Skip to content 8/27/2025 As Bad Public Policy Leads to Harming Children, Texas Reminds Us Where Christians can be Proactive Aug 27 · 54 min ...more
8/27/2025 As Bad Public Policy Leads to Harming Children, Texas Reminds Us Where Christians can be Proactive
August 27, 2025 · 54 min
Catholic School shooting in MN, DC’s effective crime crackdown, the Ten Commandments in TX schools, anti-parent legislation in CA, the DNC anti-Israel position, and Church persecution in South Korea.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio August 27, 2025 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Catholic School shooting in MN, DC’s effective crime crackdown, the Ten Commandments in TX schools, anti-parent legislation in CA, the DNC anti-Israel position, and Church persecution in South Korea. ...more Show the full description Show less Catholic School shooting in MN, DC’s effective crime crackdown, the Ten Commandments in TX schools, anti-parent legislation in CA, the DNC anti-Israel position, and Church persecution in South Korea.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
94K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
94K followers
Up next Autoplay More from Tony Perkins 11/13/2026 Regardless of Who Appears to Be in Power in Washington, a Christian’s Call to Service Doesn’t Change Tony Perkins
Michael Rubin, Bob Maginnis, Kelly Shackelford, Chris Smith, Arielle Del Turco Tony Perkins
11/12/2026 The Consequences of Recent Elections Become Clearer as We Move into the Final Months of 2026 Tony Perkins
Steven E. Moore, Robert Spalding, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Josh Brecheen Tony Perkins
11/11/2026 The Jewish Vote Shift Amid Rising Anti-Semitism, American Security Targets, and Peace Talks Tony Perkins
Woe to the At-Ease: Amos' Call to Repentance Tony Perkins
Seek the Lord and Live: A Call from Amos 3-5 Tony Perkins
Harriet Hageman, Peter Doran, Joel Griffith, Glenn Grothman, Casey Harper Tony Perkins
11/10/2026 Ending Wars, a Lame Duck Congress, and Biblical Instruction for Leaders, on Today’s Washington Watch Tony Perkins
Ron Johnson, Andrew Clyde, Blaise Misztal, Michele Bachmann, Gary Hamrick Tony Perkins
11/9/2026 Reflections on How the Midterms Will Shape the Future Congressional Agenda and Foreign Policy Tony Perkins
In this video 0:00 Tragic Church Shooting in Minneapolis6:47 Congressional Response to Crime and Tragedy13:43 Defending the Ten Commandments in Texas Schools24:25 California's Assault on Parental Rights33:33 Democratic Divisions and Global Persecution
Tragic Church Shooting in Minneapolis 0:01 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 and newsmakers,0:13 makers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Hice.0:19 Earlier today, just before 8 30 AM, our city experienced an unthinkable tragedy. Minneapolis police officers responded to a report of a0:30 shooting at a mass that was happening at the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church on the block behind me. This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children0:43 and other people worshiping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely0:55 incomprehensible.0:57 That was Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara speaking to the press earlier today after a gender confused gunman fired through the windows of a church during mass to mark the first week of1:09 school. This is Washington Watch, and I'm Jody Heise. There is a lot that we will be covering on today's edition, but I wanna jump right into this breaking news story,1:21 which is just absolutely horrific in every way. It's heart wrenching. Absolutely, this deserves our immediate attention and prayers. So we're gonna jump right into this. Joining me now
1:33 to unpack what is known so far is former Secret Service agent, Tim Miller. He's a 30 30 year law enforcement and military professional whose extensive background
1:45 includes leadership roles in homeland security, law enforcement, and the marine corps where he retired as lieutenant colonel. Today, he's founder and president of Lionheart International Services
1:56 Group. Tim, welcome back to Washington Watch. It's good to have you.
2:01 Thank you, Jody. I'm sad to be here under these conditions for sure.
2:05 Absolutely. Let me just start. What do we know so far about what happened today?
2:11 Well, unfortunately, it's a repeated script. We saw this play out at the Covenant School in Nashville. A person struggling with gender identity, attacked again
2:22 innocent children that could not defend themselves in the middle of a worship service in Minneapolis. School had only just started. The kids were excited. You can imagine the euphoria
2:34 being back in school. And unfortunately, terror came to that place. And the person that came, I'm not even going to mention his name, had projected
2:46 a lot of information regarding his intentions on social media, wrote a manifesto, highlighted a bunch of previous sick individuals who have done shootings in the
2:58 past. And, Jody, unfortunately, this the the Catholic church that was hosting this did not have security. And so, unfortunately, the kids were left to
3:09 defend themselves. Thank god that this person ended up taking their wife or the carnage would have been exponentially worse.
