GLENNJanuary 30, 2017

'Nothing More American': Muslim Zudhi Jasser Clarifies Trump's Immigration Order

Glenn invited Dr. Zudhi Jasser to join his radio program Monday to share his perspective on President Trump's recent executive order on refugees. Jasser, a "proud Muslim," has been an outspoken critic of Islamist groups that support the mixing of Islam and politics.

After introducing his guest as a "hero" for speaking out against radical Islam, Glenn asked Jasser for his opinion on the so-called "Muslim ban" the mainstream media has been freaking out about.

"It's not a Muslim ban. I mean, it's absurd," Jasser said. "They're pausing from seven countries that Obama had already listed as hot spots."

When asked how he would respond to liberals calling the "Muslim ban" un-American, Jasser said:

"You just don't get it. Our Founding Fathers were Christians who loved their faith, but yet pushed back against theocracy. There's nothing more American," he said.

Read the full transcript below.

GLENN: Zuhdi, welcome to the program. Glad you're here, sir.

ZUHDI: Glenn. It's great to be with you. Thank you for having me. And, you know, thank you for letting me work on Reforming This.

GLENN: I will tell you, Zuhdi, you are -- you're a hero to me because we all know what happens to those who speak out against radical Islam, especially if you're in Islam. And you are a proud Muslim.

And you have been warning that the United States is in with the wrong guys for a very long time. First, let me ask you this question: Has anyone from the Trump administration reached out to you yet to bring your -- your organization into the fold?

ZUHDI: Not yet. Not yet. I think, you know, they've obviously been very busy the last week, so maybe we'll give them a pass on that. I certainly have worked with a number of the folks he's appointed. So I look forward to helping them navigate these waters. And as we saw in the last few days, they got to get ahead of the messaging game because the left will use identity politics and exploit us Muslims whenever possible for their own benefit.

GLENN: Okay. So Zuhdi, tell me what your thoughts are about this so-called -- what the media is calling a Muslim ban.

ZUHDI: It's not a Muslim ban. I mean, it's absurd. They're pausing from seven countries that Obama had already listed as hot spots.

I would have added -- if you're going to start, I would have added Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan, at least, since those are probably the primary cauldrons of radical Islamism.

But, you know, having said that, the bottom line is that it's important to realize it's a pause. It's not a ban. That America was founded in a battle against theocracy. And to say that currently folks coming in had been vetted is absurd. The vetting that the Obama administration used was an anti-terrorism, anti-violent extremism vetting, which included no ideology.

And I actually debated last night on Fox the head of the International Rescue Commission, and he couldn't come up with one evidence that they're vetting against jihadism or Islamism. So the pause is necessary. But the implementation has certainly been haphazard the last few days.

And if you get this wrong and we lose the messaging -- you know, America should never lose its beacon on a hill as being that place where people come for refuge, for freedom and liberty. We don't want theocrats here, and it's very pro-Muslim, pro-modern Islam to say that we don't want theocrats here.

And, you know, for people like Senator Schumer to say that -- to shed false tears and to say that somehow this is going to feed into the anti-American narrative is absurd when Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia have accepted zero -- zero refugees in. So to say that it's anti-Muslim to just put a pause on a very anemic program anyway from the Obama administration is absurd.

GLENN: Zuhdi, why doesn't Saudi Arabia take any Muslim refugees?

ZUHDI: Two things that should be clear to Americans, which is number one, they are anti-Islamists, as far as the grassroots viral movement. They claim to be against the brotherhood. And they realize the ideology that they're spreading and how it will bite them in the rear end.

So while they're with us, they're the firefighters, they're also the arsonists. So they get it.

Secondly, the refugees get it also. They don't want to go to places as bad or worse than what they're fighting for freedom in Syria for. So there's two things there that make it pretty much a mutual hate between -- the majority of refugees who really want to be free and away from the dual genocide happening from ISIS and from the Assad and Iranian regime.

GLENN: Okay. So I know this would be a pure guess, but, you know, we let 15,000 or 100 -- let's just say a round number. We let 100,000 people in, and they're Muslim refugees.

From that part of the world, any idea how many -- what percentage have been radicalized?

ZUHDI: Well, this is -- this is the key question. And this is what we've been screaming from the rooftops for the last eight years -- actually, you know, five years, obviously, since the revolution. But studies have shown in Europe, 20 to 25 percent of refugees have sympathies for ISIS. Sympathies.

Now, they're not radical as far as -- how do you define radical? Are they militants who are trying to commit acts of violence? No, they'll pass the muster for, do they believe to ISIS? No.

But just as in the Cold War, these are ISIS sympathizers. They believe in the cause. They believe in the Islamic State, a caliphate, et cetera.

But when you ask, is the Trump administration engaging us? They haven't yet. And we want them to use our Muslim reform movement document, which is a two-page declaration that we stand against the core principles of an Islamic State. And if Muslims believe in that, which is true for 70 to 80 percent that are coming here, then we should welcome them.

And actually what that will do is Americans, when they see refugees coming that embrace those principles and they aren't doing acts of wanton crime on the streets as they are in Germany and Sweden and elsewhere, it will make them more endeared to the cause. So then everyone wins if we start vetting against theocratic fascism.

GLENN: Zuhdi, what should the president be doing now? What should he -- who should he be standing with? Who should he be talking with? Who -- what should he be doing to control this message?

Well, you know, this is the issue, is that he wrote an executive order. Gave himself 120 days. And, you know, we're trying to make up for eight years of -- of dysfunction and blindness. Woeful blindness in Washington. So to make up for that -- he talked about a commission on radical Islam. I hope it's called a commission on radical Islamism.

But he needs to convene that. I think it ideally should be chaired by a Muslim. We've got reformers that sign our declaration, that include Sherine Kadosi (phonetic), Asra Nomani, you know, Raheel Raza, Maajid Nawaz in Britain. You know, a Danish parliamentarian. There are many of us out there that can become resources for saying, you know, this isn't a war against Islam. It's a battle within the house of Islam that we're going to take sides on.

And let's reinvigorate -- they called it in the last few decades, public diplomacy. But in the Cold War, it was the US information agency. Let's start radio-free, you know, liberty in the Middle East and start putting our so-called allies on notice, saying, "You know what, the gig is up. We realize that you might be with us on that last step to kill the terrorists, but you're certainly not with us in the previous hundred steps of radicalization," which is ideology that make them anti-western, anti-Semitic, and really are fueling our own demise.

GLENN: How do you give -- give somebody the argument. They're going into the office today, and they are going to sit with some of their liberal friends who are going to start regurgitating everything that the media has said this weekend. Help them win this argument. How do -- the argument of -- let's role play here. I'm going to be the liberal friend, and you play the Trump supporter or the conservative, okay?

And I say, "Hey, good job this weekend, huh? Your guy just made us look like the laughing stock of the world. Everybody is against this. This is un-American, this Muslim ban." How do you respond?

ZUHDI: I would say, "You just don't get it. The most American thing -- our Founding Fathers were Christians who loved their faith, but yet pushed back against theocracy."

There's nothing more American than having a president that -- this is not a Muslim ban. This is not preferential for Christians. The word Muslim or Christian is not in it. It talks about persecuted religious minorities, which would include Muslims within those countries that are dissidents, that are even within the majority cities, that might be fighting against the government.

So there is nothing more American -- yes, my guy may be getting the messaging wrong. I think he needs to be clearer about that. The implementation might have been wrong. But the bottom line is that we finally have somebody in the White House who is not only on the side of the Islamist, but actually taking them on and seeing that we need to be more discerning and not have this national fratricide, where we allow anybody in just because they claim to be Muslim.

And, by the way, your side is using this as a political football to basically play identity politics, when Islam is an idea. It's an ideology. It's not a race. So stop racializing a global faith community that has a deep problem of jihadists.

GLENN: Zuhdi, one last -- one last question.

Do the -- would the Sunnis -- I think it's the Sunnis -- no, the Shias in Syria, do you believe they would qualify as being a religious minority, that is -- that is being picked on or threatened?

ZUHDI: That's a great question. You know, those who say that Assad and his partnership with Iran, he's a secularist is just absurd. There are certainly Shia minorities that are persecuted by ISIS, and those would be persecuted minorities.

Alawite minorities that tried to take on the regime that is -- Alawite is a faction of Shia Islam. And so those are persecuted. But the bottom line is, I'm of the belief that the Assad regime, through its cooperation with Hezbollah and Iran, are jihadists. They're just Shia jihadists. And they're battling against Sunni jihadists. So there are persecuted minorities on both side of the equation in Syria, and there's actually a third side, which is really those who are just trying to be free and stop the oppression both from the Assad regime and from the ISIS militants.

GLENN: Zuhdi, thank you very much. I appreciate it. And you can hear reform this on TheBlaze Radio Network, Saturdays at noon. You can just also listen to the podcast at any time on demand. Thank you, Zuhdi, I appreciate it. God bless.

ZUHDI: You too. Thank you so much, Glenn. Appreciate it.

GLENN: You bet.

RADIO

Democrat Tries to TRAP Pete Hegseth. He Has the PERFECT Response

Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Fox News’ Pete Hegseth, sat in front of Congress for his confirmation hearing…and it exposed the Left for what they are. Democrats tried to corner Hegseth with lies and loaded questions, but he pushed back in a way that impressed Glenn. Glenn and Stu discuss some of the worst highlights, including when Rep. Mazie Hirono asked Hegseth if Trump plans to invade Greenland. Plus, the guys also discuss whether Hamas will release hostages before his inauguration.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So I don't know about you, Stu. But, boy, was I impressed with Congress yesterday, you know.

STU: They always find a way to make you think a little less about them. You know, they always can cross that line.

GLENN: Yeah. Mazie Hirono. What?

STU: Dumb. Well, she's America's dumbest senator. That's already confirmed. She won the competition with Ryan Seacrest hosting. And it was a great show, by the way. I would totally watch that.

GLENN: Yeah. Oh, I would watch that. Can you imagine the Jeopardy with the Senate and the House?

STU: Oh, my gosh. They asked them the tough question. They all ended up with zero. The winner gets zero.

You know, Mazie Hirono somehow wins. But she has $0. Everyone else has negative.

Right? I think they should have to pay the negative dollars to Ryan Seacrest. Gosh!

Okay. So here's one of the more incredible. Cut 15.

Here's Mazie Hirono on taking over Greenland. We have it?

VOICE: To take over Greenland, or an ally of Denmark.

VOICE: Senator, one of the things President Trump is so good at, is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never in this public forum, give one way or another, give -- in any context.

VOICE: That sounds to me, you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland.

STU: Oh, does it? Oh, wow. You don't know what the English language really means, do you?

GLENN: Wow. And do you have a big sword? Because I think Secretary of Defense should have a big sword.

I like swords. How much do swords cost?

STU: And that was the smartest line of questioning.

GLENN: It really was. It really was.

How many tanks do we have? Do we have like just the ones I have on TV, or do we keep some of them secret, so we can surprise people with more tanks?

I want to know! Answer the question. My God.

STU: So bad.

GLENN: Are drones really just like big bees?

STU: They could be. They make noises like big bees, Mazie.

GLENN: Instead of missiles, have we thought about using Thor's Hammer? Because it would come right back to us.

STU: That's actually a pretty good idea.

GLENN: Can we get the space force to look into alien cows. I read online that alien cows are why we need stronger fences in Iowa. What's the Pentagon doing? Do you like nachos?

I mean --

STU: I would rather watch that. Whatever you just did. I would rather watch them doing that, than what actually occurred.

GLENN: I mean, those could have been questions yesterday.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: It was that insane.

Will you use the military to invade Greenland?

Do you like nachos?

Of course not!

Invade Greenland. Iceland, maybe. But not Greenland.

STU: No. Never. It's too big.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

STU: Of course. You know, it's funny. He says, he would never strategically tip his hand.

And it's funny, because Trump in a way, always tips his hand. Right?

He does want Greenland. He has tipped his hand. He has told us about it for years. He does want the border secure. He's told us about -- when it comes to specific things he's willing to do and not do in a negotiation. He'll suggest a bunch of stuff. But you don't know what's real. That's why he's a good negotiator.

GLENN: Right!

