What has happened to our Secret Service?

A 40 year old man jumps the fence outside the White House and rushes the front door, and makes it too close for comfort. A reality TV star crashes a state dinner. Strippers brought back to hotel rooms in Colombia before a Presidential visit. What is going on with our Secret Service agents? Ronald Kessler, author of The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents, joined Glenn to discuss the issue on radio this morning.

Below is a rush transcript of this interview

GLENN: What has happened to our secret service?

RONALD KESSLER: You know, as you -- see, the agents themselves are brave and dedicated, but the management has this culture of laxness and corner cutting.

GLENN: Corner cutting for what reason? I never heard an American say we spend too much money on the president's security keeping him safe in the White House, maybe having these lavish trips and everything, but not his security.

RONALD KESSLER: No, it makes no sense. It's like any scandal. You can't figure it out. You can't believe it could be so bad. When you have a culture of covering up and this attitude that they have of, we make do with less, that's what happens.

Now, we've seen a lot of public indications of this, the fact that the Salahis were allowed to crash the state dinner at the White House.

GLENN: How did that happen? How did the Salahis get in? What happened?

RONALD KESSLER: The uniformed officers at the White House gate simply ignored the fact they were not on the guest list and let them in. Why would they do that? I'll tell you one act that suggests a reason, and that is, when Mary Cheney, Dick Cheney's daughter was in the protection, she tried to get her agents to take her friends to restaurants, and they refused as they should. They're not taxi drivers.

So she threw a fit and got her detailees removed over this. So what message does that send the uniformed officers at the White House gate? It tells them, gee, if we turn away this glamorous couple and it turns out they were supposed to be on the guest list and it was an error, our own management may not support us. So let's just let them in. That's the kind of spineless attitude that the management has, which contributes to all these problems.

GLENN: So let me put you on the spot with that very thing, historically, Abraham Lincoln is giving a speech and Frederick Douglass is turned back by the security and the White House staff. There was no secret service staff at the time, but they won't let him because you're not a friend of Abraham Lincoln. How could you possibly be a friend of Abraham Lincoln, you're black. So what happens, he actually climbs through a window, and I think it's in the -- what is that dining room called the west room or east room or whatever it is, he climbs through a window and Abraham Lincoln is giving a speech. And there's a clamor and they start to grab him and take him out. And he said, whoa, whoa, Frederick, how are you? And he said, they didn't believe me, that I was your friend. I had to come to through the window.

So it's kind of the same thing. I mean, would we have let Frederick Douglass come into the White House? What rules do you have that make sure that, you know, the president is protected, but also the right people are getting around the president?

RONALD KESSLER: I don't think it's a problem. I don't think there's any conflict. If a person has an appointment and is approved, there's a background check, and they find out he's a terrorist or there's a warrant out for his arrest, they don't let him. But otherwise they let him in and everything is fine. It's like airline security. Yet the secret service cuts corners there. They will under pressure from White House staffs or campaign staffs let people into events without metal detection screening when there's a line outside. They haven't been screened. The secret service hasn't provided enough scanners and the pressure is applied. And sure enough, the management says, let them in.

And, you know, any individual or -- if you come in with grenades and take out the president that alone is unthinkable and yet the secret service has this bossy attitude and this statement that officers are used for strength just tells you how arrogant the secret service is. They're going to fall for that.

GLENN: I have to tell you I'm wildly concerned because of the state department and the secret service. They are -- the management is arrogant. The culture is going, you know, to -- to, you know, prostitutes and to booze, and it's no way to run a credible organization.

Tell me, Hillary Clinton you say is the worst. That is the dog assignment. Why?

RONALD KESSLER: Yeah. This is considered a form of punishment to be assigned to her secret service detail because she is so nasty to agents, and yet here's this woman who professes to be compassionate and care about the little people and she's a champion of the middle class, but behind the scenes on a daily basis she treats those people with contempt.

GLENN: And is it the same with the Obamas? Is it President Obama or is it Michelle Obama that is --

RONALD KESSLER: Actually, they both treat their agents well. My book tells it like it is. On the other hand agents are made to overhear Michelle try to urge her husband to be more aggressive in attacking Republicans and in siding with blacks and racial controversies which, of course, we've seen him doing over and over again.

GLENN: But they've treated your agents with respect. I'm really glad to do that. Ron, thank you so much.

How RFK's example can help our nation in the wake of Trump's attack

Rowland Scherman / Contributor | Getty Images

How did you feel last Saturday when you heard the news that a former president of the United States narrowly avoided an assassin's bullet by a mere few inches? Were you angry at the media for their constant demonization of Trump and his conservative contingency? Did you blame the left for curating a political climate that fostered an assassination attempt?

In his immediate reaction to the news, Glenn pointed us back to a similar moment in American history: April 4th, 1968—the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

"The best speech I've ever heard given was by RFK Sr. on the day Martin Luther King was killed" - Glenn

Robert F. Kennedy, the father of current independent presidential candidate RFK Jr., was en route to Indianapolis when he heard the terrible news. His security team, expecting violent outrage across the country, asked RFK Sr. to turn around and head back to safety. But as Glenn said, RFK Sr. believed in the good in people and demanded to give his speech. He arrived in Indianapolis Park late in the day, and he addressed the crowd of predominantly black campaign supporters.

There were no riots in Indianapolis that night.

The message RFK Sr. gave that night wasn't one of vengeance, hatred, or hopelessness, but of calm and goodness. He appealed to the best in people. He called for people to set aside their differences, anger, fear, and confusion and instead express love and compassion towards one another. RFK Sr. asked for wisdom and the pursuit of justice so that we might be resolute in our unity as the country faces another difficult chapter.

What we need in this country is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.

Glenn has made a similar plea to our nation—a plea for unity and not to lash out in fear and anger. Don't use this time to blame your friends and family who disagree with you politically for what happened or to tell them "I told you so!" Instead, reach out with compassion and grace. This is a turning point in American history. Let's turn it upward, away from hatred and violence and towards unison and compassion.

Fortunately, President Trump walked away from his attempted assassination with very minor injuries. The bullet that wounded Trump's ear could have just as easily ended his life, and his survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Sadly, that miracle didn't extend to everyone attending Trump's ill-fated Pennsylvania rally. Three other people were shot. David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both Pennslyavia residents, are thankfully in stable condition. Corey Comperatore, however, tragically died after being shot while protecting his wife and daughter from the hail of gunfire.

“Corey died a hero."

Camperatore, a 50-year-old loving father and husband from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania leaves behind his daughter Allyson, his wife Helen, sister Dawn, and many other friends and family. Camperatore was a man of service, having spent 43 years as part of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company and had worked his way to becoming the fire chief when he stepped down to spend more time with his daughter.

Corey Comperatore's firefighting gear outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Corey's friends and family have nothing but good things to say about him, and judging by their testimonies, Corey's final heroic act was consistent with how the volunteer firefighter lived his life.

According to many people who knew Compertore, he was a true patriot who loved his country. He was a fan of President Trump. Compertore was very excited to attend Saturday's rally, which he expressed in his last social media post.

Corey_Comper/X

During his speech addressing the shooting, President Biden expressed his condolences to the Comperatore family, stating that "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired.”

Democrat Mutiny? These prominent Progressives and Democratic leaders DEMAND that Biden withdraw

NurPhoto / Contributor, Justin Sullivan / Staff, Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

Biden is still taking hard blows from both sides of the aisle after his abysmal performance in last month's presidential debate. As Glenn pointed out in his post-debate coverage, Biden came across as so incompetent that it has made many Americans scared that, should the country face a major threat, Biden would be unable to respond to it. This includes many Democrats, who are finally admitting that Biden isn't as fit as they have been claiming for the last four years.

Many names have already been suggested as potential replacements for the Democratic nominee, but many people, including some Democrats, don't believe Biden should even stay in office for the election. Here are some prominent progressives and Democratic lawmakers who have called for President Biden's resignation:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Texas)

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Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Arizona)

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Seth Moulton (Massachusetts)

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Rep. Mike Quigley (Illinois)

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Rep. Angie Craig (Minnesota)

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington)

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Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)

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Rep. Pat Ryan (New York)

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Rep. Hillary Scholten (Michigan)

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Senator Peter Welch (Vermont)

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Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

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BONUS: Actor George Clooney

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These TOP 5 new technologies left Glenn SHOCKED

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Glenn has been covering some of the most groundbreaking, exciting, and often terrifying technological advances. Some new tech has the potential to make a positive impact. Some tech is just SUPER cool, like a flame-throwing robot dog. However, there is also a dark side to technology. Glenn exposes how some new technological developments, particularly in the realm of AI, pose serious ethical questions.

Here are the top five new technologies that Glenn covered that will make your jaw drop:

Anti-gravity device

This new technology developed by Dr. Charles Buhler and his team may change everything we know about transportation and travel. Described as "propellant-less propulsion" by Dr. Buhler, this technology appears to defy gravity and is potentially a way for people to travel into and through space without the need for rockets. It doesn't stop there either, this tech could be used to forever change the way we travel here on Earth.

Human embryo-powered supercomputer

To have massively powerful AI, something, which many people seem to have an invested interest in, you need a lot of electricity to power the computers that host the artificial intelligences. Naturally, this energy consumption upsets the environmentalists so in response a terrifying solution was developed. Bio Processors are essentially computer chips powered by human cells, specifically stem cells, which are predominantly harvested from embryos. These Bio Processors have a limited shelf life, meaning they need a steady supply of stem cells to keep the computers that use them operational. What could be more terrifying than an AI that eats human cells?

Voice-stealing AI

When ChatGPT came out in late 2022 its power and versatility took the world by storm. Suddenly, students had it write entire essays in mere seconds, and it was creating songs and poems with ease. The capabilities of the ChatGPT AI were as disturbing as they were impressive, but after a recent update, it took a hard turn towards disturbing. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, decided to give the program a voice and tried to recruit famous actress Scarlett Johansson to lend her voice to the machine. After she declined the offer, OpenAI went ahead and released the update for ChatGPT featuring a voice that sounded eerily similar to Johansson's. While OpenAI claims it's a different, similar-sounding voice actress, the idea that a computer is going around with your stolen voice is terrifying.

Flamethrower robot dog

How could you possibly ever make something cooler than a flamethrower? Simple, strap it to the back of a robotic dog of course! Originally built to help fight forest fires (ironically enough) by creating backburns, Glenn pointed out that a pack of these bad boys patrolling your property would be the ultimate home defense. Nobody would come anywhere near your house if it was guarded by a few of these firey companions.

Wormhole-generating UFO's

It's been a decade since the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. No trace of the aircraft or any of its passengers, except a few small pieces of debris, were ever found nor was an official cause of the disappearance ever given. There have been an infinite number of theories explaining what might have happened, but this one from investigative journalist Ashton Forbes might take the cake for the wildest. Forbes joined Glenn on his radio show and brought with him convincing video evidence that seemed to show the now-missing aircraft being circled by three mysterious orbs before suddenly disappearing in a flash of light. Does this video show the doomed aircraft being sucked into an artificial wormhole, or is it an amazing piece of hoaxwork?