Skip to content 4/24/2026 As the World Continues with Business as Usual, Many Americans Continue Turning to God’s Word Apr 24 · 54 min ...more
4/24/2026 As the World Continues with Business as Usual, Many Americans Continue Turning to God’s Word
April 24, 2026 · 54 min
Today’s Washington Watch episode covers America Reads the Bible, breaking news in the Middle East, the SPLC indictment, budget reconciliation on funding DHS, the harms of reclassifying marijuana based on known science and data, the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, gambling based on insider information, Justice Samuel Alito, and SCOTUS’s Shadow Docket.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
April 24, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Today’s Washington Watch episode covers America Reads the Bible, breaking news in the Middle East, the SPLC indictment, budget reconciliation on funding DHS, the harms of reclassifying marijuana based on known science and data, the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, gambling based on insider information, Justice Samuel Alito, and SCOTUS’s Shadow Docket. ...more Show the full description Show less Today’s Washington Watch episode covers America Reads the Bible, breaking news in the Middle East, the SPLC indictment, budget reconciliation on funding DHS, the harms of reclassifying marijuana based on known science and data, the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, gambling based on insider information, Justice Samuel Alito, and SCOTUS’s Shadow Docket.
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In this video 0:00 Bible Readings and Middle East Updates5:53 SPLC Scandals and FISA Reform Push17:02 Dangers of Marijuana Rescheduling27:03 Gambling Ethics and Taxpayer Stewardship37:02 Justice Alito's Legacy and Court Battles
Bible Readings and Middle East Updates 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 is today's host, Jody Heiss.0:19 The president has decided to dispatch, special envoy Whitcough and Jared Kushner back to Islamabad. The Iranians wanna talk. They wanna talk in person, and so the president is, as I've said0:31 said many, many times to all of you, always willing to give diplomacy a chance. So, Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out. We hope progress will be made, and we hope that positive0:42 developments will come from this meeting, and we will see.0:47 Well, that was White House press secretary Caroline Levitt earlier this afternoon giving an update on the negotiations between the United States and Iran. Welcome to this Friday, April 200:59 fourth edition of Washington Watch. I am Jody Heiss, your Friday host. Thank you so much for joining us. Alright. Coming up, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which1:11 has long been accused of targeting conservatives and Christians. Well, they have been indicted. And now the House Judiciary Committee is demanding some documents tied1:23
1:35 just a few moments to break it all down. Plus, Molly Hemingway, editor in chief of The Federalist. She'll be joining us for a preview of her new book on the Supreme Court Justice
1:46 Samuel Alito. All that and much more coming your way straight ahead. America
1:58 reads the Bible. Well, that continued today in Washington where Christian leaders from across the board this week have been publicly reading scripture aloud in celebration of America's
2:10 200 and fiftieth anniversary. And joining us now to discuss today's readings is Washington Watch reporter Mary Stackhouse. Mary, tell us about what took place today at America Reads the Bible.
2:22 So, Jody, the Bible readings are continuing today at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. A lot of scriptures been read this week from Genesis all the way to Revelation. So those who read earlier today included
2:34 secretary of state Marco Rubio and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The readings will continue tonight until 9 PM eastern, and tomorrow's the final day of America Reads the Bible. The scripture readings will take
2:46 place from 9 AM to 9 PM. Among tonight's participants that's reading scripture is Franklin Graham. He's scheduled to read tonight between 6 and 7 PM eastern. Jody?
2:58 What an amazing thing, and, I'm just so thrilled this is taking place and, an incredible honor to have participated in it myself. But, Mary, and as well as some others, Tony was there and, Travis
3:09 Weber, both from FRC. It's been an incredible event. Mary, I do I would like to get your thoughts on, some international news as, we just heard the US, is having potentially some more talks with
3:21 Iran. That's, set to take place here, the next couple of days, but at the same time, the US is strengthening the military presence in the Strait of Hormuz. What's the latest that you're hearing on
3:33 all of that?
3:34 That's right, Jody. Iran's foreign minister has arrived in Pakistan, and US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed there where direct negotiations with Iran will continue tomorrow.
3:46 Earlier today, secretary of war Pete Hegseth held a press briefing where he said our naval blockade is growing, and another aircraft carrier is now on its way to the Middle East. He said that the US has been
3:58 forcing any Iranian linked ships that try to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to turn around and not let them through. During the press briefing, secretary Hegseth also welcomed help from our European allies in
4:10 this conflict.
4:11 We would welcome a serious European effort to do something about this strait and this passage considering it's their energy capabilities that are most at stake. I think it's a wake up call. It's It's a wake up call for
4:22 countries around the world. Either you have capabilities or you don't. Otherwise, you're at the best of a country, like Iran.
4:29 Secretary Hegseth said that the US is prepared for the blockade to be in place as long as it takes. Meanwhile, the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was extended for 3 weeks after a high level meeting at the White
4:41 House. Here's president Trump yesterday.
4:43 We had a great meeting with the very high officials of Lebanon and very high officials of Israel, and we think that, the president of Lebanon and the prime minister of Israel over the next
4:55 couple of weeks will be coming here. They've agreed to an additional 3 weeks of, I guess, no firing, ceasefire, no more firing. Let's see. We hope that happens. It's
5:07 not gonna happen between them, but they do have Hezbollah to think about.
5:12 President Trump hosted Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yakeel Leiter, and Lebanese ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moad, in the Oval Office for a second round of US facilitated talks.
5:25 This comes a day after Israeli strikes killed at least 5 people, including a journalist. President Trump added that he looked forward to hosting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph
5:36 Alwin in the near future. Jody?
5:40 Alright. Mary, thank you so much as always for these updates. We appreciate it a great deal. Alright. I wanna bring in now a member of congress to discuss some of the latest developments on
5:52 Capitol Hill. And joining me now is congressman Andy Biggs. He's a member of the House Judiciary Committee as well as chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on crime and,
SPLC Scandals and FISA Reform Push
6:03 federal government surveillance. He represents the fifth congressional district of the great state of Arizona. Congressman Biggs, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you and have you on the show with
6:15 us.
6:16 Thank you, Jody. Great to be with you as always.
6:19 Alright. Well, throughout the week here, we certainly have been discussing the SPLC and the criminal charges that they're facing. And I know this has been a group that you also have been pushing back against
6:31 for quite some time. What's your take on what has come out with them this, past week?
6:38 My take is that this is worse than we ever could have imagined. I mean, we knew that they had a bias, Jody, that they were biased against pro life, pro family, conservative, traditional value
6:50 organizations. But I I think in our wildest thoughts, we never would have dreamed that they were actually using donor money to go out and hire people to
7:01 foment violent actions and then use those violent actions as a mailer or a an advertising campaign to raise more money. It's it's like the ultimate
7:13 grift. And we're looking forward to to finding out more about this thing because this is really, really cynical and it's dastardly and it's horrific. And you guys, FRC,
7:25 you guys have been on the receiving end of their bias and and and, lies and slander as well.
7:32 Yeah. We certainly have. And I can't tell you how thrilled we are to see this thing moving forward. I know yesterday, judiciary chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to the SBLC interim,
7:44 CEO Brian Fair. But basically demanding documents and demanding some communication, of course, you're on that committee conducting oversight of specifically, I'm interested
7:56 in the role of the SPLC and the Biden administration. Seems like there potentially was some pretty close communication there. What what's the latest, looking like within that regard?
8:08 Well, that's what we're trying to find out. We're trying to get things like emails, text records, toll records, and find out who they were talking to in the Biden administration. And,
8:21 and just like what we found with some of the data dumps that that have come out of DOJ, and other issues, we think that there was some kind of coordination there. I mean, look,
8:33 you got Joe Biden saying that he would he was basing his entire campaign for president on the Charlottesville riot. Well, what happened? SPLC hires some people in
8:44 Charlottesville to participate, maybe even foment. We'll find that out. Those are the allegations anyway. And, and then that's what and set first of all, then a lady was
8:56 killed there, and that's what the mainstream or left stream media was focusing on that allowed Joe Biden to become president of the United States. So how big and how deep does this run?
9:08 We need to find that out because, Americans don't trust their government anymore, and it's stuff like this that, tends to make them very, very, wary of anything their government
9:20 says.
9:22 Yeah. It really does. And, again, I'm just, really, not not just us here at FRC, but this is a this is something long overdue. So thrilled to see you guys on top of it. If I can, congressman Biggs,
9:34 hit on an another topic with you that I know you've been working hard on for a long time is FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. You've been leading, on this. You've been a leading
9:46 voice for in probably your entire time in Congress. And yesterday, I know Republicans released a new proposal, that would extend section 7 0 2 of FISA for 3 years.
9:58 I kinda break this down for us. What's going on with all the discussions that are taking place, and where do you think all of this is headed?
10:07 Well, so the the new proposal from the Republicans includes a couple of things that are interesting, like, you have GAO, government accountability office that that's looking
10:19 at, receiving reports. You have the, director of national intelligence receiving reports on on, whether civil rights violations,
10:31 ostensibly being reported being self reported. I mean, this this is part of the issue, and it's always been part of the issue. Then they have a a section that the
10:43 original title of it, believe it or not, was reiteration of the, of of something like reiteration of procedures and standards. In other words, it would keep all the the the queries
10:55 and searches of US persons exactly like it is now. And they would just set it forth in the statute. To me it's just falling way short
11:07 of this and and we've known you know what we found out recently in the last 3 weeks or so is that, Federal Bureau of Investigation and others,
11:19 without any predicate at all, actually investigated, additional members of Congress, including myself. And that's what people American people are like, well, how do you stop this? And
11:31 so there's they they keep doing like they did 2 years ago, and you're familiar with this. They they take us into a SCIF and and give us information so we can't really tell the American people because then we get
11:42 prosecuted. But the bottom line is this. I've reintroduced my amendment, that would protect Americans with a warrant requirement, before you could have the that search and,
11:54 of of Americans' information.
11:57 Yeah. We don't have much time, but I I I know you have introduced, that legislation to reform FISA. The the how tricky is this to find a balance between protecting America
12:09 and protecting American citizens?
12:12 Well, it it doesn't need to be tricky at all, because we we basically say if you're gonna, conduct your inquiry search against American citizens, you need a warrant.
12:25 But there are exceptions just like there is an all of the fourth amendment or search and seizure, jurisprudence. And that's if if there's a national security threat, an imminent national security threat, a
12:37 threat imminent body or edifice or, you know, buildings, etcetera, then you can go and act and get that information. In
12:49 other words, they they they will say, oh, it takes us a long time to get a a warrant. And, well, guess what? It doesn't take a long time to get a warrant. But if you're building a case, then you have time to get a
13:00 warrant. If it is an exigent circumstance, then there's an exception. So you can go ahead and actually, get the information you you need to protect, life and body and
13:12 and buildings and and America.
13:16 Well, it's an extremely critical issue and I know there are a number of members of Congress as well as, I'm sure probably a host of other people that have have, been involved in all of
13:27 this and some of them probably not even aware of it yet. So this is 1 of those issues that desperately needs to be guarded and protected while protecting our country at the same time. Thank you so much, Arizona
13:38 Congressman Andy Biggs. Always great to have you on the program with us.
13:42 Thanks, Jody. Thanks for having me.
13:45 You bet. Alright, friends. Don't go anywhere. Coming up, we'll discuss marijuana and the warning signs that states like Colorado have shown us. When when the government gets involved, there's
13:57 issues. Stay with us. We'll be back.
14:01 I think all people really need to have this type of education.
14:04 Well, I can tell you that it's been an amazing course period.
14:07 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
14:18 with our work.
14:19 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
14:31 this 6 session video series, FRC president Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical world view.
14:42 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.
14:48 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.
14:55 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
15:07 to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical world view, which is what we really want.
