Senator Ted Cruz thumps Chuck Hagel

Chuck Hagel has had a rough time trying to get confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense and leading the charge yesterday was Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz hammered away at Hagel and his flawed vision of the world in which America is the ‘biggest bully’ on the planet. Glenn interviewed Sen. Cruz on radio today.

Watch the interview at the top of the page.

TheBlaze reported on Hagel's questioning:

In some of the most talked-about fireworks to come from defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel’s Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked Hagel whether he thinks the state of Israel has “committed war crimes” — after confronting him with an old clip in which he seemed to agree with the characterization.“The caller suggested the nation of Israel has committed war crimes. And your response to that was not to dispute that characterization but indeed to describe what he said as, quote, “Well I think that’s exactly right,” Cruz said to Hagel after the 2009 clip from Al Jazeera English played. “Do you think the nation of Israel has committed war crimes?”

“No I do not, senator. I�’d want to look at the full context of the interview, but to answer your question, no,” Hagel said.

Cruz objected that the clip contained all the necessary context, then went on to say that “a suggestion that Israel has committed war crimes is particularly offensive, given that the Jewish people suffered under the most horrific war crimes in the Holocaust.”

 

The rough transcript of Glenn's interview with Senator Cruz is below:

GLENN: Yesterday I actually saw somebody in Washington D.C. earn their money. Yesterday I saw a guy who we have to keep honest. Somebody who is actually going in there and fighting the good fight. I'll tell you there's a handful of them that are pitbulls now, and they are small government, independents and liberty minded and they know the constitution, and they also know what's going on. They know what the score is. It's not like these old timers that have been in Washington for a long time, and think they're playing the same game. I talked to a congressman Glenn, it's a different world here. He's a freshman. It's Chris Stewart. I've never seen anything like that. They actually think that things are generally okay. And they actually think that it's not as bad as you think it is. You've got to strengthen these guys, and in particular one guy yesterday who made a huge, huge difference in the Chuck Hagel confirmation, and just took him apart. And even if you were for Hagel, afterwards you're like, I don't think I'm for this guy at all. Senator Ted Cruz from the great state of Texas. Hello Ted.

CALLER: Glenn, it's great to be with you.

GLENN: You are on fire.

CALLER: Thank you. And there are a lot of challenges and they're happening all at once. And stop some bad things that seem to be coming down the pike.

GLENN: There's an op-ed about Chuck Hagel. Why don't you give us the highlights why Chuck Hagel should not be the secretary of defense.

CALLER: Hagel certainly has a distinguished military career, and he's a Vietnam veteran. Volunteer anyone questions his personal courage or record. But his foreign policy views have been really extraordinary dangerous. And they have been contrary to the security of the United States.

GLENN: He would not last night or yesterday with the John McCain admit he was wrong with the surge.

CALLER: That was really quite remarkable. It was an easy opportunity for Chuck Hagel what he could have. He prominantly posed the Iraq war, and the surge was the greatest foreign blunder.

GLENN: Since Vietnam.

CALLER: McCain got him to prove that the surge proved successful. Even with the antiwar views that the Hagel had expressed on the Iraq. I was against the surge and I'm grateful that it produced success. He refused to say it. He wouldn't say anything good about prevailing, and that was -- it was certainly a remarkable exchange between him, and John McCain.

GLENN: He refused to sign a letter to Clinton and Bush. Today he says that the mosque. Hezbollah in 2006. He declined to join a group of 96 senators urging President Clinton to express solidarity with Israel with the crucial moment, and done Democrat the Palestinian campaign of violence. He has gone on al-Jazeera we are the biggest bully on the planet. He has called the military response by Israel a sickening slaughter. He is --

CALLER: That's correct. If you contrast Chuck Hagel with John Kerry. I was one of three votes against him. Kerry's views are very, very lethal. And yet Hagel's views are tremendously more radical than that.

GLENN: May I say this is not your characterization. It is mine. But I'd love to hear your response on it. They are almost anti-American.

