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0:06 Good afternoon. I'm Victoria Marshall with a special edition of the Washington watch news desk. 20 24 was a historic year for the Middle East as the region continues to transform beforeMiddle East Conflict and Iran's Influence 0:18 our eyes. Here to discuss these changes is Joshua Arnold, a senior writer for the Washington Stand. Joshua, thanks so much for joining me today.0:28 Hi, Victoria. Happy to be here.0:30 So the most recent conflict began between Israel and Hamas as a result of Hamas's unprovoked terror attack against Israel on October seventh 20 23. Joshua, what's the0:42 latest on Israel's war with Hamas?0:46 That's right. Hamas attacked Israel without provocation early 1 Sabbath morning, killed about 1400 Israelis, burned and raped and kidnapped over0:58 200 hostages, which they dragged back to the Gaza Strip with them. And Israel resolved never to let Hamas do that again. So since then, they've been systematically destroying1:10 Hamas's infrastructure in Gaza. They've been, destroying any organized units of resistance. They've been hunting through Hamas's underground terror network.1:22 They've been identifying Hamas' atrocities and showing them to the world, getting closer to the point where Hamas will no longer be able to fight back. In addition, they've also eliminated some1:34 of Hamas' leaders, including its political leader while he was attending, a swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president in Tehran. They took him out with a bomb that they1:46 planted in an Iranian safe house.1:49 Wow. That's crazy. Speaking of Iran, Hamas is just 1 proxy group for Iran. How is Iran connected to this war?1:59 That's right. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, all of these groups around the Middle East are all funded by Iran and take orders from Iran. Iran is2:11 sort of the the puppet master that's pulling all of these strings, and using these as basically pawns in a long term, campaign to eliminate Israel2:23 as a nation state. So Iran is behind the war. And in fact, on 2 occasions, they have stepped into the war directly and fired missile barrages from Iranian soil at2:35 Israel, something we've never seen happen before.2:38 Wow. How has Israel responded to those missile barrages from Iran?2:43 They have responded by carrying out attacks against Iran on Iranian soil, which were, they they pulled their punches in a sense because of pressure from the US government.2:55 However, they have not pulled their punches against Iran's terror proxies, such as Hezbollah in, Lebanon, where they, essentially dismantled its3:07 command structure. They did a long term covert operation to, install bombs in Hezbollah's communication system and then simultaneously detonated the devices,3:19 injuring thousands of Hezbollah fighters in a single day. And they've they've pushed Hezbollah back in Lebanon and destroyed their rocket capabilities, to the point that Hezbollah is3:31 suing for peace with Israel.3:33 Wow. That's very impressive. So how has the war between Iran and Israel continue to expand? Has it expanded beyond what you just mentioned?3:44 That's right. 1 of the groups, the Houthis, are based down in, Yemen, which is, at the southern end of the Red Sea. They've engaged in piracy, which has, crippled shipping3:55 through their, damaging international trade. The war has also spilled over into Syria where Hezbollah and Iran, because they were so weakened, can no longer support the regime of Bashar al4:07 Assad who, recently fell to Islamist radicals.4:13 Wow. That's so interesting. Joshua, thanks so much for joining me for today's segment.4:20 Sure. Thank you.4:21 And that's today's segment. For more news and commentary, check out the Washington Stand at Washington Stand dot com. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We'll see you next4:33 time with more news and commentary.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 and5:04 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heise.Pray Vote Stand Summit and Christian Civic Engagement 5:12 Good afternoon, and welcome to this special edition of Washington Watch. I'm Jody Heise, a senior vice president here at the Family Research Council and president of FRC Action. So glad to have you with5:24 us. Well, with congress out right now, we wanna bring you some special content from our most recent pray vote stand summit. For those of you may not be aware, the pray vote stand summit5:36 is our annual event that draws Christian voters from all across America to our nation's capital. And the summit addressed some very important issues like religious freedom and gender ideology,5:48 election integrity, the military, protection of the unborn, the importance of the nuclear family, indoctrination of our nation's schools, and so so much more.6:00 Absolutely a phenomenal event. It was. Well, today, we're gonna share with you the addresses that were delivered by a couple of the speakers at the summit. Erin Hawley from Elias6:12 Defending Freedom and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who, of course, as you know, has been tapped by President-elect Trump to be his nominee for US ambassador to Israel. Well, together,6:24 they delivered powerful messages and drove home the 3 main action words that define our summit, which is to pray, to vote, and to stand. So we've got a great6:36 show for you today. And if you miss any part of it, of course, our website is tony perkins dot com, where you can find not only this edition of Washington watch, but6:48 lot of resources there for you. You don't want to miss. Please be sure to bookmark tony perkins dot com. And before we jump into this first segment, I want to encourage you to join us for Operation7:00 Prayer Shield as we prepare for the transition of leadership in Washington. We here at FRC believe that this season calls for a heightened spiritual vigilance and unity. So during7:12 this pivotal time, from now to January twentieth, 20 25, we invite you to join us in this collective prayer effort in which we'll seek God's7:24 divine protection and guidance. I encourage you to text the word shield And to do so, you'll receive7:35 weekly alerts, daily prayer points, and a whole lot more. Again, text the word shield to 67742.7:51 Pray Vote Stand Summit, drawing Christian voters from all across the country to our nation's capital. And again, if you missed it, we encourage you8:03 to download our stand firm app and go back and watch, the pray vote stand summit. Incredible. You get that app if you don't already have it by texting the word8:15 app, app, to 67742. But among the speakers at the summit was Erin Hawley. She's the senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life8:26 and Regulatory Practice at Alliance Defending Freedom. Erin, of course, is also the wife of US senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. And in her address, she shared the story behind the Dobbs8:38 decision that overturned the infamous Roe v Wade decision of 19 73. And she talked about where we are today in the battle for life. We'll start from her look8:50 back at the environment when Roe was first decided.8:53 So I wanted to start this morning with just a little bit about what brought us, to this day and this time, this moment in American history, and to this fight for life and for the family. So we have to9:05 start, with Roe. Roe was an egregiously wrong decision that overturned the pro life law of almost every single state. It's largely conceded that it was wrong. Professor9:17 at Yale and Harvard, John Hardyly talked about it being not constitutional law and barely giving any sense of trying to be constitutional law. Lawrence Tribe from Harvard says its reasoning was a quote, verbal9:29 smokescreen. Even the late justice Ginsburg criticized it for disrupting the democratic process. The 7 mill justices who authored and joined Roe said that it quote,9:41 forced upon women a distressful life and future. This was the vision of motherhood that gave us Roe. And yet, no 19:52 thought Roe would be reversed. If we think back to just months before the Dobbs oral argument, I I was at a debate with a professor from Columbia, and he had actually worked for the Reagan administration. So10:04 I was making all these points that that rose wrong. There's nothing in the constitution that talks about the right to abortion, that the factors all justify that the supreme court overruled that wrong decision rather10:15 than sticking to it. And the professor sort of threw up his hand and said, look, I agree with you. I actually wrote a brief, in the Reagan administration asking, that the that the Supreme Court to overrule10:27 Roe. Said, but it didn't happen then and it won't ever happen. We have dogs now, and it's nothing short of miraculous.10:45 So many of you marched and prayed, volunteered at pregnancy care centers, supported pregnancy care centers, supported moms for years. And And I just wanted to to share a few of the background10:57 details of the Dobbs story that you may not know. 1 of the key players was a single mom turned nurse turned legislator named Becky Curry in Mississippi. So 1 of the most amazing parts of the11:09 dog story to me is that while she was a nurse, Becky Curry helped deliver a 15 week old child. The child was too young to live, and Becky describes holding the child, that11:20 child, as it struggled to live. Then Mississippi enacts its 15 week law, and Becky sponsors it. We have a cert petition that languished for months at the United States Supreme11:32 Court, until that court changed, until justice Amy Coney Barrett replaced justice Ginsburg. We had Mississippi elect a new attorney general who was staunchly pro life, Lynn Fitch.11:44 And she hired Scott Stewart, an accomplished appellate litigator who insisted that the right thing to do was ask the Supreme Court to overrule Roe and not take any moderate steps.11:56 Now that may seem, you know, hindsight is always 20 20. That may seem like the obvious thing. But even staunchly pro life lawyers at the time were saying, we need to take it easy. The Supreme