3:18 So what questions remain in your mind at this point? I mean, obviously, this was a very confused, hate filled individual with some of the things that I've seen as well. But what questions remain
3:30 in your mind as this is, continuing to be a breaking story?
3:35 Well, it's important to realize, Jody, we're still at the very, very beginning, but the information that we've already heard is shocking. I mean, the the he was clearly, demonic
3:47 and had satanic focuses. He was clearly he had been affiliated with that school, and that's an important point. Same thing in Covenant School in Nashville affiliated before, but there was
3:59 this ongoing hatred directed back against the Christian community. And in this case, I think the chief of police summarized it accurately when he called this
4:10 person a coward. Let me tell you, it's it doesn't get more evil than to target innocent children that can't defend themselves. But it does convey the level
4:22 of hatred and the animosity. And, you know, it's an important point, too. And I would remind your audience there weren't warning signs. It seems like more often than not, after the fact
4:34 we learn about warning signs, my question would be who was watching his social media? Who was monitoring this person's life and able to say, woah, woah, woah, woah, time out? You know, we've got
4:46 to leave the culture of I don't want to get involved behind and embrace the culture of if I see things that suggest mental illness, which I do believe that was a
4:57 factor in this, I think the chemicals and the process of transition affects stuff. And I I think to everyone, I would say, when you begin to see those indications and warnings,
5:09 do something about it. Let the police know. Let someone that's.
5:16 Alright. Last question here real quickly. I know the the, the mayor actually stated that it it could have been much worse, and he commended the faculty for the school. And so we're grateful for that. But what happens
5:28 next after a shooting like this real quickly?
5:31 Yeah. So there's gonna be an awful lot of forensic review. Obviously, unfortunately, every child that was shot, they're gonna be occupying the space. They're gonna be doing what they do in terms of matching, marking
5:43 shell casings and going through. These are all homicide investigations for the children that died. But then they're going to go as importantly and parallel to that, they're going to go back to the house. They're going to
5:55 begin to review and investigate all of the social media to find out how far back did this planning begin? Were there signs along the way that could have stopped it?
6:06 But most importantly, Jody, we need to know if there are other like minded people like this person out there. I would remind you that this person held up previous school shooters as
6:18 a standard bearer for him to emulate. That's sick. And unfortunately, that's the initial greatest concern. We gotta find out were others involved, were others supportive,
6:30 and, you know, quite honestly, are there other threats out there that we need to get a get a handle on?
6:36 Thank you so much, lieutenant colonel Tim Miller, Lionheart International Services Group, and we appreciate your input on this developing and horrifying, development. Thank you
Congressional Response to Crime and Tragedy
6:48 for joining us. Alright. I want to, switch over now. Joining me now to provide a congressional perspective on this and the broader issue of crime in our nation as a whole is congressman
7:00 Addison McDowell serves on several committees within the house. He represents North Carolina's sixth congressional district, and he joins us now by phone. Congressman McDowell, thank you so much
7:12 for joining us again on Washington Watch.
7:15 Yes, sir. Thanks, Jody.
7:17 Alright. First, let me get your thoughts on the shooting that took place today.
7:23 You know, I I think it is unimaginable, as somebody that has 2 young daughters, and 2 young children. You know, you wanna you wanna
7:35 believe that they're safe when they're not with you. You you have to believe that. And, I I just I cannot fathom what the the moms and dads that, are are having
7:46 to, now bury their children. I cannot imagine what they are going through. I I just we have to all of us, we have to pray for,
7:58 the the teachers that were there that witnessed all of this because they are going to have a real job to do now as they minister to these
8:10 children that had to witness this. We've got to pray for the parents of the children that were there that weren't harmed. And we're so grateful that there
8:22 wasn't more carnage there today. But I'm just heartbroken by this. And I think there's a lot
8:33 that can be said and it doesn't need to be said right now.
8:37 Yes, I think.
8:38 And I hope that leaders can I hope that we can all join together in remembering these young children
8:50 and these parents and not we just need to to mourn right now?
8:59 Yeah. It is it is totally heartbreaking. 8 year old, 10 year old among the deceased and multiple other children in critical condition. You know, there's been a lot of attention,
9:10 congressman, over the last week or so on crime as a whole as the president has taken charge of that issue of federal crackdown, if you will, in DC. But now he wants to expand that
9:22 elsewhere. Can I get your overall assessment of what the president has been doing and what his thoughts are going forward?
