Skip to content 9/29/2025 People of all Ages Seek Biblical Truth, Despite Targeted Violence on Christians and Conservatives Sep 29 · 59 min ...more
9/29/2025 People of all Ages Seek Biblical Truth, Despite Targeted Violence on Christians and Conservatives
September 29, 2025 · 59 min
TODAY: Peace negotiations in Israel and the future of Gaza; domestic church attacks and Christian persecution in Korea; the Democrats' government shutdown; young adults seeking a biblical perspective.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video September 29, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
TODAY: Peace negotiations in Israel and the future of Gaza; domestic church attacks and Christian persecution in Korea; the Democrats' government shutdown; young adults seeking a biblical perspective. ...more Show the full description Show less TODAY: Peace negotiations in Israel and the future of Gaza; domestic church attacks and Christian persecution in Korea; the Democrats' government shutdown; young adults seeking a biblical perspective.
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In this video 0:00 The State of the Nation: Political Deadlines and Spiritual Reflections18:43 Faith, Freedom, and the Call to Action
The State of the Nation: Political Deadlines and Spiritual Reflections 0:06 Welcome to the Washington Watch News Desk. I'm Sarah Holliday with today's top stories. Congress faces a critical deadline tomorrow. Pass legislation and keep the federal government running0:18 or risk a partial shutdown. Tensions between Democrats and Republicans overspending are nothing new with negotiations often going down to the wire. But this time, Democrats are0:29 pushing to overturn president Donald Trump's big beautiful bill enacted in July with a staggering 1500000000000.0 dollar spending hike that would provide free health care0:41 for illegal immigrants. Republicans are firmly opposed, and sources say they're standing their ground. The question is, will Democrats budge? The nation0:53 awaits an answer by tomorrow's midnight deadline. In other news, another tragic shooting took place in Michigan on Sunday. Police reported that a man1:05 drove his vehicle through the front doors of a Mormon place of worship, ultimately causing the building to catch fire. Officials said that hundreds of people were inside. The suspect reportedly shot1:16 10 people with at least 4 now dead. The gunman died at the scene in an exchange of gunfire with 2 officers who rushed to the scene.1:26 Law enforcement, again, we were we were on scene within 30 seconds from that original 9 1 1 call. Within 8 minutes, that suspect was neutralized in the back1:38 parking lot of the church. I'm confident that we're gonna overcome this as, Graham Blink always overcomes these type of, incidents.
1:48 The official said how they're working around the clock on this case alongside the help of the FBI. So far, the suspect has been identified as 40 year old marine Thomas Jacob Sanford from a nearby town.
2:00 In response, president Donald Trump wrote on social media characterizing this as yet another targeted attack. Our hearts go out to the shaken community.
2:12 Notably, this tragedy follows a series of targeted attacks. In fact, a recent study revealed that left wing terrorism has hit a 30 year high. According to research from
2:24 the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, left wing attacks have spiked in recent years with incidents like arson and sabotage targeting infrastructure and corporations. The data shows left wing terrorism now
2:36 accounts for a growing share of politically motivated attacks. There's been a long held focus on far right extremism, but in recent years, there have been several attacks against Christians and
2:48 conservatives ranging from the 20 20 Black Lives Matter riots to the anti ice riots that are ongoing nationwide. Several churches or religious schools have been the center of shootings,
2:59 and the assassination of Christian and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has rocked the nation. And yet, from the ashes of horror, some say a potential revival is rising.
3:12 Many are noting how Charlie Kirk's death in particular appears to have lit a flame in the hearts of many Americans just weeks after the shocking assassination. Ministers across America
3:24 say they're witnessing what they're calling the Charlie Kirk effect, a surging wave of faith that's filling pews. Reports are pouring in of churches welcoming new faces,
3:35 especially young adults, to their Sunday worship. Some churches have welcomed back people who hadn't shown up in ages. Pastor Jack Hibbs says Calvary Chapel Chino Hills said people are knocking on doors
3:47 desperate for answers. According to Hibbs, the question echoing in hearts of young people is, what am I living for right now? As he put it, there appears to be a realization, especially for this
3:59 generation, that tomorrow isn't promised. Even before Kirk's death, bible sales were significantly rising, and the Barna Group's recent data showed Gen Zers have been hitting services nearly
4:11 twice as often as before 20 20. Could we be entering into the revival many have prayed for? Some are saying yes. And those are today's
4:22 headlines. I'm Sarah Holliday. Dive deeper with the Washington Stand at washington stand dot com. Watch this and other news on the Stand Firm mobile app and follow us on social media for updates at FRCDC.
4:35 Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We're back tomorrow with more stories that matter.
4:54 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 newsmakers, all from a biblical
5:06 worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:10 At least we're at a minimum very, very close, and I think we're beyond very close. And I wanna thank BB for really getting in there and doing a job. We've worked well together.
5:23 How was president Donald Trump after a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today at the White House saying a Middle East peace deal is closer than ever? Welcome to this Monday edition of
5:33 Washington Watch. I'm your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for, for tuning in. So coming up, Democrat and Republican leaders met with president Donald Trump and, emerged from the meeting just moments
5:45 ago. Democrats say no deal is on the table, so the clock is still ticking toward a government shutdown. More on this in just a moment as congressman Pat Harrigan of North Carolina joins me.
5:57 And we continue our special feature, standing together spotlighting organizations that are advancing the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, and freedom. Founder of CounterACT USA, Abigail Dejarnet,
6:10 joins us later to share how God is using their work to impact the next generation. Well, earlier today, president Donald Trump
6:21 announced during a press conference at the White House that Israeli prime minister Netanyahu has agreed to support a US peace plan to end the Gaza conflict. Joining me now is Washington stand reporter Casey
6:33 Harper, who's been following the story throughout the day. So, Casey, what does the 21 point peace plan include include, and how did the prime minister respond?
6:44 Yeah. Well, thanks, Tony. This plan calls for a ceasefire, hostage swaps, and a path to lasting peace and security. President Trump says they're very close to a deal, and he hopes Hamas will accept it.
6:56 For Netanyahu's self, he said that he praised Trump's leadership, and he would support the plan.
7:01 I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages,
7:13 dismantle Hamas's military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
7:24 With that being said, Netanyahu added that if Hamas refuses the plan, Israel will continue its campaign to root out the Hamas terrorists in Gaza. And this comes after a wave of countries recognized the Palestinian state
7:36 at the United Nations last week. And, Tony, it now appears that the annexation of Judea and Samaria is off the table. 1 of the 200 evangelical leaders led by the Family Research Council are
7:48 calling on president Donald Trump to support Israel's claim to Judea and Samaria. In a letter since Sunday, they urged president Trump to back Israel's right to apply sovereignty over that territory, which many
8:00 call the biblical heartland, Tony.
8:03 Yeah. That's right, Casey. The letter that we helped, put together says Israel's control of Judea and Samaria would make the country stronger. And not only that, it aligns with
8:15 both scripture and history. So, frankly, this should be a nonnegotiable issue for US policy that Israel has the right to exercise sovereignty over that region. And as you mentioned, it did not come up, in
8:27 this meeting, so that that's, at least, a good sign for now. We'll have to wait to see, where this plan leads. We'll talk more more about that later. But I wanna turn to, a a deeply troubling event,
8:39 and this is the attack on the Mormon meeting house in Michigan, yesterday. What do we know about that, Casey?
8:46 Yeah. Tony, this is a sad story. Authorities in Michigan are investigating a deadly attack at a Mormon meeting house in Grand Blanc. The 40 year old Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former marine anti Iraq war
8:58 veteran, he drove his truck into the Mormon meeting house during a service, opened fire, and then allegedly set the building on fire. He was later killed in a shootout with police, leaving at least
9:10 4 people dead, 8 others in, injured. And in fact, some people are still unaccounted for. So this, unfortunately, it fits this trend we're seeing, Tony, for a few years here of violence in the US.
