Skip to content 4/10/2026 As Ceasefire Talks Unfold, Christians in Canada and the U.S. Face Separate Free Speech Battles Apr 10 · 54 min ...more
4/10/2026 As Ceasefire Talks Unfold, Christians in Canada and the U.S. Face Separate Free Speech Battles
April 10, 2026 · 54 min
Today’s Washington Watch episode highlights upcoming negotiations between U.S. and Iranian leaders, as well as Israeli and Lebanese leadership. We also review efforts to halt airport customs processing in sanctuary cities, silence the free speech of Christians in the U.S. and Canada, and investigate the ease of access to dangerous abortion drugs without doctors’ involvement.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio April 10, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Today’s Washington Watch episode highlights upcoming negotiations between U.S. and Iranian leaders, as well as Israeli and Lebanese leadership. We also review efforts to halt airport customs processing in sanctuary cities, silence the free speech of Christians in the U.S. and Canada, and investigate the ease of access to dangerous abortion drugs without doctors’ involvement. ...more Show the full description Show less Today’s Washington Watch episode highlights upcoming negotiations between U.S. and Iranian leaders, as well as Israeli and Lebanese leadership. We also review efforts to halt airport customs processing in sanctuary cities, silence the free speech of Christians in the U.S. and Canada, and investigate the ease of access to dangerous abortion drugs without doctors’ involvement.
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In this video 0:00 Iran Ceasefire Talks and Artemis 2 Homecoming6:03 Defending Borders and Pulpit Freedom with Rep. Harris17:03 High-Stakes Iran Analysis with Dr. David Adesnik27:03 The Danger of Mail-Order Abortion Pills37:01 Biblical Worldview on Liberty and Life Issues
Iran Ceasefire Talks and Artemis 2 Homecoming 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 and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical world view, sitting in for Tony as today's host, Jody Heiss.0:19 Look. We're we're we're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's gonna be positive. We'll, of course, see. As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're0:28 certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're gonna try to play us, then they're gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.0:37 Well, that was vice president JD Vance speaking earlier today just before departing for that high stakes negotiations meeting with Iran is taking place in Pakistan. Welcome0:48 to this Friday, April tenth edition of Washington Watch. I am your Friday host, Jody Heist. Thanks so much for joining us today. Alright. Coming up, it's a fragile 21:00 day old ceasefire, and it has stopped the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. But fighting does continue in Lebanon as Israel targets Hezbollah. And we'll1:12 break it all down for you with former defense department official doctor David Adesnik. Plus, North Carolina congressman Mark Harris will be joining us momentarily to discuss the Johnson
1:24 amendment and the latest debate over DHS funding. All that and more straight ahead.
1:37 President Trump says Iran has little leverage in these upcoming talks even as uncertainty grows ahead of the negotiations set for Saturday. It's taking place in
1:48 Islamabad. Tehran is demanding sanctions relief and a ceasefire in Lebanon. At the same time, US officials are signaling at least some degree of cautious
2:00 optimism. Well, joining us now is Washington Watch reporter Mary Stackhouse, who's been closely following all of today's major developments. Mary, what what's the key sticking
2:12 points heading into these high stakes talks?
2:15 Jody, the biggest sticking point is that Iran says negotiations will not move forward unless its frozen assets are released and a ceasefire is firmly in place in Lebanon. Tehran is also demanding that
2:27 Israel halt its military campaign against Hezbollah, which remains a major point of contention. The US and Israel, however, maintain that those operations are not covered under the current truce framework. Despite these
2:39 disagreements, vice president JD Vance says that he is optimistic, and he expects the talks to be constructive as he travels to Pakistan.
2:47 So we're gonna try to have a positive negotiation. The president has gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and, we're gonna see.
2:53 Disruption to the shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already triggered sharp inflationary pressures globally. Jody?
3:01 Yes. It's gonna be very, very interesting to see how these talks go. Mary, I wanted to, also get your thoughts on another story of historic mission around the moon that has
3:13 captured the hearts of Americans and the world for that matter. The astronauts astronauts of Artemis, 2 are certainly looking forward to being brought home safely. How is NASA preparing to
3:25 get them home? How's all that looking?
3:28 So NASA and the US Navy are now in position off the coast of San Diego where the Orion capsule carrying 4 astronauts is expected to splash down tonight. The crew, Reid Wiseman, Victor
3:39 Glover, Christina Cook, and Jeremy Hansen are returning from the first crew mooned mission in over 50 years. Here's a clip of the communication between astronaut Reid Wiseman and NASA mission control in
3:51 Houston earlier this afternoon.
3:53 Courage and grit, that'll stick with me, and it should stick with all of you all day long. We got it loud and clear integrity. Can't wait to see you run to the water. See you soon.
4:05 After a fiery reentry and brief communications blackout, parachutes will guide the capsule into the Pacific where the USS John p Murtha will recover the astronauts. This marks a major milestone in
4:17 NASA's push to return humans to deep space. Jody?
4:22 Mary, thank you so much for keeping us up to speed on all the latest. We appreciate it. I wanna turn our attention now to, Capitol Hill, a member of Congress. As you may or may not know,
4:34 today actually marks a 1 year anniversary of the relaunch of DHS's voice office. That's an office within ICE that is intended to ensure that victims
4:46 of crimes that are commit committed by illegal immigrants are not forgotten. And at an event that took place yesterday, some angel families shared some stories of their loved ones who were
4:58 tragically lost.
5:00 We show up like this to speak what we're living every day, the dire consequence of open borders and dangerous
5:12 sanctuary policies. We have to find a way to work together to put an end to these tragedies that we have the power to prevent.
5:24 Very emotional. That was Jennifer Boss, whose late daughter, Megan, was a victim of an illegal alien crime. As the battle over DHS funding
5:36 continues, stories like this 1, you have to question whether or not those stories will ever be told, let alone will they be remembered as all the debate goes forward. And joining us
5:48 now to discuss this and more is congressman Mark Harris. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee as well as the Education Workforce Committee. He represents the eighth congressional district of the great
6:00 state of North Carolina. He's also a pastor. Congressman Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch, my friend. Always an honor to have you.
Defending Borders and Pulpit Freedom with Rep. Harris
6:08 Hey, Jody. It's great to be with you this evening. Thanks for having me.
6:13 Alright. So ICE, I think we all are aware. ICE has certainly, had some pretty bad rap this past year. I think most would agree that there are
6:24 some reforms that certainly probably are needed, but Democrats seem to be taking this way too far. What are your thoughts on this?
6:33 Well, Jody, thank you so much for asking. I mean, you're exactly right. We've got to continue to remember that ICE these folks are law enforcement officers, and they have a job to do.
6:45 And what we're seeing happen right now in Congress has been so frustrating with the action just a couple weeks ago that the Senate took in trying to pass, funding for all DHS
6:57 with a 0 for ICE and for custom border patrol. And they sent that over to the house, and we just weren't gonna have anything to do with that. So we actually passed another
7:08 funding bill for the entire Department of Homeland Security that would be a continuing resolution to get us to May 20 second. We sent that back over to the senate. And once again, they
7:20 passed yet another, version and sent it back, and it's still sitting in the house right now that, again, zeroes out ICE and custom border patrol. And the idea at this point is
7:32 that they want to move a reconciliation bill. And, you know, the sentiment that I hear on Capitol Hill, there just isn't the sentiment to pass any bill that zeroes
7:44 out custom border patrol and zeroes out ICE. Just not gonna happen. So I think the senate, understanding that senator Graham and the budget committee over there is getting things in
7:56 order this week to get ready when we get back next week for a reconciliation bill to begin making its way through the senate that would fund the, border patrol and fund,
8:08 ICE and then try to pass on our side moving both of them at the same time because there's just not the stomach to pass something that zeros out ICE and border patrol. And these
8:20 voices that people listen to ought to continue to remind us that these agencies are critical for their funding.
8:29 Yeah. They really are. It seems like a very, very dangerous ping pong game taking place. You know, congressman, I I I found it interesting, new, I will say, Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne
8:41 Mullins. He actually suggested that the federal government could potentially stop processing customs at airports in sanctuary cities. And, of course, he said that as a way to potentially put some pressure
8:53 on them as it relates to immigration enforcement. What's your thoughts on that strategy?
