Skip to content 5/8/2026 After Reviewing Headline News, Jody Hice and David Closson Consider It All from a Biblical Perspective May 8 · 54 min ...more
5/8/2026 After Reviewing Headline News, Jody Hice and David Closson Consider It All from a Biblical Perspective
May 8, 2026 · 54 min
Today, Washington Watch explores Virginia’s redistricting controversy, the Latest in Iran, the upcoming legislative agenda, President Trump’s China trip, an FRC Pray Vote Stand initiative to pray for elected leaders, a U.S. Supreme Court decision impacting the distribution of abortion Drugs, Gen Z’s perspective on Marriage, and a study that says politics is destroying American friendships.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
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.
May 8, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Today, Washington Watch explores Virginia’s redistricting controversy, the Latest in Iran, the upcoming legislative agenda, President Trump’s China trip, an FRC Pray Vote Stand initiative to pray for elected leaders, a U.S. Supreme Court decision impacting the distribution of abortion Drugs, Gen Z’s perspective on Marriage, and a study that says politics is destroying American friendships. ...more Show the full description Show less Today, Washington Watch explores Virginia’s redistricting controversy, the Latest in Iran, the upcoming legislative agenda, President Trump’s China trip, an FRC Pray Vote Stand initiative to pray for elected leaders, a U.S. Supreme Court decision impacting the distribution of abortion Drugs, Gen Z’s perspective on Marriage, and a study that says politics is destroying American friendships.
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In this video 0:00 Virginia Redistricting Victory and Political Preview17:03 Deep Dive: Virginia's Gerrymandering Defeat27:03 Grassroots Faith: Pray Vote Stand in Action37:58 Mifepristone Menace: Medical and Biblical Perspectives
Virginia Redistricting Victory and Political Preview 0:00 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation's leaders and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony as today's host, Jody Hice.0:18 The Virginia Supreme Court is the final authority on Virginia constitutional questions. This is the end, folks. You will have the same map in 20 26 for0:30 the congressional elections that existed in 20 24. That is now unchangeable and immutable. That does not mean maps couldn't be changed by 20 28, but they will not0:42 be changed by 20 26.0:47 That was former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli on C SPAN discussing the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling this morning on that state's redistricting referendum.0:59 Welcome to this May eighth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heiss. So glad to have you tuning in. Alright. Coming up today, we'll discuss the major ruling from Virginia's top1:11 court when Virginia congressman Morgan Griffith will be joining us a little bit later in the program, plus North Carolina congressman Greg Murphy will join us here shortly to discuss what will be on the agenda1:23 when Congress returns next week. We'll all also discuss, what is on president Trump's agenda when he visits China. And then later in the program, we'll be discussing the
1:34 abortion drug case that's before the US Supreme Court from both a medical and theological perspective. All that and much more straight ahead.
1:51 As I mentioned earlier, Virginia's Supreme Court today threw out a new electoral map that was crafted by Democrats to flip 4 Republican held seats in the
2:03 US House of Representatives and joining established Washington Watch reporter, Mary Stackhouse. Mary, this is, positive news certainly from a political perspective for Republicans, but
2:15 tell us what's unfolding in this.
2:17 That's right, Jody. This is definitely a positive development for Republicans. The map in question was approved by voters in April. But today, in a 4 to 3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court found that Democratic
2:29 lawmakers had not followed proper procedure last year when they rushed to approve the referendum, making sure it happened before the November midterm elections. Now Republicans hold a clear advantage in the
2:41 national redistricting fight that began last year when Trump pushed Texas Republicans to rip up their electoral map and draw new district lines. Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and South
2:53 Carolina have taken steps toward drawing their new maps in time for the November elections. With Virginia's map now invalidated, Republicans could eventually end up with an advantage in 10 house seats or more
3:05 nationwide depending on the outcome of the efforts in southern states. Jody?
3:11 Very, very big news. In fact, Mary, you heard a little bit later, Virginia congressman Morgan Griffith will be joining me to talk a little bit more about this from his state's
3:23 perspective, so I look forward to that. If I can turn to some international news, the US is, we understand is expecting to hear perhaps even during this program from Iran,
3:35 regarding the latest proposal to end the conflict that's taking place there. What are some of the latest developments you're hearing, Mary?