15:13 Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens. Right? We are citizens of
15:18 the kingdom of God, but we're also seated citizens of this great land, and that that comes with responsibility. Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you're learning little bits and
15:28 pieces of new stuff all the time. But it's also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this
15:39 course, whether it's the videos, whether it's doing it in person, bring your bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it, and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead. View the course
15:50 at f r c dot o r g slash god and government or on the stand firm app.
16:02 When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for 1 people
16:05 To dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another
16:09 And to assume among the powers of the earth
16:11 The separate and equal station to which the laws of nature
16:15 And of nature's god entitle them.
16:17 A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes
16:22 which impel them to the separation.
16:25 We We hold these truths to be self evident.
16:27 That all men are created equal.
16:30 That they're endowed by their creator.
16:32 With certain unalienable rights. That among
16:35 these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
16:38 That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.
16:42 Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
16:46 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
16:48 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
16:49 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
16:51 Happy 200 and fiftieth birthday, America.
16:54 May god bless
17:01 America. Welcome back to Washington Watch.
Dangers of Marijuana Rescheduling
17:04 I am your Friday host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for tuning in with us. Alright. As we mentioned yesterday, the Department of Justice is reclassifying FDA approved marijuana
17:17 and state licensed marijuana from the highest regulated drug classification, which would be schedule 1, to now the lesser regulated schedule 3. And
17:28 it's, also ordering a new expedited hearing to fully reschedule marijuana. Of course, these actions were in response to president Trump's executive order back in
17:40 December on increasing, medical marijuana and cannabidial research. So how significant are these latest moves and how dangerous could they potentially
17:52 be? Well, joining us now to discuss this from a medical perspective is doctor Kenneth Fenn. He's vice president of the International Academy on the Science and Impact of
18:03 Cannabis. Doctor Finn has practiced pain medicine in Colorado Springs for some 3 decades. He also served on the Colorado governor's marijuana task force. Doctor Finn,
18:15 welcome to Washington Watch. An honor to have you with
18:18 us. Thank you so much for the time. I appreciate it.
18:22 Okay. Let's start with you. If you could just share with us how this whole scheduling thing works and specifically, the difference between the schedule 1 and schedule 3. What does that
18:33 mean?
18:34 Well, schedule 1 are are substances that have no proven medical value. Schedule 3 products are kind of in the similar, realm of testosterone
18:46 and ketamine, but they're they're regulated. We have dosing guidelines. People are generally accept them as have medicinal properties. And despite the fact that there may
18:58 be some medicinal components to the plant, rescheduling raw marijuana despite the fact the FDA has never approved a single medical condition for the use of raw cannabis, I
19:10 I'm really under I'm not really understanding why they made this kind of rapid move, without really following the science. And there's no dosing guidelines
19:22 for raw cannabis. There's no package insert where you can look at the warnings and precautions. There's no information for providers to understand drug drug interactions. I think it's gonna spell
19:34 disaster. And if you run an experiment, you should care about the outcome. So I don't even I don't even call this an experiment. I I really call it human experimentation.
19:43 Wow. Those are some powerful, powerful, comments and points and enormously significant questions that you bring to the table. And yet in the midst of all that, the the announcement,
19:55 that came out yesterday from the DOJ, they said that, their moves are are going to expand Americans' access to medical, which you just questioned, but medical treatment options.
20:07 And, they said that it would ultimately provide patients with better care and that it would provide doctors with more reliable information. Sound like you have some major question marks
20:19 in, all those regards. How would you respond?
20:23 Well, I I do have some concerns about this because the products in the medical dispensaries are the same products in the recreational dispensaries. The concerns I have are contamination. I mean,
20:35 we get recalls in Colorado product that has maybe arsenic or mold or, fungus on it, and the recall say, well, today's April 20 fourth, so return your product from November to February.
20:46 But those products have already been consumed, so any damage, is already done. So I really think, you know, I'm I'm all 100 percent behind research. I mean, give me a cannabinoid that's purified,
20:58 noncontaminated, goes head to head for with an opioid, for example, and proven to be effective, and I'll bite off up on that all day. But the fact of the matter is that these products are not well regulated. They're not
21:09 well tested for contaminants like pesticides. And I think that we really need to do a better job on this before I mean, we're building the plane while we're flying it, and I think we need to do a better job. And any
21:21 policy really should follow the science, not public interest, not money, etcetera.
21:26 Yeah. You know, and a a lot of folks, I think, rightfully so, realize that marijuana use certainly has negative consequences. So why don't you just
21:38 kinda lay that out for us? Just how dangerous can marijuana be?
21:44 Well, mayor people are not going to die by stop breathing like an opioid will. And I know president Trump called fentanyl a, weapon of mass destruction, but he didn't take it
21:56 to the next level where we published a paper showing that fentanyl death rates were higher in marijuana states than non marijuana states. So what is really the weapon of mass destruction? And
22:07 and we can talk for a long time on this issue. If you if you talk all the way from in utero exposures and what happens to those offspring, you talk about pediatric poisonings that are on the rise all across the country
22:18 when they go down this road. You talk about adolescent use and addiction. And although the adolescent use rates have remained flat, there's been information like out of California recently that after legalizations,
22:29 adolescents were using more. You get into the realm of health care utilization. I mean, sometimes I think our state leaders can't spell p and l. They talk about money, money, money all the time and how much they're gonna
22:39 get. But every state that went down this road, marijuana revenue was less than 1 percent of the state budget. So it's not a cash cow, and we haven't done a good job with the legal drugs we already have. I mean, alcohol
22:50 and tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. And so why are we just simply adding another addiction for profit industry that we know is creating harm? I mean, we already have a stressed out health care
23:02 system, and now people are ending in the emergency room with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, strokes, heart attacks, sudden death. I mean, people don't realize that and never believe anything
23:14 that when somebody says marijuana has never killed anybody. That is not true. Marijuana has never caused anybody to overdose from stop breathing, but it does have other harm. I mean, driving related fatalities on the
23:25 rise in these states that that went down this road. Geriatric poisonings are up 1800 percent in the state of California. When grandma get is given a little marijuana cupcake by their grandkids and ends up catatonic or
23:37 has a stroke or other event, and she's in ends up in the emergency department. So I think in personal opinion, having been speaking and reading about this for so long, the social impacts of marijuana
23:50 is broader and deeper than the other legal drugs we've done a terrible job with.
23:56 Well and I I wish we had more time to talk on this. We'll need to have you back to go further into it. Only 30 seconds or so. But this has not been a good experience for Colorado either, has it?
24:07 Absolutely not. I mean, for example, marijuana is the most prevalent substance found in completed teen suicide now. That never used to be the case.
24:17 And a lot
24:17 of states aren't even looking at that data. The state of Texas, for example, the number 1 substance found in a child neglect or abuse fatality by the perpetrator, either active or past use is marijuana
24:29 followed by nothing, followed by the usual suspects, like like opioids or methamphetamine. It's marijuana by the perpetrator, and a lot of states aren't looking at this data either. We need to have more time, of of
24:41 course, and I'm more than happy to come back at your convenience and and talk about all that.
24:45 Let's have you back. Doctor Kenneth Finn, vice president of the International Academy on the Science and Impacts of Cannabis. Fascinating discussion. Thank you for joining us. Alright, friends. Stay with us. Much more
24:57 Washington Watch right after the break.
25:01 For know that my redeemer lives. Job 19 25. God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep hold on
25:13 him. Acts 2 24.
25:16 Join Family Research Council in standing on the word. Visit f r c dot org slash bible for free resources to help your family follow the way. Jesus, the risen savior
25:28 of the world.
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
25:57 building in America. Since its inception and for decades following, several rooms throughout the capital, 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
26:33 representative of the people to give my attendance every Sunday morning when divine service is performed in the hall. President John Quincy Adams. Housing worship at the center of our capital
26:45 was a living representation of the role that biblical principles played as a cornerstone of our nation's foundation of faith.Show more
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