GLENNApril 11, 2017

Man Up: NFL Player Writes a Playbook for New Dads

When it comes to the unknown territory of having a baby, moms-to-be have nearly unending resources to plan and execute a healthy pregnancy and navigate those first months and years as a parent with confidence. New dads? Not so much. They want to get in the game too, but, says Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson, "I could find clearer direction for putting together a baby swing than for taking care of a newborn child."

Watson, who is also an accomplished speaker and author, joined Glenn in studio today to discuss his latest book, The New Dad's Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life.

His message to men? Man up. There are things you need to know before becoming a dad and knowledge is power. With 33 percent of children being raised without fathers, Watson's message is needed more than ever. Fatherhood is challenging, but it's worth it. And Benjamin Watson, father of five, is here to tell men they can do it.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Benjamin Watson, welcome to the program. How are you, sir?

BENJAMIN: Doing well. How are you guys doing? Thanks for having me.

GLENN: Good. First, let's quickly talk, how is your injury?

BENJAMIN: It's going well. Tore my Achilles last year. Spoke to you guys a little while ago from the rehab field actually.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

BENJAMIN: And it's coming along. It's a seven-to-nine month injury.

PAT: That had to hurt.

BENJAMIN: Yeah, it did. It did. It's one of those things where it happens. And people who tear their Achilles always say, it felt like somebody kicked me in the heels. So I looked back. Who kicked me in the heel?

PAT: Yeah.

BENJAMIN: And nobody was there.

STU: Oh.

PAT: Yeah. Man.

BENJAMIN: I get up because I was going to get the pass, get the ball. And my foot is just kind of flopping, not connected. So it was painful. But I'm doing well.

GLENN: How frightening is that as a guy who does this for a living?

BENJAMIN: Yeah.

GLENN: And did it go through your mind, am I done?

BENJAMIN: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Of course.

You know, I've had a number of injuries over my career. You know, football has a 100 percent injury rate. That's why we try to do our best to protect players and provide, you know, those benefits for them.

JEFFY: No kidding.

BENJAMIN: But you never know when it's going to be in the game. It could be because of a younger player or because of skill diminishment or an injury, something like that. I've always been able to bounce back, so I'm trying to do it again.

GLENN: What do you think about the studies that show that rugby players don't get hurt, even though they have no padding, because we overprotect here. And so you just kind of -- you just kind of --

BENJAMIN: Yeah. I thought about that a lot, Glenn.

I mean, if you look at the two games, rugby is more like soccer, as in the game flows. You don't have these collisions where guys are at a standstill from 20 yards away and they're running full speed and colliding with each other.

So number one, the collisions aren't the same, as in football. Number two, when it comes to protecting players, you look at a helmet, right? If you don't have a helmet on, do you think you will use your head in a way to break it?

GLENN: No.

BENJAMIN: No, you won't. If you have a helmet on, though, you're more inclined to use your head in tackling, in defending, in blocking as a weapon. However you want to feel it. You feel this sense of security that you don't have.

GLENN: Correct.

BENJAMIN: However, your brain is suspended in fluid. So while your helmet protects your skull, it doesn't protect your brain. So when you look at rugby -- you know, that's a great point there -- they tackle differently because they don't have the equipment --

GLENN: They don't have a false sense of security.

BENJAMIN: Exactly. But also the game isn't set up the way football is. Football is a game of collision. That's why people watch. That's why we play it. That's why you like it.

PAT: Yeah.

STU: It's really nice to have someone who can not only talk sports, but also match the athletic ability of Glenn. Which is so rare --

GLENN: I don't think we need to go here right now. I thought it was a pleasant conversation. I was holding my own. And you went there.

So, Ben, talk to me a little bit about the book that you've written, why you've written it.

BENJAMIN: Yeah.

GLENN: You in some ways are a very controversial guy. And excuse me for not -- I don't follow football at all.

Are you controversial --

BENJAMIN: You're in Dallas and don't follow football?

GLENN: Yeah, I know.

BENJAMIN: My aunt would turn over.

GLENN: Yeah.

(laughter)

GLENN: And I used to work with Joe Theismann, and I still actually root -- and mainly only because I worked with Joe Theismann that I root for the Cowboys.

Are you -- the things that you say are controversial in society, only because I think they're rooted in common sense. And we're not a common sense place anymore.

BENJAMIN: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: Are you -- do you have problems with your -- your coworkers and your fellow players and --

BENJAMIN: Well, no. Not at all.

GLENN: Really good.

BENJAMIN: But I will say this. The thing I love about the NFL -- because I do have a group of 60 or so guys from different walks of life.

GLENN: Yeah.

BENJAMIN: Economic ethnicity. Geographical locations. They come together. And if it's done correctly, it can be a great place to bounce ideas. You have conversations that you probably won't have in any other setting because it wouldn't be -- it wouldn't be right for corporate guidelines so to speak. And so we're able to talk about these different things. And, you know, when I say things, whether it's about abortion, whether it's about race, whether it's about social justice, whether it's about something political -- or like, in this case, with the new book about fatherhood and men standing up and being dads. It could be something about domestic violence, you know. What happened two days ago with the murder-suicide. 94 percent of the victims are females in murder-suicides. And so whenever I step up and say something like that, it's amazing how many guys who say, you know, I kind of agree with that too. Let's talk about this.

GLENN: So let's talk about the -- the book. Do you get into a man -- and I'm sorry. But the book isn't even out yet. So I haven't read it.

BENJAMIN: Yeah, May 2nd.

GLENN: Does the book talk about the role of a man and the way he treats a woman?

BENJAMIN: It does. It does. My wife is really the one who got me to do it.

STU: Of course. That's the story of every project.

BENJAMIN: Of course. Yeah. Yeah. Us men drag our feet on things, and our women are the ones that make us do --

GLENN: No, it is the story -- it is what people mean, behind every successful man, there's a good woman.

BENJAMIN: Exactly.

GLENN: Yeah, because they're saying, get up and do that.

BENJAMIN: Yeah, the man is the head, but the woman is the neck. She will turn that head wherever she wants to go. So she's been trying to come employ me to write this book.

We have five children. The oldest is eight. And she's been employing me to write this book for a while, as a handbook to help dads through pregnancy, really, in supporting their wives, supporting the mother of their children through this process. Because a lot of dads -- when I had my first child -- she's eight now. But I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know what to do when my wife had morning sickness. I didn't know what to do when I went to the OB, and he's checking for the heartbeat.

You know, I had all this anxiety that we have as men. And so the reason for the book, number one, is to educate men. So men work best when we have information.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

BENJAMIN: So everything from areola to zygote terms will be covered in the book. Technical terms, so that men know what they're getting into when it comes to being a father, when it comes to their wives being pregnant.

But also, there's practical application. You know, things I messed on. Things I wished I would have done better. Communication.

GLENN: Like what?

BENJAMIN: Well, like I said before, I was very -- we're two type A personalities, my wife and I. So sometimes we butt heads. That leads to arguments. Our first couple years of marriage -- weren't the most pleasant, I'll admit that. But understand you're on the same team. Understanding that you have her best interests at heart. And number one, you need to be present.

The number one thing for a man that I implore guys in this book is that they need to be present, not just with their money providing for a roof over their head. But they need -- women need and the child needs their team. Needs their support.

We live in a time where there's 33 percent pretty much of kids grow up without a father. And that leads to a lot of the ills that we've been talking about. And so my goal is to educate guys, but also empower them and encourage them that they can do it.

STU: I'm a little concerned that one of the main things you seem to be advocating in the book is to store your baby inside of a football helmet.

GLENN: That's just the cover. Don't judge the book by the cover.

STU: Okay.

GLENN: That's just the cover.

STU: That's what that means. Don't judge a book --

GLENN: Yeah. The cover sometimes could be misleading.

BENJAMIN: But a lot of guys feel like -- and, you know, I've had these conversations before. And I've even felt a little bit that this time, when they're young, it doesn't really matter.

So basically the book goes from conception, up until the first few weeks when the baby is home. So kind of like conception being the preseason training camp in football. The Super Bowl being when the baby is born. And kind of the post game idea is when the baby is home, those first few weeks when the mother is extremely tired and you need to kick in and you might need to cook. You might need to wash dishes. You might need to do some clothes.

GLENN: Whoa, whoa.

BENJAMIN: You need to do some things to help out because, again, you guys are a team. And it's okay if you get out of your normal comfort zone, what you've been doing, for her.

GLENN: It's also really, I think a hard time when you have a child, because everything is geared towards the woman and the baby.

BENJAMIN: Yeah.

GLENN: And even -- even when you hold the baby, the baby is not looking at you like they look at the mom. Because, I mean, God placed that nipple right --

BENJAMIN: But that's not true. That's not true. That's not true, Glenn. Studies have shown that skin-to-skin contact is vital when the baby is born for the mother and for the father.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: No, no. I agree with that. I agree with that. What I'm saying is the guy can feel like it's not -- like I'm not -- I'm useless. I can't feed really.

BENJAMIN: That's true.

GLENN: I can't -- you know, I don't have that bond. There is that bond in early days.

BENJAMIN: Yeah.

GLENN: And the guy can just feel like --

PAT: Especially if they breast-feed. Part of that.

GLENN: Right.

BENJAMIN: That's true. That's true.

GLENN: I'm useless here. And it's a total lie.

BENJAMIN: And I felt that. One of the things I talk about is -- my wife nursed our children for a year, all of them for a year afterwards. And so one thing I would do would be -- she would pump some milk for me at night. And I would get up at night and do some feedings with the milk. And obviously, I can't nurse. But it was a way for me to bond with my children.

PAT: Uh-huh.

BENJAMIN: And kind of get tired too. Because you're going to go through that zombie stage. And me get up and let her sleep for a little bit is important. So that's one way. And, you know, one of the things I'm always fearful of -- and I think you touched on it -- was that I'm losing my life. I will say that with this child, I felt like, man, I don't know if I want to go through this because it's going to change the dynamics of our relationship. I'm losing her.

STU: Oh, yeah.

BENJAMIN: How long is she going to be gone? When is she going to be back? But I found that when I'm intentionally involved, those feelings start to go away sooner. But those are real things.

I mean, the reality of it is, when a child comes into a relationship, whether it's the first child, second, third, fourth, or fifth child, the dynamics change, not only for the children that are there, but for the husband and the wife. But that husband/wife relationship is one that has to remain strong, not only for its benefit, but for the benefit of the children.

GLENN: Yeah. And that's difficult to do. Because especially as the child grows, you have -- you have, you know, things that come up. And you're like, this child needs the attention right now. And so your relationship has to morph and change. And it -- to a guy at least, it does feel like you're losing your wife.

BENJAMIN: Yeah.

GLENN: You know, she's mom. And not my wife. And it's hard. It's really hard.

BENJAMIN: Exactly. Well, yeah. It is. One of the things -- you know, one of the things I talk about obviously -- every relationship talks about communication. But the main thing with communication is honesty. And so with my first, you mentioned something that I did wrong. With my first couple, I wasn't honest about my feelings. I wasn't honest that I felt like I was losing her, that I was hurt, those sort of things.

And the last few pregnancies, I've told her, you know, this is how I feel. How do we combat this? So that way she's aware of it. And one thing we always try to do is get back on schedule with our date nights.

I look forward to, after we have a baby, after the schedules get all messed up, one thing we try to do with our relationship is have scheduled date nights. During the season -- it's actually easier during the season because our schedule is very regimented. So we go on Mondays or Tuesdays.

But especially after having a child, reconnecting in that way. I talk about, you know, intimacy. You know, contrary to popular belief by men, sex isn't the only form of intimacy, right?

GLENN: Wait. What else?

BENJAMIN: There's something else? Hey, I felt the same way. Really?

So -- but I talk about those things. You know, how do you navigate her changing body, you know, when it comes to sex? How long afterwards? How do you rekindle that passion when all these things have happened and the emotions and the mood swings and the hormones and all those sorts of things? How do you make her feel beautiful through this process?

GLENN: Boy, I wish I would have had this book the first time, maybe even the third time.

STU: Does it say in there, well, don't be as out of shape as we are? Instead, be as in good shape as an NFL player is, and then the intimacy follows.

BENJAMIN: See, that's how guys think. Guys are like, man, in shape or intimacy?

But a woman will tell you something otherwise. She will say, you know what, I can deal with your beard, but if you're affirming me --

JEFFY: That's a lie. That's a lie. That's a lie. That's a lie.

BENJAMIN: If you know my love life. You're speaking to it.

GLENN: No, that's a lie.

BENJAMIN: That's a lie?

GLENN: I see the way my wife looks at Chris Pratt on the screen.

JEFFY: That's right. That's a lie.

BENJAMIN: She doesn't know him though. She doesn't have a relationship with him.

GLENN: No. And I'm glad she doesn't know him.

STU: Or she wouldn't have you anymore.

BENJAMIN: It's a totally different story.

RADIO

FBI investigates Glenn's expose on Antifa network

The FBI showed up to Glenn's house to discuss his TV show exposing Antifa's network. Glenn shares what he learned from his "surreal" meeting and warns any member or funder of Antifa: you should be a little concerned because the FBI is SERIOUS about investigating you.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Let me tell you something else that's changed.

Let me start with this. Cut five here.

Here are the new talking points for the media on Antifa.

Listen to this.

VOICE: This is an entirely imaginary organization. There's not an Antifa.

VOICE: Look, I don't even know what Antifa is.
VOICE: There is no growth.

VOICE: It's not even like far right groups, like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, compared to right-wing extremists, Antifa-linked violence is rare and limited.

VOICE: It is an organization.
It is -- it is in many ways mythology.

VOICE: It's not like the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers. You know, they're defined terrorist organizations, the leadership that led -- that, you know, leads violence.

VOICE: It's not a highly organized movement. It's a moniker. It's not even a group like the Proud Boys are.

Things like Antifa are things that are thought up.

VOICE: These guys are going after Antifa, which is nothing. There's no organization called Antifa.

VOICE: Nobody is a member of Antifa because it doesn't exist! They are just claiming existence to something that doesn't exist.

VOICE: There is no Antifa organization, so maybe that's good for social media.

But it really has -- is nonexistent.

VOICE: They exist on the internet and chat rooms.

And in 4chan.

GLENN: Okay.

VOICE: And places like that. Where they run discussion boards. Trade tactics.

Documents. Things like that.

But none of them are called Antifa.

STU: What!

GLENN: I don't even know what they're talking about.

You want to talk about living in a different world.

But that's what's going around.

Now, let me just tell you this: Last week, I did a TV show that apparently got the FBI's attention.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: The topic was -- was initial investigation. A jumping off point, shattering the myth that Antifa just -- oh, it's -- it's just leaderless. And decentralized. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

We thought, no. It's really not. So we dove in. Head first.

And we analyzed the Antifa network. And we went from the street thugs, to the support groups, eventually, to the funding.

Okay?

To say the FBI was interested in this might be an understatement.

Let's just say, the FBI is turning over every single stone.

It is so clear to me, that they are exploring all angles of this. And they are talking to anyone and everyone that can give them think kind of information.

How do I know?

Saturday, I get a phone call.

The director would like to send over some agents to speak to you, Glenn.

And I'm like, the director?

The FBI agents?

Yes, you said, some things that they need to talk to you about.

Well, good things or bad things? "They'll be over."

Three agents sat in my living room on Saturday afternoon for almost two hours. And I immediately called Jason. I'm like, Jason, you're the researcher. It's your fault. I'm going to throw you under the bus. You better get your butt over here.

So Jason was there. My wife and I sat there, and it was surreal at one point. I talked to them for about 15 minutes just going over the Tides Foundation. And saying, if you understand Tides, you'll understand how difficult your job is going to be. And this is information that I first gave on Fox years ago.

Let me just say this: Finally, we have an administration and an FBI director, that is willing to go in deep. Not surface. But deep!

I could only imagine what we could have avoided, if anyone in an administration, would have done this, in 2011.

But if I were in that, imaginary group, of Antifa, which, by the way, has imaginary leaders. Leaving the country to go maybe to imaginary countries outside of the US right now. I would be very concerned. If I were a part of anything that was sending money their way or assistance their way.

I don't know!

I might be a little concerned, because the FBI is deadass serious.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Donald Trump, Kash Patel, and all of the agents at the FBI.

GLENN: We're covering from Allie Beth Stucky's big event, six or 7,000 women showed up this weekend for a weekend conference. It was -- it was unbelievable.

STU: Really, I saw the crowds. It was incredible.

GLENN: Yeah. She did a great, great job. I'm so proud of her. She's just killing it. But we will try to get to some of those clips because they're really, really good. We'll get to those later on in the program. You know, Stu and I were talking about how Antifa doesn't exist. And, you know, that's like saying -- it's like saying Al-Qaeda doesn't exist. Well, you're right.

There is no way, you know, 501 Broadway, you know, where you go to al-Qaeda's office. That doesn't happen, but it does exist, and it's an ideology.

And while they may not -- they may not take their direction from the same person at the office, I don't know. There's no HR. So they don't exist. They exist!

They exist. And they're loosely affiliated. And sometimes, they are getting money. You know.

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And for the press and everybody else to say -- when you're watching them all over the country, and they're doing exactly the same thing, same tactics. Every -- everywhere.

You know, to say, they don't exist is just infantile.

STU: Yeah. It's like a -- it's -- I don't know what the word -- there should be a word for this, if there isn't.

But there's a real point used in an intentionally dumb way to mislead.

Is that malinformation? Is that what that is?

GLENN: Yes. Yes.

STU: It really is. There's a real point to it. They're disengaged from a centralized thing. This makes them more dangerous. This is how you had to deal with terrorist cells back in the day. However, they're using it in a way that makes it seem like it's not a threat, which is not accurate. And they know it's not accurate. And they're trying to mislead people with a piece of --

GLENN: Why would you -- why would you support -- why would you try to brush Antifa under the rug? I mean, it's just perplexing.

RADIO

How Trump SUCCEEDED where everyone failed in Israel and Gaza

For the first time in modern history, and perhaps the past few thousand years, we may have actual peace in the Middle East. Glenn Beck discusses the signing of President Trump’s historic peace deal, which will hopefully bring an end to the Israel/Hamas conflict in Gaza, and the freeing of the remaining 20 hostages.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Let me start here: For the first time in living memory, the guns have gone quiet in Gaza. Hostages, that have been held now for over two years have just walked free. And for the very first time, not in decades, but perhaps a millennia or two: The descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have -- have signed something that might resemble more than just a ceasefire. You have to understand, before we start, how significant and how impossible it is to reach this point! This is not like anything we've ever seen before.

The conflict did not begin in 1948. It didn't begin with the British mandates and the creation of the state of Israel. The story really begins with the -- the ancient people of Israel and the sands of Canaan, where the people of Israel and the people called the Philistines, clashed over the same spot of earth called Gaza.

The Bible records Gaza as one of the five cities of the Philistines. And is this the place, Gaza is the place where the Philistines gathered their strength.

It was in Gaza that Samson, the judge of Israel was betrayed, captured, blinded, and paraded through the streets, as the Philistines mocked him. Much like you saw on October 7th. It was in Gaza that he brought the temple down on them. You know, one man against the empire. History has a very long memory in that land. We call it the Gaza Strip today. But it has seen conquers come and go. The Egyptians. The Babylonians. The Greeks, the on the mans, and the British.

And yet, somehow or another, the one rivalry, that is from 2000, 3,000 years ago, remains. The one between the children of Israel, and those who dwell along the sea.

That's an important thing. Palestinians of the ancient world, in Biblical context, are -- are different than the Palestinians. They were the group. They were not Semitic. They weren't Jewish. And they concentrated on the coast of Israel, Gaza.

The modern Palestinian identity came, you know, a millennia later, and that was shaped by the Arab, Islamic, and -- and historic developments in that area. It's not directly connected to the Philistines. However, Philistine and Palestinian both mean people that dwell on the coast. The word Hamas is an acronym, which means, you know, in their language. The Islamic resistance movement. But in Hebrew, Hamas means something altogether different. It means violence.

And this is in Hebrew, in Genesis 6:11. The earth was filled with Hamas. Violence, corruption, wickedness. It was because of Hamas, that the rains came, and Noah had to build the ark because of Hamas. So when you hear the word "Hamas," understand what it means to the Israeli ear, compared, you know, to the Palestinian ear.

It's not just an enemy. It's a Biblical echo, a spiritual warning from deep, deep time. So for 75 years, they have been trying to make peace between these ancient adversaries. Everybody has tried to do it. In my lifetime, the Camp David awards, or Accords, were in 1978. The Oslo Accords, in 1993. Endless road maps, summits, UN resolutions, and nothing! Every single one of them hailed as historic. And each one declared a new chapter. And every one of them failed, and it's not because the diplomats lack skill. But because too many on one side, the entire Arab world didn't believe Israel had a right to exist, and everyone was looking for a political solution. Then comes Donald Trump!

Donald Trump didn't approach this, you know, as a professor of Middle East studies.

He didn't approach this with the hundred years of expertise from the State Department.

In fact, he looked at the State Department expertise, and went, you guys aren't really experts of anything. You haven't solved anything.

And you keep trying the same thing. What are you doing?

He took a business approach. He knew all of the players, because of business. He knew all of the big players.

And so he got in with all of the players, and found out, what do you really want? And what they really want is stability. If you look at what's being built in the Middle East, they are these -- these incredible modern cities. Incredible modern cities.

They want prosperity. The Middle East does. Hamas doesn't!

He saw a region, Donald Trump did. He saw a region that was addicted to USAID.

Endless negotiation.

And so he just tore up the whole rule book. And he recognized Jerusalem, first thing as the capital of Israel.

A move that every single president before has been told by the State Department, you can't do that. It will cause war. And, you know what, it didn't.

He moved the embassy.

He then walked away from the Iran Deal. And he told the world that America is no longer going to apologize for standing with the only democracy in the Middle East. And that's where all of the anti-Semitic stuff comes. Because now, see, Israel is controlling our foreign policy! Israel is controlling Donald Trump. Donald Trump is doing the bidding of the Jews!

No. Nope. No, he didn't.

No, he wasn't being controlled. And, no, they weren't controlling him. It was actually seemingly quite the opposite. Because he did something extraordinary. He took the entire region, and brought them together!

First, he did it with the Abrahamic -- Abraham Accords. That is the first genuine realignment of the region, in a generation, or maybe two.

And it wasn't about ideology. It was all about survival, prosperity. And the shared fear of Iran's growing shadow!

When we drop the bombs on Iran, Americans, and people in the West, and people who have been educated in our universities, and have been indoctrinated with all of this garbage, they looked at that and said, "Oh, my gosh, look at. He's doing Israel's bidding."

No, he was actually doing Israel's bidding. He was doing Saudi Arabia's bidding. He was doing a bidding of Egypt. Everyone in the Middle East. Everyone in the Middle East. Hates Iran. They know how dangerous Iran is. They wanted somebody to put Iran in its place. So when Donald Trump did, the Middle East, the Arab world, celebrated. Not obviously not all of it, but a lot of it. The ones that are now at the table. He did something else: He proved himself to be an honest broker, and not doing the bidding of just Israel. And I would love to hear all of the people who are now standing up and saying, "See, we are just a puppet."

I would love to hear your explanation of this. When Israel went after Qatar, which I don't have any love at all for Qatar. But they went after Qatar. And that was going to blow this whole thing up.

What happened? Donald Trump went to Benjamin Netanyahu, and said, "You need to apologize to Qatar."

Israel and Netanyahu is not going to apologize. They ended up apologizing to Qatar. "That won't happen again."

That gave Donald Trump the -- the -- the image in the Middle East of not being the little boy toy, but the other way around. He has some control of what Israel is going to do. He can tell them, "Knock it off."

Then when everybody came to the table, the Middle East all came to the table and said, "Okay we'll handle Hamas. You handle Israel."

So they got Hamas to the table and said, "You're going to take this, and we're going to guarantee the peace." And Donald Trump went to Benjamin Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We have to finish the job. We have to finish them off."

And Donald Trump said, "No, you're going to take this deal now."

And Benjamin Netanyahu said, "No, we have to finish them off." And he said, "I don't think you hear me: You're going to take this deal." That's how this happened. That's a miracle. He didn't try to make them friends, he tried to make them partners. They all want prosperity. And now, we are -- we're looking at the fruits of the labor that started with the Abrahamic Accords. The Arab states signed it to enforce peace rather than to sabotage it. For the first time in 4,000 years! The blood-soaked sands of Gaza whisper something today, that has been forgotten for 4,000 years. And that is hope.

If it hollows, even if it holds for a year, five years, ten years, it means centuries of hatred has been overtaken by something stronger than hate.

And even if we just start with survival, that's good!

It means that the children of Abraham, which is both the Arab and the Jew, the descendents of Abraham, long divided by faith and pride, have decided, choose life over death, trying to prove you're right!

It means the Biblical land of Gaza, where Samson fell, where violence has filled the earth, might finally learn the meaning of peace. But if it doesn't, and the rockets return and the lies reawaken, and this will just be another tombstone in the desert of broken promises. But the Bible says, "Blessed are the peacemakers. The Lord hates the hands that shed innocent blood." So if this holds, if this holds, if courage triumphs over chaos -- let's remember that peace is not the absence of war, it's the presence of righteousness. And righteousness, true, moral clarity demands that we call evil by its name. And we stand with truth, even when it's costly. And we defend the innocent, even when the world looks away. And now, it is our job, as long as this holds, to rebuild. I am so happy to say, "We are not being asked to rebuild. Not our money."

The Middle Eastern money is coming in now, to rebuild the region. As it should be. Men haven't suddenly become good, but for once, maybe they're choosing life over death or survival. But perhaps they've remembered and seen God's warning and chosen mercy over their rage.

RADIO

The surprising link between Hamas, the Palestinian flag, and Biblical prophecy

Is Hamas mentioned in the Bible? Does the Palestinian flag have a connection to a prophecy in the Book of Revelation? Glenn Beck speaks with filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza about his new film, “The Dragon’s Prophecy,” based on the book by Jonathan Cahn, that discusses these “coincidences.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Dinesh, welcome to the program, how are you?

DINESH: Glenn, it's a great pleasure. Thanks for having me.

GLENN: Oh, you're welcome. I watched your film last week, and I've got to tell you, it's -- it's frightening, and really powerful.

DINESH: Well, we begin, Glenn, as you know with putting you on a motorcycle with a GoPro, and you ride with Hamas into the Kibbutz. Hamas took this footage. Remarkably, not a lot of people have seen it. The Israel government, I think was reluctant to show it, except to a handful of journalists.

But it opens my film, and it has a bit of a graphic warning. But it's ten minutes of putting you right on the scene of October 7th, 2 years ago, and the film kind of takes off from there, to give you the widest significance that engages politics, but history, archaeology. And even as you mentioned, a hint of Biblical prophecy, so that the political is wedded into the moral of the spiritual.

GLENN: So let me play a trailer here from the movie. Here it is.

VOICE: So who are the Jews? Who are the Palestinians? Whose land is it really? Could the fate of the world, of humanity itself, be somehow tied to this place?

VOICE: The nation of Israel is a resurrected nation. So what if there was going to be a resurrection of another people, an enemy people of Israel? The Bible speaks about this whole war as a dragon, representing the enemy, attacking a woman, representing Israel.

VOICE: Civilian deaths on both sides represent victories on the part of the dragon.

VOICE: Hamas burned everything within their ability to maximize the civilian casualty.

VOICE: Came back to a land that was largely barren, and we brought it back alive, and we are going to keep it!

VOICE: The devil hates the Jewish people because they represent the existence of God!

VOICE: Because without that Jewish foundation, there is no Christianity.

GLENN: So let us -- go to the Dragons Prophecy here for a second. What is the case of the Dragons Prophecy?

DINESH: Glenn, in the Book of Revelation 12, there is a depiction of a dragon representing the devil, going to war against a woman, representing Israel. And the woman is pregnant, representing the Messiah. So this is the sort of spiritual backdrop. It's a confirmation of what people sometimes say, that underneath our political fight, there is a spiritual war. But people don't often ask, who is fighting? Like who are the combatants?

And the answer is, this is a war that has been raging between sort of God and the devil from the very beginning of time. And the provocative idea in the film is that the devil cannot overthrow God, and so the -- the devil tries to find out, what is it that God cares about? Let me ruin that!

So in Genesis 1, for example, why does the serpent target Adam and Eve? Adam and Eve have nothing to the devil, but the devil goes, "I want to ruin them, because this is God's cherished creation. If I can ruin them, I can get my revenge against God."

And I think for the same reason, the devil targets the Jews and the Christians. The Jews, because they are the original chosen people. And so the devil's agenda is really simple: Drive them out of their ancestral homeland from the river to the sea. And also, put a big Islamic victory arch right on top of their holiest sight, which is the site of the Solomonic Temple.

And then, of course, the Christians are, the Bible itself, refers to Christians as like spiritual Israelites. And so the Devil is like, I hate that too. I will persecute and harass and destroy the Christians no less than the Jews."

And, look, this is not just sort of idle Biblical speculation. You can see this happening right in front of us in the world today.

GLENN: Talk to me about the meaning of the word Hamas, Palestinians, where that came from. Can you take us through that a little bit?

DINESH: Yeah, this is the genius of Jonathan Khan and his book, The Dragon Prophesy. He points out that Hamas in Arabic means something like force or strength, but in Hebrew, interestingly, the -- the word means violence and destruction. And if you -- in Hebrew, it literally says things like, "Lord, save me from the men of Hamas, or Hamas dwells in the dark places of the earth."

GLENN: I had to go to my Bible to look it up.

It does say that. It does say that. It's crazy!

DINESH: Yes. Not only that, Glenn. But the four colors of the apocalypse, mentioned in the Book of Revelation, which reflects famine, death, and destruction. The white horse, the black horse, the green horse, the red horse.

Han points out. He goes, just take a look at the Palestinian flag. It's made up of four colors. Basically, white for the white horse. Red for the red horse. Black for the black horse. Green for the green horse. And all of this, I think, within -- if there's a single connection, you can be like, "Hmm. I don't know."

But there are so many of these connections out in the film.

GLENN: So many.

DINESH: That, ultimately, it's almost like, you have to sort of -- you have to step back and reconsider if you are even understanding what's happening in front of you, in the widest and sort of deepest possible light.

GLENN: I have to tell you, I don't know about, you know -- I haven't studied this, you know, enough. I just watched the movie once.

And it's worth watching. But you will go back to Scriptures, and you will look it up. It is worth pondering. Because it shows you, where we might be right now. And the battle that we're preparing for.

Which is a really terrifying thing. But I would rather know it, so I can be prepared for it.

You also -- you know, did a lot of archaeological stuff. What stood out to you in the research that you did?

DINESH: What stood out to me, Glenn, was that for 2000 years, and even more, there are figures that appear in the Bible, Pontius Pilate, Isaiah, Jeremiah. We're going for King David. We're talking now about three -- a thousand DC.

So 3,000 years ago. And even 30 or 40 years ago, if you said, prove to me that these figures are real. Prove to me, outside the Bible, using historical or archaeological evidence, you couldn't do it. Remarkably, just in the last few decades, there are conscriptions and stones and clay seals, coming out of the ground, that are showing that these Biblical figures are real, the Bible is an account of real people and true events. So you could dispute the theology of the Bible. You can question the miracle. But the historicity of the Bible is being resoundingly affirmed.

And it's almost as if the world has become more secular and pulled away from God, God is speaking back.

But not in the thunderous language of Genesis 1. You know, in the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. But rather, in the kind of prosaic language of science and archaeology.

GLENN: Yeah. It was really amazing. Because you don't think -- we live in our time. And so you don't think of the times that have come. David didn't exist.

You know, these stories are true. They didn't exist. And now we're finding all of the archaeological evidence, and we just -- at least I did. I just accepted, that, "Yeah. These -- the big things, we knew existed." No. No. We didn't. It's now just being proven now because of what we're finding in archaeological digs.

DINESH: Not only that, but for centuries, really for two centuries going back to the enlightenment, you have the armchair critics who would read the Bible and say, "Well, it looks to me, this was written several hundred years later."

But now we know that that can't be the case, because there are minor -- minor figures in the Bible. And, you know, the royal steward of King Josiah in, like, the 6th or 7th Century DC, and suddenly a seal comes out of the ground in Jerusalem and there's this name on the seal. Now, nobody 300 years later -- this is like asking for the names of interns who worked for Donald Trump. Hundreds of years from now. Who would possibly know their names and identities?

So this is why the Bible is being affirmed, even at the level of excruciating detail.

GLENN: The fact that everyone said that Pontius Pilate didn't exist. And the stair that has his name carved into it, 2000 years ago, that was discovered.

It's those things that you're like, "I mean, how do you deny some of this stuff now?"

I mean, it's just piling up.

DINESH: It's -- it's utterly impossible. And then we are in Jerusalem, and we go up to this place called Sheillo, in the middle part of Israel, and we find these remarkable red heifers. I've read the book about the red heifers. This has to do with the fact that in the end times, the dome of the rock will come down. The Jewish Temple -- the Solomonic Temple will be rebuilt, and some of the rabbis are actually preparing for temple services, which involve the ashes of a red heifer.

So all of this is not just interpretations. You have people in Jerusalem. And in Israel, actually preparing for this. In a practical way.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

In fact, one of the things that they said. Let me take a break. And have you come back and answer this. One of the things they said.

Because we were talking about the red rest offers two years ago.

And they were talking about maybe making, you know, red heifers into ashes to prepare.

And Hamas said, at the time, that's one of the reasons why they -- they went after on October 7th, was because of the red heifers. And you go into that. And what they really call October 7th.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Great Reset Elites are Planning a Post-Human Future | Whitney Webb | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 269

Global elites are still pushing forward with their Great Reset agenda to enslave the world and create a post-human future despite President Trump’s crushing of ESG and DEI, researcher and author Whitney Webb tells Glenn. In her long-awaited return to "The Glenn Beck Podcast," Whitney explores the intricate web of global elites, including the World Economic Forum’s downfall under Klaus Schwab and current state under Larry Fink as well as the rise of digital IDs and AI-driven governance like Albania’s “digital minister.” Whitney also discusses the tools she believes the Great Reset elites are building to control us, including the Biden-era ARPA-H program and possible surveillance tech tied to Palantir and the CIA. Further, Whitney ties the globalists’ agenda to the chaos happening in cities like Chicago and Portland and what Trump must be wary of when deploying the National Guard. Plus, as a leading expert in the financial crimes and corrupt connections of Jeffrey Epstein, Whitney weighs in on the debate over the “black book” and why the government still hasn’t released all the Epstein documents.

You can read Whitney Webb's latest reporting on the Epstein case HERE: https://unlimitedhangout.com/author/w...

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Great Reset Elites are Planning a Post-Human Future | Whitney Webb | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 269