3:43 Jody, Iran is reportedly reviewing the latest peace deal. Recent days have seen the biggest flare ups in fighting in and around the contested Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire began a month ago, even as the US and
3:55 Iran have indicated that they're closer than ever to a deal to end the war. President Trump has said a ceasefire was still in place despite the flare up. Meanwhile, the US continues to maintain its
4:07 blockade on the Strait of Permuse. Secretary of state Marco Rubio earlier today condemned Iran for trying to normalize keeping a choke hold on the Strait of Hormuz.
4:17 The normalizing of their controlling of international waterways is both illegal and and it's just something that's unacceptable. And the world has to start asking itself, itself, what is it willing to do if Iran tries to
4:27 normalize a control of an international waterway? I think that's unacceptable.
4:33 President Trump said 3 US Navy destroyers had been attacked as they moved through the strait and that the US military had fired back. No warships were damaged. Jody?
4:45 Alright. Mary, as always, thank you so much for keeping us abreast on these, turning events, constantly. Alright. With Congress now returning next week, we
4:56 wanna get a preview, if you will, of some of the buzz that's taking place in Washington. And joining us now to discuss this is North Carolina congressman doctor Greg Murphy. He serves on the House Ways
5:08 and Means Committee and represents the third congressional district of the Tar Heel State. Doctor Murphy, always great to see you, my friend. Welcome back to Washington Watch.
5:18 Yeah. Thank you, Jody. Good to see you.
5:21 Okay. So, we all know that congress was able to end the partial government shutdown before the this week's recess is taking place. But it looks as though there's another 1
5:33 looming, later in the the year this fall. So, we've got a lot of moving parts. The senate judiciary committee and the homeland, security committee, they released text
5:45 for the reconciliation, bill that we've all been talking about that funds ICE, immigration and customs enforcement, as well as border patrol. What's your take on that?
5:57 What do you anticipate that's gonna be going down when you return?
6:01 You know, isn't it interesting, Jody, that we have a political party here in this country that literally they continue their mantra of defunding the police, which is what they wanna do, and now they wanna defund, our
6:12 national police, our customs and border control, and those who enforce our laws, within the country. And so it has to be done through reconciliation package. Jewish Now is a Republican only package to fund these
6:23 entities. It's you know, I think the American people really need to wake up and see we allowed or they allowed 15 to 20000000 people in this country, many of whom, not the majority by any means, but many of whom were
6:35 were criminals coming in or committed heinous acts while while in the country. We saw a carjacking just a few days ago and attempted by an illegal immigrant. And the fact that the Democrats are not wanting to fund these
6:46 positions. You know, CBP and ICE, you know, ICE, by the way, goes after sexual predators. So this has to be a Republican only initiative, and that's what we're working through the house to the reconciliation package.
6:58 Hopefully, things, survive the birdbath over there in the senate, and we can get these things funded and that we make sure that those who are enforcing our laws in the country are paid.
7:09 Yeah. This is really an unusual way to go about. I I'm certainly just speaking for myself. Hope this is not setting precedent for how some of these things are going to be funded in the future.
7:21 But, but here we're moving on a potential third reconciliation, and some are saying that there's a potential that that would undermine efforts to work on a bipartisan basis to pass regular appropriations bills. Do you
7:32 think there's any merit to that? Well, I I appropriations bills. Do you think there's any
7:37 merit to that? Well, I I hope not, but Hakeem Jeffries, you know, keeps a collar hold on all his different constituencies within the, Democratic caucus. And I I pray there are is bipartisan work that can be done. You
7:49 know, I I've I say to many, many folks, I I think if we, locked out the mainstream media, I think 75 percent of us could agree on 80 percent of things, and that's what would be important for the American people. Sadly
8:00 enough, the wing nuts, and some of whom are, truth be told, are in my party, that are that are going to 2 extremes and would rather go off on tangents rather than do mainstream work for the country. This is what most of
8:12 these appropriations bills are. They are just keeping us funded, keeping the good parts of government going. And, you know, I just it's up to Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer as to whether they put a stranglehold on the
8:23 country in in the process.
8:26 Yeah. I guess we'll all wait and see how that, works out. If I can turn to another, topic with you, speaking of another capital outside of Washington, DC, Beijing.
8:37 President Trump will be arriving there next Thursday. It'll be his first visit to China, since November 20, 17. But you have been very outspoken
8:49 on China. What do you anticipate is going to be discussed during the the 2 meetings between president Trump and, China's Xi Jinping?
