Skip to content 10/23/2025 Critiquing VP Vance, Surging Debt Amid a Gov’t Shutdown, and Albania Religious Liberty Concerns Oct 23 · 59 min ...more
10/23/2025 Critiquing VP Vance, Surging Debt Amid a Gov’t Shutdown, and Albania Religious Liberty Concerns
October 23, 2025 · 59 min
Concerns over VP Vance’s Knesset Critique, day 23 of the federal shutdown amid a $38 trillion debt, FBI reveals a Mafia-linked sports gambling ring, and Albania advances Gender Identity Legislation.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video October 23, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Concerns over VP Vance’s Knesset Critique, day 23 of the federal shutdown amid a $38 trillion debt, FBI reveals a Mafia-linked sports gambling ring, and Albania advances Gender Identity Legislation. ...more Show the full description Show less Concerns over VP Vance’s Knesset Critique, day 23 of the federal shutdown amid a $38 trillion debt, FBI reveals a Mafia-linked sports gambling ring, and Albania advances Gender Identity Legislation.
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In this video 0:00 Current Events and Political Updates
Current Events and Political Updates 0:05 Welcome to the Washington Watch News Desk. I'm Casey Harper bringing you today's big stories. President Donald Trump announced on true social this afternoon that he's not gonna send national guard troops to San Francisco0:16 after all. In a post online, Trump said he spoke with the San Francisco mayor on the phone last night. And then while he doesn't agree with the decision, he's gonna give the mayor a chance to tackle crime in the city0:28 before deploying the National Guard. Trump had announced the National Guard would be deployed even as early as this as this weekend as we've seen in other cities to help with crime and immigration enforcement.0:40 But as you might imagine, the Democrats there weren't too happy about it.0:44 It's absolutely predictable. It's a script that's been written for centuries. It's the authoritarian playbook. You announce your intention to,0:56 send the military to streets domestic doing domestic policing operations. You wildly overstate or completely make up crime statistics that1:08 are not real, that do not justify such action.1:14 Now Newsom isn't the only 1 making that critique of the president, but San Francisco has become a hub for homelessness, fentanyl overdoses, and crime, especially shoplifting. There have also been a1:25 rise in anti ICE protests in the Bay Area. And San Francisco, like many California cities, has become a refuge for illegal immigrants as local law enforcement refused to cooperate with ICE.1:38
1:50 that case makes its way through the court. The story may not be over for San Francisco. Whether they can get crime under control and keep the administration at bay remains to be seen.
2:02 Meanwhile, the federal government remains shut down as lawmakers have failed yet again to make a deal. Senate Democrats yesterday once again voted down a Republican backed funding measure to temporarily
2:14 reopen the government. That marks the twelfth time the Senate has voted down the stopgap funding measure since the onset of the federal government shutdown.
2:23 They want you to forget that just 5 senate Democrats could reopen the government today. All we need is 5 of them. They they try to pretend that their counterproposal deal
2:34 doesn't reinstate free health care for illegal aliens. 200000000000 dollars of taxpayer funds. They they try to pretend that their counter proposal would not send billions of dollars in
2:46 wasteful spending for social projects in foreign countries overseas.
2:52 And also today, Democrats voted down a Republican bill that would at least pay the military and essential federal workers while they sort out this shutdown. It didn't pass. 3 senate Democrats did vote for that
3:04 measure, but it's not enough to meet the 60 vote threshold to pass the bill, which is also the same threshold they need to reopen the government. Now apparently, this shutdown, which is the second longest in
3:15 history, still has a ways to go. And it comes alongside a grim milestone. Just yesterday, the US Treasury Department released data showing that the national debt has hit a new high.
3:27 In fact, the total US federal government debt has now surpassed 38000000000000 dollars for the first time. Incredibly, the national debt hit 37000000000000 dollars for the first time just 2 months
3:39 ago. Now for our last story, secretary of war Pete Hegset announced that the US military has struck yet another vessel reportedly carrying drugs into the US. The
3:51 Trump administration this year designated these foreign cartels as terrorist organizations, arguing that tens of thousands of Americans are killed by the drugs streaming into the US every year. That's drugs
4:03 like Fentanyl and others. Now this latest strike is just 1 of many with more expected on the way. HEXA said that the 3 designated terrorists were on the vessel and that all 3 were
4:15 killed while no US forces were harmed in the strike. The Trump administration has faced pushback over the legality of these strikes, but Hykseth has defended them on X. He said, quote, these DTOs are the
4:27 Al Qaeda of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. And those are today's stories. I'm Casey Harper. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We're back tomorrow with more stories that
4:38 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. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:10 What's really driving Democrats isn't health care. It's not a desire for negotiations. It's politics and far left activists who demanded a showdown with president
5:21 Trump. The real reason we're now in the longest full government shutdown in history is because Democrats are afraid of backlash from the far left if they stand down.
5:34 That was senate majority leader John Thune today blaming Democrats for holding the government hostage as the shutdown drags on with no deal in sight. Welcome to this October 20 third edition of Washington Watch. I'm your
5:45 host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up on this Thursday, secretary of state Marco Rubio meets with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to shore up support for the
5:57 shaky US brokered Gaza truce. And Hamas reportedly plans new attacks as the vice president of the US says the US will not support Israel exercising sovereignty over Judea and
6:09 Samaria. Former congresswoman Michelle Bachman will join us to break all of that down. Also, we'll get the latest on the government shutdown from Ohio senator John Husted.
6:25 US secretary of state Marco Rubio met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu praying their, quote, circle of trust as they pushed forward the US brokered Gaza peace plant. While progress is being made, tensions
6:37 remain high as Hamas terrorists reportedly plan to intensify killing opponents, and that makes it appear that Hamas has no intention of of letting go of control over Gaza, which would
6:49 violate terms of the ceasefire agreement. Joining me now is Washington stand reporter Casey Harper who's been following today's main developments. Casey, vice president, JD Vance made some interesting comments on his
7:01 way out of Israel regarding Judea and Samaria. What did he exactly say?
7:06 Yeah, Tony. The vice president raised eyebrows when he said that president Trump is against Israel annexing Judea and Samaria, also called the West Bank. He even went on to call a recent Israeli vote to do just
7:18 that, the annexation. He called it a, quote, stupid political stunt while in Israel. Now that bill passed an initial vote but has no support from the Israeli prime minister's party.
7:28 If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it. The West Bank is not gonna be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank
7:40 will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy. And if people wanna take symbolic votes, they can do that, but but we certainly weren't happy about it.
7:50 Well, Vance argues annexation could hurt the fragile Gaza ceasefire, and this all comes as secretary of state Marco Rubio and other officials are in Israel right now to help shore up what what you were right to call a
8:01 shaky peace effort. Now for now, Tony, the ceasefire is holding, but Israel is continuing to accuse Hamas terrorists of violations every day, Tony.
8:10 Well, like I said on yesterday's program, my advice to Israel is annex while they can. Former congresswoman Michele Bachmann is gonna join us later to weigh in on this story. This is extremely important because we're
8:22 talking about Judea and Samaria, which is the heartland of Israel. And as I said, we'll talk about that more with, Michelle Bachman. Alright, Casey. President Trump appears to be employing stronger economic tools
8:34 to end the war in Ukraine.
8:36 Yeah. That's right, Tony. So the US, they slapped new sanctions on Russia's top oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, which the president's been unwilling to do up until now. Now this is supposed to, of course, help weaken
8:48 funding for the ongoing war in Ukraine, and these sanctions come as Russia they're only ratcheting up pressure. In fact, they actually held major military drills involving nuclear capable missiles. Now
9:00 the sanctions follow the sudden cancellation of that promised summit between Trump and, Putin in Budapest that's now not gonna happen because the president said the meeting didn't feel right.
9:11 There are massive sanctions and sanctions on oil. The 2 biggest oil companies, among the biggest in the world, but they're Russian. They do a lot of oil. And, hopefully, it'll push
9:25 hopefully, he'll become reasonable, and, hopefully, Zelenskyy will be reasonable too. You know, it takes 2 to tango, as I say, and we're gonna find out.
9:33 It's worth knowing, Tony, that the president does have an upcoming meeting with China's president, Xi Jinping, and Trump hopes that he can get Beijing to pressure Russia to stop the fighting.
9:44 Thanks, Casey. Let's shift gears very quickly to the debate over the government shutdown. As you mentioned, the national debt has now topped 38000000000000 dollars amid the ongoing
9:55 federal government shutdown, marking the fastest debt growth since the COVID 19 pandemic. Just, in the last 2 months, we've added 1000000000000 to the debt. So where do things stand now with the
10:07 shutdown?
10:09 Well, sorry to disappoint you, Tony, but senator Schumer has no plans to to change what's going on right now. No deal appears to be in sight. The senate failed earlier today to pass 2 bills to even just pay federal
10:21 workers during the shutdown until they figure this out. Both parties, as you might expect, are blaming each other, but thousands of federal employees are the ones missing their paychecks. So Republicans put forward a
10:32 plan to pay those who are still working, which is the 1 that Democrats blocked today. But Democrats, they pushed forward their own version of a bill to pay everyone, but Republicans objected, saying it was rewarding
10:43 inaction.
10:44 Military families have turned to food banks in unprecedented numbers. And things are about to get worse.
10:58 Nutrition assistance programs that millions of Americans depend on to feed their families are in jeopardy. And tomorrow, federal workers will miss a full paycheck because
11:10 of the Democrat shutdown.
11:13 As of today, the second longest government shutdown in US history is on day 23, Tony.
11:19 Alright, Casey. Thanks for, the update on today's top news stories. Always appreciate the insight. Alright. I I wanna dive a little bit deeper into the government shutdown and discuss the
11:31 latest with a member of the senate. Joining me now is US senator John Husted of Ohio who serves on several senate committees, including the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Senator, welcome to
11:42 Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
11:45 Great to be with you. Thanks for having me on.
11:47 Alright. So we're just going through the news. Another vote today. No action, no additional Democratic support for opening the government. Are are you hearing anything? Are you
11:59 seeing any ray of light of hope that we might see the government open back up?
12:05 I don't. I don't see any, movement on their side. As you you've heard Chuck Schumer say, he believes that every day it gets better for them, meaning politically
12:16 for Democrats, even though it's terrible for the American people and the people who are working and not getting paid, including men and women of the military, air traffic controllers, etcetera.
12:28 And you heard another Democratic leader in the house say that that she knows that there are going to be, there's gonna be suffering, but it's the only leverage they have. So you can see they see
12:40 this in completely political terms and not in terms of what's best for the American people.
12:46 Senator, you mentioned the, the the comments of Democratic, whip, Catherine Clark. I wanna play the clip of what she had to say so people can hear it. Play clip number 2, please.
12:54 Please. Shutdowns are terrible. And and and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously,
13:05 but it is 1 of the few leveraged times we have.
13:10 So we wanna they wanna leverage the pain of the people to try to get the the Republicans to come along with their 1500000000000.0 in additional spending?
13:20 Yeah. That's I mean, all that does is reveals that it's really just a political strategy. I think we all know that Chuck Schumer is feeling the pressure of, of younger Democrats who think he's,
13:32 a failure as a leader. And so he's trying to prove to his political left base that he can fight back against president Trump. But fighting back against president Trump is at the expense of what's best for
13:44 the American people in this case. And I think, ultimately, this is a is a terrible thing for everyone, but it's it it it just proves that they're not interested in being serious
13:56 about trying to serve the American people. And and I've look. I've voted, I think where we at? 12 times, I voted to reopen the government. And we have some more pain that's coming with with WIC and SNAP benefits and
14:08 things like that that will eventually run out for people. And, we need to get the government back open. Remember, this is a clean CR that we're asking them to vote for,
14:20 meaning that there's no politics in it, no games. We're spending at Biden era levels in these agencies. So why should they be against that? And it would only create funding through
14:32 November the 20 first, at which time we will have to go over this through this again. So even if you vote for the CR and you get people funded, then do that, and then we'll keep negotiating about
14:44 whatever you want. But remember, the government is supposed to be funded by 12 appropriations bills that passed on a bipartisan basis through the US senate. We've we've done 4 of them, I believe, now, and,
14:55 frankly, we need to get back to work, but but Chuck Schumer's gonna have to decide that that he cares about the American people and not just his own political fortunes.