8:58 I think it's a great strategy. You know, 1 of the things that we just passed out of the judiciary committee is the defunding of these sanctuary cities. And, we're gonna be taking that up on the floor here before
9:10 long. Once again, letting folks know that you you cannot receive federal government funding and at the same time say we're not going to enforce federal immigration
9:22 laws. It's just it's inconsistent. It's unforgivable. And the reality is that, we've gotta take the responsibility and say that we're not gonna be sending taxpayer dollars to
9:34 fund these democrat run cities that are just totally ignoring our immigration laws in this country. It is so critical when we see every day, it seems like, Jody, we're
9:46 seeing more and more stories of someone killed by an illegal immigrant in this country. Whether it's somebody being killed by a hammer, striking them in the head, whether it being killed by a drunk driver,
9:58 whether it's being killed by it's someone that is here illegally and is doing damage to American citizens, and it's got to stop. And, again, we've got to continue. And I I
10:10 appreciate, secretary Mullins suggestion, that we look at this and, look at moving forward with it perhaps.
10:18 Yeah. It's not just the the crimes that oftentimes are are being committed and highlighted, but the fact that so many of these just get released right back on the streets all over the over again. Before I let you go,
10:30 I wanna wanna hit on another issue that I know is very, very dear to you and to me as well. I know last week, you and senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, led a group of
10:42 lawmakers in an effort to try to stop the IRS from silencing America's pastors and churches and nonprofits. And by the way, that was on the very same day that a federal judge
10:54 dismissed a challenge to the Johnson Amendment, which really is is been suppressing free speech of religious leaders and churches and nonprofits for, a long time, since about 19
11:05 54. But I wanted to get your thoughts on on that ruling and what needs to happen to defend religious speech going forward?
11:14 Well, I think we were all, pleasantly surprised when the courts upheld back in December, a case that that basically was brought by the religious national religious broadcasters
11:26 and a number of churches and leaders there in Texas. And the court came to an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service that, basically, they were setting aside the Johnson amendment. In the
11:38 meantime, actually 1 year ago, on March 30 first of 25, Senator Lankford and I introduced simultaneously, myself in the house and he in the senate, the Free Speech Fairness Act that was going to
11:50 protect churches. And when we had this ruling that came out, late last year, it seemed like everybody felt, well, maybe we don't necessarily need this. It's been taken care of. But
12:02 sure enough, as we so oftentimes see, you have a judge that steps in. And in this case, set aside that agreement that was, brought by those plaintiffs as well as the
12:14 IRS that all agreed to it. So now that he set it aside, it has sparked once again the importance of this legislation moving forward. So I'm very hopeful that we're going to get it on the
12:26 floor of the house. This is something that leaders Scalise and speaker Johnson have both been supporters of in the past, and they were kind enough to ask me to take the bill in the house last year. We got
12:38 it introduced. So we wanna move it along with ways and means committee and see if we can't get this on the floor, get it passed in the house, and then we're gonna hope and pray that senator Langford has some success
12:49 getting the lift there in the senate.
12:52 Well, I certainly hope so. That was that. That was the single issue that drove me to congress itself. And so thank you for continuing to push that. And look, all of us here at FRC, agree
13:04 with everything we've got. The pastors and churches should be able to freaks, speak freely on issues, but they not only should have the right, they should do so. They need to step up to the plate
13:16 and engage biblical truth into the public square. That's why we have our God in Government series as well as some Prevost Stand chapters, which we have talked about on this program. Your church is now
13:28 going to be 1 of those chapters. I wish we had time to talk more about this, but our our time has expired. But it is critically important for pastors and churches to engage
13:40 biblically. I wanna thank you so much, North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris. Always an honor to have you on the program. Thanks for standing firm, my friend.
13:49 Thank you.
13:50 Alright. Coming up, we're going to discuss tomorrow's high stakes talks between the US and Iran. A lot at stake here. Stay tuned.
