting duel that is now taking place with Texas.
7:26 We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across this country, not just in Texas, but in Missouri where JD Vance went just a week ago in
7:38 Indiana, in places like Ohio, in places like Florida. We need to stand up, not just California. Other blue states need to stand up. We need to be firm in our
7:50 resolve.
7:52 Other blue states need to stand up. So could this be the start of a nationwide tit for tat redistricting battle? And it certainly seems governor Newsom is open to that idea.
8:04 If Trump is doing this, he's not gonna stop with Texas. Are you calling on other blue states to do do this now?
8:10 I think we you gotta meet fire with fire.
8:13 I mean, this is a break the glass moment for our
8:15 democracy, for our nation.
8:18 The world's watching us. And so absolutely.
8:23 So FRC Action's director, Matt Carpenter, will be joining me with all the latest in the redistricting wars that are taking place. And then we'll close out the program today as we always do, with a
8:35 worldview discussion. And since it's back to school season, Summit Ministries' doctor Jeff Myers will join me and share his thoughts on how to help young people form a biblical worldview
8:48 while they face all sorts of faith challenges in school and the world today. So of course, we've got a lot coming your way in the next hour. We thank you for joining us. If by chance you miss any portion of it, you
8:59 could go back and catch it at our website, tony perkins dot com. And let me also just say this, I'll touch on this a little bit more, but today marks a very, very special
9:11 day of memory for FRC and it's something that I will share with you a little bit later. Alright. Let's jump into the program for today. As I mentioned, today
9:23 is finally here. It's the day that's been much anticipated. Anchorage, Alaska, the location of a summit between president Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is taking
9:35 place at the joint base Elmendor Richardson, by the way. That is a place that was crucial to the US efforts to counter the then Soviet Union during the Cold War. Ironic that
9:46 it's taking place there. But the 2 men met earlier this afternoon for a face to face talk and a joint conference that, is scheduled to take place later. So noticeably
9:58 absent in all of this, of course, is Ukrainian president Zelensky who was not invited to this meeting. So what might be the next steps that we will see in this historic meeting? Well,
10:10 here now to discuss this is congresswoman Claudia Tinney. She's a member of the House Ways and Means Committee as well as the permanent select committee on intelligence and the space technology committee as well,
10:21 science, space, and technology. She's also the founder of the Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus, and, we appreciate that. She represents the 20 fourth congressional district of the great Empire
10:33 State. Congresswoman Cinney, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you again.
10:38 Great to see you. Haven't seen you in a while.
10:41 It's been a long time. Alright. So let's just jump into this. Vladimir Putin, can he be trusted, do you think, to be an honest broker in these talks?
10:52 Absolutely not. I think that Trump knows that, and I think the people working with Trump on on setting up this meeting. But it is an attempt by president Trump, which is extremely, you know, audacious, I'm you
11:03 might say. I mean, he's very, hopeful that this will at least begin the process of getting, Putin kind of finding out. I think Trump indicated a number of times where Putin is, you know, kind of to gauge him. I think
11:15 Trump likes face to face meetings to really get a feel, to see where his weaknesses are and his strengths are, his body language. You know, Trump is an expert at that. He's very good. He's got very good intuitive,
11:26 sensitivity. So I think right now, I mean, that's really what he's trying to do is assess Putin. I know Putin has taken on a lot of a lot of, incoming. They have over 400000, Russians have been killed. The economy
11:38 is taken over some parts of Ukraine, but this is essential. And and, you know, we look at it differently. I mean, president Trump wants to stop the killing. He wants to save lives. He's compassionate,
11:49 care cares about the human loss. I mean, of course, Russia doesn't care about that, especially a KGB former KGB agent. You know, Vladimir Putin cares about power, and projecting strength around the world stage even
12:01 though they have a very small economy. You know, he's been very successful at manipulating, democracies around the world, including Europe and and in fact, you know, the, parts you know, the Democrats in the United
12:13 States, you know, with, the climate change agenda and talking everyone into, abandoning their natural gas exploration or oil exploration and things that would, you know, be a threat to Russia's economic strength.
12:25 And now president Trump has brought the opposite in. He's talking about, you know, unleashing American energy, bringing back the dominance that we need, making our European allies bring, more money to the table to
12:36 defend, this European's threat, you know, through Ukraine, the largest country in the in, in Europe. So a lot of really interesting things happening here, and and it affects, you know, the geopolitical
12:48 landscape as well. So I find it really fascinating. Will be interesting to see, where this goes next. I know, we're not done yet. You know, Trump is, still behind the the doors. I think they're just coming
13:00 out. Maybe there'll be a couple interviews, and we'll see what, what president Trump has to say and what he can report on. I know that's a lot. Yeah. We There's a lot going on.
13:09 Yeah. That is a lot, and there is a lot going on. And I I appreciate that. Do you have a sense of what you kind of expect to come out of this, or you just all in a wait and see mode?
13:20 You know, I think Trump is gonna have a lot to say about where he is. Maybe he won't reveal so much. I know he's doing some some interviews with media, but I think he is gonna get a feel of whether Putin
13:32 is in a position where he feels
13:33 like he needs to come up with some kind of deal. He needs to come up with a way to to stop, the hemorrhaging that Russia is experiencing, you know, potentially. And I think that's where Trump's trying to assess that. And
13:44 then that that's why I think he's meeting with Putin individually, and that's why he'll eventually if if it gets to that point and then we and we and the and the talks move forward, there will ultimately be a meeting
13:56 with president Trump and and, and Zelensky. So I don't and Putin, obviously. But I I just I think that right now, this is a the first step into what could be a a longer process. Obviously, Trump likes to get
14:08 things done quickly, but I think this is very complicated. Remember, he ran and said I can
14:17 have this war over in 24 hours. And, now he's admitted on many occasions that this is gonna be a
14:17 little more complicated, a little more difficult because Vladimir Putin is a little bit different animal than dealing with other part other leaders in other parts of the world.
14:25 Yep. Absolutely. Congresswoman Tinney, if I can shift gears to another part of the world with you. I know you have been just a stalwart supporter of Israel. And, of course, they are expanding housing
14:37 right now in Judea and Samaria as part of their push to exert their rightful sovereignty in the in the region there. And our state department recently confirmed that, this expansion
14:49 of housing is certainly in line with the Trump administration's goals. Your your thoughts about that?
14:55 Yeah. Well, I think this is is is very large. I was just in Israel for 10 days, and, you know, as you're excited at the top of the show, I started the Judea and Samaria caucus. And, you know, I'm looking for partners all
15:06 around the world to start remember telling the truth, really, about what's going on in Israel. You know, there's so many, so many lies being told by so many immediate entities. People don't know the truth. They don't
15:16 understand, you know, the real nature of the war that Israel is fighting, for the preservation of Western civilization, actually. They're fighting in that front as the only democracy in the entire Middle East,
15:28 to try to actually provide, a democratic, democratic principles to everyone in Israel regardless of your your race, regardless of your religion. And I think it's really interesting, but there is
15:39 a movement. And I think that's why this this e 1, this section of Jerusalem and and continuing with building there sets a mark that says Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state. Jew Jerusalem is the capital of
15:51 Israel Israel, and it's gonna remain that way. It should not be divided. And I think this is what, this latest development is, coming out of Israel. And I think it's important that we continue to recognize the area of
16:02 Judea and Samaria. Also put a bill in Congress that would, require the United States to list in any of its official documents the area of Judea and Samaria as Judea and Samaria, not the
16:14 pejorative West Bank, because we wanna recognize this as, the Jewish homeland. And I'll tell you something really interesting that happened to me. I was over in Israel, and this has been sort of, this idea has been
16:26 floating around. I met with a number of Arab sheikhs, in the region of Judea and Samaria and the so called within the green line, and they were very adamant about their interest in working with the state
16:38 of Israel, their lack of trust, and their interest in dissolving the Palestinian authority and working with the state of Israel in in a sort of quasi, Emirates type of model where the sheikhs can have
16:49 their Emirates model within the state of Israel with Israel providing security and them having sort of a quasi sovereignty and getting rid of what they defined as the corrupt Palestinian authority, which is preventing
17:00 them from seeking and and attaining any kind of prosperity for the people that they that that where they live. They wanna live in harmony with their Jewish neighbors. They wanna be able to get involved in business. They
17:11 wanna grow jobs. They wanna bring industry into this whole region in Hebron and Judea and Samaria. Really fascinating novel idea, that we are gonna be talking about, obviously, with president Trump and his team. And this
17:23 could actually be, in a in a strange way, could be a solution to what this, you know, has been plaguing Israel, you know, for for decades and decades and decades with no solution and the constant
17:35 harangue of a 2 state solution, which we know is impossible in a situation where Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and all these other, you know, Iran backed proxies are making it impossible to have any kind of peace
17:47 in the Middle East and any kind of hope for a 2 state solution. Really interesting developments that are happening right now in Israel, really novel concepts. And and, the we're just gonna see where this goes, but, you
17:59 know, this could be the the the actually peaceful solution to the future.
18:05 Wow. So much happening around the world. And then you have some of our allies now, going to recognize the Palestinian state. I mean, there's so so many complicated issues in all of this,
18:17 and, it's something we'll certainly be watching. I wanna thank you so much, congresswoman Tinney, for joining us today on Washington Watch. We appreciate it a great deal.
18:26 Thank you so much, and great to see you, and god bless.
18:30 Likewise. Alright, friends. Coming up on the other side of the break, retired Brigadier General John Tigert is going to assess the talks between presidents Trump and Putin from a military standpoint.
18:42 So you don't wanna miss that discussion, and we'll bring it your way right here on the other side of the break. Stay tuned.
18:57 The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure.
19:09 That's why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
19:17 Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted
19:25 in
19:25 the heart of the nation's capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
19:35 FRC is 1 of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north, and I shudder to think had they not been here that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
19:45 The Family Research Council is key. It's 1 of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country
19:57 that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
20:03 It's just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn't seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward
20:15 successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the holy scriptures.
20:24 FRC, is not gonna be whooped. You know, we're we're gonna fight. We're gonna take a stand. And, again, we don't retreat.
20:33 You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, DC, a white flag fly. We will never step back. We will never surrender, and we will never
20:45 be silent.
20:51 In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.
21:03 Family Research Council invites you to join our stand on the word bible reading plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the word who dwelt among us. Come with us
21:14 and discover the glory of the word. Read the gospels and witness the life changing story of Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed
21:37 Testament before the new year. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc dot org slash bible. Join us and stand on the word.
21:53 Good afternoon. Welcome back to Watch and Watch. I am Jody Heiss, your Friday host, and an honor to have you with us today. Alright. I wanna continue our discussion on the historic meeting that's taking place
22:05 even as we speak between president Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. You may recall this is the first meeting between the 2 of them since Putin's invasion
22:17 of Ukraine back in 20 22. And so what is the Russian's endgame from a military perspective? We're here now to discuss this with me is retired
22:29 Brigadier General John Tykert. He's former assistant deputy undersecretary for the Air Force for International Affairs. General Tigard, welcome back to Washington Watch. An honor to have
22:41 you.
22:42 Jody, thanks for having me again. I appreciate it.
22:46 Okay. So what do you expect is gonna happen during this summit?
22:51 Jody, I think the president has been very clear that he is not there to negotiate. He is there to set conditions so that there can be a follow on meeting that includes president
23:03 Zelensky so that Russia and Ukraine can negotiate together. But I also think the president has been very clear that if he doesn't see real tangible outcomes that demonstrate
23:15 either an immediate ceasefire or an agreement or or commitment to have that follow on negotiation, then he's gonna be not just extremely disappointed, but he's gonna continue to feel disrespected
23:27 by Putin who thus far has negotiated and acted in bad faith. And that will mean that the United States will levy some of these additional elements of national power into the mix, including
23:39 sanctions and secondary sanctions to raise the pain threshold for Putin so he realizes it is in his best interest to to either accept the ceasefire or to start really negotiating in good faith.
23:51 Yeah. I think those sanctions and so forth could be very detrimental to already a fragile economy that they have there. So what what do you think? Is Is it is it as obvious as it looks? But what
24:03 is Putin's end game with these talks? What is he hoping to come away with?
24:10 Jody, I think that he has been mystified during these last 3 and a half years that somehow the mighty Russian power hasn't been able to subjugate Ukraine. And frankly, there's
24:22 no future on the horizon in which he would be able to do so. So either now the outcome is Putin hoping to dazzle president Trump. He's hoping to delay. He's
24:34 hoping to maybe create a wedge issue between the United States and Ukraine or the United States and Europe, and all of those things are in his repertoire. But I think president
24:45 Trump is very clear eyed in his desire to see that ceasefire, our commitment for follow on negotiations. And anything short of that, he will see through president Putin
24:57 as just a delay tactic in his negotiation plan of bad faith.
25:02 Okay. Very interesting. You know, I I think also, he obviously, I think
25:20 I think there's a lot of maneuver room once we get Ukraine in the room to discuss geography, security, and economy and elements within those 3 areas to
25:32 find a way in this war. But I very much believe that president Trump is not there now to negotiate. And while Putin may try to push him on accepting concessions, that the president
25:44 of the United States thus far showing that he is in his home field advantage with the position of strength is not gonna get pushed around by Putin, is gonna insist either in that ceasefire or the
25:55 commitment for follow on negotiations that include Ukraine.
25:59 Very good point. Very good point. Alright. So how do we handle these talks and what may come out of it specifically as it relates to a greater adversary, China? What
26:12 wrong signals perhaps are at stake in these talks that can be messaged and received by China?
26:19 Jody, I think it's important to realize that China is watching, but not just these talks, but they've been watching for the last 3 and a half years to see how the United States follows on on
26:31 its commitments. By the way, Xi Jinping and China were watching 2 months ago when the United States launched those 7 b twos and dropped those massive ordnance penetrators in Iran.
26:43 And I think all of those things demonstrate both the strength of capability from the United States and a strength of will. And those are the 2 primary elements that create deterrence
26:56 or the ability to stop somebody from doing the things that you don't want them to do. And if we negotiate from a position of strength and we continue to demonstrate through our words and our actions, commitment, and
27:07 strength, then it puts China and others like Iran or like North Korea on their back foot realizing that the United States continues to have not just escalation dominance, but
27:19 also is exuding a position of deterrence so that they must not do the things we do not want them to do.
27:26 And don't you think at the same time, the fact that president Trump has been having conversations with leaders throughout Europe that, Europe is uniting together as a a strength of their own like
27:38 we've not seen in a long time, that comes into play with all of this as well, doesn't
27:43 it? Well, I think that it does, Jody. And I think that in a lot of ways, Putin's already lost this war that we added 2 new members to NATO, Finland and Sweden. And we have seen a
27:55 consolidation of European strength and a commitment to raise their defense spending now to that 5 percent threshold. All of those have come partly because president Trump has encouraged them to do
28:07 that, but also because they've seen that the world is a dangerous place with people like Putin, Xi, and others. And the more the world is a dangerous place, the more good strong partnerships
28:19 like NATO and our European allies will bind and bond together to make sure that they're able, again, to enhance that deterrent posture that the United States already exudes well in our own situation.
28:32 Alright. Last question real quickly, and we've only got about a minute. How could this have other repercussions rippling effect beyond this meeting? I'm thinking specifically China and maybe the eager population there.Show more
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.