9:31 Well, I think that people were pretty clear last November that, they they wanted law and order, And that's exactly what this President is giving to us now. I mean, you look no
9:43 further than Washington, D. C, where the ineptitude of the leaders that were in the government locally, They couldn't get the job done, and it didn't take anything
9:54 but a leader that cared more about law abiding citizens than they did criminals. And I I think if I'm 1 of these governors or these mayors from a city or a state that, has is
10:06 just crime ridden, I would welcome whatever tools, that the federal government would offer me to help get rid of these criminals and these violent people
10:18 that need to be off of our streets. And so if I'm Gavin Newsom, I'm welcoming the President sending in the National Guard because he obviously couldn't get the job
10:30 done or chose not to, 1 or the other. And and so we've got a president that cares about law and order, and that's a great thing.
10:39 So let me ask you this. There is some talk, going on. In fact, the president put up on, Truth Social last night, about midnight, about a comprehensive crime bill that he and, house speaker
10:50 Johnson and senate leader Thune and other Republicans supposedly are working on. Any idea what that might look like?
10:59 Yeah. I mean, I can't I can't touch on that, but I think it's it's important that we do something because if leadership and your you know, if local leadership is failing you, and and, you know, tough on crime
11:10 leadership and and a Republican controlled Congress and a Republican controlled White House. If they can get the job done, we ought to do it. And so, you're never going to catch me sympathizing with
11:23 these criminals. I'm always going to fight for the folks that are law abiding citizens. And however we can do that legislatively, I think we should.
11:32 Yeah. Well, it's gonna be very, it's a critical time in our nation. And as you mentioned, we have cities, Chicago and, states like California and others that are just refusing to
11:44 acknowledge a crime problem. It's, it's both refreshing to see that we have a president trying to crack down on it, but also, worrisome that we have other leaders in our country who don't want
11:56 to do the same. We're less than a week away. Let me just, wrap up with this, less than a week away from Congress returning. What is going to be on the docket for
12:08 Congress as you come back?
12:10 I think it's it's more of what we've been doing, Jody. That's cutting taxes, making sure that more money stays in your pocket rather than coming to the federal government who so
12:22 clearly doesn't know how to use it. We want to keep cutting taxes. We want to keep getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse, and we want to make sure that the government is as out of your life as it can be.
12:35 And so that's what we want to do. I think we've got to keep fighting and making sure that every president every promise that the president and that we made on the campaign trail, we make good on
12:47 it. And that's so the work continues, and and I'm excited to get back and, and keep checking the boxes of the promises that we made.
12:55 About 30 seconds or so left before I gotta let you go. But, what have you been hearing in your district while you've been back on the the district work week month?
13:04 Yeah. I mean, people people are fired up, with the 1 big beautiful bill. You know, they're they're grateful for the, the tax cuts and, and for they're finally being politicians that do what they say they're gonna do
13:16 like Donald Trump. And, you know, the folks are fired up about that. And the more that they learn about this bill, the more they like it. And so we're excited to keep keep, getting the message out about everything that
13:27 this bill does for, for folks back home.
13:30 Congressman Addison McDowell, North Carolina. As always, it's an honor to have you on Washington Watch. We we appreciate you jumping in here and helping us out with the events that are unfolding today. Blessings to you.
13:42 Thank you for joining us.
Defending the Ten Commandments in Texas Schools
13:43 Yes, sir. God bless.
13:45 Alright. Coming up, a 10 commandments battle. It's all happening in Texas classrooms, and we will cover that next right here on Washington Watch. Stay tuned. We'll be back right after this
13:57 break.
14:01 3 years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and
14:13 bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn't outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now,
14:24 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there's a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have gone up with an increase of 12 percent since 20 20,
14:36 climbing from 930000 to over 1000000 in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over
14:48 60 percent of US abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 20 21, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum long standing
15:00 safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not
15:11 enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11 percent of women
15:23 who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden era policies, pro life laws
15:35 will remain largely symbolic without a full review and repeal of mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let's
15:47 stand for life and end this mail order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at f r c dot org slash stop chemical abortion.
16:01 In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.
16:13 Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the word who dwelt among us. Come with us
16:25 and discover the glory of the word. Read the gospels and witness the life changing story of Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed the lives
16:37 of common people, and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come with us for 10 to 15 minutes a day, and read the entire New Testament before the New
16:49 Year. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc dot org slash bible. Join us in Stand on the Word.
