Chris Kyle’s family needs your help

Chris Kyle is an American hero. He saved countless American lives while on the battlefield. And when he came home, he gave everything he had --- including his time -- to his foundation and other returning military vets. He probably thought he had plenty of time to worry about saving for college, etc, but as it turns out he was robbed of that chance. Chris Kyle stepped up for America, it’s time for America to step up for him.

Here’s a couple really cool ways you can help: buy 1791’s Heroes shirt or donate directly through Mercury One.

You can also send a check to Mercury One by mail at: Mercury One, PO Box 140489, Irving, TX 75014. Be sure to put "Chris Kyle Fund" in the memo line.

On radio, Glenn called for listeners to help the Kyle family. You can watch the video at the top of the page, and the full transcript of the segment from radio is below.

Radio Transcript:

GLENN: This week has been a very, a very bizarre week. It started on Sunday for us. Sunday morning I got up and my wife said to me, "Honey, Marcus called," Marcus Luttrell. She said, "Marcus called, or texted me late last night." And I said, okay, I'll call him today. Then I go out to the front and our security detail is there getting ready to take us to church and I said good morning to the boys. And I said, good morning, guys. And they said, sir, have you heard the news? And I said, what news? And they said, the American sniper Chris Kyle was killed. And I said, oh, my gosh. Marcus texted late last night; that must be what it's about. I said, how did he die? And he said, he was at a gun range and he was apparently helping out a vet and he was shot to death on the gun range.

And my shock of that, I think the first thing I said is, what the hell is happening to us? Here is an American hero, a guy who is ‑‑ really will be talked about for 50 years. He is ‑‑ he really is our red baron. Everybody knows the red baron. The only reason why you know the red baron at this point is he was some sort of a flying ace. But this is our red baron. This is our defy who is a ‑‑ who has done stuff that nobody else in the history of man has ever done. The best sniper to ever live. And he makes it back, he writes a best‑selling book, it's a huge best seller, everybody reads it, he's everywhere. He doesn't take any of the money from that book. None of it. And what happens? He comes home, he takes that money, and he, instead of taking it, he gives it to an organization to help vets who are returning and are having a hard time adjusting.

I mean, here's a guy who really put his money where his mouth is. He takes his time. He's traveling, in three years that he's back from the Service, he travels all the time to speak and to help vets. He's constantly on the frontline of helping now. He spent his time in the military killing to protect. Then he comes back and he spends his time out of the military trying to protect. Trying to help. He gives all of his time and all of his money. Now he's a young guy. So he thinks, I'm going to be around for a long time. It's almost kind of the Tesla story where he gives up everything because he's like, you know, there will be something else. And then his time runs out.

So now his family is not protected. Now his family is in the position to where they don't have any money. And I suppose you could say, "Well, that was irresponsible of him," or you could say, "That guy just knew they would be taken care of." Our founders did similar things. They spent all of their time away from their children. I mean, John Adams was gone, gosh, I mean, how long was he away from his kids?

PAT: 14 years.

GLENN: 14 years he was away. And it's not like he's getting, you know, leave where he can come back. I mean, he's gone for 14 years. His kids didn't even know him. And our founders, because we've talked about it an awful lot, because we work very hard to do what we do. And if we were doing it for money, we'd be despicable people. We would. Because of the way we have ‑‑ the time that we have spent away from our family.

My sister is in town and she just ‑‑ I started to talk to her and she's like, stop it. Stop. I get it. And I said to her, I started to say to her, "I think about you every day and I love you so much and I want to call you every day. I want to talk to you. I want to spend time with you. I just don't have any time." And we have talked about, especially when we were in New York, that the Lord will make it up. Somehow or another he'll make up whatever deficit. As long as we're doing the right thing. As long as we're on his work. And we also have to keep things in perspective. And we've done all that we can do. He will make up the deficit.

Well, Chris did do all that he could do. Now, the Lord doesn't ‑‑ you know, all of a sudden it's not like, "Oh, my gosh. Hey, kids, money from heaven." That's not the way it works. We're his hands. Each of us. We were sent here for a reason. And we're his hands.

So I would like to ask, and I did earlier this week, and this audience is so amazing. I asked this week, can we help this family? Can we raise some money to honor his family, to help his family? Because Jesse Ventura is coming and suing the family because Chris said he punched him in the face and Jesse said that never happened. And all of the SEALs and everybody else that was there said, "Oh, it absolutely did happen," but Jesse Ventura's crazy. So once Chris dies, Jesse goes after the family and says, "I'm going to take the money from the estate." There is no money.

So Mercury One put together a fund, and Marcus Luttrell, the Lone Survivor, is putting together a trust so nobody can get this money except the kids. I asked you this on I think Tuesday. Here it is Friday and this audience in $10, $20 bills, has raised $375,000 ‑‑ $381 now ‑‑

STU: $383,000 now.

GLENN: $383,158 ‑‑ 300 ‑‑

STU: $383,158.

GLENN: $383,158. It's almost incredible what you've done, almost $400,000. My goal was to raise $500,000 and that's an incredible number. I'd really like to make a million because a million would take care of everything that they have, including the taxes, take care of everything that they would need to take care of, put their kids ‑‑ put his two kids through school and they wouldn't have to worry. His kids are 6 and 8. Could we be the Lord's hands here? Because the government's not going to do it. In fact, they are holding his funeral at Dallas Cowboys stadium on Monday and everybody's going to be there. Everybody's going to be there... except one. I don't believe the president of the United States is coming.

Now here we have an American hero. Here we have a guy who has saved countless Americans. He comes home. He self‑sacrifices. He dies at the hands of a guy he's trying to help: And our president isn't going to be there. I don't think he would be welcome anyway, but that's saying something.

We tried. We were going to cover and carry the live coverage on TheBlaze and ‑‑ but it's far too expensive for us to do it at this point. We felt it would be better because we made donations and we felt it would just be better to cover it not live but cover it in many different ways than spend all that money. We'd rather put ‑‑ I think we put $50,000 in towards the family, and I would like to ask you if you had $5 or $10 if you would go to MercuryOne.org and donate.

Now, there's something else. I'm taking my signed copy of his book, American Sniper. I collect rare books and signed books, and this one is signed by a legend, and he died. This one will be a definite collector's item, and I've taken it off of my library shelf, I only have one, and I am putting it up for auction on Monday, proceeds for the family. And I would ‑‑ I would ask on Monday that you would bid on it if you're interested, with all the proceeds going to them.

The other thing I asked my team last night, if we could make ‑‑ if 1791 could make ‑‑ because they make the best T‑shirts. They are just the greatest T‑shirts. And I asked 1791 if they would make a Navy SEAL heroes T‑shirt. All of the profits will go to the family, and that's available now. Just went up a few minutes ago at 1791.com. It's a blue T‑shirt, says "American Heroes" and has the SEAL triton on it. And that will go to Chris Kyle's family and also a portion of it goes to FITCO Cares foundation. That is his foundation to help Navy SEALs. I think the best way to honor him is to continue his work. Take care of his family first but also continue to take care of veterans. He believed in it so much, he died trying to do it. The T‑shirt is available right now at 1791.com, or you can make a direct donation at MercuryOne.org, or you can ‑‑ you can wait on ‑‑ until Monday and bid on that book as well. But we'd like to ask you to get involved.

You think the president ‑‑ I mean, I think I would be, quite honestly, you know, if this, if this president, if I would die ‑‑ and he wouldn't, but if I were his ‑‑ if this would happen to me and this president decided to show up, I think my family would ask him to leave. Because they would be like, "We don't want you here," only because it would become a circus and he would use it. He would use my death to wrap himself into it. And now I'm not saying that he would ever do it with me. I'm just saying if I were ‑‑ if I were Chris.

STU: Right.

GLENN: This president would come in there and use this funeral to make himself look good.

STU: Sure.

GLENN: So I don't even know if he would be welcome. I'm sure ‑‑ I can't speak for the family at all but I mean, I know there's a lot of guys ‑‑ I know there's a lot of guys in the SEAL community that, you know, are like, yeah ‑‑

PAT: Hard fans.

GLENN: Not really a big fan of this guy.

STU: I think the appropriate thing to be would be to let the family make that decision. If you want me there, I'm there.

GLENN: Right.

STU: I mean, if you're the president of the United States and this guy's done what this guy did for this country, I mean, you left that up to them. And you don't feel offended if they say no, but you're more than happy to be there if they want you there.

GLENN: You remember when the SEALs ‑‑ you remember when the transport went down and all those SEALs died and one of them, in his will, said I want Ted Nugent to play at my funeral?

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: And the president decided that he was going to come and so he just went, and he then said, "I don't want Ted Nugent at this funeral" and so he overrode the family and the dying wishes of the SEAL? It was in his will: I want Ted Nugent to play. And Ted was ready. Ted chartered a plane and he was like, I'm there. I'm there. As soon as he found out: I'm there. The president shows up and disinvites Ted Nugent and overrides the family. Can you imagine that? The balls this guy has.

If you're in Texas, come. If you're not in Texas, we'll ‑‑

PAT: Is it just open to ‑‑

GLENN: I think it's ‑‑

PAT: ‑‑ anybody?

GLENN: It's a funeral. So I think it's pretty open. It's not like they have 50,000 friends that are ‑‑

STU: Right. If you're going to Cowboys Stadium, I would assume you would, you know ‑‑

GLENN: I don't know if I'm ‑‑ I'm not involved in this at all. So I just know that it's at Cowboys ‑‑ I know that I'm going to be there and that's all I know. So I just assume that, you know, it's not like all the other churches were booked. But I don't know if there's another place, a smaller place in Cowboys Stadium that you could use? I don't know how that's going to work.

STU: Just as far as the fundraising goes, you might need to be a little diligent. I've been trying to do a donation here as we've been sitting here and it was not going through for much of that time because everybody's been pounding this website. So just, you know, it might take you a little time.

PAT: That's a great sign.

STU: I mean, that's a great sign. I mean, this audience does this every time we talk about these sort of things.

GLENN: Yeah, but this is different. My understanding, this is a faster raise of money than any of the hurricane stuff that we did, any of the stuff that we've done in the history of Mercury One. This is the fastest raise of money for anything. And I think it's because we relate to this guy and we appreciate not just him but all of the Navy SEALs. And we want them to know that we love them. You know, it's not just this guy.

You know that Marcus has buried 67 of his friends? Can you imagine that?

PAT: Yeah, it's incredible.

GLENN: In, like, five years that you have attended 67 funerals of people that you knew and loved and work with? My gosh, it just never ends. Never ends. Show this community that while the government may fail us, while the government isn't paying attention to our vets, while the government has a whole bunch of red tape, there's no red tape with us. And if you need ‑‑ if you want something that is a reminder of this, get the American heroes T‑shirt at 1791.com. Get the book off my shelf, my copy, only one I have. Get my copy on Monday. Or you can just make a donation at MercuryOne.org.

Episode 6 of Glenn’s new history podcast series The Beck Story releases this Saturday.

This latest installment explores the history of Left-wing bias in mainstream media. Like every episode of this series, episode 6 is jam-packed with historical detail, but you can’t squeeze in every story, so some inevitably get cut from the final version. Part of this episode involves the late Ben Bradlee, who was the legendary editor of the Washington Post. Bradlee is legendary mostly because of the Watergate investigation that was conducted on his watch by two young reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Bradlee, Woodward, and Bernstein became celebrities after the release of the book and movie based on their investigation called All the President’s Men.

But there is another true story about the Washington Post that you probably won’t see any time soon at a theater near you.

In 1980, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee wanted to expand the Post’s readership in the black community. The paper made an effort to hire more minority journalists, like Janet Cooke, a black female reporter from Ohio. Cooke was an aggressive reporter and a good writer. She was a fast-rising star on a staff already full of stars. The Post had a very competitive environment and Cooke desperately wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Readers were hooked. And outraged.

When Cooke was asked to work on a story about the D.C. area’s growing heroin problem, she saw her chance to win that Pulitzer. As she interviewed people in black neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the heroin epidemic, she was appalled to learn that even some children were heroin addicts. When she learned about an eight-year-old heroin addict named Jimmy, she knew she had her hook. His heartbreaking story would surely be her ticket to a Pulitzer.

Cooke wrote her feature story, titling it, “Jimmy’s World.” It blew away her editors at the Post, including Bob Woodward, who by then was Assistant Managing Editor. “Jimmy’s World” would be a front-page story:

'Jimmy is 8 years old and a third-generation heroin addict,' Cooke’s story began, 'a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes and needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms. He nestles in a large, beige reclining chair in the living room of his comfortably furnished home in Southeast Washington. There is an almost cherubic expression on his small, round face as he talks about life – clothes, money, the Baltimore Orioles and heroin. He has been an addict since the age of 5.'

Readers were hooked. And outraged. The mayor’s office instructed the police to immediately search for Jimmy and get him medical treatment. But no one was able to locate Jimmy. Cooke wasn’t surprised. She told her editors at the Post that she had only been able to interview Jimmy and his mother by promising them anonymity. She also revealed that the mother’s boyfriend had threatened Cooke’s life if the police discovered Jimmy’s whereabouts.

A few months later, Cooke’s hard work paid off and her dream came true – her story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Cooke had to submit some autobiographical information to the Prize committee, but there was a slight snag. The committee contacted the Post when they couldn’t verify that Cooke had graduated magna cum laude from Vassar College. Turns out she only attended Vassar her freshman year. She actually graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. degree, not with a master’s degree as she told the Pulitzer committee.

Cooke’s editors summoned her for an explanation. Unfortunately for Cooke and the Washington Post, her resume flubs were the least of her lies. After hours of grilling, Cooke finally confessed that “Jimmy’s World” was entirely made up. Jimmy did not exist.

The Pulitzer committee withdrew its prize and Cooke resigned in shame. The Washington Post, the paper that uncovered Watergate – the biggest political scandal in American history – failed to even vet Cooke’s resume. Then it published a front-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning feature story that was 100 percent made up.

Remarkably, neither Ben Bradlee nor Bob Woodward resigned over the incident. It was a different time, but also, the halo of All the President’s Men probably saved them.

Don’t miss the first five episodes of The Beck Story, which are available now. And look for Episode 6 this Saturday, wherever you get your podcasts.


UPDATED: 5 Democrats who have endorsed Kamala (and one who hasn't)

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With Biden removed from the 2024 election and only a month to find a replacement before the DNC, Democrats continue to fall in line and back Vice President Kamala Harris to headline the party's ticket. Her proximity and familiarity with the Biden campaign along with an endorsement from Biden sets Harris up to step into Biden's shoes and preserve the momentum from his campaign.

Glenn doesn't think Kamala Harris is likely to survive as the assumed Democratic nominee, and once the DNC starts, anything could happen. Plenty of powerful and important Democrats have rallied around Harris over the last few days, but there have been some crucial exemptions. Here are five democrats that have thrown their name behind Harris, and two SHOCKING names that didn't...

Sen. Dick Durbin: ENDORSED

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High-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin officially put in his support for Harris in a statement that came out the day after Biden stepped down: “I’m proud to endorse my former Senate colleague and good friend, Vice President Kamala Harris . . . our nation needs to continue moving forward with unity and not MAGA chaos. Vice President Harris was a critical partner in building the Biden record over the past four years . . . Count me in with Kamala Harris for President.”

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: ENDORSED

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The Monday after Biden stepped down from the presidential VP hopeful, Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on X: “Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States [...] In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ENDORSED

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Mere hours after Joe Biden made his announcement, AOC hopped on X and made the following post showing her support: "Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ENDORSED

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Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is arguably one of the most influential democrats, backed Harris's campaign with the following statement given the day after Biden's decision: “I have full confidence she will lead us to victory in November . . . My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal, and political.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ENDORSED

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Massasschesets Senator Elizabeth Warren was quick to endorse Kamala, releasing the following statement shortly after Harris placed her presidential bid: "I endorse Kamala Harris for President. She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."

UPDATED: Former President Barack Obama: ENDORSED

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Former President Barack Obama wasted no time releasing the following statement which glaringly omits any support for Harris or any other candidate. Instead, he suggests someone will be chosen at the DNC in August: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."

UPDATED: On Friday, July 26th Barack and Michelle Obama officially threw their support behind Harris over a phone call with the current VP:

“We called to say, Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.”

The fact that it took nearly a week for the former president to endorse Kamala, along with his original statement, gives the endorsement a begrudging tone.

Prominent Democratic Donor John Morgan: DID NOT ENDORSE

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Prominent and wealthy Florida lawyer and democrat donor John Morgan was clearly very pessimistic about Kamala's odds aginst Trump when he gave the following statement: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither. It’s others turn now . . . The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck . . . [Harris] would not be my first choice, but it’s a done deal.”

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

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It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?