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Greg Abbott Uses Social Media Like a Boss to Ban Sanctuary Cities in Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott beat protesters to the punch, signing into law a bill that bans sanctuary cities in the state of Texas and holds lawmakers accountable for failing to uphold existing federal laws. The governor made the the unprecedented move of signing the bill on Facebook Live, reaching over one million followers on his Facebook page.

POLL: Do You Support Gov. Greg Abbott Signing Bill Banning Sanctuary Cities?

Governor Abbott joined Glenn on radio to talk about how the bill works, why its a good move for Texas and what defines a sanctuary city.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Greg Abbott last night went on Facebook and signed a new bill into law, stopping sanctuary cities. Well, some say the problem is Texas doesn't have any real self-declared sanctuary cities. And how dare him do this on Facebook. What a coward. Or a genius. You decide. Greg Abbott, the governor of the great state of Texas, joins us right now.

(music)

GLENN: Welcome program, Governor Greg Abbott. I think the best governor in the entire United States. Welcome, sir, how are you?

GREG: Glenn, I'm doing great. Great to visit with you again.

GLENN: Great to have you on.

So last night, you go on Facebook and you signed a bill -- this is the first time I think anybody has ever done this on Facebook.

Why did you choose Facebook to do this? Why did you do it last night?

GREG: It won't -- it won't be the last time either.

Listen, this is the 21st century. We've seen an evolution with regard to digital media, with regard to the way that elected officials are communicating directly with their constituents. We saw it first with what Barack Obama did with digital media. We saw what happened in the Trump campaign. And now this is the next step. But listen, I have more than a million viewers. And it's important that I be able to connect directly with them unfiltered through other media. Obviously, other media across the entire country has picked this up and spread the story, which we are proud that they did. But you can expect, going forward, there will be many more ways in which we are communicating directly with the people who are citizens, the people that I have to answer to every single day.

GLENN: I have to tell you, Governor, I'd love to spend some more time talking to you about that. I think that is great. I know that we are living -- and everybody knows. We're living in a time now where you don't need a middleman anymore. And it will change things. And I'd love to talk about the ramifications of that, if we have more time. But let me go to what you signed.

Texas doesn't have any self-declared sanctuary city. And the Trump administration is having a hard time defining what a sanctuary city is. So what did you sign in last night?

GREG: Well, first let's talk about terminology. And if you don't mind, let me correct you a tiny bit.

GLENN: Sure.

GREG: A synonym of a sanctuary city is an outlaw city. It's a city or county that refuses to follow the law. And in the state of Texas, it is my opinion, that we do have a self-declared sanctuary city. In Travis County -- for your listeners, Travis County is the county in which Austin, Texas, is located. And the sheriff of Travis County has a written policy that is tangible for anybody to put their hands on, that says that Travis County is not going to comply with ICE detainer requests. In fact, the Travis County policy is such that if a person who is in the United States illegally and has either committed or been accused of a very violent crime, such as sexual assault -- sexual assault of a minor. Armed robbery. Working in conspiracy with the drug cartels. Any of those crimes and far more, the sheriff of Travis County, who is responsible for upholding the law and keeping our citizens safe, is going to release them, even if the federal government has a request to hold them for the federal government to come and take them. That, I think, is the quintessential definition of a sanctuary city. Travis County is the target and subject of this law that I signed last night.

GLENN: Okay. So now what happens to Sheriff Hernandez? What happens to -- I mean, Dallas is also a city that kind of plays games with -- with sanctuary. What happens to these -- these counties, these cities?

GREG: The new Texas law imposes very serious penalties. One is going to be fines that can add up to $25,000 per day. Two is that these officials -- let's say in this case, the Travis County sheriff, can be subject to forced removal from office, by the Texas attorney general. Three is, these officials can be subject to jail time, if they have sanctuary city policies or if they refuse to comply with the ICE detainer request.

GLENN: Excuse me my ignorance on this. But -- I remember hearing this a long time ago, and it may be complete bunk, that the sheriff is the only one that actually answers directly to the people. Police officers, police commissioners, et cetera, et cetera, don't, but that this is a -- this is a separate office that doesn't really answer to any chain of command. Is that true or not?

GREG: Correct in this regard, in that police officers are not elected by the people. Sheriffs are elected by. The people. That said, sheriffs are one of the county officials who have to work in conjunction with county governance, which in the state of Texas, the leader of the county government is called the county judge, and then there's a county commissioner's court that the sheriff must work with. It's the county commissioner's court that sets the budget for the sheriff.

GLENN: How do you respond to people who are saying this is going to terrorize the Latino community?

GREG: Well, first, let's be clear about something. And that is that just because someone is here illegally doesn't at all mean that they are Hispanic. Remember this, Glenn, and that is more than half of the people who have been coming across our border illegally this past year are not from Mexico. They're coming in from across the entire world. So that part of the thesis is wrong. Second is that Texas is an open and welcoming state. In fact, even before Texas was Texas, we've been a blend of Anglo and Hispanic culture. And, as you know, my wife is the first Hispanic first lady. And so we're very supportive and open to immigration. People get this wrong in the terminology. They say that laws like this are anti-immigrant. That's absolutely not true. We're very pro-immigration. The only people who are subject to -- to being apprehended under this new law are people who are here illegally, who have committed a crime that ICE has caused them to put on their detainer list. If you are here and you've committed no crime whatsoever, you're never even going to be subject to this because ICE will not have you on their detainer list.

GLENN: So, Governor, here's one thing that I can't solve in my head. And I know you're a compassionate man. And I know this has had to cross your mind. There are those people who are here illegally who then -- who are good, decent people and whatever their situation is -- yada, yada. But somehow or another, a bad guy gets into their life and is abusing them. Beating them. Raping them. Whatever. And if they fear that they are going to be, you know, sent back home and something is going to happen to them or they just don't want to be on anybody's radar because they're pretty invisible, they won't say anything about that. And crime could go through -- really horrible kinds of crime could go through the roof in those communities. How do you solve that? And do you believe that's true?

GREG: We solve that in this law because we put specific exceptions in this law. If you are a victim of a crime, if you are a witness to a crime, you will not be asked about your immigration status, if you report that crime. We wanted to make sure that those people be accepted from those provisions.

GLENN: Now, they're calling this the papers please bill. But that's not what this -- you don't ask for papers if somebody is on a routine stop, right? I mean --

GREG: You're absolutely correct. Let me be very clear about this. Because a lot of critics misconstrue this as being the Arizona law. And the Arizona law that was reviewed by the United States Supreme Court, they specifically, quote, required law enforcement officers to ask about immigration status. First, I will tell you that part of the law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court, even the liberals on the United States Supreme Court.

GLENN: Wow.

GREG: The Texas law does not make that requirement. What the Texas law does, is it allows, but does not require law enforcement to ask about immigration status. Let me explain to you why. And that is, when a police officer pulls over somebody -- let's say in a car -- and they do it for you're driving too fast. You know, whatever the violation may be. Let's say they walk up to the car and they look into the car and the person in the car has tattoos on them that clearly indicates they are a member of MS-13 -- which, by the way, is growing in number in the state of Texas -- it would be right for the police officer to ask that MS-13 member, "Are you here in the United States legally?" And so it allows them in situations where this person could be the subject of an ICE detainer request, which an MS-13 gang member most likely would be, to make that inquiry. But it simply and absolutely does not require law enforcement officers to ask about immigration status. Anybody who says otherwise either doesn't know the law or they're misrepresenting the law.

GLENN: Governor, what do you think about the progress that -- and I don't want to get this into a Trump thing. About the progress of illegal immigration and the border wall, et cetera, et cetera, with this administration. Without -- because I don't want to put you in the middle of something here. Are we moving -- are we moving the way we should be, or have we surrendered this?

GREG: Well, we've had a problem for decades now, with regard to the legal immigration process. We have a completely flawed immigration system that must be fixed, and nothing has been done in the last few administrations, and nothing has yet been done under the current administration to fix our immigration process.

Let's be clear about this: Texas, and I think America, strongly supports a robust legal immigration system. What must be done is, we must implement reforms that overhaul our legal immigration system and couple that with strict enforcement against illegal immigration.

GLENN: I said a few years ago, that what President Obama was doing was sending a message all around the world, come in. We're not going to enforce our own laws. And if I lived across the border in poverty, in a drug-ridden -- if I lived in a place where I knew my kids had no future and the president of the United States was saying, we're not going to enforce this, and if you get here, you're going to be here forever. I would absolutely take my kids across this border, for the promise of America. And I said at the time, it's -- it's -- a lot of this is our fault because we're telling them we don't care about this law. And if you're -- and if you are in their situation, you're going to roll the dice for a piece of this. Is it true --

GREG: Right. Barack Obama's approach to border security was the ole system (phonetic). Such as the matador saying "ole" to the bull charging at them, and just let them on through.

GLENN: Right.

GREG: But remember this, Glenn, and that is, why is it that so many people want to come to America as opposed to let's say Venezuela or some other place? The reason is because the United States of America more than any other country in the entire world is a nation of laws.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

GREG: And it is imperative that we as a people continue to ensure that America remains a nation of laws so that we will be the aspiration for people around the entire globe.

GLENN: Has our immigration here in Texas -- our illegal immigration, have you seen a decline in it?

GREG: There actually has been a decline.

GLENN: Small or significant?

GREG: During this calendar year, a very meaningful decline during this calendar year, where people who were coming across the border illegally has shrunk dramatically.

In this last calendar year, before the one we're in right now, there were more -- or about 1,000 people crossing the border a day. And now that has shrunk dramatically compared to where it was before. But we'll need to see. Because as most people known, the increase in cross-border activity typically increases during the May, June, and July months.

GLENN: Have we moved our border agents closer to the border since Obama? I mean, there was this huge gap for a long time.

GREG: You're exactly right. If you're going to secure the border, the best place to secure the border is at the border.

GLENN: Right.

GREG: One of the policies of the Obama administration was to remove more into the interior, the border security operations, so that people will have already crossed the border. It simply made no sense whatsoever. And so, yes, one of the changes is to move border security closer to the border. Another is to increase and enhance border security efforts. But that is something that the state of Texas is also doing. We're about to close out our new budget during the coming weeks. We continue to add more money from the state of Texas to secure the border because it is important that we be a state as well as a nation of laws. We welcome people here who want to immigrate to the United States legally. But we want to make sure that if there's anybody who is not following the law, the law will be enforced.

GLENN: I would love to have you back -- we're running out of time. I would love to have you back and talk a little bit about the culture of Texas and how -- if we're doing anything to protect the culture of Texas. It's one of the only states left that has -- or almost -- I can almost say had a unique culture. And it's -- it's really being destroyed. And I'm -- I'm -- and not intentionally or anything like that. Just because this massive influx from people all over the world and the country who were creating jobs here. And what we're doing to protect that. But let me leave you with just this one question here. Have we signed now officially to the Convention of States?

GREG: Yes. As of last week, Texas became the 11th state to sign on to the Convention of States. And Texas will be in the vanguard of leading that effort. Now that Texas passed it, I think many more states will come behind us. This is a common sense opportunity to return power to the people, away from the entrenched forces in Washington, DC.

GLENN: I -- I have to tell you, I think you are the best governor in the country right now. That's pretty easy to say. But the best governor I think I have ever lived under, and big supporters.

Greg Abbott, thank you so much, sir.

GREG: Thank you, Glenn. God bless.

GLENN: You bet.

Great, great leader. As you heard, very well reasoned. Doesn't get into hyperbole or name-calling. He just does it. Love him.

LA Mayor's Ties to VIOLENT RADICALS Exposed After California Fires
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LA Mayor's Ties to VIOLENT RADICALS Exposed After California Fires

Many liberal Californians, including Hollywood elites, are turning on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she stayed in Ghana instead of immediately heading home once wildfires destroyed the Palisades. But should the people of Los Angeles be surprised? Glenn reviews Mayor Bass’ radical history, as laid out in a short documentary by Errol Weber. She visited Cuba multiple times during the reign of Fidel Castro as part of the Venceremos Brigade, a Marxist training program that taught insurgency and guerilla warfare. She praised Castro, even when he died. And her government has defunded firefighters to fund NGOs. Once again, Glenn says, who you vote for matters.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I want to take you back to November 7th 1983. Ronald Reagan is in office.

Do you know the date, November 7th, 1983?

It a night that echoes in the halls of American history.

It is the date that a radical group, known as M19, bombed the north wing of the United States capital.

They bombed it. It went off.

You don't know that date, November 7th, 1983.

I mean, isn't that the day that democracy almost died?

It was worse than the -- worst than the Civil War. Oh, no.

Sorry, that was January 6th, which all of us know, January 6th.

Why not November 7th, 1983. Now, the group that did it, M19, claimed they were fighting imperialism.

What they were really fighting for, was the threat to the foundations of democracy. These were radicals. Now, why am I bringing this up today?

Because if you're going to understand today, and the future, you have to understand the past.

And one name is out right now, that people are talking about, that you need to understand, who this individual is.

This individual is currently the mayor of Los Angeles.

Her name is Karen Bass. Now, this is the same mayor that was over in Ghana. And when she got back with the fires, she was asked, you know, do you have any comment?

You were over in Ghana. Is this dereliction of duty? What were you doing?

Do you have any message to the people of Los Angeles? Listen to this exchange.

VOICE: Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent when their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?

Have you nothing to say today?

GLENN: She's standing in the airport.

VOICE: You have nothing to say to the citizens today?

Elon Musk says you're utterly incompetent. Are you considering your position?

Madam Mayor, have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today who are dealing with this disaster? No apology for them?

Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana when this was unfolding, back home?

GLENN: Now, he's standing, you know that part, you know, where it bends, to go right into the -- right into the airplane.

You know, right as you're going into the ramp.

And then bends into the airplane.

She's standing right at that bend.

She was actually looking through the window, the glass, at security because she gets special treatment.

She gets to not go through the airport. She can just go down those stairs, and a car will pick her up and whisk her away. So she's standing there, looking at security, like open the door.

When are you going to open the door? Finally, she just looks through and shakes her head. And gets instruction. Just go the other way. So she leaves.

Now, what does she -- what does she have to say?

Well, not a lot. Not a lot.

But let's understand who she is, and why she doesn't have a lot to say. Karen Bass built her career, as a community activist. Oh, there's a code word we now understand what it means. The activism is a polite term now for her history. She's an activist.

Well, okay. Her history is tied to radicalism. Marxism.

And a dangerous ideology, that bled from the fringes, into the mainstream here recently.

Let's start with the facts on her. Back in the 1970s, Karen Bass was not just a casual traveler to Cuba.

Were there any?

When she went to Cuba, many, many times, she was a devoted participate in what's called the Venceremos Brigade.

What is that? I've never heard of it.

Well, it's a Marxist training program, directly tied to Fidel Castro's regime. Between 1969 and today, this group has sent hundreds of young Americans to Cuba.

Not for a vacation. Not for cultural exchange. But for radicalization.

You don't join the Venceremos Brigade because you want to learn -- what's the emoji with the salsa dancer? That's not what that is about. It's not about good Cuban coffee.

You join because you're a confirmed Marxist Leninist. A Los Angeles police investigator testified before Congress about this group. He said, members were trained in guerrilla warfare, sabotage, and bomb making. These are not idealists. They're insurgents in training. Karen Bass, she was not just a participant. She was a leader.

She visited Cuba repeatedly, she said, every six months.