9:00 Yeah. I think, I don't know exactly what's gonna be on the docket, as far as the president speaking directly with, president Xi Jinping. But there's so many things that China and the US have to talk about. We have to
9:11 talk about drugs. We have to talk about trade. We have to talk about their influence with Iran. You know, secretary Rubio, in my opinion, has done just an absolutely fabulous job as secretary of state in managing
9:22 so many different constituencies overseas. And now it's time for the, you know, the big guy to come in and go 1 on 1 with their president, try to knock down some trade barriers, which, I think he did earlier in the year,
9:34 try to get some trade normalized. So, especially where I come from, a lot a lot of agricultural products are gonna be critical, that are imported back into China. So there's gonna be a lot to talk about. China has a lot
9:45 of influence over, 1 of its, you know, quote, allies in Iran. It's time for us, the world rather, whether we agree or not, you know, in China and Russia to start putting the bad boy of Iran
9:57 back in its place and and seal off their ability to get a nuclear weapon.
10:02 Yeah. That's that's a huge issue right there. I I certainly think that's gonna be a a top, matter of concern. But another 1, very likely, it would seem would be Taiwan.
10:16 I I mean, look, China wants to stop a US arms sale to Taiwan. I think there's no question about that. So what what type of message do you think the United States should
10:27 be sending China on that issue?
10:31 Well, I think the the Chinese people, rather the the Chinese, dictatorship really is what it is, wants Taiwan back. I think the American people stand with the Taiwanese and their their democratic,
10:43 government. I think the president's gonna be pretty firm, on what, we believe is, a 1 China I mean, assuming, 1 Taiwan policy, not a 1 China policy, that we need to support Taiwan's dependency or a
10:55 democratically elected country. We wanna support that and, hopefully, to prevent any type of nuke of, military intervention or military conflict in that region. We we just
11:07 don't need that, and, I don't think the Taiwanese people need it either.
11:12 So what are some of the other concerns that you have, with regard to China that perhaps you feel are not getting enough attention right now?
11:21 Well, they're purchasing and they have been purchasing Iranian oil. We we put an embargo on this. They're not supposed to be purchasing Iranian oil, and we're trying to starve that country because of the nefarious
11:32 actions that they have been doing. I think the president needs to come in and, you know, really enforce that type of in institution as far as saying, look. We we put sanctions on this country. We don't need to feed this
11:42 beast of Iran, and China doesn't need to be taking in the oil from them. Second, I I think it's really critical. We look at the trade that goes on between our 2 countries. You know, other than, you know, Mexico and
11:54 Canada, I think China is possibly, if I recall correctly, our third biggest exporter importer. And I think trade has been such a a hallmark of this, president's,
12:06 presidency, his tenure. You know, when I sat on the trade subcommittee of ways and means during the entire last administration, we did absolutely nothing on trade. And, Jody, when I say nothing, I mean nothing. And so
12:17 the president's come in and said, look. We need to rebalance what has been a horrible trade deficit coming from countries like China, India, etcetera, trying to make sure that our goods are exported to those countries,
12:28 China being a huge consumer of those goods. And the president, you know, good lord. He's the art of the deal, the master of the deal as we know that, and trying to make sure that our products as Americans can be, can be
12:38 purchased by other countries, including China.
12:42 So you think the meetings next week are going to be pretty significant? Certainly, potentially. You got 2 superpowers, with a lot to discuss. Where do you think there
12:54 are Final thoughts on that?
12:56 Yeah. I think they are the 2 superpowers in the world today. You know, Russia has turned out to be in in a lot of ways a paper dragon and bogged down by the president carries
13:08 a big stick. China is, is a formidable foe. There are a lot of things that, we have learned about China, especially during the, you know, the Iranian conflict because of what they've supplied with the
13:19 Chinese, excuse me, supplied to the Iranian military. There are a lot of things that, we actually can work on, I think, that are good for both peoples. There's a lot of Chinese, invest investiture or
13:31 investments rather in technology.
13:34 Absolutely.
13:36 We have to be very, very careful of that they don't gain the, the upper hand, especially with artificial intelligence.
13:42 North Carolina congressman doctor Greg Murphy, always great to see you, talk with you. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. Alright, friends. Coming up, we're going to shift gears and talk about the big news
13:53 coming out of the Virginia Supreme Court regarding redistricting. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
14:00 The book of Proverbs says that for a godly mother, her children will rise up and call her blessed. And with great pride,
14:08 her husband will praise her, saying, many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Family Research Council wishes moms across America a happy Mother's
14:20 Day.
14:21 May our nation be blessed because of godly mothers who love their family, fulfilling their lives.
14:31 Join us for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action at this year's pray vote stand summit at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. Hear from Christian leaders, issue experts, and government
14:43 officials as we work together to build a foundation based on biblical truth. Early bird special tickets are on sale for 69 dollars when you register by June fifteenth. To register, visit pray
14:55 boat stand dot org. That's pray boat stand dot org.
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15:06 I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we're doing with our families and
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15:19 God and Government is a video driven bible based training course from Family Research Council
15:38 understanding of civil government from a biblical world view.
15:42 I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this.
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15:55 So I'm an attorney and for me it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community to make better legislation, to try
16:07 to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
16:12 Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we
16:15 are dual citizens. Right? We are citizens of
16:17 the kingdom of God, but we're also seated citizens of
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Deep Dive: Virginia's Gerrymandering Defeat
17:03 Good afternoon. Happy Friday to you. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm your host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for tuning in. Alright. There were some huge, huge news that
17:15 came out of Virginia earlier this morning. In a 4 to 3 ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the state's recently passed redistricting referendum
17:27 that would have allowed Democratic state lawmakers to literally gerrymander Virginia's congressional map before the upcoming midterm elections. And joining us now
17:39 with his reaction is congressman Morgan Griffith from Virginia. He serves as vice chairman of the House Rules Committee and represents the ninth congressional district of that great state. Congressman Griffith, district
17:50 of that great state. Congressman Griffith, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
17:55 Always good to see you too. Glad to be with you.
17:58 Alright. So, let's start off. Your reaction to the ruling from this morning?
18:04 Well, obviously, I'm very happy with the, ruling. The court got it right in my opinion. The Democrats, as you will recall, did a, special session. I have questions about whether they were
18:15 lawfully doing that special session, but they did a special session on Halloween claiming that the election the following week was the general intervening election even though voting had started about
18:27 40 days before and 1300000 Virginians had already voted in that gubernatorial year election. And as a result, the court said, no. You the constitution of Virginia requires an
18:39 inner a intervening general election, and we've already had 1300000 or 40 percent of the electorate in Virginia vote, you can't count that as an intervening general election.
18:51 Can't count doing it Wow. With with only a few days left as as valid, and they threw the whole thing out.
18:58 Wow. Well, you know, I I saw many of their commercials. No doubt they spent a fortune on this. They had tried to, frankly, sell this whole thing to voters by claiming that it would
19:10 restore fairness in elections. But changing the seats, the the state's, seat count from 6 to 5 in favor of Democrats, they were
19:22 going to change it to 10 to 1. I mean, would that would that have been fair? Is that what they consider fairness to elections?
19:29 Well, yeah. Of course, they consider that fair. Anything that helps them is fair. Anything that, is even or helps Republicans is unfair. And so they, you know, they're quick to criticize all the other states that have
19:41 done things, and yet they didn't pay attention to the fact that they had to follow the Virginia constitution. And they rushed it through, and they made a, I think, a number of mistakes. But we only had to win 1, and we
19:52 won 1 today. So that's done. But, you know, they're still complaining that, well, it went to the voters in the referendum and those people's votes didn't count. Well, they should have anticipated that and
20:04 gotten all of the i's dotted and the t's crossed. When you do something in an unconstitutional manner under the Virginia constitution, you've got to expect that the court will take action against it. Whether 1000000
20:15 people voted in the referendum or 1000006 voted in the referendum is not the issue. The issue is did you follow the rules? And for Virginia precedent says that if you're changing the constitution, you
20:27 have to dot every I and you have to cross every t and you have to do it perfectly. And there were a number of things they didn't get right. And in their heart of hearts deep down when they're not playing politics, I
20:39 think even the Democrats know that they were pushing the envelope and trying to get, by with 1 quickly. They thought the referendum would would, basically cal the court into doing it.