15:06 Senator, you said, underscore the need to get back to the appropriations process, the normal approach appropriations, which is literally been decades since it's been done, over 2 decades. The the the
15:18 irresponsibility of omnibus, automatic growth of continuing resolutions, I think that's what's wrong with this 1 in the eyes of the Democrats is that it's just flat spending. But the backdrop
15:30 to all of this is a record 38000000000000 dollar debt that the United States has. How do we get that under control?
15:39 Well, I've been here 10 months, and it's been 1 of the most perplexing issues that I have faced since I was here. My my maiden floor speech was about the responsibility that we have, as as leaders to
15:51 not be takers, but but, to leave an inheritance of a of a nation that our children, will have a chance to prosper. But instead, we run up all of this debt as a nation that
16:02 undermines America's future. And, it's very difficult because, you know, just like we're trying to get the government open, it's a 60 vote process, to make, any
16:14 substantial change on this front. And, right now, we can't even get the government open. The democrats wanted to spend by the way, I should note this when we're talking about the debt. They wanted as a condition
16:26 for their votes and what they offered, a 1500000000000.0 dollars in additional spending that would have created opportunities for illegal immigrants to have their health care paid
16:38 for in this country. So that's what they want. They're trying to jack up spending more and more with everything that they do, which is counter to what we really need to do is to get our spending in order. And and to do
16:50 this, by the way, I'm happy to do it on a bipartisan process. Well, as the senate process, of 60 votes and minority rights, gives you, but but you can't just as Chuck Schumer, I'm using his
17:02 own words. He said, he won't negotiate with a gun to his head. So why would he expect us to do the very thing that he swore he would eat?
17:11 Exactly. But you're you're you're right to point that out because that's how we got to 38000000000000 dollars in debt is these leveraging points where in order to vote for this, they want more money spent.
17:23 I commend the Republicans for holding the line on this. It's the first time I've seen it in 20 years where they've held the line on spending, and that's the that's the issue here with whether or not the government opens
17:34 back up. Alright. Senator, we just have less than a minute left. I wanna ask you a question. I wanna actually make a statement, but I'll ask a question with it. You joined 50 of your Republican colleagues in the senate
17:44 earlier this month in sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA asking them to suspend distribution of the abortion drug, mifepristone, and the the new generic
17:56 that has been issued. This is an important issue to you.
18:00 Yeah. It's a very important issue to me.
18:03 For those of
18:03 you that don't know about my background, which is probably most most of your listeners, I started out life in a foster home. My birth mother faced a a a lot of pressure to have an abortion.
18:15 Instead, she had an adoption, and that's the only reason I'm here, because of her courage. And so the sanctity of life and and helping to support the, you know, the children born
18:27 and unborn is is an important issue to me. And, a lot of the the abortion drugs that are out there are not safe for women. Misleading information out there, and and we need to make
18:38 sure that that
18:40 we have all of that.
18:41 Senator, we wanna get you back on the program again soon and and hear that entire story, senator Husted of Ohio. Stick with us, folks. We're back after this. Our founding scripture for this is Ephesians
18:53 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 stand, stand therefore.
19:05 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
19:17 action. 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
19:29 heart, it is spiritual.
19:31 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
19:43 truth now more than ever to guide us.
19:47 I'm
19:47 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.
19:59 We have to make disciples.
20:01 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
20:13 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.
20:24 We are living in a moment. What's that moment? It's a prophetic moment on God's timeline.
20:30 That's right.
20:30 And so he needs the church more than ever to act biblically for the blessing of our political leaders and of our nation.
20:39 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
20:51 mother.
20:51 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
21:03 not secure and shore up marriage.
21:05 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
21:17 people said Amen. Amen.
21:21 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,
21:33 delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at the Washington stand,
21:44 where faith and facts meet every day.
21:55 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Let me encourage you if you have not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app that you get the Stand Firm app. That way, you can have Washington watch with you. You can also have our
22:07 Washington stand, which is news and commentary from a biblical perspective, and my morning devotion, stand on the word. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app, plus a lot more a lot more resources to help you to
22:19 be an informed, engaged citizen. Get the Stand Firm app. Alright. For anyone who knows anything about the gambling industry, it should not be a surprise what the FBI announced
22:30 today. 2, 2 massive mafia linked gambling and sports rigging operations, the FBI unveiled those investigations
22:42 today with and they they they've led to an arrest of over 30 individuals with more expected to surrender. Among those facing charges are current and former NBA figures as
22:54 well as members of 4 New York crime families. And in the case of the sports rigging operation, the defendants have been accused of exploiting insider information to bet on NBA games and what the US attorney's
23:06 office described as, quote, 1 of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States, end quote.
23:18 Again, we shouldn't be surprised. Joining me now to discuss this, doctor John Kent, professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois. Professor Kent has studied and been
23:30 outspoken on the issue of gambling for the past past 4 decades. Professor, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
23:38 Thanks for having me, and thanks for all that you do to inform the, public. You do an excellent job. And I should say that as act 98 to 99 percent of academics are against gambling in
23:50 all of its forms. And, we're actually, we don't receive any honorariums or consultant fees. So this this is a real bipartisan,
24:02 nonpartisan issue. Everybody should be on board. And what you've mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg. This is gonna get bigger and bigger and bigger.
24:11 Now are you surprised at all, professor, that this has happened?
24:16 No. I'm not surprised. And I and I I've held this up before, but this is you testified before the National Gambling Impact Study Commission 30 years ago. You and your colleagues, your profits
24:28 on this. It said, do not let this sports gambling spread. Keep it off of cell phones. You cannot control gambling on the Internet. Keep it criminalized. And, of course, we're in
24:40 a totally different world now.
24:42 Yeah.
24:42 And and let let me just say, the smartest thing that president Trump could do is call for a new national gambling impact study commission. It's been 30 years since the last 1. Second thing he can
24:54 do to to help all of this cheating that's going on in professional sports is to call for the establishment of a new, professional and amateur sports
25:06 protection act. The original 1 was overturned by the supreme court on a technicality, but it was it was, promoted by Bill Bradley, the NBA legend, who back in 19 92 said,
25:18 this is gonna happen if we don't have this legislation in in place. And the final thing is the Obama administration gutted US attorney general Robert f
25:30 Kennedy's Wire Act, which was against organized crime. And if president Trump would simply get DOJ to reinstate that, that would go a long way to helping remedy
25:42 these types of problems.
25:43 You know, professor, the the anyone who knows anything about the gambling industry going back to the revolutionary war where they sold the lottery tickets knows the corrupt nature of,
25:55 gambling. But lay out for us because this is something, as you said, people warned once professional sports mixed with gambling, it was ripe for corruption. Unpack a little bit for our viewers and
26:07 listeners what these 2 cases what happened in these 2 cases?
26:11 Well, I don't wanna get into them in too much depth. I'd rather concentrate on how to remedy the situation or to make the situation better. These these cases are
26:23 going to unfold, and anything that I would say might impact on on the cases themselves. And, I think that's why you saw during the press conference today, the head of the FBI and
26:35 the other officials who were very circumspect in what they said about these cases, because they don't wanna prejudice anything that's gonna happen with AT.