We can verify eight times. She praised Fidel Castro, the dictator of Cuba, who was imprisoning dissenters, left a legacy of poverty and fear.

In fact, this is not just her youth. She's still there. When Castro died, she was one of them who called his death a great loss to the people of Cuba. Really?

A loss to the same people who risked their lives fleeing his regime, trying to get out of Cuba?

This is Karen Bass. She's the Los Angeles mayor, one of the largest cities in the United States of America.

So let's fast forward to the president. 4 million people. A city on fire. Literally, and figuratively.

Wildfires, raging across the city. Firefighters begging for resources. Like water!

Mayor Bass had other priorities. Instead of supporting her own fire department, she cut their funding. Where is the money going?

To NGOs. Nongovernment institutions.

That will be understood. NGOs. Nongovernmental institutions or organizations. That will come to know.

That's code for leftist activists, most times.

And she gave the fire fighting money, to homeless NGO, who are fighting for the rights of illegal immigrants.

Oh. Now, they're packaging that as she gave money to fight homelessness.

Okay.

Well, homelessness is a crisis. But let's not kid ourselves.

Los Angeles has poured billions of dollars into solving this problem.

And it ends up in tent cities. Open air markets. Streets lined with garbage and human waste. Chaos spreading. And wait. What does she do? She defunds the people who are fighting fires.

That's not. You don't take money away from the firefighters in an area of the country, that's known for fire fighting.

They don't even have enough firefighters. Okay. First responders, the people that run into buildings, and instead, she's in a different building in a different hemisphere.

She's in Ghana, attending the swearing in ceremonies of the -- I guess the president of Ghana, who I don't know anything about. Stu, I asked to look it up, maybe give us an update here in a second.

So her city was burning. And Mayor Bass was thousands of miles away, rubbing elbows at a presidential inauguration in Ghana.

Is that leadership, or is that dereliction of duty?

I mean, you can go. But was she on taxpayer funds going into Ghana? Why was she there?

Anyway, let's go back to the radical history for a moment. Because it didn't end with the Venceremos Brigade. M-19, the same group that bombed the Capitol in 1983, had direct ties to Cuba and the brigade.

Remember, she's a leader, in this.

Now, Susan Rosenberg, she was one of the women that Travolta Cuba. And returned as a domestic terrorist. Shared the same ideological roots as Karen Bass.

And I'm not saying Karen Bass planted the bomb or anything.

But let's be clear. She was part of exactly the same radical network. She called Fidel Castro, charismatic. She praised the dictator who was brutalizing his people. She aligned herself with a movement that believed in revolutionary violence, including the bombing of the Capitol.

Now, she of some reformed. She hasn't come out and said, oh, my gosh, have I learned my lesson?

That was really bad. I was a stupid kid. No. No.

She's held on to those things. And, in fact, she was considered a front runner for vice president under Joe Biden.

Her record was so toxic, so troubling, that even the democratic party said, can we do that?

When your Marxist roots are too bad, too heavy, for the Democrats, the progressives in Washington, DC, today!

That says something. So here we are, 40 years, since the Capitol bombing. Something that people just don't remember, because, well, the media didn't make it into a big deal.

And the ideology that fueled that bombing is alive and well. And sitting in the mayors office in Los Angeles.

Karen Bass is just using new words. She's fighting for justice, or equity. She's fighting for the people. But what has her leadership actually brought?

Homeless encampments. Not housing.

Tent cities. Fires burning out of control.

Fire departments stretched to its limits. Millions are funneled to political pet projects.

And all the while the city is spiraling deeper and deeper into chaos.

November 7th, 1983. I want you to remember that date because the seeds of radicalism planted then are still bearing fruit today!

And Karen Bass? Well, she's not just a relic of that radical past.

Had he in many ways, is a torch bearer.

By the way, I got tipped off by this, by a short documentary, I saw. On Karen Bass, from Errol Webber.

Errol Webber is a very smart guy.

We did a great, great job on this.

We tried to contact him, to get him to tell this story on the air today. We didn't get a call back. He lives in Los Angeles.

And we hope and pray that we just missed each other, and it's not because he is in jeopardy or his family is in jeopardy, or his home and neighborhood is in jeopardy because of these same fires.

Glenn's 10 Most INSANE 2025 Predictions: AI Takeover, China War & Diddy Downfall | Glenn TV | Ep 403
TV

Glenn's 10 Most INSANE 2025 Predictions: AI Takeover, China War & Diddy Downfall | Glenn TV | Ep 403

On this episode of Glenn TV, Glenn Beck reveals his boldest predictions for 2025: from the death and rebirth of the internet and rapid acceleration of AI, to a ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia War, to a second anti-Trump “summer of rage." Plus, Glenn explains why he predicts China will invade another nation, the stock market will collapse, how the Diddy and Epstein allies could finally be revealed, and why Trump may have the opportunity to make massive changes to the Supreme Court. Plus, why we need to keep a watchful eye on the largest anti-Western caliphate to form in the Middle East and why North Korea may finally move against its neighbor to the south. Jason Buttrill, Glenn’s head researcher and writer, joins to reveal how ChatGPT rates the probability of each of Glenn’s predictions. Plus, some bonus predictions on the odds of Greenland becoming a U.S. territory and future ownership of the Panama Canal.

The BIGGEST LESSON From the California Wildfires
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The BIGGEST LESSON From the California Wildfires

The California wildfires that have ripped through the Palisades and other parts of the Los Angeles area have been unbelievably devastating. Many have lost their homes, including famous celebrities. But was this tragedy avoidable? While Glenn doesn’t want to make this about politics, he says we must note that “California has been playing with fire, literally, for a long time.” The state has neglected its forests for decades thanks to bureaucracy, politics, and “eggheads” from the cities. Glenn also explains how the region’s water infrastructure has also been neglected, which has led to fire hydrants running dry. Finally, Glenn addresses what is likely the biggest lesson for California: “How you vote matters.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All righty. So -- so let's talk about what's happening in California. And my heart is truly heavy for those people, who have families in California. The people in California, that have lost their homes or are still faring that they might lose their home.

You know, this is a -- if you've never seen a forest fire, you can't really describe it.

It's almost like a tornado.

Unless you've been in a tornado, or seen the damage after his, you really don't know what you're talking about with the tornado.

It's unlike anything I've ever seen.

Same thing with a forest fire.

We had a small forest fire here, up in the -- up in the mountains, of Idaho last summer.

It was just about, oh, I don't know, 2 miles down the street for me.

Luckily, the winds weren't there.

But if the winds had kicked up, it probably would have burned my house down. I mean, it is -- you cannot describe a forest fire. It is -- when it's out of control, you have no chance. Just get out of there.

And my heartbreaks for people, who are going through this, right now. And breaks for the people of California.

I -- let me address that person right now, if you happen to be in California. Know that you're not alone.

You may feel like the flames have stolen everything from you.

But -- and, boy, I was thinking about this, well, this summer, when I came back from that forest fire. And thought, all of this could be gone.

The things that you have in your house, they are just things. But there are certain things. Memories, pictures. Things that you have collected over the years, with your family. That can't be replaced.

And I know what that must feel like.

But two things: One, you're alive. You have your family.

And help is on the way. My charity, Mercury One is along with the Red Cross and everybody else.

Is working tirelessly to bring relief and comfort and assistance to those who are affected right now.

We are -- we are doing what our government is asking us to do. We don't want to get in the way of forest. Or firefighters.

They have enough trouble.

But I -- I -- I want to talk to you first, with compassion. About why this keeps happening.

And what California needs to do about it.

This is not my state. This is their state. But if you're asking for our help, you know -- one of the hardest things I've ever had to do is -- I had a friend I went to church with.

And he called me. One time. And he said, Glenn, I really need -- I don't remember what it was. Say a thousand dollars.

Because I have to get home. Some family stuff.

And I -- I was about to say, yes.

But in my -- in my faith, we -- it's the largest welfare program, I think in the world.

And we take care of, you know, not just our own. But anybody who lives in the district of that particular church.

The bishop is responsible for them.

And we have to take care of our neighbors.

And so with that, it's very orderly.

You know, when you have a problem with or if there is a problem with is the neighbor or something. You go to the church. Hey, my neighbor. Who is not a member of the church. Is really in trouble.

Can you help? And they usually will. But with that, there are certain things you have to do.

You just don't get free money. You know, you have to change can't life.

You'll take classes on how to, you know, manage money. Or whatever the thing is. So I said, to this person, I was just about to say yes. And I said, hey, have you talked to the bishop yet?

And he said, no. No. I haven't.

Now, that's unusual, in my faith, if you have a big problem. Especially with money, you normally would go to the bishop.

And I said with be okay. Let me call you back. And I called the bishop.

And I said, hey. So-and-so just called me. And I can do this.

Is there anything I'm missing here.

And he said, Glenn, I'm so glad you called me.

He said, yes. This particular individual is struggling, and we've been helping for a while.

But he won't connect with the problem. And correct the problems.

And he said, he's doing this from time to time. He'll call people. And they'll just give him money. And that hurts it.

So I ask you to do the thing. This is probably the hardest thing you've ever done. I know you have the money to help. Please don't. Because it will help set him back, and not help him feel the full ramifications. So I had to call my friend back and say, I can't right now. And I felt awful. I felt absolutely awful about it.

But if we don't talk and face the problem, you're never going to solve it. Now, this, again is not my problem.

California, you're not my problem.

Okay? I mean, I want to help. And as a citizen of America, you're another citizen.

You're my neighbor. I want to help. I want to help people all over the world. But first, you have to help yourself.

You know, natural disasters, most times are out of our control.

The extent of the destruction, in California, you know, could be mitigated. If we made smarter choices about how, you know, Californians manage their land. And their resources.

Examine their votes. California has been playing with fire, literally for a long time.

Their forests are full of underbrush. Dead trees. Dry vegetation. Which is kindling for those flames.

The material builds up on the forest floor. It's a perfect condition. For fire -- if you're going to start a fire, go to California. Because that's a perfect condition.

I'm not saying that literally, by the way. But it doesn't have to be this way.

You know, you go to places like Sweden or Finland or Austria. Countries that have large, vulnerable forests.

They understand the importance of forest management.

Can they prioritize the clearing out of underbrush. And the clearing out of trees.

And because they're a little socialist in nature, they do it in a sustainable way. They partner with local industries, that will take that material, from the forest floor.

And they use it as bio mass energy for other products.

So it doesn't just reduce the fire risk.

It creates jobs. And a healthier ecosystem.

Here in America, some states do it right.

I mean, Florida has fires. But not like California.

Why?

Because they do controlled burns.

Forest thinning.

Routine practicing. You know what, honestly, God does this.

Lightning.

Before we would put forest fires out, or could.

Lightning would strike.

That would burn the forest down. And it replenishes the soil and everything else.

We don't want to do that. Because our houses are surrounded by trees and forest and everything else. So we either have to do a controlled burn, or we have to go in and take all of that stuff, that lightning would have taken out, to replenish everything.

But California's won't do that.

Why? The answer lies in bureaucracy. And priorities.

And -- and really, honestly, egghead.

You know, these people from the cities, that want to manage our forests have no idea, it's common sense.

The environmental regulations. The lawsuits that block or delay, any kind of forest management.

Ideology has gotten in the way of the practical. The lifesaving solutions.

And this has to change, California. It has to.

You see devastation every year. And, you know, honestly, I -- I really don't like insurance companies.

But insurance companies, what they do, it's -- honestly, it's legal gambling.

They are gambling, that you are going to pay them more money, than they have to pay out. As a collective.

Somebody's house might burn down. You might have something catastrophic. Cancer or something that costs a buttload of money. But they're betting, that all of the people in their community, they're sharing the risk.

And not everybody is going to get cancer at the same time.

That way, they can make money. It's legalized gambling.

Honestly, it is. Well, that's the way insurance works. And I don't like insurance companies.

Because many times, they're scamming people, or hurting people. However, let's not blame the insurance companies for getting out. If I'm a company and I have to make a bet, I'm pulling out of California. It's landslides. It's fires. It's floods. It's every year, whole swaths of the state are -- are -- are burning down to the ground!

What kind of bet is that? How do you keep a country -- now, what they'll say is they'll do what they did, when you couldn't get flood insurance, on the coastlines.

We used to say, well, then don't live there. Or if you live there, accept the risk yourself.

Okay.

Instead, we didn't think that was fair. So we came up with government funding.

If you couldn't get flood insurance. No longer was it, don't live in a flood zone!

Build your house somewhere else.

I don't know if you've seen the country, but there's lots of open space.

Don't build in a flood zone.

Instead, we wanted to help everybody, live their dreams. On now, we pay as a federal government, for insurance, for the coastlines.

Why? Okay.

The other issue is water. And let me tell you what the problem is in California.

Now, we know what the immediate problem is: They don't -- firefighters don't have water coming through the fire hydrants. Why is that?

GLENN: We all know that -- I mean, when we look for life on another planet. We look for water.

Because water is essential to life. At least the life we understand.

And that is a major issue, in California, and has been for -- forever.

However, California, take responsibility for the fires to some degree.

You haven't built a new major reservoir, since 1979.

That was four decades ago.

Now, I don't know if you know this. But 40 years ago, the population of your state. Was not the population that it was now.

So the reservoirs, that you had, 40 years ago, is way out of step, with your population, and your needs today!

Your water storage capacity is exactly the same as it was, almost half a century ago!

And on top of that, and this is something Trump has addressed recently. Billions with a B. Billions of gallons of rainwater, flow straight to the ocean every year. Because you haven't built the infrastructure, to capture and store the rainwater.

Now, imagine what could be different, if you had reservoir and aqueducts and desalination plants, to store and provide water for all of the dry seasons!

Water is life. California has spent decades neglecting its water infrastructure, while prioritizing projects that make no meaningful impact on people's lives. This is not a failure just of government. It is a failure of vision.

When the -- when the -- the -- when a leader is not around. When the people lack leadership, there is no vision. And without vision, people perish.

That's what's happening.

Now, on leadership, I'm sorry to make this about politics. But you have to learn the lesson. It has to be said.

How you vote matters. Look at Los Angeles. The progressive mayor cut the fire department's budget. To fund other programs, to give money and housing, they say for the homeless. But it's also a legal program since she gave it to NGOs.

Now, these NGOs, they're not fighting fires in the -- in comparison of the cost of lives, homes, and communities that have been lost in these fires. Those NGOs. There's no comparison, dollar for that are. You have to have leadership that prioritizes the safety and the well-being of the citizens, over their political jeopardize.

And that's not happening in Los Angeles. Okay?

It wasn't happening in Lahaina either. Same goes for the environmental policies. Progressive leaders block sensible forest management practices. Because they're more concerned about pleasing activists, than protecting lives. They're more concerned about the dead trees in the forest, than they are about the live animals who live in that forest!

It's not compassionate. It's dangerous.

Now, Mercury One, we help everybody. I don't care where you come from. I don't care who you voted for.

We are there to you. But we're also in North Carolina, and other areas, reeling from the hurricanes.

We're also still in Lahaina. And no one is talking about those guys. And they will be out of a home for years!

They're not the celebrity influencers who can afford to stay in a luxury hotel.

God and the universe for those in California, require us to do everything we can to help our neighbor.

But help ourselves, before we expect others.

DEBUNKED: Media Says Trump May Take Panama Canal & Greenland by FORCE
RADIO

DEBUNKED: Media Says Trump May Take Panama Canal & Greenland by FORCE

Donald Trump is making some big – and unusual – promises before taking office for the second time. Trump has said he will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”. He has suggested that Canada should become the 51st state. He said he wants to buy Greenland. And he also wants the Panama Canal back. But recently, the media used a loaded question to make it sound like Trump isn’t ruling out a military invasion of the Panama Canal and Greenland. Glenn debunks the media’s lie and explains what he believes Trump is really doing: Is this imperialism? Or is it “The Art of the Deal”?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Okay. So let me -- let's start with Greenland. Shall we?

Green land, Panama, and Canada.

I -- I have to tell you, well, let's start with his -- Donald Trump's press conference yesterday.

They are always fun.

Cut one.

This is a green landman.

VOICE: So if you could tell Trump anything, what would it be?

VOICE: Buy green land.

VOICE: Why do you Trump to buy green land?

VOICE: We don't want to be colonized by the Danish colony anymore. We get taken our minerals, from Greenland. We are the richest nation in the world, and we don't get to use it. Denmark is using us too much.

VOICE: Do you like America?

VOICE: I love America.

GLENN: Right. Okay. So stop. So here's the thing. Greenland. They've got like 12 people. And Denmark owns it.

And they have no intention of giving it up.

But it's like Alaska. I mean, it is rich with rare earth minerals. As he said, it's the richest nation in the world. But Denmark won't let anything be explored. It is also a strategic place for bases, et cetera, et cetera.

It would -- there's been like four or five presidents that have tried to buy green land in the past. And it's never been done. I will get to why all of this makes sense here, in a second. And how you're supposed to read it.

Because he also went in, yesterday, about Canada and they asked him, would you rule -- would you rule out military strikes to take Alaska?

Here's his response.

VOICE: You're considering military force to acquire Panama and Greenland. Are you also considering military force to annex and acquire?

DONALD: No. Economic force. Because Canada and the United States, that would be really something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. And it would also be much better for national security. Don't forget, we basically protect Canada.

GLENN: Okay. So he's just -- well, all he's doing is -- well, let me say -- let me give you the third one, and that is Panama.

Before we get to Panama, why not stop at the gulf of America? Cut three.

DONALD: Mexico is really in trouble. A lot of trouble. Very dangerous place. And we're going to be announcing a future date, pretty soon.

We're going to change. Because we do most of the work there, and it's ours. We will be changing. Sort of the opposite of Biden, where he's closing everything up, essentially getting rid of 50 trillion worth of assets.

We will be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, to the Gulf of America. Which has a beautiful ring. That covers --

STU: I love this guy.

DONALD: Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. And it's appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them.

And we're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Because Canada, they come through Canada too. And the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers.

GLENN: Okay.

Okay. So now the press is freaking out. This is an imperialist president. He's trying to create new Rome. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Are you -- do you have absolutely no brain cells that work in your head, anymore?

The final one is Panama. And I've told you this. In fact, I'm doing a prediction show tonight.

And I've been telling you the last few weeks. Panama is going to be a problem for the United States.

And there is going to be -- there is going to be some serious things happening in Panama this year. And I will get into that a little later.

But he's also talking about the Panama Canal. Okay. Why is that?

Because he wants to take over all these countries. And these places. He wants war everywhere?

No. No.

The one thing you have to understand about Donald Trump is he's a negotiator. He's merely negotiating.

That's all that's happening here. You speak softly and carry a very large stick.

Hey, Mexico. By the way, you're so irrelevant.

You know, you're going down the tubes. We're even thinking about changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That's how irrelevant you are, okay?

And you've got some serious problems. It's a very dangerous place.

Well, there goes tourism, if the president keeps saying things like that. And we will have to put some tariffs on it. But, you know.

I just think the gulf of America is just a beautiful, beautiful name. All he's doing is signaling, you -- you're a speed bump to me.

I don't -- I don't need to do anything. I've just got these giant tariffs.

And we'll probably end up owning you, anyway, because you're a failing state. Okay?

He's negotiating. He's setting the table.

On Greenland, the same thing. He's just setting the table. He is saying to Greenland, you know, I think we should take it. Now, is he serious on that one. Yes, not take it, but buy it.

Is he serious?

Yes. And it would be -- I have to use a word that the New York Times has been talking about for a long time. They just used it in a different context.

It would be a huge coup, if Donald Trump could buy Greenland. It would be huge for America.

All the rare earth minerals, and everything else. All the riches of green land. And the strategic placement of Greenland would be a very, very smart move. Again, New York Times. Glenn Beck did say Donald Trump would pull off a coup. I mean it in a different context than you worry about.

That is smart! And if we could buy it, great!

If we could just negotiate to have some bases there and to be able to sell and buy some of their rare earth minerals, that would be very smart and strategic!

Now, Canada, okay. Canada is -- Canada. Being the 51st state. Okay.

Would it be great to have all of us combined?

Greenland. Canada. The United States, combined?

Yes. A 51st state? No. No.

Canada responded with, well, maybe we'll buy Alaska and Minnesota. All right. Let's open up those talks.

How much for Alaska? I'm willing to negotiate.

And I tell you what, negotiate for Alaska, I would give you Minnesota for a sandwich.

