Skip to content 8/13/2025 Addressing Topics of Concern to Americans and Responding Biblically to Attacks on the Church Aug 13 · 59 min ...more
8/13/2025 Addressing Topics of Concern to Americans and Responding Biblically to Attacks on the Church
August 13, 2025 · 59 min
Preparing for the Trump and Putin meeting, reclassifying marijuana’s drug status, responding to church violence, and addressing safety protocols for abortion drugs and the interstate shipping of them.
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.
August 13, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Preparing for the Trump and Putin meeting, reclassifying marijuana’s drug status, responding to church violence, and addressing safety protocols for abortion drugs and the interstate shipping of them. ...more Show the full description Show less Preparing for the Trump and Putin meeting, reclassifying marijuana’s drug status, responding to church violence, and addressing safety protocols for abortion drugs and the interstate shipping of them.
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In this video 0:00 Political Turmoil and Global Diplomacy3:40 National Security and Social Policies18:40 Faith, Family, and Cultural Challenges39:45 The Fight for Life and Public Health
1:40 goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war. And the president said at this podium yesterday when he joined all of you in the room that he hopes in the
1:51 future there can be a trilateral meeting with these 3 leaders to finally bring this conflict to an end. Zelensky has made himself clear. As he said, any decisions made without Ukraine
2:03 are dead decisions that will never work. But Trump doesn't seem to faze.
2:09 I'm gonna meet with president Putin, and we're gonna see, what he has in mind. And if it's a fair deal, I'll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the,
2:21 NATO leaders and also to president Zelensky. I think out of respect, I'll call him first, and then I'll call them after.
2:30 We'll watch closely to see what comes of Friday's meeting. In the meantime, Illinois is trying to trail blaze and they're raising eyebrows in the process. Governor JB Pritzker has
2:41 signed into law annual mental health screenings in schools mandatory for all students grades third through twelfth. It will be overseen by the board of education and the goal is to
2:53 spot early signs of depression, anxiety, or trauma. Illinois is the first state to roll out this kind of program and it won't go into effect until 20 27.
3:05 But there's already been a lot of backlash. Critics are crying overreach warning that kids stressed about algebra or grumpy from early mornings could be misdiagnosed
3:17 as mentally unwell. And the greater fear is that teens might get pushed into using antidepressants or other medical interventions they don't need. Going forward, the
3:29 question is whether the backlash will cause Illinois to backtrack or will other states adopt similar policies of their own. It's too soon to say so we'll
National Security and Social Policies
3:41 shift to 1 last story for today. Are you aware that Superman has joined border patrol? The actor who played him anyway. Well, it turns out he's not the only 1. More than a
3:53 hundred thousand everyday Americans have decided to join ICE to help locate, arrest, and deport illegal immigrants. Sure. An attractive 50000 dollar signing bonus,
4:05 student loan forgiveness and other perks fueled by Trump's 1 big beautiful bill don't hurt. But word on the street is that many of these Americans just want to keep their country
4:16 secure. And those are today's headlines. I'm Sarah Holliday. Dive deeper with the Washington Stand at WashingtonStand dot com. Watch this and other news on the Stand Firm mobile
4:28 app and follow us on social media for updates at FRCDC. Up next is Washington Watch with guest host Jody Heiss. We're back tomorrow with more stories that matter.
4:51 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
5:02 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.
5:10 Well, good afternoon, and welcome to this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. I am Jody Heise, senior fellow here at the Family Research Council and extremely honored to be filling in this
5:22 month for Tony. Alright. Coming up on today's edition, president Donald Trump had a dire warning for Vladimir Putin earlier today, and that
5:34 applies specifically if Putin does not stop his war on Ukraine. Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your
5:45 meeting on Friday? Yes.
5:47 They will. Yeah. What will the There will be consequences.
5:50 Sanctions tariffs?
5:51 There will be I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences.
5:56 Wow. So what could those severe consequences potentially be? Well, congressman and retired US army brigadier general Scott Perry will be joining me in just a moment with those
6:08 possible options. Also, earlier this week, president Trump announced what at least to some is very surprising news regarding marijuana.
6:18 There's reporting that the administration is going to reclassify marijuana. Would that send mixed messages that if marijuana is okay, drugs are some drugs are okay, but we're trying to clean up crime? How do they go hand
6:28 in hand?
6:28 We're only looking at that. That's early, but we're looking at reclassification, and we'll make a determination over the next, I would say, over the next few weeks. And that determination hopefully will be the right 1.
6:39 Very complicated subject, the you know, the subject of, marijuana.
