The 'big winner' for Glenn in Thursday's debate

With Glenn off radio for a month, last night's debate was a great way for him to see some of the GOP candidates in action. Let's face it, Glenn has made it very clear that certain candidates (*cough* Ted Cruz *cough*) are strong front runners. That's why Glenn's revelation of who he thought won the debate was so surprising.

Before Thursday's debate, Glenn considered Senator Marco Rubio kind of a "question mark" as a candidate.

"You're not really sure who he is. You haven't seen a lot of him," Glenn said on radio Friday.

Glenn went on to declare Rubio not only the winner of the debate, but also someone he might consider supporting.

"I think he really truly believes things. Because of what he said last night and what he said on CNN this morning," Glenn said, referencing Rubio's interview with Chris Cuomo talking about his stance on abortion.

Watch the video or read the full transcript of the segment below.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it may contain errors.

GLENN: I said earlier that the big -- the big winner from last night, I thought, because he was so likable and he was so strong on things, that he went up in my head on placement. I didn't change who -- I'm for Ted Cruz.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: But I'm looking -- okay, if Ted Cruz doesn't get the nod, who can get it. All right. Number two for me is Rand Paul. Now, Marco Rubio was one of those guys who I was like, okay, if Ted doesn't get it. Who else is there?

GLENN: Marco Rubio moved up a lot last night for me. One of the things he said -- and I think Stu is right on this. Stu said earlier today, I think he's not a guy who is playing politics. I think he really truly believes things. Because of what he said last night and what he said on CNN this morning.

This is not going to be popular in the popular -- in the general election. And it's really kind of -- I don't know if it's that popular with all of the Republicans as well.

PAT: He's not worried about that though.

GLENN: I know that.

PAT: Like you were just saying, this is his position. He's proud of his position. He's not ashamed of it in any way. And he defends it really well.

GLENN: Here he is this morning on CNN with Chris Cuomo talking about his stance on abortion.

MARCO: Science has decided when it's human life.

CHRIS: Science has not decided it's at conception.

MARCO: Let me correct you. Science has -- absolutely it has. Science has concluded absolutely it has. What else can it be? It cannot turn into an animal. It can't turn into a donkey. The only thing that can become is a human being.

(cross-talk)

CHRIS: Look, of course, I understand the logic, but it's a little too simple.

MARCO: It's a human life. It cannot be anything else.

CHRIS: Senator, I understand that. But that's oversimplifying it a little bit.

(cross-talk)

GLENN: Stop. Stop. Stop. He's exactly right.

PAT: Oh, he's crushing Cuomo here.

GLENN: There's nothing else it can be. So when does life begin? When does it become a human? It is at the moment of conception. Because there's nothing else -- it won't grow into a shoe. It won't grow into a tumor. It's a child, period.

CHRIS: -- this is a presented argument of science. In having a DNA map, so does a plant. It's about when it becomes a human being. I'm not saying what I think in answer to that question. That's not my position. But don't you think if you want to be a leader of the future, that's a question that deserves an answer that is definitive beyond your faith. When does life begin? None of you are calling for any type of panel for conception.

MARCO: At conception. At conception.

CHRIS: That's your faith. That's your faith. That's not science.

MARCO: No, it isn't.

CHRIS: It is not definitive science.

MARCO: It absolutely is.

CHRIS: I'll have scientists all morning from all walks of life who will say, we cannot say it is definitely human life at conception.

PAT: What?

GLENN: Stop. Stop.

PAT: What else could it be? I want one scientist who will tell you it's not human life. One -- I want one. Because I would love to have the argument with that scientist.

GLENN: What else could it be?

PAT: What could it be? What could it be?

STU: Never anything else.

GLENN: He says, well, it has a DNA map. So does a plant. Yes, of a plant.

If I took the DNA from a tree and I said is that a tree? You would look at the DNA coding and you would go, that's a tree.

STU: Right. Yeah, it's plant life. And this is human life.

GLENN: Right. When there's --

PAT: If you take a seed and plant it, like you take a seed of a tree and you plant it, well, I don't know that that's a tree. Prove that's a tree.

GLENN: Give me some time. It will sprout very soon. And if you want to look at it scientifically, you could take the DNA and say, yes, that is an oak tree.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: It's just a very young oak tree. It is the seed of an oak tree. But it is the oak tree. It won't grow into anything else.

STU: This starts after about three minutes of this, by the way. It goes on and on and on.

GLENN: By the way, Chris Cuomo, what are they looking for in space? What are they looking for in space? Life.

STU: The signs of it.

GLENN: The conditions that could create life. If we find bacteria on Mars, they will declare it life.

STU: They sure will. They sure will.

GLENN: So how do you say that bacteria on Mars is life, but the baby inside is not?

STU: Is not. Yeah. That's incomprehensible.

PAT: That's a good argument.

STU: And Rubio in a tough position. In a very hostile interview, sits there and defends this over and over again.

PAT: He's fine with it.

STU: He's fine with it. He believes it. He's confident. I got the sense listening to this interview and kind of what happened in the debate last night, that if he winds up losing because of this, he's totally fine with it. Fine.

GLENN: He is. I met with him on vacation, and we have to have him on the show and spend some time with him. I met with him on vacation. He is that guy.

JEFFY: Yep.

GLENN: He just believes what he believes, and he's willing to say what he believes. And if he loses, that's fine. I got that feeling from him.

JEFFY: That's what got him in office in Florida as a senator. And before that. But as a senator for sure.

GLENN: Yeah.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

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The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

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If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE