Hear the incredible story of how one man lost 400lbs in a single year

April 01, 2015

WRITER

Brian Fleming's life was a mess. He weighed 625 pounds, drank a fifth of vodka every night, and ate nothing but fast food. But fast forward one year - and things are completely different. What happened? Glenn spoke with Brian about this incredible transformation on Wednesday's radio show.

On Tuesday, TheBlaze reported:

Last year, Brian Flemming weighed 625 pounds.
That all changed, however, when the Michigan man virtually met a stranger in England who convinced him to turn his life around. Now, one year later, Flemming is down nearly 400 pounds and is a recovering alcoholic.
But, after losing all that weight, Flemming is still not comfortable taking his shift off in public. A new video published late last week revealed why.

"He has a Facebook page. Team 383," Glenn explained. "It's his weight loss support group. He took his shirt off for that. People have been donating money so he can have the skin removed. But we were sitting here talking about - what is it like to lose almost 400 pounds in a year. Is that even healthy? How did you even do it? And what's your life like? I mean, everything had to have changed for you."

Watch that video below:

Below is a video of the interview, scroll down for the rush transcript:

GLENN: Welcome to the program. Pat and I were reading the Blaze this morning. We found a story about Brian Fleming. He lives in Michigan. And he lost nearly 400 pounds in the last year. And he's a guy who has not felt comfortable taking his shirt off. And he took his shirt off on Facebook. And he has a Facebook page. Team 383. It's his weight loss support group. He took his shirt off for that. People have been donating money so he can have the skin removed. But we were just -- we were sitting here talking about -- what is it like to lose almost 400 pounds in a year. Is that even healthy? How did you even do it? And what's your life like? I mean, everything had to have changed for you. So we decided, pick up the phone and call him. So Brian is on the phone with us now. Hi, Brian.

BRIAN: Hey, good morning.

GLENN: How are you, man?

BRIAN: Oh, I'm great. I'm great. Thanks.

GLENN: What an amazing year you've had. A, how did you decide to lose it? And then how did you lose 400 pounds?

BRIAN: Well, it's a long story. The whole time it took me 18 months altogether to lose 390 pounds.

GLENN: Did your doctor -- was he involved? Is it safe to lose that much that fast?

BRIAN: Well, I did see my doctor every three months while I was losing the weight. I had blood work done. Blood pressure, everything checked up on. I was taking proper medications. And he just kept saying, keep doing what I'm doing because it seemed to be working. But, yeah, it's been a crazy couple of years.

GLENN: So was this the all cocaine diet? How did you lose that much weight that fast?

BRIAN: Well, yeah, I started at 625 pounds. And at the time, I was drinking a fifth of vodka every single night. I was a chronic alcoholic. I was depressed. I was eating nothing but fast food. And I went back and took a look at it. I was eating probably over 7,000 calories per day at my heaviest weight.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

PAT: Wow.

BRIAN: Yeah, when I was at my worst, I was playing a video game. Completely randomly got matched up with a woman in London, England. Her name is Jackie Eastham, and we got to know each other playing this random video game. And, you know, I got to know her better. Then eventually I opened up to her and told her how depressed I was and how big I was. And I was expecting some sympathy from her, and I got quite the opposite. She kicked my butt. She basically told me I was throwing my life away and kind of put things into perspective for me.

I found out at the time that she has myotonic dystrophy. It's a form of muscular dystrophy. And she has to stay very fit and very healthy to keep her symptoms at bay. So she saw someone like me throwing my life away, and she just wouldn't have it.

GLENN: Holy cow. What a godsend she was.

PAT: That's a great story.

GLENN: Hang on a second. Have you two met?

BRIAN: Yes, we have actually. Not this past December, but the year before, I went over to meet her in London England. It was the first time I had flown overseas. I went over and spent Christmas and New Year's with her the past two Decembers in a row. And we're best of friends. We're very, very close.

GLENN: Can we call her at some point? We won't call her now. But can we call her? I'd love to talk to her.

BRIAN: Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah.

GLENN: Good. Good. Okay. Let's continue the conversation. So what did she say to you, when you told her and you were expecting sympathy, what did she say?

BRIAN: She basically used more colorful language than I can really say on the radio. But she more or less told me I was throwing my life away. Saying there are thousands of people out there that are fighting for their lives, you know, people that don't take their life for granted, and then there's me. I'm thirty years old. I'm just throwing everything away. And she basically just made me question what I was doing with my life. And it was the right motivation I needed at the right time. And October 2012, I quit drinking, cold turkey. And the weight just started pouring off of me after that.

PAT: Nice.

GLENN: So do you go to AA?

BRIAN: Nope. I don't go to AA. I had Jackie as a great support structure when I quit. And she was there for me from the very beginning.

PAT: That's amazing willpower.

GLENN: Boy, I have to tell you, man. Hold on just a second.

You are an alcoholic?

BRIAN: Yes. I'm a recovered alcoholic.

GLENN: Okay. And you are -- and you were drinking how much?

BRIAN: I was drinking a fifth of vodka per night.

PAT: Jeez.

GLENN: Holy cow.

PAT: Brian, that's not healthy. Who would have guessed?

GLENN: So that's amazing. So now you then stopped drinking, and then when did you stop eating 7,000 calories a day?

BRIAN: Well, cutting back on the alcohol, I mean, that cut basically 2,000 calories out of my daily diet right there. There's a lot of calories in alcohol, which I'm sure a lot of people may not realize or not. There's a lot of sugar in that as well. But when I cut that out, I noticed once I got over the withdrawals, they were very severe for about a week and a half.

GLENN: I bet they were.

BRIAN: I noticed my belts started to get looser on me. My pants got a little bit baggier, and I noticed my weight started to come off. So I started to think, well, I thought that was hypocritically of me to stop drinking and keep eating all the fast food. So I started cutting back on fast food. I started gradually taking things out of my diet that were unhealthy. And I got to a point where I was consuming a certain number of calories every day. And the weight came off pretty rapidly. The first three months, I lost a pound a day. So I lost nearly 100 pounds in three months.

PAT: That's awesome.

GLENN: There's a picture. We're putting a picture of you on TV now. Where you're standing in your pants, and you have both -- you're standing in one leg of your pants. I mean, it's like you've lost a person. It's amazing.

PAT: So what did you replace the fast food with? Did you just start eating vegetables and -- what was the specific calorie count you went to, to lose the weight?

BRIAN: Well, I couldn't stand vegetables at first. I never really liked them at first.

PAT: Me neither.

BRIAN: It was more cutting out the --

GLENN: Fast food.

BRIAN: The really bad foods. You know, I would typically go to a fast food and get the super-sized meals and get extra Chicken Nuggets with it. The single meal would be 2,000 calories.

PAT: That's what I'm talking about.

GLENN: That's what I'm talking about too. I'm in love with this diet. Wait a minute. This is not the healthy diet, you're saying?

BRIAN: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: All right.

BRIAN: Just started making healthier choices. You know, cutting out french fries and eating rice instead. Or, you know, sort of replacing certain menu items with more healthier options. You know, not all the fast food restaurants are entirely bad for you. There are certain items you can eat that are healthier. So I just kind of gradually weaned myself off the really bad stuff.

GLENN: Okay. Now, did you exercise?

BRIAN: Yeah.

GLENN: Oh.

BRIAN: I started at just five minutes a day one morning. I woke up and turned on the TV, and I just decided to walk in place for five minutes. That's all I could do at that weight. And I decided to wake up and do that every single morning. I woke up the next morning, I walked in place for five minutes. Turned on the TV. Eventually, I just started adding to that. I got to six, seven, ten minutes. Twenty. Eventually I got up to an hour every single morning. I turned on the TV and walked in place. And it kind of snowballs from there. I ended up walking outside. Then I started bike riding. And I just ran my first half marathon this past October. And I'm planning on running a full marathon this year.

PAT: I don't want to hear this kind of stuff. This is nasty talk now. This has gone completely off the rails.

GLENN: It really has. So we saw the picture of you with your shirt off. And, I mean -- I don't mean to be rude here. It was not a pretty picture. Have you raised money now to -- to have the surgery or not?

BRIAN: Yeah. Well, after losing all that weight, I have about 30 to 40 pounds of excess skin that is left over. And I'm at a point where I'm so active and I'm eating so healthy, I really am not going to lose anymore weight. I'm at the point where I can't do anything about it. And this excess skin has given me back problems. It's just preventing me from doing a lot of things that I love doing now. You know, running long-distance is a lot harder when you have 30 pounds of skin hanging off you. You know, it's not very easy. But it's one of those things where I was hoping to get the surgery done. I went and had a consultation. I found out it was over $20,000 to get the surgery done. And it just wasn't an option for me. So a really good friend of mine, Kay, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for this. And it's been going up since. So we're completely blown away. Jackie and I have been just unbelievably grateful for everybody's support.

PAT: Do you have enough now to have the surgery? Is there enough now?

BRIAN: We're really close. I think we're now over 18,000. The surgery is quoted at 22,000. So we're almost there.

GLENN: All right. So how do you get to it?

BRIAN: It's actually at GoFundMe.com. Then just do slash Brian Flemming. And that will take you to the page.

PAT: I would guess you will have necessary amount soon.

GLENN: Yeah. So GoFundMe.com/BrianFlemming. F-L-E-M-M-I-N-G.

So let me ask you about the experience of taking your shirt off and taking a picture. How scary was that for you?

BRIAN: Oh, it was incredibly scary. One of the things that I've been dealing with, there's a lot of anxiety. I had depression when I was bigger as well. And, you know, I haven't gone swimming in over a decade. I mean, it's been a long time. I've been too bashful. Even while I was bigger, I never wanted to go swimming because I didn't want people looking at me. Now that I've lost all this weight, I have all this excess skin. And I'm still incredibly self-conscious about it. I still haven't gone swimming. And it's one of those things I used to love doing when I was a kid. I figured, you know, eventually, I'll just have to get over it. It's part of my body. You know, maybe something that people need to see that side of weight loss. So I decided to make a video out of it. Put some pictures up. And just show some of our followers what it looks like to lose that amount of weight. And it's kind of been a liberating experience. You know, it was nerve-racking at first. But I think it feels good to just get it out there.

PAT: How has this changed your life, Brian? You must sleep better, you must be able to get around a lot better, you must go places you haven't been to in a really long time.

GLENN: What are the things that you have done or you have felt that you had forgotten about that just has been mind-boggling for you?

BRIAN: Oh. So many different things. I spread myself almost every day trying to new things. There's just certain things I took for granted before I was obese. You know, things like buckling my seat belt in my car. You know, the first day I was able to do that, it blew my mind. When I was 600 pounds, I couldn't buckle my seat belt. And going out to restaurants and being able to fit in the booth. And getting on a plane and flying to London. You know, I never thought I would be able to fit into a plane seat again. There's all these things I want to do. You know, ride rollercoasters. I haven't been able to fit on the rides. And now I'm planning to go to Cedar Point this summer. You know, sky driving. All kinds of stuff.

GLENN: How about catching the eye of somebody attractive? Have you noticed that -- I mean, that must be like somebody looking at you must be like, holy cow. And they're not looking at me and making fun of me. I mean, she might actually be interested in me.

BRIAN: Well, I don't know. I'm not very self-conscious about that. I haven't really picked up on it if that's the case.

STU: Not to hit on you or anything, but you're a pretty good-looking dude.

GLENN: There's no judgment here. He is hitting on you.

BRIAN: Appreciate it.

PAT: Did you have a job when you were 600 pounds?

BRIAN: I worked a few dead-end jobs here and there. I worked retail sales and just some jobs where I wasn't really going anywhere. I was spinning my wheels. I went to college at some point. I dropped out.

GLENN: How about now?

BRIAN: Right now, I work as a music teacher for a local high school. I teach saxophone with the Plymouth-Canton Marching Band. It's a fantastic group of kids that I get to work with.

GLENN: Holy cow.

BRIAN: And Jackie and I, we also started a weight loss support group that we call team 383. This was after my story came out. And we wanted to share with other people. Now it's grown to 11,000 members. We've been able to reach out and help other people with losing weight and dealing with their own issues. And all kinds of things. Even substance abuse. All kinds of numbers from all over the world. It's been fantastic.

GLENN: So that's at Facebook.com/team383?

BRIAN: We actually have a website now. It's team383.com. And you can go to our Facebook group from there. Click on the Facebook link. Like I said, about 11,000 members. They're all amazingly supportive. They come from all walks of life. It's just been an amazing experience. We're just glad to be able to give back and help other people.

GLENN: 383, the significance?

BRIAN: Yeah, when we created the group, we originally called it My 383-Pound Weight Loss Story. At the time, that's how much weight I had lost. And the members of the group kept calling it Team 383 and they just kept calling it over and over. And eventually it kind of stuck. So we decided to just call it Team 383.

GLENN: It's really amazing. Really amazing. Well, we'd love to get -- we'd love to get the woman who changed your life on the phone. So maybe we'll just put you on hold. Maybe we can arrange that. Do that tomorrow or something. We'd love to talk to her as well.

BRIAN: Sure. That would be great.

GLENN: I think it's a great story. You seem like a great guy. I'm glad the Blaze did a story on you so we could talk to you today.

BRIAN: Thank you for having me on.

PAT: It's a great story.

GLENN: Really great story.

PAT: In this participation trophy culture that we live in, someone who actually doesn't enable his behavior of drinking a fifth of vodka a day and eating fast food all day, 7,000 calories, and really takes him to task for it, that's pretty great.

GLENN: That's fantastic.

PAT: That doesn't happen very often.

GLENN: That's fantastic.

Here are the TOP 5 things you NEED to know about Trump's potential indictment

Brandon Bell / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Trump's potential indictment is one of the most historically significant events in our nation's history—and no, that is not a hyperbolic statement.

If Trump is federally prosecuted, by a state-level District Attorney no less, then America may be entering a new territory past which there is no return: the weaponization of our judicial system against the top political opponents to the ruling class. As Glenn has said, weaponizing our judiciary is something we see in banana republics. Is America about to become one?

With all of the news and hype around Trump's potential indictment, it is easy to lose sight of the core issues that truly give this story historical significance. Here are five core aspects of this story that have the potential to transform our nation going forward.

1. Trump committed a misdemeanor, NOT a felony.

The allegations against Trump pertain to "hush money" given to the porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 Presidential Campaign. Trump's advisor Michael Cohen gave Daniels $130,000 of his own money after Daniels threatened to publicize her alleged affair with Trump just days before the 2016 election. Cohen wrote off the money as "legal fees" under his campaign finance funds. Trump then reimbursed Cohen for the expenses once he was in the White House.

Trump has maintained that he never had an affair with Daniels and that he is the victim of an extortion scheme. But that is besides the point. New York DA Alvin Bragg is potentially indicting Trump based on mislabeling the "hush money" as "legal fees" under campaign finance laws.

Even NBC acknowledges that mislabeling campaign finances is a "misdemeanor," not a felony, yet Trump is being prosecuted as if it were. The only way the "crime" could be turned into a felony is if the mislabeling was done to cover up another crime. Yet, as NBC admits, it is unclear whether Bragg has evidence of another crime that Trump was trying to cover up.

If you are thinking, "Wait, this is old news, right?" you would be correct. There is a reason why no one has prosecuted Trump based on the Stormy Daniels hush money in the seven years since it occurred—because there simply is no federal case. So why has Alvin Bragg decided to prosecute Trump now? Well, for one thing, Trump announced he is running for President again in 2024, and the Left simply can't let that happen.

2. Hillary Clinton committed the SAME crime.

The double standard of Trump's potential indictment is made even more clear when compared with Hillary Clinton, who committed the same misdemeanor.

Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign "misreported" funds received from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that went towards the infamous Steele Dossier, which aimed at linking Trump to collusion with the Russian government (which was proven to be a complete farce). Clinton's campaign wrote off the Steele Dossier funds as "legal services"—sound familiar?

She and the DNC paid the Federal Election Commission $113,000 to the Federal Election Commission, and the issue was swept under the rug. Yet Trump is being accused of the SAME misdemeanor—mislabeling campaign finance funds—and he is being threatened with federal prosecution.

3. Trump's possible indictment is "very conveniently" timed to overshadow the Biden family's corruption.

On March 16, 2023, the House Oversight Committee released a scathing memorandum detailing the illicit business dealings between the Biden family and the Chinese state-owned energy company, State Energy HK Limited.

According to bank records subpoenaed by the committee, the Chinese energy company wired $3 million to Delaware-based Robinson Walker LLC two months after Biden left the White House in 2017. At the time of the wire transfer, the business account only had $159 thousand. Now it had over $3 million.

The very next day, Robinson Walker LLC wired over $1 million to a company associated with James Gillar, a business partner of Hunter Biden’s.

Over the next 3 months, Robinson Walker LLC would send incremental payments to multiple members of the Biden family and their companies, including Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's brother, James, and Beau Biden's ex-wife, Hallie. The transfers included another "mysterious" recipient titled simply, “Biden." Who could that possibly be?

Let's get this straight: Trump's potential misdemeanor-turned-felony is making front-page news while Biden's DOCUMENTED business dealings with a foreign entity and enemy to the United States are being swept under the rug. How "convenient" for Biden.

4. Weaponizing judiciary

This week, we published a poll to see what YOU think of Trump's potential indictment, and most of you overwhelmingly believe our judiciary is being weaponized against anyone on the right side of the aisle—and you are absolutely correct.

Glenn aptly pointed out that using the judiciary to attack political opponents is something we see in banana republics, but now we are witnessing it in the U.S. before our eyes. As Glenn said, the strategy in banana republics is, "Show me the man, and I will find you the crime." They want Trump GONE, and now they are trying to conjure up the crime to do it.

It is very telling that conservatives are fearful of protesting Trump's potential indictment. As Glenn said, we all want a peaceful response. However, conservatives are now taking pause before peaceful protest after seeing the DOJ ruthlessly prosecutethousands of individuals on January 6, even those who never reached the capitol grounds. Is protesting Trump's indictment worth the risk of arrest?

The fact that this question arises in people's minds is extremely indicative of our current political climate. Our judiciary has been weaponized against conservatives, and now we have to think twice before publicly standing up for our beliefs. Sounding more like a banana republic?

5. This is the FIRST time a U.S. President has been federally prosecuted.

If Trump is federally indicted, it would solidify the judiciary's ability to become a weapon against political opponents, even up to the position of a U.S. President. This should give all Americans grave concern. This issue is much bigger than Trump; it is about whether we want to live in a nation whose ruling power can use its judicial system to go after its opponents.

Consider, for a moment, if the tables were turned. What if a Trump-appointed DA federally indicted President Obama for a state-level misdemeanor that resulted in throwing him in prison? Is that the "America" you would want to live in? It would arguably cease to be "America" as we know it and devolve into an ungovernable shell of what it once was.

This harrowing possibility is materializing beneath our very noses. There were many events that led up to the fall of the Roman republic into an empire, but it was the singular event of Caesar crossing the Rubicon that tipped the republic past the point of no return. Could this be our Rubicon moment? Are we, like Cicero, witnessing our republic mutate into something unrecognizable before our very eyes?

Though prosecuting Trump may yield some political vengeance and satisfaction for one side of the aisle in the short term, it poses an insurmountable threat to both sides of the aisle in the long-term trajectory of our country.

Here's how YOU can get access to Glenn's show prep from March 23, 2023

On Thursday's radio program, Glenn mentioned how important this week's stories are concerning the trajectory of our nation. From growing fears of bank collapses to the possible indictment of a U.S. President, the way these events unfold will have a seismic shift in the future of our country.

Glenn wants YOU to be informed with all of the news stories that are unfolding so that YOU can prepare for the future. Glenn considered his show prep from Thursday so important, he wanted all of his listeners to have it. That's why we're making Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter from March 23, 2023 available to you now. Scroll down to view all of the stories.

Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter contains all of the stories he reviews every morning before his radio show, even the stories he isn't able to get to while on-air. As Glenn said, having access to these stories is vital for you to be able to prepare for what comes next. That's why he has encouraged his audience to sign up for this newsletter so you can get access to ALL the stories that matter. Enter your email below to get Glenn's Morning Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

Below is a copy of the stories featured in Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter sent March 23, 2023.

Domestic News...

FBI Informant Was Embedded In Jan. 6 Defense Team, Lawyers Allege
At least one Proud Boys member on trial over the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol had a previously-concealed FBI informant set to appear as a witness in their case, a defense attorney said Wednesday.

Hunter Biden used FBI mole named ‘One-Eye’ to tip him off to China probes: tipster
The House Oversight Committee is investigating the claims by Dr. Gal Luft, a former Israel Defense Forces lieutenant colonel with deep intelligence ties in Washington and Beijing, who says he was arrested to stop him from revealing what he knows about the Biden family and FBI corruption.

Emails: VP Biden ‘Signed Off’ on Statement to Press About Hunter’s Burisma Position Despite Claims of No Involvement
Biden approved an official statement in December 2015 about Hunter Biden’s position on a Ukrainian energy company’s board despite claims he was not involved with the family’s business, emails obtained from the National Archives show.

Anarcho-tyranny in the USA
Law and order in the United States have now descended to a level of anarcho-tyranny in which the government funds rioters with the tax money of their victims.

The media desperately want to make maternity wards closing about abortion bans
It’s the perfect headline for the major media’s preferred narrative, and it’s mostly bogus. “So many doctors are being driven away by Idaho abortion ban that this hospital can’t deliver babies anymore,” one headline about Bonner General in Bonner County, Idaho, declared.

Democrat ran Milwaukee has a car theft epidemic
So their answer? To sue car makers for making their cars too easy to steal.

Lab-grown ‘GOOD Meat’ receives clearance from FDA
The lab-grown cultivated meat is made from animal cells that are provided nutrients, grown in steel vats, and then processed into various cuts of meat.

Virginia inmates use toothbrush to dig tunnel out of jail, head to IHOP
The prisoners were captured at the pancake joint’s location about seven miles away from the jail they escaped from hours earlier.

Politics...

Video: Joe Biden gets laughed at as he has another senior moment
"Jill, the First Lady...the first full-time lady...the First Lady who works full time in addition to being the First Lady."

Jean-Pierre refuses to comment on the Bidens receiving money from Chinese energy company
“And I don’t even know where to begin to even answer that question,” Jean-Pierre added. "Because, again, it’s been lies and lies and inaccuracy for the past couple of years and I’m just not going to get into it from here."

Babylon Bee: Democrats Vow To Arrest As Many Political Opponents As It Takes To Defeat Fascism
"Fascism is a clear and present danger in this country," began Senator Chuck Schumer, "and the only way to defeat it is with a corrupt, all-powerful police state that can imprison anyone who disagrees with us politically. If we don't do this, fascism will win."

Democrats’ Banana-Republic Persecution Of Donald Trump Must Meet A Republican Response
This is the equivalent of a nationally televised jaywalking arrest to humiliate a person due solely to personal hate.

Bill O'Reilly makes prediction that the Trump trial won't make it to a jury
O'Reilly said the reason he speculates this case won't go far is due to the statute of limitations in New York.

A Double Standard on Decorum in White House Briefing Room
The White House press corps is a microcosm of the national media. It is overwhelmingly liberal, stuffed with Joe Biden voters. So, it was downright weird when former press secretary Jen Psaki told the LA Times she sometimes thought, “I am an orderly in an insane asylum.”

Ted Cruz introduces bill blocking Fed from adopting central bank digital currency
Republicans cited privacy concerns as a reason for opposing a central bank digital currency for consumers.

Ted Cruz To Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment To Lock Supreme Court At Nine Justices
Cruz originally introduced the amendment in 2021.

Economy / ESG...

Fed hikes rates by a quarter percentage point, indicates increases are near an end
Along with its ninth hike since March 2022, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee noted that future increases are not assured and will depend largely on incoming data.

Janet Yellen Says Government Won’t Offer ‘Blanket Insurance’ Of Bank Deposits
“I have not considered or discussed anything having to do with blanket insurance or guarantees of deposits,” Yellen responded.

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Fed Chair Powell’s Ouster – He Is ‘Trying to Drive’ U.S. into Recession
"Well, what he’s trying to do is get two million people laid off. And one of the things that we need to understand, he wants to raise the unemployment rate by more than a point within a single 12-month period."

Coinbase: We asked the SEC for reasonable crypto rules for Americans. We got legal threats instead.
Today’s Wells notice does not provide a lot of information for us to respond to. The SEC staff told us they have identified potential violations of securities law, but little more.

Coinbase warned by SEC of potential securities charges
The notice is the second warning from the SEC to a crypto entity after a February notice to stablecoin issuer Paxos.

The IRS plans to tax some NFTs as collectibles
Collectibles carry a top long-term capital gains rate of 28%. Other assets like stocks and cryptocurrency generally carry a maximum 20% federal rate.

Job-listing company Indeed to lay off 2,200 employees
The company anticipates that job listings, which are the company’s bread-and-butter, will continue to decline in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

WAR News...

A nuclear war with the US is more likely than ever, Russia warns
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that the risk of a nuclear clash was at its highest level in decades, warning that Moscow was in a "de-facto" open conflict with Washington over the war in Ukraine.

China, Russia turn up the heat on US after Xi, Putin meet in Moscow
US bio-military and nuclear activities raise ‘serious concerns’ about security of other nations, joint statement says.

Europe should detain Putin, give him to ICC if he visits, Blinken says
“Would you encourage our European allies to turn him over?” Republican Sen. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina asked Blinken during a budget hearing. “Anyone who is a party to the court and has obligations should fulfill their obligations,” Blinken said.

World Bank puts cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $411 billion
The report details some of the toll of Russia's war in Ukraine: at least 9,655 civilians confirmed dead, including 461 children; nearly 2 million homes damaged; more than one out of five public health institutions damaged; and 650 ambulances damaged or looted.

Chinese media: China supports UN-led Nord Stream investigation
Chinese experts stressed the importance of promoting the UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage while noting that launching such a probe under the existing UN mechanism could be very difficult because the US would obstruct or object to the investigation proposal.

Online Sleuths Untangle the Mystery of the Nord Stream Sabotage
Open source intelligence researchers are verifying and debunking opaque claims about who ruptured the gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Russia is dusting off antique tanks from the 1940s, group says
It said that the images show T-54 tanks, which the Soviet Union started producing in 1947, moving west from the far east of Russia.

Ukrainian official accuses Putin of sending a body double to Mariupol
Conspiracy theories regarding Putin’s use of body doubles have persisted for years.

COVID-19...

Federal biosecurity board cut back meetings as US resumed gain-of-function research funding
A federal committee that advises the government on "biological research that has the potential for misuse" met only once between 2017, when a 3-year moratorium on federal funding of gain-of-function research was lifted, and 2022

Rand Paul confronts Moderna CEO about myocarditis risk from COVID vaccine
Then reveals what Moderna's president secretly told him.

Media...

For Five Straight Years, The Pulitzer Prizes Have Rewarded Misinformation
While the Pulitzer Prizes have always been little more than self-dealing masquerading as journalistic beauty pageant, it was a lot easier to believe in this manufactured prestige back when journalism was at least slightly more competent and concerned with the appearance of objectivity.

A huge new scandal rocks Fox News and Tucker Carlson
Part of a new lawsuit claims that Tucker Carlson's team plastered photos around the office of Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit 'revealing her cleavage' because they thought it was funny because she looked bad.

DirecTV reaches deal to distribute Newsmax after dispute
Newsmax will again be available to DirecTV subscribers on Tuesday.

Canada...

Justin Trudeau: Online Disinformation Fuels ‘Flat-Earthers’ and ‘Anti-Vaxxers’
The internet also does things like allow people to easily find pictures of Trudeau in blackface.

Middle East...

Iran is preparing for the day after an Israeli strike, US should, too
Aware of Israel’s determination to stymie its nuclear ambitions, Iran has prepared for the day after such a strike. Just last month, details emerged that Tehran has been “mapping” Diaspora Jewish communities for future retaliatory assassination campaigns in case Israel were to execute such an attack.

Iran-Saudi deal shifts regional power - and the US emerges as a loser
The Iran-Saudi deal doesn’t necessarily signal a whole new ball game in the Middle East, however, there has been a shift in the balance of power among regional and global players, following the post-Ukraine era.

Environment...

Humanity has 'broken the water cycle,' UN chief warns
"We are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating."

Climate protesters cut credit cards outside Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America
Protesters gathered in DC, outside several major banks, where they cut up their credit cards and called for the institutions to stop spending money to promote the fossil fuel industry.

Chevy kills the gas powered Camaro
The Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro have soldiered on as what could possibly represent the last two vehicles of their kind.

Dodge resurrects 'controversial' Challenger SRT Demon for final year of V8 muscle cars
Dodge says the new car will deliver 1,025 total horsepower, 945 foot-pounds of torque and reach 60 mph from a rolling start in 1.66 seconds.

Electric cars are creating a new economy — and leaving some towns behind
Workers and small businesses in Belvidere, Ill., are dealing with the aftermath of mass layoffs, after Stellantis idled its Jeep factory.

Museum highlights climate change with tilted paintings
The powerful display will feature 15 paintings hung at an angle to bring attention to the earth warming 1.5 degrees Celsius...

LGBTQIA2S+...

Leftist pundit draws outrage for saying she doesn't want to be referred to as 'person who menstruates'
Ana Kasparian wrote, "I'm a woman. Please don't ever refer to me as a person with a uterus, birthing person, or person who menstruates. How do people not realize how degrading this is? You can support the transgender community without doing this s---."

Education...

Just three in 4 support schools having parents' consent before changing kids gender identity, poll
Nearly the same percentage of voters also support legislation requiring schools to tell parents whether their child wants to change their gender identity – with 71% in favor of this requirement.

Newsom silent on LA schools strike after 500,000 kids forced to stay home for second day
LA labor union demands 'pause in educator evaluations during this unprecedented time'.

Striking Los Angeles school support staff earn $25,000 on average
School support staffers, such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teacher aides, earn about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in America.

Health...

Rising Rate of Drug Shortages Is Framed as a National Security Threat
A Senate homeland security committee examined growing health care shortages amid reports of rationing within hospitals.

CDC: Artificial Tears Products Linked to Drug-Resistant Infection
The CDC wrote that the strain, called VIM-GES-CRPA, had not previously been seen in the US but has now been identified in 68 patients across 16 states.

Religion...

Russell Brand ‘I Need God or I Cannot Cope in this World’
“Like many desperate people, I need spirituality,” Brand said. “I need God, or I cannot cope in this world. I need to believe in the best in people.”

Technology...

Dems Fear TikTok Ban Could Makes The Kids Mad
Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a progressive member of “The Squad,” is leading the party’s fight against banning TikTok.

Bill to prevent spying by smart fridges advances to Senate floor
The bill would give the FTC the power to force the designers of internet-connected devices to disclose whether recording hardware is installed into smart devices.

Science...

US politicians 'shown top-secret videos of UFOs flying close to aircraft'
An investigative reporter working in the field of UFOs has claimed that there is now "incontrovertible evidence" key Congressmen and women in the US government are being given "top-secret" briefings.

The First 3-D Printed Rocket Fails Shortly After Launch
Relativity Space, a private company with ambitions for sending people to Mars, made it off the launchpad, but the vehicle experienced problems during the second stage of its flight.

Big asteroid impacts may be more damaging than we thought - study
Massive asteroids that have impacted the Earth in the past million years may have had a far more devastating effect on the planet than previously realized, according to a new study.

Travel...

TSA chief: Eventually, biometrics won’t be optional
This article flew under the radar last week as they buried the lead in an article titled, 'TSA chief says biometrics and tech could lower the stress of traveling'.

FAA: Lithium Battery Incidents On Planes Now Happening More Than Once Per Week
Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando was diverted to Jacksonville earlier this week after a lithium battery in a personal device caught fire in an overhead bin.

Sports...

Multiple NHL teams have opted out of 'Pride Night' jerseys, as resistance grows despite media pressure
Behind the scenes, multiple teams have decided that ditching the controversial theme altogether was a smarter move, either because of player refusal or to avoid a public relations black eye.

Why Bulls’ Patrick Beverley won’t have sex before games
“I want to have fresh [legs,] you know what I’m saying?"

Animals...

There’s a new invasive mosquito species in Florida
An invasive mosquito with a curved mouth and a striped body is the latest addition to a growing list of nonnative mosquito species bridging the gap between the tropics and Florida.

Chinese scientists grow antlers on mice in hopes of one day regenerating human limbs
Can you imagine how cute a miniature Christmas display would be if you had mice with antlers pulling a little Santa's sleigh?

New species of ‘giant’ spider discovered hiding underground in Australia, experts say
Hiding underground and only emerging at night, a creepy crawly creature in the woodlands of Australia remained undetected. Not anymore.

THE DOCUMENTS for 'The Big Distraction' Glenn TV special

The big news item of the week is Trump's potential indictment from New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. According to our recent poll, most of you think that Trump's potential indictment is NOT about holding Trump accountable for a crime—most of you think it's a weaponization of our judicial system against the Left's number one enemy.

On Wednesday's episode of Glenn TV, Glenn dove into the details behind Trump's potential indictment and suggested even more nefarious intentions behind the indictment—to distract from the House Oversight Committee's bombshell memorandum revealing Biden's illicit business dealings with China.

Do your own homework

Glenn's email subscribers get EXCLUSIVE access to the research documents that went into this episode, from the details behind Trump's potential indictment to the inside scoop behind Biden's illicit business dealings with China. Not a subscriber yet? Enter your email below to get INSTANT ACCESS to this resource.

Watch the full special below (or watch on BlazeTV here):

How PREPARED is Glenn's audience? The results are IN!

Last week, Glenn published his updated "Preparedness Quiz" to see how prepared his audience is for a big crisis—and the results are in! Thankfully, not very many of you are "Toast." In fact, most of you could survive a big disaster, and even some of you could survive a nuclear apocalypse—not very many could say that!

If you haven't taken the quiz already, you can take it HERE, and be sure to download Glenn's "Ultimate Preparedness Guide" filled with practical tips on how to keep you and your family safe for a future crisis.

1.7% of Glenn's audience is TOAST! Thankfully, that's very few of you.

There is little chance you'd survive repairing your kitchen table, not to mention enduring a massive economic crisis or natural disaster. With no money, food, or supplies stocked up, you will have to rely on the altruism of your more-prepared friends and family. But then again, if you can't even navigate to their house without your phone, you may still be TOAST.

13.8% of Glenn's audience could survive a little disaster.

Congrats on having some of your finances set aside for emergencies... and some useful tools and skills tucked away in case of an emergency. You could potentially endure a "little disaster" of financial hardship. However, if you want to survive a massive financial crisis or natural disaster, you're going to have to start stockpiling some more money and supplies.

68.9% of Glenn's audience could survive a big disaster.

Congrats on being more prepared than most! You have some investment in precious metals, an emergency fund, some food and supplies stockpiled, and maybe an extra generator. Even though you may not be a "prepper," you have taken steps to prepare for hard times, which will protect you and your loved ones for weeks... even months—which is way better than nothing!

14.7% of Glenn's audience could survive a nuclear apocalypse.

Congratulations on being one of the few people in this world who could actually survive a nuclear apocalypse! Seriously... there are very few of you. Your bunker is stocked with food, water, and supplies to last you MONTHS. Your silver, gold, and emergency fund will help you cruise in times of financial distress. You can secure more goods because you have learned a bunch of "barter" skills. Congrats on being able to keep yourself and your loved ones safe!

Glenn's Show Prep