14:01 Proverbs 22 6 says, train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
14:30 For know that my redeemer lives. Job 19 25. God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep
14:41 hold on him. Acts 2 24.
14:45 Join Family Research Council in standing on the word. Visit frc dot org slash bible for free resources to help your family follow the way, Jesus, the risen savior
14:57 of the world.
15:05 A family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained, and yet there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure.
15:18 That's why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
15:25 Family Research Council began over 40 years ago like all great movements of God with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation's capital, FRC continues to
15:37 champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture worldview.
15:44 FRC is 1 of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north, and I shudder to think had they not been here that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
15:54 The Family Research Council is key. It's 1 of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country
16:05 that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
16:12 It's just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn't seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward
16:24 successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the holy scriptures.
16:32 FRC, is not gonna be whooped. You know, we're we're gonna fight. We're gonna take a stand. And, again, we don't retreat.
16:41 You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, DC, a white flag fly. We will never step back. We will never surrender, and we will never
16:53 be silent.
High-Stakes Iran Analysis with Dr. David Adesnik
17:03 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am Jody Heisz, your Friday host, and so honored to have you joining us today. Thanks very much. Alright. Tomorrow morning, the US and Iran
17:15 will be engaged in some very, very high stakes talks trying to secure a lasting cease fire in this, 6 week operation that's now been taking place,
17:27 Operation Epic Fury. Vice President JD Vance will be leading the US delegation. He left earlier this morning for Pakistan, which is, of course, is the site of those
17:38 negotiations. And according to reports, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Arachi along with their parliament, parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Kalabov,
17:51 they will be leading the Iranian delegation. So how might all of this unfold? Well, joining us now to discuss it is doctor David Adesnick. He's the vice president of research
18:02 at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He, formally served as the deputy director for joint data support at the US Department of Defense. Doctor Odesnet,
18:14 welcome back to Washington Watch. It's a privilege to have you.
18:18 Always good to be here.
18:21 Alright. So let's start. What do you think about the decision to have vice president Vance lead the US delegation?
18:28 Well, it certainly signals the importance that the, number 2 official in the United States is going there personally. Many people would send a secretary of state, someone else, but this is clearly saying we are
18:40 sending Trump's, person right there.
18:45 That's a good good good, exclamation point. I think probably is said. And I I found it interesting. I've seen it several times now. Vice president, Vance has expressed
18:57 some, pretty significant optimism about these potential talks and reaching a deal with Iran. He did that before boarding the the plane. And president Trump, likewise, has
19:09 said that he's very optimistic. So let me throw it your way. Do you share in that optimism?
19:15 I wish I did. The 10 points Iran laid out were farcical. They are the points that someone would deliver to the United States if their troops were in the Oval Office and occupying our country.
19:27 The United States has made tough demands consistent with the military success it has enjoyed, but also ones that ask Iran to give up, capabilities and programs like a search for nuclear weapons that
19:39 it has fought to defend for 50 years, as well as its terror capabilities. So it is fairly hard to see how you bridge those differences.
19:48 Yeah. I think those are some pretty major hurdles with all that. So, so what about the the the you mentioned the the the plan there. What about the the rivaling 10 point,
20:00 ceasefire proposal that came out this week? What what's there seems to be plans all over the place here. What what is is taking place with all these different options?
20:12 Well, I think everyone wants to sort of as if they were bargaining over a horse at the highest price if they are selling and the lowest price if they're buying. And, you know, you got to try to find somewhere in the
20:24 middle. It's 1 thing to reach a price on something you can normally buy and sell, but if it comes to something like preserving a nuclear weapons capability, it may be a lot harder to reach agreement.
20:35 Yeah. Fair enough. Okay. So vice president, Prince, Vance said that that, President Trump gave some pretty clear guidelines. So he's going with some, a pretty good mindset
20:47 of of how to how to go about this. So, as far as I know, we don't know the details of what those guidelines may be. But from your perspective, what should be part of those guidelines? What
20:59 are some of the lines in the sand that we, are not gonna be able to cross?
21:05 Well, it's not so much a line we can't cross, but we have been struggling with Iran for so long and now been fighting with them because they will not give up their ambition for nuclear weapons. They signed a nuclear deal
21:16 with the Obama administration, but it was basically a deal with so many, loopholes and Swiss cheese openings through it that they could keep what they wanted and even emerge with a stronger program. But if, of course, if
21:28 the president goes and says, we truly want you to end your program, give up your ability to enrich the nuclear fuel for weapons, give up the weaponization studies, give up the missiles that could deliver it, their
21:38 initial position is gonna be no. And the question is unless they feel enough pain, they won't give it up. And it's just not easy to see how while they still have the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz if they want
21:50 and block global oil deliveries, why they would necessarily give in.
21:55 Yeah. And that's another great point. The Strait of Hormuz. I mean, that was part of the cease fire agreement and, it looks like we're really not getting much of anywhere on that.
22:07 What's your thought on that issue being involved here?
22:11 Well, certainly so far we haven't seen many ships go through. It's possible the number will increase over the next 2 weeks. But the issue isn't so much whether a higher number of ships go through in the next few weeks,
22:22 possibly bringing down the price at the pump. You know, I I felt the pain, took my family on a road trip last week and, you know, putting 70 or 80 dollars of gas in into our car. But the real issue is, will Iran retain
22:33 the capability to close it? Really, almost just with the threat of attacking boats that go through, not even physically showing that it can do that. And the United States needs to establish that it can clear it up. And 1
22:44 of the most interesting dynamics will be, you know, the president said he's bringing more weapons, more capabilities into the region. It would be interesting to know. I'm sure it's, not gonna be released publicly. You
22:54 know, is he bringing the kind of ships and other equipment that could clear the Iranians off the sides of the strait so that we decide when it's open and when it's closed and obviously prefer it to be open to all the
23:04 global shipping. If we did that, we would take away their leverage. And Trump has shown sometimes that he understands that these negotiations are a pause when you have the opportunity sort of to reload, your
23:16 military for the next round rather than just seeing the negotiations as an end in themselves.
23:22 Yeah. Also, I have all of involved in all of this is Israel and Lebanon and what all is going on there. Iran says that was part of the the deal. US says it was not, and
23:33 Israel says it was not part of the deal. How are how is that gonna be worked out?
23:39 Well, I think Iran is unlikely to get what it wants there. Obviously, you heard the position of the US and Israel. Israel's in a strong position. I mean, Iran wants a ceasefire there because it basically
23:51 wants to prove protect Hezbollah, the terrorist organization, and has grown as a proxy for nearly 50 years. A year ago, there was a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. It was based on the
24:03 condition that Hezbollah would basically pull its forces away from the region just north of the Israeli border, and the Lebanese government, which is not exactly independent of Hezbollah, would supposedly enforce that.
24:14 It hasn't done that. Really, it's been a complete failure. You might say Hezbollah has the gun, so you can't entirely blame the Beirut government. But the bottom line is Israel has recently had to launch a major wave of
24:26 attacks because the terms of the last ceasefire weren't met. So it's really hard to see why Israel would stop doing that if it basically was cheated on the previous deal.
24:36 Thank you so much, doctor David Desnick, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy. It's always great to have you. Thanks for your It
24:44 was great to be here. Thank you.
24:47 Alright. Have a good weekend. Alright, friends. Coming up, we're gonna talk about just how easy it is for anyone to get a hold of the abortion drugs by mail. You don't wanna miss this. Stay tuned.
25:00 I think all people really need to have this type of education.
25:04 Well, I can tell you that it's been an amazing course period.
25:07 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
25:18 with our work.
25:19 God and government is a video driven bible based training course from Family Research Council that explores the connection between biblical principles and American government. In
25:31 this 6 session video series, FRC president Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview.
25:42 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.
25:48 I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
25:55 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
26:07 to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical world view, which is what we really want.
26:12 Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens. Right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but we're also seated citizens of this great land and that that comes with responsibility. Even
26:23 as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you're learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it's also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school,
26:33 college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it's the videos, whether it's doing it in person, bring your bible study group through it, bring
26:44 your homeschool group through it, and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
26:49 View the course at f r c dot o r g slash god and government or on the stand firm app.Show more
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