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The Fall of Assad and Its Implications 0:06 Good afternoon. I'm Victoria Marshall with the latest news from the Washington Watch news desk. Syrian rebel groups successfully toppled dictator Bashar Al Assad's regime this weekend.0:18 After 14 years of civil war, a coalition of armed rebel groups launched an offensive in late November. In a matter of days, they took nearly all of Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city.0:30 And on Sunday, the rebels officially seized control of Damascus, Syria's capital city. The rebels offensive officially ended 53 years of rule by the Assad family in Syria. On Sunday, Assad fled0:42 Syria and was granted political asylum in Moscow. These Syrian rebels are a coalition of different groups united under a Sunni Islamicist opposition entity backed by Turkey and0:53 designated as a terrorist organization by the US. President Joe Biden delivered a speech yesterday on the Assad's regime's collapse. Here's what he had to say.1:03 At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime1:15 is a fundamental act of justice. It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It's also a moment of risk and1:27 uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an1:39 opportunity to manage the risk.1:42 Biden said that with Assad's defeat, allies Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia are weaker. Also on Sunday, US Central Command announced it had conducted dozens of precision air strikes to1:54 eliminate ISIS camps in Central Syria. These strikes were part of an ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS in order to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations2:06 and take advantage of the situation to reconstitute in Syria. US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin spoke to reporters today about the air strikes.2:16 There's a potential that, elements in the in the, in the area such as ISIS could try to take advantage of this, of this opportunity and,2:27 and regain capability. And as you know, we we reported out that, we conducted some attacked some 75 targets, with a number of different2:39 platforms, and, and we're still evaluating the, the, the results. But I I I think that we're gonna find it. We've been pretty pretty successful. But that's that's focused on2:51 ISIS, to keep the pressure on ISIS and to deny them the ability to easily, research.International Reactions and Domestic News 2:58 President-elect Donald Trump is urging the United States to not intervene in the conflict. And in other international news, world leaders traveled to Paris Saturday to celebrate the reopening of3:10 Notre Dame Cathedral 5 years after a fire destroyed parts of the historic landmark. President-elect Donald Trump was in attendance. This was his first international trip since being3:22 reelected to the White House. Trump also met with French president Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky. Zelensky is hoping to court Trump's favor as the former president3:34 has been a longtime critic of US aid to Ukraine. Trump also met with Britain's Prince William at the British ambassador's residence in Paris. And in domestic news, earlier3:45 today, a Manhattan jury found Daniel Penny not guilty in the subway choke hold death of Jordan Neely. Penny was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide. A charge that could have put3:57 him in prison for up to 4 years. Penny's acquittal comes after the judge tossed out the manslaughter charge against him after jurors said twice they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. The4:09 case against Penny rose after Penny put mentally ill Neely in a choke hold on a subway train after he's starting to threaten passengers. Neely lost consciousness and later died. Penny's4:21 defense attorneys argued their client was justified in rushing to protect subway riders when he subdued Neely. And those are today's headlines. I'm Victoria Marshall. Up4:33 next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We'll see you tomorrow with more news.4:50 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 and5:02 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.5:10 This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus Damascus offers great opportunity, but also is fraught with significant dangers.5:22 That was Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to the to the Assad regime that fell over the weekend. Welcome to Washington Watch. I'm Tony Perkins. We are living in 1 of the most5:33 unsettled moments of the 20 first century. Consider just the events of the past week. France ousted its prime minister. South Korea's president narrowly avoided impeachment over the weekend. Also, over the weekend,5:44 president-elect Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. And after 50 years of dictatorial rule, Syria's ass Assad family is out. Bashar al Assad, whose5:56 government was toppled by rebel forces, has repeated has reportedly fled to Russia where he has sought asylum. Well, to unpack all of these developments and more, we're gonna be joined today by Tennessee congressman6:08 Tim Burchett, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Also, FRC's executive vice president, retired lieutenant general Jerry Boykin, will help us analyze the implications of the Assad fall for the Middle East6:20 and beyond. And freelance war correspondent Chuck Holton will be reporting from Ukraine where he's just returned from the front lines. And FRC's Ken Blackwell just returned from Ukraine, and he'll join me in6:31 studio with his insights. And pastor Kyung Won Song will offer a unique perspective on the political and spiritual dynamics unfolding in South Korea. And finally, we'll6:43 also discuss the key victories in the newly released National Defense Authorization Act, which is aimed at restoring our nation's military to its focus of fighting and winning wars. And6:55 you were a part of that. We're gonna talk about that more in just a moment. All of this and more coming up on this Monday edition of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Well, during this pivotal time from now until7:06 January the twentieth, we invite you to join us for Operation Prayer Shield. As I said right after the election, the world was gonna become even more volatile, and guess what? It has. And so we have a collective7:19 prayer effort. Thousands of Christians across this country and literally around the world are joining to pray during this very volatile and dangerous time. And you can join us. Simply text7:30 shield, that's s h I e l d, to 6 7 7 4 2 6 7 7 4 2, the word shield, and you'll receive prayer alerts and more information on7:42 how you can pray specifically into what is happening right now. Again, that shield to 6 7 7 4 2. Alright. As I mentioned yesterday, Islamist rebel forces inMiddle East Dynamics and US Military Focus 7:54 Syria took control of the country's capital city Damascus and then and announced the end of the brutal 5 decade long rule of the Assad family. Now the historic moment was a surprise to the international8:05 community and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East and beyond. Now what will it mean for the people in Syria and for that region? Join me now to discuss this and much more, congressman Tim Burchard. He serves8:17 on 3 house committees, including the foreign affairs committee. He represents the second congressional district of Tennessee. Congressman Burchard, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.8:28 Thanks for having me on, brother.8:30 So the Assad family, that regime has been in power for most of your life and mine, so it's not hyperbole to say that the ousting of this dictator was a historic moment.8:42 What does it mean?8:44 Well, it means a lot of things, really. It's, the devil devil we know versus the devil we don't know. We do know that ISIS played a major part in this. They're releasing a lot of8:56 ISIS fighters that were being held. He was holding them in prisons. You know, Israel, of course, is fighting Hezbollah. Russia is fighting Ukraine.9:08 They're a lot of these folks are weakened right now. They're so weak. You know, Russia couldn't do anything about it. And, of course, he's Assad's over there in Russia right now. We think his family is. So it's there's a9:20 lot of things going on. I would caution folks though, that I'm I'm worried about our Christians that are in this country that obviously are gonna9:31 be, I'm afraid there could be some beheadings and things like that. We're not really sure. There's unconfirmed reports and things like that going on right now. So there's a lot of going on. There's a lot of9:43 players that are involved. You know, I don't think we're ever gonna figure this thing out for a little while anyway. I I worry too because Joe Biden's already talking about rebuilding9:56 Syria, putting our billions of dollars over there. I'm more worried about rebuilding North Carolina and upper East Tennessee and parts of Hawaii.10:04 Let's talk about a minute, just for a moment what you said, you know, the the devil we know versus the devil we don't know. This is not a, this is not a new movie. I mean, in fact, this10:16 is this is a sequel that we've seen time and time again in the Middle East. I mean, isn't this what we had with Libya with, Gaddafi? I mean, we he's out. I mean, he's a bad guy, but at least he was a manageable bad10:28 guy. I think that's the way we have seen, Bashar al Assad. Now who's in control?10:35 Well, like you said with Gaddafi, when when Reagan sent a cruise missile into, I think, 1 of his girlfriend's tents, I believe he got the message and you saw him back off of all his shenanigans.10:47 And and, yeah, the trouble is right now, we don't know who's in control. And and that's that's a volatile situation. You've got some radical, as you can see, some radicals that10:58 are, what we've we think is several radical factions have have come together, and and they are putting us in a very bad predicament, I feel11:10 like. I worry about of course, you're always in the Middle East. You're always our thoughts are about what's going on with Israel right now. And, and what he just he just heard from the head11:22 man of Israel just before me saying, that this could be some very, might be some good times, but he was very cautious, I thought. I thought he's very diplomatic and everything. I listen to what11:34 he says more than any world leader because he's always, if you hear what he says, not just how he says it, but but, he there's always some underlining meaning there, and I think he11:46 was just sort of in a wait and see pattern.11:49 Yeah. And his words always have meaning, because he puts them into action. Speaking of that, I wanna play a clip of, of our president, Joe Biden, today,12:00 basically, assuming well, it sounds as if he's taking credit for, what has happened with the fall of, Bashar al Asir. Let's, play clip 4, please.12:13 For years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. But over the