17:03 Well, good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm Jody Hice. An honor to be filling in today for Tony, and deeply appreciate you entrusting this hour to us as well.
17:15 Alright. Next Monday, the Texas senate bill 10 is scheduled to take effect. It's, it will make it a requirement for teachers to display a copy of the 10
17:27 commandments in classrooms if the material has been donated to the school. Although a district judge last week did block the statute from taking effect in the 11
17:38 school districts that are named in ongoing litigation, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton announced earlier this week that all the schools not enjoined by litigation must
17:50 abide by SB 10. So how might all of this Texas showdown ultimately play out? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is Jonathan Saenz. He's a
18:02 president and attorney for Texas Values, which is the family policy counsel for the great Lone Star State. Jonathan, welcome back to Washington Watch. Appreciate you joining us.
18:14 It's great to be with you, Jody. Thank you.
18:16 Alright. So I briefly described SP 10, but, why don't you unpack it for us so a little bit more, especially when we consider that so many people are not describing it accurately.
18:28 Well, it's great to talk about 1 of the most important pieces of legislation and law in the history of Texas. And I've worked on religious freedom laws and legislation for close to 20 years
18:40 in the state of Texas. We got great information on the Texas 10 Commandments law too. If people want to go to the website, 10 Commandments Texas dot com. But this is a real simple issue. All the classrooms in the state
18:51 of Texas are required to display the poster of a 10 commandments. Now in the law, there's specific, guidance on the size and also there's an agreed upon, wording. And that
19:03 wording of the 10 Commandments is the same as the wording on the 10 Commandments monument on our Texas Capitol. And that's important because that language from that 10 Commandments monument was upheld at the
19:14 US Supreme Court in 2005. And as a matter of fact, our attorney general at the time was Greg Abbott. He argued that case successfully at the US Supreme Court. He's now our governor, and he proudly signed that legislation
19:26 into law. September first, as you mentioned, is the effective date. Most of the state laws that are passed during our legislative session this year go into effect starting September 1, which happens to fall on Labor Day.
19:37 But also at that website, 10 commandments texas dot com, you can get links to find out how you can donate these posters to the local public school. And that's how it's intended to work as people are gonna donate these
19:48 posters. Now school districts can choose to purchase posters on their own. And through the website that we're using in our collaboration of great groups like Wallbuilders and David Barton and others, they're only a
19:58 dollar for each poster. So it's really not much of an expense. But we estimate there are over 300000 public school classrooms in the state of Texas. That's a lot of ground to cover, but we think that we're gonna get
20:10 there. Now there is a court ruling in place, but as you mentioned, it only affects 11 school districts. Jody, there are 1200 school districts in the state of Texas. So, a very, very small percentage of school districts
20:21 are impacted by this court ruling. And I was in court. I was in the courtroom, a Friday or 2 ago when there was a hearing on this issue on this Texas 10 Commandments law. And it was very clear.
20:33 This judge certainly relied more on opinion and not follow precedent. Because if you follow the Supreme Court precedent, including some recent cases, like the coach Joe Kennedy versus Bremerton case, it's
20:45 very clear that we're back to a standard where you can have displays like this even though they're religious in nature because the 10 commandments relate to the the history, the historical foundations of our law and
20:55 government. There's a depiction of the 10 Commandments on the US Supreme Court. So if it's good enough for the US Supreme Court, it should be good enough for the classrooms in Texas.
21:04 Absolutely. In fact, this is the issue that, the beginning issue that actually led me to congress as a pastor. We had a battle over the 10 commandments, and, that was, a victory that we ended up having in Georgia as
21:16 well. I'm so proud to see what Texas is doing. Now I'm not a I'm not a lawyer, but you are. So, as as the, Texas attorney general, is he right that schools that are not enjoined need
21:28 to abide by SB 10? Is this, like, is this in concrete what they must do?
21:35 Well, it is correct that the school districts that were not a part of the litigation, it was just 11. But if any school districts find themselves getting threatened by someone saying that they can't put up these 10
21:46 commandments posters when this law goes into effect on September first, The attorney general's office is ready to defend those school districts free of charge, through Ken Paxton's attorney general's office here in the
21:56 state of Texas. Not only that, our good friends First Liberty Institute, led by Kelly Shackelford, who serves on the board of Texas values, have joined our message, which we've been saying since this ruling, that all of
22:06 those other school districts okay. Let me do the math. 1189 school districts, the rest of them are not required to follow this court ruling because that ruling did not impact them. They were not a part of that
22:17 litigation. And so this is a lower court ruling. And I'll tell you, Jody, some of those important US Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions that protect religious freedom and American heritage have started with a
22:29 bad decision at the, lower court and no difference here. And I'll tell you what's interesting about this judge, Judge Berry. I was in the courtroom, but he's also got a history of some bad decisions on religious freedom
22:41 and also constitutional issues. Several years ago, a case that First Liberty was involved in, I was involved in at the time and our attorney general, Greg Abbott, at the time, who's now our governor, was a case where the
22:51 judge said that a teenage, valedictorian could not say a prayer at a graduation ceremony. Not only that, he said she couldn't say the word prayer. So this lower court judge has a history of getting overturned. We think
23:02 that'll happen here. So in the meantime, the the school districts, the other ones, not the 11, but the other 1189, the presumption is that this law is constitutional and that's the law
23:14 they follow. And so when they follow a state law also, they don't have to worry about being in jeopardy that they're gonna have some type of liability because as long as they're following state law, which they would be
23:24 doing in this case, they'd have the protection of the attorney general's office, and they wouldn't face any particular liability themselves.
23:30 Wow. Great news. Great to hear that. Alright. We've got maybe 30 seconds or so. What's next in the litigation of this whole thing, s p 10?
23:38 Well, the Texas attorney general's office led by Ken Paxton, they have appealed this ruling of the lower court. As I mentioned, this judge has a history of being overturned. So we expect the Fifth Circuit to take up that
23:48 decision and reverse them soon. Now there have been cases in the Fifth Circuit out of Louisiana that have taken up this issue, but they've asked the full Fifth Circuit to take a look at this issue. It may all, end up at
23:58 the US Supreme Court. But in the meantime, it's great that it only affects a couple of school districts in Texas, and we expect to have a, a Court of Appeals victory on this issue. And, Jody, I'll tell you, we expect
24:09 eventually this is gonna be a victory of biblical proportions. But more information, if you're curious, 10 commandments texas dot com to follow along as this issue moves forward.
24:19 Thank you so so much. Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney for Texas values. We're excited about that. Thank you for bringing us this news. God bless
California's Assault on Parental Rights
24:29 you. God bless you too. Thank you.
24:31 Alright. Coming up, we are going to turn from red state legislation to blue state legislation. Now look. While Texas is trying to get the 10 commandments in the
24:43 classrooms, we have California who's wanting to undermine parental rights and pave the way for child abductions. Unbelievable. We'll discuss all of it right after the
24:54 break, so stick around.
25:02 Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today. You can join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to
25:14 access news from a biblical perspective. Read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events, and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family, and church members, and of
25:26 course, stand firm wherever you go.
25:31 At Family Research Council, defending the family isn't just a mission. It's our daily calling. Every team member at FRC uses their god given talents to stand for biblical truth,
25:43 protect life, and uphold religious freedom.
25:46 Here at Family Research Council, we face many threats to the family. Threats that have been with us for some time. Abortion, the gender ideology threat, the attacks on marriage, the attacks on parental authority, and the
25:57 attacks on religious freedom. We have to promote, support, strengthen, and incentivize family growth so families take their place in society in a place of honor. I'm defending the family by working
26:09 in the Center for Biblical Worldview, to provide cutting edge research and resources, for pastors, pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian parents.
26:18 Through my work at the Washington Stand, I passionately defend what God has defined for marriage and family. I don't see the Washington Stand as just a place to talk about cultural events. It's a place to share biblical
26:30 truth that's a perfect outlet to advance and defend what God has defined as good, true, and beautiful.
26:37 Because of you, we're able to frame things in such a way that help Christians stand for truth on the things that matter most, like life, faith, family, and freedom.
26:46 Thank you for standing with us.
26:48 Thank you for your support. It is so critical to the work that we at Family Resource Council are doing day to day as we support and strengthen the family. So thank you.
27:02 Thank you for joining us today on Washington Watch. Welcome back. I'm Jody Heise filling in today for Tony. Alright. This next issue is 1 that we've hit on several times this month, and that
27:14 is the the California Assembly's bill 4 95. This is a radical, radical piece of legislation that would ultimately undermine parental rights and
27:26 literally create an alarming risk of child abduction and exploitation. And last week, while we were talking about this, we mentioned how h p 4 95 was moved to
27:37 suspension after a hearing by the senate appropriations committee. Well, this Friday is the suspense file hearing. So what is the likelihood that a b
27:49 4 95 will be moved off the suspense file and actually go to the senate for a vote? Well, joining me now with all the latest on this horrible piece of legislation is Jonathan Keller.
28:01 He's the president and CEO of California Family Council. Jonathan, welcome back to Washington Watch.
28:08 Jody, always good to be with you and the Washington Watch community. Thanks for having me.
28:12 Well, it's an honor, and thank you for all that you do out there. You've got your plate full in California these days. Alright. For those who may not be familiar, I gave a little introduction there of a b 4, 4
28:24 95. But start off giving us a little bit further more of an overview of it, and, what is both its intent and the potential consequences?
28:34 Well, let me back up and first say that, this is a this is a bill that is really controversial. It's gotten more press than we've seen on almost any legislation in the last 10 years, frankly. The level
28:46 of interest and concern over this is really unprecedented. And I think the reason is, Jody, a lot of times bills that we deal with, whether it's abortion or transgenderism or different things, they
28:58 are kind of out there. They're dealing with the world. They're dealing with threats that might come to our family ideologically, but this is something that's happening really practically. This is something that, I mean,
29:09 really could affect every single mom and dad, grandpa and grandma in the state of California because it could affect every single child in the state of California. And let me back up and say the
29:21 best case scenario for this bill is that you would have a, a family that is somehow caught up in the immigration, controversy that our
29:33 country is dealing with right now. Tragically, because of president Biden's, lack of following the law over the last 4 years, We had literally millions of families come into this country
29:45 breaking the law and thinking that there were gonna be no consequences and no repercussions. Well, thankfully, president Trump is dealing with that. He's shutting down the border. He is working to deport people who are
29:56 here illegally and who may have committed crimes. Now, Jody, the tragedy is that in some cases, there are innocent children that have been caught up in all of this. They've come across the border with their parents, and
30:08 they maybe are completely innocent. They might be kindergarteners, junior hires, or anywhere in between. And the best case for this bill, AB 4 95, would be it would provide
30:20 expedited way for those children to be placed with a family member or a close family friend. The problem is is this bill does not have any sort of a limiting principle. Not only does it
30:32 allow the parents of an illegal immigrant child to pick them up from a school, it allows the parents or excuse me. The, the family or non family members
30:44 of any child, not just an illegal immigrant child but any child could be picked up from school by this bill. You do not have to have a parent a parental signature. You do not have to have parental
30:56 notification or opt out. And if you have a bad actor, whether it is a relative who disagrees with how you're raising your child and wants to co opt that parenting authority or whether it is
31:08 someone who is totally nonrelated but has somehow formed a relationship with your child, any of those people could potentially go on campus, pick up a child, and take control of
31:20 them. Now there's a question, okay, is it legal custody? Is it full legal custody? No. But the fact that you would be able to even remove the child initially is incredibly troubling. I
31:32 mean, Jody, you and I know the the fact is if this was happening at churches, if you had a church that was allowing kids to be picked up by just any person from the nursery or any person
31:44 from Sunday school, there would be outrage. And yet because this is being authorized by the state of California, a lot of the media is more than willing to try to whitewash the concerns about this.
31:56 Unbelievable. Alright. So there was a big rally last week, made big waves. You spoke there. There what what do you say to the claims that churches this this
32:07 whole issue is too political for churches to engage in. We've only got a little over a minute here.
32:13 Well, I will say first off, it was such a blessing to be at that rally. I know a good friend of yours and a good friend of Tony's and the whole FRC family, pastor Jack Hibbs, was the 1 who organized that rally and
32:23 brought all of us to Sacramento. I know also you're very familiar with our good friends Karen England from Capital Resource Institute, Gina Gleason from Real Impact. It was such a blessing to be with them out there on
32:34 the steps of the Capitol. And I think if you go back and watch that rally, I would urge you, this is not too political. Do not ever let anyone tell you that protecting your own children,
32:46 protecting the children in your community is too political. I mean, that is 1 of the most fundamental things that Jesus calls us to do, is to let the little children come unto Him, and 1 of the best
32:58 ways we can do that is by protecting them from those who would capture them or coerce them into not following their parents and to not learning about Jesus.
33:07 Alright. Just almost just a yes no answer. Is anything gonna be able to stop this legislation from advancing?
33:15 Well, I would say never say never. I know that we have our governor, Gavin Newsom, I think is interested president. I don't think there's any way he becomes president or even runs for president if this bill is signed. So
33:25 pray that he vetoes this.
33:26 I agree with you on that. Thank you, Jonathan Keller, president and CEO of California Family Council. Appreciate you coming on and breaking this down for us. Alright, friends. Coming up,Show more
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.