Skip to content 1/28/2026 Today’s Topics include a 10 Commandments Law, Limiting Abortion, and Protecting Children’s Rights Jan 28 · 54 min ...more
1/28/2026 Today’s Topics include a 10 Commandments Law, Limiting Abortion, and Protecting Children’s Rights
January 28, 2026 · 54 min
Today on WW: Democrats seek to defund the DHS; Senate hearing with Secretary of State Rubio; a Ten Commandments’ case; abortion drug study delays; promoting children’s rights over adults’ desires.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio January 28, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Today on WW: Democrats seek to defund the DHS; Senate hearing with Secretary of State Rubio; a Ten Commandments’ case; abortion drug study delays; promoting children’s rights over adults’ desires. ...more Show the full description Show less Today on WW: Democrats seek to defund the DHS; Senate hearing with Secretary of State Rubio; a Ten Commandments’ case; abortion drug study delays; promoting children’s rights over adults’ desires.
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In this video 0:00 Government Funding Crisis and Immigration Enforcement13:44 Pro-Life Advocacy and Global Security Challenges24:58 Legal Boundaries of Immigration and Celebrating Life38:17 Challenging Abortion Policies and Restoring Marriage
Government Funding Crisis and Immigration Enforcement 0:01 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation's leaders and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.0:19 Whether it's a partial 1 or a, you know, 6 bill 1 or a 1 bill 1, but even shutting down DHS, as I said before, while it doesn't really affect ICE because that's0:30 funded that got funded last year in the 1 big beautiful bill, it would affect funding for some really important agencies of government that the American people rely on, like FEMA, particularly at a time when we've got a0:41 lot of weather related disasters making their way across the country. So, I I hope we can get this thing back on track. We need to fund the government.0:51 That was senate majority leader John Thune earlier today accusing Democrats of pushing the country toward yet another government shutdown. Welcome to this January 20 eighth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host,1:02 Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, coming up, negotiations are underway between Republicans and Democrats to head off a partial government shutdown. Democrats are calling for legislative changes in the1:13 tactics used by ICE, or they will block funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate budget committee chairman Lindsey Graham will join us shortly to discuss where things stand. Plus, the Trump administration
1:25 is asking a federal court to pause Louisiana's lawsuit against the FDA over the federal agency's policy on the abortion drug mifepristone. Now this move could further setback efforts
1:37 of the states to protect unborn life and women's health. Doctor Christina Francis of the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists will join us later to explain what this move by the
1:49 Trump administration means. Well, earlier today, president Trump said the Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey is,
2:01 playing with fire. The remarks come amid growing controversy and protest over federal agents' actions and ongoing talks between local leaders and the administration. Fry's comments,
2:12 came after his, meeting with border czar Tom Homan. Joining me now is Washington Sand reporter Casey Harper who's been, tracking this and other stories today.
2:24 Casey, can you walk us through the latest of what's happening in Minnesota?
2:29 Sure, Tony. So many updates, yet the it's hard to keep up with them all. But in this case, Jacob Frey, the mayor here, he made it clear in a quote that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration
2:41 laws. Now those comments come just a couple days after president Trump said he had a, quote, very good phone conversation with the mayor, but so I guess he didn't get the message. But in Minnesota, just to give the
2:52 background, the Department of Corrections is legally obligated to report non US citizens to ICE, and they have to fully cooperate with the federal detainer and the pickup request. And Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, he
3:03 says they are cooperating. However, it's the city and county jails that are not cooperating. That's really the sticking point here. Meanwhile, this investigation into the second deadly ice shooting this month, an
3:15 initial government review of the death of Alex Preddy, the second person who was shot, the young man, it doesn't mention him brandishing a firearm. Now this is kind of surprising because the initial statements that came
3:25 out from Trump officials were really focusing on that weapon. In fact, both Kristi Noem and the White House deputy chief of staff previously called Freddie a domestic terrorist. So it seems like they're walking back that
3:37 language, Tony.
3:39 Thanks, Casey. Obviously, this is not gonna go away anytime soon. Let's talk about something else. Trump administration today, government back, working today after the snow rolled through, DC. But they've,
3:51 they've rolled out a new investment program for children. What are the details of that?
3:56 That's right. The president is calling them Trump accounts. And the way they work is president Trump rolled out this investment, and the US Treasury deposits 1000 dollars into investment accounts for all kids born
4:07 between 20 25 and 20 28. Here's what president Trump had to say.
4:13 For the first time ever, we're going to give every newborn American child a financial stake in the future, head start life, and a fair shot at the American dream, something people don't talk
4:25 about so much, at least not for the last 4 years they haven't.
4:29 So 25000000 families will be eligible under the program, and over half 1000000 families have signed up so far. Me and my family, we're too old for the Trump accounts, Tony, but maybe it's not too late for the Tony
4:40 accounts.
4:41 You know?
4:41 So I think Gotta work
4:42 on that. I don't know if it'd be 1000 dollars, but but but I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
4:47 Hey. I'll take it.
4:49 Alright, Casey. Thanks so much. Alright. Just 2 days remain before a potential partial government shutdown. Democrats see the approval of funding for the Department of Homeland Security as their
5:01 leverage point to rein in ICE, but any changes to the funding bill would require it to go back to the house where time and politics are not on the side of passage. Joining me
5:12 now by phone to discuss this and more, senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Graham, welcome back to
5:22 Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
5:24 Thank you, Tony.
5:26 Alright. I I I wanna talk about just a moment. I wanna save some time here because I wanna talk about the serious threat to Christians and other religious minorities in northeast Syria. But first, I gotta get to the to
5:35 the latest on this funding drama on Capitol Hill. Where do we stand?
5:39 Well, we had a bipartisan agreement on 6 bills to fund the government, including the Department of Homeland Security. 20 percent of DHS is
5:51 ICE and border. The rest of it is FEMA, the Coast Guard, a bunch of things. Because of what's happened in Minnesota, Democrats are now saying we will not
6:03 support DHS funding. So the 6 package, 6 bill package is becoming 5. If you have to change it at all, it will go back to the House. The
6:15 House will not accept leaving DHS out. So what's gonna happen is that Democrats have gotten so crazy about sanctuary city policy that they're going to refuse to
6:27 fund Department of Ham Homeland Security in a way they had previously agreed to, which is a disaster for the Coast Guard, disaster for FEMA, disaster for border security. My
6:39 belief is that the crazy wing of the Democratic party has completely taken over, and the deal we had before is gonna crumble because Democrats hate Trump more than they love the
6:51 country.
6:52 So where does that leave us?
6:55 It either the government shuts down, we do a continuing resolution, or you gotta have some Democrats say this is crazy. Maybe they can do some things with Trump to lower the temperature. But if we change
7:07 the bill at all, it will not go through the House. Right. This is previously agreed to.
7:12 Right.
7:12 They're they're pulling a fast 1 on us.
7:14 I
7:14 don't know where it goes, but I know this. I cannot support not funding DHS. Right. The world is on fire.
7:22 Right. Is I heard some conversations that there might be a short term extension of, homeland security in order to come back and do some legislative adjustments as it
7:33 pertains to ICE's conduct, like, making sure there's warrants for arrest, federal agents wearing identification, body cameras, things that, you know, quite frankly, sound pretty reasonable.
7:44 Yeah. I I hope that I hope that will prevail, but that means you got to do a deal with Trump. I just don't know if there's any space. I think that the hatred for Trump, you know, the insistence on keeping them, you know,
7:56 sanctuary city policy may went out, but that sounds good to me. We'll see. I know this. I think it's very important that we fund the Department of Homeland Security given the threats we face
8:08 at home and abroad. As to abroad, northeastern Syria, that's the home of the Kurds, ancestral home in many ways. The Syrian Democratic Forces
8:20 who defeated ISIS were mostly Kurds, working with our military. The idea that we would abandon them and let the new Syrian government run by al Shira, the former al
8:32 Qaeda guy, would destroy American credibility, for generations. I don't believe president Trump's gonna let that happen. Saudi Arabia, is a big supporter of Al Shira,
8:44 the new Syrian government, a former Al Qaeda guy. I've told them, I'm expecting you to make sure that he does not make a run on the Kurds. They helped us. They fought for us.
8:56 We need to have their backs. You can't have a 1 Syrian policy by force of arms. I worry about the Druze. I worry about the Christians. The Al Qaeda wing, you know, the Al Qaeda
9:07 movement wants to destroy everything that's not, their view of god. Christians, Druze
9:14 Right.
9:15 Other Muslims.
9:17 So here's my question, senator. When you look at al Sharia, the the new president of
9:23 Right.
9:24 Of Syria, he first off, the infrastructure there is just almost nonexistent. He he's having difficulty managing what he has. Why is he moving up to northeast Syria driving out
9:36 the self obtained the the the self governing region that's been doing quite fine, frankly? Why is he wanting to take over that area when he can't even control what he has?
9:46 Well, number 1, I would like to help a guy control what he's got. Why is he doing that? Well, there's an agenda by Turkey. They hate all things Kurd.
9:58 The Kurds, have been friendly to the United States. All I can say is Erdogan has had a real problem. And to me, it seems like instead of trying to unite Syria,
10:10 he's enacting a very, sectarian agenda.
10:14 Look what happened.
10:16 Further dividing it.
10:17 Oh, well, it makes it invite. I don't think there'll ever be 1 Syria under him. Look what happened in Suwadha. So even if he wanted to, he'd have a hard time. But now I'm doubting whether he wants to or not. Why are they
10:29 expending the energy to go after the Kurds rather than trying to build the country up? Well, it tells me they got an agenda inconsistent with 1 Syria.
10:38 Right. Right. I mean, when you you mentioned Suwaida, that's down in the southern part. That's where the Druze are.
10:43 Where the Druze got just slaughtered.
10:45 I I I have to say, you know, I I, I really appreciate the Israelis. You remember when Amen. When Assad was falling and the everything was imploding. Even
10:57 though the Americans didn't really want them to do it, they went and destroyed the munitions that Syria had. Can you imagine now with what we see these trends having, taking place that if Algeria had all of the
11:09 arms and munitions that the Syrians had before and even, a chemical, biological possibility?
11:16 That that that's a really good point. You gotta assume the worst in in the Mid East and hope for the best, you know, fight for the best. But, you know, what happened with the Druze is Israel came in and saved them. They
11:27 got a quarter from Israel into, Soreto, which is a Druze community in Syria. There are a lot of Druze in Israel. If it hadn't been for Israel, they would've killed them all.
11:37 But but, again, the United States holding them back holding the Israelis back from providing that relief.
11:43 Yeah. We gotta understand that this idea that all these people are gonna live together happily is a long way away.
11:51 But it's contrary it's also contrary to the the the vast amount of history of that region. I mean, this idea of nation state is a relatively new idea.
12:01 Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of a fiction after World War 1. This is a religious war. You know, the people on radical Islam, Sunni and Shia, want all of us to bend to their will. You got
12:13 Hezbollah and you got Hamas, you got Iran, you got Al Qaeda. There's Sunni Shia versions of this and they all are drunk on their religion. They will kill in the name of god.
12:25 This is very dangerous. And so I've been talking to president Trump. The worst possible thing for America is for people to come to our aid, help us fight, keep our casualties down, and we
12:36 abandoned them. Biden did it. Obama did it. I am confident Donald Trump want to to your listeners. Pray for our Kurdish allies. They've been great to Israel. They've been great to us. I'm talking to
12:48 Saudi Arabia. I'm talking to Turkey. We need to hold them accountable if things go bad. So very dicey time for Christians, all
12:57 over
12:57 the Middle East, for the Druze, for the Kurds. Pray for them. But we gotta do more than pray. We gotta act.
13:02 Right. I just wanna make clear for our folks, the listeners and viewers, that the Kurds have been a large part of the military forces that have protected the Christians and the others in that region. So
13:13 80 percent.
13:14 It it they're they're it's it's like all 1. They're working together, living together, practicing what, religious freedom really looks like. Probably 1 of the strongest points in, in in that part of the world. 30 seconds
13:26 left, senator.
13:26 Okay. If you're a Christian and you're in Kurdish area, your church would be fine. If you're a Christian, these other areas, not so much. We need to help the Kurds.
13:36 Yeah. Absolutely. And I appreciate you speaking up for him, and, thanks for coming on today, senator.
13:41 God bless.
13:41 Thanks. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who really does champion championing religious freedom in the, in the US Senate. Alright. When we come back, we're gonna check-in with
Pro-Life Advocacy and Global Security Challenges
13:53 senator John Cornyn of Texas, so don't go away. We're back. We have state leaders that wanna keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these
14:05 abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It's time to respect the rights, the states, and it's time to end death by mail.
14:17 Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, alongside senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden era policies that have
14:29 allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro life advocates, and multiple Republican congressmen.
14:39 There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It's because of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone. Nearly 70 percent of the abortions that are
14:50 committed in the United States today are committed because of mifepristone.
14:55 The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
15:04 It's harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill, and and that
15:09 should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child, so there is always a death that's involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require
15:20 a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
15:23 As a doctor, I think it's essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
15:29 It's not about a national abortion ban. It's about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating
15:41 the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
15:51 We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You've been a great pro life president, mister president. It's now time to deal with this
16:02 issue.
16:03 We wanna protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and, yes, here in the United States Congress. That's what this fight is about.
16:15 Let your voice be heard. Text life to 6 7 7 4 2. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
16:29 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,
16:40 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,
16:52 where faith and facts meet every day.
17:00 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for, tuning in. The website is tony perkins dot com. Earlier today, US secretary of state Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations
17:12 Committee and told senators, quote, we're making good and decent progress with Venezuela. And, as vino Venezuela's new leaders move toward closer ties with the US, he said there are no
17:24 plans at this time to take further military action. Today marked the first time that secretary Rubio faced questions from lawmakers since the raid that captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro last
17:36 month. Joining us now, senator John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Cornyn, welcome back to, Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
17:45 You bet, Tony.
17:47 Alright. So the, the Trump administration said no. They don't see any need for further military action. What do you, what do you make of the developments there? Things calming down?
17:58 Well, I think, it took a great it took great courage for president Trump to take the political and other risk to, to arrest Nicolas Maduro. 1 of the things I think gets
18:09 lost in the shuffle is this wasn't a war. This was a law enforcement operation. And, of course, we needed to make sure that our, agents who were serving this arrest warrant from an indictment in a
18:21 New York court were safe, and so that required, some defensive measures in order to extract him from the country and hopefully bring him to justice. But president Trump has a lot of
18:33 tools available to him. While Delsea Delsea Rodriguez has certainly been part of the Maduro regime, she is, I think, going to have to
18:45 comply with a lot of the wishes of the US government as we slowly transition to a democratically elected Venezuela. But, I think it's been a great success so
18:56 far.
18:57 So how much energy and effort is it gonna take on behalf of America to get them onto the right track and moving forward?
19:05 Well, I think president Trump has all the leverage he needs. As you know, Venezuela has sort of been a, a a scorpion's nest of problems. Our adversaries
19:17 like Iran, Russia, and China, and Cuba, all conspiring there, particularly Iran even with the base of Hezbollah there, which they've used drug proceeds in order to
19:29 support, their proxy in, Lebanon, fighting Israelis primarily in that region. So, I it's gonna take a while, but I think,
19:42 the source of revenue that is available to the Venezuelans is their oil. And, I think we're gonna see a, that this money put into a fund that will actually help the Venezuelan people
19:53 rather than the mafia that's been in charge of the country. And, hopefully, over time I don't know how long, but over time, we'll see more, democratically elected officials, take
20:05 charge. But, you know, Maduro and Chavez before him created a police state there. They killed all their, competition and, surveilled all their citizens and impoverished
20:17 them all. So they don't have any institutions or actually any leaders that can fill that gap immediately. So it's gonna take a little patience.
20:26 You know, I think it's very important, senator, to to point out what you just said about who was coming to Venezuela. It was becoming a potential launchpad for attacks on the
20:38 United States and in this region, this hemisphere, much like what Gaza became to Israel, as they were attacked by the southern border by Hamas. So I think it's a national security
20:50 issue. Obviously, there was a a a president there that, most of the world did not see as duly elected, engaged in criminal activity. But there was a much bigger national
21:02 security issue there in, Venezuela as well, which I Absolutely. Appreciate you pointing out. Speaking of of Gaza, today, US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz,
21:14 outlined a demilitarized plan. He said it would include disarmament and decommissioning weapons through a process supported by the, internationally funded buyback program.
21:26 How do you see this, working out? Who's gonna oversee this process?
21:31 Well, I think, you know, what's happened in Gaza is, is a miracle. And, certainly, we know that that, was the where the, Hamas attacked,
21:43 innocent Israelis on October the seventh, but it was a hornet's nest of, terrorist activity supported by by Iran. I'm not quite so sure about a gun buyback program,
21:55 that that's gonna cause Hamas to disarm. I think they're gonna need to be forcefully disarmed, but it's gonna take a multinational group, including Israel. Hopefully, some of the
22:07 gulf states will cooperate in the interest of peace in that region. And the fact that, Israel is sort of is, excuse me, Iran, and particularly these proxies are a common adversary for so
22:19 many of these, even Arab states in the in the area. So, I know the president's formed a a board of peace. He's invited multinational participation in that. But I think the first step
22:31 is going to be to force Hamas to live up to the terms of the ceasefire, and that requires disarmament. They're not gonna do it voluntarily.
22:40 That means, somebody's gonna have to make it happen. Is that the United States? Are we just gonna allow are we gonna allow Israel to do that?
22:47 Well, I think certainly we we need to support Israel in that effort in the interest of our friends and ally, but also in the interest of peace in the region and more broadly in order to, continue to put pressure
22:59 on the Iranian regime.
23:01 Right.
23:01 As you know, president Trump has, said that that, if, if the supreme leader, the Ayatollah, continues to kill innocent demonstrators, there's there will be consequences. And it looks to me like
23:13 we're beginning to make a buildup in the region, for something to happen. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that Marco Rubio and, secretary Hegseth and, general Cain have present
23:25 prevented a number of, options to the president. I don't know what he's gonna choose, but I do think weakening Iran, in any
23:37 way that we can, will diminish their support for these terrorist groups that depend on their financial support and otherwise. And, so I'm I'm anxiously watching how this develops. But, again,
23:49 Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they're not gonna give up, on their own.
23:54 Well, you mentioned Iran, president Trump on Truth Social warned Iran that a massive armada is headed their way. He said time is running out, to make a deal. And if they didn't abandon
24:05 their nuclear weapons, the next attack would be worse. That sounds pretty, pretty clear that, something could be in the works. We got 30 seconds left.
24:16 Yeah. All I I would suggest that the supreme leader of the Ayatollah look at what we did in in Venezuela after president Trump gave, Nicholas Maduro a deadline to act, a safe
24:28 trip to a nice cushy existence somewhere else around the world if he would then let the democratically elected leaders there, take charge. But, I think the president is a
24:40 man of his word. He he says he does what he, says, and, I think, something's gonna happen. I'm just not sure when.
24:47 That may be why he is, in hiding. Senator, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. Alright. Coming up next, we're gonna talk about ICE in Minnesota.Show more
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