Transcript

 : Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio.

Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government to purs and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.

 : This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.

The discussion over anti Semitism and Israel has reached fever pitch recently

Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Wednesday, February 11th and the discussion over anti Semitism and Israel and whether you're America first versus Israel first has kind of reached a, another level of fever pitch in the United States really I think unnecessarily, this is a huge distraction from what the White House, the administration and especially Christians should be doing. it should just be very clear that anti Semitism, it has no place in this country and that we can before our country and our also recognize the Abrahamic covenant that that God promised the land to the nation of Israel. And if our nation supports that then that's actually a good thing and that is not somehow diminishing the United States in terms of our priorities and our duty and obligation as citizens of this country to promote our values. But our values are inherently Christian. but anyway, the establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission, was done by executive order by President Trump back in May of last year. And they held their first roundtable discussion and it was actually on antisemitism. And this is where things really went off the rails because a few people were brought in, including my good friend, from the Babylon Bee, Seth Dillon, in order to, to give commentary and to talk about this at the roundtable and one of the members, Kari Prejean Bowler, who you've probably never heard of and now you have. And I think that's actually what she wants. She just wants attention over this. spent a significant portion of time defending Candace Owens, Tucker Carlsen and really ultimately in my opinion defending anti Semitism and took the hearing or the roundtable really way off the rails because she started basically cross examining Seth Dillon. And I want to play for you a four minute segment that's been going around social media. You need to listen to this entire portion just to understand how bad this is. So this is, Kari Bowler basically cross examining Seth Dillon, who's just there to talk about anti Semitism and to make sure that we all are protecting religious freedom in this country. And was invited there by the White House, and it just went seriously off the rails. Listen to this.

 : I would really appreciate it if you would stop calling Candace Owens an anti Semite. She's not an anti Semite. She just doesn't support Zionism and that really has to stop.

 : Okay, yeah.

 : I don't know why you keep bringing her up. And Tucker.

 : Well, because they're the two most famous anti Semites.

 : There you go again. Everyone's an anti Semite. Everyone's an anti Semite, I guess. So if you don't support Zionism. You just said you're not an anti Semite yet Candace is an anti Semite.

 : I think she goes far beyond not merely supporting Zionism. She calls Jews the synagogue of Satan. She denigrates anyone who. She often uses the word Zionist and the word Jew interchangeably. At one point she slipped up and used the word Jew and someone said, oh, you're not saying Zionist anymore. She's like, no, gloves are off.

 : So do you think saying Christ is king is anti Semitic?

 : No.

 : Christ is king.

 : Amen.

 : Christ is my king. He's the king of the universe.

 : So that's what, started the whole thing with her. Right.

 : But, Oh, my thing with her, yeah. What I explained to her, and this is what she considered this deep betrayal, was simply that the phrase Christ is king has been admittedly by many co opted for the purpose of identifying with a, griper movement and putting the Jews in their proper place to show them that they are other than. And they will use the phrase, in very, very nasty context. Like I cited in my statement earlier, Christ is King, you dirty Jew. I've had that told to me dozens of times. Do you think that that's anti Semitic?

 : Of course.

 : Okay, so the phrase not the Christ.

 : Is king part, but the you dirty Jew.

 : Right.

 : So I say Christ is king all the time. I'm not an anti Semite.

 : Right.

 : And I don't think that that makes you an anti Semite.

 : Thank you.

 : I'm talking about how the phrase can be abused. So there's plenty of ways to use that phrase in a certain context or paired with other sentiments that make it clear that that person doesn't actually believe Christ is king. You can't say Christ is King, you dirty Jew and call yourself a Christian. Christians worship a Jew. It's just absurd. So. But no, the phrase itself, and this is what I actually said in my comments, the phrase is not anti Semitic. I declare it with humility and reverence myself. It's the abuse of the phrase. Just like when someone takes the Lord's name in vain, you should find that objectionable. As a Christian, I hope that you do someone saying something like that in that context to a Jewish person for the purpose of treating them as other than or excluded or, you know, to disparage them in some way. that is using the Lord's name in an abusive manner. It's exploiting it, for political reasons or just for the sacred of promoting hatred. and I find that repulsive.

 : So anti Semitism to you is merely mostly speech, correct?

 : I didn't say that.

 : No.

 : I don't know where you got that. But for someone to say Christ is king on their social media platform, would you label that an anti Semitic? If you're looking into the context of what they're saying, or if they just say Christ is king, like, it could be.

 : You have to look at the context.

 : Yeah, but I would say that's anti Christian. If you're analyzing why I'm saying Christ is king.

 : No, saying the phrase Jesus Christ is not taking the Lord's name in vain unless you're doing it in a certain context. Right. There's context matters.

 : Yeah. So going back to Candace Owens when she worked for Daily Wire. Ah, your friend Ben fired her because she said Christ is king.

 : And I never said that what she said was anti Christ.

 : Okay, but you're calling her an anti Semite.

 : Oh, yes, because she said way worse than that.

 : Ah.

 : Okay, let's move on, because everyone seems to be obsessed with Candace.

Do you think anything Candace has said is anti Semitic

My last question. Why were you at the Hamptons?

 : Can you just.

 : Why were you at the Hamptons?

 : Were any. Do you think that anything Candace has said is anti Semitic?

 : no, I don't.

 : Nothing ever. That's interesting.

 : I mean, I listen to her daily.

 : You should look up more.

 : I haven't heard one thing out of her mouth that I would say is anti Semitic.

 : Okay.

Todd Starnes: Carrie Prashon should be fired from Religious Liberty Commission

Jenna Ellis: All right, so that was Kari Prejean Bowler and Seth Dillon, if you were just joining, who were were to, have this exchange during the White House's roundtable, for the Religious Liberty Commission. So let's welcome in Todd Starnes, who, is a very good friend, and he also has a Newsmax show, a radio show host, and also an author And a Christian and a common sense individual. so Todd, I really appreciate you joining because I was listening to this on social media, seeing the commentary, and it is wild to me that this is somehow the conversation under the auspices of something legitimate that the White House is trying to doing to protect religious liberty. I mean this, this woman needs to be fired off of the commission for one thing. But what is your take on all of this?

Todd Starnes: Well, yeah, ah, it's all very strange. And I actually know Kari Prashon back, gosh, going all the way back to 2008 when she first came onto the. And I think that's what's really surprising to a lot of people because she has been very involved in the in the Trump administration and the Trump campaign. she's been fighting, you know, drag queens, there in the, in the local school board where you know, she and her husband live in California, you know, that she's got kids and she, you know, she claims to be a Catholic, but she came on the national scene when she was Miss California and, and Perez Hilton asked her about same sex marriage, which, you know, her answer caused all sorts of controversy and the religious community, you know, especially religious liberty community came to her defense.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, and I, was talking just before the show. I didn't realize that you had, you know, kind of known her that long because I just saw that clip, but then that exchange with her and Press Hilton, and it was, it was interesting to me because she said that in this country you have freedom to choose and you can, you know, and, and basically sounded in the beginning like she was very much for same sex, quote, unquote, marriage. And then she called traditional marriage opposite marriage, which I, I think maybe was a little bit confused, but then said, I personally believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Which is of course the, the right opinion. And you could see Perez Hilton who, for listeners who don't know who who he is, you can look him up later. But you know, very much an advocate of the, the trans community. and, and so it was a little bit confused in terms of her response. And I think that also describes very aptly her position on the commission. But it's, it's not just about her. I mean there's this whole growing segment of what I've been calling kind of the new right that is suggesting that if you are America first, then you can't support the nation of Israel in terms of what the Bible says about The Abrahamic Covenant. You shouldn't want them to be a perpetual ally of the United States. I mean this is now, you know, over a year long conversation that really sparked when Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlsen had that now infamous exchange. And so why do you think that this particular issue about Israel is now dividing so much of the. Right.

Todd Starnes: Well, I think that, and we have seen this throughout history. It seems like every couple of decades, you know, we go through the same fight, over antisemitism. And this is really nothing more than Jew hatred. And it's an ugly, ugly thing. Kari Prijan Bowler came into the meeting, and she joined the commission with clearly an agenda. she wrote a response to one of the Jewish members who she, you know, we all heard the back and forth and that was incredibly ugly. she, she said that she wore an American pin alongside a Palestinian flag. And she said she was standing in solidarity with the Palestinian, people, who were quote, being bombed, displaced and deliberately starved in Gaza, which is all simply not true. so I think a lot this is coming from the so called conservative influencers, the Candace Owens and the Tucker Carlsons and folks like that who are just clearly coming in with an agenda. And unfortunately a lot of people are following their lead here. So I mean it's a very disturbing thing Jenna. And I suspect I'll give you an example. Just last weekend I spoke at the Young Americas foundation, their national conference. And the next day there is all this hullabaloo about how the conservative young people that were in attendance were, you know, were, were Jew haters. And I'm like absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I just, you know, I spoke vehemently against, you know, anti Semitism and received thunderous applause from the crowd. So there's clearly an agenda within the conservative movement to try and to really try and you know, separate the Christian people from the nation of Israel.

Jenna Ellis: And yeah, and this commission, Todd Stearns obviously is, it was established by the White House. And so this roundtable was being held at invitation of this commission, under the banner of the White House. Do you think that this extends to the White House? I mean President Trump has been very supportive of Israel. He's clearly been a friend to Israel. I mean the Abrahamic Accords, you know, signature, piece in his first term. And, and I would never think of this White House supporting what happened at this roundtable.

Todd Starnes: Yeah, that's, you know, and again, I think you Know, this has been a challenge with this administration, are selecting people for these commissions. you know, the appointments that really, you know, that was also an issue with the president during his first term in office where, you know, you would. He would name someone to a commission or he would name someone his cabinet, and then they would turn around and just be an incredibly bad choice for, you know, for whatever reason. So, look, I think, Jenna, that this is going to get itself worked out. she is, you know, there's been a lot of calls for her to be removed. you know, Kari Prashon Bowler is saying, I will not resign. I will not be bullied for following her Catholic conscience. So we'll see how this plays out. But, she said that she's not going to bend a knee to Israel. And, and again, I don't even see it. And, as I told the students at Young America's foundation, even if you have a problem with Israel, from whatever political perspective you have, it doesn't matter because we are obligated as an ally to Israel to come to their defense. I mean, we have signed contracts, we have signed treaties, and therefore we have an obligation as a people to stand alongside Israel. but again, I believe, coming from a Christian world view, that we do have a responsibility as Christians to stand with Israel.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, I do as well. And we've talked about that extensively, on this program over the last about year and a half since this, topic has really been pushed into this divide, over the NewSong Right and, really what has been traditionally understood, the, Christian worldview of, the basic conservative position. And like, like others, I think that, this woman should be removed from the committee, not just because she has a different opinion, but because nobody has a right to be on this commission. You, you serve at invitation and, you know, pleasure of the White House and ultimately, pleasure of the President. And when you are hijacking a. A committee for your own purposes and really taking it as a distraction, making it a distraction from what the purpose of the Round Table is, then maybe you shouldn't serve on the commission. And I posted this on social media, Todd. And I got. And Kari actually responded to me and was like, oh, well, you know, I have a right to freely exercise my Catholic faith. Well, first of all, I think that's an insult to Catholics because if she wants to claim to that this anti Israel and anti Semitic position is what all Catholics believe, well, that's another problem. But, but nobody has a right to serve on this commission. Or, or speak under those circumstances without potentially consequences. So there's that. But let's get into really quickly, this piece about her saying that this is an expression of her Catholic faith. Now obviously you and I, and you know, an AFA as well, we are Evangelical Protestants. the biblical worldview, the five SOLAs, all of that. I think that this is offensive to Catholics to suggest that anti Semitism is part of their theology. But at the same time, I also posted yesterday, which got a lot of commentary, that, you know, a lot of these things, that are mistakes of theology tend to happen in Catholic circles where the theology is not built on Scripture alone but on, people doctrine and other, things that are not grounded specifically in Scripture. So it wasn't really surprising to me that it's a Catholic and there are a lot of Catholics that are espousing kind of this, view.

Todd Starnes: Well, I will tell you that I, asked a simple question on X when all of this happened. I said, who in the world was responsible for vetting members of the White House Religious Liberty Commission? Yet another significant vetting issue. What an embarrassment. And, we had hundreds of people, you know, reply to that and I, you know, again, not terribly surprised here, but most of the, most of the, most of those comments were very critical of yours truly, you know, and accusing me of being a Zionist, as if that somehow addressed dirty word. Now, and again, I think, Jenna, that that we have just allowed ourselves perhaps as Christians, maybe we haven't done a good job explaining why we need to stand alongside Israel to younger generations. there is this, you know, this attitude within the America first movement that that means even pushing aside our allies. And I just sincerely disagree with that. You know, I'm a Southern Baptist and you know, raised, you know, my support, for Israel, actually came from, you know, the church and learning, you know, in Sunday school of learning from the pulpit about why it's important that Christians stand alongside, you know, Israel. I think when, Jews here in this country come, Come under attack anti Semitism, I believe that evangelicals have a responsibility, a duty to stand alongside the Jewish people. But Jenna, there was something that was said at the, at the conference I was at and I was spe to, we're having a private conversation in a back room. And I was there in the room and overheard one of the other speakers who I thought to be conservative, say that it's really only the far right Christians who support Israel. And I thought, whoa, wait a second. Where did that thought process come from. So, Jenna, I think this is a lot worse than we think it is. And we have got to start educating kids and Christians in general on why we need to support Israel.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, so well said, Todd. And I could not agree more. And similarly, you know, I was raised in, in basically non denominational Baptist, you know, Calvary chapels, and also heard from the pulpit and from my parents, discipleship of me, you know, growing up, being raised homeschooled and reading the Bible for ourselves, we would read the Bible from COVID to cover annually. so by the time I graduated, I've, I've read through the Bible, you know, now, I mean, you know, dozens of times. So, to understand the full counsel of God really matters and to connect those dots. But I think this is even more than just not educating, kids. I mean obviously that's a huge piece of it, but I think this is more of a, an intentional move by some who are looking at the MAGA movement and the Republican Party post Trump because he doesn't have another election yet. And and I actually wrote a piece, I don't, I don't know if I sent it to you, but in the Christian post, and this was back in November that is titled the NewSong Rights Revolt is not really about Israel. And basically the thesis is that the new opposition, Israel, by some of these figures, that are, that have a little more influence, like Tucker Carlson's, former Representative Marjorie Taylor Green, some of those who are now influencing. And it goes downstream to the people like Kerry who maybe don't understand, where the Bible really is on this. But I don't think it's actually driven by people like Tucker, by a theological dispute or reasoned critique. And it's a byproduct of the NewSong Right's effort to redefine the conservative movement for the post Trump era. And Israel is a symbol of the old Republican order that the NewSong Right hopes to displace. Because for decades the GOP rested on three pillars made up of evangelical Christians, the Reagan Bush foreign policy establishment and the free market institutionalists. And support for Israel was the one position they all embraced. And, and so that consensus, I think has become the target. And it's an easy target because the young people aren't educated on why to support Israel. And so it's an effort to not only marginalize the old establishment, which we probably would agree, you know, we don't want to go backwards into kind of the Bushy era, but they're also wanting to try intentionally to marginalize the evangelicals. And this is why I say it's dangerous that it's a lot of the Catholics that are promoting the anti Semitism because evangelicals have had a huge influence on this White House and on the MAGA movement. I mean, you and I are part of that. you know, we've both obviously, you know, been around Trump extensively. I worked for him, you've interviewed him a lot of times, and talked to him frequently. So this is an effort I think as well to marginalize the influence of evangelicals. And the backlash that both you and I are experiencing and other evangelicals for our pro Israel position while still being conservatives in America first is very intentional.

Todd Starnes: Oh, well, yeah, I do think it is. And look, there is an anti, there is an anti Christian sentiment that's growing in this country as well. And there is a lot of, blowback in NewSong York City, for example, right now where the Ugandan Muslim Zoran Mandami, the new mayor, has pretty much iced out Catholic clergy. none were invited to his inauguration. That's a break of a long time tradition. the Catholic Church is extremely, powerful in NewSong York City and most NewSong Yorkers happen to be Catholic. they were also not allowed or included in his widely promoted interfaith breakfast. I mean, how do you throw a breakfast for the religious community and exclude the Catholics in NewSong York? But that's what he did, you know, the Muslim did. And he also became the first mayor, to skip the installation of the archbishop at St. Patrick's Cathedral. So, you know, there are signs, and of course evangelicals, we have a very long and well documented, you know, history of attacks and those keep getting, bigger and bigger, in the United States of America as well. So, you know, what does all of this mean? Well, we're watching, we're watching the rise of Islam in our country and you will not hear people like Kerry, Prijon Boller calling that out. That is a very dangerous thing that's happening. And these, and people like Kerry and Tucker Carlsen and Candace Owens are silent about that.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And, and we've got to take a break here, Todd Starnes, but I think that you've hit the nail on the head, is that this is ultimately a distraction and it is, a way to, you know, marginalize the evangelicals from influence moving forward. But when we're talking about this, talking about anti Semitism of all things, just like when we're talking about, you know, the the trans movement. And no, you can't actually change your gender. I mean, things like that are just so. It's bizarre that we even need to, to discuss them. Then we're not talking about some of the things we should be, which is the rise of Islam in America. and if you missed my conversation yesterday with Congressman Brendan Gill on the Sharia Free America Caucus, listened to that program yesterday. But all of these things are important that we continue to ensure that we understand the obligation of civil government, to be predicated on reality, which is a recognition of God, our Creator, what he requires of us, a legitimate civil government, and then the rights that he gives to all individuals, and to families, to the church, and that we move forward building a moral and upright society. So, Todd Starnes, really appreciate it. You can find [email protected] also on X. And we will be right back with.

Jenna Ellis: Christians should be very clear why they support Israel

 : welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.

Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And you know, this conversation about Israel and about America supporting Israel, we have to be very clear as Christians why we support the nation of Israel. And through that whole conversation, with Todd Starnes, you know, obviously there was that implicit presumpt that of course Christians should support the nation of Israel. But really quickly, I, wanted to go through why. For people who may be listening for the first time or, for people who maybe are on the fence about this or wondering why this is such a big deal. Well, Christians approach politics first and foremost from the reality that, God presents us to. We understand that God created all things. He created reality, and we start from there. We don't have a. Well, here is my faith and here is what my church teaches me. And then here's what I think about geopolitics, and here's what I think about, you know, medical ethics, and here's what I think about, the economy and kind of parse out what we believe. That is not cohesive. that is what I like to call kind of a buffet of a worldview that you pick and choose from different plates and courses, what you personally want, but it doesn't actually create any sort of cohesion. And so for people who are wondering, why does this matter and why is this such a big deal to Christians? Well, every policy position and especially every theological position must be very important to Christians because it is part of what we ultimately believe about God and about truth. So this matters not just because it's sort of this, it's become this heated debate. And I do think it is a total distraction. But Christians need to be very clear where we stand and why, and not just because, well, Israel has been the ally of the United States for a long time, or, you know, well, because we support peace in the region. And, you know, all of those things are fine in terms of policy positions, but they don't actually explain why Christians are obligated to support Israel's right to the land based on our understanding of what God himself tells us through his revealed word. So this isn't optional for Christians. And the people who profess to be Christians or Catholics, and whatever denomination and who say that they take a different position on this, I would respectfully suggest that their theology is not substantive. And yes, we can, of course, have debates about theology and what the Bible teaches, but if you are approaching your politics to then explain your theology instead of saying, okay, here is what the Bible says, and I am going to take the plain meaning, the plain reading of Scripture, and I am going to then build my worldview from there and not come to theology with a set of predispositions and assumptions of what I want the Bible to say, and then try to twist and contort it into my policy perspective. that's what a lot of people right now are doing the right. And I think a lot of churches are not really, explaining this as well as maybe we have in generations past. Now, my church in Florida, thankfully, does a very good job of explaining this. We went through a whole series of, you know, what do you have questions about current events and what the Bible says about, you know, these topics overall. And the Bible actually has a lot to say on topics because there is nothing new under the sun. And we start from truth, and we build up our worldview on policy from there. And so the Bible actually has a lot to say about it. And the basic framework is that Genesis 12, God promises Abraham the land, offspring, a nation and a blessing. Genesis 15, the covenant is ratified by God alone. It's unconditional nature. It's unilateral Genesis 17. It's an everlasting covenant with Abraham's descendants. And so the land is a specific promise in Scripture. It's reaffirmed to Isaac. It is never formally revoked in Scripture. And while while there are some that believe that the church has replaced the nation of Israel, that came about historically when, Israel wasn't a nation. And instead of saying, well, I don't know how God is going to fulfill his promise, but this is what this says, and this is what the Bible says. We've got to take it, you know, on face. And we believe that that came about, really to not expressly look at the plain meaning of Scripture. And so Israel is a story, of redemption. Romans 9:11. Paul speaks of Israel as chosen in chapter nine, verses four through five, not permanently rejected, in chapter 11, having a future role in God's purposes. Also in chapter 11 and also says in Romans 11:29 this the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. So support is rooted in God's covenantal faithfulness, not just because of politics or supporting the nation of Israel. So for m. For Christians, support for Israel and their right to the land and the covenant is not about modern politics first. It's about believing that God keeps his promises and that the Abrahamic covenant still matters in his unfolding redemptive plan. Because we believe in a literal revelation, God will. God is the author of all things, from Genesis all the way to revelation. We'll be right back with more.

Jenna Ellis: Make America Healthy Again puts emphasis on health in food

 : Afr welcome back to Jenna Ellis.

 : In the Morning on American Family Radio.

Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And for a lot of families that have been long concerned about health and what they're feeding their families, the Make America Healthy Again nationwide emphasis on health has been a welcome relief. And, I think an emphasis on not just taking what the FDA claims that is safe, but actually being able to have a lot of, the understanding of what goes into our food and what, options are best. And so the Healthy Florida First Initiative, has also been, taking a closer look at what actually goes into our food. And the initiatives, food testing results have received all a lot of attention through, infant formula, candy and now even bread, some of this that you would get at even organic grocers and places that has really high, levels of carcinogens in them. And a lot of people are very surprised at what actually goes into our food. So First Lady Casey DeSantis, who has, been at the four of the Healthy Florida first initiative, joins me now.

Florida launched a commission to look at food safety across the state

And, first lady, thank you so much for coming on. And this is such an important focus for families. And so what inspired you to launch this program?

Casey DeSantis: Thanks for having me on, Jenna.

 : Yeah.

Casey DeSantis: Ah, so basically the governor decided that he wanted to launch a commission, really being a force amplifier to the federal government, the Maha movement, which everybody is applauding. Right. It was much needed and needed to be done, and we're seeing some good results. so we said, okay, what can we do in Florida? Understanding that the states can be a lot more nimble. Right. Than the federal government, and we certainly can drive a lot of good change in the free state of Florida. So we did this commission, and I'm leading it up with, our Lieutenant governor and then also with our great Surgeon General. The, Surgeon General and I sat in a room and we started to say, well, where do we want to take this first? And we also got some input from some of the other agency heads and ultimately decided like, well, let's trust verify the food system. Right? You come to learn that the FDA really is a reactionary force, that if they see something, that they'll go and investigate. But for the hundreds of thousands of food products that are out there on the market, there really isn't any trust but verified system in place with a good, fair, impartial third party that can go in and say, okay, I see your ingredients. Let's make sure that that isn't actually happening. And there's not anything in there that's problematic, like heavy metals or pesticides or anything like that. So that was really the start. And we did the baby formula first, Jenna, because we said, you know, this is really important to get right. This is food that the kids are eating. These babies, in the first years of their life. This is all that they're consuming. So we wanted to go in there and really find the results. And as you saw, the results are really troubling.

Jenna Ellis: Yeah, they really are. And this is so important, I think the distinction from things like, food recalls saying, okay, there's maybe some E. Coli in, these SKU numbers. And we see that coming, you know, quite frequently on recalls on certain products. But this is up front saying, okay, the common ingredients that are put into foods every day need to be tested. Why hasn't this done before? I mean, that seems just so basic.

Casey DeSantis: Well, you know, that is an excellent question, and, I don't have a good answer for you on that one, other than to say, what is the solution? Right. And I think that the solution lies within the states. Florida can do only so much, right? We're going from baby formula to bread to candy. we're looking at some other things that are going to come down the pike. But what if we get states across the United States of America to independently use their department of health to proactively go out and to trust, but again, verify. So I've had great conversations. Lieutenant Governor in Indiana. We reached out to Arkansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia. This is a big priority for them and say, okay, what can we do here to be able to provide the evidence and the data, the truth about the situation of our food supply, and then bring that to the FDA and say, okay, fda, maybe you might want to look at this, because high levels of glyphosate in bread, which is essentially roundup and weed killer, is not okay. So we got to do something about it. So I think that's where we can as well. States be again, those force multipliers to be able to drive the change. Because at the end of the day, I do believe this is the moment in history where we can ultimately get it done, because we do have great people in Florida. Our surgeon general is a rock star. Like, he is committed to get this right. And you need to have people like that to be able to get in the forefront, to be able to educate and allow consumers to know the truth. So that way we can demand accountability, transparency, and ultimately change.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. And this Is something that is so important for parents and for individuals and for everyone to be able to have all of the information to make the best decision. I mean, obviously we can look at some packaging and we can say, okay, you know, cake maybe isn't as healthy as an apple. But, at the same time, when you're looking at ingredients and a lot of those ingredients, I don't even know what they are. I mean, they're, you know, 17 letters long. And you just sort of trust me, okay? Some of this stuff that goes into these products must be safe for human consumption because they're on the, market and they're being sold by retailers. But what role do you see the state governments playing in food safety when you're discovering, these types of ingredients that really ultimately are harmful? I mean, carcinogens isn't just a suggestion. I mean, these are things that have clearly been linked, linked to cancer, right?

Casey DeSantis: So I think there's a couple of things happening and you bring up something that's very interesting about the list of ingredients and reading some of these things and you have no idea what in the world it is. And I think that really dates back to an antiquated law. I think it was the 1960s, generally accepted as safe. So basically companies have the right to be able to manufacture an additive. The company can have their own panel of experts that they create deem it, it's safe and it gets into the food supply. This is something that Secretary Kennedy has talked about. There's the much needed reforms there. Now separate from that is the chemicals, right? The pesticides, lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury. Those are things that are winding up in the food supply that consumers just don't know. And I feel like that is entry level. People should know the truth about what they're consuming consuming and make educated decisions. And here's the thing, what we're finding in every single product that we've tested so far, and I think that this is really important, while there are some bad products that we would say problematic as it pertains to these contaminants, in every category there are people that are doing it right. So don't tell me it can't be done. It can be done. We need to incentivize the guys that are doing it right that don't have the glyphosate in the bread, right? Consumers need to know that there are better solutions. And ultimately I think if consumers know and they vote with their pocketbook, right, and they go in and they buy one product over the other, that the other companies might feel that on their bottom line, and they would feel compelled to be able to make change. And then as you talk about the state's role, what can the states do? Well, we are doing more testing. We're going to keep doing this because I think transparency and sunlight is so important. Right. Empowering consumers with the truth, make informed decisions. Reaching out to the other states is really important. and then bringing this to the federal government through the MAHA move and saying, listen, we're here as your supporting actors in all of this. You know, rely on the states to be able to help ultimately get this done.

Healthy Florida first aims to hold food manufacturers accountable for contaminants

Jenna Ellis: And I'm speaking with Florida's first lady, Casey DeSantis, on the, Florida First, Healthy Florida first initiative. And, you know, one of the products that really surprised me was Dave's Killer Bread, because that sold in, even some of these, big box stores and grocery stores that, that don't sell certain other products based on the ingredients. And so what responsibility do you see, not just retailers, but also the companies themselves, that obviously they're putting these ingredients in and they have to have some knowledge. I mean, is Healthy Florida first, ultimately trying to create, some basis for maybe legislation that can hold some of these manufacturers responsible for their ingredients because they have to know that there are these contaminants in there.

Casey DeSantis: Well, I think that's an interesting question. I have seen Dave's, killer Bread getting a lot of attention now. They, when I look at the results, they had 11 parts per billion for one, 10 parts per billion for another one. But then you look at, like, Nature's Own Butter bread that had 190 parts, parts per billion. But still, I would make the argument that no glyphosate, no roundup, no weed killer is okay, now regulating it individually with the state. Yeah, you can see that there are some potential things that can be done, but I think a federal, movement is probably the best way because it then applies across the board, across the United States. And so, you know, one of the things that we're seeing is, you know, California has, some, laws on the book that hold the baby food manufacturers accountable. And I think that there's something where they have a QR code that you can click on it and you can see if there's any problematic contaminants in there. but do those squeeze bottles make their way across the United States, or is it only for the California market? so I think if the federal government is coming in and looking at this and regulating it across the board, for instance, the FDA doesn't have any guidance right now as it pertains to arsenic and candy. We got our information from the epa. I think there should be some guidance. I think that there should be some standardized, like, you know, no glyphosate in any of the bread. And so I think that there is an approach that can be done, federally. Another thing I will say that can be done is the US Congress can get involved in this one, particularly as it pertains to baby formula. If you remember, there was some salmonella outbreaks in the past, and that required some mandatory testing for the baby, formula manufacturers to do. if they're testing for salmonella before all of this stuff is leaving their factory, why not test for lead and arsenic and mercury and cadmium before we do that? And here's the thing. If one company is making a decision that they want to do better, right? That they want to clean all of this stuff out of their baby formula, which is the right move, but that makes their cost of business go up, and company B decides that they don't want to do that, but then their cost of business is lower, are they then undercutting the guy that's trying to do it? Right. And then are they going to have a competitive advantage again to an unknowing consumer that might not know that there's problematic contaminants within the baby's formula? So I think that there needs to be an even playing field, as it pertains to food safety. And again, food is like, entry level. There's a lot of really good policies. There's a lot of things that can be done within the state. But this is like, we need food to survive. Right? This is a daily thing. And making sure that we get this right across the board, I think is important not only for Floridians, but for people all across the United States of America.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. I mean, I think that's just a basic thing that most consumers are not believing that there's any level of arsenic or contaminants in the food that we consume, especially because we do have things like the FDA in place that a consumer just has the mindset, well, this is FDA approved. Then there's some level of testing and there's some level of, ah, reliance on that label. And so are these contaminants, the concern is that they're there, period, or is the concern more about cumulative exposure over time? And that plays into what, RFK Jr. Has been pushing with, the Department of Health and Human Services for, For chronic disease prevention more broadly.

Casey DeSantis: That's a really excellent question. And you're right. and the Department of Health in Florida has brought that up. Right. So when we specifically looked at the candy, it's not one Jolly Rancher. it's not, you know, just like one or two individual grains. Nerds. It's in aggregate over the course of a year. So to give you some context and perspective on this, what the Florida Department of Health found is that if you consume more than 86 nerds over the course of a year, you are exceeding your, quote, allowable threshold of arsenic consumption for a child within a year. As I'm doing air quotes, right, because arsenic on its face is not something that you really want to be consuming. But when you're doing this in aggregate, therein lies the problem. And so you're not eating 86 nerds, you're probably eating thousands. When you look at a big box that you would get at the movie theater that has 8,000 nerds in it. Analysis as it pertains to the Jolly, ranchers. If you consume more than six Jolly Ranchers over the course of a year, then you are, in, exceeding your, quote, allowable threshold of arsenic for a child within a year. And then if you think about, like Halloween, oh, they're going to eat the Jolly Ranchers, the Twizzlers, the nerds, the clusters, all of it starts adding up. And when you look at it, consumers and parents need to know this so that you can make a better decision. If you know that it's there. You might not give your child a box of nerd because you want to pacify them, because you're in a store and you want to be able to get through the experience without creating a scene. Right? You have the right to know that because at the end of the day, too, this is about health. We in Florida have invested over a billion dollars in cancer research and care. We have the only carbon ion therapy in the entire Western hemisphere, millions of dollars for pediatric. we've done all kinds of stuff through our innovation fund to incentivize research into ivermectin. All of these wonderful things. We got to start talking just as much about prevention. I think that's so important. And low hanging fruit, I would say, would be, let's get arsenic, cadmium, mercury and glyphosate. Weed killer. All of these things out of our food supply. And I bet our potential to be healthier is probably going to go up, exponentially. And so this is why I think it needs to be a call across the United States to be able to try to make some changes.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. And, you know, parents need to not only have this information, but not even have the availability to hand their kids that box that, that contains more arsenic than they should have in a year. I mean, that seems like something that would be a government responsibility to shield and protect kids even from some of those decisions. So I really appreciate, first lady Casey DeSantis, your, work on this, and I know that families across the nation, especially in Florida, are.

Is running for office something you've ever considered?

And last question for you. I know a lot of people just absolutely love you, myself included, and really want you to run for office. Obviously, I know you haven't said anything about it. You've always been a strong supporter of the governor, but is running for office something you've ever considered?

Casey DeSantis: Well, it is a very kind question and I appreciate, your very kind words, for me, but this is my priority because honestly, if we get this right, I think the monumental change that we can provide to the entire state and country is huge. Right. Like, changing the entire way that people can have trust in the food supply is a big deal. So this is my priority. and I appreciate, though, the question and of course, the support, you know, the governor's the goat, so I can see why people want the magic to continue.

Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. Well, you are the goat in terms of, healthy Florida first. And, we do in Florida just love and support your work and also the governor. So thank you, First Lady DeSantis, for your time and also, your advocacy on behalf of Florida and the nation. As always, you can reach me and my team jennaafr.net PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year, PreBorn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr.