Pope Francis named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’... but who does Glenn think should have received the honor?

Pope Francis was named Time magazine’s 2013 ‘Person of the Year’ earlier today, beating out the likes of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Miley Cyrus for the title.

Calling him “The People’s Pope,” Time had this to say about the newly elected pontiff:

[W]hat makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all. People weary of the endless parsing of sexual ethics, the buck-passing infighting over lines of authority when all the while (to borrow from Milton), ‘the hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed.’ In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church—the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world—above the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors.

On radio this morning, Glenn found himself questioning the decision. While the election of Pope Francis was met with significant fanfare, and his words and behavior have received tremendous attention, Glenn thought there were stronger candidates for the title.

“Pope Francis has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year. Huh,” Glenn said. “It makes me nervous about the pope, quite honestly, when the press runs to make him Time magazine’s Man of the Year.”

When Pope Francis was first elected in March, Glenn spoke of how taken he was with Pope Francis’ humility. But like many conservatives and libertarians, Glenn’s primary concern with Pope Francis stemmed from some of the language he has used in the past when discussing the poor and economic inequality. Glenn echoed those same concerns this morning:

I'm a little concerned about who this pope is. I've gone back and forth on this. We've talked about it. I think most people are a little concerned. If you pay attention to what is really going on, if you know anything about liberation theology, if you know that it came from his part of the world, if you know what a Jesuit is and what they have done to the Catholic church, and you look at this guy, he's a Jesuit. Now everybody says, you know, are you a good Jesuit or a bad Jesuit? And he is supposedly a good Jesuit.

He seems like a remarkable man. He seems like a man who understands the touch of Christ, if you will, the hand of Christ, how to be good, decent, loving. I love that about him. However, he makes me a little concerned on his Marxist tendencies. We were talking about it in the morning meeting today, and I was saying, ‘Okay, now, let's just go through this here for just a second. Let's look at what we have.’

Glenn explained that you must always be weary of someone who is remarkably on point when reading prepared remarks, but starts to reveal more ideologically extreme positions when forced to answer questions off the cuff. In this respect, Glenn likened Pope Francis to President Obama.

“[President Obama’s] prepared remarks are always great, but… when he says something [himself], it is always like, you know, redistribution of wealth. That's what's going on with this pope,” Glenn said. “When he is off the cuff, he talks about redistribution of wealth. When he has had someone else prepare a radio address for him, it's not redistribution of wealth, and it's clear.”

As an example, Glenn pointed to Francis’ first apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” as cause for concern. While the word ‘capitalism’ is not used explicitly in the writing, Francis infers his issues with greed and inequality.

“When he writes something himself – the latest thing that was out was all about how bad capitalism is,” Glenn said. “That's the first thing that he has penned himself. Hmmm. So who is this guy?”

For these reasons, Glenn does not believe Pope Francis was most deserving of Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ title. Instead, he saw two people in American politics as better choices.

“I think there's two. I think there's two, and I would have considered splitting it myself,” Glenn said. “I think you could split it: Ted Cruz and Kathleen Sebelius because if you like one, you hate the other. But those are the two.”

In Glenn’s opinion, Obamacare was the most hot button issue of the year, and Sen. Cruz and HHS Secretary Sebelius were at the forefront of the debate. As Glenn sees, Obamacare is not simply an American issue, it’s implementation and success has global implications:

Those two are going to affect not only your life but every life on the planet… Either [Obamacare is] the greatest thing, and it does fundamentally transform the world in a positive way, if Kathleen Sebelius and the President are right. Or, if Ted Cruz is right, it destroys.

How much money are we going to be sending over to Africa for AIDS? How much cheap medicine are we going to be producing for the rest of the world? We pay high prices, but Americans, you should understand, it's only because you're the richest 1% of the world. So of course you're paying high prices, and the rest of the world is paying lower prices for their prescription drugs. But that's only because you're the top 1% of the world. Don't you like it when people gouge the rich? So those two are going to affect your life, your job, your children, your health, and the health of everyone on the planet.

So why did Time magazine shy way from naming a political figure this year?

“Now maybe Time magazine just didn't want the controversy, but I don't buy that at all. They love the controversy. The reason why they didn't pick Ted Cruz is because they don't want to give him any more power,” Glenn concluded. “I mean… they did make Hitler and Mussolini the man of the year. Now, Hitler [wasn’t] man of the year in a positive way, but Mussolini [was]. Remember, progressives are fascists… They considered Assad. But I can tell you right now, they may have put Ted Cruz in the little pool to have his name looked at, but nobody seriously considered him… And he's the guy who's going to effect our life, your life, much more than anybody else.”

Front page image courtesy of the AP

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

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We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

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Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

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Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE