Success! State Department Gives In to Pressure to Declare Christian Genocide

Mark Burnett delivered an impassioned plea on Glenn's radio program last week for Americans to demand the State Department declare what ISIS is doing to Christians in the Middle East a genocide.

Burnett joined Glenn again on Friday to share the results.

The House of Representatives voted 393-0 to approve the measure, and with the added pressure of the petition at StopTheChristianGenocide.org, the State Department gave in and made the declaration on Thursday.

Watch the clip of Glenn's conversation with Burnett or read the transcript below.

Positive Pressure

GLENN: We have really, really good news. Secretary of State John Kerry and the US State Department has declared that what's happening to the Christians in the Middle East is indeed genocide. Mark Burnett who is a leader on this, him and his wife Roma Downey have been working on this and dedicating their life to saving the Christians. And Roma and Mark are leaders on this front, and we are thrilled to have Mark on the phone to share this good news.

Hi, Mark, how are you?

MARK: Hi, Glenn. And I want to thank you and your subscribers, your listeners, because you guys made a huge difference in the last week.

It was so much pressure that there was a historic 393 votes to zero affirmation in the House, which really -- yesterday, in fact, John Kerry made that decision that the United States of America would declare it genocide. So I'm so grateful to you and everybody who follows you.

Language Matters

GLENN: So, Mark, here is the thing: In the old days, like, I don't know, five years ago even, language mattered. Tell me why this matters now that the United States has declared this genocide and it's going to change something.

MARK: Well, a couple of things. Well, several things. One thing is, it now means, if you are a member of ISIS or any such group and even 20 years from now, we find you, you are going to trial for genocide.

GLENN: For war crimes.

MARK: Another thing is that now there needs to be a place at the bargaining table for the Christian community. You know this Glenn. You've dealt with it.

For centuries, these Christian communities have been in towns and villages and have been in entire towns, entire regions, and because of ISIS, they've all fled or been killed and kicked out of their rightful Christian homeland.

The new borders are about to be drawn in the next few years. These Christian communities deserve and rightfully now will get a place at the bargaining table.

GLENN: So what you're saying is kind of -- I mean, I don't expect you to be this dramatic, but you have a shot of kind of what happened with Israel and the Jews after World War II. You have the chance of actually having their own control over their own lands.

MARK: Absolutely. And you should know that David Saperstein, who is the head of -- in United States, he's the head of religious freedom in the United States. Obviously, he's -- we all know that his last name is Jewish, and he stepped up in this and was a big voice to help the Christian community. And obviously, any Jew would know what "genocide" means to a great people.

And I think the biggest -- such a historic day, and I know from working so hard from the behind the scenes, this was touch-and-go. And you and your listeners made a huge difference.

Thank you, Glenn. I'm going to tell you something that's going to annoy you a little bit, which is, in the statement though -- this is so Glenn Beck going to get angry now.

It had a sentence, which said, "But this doesn't mean we're going to take any action."

GLENN: Yeah. So here's -- so, Mark, are so here's the question I have. And that's really my first question. Words don't really seem to matter.

But let me ask you this. You know because we've been working side by side to get these Christians out to any country that will take them. Will this help us negotiate with other countries to get these Christians a place to go?

MARK: Yes. It has to. Also, even though the State Department has added a sentence to the declaration, yes, we agree, this is genocide against Christians. However, it doesn't mean the US will do anything about it.

Well, the next thing we're pushing is, when you declare genocide against any group, and now it's been specifically about the Christians. You have to do something. The world knows what that word means. That's why the Department of State was so nervous about declaring genocide. But they've done it now. They cannot put the genie back in the bottle.

The Importance of Declaration

GLENN: I will tell you that in doing research on the genocide that happened in the 1940s with, you know, the Hungarians and the Jews and the homosexuals and the gypsies and you name it, the United States would not declare that genocide. Up until 1944, they wouldn't even look at it. They had all the information. This is a huge step for the United States at this point to say, "Yes. We've looked at it. And it is genocide."

MARK: Yes. It's amazing. And I'm so grateful. Listen, I've been friends of yours -- Roma and I friends of yours for a long time. And we love you. And we love what you stand for. And thank you. Because, yes, it has made -- it is historic. And I have to tell you, I didn't even know the last minute what was going to happen. I was so grateful when -- it passed 393-0.

And Thursday, for -- you know, on St. Patrick's Day, yesterday, for the Secretary of State to agree with that. Now we need to gather -- as a community, the Christian community, a powerful community, if we want to be, we need to take that designation and make sure something now happens to give our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq a way they can live their lives without being forced to deny Jesus.

The Power of Transformation and the Spirit of God

GLENN: Can I ask you a question? You're a guy who up until recently has just been kind of -- you know, you were the guy who made reality television. What is it that changed in you that made you -- because I know, everything that you do now is dedicated to doing good and doing right. What happened?

MARK: Yes. It really shifted on making the Bible serious. I think it would be hard for anybody who is smart to be spending years taking the risk of bringing the Bible to prime time television, which means reading it every day, thinking about it, being part of the church community, to not be affected. It's supernatural. There's a natural world and a supernatural world. And I believe the Holy Spirit is a supernatural part of faith and Christianity. And it affected me.

And the good news is, that's a good question. But in the end, that's what it must be. And I'm just glad that it happened because it's given me more of a genuine purpose. Yeah, I'm making a lot of hit shows. But the Boy, Survivor, Shark Tank, all our shows, they're doing great. And I still love doing that. But in my rest of my time, I'm focused on more important things like this. And I'm just grateful for my relationship with you and that you've stepped up so quickly and that your listeners, your subscribers have made such an impact

GLENN: I will tell you, Mark, there have been a lot of TV greats in your position. You will not only be remembered for changing television, but you in the end will be remembered as a great humanitarian, somebody who actually did something because you believed it. And it is good to see a guy like a -- I don't know. A Jimmy Stewart or an Audrey Hepburn or a -- you know, somebody like that, Frank Capra, that is back in Hollywood and can be a real positive for good values.

Thanks, Mark, I appreciate it. God bless.

MARK: Thank you. God bless you. Thank you.

Featured Image: United States Secretary of State John Kerry attends the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict at ExCel on June 13, 2014 in London, England. The four-day conference on sexual violence in war is hosted by Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Special Envoy and actress Angelina Jolie (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

5 Democrats who have endorsed Kamala (and two who haven't)

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With Biden removed from the 2024 election and only a month to find a replacement before the DNC, Democrats continue to fall in line and back Vice President Kamala Harris to headline the party's ticket. Her proximity and familiarity with the Biden campaign along with an endorsement from Biden sets Harris up to step into Biden's shoes and preserve the momentum from his campaign.

Glenn doesn't think Kamala Harris is likely to survive as the assumed Democratic nominee, and once the DNC starts, anything could happen. Plenty of powerful and important Democrats have rallied around Harris over the last few days, but there have been some crucial exemptions. Here are five democrats that have thrown their name behind Harris, and two SHOCKING names that didn't...

Sen. Dick Durbin: ENDORSED

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High-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin officially put in his support for Harris in a statement that came out the day after Biden stepped down: “I’m proud to endorse my former Senate colleague and good friend, Vice President Kamala Harris . . . our nation needs to continue moving forward with unity and not MAGA chaos. Vice President Harris was a critical partner in building the Biden record over the past four years . . . Count me in with Kamala Harris for President.”

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: ENDORSED

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The Monday after Biden stepped down from the presidential VP hopeful, Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on X: “Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States [...] In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ENDORSED

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Mere hours after Joe Biden made his announcement, AOC hopped on X and made the following post showing her support: "Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ENDORSED

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Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is arguably one of the most influential democrats, backed Harris's campaign with the following statement given the day after Biden's decision: “I have full confidence she will lead us to victory in November . . . My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal, and political.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ENDORSED

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Massasschesets Senator Elizabeth Warren was quick to endorse Kamala, releasing the following statement shortly after Harris placed her presidential bid: "I endorse Kamala Harris for President. She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."

Former President Barack Obama: DID NOT ENDORSE

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Former President Barack Obama wasted no time releasing the following statement which glaringly omits any support for Harris or any other candidate. Instead, he suggests someone will be chosen at the DNC in August: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."

Prominent Democratic Donor John Morgan: DID NOT ENDORSE

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Prominent and wealthy Florida lawyer and democrat donor John Morgan was clearly very pessimistic about Kamala's odds aginst Trump when he gave the following statement: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither. It’s others turn now . . . The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck . . . [Harris] would not be my first choice, but it’s a done deal.”

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

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It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?

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

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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.