Listen: Glenn speaks backstage with Senator Ted Cruz during the Stop Iran rally

September 11, 2015

WRITER

After delivering his speech at the rally to stop the Iran deal in Washington D.C. last week, Senator Ted Cruz spent a few minutes backstage speaking candidly with Glenn about the dangerous deal.

"I thought he was very clear and well-spoken and very determined," Glenn said. "He knows the answer to this, and it's an unconventional answer."

Glenn described what Senator Cruz had to say as a real solution, "fighting fire with flamethrowers" - which is apparently another way to say "really, really good."

Listen to the behind-the-scenes conversation or read the transcript below.

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

GLENN: I got up this morning, and I heard there was -- there were only going to be 2,000 people, and I thought -- and that's what they -- and that was, like, maybe there is obviously many more than that and many more -- thousands watching across. This is quite a collection of voices.

TED: It is an amazing assemblage of pro-Israel groups, massive security groups, Tea Party groups, of just Americans who want to protect us. I mean, this should be an issue and it is an issue that cuts across party lines. It cuts across ethic lines. It cuts across racial lines.

GLENN: Anything that can get me and Donald Trump to speak at the same place.

TED: But, you know, we all share in common that we breathe and drink water, and we don't want our children murdered by homicidal jihadists who have pledged to do so.

GLENN: So the press and the White House has said that this is a pro-war rally. What -- what is the alternative besides war? I think war is the worst option that we have.

TED: No doubt, but the Obama/Clinton foreign policy begins from the premise that the way you avoid war is through appeasement. And so their approach has been weakness and appeasement to every enemy of America, whether it's Putin and Russia, whether Castro and Cuba, or whether it's Khomeini and Iran.

I think they're exactly wrong. I think it increases the chances of war. I think we are repeating Munich in 1938, but, you know, anyone who wants to protect our nation -- the worst thing to do if you want to avoid war is giving a hundred billion dollars to a theocratic homicidal lunatic who pledges to kill us.

I'm reminded, Glenn, of an editorial cartoon that I think actually captures this whole issue beautifully. It shows the Ayatollah Khamenei saying, "Death to every American." And then it has John Kerry saying, "Can we meet you halfway?" There is no middle ground with a theocratic zealot whose only object is to murder people.

GLENN: I just talked to some Kurds just a few minutes ago, and they said, "Where are we? Where are we? Why won't this administration -- why won't Congress help us?"

TED: It is utterly indefensible. When it comes to defeating ISIS, we need a commander-in-chief who declares the object "We will destroy ISIS altogether." We need to use overwhelming air power. You know, back in the first Persian Gulf War we had about 1100 air strikes a day. Right now today we have between 15 and 30 air strikes a day. It's basically a photop of foreign policy. A bomb here, a missile here. It's why it's ineffective.

But third, what you just noted, the Kurds are our boots on the ground. They're fighting ISIS. They're actually fighting the Iranians at the same time.

GLENN: Right.

TED: They are -- they're Peshmerga. Their fighting soldiers are long-time American allies. We should be arming the Kurds, but the Obama Administration, for political reasons, doesn't want to do so. It makes no sense whatsoever, and we need a commander-in-chief that actually defends our national security interest instead of trying to earn favor in the leftest faculty lounges at universities across the --

GLENN: Do you know -- do you know -- does this treatise force us to defend Iran if -- if Israel goes to --

TED: So there is a provision of this agreement that says the signatories will defend the Iranian nuclear facilities against efforts of sabotage. And the only person that would sabotage those are Israel. So the signatories are signing a commitment that they will effectively stand with Iran over Israel. It is striking. And 42 Democrats, apparently, are fine with that.

Now, Glenn, one thing that I mentioned out there that I think is very important for people to know. There is a way to stop this deal, and two people have the ability to do so, Speaker Boehner leader McConnell, if they simply stood up and announced, "We're going to follow federal law through the Corker-Cardin Review Act." The review clock doesn't start until the full deal is submitted to Congress.

Obama hasn't submit the full deal. He left out the two side agreements. Under Corker-Cordin, until the review clock expires, it is illegal for Obama to list sanctions.

GLENN: So when -- but when has anything illegal stopped either the people in the House, the Senate, or the White House?

TED: You are exactly right. So let's -- let's play the game theory forward. Here is what I think should happen. First, McConnell and Boehner should announce, under Corker-Cardin, the clock hasn't started because he hasn't submitted the deal, so it is illegal for him to list sanctions.

Number two, I think Republican leadership and the Senate should bring this deal up in the treatise and vote it down in the treatise. It will demonstrate overwhelming opposition. It will not get anywhere near the two-thirds it needs to be ratified.