6:44 That was president Trump this past Monday announcing that his administration was reexamining the classification of marijuana. Well, what could that potential impact be? Well, smart
6:56 approaches to marijuana's CEO Kevin Sabette will be joining me later to discuss that. And then as the program continues, the reality of hostility against churches here at home is sadly
7:08 still alarmingly high. Ever since Family Research Council has started tracking this disturbing trend some 7 years ago, Well, Pastor James Leeser of Providence Baptist Church in Williamstown,
7:20 Missouri is going to be joining me to share how his church and parsonage were destroyed by an arsonist attack last year. And trust me, you you need to hear that story. And also the
7:32 left has a vested interest in ensuring that women are kept in the dark about the dangers of the abortion drug mifepristone.
7:40 They're told that it'll be a little worse than a period when in reality, the the ones who've had children before say, I felt like I was in labor again, and I'm at home. These women have no ongoing
7:52 medical care. They're at home in their dorms, their bathrooms, their apartments, and they're delivering babies sometimes the size of the palm of their hand. It's horrific substandard care.
8:05 That was doctor Susan Bain. She is the vice chair of the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She was talking about the dangers of this abortion drug,
8:17 and yet the reality is that blue state abortion is trying to ship that drug into red states. Well, Doctor. Michael Neu will be here to unpack this new and troubling research
8:29 study that shows over 80 percent of these abortion drugs are indeed being sent to pro life states, defying the pro life protections in those places.
8:45 Attorney generals are calling on the FDA to reinstate the previous safeguards for abortion drugs. So we've got a lot coming your way in the next hour. I'm sure you don't want to miss any part of it, but
8:57 if you do, you can catch it at our website tony perkins dot com. And of course, there's lots of other info and resources there for you as well. Tony perkins dot com. Also, don't forget coming up October
9:09 seventeenth and eighteenth in Chino Hills, California. Our annual pray vote stand summit will be there. You can go right now and register, or if you'd like to get some more information at pray vote
9:21 stand All right, let's jump into the details that we have for you today. Earlier today, while fielding questions from reporters at the Kennedy Center in
9:33 DC, President Trump Severe consequences, if President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war in
9:45 Ukraine. And of course, these comments are coming just a couple of days before the 2 of them will be meeting face to face I'm in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss hopefully the end of the war. I'm in the war. I'm in the war.
9:56 I'm in the war. I'm in the war. I'm in the war. I'm in the war. I'm in the war. I General, Scott Perry. He serves on several House committees,
10:08 including the Oversight Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He represents the tenth congressional district, I'm a General Perry, welcome back to
10:20 Washington Watch. Always great to see you, my friend.
10:23 Jody, great to be with you and interesting times, of course, on the eve shortly of the summit in Alaska between our president Donald Trump and and Vladimir
10:35 Putin. And I think the president is giving him an advance warning, a taste of what might be on the table. Look, I think the president is kind of at the end of his rope with Vladimir Putin.
10:47 He's tried to be as reasonable as he can with him for the past essentially 9 months now, 8, 9 months. And Vladimir Putin has continued the violence in Ukraine. The president's sick of it.
10:59 And, so I think what's on the table for Vladimir Putin is having his economy wrecked, by the United States of America who's the hottest economy on the planet right now. As you know, everybody's coming to the
11:11 United States of America for trade deals, and literally, this president has the ability to shut off Vladimir Putin's ability to do business with the rest of the reasonable world. And when that happens, the
11:23 Russian people are gonna suffer for this war in Ukraine. And I don't think that Vladimir Putin really wants to endure that, but I think the president's basically telling mister Putin he's ready to impose that on him if
11:34 he's not gonna get reasonable about coming to a resolution in Ukraine.
11:40 So you think, the the economic pressure. Are are you hopeful with that tool in president Trump's box? Are you hopeful that potentially, this
11:52 meeting, Friday, will lead us closer to peace?
11:55 I absolutely am hopeful. And I think that, you know, from president Trump's standpoint, he doesn't want to send troops, to Ukraine. Americans don't support that. I think Vladimir Putin knows that, and he's
12:07 been playing that card for as long as he can. But I think that the president has taken some time to shore up the United States economy to show the rest of the world who the big dog is in town, including China.
12:19 And now the president is willing to unleash that awesome capability and ability that the United States has economically to cripple Russia. And remember, Russia, while it might be
12:31 1 of those countries that we consider 1 of the larger countries in the world, not only geographically, but politically, diplomatically, economically, militarily, they really aren't in the on the
12:43 same level with with us, for sure, economically or militarily. I think president Trump has been setting the table for some time, and now they're gonna sit at that table. And Vladimir Putin's gonna get a taste of
12:55 what he has coming to him unless he relents.
12:59 Well, I I I think, man, that were great points there, and I I think you're right. We've all seen just the way this war in Ukraine has gone that he does he's got a lot bigger bark than bite, it seems. It
13:11 would appear to me that this meeting would, of necessity, probably lead to additional meetings in the future. Would you agree with that? And do you think some of those meetings will
13:22 potentially involve, president Zelensky?
13:27 Yeah. The I think this is the initial serious sit down between these 2, and I think for president Trump to really get it into Putin's head about what, what's in store, he has to just meet 1 on
13:39 1. But as Vladimir Putin realized what he's gonna be facing, I think that he's gonna have to come to the table with Zelensky there. And I think that look. This is a a slow slow long process for
13:50 president Trump setting the table, setting the conditions for success, and this is just the beginning. I think this is the first, but this is not the last.
14:00 How does China fit into all of this? How heavily would if if president Trump goes forward with some economic tightening on on Russia,
14:12 how heavily will Putin lean on China for relief and help?
14:17 Well, look, there's a new alliance, as you know, between China, the Communist Party of China, and the oligarchs in Russia, including Putin in particular. It's very concerning. But China is also in a negotiation with the
14:28 United States of America, and they've got their own problems economically, demographically. And while they're posturing and doing a lot militarily, that's they're in a very fragile position as well.
14:40 And as president Trump flexes his muscle, they're gonna have to make a choice. And so while I think they'd like to signal there with Vladimir Putin, I I think that they're gonna be very cautious about getting involved,
14:52 anything more than rhetorically because I think that they'll be concerned that those those things that, that president Trump's are offering to Vladimir Putin could soon come home to China as well, and they simply
15:04 don't want that. They wanna stay absolved of this. They wanna help Putin as long as it's easy and doesn't cost them anything. But as soon as, as they're gonna have to start paying the price, I think they're gonna back
15:15 out very quickly, which leads me to believe that they will be very tepid in their public support for Putin going into this.
15:23 Very interesting. Well, president Zelensky met with, president Trump and leaders of several NATO countries virtually, today, I should say. Do you think that NATO
15:34 should and will probably have a a larger role in this whole peace settlement on the European continent?
15:43 Yeah. Obviously, NATO should have a larger role. This is in their backyard. This is the reason that NATO was set up to protect them from aggressive Russia even though that really hasn't happened, since the
15:55 end of the cold war. But let's face it. They haven't been forced to pay more for their military and secure their own defense until president Trump came along. He's made it real for them. This war in their
16:06 backyard has made it real for them. And so I think that they are going to that that they're supporting, Zelensky more and Ukraine more because they know they absolutely have to. Because if they don't, they
16:18 can't count on the United States to just come in and be the knight in shining armor and take care of their defense while they spend nothing on it, including manpower, equipment, military, military
16:30 activities, training, etcetera. Yeah. So I I think they've gotten the picture now. This is really more their fight than it is our fight, and so I think you're gonna see more and more coming from them, especially with the
16:42 backup of the United States economically, especially with things like, natural resources, fuel in particular, natural gas, oil, the the availability from the United States that they they aren't,
16:54 that they aren't blackmailed by by Russia. So I think that's a comfort to them, and I think it induces them to be more proactive against Russia.
17:04 I think it's also interesting that, president Trump had all those conversations today.
17:17 With him as this meeting goes gets underway on Friday. Before I let you go, congressman Perry, your thoughts on president Trump's public safety declaration there in, Washington DC?
17:29 Well, Jody, as a former member of congress who's read the constitution, I know that you know that article 1 says that, you know, actually, the congress can control the the Washington DC
17:42 and that it's a federal enclave. And, of course, president Trump has awesome power there to federalize the police and, and sweeping powers regarding the National Guard. President Trump knows it's the nation's capital.
17:54 It's the capital of the free world, and the Democrats aren't going to be allowed to run it into the ground and have people afraid to come to their capital from the United States of America or to visit the capital of the
18:06 United States from around the world because crime is running rampant. He's done with it. He's sick of it, and he's taking action. And it's appropriate, and it need to happen a long time ago. And, unfortunately, the
18:17 Democrats just are providing 0 leadership in this regard, so we're really happy that the president is doing it.
18:23 Thank you so much. Congressman Scott Pare, Pennsylvania, always an honor to see you, my friend. We appreciate you joining us today on Washington Watch.
18:32 Thank you, Jody. God bless you and your audience.
18:35 Thank you. Alright. Coming up next, president Trump is taking a new look at reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Smart approaches to marijuana CEO KevinShow more
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