Skip to content 8/14/2026 Exploring China’s Continual Undermining of America and the Ethics of Surrogate Pregnancies Aug 14 · 54 min ...more
8/14/2026 Exploring China’s Continual Undermining of America and the Ethics of Surrogate Pregnancies
August 14, 2026 · 54 min
On today’s program, we take a look at troubling polls and trends in Michigan, an in-depth analysis of China’s troubling practices that undermine America, the "Wolves in White Coats" report exposes the financially lucrative scheme that harms children, Generation Z moves from traditional investments to sports betting, and the ethical and commercial nature of surrogate pregnancies.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio August 14, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
On today’s program, we take a look at troubling polls and trends in Michigan, an in-depth analysis of China’s troubling practices that undermine America, the "Wolves in White Coats" report exposes the financially lucrative scheme that harms children, Generation Z moves from traditional investments to sports betting, and the ethical and commercial nature of surrogate pregnancies. ...more Show the full description Show less On today’s program, we take a look at troubling polls and trends in Michigan, an in-depth analysis of China’s troubling practices that undermine America, the "Wolves in White Coats" report exposes the financially lucrative scheme that harms children, Generation Z moves from traditional investments to sports betting, and the ethical and commercial nature of surrogate pregnancies.
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In this video 0:00 Headlines: Elections, Trump, Iran, and Persecuted Christians10:28 Battling China's Trade Tricks and Cyber Threats17:38 Exposing Fraud in Gender Medicine for Minors25:02 Gen Z's Dangerous Shift to Sports Betting37:18 Surrogacy Crisis: Protecting Baby Gabriel's Life
Headlines: Elections, Trump, Iran, and Persecuted Christians 0:00 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 world view. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.0:18 Despite all of our extraordinary progress to restore safety to every community in our land, the radical left to Marxists, they continue their war on police and their destruction of the0:40 That was0:43 That was president Trump earlier today in Garden City, New York expressing concern over what he described as socialist trends in that state. Welcome to this Friday, August0:55 14th edition of Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heiss. Thanks for joining us. We've got a lot coming up during the next hour. China is dodging US1:06 tariffs by sending goods to America through 3rd countries. And congressman Russ Fulcher, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will be joining us to discuss how this is1:18 hurting American coffers and what can be done to address it. Then doctor Van Meter, a contributor to a health and human services report on fraudulent health care practices,1:30 will be joining me to discuss fraudulent insurance coding involving sex rejecting procedures for minors that, all that was highlighted in that report.
1:42 Plus, doctor David Prentice will be with us a little bit later to discuss the ethical implications of commercial surrogacy after a surrogate mother gave birth to a baby
1:53 against the wishes of the intended parents. All that and much more is coming your way straight ahead.
2:06 Let's start with a new poll on the upcoming midterm elections. Poll is showing that that Republicans have a narrow lead in Michigan's senate race while Democrats are ahead in
2:18 several other key states. Joining us now to get us kicked off with this is Washington Watch reporter Mary Stackhouse. Mary, thanks for, getting us off and running today.
2:30 What's what's this poll all about? Where do we stand right now?
2:34 Well, Judy, the latest Fox News poll has Republican Mike Rogers leading Democrat Abdul El Sayed by 4 points in Michigan. That's at 51 percent to 47 percent, but that race is still within the margin of
2:46 error. Democrats are leading in several other battleground states as well, including Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, and Iowa. In Texas, Republican Ken Paxton is also facing a surprisingly
2:57 tight race against Democrat James James Tallarico. Republicans are concerned that Texas, which has been reliably red for decades, could become a much closer contest this year.
3:09 Now speaking of campaigns and elections, president Trump earlier today went to Garden City, New York, where he highlighted his efforts to fight crime and illegal immigration. Here's what he said.
3:20 Since I took office, federal law enforcement has arrested incredibly 1200000 criminals nationwide and bad ones. We wanna make sure we get the bad ones. And we've
3:31 increased federal criminal prosecutions by over 50 percent. And under the Trump administration, the FBI has nearly doubled its arrest for violent crime.
3:44 President Trump highlighted the decline in in the crime rate since taking office. He also criticized Democrats calling them anti police. Jody?
3:53 Let's turn now to the situation in Iran. Negotiations with Iran have stalled to say the least, and certainly tensions are escalating around the Strait of Hormuz. What's the latest there?
4:05 Judy, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly come to a standstill. 2 vessels operated by the UAE's National Oil Company were attacked yesterday, and the UAE blamed Iran. Only a handful of ships have passed
4:17 through the strait since then. That's compared with more than 130 vessels a day before the conflict. The US says its navy can maintain the blockade indefinitely, while treasury secretary Scott Besant says Washington
4:30 will announce even tougher economic measures against Iran next week. Here's what he said.
4:35 We went from epic fury to economic fury. And, you know, at the president's orders, we have raised the level, even again. And watch this
4:46 space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history, the, of economic
4:58 isolation on a country.
5:02 With the strait carrying about 0.2 of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, the disruption is already pushing oil prices higher. It's also raising concerns about fuel cost and the broader global economy. Meanwhile,
5:14 president Trump said earlier today that he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States. He also reiterated that the US cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Jody.
5:27 Mary, on another note, what can you tell us about the American missionary pilot who was recently released in Africa?
5:35 Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot, was serving in mission, was kidnapped in Niger last October, and he spent more than 9 months in captivity. Serving in mission says that he's now been released and is in US
5:47 custody and in good health. President Trump also confirmed his release. Rideout was reportedly taken by armed men in a region where Islamist terrorists are active. It's also important to note that Christians in Niger and
5:59 Nigeria continue to face persecution. That's something we've covered extensively. Jody?
6:05 Yes. Indeed. It's, we need to continue praying for Christians in those countries, especially as they continue to face this kind of violence. Mary, thank you as always for these
6:17 updates. We appreciated a great deal. I wanna shift now to a report from the White House that some 40 countries are helping China avoid US tariffs. And joining
6:29 me now to discuss this and more is congressman Russ Fulcher. He serves Idaho's 1st congressional district. He's a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Congressman Fulcher, welcome back to Washington Watch.
6:41 Good to have you.
6:42 Great to talk to you again, Jody. Thank you.
6:46 I wanna start. I have to say this. I don't believe there was ever a time in Washington DC that I ran into congressman Fulcher in the hallways of congress that he didn't stop me,
6:58 look me straight in the eye and point his finger like this and say, remember, you're 1 of the good guys. And I've never ever forgotten that, and, it's good to see you, my friend. Welcome
7:10 back. Let let's, start on this report. The the report from the White House, how how is this potentially some 40 countries helping China? How is this gonna impact the
7:21 US?
7:23 Well, 1st of all, let's not be surprised, Jody. This is coming to you from the same country that has been stealing our intellectual property for decades. And so, we shouldn't be shocked that they're
7:35 finding ways to import their goods to to the US through other channels and and try to avoid tariffs. So, a number of efforts are underway on that front. Customs and Border Patrol have been alerted to the
7:46 situation. They've got some tools. Some of that is AI driven to try to track back these transactions and identify where the wrongdoing is taking place and try to rectify those situations.
7:59 We have, more likely a resolution coming through, Energy Commerce Committee that supports those actions and frankly puts notice on anyone that is,
8:11 involved with with, with China as a perpetrator in this whole, situation.
8:17 Yeah. So, that's a good point there. Should the US penalize some of these trade partners? I mean, we're talking places like Canada and Mexico, the EU. Any of
8:29 these allies that are allowing China to reroute and, thereby modify goods to bypass US tariffs, should there be some degree of penalty for doing so?
8:41 Yeah. If you're if you're aiding the enemy, which is basically what's happening here, then, yes, you should have some liability with all of that. Now, I don't think the administration has come out with anything formal to
8:51 that extent. And, I think that, if if this is identified and rectified, that's 1 thing. But if there's some ongoing activity, then as far as I'm concerned, they're aiding and abetting the enemy.
9:03 They should be subject to the same penalties.
9:07 Chinese leader, Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Washington, I believe, next month. Do you think the administration should pause, progress on trade
9:18 talks until China stops rerouting their goods through other countries?
9:24 Well, I think that the talk should continue, but probably the agenda needs to be reset. The, the 1st thing on the docket should be some of these wrongdoing that they're perpetrating right now. You know, let's not forget,
9:36 Jody, it wasn't that long ago that we had a major what was called a rip and replace. You may recall that from your days in the house of representatives, but it was a major effort to remove,
9:48 Chinese manufactured networks that, that were being used in appropriately in, tracking American data. Well, this is just another nefarious attempt by
9:59 the Chinese that, as far as I'm concerned, needs to be on the agenda for these talks. I would continue the talks, but I would I would wanna change the agenda to identify some of the things that, quite
10:11 frankly, they're doing wrong.
10:14 I wanted to get your thoughts on another potential threat the US faces regarding China. Federal agents, agencies have warned that Chinese state sponsored hackers have
10:26 already infiltrated American infrastructure. And now, we've got reports that show the very equipment that we are using to expand our grid for AI heavily relies
Battling China's Trade Tricks and Cyber Threats
10:38 on China. So, you know, can our can our grid withstand a coordinated attack?
10:46 Well, I I think the short answer, unfortunately, is no. And that goes back to my previous comment on this rip and replace. The it it's, this is not the 1st time that we have seen,
10:58 Chinese surveillance, Chinese tools that are attempting to, infiltrate US systems, the grid, and it has triggered a number of steps. We've we've got hardening
11:11 efforts going on across the country. There is even a a a very successful company in my own home state of Idaho, Schweitzer Engineering Labs. It does equipment that tries that is, effective
11:23 in hardening that grid and trying to block these things. But the bottom line is is that the, the the Chinese are doing it, and we have to be careful of anything that we purchase, anything that we
11:35 install. We have to have, systems that block the, their efforts to try to to take information. And the the best thing is is not to have it at
11:46 all. Sometimes that's easier said than done, but most of the equipment that we need can be purchased, can be procured, can be manufactured in the US or within allied nations that we can trust.
11:59 Can you share with us anything that your committee, actions, your committee may be taking to help prevent some sort of catastrophic grid shutdown?
12:10 Part of it yes. And part of the the effort has to do with the, the AI, artificial intelligence, legislation that is coming through. This is a rapidly
12:22 changing technology that is gonna be involved with everything. In this case, it will be involved to try to identify some of the misuse of equipment. It'll be used to
12:34 identify when we're being infiltrated by hostile forces. And so, part of the legislative effort will be to enable those tools
12:46 to be used to try to protect the US, whether it's the grid or any other, any other critical infrastructure.
12:54 Alright. Real quickly, in about 30 seconds, what do you think is going to be top agenda items for the house when you return in September?
13:02 Well, we've, as you know, we have the budget. We have the fiscal year that ends up in September. That's gonna be a, a major issue. Always is. There'll be an effort to get a continuing resolution that's that's fully
13:14 passed there. The SAVE Act, Jody, is gonna be front and center too. And and as you know, the house has passed that several times. That's election integrity. I can tell you that the vast
13:25 majority of Americans and certainly Idahoans think that you should be a citizen and prove it when you go to the polls. That's gonna be on the on the agenda.
13:33 Okay.
13:34 Those 2 to to begin with at the top of the agenda.
13:38 Congressman Russ Fulcher, I'll end it with this. Don't forget you're 1 of the good guys. Thank you for joining us and watching The Blotch. Coming up next, a federal investigation into pediatric gendered
13:50 clinics accused of insurance fraud. That's on the other side of the break, so stay with us. We'll be back in a jiffy.
14:01 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 pinned the invisible
14:13 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.
14:25 Unite with others who will pledge to defend these eternal truths today at Family Research Council's Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, September 24th to the 26th
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14:36 outside Washington, DC. In 17 76, our country declared independence in reliance upon divine providence. In 20 26, in the same spirit, we'll declare dependence
14:48 upon God by gathering for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action for faith, for family, for freedom. Register now at pray vote stand dot org.
15:02 1 nation under God, America's undeniable foundation of faith.
15:12 As president of the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University, John Witherspoon taught 10 cabinet members, 60 members of Congress, 13 governors, 3 supreme court justices, vice president Aaron
15:24 Burr, and president James Madison. As a Presbyterian minister, Witherspoon was the only active clergyman to sign the declaration of independence. He was a gifted preacher and writer who let his
15:36 faith direct his political activism, often voicing the link between earthly liberty and spiritual liberty. Witherspoon argued there is not a single instance in history in which civil
15:47 liberty was lost and religious liberty preserved entire. President John Adams said of Witherspoon, he was a true son of liberty, but 1st, he was a son of the cross.
15:59 Witherspoon's views on man's sinfulness from birth influenced his belief that self government was only possible
16:14 vision many of our founding fathers held to, no republic without liberty, no liberty without virtue, and no virtue without religion. And with that, Witherspoon became a cornerstone in
16:25 America's foundation of faith.
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.
17:02 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heise. Glad to have you joining us. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services published a groundbreaking report entitled
17:14 Wolves in White Coats, How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of Gender Medicine. The report is powerful, and it exposed
17:26 how pediatric clinics allegedly used generic medical codes such as endocrine disorder unspecified and precocious
Exposing Fraud in Gender Medicine for Minors
17:38 puberty, things like this, to bypass insurance blocks and to secure coverage for puberty blockers and cross sex hormones for minors. The report
17:49 identified a staggering hundred and 19000000 dollars in insurance claims for gender interventions involving children. It took place between
18:01 20 19 and 20 24. And joining us now to discuss this further is doctor Quentin Van Meter, former American College of Pediatricians president and pediatric
18:13 endocrinologist. He is 1 of the doctors who contributed to this powerful, powerful report. Doctor Van Meter, welcome back to Washington Watch. Appreciate you joining us. And I just wanna say
18:25 there's a lot of doctors in this report who are more or less identified as wolves in white coats. We're certainly glad that you're not 1 of them. But let's start off with your
18:37 reaction to this report and why doctors are described that way. It's pretty, picturesque the way this was described.
18:47 Well, it it this whole report was accompanied by a video that was produced to kind of go through the histories of, of at least 9 individuals who had transitioned in an attempt to change their
18:59 persona from a male persona to female or vice versa. The the the whole thrust of this is that to get there in order to be able to get insurance coverage for the
19:11 for the family to not bear the cost or for the health care system to bear the cost was to not use codes that had to do with transgender, but to avoid those because those were a hot button that could be
19:22 easily sorted in reviewing records. And instead, to disorder nonspecific as a code for, hiding behind and and then getting paid for
19:34 and also justifying the cost of medications through pharmacies, which are quite expensive, and then also for surgical procedures, which even more so. And so this
19:46 was honest I mean, very definite deceit on on purpose because they knew the individuals who were prescribing these drugs, people who were charging for the clinic visits, knew that, they were under
19:58 scrutiny, and especially with the Trump administration round 1 and then again, you know, in in the 2nd iteration of the Trump administration. It was pretty obvious that there was fraud going inland. And,
20:10 this finally uncovered it with a a very, very deep investigation of looking at those codes, getting into the patient records, and finding that they were used fraudulently so that they could be
20:22 covered.
20:24 Is this type of deceit common, or is this something new?
20:29 Oh, I think deceit in coding has been around, you know, ever since I've known people taking, you know, care of patients and and having 3rd party payers in government, particularly government health care other
20:41 than, covered health care, there are always stories every year about massive Medicare, Medicaid fraud and people being 1 by 1 picked off and and and basically taken
20:53 care of, by the law, held accountable for their misdeeds. So this is, you know, once a year, twice a year, you'll hear a story, you know, just popping up that just somebody whose
21:05 clinic was, you know, closed down. The person that was running the clinic was arrested, has been, you know, covered by laws as as fraudulent and was proven to be so and is now in jail.
21:17 So that's a a random So
21:18 what's the
21:19 your situation. Now we have
21:22 So what's the engine what's the engine behind this? Is this being driven by a transgender ideology or gender dysphoria, or is there the financial benefit? What what's really behind
21:34 it?
21:35 As a practitioner, you know, the I I think it's the ideology that drives this more than anything else, and the and the secondary benefits are the financial ones. I I mean, that's my
21:47 personal worldview. I I don't know that that's actually justifiable for every case. But, you know, it's it's an ideology that that is so harmful in so many ways, and it's been passed on as quality
21:59 medical care and actually standard of care. A very interesting lawsuit, from Texas against the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, brought to light statements,
22:11 in the in the documents from that lawsuit that the, WPAP has actually stated that, there they never really were standards of care, that there were a number of opinions,
22:22 differing opinions, and there was no scientific basis really for what they recommended. WPATH guidelines have been the bedrock of the entire gender industry, and they
22:34 have just been exploded open, to basically show the fraud within that organization. And so I think it's the ideology that is just kinda it it's it's a political ideology. It's so
22:46 deeply rooted in in, in things that are are so anti American in so many ways. And and the children have been the victims, which is very sad.
22:57 Well, it's incredible that these codes, really were just used deceptively and the the ones who suffered the children, in in irreversible kind of ways. So how should doctors
23:10 be helping children who say they're confused about their gender? What what's the the right approach going forward?
23:18 Well, there is a thing called gender critical care. And what this is is a whole there are many, many places to look at resources for this. The American College of Pediatricians has posted,
23:30 biological integrity dot org as a very good place to go and look at the science to find care people who do health care and mental health care in particular in a way that is not,
23:42 is is essentially very gender critical and and gives these children hope through counseling, which is the international standard, by the way, for caring for these kids. Compassionate health care,
23:54 compassionate mental health evaluations, and ongoing treatment.
24:00 So just real quickly, just ballpark, we don't have time to get in this very much, but what what kind of cost is involved in these type of procedures?
24:08 Well, the the cost of of the medications, can be upwards of, 20000 dollars a year, for the total package of puberty blockers and cross sex hormones. And that doesn't
24:20 really cover the the cost of the medical visits and the and the morbidities that happen, where organ systems begin to fail, sterility happens, genital structures begin
24:32 to atrophy.
24:35 Right. Alright. Thank you so much, doctor Quentin Van Meter, former American College of Pediatricians president. Always great to see you. Coming up next, over 0.5 of Gen z
24:47 is looking to sports betting to be part of their long term financial strategy. Wow. We'll discuss this disturbing trend next. Stay with us.Show more
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