Skip to content 10/31/2025 After Covering Top Stories, Jody Hice and David Closson Share How Voting is Part of our Stewardship Oct 31 · 59 min ...more
10/31/2025 After Covering Top Stories, Jody Hice and David Closson Share How Voting is Part of our Stewardship
October 31, 2025 · 59 min
Virginia’s School lawsuit, DOJ Investigates BLM, the Shutdown, Congressional call to prayer, Finnish politician” Bible tweet lawsuit, Biden’s enemies list exposed, Reformation Day and abortion drugs.
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October 31, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Virginia’s School lawsuit, DOJ Investigates BLM, the Shutdown, Congressional call to prayer, Finnish politician” Bible tweet lawsuit, Biden’s enemies list exposed, Reformation Day and abortion drugs. ...more Show the full description Show less Virginia’s School lawsuit, DOJ Investigates BLM, the Shutdown, Congressional call to prayer, Finnish politician” Bible tweet lawsuit, Biden’s enemies list exposed, Reformation Day and abortion drugs.
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In this video 0:00 Government Shutdown and Political Gridlock3:05 Global and Domestic Challenges11:44 Faith, Freedom, and the Fight for Truth22:00 Religious Freedom and Global Implications29:35 Biblical Worldview and Stewardship in VotingComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Government Shutdown and Political Gridlock 0:06 Welcome to the Washington Watch News Desk. I'm Casey Harper bringing you today's big stories. It's day 31 of the government shutdown, and as you might expect, Congress still doesn't have a deal, and0:17 both parties are blaming each other.0:20 This is ready to pass right now. This keeps the government open.0:25 Not once where Democrats ask for what input should be in the bill. We were not told about it. We were not asked about it, etcetera. 24 pages long, or0:37 they can vote to shut the government down. That's what we're looking at. Democrats do not want a shutdown. We stand ready to work with Republicans to find a bipartisan compromise, and the ball's in their0:48 court.0:50 As Congress remains gridlocked, airport delays are starting to pile up. Food stamps are not gonna sit get sent out next month. Federal museums, closed. Federal workers, not getting1:01 paid. But this may surprise you. While Democrats blame Republicans, even the liberal newspaper, The Washington Post, is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. The1:13 Post editorial board published an op ed saying the shutdown is Democrats' fault. Of course, Republicans have been saying the same thing for months. House Republicans passed a clean CR to open the government while the
1:25 rest of the spending details get negotiated. But Democrats aren't having it. They're insisting on 1500000000000.0 dollars in additional spending. But The Washington Post, known for its left leaning coverage, had
1:37 this to say, quote, the right answer is to reopen the government with a clean funding bill. It goes on to say that after the government's open, then we can have a debate about ACA subsidies.
1:49 Democrats openly acknowledge that they refuse to do this because it would mean giving up their leverage. If they persist, it could mean families go hungry. Speaker Mike Johnson shared the same message
2:01 in a press conference today.
2:03 They have no excuse to put all this this, this pain on the American people except that for what we've just articulated and repeated here every day. They they wanna give a showing to the radical left fringes of their
2:15 base, and and they wanna give illegal benefits or or benefits back to, illegal aliens and noncitizens, all the other crazy stuff that they've claimed.
2:24 Other pressure is building on the Democrats as well. Federal labor unions, which are longtime supporters of the Democrats, are starting to turn on them. And now president Trump is calling on Senate Republicans to do away
2:35 with the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to get legislation through. Trump wrote on Truesocial, quote, get rid of the filibuster and get rid of it now. Well, that would certainly reopen the
2:47 government. However, Republicans and others are worried this could set a dangerous precedent and that the next time Democrats are in the majority, they can make Republicans pay and pass an aggressive agenda.
2:59 Regardless, despite the pressure seeming to increase, it doesn't look like the government will reopen before next week. Meanwhile, the war on drug smuggling is ratcheting up south of the
Global and Domestic Challenges
3:10 border. US Southern Command released new footage showing marines doing live fire boat operations in the Caribbean Sea. You can see it there. This comes after president Trump ordered the USS Gerald
3:22 Ford, the country's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, to the Caribbean. According to the Pentagon, the marine presence aims to disrupt illicit drug trafficking. Now this is all part of the US military
3:34 buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, f 30 fives, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of troops. There have been at least 10 strikes in the Caribbean and the
3:45 Pacific since early September on vessels reportedly carrying drugs into the US. Now for our last story, drone footage from Jamaica shows the damage wrought by
3:57 Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm that tore through the Caribbean. Footage shows damaged buildings left without roofs, uprooted trees, and a lot of debris in a
4:09 residential area in Jamaica's Black River. Melissa was the first major hurricane since 19 88 to directly hit Jamaica, where authorities reported at least 4 were
4:20 tragically killed. And those are today's stories. I'm Casey Harper. You can dive deeper with the Washington stand at washington stand dot com. In fact, you can download the stand firm
4:32 mobile app where you can watch this and other news. Up next is Washington Watch with guest host Jody Hice, and we're back on Monday with more stories that 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
5:04 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.
5:11 Democrats need to stop playing politics for the livelihoods of hardworking Americans and open the government now by voting for the clean, resolution. We are here today because SNAP
5:23 benefits run dry tomorrow.
5:27 That was agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, earlier today warning that vital programs supporting millions of Americans in need could run dry if Democrats continue to
5:39 hold the government hostage. Welcome to this October 30 first edition of Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heist. Thank you so much for tuning in. Coming up today, Finland
5:50 Supreme Court takes on the Bible tweet case that could literally reshape free speech in Europe. A Christian lawmaker there faces hate speech charges for quoting scripture
6:02 on marriage. Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International, will be joining us to break that down. Also, congresswoman Mary Miller from Illinois will share the latest
6:14 on the impact of the government breakdown. Alright. The government shutdown now enters day
6:26 31, and millions of Americans were just days away from losing food assistance. The SNAP benefits are scheduled to expire Saturday with no deal in sight
6:38 and Congress still largely at a standstill. And joining me now is Washington stand reporter, Casey Harper. Casey, alright. We've been hearing it day after day all week long, but what happens
6:49 next? Is there any sign that lawmakers might act before millions of people actually go hungry?
6:56 Well, unfortunately, Jody, no. Not right now. We don't have that sign. The senate has adjourned for the weekend, and, of course, the house remains out of session. So this shutdown, which is already stretched on for a
7:07 month, is about to cost about 8000000000 dollars a month for SNAP or the food stamp program, which is running dry. It is actually gonna run dry for the first time in 61 years.
7:18 There was any way to fund SNAP during the Democrat shutdown, you can be assured that your commander in chief would do it, but we are now reaching a breaking point. Thanks to Democrats
7:29 voting no on government funding, now 14 different times, SNAP benefits for millions of American families are drying up. It's about 1 in 8 people in this country who rely upon
7:41 this to literally put food on their table.
7:45 Now states say the government should tap emergency funds to keep the benefits flowing, but federal lawyers say the money can't be used that way legally. And even if they did use it that way, they don't have enough in the
7:57 reserves to pay for the full month's benefits, let alone into the following months. And even if the courts intervene, those delays in the legal process could still leave families waiting for weeks for their grocery cards
8:08 to delay. So these issues and other things like airport delays are ratcheting up the pressure on Democrats, Jody.
8:16 Yeah. The pressure certainly is ratcheting up as you say. Let's switch gears, Casey, a little bit, at the center of a lawsuit in Loudoun County, the public schools there. This is drawing national
8:28 attention right now. Why is that?
8:31 Well, it's drawing national attention for good reason, Jody. So Loudoun County Public Schools is facing a new lawsuit, accusing it of punishing 2 Christian boys. So you might ask, well, what did these boys do? Well,
8:42 their crime was they complained about being filmed by a transgender student while in the boys locker room. The boys got in trouble with the school. They got suspended. But the biological girl who filmed them
8:54 didn't get in trouble, didn't get suspended. So the boys' lawsuit claims that the district ignored evidence, deleted recordings, and even leaked confidential details to a political group that then publicly smeared them.
9:06 Federal officials have already warned the district it could lose federal funding if the suspensions aren't reversed. In this case, it comes from this is kind of amazing, but it comes from the same Virginia school system
9:17 that was previously criticized, you may remember, for covering up a transgender assault at Stonebridge High School in 20 21, Jody.
9:26 Well, not all the right reasons to be making national news for sure. Casey, let me ask you 1 more question. There are reports going around right now that the DOJ is investigating the left leaning
9:38 group Black Lives Matters. What are they looking into? Do you know?
9:43 Sure. Well, the the justice department has launched a federal investigation into whether Black Lives Matters leaders defrauded donors out of tens of millions of dollars collected during the 20 20
9:55 protests. That's according to AP and other media outlets. Now investigators have issued subpoenas and executed search warrants targeting the BLM Global Network Foundation, which raised about 90000000 dollars after
10:06 George Floyd's death. Death. Critics say the group misled supporters and used donations for personal gain, including a 6000000 dollar mansion. Of course, BLM deny denies any wrongdoing,
10:19 but the probe is adding new scrutiny to a movement that has long been accused of exploiting racial unrest in the country for political and financial gain, Jody.
10:30 Casey, thank you so much for these updates. Certainly, no lack of news out there. Thank you for keeping us in the loop. Alright. I wanna go back now to the government shutdown and discuss the latest with a
10:41 member of the house. Last night, for some of you, you joined us. FRC and the House Freedom Caucus hosted a prayer call in light of all that's taking place right now in our nation and in the
10:53 world, and the government shutdown was among the topics that was prayed about.
10:58 We need your guidance, and we need your wisdom. Father, for each member of congress, father, we just lift up, the senate right now and pray for the senate and pray for what? For
11:10 for unity there, where we can actually pass these bills and get the government going again.
11:19 That was congressman Andrew Clyde last night praying. He was a part of that prayer call. Also, participating in that was my next guest, congresswoman Mary Miller. She represents the
11:30 fifteenth congressional district of Illinois. She also serves on the House Agricultural Committee, which is highly in the news right now, and I'm honored to have her joining me right now. Congresswoman Miller,
11:42 welcome back to Washington Watch.
Faith, Freedom, and the Fight for Truth
11:45 Thank you for having me, Jody, and it was great to be able to participate with the other members in the prayer meeting. And in, specifically, I really appreciated your prayer
11:56 and your comments about the deception that is so widespread in our country. And, you know, Washington Watch, what a great, opportunity for people to
12:08 actually get the truth. Thank you.
12:11 Well, thank you for participating in that as well. I thought it was just a powerful thing. And whenever you have a prayer time that is led by members of congress and put together, I think
12:23 there's something spiritually that's very powerful in that. So thank you as well as all your colleagues in the Freedom Caucus for putting that together, and it was an honor for FRC to be a part of that. If I can,
12:35 turn and shift gears now a little bit to the shutdown, what's been getting seems like all the attention right now is the supplemental nutrition assistance program, also known as SNAP, which is a part of the
12:47 the ag committee, which you're But I literally, we have millions of people who could be impacted by this as these funds begin to, come to a close beginning tomorrow. Are you surprised
12:59 at all that the Democrats are willing to go this far to appease the far left in their base?
13:05 I am not surprised at all. I won't want to remember peep remind people that, under Joe Biden, they, in my opinion, committed treason. He and my
13:17 orcas is orchestrated the invasion of our country. And now they are like the, democratic whip who is in leadership for the Democrats. Catherine Clark
13:29 came out and said that they are using the
13:31 suffering of Americans, the shutdown as leverage to
13:31 try to get, priorities, which would include health care for illegals.
13:43 Yeah. It's it's really is stunning that they're willing to go this far. You know, and the legacy media, quite frankly, is right in this. They're they're no doubt, going to vilify, agriculture secretary,
13:55 Brooke Rollins. She joined the speaker of their house today, as you well know, for the the press conference, but she actually made the comment that perhaps a silver lining in all of the the upcoming
14:07 freeze on the SNAP program is that it'll be drawing attention to just how bloated that program is. Your thought your thoughts on that, comment.
14:18 Well, I think that's great, but I just wanna remind people that the Democrats lie without shame. They I wanna remind them again. They said the border was secure when they let over
14:30 10000000 illegals in, and now they want us to pick up the tab and cover their benefits, in particular health care, but also SNAP benefits. So I think that, this
14:42 is highlighting the abuse, and it's basically unsustainable. Our national debt is probably 37 or 36 or 37000000000000 now. They want us to spend another
14:53 500000000000.0 in the short term, and they've already voted for this CR over 10 times. This is the exact thing that they voted for. They are using this as leverage
15:05 for political reasons and to advocate for illegals.
15:11 Yeah. And, you know, as of right now, at least there's no end in sight. There's perhaps a little bit of communication that gives some people at least a glimmer of hope that this might see some
15:23 sort of end at the sun. At some point, you would think that SNAP program, I would, as as treasured as that is, to not only to a lot of people but the Democrat party especially loves the
15:35 SNAP program. You would think that this might be the issue for them to come out of it. Are you hearing congresswoman, Miller, are you hearing anything from your colleagues or elsewhere that suggests
15:47 that next week might be a little bit different on Capitol Hill?
15:53 Actually, I just heard that we aren't gonna be in session next week. I just heard that right before we came on. But I do wanna bring up the media. The media has been
16:05 covering for the Democrats for decades. They've been getting what they wanted, which was basically free coverage for the radical agendas. They haven't been forced by the media to,
16:17 defend their policies. But the what's happened is it's made the Democrats more out of touch with Americans and more radical. And I think Americans see it, and this
16:29 is backfiring on them. I do wanna say from my colleagues, we are standing united. We're standing strong. We're not gonna be bullied by the Democrats into supporting their radical
16:40 agenda and their spending for illegals.
