Skip to content 4/28/2026 The King of England’s U.S. Trip, the FACE Act, SPLC Investigation, and Corrupt Teachers Unions Apr 28 · 59 min ...more
4/28/2026 The King of England’s U.S. Trip, the FACE Act, SPLC Investigation, and Corrupt Teachers Unions
April 28, 2026 · 59 min
Today’s Washington Watch covers King Charles III’s first U.S. trip as the U.K monarch. We also explore the status of gerrymandering Virginia, the FACE Act, a Congressional investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Washington state court targeting a Christian Ministry, and alarming news about teachers’ unions that have spent an excess of $1 billion on left-leaning political activism.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
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 28, 2026 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Today’s Washington Watch covers King Charles III’s first U.S. trip as the U.K monarch. We also explore the status of gerrymandering Virginia, the FACE Act, a Congressional investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Washington state court targeting a Christian Ministry, and alarming news about teachers’ unions that have spent an excess of $1 billion on left-leaning political activism. ...more Show the full description Show less Today’s Washington Watch covers King Charles III’s first U.S. trip as the U.K monarch. We also explore the status of gerrymandering Virginia, the FACE Act, a Congressional investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Washington state court targeting a Christian Ministry, and alarming news about teachers’ unions that have spent an excess of $1 billion on left-leaning political activism.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video 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.
In this video 0:00 News Roundup and King Charles' U.S. Arrival11:10 Capitol Hill: King Speech, FISA, Budget, and Virginia Gerrymandering21:54 British Perspective on King's Visit and US-UK Tensions32:01 FACE Act Weaponization and SPLC Indictment Exposed42:01 School Religious Liberty Win and Teachers Unions' Political Spending
News Roundup and King Charles' U.S. Arrival 0:00 Hello. I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and host of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Every day, we offer a biblical perspective on the news as well as insightful interviews with elected0:11 leaders, newsmakers, and culture experts. We have a great program planned for you today, but first, get up to speed on the top headlines with Washington Stan's news brief.0:26 Welcome to the Washington State News Brief. I'm Casey Harper bringing you today's big stories. A bombshell report alleges that Planned Parenthood coordinated with the Biden White House and used code language0:38 to divert COVID relief funds to the mega abortion business. You heard that right. Senator Joni Ernst published emails appearing to show that the Small Business Administration works to get0:50 these PPP loans to Planned Parenthood using code word Benghazi. Apparently, to hide what they were doing and prevent future Freedom of Information Act request from uncovering it by using1:02 these code words. Senator Ernst has called on the Department of Justice to investigate and she's not alone. 1 other news, president Donald Trump gave an update on negotiations with Iran today. The1:14 president posted on true social saying Iran is in a, quote, state of collapse and is struggling to find a leader they can agree upon. Of course, that has made striking a deal difficult. Negotiations remain
1:26 stalled as the US naval blockade continues to cripple Iran's economy, which relies heavily on shipping oil out of the Strait of Hormuz into the rest of the world. But on the topic of oil, a big
1:38 development today that will impact the US. The United Arab Emirates, the UAE, announced it is leaving OPEC and OPEC plus. OPEC is a coalition of a dozen oil producing nations with Saudi
1:49 Arabia as a de facto leader. And OPEC plus is a larger group of oil producers led by Russia. The US is notably absent from both despite being a major oil producer as well. Both
2:01 groups have the power to hold the world hostage with their political clout and control over the world's oil supply. The UAE's departure is a major loss for the oil exporting groups at a time when the Iran war has
2:13 caused a historic energy shock and unsettled the global economy. Iran is a member of OPEC but has choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for some of its fellow OPEC members. The surprising
2:25 loss of the UAE, a long time OPEC member, could create disarray and weaken the group that has at times been at odds with the US. The UAE exit from OPEC though is undoubtedly a big win for the
2:37 president. He's accused the organization of quote ripping off the rest of the world by inflating oil prices. We'll see if other countries follow the UAE's lead. Well, for our last story, King
2:49 Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House for a formal welcome today. The royals' 4 day visit is designed to strengthen the strained relationship 250 years since the US declared independence.
3:02 The president certainly kept to that theme saying the US has no closer friend than the British. The proceedings today were filled with pomp and ceremony and even a little humor.
3:11 Then you're going over to Congress and you're gonna make a speech that's gonna make everybody very envious of that beautiful accent of yours. Very elegant. He's a very elegant man.
3:23 Here in the shadows of monuments to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, honoring the British king might seem an ironic beginning to our celebration
3:35 of 250 years of American independence, but in fact, no tribute could be more appropriate. Long before Americans had a nation or a constitution,
3:47 we first had a culture, a character, and a creed.
3:52 But there was business to discuss as well. The visit has unfolded amid disagreements over the US Israeli war against Iran after president Trump repeatedly criticized Britain for declining to
4:04 support the offensive. President Trump recently personally attacked Keir Starmer. And the Trump administration has also been broadly critical of Europe for, among other things, its crackdowns on free speech.
4:16 Maybe this week we'll have that relationship, as the British say, on the mend. Well, that is today's news. I'm Casey Harper. You can dive deeper at the Washington Stand, which is Family Research Council's outlet
4:28 for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. You can also check out our longer conversations on the outstanding podcast online. Well, as for us, we're back tomorrow with more stories that
4:39 matter.
4:52 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
5:03 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.
5:10 Honoring the British king might seem an ironic beginning to our celebration of 250 years of American independence, but in fact, no tribute
5:22 could be more appropriate. Before we ever proclaimed our independence, Americans carried within us the rarest of gifts, moral courage, and it came from a
5:34 small but mighty kingdom from across the sea.
5:40 That was president Trump earlier today speaking about King Charles' visit as America is celebrating 250 years of independence from Britain. Welcome to this
5:52 Tuesday, April 20 eighth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host today, Jody Heissen. Honored to be filling in for the amazing Tony Perkins. Thank you so much for joining us. Alright. Coming up
6:04 today, King Charles the third became only the second British monarch to address the US Congress. We'll get a reaction to his speech from Virginia congressman, Morgan Griffith, in just
6:16 a few moments. And then later, Peter McElvaney will join us to break down what all this means for the future of the United States and the UK alliance. Plus, congressman Chip Roy will join us
6:28 to take a closer look at the FACE Act and the investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center. So all that and much more coming your way straight ahead.
6:44 King Charles the third is making history on Capitol Hill today during a 4 day state visit to the United States. He's now, as I mentioned, the second British monarch ever
6:56 to address the United States Congress. His speech was focused on renewing the special relationship between the US and the UK even as, global tensions with between the
7:08 2 and political divisions are certainly testing that alliance. But the speech followed a very high profile oval office visit with president Trump where both leaders
7:20 emphasized, the need for unity and the shared democratic values. And joining us now now is Washington Sam reporter Casey Harper. Alright, Casey. Let's, jump into this 1 first.
7:32 What's the significance of the king's visit, and what was his basic message to congress?
7:38 Yeah. Thanks, Jody. It is significant. It's both historic, but also it comes at a significant political time. Of course, it's a midterm election year, but the relationship between the UK and the US has been been
7:50 strained. But regardless, King Charles was welcomed at the White House with open arms and before congress with a standing ovation. He addressed the joint meeting of congress. We spoke of our shared ties as
8:02 2 nations with a common heritage, which was in that clip that you played. Now he also reinforced the US UK alliance and gave praise to NATO, which is important because president Trump has criticized NATO and the UK
8:13 recently. In fact, we have a clip here of the monarch.
8:17 Drawing on these values and traditions time and again, our 2 countries have always found ways to come together. And by jove, mister speaker, when we have found that way to
8:29 agree, what great change is brought about, not just for the benefit of our peoples, but of all peoples.
8:38 President Trump also spoke earlier today where he struck a similar tone and tied this visit to America's 200 and fiftieth birthday and really emphasized our our shared roots with the British Empire. And I can confirm,
8:49 Jody, nobody got tarred or feathered today. I had my eye out for red coats on the streets in DC, but didn't spot any.
8:57 No redcoats, but I tell you, the accent is amazing. It just makes you listen. It's it's it's wonderful. Casey, if I can, let me, turn to another story coming out of DC. What do we know
9:09 about the new criminal case that's involving former FBI director James Comey?
9:14 Yeah. This is a a big 1. Jody Comey has been indicted, but we don't have the formal charges yet. Here's a clip from acting attorney general Todd Blanche.
9:23 Today, a grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment against James Comey on 2 counts. The first count is an honor about May fifteenth of
9:35 last year. He knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily bodily harm upon the president of the United States. Count 2, same day, May fifteenth 20
9:47 25, that the defendant, James Comey, knowingly and willfully transmitting an interstate commerce, a communication that contained a threat to kill the president of the United States. Both of these counts
9:59 carry a maximum term of imprisonment of of 10 years.
10:04 So we do have, the the charges there. It's unclear if that list is gonna grow or if that's the full case. Now we know that this comes from that 20 25 social media post, which was very controversial. If you can remember
10:15 it, it featured those eggshells arranged as 86 47. Of course, 47 is a reference to president Trump, the 40 seventh president. And 86 is slang for get rid of, cancel, throw away,
10:27 depending on the context. Now Trump allies immediately viewed that as a coded reference targeting the president who, of course, has survived multiple assassination attempts, and they said that a top law enforcement,
10:38 officer like Comey should have known better. Now he's defended himself. He said he only intended this as a political message, not a violent threat, and he deleted it after the backlash. But there's a long history here
10:48 with Comey and the president. You remember that president Trump called Comey a dirty cop. So it'll be interesting to see how this case unfolds, Jody.
10:57 Well, thank you so much, Casey, for, bringing this to us, and I'm sure you'll be keeping a pulse on it. We appreciate it very much. Alright. Let's turn our attention now to Capitol Hill and discuss some of the latest
11:08 activities taking place there. Joining me now is congressman Morgan Griffith. He is the vice chairman of the all important House Rules Committee. He represents the ninth congressional district of
Capitol Hill: King Speech, FISA, Budget, and Virginia Gerrymandering
11:20 Virginia. Congressman Griffith, always great to see you, my friend. Welcome back to Washington Watch.
11:26 Always good to be with you.
11:29 Alright. Let's, begin if we can with the visit by King Charles. I wanted to get your thoughts on his address today to congress and and then beyond that a little bit, the state of the US UK
11:41 relations as we enter into our 200 and fiftieth anniversary.
11:45 Yeah. I thought that the king did a nice job. He talked about a lot of things that bring us together. He did mention a few things where there may be some disagreement, but he was mostly talking about, things that unite
11:57 us, like our our combined heritage with rights of individuals dating back to the Magna Carta and the common the English common law. And, so I thought it was a very good speech, and I thought it was very positive for
12:08 our relationship with the UK.
12:12 I think it is. It's gonna be, interesting to see how we go forward from here with some of the tension. If I can, congressman, let me let me turn the attention. You serve on the all important rules committee. You're, of
12:23 course, the vice chairman there. And you guys are looking at a lot of different measures right now, including FISA, the, foreign intelligence accountability Act, as well as the senate's
12:35 budget resolution. What what are some of the discussions that you're having that you can share with us that are important right now?
12:44 Well, there's no question the Democrats are in the process, and we're we're still meeting as I talk with you. And Democrats are offering amendment after amendment after amendment, trying to make sure that they embarrass,
12:55 Republicans in every way they can. I mean, you know, we're we're against, children. We're against mom and apple pie. Whatever they can throw out there to say that they're for it and we're against it. It
13:07 doesn't really matter what. And, it's both the Farm Bill, the the FISA. I mean, you name it. And they're just throwing everything, that they can get out there in the hopes that they can defeat 1 of us at the polls. And,
13:19 you know, hopefully, they won't be able to, but we had to take some tough votes. And we've also had to, do some things that, you know, you might not wanna do, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to defeat the
13:29 Democrats' overall purpose, which is just to defeat Republican bills and to defeat Republicans in November's elections.
13:36 Well, certainly, 1 of the really important issues that you you brought up is FISA. What is going to happen if the House Republicans are unable to come
13:48 together on FISA? What happens then?
13:52 Well, it's the 7 0 2 secondtion, and theoretically, it could go dark. I think we'll probably reach some resolution before we get there, but but it isn't it is an issue that we have to deal with and that we have to look
14:03 at.
14:05 So what about the, senate, budget resolution that's being received right now in the house? What do you think the future of that is?
14:13 I think it has a pretty good chance. It's fairly narrowly drawn, but we'll have to see. A lot depends on what we get done on everything, and people are looking at all of this as kind of a a package deal.
14:25 So we'll see how we come out these, various bills, but I think the budget's gonna be fine.
14:31 Wow. Well, that's encouraging to hear. What about the DHS funding? I mean, that's that's been a battle for a long, long time now. What do you think is, the future of that? Potentially
14:42 before leaving town this week, any chance of getting that funded?
14:47 I don't know that we get that resolved this week, because the the budget that the senate has sent over is step 1. They think that's enough, but we had to deal with the senate, back in December, Jan early January, and
14:58 they decided to change the deal. And so here we are. So their deal now is we'll do reconciliation, part 2. And as a part of that, the house is supposed to pass, you
15:10 know, whatever the senate wants on DHS, and, ICE funding. That's, that's part of the problem is we wanna make sure that they're actually gonna do their end of the
15:22 deal. But to get there, we have to pass this budget resolution first. So we'll do this, and hopefully, the senate can act fairly quickly on getting their part of the reconciliation done, working with us, and we can get
15:33 this thing finished.
15:35 How much more pressure is added to the whole process when you have, what took place, over the weekend, another plot to assassinate the president and some of his cabinet
15:47 and who knows who else? How much more pressure does that add to get funding for DHS? And I'm referring both to Republicans and Democrats.
15:57 Yeah. There's no question that adds, some time pressures that we need to get done. Right now, the president's able to supplement some of this, but we'll have to get it
16:09 done, fairly quickly in within the next couple of weeks in order to make sure we don't have any lapses.
16:16 Real quickly before I let you go, I wanted to get your take on the latest developments on Virginia's jandamera, jandermary gerrymandering. I can get it out in a moment.
16:28 The gerrymandering taking place in Virginia, this is just an absolute mess that that's going on there, and you certainly are tied up right in the middle of it all. I wanted to get
16:40 your opinion as to what's going on in the Supreme Court decision there. Give us the latest there.
16:47 Well, the latest is Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday, and then today, they refused a Democrat motion to lift the stay on the certification of the election results from last
16:59 Tuesday. I'm not sure you can read a whole lot into that, but it does indicate that they have, significant questions and that they are debating, the issue very seriously because they don't want the state board to certify
17:10 the election if the process getting to the election was invalid because it was unconstitutional or illegal. I think and I hope they will get to the point where they realize that was wrong and and the process
17:22 was wrong and that they will strike this. But, we'll have to wait and see. But today's ruling was was somewhat of
17:32 So do do you does this go beyond, at some point, the state supreme court? Do you think this is an issue that eventually will make it to the US supreme court?
17:41 I do not. Now there may be other issues. There's a case out of Fairfax that may have some federal overlay, but most of this is about the process in in Virginia under the Virginia constitution and the Virginia law.
17:54 Virginia law. So I don't see it going to the federal, court system at all. It could, I suppose, but I haven't seen an argument that that I would think was appropriate for that at this time.
18:05 Well, whether it, whatever happens from Virginia, this is certainly creating what appears to be a domino effect across the country that that we are have not seen the last of,
18:17 and we'll certainly be keeping an eye on it. As always, congressman Morgan Griffith, thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch. Always great to see
18:25 you on the Thank you, my friend.
18:26 Appreciate you coming on. Alrighty.
18:28 Appreciate it.
18:29 Alright. Coming up next, we're gonna go further into this this week's visit to the US by King Charles the third. But when we come back, we are going to get a perspective from a British
18:41 as to what does this mean for them and what does it mean for the US and UK
18:50 Watch.
18:52 I think all people really need to have this type of education.
18:55 Well, I can tell you that it's been an amazing course period.
18:58 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
19:10 with our work.
19:11 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 this
19:23 6 session video series, FRC president Tony Perkins equips participants with a practical understanding of civil government from a biblical world view.
19:34 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.
19:39 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.
19:47 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
19:58 to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical world view, which is what we really want.
20:04 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.
20:14 Even 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
20:25 school, 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.
20:35 Bring your homeschool group through it, and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead. View the course at f r c dot o r g slash god and government or on the
20:47 Stand Firm app.
20:52 When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for 1 people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another
20:59 and to assume among the powers of the earth
21:02 the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature
21:05 And of nature's god entitle them.
21:07 A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes
21:12 which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self evident. That all men are created equal.
21:20 That they're endowed by their creator.
21:22 With certain unalienable rights.
21:24 That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
21:28 That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.
21:31 Deriving their just powers from the consent
21:35 of the governed. Happy 200
21:37 and fiftieth. Happy 200 and fiftieth.
21:39 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
21:41 Happy 200 and fiftieth birthday, America.
21:43 May god bless America.Show more
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Tony Perkins93.9K followers
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.