But number three, you're right. If we look at the last six and a half years, we can anticipate that President Obama will ignore federal law and say, "I'm lifting sanctions anyway."

That's why what I said on that stage, I believe, was a very important message. It was directed at the CEOs and the boards of directors and the general counsels of every bank and every financial institution that is holding the billions of dollars.

And it is that -- even if Obama ignores federal law, that does not immunize you from civil and criminal liability. And if you violate Corker-Cardin in the Iran sanctions legislation, you will be sued by private actors for billions of dollars, and you will be liable, because President Obama can't give you a get-out-of-jail-free card for ignoring federal law.

But number two, when there is a subsequent president, to any bank that willfully violates federal law and sends billions of dollars to a terrorist, Ayatollah, that bank faces criminal prosecution as well. And you know how you stop this is all the banks say, "You know what, we're not going out on this limb with Obama because we don't lose our livelihood" --

GLENN: Do they have the courage to do that after they've accepted all of the bailouts?

TED: Well, I can tell you I have advised major CEOs in litigation, and when they look at the law, their general counsel and their outside counsel will tell them, whatever Obama says, this will all remain on the books, and we can be sued under it and pay billions of dollars.

GLENN: How do the American people get that word out? How do they help? Just spread that word?

TED: Just spread the word. I -- you know, we're trying to do it right now. I'd say there are few things more potent than TheBlaze for getting the word out.

GLENN: Yeah. Well, we'll get it out. Thank you.

TED: Thank you, Glenn. God bless you.

GLENN: God bless you.

EXPOSED: Why the left’s trans agenda just CRASHED at SCOTUS

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

You never know what you’re going to get with the U.S. Supreme Court these days.

For all of the Left’s insane panic over having six supposedly conservative justices on the court, the decisions have been much more of a mixed bag. But thank God – sincerely – there was a seismic win for common sense at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. It’s a win for American children, parents, and for truth itself.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s state ban on irreversible transgender procedures for minors.

The mostly conservative justices stood tall in this case, while Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson predictably dissented. This isn’t just Tennessee’s victory – 20 other red states that have similar bans can now breathe easier, knowing they can protect vulnerable children from these sick, experimental, life-altering procedures.

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, saying Tennessee’s law does not violate the Equal Protection Clause. It’s rooted in a very simple truth that common sense Americans get: kids cannot consent to permanent damage. The science backs this up – Norway, Finland, and the UK have all sounded alarms about the lack of evidence for so-called “gender-affirming care.” The Trump administration’s recent HHS report shredded the activist claims that these treatments help kids’ mental health. Nothing about this is “healthcare.” It is absolute harm.

The Left, the ACLU, and the Biden DOJ screamed “discrimination” and tried to twist the Constitution to force this radical ideology on our kids.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court saw through it this time. In her concurring opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett nailed it: gender identity is not some fixed, immutable trait like race or sex. Detransitioners are speaking out, regretting the surgeries and hormones they were rushed into as teens. WPATH – the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the supposed experts on this, knew that kids cannot fully grasp this decision, and their own leaked documents prove that they knew it. But they pushed operations and treatments on kids anyway.

This decision is about protecting the innocent from a dangerous ideology that denies biology and reality. Tennessee’s Attorney General calls this a “landmark victory in defense of America’s children.” He’s right. This time at least, the Supreme Court refused to let judicial activism steal our kids’ futures. Now every state needs to follow Tennessee’s lead on this, and maybe the tide will continue to turn.

Insider alert: Glenn’s audience EXPOSES the riots’ dark truth

Barbara Davidson / Contributor | Getty Images

Glenn asked for YOUR take on the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, and YOU responded with a thunderous verdict. Your answers to our recent Glennbeck.com poll cut through the establishment’s haze, revealing a profound skepticism of their narrative.

The results are undeniable: 98% of you believe taxpayer-funded NGOs are bankrolling these riots, a bold rejection of the claim that these are grassroots protests. Meanwhile, 99% dismiss the mainstream media’s coverage as woefully inadequate—can the official story survive such resounding doubt? And 99% of you view the involvement of socialist and Islamist groups as a growing threat to national security, signaling alarm at what Glenn calls a coordinated “Color Revolution” lurking beneath the surface.

You also stand firmly with decisive action: 99% support President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to quell the chaos. These numbers defy the elite’s tired excuses and reflect a demand for truth and accountability. Are your tax dollars being weaponized to destabilize America? You’ve answered with conviction.

Your voice sends a powerful message to those who dismiss the unrest as mere “protests.” You spoke, and Glenn listened. Keep shaping the conversation at Glennbeck.com.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

EXPOSED: Your tax dollars FUND Marxist riots in LA

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

Protesters wore Che shirts, waved foreign flags, and chanted Marxist slogans — but corporate media still peddles the ‘spontaneous outrage’ narrative.

I sat in front of the television this weekend, watching the glittering spectacle of corporate media do what it does best: tell me not to believe my lying eyes.

According to the polished news anchors, what I was witnessing in Los Angeles was “mostly peaceful protests.” They said it with all the earnest gravitas of someone reading a bedtime story, while behind them the streets looked like a deleted scene from “Mad Max.” Federal agents dodged concrete slabs as if it were an Olympic sport. A man in a Che Guevara crop top tried to set a police car on fire. Dumpster fires lit the night sky like some sort of postapocalyptic luau.

If you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

But sure, it was peaceful. Tear gas clouds and Molotov cocktails are apparently the incense and candles of this new civic religion.

The media expects us to play along — to nod solemnly while cities burn and to call it “activism.”

Let’s call this what it is: delusion.

Another ‘peaceful’ riot

If the Titanic “mostly floated” and the Hindenburg “mostly flew,” then yes, the latest L.A. riots are “mostly peaceful.” But history tends to care about those tiny details at the end — like icebergs and explosions.

The coverage was full of phrases like “spontaneous,” “grassroots,” and “organic,” as if these protests materialized from thin air. But many of the signs and banners looked like they’d been run off at ComradesKinkos.com — crisp print jobs with slogans promoting socialism, communism, and various anti-American regimes. Palestinian flags waved beside banners from Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador. It was like someone looted a United Nations souvenir shop and turned it into a revolution starter pack.

And guess who funded it? You did.

According to at least one report, much of this so-called spontaneous rage fest was paid for with your tax dollars. Tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration ensured your paycheck funded Trotsky cosplayers chucking firebombs at local coffee shops.

The same aging radicals from the 1970s — now armed with tenure, pensions, and book deals — are cheering from the sidelines, waxing poetic about how burning a squad car is “liberation.” These are the same folks who once wore tie-dye and flew to help guerrilla fighters and now applaud chaos under the banner of “progress.”

This is not progress. It is not protest. It’s certainly not justice or peace.

It’s an attempt to dismantle the American system — and if you dare say that out loud, you’re labeled a bigot, a fascist, or, worst of all, someone who notices reality.

And what sparked this taxpayer-funded riot? Enforcement against illegal immigrants — many of whom, according to official arrest records, are repeat violent offenders. These are not the “dreamers” or the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These are criminals with long, violent rap sheets — allowed to remain free by a broken system that prioritizes ideology over public safety.

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg | Getty Images

This is what people are rioting over — not the mistreatment of the innocent, but the arrest of the guilty. And in California, that’s apparently a cause for outrage.

The average American, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, is supposed to worry they’ll be next. But unless you’re in the habit of assaulting people, smuggling, or firing guns into people’s homes, you probably don’t have much to fear.

Still, if you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

The left has lost it

This is what happens when a culture loses its grip on reality. We begin to call arson “art,” lawlessness “liberation,” and criminals “community members.” We burn the good and excuse the evil — all while the media insists it’s just “vibes.”

But it’s not just vibes. It’s violence, paid for by you, endorsed by your elected officials, and whitewashed by newsrooms with more concern for hair and lighting than for truth.

This isn’t activism. This is anarchism. And Democratic politicians are fueling the flame.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck's 'No King but Christ' merch: Will faith STOP the chaos?

On Saturday, June 14, 2025 (President Trump's 79th birthday), the "No Kings" protest—a noisy spectacle orchestrated by progressive heavyweights like Randi Weingarten and her union cronies—will take place in Washington, D.C.

Thousands will chant "no thrones, no crowns, no king," claiming to fend off authoritarianism and corruption.

But let’s cut through the noise. The protesters' grievances—rigged courts, deported citizens, slashed services—are a house of cards. Zero Americans have been deported, Federal services are still bloated, and if anyone is rigging the courts, it's the Left. So why rally now, especially with riots already flaring in L.A.?

Chaos isn’t a side effect here—it’s the plan.

This is not about liberty; it's a power grab dressed up as resistance. The "No Kings" crowd wants you to buy their script: government’s the enemy—unless they’re the ones running it. It's the identical script from 2020: same groups, same tactics, same goal, different name.

But Glenn is flipping the script. He's dropping a new "No Kings but Christ" merch line, just in time for the protest. Merch that proclaims one truth: no earthly ruler owns us; only Christ does. It’s a bold, faith-rooted rejection of this secular circus.

Why should you care? Because this won’t just be a rally—it’ll be a symptom. Distrust in institutions is sky-high, and rightly so, but the "No Kings" answer is a hollow shout into the void. Glenn’s merch begs the question: if you’re ditching kings, who’s really in charge? Get yours and wear the answer proudly.

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