CALLER: Well, what they reflect is the typical contempt for Americans -- I think contempt. Embarrassment for American strength that you see among the extreme. Among the radicals. You mentioned the al-Jazeera exchange. I played two excerpts from an interview he did on al-Jazeera. And Hagel heard that, and didn't dispute that characterization at all. The second which was jaw dropping which was on the al-Jazeera, and the reality that the United States was the world's bully, and he explicitly agreed, he said yes I agree that point is relevant. It's a good one. I agree.

PAT: Then he lied to you Senator about not hearing that part. It was so obvious.

GLENN: It was so clear when you listen to the audio, and you see the interview. It's up on "The Blaze" by the way. Senator Cruz's questioning is up on "The Blaze", and also we've added the video from al-Jazeera. It was so clear he knows exactly what's going on, then he strangely had the courage to look you in the eye I didn't know that. I didn't hear that. What were you agreeing with then?

CALLER: It was really remarkable, and it's worth under scoring. This is a man who is being put forward to be the secretary of defense for the chief civilian officer of the United States military, to go on al-Jazeera a foreign network that is broadcasting propaganda to countries that have extraordinary hostility to us.

GLENN: No, Al Gore says they're for us.

CALLER: To explicitly agree with the statement that American is the world's bully. That statement undermines the legitimacy of the young men and women that are protecting our rights. For our secretary of defense to say that I think it is the sort of leadership specs from a secretary of defense.

GLENN: Is he going to be confirmed?

CALLER: I don't -- that depends on the 100 Senator. It depends on two thing. I hope Republicans stand together. I think his views on Israel make him the most antagonistic Senator to Israel in the time he served. And I think his views on national security, on terrorism put him as a "The Washington Post" at the fringe. Republicans need to stand together. And number two, I hope that some Democrats I was disappointed at the hearing yesterday that none of the Democrats seemed to be willing to give him any scrutiny. I understand it is hard to oppose a nominee from your own party when your President has put him up. There are a lot of Democrats who sincerely and genuinely care about insuring that Iran doesn't get nuclear weapons capacity, and I hope that the Democrats will look closely at his record. I think Chuck Hagel's record is.

GLENN: A message for firearms, and manufacturers from the Chicago Rahm Emanuel. Texas welcomes you. And gun control invited executives to consider the warmer friendlier climate of the Lonestar state of the Bank of America, and TD /PWAFRPBLG. And Smith & Wesson. In Texas we have a more modest view of government. You are inviting the arms manufacturers to move down to Texas.

CALLER: That's exactly right. This was in response to the widely reported letter that the Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel sent to two major banks urging them to cut off the lines of credit to two venerable gun manufacturers. Smith & Wesson. And Ruger, and pressure them into supporting President Obama's aggressive gun control agenda. When Rahm Emanuel wrote that letter. I think that letter was abusive. I don't think that's the proper role of an elected official to be trying to bully private companies to enlist in a political lobbying campaign. So my response was to write a letter to those gun manufacturing companies, and to the Rahm Emanuel in Texas we have the view and that elected officials work for the people. The people don't work for the elected officials. And I encourage the banks if they want to bring more business to Texas, and bring more jobs to Texas there's a reason a 1,000 people a day are moving to day. I'm proud that one of you was you Glenn.

GLENN: Move to Texas for the freedom. Not the jobs. I mean if you're coming here just for a job I don't want you here. If you're coming here because you understand that the jobs are being created because we are free in this state, come to Texas. Because this is the last -- this is the last bastion of real freedom.

PAT: Don't come here just for a job, and turn it into a New York.

GLENN: There's a reason that Texas is creating 50% of all of jobs in America. There's a reason for it. It's freedom.

CALLER: I think you're exactly right, Glenn. I have joked as you know know I'm very worried about border security, and at times I'm concerned about our western border. And all of the Californians if they're coming here to embrace freedom. There should be an entrance exam when someone is fleeing another state, and do you understand what has happened from the place you're fleeing, and not to bring those misguided policies, and ruin the freedom.

PAT: For me that's not tongue and cheek at all.

GLENN: I'm dead serious on that. But I'm glad to say hear it was slightly tongue and cheek.

CALLER: I have to tell you that the Hagel hearing yesterday, some liberal activist on Twitter sent was my favorite tweet of the entire day. Which is that this individual said now Cruz is going all Glenn Beck in the hearing. Which I took that as a high, high compliment. I guess it was that I tried to intrude on the hearing with facts, and put Chuck Hagel's own record and words on the stand.

GLENN: That is a real compliment. I'm sorry they used me to try to smear you.

CALLER: I was honored by the comparison.

GLENN: Thank you very much, Senator. Keep up the good work. You just shout out. If somebody is trying to corner, if somebody -- if you start to feel like I'm --

PAT: Darkness is closing in.

GLENN: It will it will absolutely close in around you. Know that there are millions of Americans that are praying for you, and praying for other senators and Congress none must not just like you. Just don't lose your soul, and cry out for help.

CALLER: Well Glenn, in three weeks the "New York Times" to attacking me. Rachel mad oh, and morning Joe seems to devote to attacking me. And I'll tell you that I view that as a sign we're doing something right.

GLENN: We're trying to fast and furious without getting in bed with the drug lords like our administration has. We're working as fast as we can to build an alternative network that is beholden to parties and not beholden to any kind of liberal nonsense.

CALLER: I appreciate that. And you're being lifted up by the prayers of men and women across America, and all of us and what you're doing, and what I'm doing. We're fighting to save our country. I feel incredibly to have an opportunity to make a small difference.

GLENN: I respect what you're doing. I will leave it at that.

CALLER: I appreciate you, and thank you and let's get it done together.

GLENN: Thank you. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. If you haven't seen what he did yesterday, go to the website

Top 10 WORST items in the new $1.2 TRILLION spending bill

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Biden just signed the newest spending bill into law, and Glenn is furious.

Under Speaker Johnson's leadership, the whopping $1.2 TRILLION package will use your taxpayer dollars to fund the government through September. Of course, the bill is loaded with earmarks and pork that diverts money to fund all sorts of absurd side projects.

Here is the list of the ten WORST uses of taxpayer money in the recently passed spending bill:

Funding venues to host drag shows, including ones that target children

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Money for transgender underwear for kids

Funding for proms for 12 to 18 year old kids

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Border security funding... for Jordan and Egypt

Another $300 million for Ukraine

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$3.5 million for Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade

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$2.5 million for a new kayaking facility in Franklin, New Hampshire

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$2.7 million for a bike park in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a town with a population of less than 2,300 people

$5 million for a new trail at Coastal Carolina University

$4 million the "Alaska King Crab Enhancement Project" (whatever that means)

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There is no doubt about it—we are entering dark times.

The November presidential election is only a few months away, and following the chaos of the 2020 election, the American people are bracing for what is likely to be another tumultuous election year. The left's anti-Trump rhetoric is reaching an all-time high with the most recent "Bloodbath" debacle proving how far the media will go to smear the former president. That's not to mention the Democrats' nearly four-year-long authoritarian attempt to jail President Trump or stop his re-election by any means necessary, even if it flies in the face of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Biden is doing worse than ever. He reportedly threw a tantrum recently after being informed that his polls have reached an all-time low. After Special Counsel Robert Hur's report expressed concerns over Biden's obviously failing mental agility, it's getting harder for the Democrats to defend him. Yet he is still the Democratic nominee for November, promising another 4 years of catastrophic policies, from the border to heavy-handed taxation, should he be reelected.

The rest of the world isn't doing much better. The war in Ukraine has no clear end in sight, drawing NATO and Russia closer and closer to conflict. The war in Gaza is showing no sign of slowing down, and as Glenn revealed recently, its continuation may be a sign that the end times are near.

One thing is clear: we are living in uncertain times. If you and your family haven't prepared for the worst, now is the time. You can start by downloading "Glenn's Ultimate Guide to Getting Prepared." Be sure to print off a copy or two. If the recent cell outage proved anything, it's that technology is unreliable in survival situations. You can check your list of supplies against our "Ultimate Prepper Checklist for Beginners," which you can find below:

Food

  • Canned food/non-perishable foods
  • Food preparation tools
  • Go to the next level: garden/livestock/food production

Water

  • Non-perishable water store
  • Water purification
  • Independent water source

Shelter

  • Fireplace with a wood supply
  • Tent
  • Generator with fuel supply
  • Go to the next level: fallout shelter

Money

  • Emergency cash savings
  • Precious metals

Medicine

  • Extra blankets
  • Basic first aid
  • Extra prescriptions
  • Extra glasses
  • Toiletries store
  • Trauma kit
  • Antibiotics
  • Basic surgery supplies
  • Potassium Iodate tablets

Transportation

  • Bicycle
  • Car
  • Extra fuel

Information

  • Birth certificates
  • Insurance cards
  • Marriage license
  • Immunization records
  • Mortgage paperwork
  • Car title and registration
  • House keys, car keys
  • Passports
  • Family emergency plan
  • Prepping/survival/repair manuals
  • Go to the next level: copy of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and other important books/sources

Skills

  • Cooking
  • Gardening
  • Sewing
  • First Aid
  • Basic maintenance skills
  • Go to the next level: farming/ranching
  • Self-defense training

Communication

  • Family contact information and addresses
  • HAM radio

Miscellaneous

  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Lamps and fuel
  • Hardware (tools, nails, lumber, etc)
  • Extra clothes
  • Extreme weather clothes and gear
  • Gas masks and filters
  • Spare parts for any machinery/equipment

Is Trump's prosecution NORMAL?  This COMPLETE list of ALL Western leaders who served jail time proves otherwise.

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Mainstream media is on a crusade to normalize Donald Trump's indictments as if it's on par with the electoral course. Glenn asked his team to research every instance of a Western leader who was jailed during their political career over the past 200 years—except extreme political turmoil like the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Irish Revolution, etc.—and what we discovered was quite the opposite.

Imprisoning a leader or major political opponent is not normal, neither in the U.S. nor in the Western world. Within the last 200 years, there are only a handful of examples of leaders in the West serving jail time, and these men were not imprisoned under normal conditions. All of these men were jailed under extreme circumstances during times of great peril such as the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War.

What does this mean for America? Are Trump's indictments evidence that we are re-entering times of great peril? Below is a list of Western leaders who were imprisoned within the last 200 years. Take a look and decide for yourself:

Late 1800s

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Jefferson Davis: The nearest occurrence to a U.S. President to serve jail time was in the case of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson was captured in Georgia by Northern Soldiers in 1865 and locked up in Fort Monroe, Virginia for two years. He was offered a presidential pardon but refused out of his loyalty to the confederacy.

Early 1900s

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Eugene V. Debs: Debbs, a Midwestern socialist leader, became the first person to run for president in prison. He was locked up at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta having been convicted under the federal Sedition Act for giving an antiwar speech a few months before Armistice Day, the end of World War I. Many of his supporters believed his imprisonment to be unjust. Debs received 897,704 votes and was a distant third-part candidate behind Warren G. Harding, the Republican winner, and James M. Cox, the second-place Democrat. Harding ordered Debs’s release from prison toward the end of 1921.

Nazi sympathizers and collaborators: After the end of World War II in 1945, several European leaders who had "led" their countries during the Nazi occupation faced trial and imprisonment for treason. This list included Chief of the French State Philippe Pétain, French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, and Minister-President of Norway Vidkun Quisling. The latter two were also executed after their imprisonment. President of Finland Risto Ryti and Prime Minister of Finland Johan Wilhelm Rangell were also tried and jailed for collaborating with the Nazis against the Allied Powers.

Late 1900s

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The end of the Cold War: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was one of the pivotal moments that brought the Cold War to a close and marked the end of Communist East Germany. With the fall of the wall and the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the former leaders were brought to trial to answer for the crimes committed by the GDR. General Secretary Erich Honecker and General Secretary Egon Krenz were both put on trial for abuse of power and the deaths of those who were shot trying to flee into West Germany. Honecker was charged with jail time but was released from custody due to severe illness and lived out the rest of his life as an exile in Chile. Krenz served 4 years in jail before his release in 2001. He is one of the last surviving leaders of the Eastern Bloc.

Lyndon LaRouche: Larouche was a Trotsky evangelist, public antisemite, and founder of a nationwide Marxist political movement, became the second person in U.S. history to run for President in a prison cell. Granted, he ran in every election from 1976 to 2004 as a long-shot third-party candidate. When he tried to gain the Democratic presidential nomination, he received 5 percent of the total nationwide vote. Even though in 2000 he received enough primary votes to qualify for delegates in a few states, the Democratic National Committee refused to seat his delegates and barred LaRouche from attending the Democratic National Convention.

TOP 5 issues that have gotten WORSE since the last State of the Union

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If you saw Biden's State of the Union last week, or Glenn's firey reaction to it, you know that Biden hardly spoke a word that wasn't a flat-out lie.

If you spent the last 12 months in a fallout shelter and Biden's speech was the only media interaction you had since the last State of the Union, you might be tempted to believe that the country has improved in some way over the past year. But the rest of us, who have been living above ground, going to the grocery store, and paying some attention to current events, had only to look around to see that Biden's speech was nothing but hot air.

Here are the TOP 5 issues that have gotten worse since the last State of the Union.

Economy

Biden spent a significant amount of time during the State of the Union boasting about the strength of his economy, but anyone who has checked their bank account lately was left wondering if he was holding his speech upside down. It's not just the cobwebs in your wallet; the numbers show the devastation wrought by "Bidenomics" too. In 2022, American grocery bills increased by 11.4 percent and restaurant bills by 7.7 percent. In 2023 prices only continued to rise, with an additional 1.2 percent increase in food-at-home prices and a 5.1 percent increase in away-from-home prices.

Debt crisis and inflation

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The national debt continues to grow, and Biden managed to add almost 3 trillion dollars in just one year. As of December 2022, the national debt was $31.42 trillion. As of January 2024, the national debt has risen to $34.19 trillion.

Inflation didn't fare much better. While the 2023 annual inflation rate did drop from the horror of 2022, from 6.5 to 3.4 percent, that is still significantly higher than anything we saw before 2021. You also have to remember that it CARRIES year to year, as Glenn explained in his response to Biden's State of the Union: "Yes, it's not as bad as it was, but it's still what it was PLUS what it is now."

Border

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Biden's mismanagement of the southern border has inflamed the border crisis to all-time highs. In 2022 there were a staggering 2.2 million illegal border crossings, but that wasn't enough for Biden apparently, as an additional 2.5 million illegally crossed in 2023. An estimated 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since Biden took office, and the effects are being felt. There has been a surge in crime across the country that is impacting millions of Americans, including the tragic murder of Laken Riley.

Fentanyl

The fentanyl crisis has only continued to worsen as more and more synthetic opioids flood our streets. Between the fiscal year 2021 and 2022, there was a shocking 54 percent increase in fentanyl trafficking offenses as more and more of the narcotic is smuggled across the southern border. We also saw an increase in fentanyl overdose deaths. In 2022 there were approximately 73,654 deaths, which is a significant increase from 70,601 in 2021.

Education and mental health

While the pandemic is long over, the lingering effects of the lockdowns are still being felt. Unsurprisingly, missing years of school has a major impact on the educational development of children. Kids across America are STILL struggling from pandemic-related setbacks, reading scores are still falling, and parents are reporting that their kids are struggling in their studies. The mental health crisis, another symptom of the COVID lockdowns, has also continued to worsen. Tragically, suicides increased by 2.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, marking the continued decline of mental health in America.