26:42 But let me let me let me stop you right there, professor, because I think that this just shows the nature of it, that you have NBA players who were taking themselves out of the game, and it was it was basically throwing
26:53 the bets. I mean, this is I mean, remember when Pete Rose, when he was playing and he betted and he was disgraced for that, and he was by the way, I was a big Cincinnati fan growing up. And he was 1 of my,
27:04 my my heroes there on the on the baseball field. But this this is the nature of this is human nature. I mean, history has repeated this over and over again and we have government
27:17 facilitating this corruption. So why should we be surprised when it happens?
27:22 We shouldn't. Those who forget the, lessons of history are condemned to relive them. That's George Santayana. I remember that during a gambling congressional hearing back in 19
27:34 94. And I remember 19 95 actually sitting behind a member of organized crime as he testified before the house judiciary committee, which passed, the, US
27:46 National Gambling Impact Study Commission. I mean, the this is this is going to get worse and worse unless we stop it now.
27:53 Okay. Let's talk about we just have 2 minutes left. Let's talk about remedies. What can Congress do? What can the administration do?
28:00 President Trump's smartest thing he can do is pass a new National Gambling Impact Study Commission, pass a new professional amateur sports protection act, reinstate, Robert f Kennedy US attorney
28:12 general Robert f Kennedy's wire act against organized crime, and place 5 really big restrictive regulators on the commodity futures trading commission. Because right
28:24 now, the companies are you see gambling everywhere and gambling on anything. The reason they're getting away with this is because they found a loophole with the commodity futures trading commission.
28:35 My colleagues and I wrote about this back in 20 21, 20 22, said we've gotta stop this or it's going to it's already on everybody's cell phone. You know, click your phone, lose your home. It's on
28:47 your it's in your click your mouse, lose your house, and and they're targeting kids. Let me just yeah. I mean, Newsweek gets it. They're targeting kids, and they've got these new gotcha
28:59 games. The regulations are are ridiculous. They're window dressing.
29:05 Right.
29:05 Let me ask you a quick question. Who did who do you know who's Stephen Paddock was? I don't recall. Even Paddock is the biggest mass murderer in the history of the United States. You remember Columbine? You remember
29:17 Sandy Hook, but you don't remember Stephen Paddock. Killed 59 people, wounded 413. He was the shooter in Las Vegas.
29:23 Oh, that's right. Right.
29:25 The industry is great at covering all this up.
29:28 Alright. We're we're we're out of time. I you know, my my bet is that congress doesn't tackle this, but we could get the administration to do something. That is if you're taking wagers, but I I wouldn't recommend you do
29:39 that. Professor Kei
29:41 Check out check out moms against gambling dot org and stop predatory gambling dot org.
29:46 Professor Kei, thank you so much. Alright, folks. Stick with us. We're back after this. For over 4000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the
29:58 heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It's the center of their ancestral homeland where
30:10 nearly 80 percent of the Bible's events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem. Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On
30:22 Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria
30:34 is nearly a quarter of Israel's current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation's identity. The October seventh massacre launched
30:46 from Gaza shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a 2 state solution, became a launchpad for terror.
30:58 Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a 2 state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran's grip is weakening. New alliances are forming, but
31:09 western countries and some US officials still chase the mirage of a 2 state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the US, led not to peace,
31:21 but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel's geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring
31:33 peace, it would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel's rightful claim to sovereignty. It's time for America to do the same for history, for justice,
31:45 and for lasting security in the Middle East. Alright. Welcome back to this Thursday edition of Washington Watch. I'm Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for,
31:57 joining us. Professor Kent is a long time friend. I've actually worked with him back when I was in the legislature in Louisiana working against gambling. In fact, it's the life issue and gambling were 2 of the main
32:08 reasons I ran for office and became the anti gambling, leader in the Louisiana legislature and what I predicted happened. Gambling began to corrupt government. It has that,
32:20 that influence. So we're gonna continue to track this because I think this opens up, pulls back the curtain for people to see what has happened since gambling has merged with
32:32 professional sports. So we'll keep you posted on that, and it's important. Alright. As, much of the western world begins to sober from its hangover of gender confusion, Albania seems determined to join theShow more
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