“This is so sick and so dark and so evil”: Johnnie Moore chronicles atrocities in the Middle East

For months, Johnnie Moore, author of Defying ISIS, has been rallying Christians in America to save those being persecuted in the Middle East. He’s heard some disturbing news out of Iraq and Syria, and has chronicled 20 atrocities that have taken place just this week. He shared a few of the stories on radio this morning. Trust us, after this interview you’ll know why Glenn is uniting people to stand for the Christians under attack.

GLENN: We started -- we started the week with a kickoff of something called never again is now. Where we are standing up for the Christians and for the Muslims who aren't Muslim enough and the homosexuals and anybody else that ISIS says we should kill. We're standing up for them. Never again is now. Stop the genocide over in the Middle East. We'll call a spade a spade. It is about Islam. And these Islamists have got to be stopped.

And so we're going to wake up our churches. We're going to wake ourselves up. We're going to wake our neighbors up. And then we'll put our backbones into it, and we're going to send aid over to those guys. Did you hear just yesterday that one of the guys who was just in his church, he was former military, got up and told his preacher, said, I got to do something about it. Went over, signed up, and was fighting with I think the Kurds and was just killed.

But he made a difference. He made a difference. Will we be brave enough to stand? At least stand in our own community and say, enough of -- this is crazy, what we're doing in this country is crazy.

Let's start talking about something that is real. And real injustice. Every life matters. Not black lives. Not white lives. Not blue lives. All lives matter. Young, old. Born and unborn. All lives matter.

Johnnie Moore who is -- put a new book out called defying ISIS. He's currently in Washington, DC, where he'll be speaking at the Coptic Solidarity Conference this weekend. Johnnie, how are you, sir?

JOHNNIE: I'm great, sir. Great to hear your voice.

GLENN: So, Johnnie, you're a millennial who is tired of watching people sit around on their hands and do nothing. Tell me about what you're seeing happening in the country now.

JOHNNIE: Well, it's amazing what's in the last week alone, a lot of people are waked up. It's really, really remarkable. I've been traveling around the country for a solid month just trying to get the temperature of where people are. I've been in places with poor people and rich people. I've been to rural churches and urban churches. I've just been everywhere. And it seems like we've finally reached a moment where this has boiled over enough for people to pay attention. And I think the message that you're sending across the country, that never again is now is something that people are really, really grabbing on to. But we have to do it quickly. Glenn, I just sat down a few minutes ago to write the list of atrocities I've heard this week from Iraq and Syria. Now, my list has about 20 things on it. I mean, it's unbelievable.

GLENN: Give me some of them, Johnnie.

JOHNNIE: Well, one of them, the latest Christian martyr is an 80-year-old lady. So in the Nineveh plain, where we thought there weren't any Christians left, ISIS found one. Because she wouldn't submit to them, they burned her alive. An 80-year-old Christian woman. It's unconscionable.

By the way, in Libya this week, you know, ISIS found a group of Eritrean refugees, like the Ethiopians, and they're mainly Christians. They kidnapped them. They're holding them hostage. We can use our imaginations as to what they aim to do with them. You know, the only church left in Mosul. They had already broken the cross off the church. The church is still standing. So what they did two days ago, ISIS turned it into a mosque. Not only did they turn it into a mosque, Glenn, they call it the Mosque of the Mujahideen. So this is the mosque that is the center of their jihad.

In Egypt, ten Coptic homes were burned to the ground in a single village, and ISIS sympathizers in Sudan, you know, having imprisoned a couple of pastors in Pakistan. They're trying to take land away from a number of churches. The Baghdad municipality in Iraq openly admitted this week that 70 percent of Christian homes in the city have been seized illegally. It's crazy. Then, by the way, we have the special representative of the secretary general of the United Nations. Right? For sexual violence. This is a woman. This is what she does. She faces sexual violence all around the world. So this is from the UN. They tend to not exaggerate. If anything, they try to moderate their comments. And what this woman said was -- she said that ISIS is now selling women on their slave markets for the price of a pack of cigarettes. That's not from some right-wing activist. That's from the United Nations. For a pack of cigarettes. They're advertising in their jihadist literature now that they have new girls. They've kidnapped new girls. So if you come join our fight, for the cost of a pack of cigarettes, you can buy all of them you want. That's this week.

