BLOGAugust 01, 2017

Heartbreaking: Glenn Sheds Tears With Mother Whose Children Were Taken by the State

Oregon couple Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler lost custody of their son Christopher about four years ago, shortly after he was born. Fabbrini gave birth to their second son in February --- and he was taken by the Department of Human Services before leaving the hospital. Fabbrini and Ziegler claim the state took these actions because of their low IQ.

Tuesday on radio, Glenn spoke with Fabbrini and her advocate Sherrene Hagenbach, who was appointed by the state as a volunteer supervisor during the couple's visits with their children. Hagenbach was relieved of her position after siding with the couple. She's on record as saying there's "no sign of abuse" and that Fabbrini is "perfectly qualified to have and hold and love her children."

"I am so bothered by this story. I think you will be, too," Glenn said.

The story unexpectedly hit Glenn hard.

"I don't know what you expected her to sound like, but she sounded perfectly normal to me. She is a mother who loves her children. Sorry this . . . hits close to home. I have a daughter with cerebral palsy who is a wonderful . . . and would make the best mother ever," Glenn said emotionally, following the interview with Fabbrini.

The couple has gone through rigorous testing to prove their competency, but their children remain in foster care, awaiting adoption.

TAKE ACTION

To learn more or get involved:

• Visit Sherrene Hagenbach online at aktionnow.com

• SIGN THE PETITION to get Christopher and Hunter back in their parents' care

• DONATE via GoFundMe to assist with the family's legal expenses

GLENN: In light of Charlie Gard and now Alfie Evans, and in the past, it was Justine Pelletier, governments and hospitals are taking children from their parents. And we want to make sure that you are aware of this. We welcome Sherrene Hagenbach, her mentor, and Amy Fabbrini, the mother who is going through this in Oregon. Amy, how are you?

AMY: I'm doing good. Thank you.

GLENN: Tell me -- tell me what's happening to you and what's happening to your children.

AMY: So Christopher, my oldest, he was taken -- he was taken into CPS custody almost four years ago. And we have been fighting the state for almost four years now to get him back, trying to represent him as best as we can, trying to get our story out there, trying to get a lawyer, an attorney that will represent us in court so we can get our -- get Christopher back. We have a trial coming up in December to terminate our rights for Christopher.

And then Hunter, he was born in February. He was two days old. CPS came. Took him right from the hospital. I didn't even get to bring him home. So since then, we've been fighting for him as well. We've been getting our story out there to try and find someone that can represent us so we can go up against the state to get our kids back. And we just -- we want our story out there so they know that you can get your kids back.

GLENN: Amy, are -- are you a good mom?

AMY: I'm a wonderful mother. I love my boys. I would do anything for my boys.

GLENN: Sorry. This has caught me off guard. I have a daughter of special needs. And so this has caught me off guard. I'm sorry to be emotional with you.

What does it feel like to now have to be on national radio with people discussing your IQ and saying that you're not smart enough to be a mom?

AMY: It's -- it's been hard. But it's worth it to get my story out there so that people know that you can get your kids back, as long as you just fight. Fight for everything you have because your kids are worth it.

PAT: Has a lawyer stepped up to help you, yet, Amy?

AMY: I have a court-appointed attorney and an appeals attorney. But I would like to see if I could find someone that's out of state that can better represent me.

GLENN: Sherrene.

SHERRENE: Hi. I'm doing good. Thank you.

GLENN: You worked for the state of Oregon?

SHERRENE: So, yes. Actually, I was a volunteer. So I'm a professional mediator by trade. And I went there to just volunteer my time in the community. And because of my credentials and education, they put me in the role of a caseworker that came into the home and observed visitations with the children.

GLENN: What did you observe?

SHERRENE: Well, first, I should preface this with I've had over 20 years' experience working with children, youth, and families.

So my undergrad is in psychology. And I have, you know, a ton of certificates regarding safety and health and abuse. And what I found when I came into the home is a home. I found two parents that just loved their child. It was just Christopher at the time. It was last summer.

And definitely, my first impression was that Amy, in particular, didn't speak to me very much.

GLENN: Didn't --

SHERRENE: She was very insecure.

GLENN: She didn't, what?

SHERRENE: She didn't speak with me at first. It took about four weeks at least to gain her trust in me as a caseworker.

And once she felt comfortable with me in the home, you know, it was -- it was clear to see that she had had years of -- you know, just this unhealthy relationship between her and the state of Oregon when they came in. So, you know, I just had to build that trust up with her. But I just saw a loving environment. There was -- you know, they've got the same dog apparently for the last five years. There's really nothing going on, at all, that I discovered other than maybe they were depressed and, you know, that was -- that was the only thing that I could see. And obviously, if they had their children back, that depression would have lifted.

GLENN: Yeah.

SHERRENE: In the ten months I had worked with her after -- she's just. She's got her voice now. She's fighting. You know, she's -- she's really looking for more than an advocate. Because we live in a small town here. And that's been the hardest thing for me is, one, to speak out against Child Protective Services and care for my family. My stepdad is a lawyer and judge in town. And my mom has got a pretty high position. So I wanted to protect them. But also stand up for people that don't feel like they have a voice and they're not being heard. So I'm pretty much the lone star out here. (chuckles)

And their attorneys are representing them. But, you know, they all know each other here. So I know that they're not being fought for properly.

GLENN: So -- can you hang on just a second. I need to take a quick break. I'm going to come back after a commercial break. We'll continue our conversation.

[break]

GLENN: Welcome back to the program. We're talking about Amy Fabbrini, who the state has decided -- the state of Oregon that she does not have a high enough IQ to be able to have her two children. Her first child was taken from her after being fine in the home and living for two or three years with mom and dad. And her second child has just been taken from her at the hospital at birth. Go ahead, Amy. Did I get something wrong?

AMY: Yeah. Christopher was only in our home for like four days when CPS came and took him.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: So, Amy, what is the thing -- talking to the mother, who, remember, is not smart enough to have her own children, according to the state of Oregon -- Amy, what caused this? Why did the state come over to your house? What was the complaint?

AMY: The initial complaint was that we had an ex-friend that was living with us. And they called CPS and reported that the father, Eric Ziegler, had been neglecting Christopher. He hadn't been picking up on his keys (phonetic). He wasn't cleaning him properly. And then there was also put in the report that he wasn't properly feeding our dog. That was the first report. And that's why CPS came in and took Christopher.

GLENN: Okay. And so the woman who came out -- Sherrene, you were the person that came out with that report?

SHERRENE: I am not the first person that came out with the initial report.

GLENN: Okay. And what did that first report say? That report took the child away?

SHERRENE: Yeah. The first report was called in supposedly by a roommate of theirs. And the second report was actually from Amy's father who was upset that she decided to move in with the father of her child.

GLENN: Okay.

SHERRENE: So they've just gone with that for, you know, the last almost four years now.

GLENN: Okay. Now, Sherrene, you have been with Amy over the last couple of years. You see her quite often, or not?

SHERRENE: Yes. So I was placed in the home as a volunteer. I gave my time. So I was placed in the home last May of 2016. And performed weekly visitations for three hours a piece with Amy, Eric, and their child Christopher.

GLENN: Over the last -- over the last year?

SHERRENE: So it was from May of 2016 until August of 2016, when their attorney asked for my -- my observations, because Child Protective Services was not releasing them. So --

GLENN: And, Amy, when was the birth date of your second child?

AMY: February 16th of 2017.

GLENN: February of 2017?

AMY: Yes. Yes.

GLENN: So, Amy, I have to ask you a tough question because this is what the people who are against you say, that you didn't know that you were pregnant until you had your child. And they find that unreasonable. It has happened before with people who are supposedly intelligent. But it is difficult to not know that you're not pregnant. Can you tell me about that. Is that true? What happened?

AMY: So that was with -- that was when I was -- I didn't know I was pregnant with Christopher. And I didn't. All I thought was -- because I have -- I have kidney issues. It's been passed down through my family. So when I was getting these -- when I was getting these pains in my side, I just thought it was my kidneys acting up. I had no indications that I was pregnant. I didn't have any movement or anything.

GLENN: And when you had no -- when you weren't having your period, is that normal for you?

AMY: Yes.

GLENN: And were you -- were you growing in size? Did you look pregnant?

AMY: No.

GLENN: Sherrene, can you help me out on that.

SHERRENE: Yeah. So, Amy's figure has just -- it's just always been the same ever since I met her actually. And when I came into the home last summer, she actually -- we didn't know at the time, but she was beginning, you know, her pregnancy for the second child. And she had stayed the same since the first time I've met her until today. She looks exactly the same. So -- and she just gave birth in February. How big are you? What is your size about?

GLENN: We don't have to get into that -- we don't have to get into that. Please.

AMY: It's something where you just -- you just can't -- you don't notice. It's just -- it's the way that she's built. But she did know she was pregnant with Hunter, the second child. And we discussed extensively about her coming forward. But they just had an incredible amount of fear that they would take their child. So --

GLENN: Which they did.

SHERRENE: Which they did, yeah.

GLENN: So your aunt, Amy, agrees with you and your husband and Sherrene, that --

AMY: Yes. She does.

GLENN: Your children are now up for adoption by the state.

AMY: Christopher is.

GLENN: How do you feel about that?

AMY: I don't feel it's right. He shouldn't be put up for adoption. He should be with us. It's completely wrong.

GLENN: Sherrene and Amy, how can we help you? Is there anything, first of all, that I've missed?

SHERRENE: Well, I would like to advocate that Amy and Eric have remained together. They live in a three-bedroom, two-bath home. It's owned by Eric's father. And they've taken extensive courses on parenting. What abuse and neglect looks like. Health and fitness. I mean, they are very proactive in showing the courts that they want to learn what they want them to learn. And that -- and they're proving to the courts and to everybody around here that they're very capable of learning. They're -- the IQ that is given, you know, is debatable anyway. That can be subject to depression, all kinds of things.

GLENN: Yes.

SHERRENE: But she's very articulate. They're very sweet. They're very kind. And what could help them is finding good representation to help them advocate for their rights to have their children. That is truly what we're looking for, for this family.

GLENN: How do they get in touch with you?

SHERRENE: They can go to either my website or they can contact me via email.

GLENN: Okay. Give me the information right now. Yeah.

SHERRENE: Okay. So my website is www.aktionnow.com. But it's spelled with a K. So it's A-K-T-I-O-N-N-O-W.com.

GLENN: Okay.

SHERRENE: And my email address is support@aktionnow.com.

GLENN: Sherrene, thank you for -- you know, you're in a small town, and you have apparently a very visible family. And it takes guts to stand up and to do it with class and grace. And it sounds like you're doing that. And God bless you for standing up.

Amy Fabbrini, we will not forget you, and we will further this story on any platform that I have to do with. And I will do everything I can to help you out. And I wish all of the best. And we'll talk to you again soon.

Back in just a second.

AMY: Thank you so much.

GLENN: God bless you.

[break]

GLENN: On a personal note, if you just joined us, we did an interview with a -- a mother of two children in -- in Oregon that have just been taken. One of them had been taken from them a few years ago. They have been fighting to get their child back. A -- a mother and father.

Father has a borderline on the higher end IQ of mental disability, 66. Mom has an IQ of 72. I don't know what you expected her to sound like. But she sounded perfectly normal to me.

She is a mother who loves her children. Sorry this is -- this hits close to home. I have a daughter with cerebral palsy who is a wonderful -- and would make the best mother ever.

(crying)

And I can't imagine what it would be like to have to defend your intelligence and to have everyone calling you stupid, when most likely, that's the way you have felt your whole life anyway. And all of the cruel remarks that probably came your way through your whole life, to now have a child and have it taken from you at the hospital, when there is no sign of abuse nor neglect, is an injustice that is beyond comprehension to me.

As I started this break, on a personal note, last night, I have these sweet women who -- who come to the studios. And they pray. And they pray for us. And they pray for me. And we're in my studios or office last night. We had a great conversation. And the last thing they said was, "What can we pray for, for you?"

And I said, "Two things." And I would like to ask you to pray for the second thing more than the first. But I said, "Empathy and courage."

We can't solve anything unless we can feel one another, unless we really have empathy for what people are going through, and we can stop seeing things through the prism of policies or even the Constitution. But start to feel where other people are.

I need more empathy for people. And I have been praying for that gift. But at the same time, I know that we will find things like Amy. And I need the courage and the -- the spine to be able to walk through it. And not because it's difficult, but because it's hard on the heart after a while.

And so if you would join us in -- in that prayer, I would appreciate it. I would appreciate it.

So what they're looking for is an attorney that can represent them. They're in a small town, and it sounds a little incestuous this town. No, I don't mean to speak ill of this town. I don't know anything about it. But we all know how small towns are and can be. And once people make their mind up about a person, it's hard to reverse that. I found very early on, the great joy, which in some ways, was so hard. And I didn't like it. Moving away from my family and my own hometown, you become that -- whatever people have known you as -- you know, I was -- you know, I -- to my sisters, I was their stinky little brother. And, you know, you -- you just grow up, and people have this image of you.

By going away, you can start fresh. And so I don't know Amy's story in this small little town and what they thought of Amy. But I know what the state worker thought when they went in and they found no abuse and no neglect. So we need somebody -- and would Kelly Shackelford -- would this be something -- he is, what? Is the Liberty Counsel? I mean, he does more religious freedom, but he might know somebody that could take on a case like this.

STU: Yeah, that would be interesting to hear. I mean, because there's a lot to this story. But if you back up for a second -- and I don't mean to get scientific, but it's like, this is just completely bonkers. Like this woman -- you expected to hear something completely different from that interview. At least I did. And I know that's totally judging a book by its cover, but...

GLENN: We never -- we had never talked to her before.

STU: No.

GLENN: Our phone screeners had never talked to her. Our producer had not talked to her.

STU: No.

GLENN: Talked to the mentor or the state advocate who was her state advocate until the state fired her. Talked to her. But we didn't -- I mean, I did not expect that conversation.

STU: It's similar to the Charlie Gard thing in a way, that, you know, there is a line you can find with a story like this. Where if they are so disabled that they can't do basic functions of life, there may be -- you know, there's an argument to have. This is not that case. I mean, she's smarter than 80 percent of the people I interact with on a daily basis.

GLENN: And they're taking parenting classes. And his parents are around. And they have help. And the -- the people are aware of them.

I mean, this is why you -- I mean, I will tell you, I feel like adopting their children and building a house next to mine and giving them the house and we would be the adoptive parents. But we would right next to them and they could keep the -- I mean, that's what families are supposed to do. Not state. That's what the family is supposed to do.

You have your child live close enough to where the grandparents help. You don't just take the children away. And, again, the state found no evidence of neglect.

STU: And it's important to note too, IQ is one of those things that has been beaten into our heads for decades and decades and decades as this actual measure of intelligence, that it has some level of accuracy to it. There's no real -- you cannot decipher. These are not accurate enough measures to decipher the difference between someone who has a 72 and a 78 IQ.

Listen. This is from a Canadian university. Dr. Adrian Owen did a huge study, the largest study ever on IQ and the accuracy of it. He was the senior investigator in the Canadian Excellent Research Chair in cognitive neuroscience and imaging at the university's Brain and Mind Institute. When we looked at the data, the bottom line is the whole concept of IQ or of you having a higher IQ than me is a myth. There is no such thing as a single measure of IQ or a measure of general intelligence.

And we're taking people's children away based on some random test they took on some day. Some number that has no real basis in science anyway. And just the sniff test here. You listen to this woman speak, and blatantly she has the intelligence to raise children.

How many people have you met in your life and you think, "Those people shouldn't have children?" This is not one of them. I mean, this is an absolute horror show. A complete outrage!

And how have we not heard more about this story? How does she not have the help that she needs? I mean, look, you may look deeper into this story and find something that indicates something different. But, I mean, so far, we have not found it. And I think just by -- on its face, you listen to that interview, if you heard that interview, I mean, there are times -- and you could not tell the difference if it was the mother or the mentor. Speaking.

GLENN: There was at least one time that that happened. I wanted to ask who is speaking.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: I could not tell the one who had their master's in -- what did she say it was? And the one who just graduated from high school. The one whose kids are being taken away because they're not smart enough and the one who has all the degrees and certificates to be hired and sent in by the state to do family counseling and observations. I mean, when you can't tell the difference between the two, there's a problem.

STU: And do we live in a country in which the state decides whether they'll allow you to have your children? Or do we live in a country in which they're your children and with only the most incredible exceptions and incredible circumstances would the state even consider stepping into -- into a parent/child relationship. That is the country we're supposed to live in. And if we live in -- I mean, I know Oregon is a lot different than other states. And maybe this wouldn't happen in other states. I don't know. But this is a complete outrage, on its face.

GLENN: So here's what I want to say to you: Have you -- my aunt was -- she married an abuser. And he wasn't abusing her at first. Not physically. Before they got married. Mentally, he was. My grandfather spotted him a mile away. And all the way down the aisle, my aunt told me, my dad, I thought at the time just wrecked my ceremony. Because grandpa was walking her down the aisle and said, "Please. Please, Joanne, don't do this. Please, don't do this. Please, don't marry him. Please turn around right now and come with me. Please, I'm your father. I'm begging you."

And she said, "Dad, stop it." When they got to the end of the aisle, he kissed her on the cheek and said, "I will always be your father. And I will always be there. But I cannot be there to watch my daughter be abused. When you are done, you let me know."

And he gave her to this abuser. She would come over to my grandfather's house from time to time with a black eye or whatever. And she would come crying to my grandmother, her mother. And grandpa would answer the door. And his heart would break. And he would look at her, and he would hug her. And she would cry. And then he would look at her and say, "Are you done yet?" She'd say, "Dad, no. You don't -- he stopped listening. And he would walk away. And grandma would spend the time.

Until that time came when she came home and said, "Dad, I'm done" -- we never saw the abuser again. He went away. And they had a very easy divorce.

I think it involved my grandfather and the man who became my uncle and her husband later showing up at his door with a shotgun or two, but I could be wrong. But here's why I tell you that story: Are you done yet? Are you done yet? Are we done arguing politics? Are we done making that the center of our universe? Because I'm done. I'm so done.

That's not getting us anywhere. This, we can make a difference on. This, we can do. This is a noble cause. This is something we should be spending our time on.

I'll pick this up tomorrow. But today, I just want to ask you that question. Are you done yet?

If you are, when you are, let me know. Because we have to focus on other things.

RADIO

Black Friday spending hits record high, but are we really buying more?

Black Friday broke records as Americans spent over a quarter-trillion dollars, but here's the truth behind the illusion: we’re not buying more, our dollar is simply worth less than ever. From $1 buying 30 Hershey bars in 1913 to barely covering a pack of gummy worms today, the purchasing power collapse is undeniable, and compounding inflation keeps silently stripping wealth from every household. Glenn Beck breaks it all down as he explains why this should be a massive wake-up call...

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Did you see that this Black Friday, first quarter of a trillion dollar season. Black Friday. First time ever, quart of a trillion dollars. New highs.

Wow! Okay.

Okay.

Black Friday made up 10 percent total sales for the month of November.

111 billion dollars.

Represents 9.1 percent increase on online sales compared to last year.

They track over a trillion dollars in US retail site visits.

Adobe does.

If this continues, it looks like Christmas will be the first quarter of a trillion dollar season.

That would be a record in the United States. We're still spending!

Of course, you know, it looks like we're buying more. But are we, really? I've got to send this. I've got to send this out. Would you tweet this for me?

The purchasing power of the dollar in 1913. In 1913, you could buy 30 Hershey chocolate bars with 1 dollar. 1929, you could buy ten rolls of toilet paper.

1933, ten bottles of beer. 1944, 20 bottles of Coca-Cola. 1953, ten bags of pretzels.

1964, one movie ticket to a drive-in theater. 1971, you could buy 17 oranges. 1987, with a dollar, you could buy two box of Crayola crayons. 1997, you could buy four grapefruits.

2008, with the same dollar, you could buy two lemons. By 2020, you could buy one McDonald's coffee. And in 2025, you can buy one pack of Great Value gummy worms. I don't know!

I think our dollar has gone down a little bit in worth. This -- this -- this is why gold is so important.

A 20-dollar gold piece in 1913, you could go to the bank, and you could get $20 for it.

Or you can go with $20. Go to the bank, get a 20-dollar gold piece.

Then you can walk in to a good men's clothing store and say, sir, I want your finest suit. And for $20 you could buy the finest suit in the store.

Today, you could walk in with that same gold piece. They wouldn't take it. You would to have cash it in.

You would cash it in, and it would be $4,200.

And you could go into that same men's store, and you could say, I want your finest suit, and for $4,200, you would probably get their finest suit. Gold hasn't changed price! Dollars have dropped in value! What cost you $20, one gold piece, 1 ounce of gold, what cost you $20 in 1913, now cost you $4,200! That's why gold is so important when it comes to inflation. Because the dollar will just keep -- we can buy gummy worms today.

Stu, I don't know how many gummy worms you -- you know, think about how many gummy worms have to be sold for a quarter of a trillion dollars for the quarter. That's a lot of gummy worms.

STU: You say gummy worms.

You keep leaving out that detail that they're Great Value gummy worms.

GLENN: Sorry. Not just any gummy worms.

STU: Right.

GLENN: They're the cheapest.

STU: Would you rather have one pack of Great Value gummy worms, or 33 Hershey bars?

You're on the borderline there. I'm not sure which one you would rather have.

GLENN: I mean. Isn't that incredible?

Thirty Hershey bars. Ten rolls of toilet paper for a dollar! For a dollar!

Ten bottles of beer. You couldn't go in. You could go in with your friends and say, beer for everybody.

I've got two bucks. Think of that.

That's crazy!

STU: And now that we need to get more drunk, we can't even afford the alcohol. It's really sad. What a terrible. Terrible turn of events.

It is amazing. And I think too, we've lost track of that. Because, you know, when inflation rates come down, that is -- you know, a positive, compared to what we were facing a few years ago.

But it is still building on top of those price increases that were locked in. It's not that prices were going down. It's the rate of increases on those prices were going down.

JASON: Right. Why do we accept 2 percent inflation every year? I've heard that my whole life. Oh, the Fed projects 2 percent inflation. That's their target.

STU: Target. Yeah.

GLENN: Why. Why? Would we target our money being worth 2 percent less every year?

That doesn't seem like a good deal.

STU: Yeah. You've always talked about that.

Inertia of money.

And trying to get the dollars flowing.

Which seems to be their motivation on that.

If they were able to hit those numbers. It would probably not be all that damaging.

You would sure have a little bit of money wasting away every year.

Which is not good.

But it wouldn't that be dramatic.

GLENN: Well, we got close. Under Biden it was 9 percent.

STU: Yeah. That was good.

GLENN: Nine.

STU: Then we were like, nine. Six. Four.

Three. We've succeeded! Well, no. Wait. The 9 percent increase, that stayed. And then we built another 3 percent on top of that, and a 6 percent on top of that.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: It keeps going up and up and up. Did you see, by any chance, hopefully you didn't on Thanksgiving weekend. There was a chart tweeted by Amy Klobuchar. Did you see this by any chance?

GLENN: No. I missed the Thanksgiving I should have prayed for Thanksgiving on that. But go ahead.

STU: It was such a -- it was so moronic, that it actually was kind of a holiday gift to all of us.

She tweeted this chart of energy prices skyrocketing.

And she's like, these prices are skyrocketing under President Trump.

I can't believe this happen.

And it is -- it is pretty much a straight-up line.

The issue is, it went back to like 2020. And shows that all of the increases happened under Joe Biden.

GLENN: Jeez.

STU: They just kind of continued to increase.

And it wasn't even a pricing chart. It was how many people are behind on their energy bill.

Which is still skyrocketing. But almost all of this happened during the president that she passionately supported, up until he seemingly keeled over in the middle of a debate.

So, you know, not -- not necessarily the way to go if you're Amy Klobuchar. We kind of accept all of this. We accept the prices going up.

RADIO

Inside Venezuela: The terrifying truth revealed

Venezuela is NOT just a narco state. It’s a TERROR HUB working with Iran, Russia, and China. Glenn Beck's head researcher, Jason Buttrill, joins to explain how he believes this has influenced President Trump's actions in the region.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Jason Buttrill. Welcome. Chief researcher of the program. Also, watches foreign affairs for us. And military tough.

What the hell is happening in Venezuela?

JASON: I think a lot of gamesmanship is happening in Venezuela right now, closing the -- you know, the air traffic control. Even saying -- or even hinting that they will closing that, it's pretty much just saying, that they don't want any of Maduro's people that are going to try to escape out of the country. People that are involved with the cartel. The sons. None of them are going to try to escape. And then eventually come back. So they can start the regime back up again. I don't think there's any way possible. That we're just about to start any kind of land operations inside of Venezuela.

I could be wrong.

I don't think -- it would be very unpopular.

And I think constitutionally, they could pull it off.

I think there's ways they could do that.

But I don't think he's -- he doesn't like to do that kind of thing.

I don't think he's about to start now.

But I think these negotiations are getting a lot more heated. I think they're actually starting to bear fruit, which is why some of the threats are getting a lot more vocal.

And I'm telling you, Glenn, we actually could see Maduro step down, be out of the country, and a new regime there without us having to do much at all, except striking some of these narco boats coming out of the country. It could happen! And it would be amazing.

STU: Okay. So let's start with the narco boats. Because I think that's what the Democrats are now trying to allude to.

These narco boats. They're not narcos. They're not running -- those are just average fishing people. They have nothing to do with it, and this is unconstitutional. And we're shooting them, even when they try to surrender. Do we know if any of those allegations are true?

JASON: Well, I think they're pretty danger sure on the intelligence, on what, who some of these people are, on some of these vessels. You remember back --

GLENN: Why won't they tell us?

JASON: On day one -- I think, that that would actually behoove them to give the full story. The America public is a lot more smart, a lot more educated on what's going on in a lot of these things. They're a lot more prone to research on their own and find out for themselves what's actually happening in Venezuela. We've talked about it a lot with the terrorism sponsorship, that happens there between Hezbollah. A multitude of very scary terrorist individuals have made that kind of their base. Through Iran. Through the entire network.

GLENN: Right.

JASON: I think it makes a whole lot of sense for them, to say, look, this is what is going on. But they decided to go another route.

And I really don't know. I know they are very, very justified in what they're doing with a lot of these votes. And they -- they talked about since day one, when they started designating multiple groups, not only in Venezuela but in Mexico. I think on day one of President Trump's administration.

It designated multiple cartels as terror organizations. And then a couple of more from Venezuela have followed on to that. So what you've basically done is declared any combatants.

GLENN: Okay. I want to get to the terror organizations here in a second. First, let's stick with the drug cartels.

Because that's what he's hanging his hat on.

And I don't think this is about the drug cartels. I really don't.

I think that that might have been the entry point.

Explain who the -- the league of the sons. Or the cartel of the sons.

Explain that. Because -- Cartel of the Suns. You think, you know, S-U-N, sun. It's not. It's S-O-N-S. Correct?

Sons. Sons of, whom?

JASON: No, it's actually the opposite. It's S-U-N. It's Cartel of the Sun.

GLENN: Oh, that's right. That's right. Because of the medallion or the general stars. That's right. That's right.

JASON: It's like a nickname. So they never actually declared themselves, we're the cartel of the suns. That was a nickname because so many people, high level within the military inside of Venezuela were part of this narco terror group, and they were getting kickbacks. It was alleged some of them were giving orders, specifically. All the way down the food chain.

But their generals. I think it's maybe colonel and up. Or maybe general and up.

I think it's general and up. Instead of stars, they have a little sun insignia.

So like three sons. Like a three-star general, so on and so forth. That's why they're given this nickname. Because they were part of this group, and they were part of the military.

Now, the head of that snake was Maduro.

So he gives that orders down to the generals. The generals give their orders down. So that's how they're able to classify the entire government in a sense as part of this cartel.

Part of this entire terror group. And that is where, Glenn, it gets kind of interesting. Where it looks like, constitutionally, what can they pull off.

What can they do as far as military action?

When the head of the snake, who is the head of this cartel allegedly is the one giving these orders, then that really kind of frees them up to do whatever they want.

STU: Right. Because this is -- this cartel is a terror cartel. Explain the island and everything else.

JASON: Yeah, so the cartel is more involved with drugs. But I say that. But, you know, these groups are absolutely in the true sense of the definition, terror organizations, the way they operate.

STU: Right. This is -- this is -- this is where they make their money.

GLENN: Right. And then, but it goes way beyond that, as you're talking about. There's margarita island. An island right off the coast of Venezuela.

Where Iran sends people to be trained there, to be stationed there.

Venezuelans come down from groups like Tren de Aragua and others to train there. Sometimes going from Margarita Island all the way back to Iran, to get more specialized training. Then they come back. Who knows where they go from there? Possibly the United States. Who knows!

They've held meetings. Secret meetings, inside Venezuela, with the top scariest of the scaries. Scariest terrorists to meet with Chavez. And then who knows later, potentially even Maduro.

This is a terror hub. This is also a terror hub, that is -- which I just described is working with Iran.

But also, Russia. Russia sends submarines to -- to guard -- they did this back in 2018. To show support. Military support for Maduro.

China is getting -- is funding a lot of their stuff through oil.

Russia is sending tankers to transport Chinese Venezuelan oil to China.

Glenn, it's all part of the network. And as you're talking about, this goes way beyond. Way beyond anything where you talk about nacro groups coming from Venezuela to the United States.

It is so much more integrated into that. And I agree with you. I think the Trump administration lays it out on the table. Saying, this is what is going on. Congress wouldn't even be able to talk to the Democrats.

They wouldn't even be able to counter any of it. It would be so obvious, they should just do it.

GLENN: I agree. Help me out on the -- on the story that came out this weekend, that said that Russia and China are kind of laying low here.

What does that tell you?

JASON: It tells you a lot for one. Russia has a multitude of problems that they're dealing with. They can't release Glenn's support. They don't have it. They don't even have the military power to complete what they want to complete with Ukraine.

Plus, they're trying to make moves towards this peace agreement.

Putin wants a way out of this war, just as much as Zelinsky does.

Both sides want it. Now the question is, how do they do it? And both make it look to their own people, that they're the ones that won the war. And won the negotiation.

I mean, everything that's been coming out with the Ukrainian peace deal. I see this as just regular negotiations. This is getting leaked.

And you'll see a lot more of this, as it goes on.

The important thing, they're actually working toward it. And China. China as well. They have their own problems.

Most of it trade. They won't screw with trump.

That was very obvious. When they tried to pull out their last minute. We're barring rare earth minerals from everyone else.

Then Trump said, oh, I don't think so. And made them pull back. They don't want to screw with the Trump administration right now.

So they're going very hands off.

To me, it looks like a master class with the Trump administration. They're doing everything it's supposed to do.

And it's all going in the direction, the grand design for where they want this to go.

Which is kind of like a rebirth of the Monroe Doctrine if you really think about it. they've rejected all foreign influence.

The most worst of our adversaries that are out there, that are just embedded in South America.

They are dealing with that.

We haven't been able to say that for how long, Glenn? A long time!

STU: I know. I know.

Okay. So let me go to the -- the next piece. Which is, he's just banned air travel. And said, the skies are off-limits for everybody. You say that's for, to stop anybody from escaping. Maduro was just presented with a, hey. You can get out now while you can.

And Maduro said, I want amnesty for me and my family. For any crimes.

And I want to retain control of the military.

I would imagine that Trump might have said. Might have said, yes to the amnesty thing. But you're not controlling the military after -- no. That doesn't go to you.

Do you think Maduro is close to caving here?

And if so, where does he go?

JASON: Yeah. I think he's very close to caving. He probably will go to Russia or China. One of those two.

He has quite the nest egg.

You can look up all the family members from either Maduro or Chavez. Going on. I mean, they're multi-millionaires, a lot of these kids and spouses and girlfriends.

GLENN: How is that possible? He was a bus driver!
JASON: I know, right!
GLENN: Socialism is neat, kids. Socialism is neat!

JASON: But, yeah. I think -- I think amnesty is probably the top of his list, and I'm sure that that would probably be offered up and given, in some form. Retaining power of the military is not on the table at all. Because what he'll end up doing is, he'll go away for five years.

He'll come back, or he'll pick a successor that will then take control of the Venezuelan military, and they will just rinse and repeat and take back control of the entire country. So that is not going to happen.

But his feet are definitely to the fire right now.

If they're even to the point of negotiating this part of the deal. So that's why I think it's very, very possible that we see something amazing on this front, very, very soon.

GLENN: Oh, that would be great.

Let me -- let me switch topics kind of. To Mark Kelly. I want to play something. Then I want to take a one-minute break.

And come back. As a military guy, what your thoughts are. This is what Mark Kelly. Again, this weekend, encouraging military to defy the orders of the president. Listen to this, cut one.

VOICE: People can tell the difference. Should be able to tell the difference between something that is unlawful. And something that is lawful.

If I was ever given an unlawful order, I would refuse. You know, if you have time, you can certainly go to the judge, advocates, generals, the lawyers, and have a discussion about it. If you don't have time, you just say simply, I'm not going to do that. That's against the law.

VOICE: It puts a lot of burden on the truth.

VOICE: It puts a tremendous amount of burden on officers in the military.

But that is their responsibility.

And they can figure out, you know, a reasonable person can tell something that is legal, and something that is illegal.

GLENN: This is such dangerous territory, and I would love to get your opinion on that in sixty seconds.

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Ten seconds.
(music)
All righty.

So, Jason, if they thought that something was going on, they should just say it. And they have come out and said, they've had reporters ask, well, is this because we've heard rumors. That he ordered people to be killed. Even as they were surrendering. And if that is true, that is against the law. That is not something we do.

We don't do that. But there's no evidence of that. There's just -- it's their word. And I think, you know, again, if that's true, they should say that. And they should present evidence.

But I think what they're doing is saying these things, and putting their soldiers in an impossible situation.

What they're really saying is, you know, we're going to get in, and when we have control of Congress, we're going after all of you. You followed what Donald Trump wants to do? We'll tell you what's legal and what's not legal.

You should define it now.

But this way, they don't have to. They can just use scare tactics. Is that too cynical?

VOICE: No. The United States' soldier does not need your opinion on this, Mr. Kelly. They do not need your opinion on this. They know exactly what a lawful order is.

And there are procedures that they are trained on, on how to go through saying, you know, go through the proper channels to address something like that.

What I see this as being is a political party. In whole, that are experiencing something they're not used to.

They're not used to having extreme partisans and political yes men at the top of the military food chain, people like Lloyd Austin.

They want someone like him back.

They want someone like Mark Milley back.

It's great you're suddenly worried about some of these guys.

Suddenly worried about the military.

Where were you when Mark Milley was calling his counterpart from China. Without orders from the president. Behind his back. Where were you on that?

So what that says to me here, is that you are more concerned about orders, not lawful. But what you can claim are going to be lawful.

And you can have a yes-man there, that will say that they are lawful.

But you do not have that anymore, and it terrifies you. That's what they're concerned about right here.

But the soldier does not need your soldier, marine, airman. They don't need your counsel here on what is lawful or not.

GLENN: So how is this being interpreted by the military?

What's happening? If you were -- you were part of this task force on Venezuela or anywhere in the world. And you heard this.

What would you think?

JASON: Probably a lot of eye rolls. That's how I would interpret this, if I was still in the military.

I don't think this is really bothering too many of them at all.

I think that the fact that some of these rumors as the senators said, if this were true.

They don't even know. They're talking about a hypothetical.

They're throwing out something they can fish around for another impeachment.

It's ridiculous.

It's embarrassing. It's come to this point.

GLENN: Let's say we -- if we had footage. Because we would have footage.

The plane dropped a bomb. And then you had survivors.

And they were going, hey, we're alive. And somebody shot them or killed them. We would have footage of that.

That footage came out. What would you say?

JASON: Well, yeah. If that's what the footage showed. They would definitely look for a lot more investigation. I've been in -- you know, in multiple different military operations.

Where it's never as it appeared, or it looked like on a report, higher up on the food -- you know, up the chain of command.

I would want to know all the details. This would be a huge investigation.

GLENN: Right. It should be.

Because if it was someone saying, shoot them anyway, that's wrong. And that person should go to jail.

JASON: Yeah. Yeah, we've seen no evidence to that at all.

GLENN: None. None. None.

That's the problem. We would be with you, if you would show us the evidence.

And we could do an investigation. We would show that did happen or that didn't happen. We would be with you. But, you know, you're being so irresponsible by saying this. This isn't just to the military and to the military people.

Those statements are going to our enemies in China and Russia and Ukraine and Iran, in Venezuela. They're hearing this too, and using it. And also viewing us as very weak! Not good.

Because the only time that ever happens is right before a revolution, quite honestly.

RADIO

What you WEREN’T TOLD about the National Guard ambush

National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe were recently ambushed in Washington, DC, by an Afghan national brought to the US as part of President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome. What’s the truth about this horrific event? Glenn Beck, who worked with his charity, Mercury One, to properly vet and evacuate many Afghans during the botched withdrawal, explains what almost no one in the government or media will tell you…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So we clearly have a problem with some of the people that have been airlifted into the United States.

And I want to clarify a couple of things.

Because we airlifted people. You did. With your support.

We did it, at Mercury One.

And I want to make sure that you understand what happened there, and where our people, that we airlifted, where they are.

But first, let me say this. What we're seeing experience here is a story that almost no one in Washington wants to say out loud. And it begins with the people. But it -- it begins with the people that are responsible for failure, and that's -- that's our leadership here in America. A failure of honesty, a failure of courage the whole time.

When Kabul fell back in 2021, we rushed in to do what Americans always do, and that's help people out. We run to save. We ran to keep our word, and God bless every soldier and airman and Marine and volunteer who risk everything to rescue the men and women who stood for us, for 20 long years.

But here's the part that nobody prints. We didn't just evacuate our allies. We did. But the United States government evacuated anyone they could grab. In the chaos. Because chaos is the oldest enemy of truth. We opened up floodgates.

Tens of thousands of people, we didn't know. Nobody really vetted. Nobody could verify.

Nobody could fully account for. Even today, we don't know where they are.

That's not xenophobia. That's not fear-mongering. That's the Department of Homeland Security's own inspector saying that. Quote, we don't know who many of these people are. End quote.

This is something that while we're doing it, our vetting is much better than the United States of America.

They're bringing in people they don't know who they are.

Now, think of the weight of the sentence. Came from the inspector general. We don't know who many of these individuals are.

Think about the histories of nations, who forgot the simple duty of understanding who they bring inside the gates.

When that happens, the country is over. Rome did it. The Byzantine empire did it. Europe did it, before the migrant crisis, and now in 2021, we did it as well. And we knew this. We've been talking about it on this program, forever!

Now, inside of our temporary bases, Fort McCoy, Fort Bliss, Quantico, even our own FBI and military police documented things that the media just dusted off.

Eh, don't worry about it. We showed you at the time, sexual assaults that were happening in these temporary bases. Sexual assaults. Domestic abuse. Attempted strangulation. US service women harassed and followed into showers. Did we do anything about it?

These were not rumors. These were not internet stories. They were actual federal charges. Did anybody say anything about them?

Meanwhile, police departments. Virginia, California. Texas. Places with the largest Afghani arrivals began reporting the same exact pattern. Domestic violence, forced marriage concerns. Child protection cases. Cultural classes. And our law enforcement had to deal with them.

And did anybody in the media say anything about it?

No. Why?

You were bigoted if you said anything about it. Here's what happened. Our government took a lot of people from a tribal system.

Patriarchal. War-torn. No skills. No -- imagine going from Afghanistan to Chicago! How do you survive in that? How do you survive in that? Now, that's not the fault of the families. That's the fault of the federal government. A government that through them and us, into a social experiment overnight. Without even thinking about it, talking about it. Accept it.

Some of the people that are paroled into the United States, had ties to the Taliban, ISIS-K, or another, or several other. Terrorist organizations. That's not speculation. That has been confirmed by our own DOD. DHS. And congressional testimony.

We've known this for a very long time.

You know, when the Pentagon warns you, that that person should probably not be in the United States.

I don't know. Maybe we should listen to them. And maybe we should be concerned about a DHS, or a State Department that waves them in anyway. That's not compassion. That's dereliction of duty, period. Period.

Now, add to this, the humanitarian parole system. Meant for rare, urgent cases. It was a revolving door. You -- where are all these refugees from?

I'm not talking about the Afghanis. I'm talking about all the other people that have gone to Europe. That have gone to the United States.

That are swamping countries in the West. Where are they coming from?

Really? There's that big of a -- this is a bigger refugee problem than we've had in World War II. How is that possible. Know

We can't confirm anybody as identity. It doesn't seem that we care. Asylum. Family reunification request. Exploded. Some valid. Some of them unprovable. Some of them just out and out lies, that we knew were lies.

So what happened?

Our cities become strained. Our cities go into disorder. They start stealing from us. Look at Minneapolis.

Here's the biggest strain. The biggest strain on us, is the truth.

Is honesty.

It takes courage to say what actually happened.

But, you know, we're not living in a time of courage. We're living in a time where people saying the truth. You know, you acknowledge reality. And you get labeled.

You notice patterns. Oh, my gosh. You're silenced.

You ask responsible questions, you're accused of bigotry.

Truth doesn't care about the labels. It just sits there.

It just waits for somebody to show up and go, you know. That's the truth. I'm going to have to say it. So let's say it!

Here's the truth: America owes a sacred debt to anybody we promised.

Anybody who was fighting with them, we should protect them. We should honor them. We should welcome them. But that's not what happened. That's not what happened. We didn't perform a moral rescue as a government. We performed a political evacuation.

And I was there, so I know it.

You know, somebody posted kind of a snarky tweet at me, because I spoke at our gala here a couple of weeks ago. And I talked about what the State Department was doing. And I said, you know, it's time to understand how evil the State Department really was during that evacuation. Our people were vetted.

And we didn't bring people into the United States.

We brought people to the UAE. A lot of people went to Australia, a lot of people -- and I said, sat on the tarmac, forever!

Forever!

Because the State Department was shutting town and saying, we can't verify any of these people.

We can verify who these people were.

We knew who these people were.

Most of the people who we brought out, we can show you their baptismal certificate. Because that was part of our vetting. Are you a Christian?

Really? When were you baptized? Who baptized you? What church did you belong to?

Because we knew you were under the gun. Now, if you were like, yeah, I was just baptized three weeks ago. You didn't get on one of our planes, unless the State Department insisted you get on one of our planes. That's what I was saying on this video, that we just reposted. I was saying in the video. Did you know the compromise that they forced to us take.

You want to save these Christians. You have to save these people. You have to put those people on first.

We don't know who those people are. I don't know who those people are.

And those are were the ones that came to America.

We gambled with the future of these Afghani families. Because we just threw them in.

Just throw them in!

They'll be fine!

We threw them into a system not based on reality, of any sort.

We threw them in, without vetting them!

Meanwhile, we would not take the Christians. Hmm. I want you to know, we should not be attacking anybody, except honestly, condemning our government. Because it refuses to tell the truth on what it did and what it failed to do. The mark of a nation that is in decline isn't -- isn't who it lets in.

A mark of the nation in decline is whether it can confess. It can admit to its own mistakes, talk about the truth and the consequences. And today, Congress is whispering. The media is hiding.
Did you read any of the stories?

Hopefully, you didn't. Hopefully you just had a great time on vacation and the holiday.

But I did. My team did. Did you read the stuff from the New York Times?

They still can't admit the truth. They don't even know what the truth is.

I'm still here waiting for the courage of any adult to stand up. A great nation can welcome the stranger. But a dying nation loses the wisdom to ask who this is stranger?

And that -- that -- that gate we passed long ago.

The question is: Do you want to be a dying nation or not? I don't. I don't.

We can't afford to be a dying nation. The world can't afford us to die. So what do we do about it?

Well, the first step is defending your home. And the first step in defending your home is knowing who is inside your home.

And I will show you how we that do quite easily, in a second.

GLENN: Okay.

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, by the way. The largest single day of global generosity in the entire year. We have a goal of Mercury One for hurricanes and all kinds of other things we do. $300,000 to our maximum impact fund.

We would like this to make the biggest giving Tuesday Mercury One has ever had. The Maximum Impact Fund allows to us move before we have the money. I come on, and I say, hey. There's a tornado or whatever.

We need to raise that money. But by the time we can get that money from you into the bank, it's maybe, two, three, four days later. We would like to be there when it actually happens. This gives us the leeway of being able to move quickly.

So if you can -- if you can give, whether it's a dollar, $5. Whatever you can give. Whatever you can give.

It gives us. At a moment's notice. The ability to move during a crisis. 100 percent of it, if you don't count the credit card fees. 100 percent of it goes down range. So it goes right directly to what it is, you're trying to solve and help people. We don't pull anything off of the top. That's tomorrow and today. You can give at MercuryOne.org. MercuryOne.org. Give your tax deductible Tuesday gift, MercuryOne.org.

Okay. So first thing is first.

You've got to draw a line in the sand. And here's the word that every -- shuts every conversation down.

It's a word wielded like a club.

And it's to not illuminate anything. It's to silence.

And here's the word. Islamophobia. You say anything about the rising violence in Europe. The honor killings.

The grooming gangs. The refugees, who are not refugees at all. But sleeper cells.

Examine suddenly, you're a bigot. This isn't about bigotry. This is the first line you have to cross.

This is about civilization.

So let's draw the line between faith and ideology.

Because on Islam is a religion. Practiced by a billion people. It contains families that I've met, I know. Doctors I trust. Soldiers who fight beside Americans. Millions of peaceful, devout people who just want what you and I want, to raise their children in peace. But Islamism, an Islamist is not a Muslim. This is something entirely different.

Islamism is not a religion. It is a totalitarian system that wraps itself inside of the language. The way Mark wraps tyranny with equality. Okay? Hitler wrapped conquest with national destiny.

Islamism is Communism with a crescent moon. Islamism is fascism in a mosque, and it has absolutely zero intent of co-existing with the West. It comes not to blend in, but to rule. And if you doubt me, ask the women in Iran. If you doubt me, ask the socialists that helped the Islamic revolution in the 1970s. Ask me what happened to them! Because all of them lost their heads. Ask the Christians of Nigeria. Ask the families in Paris and Berlin and London, who are now living under police patrols, because their leaders were too afraid to speak plainly.

You know, we love to open our arms. That's fine. America always does that. But you must. When you open your arms, keep your eyes open as well!

A refugee seeking freedom is a blessing. A refugee seeking a

CARLY: Is a Trojan horse. And we have every moral right.

Every moral duty. To know the difference!

It's not about hating anybody.

I don't hate anybody.

I hate those who want to destroy us.

Want to kill my family.

Want to enslave me under some sort of religion.

Yeah. I do hate those people.

But this is about loving civilization that gave the world dignity of the individual, the rights of women.

Yeah, it was. Not -- not a caliphate.
The protection of minorities. Not a caliphate, us. The freedom to speak and worship. Or not worship. If defending those values makes me or you controversial, then, wow. Controversy is a very small price to pay. Don't you think? Because the alternative is, oh, I don't know. What's happening in Europe.

The alternative is silence! And silence in history is always the first sign of collapse. So the first thing we have to do is choose speech!

Choose truth. Choose civilization.

RADIO

Black Friday used to be a WARNING...

Before the door-buster deals and stampedes, “Black Friday” meant total financial panic (gold crashing, markets collapsing). Then in the 1950s, Philadelphia cops reused the term because the day-after-Thanksgiving chaos felt like the end of civilization. But the real twist? FDR moved Thanksgiving itself in 1939 just to give retailers an extra week of Christmas shopping — dividing the country until Congress finally caved in 1941. So, what started as a sacred day of survival and gratitude got permanently hijacked by Washington and big business.

Glenn's Show Prep

Heartbreaking: Glenn Sheds Tears With Mother Whose Children Were Taken by the State

Black Friday spending hits record high, but are we really buying more?

Transcript

Inside Venezuela: The terrifying truth revealed

Transcript

What you WEREN’T TOLD about the National Guard ambush

Transcript

Black Friday used to be a WARNING...