9:22 Yeah. Casey, you're you're right. In fact, a recent report from Family Research Council shows that US churches are still facing a high number of hostile incidents, including threats, vandalism, and arson, and
9:33 increasingly, more attacks with guns.
9:37 We found 415 incidents of hostility against churches. And compared to 20 18 when we found 50, that is a massive increase over a small amount of years.
9:49 And the fact that we're seeing more incidents of these acts of hostility against churches seems to indicate a rise in this sort of animosity towards Christianity and our culture.
9:58 That was our own Ariel de Turco, author of the hostilities against churches report, who spoke about that last month about the incidents that are have been tracked in 2012. And while we're
10:10 seeing rising hostilities against Christians here in America, religious freedom is also under a threat overseas. Pastor Son Hun Bao has been arrested on charges of violating
10:23 election law and his, and is act in in charge with, violating election law for apparently supporting conservative candidates. Right. What
10:35 what do we know about that, Casey?
10:37 Yeah. So so pastor pastor Sohn of Busan Segura Presbyterian Church, he's a well known conservative voice and leader of the Save Korea Movement, but he was charged today with breaking election laws.
10:49 Pastor Sohn has been a vocal supporter of protecting traditional values and opposing the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk yeol. Prosecutors accuse him of promoting conservative candidates during church services
11:01 and sharing his message online, including a meeting with American conservative activist, the late Charlie Kirk, earlier this year. So there's growing concern about government hostility towards Christians in the country.
11:13 In fact, South Korean Christian leaders met here at Family Research Council to discuss the threat to religious freedom in their country. Tony.
11:21 Thanks, Casey. We're gonna talk about that a little bit later with, Travis Weber when he joins us. So, we'll we'll talk to you later, Casey. Thanks so much for giving us the headlines. Very troubling, and I think it's
11:32 something we gotta pay close attention to to what's happening in South Korea. And we'll talk more about that later because I think it's a harbinger to what, we see even in our own country. But now I I wanna go back to
11:43 our top news story, the meeting between president Donald Trump and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Joining me now, congressman Pat Harrigan, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He represents the tenth
11:53 congressional district of North Carolina, veteran of the United States army. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Good to see you again.
12:03 Hey, Tony. Thanks for having me. It's always great to be with you.
12:06 Well, I I wanna get your take on the the the proposed 21 point plan. But first, just moments ago, Democrat leaders from the House and Senate emerged from a
12:18 White House meeting with the president, saying that they Schumer says the, the president they made proposals to the president, but, no agreement. And so it appears that
12:30 the shutdown, which is midnight tomorrow night, the clock's still ticking. It looks like that's where we're headed.
12:39 Yeah. The vice president even said that, it looks like we're headed for a shutdown, which is really frustrating. I think at this point, it's very clear that if that is the ultimate result here, the Democrats have shut
12:50 this government down. House Republicans, we did our job 2 weeks ago. Senate Democrats have to do their job. And the reality is is if they choose to shut the government down because we're not willing to
13:01 increase affordable care act subsidies by 1 and a half trillion dollars, that's absolutely a ridiculous claim from the Democrats, that ultimately they're not going to
13:13 vote for a continuing resolution that they already voted for last year. That's unbelievably disingenuous, and I think the American people will hold them accountable for it. But, I hope the cooler heads can prevail before
13:25 close of business tomorrow.
13:26 Yeah. As you mentioned, the house already passed a clean CR, meaning just continuing the present funding while the appropriation bills can be done. And this is a, this is a funding level that the Democrats
13:39 have voted for before, but they won't do it now.
13:44 That's exactly right. And so, ultimately, if if Chuck Schumer is gonna bend the knee, he's gonna bend the knee to the radical left of his party, rather than take, you
13:56 know, the the perceived political lump on the head of having to side with Republicans in voting for something he's already voted for in the past. I mean, this is how crazy things are right now in Washington. It's just
14:08 unbelievable. And and I get it. When you have a tough political choice, you need to do the right thing for the country, and the right thing for the country is keeping the government open. So I hope he chooses to do that.
14:17 It's the politics. And I know his personal politics in New York have to be weighing in on him as well. Alright. I wanna move back to this top story. The president meeting with the prime minister of Israel. You're spec
14:28 former special forces in the United States army. You know about urban conflict. The the situation in Gaza, it they they are at a standstill in trying to eliminate Hamas.
14:41 This 21 point peace plan that has been proposed, appears to be a way out for, peace, but it's hard to determine. I'm I'm gonna get your thoughts.
14:54 Yeah. Look. I think it's, a long terms that have been proposed that are really, acceptable to Israel based off of their, commentary today from, prime
15:06 minister Netanyahu. But, really, I would say uncomfortable for them to agree to. Also terms that seem to be uncomfortable for Hamas and the Palestinian authority to agree to. And so look at a situation where
15:18 you've got such motivated, politically charged, historically charged arguments on either side. I don't think either side are going to be happy with any type of negotiated resolution. This seems
15:30 like that would be 1 of those circumstances that might end up getting across the finish line. Prime minister Netanyahu has said that they would accept it and they would support it. Now it's up to Hamas and the
15:42 Palestinian authority to see if they will do the same.
15:44 I mean, the the Israeli leadership has, as you said, has agreed to accept it. But but I wanna ask you this as a combat veteran understanding more of what happens on the
15:56 ground. Is can they have can Israel have success without completely eliminating Hamas and finishing the war there by pulling back now?
16:09 I'm very doubtful, Tony. And, look, I think we've got historical precedent. This, deal calls for the release of 250 terrorists that have been given life sentences in Israel.
16:21 Israel has done that before. It has not worked out well for them in the past. We're we end up right back in the same cycle of violence. So, you know, my concern over this deal is that it's long on hope, very short on
16:32 assurances from a political military perspective, and and certainly being somebody that's fully vested in a positive outcome for Israel here. Mhmm. As much as I am the other side given
16:44 how this conflict was started, I've got serious concerns about, whether peace can actually be achieved through this deal. But if if the United States is saying as a third party, an independent broker, we're
16:56 willing to back this. President Trump has the the full, you know, faith and authority of the United States government to enter into that. And and, Netanyahu has the same
17:08 ability for Israel.
17:09 If the
17:10 other side comes in and president Trump uses his force of personality to do it, it's possible.
17:15 But could could this be Israel's Afghanistan?
17:19 Yeah. There's no question about it. I mean, Tony, you and I have talked about even before that, you know, reengaging and going back into Gaza was kind of the the best of a bunch of terrible decisions, that
17:31 Netanyahu had before him. Because ultimately, you wanna see Israel get to a safe place here where the safety and security of their people, their national security is assured. You can't just go back into the same
17:43 cycle of violence that has always plagued this part of the world. And that seems to be the track that no matter where we turn, Hamas is determined, to to, you know, keep keep their foot on
17:55 the throat, of the Israeli people. That's not acceptable long term.
17:59 Yeah. Well, I I put a lot of stock in your, your opinions on these things because you've, been on the ground, seen the the difficulty of, of of fighting an enemy like
18:10 this, ideologically driven, and and there's no halfway. You have to win if you're gonna be secure. Congressman Pat Harrigan, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks for joining us.
18:21 Tony, thanks for having me. Always great to be with you. Have a great evening.
18:24 Alright. And and, folks, you really can't see this conflict in the Middle East apart from the spiritual significance and implications, and and and it really helps to have a biblical worldview to understand
18:36 that region of the world and this conflict that is taking place. We're gonna talk more about that, later. But next, we're gonna play a, an interview that I did over the weekend with house speaker Mike Johnson. So that'sShow more
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