STU: You bring up that Tiffany example. You brought that up before. I was in the city. And I saw. I was telling my kids that story.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: And God only knows if it's true. You told it to me.

GLENN: I said to him. I said, you're negotiating gift is unbelievable.

I said, I've never questioned your negotiating power, since I heard the story about Trump Tower and Tiffany's. And he laughed, and he said, good for you, for knowing that story.

And I said, that is just incredible. That takes balls of steel.

STU: For people who don't know. Maybe you should give a 30-second version of it.

GLENN: So Tiffany was not going to sell him the air rights, so he could build the Trump Tower. He had already bought the property. It was either Tiffany's or Cartier.

So he goes to the board. And he says, look, I will build this -- it will be beautiful. It will be 70 stores.

And they're like, hmm. Well, we own the air rights, and we're not going to sell them to you, because we don't want a big building like that.

And he said, oh. You know what, I thought you might say that. I already own the property.

So if you don't, he rolled out architectural plans of what he described as the ugliest building he could possibly build. Three stories.

And he said, okay. Well, if you don't let me build the Trump Tower. I will build this.

No, you wouldn't. Watch this. And he left. By the time he had gotten back to the office, they had given him the air rights.

STU: That's who he is.

GLENN: That's who he is.

STU: Now, would he have built that building?

I think there are answers to that, in which he would have. Which is important.

GLENN: Yeah. That's also circumstances, where he would have just sold the property. You know what I mean?

And you don't know which.

STU: You don't know which. And that's why it works.

GLENN: Yes. Yes.

STU: So I don't think there's any chance. I don't believe there's any chance whatsoever, outside of like, I don't know.

China taking over Greenland first. Right?

Something like that, we might invade Greenland. I don't think there's any chance we just invade Greenland. However, first of all, I said I don't think there's any chance. There's some doubt even in my mind, that we might do it.

And that's why it works.

GLENN: Right! When he was like, hey, you know, the little missile guy.

You know, I will show you new missiles. That's why it works.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: Because Kim Jong-un and everyone in the world went, is he willing to launch nukes against this guy?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe!

STU: Who knows? Maybe. Who knows! And like that's why it's successful.

It's why there's someone behind it.

GLENN: Yes. It's why the hostages are being released by 12 o'clock on Monday. Have you heard that?

STU: I've heard -- it's not confirmed, right?

GLENN: It's credible speculation.

STU: Okay. Because I know obviously. If you're -- if you're -- Donald Trump has been threatening it. He said, get it done before I come into office.

GLENN: Oh, yeah. Or there will be real consequences. And there will be.

We might take Greenland.

STU: Exactly. Think of the politics of this for a moment.

If you go back to Iran. Carter is leaving. The second Reagan takes over, they release the hostages, right? And everyone remembers it, exactly that way. Right?

Reagan essentially is responsible for that. They -- as soon as they came in. Two things, they didn't like Carter. And they were afraid of Reagan. And they were like, okay. We're out. And they leave the blackjack table.

Trump, I don't know. You know him better than I certainly was.

But in my view, Trump is smart enough.

First of all, number one, really wants the hostages out. Can't believe the way we handled this. So that's true. But also has thought about that historical precedent.

And he comes out. And he says, do it before I come in!

Which now, if they do it, before he comes in, it's not a Biden credit.

It is his!

And, of course, if they do it after that, it's always his.

He wins both ways.

GLENN: He is.

I mean, he has -- I'm telling you, I think he's the sharpest he's maybe ever been.

STU: Please don't.

I'm having PTSD after four years of hearing that about Biden.

Don't say he's sharp as a tack, please.

No. No. No. Just the best negotiator he may have ever been. Everything is a negotiation.

What he's doing with Pete Hegseth. All a negotiation!

How he's handling everything in the House and the Senate. All a negotiation.

He's a master negotiator. And the reason why he's so. Good at real estate negotiation.

Is because he knows it inside and out.

STU: Experience.

GLENN: He didn't know it, the first time.

STU: Yeah. And the first term was --

GLENN: All gut.

STU: Yeah. There's two things.

Like we -- have our -- it would be great to have someone outside of the system.

Who thinks about these things differently. And he had that part of it. But criticism of that, and this is played out in other realms before.

Where you say, well, the person. They don't know the system. They don't know the buttons to press, or Levers to pull. That -- especially at the beginning of his term. Really wasn't there.

He was learning it. Kind of his own -- he's even told that story before. Now he's in the position where he kind of has both. You know, he's an outsider and he knows the system. Which is a combination we haven't seen before. Because it's unique. It's not something that occurs a lot.

GLENN: No. Everyone goes in trying to use the system. He wants to shut the system down.

STU: That has to be a fascinating few years, man. We are going to have plenty to talk about. That, I can guarantee.

GLENN: Oh, I'm not tired of winning yet.

Are you tired of winning.

Let me give you -- let me take a quick break. And then we'll get back to Pete Hegseth. I have to tell you, we've had four huge ESG wins. Huge!

Like, it's over.

And I hate to say that, because they never surrender. They just morph. But the way they've been operating and what happened here in the last couple of days. It's over!

RADIO

California Fire Chief Reveals BIG Issue with Federal Forest Agencies

It's not just California that needs to clean up its forests before more devastating fires break out. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy tells Glenn that the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior BOTH need to clear more brush: "I've worked for both the USDA and USDI. Let's face it...we've got an unhealthy landscape out there. We need to start putting beneficial fire on the landscape.” But he warns that these agencies are losing firefighters FAST: “It doesn't matter how many millions or billions of dollars you throw at the problem if you don't have the people there to do the work."

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: As the gods of the copybook headings limp up to explain once more that fire will certainly burn us and water will wet us. They could learn that in California.

We have Brian Fennessy. He is the Orange County California fire chief.

To tell us a little bit about what's going on. And how is Orange County doing, Brian?

Welcome to the program.

BRIAN: Hey, thank you very much. You know, a little bit about the fires, just across from LA. You know, they're not spreading. As they were, I think both are kind of in a stable position. But there's certainly a lot of heat, you know, in those. And on those fires. In the new wind event approximately albeit. Not 80 miles an hour. One hundred-mile-an-hour gusts. Are still very concerning.

Those fires will be wind tested. Here in North Carolina, it's blowing hard. It was up last week. I think we here dodged a bullet.

But we're expecting that for another couple of days. I'm told there might be another Santa Anna wind event forecasted for next week. So we sure can't stand much more.

GLENN: So, Brian, this is totally predictable. Was it not?

BRIAN: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. When I started in 1978. We would usually have a few days notice.

You know, meteorology is not what it is today. We start to get notified about ten days out.
And then confidence builds at seven days.

And then when you're about four days out, we're pretty sure, you know, what's going to expect.

Yes. Forecasting predicting is far better than it's ever been.

GLENN: Right. So what should have been done in those four days before the fire broke out?

BRIAN: Well, I'll tell you what was done. And we have a program called prepositioning. About six years ago, the fire chiefs in the state, got the state of California to fund -- to put money behind this prepositioning meeting. If we go through a matrix, you know, county-by-county, and we meet certain criteria. I mean, there's a number of things. We are approved for prepositioning funding.

Which means, I can bring on additional aircraft, additional bulldozers, engines.

And the state will pay for them. So that not only are all my stations filled and ready to go.

But I might have two or three more strike teams, strike teams five engines. I might have additional helicopters, dispatch staff.

So all of the Southern California counties were approved for prepositioning. So we had definitely extra resources available, should they be needed.

And certainly, they were deployed very, very quickly.

GLENN: But that's Orange County.

BRIAN: No, that's every county -- every county of the state is eligible for it. But each county has to go through this matrix to meet it.

And so I don't know for sure. But I would expect that Santa Barbara county south, were all approved for prepositioning funding.

And, quite frankly, here in Orange County and when I was the fire chief in San Diego city, we didn't wait for prepositioning. If this weather was going to surface, we are going to staff up.

And if we go overbudget, we go overbudget.
Our job is to protect our communities. And the mayor I worked for at the time, understood that.

So it's nice to be reimbursed for it, but that's not a necessity. We are going to staff up, even beyond what the state approves, if we believe we need to do that.

GLENN: Right. Yeah.

So as we're watching this from Texas and all around the country, it seems as though, it was, A, known that it was going to happen. This is routine. You expect the Santa Anna winds, every year.

You expect forest fires.

And brushfires, in California. Every year.

So this was just one of the really bad ones.

Then it seems like incompetence of cutting the funding for the fire agencies. Not really, truly being prepared. And then on top of it, it seems incompetence to a level that is almost criminal.

And then the third part of this, as we see it, as I see it. Is there might be some actors after the main fire started, that are also, you know, setting fires. What they're -- what their motives are, are yet unknown.

There are also some arsonists involved in that.

Do I have that picture right?

VOICE: Partially. And maybe totally. I don't know for sure.

But I will tell you this. I live in -- I grew up in Altadena. That's one of the towns pretty well wiped out.

When you live that close to the foothills. You're used to Santa Anna winds.

You know they're coming, and they can be brutal right there in the foothills. And it's not uncommon for a strong -- we consider strong Santa Anna, forty or 50 mile an hour winds steady, with gusts maybe to 60, 70.

The event that was experienced last week. And you know this, was 60, 70, steady, gusts, 90 to 100. Something like that. We have a hard time dealing with the former.

Something like that. We're trying to manage expectations, as -- we can't stop that fire.

And I think that, you know, many times, you know, the public. Let me put it this way.

If this were a hurricane or a tornado. Firefighters aren't stopping those either.

GLENN: Right. But they do preposition.

You look at Florida. They've got the trucks lined up before that thing comes ashore.

BRIAN: Yep. They're the best. They get disaster preparations in advance. They get that moving. Florida is an amazing model.

And Texas is a good model as well.

But in terms of, I can't speak of LA city. I don't know what they're prepositioned or upstaffed. They could have another thousand engines. And we weren't going to stop this fire.

Now, having said that. Once the winds diminished. And the fire. This is no longer a wild land fire.

This became an urban conflagration.

House to house spread.

The fuel was structures.

And so, you know, once the wind diminished to a point where, you know, firefighters could get in there and start working on the structures.

There were just so many.

I mean, I drove those fires -- I've been doing this since 1978.

I couldn't believe the structures, the businesses, that were burning so far, from the mountain, that it came off of.

I mean, it was even incredible for me. In terms of the water. I think that's being sorted out. I'm probably hearing the same things that you are. The reservoirs may not have been as filled as they needed to be.

Yes. A draw in the system, can cause some decrease in pressure. But I've never heard of anything that -- where there actually wasn't pressure.

I do know. And I've shared this with people.

In 2003, in San Diego, at the time, the largest fire in California history. We lost pressure.

But that was because pump houses. Pump stations had been burned.

And we didn't know they existed. Had we known, we would have protected those pump houses, as much as we protect a house.

To ensure that we have pressure.

GLENN: Right.

BRIAN: So I'm confident in the city of LA, and I'm hearing the governor is ordering an investigation. That's going to get sorted out. That's going to get public.

And, yes, it could be quite embarrassing and life-changing for a few people, involved in whatever decision made by both parties.

GLENN: Good. Good. We have to learn from our lessons. You know, learn lessons from our mistakes.

BRIAN: Totally agree.

GLENN: You are being talked about going into the Department of Interior.

You had not heard that?

BRIAN: Oh! Well, I'm hearing rumblings. People asked if I was interested in perhaps even becoming the new US forest service chief. And I have served with others that should I be approached at some point. I would certainly consider it.

Because, quite frankly, that agency is a mess, when it comes to fire fighting.

GLENN: Yeah.

BRIAN: They -- you know, paying benefits for -- the firefighters are leaving in droves.

They are so underpaid and underbenefited, that they're leaving, you know, to go to work for state and local government agencies, like mine.

And like L.A. Counties. And this isn't anything new.

You know, I used to work for them, for 13 years. Both the USDA foresters, and the Department of Interior. BLM. And I left as a crew superintendent. And I ran crews. And back then, you know, we were significantly underpaid.

I left the municipal department in 1990. Went to San Diego, because of it. And it's gotten worse.

And it's not managed or organized like a fire department. And if they're going to be in the fire business, you know, they need to be organized and led like a fire department.

Yes, there are resource agency. And, yes, they have things beyond fire, but if you look at the forest service budget, primarily now, it's fire being funded.

GLENN: Sure.

BRIAN: And they definitely need some help in their firefighters. Quite frankly, Glenn, they will be without a fire department very, very soon.

GLENN: Jeez. I have to tell you, it was the national forest service that helped save my neighbor's ranch and probably mine. If we would have had high winds, it would have been over. But the local fire came out. And immediately, the forest service had already positioned.

Because they looked at my canyon and went. This is dry. This is just a disaster waiting to happen.

And they were ready for it.

And they saved it. They did a great job there.

BRIAN: They have amazing firefighters.

GLENN: Yeah. They do.

BRIAN: Spent 13 years in a hotshot group.

I know the business. And I know the people that are out there now. Their firefighters are amazing. Their smoke jumpers. Their hotshots. Their engine cruiser.

Unfortunately, you know, again, they're organized in such a way, that nationally.

They don't -- it would take too long to speak.

But it's just sad to see.

I mean, here in California, I'm told that they're -- we're only able to staff the stations at 60 percent. In my own county. I have three forest service stations.

And they can only staff one of those stations.

Two on occasion. Eight to ten all summer.

We had a fire. We had a fire.

The airport fire, earlier this summer. That burned 100 homes.

And the station closest to that fire was not staffed

And so, you know, I made Congress aware.

And others aware.

And right now, I don't think the forest service is happy with me.

Because I'm being very public about things they should be very public about.

GLENN: So would it be the forest service or the department of interior, that would be responsible for getting under brush cleared?

MIKHAIL: Well, I think it's both. I worked for both the USDA and the USDI.

And let's face it. At least out in the west, the firefighters for decades did such a great job, suppressing fires quickly. That it caused this growth.

And we had an unhealthy landscape out there. And we need to have beneficial fire back on the landscape.

Here's another thing, Glenn. The same firefighters that were losing, those are the people that were going to do the work.

GLENN: I know.

BRIAN: So if you don't have the workforce to do the work, that needs to be done. How will you get it done? It doesn't matter how many millions or billions of dollars you throw at the problem, if you don't have the people, there to do the work.

But, yes. I mean, we need to do something about this unhealthy -- and people are working hard at it.

Certainly, Cal fires are showing amazing, incredible success with it. But you're years behind them.

GLENN: Oh, I know.

BRIAN: This is decades of not treating the fuels and the landscape. And it's going to be decades to fix it.

But we've got to do something. And we have to have a workforce to be able to do it. And like I say, if asked -- and I haven't been asked by anybody officially.

Jut informally. People have suggested and asked, is that something I would consider?

And absolutely.

And, you know, certainly, pay is less of an issue. It would be a pay cut for me. But it's not about that.

It's about -- it's about, you know, what we as firefighters, you know, have sworn to do, and we need to fix that organization.

GLENN: Quickly. Quickly. Can I ask you, am I up against a network break? Can I just ask you about the safety inspections about the Oregon fire trucks and everything.

That is not to make sure of the missions.
That's to make sure that we could function, correct?
Which seems insane too, but go ahead.

GLENN: You know, I'm unaware of what you're talking about.

I know we do expect. Not we. But the state or the feds will inspect, you know, engines or what not. When they arrive. And then before they leave to make sure they're safe.

So I'm not familiar at all, with the situation you're talking about.

GLENN: All right.

Brian, thank you so much.

I hope you're called up. Because we need to take all of our agencies.

And especially all of our services that are protecting us.

Seriously again, we haven't for a long time.

Brian, thank you so much.

BRIAN: Yep. We need change. So thank you.

GLENN: Yep. Brian Fennessy, orange County Fire Chief. All right

RADIO

Why California Officials Shouldn’t Get a DIME of Wildfire Aid Without MAJOR Conditions

House Speaker Mike Johnson has caused some controversy by suggesting that any wildfire aid given to California MUST come with conditions. But should this be controversial … or common sense? Glenn reviews 3 reasons that the Californian government shouldn’t receive a DIME from U.S. taxpayers without major restrictions. If the REAL “science deniers” like Governor Gavin Newsom can’t admit that their own policies helped fuel this disaster, Glenn argues that we can’t trust them with our money. California was warned days before the fires that conditions could cause a blaze. And there are fires in the state EVERY year. So, why wasn’t California prepared?

If you would like to help the PEOPLE - not the government - of California, you can donate at https://MercuryOne.org

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: But let me go into first, what is happening in California. The fires are still burning.

And, you know, good for them. Good for them.

Meanwhile, we have Newsom, talking about his marshal plan to rebuild Los Angeles, and let's go to cut three there, please.

VOICE: Over the course of the next several years in Los Angeles, will be hosts to the World Cup, and then the Super Bowl. And then the Olympics.

With this rebuilding effort, needing to take place, is LA going to be ready for all those global events?

VOICE: All that opportunity, that pride and spirit, that comes from not just hosting those three iconic games, but also the opportunity I think to rebuild at the same time. And that's why we're already organizing a marshal plan.

We're already looking at a team, looking to reimagine LA 2.0. And we're making sure everyone is included, not just folks on the coast.

People here, that were ravaged by this disaster.

VOICE: You just said, you're organizing a marshal plan for the rebuilding of California. What is that marshal plan? Tell us about this marshal plan.

VOICE: We're starting to lay out.

We're still fighting these fires. We're already talking to city leaders. We're already talking to civic leaders. We're already talking to business leaders. Nonprofits.

We're talking to labor leaders.

We're starting to organize, how we can put together a collection of individuals on philanthropy on recovery.

How we can organize the region. How we can make sure that we are seeking federal assistance, for the Olympics more broadly.

But also federal assistance for the recovery efforts, and how we can galvanize the community.

GLENN: Okay.

So I'm glad he's talking about the future. This brings us to Mike Johnson.

Something that I haven't talked about. Haven't had a chance to talk about yet. He wants to put some restrictions. His aid proposal for California. Is that he's trying to put conditions on the aid sent to California. And people are saying, that's insane! You don't do that. Where is your compassion?

I want to talk to you about how compassion is sometimes difficult.

Compassion. True compassion is sometimes the hardest thing to muster.

Because you want to give, until you can't give anymore.

You want to help.

You want to be there. But you have an alcoholic. In California.

California is the political system is an alcoholic.

And it is destroying the entire state. And you don't say when an alcoholic is suddenly, you know, in the hospital, or, you know, really, really down, and, you know, out on the streets. You know what, I'm going to give you all the need to get back into your house. Because the alcoholic will spend that, and just end up in the same place, if not worse. Sometimes, you have to have tough love. You know this with your family. Any kind of aid, that goes to California, I think it is only responsible to aid the people, as quickly as possible. Aid the homeowners, as quickly as possible. Help them make sure that they have a place to go. Make sure that they -- like the government wasn't doing in North Carolina. Making sure that they have hotel rooms for as long as they need them, within reason. Now, within reason, many of these people are wildly wealthy. Some are very poor. There needs to be some understanding that the wildly wealthy. You know, we're not going to put you up at the Beverly Hills Hotel. That's just the way it is. Sorry.

But we're going to help the people. But when it comes to the state, if they cannot admit that this is not climate change, that this happened because of their policies. If they cannot admit that, they shouldn't get a dime.

I'm a taxpayer. I want to help California. Just like I want to help all the other states, when they have a problem, that they cannot handle. That is too big for their state.

But they took all of their resources. And honestly, you could make the case. I'm not. But you could make the case, this was intentional sabotage. Pragmatism now, I want to tell you about the three-fold problem in California, as I see it.

There are three things that are happening in California.

One, the Santa Anna winds, low humidity, and uncleared brush always causes fires. Always.

They are known to cause fires. They have been known throughout history.

Do you know why the great redwoods and the sequoias have grown for a thousand years? Do you know how those trees got so big? They're in California. How is that possible? How have they not been wiped out by fire?

We have to protect the sequoias. To an the sap in sequoias is fire retardant. That's why they can grow for a thousand years. God gave them.

God knew, there would be fires in California. Those trees have fire retardant as part of their life's blood. That's why they haven't burned down over and over and over again.

Normal trees don't have that. That's why fires burn all the time. And if you don't have regular maintenance on your forests and on your property, you are going to have a brush fire. And a brush fire turns into a forest fire.

And if you add 75 to 100-mile-an-hour winds. You could burn down the entire state!

Except, it seems for the sequoias and the redwoods. What this government of California has done, has stopped people in the name of the good of the forest and the good of the land, is to deny science. They have been denying science, for decades! They have been playing God for over a century!

They want to tell you, that a woman can be a man, and a man can be a woman, and a man can have a baby!

That's not true! That's denying science!

To say, that we can prevent the forest fires is a lie. That is as arrogant as saying, we can change the weather!

Now, don't think our government and governments all over the world, aren't trying to change the weather.

But let me ask you honestly. How do you think that's going to work out in the end?

How do you think cloud seating and putting gases and different things up into the atmosphere, or giant shades in space, to block the sun.

How do you think that's going to work out in the end?

Well, or will it end the same way our arrogance always ends?

There are things that we can do.

To mitigate natural occurrences.

For instance, if you were -- let's say, you got on December 2nd.

Can we get that weather warning up from the National Weather Service. It's January second, next Tuesday through Thursday. January 7th through the ninth.

A chance of moderate, to strong Santa Anna winds.

This is for -- is from the National Weather Service. Ready, set, go.

Readyforwildfire.org. Impacts. Extreme fire growth behavior possible, if a fire starts and power outages. Use extra caution with potential fire sources.

Now, this was added the week before the fires!

Now, that's the National Weather Service, giving a warning to the people of California. You can bet, that government agency, let other government agencies know, at the same time.

Continually didn't go up to your house.

It went out to everybody's house.

It went to the firehouses. It went to the governor's house. It went to the mayor's house. They knew in advance!

So let me ask you, in a nonprogressive state, what would somebody like Ron DeSantis do? What do we do for hurricanes? Hurricanes are like fires in California. You know you're going to have them, every single year. Am I wrong?

Okay. If you have them and you get a warning, one is potentially coming, that could be record-setting. What do you do? Well, I'll tell you what a nonprogressive state like Florida, with a governor who is -- is embracing reality. What he does, is he prepositions all of the utility trucks. Prepositions all of the lifesaving trucks. He makes sure that we have plenty of chainsaws. He makes sure that the -- the state is ready and literally waiting. So what should Gavin Newsom have done? When he got that warning, 100-year warning of a fire. He should have said, make sure all the reservoirs are full. Make sure that we have all of the fire trucks. Positioned. Put them in the high-risk areas. Just let them sit there. Have the firemen sit there in really dangerous areas. Make sure that if you see a fire or smoke, that thing is out right away. You can't get up these hills with fire equipment quickly. If you've ever been to California. It's honestly, like navigating the Appalachia. It's like going to North Carolina. Why? Were so many people trapped? Because it's impossible to navigate those hills and those mountains quickly! The same thing in California. Did they do that? No. Do they make sure that they had things in advance? No!

What is the one given if you're living in California? What is the one thing that you know is going to happen in California, besides political insanity. You know there's a chance of an earthquake? So what do you do? You build your building stronger, right? You know there's a chance of a mudslide. So what do you do? You make sure that you -- you have your foundations deep. But then you also, when you buy it, know, I'm gasping here. My house could slide down the side of this mountain. You're charged extra for insurance. But the one thing you know is going to happen every year, is fire. Why wouldn't California be the number one fire ready and resistant area in the United States? I'll tell you with why, in 60 seconds. Let me tell you about JASE Medical.

It's kind of been a terrifying past several months. At least when it comes to summer blockbuster level disasters from wildfires to hurricanes, sea to shining sea.

We've witnessed the danger that nature and mismanagement can bring. How many times last year and this year, so far have people been stranded without access to medications that they might need?

That doesn't have to be your family, or you. Because you know about it. And hopefully, you have the JASE case, by now.

It is a simple, reliable, emergency room supply. Of lifesaving medications to put control in your hands.

There's no way to prepare for literally every single thing that could go on.

But there's lots of ways to prepare for everything that you know could go wrong. The JASE case is a must have for that! This isn't about fear. It's about responsibility.

Being prepared, California, is the best way to protect your family and your future.

Don't wait for the next headline to wake you up. Don't wait for the government to do the right thing. You do it! Go to JASE.com. Enter the promo code Beck. Make sure you have the right medicine on hand the moment you need them. That's JASE.com. Promo code Beck. Ten-second station ID.
(music)
Okay. So I think there are three things happening in California, and this is why we're having this conversation today. And we're having to make tough decisions.

One, fires are natural, especially in California. They're going to happen due to global warming or not. When you have out of control homeless problems, your risk of fire increases. Why?

Because people who take meth, one of the side effects is, you like to see things burn. Also, you have homeless people, who start fires, maybe to stay warm.

Maybe just to eat.

But when you have huge homeless problems, your risk of fire goes up. You also have the Santa Anna winds. And the natural history of California.

They were unprepared. That's number two. Number one is, it's going to happen.

Any moron could see this happen. This wasn't 9/11 where, wow! We never thought planes could fly into the buildings. This is a wildfire in California!

It happens every year, just like the sun comes up every morning. Two, they were not prepared. They knew it was going to happen. They were not prepared.

Okay. Next thing: Their incompetence is borderline criminal. What they've done, not just in their incompetence, but by shifting funds away from fires. Away from preparedness. For something you knew that was going to happen, to I don't know.

To give more job opportunities for equal opportunity for lesbian lizard cults. By doing that and taking money away from the state, I'm sorry.

That's not just incompetence. That's borderline criminal. And, three, you have people who are now just joining in! What a surprise!

It looks as though, you have foreigners, here illegally, on our streets! Setting fires!
Who could have seen that one coming?

That's what's happening, in California it's natural!

It happens every year. They didn't prepare. They went the opposite direction. You have people joining in to help.

Now, I believe this fire started naturally. And then it's been helped by forces that I don't understand yet.

I don't know if this was a plot. Or just, you know, lone wolves, setting fires.

But also, nature helped by Santa Anna winds. Which he with understand.

And the incompetence.

Why would we give California a dime, without restrictions?

I'm not talking about the people, who are suffering right now, and have no money, and no place to go.

I'm talking about rebuilding in California.

Every dollar should have restrictions on it, to the government of California. Because I'm not paying for this twice. I'm not doing it!

They need to learn their lesson. Not the people.

The people in government.

RADIO

Did Lip Readers DECODE Obama & Trump’s Conversation at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral?

Did Donald Trump and Barack Obama chat and laugh like old friends at Jimmy Carter’s funeral? Or was the footage misleading? Well, some companies have hired lip readers to figure out what they were talking about and they speculate that Trump wanted an urgent meeting with Obama. But maybe the lip readers aren’t as accurate as they seem. Glenn also reviews clips of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin News that tell you everything you need to know about them.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All righty. I just -- to stop here real quick.

Just one more thing about Karen Bass, who is doing a bang-up job.

No. She is on fire. She is en fuego. Karen Bass. The mayor of Los Angeles.

She was given some information yesterday.

Cut 25, please.

She was fabulous.

Listen to this.

VOICE: Build stronger than ever. Right now, if you need help, emergency information, resources, and shelter is available. All of this can be found at URL.

Los Angeles together is how we move --

GLENN: Okay. I think we can stop there.

Stu, would you just find that information at URL for me?

STU: Yeah. Let me type on this.

URL. Got it. Perfect. Here it is.

GLENN: Wait. What?

STU: All the information I need is right here.

In fact, I will say --

GLENN: URL.

STU: All the information I needed about Karen Bass is in that clip.

It doesn't tell me anything about the fires.

GLENN: Nope. Nope.

All you need.

Can you imagine? People are at home.

If they don't know what an URL is, and who doesn't?

Honestly, at this point, who doesn't know what an URL is?

It's like, find all the information at www.dot, and they'll have all the information for you. I mean, oh, my gosh.

How can she possibly say that?

I mean, just not engaged in thinking at all.

But then again. It's hard to look back next to Newsom.

Did you see when Newsom was in the street? And some woman came up to him. And he's like, oh, I've got a -- I've got the president on the phone.

Really? Can I see it? Well, not now.

I mean, it's actually the King of England.

It's your husband I'm talking to right now!

He's really -- I've got somebody on the phone. I've got to go. Listen to this.

Cut 23.

VOICE: Governor, you've got a second? Governor.

VOICE: Nope, I don't.

VOICE: Governor, I live here! Governor. That was my daughter's school, Governor. Please tell me --

VOICE: Literally, talking to the president right now, to specifically answer the questions.

GLENN: He's literally -- stop. Stop. Stop. Hang on just a second.

He's literally talking to the president right now. Now, see how this lie falls apart. Go ahead.

VOICE: For you and your daughter.

VOICE: Can I hear your call? Because I don't believe it.

VOICE: I'm sorry. There's literally -- I tried five times this morning. I'm making --

VOICE: Why is the president not taking your call? Why?

GLENN: Hold on just a second. So he's literally not talking to the president right now. He's literally trying to talk to the president right now.

That's why he's walking around. He can't get cell coverage.

And, you know, honestly, what do you people in LA expect?

You know, phone coverage wherever you are?

I mean, you know, what are you -- there's a fire going on. What do you need cell coverage for?

Hello!

Oh, my gosh.

STU: It's incredible.

I was waiting for him to go, yeah.

And we'll help you as soon as -- oh, hold on.

That could be the president now. Hello!

Mr. President.

It's so bad.

GLENN: So bad.

STU: And I will say, it's really sad to see, the city of Los Angeles, go up in flames.

I'm not as sad to see Gavin Newsom 2028 go down in flames.

As we watch this go on.

How can this guy -- he wants to be your next president desperately.

He really does, wants to run no matter what.

But how can anybody put him in office after watching this?

GLENN: Well, you have to read the facts about him, and you can find the facts at URL.

Now, let me -- let me move on to the funeral yesterday, of Jimmy Carter.

I have never seen -- honestly, yeah. It was like the housewives of Washington, DC.

I have never seen the presidential squad with all the living presidents, look so crazy!

Let me just -- start with the video of them just walking in and being ushered in.

Because they're ushered in. One by one.

Bill Clinton looks like, you know. He's probably the next to go. I hate to say that. Melania was so stoic yesterday. Here's Mike Pence giving him a warm handshake to Melania and Trump. They're cordial to each other. Melania was so stoic. It was the one-year anniversary of her mother's death yesterday. So, you know, one year death of somebody like your mom is really tough.

And so she's at a funeral. And she's just -- I just think she's the classiest First Lady that we've had at least in my lifetime. I mean, I think she beats Jackie O. And she has pretty much the same kind of pressure on her that Jackie O did. And she's been classy all the way.

Then you get -- let's go to Obama cutting there with Donald Trump. They're at the funeral. The funeral I think is going on.

And play the video now of Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
(music)
Just sitting there, they're laughing.

I've got to get back into the lipreading thing here for a second.

But Barack Obama is laughing.

And my favorite part is, have you ever been -- you've been on one side of this.

One side or the other.

You know when somebody is talking and screwing around in a movie theater.

And there's that person, who doesn't want to say anything.

And is not going to say anything.

But they just turn around and give you a look like, die!

You know that look?

Usually comes from women. They just turn around and look at you like, stop it!

And they turn around, and they're in a handcuff.

Well, that's what happened with Kamala yesterday.

As Barack Obama is laughing. She turns around like that schoolmarm.

She turns around and looks at them, like die!

And then turns around and then picks up her program and pretends to read it.

And you know she's not reading it. She's just so angry, for some reason.

When they come in and they're seating. They seat the First Lady and -- and her -- the First Lady two, her husband.

When they're sitting down, then they bring in Jill and Joe Biden.

I mean, I'm in the mountains of the West right now.

It's -- I don't know. Outside, it's probably one!

It was colder in that church, when those two saw each other, than it is right now!

I mean, it was brutal. Brutal.

Let me see. Let me go to the -- go back to the funeral thing.

Where they're -- they're talking back and forth.

And let me tell you about the -- the lip-reader. Did you read about the lip-reader? What they said?

STU: I haven't heard that. Yeah.

GLENN: Okay.

So they're talking back and forth.

And at one point, Trump. This is according to a lip-reader.

Trump leans over to Obama, and says, I've pulled out of that.

It's the conditions. Can you imagine that?

Now, I don't know if he was talking about Kamala, or -- I don't know what -- it might have been some sort of a deal, global warming.

I don't know what it was. But the speculation, maybe it's the Iran Nuclear Deal, or the Paris Climate Agreement.

And they don't know what they were discussing, but Obama laughs.

So I don't know how this relates to that. He laughs. And then Trump says, and after, I will. So we don't know what that means. The TV cool camera, cut away from the two guys.

And then when it comes back on, Trump says, call me at the foy after.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And maybe that was the foyer, or there's a little known hotel called the Foy.

At this point, I'm starting to question the lipreading. You know what I mean?

Maybe he meant the foyer, but only said the foy, and he wanted to call him when he was in the foyer. I mean, it just doesn't --

STU: Oh. A lot of people abbreviate foyer, to foy.

GLENN: Oh, it happens all the time.

STU: Very common.

GLENN: Where did you leave that? I left it in the foy. Okay. Right.

So he said, call me at the foy after. Then Obama said, can you just -- it should be good. Again, that doesn't work as a sentence.

It doesn't work. Okay?

STU: Sometimes, you have information that you don't need to communicate with other people.

If what you came up with as a lip-reader.

He said, I want to -- he had squirrel.

If that is what you came up with. Just don't tell people.

GLENN: You're probably not reading it right.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: Then Trump said, I can't talk.

We have to find a quiet place sometime.

This is a matter of importance, and we need to do this outside. So we can deal with it.

Certainly, today!

Okay. What would Donald Trump beat -- and then Obama is laughing.

What would be important, that would make Barack Obama laugh, that they had to deal with, today, the two of them?

The lip-reader also interpreted Obama as saying, listen to me. It's a chore. It's a chore.

Yeah.

Trump replied. I can't think of anything, that is a chore.

That sentence doesn't even make sense.

STU: No.

GLENN: It doesn't make sense.

STU: Who did they hire for this job?

This is the worst --

GLENN: I'm a lip-reader!

I know what they're saying. Soup. Soup.
(laughter)

GLENN: Soup.

I don't think that's what they were saying. I mean, maybe -- I don't know who they hired as a lip-reader. Oh, here it is. Here it is.

STU: Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt. We do have a sentence for Donald Trump that has just come down.

GLENN: Oh, we do!'.

You mean, from the lip-reader or the sentence from the judge?

STU: No, I'm lipreading people on TV, as we do the show.

GLENN: Okay. All right. All right. I got a sentence from the lip-reader. Cake is good!

STU: They've sentenced him to balloons. I don't know what that means. Why?

GLENN: What is the sentence?

STU: This is -- this is not me misreading the lip-reader.

This is the actual sentence.

The judge has sentenced Donald Trump to unconditional discharge.

I swear that's --

GLENN: I've had that before.

It's nasty!

You take some medication.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And it clears up.

But that unintentional. Or unrelenting. Whatever it was. Discharge can happen.

STU: Unrelenting discharge. If you have antibiotic cream, you can get rid of it quickly.

GLENN: Get rid of it. Quickly.

STU: So unconditional discharge means, they just let them go. That's what it is.

He walks out without any conditions. That's what this built up to.

We spent millions and millions of dollars to say, hey, Don. See you later.

That's it. That's the whole thing?

Fitting process.

GLENN: If you have discharge of any kind, call your doctor.
(laughter)
Unconditional --

STU: Unconditional discharge lasts for four hours or more.

You need to see a physician immediately.

Glenn's Show Prep

'Nothing More American': Muslim Zudhi Jasser Clarifies Trump's Immigration Order

Democrat Tries to TRAP Pete Hegseth. He Has the PERFECT Response

Transcript

California Fire Chief Reveals BIG Issue with Federal Forest Agencies

Transcript

Why California Officials Shouldn’t Get a DIME of Wildfire Aid Without MAJOR Conditions

Transcript

Did Lip Readers DECODE Obama & Trump’s Conversation at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral?

Transcript