GLENN: This is sick. This is just so sick and so dark and so evil. And evil will grow and grow out of control if good doesn't stand up. But, you know, it's -- I really think that, Johnnie, we can't just -- good is not going to defeat this. God is going to defeat this. This is absolute evil. And, you know, in World War II, we had God. You know, there was God in our country. We have done everything to insult and turn our back on God. And if the people of God -- this is still a country that is 78 percent Christian. At least they claim to be. I would bet you that about 30 percent of this nation is actually Christian. That they -- they're more than just a casual profession of, yeah, I'm Christian. About 30, 40 percent of this country is still, I will stand up for it if push comes to shove. I hope. Maybe it's 10 percent. I don't know. But that group needs to stand up. Be seen. And be doing something. We need to start putting our backbone into what our tongue professes.

JOHNNIE: Yeah, and here's the fact. The fact is, if I could just describe what I just described a moment ago to someone listening to us talk and they call themselves a Christian and it doesn't immediately compel them to do some kind of action, whether that's call a congressman, whether it's provide a donation to help people that are in harm's way, whether it's gather their church community to pray, whatever it is -- if you are not immediately compelled to act, that is your moral compass screaming at you inside of you.

Because here's the difference, Glenn, between what happened in World War II and what happened now. What happened in World War II happened when we didn't have the information age. We didn't have a 24/7 news cycle. We didn't have Twitter and Facebook. This stuff was not in front of our face every day. Not a single person in the world, Christian or otherwise, can say they don't know what's happening in Iraq and Syria. In fact, it's even worse than that. We discovered this week that ISIS had actually self-published their maggot Amazon system. That ISIS had actually gone into Facebook, and they were selling their stolen artifacts on Facebook. They infiltrated our systems. To Amazon and Facebook's credit, they immediately shut it down as soon as they found out about it. This is everywhere. It's on our commercial enterprise. It's on Twitter. It's on Facebook. It's on YouTube. It's in our face all the time. We know what's happening. If you ask yourself why these atrocities happen, they happen for two reasons. There are those willingly to commit them. And there are those willing to remain silent when they do.

GLENN: So, Johnnie, I think, quite honestly -- I mean, I can trace it all the way back to -- to Father Abraham, where good starts, you know, going against evil and trying to wipe out his children. And it goes back and forth and back and forth. And we see the Star of David appear as the sign of the Jew to, you know, to be gathered up and to be put away. Years and years -- centuries before Hitler does. And it always mutates. And it always learns its lesson. But it always has the same marks about it. Evil learns. And it has gone from -- from the Germans. And the German people to the hijackers were from Hamburg, Germany. And it has mutated now. And it has gone to the Middle East. And this genocide is sitting there. And they're not starting with the Jews this time. They're starting with the Christians. They're starting against anything that stands up against them. And what you just said about the -- you know, the internet. I find it -- I find it fascinating that the stakes this time are much higher than they were in World War II. And I mean this. We're still playing for the globe. That's exactly what Nazi Germany was playing for. They were playing for the globe. Global domination. That's the same thing ISIS is playing for. This caliphate is just the beginning. They want global domination. So we're playing for the same thing. But here's -- here's where I up the ante. What you just said, in World War II, we didn't know for sure, you could get away with saying, well, I didn't know for sure. We didn't have that information, did we? Now, every single citizen does. So our souls are in jeopardy.

JOHNNIE: It's a moral issue for each of us as individuals. And, by the way, ISIS doesn't aim to infiltrate our country and the West. They're already here. It's a different game. It's a different game than ten years ago. You know, if you wanted to join al-Qaeda ten years ago, you had to travel to Afghanistan. You had to learn Arabic. You had to live in rudimentary conditions.

Now, in this battle in the last decade, a new battle, you can sit in the privacy of your own home. You get trained and inspired in front of your computer screen, and then you take your American passport and you go over to Turkey and walk over a border or you go across the street. Just stop and think about this for just a minute. Just yesterday, in the United States of America, a 17-year-old kid pleaded guilty in Washington, DC, for recruiting for ISIS. And when he stood in front of the judge, he didn't try to justify it. He didn't say he wasn't guilty. He said unashamedly, he said with more commitment to his hate than most Christians I know are committed to their compassion and their faith, he said without wavering: I am guilty. I aimed to recruit for the Islamic stated.

Seventeen years old, in the United States of America.

GLENN: Johnnie wrote the book Defying ISIS. It's available in bookstores everywhere and also on Amazon.com, but something that everyone should read. And, Johnnie, I sure appreciate everything you're doing. If you want to contact him. He's fantastic at speaking at church and everywhere else. DefyingISIS.com is where they reach you?

JOHNNIE: That's where it is.

GLENN: Okay. Johnnie, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

JOHNNIE: Thanks for having me.

GLENN: If you are moved to action, I would ask that you would do two things: I would ask that you would go to mercuryone.org and you would end the week where we started. And that is, donate your time and anything that you have. If you have five bucks or 100 bucks, we have a 15,000-dollar donation the other day from one of our listeners.

PAT: Nice.

GLENN: And donate to mercuryone.org. We are sending supplies over and we are -- believe me, before we send anything over, we will show you everything that we're doing. We'll show you who our partners are. We're making sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. We're very, very careful on it. I hope to be going over with the donation. But we would like to have a staggering donation to make. And you can help us by going to mercuryone.org. Also, you can change your Facebook photo. You can change your Twitter photo. And grab something from never again is now on mercuryone.org. And then I would ask you that you would join us in this movement.

Now, I have -- I have Martin Luther King's pledge that he had everybody sign when they decided to join him. We have updated it for the times. But we really have changed very little of it. And it's up on GlennBeck.com. And I want you to download that. And I want you to sign it.

I want you -- when you sign up, I want you to sign it and say, you're in. Because what's happening in Birmingham, Alabama, on 8/28 and 8/29 is the beginning of a movement. I talked about it on last night's television show. Somebody said, why don't we just get together? Why don't we all go to McKinney, Texas because there's a march with a whole bunch of -- I said, because we're not ready, that's why. We're not ready. We're not disciplined enough.

There is trouble coming. And we better all stand together, and we better be disciplined enough. So make a donation at mercuryone.org. Decide whether you're in or out. And join us there at mercuryone.org. Consider joining us on 8/28. And 8/29. May I ask that you would join us in Birmingham, Alabama this August 28th and 29th. Be a part of history because I'm telling you, I felt this when we went over to Israel. I felt this when we did Washington, DC. This is historic. Restoring Love, which happened at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Was the largest volunteer event ever in American history. The first time Dallas Cowboys Stadium has ever been sold out for a speaking event. So that was cool history. This, I believe, is like Restoring Honor, this is going to be historic. Bring your family and join me in a historic moment. Never again is now! Mercuryone.org.

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor, Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

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It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?

Who will be Kamala Harris' VP pick?

JIM WATSON / Contributor, Chris duMond / Stringer, Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and put forward his endorsement behind his Vice President Kamala Harris.

Glenn recently predicted that Biden would step down due to the mountain of pressure within his party to do so. But now that we are here we are faced with an all-new line of questions, like, who will be the candidate on the Democratic ticket? Who will be their pick for vice president?

As of now, the answer to the first question seems to be Kamala Harris, who received the support of the president and several prominent democrats. It's still too early to call for certain, and Glenn doesn't think it's likely, but assuming Kamala becomes the Democrat nominee, who will her VP pick be? There are endless possible options, but there are a 5 big names that could prove beneficial to Harris' campaign:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

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Governor Newsom has spiked in popularity within his party since his taking office in 2019 due to his scathing criticisms of President Trump and other Republicans. Newsom has been a popular contender as a possible Biden replacement, and a future presidential bid seems likely.

His widespread recognition may be a boon to Kamala's ticket, but the California governor comes with a dark side. Newsom was famously nearly recalled as Governor in 2021, hanging on to his office by a narrow margin. He also faced criticism for his hypocrisy during the COVID lockdowns, attending large gatherings while the rest of his state was locked inside. There's also the issue that both Newsom and Kamala are from California, meaning that if they were to appear on the same ticket, that ticket would lack geographical balance and would potentially lead to a Constitutional issue that would force the duo to forfeit all 54 of the states' Electoral College votes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Another prominent Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro has also been floated as a potential VP pick. Governor Shapiro has become a viable pick due to his well-received performance as Pennslyvania's Governor. The governor has good support within the swing state due to his handling of the I-95 bridge collapse, the train derailment in East Palestine, which had effects on his state, and the assassination attempt on the former president last week. Shapiro would bring much-needed support from the swing state if he was put on the ticket.

That being said, Shapiro has little time to build nationwide name recognition before the DNC in August and the November election. This would be Shapiro's debut on the national stage, and he would find himself in the most unforgiving situation possible.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor | Getty Images

Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and opponent of Biden during the 2020 Democratic primaries, "Mayor Pete's" name recognition might be what Kamala needs on her presidential ticket. Buttigieg rose to popularity during the 2020 election due to his youth and status as "openly gay." Buttigieg has served as the Secretary of Transportation during the Biden administration for the past four years and has formally endorsed Harris.

Nevertheless, Buttigieg has some dark spots on his resume. The East Palestine train derailment disaster has besmirched his reputation as Secretary of Transportation. And while his youth may work in his favor when compared to the other elderly members of our federal government, it also means Buttigieg lacks the experience and prestige that other politicians enjoy.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

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Yet another governor of a crucial swing state, Whitmer was elected in 2018, two years after President Trump was elected, helping secure the state for the Democrats. Whitmer is known for her strong opposition to Trump, both during his presidency and his reelection campaign. Whitmer serves as co-chair for the Biden-Harris campaign and as vice chairperson of the DNC, which gives her influence over the Democratic party, something that would come in handy as a Vice President. Gov. Whitmer also established the Fight Like Hell PAC, which is dedicated to helping Democrats get elected and to stopping Trump by any means.

On the other hand, in a statement following Biden's resignation from the election, Governor Whitmer stated that her role “will remain the same.” It is also worth noting that if she were to be chosen as Kamala's VP, that would make their ticket all-female, which may foster some "woke points," but is politically risky.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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Andy Bashear has seemingly beaten the odds twice, having been elected and reelected as the Governor of Kentucky, despite the deep-red nature of the state. Beshear, who has moderate tendencies, would be a boon to the Harris campaign as he has a track record of reaching rural, typically conservative regions where Democrats tend to struggle. He is also known for his propensity to talk about his Christian faith and willingness to work with Republicans, which are traits that might help win over moderates.

But, like Gov. Shapiro, Bashear has very little time to whip up national support and recognition. He also is unlikely to be very much help for the Harris campaign in winning over important swing states.

Five times Glenn had J.D. Vance on his show and where he stands on key issues

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We finally have an answer to the long-awaited question of who Trump will pick for his running mate, and it's none other than Ohio Senator and friend of the show, J.D. Vance. At the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump officially accepted the party's nomination as the Republican candidate and announced J.D. Vance as his running mate.

Glenn has had Senator Vance on the show several times to discuss everything from DEI to the Southern Border. If you are looking to familiarize yourself with the next potential Vice President, look no further, here are five conversations Glenn had with Trump's VP pick:

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