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5/28/2026 Exposing Bad Government Practices and Understanding the Iranian War and the Impact on Christians
May 28, 2026 · 54 min
Pray.com Description: Today on WW: The GSA joins the federal government in its fraud investigation | A CIA officer stole of a $40 million in gold | A look into the proposed U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal and the lives of citizens and Christians in Iran today | Analyzing the future of artificial intelligence | Discussing how NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposed socialist policies undermine American principles.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio May 28, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Pray.com Description: Today on WW: The GSA joins the federal government in its fraud investigation | A CIA officer stole of a $40 million in gold | A look into the proposed U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal and the lives of citizens and Christians in Iran today | Analyzing the future of artificial intelligence | Discussing how NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposed socialist policies undermine American principles. ...more Show the full description Show less Pray.com Description: Today on WW: The GSA joins the federal government in its fraud investigation | A CIA officer stole of a $40 million in gold | A look into the proposed U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal and the lives of citizens and Christians in Iran today | Analyzing the future of artificial intelligence | Discussing how NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposed socialist policies undermine American principles.
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In this video 0:00 Breaking News: Iran Ceasefire and Domestic Updates14:00 Expert Analysis: Iran Deal Skepticism and Regional Tensions29:00 Iran's People in Despair: Gospel Hope Amid Crisis45:00 Pope's AI Warning: Biblical Ethics in Warfare
Breaking News: Iran Ceasefire and Domestic Updates 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 worldview, sitting in for Tony as today's host, Jody Heiss.0:19 Iran has to turn over their highly enriched uranium. They cannot pursue a nuclear weapon. And the Strait of Hermit, back to your question on energy, has to free transit. Navigation of the0:30 seas has to be free and open as it was before. So he's not gonna take a bad deal. He's gonna make a great deal for the American people.0:40 That was Treasury Secretary Scott Bissett earlier today at the White House responding to reports that Iran has agreed to a 60 day extension to the ceasefire. Welcome to0:52 this Thursday, May 20 eighth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host, Jody Heiss, filling in today for Tony, and so glad to have you with us as well. A lot to come your way today. Among1:04 those highlights, doctor David Wormser will be joining me in just a little while for discussion on whether this reported new Iran deal could lead to a long term solution to the1:15 conflict in the Middle East. Plus, retired lieutenant colonel Bob McGinnis will join me to share his insights on how Christians should respond to the development and the use of
1:27 artificial intelligence, particularly as it relates to weapon systems. And then later in the program, economist Joel Griffith will join me to explain how the recent socialist
1:39 policies of New York City's mayor are incompatible with America's free market system. So all that and much more straight ahead on Washington Watch.
1:56 Alright. Let's start with the big news, international news. The US and Iran have reportedly reached an agreement to extend their ceasefire, but president Trump still needs to give final
2:08 approval to that. And joining us now to give an update is Washington Watch reporter, Mary Stackhouse. Mary, there's, a lot of reporting right now. It's relatively sketchy, but what's the
2:20 latest developments you're hearing?
2:23 Hey, Jody. The US and Iran have reportedly reached an agreement on a 60 day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire. This is so that they can start negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
2:34 Now this comes after Iran targeted a US airbase in Kuwait following US strikes on an Iranian drone operation. Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire, but the Pentagon said that the strikes were
2:46 purely defensive. Earlier today, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that he spoke with Oman's ambassador. Oman assured the US that there are no plans to toll the Strait of
2:58 Hermeus. Here's secretary Bessent when asked if gas prices are gonna come down.
3:03 What we've seen is actually oil prices are down about 10 percent in May. There are almost 2000 ships waiting to come out of the gulf, and I think the oil market is gonna be very well supplied on the
3:15 other side of this and that we could see prices come down very quickly.
3:19 President Trump is reportedly reviewing the potential agreement with Iran. We will definitely continue to follow the latest developments to see how this all plays out. Jody.
3:29 Alright, Mary. Thank you. Turning to some
3:31 domestic news, the White
3:31 House continues to, crack down on news, the White House continues to, crack down on fraud. What's, the latest you're hearing on that issue?
3:41 So, Jody, the General Services Administration, which manages over 126000000000 in federal contracts, is joining the White House's anti fraud task force. The GSA will share its massive
3:53 database of contracts and spending with the anti fraud task force that's being led by president vice president JD Vance. This partnership is designed to catch fraud by using advanced analytics to
4:04 monitor how billions of taxpayer dollars are distributed. Officials believe this deeper level of oversight will finally address long standing vulnerabilities in the federal benefits programs. So
4:16 hopefully this partnership will be a great success. Jody.
4:19 Yeah. We certainly hope so. Speaking of fraud, Mary, we've got a former high ranking intelligence officer who's now facing some very serious federal charges after authorities
4:31 found literally hundreds of gold bars in his possession. What's that all about?
4:37 Jody, this one's kind of a wild story. Investigators say a former CIA official with top secret clearance was caught with over 40000000 dollars in gold bars from the federal government right in his
4:48 home. David Rush was arrested last week and charged with criminal theft of property of public money. Federal officials also seized about 2000000 dollars in US currency,
5:00 excuse me, and about 35 luxury watches from his home. According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, Rush had requested and then received a significant amount of foreign currency and millions
5:12 in gold bars for work related expenses. The affidavit says it's not clear how Rush intended to use the money. Jody?
5:21 Wow. Very interesting. Okay, Mary. Thank you so much for these updates. We appreciated a great deal. I wanna go now and dive further into the latest developments concerning this reported
5:33 Iranian deal, with the United States for continuing and extending the ceasefire. And joining me now is someone who has served as a, major adviser and consultant
5:45 on the Middle East for a number of offices in our federal government. Doctor David Wormser, senior analyst for Middle East policies at the Center for Security Policy. Doctor Wormser,
5:57 always good to have you on Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
6:00 Oh, thanks for having me. It's it's a pleasure and an honor.
6:04 Well, I know right now a lot of the reporting seems rather sketchy. Reports are citing an unnamed US official right now. Even treasury secretary, Bassett
6:17 wouldn't confirm earlier today that there's a tentative agreement. So a lot of reporting kinda going back and forth, but, he did say what a deal
6:28 might look like. So, there's, at least reason to believe it's out there. So what do you think we might be looking at here?
6:38 Yeah. I mean, I think I think your description, the word sketchy is probably the best the best word to use at this point, both in terms of what we know about its content. The the we hear the
6:50 Iranian say certain things. We hear some Middle Eastern sources say certain things, and it's wildly at odds with what we hear American officials say is our our bottom lines and our red lines.
7:02 So, clearly, the reports are all over the place, and that's part of the strategy, I think, of the Iranians as they leak drafts that haven't been agreed to or, in fact, they release
7:15 agreements about their demands that then put us in a position of saying, no. No. No. That's not really true. And they're kinda trying to drive reality and embarrass us and make us look like we're the ones who say
7:26 no. On the other hand, we do have these reports coming from in the administration without knowing what's in the agreement that there is a draft that was circulated around,
7:38 and it was given to some of our allies, Israel and some of the other gulf states. So clearly that there's there's something there. But, again, we don't know the terms. I would
7:50 really urge caution on this, though, because 1, I don't see the president giving in on our red lines, and I don't see the Iranians ultimately accepting them. 1. 2, even if there is an agreement now, it just kicks the can
8:02 down the road essentially 2 months, and I still don't see an agreement then. But more importantly, when we hear in the Middle East, when we hear negotiations or 95 percent, 99 percent,
8:14 agreed. That the 1 percent or the 5 percent, that is the negotiation. In the Middle East, rarely do you hear a clear no. What you hear is, no. No. I agree with you. I
8:26 agree with you on all these things. Wonderful. I you know, I'm there with you. Just 1 more thing. And that 1 more thing is their way of saying no. So until it's 100 percent agreed, signed, sealed delivered, both
8:38 sides say so, we see a we see a released similar not a similar, an identical draft. I don't think we're there yet. In fact, I think we're still still closer in some
8:49 ways to another conflict than we are to an agreement at this point.
8:54 Yeah. I I really, lean in your direction with all this. As I've seen the reporting and so forth, kinda followed this, I just, I it's just something does not seem like this is nearly
9:06 as concrete as some of the reporting comes out. Let let me ask you this. During the the cabinet meeting yesterday, president Trump warned the Middle East country of Oman to not enter into
9:17 any agreement with Iran as as it relates to sharing control of the Strait of Hormuz. So, what what can you tell us about how things are are looking there, in
9:29 regard to the Strait?
9:31 Yeah. Well, I think what precipitated that specific outburst was the fact that the Omanis and the and the Iranians are in negotiations directly with 1 another to jointly share custody of
9:43 the Straits of Hormuz, which runs exactly against American red lines of the policy and undermines our negotiating position. So, clearly, the president wouldn't take kindly to that, and I think that was the
9:55 immediate precipitating, event that led to that. But I think that there's a larger frustration in Washington with our allies, in the region, not the UAE, and not
10:07 Bahrain, and certainly not with Israel, which stood with us shoulder to shoulder in combat here. But with Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Turkey and Kuwait,
10:19 and so forth, there there's a real frustration that they didn't do anything really to help us. In many ways, they were constantly saying, no. We're not gonna let you use our airspace, this, that, the other thing. There
10:30 there's this constant, harping on us from those allies. They haven't done anything to help us, and their utility has been exposed to be much reduced. The
10:42 oil, we we're filling the gap, and we're making quite a bit of money filling the gap. And second of all, they need us to open those straits. We don't necessarily need to open the
10:53 straits ourselves for ourselves. Yes. The Asian economies, the European economies need it, but they're not lifting a finger to help us. So I think there's a general sense in the United States emerging that our
11:05 basing and our militarily military involvement with these countries is largely helping our presence there. Namely, we're sending forces to defend our forces
11:17 that are deployed rather than achieving a positive result from the actual debasing in places like Saudi Arabia. Things we can achieve also from a greater distance. We saw the Israelis
11:29 from 1700 miles away fight effectively in Iran. So we don't necessarily need to be in Saudi Arabia. So I think the lack of cooperation, the lack of utility, the lack of joining the Abraham
11:41 Accords, which really matter to the president, that they come to terms with Israel who is our other our main ally in the region, a model ally as the Pentagon put it. The fact that they're just not playing with us on that
11:53 is a is a frustration, and the utility as a result is becoming more and more on the table. And we're really wondering
11:59 Absolutely.
12:00 UAE, Bahrain, and Israel, don't we have enough in the region in terms of bases that are safer and more protected by the countries that are there, number 1. And number 2, we don't have to protect the
12:12 forces that we're deploying as much. And and that that's a huge amount of our deployment. So I think there's a real fundamental shift emerging in the mindset that's reflected through this
12:24 outburst on Oman, but that's really, in many ways, just a vehicle for reflecting a greater frustration with with the Let
12:32 me ask you this. We've got less than a minute to go. Is the president mentioned yesterday that Iran's economy is in a free fall. Is is that the case as you understand it? And
12:43 secondly, do you expect to see some of these other countries join the Abraham Accord? Less than a minute.
12:48 Well, they're in a free fall, but but, unfortunately, Pakistan opened its borders. So there's a lot of hemorrhaging going through Pakistan. We see Qatar, actually, we find out was financing the Iranian regime breaking
13:00 their choke that they were under from our blockade. The Iraqis have been using their tankers to transport Iranian oil. The Turks, the Turk, have have kept their border open. Turkmenistan
13:12 is allowing trains to come in from China. We see the Chinese deploying missiles to the gulf. That's what we hit last night was Chinese c 3 0 3 0 2. Obviously,
13:24 this is not sealed, and we're getting increasingly frustrated. So that you know, if we're not able to choke them into submission, then we may we're probably gonna have to go back to kinetic action.
13:36 Alright. Thank you so much for joining us, doctor David Wormser, senior analyst for Middle East policy at the Center for Security's Policy. Always great to have you. Alright. Don't go anywhere. When we
13:48 come back from our break, we're gonna go further into Iran and hear what's happening there on the ground. What's happening among the people of Iran? Well, we'll talk about that right after the break.
Expert Analysis: Iran Deal Skepticism and Regional Tensions
14:01 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
14:13 officials as we work together to build a foundation based on biblical truth. Early bird special tickets are on sale for for 69 dollars when you register by June fifteenth. To register, visit
14:24 pray boat stand dot org. That's pray boat stand dot org.
14:31 Exodus chapter 9 verse 1 says, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve me. You see America has freedom for a
14:42 purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? In scripture, deliverance and
14:54 freedom is never an end in itself. It is a liberation unto obedience, to worship, and to a covenantal relationship. God's demand to
15:06 pharaoh was not freedom for freedom's sake, but freedom so his people could identify with and belong to and serve him. Freedom is not used to serve
15:18 God will not endure. 1 of the founders actually echoed a similar warning, Thomas Jefferson wrote, indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that
15:30 God is just, and his justice cannot sleep forever. See the founders understood, we as a nation would be
15:42 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
15:54 purpose to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority. In this 200 and fiftieth anniversary year, we
16:05 must ask the question, are we living by that purpose today as a nation? Lord, we thank you for the godly
16:17 foundation and heritage of our states. Lord, we would return to an understanding of the freedom that you've granted to us. Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a
16:29 purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. And I pray that our nation would return to that understanding of the purpose of the freedom that you have granted to
16:41 us. We thank you father. By faith, we pray that we would return to that purpose. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
17:02 Thank you for joining us today on Washington Watch. Great to have you on board. I'm Jody Heise. An honor to be filling in for Tony. As we've already been discussing in the program,
17:14 there is a, at least reportedly, a tentative agreement, that's been reached between the US and Iran. But it, as of now, awaits a sign off from President Trump, which
17:25 frankly he may or may not do. We don't know. But meanwhile, the situation in the region remains very tense with threats, from both sides over the Strait of Hormuz
17:38 and, over defensive strikes in southern Iran by US military. So with all that's been going on, what is it like right now for the citizens
17:49 of Iran? We're joining us now for an on the ground update is doctor Hormoz Shariat. He's a founder and president of Iran Alive Ministries, a Christian ministry that
18:01 uses satellite broadcasting and the Internet to reach Iranians with the gospel. Doctor Sherryat, welcome to Washington Watch. Let's start off with just what are you
18:13 hearing from people on the ground there in Iran? What's the situation like?
18:18 At this point, they're very desperate. They're very hopeless because they were hoping that, Trump and Netanyahu will bring down this government and set them free. But now negotiations
18:31 and delays and ceasefire is bad news to the people of Iran. They are depressed because they're saying, hey. Looks like this regime will gonna continue and stay, and when it
18:42 stays, it's gonna continue to kill us even more than before. So people of Iran very confused. They thought, Trump and Netanyahu will come and save them. They don't know they have only 1
18:54 savior, that that's Jesus Christ.
18:57 Yes. And and that is the only savior that is needed, but I get it from a political perspective, the frustration. And look, it's, it's frustrating for a lot of people in the United
19:09 States too. It seems to be up and down, up and down, up and down. We're close to a deal. We're not close to a deal. It's all over the map. And and reportedly, we don't know if the the, supposed agreement now is is real
19:21 or not. Let me ask you this. There have, we've also been hearing about, the regime's leadership in disarray as many of them have been killed.
19:33 So what effect is that having on how the way the country is being governed? You expressed some frustration with the people. Are they what's the situation
19:45 with the regime?
19:47 Well, regime, you know, the top leaders were killed. Now the next layer of leadership, they're very motivated to stay. Just, imagine this, mid level leadership
19:59 and commanders, suddenly their bosses are gone, and now it's their turn. They say, it's our turn to get in power and all the finances, all the money that they, that they
20:11 stole, it's our turn to be in power. So, they are very motivated to stay and survive this war because if they stay, they win everything. They win the
20:23 power, they win the money, the finances, but if they go, they lose everything. They lose their finance, the power, but also they will lose their lives. Iranian government are so
20:36 Iranian people are so mad at their government officials. If this government collapses, there will be bloodbath by the people killing clerics on the streets. They have said
20:47 that. So it's a win win or win all or lose all. That's why the middle management, that mid middle commanders that are in charge, they're gonna survive. They're they're determined to survive this war
20:59 because they know they will win big if they stay.
21:04 Alright. So from your perspective, looking at all that is happening now with what has happened, the the strikes that have taken place, the number of,
21:16 Iranian leaders who have been killed and so forth, Where do you see this thing going? Do you see this ending well for the people or for the regime?
21:26 Well, we know the end result. As Christians, we have Jeremiah 49 verses 34 and on that tells us the end result. The end result is that the government will collapse that
21:38 the Lord says, I will set my throne there. So Iran will be a Christian nation sooner or later. But for now, if the government stays, we're gonna see a bloodbath. They're already executing
21:50 people every day, and they're gonna be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe. Actually, 1 of the clerics said, if we have to kill 1000000 Iranians for us to stay in power, we will do
22:02 it. Islam is the spirit of death. You have no problem killing tens and 4 hundreds of thousand. They killed 40000 in January. So if they stay, you'll be a big wave of
22:14 persecution for Christians. Let's pray. If they stay, they're gonna kill Christians and arrest Christians. But if they go, there will be a revival. Many Iranian believers on the ground, they're
22:26 gonna be a church planting. You know, at Iran Alive, we have a solid plan. If the church if the government stays, we're gonna focus on persecution and evangelism. But if the government
22:37 collapses, we realize 25 years of satellite broadcast. We have believers in every town and city. We have plans to stop to start churches,
22:50 tens, maybe hundreds of churches in the first few months. So it's a big
22:54 So let me ask you then. Yeah. So what what is ministry like right now for Iran Alive? What are you seeing?
23:01 Well, the Internet was down, so it was hard to communicate. But now Internet is back, and we are in touch with our, believers in Iran. 2 main points. They are suffering. They
23:13 don't have even groceries. They were being kicked out of their apartments because they cannot pay the rent. They cannot buy meat. They cannot buy even eggs. I'm talking about Christians, brothers and sisters. And that's
23:25 why at the Iran Alive, we are helping them. There's a campaign to raise money to help them. But at the same time, Jody, at the same time, as they're saying the life is miserable, I'm talking about
23:37 Christians, at the same time, they're saying, whoever they talk to, they come to Jesus. They're stayed they're leading so many people to Christ in this hard times. So the underground
23:49 church is suffering, but at the same time is shining for Jesus.
23:53 Wow. Remarkable. We've got about 30 seconds. How would you encourage our viewers and listeners to be praying?
24:00 First pray against the power and the spirit of Islam, which is a spirit of death, and the killing 40000 and the execution of people every day, they may not be end of it. They may do it again.
24:12 So spirit of death, let's bind it with the power of the name of Jesus. Let's bind it. Also pray for the for Ivana live as we are preparing. No matter what happens, pray for
24:24 us. The Lord has positioned us to have a significant part in revival in Iran, and we are ready. Pray for us and pray for yourself.
24:33 Amen.
24:33 This is the time to make history. This is the time to change history in Iran. And I would invite you to join us. Go to iran alive dot o r g. Sign up. Find out
24:45 You gotta end it right there.
24:47 Maybe maybe the
24:48 lord will be here. Shariat, president and founder of Iran Alive Ministries. Thank you for joining us. Alright. Much more Washington Watch straight ahead. Stay with us.
25:01 Join Family Research Council 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 posture before God shaped
25:13 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 at f r c dot org
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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 weekly.
26:09 These services were filled with individuals from all levels of government. The attendance was so pervasive that often it was standing room only. Quote, going to the capitol on Sundays was then 1 of the
26:21 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 as a representative
26:33 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 capital was a
26:45 living representation of the role that biblical principles played as a cornerstone of our nation's foundation of faith.
27:00 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm Jody Heiss filling in today
27:02 for Tony. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Glad to have you with us. Earlier this week, Pope Leo the fourteenth presented his first
27:14 major teaching document as head of the Catholic Church and the focus of the document, which by the way, this clarifies the official position of the class of the
27:26 Catholic Church. The focus of this document was safeguarding the human person in times of artificial intelligence. Look at this clip.
27:34 Artificial intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion, and
27:46 death. Like nuclear energy, it must be at the service of all and of the common good. Decisions about technology must never be separated from
27:57 conscience and responsibility.
28:01 Alright. This, first encyclical without, official position of the Catholic Church. So why should Christians, including Protestant Christians, why should we take note of what the pope has
28:13 presented? Well, joining us now to discuss this is retired, US army lieutenant gen lieutenant colonel Bob McGinnis. He's a national security analyst and he's, served
28:25 at the Pentagon. He currently, serves as a senior fellow for national security here at the Family Research Council. He's author of some 14 books. A couple of them on, AI,
28:37 including the new AI cold war and AI for mankind's future. Colonel McGinnis, welcome back to Washington Watch. Glad to have you. Let's, talk about this, statement
28:48 from the pope, this encyclical. This is a authoritative teaching document. It carries papal authority with it. Isn't it, interesting, significantShow more
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