20:51 But remember, they only won by, right around 3 points and they had expected to win by 10 or 15. And the reason is is that the question was confusing. It was done in a
21:03 fast manner instead of the normal 2 year process. They squeezed it all into about 6 or 7 months and they made mistakes. And the court today said you made a mistake and we're sorry,
21:15 but we have to follow the law. And I I give the court credit for having the fortitude to recognize that they're gonna irritate the legislature, which appoints them, and they're going to have people who wonder why we did
21:26 the election. Well, they might be able to change Virginia precedent in the future, but that was the president that existed up to this point that you decide after the vote and not before the vote. The Democrats chose to
21:36 have a confusing question and chose to have, spent, 60, 70000000 dollars. All told about 100000000 was spent. That's a shame. But you could have anticipated it. And
21:48 I've been saying for months, the system was flawed. What they did had numerous problems, and, they just felt like if they got to pass the, referendum phase, that they would be able to
22:00 get the Supreme Court to to back down and not look at the Virginia constitution. The court did its job. It was tough for them to do it. Some of them are likely not to be reappointed by the legislature because of
22:12 it, but they did the right thing anyway. And I just have great respect for the Virginia Supreme Court for doing the right thing.
22:20 Yep. Absolutely. You know, I think it's also worth emphasizing that spoke loud and clear in 20 20, basically saying then that voters should, pick
22:32 the their elected officials, not the other way around. Isn't that really what was emphasized again today?
22:41 Yeah. I think that's exactly right. The court said, you know, you can't just change the constitution willy nilly, and you have to follow all the rules. And when they change the constitution to make it a fair process, to
22:52 make it a either bipartisan or nonpartisan process. They followed all the rules. It was a good 2 and a and a piece year process. They dotted all the i's. They crossed all the t's,
23:04 so that 1 was was valid. Undoing that constitutional amendment would require the same kind of diligence and time to allow the voters to figure out what was going on.
23:16 The the legislators in Richmond did not do that this time. They tried to pass it through quickly, and they made an error. It happens. And it was a case of first impression, so I don't blame them for
23:28 trying to push the envelope. But they knew or should have known that this was a likely result when they had so many difficulties. As I've always said, there were 5 really good points. We only had to win 1. They had to
23:38 win all 5. Today, they lost 1.
23:40 Real real quickly. I've only, a minute or so left. But looking more broadly, what do you make of the redistricting efforts elsewhere? South Carolina, for example. Where where where
23:52 do you see this whole push going?
23:54 Well, I personally wish they had a system like for January. It took a little bit longer, to get things done because I think anytime you do things fast, you're liable to make more mistakes when you're talking about
24:04 reapportionment. Plus, I've gotta tell you, Jody, it's a it's a state prerogative. Each state is different. Each state has different laws. But but my feeling is we really need to encourage the state
24:16 somehow from the federal level to look at this once every 10 years and not go back and forth, during that 10 year period. It's confusing for the voters. It's hard for the constituents. And I think that
24:28 the founders intended for it to be once every 10 years, but because of modern electronics and so forth, it can be done more quickly
24:35 Right.
24:36 And more often. But I I just think it's hard on on the constituents who have to rely on their congressman to
24:42 Agree with you.
24:43 All kind of things.
24:46 Alright. Virginia congressman Morgan Griffith, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch. Coming up, we've got much more to cover, so stay with us. Don't go anywhere.
25:00 Join Family Research Council starting May 14 for a journey through the book of first Samuel. Come witness the rise of Samuel, the fall of Saul, and the calling of David, and how each person's heart
25:12 posture before God shaped their path and legacy. Order Tony Perkins study guide, First Samuel, Longing for a King to help you respond faithfully to God's voice in every season of life. Get it now
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25:32 1 Nation Under God, America's Undeniable Foundation of Faith.
25:45 The United States Capitol, an iconic symbol of the American Republic, but few know that this building at the heart of our nation's government was once something more, the largest church
25:56 building in America. Since its inception and for decades following, several rooms throughout the capitol, including the house and senate chambers, were used to host church services
26:08 weekly. These services were filled with individuals from all levels of government. The attendance was so pervasive that often it was standing room only. Going to the capitol on Sundays
26:20 was then 1 of the most common things in Washington, Margaret Bayard Smith. This practice was not merely accepted but encouraged. Quote, I consider it as 1 of my public duties
26:32 as a representative of the people to give my attendance every Sunday morning when divine service is performed in the hall. President John Quincy Adams. Housing worship at the center of our
26:43 capital was a living representation of the role that biblical principles played as a cornerstone of our nation's foundation of faith.Show more
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