SEKULOW

Guest (Male): We've got breaking news as negotiations continue. The Iran Supreme Leader taunts the United States. Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever, this is Sekulow. We want to hear from you. Share and post your comments or call 1-800-684-3110. And now your host, Logan Sekulow.

Logan Sekulow: Welcome to Sekulow. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110. We've got a couple topics and a couple guests joining us today. Rick Grenell will be on in the back half, and we have one of our attorneys, Garrett Taylor, who will be joining us as well to give you an update on the ACLJ. Rick Grenell will be joining us live from Munich. Of course, we talked about that quite a bit yesterday.

You also had words from Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom is making the rounds not only in Munich but coming to Nashville, Tennessee, and getting into some heated back and forth with Marsha Blackburn. So that was pretty interesting to follow yesterday. But the breaking news we're covering right now is certainly about those Iran negotiations, which are currently underway. At the same time, President Trump has made some pretty bold statements, and so has the Ayatollah.

This is a statement that came from the Ayatollah, again, directed at the United States of America. It said, "The US President says their army is the world's strongest, but the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up." These are again comments made to the Iranian media, and you can find that also on X. The dictator, of course, has been really leading a charge against the rise up that's happening there, where people are finally feeling like they've had enough of being under the rule that they've been under for so many decades.

Of course, Iran has had this moment of clarity a few times, and unfortunately, it often seems to fail. It gets to a point where it feels like there's no turning back and you're going to see a new leadership take action, but then it stumbles. Something happens and they remain in power. This is once again feeling like it was happening, but now President Trump is certainly not ruling out a lot of action, potential action militarily.

What do you think about that? I want to hear from you. Of course, there are a lot of implications of what a war with Iran would look like, what it could mean for everything from your economic sense of gas prices and so on, all the way, of course, to the fact of what happens when we start sending troops. What does that mean for Israel? What do we know about Iran's relationship to Hamas and all of that? I want to hear from you. What do you think about the US? Do you feel like this is us getting involved in Iraq 2.0?

I know a lot of you have those moments where you feel that way. But what does that look like for you? Give me a call. I want to hear from you. I kind of want to take the pulse of our audience. 1-800-684-3110. 1-800-684-3110. Like I said, we're also going to be bouncing around. We're going to hear from one of our ACLJ attorneys and give you an update on one of those cases out of Colorado. The ACLJ is always hard at work in action for your religious freedom rights, and that is included on an individual church or individual person basis.

We'll get into that with a big update. And then again, Rick Grenell's going to be joining us talking about Gavin Newsom as he explores Europe during the Munich Security Conference. So it's going to be a packed show. You should get involved. If you're watching right now on YouTube, I'm going to ask you to hit that thumbs up button. If you're listening right now or you're watching on any of the platforms, I'd love to hear from you. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110. Do we have time to play this clip? I think we do. Let's hear this clip. This is President Trump being asked specifically about Iran. Maybe it'll spur you to call in.

President Trump: I'll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they'll be very important. We'll see what can happen. But typically, Iran's a very tough negotiator. They're good negotiators, or bad negotiators. I would say they're bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B-2s. I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal. I think they want to make a deal. I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.

Logan Sekulow: Of course, saying they want to make a deal, they don't want the consequences of not making a deal. I just want to make sure that you could hear that clearly. What are those consequences? Of course, America gets involved militarily. What do you think about that? What do you think about that from President Trump? He is someone who has been often lauded as someone who could get a deal done. It's been a little bit different, a little harder maybe this term as, of course, you still have things like Russia and Ukraine looming. But plenty of wars have been settled, plenty of issues have been settled under President Trump's administration this time around. What do you think about getting involved militarily though? 1-800-684-3110. We'll be right back with more on Sekulow.

Guest (Male): The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, and our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedom, defending your rights in court, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedom. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. ACLJ.org.

Welcome to the all-new ACLJ app. Expert analysis and insight Big Tech can't censor. Customize your news and get real-time alerts on the issues you care about. Advocacy is now at your fingertips. Take action, make a difference, support the causes you care about with just one tap. Be the first to know. Breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox. Everything you need, all in one place. Stay informed, stay empowered. Download today.

We are so excited to announce the ACLJ's brand new app, completely redesigned to provide you with the best tools available to partner with us at the ACLJ. You can watch the daily Sekulow program, sign the petitions, customize your ACLJ membership experience, donate with the click of a button, and receive up-to-the-minute critical updates that the mainstream media can't censor. Just scan the QR code on your screen or go to your phone's app store, search ACLJ, and click install. It's that simple.

Logan Sekulow: Welcome back to Sekulow. We are going to take your calls and I would love to hear from you at 1-800-684-3110. If you're calling in, keep trying. I think you'll be able to get on today. It'd be a great time to talk about what's happening in the world stage. At this moment, of course, America is currently in negotiations with Iran. We know that there has been some progress back and forth, and these have been scheduled for a few weeks, that this has been looming.

But we also know that you have moments where you have someone like the Ayatollah, the leader of the country, making statements. Making statements on X very publicly. I'm going to read you some of them. Tell me if this feels like someone who's willing to come to the table. Says, "The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again. The Americans constantly say they've sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware, however more dangerous than the warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea."

Doesn't really feel like thinly veiled. And of course, to Iranian media, said something more to the effect of, "The President says their army is the world's strongest, but the strongest army can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up." This, again, coming directly from the leadership in Iran at the same time President Trump said they want a deal. They don't actually want to go to war.

We know what that will look like. And I want to know what you feel about that. What does a war with Iran mean to you? President Trump certainly has not ruled out this as he has really taken an interest in the crackdown that they've had on the nationwide protests that of course have killed thousands of people. And again, President Trump, like I said, has not ruled out military force and in somewhat has continued to threaten it somewhat to the point where you do get concerned that people will start treating it like it's empty words, that you're crying wolf, that you're actually not going to do it.

But we know from this administration that certainly out of nowhere we'll wake up likely one day without much warning to potentially an attack in Iran. And what does that look like? Of course, we saw that already when they destroyed the nuke facilities in a direct response really to what was going on not only with the nuke deal but with Israel and Hamas. And a lot of you are calling in right now because I do want to hear from you, the American people. I think it's important to check where you're at on this.

Some of you have flashbacks to a world in war during the war on terror, of course in Iraq, which a lot of you may have concerns with now looking back on it. Hindsight's obviously 20/20. I think there's some people that still see it as something that was overall a positive. But you also had a President Trump who ran really on a no-more-wars platform dangling a potential war with a country who's currently in the middle of an uprising.

And an uprising, by the way, that we would love to see a regime change there. I think a lot of us grew up in an era where we think of Iran specifically as it is now. But you forget what it was. You forget the technological advances that they had, the great Persian people, the people that have come to America who have done amazing things. A lot of the big companies you use, Uber and so on, a lot of these were created or co-created by incredible Persian immigrants or families who came from Iran who then their next generation delivered some life-changing technology and life improvements really for the American people.

These are smart, amazing people. And they are sick of it and they're fed up and they're in the streets, but they're getting killed for it. And in moments where you think that finally they have spoken out so loudly that there's no turning back, the negotiation table seems to reopen with America. And what does that look like? Give me a call, as I said, at 1-800-684-3110. I want to take a call already. Let's go to Lewis who's calling on line one. Lewis, go ahead.

Lewis: Hi, thanks guys for having me on. Iran has been a problem, a threat, a deadly element to both the United States and Israel and so many other countries as long as I can remember. And I really feel honestly that now is the time to end this. And I don't care if my gas is five dollars a gallon. I don't care if my retirement portfolio goes down significantly. I think now is the time. I think that if we don't act and act completely and decisively and clean house there, that for the next generations it will get worse and worse.

Logan Sekulow: Well, Lewis, that's a big, bold statement. I don't think a lot of people would feel necessarily they'd agree with you in principle, but there are not a lot of people who are willing to say, yeah, I know my gas is going to go up. I know that there's going to be issues. Obviously, whatever boots on the ground looks like in 2026, which I still think is very different, but you're talking about risking lives for it to hopefully empower a next generation, a safer, stronger Iran and a safer, stronger America because of it.

