Jenna Ellis: Rights that our founders recognize come from God our Creator
Jenna Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio. I love talking about the things of God because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve 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.
Ken Paxton unseated John Cornyn in hotly contested Texas primary
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Wednesday, May 27, and what a night in Texas last night with a lot of the runoffs and what a big win ultimately for Donald Trump because Ken Paxton prevailed over ah, an ousting Jon Cornyn in that heated Texas primary. And after Trump finally came out and endorsed ah, Ken Paxton, so great turnout there. Chip Roy, who I, it's really sad to me. I really think, Chip Roy is a great conservative, lost his campaign, and his race for Attorney General of Texas. But then a Democrat, Rep. Al Greene was also unseated, who's been a longtime Trump critic. And so overall it was a great night for Donald Trump and really solidified and continued to cement his dominant dominance over the gop. but for more on what's going on in Texas and kind of the sentiment on the ground after last night's runoffs, let's welcome in Representative Brian Harrison, who's a Texas state rep. And how are Texans feeling?
Ken Paxton beat incumbent John Cornyn 30 points in Texas attorney general race
Brian Harrison: Good morning Jenna. Always great to talk with you. It's, it's a beautiful morning here in the Lone Star State. And I tell you Jenna, it is it is impossible to overstate, the state of play here. It was a absolutely massive victory for the conservative grassroots in the state of Texas. The establishment got absolutely crushed. just a landslide victory for Attorney General ken Paxton, a 30 point, approximately 30 point victory over a four term incumbent who massively outspent Attorney, General Pax. I mean on paper, Senator Cornyn should have been able to put this race to bed a long time ago. But not only was he not able to do that, the conservative grassroots turned out, they turned out in droves, ah, aided in the last week by President Trump and his support, to oust a four term incumbent Senator. And I think one of the main points I want to communicate to folks about this because the political class, the smart set, the conventional wisdom, not only are they almost always wrong, in my opinion, they're 180 degrees off. They, they often think that for, or they tell people that to have electoral success at the ballot box, conservatives and Republicans, we need to, we need to moderate our views. We need to go along to get along in the Austin swamp or the D.C. swamp where corny was. And the reality is that voters are sick and tired of sending people to office who claim they're Republicans, who pledge to fight the Democrats, who pledged to stand up to the liberals that want to indoctrinate and bankrupt the next generation, only to, once they get elected, you know, sell out, put those Democrats in power, collude with them to destroy liberty for the next generation of Texans. And this was a problem entirely of Senator Cornyn's own making. His decisions to be, insufficiently conservative on key Republican issues like border security, and the Second Amendment, his support for red flag law. So this is entirely a mess. Kind of to the extent it's a mess at all of the establishment Republicans own making. But I do not think it's a mess. I think it's a huge victory for conservatives, in the Lone Star State. And I hope, people across the country are taking notice.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, I couldn't agree more with you. And I think it's incredible, like you mentioned, how much money was spent on this race. And it should have been about conventional metrics. it should have been Jon Cornyn that held onto his seat, especially because he tried to continue to characterize Ken Paxton as, you know, scandal plagued and all this. But it's just showing that the voters see through all that. They see through that, you know, sham impeachment, of Paxton a couple of years ago, and they also see his record of what he's actually done for the state of Texas as Attorney General. But then also how much he's fighting for the priorities that the base overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump to, move forward on that agenda. I mean, coming out, I think one of the most brilliant, campaign pieces for Paxton was saying, you know, hey, if Cornyn, will, will put through the Save America Act, I'll just, I'll stop running, I'll suspend my campaign. I mean, he was proving and saying, you know, I'm, I am 100% for the agenda. And I think that mattered.
Jen Tallarigo: Ken Paxton's victory is a testament to voters
Brian Harrison: All right, Policy matters, ideology matters, principles matter. And I'm glad you brought up the, the impeachment. I mean, my goodness, what a difference. Three years mig. Jen, I think you and I probably talked about it on the show at the time, when these again, to the point of rhinos and fake Republicans and all that. I mean, I mean I swim in a variable sea, ocean of rhinos down here in the Austin, the capital in Austin. And just three years ago, not the Democrats, fake Republicans that control the Texas government, led a sham impeachment of Ken Paxton. I am one of almost 90 Republicans in the Texas House. But when the impeachment was dropped on our desk and it was a Saturday morning 3 years ago this month, I was one of. Jen. I was one of only four, four Republicans in the entire Texas State House that had the courage to go to the floor and speak out against that sham impeachment of our Attorney General. And he's now gone from being, you know, almost impeached, actually he was impeached by the Texas House, to now being the officially the Republican nominee for the United States Senate from the great state of Texas. And I would say this too. Now you, know the other very, very important thing for this morning is no matter who anybody voted for yesterday, the polling's done, the election's over. We've got to now reunite and train our fire on the Democrats. And one thing that is very important to point out is that this Democrat, James Talarico, the Democrat nominee for U.S. senate, I have these. The pleasure or the misfortune, however you want to look at it, of serving with him for years in the Texas State House. There has never been a more liberal, radical, progressive, Marxist run for office statewide in the state of Texas than James Talarico. But I think to tie into the theme here, Jenna, one of the biggest, the most scandalous but also most underreported aspects of the James Talarico story of the guy who believes that there are six genders, that we should roll out the red carpet for illegal aliens. I mean, James Talarico believes that after 2000 years of Christendom, he alone has discovered the true narrative of the biblical story of Joseph and Mary. And that was to promote elective abortions. I'm, not making this up. That's how radical James got his non binary Talarico is. But James Talarico didn't just come up through the ranks of the Democrat Party in the state of Texas. No, no, no. He was elevated, promoted and platformed and aided in his rise to national prominence by the fake Republicans that control the Texas House of Representatives. He actually supported and helped elect our so called Republican speaker, a guy named Dustin Burroughs. James Talarico put Dustin Burroughs in power and then this fake, our, fake Republican speaker turn around, put James Talarico in leadership, made him vice chairman of two of our most powerful committees, including education related committees, and aided him in his rise to national prominence. And I think while that's bad, I think the silver lining me and last night is a testament to this. The voters are having their eyes opened like never before to the corruption at the hands. Not just the Democrats, but people who call themselves Republicans, only to turn around and weaponize the power of government against our children, against our values, against, conservative ideologies. And I think Ken Paxton's victory last night was just a massive testament to voters saying, we're sick and tired of being sold out. We want somebody who has a proven track record of fighting for the things that we believe in to make sure that our children and grandchildren can inherit a state and a nation that prioritizes individual liberty and freedom and small government.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. So well said. And I really hope that somebody, as, Representative Brandon Gill said, on X last night, I hope that somebody asks James Tallarigo, you know, now that, the Senate race is set, please tell us in 2026, what are the, you know, the other four genders, besides male and female? And can you please describe that? I mean, like, somebody follow up on all of this ridiculous nonsense. and I don't think that he has, you know, any chance, hopefully in Texas of prevailing, especially with this kind of momentum, with Kim, Ken Paxton, and, that would just be a giant upset. And so I think that, you know, Texas is on really solid ground there.
Chip Roy loses runoff for Texas Attorney General to a MAGA challenger
but let's also talk about, Chip Roy's loss because, this came, you know, interestingly, he loses this runoff, for Texas Attorney General to a, A MAGA challenger. And so this was, in a sense, you know, kind of typified, but because he was one that, like Bob Good, who Trump went after, of course, and unseated, he was also one that supported Desantis in the primary. do you attribute that loss mainly to, the lack of loyalty to Donald Trump, or what was kind of the feeling on the ground in Texas?
Brian Harrison: Well, no, the dynamic on this one is actually quite different. I mean, very different than the Cornyn Paxton race. in the Attorney General race. I actually had the fortune of having two personal friends running for that seat. I consider Chip Roy a friend. I have fought with Chip on numerous, conservative policy issues over the years. And then my friend, Mays Middleton, who I've served in the trenches of Textledge with and have fought numerous conservative battles with Mays Middleton, standing up against the liberal establishment in Texas I mean, one of the first things that, you know, maids and I fought together on right after I got elected. I had been President Trump's Chief of Staff at HHS in the aftermath of COVID and get elected in Texas, only to find out that the Republican government in Texas still had COVID vaccine mandates. And Mays Middleton and I stood up to that. Within hours of getting elected, I filed a legislation to end COVID vaccine mandates in Texas. I couldn't believe that the Texas government was still supporting COVID vaccine mandates. And the medical lobby and the biggest, most powerful, wealthiest, entrenched special interests in the Austin swamp stood up against us, and Mays, held the line and I was proud to partner with him on efforts like medical freedom here in Texas. So the AG race is a very deep different thing than the Attorney General race. The Attorney General race was a higher profile race. It was classic clear cut conservative establishment enthusiasm, momentum versus establishment money, huge money coming in from all over the place for Jon Cornyn, the liberal establishment, whatever. The Attorney General race was two people who legitimately had proven conservative records, battling against each other. And so when Mays, long before Chip ever got in the race, Mays called me, told me he was running and I was proud to have endorsed him in that race. And Texas does have again, we had two conservative choices there. And I think in Mays victory, I am quite confident Texas is going to have a strong, bold movement conservative, continue running the office of the Attorney General here in the state of Texas.
Jenna Ellis: See, and I'm really glad, Bryan Harrison, that you come on to kind of clarify that because that's of course the narrative, in Politico. You know, I mean that was the headline that I read. You know, Chippewa loses runoff for Texas Attorney General to MAGA Challenger says Senator Maze Middleton won after casting Roy's insufficiently loyal to the President, it proves that fealty to President Donald Trump continues to be a defining issue for Republican primary voters. I think overall, you know, that issue, and fealty to Trump is a defining issue for Republican primary voters. But there's more to the story, but than just casting Trip Roy as insufficiently loyal. Because I think, you know, his, his one endorsement of DeSantis, aside, which a lot of strong conservatives, supported DeSantis, myself included, he has been completely loyal to the agenda, to the MAGA movement, to you know, getting everything done in Congress that he possibly can, you know, voting the right way. So I You know, I don't think that's necessarily fair characterization. So I'm glad that you're shedding light on that in just the last, 60 seconds or so.
Brian Harrison: Al Green losing his seat was a big victory for Texas Republicans
Talk about Al Greene losing his seat. This was one I was really happy to see, frankly.
Brian Harrison: Well, look, that was a result of us taking up a midterm redistricting effort last year, which the Democrats broke quorum to try and stop. And by the way, I should note, speaking of establishment rhinos, the Democrats who broke quorum have still never been punished. They still share committees, they still running this show down here in the Texas House. But it was a big victory. We did, add five new Republican seats to the map and we drew successfully Al Greene. the result of that, one of the results of that effort is he will not be going back to Congress and an objective win for the people, of Texas. So yeah, that was, that was a big victory. And yes, I think to your point, to just tie this all up, principles matter. Voters need to be put forward, the protection, and we need to have elected officials that will demonstrate a willingness to stand at the establishment and a willingness to fight, even if it means fighting within their own party for the future of our state and of our country, for limited government, for freedom, for secure borders, spending cuts. And I think last night is just objectively good. There's just a whole lot of good coming out of last night and I hope enthusiasm and momentum as we head into November. Because Texas is not often talked about as a battleground state, but Texas is, I believe, the crown jewel of the left's plans to destroy our country. And so we've got to come together and make sure that radical Democrats like Talarico get defeated in November.
Jenna Ellis: Amen. Amen. Well, thanks for holding the line. Brian Harrison, great to talk with you this morning. You can follow him on X. Rhyen E. Harrison. And we got to keep praying for the midterms. We'll be right back with more. Foreign Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio.
Texas man accused of giving pregnant girlfriend abortion drug and causing unborn child's death
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. While staying with News in Texas, you may have heard that a man has been accused of secretly giving his pregnant girlfriend an abortion drug and causing the death of his unborn child. This is just so horrific. So this coming from, ah, WJAR Tech 10 in Texas. The 25 year old Texas man was accused of secretly giving his pregnant girlfriend an abortion inducing drug without her knowledge or consent resulting in the death of her unborn baby. So grand jury indicted him on charges of performance of an abortion and injury to a child which are both first degree felonies, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's, office. And prosecutors said, he allegedly administered the substance or medication to the woman who wasn't identified in February of 2020 without her knowing. And that caused the death of the child. And so, so a couple of things here because, ah, first, if the woman had consented and this had been her choice, then according to the law, then, currently in, in the state of Texas, this would have just been fine. Right? And what the liberals are arguing for overall, this just would have been her choice. This would have been, fine to perform that abortion. And even though it resulted in the death of the child, that's, that's the woman's choice. Right? But because it was without her consent, then suddenly, you know, this man is being charged, not interestingly with, with murder, which is what I originally thought he was charged with, but he was just charged with performance of an abortion and injury to a child. They're still first degree felonies. but this is where, you know, the law has to manipulate itself into a pretzel, if we're not consistent with valuing life and saying that life doesn't turn on the choice of the mother or the consent of the mother, but ultimately the inherent dignity and value of the human baby.
Frank Pavone: Abortion law should be clear regardless of who consents
So let's welcome in Frank, ah, Pavone, who's founder of Priests for Life. And Frank, this is just a horrifically tragic situation, but I think, you know, a lot of, lessons that we can learn from this in terms of advocating for the law to be more clear and, and to recognize that regardless of who consents and who doesn't, I mean, obviously this, this man should be charged. Absolutely, but it shouldn't, it should not be that if the woman consented and chose to do this, then that would be fine in the eyes of the law. I mean, I see that as completely unprincipled.
Frank Pavone : That's right. Well, thanks for having me on about this. You know, it shows the, the absurdity of any legality of abortion. We can go back some decades. You know, look over the last several, decades of the abortion fight, and we saw about 20, 25 years ago, the beginning of a movement to say in the law that, well, if an unborn child is killed by any other means than abortion, let's recognize that as a loss of human life, whether homicide or, you know, depending on the circumstances, murder, et cetera. And we do in fact see a lot of state laws that say that. And then President George W. Bush, during his, presidency, signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence act. And that recognizes that nationwide. so we've begun to restore some kind of sanity. But the enduring insanity and the cognitive dissonance that we have to keep pressing, as you are doing with this, this commentary is, hey everybody, it's the same child and it's the same destruction of that child. How can that ever be? Okay, so let's begin. Let's keep. The ball is moving and I think people are becoming more and more aware of the cognitive dissonance. But let's keep pushing that forward. Let's keep stressing that, let's keep bringing that out. Because I've seen in a lot of conversations with people on a Borski, you know, that really makes them think. It's like, yeah, how come, you know, I use this example, this hypothetical, which is not so not so hypothetical really, a woman is, ah, in a car on her way to the abortion clinic, right? Baby's in her womb, scheduled to be killed, and a drunk driver hits her car on the way there and the baby gets killed as a result of the driving, crash. That drunk driver can be charged in most places around the country with the death of that unborn child. It's the same child, the same death. And yet on the one hand it's a crime, on the other hand it's a right. This is a contradiction. That, is not.
Frank Pavone : This is why I always have confidence this is not going to last. This abortion nonsense is not going to last. And one of the ways we get to the end of it is to keep pressing miscognitive dissonance.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. And, and you're so right that this is basically the state sanctioning certain people to. Based, on their relationship to the child. Certain people can commit murder and certain other people can't. Right? I mean, which doesn't. That's never been the justification for an intentional killing, has never just been the relationship to the child, the socioeconomic background, the desire, the consent. I mean, none of those things have ever been traditionally in law, parts of either an excuse or a justification for homicide. And so it doesn't make sense whatsoever. But what's interesting to me as well, I mean, how, how come, and maybe, you know, some have and raised this defense and it's failed, but how come, more people like, you know, this, this man who's being prosecuted, raise that defense and say, well, if, if I was, you know, the woman, I wouldn't be charged with this and kind of force that issue, to. In. In law and policy and sort of force the court to make an adjudication based on that.
Frank Pavone : Yeah, that's right. you know, there have been cases over the years where men have stood up for their rights to defend the child, and they can just as well use it as their right to. To kill the child, although there's no such. They say, well, wait a second, she can walk away from responsibility for this child. Why can't I? The law has always been, topsy turvy when it comes to the role of men, in abortion. you know, going way back, again, this was to the. In the 90s, there was a case that came out of NewSong Jersey of a man who actually went to the abortion clinic and peacefully intervened physically to stop his child from being killed in there. And it ended up being adjudicated by the, by the NewSong Jersey court that, yes, indeed, this is a child. This is what was one of those cases where the, the courts confirmed the reality of life from conception. I mean, it's simple biological fact. But if men continue to press this point, that would, that would help advance the debate.
Texas is among the leading states protecting unborn children from abortion pills
But the other tragedy, the tragic element here, of course, that you started with too, is that we're seeing more and more of this, you know, with these abortion drugs being, distributed and mailed and so forth. And by the way, Texas is among the leading states actually protecting these unborn children. And they also took the step of saying, you know, you can't mail or facilitate the mailing of or receiving of or distribution of these abortion pills. So the Texas legislature has taken good steps on the principle itself that. Wait a minute, no matter who's involved or what the method is, these children should not be killed. So that's one thing. And a number of other states, you know, have taken the same, same position. In fact, we have over a dozen states that are protecting life from, from, from its beginning. And more and more states are adding to that, laws, trying to stop this freewheeling, distribution, of these drugs. But we are seeing more and more men slipping these drugs into the food and drink of their pregnant, either spouse or girlfriend because they don't want the child. Well, where's the choice movement? Is this is against choice? It's obviously against choice and shows these people are hypocrites when they talk about choice. Not about choice. It's about making money off of killing babies.
Jenna Ellis: Yes, that's such a good point too, that if this is really about choice, then why, why isn't the pro choice movement, advocating then for the woman in this context who clearly it was not her choice to take, the abortion pill? I mean, what about her body? And I mean, that's the, the horrific nature of the abortion pill often, is obfuscated by the leftist media that doesn't want to actually talk about how horrific abortion under any circumstances is. but that's, that's such a good point. Why, why does choice only go one way? I mean, really, pro choice just means pro abortion under, any circumstances. And in any context. They don't want to talk about all of the other choices that women actually have and, should be making.
Jenna Bell: Is a forced abortion okay? Ask your pro choice friends
Frank Pavone : Well, Jenna, let's press point very clearly for our listeners because I think this is a gem. When, when any of our listeners is having a discussion with friends or family or co workers about abortion, it's okay. Here, pose this question. Is a forced abortion? Okay, let's pretend for a moment from the question of whether abortion in itself is okay, but ask your pro choice friends. Is a forced abortion okay? Is it all right, for a woman to have an abortion against her will? Now, if you have a person who is sincerely concerned about women and about choice and about freedom, they're going to say, of course not. Of course it's not okay for her to be pressured into, forced into. And of course, we're talking about a spectrum, right? There are different degrees of pressure, different degrees of coercion. But if you take that whole spectrum and you pose. Now let's look at realistically what the situation is, because there's research on this, one of my friends and colleagues in the movement by the name of Dr. David Reardon, and he's been doing this for many decades, released one of his recent studies saying that if you ask women who have abortions and have had abortions, you know, was this against your will or not? Is this what you really wanted to do? 60% say no. Let that sink in everybody, because we can bring this up in discussions about this, issue. If 60% of women are saying to one degree or another, I was pressured to act against my better judgment, against my will, against my choice in having that abortion, how is that freedom? How is that pro choice? how's that Right? Let's, if we can just. Jenna, even if we prescinded from the morality of the abortion the reality of the baby, all of these, other concerns Even if we just said, okay, we want this to be pure, purely a matter of choice, we could end most of the abortions in America if we just take steps against coercion when it comes to abortion.
Jenna Ellis: Wow. And you know, what a, what a light that is being shined on the truth of the matter, because, you know, it really is that the pro abortion industry doesn't care about the woman. They don't, they certainly don't care about the child, obviously, but they really don't care. And they're not as proud pro woman as they profess otherwise. They would be very concerned about all of these, coercive abortions and the influence of, whether it's the boyfriend, the spouse, the, the parents, you know, of the woman, or, you know, whoever it is that is, influencing and coercing the woman to make that particular choice. They would actually want it to be choice, but they don't. And so this is where the narrative and the propaganda surrounding abortion really needs to happen, be highlighted. And we need to show it for what it is. And you're one of the best advocates for doing that. Because if we really, want to be pro life, then obviously we need to push for consistent principles, consistent laws. And that doesn't just turn on, you know, the whim of, of one parent over the other or, you know, one situation over the other. But we also have to point out how the left and the abortion industry is so, so inconsistent.
Frank Pavone: We have to continue working with our state legislators
So we only have about a minute left in this segment, but, you know, where. So where do we go from here?
Frank Pavone : Well, we have to continue working, with our state legislators. There's a lot of laws that could be passed on the state level to screen for coercion, you know, require the abortion facilities to screen for coercion and pressure. And also, Jenna. And people can find out more about this at our website, prolifecentral.org we have letters that can be sent to abortion clinics, to parents, to counselors, to warn them that they could be in legal trouble if they force someone to have an abortion.
Jenna Ellis: See, and that's what a, lot of these state legislatures should focus on. I mean, yes, the goal is to end abortion, but incrementalism is actually the right way to go because we can't just do that overnight. And if we can take care of some of these facets, we're at least protecting more and more and more, babies. And so I so appreciate every time that you can come on, Frank Pavone and you should follow him on X, on Facebook, across all social media, and see the work that he does on pro life, because you'll get a lot of really good information there. So we'll be right back with more.
Jenna Ellis: We need to talk about a post Trump world
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, with everything that has been won by Trump so far, which he had a really good night in Texas last night. As we've talked about, I wanted to then talk about kind of what a post Trump MAGA looks like, because we've also talked this week about the divide on the issue of Israel and, how that is really fracturing the base into kind of two different camps. And so right now, while it seems like everyone, is coalescing around Trump, he has kind of this iron grip of leadership on the gop. We, do need to talk about a post Trump world because that is happening soon. So let's welcome in David Brody, who is the chief political analyst at C. CBN and also writes, for all Israel News, our good friend Jill, Rosenberg there, which is a really great outlet for a Christian perspective on Israel. So, David, good morning.
David Brody: Good morning, Jenna. Great to be here.
JD Vance: I think MAGA has morphed into America first
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. So, you know, this is, this is an interesting playing field right now because Trump is clearly the leader of the party and I hope and I expect that that will have an impact on the midterms. so let's talk about that and, where we sit right now in 2026, heading into November, but then also heading into November of 2028.
David Brody: Sure. Well, a couple of things. I'm distracted by the swanky bump in music, let me just say, which is extremely impressive. So, that's a separate issue that I'll probably go clubbing to at some point at some sort of evangelical Christian disco somewhere in America. they have this.
Jenna Ellis: I missed them. Okay.
David Brody: Right. look, here's the bottom line. I'll just give you one word I can say. This is not a bad word. It sounds like a bad word. It's not. It's called crapshoot. We have no idea, we have no idea exactly where all of this is going to land with Maga. And I think we're going through, the post Trump growing pains already. and obviously that's playing out with, this idea of, which has been very interesting to me for people to say America first and Maga, they are two separate things. A lot of people think America first is Maga. Maga is America first. No, no, clearly not. There is a fault line there. Tucker Carlsen, Thom Massie, mtg, and the list goes on. People that claim the mantle of America first. And Trump is claiming the MAGA mantle, but also says MAGA is America First. So. So what is it exactly? Well, I'm confused, and I think a lot of people are a bit confused. I say that a little bit facetiously because I don't think I'm that confused, because I think what's going on here is that MAGA has morphed, and I hate to use the word morph, but it's probably the best word I can use right now, into not just America first, but kind of like a Don Row doctrine, right? A bit of the Monroe Doctrine with the Trump spin on it. And that's where Marco Rubio comes in. I mean, this term looks much different than the first term in terms of, you know, Trump has embraced this idea of, you know, basically the King of peace. I hate to call it that because, you know, we know about Jesus here, but he loves this idea that he wants to be the peacemaker. I mean, when people were at. When he was asked me what he wants his legacy to be, he wants his legacy to be that of someone who brought peace, to the world, which seems a bit scary and a bit biblical, obviously. And I think people get a little freaked out about that. But anyhow, the point is, is that because he has embraced this idea of kind of being a world leader, not just a, ah, United States president, that that has played in, he's morphed that into MAGA. And that's where the MTGs and Thom Massey's and others have said, no, no, no, we're just dealing with the priorities here in the United States and that's it. But we don't live in that type of world, Jenna. As you know, the world is totally interconnected. And so I think that's kind of the schism. And obviously Israel is the proxy fight to all of it. and that's where the anti Semitism comes in. So, I mean, I could talk for a long time about, you know, where we go on this. I will say this, and I've said this all along, and I said it. I just wanted. I'm saying this with a smile on my face. I said this before. Everybody became, you know, really excited about Marco Rubio and his 2028 potential chances. I said this about nine months ago that I believe that Marco Rubio was going to run for president. I know he's saying he's not. I think he's going to. I think Trump's going to endorse him, and I think he's going to be the nominee. That's my, that's my view. And I think this is going to play out in the primaries, whether or not JD Vance runs or not. I believe he will, though there's some grumblings and he might not. I think what's going to end up happening is you're going to have three. You're going to have quite a few candidates on stage, but I think you're going to have three main lanes, you're going to have the Rubio lane, you're going to have the JD Vance lane, which is more the populist lane. And then you're going to have the America first candidate. I believe there'll be a mtg, Tucker Carlsen, Thom Massey, somebody there on the debate stage that's going to push the party in that direction. And I think that's the way it's going to play out.
Jenna Ellis: And I totally agree with you on the Marco Rubio front. And I actually hope that he's the nominee, at least out of those, that you mentioned. And I think he would be the best, certainly better than J.D. vance. I've long been, a critic of J.D. vance in the sense of, you know, he is funded by Peter Thiel. He has a lot of, of the populist influence, not much experience. I mean, yes, he's been the Vice President for the last few years, but you know, really, not coming in, with vast, experience that somebody like a Rubio or a Desantis would. And so, you know, that stage is kind of bright, if we, for the future, if we look at Rubio, but if we're looking at, you know, kind of this divide between America first versus maga, that definition I think is really fascinating because, you know, now we've had a little over a decade of the Trump era and so it's natural that these kind of terms and the movement would evolve and shift a little bit.
Ron Deantis: The definition of America first basically being America only
but the definition of America first basically being America only and and sort of separate from the, the MAGA view, which is a little more all encompassing I think is interesting because, you know, I would characterize my own view and conservatism as a whole as being not maga, which I would define as just Trump. You know, whatever Trump wants, Trump gets, and everybody falls in line behind Trump. And I wouldn't define conservatism certainly as that, because that's not the principled view that's the populist view. But America first began, and I think hopefully still is the perspective of, yes, America first, our interests first, but not just America only, because historically the Republican Party has always considered Israel an ally, but not fealty to Israel or, at least the current modern state of Israel over America. So, you know, how do you see kind of that distinction and definition? Because that's sort of how I separated in my mind.
David Brody: Yeah, it's such a great point. And, you know, it's funny because I went with, like, the typical narrative of the fact that Tucker Carlsen and Massie and MTG are America first because they. That's what they call themselves. But the truth of the matter is what you said, which is they're not really America first at all. They're America only, and MAGA is America First. So rolled into other geopolitical considerations, more of the traditional conservatism. So that's actually the better description of it. It really is America first versus America only, or MAGA versus America only, if you look at it that way. You know, dare I date myself and go back to the trilogy of Star Wars? but, you know, I'm 61, so I can kind of go there and,
Jenna Ellis: hey, the Mandalorian just came out. So, you know, you're. You're right in line.
David Brody: What's popular? But, but, but I'll go old school for a second and go to that first trilogy, which I guess is movies, 4, 5, and 6. But, you know, we start with Star wars right back in 1977. And I believe the team. Look at the Maga, analogy here. I believe that the Tea Party, was the first movie, so to speak, in 1977. Star wars movie number four, in the trilogy, the first of the trilogy, because that's where the people started to rise up. You m. Can actually make the case that Sarah Palin, 2008, two years before that, was the prequel, if you will. and then you go into maga, and MAGA is an extension of the Tea Party, and that's the. The Empire Strikes Back, right, that second of the trilogy. and now where are we going, with maga? What is the Return of the Jedi? I've never believed that Trump. I know Trump is the star and everybody, and he knows he's the star and everything, but I've never thought he was. Been the main player all along in the whole tapestry of maga. I believe that he is the, second part. The second part movie of the trilogy, if you will. The Empire Strikes back. And here's Trump, definitely the liberals would say in the role of Darth Vader for sure. And quite frankly, some Republicans would call him Darth Vader too. but, but now we're moving into, to your question, which is where does MAGA go from here? We're moving into the third sequel, the Return of the Jedi. What, what does MAGA become now? And I think that's where I believe what's going to end up happening is I think we're going to see a split the difference situation. In other words, we're not going to go full on America only. We're not going to go full on populist or anything like that because you need a person that can actually usher that in. And I don't think that person is there that has the charisma that can bring people and a movement with them. So therefore I think we do a rebalance here in the third trilogy, which is that middle ground. That's where the Marco Rubio comes in. That's where someone, and I'm not suggesting Ron DeSantis is going to be the nominee, but someone like a Ron DeSantis, you know, someone that can split the difference between having popular streaks but also being, I'm not going to call it establishment at all, but more of a mainline mainstream conservative and bringing the party back to its roots and splitting the difference because I don't think the party will ever be what it was. But I also don't think that populism is the way forward for the Republican Party. Full on populism. I think it's going to be somewhere in the middle and I think that's the third trilogy.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I think it's a brilliant analogy and I agree with you that somebody like a Marco Rubio, or Ron DeSantis would be the perfect, standard bearer for that type of moving forward with kind of calling back to our roots, not establishment, but someone who is established long enough, at least in their political tenure, in their principles, in understanding how America works and how government works and has that track record that we know isn't going to go full on populist and also doesn't. Nobody is going to have the character and charisma and the merchantainment sort of qualities that Trump has, which I think is a good thing. And I hope that we get away from that kind of just fealty to personality, kind of cultish behavior moving forward in the party because we really need to return to some basic principles. And so you Know, somebody like a Rubio, could have all of those pieces cohesively together. because let's not forget, I mean, he ran in 2016 against Donald Trump. And a lot of people, I mean, I have several really solid Christian friends who, he was their first Choice back in 2016, so they'd be delighted if he actually, ran and was the nominee in 2028. So we're kind of potentially coming sort of full circle of saying, you know, we, we needed to have a restructuring of the party and getting rid of, you know, kind of the, the establishment do nothing gop. I mean that this is some of the good that's happening, like, getting rid of, you know, some of these, these establishment GOP figures. I wish that Trump would actually go after more of them, like, you know, the Lindsey Graham's of the world. But, you know, there's at least a few that are being, being rooted out of the party. We're beyond the, you know, Mitt Romney, and Paul Ryan's, you know, being the nominees or being the speaker of the House and kind of that thorn of leadership, but then still moving forward into not just a completely populist bent because the conservative wing and hopefully the evangelical Christians are not gonna go along the populist route after Trump. And that I think is the key.
Everybody is looking at Trump to make his endorsement for the next nominee
So, how soon do you think that. I mean, we're already talking about this, but how soon do you think it is that Trump makes his decision? And because whoever it is, I think we'll have to have Trump's blessing. Everybody is gonna be looking at Trump to make his endorsement for the next nominee.
David Brody: Yeah, And I think that's where the Iran war comes into play, because I believe that, ah, Trump will. My sense of it is Trump is more close to Rubio than Vance, especially as not just relates to what's been going on in Iran, but just overall foreign policy and the way Trump views the world and the way Rubio views the world, I think that's much more, it's much more closer. And that's where Trump's heart is. I mean, yeah, Trump's heart's for America. We know that obviously. but. But his heart has been always to kind of bring peace to other, countries and make sure America at the same time is great again. And because of that, I think that's where Rubio and him align more. So therefore, to answer your question, I think it'll be Trump that endorses Rubio, but I think it'll take some time and I Think Trump loves the Apprentice game, and he loves to kind of. It's kind of like a political Hunger Games, you know, let them fight it out a little bit. And then Trump loves to come in as kingmaker. He kind of did that with Cornyn and Pax, and we saw here at the last moment. so, I think ultimately, I think that endorsement, comes late for Rubio, but I think my sense of it is. And we'll see about the reporting at the time, my sense of it is there'll be conversations between Rubio and, Trump where Trump will basically say to Marco, look, you got to do this. I mean, I think you got to. Got to give it a shot and let the best man win type situation. I mean, that's Trump, right? I mean, he loves to kind of pit everybody kind of against each other and let them fight it out. I mean, that's classic Trump. and I think with Rubio, you know, he's been on. He's been. With his official statements, he's been very clear that he's not going to run if J.D. vance runs. But I think what you're going to see is he's left some wiggle room there, and the wiggle room is simply this, which is. He'll be a reluctant warrior, right? He'll come in and say, look, I didn't want to do this, but, you know, you know, people are telling me the donors are telling me, you might not say the donors, but he'll, you know, say, the president has encouraged me to run. And I've, talked to J.D. vance. He says, yeah, let's. Let's do this, and this will be fun. So, in other words, I didn't want to do this, but I've been told that really I should do it for. For, you know, that type of thing. And I could see him being the reluctant warrior to kind of spin back how he runs. We'll see what happens. But I think that's the way it's going to go.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, really fascinating. And I really do hope that there's not this kind of, gladiator sort of fight, for, you know, the, at least the endorsement of Trump. I mean, there will be a fight certainly in the primary, and that's what primaries are for. And it should be an open primary. It's going to be an open space seat in 2028. But in terms of, you know, where Trump lands and, and at least where, you know, the. The voters are, I really hope that it's not as as just nasty of a primary as 2024 was. And whoever Trump ends up endorsing, it's not like, okay, everybody just fall in line, behind that candidate, or, you know, you're a traitor and that kind of thing. I mean, I think we need to move past that kind of rhetoric as well, and get back to, to what Trump supposedly stands for as well, which is free and fair elections, open primaries. I mean, obviously, he wants his preferred candidate to win, like we all do, and that's fine. but to. To typify and characterize this as loyalty, I think, has been a really detrimental, aspect overall to the entire party.
David Brody on where loyalty aspect of Trump presidency goes from here
And we're almost out of time, but kind of closing thoughts, David Brody, on sort of where the loyalty aspect, goes from here. Because I think that's one thing that we need to return back to being principled, and that's the element of populism to say, okay, we're done with that.
David Brody: Yes. And I'll be honest with you, and don't get me wrong, I think the president has done a lot of great things, obviously, in his first term and his second term as well. Having said that, I've had a real concern about, you know, unveiling furloughed banners from the Department of Justice, you know, of President Trump, of, the Institute of Peace, called the President Trump Institute of Peace, the Donald J. Trump and Kennedy center, you know, that type of stuff. And it's just. It's a little too much for my taste, as a matter of fact. And I'm being, quite frankly, I'm being, muted in my response. Response, because it's been, to me, I think, a big problem. And I think we got to get away from all of that because I think that's bad, not just for the party, but bad for America.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. Well, well said. And always appreciate the analysis, David Brody. And so, where can people find you on X and also for, All Israel News and cbn?
David Brody: Yeah, if they just go to D. Brody Reports, D. Brody Reports. You can find me on all social handles and go from there.
Jenna Ellis: Excellent. All right, well, thanks so much. And that is all the time that we have this morning. And as always, you can reach me and my team JennaAFR.net.
Jenna Ellis: Rights that our founders recognize come from God our Creator
Jenna Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio. I love talking about the things of God because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve 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.
Ken Paxton unseated John Cornyn in hotly contested Texas primary
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Wednesday, May 27, and what a night in Texas last night with a lot of the runoffs and what a big win ultimately for Donald Trump because Ken Paxton prevailed over ah, an ousting Jon Cornyn in that heated Texas primary. And after Trump finally came out and endorsed ah, Ken Paxton, so great turnout there. Chip Roy, who I, it's really sad to me. I really think, Chip Roy is a great conservative, lost his campaign, and his race for Attorney General of Texas. But then a Democrat, Rep. Al Greene was also unseated, who's been a longtime Trump critic. And so overall it was a great night for Donald Trump and really solidified and continued to cement his dominant dominance over the gop. but for more on what's going on in Texas and kind of the sentiment on the ground after last night's runoffs, let's welcome in Representative Brian Harrison, who's a Texas state rep. And how are Texans feeling?
Ken Paxton beat incumbent John Cornyn 30 points in Texas attorney general race
Brian Harrison: Good morning Jenna. Always great to talk with you. It's, it's a beautiful morning here in the Lone Star State. And I tell you Jenna, it is it is impossible to overstate, the state of play here. It was a absolutely massive victory for the conservative grassroots in the state of Texas. The establishment got absolutely crushed. just a landslide victory for Attorney General ken Paxton, a 30 point, approximately 30 point victory over a four term incumbent who massively outspent Attorney, General Pax. I mean on paper, Senator Cornyn should have been able to put this race to bed a long time ago. But not only was he not able to do that, the conservative grassroots turned out, they turned out in droves, ah, aided in the last week by President Trump and his support, to oust a four term incumbent Senator. And I think one of the main points I want to communicate to folks about this because the political class, the smart set, the conventional wisdom, not only are they almost always wrong, in my opinion, they're 180 degrees off. They, they often think that for, or they tell people that to have electoral success at the ballot box, conservatives and Republicans, we need to, we need to moderate our views. We need to go along to get along in the Austin swamp or the D.C. swamp where corny was. And the reality is that voters are sick and tired of sending people to office who claim they're Republicans, who pledge to fight the Democrats, who pledged to stand up to the liberals that want to indoctrinate and bankrupt the next generation, only to, once they get elected, you know, sell out, put those Democrats in power, collude with them to destroy liberty for the next generation of Texans. And this was a problem entirely of Senator Cornyn's own making. His decisions to be, insufficiently conservative on key Republican issues like border security, and the Second Amendment, his support for red flag law. So this is entirely a mess. Kind of to the extent it's a mess at all of the establishment Republicans own making. But I do not think it's a mess. I think it's a huge victory for conservatives, in the Lone Star State. And I hope, people across the country are taking notice.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, I couldn't agree more with you. And I think it's incredible, like you mentioned, how much money was spent on this race. And it should have been about conventional metrics. it should have been Jon Cornyn that held onto his seat, especially because he tried to continue to characterize Ken Paxton as, you know, scandal plagued and all this. But it's just showing that the voters see through all that. They see through that, you know, sham impeachment, of Paxton a couple of years ago, and they also see his record of what he's actually done for the state of Texas as Attorney General. But then also how much he's fighting for the priorities that the base overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump to, move forward on that agenda. I mean, coming out, I think one of the most brilliant, campaign pieces for Paxton was saying, you know, hey, if Cornyn, will, will put through the Save America Act, I'll just, I'll stop running, I'll suspend my campaign. I mean, he was proving and saying, you know, I'm, I am 100% for the agenda. And I think that mattered.
Jen Tallarigo: Ken Paxton's victory is a testament to voters
Brian Harrison: All right, Policy matters, ideology matters, principles matter. And I'm glad you brought up the, the impeachment. I mean, my goodness, what a difference. Three years mig. Jen, I think you and I probably talked about it on the show at the time, when these again, to the point of rhinos and fake Republicans and all that. I mean, I mean I swim in a variable sea, ocean of rhinos down here in the Austin, the capital in Austin. And just three years ago, not the Democrats, fake Republicans that control the Texas government, led a sham impeachment of Ken Paxton. I am one of almost 90 Republicans in the Texas House. But when the impeachment was dropped on our desk and it was a Saturday morning 3 years ago this month, I was one of. Jen. I was one of only four, four Republicans in the entire Texas State House that had the courage to go to the floor and speak out against that sham impeachment of our Attorney General. And he's now gone from being, you know, almost impeached, actually he was impeached by the Texas House, to now being the officially the Republican nominee for the United States Senate from the great state of Texas. And I would say this too. Now you, know the other very, very important thing for this morning is no matter who anybody voted for yesterday, the polling's done, the election's over. We've got to now reunite and train our fire on the Democrats. And one thing that is very important to point out is that this Democrat, James Talarico, the Democrat nominee for U.S. senate, I have these. The pleasure or the misfortune, however you want to look at it, of serving with him for years in the Texas State House. There has never been a more liberal, radical, progressive, Marxist run for office statewide in the state of Texas than James Talarico. But I think to tie into the theme here, Jenna, one of the biggest, the most scandalous but also most underreported aspects of the James Talarico story of the guy who believes that there are six genders, that we should roll out the red carpet for illegal aliens. I mean, James Talarico believes that after 2000 years of Christendom, he alone has discovered the true narrative of the biblical story of Joseph and Mary. And that was to promote elective abortions. I'm, not making this up. That's how radical James got his non binary Talarico is. But James Talarico didn't just come up through the ranks of the Democrat Party in the state of Texas. No, no, no. He was elevated, promoted and platformed and aided in his rise to national prominence by the fake Republicans that control the Texas House of Representatives. He actually supported and helped elect our so called Republican speaker, a guy named Dustin Burroughs. James Talarico put Dustin Burroughs in power and then this fake, our, fake Republican speaker turn around, put James Talarico in leadership, made him vice chairman of two of our most powerful committees, including education related committees, and aided him in his rise to national prominence. And I think while that's bad, I think the silver lining me and last night is a testament to this. The voters are having their eyes opened like never before to the corruption at the hands. Not just the Democrats, but people who call themselves Republicans, only to turn around and weaponize the power of government against our children, against our values, against, conservative ideologies. And I think Ken Paxton's victory last night was just a massive testament to voters saying, we're sick and tired of being sold out. We want somebody who has a proven track record of fighting for the things that we believe in to make sure that our children and grandchildren can inherit a state and a nation that prioritizes individual liberty and freedom and small government.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. So well said. And I really hope that somebody, as, Representative Brandon Gill said, on X last night, I hope that somebody asks James Tallarigo, you know, now that, the Senate race is set, please tell us in 2026, what are the, you know, the other four genders, besides male and female? And can you please describe that? I mean, like, somebody follow up on all of this ridiculous nonsense. and I don't think that he has, you know, any chance, hopefully in Texas of prevailing, especially with this kind of momentum, with Kim, Ken Paxton, and, that would just be a giant upset. And so I think that, you know, Texas is on really solid ground there.
Chip Roy loses runoff for Texas Attorney General to a MAGA challenger
but let's also talk about, Chip Roy's loss because, this came, you know, interestingly, he loses this runoff, for Texas Attorney General to a, A MAGA challenger. And so this was, in a sense, you know, kind of typified, but because he was one that, like Bob Good, who Trump went after, of course, and unseated, he was also one that supported Desantis in the primary. do you attribute that loss mainly to, the lack of loyalty to Donald Trump, or what was kind of the feeling on the ground in Texas?
Brian Harrison: Well, no, the dynamic on this one is actually quite different. I mean, very different than the Cornyn Paxton race. in the Attorney General race. I actually had the fortune of having two personal friends running for that seat. I consider Chip Roy a friend. I have fought with Chip on numerous, conservative policy issues over the years. And then my friend, Mays Middleton, who I've served in the trenches of Textledge with and have fought numerous conservative battles with Mays Middleton, standing up against the liberal establishment in Texas I mean, one of the first things that, you know, maids and I fought together on right after I got elected. I had been President Trump's Chief of Staff at HHS in the aftermath of COVID and get elected in Texas, only to find out that the Republican government in Texas still had COVID vaccine mandates. And Mays Middleton and I stood up to that. Within hours of getting elected, I filed a legislation to end COVID vaccine mandates in Texas. I couldn't believe that the Texas government was still supporting COVID vaccine mandates. And the medical lobby and the biggest, most powerful, wealthiest, entrenched special interests in the Austin swamp stood up against us, and Mays, held the line and I was proud to partner with him on efforts like medical freedom here in Texas. So the AG race is a very deep different thing than the Attorney General race. The Attorney General race was a higher profile race. It was classic clear cut conservative establishment enthusiasm, momentum versus establishment money, huge money coming in from all over the place for Jon Cornyn, the liberal establishment, whatever. The Attorney General race was two people who legitimately had proven conservative records, battling against each other. And so when Mays, long before Chip ever got in the race, Mays called me, told me he was running and I was proud to have endorsed him in that race. And Texas does have again, we had two conservative choices there. And I think in Mays victory, I am quite confident Texas is going to have a strong, bold movement conservative, continue running the office of the Attorney General here in the state of Texas.
Jenna Ellis: See, and I'm really glad, Bryan Harrison, that you come on to kind of clarify that because that's of course the narrative, in Politico. You know, I mean that was the headline that I read. You know, Chippewa loses runoff for Texas Attorney General to MAGA Challenger says Senator Maze Middleton won after casting Roy's insufficiently loyal to the President, it proves that fealty to President Donald Trump continues to be a defining issue for Republican primary voters. I think overall, you know, that issue, and fealty to Trump is a defining issue for Republican primary voters. But there's more to the story, but than just casting Trip Roy as insufficiently loyal. Because I think, you know, his, his one endorsement of DeSantis, aside, which a lot of strong conservatives, supported DeSantis, myself included, he has been completely loyal to the agenda, to the MAGA movement, to you know, getting everything done in Congress that he possibly can, you know, voting the right way. So I You know, I don't think that's necessarily fair characterization. So I'm glad that you're shedding light on that in just the last, 60 seconds or so.
Brian Harrison: Al Green losing his seat was a big victory for Texas Republicans
Talk about Al Greene losing his seat. This was one I was really happy to see, frankly.
Brian Harrison: Well, look, that was a result of us taking up a midterm redistricting effort last year, which the Democrats broke quorum to try and stop. And by the way, I should note, speaking of establishment rhinos, the Democrats who broke quorum have still never been punished. They still share committees, they still running this show down here in the Texas House. But it was a big victory. We did, add five new Republican seats to the map and we drew successfully Al Greene. the result of that, one of the results of that effort is he will not be going back to Congress and an objective win for the people, of Texas. So yeah, that was, that was a big victory. And yes, I think to your point, to just tie this all up, principles matter. Voters need to be put forward, the protection, and we need to have elected officials that will demonstrate a willingness to stand at the establishment and a willingness to fight, even if it means fighting within their own party for the future of our state and of our country, for limited government, for freedom, for secure borders, spending cuts. And I think last night is just objectively good. There's just a whole lot of good coming out of last night and I hope enthusiasm and momentum as we head into November. Because Texas is not often talked about as a battleground state, but Texas is, I believe, the crown jewel of the left's plans to destroy our country. And so we've got to come together and make sure that radical Democrats like Talarico get defeated in November.
Jenna Ellis: Amen. Amen. Well, thanks for holding the line. Brian Harrison, great to talk with you this morning. You can follow him on X. Rhyen E. Harrison. And we got to keep praying for the midterms. We'll be right back with more. Foreign Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio.
Texas man accused of giving pregnant girlfriend abortion drug and causing unborn child's death
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. While staying with News in Texas, you may have heard that a man has been accused of secretly giving his pregnant girlfriend an abortion drug and causing the death of his unborn child. This is just so horrific. So this coming from, ah, WJAR Tech 10 in Texas. The 25 year old Texas man was accused of secretly giving his pregnant girlfriend an abortion inducing drug without her knowledge or consent resulting in the death of her unborn baby. So grand jury indicted him on charges of performance of an abortion and injury to a child which are both first degree felonies, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's, office. And prosecutors said, he allegedly administered the substance or medication to the woman who wasn't identified in February of 2020 without her knowing. And that caused the death of the child. And so, so a couple of things here because, ah, first, if the woman had consented and this had been her choice, then according to the law, then, currently in, in the state of Texas, this would have just been fine. Right? And what the liberals are arguing for overall, this just would have been her choice. This would have been, fine to perform that abortion. And even though it resulted in the death of the child, that's, that's the woman's choice. Right? But because it was without her consent, then suddenly, you know, this man is being charged, not interestingly with, with murder, which is what I originally thought he was charged with, but he was just charged with performance of an abortion and injury to a child. They're still first degree felonies. but this is where, you know, the law has to manipulate itself into a pretzel, if we're not consistent with valuing life and saying that life doesn't turn on the choice of the mother or the consent of the mother, but ultimately the inherent dignity and value of the human baby.
Frank Pavone: Abortion law should be clear regardless of who consents
So let's welcome in Frank, ah, Pavone, who's founder of Priests for Life. And Frank, this is just a horrifically tragic situation, but I think, you know, a lot of, lessons that we can learn from this in terms of advocating for the law to be more clear and, and to recognize that regardless of who consents and who doesn't, I mean, obviously this, this man should be charged. Absolutely, but it shouldn't, it should not be that if the woman consented and chose to do this, then that would be fine in the eyes of the law. I mean, I see that as completely unprincipled.
Frank Pavone : That's right. Well, thanks for having me on about this. You know, it shows the, the absurdity of any legality of abortion. We can go back some decades. You know, look over the last several, decades of the abortion fight, and we saw about 20, 25 years ago, the beginning of a movement to say in the law that, well, if an unborn child is killed by any other means than abortion, let's recognize that as a loss of human life, whether homicide or, you know, depending on the circumstances, murder, et cetera. And we do in fact see a lot of state laws that say that. And then President George W. Bush, during his, presidency, signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence act. And that recognizes that nationwide. so we've begun to restore some kind of sanity. But the enduring insanity and the cognitive dissonance that we have to keep pressing, as you are doing with this, this commentary is, hey everybody, it's the same child and it's the same destruction of that child. How can that ever be? Okay, so let's begin. Let's keep. The ball is moving and I think people are becoming more and more aware of the cognitive dissonance. But let's keep pushing that forward. Let's keep stressing that, let's keep bringing that out. Because I've seen in a lot of conversations with people on a Borski, you know, that really makes them think. It's like, yeah, how come, you know, I use this example, this hypothetical, which is not so not so hypothetical really, a woman is, ah, in a car on her way to the abortion clinic, right? Baby's in her womb, scheduled to be killed, and a drunk driver hits her car on the way there and the baby gets killed as a result of the driving, crash. That drunk driver can be charged in most places around the country with the death of that unborn child. It's the same child, the same death. And yet on the one hand it's a crime, on the other hand it's a right. This is a contradiction. That, is not.
Frank Pavone : This is why I always have confidence this is not going to last. This abortion nonsense is not going to last. And one of the ways we get to the end of it is to keep pressing miscognitive dissonance.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. And, and you're so right that this is basically the state sanctioning certain people to. Based, on their relationship to the child. Certain people can commit murder and certain other people can't. Right? I mean, which doesn't. That's never been the justification for an intentional killing, has never just been the relationship to the child, the socioeconomic background, the desire, the consent. I mean, none of those things have ever been traditionally in law, parts of either an excuse or a justification for homicide. And so it doesn't make sense whatsoever. But what's interesting to me as well, I mean, how, how come, and maybe, you know, some have and raised this defense and it's failed, but how come, more people like, you know, this, this man who's being prosecuted, raise that defense and say, well, if, if I was, you know, the woman, I wouldn't be charged with this and kind of force that issue, to. In. In law and policy and sort of force the court to make an adjudication based on that.
Frank Pavone : Yeah, that's right. you know, there have been cases over the years where men have stood up for their rights to defend the child, and they can just as well use it as their right to. To kill the child, although there's no such. They say, well, wait a second, she can walk away from responsibility for this child. Why can't I? The law has always been, topsy turvy when it comes to the role of men, in abortion. you know, going way back, again, this was to the. In the 90s, there was a case that came out of NewSong Jersey of a man who actually went to the abortion clinic and peacefully intervened physically to stop his child from being killed in there. And it ended up being adjudicated by the, by the NewSong Jersey court that, yes, indeed, this is a child. This is what was one of those cases where the, the courts confirmed the reality of life from conception. I mean, it's simple biological fact. But if men continue to press this point, that would, that would help advance the debate.
Texas is among the leading states protecting unborn children from abortion pills
But the other tragedy, the tragic element here, of course, that you started with too, is that we're seeing more and more of this, you know, with these abortion drugs being, distributed and mailed and so forth. And by the way, Texas is among the leading states actually protecting these unborn children. And they also took the step of saying, you know, you can't mail or facilitate the mailing of or receiving of or distribution of these abortion pills. So the Texas legislature has taken good steps on the principle itself that. Wait a minute, no matter who's involved or what the method is, these children should not be killed. So that's one thing. And a number of other states, you know, have taken the same, same position. In fact, we have over a dozen states that are protecting life from, from, from its beginning. And more and more states are adding to that, laws, trying to stop this freewheeling, distribution, of these drugs. But we are seeing more and more men slipping these drugs into the food and drink of their pregnant, either spouse or girlfriend because they don't want the child. Well, where's the choice movement? Is this is against choice? It's obviously against choice and shows these people are hypocrites when they talk about choice. Not about choice. It's about making money off of killing babies.
Jenna Ellis: Yes, that's such a good point too, that if this is really about choice, then why, why isn't the pro choice movement, advocating then for the woman in this context who clearly it was not her choice to take, the abortion pill? I mean, what about her body? And I mean, that's the, the horrific nature of the abortion pill often, is obfuscated by the leftist media that doesn't want to actually talk about how horrific abortion under any circumstances is. but that's, that's such a good point. Why, why does choice only go one way? I mean, really, pro choice just means pro abortion under, any circumstances. And in any context. They don't want to talk about all of the other choices that women actually have and, should be making.
Jenna Bell: Is a forced abortion okay? Ask your pro choice friends
Frank Pavone : Well, Jenna, let's press point very clearly for our listeners because I think this is a gem. When, when any of our listeners is having a discussion with friends or family or co workers about abortion, it's okay. Here, pose this question. Is a forced abortion? Okay, let's pretend for a moment from the question of whether abortion in itself is okay, but ask your pro choice friends. Is a forced abortion okay? Is it all right, for a woman to have an abortion against her will? Now, if you have a person who is sincerely concerned about women and about choice and about freedom, they're going to say, of course not. Of course it's not okay for her to be pressured into, forced into. And of course, we're talking about a spectrum, right? There are different degrees of pressure, different degrees of coercion. But if you take that whole spectrum and you pose. Now let's look at realistically what the situation is, because there's research on this, one of my friends and colleagues in the movement by the name of Dr. David Reardon, and he's been doing this for many decades, released one of his recent studies saying that if you ask women who have abortions and have had abortions, you know, was this against your will or not? Is this what you really wanted to do? 60% say no. Let that sink in everybody, because we can bring this up in discussions about this, issue. If 60% of women are saying to one degree or another, I was pressured to act against my better judgment, against my will, against my choice in having that abortion, how is that freedom? How is that pro choice? how's that Right? Let's, if we can just. Jenna, even if we prescinded from the morality of the abortion the reality of the baby, all of these, other concerns Even if we just said, okay, we want this to be pure, purely a matter of choice, we could end most of the abortions in America if we just take steps against coercion when it comes to abortion.
Jenna Ellis: Wow. And you know, what a, what a light that is being shined on the truth of the matter, because, you know, it really is that the pro abortion industry doesn't care about the woman. They don't, they certainly don't care about the child, obviously, but they really don't care. And they're not as proud pro woman as they profess otherwise. They would be very concerned about all of these, coercive abortions and the influence of, whether it's the boyfriend, the spouse, the, the parents, you know, of the woman, or, you know, whoever it is that is, influencing and coercing the woman to make that particular choice. They would actually want it to be choice, but they don't. And so this is where the narrative and the propaganda surrounding abortion really needs to happen, be highlighted. And we need to show it for what it is. And you're one of the best advocates for doing that. Because if we really, want to be pro life, then obviously we need to push for consistent principles, consistent laws. And that doesn't just turn on, you know, the whim of, of one parent over the other or, you know, one situation over the other. But we also have to point out how the left and the abortion industry is so, so inconsistent.
Frank Pavone: We have to continue working with our state legislators
So we only have about a minute left in this segment, but, you know, where. So where do we go from here?
Frank Pavone : Well, we have to continue working, with our state legislators. There's a lot of laws that could be passed on the state level to screen for coercion, you know, require the abortion facilities to screen for coercion and pressure. And also, Jenna. And people can find out more about this at our website, prolifecentral.org we have letters that can be sent to abortion clinics, to parents, to counselors, to warn them that they could be in legal trouble if they force someone to have an abortion.
Jenna Ellis: See, and that's what a, lot of these state legislatures should focus on. I mean, yes, the goal is to end abortion, but incrementalism is actually the right way to go because we can't just do that overnight. And if we can take care of some of these facets, we're at least protecting more and more and more, babies. And so I so appreciate every time that you can come on, Frank Pavone and you should follow him on X, on Facebook, across all social media, and see the work that he does on pro life, because you'll get a lot of really good information there. So we'll be right back with more.
Jenna Ellis: We need to talk about a post Trump world
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, with everything that has been won by Trump so far, which he had a really good night in Texas last night. As we've talked about, I wanted to then talk about kind of what a post Trump MAGA looks like, because we've also talked this week about the divide on the issue of Israel and, how that is really fracturing the base into kind of two different camps. And so right now, while it seems like everyone, is coalescing around Trump, he has kind of this iron grip of leadership on the gop. We, do need to talk about a post Trump world because that is happening soon. So let's welcome in David Brody, who is the chief political analyst at C. CBN and also writes, for all Israel News, our good friend Jill, Rosenberg there, which is a really great outlet for a Christian perspective on Israel. So, David, good morning.
David Brody: Good morning, Jenna. Great to be here.
JD Vance: I think MAGA has morphed into America first
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. So, you know, this is, this is an interesting playing field right now because Trump is clearly the leader of the party and I hope and I expect that that will have an impact on the midterms. so let's talk about that and, where we sit right now in 2026, heading into November, but then also heading into November of 2028.
David Brody: Sure. Well, a couple of things. I'm distracted by the swanky bump in music, let me just say, which is extremely impressive. So, that's a separate issue that I'll probably go clubbing to at some point at some sort of evangelical Christian disco somewhere in America. they have this.
Jenna Ellis: I missed them. Okay.
David Brody: Right. look, here's the bottom line. I'll just give you one word I can say. This is not a bad word. It sounds like a bad word. It's not. It's called crapshoot. We have no idea, we have no idea exactly where all of this is going to land with Maga. And I think we're going through, the post Trump growing pains already. and obviously that's playing out with, this idea of, which has been very interesting to me for people to say America first and Maga, they are two separate things. A lot of people think America first is Maga. Maga is America first. No, no, clearly not. There is a fault line there. Tucker Carlsen, Thom Massie, mtg, and the list goes on. People that claim the mantle of America first. And Trump is claiming the MAGA mantle, but also says MAGA is America First. So. So what is it exactly? Well, I'm confused, and I think a lot of people are a bit confused. I say that a little bit facetiously because I don't think I'm that confused, because I think what's going on here is that MAGA has morphed, and I hate to use the word morph, but it's probably the best word I can use right now, into not just America first, but kind of like a Don Row doctrine, right? A bit of the Monroe Doctrine with the Trump spin on it. And that's where Marco Rubio comes in. I mean, this term looks much different than the first term in terms of, you know, Trump has embraced this idea of, you know, basically the King of peace. I hate to call it that because, you know, we know about Jesus here, but he loves this idea that he wants to be the peacemaker. I mean, when people were at. When he was asked me what he wants his legacy to be, he wants his legacy to be that of someone who brought peace, to the world, which seems a bit scary and a bit biblical, obviously. And I think people get a little freaked out about that. But anyhow, the point is, is that because he has embraced this idea of kind of being a world leader, not just a, ah, United States president, that that has played in, he's morphed that into MAGA. And that's where the MTGs and Thom Massey's and others have said, no, no, no, we're just dealing with the priorities here in the United States and that's it. But we don't live in that type of world, Jenna. As you know, the world is totally interconnected. And so I think that's kind of the schism. And obviously Israel is the proxy fight to all of it. and that's where the anti Semitism comes in. So, I mean, I could talk for a long time about, you know, where we go on this. I will say this, and I've said this all along, and I said it. I just wanted. I'm saying this with a smile on my face. I said this before. Everybody became, you know, really excited about Marco Rubio and his 2028 potential chances. I said this about nine months ago that I believe that Marco Rubio was going to run for president. I know he's saying he's not. I think he's going to. I think Trump's going to endorse him, and I think he's going to be the nominee. That's my, that's my view. And I think this is going to play out in the primaries, whether or not JD Vance runs or not. I believe he will, though there's some grumblings and he might not. I think what's going to end up happening is you're going to have three. You're going to have quite a few candidates on stage, but I think you're going to have three main lanes, you're going to have the Rubio lane, you're going to have the JD Vance lane, which is more the populist lane. And then you're going to have the America first candidate. I believe there'll be a mtg, Tucker Carlsen, Thom Massey, somebody there on the debate stage that's going to push the party in that direction. And I think that's the way it's going to play out.
Jenna Ellis: And I totally agree with you on the Marco Rubio front. And I actually hope that he's the nominee, at least out of those, that you mentioned. And I think he would be the best, certainly better than J.D. vance. I've long been, a critic of J.D. vance in the sense of, you know, he is funded by Peter Thiel. He has a lot of, of the populist influence, not much experience. I mean, yes, he's been the Vice President for the last few years, but you know, really, not coming in, with vast, experience that somebody like a Rubio or a Desantis would. And so, you know, that stage is kind of bright, if we, for the future, if we look at Rubio, but if we're looking at, you know, kind of this divide between America first versus maga, that definition I think is really fascinating because, you know, now we've had a little over a decade of the Trump era and so it's natural that these kind of terms and the movement would evolve and shift a little bit.
Ron Deantis: The definition of America first basically being America only
but the definition of America first basically being America only and and sort of separate from the, the MAGA view, which is a little more all encompassing I think is interesting because, you know, I would characterize my own view and conservatism as a whole as being not maga, which I would define as just Trump. You know, whatever Trump wants, Trump gets, and everybody falls in line behind Trump. And I wouldn't define conservatism certainly as that, because that's not the principled view that's the populist view. But America first began, and I think hopefully still is the perspective of, yes, America first, our interests first, but not just America only, because historically the Republican Party has always considered Israel an ally, but not fealty to Israel or, at least the current modern state of Israel over America. So, you know, how do you see kind of that distinction and definition? Because that's sort of how I separated in my mind.
David Brody: Yeah, it's such a great point. And, you know, it's funny because I went with, like, the typical narrative of the fact that Tucker Carlsen and Massie and MTG are America first because they. That's what they call themselves. But the truth of the matter is what you said, which is they're not really America first at all. They're America only, and MAGA is America First. So rolled into other geopolitical considerations, more of the traditional conservatism. So that's actually the better description of it. It really is America first versus America only, or MAGA versus America only, if you look at it that way. You know, dare I date myself and go back to the trilogy of Star Wars? but, you know, I'm 61, so I can kind of go there and,
Jenna Ellis: hey, the Mandalorian just came out. So, you know, you're. You're right in line.
David Brody: What's popular? But, but, but I'll go old school for a second and go to that first trilogy, which I guess is movies, 4, 5, and 6. But, you know, we start with Star wars right back in 1977. And I believe the team. Look at the Maga, analogy here. I believe that the Tea Party, was the first movie, so to speak, in 1977. Star wars movie number four, in the trilogy, the first of the trilogy, because that's where the people started to rise up. You m. Can actually make the case that Sarah Palin, 2008, two years before that, was the prequel, if you will. and then you go into maga, and MAGA is an extension of the Tea Party, and that's the. The Empire Strikes Back, right, that second of the trilogy. and now where are we going, with maga? What is the Return of the Jedi? I've never believed that Trump. I know Trump is the star and everybody, and he knows he's the star and everything, but I've never thought he was. Been the main player all along in the whole tapestry of maga. I believe that he is the, second part. The second part movie of the trilogy, if you will. The Empire Strikes back. And here's Trump, definitely the liberals would say in the role of Darth Vader for sure. And quite frankly, some Republicans would call him Darth Vader too. but, but now we're moving into, to your question, which is where does MAGA go from here? We're moving into the third sequel, the Return of the Jedi. What, what does MAGA become now? And I think that's where I believe what's going to end up happening is I think we're going to see a split the difference situation. In other words, we're not going to go full on America only. We're not going to go full on populist or anything like that because you need a person that can actually usher that in. And I don't think that person is there that has the charisma that can bring people and a movement with them. So therefore I think we do a rebalance here in the third trilogy, which is that middle ground. That's where the Marco Rubio comes in. That's where someone, and I'm not suggesting Ron DeSantis is going to be the nominee, but someone like a Ron DeSantis, you know, someone that can split the difference between having popular streaks but also being, I'm not going to call it establishment at all, but more of a mainline mainstream conservative and bringing the party back to its roots and splitting the difference because I don't think the party will ever be what it was. But I also don't think that populism is the way forward for the Republican Party. Full on populism. I think it's going to be somewhere in the middle and I think that's the third trilogy.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I think it's a brilliant analogy and I agree with you that somebody like a Marco Rubio, or Ron DeSantis would be the perfect, standard bearer for that type of moving forward with kind of calling back to our roots, not establishment, but someone who is established long enough, at least in their political tenure, in their principles, in understanding how America works and how government works and has that track record that we know isn't going to go full on populist and also doesn't. Nobody is going to have the character and charisma and the merchantainment sort of qualities that Trump has, which I think is a good thing. And I hope that we get away from that kind of just fealty to personality, kind of cultish behavior moving forward in the party because we really need to return to some basic principles. And so you Know, somebody like a Rubio, could have all of those pieces cohesively together. because let's not forget, I mean, he ran in 2016 against Donald Trump. And a lot of people, I mean, I have several really solid Christian friends who, he was their first Choice back in 2016, so they'd be delighted if he actually, ran and was the nominee in 2028. So we're kind of potentially coming sort of full circle of saying, you know, we, we needed to have a restructuring of the party and getting rid of, you know, kind of the, the establishment do nothing gop. I mean that this is some of the good that's happening, like, getting rid of, you know, some of these, these establishment GOP figures. I wish that Trump would actually go after more of them, like, you know, the Lindsey Graham's of the world. But, you know, there's at least a few that are being, being rooted out of the party. We're beyond the, you know, Mitt Romney, and Paul Ryan's, you know, being the nominees or being the speaker of the House and kind of that thorn of leadership, but then still moving forward into not just a completely populist bent because the conservative wing and hopefully the evangelical Christians are not gonna go along the populist route after Trump. And that I think is the key.
Everybody is looking at Trump to make his endorsement for the next nominee
So, how soon do you think that. I mean, we're already talking about this, but how soon do you think it is that Trump makes his decision? And because whoever it is, I think we'll have to have Trump's blessing. Everybody is gonna be looking at Trump to make his endorsement for the next nominee.
David Brody: Yeah, And I think that's where the Iran war comes into play, because I believe that, ah, Trump will. My sense of it is Trump is more close to Rubio than Vance, especially as not just relates to what's been going on in Iran, but just overall foreign policy and the way Trump views the world and the way Rubio views the world, I think that's much more, it's much more closer. And that's where Trump's heart is. I mean, yeah, Trump's heart's for America. We know that obviously. but. But his heart has been always to kind of bring peace to other, countries and make sure America at the same time is great again. And because of that, I think that's where Rubio and him align more. So therefore, to answer your question, I think it'll be Trump that endorses Rubio, but I think it'll take some time and I Think Trump loves the Apprentice game, and he loves to kind of. It's kind of like a political Hunger Games, you know, let them fight it out a little bit. And then Trump loves to come in as kingmaker. He kind of did that with Cornyn and Pax, and we saw here at the last moment. so, I think ultimately, I think that endorsement, comes late for Rubio, but I think my sense of it is. And we'll see about the reporting at the time, my sense of it is there'll be conversations between Rubio and, Trump where Trump will basically say to Marco, look, you got to do this. I mean, I think you got to. Got to give it a shot and let the best man win type situation. I mean, that's Trump, right? I mean, he loves to kind of pit everybody kind of against each other and let them fight it out. I mean, that's classic Trump. and I think with Rubio, you know, he's been on. He's been. With his official statements, he's been very clear that he's not going to run if J.D. vance runs. But I think what you're going to see is he's left some wiggle room there, and the wiggle room is simply this, which is. He'll be a reluctant warrior, right? He'll come in and say, look, I didn't want to do this, but, you know, you know, people are telling me the donors are telling me, you might not say the donors, but he'll, you know, say, the president has encouraged me to run. And I've, talked to J.D. vance. He says, yeah, let's. Let's do this, and this will be fun. So, in other words, I didn't want to do this, but I've been told that really I should do it for. For, you know, that type of thing. And I could see him being the reluctant warrior to kind of spin back how he runs. We'll see what happens. But I think that's the way it's going to go.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, really fascinating. And I really do hope that there's not this kind of, gladiator sort of fight, for, you know, the, at least the endorsement of Trump. I mean, there will be a fight certainly in the primary, and that's what primaries are for. And it should be an open primary. It's going to be an open space seat in 2028. But in terms of, you know, where Trump lands and, and at least where, you know, the. The voters are, I really hope that it's not as as just nasty of a primary as 2024 was. And whoever Trump ends up endorsing, it's not like, okay, everybody just fall in line, behind that candidate, or, you know, you're a traitor and that kind of thing. I mean, I think we need to move past that kind of rhetoric as well, and get back to, to what Trump supposedly stands for as well, which is free and fair elections, open primaries. I mean, obviously, he wants his preferred candidate to win, like we all do, and that's fine. but to. To typify and characterize this as loyalty, I think, has been a really detrimental, aspect overall to the entire party.
David Brody on where loyalty aspect of Trump presidency goes from here
And we're almost out of time, but kind of closing thoughts, David Brody, on sort of where the loyalty aspect, goes from here. Because I think that's one thing that we need to return back to being principled, and that's the element of populism to say, okay, we're done with that.
David Brody: Yes. And I'll be honest with you, and don't get me wrong, I think the president has done a lot of great things, obviously, in his first term and his second term as well. Having said that, I've had a real concern about, you know, unveiling furloughed banners from the Department of Justice, you know, of President Trump, of, the Institute of Peace, called the President Trump Institute of Peace, the Donald J. Trump and Kennedy center, you know, that type of stuff. And it's just. It's a little too much for my taste, as a matter of fact. And I'm being, quite frankly, I'm being, muted in my response. Response, because it's been, to me, I think, a big problem. And I think we got to get away from all of that because I think that's bad, not just for the party, but bad for America.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. Well, well said. And always appreciate the analysis, David Brody. And so, where can people find you on X and also for, All Israel News and cbn?
David Brody: Yeah, if they just go to D. Brody Reports, D. Brody Reports. You can find me on all social handles and go from there.
Jenna Ellis: Excellent. All right, well, thanks so much. And that is all the time that we have this morning. And as always, you can reach me and my team JennaAFR.net.
Jenna Ellis discusses the recent political landscape in Texas, focusing on the significant victories for conservative candidates, particularly Ken Paxton, and the implications for the GOP. Joined by Texas State Representative Brian Harrison, they analyze the grassroots support that led to these wins, the challenges faced by establishment Republicans, and the shifting dynamics within the party as they head toward future elections. The conversation also touches on the controversial topic of abortion and the legal ramifications surrounding recent cases in Texas, highlighting the inconsistencies in the pro-choice narrative.
(00:00) Jenna Ellis: Rights that our founders recognize come from God our Creator
(00:33) Ken Paxton unseated John Cornyn in hotly contested Texas primary
(01:48) Ken Paxton beat incumbent John Cornyn 30 points in Texas attorney general race
(05:05) Jen Tallarigo: Ken Paxton's victory is a testament to voters
(09:24) Chip Roy loses runoff for Texas Attorney General to a MAGA challenger
(13:17) Brian Harrison: Al Green losing his seat was a big victory for Texas Republicans
(15:07) Texas man accused of giving pregnant girlfriend abortion drug and causing unborn child's death
(17:07) Frank Pavone: Abortion law should be clear regardless of who consents
(22:26) Texas is among the leading states protecting unborn children from abortion pills
(24:36) Jenna Bell: Is a forced abortion okay? Ask your pro choice friends
(28:01) Frank Pavone: We have to continue working with our state legislators
(29:20) Jenna Ellis: We need to talk about a post Trump world
(30:23) JD Vance: I think MAGA has morphed into America first
(35:46) Ron Deantis: The definition of America first basically being America only
(42:39) Everybody is looking at Trump to make his endorsement for the next nominee
(46:34) David Brody on where loyalty aspect of Trump presidency goes from here
Live
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