The ONE question Penn Jillette thinks the candidates need to answer

Glenn and Penn Jillette always have a great conversation, and last night was no different. Penn’s always been a big libertarian, so Glenn was really interested in what he thought of someone like Rand Paul entering the race for President of the United States. Penn shared his thoughts - as well as the one question he thinks every candidate should have to answer. What was it?

"The question I always want to ask, you know, every person who believes in big government is the simple question, 'What should the government do?' And that question never gets asked," Penn said.

"They did heating oil subsidies in New England in order to keep people warm in their homes. That was a boy, that’s a good thing. We don’t want people freezing to death, so the government is going to come in and do that. And then right after, in this state, Texas, they in their negotiating said we need air-conditioning subsidies for people in Texas. That’s also a good thing. People should be comfortable in their homes. People do die from their homes getting too hot. Where do we draw that line in what government should do?" he continued.

"And that is the single question I want to ask Elizabeth Warren and I want to ask Rand Paul," he said.

Watch the segment below, and scroll down for the full transcript:

Glenn: Anybody that you see that you like? Anybody?

Penn: I like you. I like that guy.

Glenn: No, that’s thinking about running.

Penn: Oh thinking about running, are you thinking about running?

Glenn: This is the most libertarian that we’ve had maybe in 100 years. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz is constitutional. He’s not libertarian, but he’s constitutional. You’ve got those two.

Penn: You’ve got those two. I happen to love Gary Johnson. I don’t think he’ll run again, but boy, Gary Johnson was just, you know, I want to have somebody that has such strong principles that the person doesn’t matter, you know? That’s what you need. The people moving it towards libertarian, now, Rand Paul—

Glenn: Did you like his father?

Penn: As a matter of fact, I’m going to be doing a thing with his father. I’ve never met him, but you know, to me, you’ve got to do a little bit of prioritizing. Ron Paul was so antiwar in so many ways and so much of a peacenik and so pro-freedom that I was willing to forgive when you got down the line. Rand Paul has done much more fake libertarian stuff, you know?

Glenn: That’s really interesting.

Penn: And his whole thing of religion does have a place in government, which I would like to remind him that the people who most don’t want religion to be in government are the religious people. You really don’t want. Boy, do you not want.

Before communism kind of screwed it all up, at the end of the 19th century, Robert Ingersoll, a very well-known atheist, was courted by all religious groups. Presidents had him in the White House because if you had an atheist, your atheist was the canary in the coal mine. If the Southern Baptist came in and said I’m going to treat this atheist well, then the Catholics went, “Whew, we’re okay.”

You know, what you have to understand is when Rand Paul says government can’t be part of religion, but religion can be part of government, which is what he said, when he says that, people like you should be screaming, “Excuse me, whose religion?” That’s the first question you have to ask. Whenever they say we’re going to put the Ten Commandments up here, we’re going to use the Bible here, we’re going to use religion here, I can’t believe that everybody doesn’t scream, “Whose religion?”

And that’s why before it got tied in with Socialism and Communism, which I understand why atheism got a bad rap. If you give me a choice of free-market democracy with religion and Communism without religion, I don’t think you have to think for a second which I’d go with, where I’m going to do better.

Glenn: Right.

Penn: When you had that idea, using the atheist as okay, we’re going to take over the government right now, and oh, by the way, we’re okay with Robert Ingersoll. He can come on in. Everybody, you know, every Jew in the country, every Catholic in the country, every Muslim in the country gets to go, “Oh, we’re going to be able to go to church. We can do what we want.”

So, I’m very bothered by Rand Paul saying this and that and the other thing. Who I vote for and who I say I vote for, at a very profound level does not matter. What I would love to see more than anything is the conversation publicly between Rand Paul and Hillary Clinton, that conversation of what should the government try to do.

Glenn: I’d really like—because I don’t think Hillary Clinton is an honest conversation there, I’d like to see Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul. I’d love to have those two have the conversation. If we could all be adults and say, “Just tell us the truth.” I don’t think you’re a communist Elizabeth. You believe in like Swedish Socialism or something. Great, that’s okay. That’s totally fine. Have that conversation. Let’s be open and honest about it.

Rand, you talk about libertarianism and small government. Let’s have that real conversation. The Jeb Bush-Hillary Clinton thing is a waste of time.

Penn: The question I always want to ask, you know, every person who believes in big government is the simple question, “What should the government do?” And that question never gets asked.

They did heating oil subsidies in New England in order to keep people warm in their homes. That was a boy, that’s a good thing. We don’t want people freezing to death, so the government is going to come in and do that. And then right after, in this state, Texas, they in their negotiating said we need air-conditioning subsidies for people in Texas. That’s also a good thing. People should be comfortable in their homes. People do die from their homes getting too hot. Where do we draw that line in what government should do? And that is the single question I want to ask Elizabeth Warren and I want to ask Rand Paul.

You say the government should be a small as possible, and yet you want the government to have some say in religion? I would say you open a can of worms, but opening a can of worms is no big deal. Opening a can of bees, that’s a bad thing. Let’s say that’s opening a can of whiteface hornets, because a can of worms, we open that, we put it there, we keep talking. A can of bees changes the conversation. Can we agree with that?

So, I think that saying the government has some say—this is the crazy thing, the government needs to have say in keeping people safe, and that is automatically morality, but the government shouldn’t be seeing it as morality but seeing it as individual rights. And that is the really difficult part. And by the way, that question we want to ask, “What’s government’s role?” anybody who can answer that question is a liar, but they will say on a sliding scale, I think it’s about here. And you say well, what about this thing, you know? And that’s the point to me of libertarianism is everybody jumps right to roads and public schools. Everybody jumps right to the poor starving. Everybody jumps right to those things right away.

I say let’s not get to those. Let’s talk about corporate welfare. Let’s talk about Wall Street bailouts. Let’s talk about too much war overseas, interacting too much overseas. A lot of us can agree on that. By the time we get to public schools, we will be so happy, it’ll be a nice, easy, comfortable call. Because I’ll tell you right now, if you were to come to me and say here’s the deal you have to make with the devil, we’re going to give an amount of money you can live on to every single poor person in the country, we’re going to have public school, we’re going to have roads, but you know something, we’re not going to have the national endowment for the arts, we’re not going to have NASA, which is two things I love, by the way, which is why I choose them first. We’re going to get rid of those.

What Harry Brown used to say, pick the three government programs that you like the most. Now, ask yourself would I be willing to get rid of those if I could get rid of all the others? But we can pare it down quite a ways. So, my question that I’m asking myself now is can I feel good enough about Rand Paul’s foreign policy and money policy to not be repulsed by his absolute slap in the face to me and the people I love dearly of religion needs to be part of government? You know, that’s a conversation I’ll have with myself and not very interesting, but boy, do I want that question, “What should government do?” to be asked to everybody.

Glenn: That’s great.

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)

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Mike Quigley (Illinois)

Pool / Pool | Getty Images

Rep. Angie Craig (Minnesota)

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington)

Scott J. Ferrell / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Pat Ryan (New York)

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Hillary Scholten (Michigan)

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Senator Peter Welch (Vermont)

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Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

BONUS: Actor George Clooney

Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

These TOP 5 new technologies left Glenn SHOCKED

Peter Macdiarmid / Staff | Getty Images

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?