I am curious if that's where other people stand. Phone lines are completely jammed right now, so I know you have a lot to say. We're going to try to get to as many of these as we can. For those who are just tuning in though, and I know a lot of you do, you may be wondering what President Trump has to say. We played this in the first segment, but I think it's important to play it back. Let's go to bite one once again.

President Trump: I'll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they'll be very important. We'll see what can happen. But typically, Iran's a very tough negotiator. They're good negotiators, or bad negotiators. I would say they're bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B-2s. I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal. I think they want to make a deal. I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.

Logan Sekulow: They want to make a deal. They don't want the consequences, as I said earlier. They don't want the consequences of not making a deal. Of course, while the Ayatollah makes very thinly veiled threats, I think you'd say President Trump also similarly is saying we are not ruling out any sort of military action right now.

And of course, Iran will say, in terms of their nuke facilities, they'll say we didn't do any of that, none of that actually exists. Though we know, I'm trying to find the number, I think I just had it just a moment ago, the number is staggering of how much... Iran has denied it's been pursuing a nuke weapon despite having at one point enriched at 60%, far above the threshold needed for a power plant. That's from the news. That's not our sources.

So that tells you what you're actually dealing with here, how you trust them. What does it mean? He said they're good negotiators then kind of came back and said they're bad negotiators. But I think I know what he means. They're strong negotiators at least you could say, whether you think that they are being foolish or not. Let's go ahead and take another call. Let's go to George in Florida, line three, watching on the Salem News Channel. Go ahead, George.

George: Yes, my comment is that they have to have their teeth pulled, otherwise there's not going to be any peace. I remember in '79 when they took over the embassy and everything these people do, especially the, I think it's called the Republican Guard and the mullahs, boy, I can't stand those people. They have to be eliminated. The Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah, they're causing all the problems. And just think what this world could be if the Middle East could get it together. And I don't think Trump is too wrong when he talks about a Mediterranean area that would be like the Riviera, because that is possible.

Logan Sekulow: Oh, George, it's a beautiful area of the world. If you take away what you're having to deal with from a political and... really it's political. I mean, I wouldn't even say it's religious. A lot of this is people who are striving for power, dictatorships. When you're dealing with these kind of regimes, you see suffering. Iran, from what I've seen, pre-79, these were beautiful places. Israel is beautiful. I'm sure there are areas that can be rebuilt as this amazing area.

What does it look like long term? I think that's very difficult. The Middle East has never been the easiest since the dawn of time. But is it possible? George, I think we can at least strive for it. I think we can at least look to it. There is hope that this leadership will change over, that you would have a change of hands. Now, to me, the longer it goes and the more issues that come up and the more negotiations that happen, the less I think that's likely.

And that's unfortunate, but it's also because of the way the American media works. As I've been saying and preaching for the last couple weeks as we have seen, the American media has decided for some reason, today may be the one day they change their mind, but it feels like for the last three months or four months, they have championed the idea that the American people could think about one story at a time. They could think about Minnesota, then they can think about Iran for a minute, then they can think about Nancy Guthrie, then they could think about, fill in the blank. One story, wall-to-wall, 24 hours a day.

I simply don't believe that's true for the American people or for the people of the world. And I want to give you the opportunity to hear from other stories and hear other perspectives of what's happening around the world, even in the world of the ACLJ and all the work that we're doing. You're going to hear from one of our attorneys coming up in the next segment. Because these are big global moments, and though they may not be as... you're talking about the President of the United States and the Ayatollah of Iran, the Supreme Leader of Iran, having essentially an online Twitter war that could lead to real war.

But your eyes are supposed to be focused on another topic, or only one other topic, and I don't play that game. Phone lines are jammed right now. They will open up. 1-800-684-3110. As we head into the next segment, we are going to get back to this topic, but I do want you to hear some of the important work the ACLJ is doing. Today is one of those days.

So I'm going to ask you also to sign our new petition. Go to ACLJ.org/sign. Be a part of it. It's a great way to engage with the work of the ACLJ, even if you can't give financially right now. Sign a petition, get on the email list, and be part of the journey of being an ACLJ supporter, whether that's financially or just as a prayer warrior or just someone who wants to get involved on a petition level or read our incredible content. None of it has a paywall. It's all available at ACLJ.org. Again, ACLJ attorney Garrett Taylor joining us next. Rick Grenell's joining us in the back half. We'll be right back.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the all-new ACLJ app. Expert analysis and insight Big Tech can't censor. Customize your news and get real-time alerts on the issues you care about. Advocacy is now at your fingertips. Take action, make a difference, support the causes you care about with just one tap. Be the first to know. Breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox. Everything you need, all in one place. Stay informed, stay empowered. Download today.

We are so excited to announce the ACLJ's brand new app, completely redesigned to provide you with the best tools available to partner with us at the ACLJ. You can watch the daily Sekulow program, sign the petitions, customize your ACLJ membership experience, donate with the click of a button, and receive up-to-the-minute critical updates that the mainstream media can't censor. Just scan the QR code on your screen or go to your phone's app store, search ACLJ, and click install. It's that simple.

The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, and our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedom, defending your rights in court, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedom. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. ACLJ.org.

Logan Sekulow: Welcome back to Sekulow. We are going to take more phone calls. We have two lines open at 1-800-684-3110. Look, always within the show if I have the opportunity, I want to showcase not only one of our ACLJ attorneys but also updates on some of these cases that you've been following now. Some of them for years it feels like, but some of them just for months.

Garrett Taylor's joining us right now. Garrett, I want you to kind of give us first... we've got to kind of take a step back. Give me a background on this specific case. I know a lot of our audience remembers it as soon as you jog their memory, but they maybe need a little bit of a refresher on what we're talking about here because there are some updates.

Garrett Taylor: Yeah, and this is a case out of Northglenn, Colorado, to be exact. If you remember, we filed a lawsuit back in November against the city of Northglenn on behalf of pastors and members of three local churches out there who regularly minister in a local park. They have a ministry that worships and serves the local homeless population there. Food, everything. Just take care of them.

Exactly. And the city took issue with this. They subjected our clients to private meetings with city officials, which they have not done with other groups. They passed an ordinance which prohibits our clients from simply gathering in the park to exercise their faith and eventually cited them under that ordinance. And we fought the city on the criminal side of things and eventually, as you may remember, those charges were dismissed by the city.

Logan Sekulow: That's the start of a success. We moved forward, things were great. But then, all these cases always, they never seem to just wrap up in a bow and it's over for at least the beginning stages. So so far the battle has shaped to we've got to the point where criminally we're all good, but it's not over.

Garrett Taylor: Right. The ordinance is still there. And that's what we're challenging. The ordinance bans groups of five or more people from gathering in a park on a recurring basis. And so we filed the lawsuit in November. The defendants filed their answer. And now we'll be in court next month for a scheduling conference to go over some deadlines for this next phase of the case, which is discovery. And here, this is the critical phase in the case where we will gather all the facts and evidence, including requesting all sorts of documents and sitting these city officials down in depositions to shed light on what exactly happened here.

Logan Sekulow: Right, because we'll find out in these situations, like you said, criminally a charge could get dropped, but like you said, the law still stands, or it's still on the books, the rule's still on the books. Just because our client is taken care of from that point of view, we want to make sure that in the future everyone... so when you support the work of the ACLJ, you understand that we're not just representing one client. Of course we are representing clients, but we are representing communities. We are representing the country to make sure that these kind of rules don't stand. Why do you think, though? I mean, the city was very... you would think, the city seemed to be specifically targeting this group. And now you're at the point of going, okay, like you said, sit them down and say, how can we get this changed? Is that really what the next step is?

Garrett Taylor: Right. And we're trying to figure out exactly why this rule was passed, why they haven't gone after other similar groups. Our clients were the only ones that were cited under this ordinance. And we're going to try to figure out exactly why that happened here. And that's so important as you mentioned. It doesn't only help our clients in this case, but it helps the whole city of Northglenn, Colorado. It'll set precedent for cities all around the country that if they try to enact a similar rule, they'll be faced with the same opposition.

Logan Sekulow: Yeah, so I mean, that's why we have people like Garrett who are able to go on the ground to be a part of these journeys with our clients but also help impact what the future of really America can look like. And we always want to shed... you know, when I start this show and we talk about negotiating with Iran and we're talking about big picture things with war, all of these moments.

We're going to go next over to Rick Grenell in Munich. He's over at the Security Council. These are big worldwide events. And I understand sometimes those feel like, yeah, that's why I support the work of the ACLJ. They're on these global stages. And look, that is very, very important. But what is just as important is that people like Garrett can go with this group in Colorado and take care of a church that wants to meet in a public park.

Or you heard yesterday of the fifth grader who just wanted to bring their Bible to school for quiet time to read whatever they wanted to read. Of course, a lot of this is ACLJ cases that feel like we've been arguing for 35, 40 years. But people need reminders that this is not how it all works, and that is why we have such an incredible team. So I always want to tell you, when you're supporting the work of the ACLJ, you're not just supporting these big lofty dreams that we talk about and these big goals and going to the UN.

You are doing that, because trust me, a flight to Geneva is a little more expensive than a flight to Denver. However, both are expensive, both have real costs, but the cost never is incurred by the client. And I know I always reiterate that, but I want to make sure you understand that. That when one of these church groups comes to the ACLJ and says we need help, we are being told we can't be in this public park anymore and we don't know what to do, they don't have to incur a bunch of outside legal fees because people like you support.

And you support on a financial basis, and we appreciate all of you that do that. We appreciate everyone who prays for the organization, for our team, for people like Garrett who are out there in the field doing the hard work. We appreciate everyone who just even watches this show each and every day. But of course, if you can support financially, I encourage you to do that. As we wrap up this first half hour of the show, it is important that I always let you know because some of you lose us here.

We are available live every day, 12 to 1 PM Eastern time throughout the world on ACLJ.org, on YouTube, on Rumble, on X, on Salem News Channel. We are available on all those outlets for the full hour live. Many of your stations do carry it, Sirius XM and others, but if you don't, that's a great way to do it. You can also find us archived later on as our podcast feed, however you get your podcast.

You're smart enough to figure that out. You can go to ACLJ.org though for all of that content that's available there. But what I'm asking you to do right now is when you hear about these cases, maybe one day it will be your church, maybe one day it will be you, and you want us to be there for you. And we're only here, we're able to only go and hire the incredible team that we have here, whether it's senior attorneys that have been here for 30 years or people like Garrett who have been here a handful of years who are just starting their legal journey, but we're able to put them in the field in places like going to Colorado and handling these situations or in states where you might not even think, Texas and some of these others where we've had issues you never would have assumed that you'd be having the issues that you're having.

But it's currently the climate of America right now. So as we wrap up this first half hour, I want you to think about supporting the work of the ACLJ. We're going to take you from Garrett here in our media center here in Tennessee who's representing this church group, this ministry group out of Colorado. And then in 20 minutes or so, 10 minutes or so, we're going to be heading over to Munich and you're going to be hearing from Rick Grenell, who is there at the Munich Security Council.

And we're going to be talking about the current governor of California, who's by the way making his way to Nashville this weekend, who's also in Munich. We have so much to cover. The scope of the organization is just tremendous at this point. We had groups in yesterday from all over the world who want to partner with us here at the ACLJ. But to me, the most important voice has always been yours.

So I'm going to ask you to take this opportunity as we head to break to think about, pray about supporting the work of the ACLJ. Usually this is where I'm going to say I really need your phone calls. Right now, our phone lines are completely jammed. Where were you yesterday? Okay? I was sitting here by myself. Could have used you. But no, stay on hold. We're going to get to you. Again, we appreciate all of the support for the ACLJ. Garrett, thanks for popping on. And we'll have you back on here soon, I'm sure, whenever there's an update. We'll be right back on Sekulow. But again, stay tuned. Second half hour coming up. Find it at ACLJ.org or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be right back.

For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedom, defending your rights in court, in Congress, and in the public arena. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. ACLJ.org.