last week, their support collapsed, all 3 of them. Because all 3 of them12:25 are far weaker today than they were when I took office.12:29 Is that a coincidence?12:32 I'd say it had very little to do with him, his involvement. You know, Trump understood the economic power, the sledgehammer that is America. And, this bunch, it's just it's12:44 just kind of a random thing. It's just unlimited dollars to people that would be suspect and then our friends do without, I feel like, in some instances. So I, the the coin12:56 there is no coincidence that those 3 are weakened, and then that, I felt like they couldn't they couldn't back him up anymore. They got their own problems in their own countries as well. So I13:08 I think that's true. But to think that he had very much to do with it to me is, is almost laughable.13:15 Congressman Bashar al Assad, very favorable toward the Russians. Obviously, we talked about he has, sought asylum there in Russia, friends with Putin. Russia had military bases that they were placing in Syria. It was13:27 becoming a strategic place for them having a foothold in the Middle East. What does this mean now for Russia?13:34 Well, I think it it indicates that their, their power is what we've said many times. You know, their GDP is somewhere between Canada and France. I just don't feel like they are or have been for quite some13:46 time. The threat that that the people over here that wanna sell missiles and, the war industrial war complex. This is a Christian show, so I won't say what I13:57 generally call them, But they are they're we're clearly in play in all this. And I feel like we've, you know, just proves about Ukraine. They don't have the power over there, and we14:09 don't need to be in their business. Again, we are in people's business. We don't have any place of being. And if we start talking about rebuilding Syria and groups14:21 like ISIS are in charge, I think we're in we're, clearly making a strategic error. I wanna remind everybody, you know, I have legislation dealing with that we're sending14:33 millions of dollars every week to the Taliban. Your tax dollars are doing this. And it's a very, I mean, it's very not even a circuitous route. It's it's14:44 almost direct. And and so this this White House is, to me, is is is out of control.14:54 Well, we're funding our enemies.14:56 Exactly. They'll they'll hide us for free. We don't need to pay them anything. And, again, we're gonna be doing that very same thing. If you think we're gonna rebuild Syria and then ISIS is gonna be friends of this15:07 country, you are gravely mistaken. Right. Only thing they respect is the tip of the sword.15:12 Yeah. None of our dollars need to be going there. I I wanna switch gears. Speaking of our military congressional leaders over the weekend after working to arrive at a deal on the defense National Defense15:24 Authorization Act, They have language and it appears pretty good. A lot of the more controversial woke items have been removed. Your thoughts?15:32 Well, as you know, I voted against that most times just because of those very things. If we if we get some indication that they are clearly out, and that's something I can support. But if we're gonna15:45 tie Donald Trump's hands with a bunch of garbage that demoralizes our military, you know, when when you have men in skirts that are actively recruiting or promoting our military, that15:56 tells me that we are out of touch with what's going on with mainstream America and red blooded American boys and girls. And parents don't wanna send their kids into a military that has that those type of capabilities and16:08 leadership. And if we're using money, your tax dollars in the military for sex change operations and things like that, that needs to be exposed and it needs to be removed.16:19 Yeah. I I think that explains why the military is having difficulty meeting their recruiting numbers is because people don't want to send their kids and kids don't wanna join. I mean, in in in something that has16:30 lost its mission and its focus. Now, as we have reviewed the language over the weekend and I've I've been communicating with the speaker, the draft, our daughter's language is not in there.16:42 It does appear that all the transgender funding is, is out as well in terms of the funding the surgeries and, for the children and the, gender16:54 mutilation services that are being asked for. So, it's better. We'll have to see. It's a pretty big bill, and it's gonna take a little time to to read through it.Ukraine Conflict and Spiritual Warfare 17:04 It doesn't have if it's not clean of that stuff hundred percent, I won't be voting for it because, you know, we we do that with the abortion and allowing them to using your tax dollar, allowing people to travel to other17:15 states where abortion is legal. To me, it's just it just goes around the original intent of states rights and and, throwing out of Roe v Wade.17:25 Agreed. And there are many fronts that that battle has to be fought on in the next, I I hope hundred days we see some of those issues addressed. Because if the the persuasion is that the states17:37 if the issue of protecting life is with the states, which I don't necessarily just agree with that position. I believe all of us need to protect the unborn. But if it is, in fact, the right of the states to protect the17:49 unborn, we need to make sure we're not trampling on the right of those of the states.17:52 Something you just said reminded me. I was at an event way out of my district in Nashville this weekend. I was asked to come speak to packed hundreds of people there. And I said, the victory lap is over. It's time to get18:04 to work. And people cheered because I think they realized, that, you know, we we've got our work cut out for us now.18:10 Yes.18:10 This doge stuff is everybody realizes that that we've got we got a few, you know, foxes in the hen house that are gonna boat us down the river. And you know it, and I know it, and we18:22 got a clean house.18:24 Absolutely. Tim, always great to see you. Thanks so much for, joining us today. Keep up the great work.18:29 Thank you, brother. And the reason they're firing at y'all is because you're over the dadgum target. Keep it up, brother.18:35 Alright. Take care.18:36 Let's save our country.18:37 Amen. Tim Burchard from Tennessee. Alright. After the break, I'll be joined by freelance war correspondent Chuck Holton who's in Ukraine just coming back from the front line. Stay tuned for more.18:52 The throne of Jesus Christ is unchallenged. His name was never on the ballot to begin with, and it's never gonna be on the ballot. He's the king of kings and he's the lord of lords, and nothing's gonna change19:03 that. And so our mission stays the same, preach the gospel, make disciples, get ready for heaven. In the meantime, that we're to advance the concerns of the kingdom of god here on earth.19:15 America has entered a critical and vulnerable period from now until January the twentieth. Join Family Research Council for Operation Prayer Shield, a 10 week prayer initiative for our nation. From now until January19:26 twentieth, our country faces global challenges, a transition of leadership, and a lame duck session of congress. This season calls for a heightened spiritual vigilance, discernment, and prayer. Text the word shield to 619:38 7 7 4 2 to join us. You'll have access to prayer points, scripture, prayer calls. Text shield to 6 7 7 4 2. Unite with us and pray for our nation.19:51 Let's not be discouraged. Don't lose heart. Don't lose the faith. Stand now strong because the lord has given us the great privilege of living in a time when our choices matter, when our lives matter, when our20:03 courage matters. So let's stand together and save this great country. God bless the United States of America.20:09 The American Republic has a freedom like no other. It has roots in the scriptures, far more than any other heritage. And if we as followers of Jesus20:21 and conservatives don't defend it,20:24 Who will? Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, if we just don't say the wrong thing, that that somehow we will20:35 come out of this unscathed. You're naive if you think that. Because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.20:47 Part of the dilemma of Christianity in21:00 open doors that we can't open and do things that we can't even hope to begin to do.21:05 This may not be an easy task, but we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. And we know always that we are not alone, that his21:17 spirit empowers us and protects us, and that he can do the unimaginable. Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to happen.21:27 Father, we thank you. You have entrusted us with this moment in history, and I pray that we would be found faithful. And that as a result of our faithfulness to you, that thousands, millions would come into the21:39 kingdom as they would experience the forgiveness of sin and the new life that is found only in Jesus Christ. Amen.21:53 Welcome back to this Monday edition of Washington Washington. To join our prayer effort, text the word shield to 6 7 7 4 2. If you're not already prompted to pray, by the end of the program, you will be.22:05 President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have already begun laying the groundwork for his incoming administration's diplomatic efforts on a host of international issues, 1 of them being Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian22:16 president Volodymyr Zelensky met with president-elect Trump for their first in person discussion since president Trump's decisive victory last month. Now the meeting, which was about a half22:28 hour long, was, good and productive according to a tweet by Zelensky. He added, quote, we all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way, end quote. So22:40 what might the coming Trump administration, how might the Trump, in administration impact this war between Russia and Ukraine? Joining me now to discuss this is freelance22:52 war correspondent, Chuck Holton, who, is in Ukraine. In fact, he's traveling now traveling back from the front lines of the conflict. Chuck, great to see you. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining23:04 us.23:05 Thank you, Tony. Glad to glad to be here.23:07 Now I know you're on the road traveling back. What what is the latest, in this conflict, this war between Russia and Ukraine?23:15 Well, we just came from the eastern front lines just to the east of Kramators today where we went out with a chaplain to visit the troops along the front line23:27 and, bring them some Christmas goodies and, just some some encouragement out there. And I I talked to a a bunch of troops, who have been out23:39 there for the whole war, many of them. 1 1 guy told me he'd seen his family 3 times in the last 12 months, and they are living in23:51 very miserable conditions out there. You can imagine it's very cold here about, what is it right now? 29, 30, 30 degrees, something like that. And they're living24:03 in holes in the ground, and just being pounded by artillery and drones the entire time. We actually saw some of those drones today, and we're24:15 in between artillery barrages going back and forth. So in talking to those guys, I, first of all, wanted to gauge what their sentiment is about the war. And they're tired, but they are, for the most24:27 part, still very committed to trying to finish this war in a way that will ensure that their children will never have to go fight this war again sometime in the future.24:39 And what the they don't want to do is affect a, Afghanistan style pullout, you know, by trying to declare the war to stop without it24:51 actually being over, which is what they're being pressured to do from many sides. And, so while they are exhausted, they're very tired, and they would very much like the war to end.25:03 They don't want it to end in a way that, negates all of the sacrifices that have been made already. Secondly, I asked them what they hoped that Donald Trump would do about it, and you would think25:15 from, some of the, you know, comments made by people on the right in the and during the election cycle about, abandoning Ukraine, they would have been pretty reticent to support him,25:26 but they're actually excited to have Donald Trump, take, excuse me, take office. And, they are really hoping that25:38 he will be able to do something to make a difference.25:42 So so is there a sense as he is calling for a ceasefire for an end of this war that that means he's going to be applying pressure to the Russians, as well? Is that their take on this?25:54 Well, he would have to to get them to come to the negotiating table because right now, Vladimir Putin's not really it is, his what what he says has to26:06 happen in order for there to be a deal is essentially for Ukraine to lose. And so, yeah, if Ukraine gives up, then, yeah, we'll stop fighting. And, obviously, that's a nonstarter26:18 for the Ukrainians. Russia has already got a lot of pressure on it in terms of their economy and the sheer cost of this war. The last month,26:30 a lot of media outlets were saying that, Russia has taken more ground in November than in any other month since the beginning of the war. However, what that represents26:42 is only 1 8 hundredth of the remaining land in Ukraine. And so at the rate they're going, it would take them about 66 years to take the rest of Ukraine. And at the losses they're sustaining to26:54 do that, they would lose 32000000 soldiers in the process over that 66 year period. So, obviously, that's not sustainable for them. They're losing upwards of, a thousand,27:05 1500, even 2000 soldiers a day in this conflict. And so while they are making gains, it's super costly. And, what the Ukrainians we talked to are hoping27:17 is that Donald Trump can put some pressure on Russia by threatening to, like, open the spigots of oil production in the United States, drive down the cost of oil because Russia27:29 is already selling oil at a 30 percent discount, and they wouldn't be able to survive.27:34 That's that's a real possibility. I I think that will happen. And and I think that will have a greater impact, not just on Russia, but that's gonna affect Iran. That's gonna affect a lot of in the geopolitical27:47 sphere internationally. But from from the Ukrainian perspective, what would be acceptable in terms of bringing this war to an end?27:57 Many of them have said to me today, we understand that we are not strong enough to take back Crimea, and we're not going to win a war of attrition against Russia being much bigger than we are. And28:08 so we're willing to, make a deal now and hope that at some point, we'll be able to diplomatically be able to get back our territories that are28:20 being, occupied. But some of the soldiers we talked to said, you know what? I've got family that are in the occupied areas. And so, no, I'm not willing to just abandon them, to the28:32 vagaries of Russian occupation and wait for a diplomatic solution. So there was some disagreement among the troops on that.28:40 Chuck Holt, we just have about a minute left. The the sense of believers, of Christians there on the ground, what what's the what's the spiritual situation like?28:50 We talked to a pastor who is also a chaplain of the Good News Church in Kramators, which is right, about 7 miles from the front lines. And he said that before the war, they had29:02 700 people going to their church. It's an evangelical church in Ukraine. And that when the war started, everybody fled, but there were a lot of people, in the city of Kramatorsk who stayed behind29:14 that were not churchgoers. And they started coming to the church looking for help and assistance, And they they were able to get that help and assistance, whether it was clothing, food, supplies, whatever.29:26 And so he said, we have a entirely new church of about 200 people now who are coming to our church that never came to church before. So God's using it in a good way.29:36 Chuck Holton, thank you for, joining us. Stay safe, and we'll be praying for you and, all of the folks there in Ukraine. Alright, folks. Stick with us. On the other side of the break, general Jerry Boykin joins us.29:48 Don't go away. It begins here, and here, and here, every day. Before youShow more In this video 0:06 The Fall of Assad and Its Implications2:52 International Reactions and Domestic News7:47 Middle East Dynamics and US Military Focus17:04 Ukraine Conflict and Spiritual Warfare29:51 Global Challenges and the Power of Prayer
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