Court's not going to12:07 overrule Roe. We need to ask for something moderate. Thank heavens, the attorney general and her team, asked for the right results. And 1 of the great things, about the Dobbs decision12:19 is that it took place in what we could think of as the year of jubilee. Roe governed for nearly 50 years. And of course, we know that the year of jubilee is sort of a super Sabbath. It's a time to rest and be restored,12:31 to set the captives free. It's a year that is holy to the Lord. So there's no question that Dobbs was a monumental victory for life. It returned to the people the power to protect12:43 life. But as we sit here today, the pro abortion forces have responded in kind. Today, we're seeing an all out assault on the family, on children. We're seeing an administration that pushes abortion12:55 drugs across state lines without even necessary safeguards for women's health. Far from the now passing mantra that abortion be safe, legal and rare, the left now says that women should13:06 shout their abortion. We're seeing medical information, peddling false information, terrifying women, when the reality is that every state law, everyone allows doctors13:19 to do whatever is necessary to save the life of a mother, and no state prevents treatment for miscarriages or atopic pregnancies. So we see 4 key areas of assault. I just wanna talk about them13:31 briefly, and then about where where we can go from here. So first, abortion drugs. We know that the Biden administration allows them to be males. They can be male to women, to their dorm rooms, to their home13:42 without women ever seeing a doctor. In 2001, the FDA took away that last remaining doctor's visit. It's the only opportunity for women to check for things like an ectopic pregnancy or to accurately assess13:54 gestational age. But women's health was sacrificed to free or or more access, I should say, to abortion drugs. And make no mistake, these drugs are dangerous. They have a black box14:06 morning. They send roughly 1 in 25 women to the emergency room, and that was before the FDA took away that last remaining doctor's visit. Second, we have a media by and large14:18 that pedals the pro abortion story. You all have probably all heard about the tragic death of Miss Amber Nicole Thurman. She died from an infection caused by abortion drugs. And a media outlet,14:30 ProPublica tried to to pin her death on Georgia's pro life law. Many members of the media and even politicians, even 1 running for president, jumped on the bandwagon and blamed14:42 Georgia's law. There's just 1 problem with this narrative. It is absolutely false. Georgia's law in no way prevented the treatment of Amber Thurman. In fact, that law didn't apply for at least14:54 2 reasons. First, Amber's twins were already passed. The law didn't apply because any procedure would not have taken their life. And second, as mentioned, Georgia's law, like every15:06 law in the country, allows treatment, whatever treatment is necessary to save the life of a mother. I'm not sure why Amber didn't get that treatment, but I know it wasn't because of Georgia's pro15:18 life law. In fact, the doctors involved in her case have never even suggested that their hands were bound by the law. Third, we see pro abortion forces15:30 sort of changing their tune. They've long called themselves the the pro choice movement, or the or the pro choice party. But the recent action suggest, it's not really about choice at all, but about being pro abortion.15:42 I'd like to introduce you to a young woman named McKenna. McKenna is a young new mom in Colorado. She was unexpectedly pregnant, and as she tells it, absolutely terrified. At15:54 5 weeks, she ordered the abortion drugs and took the first 1. She immediately regretted her decision and was distraught. She went online, Googled the poor Googled, you know,16:06 is there any way to reverse this, And contacted the abortion pill reversal network. They set her up with a nurse practitioner who was able to provide progesterone. Progesterone, of course, is something that has been16:18 safely used to maintain pregnancies, for 50 some years. So Chelsea or excuse me. This woman, McKenna, took, progesterone and recently16:30 delivered a healthy, beautiful baby girl that she said she could not imagine life without. There's a16:41 wonderful video, and McKenna just describes how she couldn't imagine life without her wonderful daughter. But there's just 1 catch. McKenna lives in a state where abortion pill reversal, just this16:53 provision of progesterone is outlawed. You can take the abortion drug, but you can't try to shave your baby. And in fact, the attorney generals of New York, as well, as17:05 states like California, have sued pregnancy care centers just for sharing information about abortion pill reversal because they don't want women to change their minds. They don't want to give them the option of saving17:17 their baby's life. Fourth, the elephant in the room. We all know that we've seen tens of millions of dollars being dumped into pro abortion ballot ballot initiatives17:29 across the country. They say, the proponents, that they just want to go back to Roe and Casey. But the reality is much different. If you look at the language of those amendments, many of them go far beyond Roe and Casey.17:41 They impose something called strict scrutiny that would take away even modest things like a waiting period or informed consent or the requirement that a doctor be involved in a chemical abortion. They17:53 might also open up the door under the guise of reproductive care to the taxpayer funding of things like gender transition drugs or surgeries. It's not just going back to Roe.18:06 So with Roe gone, today at this moment, we're confronted with the reality, 1 we always knew, that its demise is not enough. What we need, what we've always18:17 needed is a culture of life.18:21 That was Alliance Defending Freedom's Aaron Hawley during the 20 24 pray vote stand summit, and you're tuned in to Washington Watch. Today, we're broadcasting some special content18:33 from the summit that was held in Washington DC. And after the break, we'll continue with Erin's address and hear her exhortation for Christians today to act counterculturally as Jesus in the early18:45 church did. So stay tuned.18:53 During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making anThe Battle for Life and the Role of the Church 19:05 eternal impact. 20 24 has been another year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington DC. This fall, over 1000 spiritually active governance engaged conservatives19:16 gathered for the pray vote stand summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked19:28 a major milestone this year, its 9 hundredth episode, and added the Washington Watch Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The19:40 Washington Stand published 2000 articles of news, commentary, and podcast in 20 24, garnering over 5000000 views. FRC's outlet for news and19:52 commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in20:04 1 simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with a community of believers on our new platform. In 20 24, FRC20:16 shaped public policy and culture, organizing the national gathering for prayer and repentance, where members of congress and Christian leaders came together to see God's intervention in America.20:28 In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace, prosperity, and protection.20:40 With pray vote stand decision 20 24, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to20:52 God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and government. Launching in January 20 25, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government,21:04 empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family research council thanks you for partnering with us for another year of of standing for faith, family,21:16 and freedom.21:20 Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's stand on the word spiral bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought provoking questions, note taking space, and context for21:32 each book and author. This second edition covering Isaiah 2 Revelation will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at f r c dot org21:44 slash store or text journal to 6 7 7 4 2. Perfect for you and your loved ones.21:53 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heiss. The website is tony perkins dot com. Today, we're broadcasting special content from the 20 24 pray vote stand summit that22:05 was held in Washington, DC. And before the break, we brought you part of the address that was delivered by Aaron Hawley, senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life and Regulatory Practice22:17 at Alliance Defending Freedom. Erin, of course, is also the wife of US Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri. Well, in this next part, Aaron shares some lessons that we all can learn22:29 from the early church. And they acted counter culturally just as Jesus did. And they did so during a time when infanticide, abortion, child sex abuse, and other awful practices were22:41 commonplace. So here's Erin.22:43 Jesus had so much to say about the dignity and worth of children. Jesus delighted in them, and he radically reformed culture. He called the little children to him, and he flummoxed the22:55 religious leaders of the day, when he said that the kingdom of heaven would be made up of such of these. In addition to23:06 those that the world regarded as outcasts, he said, be wary if you cause these little ones to stumble. We know that Jesus showed the father's heart.23:19 And that just makes me think of of our daughter, Abigail, who I've mentioned. We have 2 gorgeous boys, almost 12 and almost 10, that that are the delight of our eyes. But I have to say,23:30 Abigail's name means the father's delight. And Abby knows that she is her father's delight. She bats his little 3 year old eyes, and and her daddy is, like, totally slayed.23:42 So he's been traveling a lot as you might expect. And so every time before he leaves, she says, daddy, bring me something. And daddy obliges. Recently,23:54 we were at the grocery store, and she wanted some stuffed animal. I was like, no, Abigail. We're we're not gonna get anything today. We're just here for groceries. And you could tell she was debating between, like,24:03 throwing a full scale tantrum or or acquiescing. So she thought about it for a second, and she goes, that's okay. I asked daddy. So and I just24:15 I love this picture that that Abigail shows. It's just the full confidence, in her dad's love. She knows that she is her father's delight. And the truth of that is that's true for all of us. It's true24:27 for women who have unplanned pregnancies, and it's true for those unborn children. So I think today, we take inspiration from 2 things, 2 lessons from the early church.24:39 First, they boldly spoke countercultural truth, that women and children matter. And second, they created this culture of life that we've been talking about it. They did24:51 this sacrificially. Theologian Rodney Snark attributes the rapid growth of Christianity in the first century to the fact that its adherence improved people's lives.25:03 Rome endured 2 devastating plagues in the first couple of centuries, and Christians acted counter culturally. In his Easter letter, Dionysus writes about the rope nursing efforts of early25:14 Christians. So much so, that it irritated the emperor Julian. He instructed pagan priests to keep to keep pace, with Christians, and he wrote to the high priest in Galatia in 325:26 62 demanding that pagans, the pagan worshipers needed to equal the virtues of Christians. He said that the growth in Christianity was caused by their quote, moral character,25:38 however, pretended, specifically, their benevolence towards strangers. They support not only their poor, but ours as well, and everyone can see that we lack aid to them.25:50 This culture of life that the Christian community, committed to, and encapsulated in the first century, extended dignity and worth to every member of society.26:02 This was a stark contrast to ancient Rome, where their father determined whether a pregnant woman would have an abortion. Even today, we know that fathers are often the most influential person in a woman's decision.26:15 Yet, at a recent White Dudes for Harris event, Pete Buttigieg pushed Kamala Harris for president, because, quote, men are more free, when abortion is easily accessible.26:28 He said the quiet part out loud, acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, abortion isn't all about a woman's choice. In fact, evidence shows that most women who have an abortion26:40 don't do so from a position of empowerment. 1 survey performed by human coalitions says that the vast majority of women who've had an abortion said they would have chosen to parent if their circumstances were different.26:53 Nearly a quarter in another survey survey said that their abortions were either coerced or unwanted. And an astounding 60 percent of women said they would have preferred to have a child if27:05 they'd had either greater emotional or financial security. These statistics are heartbreaking, because they suggest that many women don't think they have a real option.27:17 Yet, in the tradition of the early church, Christians can act counter culturally. We can come alongside these moms, telling them that they are the beloved daughters of the king27:29 most high, that they matter more than any mistake that they might have made. Through pro family policies, through supporting pregnant moms, through pregnancy and beyond, through27:41 pregnancy care centers that are under such assault from the left, through economic policies that make it possible to support a family and have children, we must transform culture. The27:53 threats facing our children, facing women, facing our families, it turns out, are far from new. But thankfully, we as believers can return to 1 of our earliest missions28:05 that is supporting women and children. We can recover the legacy of the first century believers and radically transform culture. This may not be an easy task,28:17 but we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. It's a moment that matters to the direction of our country. It's a moment when it matters28:30 to be a conservative, to be pro life, to be pro woman, and to be pro family. When your voice, the voice of all of the people in this room is all the more important.28:42 And we know, always, that we are not alone. That his spirit empowers us and protects us, and that he can do the unimaginable.28:54 Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to happen.28:58 That was Elias Defending Freedom's Aaron Hawley during the 20 24 pray vote stand summit. And you're tuned in today to a special edition of Washington Watch as we're broadcasting some of theShow more In this video 0:12 Middle East Conflict and Iran's Influence5:12 Pray Vote Stand Summit and Christian Civic Engagement18:53 The Battle for Life and the Role of the Church29:07 Mike Huckabee on Civic Responsibility and Faith
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