So I'm good. All he's doing there, is, again, throwing out a big idea. Negotiating, because you're not paying for your own defense.

We're paying for your defense.

What are we getting in -- in -- in return?

Well, right now, we're getting open borders from you, and Canada.

And we're getting a lot of crap from you too. So we're still friends. We still like Canada.

We're not going to take military action, to take Canada. It's not what he's doing. He is, again, negotiating. If you forget, that Donald Trump is possibly the greatest negotiator to be in our lifetime, you might begin to understand what he's doing here. But if you forget that he's a deal maker, that's what he does, walks in and says, you know what, I will vaporize that little dude over. And then they end up having tea in a Communist country!

That's negotiation. What is he doing with Russia? What is he doing right now? The only place I think he's absolutely clear. I mean, he doesn't -- he doesn't make threats.

He makes promises. And he's not threatening anything, but Panama, which we'll get into here in just a second.

Panama is a problem. A real problem.

And we need to talk about that. The other real problem is Hamas. And yesterday, he said about Hamas. That there's going to be hell to be paid.

Hamas doesn't release those hostages. The gates of hell are going to open up. And I believe him.

The -- the thing is, with a negotiator, you have to be able to see -- I mean, Trump always kind of means things. He's the -- you don't win. You don't become a good negotiator, if the people on the other side, always think you're bluffing, because you always are.

That's why America is in the Dumpster fire we're in right now. Because the rest of the world, just thinks that, you know, oh. You know what, well, don't do this.

Or we will give you a strongly worded letter. If the world or anybody sitting across the negotiating table from you, whether this is in your life or global politics, if they believe you're someone who will do what they say, you have all the negotiating power.

Because, you know what, I -- I would love to work here. But I can't work here. And I won't work here, unless these things happen.

He's just negotiating. Really? Watch me walk out, and I will. And no offense. No problems. I don't hate you. You shouldn't hate me.

I'm not trying to hold a gun to your head. I'm just saying, I can do better. And these things are a requirement for me.

When Donald Trump says, look, you're going to have to close the border.

He means that. Now, when he says, we also will -- you know what, we might just annex Mexico or Canada.

That's part of the negotiation process. Because honestly, he just might do it! This is the kind of president we've always wanted, one that is a hard negotiator on our side! On our side!

When he says, America first, he means it.

Which brings me back to Panama. When you understand Panama, you'll understand Donald Trump entirely. And you will look at Donald Trump in a completely different way.

GLENN: All right.

Panama. We know of Panama Canal as the place that we built.

It was the biggest undertaking. It was probably the biggest human achievement, at the time. Making the canal, so you didn't have to go all the way down, to South America, to the tip of South America.

Almost to Antarctica. And come back to get to the -- to get to the Pacific Ocean. Or to get to the Atlantic, if you're going the other direction.

We made the Panama Canal. Teddy Roosevelt was the one who did it. Jimmy Carter sold it to Panama for a dollar.

Now, when you make a deal like that, you don't expect to be screwed after his. You know, you kind of have, hey, favored nation.

You know, you will be our pal. Well, Panama has been palling up with China.

And the president of Panama had just said with be there are -- there are no Chinese, at the canal. Nobody is -- no. No. There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal.

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

So Donald Trump, on Christmas, sent a message, again, negotiating, letting everyone know where he stands. Merry Christmas to all.

Including the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally operating the Panama Canal.

Now, if you don't know anything about the Panama Canal. You might think this is crazy. This is -- this shows how much homework Donald Trump has done. This shows -- this is the first time I have seen since maybe Reagan, where we are actually talking about our national security.

Not in a reactive way. We have now a president who is looking at real national -- our national security is not in Ukraine!

Our national security is here at the home front.

And why -- why is he so obsessed with Panama?

It's just not that we're having our eyes pushed into our his and being gouged.

It is also because China has -- has purchased a lot of the Panama Canal operating permits.

So, in other words, the -- the one that is the last, I think lock.

I don't know enough about it.

But the last area of the Panama Canal. Going into the Pacific. It's now run by a Chinese company.

Now, is that honestly Chinese soldiers?

No!

No.

But it is the People's Liberation Army, that can take over that business because that's the deal.

Do you really think all of these investors just got together, on their own. Which doesn't happen in China.

And went, you know what, we should buy up all the land surrounding the Panama Canal? It would be a good idea. But good investment for us. No!

STU: And, Glenn, clarification on that. We were okay with Hong Kong taking it over. Not China. It was before that transition happened. So we were like, okay. Hong Kong, we're working with them all the time.

Okay. And then China basically takes over Hong Kong.

And now China has it.

We weren't okay with China having that, even back then.

GLENN: Yeah. You cannot have -- this is a huge strategic asset.

If our fleet. Our Atlantic fleet needs to get over to the other side, and into the Pacific, you want them to get there as quickly as possible. And that's why we build the Panama Canal.

This is a Cuban missile crisis moment. And this is -- honestly, it might even go back to JFK. To where you have a president, who is forward thinking enough, to go, this is a real threat to our national curate.

And an actual threat to our national security.

All they have to do is close the Panama Canal. Or cause trouble at the Panama Canal. And the United States is in real, real trouble.

So the one that you should pay attention to, that is actually trouble, is the Panama Canal.

The rest of it, negotiation.