16:44 Yeah. And I actually think that's a part of the reason why the house just and we just heard that literally as well right before coming on the program. Alright. We'll not be back next week because it puts more pressure on
16:54 the senate to act. And I actually think that that is what you are are saying. It puts more pressure on them and indicates that y'all are not gonna cave. Let me ask you this final question. What is
17:06 your encouragement right now to the American people at this point in our nation's history? What would you say to them?
17:15 Well, how important relationships are? The Democrats and the left have tried to divide Americans, and we need to be united. We are a great country, the most free country in the world with
17:27 great opportunities, but we need to look for building relationships. Look look to our neighbors, see how we can help each other.
17:38 Congresswoman Mary Miller, thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. It's always an honor to have you and deeply, deeply appreciate your leadership on so many fronts
17:49 and especially for joining us last night. I thought that was a powerful time together. And, again, your your role and that of the Freedom Caucus to call America to prayer at such a
18:01 time as this just absolutely means so much, not only to me and us here at FRC, but for our whole nation. Thank you so much. Appreciate you joining us.
18:12 Take care.
18:13 Alright, friends. We've got a lot more to cover. Coming up after the break, we're going to talk about what's happening in Finland because this could have enormous implications for free speech all across
18:25 Europe. The Finnish Supreme Court yesterday started to see in the case, the Bible tweet case. It covers a case involving doctor Paivi Russona. We'll
18:37 give you the latest as to what's happening there. Enormous implications, so don't go anywhere. We'll be back right after the break, so stay with us.
18:53 Our founding scripture for this is Ephesians chapter 6 verse 13. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to
19:05 stand, stand therefore.
19:07 Family Research Council's pray, vote, stand summit 20 25 brought together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and
19:19 action.
19:20 We are equipping the body of Christ to understand that what is happening around us is not just political. It's not just cultural. At its heart, it is
19:32 spiritual.
19:33 We gather in a nation that has torn the foundation apart, and we have separated our governing documents for my divine source, Jesus Christ. We need
19:45 truth now more than ever to guide us.
19:49 I'm believing, God, let this be a testimony of the American church, that we become so full of the fire of the word of God that we cannot contain it. We have to tell people about it.
20:01 We have to make disciples.
20:03 The idea of America was the idea that our rights don't come from governments. They they come from our divine creator. Right? Government's main job is to protect those rights. And because that was the
20:15 foundation of America, we've enjoyed over the last 250 years more freedom, more prosperity, more stability than any other nation anywhere in the world, and that should be celebrated.
20:26 We are living in a moment. What's that moment? It's a prophetic moment on God's timeline.
20:32 That's right.
20:32 And so he needs the church more than ever to act biblically for the blessing of our political leaders and of our nation.
20:40 The number 1 issue facing America domestically, which is the epidemic of fatherlessness. 40 percent of all American children today enter the world without a father in the home, married to the
20:52 mother.
20:53 We cannot win the pro life fight without acknowledging that this is the pro family fight, that this is the pro marriage fight. We're never going to end abortion if we do
21:05 not secure and shore up marriage.
21:07 We pray that this would be an opportunity, Lord God, for you to use us mere little mortals, but we possess the name of Jesus. God, use us mightily. We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's
21:19 people said Amen. Amen.
21:22 Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to the Washington stand, your ultimate destination for informed faith centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines,
21:34 delivering stories that matter most to believers. From events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at the Washington Stand, where faith
21:46 and facts meet every day.
21:55 Welcome back to Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for joining us. Alright. Over the past few years, we've discussed an ongoing case of doctor Paivi
Religious Freedom and Global Implications
22:06 Rassana of Finland. She's a Christian. She's a medical doctor. She's a member of the Finnish parliament, and she was prosecuted in June of 20 19 under hate speech laws
22:19 for merely expressing a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality on social media and in an, radio interview as well as in a pamphlet, catch this,
22:31 that was printed some 21 years ago. Well, this is now known as the bible tweet case and it reached the court, the Supreme Court in Finland yesterday.
22:43 So how did it all go? Well, here to fill us in is Paul Coleman. He's the executive director of ADF International, which is in Vienna, Austria, and ADF
22:55 International has been coordinating PIVI's legal defense in all of this. Paul, welcome back to Washington Watch. It's great to have you.
23:05 Thank you so much for having me. It's it's been an extraordinary
23:12 It it is. I go with that. Kind of introduce us to this case. What is what is behind it? Really, what, give it give us how this is unfolding right now.
23:25 It has been an extraordinary 6 and a half years. As you say, it began in the summer of 2019. And so just in terms of numbers, Pai V has endured
23:36 over 13 hours of police interrogation, 4 criminal charges, 2 court hearings of 3 now including yesterday involving 11
23:48 different judges. And the the case just goes on and on. But in both lower courts, so the district court in Helsinki and then the court of appeal, she and and Bishop Johanna, who was also charged for
24:00 publishing this booklet 21 years ago, they were acquitted unanimously both times. But under the Finnish system, the prosecutor is allowed to appeal not guilty verdict. So having lost
24:12 twice, the prosecutor then appealed this case to the Supreme Court, which took place yesterday. And so it's just been an extraordinarily long and grueling
24:24 process both for Piety and for Bishop Johanna. But it went well yesterday. Pavey spoke well as always as did bishop Uhana. And we are we are very confident that the Supreme Court will decide the same way as
24:36 both the court of appeal and the district court and hoping and praying for a not guilty verdict.
24:42 So break down for us precisely what is it that they are being charged with? What is the actual crime?
24:51 So Finland, like all other European and and Western nations, has criminal hate speech laws. Now they they often don't use this phrase. Hate speech is a generic term
25:03 that incorporates any number of different laws, but, essentially, they are laws that ban speech that some people find insulting or offensive, and and Finland
25:15 has 1 such law. It's contained within the, criminal code of Finland, that has the chapter on war crimes and crimes against humanity. And so within that section of the
25:27 criminal code is this hate speech offense. And, essentially, what it comes down to is Ivy expressing her deeply held beliefs
25:38 on matters of public interest, matters of personal interest to her in accordance with her Christian faith, matters that that emanate from the bible. The prosecutor says
25:50 that these things are offensive and insulting and therefore, should be criminalized, should be banned, should be punished. And so the case has always been about deeply
26:02 theological concepts. When Pavi was in the, police interrogation stage of this, she actually sat in the police station with her bible as police officers asked
26:14 her what is the meaning of the book of Romans. For example, what is the meaning of Romans, chapter 1? And then even yesterday at the Supreme Court, I was sat there behind Pyvey during the trial.
26:26 And again, once again, concepts of, for example, sin. What does this mean, was discussed in court. And, essentially, the view of the prosecutor is
26:38 that the the the Christian concept of of sin is offensive, and, therefore, therefore, Christians, are on notice that if they use this sort of concept that they could be also
26:50 charged with the criminal offense of hate speech.
26:54 So the the real crime is being offensive. I mean and that's what what it comes down to. And the Bible is looked upon as being offensive in itself in this case. It's just unbelievable. Now, look, I'm not sure
27:05 how the Finnish court system may or may not be similar with the US court system, but I would assume that the Finnish Supreme Court's decision would not only
27:17 determine the fate of the defendants, but it would also set a precedent going forward. Is that a fair assessment?
27:27 That's exactly right. In fact, there's there's never been a case like this in Finland. It will set a precedent for the whole of the country, and the ramifications of the case will extend beyond the borders as well. We
27:38 live now in this, world of globalized law and policy, and what we see all over the place is what happens, in 1 jurisdiction transfers over to another. And so the case
27:50 will not only set a legal precedent in Finland that will have a huge impact for the entire nation, but it will also have an impact, for many other nations across Europe. And and the
28:01 stakes could not be higher, for not only for Christians, but for everyone. Because if the prosecutor is successful in this case, then, essentially, all all
28:13 Finnish people, will be, living in a situation where if if what they say, even going back in time 2 decades, is deemed to be insulting or offensive
28:25 or hurtful or whatever, then they could find themselves called before the courts as well.
28:32 Wow. Unbelievable. What how would you encourage our viewers, our listeners to be praying right now for this case?
28:43 Well, I would say that the encouragement that Pavi and Bishop Johanna have received from the global church has been incredibly encouraging to them both. After the trial yesterday, we sat and and had
28:55 dinner together along with our wonderful legal team in Finland, and we talked about, what a blessing it has been to have the global church praying for them, reaching out, offering support. And so
29:07 I want everyone to know that that is really felt by both PIVI and Bishop Johanna. They really appreciate that, and we just encourage everyone to continue praying for them, for their perseverance in what has been
29:19 a very long trial and ultimately for a victory, not just for them, but for Finland, for all of all of
29:26 Europe. Thank you so much, Paul Coleman of Alliance Defending Freedom International. Powerful case. We look forward to a good outcome, and we'll be praying. Alright, friends. Coming up, there are more revelationsShow more
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