BLOGMay 09, 2017

The Untold, Pivotal Role Faith Played in Jackie Robinson's Life

Ed Henry, chief national correspondent for Fox News Channel, joined Glenn on radio Tuesday to talk about his new book 42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story. While the 2013 movie 42 was excellent, it barely covered a key component to the Jackie Robinson story: faith. Henry set out to correct the record.

"I found out new information, which is why I wrote this book," Henry relayed. "Branch Rickey, right before signing Jackie to the first contract in 1945, secretly had doubts --- he had second thoughts, he almost pulled out. But it was a secret meeting with the minister in Brooklyn at a wonderful church that still stands today, Plymouth Church, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s."

The iconic church was pivotal in ending slavery in the 1800s, as well as launching the career of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in Major League Baseball, in the 1940s. In 42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story, Henry explained how Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, needed to be in the presence of God to know he was doing the right thing.

"After pacing and praying on all of this . . . Branch Rickey finally sits down, starts crying and says to the minister, I've decided to sign Jackie to the first contract," Henry said.

Throughout Jackie Robinson's life, faith played a major role --- saving him as a young man and changing the course of history as a baseball player.

It took Henry nearly 10 years to research and write the book in his downtime. 42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story is available in bookstores everywhere.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Welcome to the program, Ed Henry. How are you, sir?

ED: Good. Thanks for having me on, Glenn.

GLENN: You bet. I would love to talk to you about politics and what you see going on. But I really want to spend some time talking about Jackie Robinson. Because I think until we get the story of America right and the story of our heroes, we're never going to be able to -- we're playing games, and we're never going to be able to fix our country.

ED: Yeah.

GLENN: So I'm glad you're here. And your book is absolutely fantastic. I don't -- I don't follow -- you know, I don't follow sports. But even I know who Jackie Robinson is.

ED: Uh-huh.

GLENN: At least that's what I thought until I read your book.

ED: Well, I appreciate that because I think there's a whole lot more to the story.

And Hollywood doesn't want, as you know, better than anyone, to touch faith and God. They don't want to talk about that. And so there was a movie, 42, about Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who signed him to the first contract to break the color barrier in major legal baseball, which obviously, as you suggest did not just change sports. It changed America for the better, forever.

GLENN: Yeah.

ED: But Hollywood, you know, the 42 movie was wonderful. But it did not -- it barely mentioned God. I found out new information, which is why I wrote this book, that Branch Rickey, right before signing Jackie to the first contract in 1945, secretly had doubts. He had second thoughts. He almost pulled out. But it was a secret meeting with the minister in Brooklyn at a wonderful church that still stands today, Plymouth Church, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.

So when you talk about getting our history right, this was a pivotal church in helping end slavery in the 1800s. And then in 1945, Branch Rickey, I learned -- and it's in 42 Faith -- basically goes to this minister and says, "I don't know if I can go through with this," because this was such a controversial move in '45 to move to integrate Major League Baseball. And after pace and praying on all of this, a 45-minute meeting that I uncover the details of, which this minister in Brooklyn, Branch Rickey finally sits down, starts crying and says to the minister, I've decided to sign Jackie to the first contract. I needed to be in your presence, he says to the minister. I needed to be in God's presence to know it was the right thing to do. I thought --

GLENN: Okay. So if this were story were told today or happened today, here's how this story would be spun: That Branch Rickey wanted to do it because he was going to have all kinds of publicity and that would be good for the club. And he made this pilgrimage to a black church that was a perfect church because of the history so everybody would know. And he was only doing this for show.

ED: Yeah.

GLENN: Correct?

ED: Yeah, I think --

GLENN: Correct that.

ED: Correct, that that would be the way it might be played now. But the fact of the matter is what this led me to do was go on a journey and think and figure out and research. And I spent almost ten years doing this on the side, you know, on the back-burner, while covering politics, as you said at the top. It made me say, wait a second, how much did God and faith in God play in this monumental decision, that, again, wasn't just baseball? But maybe more importantly, how much did faith play in helping Jackie Robinson overcome people shouting the N-word at him, literally threatening his life because he wanted to play baseball.

And I found a lot of new information. I'll tell you one quick story about Branch Rickey. In the early 1900s, he grows up on a farm in Ohio, along the Kentucky border. And he goes to his mom, Branch Rickey does, and says, I want to become a Big League ballplayer. She says no. She was a Methodist and said, "All baseball players do is drink and swear and party, and you're not doing that."

Well, Branch Rickey goes back to her the next day. This is somebody who didn't take no for an answer obviously, or he might have backed down and not integrated the game of baseball, decades later. But in the early 1900s, he said, mom, if you let me chase my dream to play Big League Baseball, I will never play on Sunday.

And do you know that Rickey became a big league player before he was a famous executive? A lot of people don't know that. He never played on Sunday. It's one reason why he got cut because owners of various teams said, "Why am I paying you a full week's salary when you won't play on Sunday to honor God?"

And then fast-forward to after he signs Jackie Robinson, and he's this famous executive for the Brooklyn Dodgers. I interviewed Branch Rickey's grandson. Branch Rickey III, who is still alive, he said that in the '40s and '50s, Rickey would never go to Ebbets Field on Sunday, even though he was running the team. His parents had died. Glenn, he had already -- that commitment he made to his parents was basically null and void, but he felt like he needed to honor that. That shows commitment, character, we don't see today. It shows a commitment to God that people are frankly scared to talk about and say out loud today. But Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, they were one white, one black, different generations. Didn't have a lot in common, but they both had a deep faith in God. And that's why I think there's a lot more to this story that people didn't want to talk about.

GLENN: So let's talk about Jackie Robinson. I had absolutely no idea that, A, he was a Sunday teacher and that he gave a lot of sermons.

ED: Yes. And I want to tell you about some of them. First of all, in terms of Sunday school, this is a man, Jackie Robinson, who grow up -- you know, he's raised by a single mom in Pasadena, California. We hear about this a lot today, not just in the African-American community. Communities all around the country. And say, "Well, these kids end up joining gangs. And they've got no hope." Well, guess what, Jackie Robinson joined a gang. He's a teenager in Pasadena. He has a criminal record. He was arrested several times, Glenn. And people don't know that about the story. And you know how he got out of it? His mom Mali, Mali Robinson was a woman of faith. She happened also to be a Methodist, like Branch Rickey and his family. Interesting connection. Coincidental perhaps, but still interesting.

And a Christian minister named Reverend Carl Downs in Pasadena pulled Jackie aside as a teenager and said, "You're going the wrong way. Unless you get your life back on track, you're going to waste all this athletic talent."

So the Sunday school you mentioned is, I find in my research that Jackie becomes this four-letter man at UCLA: Baseball, basketball, football, and track and field. He stars as a football player at UCLA on Saturdays. Gets up Sunday.

He's a running back. So he's beaten and bruised, like any other running back. And what does he do on Sunday morning? Gets out of bed. Gets off that UCLA campus and goes back to Pasadena in order to teach Sunday school with the Reverend Carl Downs. This minister had saved his life, and he felt like he had a commitment to him.

Again, to me, there was a wonderful parallel there with Branch Rickey about that commitment to his parents about faith and not playing. Not working on Sundays.

Jackie Robinson -- how many athletes today, either college or pro, get out of bed on Sunday morning and say, you know, I'm going to teach Sunday school before I go to the game or before I do this or that? This is somebody who gave back and understood it. We can get into the sermons as well that he did after his playing days. But I think faith in God is at the center of the story and that's why we call it 42 Faith.

GLENN: I will tell you that I teach Sunday school, and it is impossible -- almost every week, I think, I'm going to call in sick. I just -- I've got so many things going on. Blah, blah. I'm not Jackie Robinson.

ED: Right.

GLENN: Jackie Robinson is not only playing and doing all these things, but also, throughout his life, he is pushed up against the wall. When he first comes out and he's set to make his debut, there's a sniper that has threatened and said --

ED: Yep.

GLENN: -- I'm taking him out. If he steps up to bat, I'm taking him out.

ED: Yep.

And you know what happened? We see in the movie, 42, that there white players from the deep South who circulated a petition and said, "If Jackie gets promoted to the Big Leagues in 1947, we're going to walk." And so we can't sanitize that history. There were white players, teammates who didn't want to play with them.

But you know what I found in my research is there were white teammates like Ralph Branca, a very tall pitcher. And you're right. There were these reports that came into the Dodgers. April 15th, 1947. This is now the 17th anniversary that we're celebrating, of Jackie's first game. He said, there's a sniper. Going to be at Ebbets Field. They're going to kill Jackie when he goes on the field.

And Ralph Branca made a show on the field of standing next to Jackie and kind of throwing his arm around him. And Jackie, thankfully, is not shot. But after the game, one of Branca's brothers comes rushing up to him. He had a big family.

Said, Ralphie, what were you thinking? You were standing right next to this guy. This black player, who was going to get shot. There's a sniper out there, and you were standing next to him. What are you thinking?

And he said, there are worse ways to go than to stand up for a teammate. That was a white pitcher. He was like 6-3, 6-4. He was a big target for a sniper. That's why I mentioned his height.

And yet this white player said, I'm going to stand up for a black teammate. That to me is all about not just faith, but about America, number one. And, number two, you talk about commitment from Jackie. You talk about yourself teaching Sunday school. Jackie's wife Rachel is still alive, about 95 years old. And she remembers that first year when Jackie had snipers out there. He had people sending him letters, saying, we're going to kill you. People shouting the N-word from the stands.

She says that after playing at Ebbets Field every day -- afternoon, he would take the subway home to the small apartment they had in Manhattan. And before he went to bed, do you know what Jackie Robinson, this famous ballplayer did? She says he got down on his hands and knees and prayed to God.

And I think, again, that commitment -- I'm not saying that faith was the only thing that enabled him to play in the athletics field. He had courage. He had character. But faith in God was at the center of Jackie Robinson's life. And it was not something that a lot of people talked about before for various reasons. And I think that image of this famous ballplayer getting on his hands and knees, praying to God every night before bed, shows that he got that. He understood that despite his fame, despite him becoming a civil rights icon, he was imperfect and still wanted to bow down before God.

GLENN: I will tell you that I know -- Penn Jillette is a friend of mine, an atheist, and he has courage and principles. And I know a lot of religious people who don't have courage and principles. But somebody like Jackie Robinson, it's hard to believe that it didn't -- that wasn't what was really driving. We're talking to Ed Henry of the Fox News Channel. Written a new book called 42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story.

As you were researching this, did anybody come to mind at all? Are you seeing these people, Ed, in your everyday life? Are you seeing them anywhere in positions of power?

ED: No. I think that's something that -- and I'm an optimistic story. But as someone -- as I research, as I thought about men of character like Branch Rickey, like Jackie Robinson, like Ralph Branca, who I mentioned, who stood up on faith -- and, you know, you mentioned the sermons that Jackie gave. I mean, I found in his personal papers at the Library of Congress, all of these sermons that Jackie gave at churches all across America in the 1960s. He had hung up his glove in the beginning at '57. The baseball glove. So in the '60s, he's retired. He's working for Chock Full O' Nuts. He makes the baseball Hall of Fame. But, again, he gives back. He goes to churches. Not just black churches, but churches all around America. And let me read one quick passage, where he talked about how he was skeptical about federal government assistance programs being what would help deal with the civil rights crisis, would deal with the long hot summer of 1967.

This was a sermon in '67. And he said, my dear friends in this congregation, I think the black man is just a little weary of this constant help of helping him. I think to a large degree, the poverty programs have fallen flat on their face, coming to resemble just some more handouts, a cut higher than welfare.

God helps mankind, Jackie Robinson said. But he helps those who helps himself. So here is this civil rights icon saying that in 1977. Not in a public square, but in a church, number one, Glenn. And number two, 1967, 50 years ago. Think about that statement today. We don't have a lot of people in public life saying that. And here's a black leader saying that. A black ball player who made the Hall of Fame and an icon.

GLENN: So, Ed, you and I both know what the last -- since 9/11 has been like. Especially at the Fox News Channel. You've been there for a long time, longer than I was.

ED: Yeah.

GLENN: And you know what it was like when I was there. And mainly because of me causing all the trouble. Sorry for that, by the way.

(chuckling)

GLENN: Was this --

ED: I don't know where you're going with this.

GLENN: Is this -- was this your way of searching for some sort of bedrock that made life make sense, that gave you courage to stand? Was this just a -- was this just your stamp collecting thing just to take your mind -- what happened to you with this?

ED: It started in my stamp collecting, in that I have a passion for baseball. And a lot of people ask me, "Well, why in the world did you write a baseball book?" I mean, number one, I don't think the world is begging for a book about Obamacare from Ed Henry. I don't feel like -- you know, how many politicians are out there -- no offense to any of my colleagues or anyone. And number two is, you know, it's not really a baseball book.

GLENN: Yeah.

ED: It's a book about faith in God. And I'm a Catholic. I'm imperfect. But you always strive to be better. And Jackie Robinson said in these personal papers, I found, there are better Christians than me. I'm imperfect. And here's Jackie Robinson, who's pretty darn close to perfect.

But he said, I just did the best that I knew how. Paraphrasing. And I didn't want to let down my mother or Mr. Rickey. He always called him Mr. Rickey.

And what did Mr. Rickey, the general manager have in common with Jackie Robinson? Again, different generations. Different skin color. Came of age in different parts of the country. But they both -- you know, both the Robinson families and the Rickey families had deep faith in God. And when Jackie Robinson says, "Look, I'm not perfect, but I did the best I knew how." For me, this is a kind of project that finds some deeper meaning. And I think in Jackie Robinson, it's not just a baseball story. It's a story about life. And it's a story about how faith in God is at the center of our lives, whether people want to say it out loud or not.

GLENN: I will tell you, the book endorsed by Bill O'Reilly. Brad Thor. Juan Williams and Larry King. You couldn't get more eclectic than that. Oh, and Jim Brown. So no more eclectic than that.

ED: Jim Brown.

Well, I appreciate it.

GLENN: Ed, thank you so much. The name of the book is 41 Faith. A great read.

STU: 42 Faith.

ED: Forty-two.

GLENN: 42 Faith.

STU: That's the prequel. It's coming out next year --

GLENN: Do I understand 42 if I only read 41?

ED: 43 is going to be the best.

(laughter)

GLENN: All right.

Ed Henry, thank you very much. And much success.

ED: Thanks, buddy.

RADIO

Are these SIGNS a war with Iran is about to begin?

The United States just made some major moves in the Middle East that usually indicate a war is about to begin. Is the US or Israel about to go to war with Iran? Glenn Beck and his head researcher Jason Buttrill discuss what we currently know.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Stu, do you have any idea what it's like?

Jason is up this week. And he is staying up at the ranch. Do you have any idea what it's like to have me and Jason in the same house for a week?

It's not a happy place.

STU: No. Many visions of global apocalypse have been discussed. Yeah.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

I was working yesterday on what -- what's happening with Hamas and Hezbollah. I just finished the show.

What is happening on the streets of Los Angeles and everything else.

And I'm sitting there. I'm a little exhausted, and he comes up.

Have you heard the news? I'm like, no. What?

I think Israel will bomb the -- it could be tonight. It could be tonight.

Do you know what that means?

No. I don't think -- it means total collapse. It will be ugly.

Dogs and cats will be tearing each other's eyes out.

And it's very good. Very good possibility.

Kamala comes back. And she's the president of the United States.

It will be that bad, Glenn.

Okay. Thank you. And I'm not going to sleep.

STU: Sounds like a fun time. This is why you moved into the mountains, right?

GLENN: Yeah. It is. To get away from Jason.

STU: Right.

GLENN: Well, okay. Jason, take me to this.

Because yesterday, the government did some things that they don't ever do.

At least I haven't seen them do, unless war is pretty imminent.

Right?

JASON: Yes. Can I start with the maybe possible upside, before we freak everybody out.

GLENN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

JASON: The possible upside, as we were watching the possible upsides yesterday, so was Iran. So were their people.

Especially because the negotiations between us and the Iranians is still going on.

And, in fact, I think they're supposed to meet Sunday because the original ultimatum that Trump gave Iran was, I think it was 60 days. It's supposed to run out, I believe today. So this is the negotiation of negotiations. Like, this Sunday it's big.

GLENN: Okay. Okay. So this all might be Kabuki theater, to get them to the table.

JASON: You saw Trump.

Even Trump's interview. He's a master negotiator and strategist on this thing.

So this could be, hey. This is what you're playing with.

GLENN: He didn't give this to me, last night.

JASON: I have to save some --

GLENN: I was awake all night.

Yeah. Bits probably negotiation.

JASON: He was like Tania, give the food to the blind. Let's go!

GLENN: All right. So it might be, but do we make these things?

That's a master negotiator. That's an expensive move.

And a big move to pull everybody out of the embassies.

And to pull all of the families out. From the military bases?

JASON: Yes. Yes. So that is very big.

In a single 24-hour period, we had the Pentagon authorizing the voluntary withdrawal of dependents and family members from some of these locations within the Middle East. Almost immediately after that, another I don't know if you call this a leak or a release came out, that we were sending out emergency information, to all of the diplomatic facilities. Embassies, within striking range of Iran.

So you're talking about northeast Africa.

All of the Middle East. All those areas. Saying, put together a comprehensive emergency plan. And instead of diplomatic cable back to us, to let us know what that plan is.

Now, at this point, we were like, okay.

What exactly is going on?

Now, again, at the same time. We get senator cotton saying, that Pete Hegseth confirmed to them, inside Congress.

Saying that, okay.

Now Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.

This guy said right after that, yes. For the first time the UN is admitting to us, that for the first time in 20 years, Iran is just not -- they don't care about any of the proliferation, anything.

They're just going all out.

GLENN: Good! That's good.

JASON: This was all spewing out immediately, within 12 hours.

GLENN: Stu. Help me.

STU: You've already run away outside of all civilization. I don't know what more help you can get.

GLENN: Is there a shovel?

I can tunnel in -- you know, remember when -- what was it, the dwarves?

You know, they tunneled into that mountain. In one of the Lord of the Rings thing.

They were in that mountain with the dragon and stuff.

I think we can do that. Get some shovels. Let's go.

Let's go.

So I know you were up. Until the sun rose, in Tehran.

Because you were monitoring it.

Because you were waiting for the skies to light up.

JASON: Yeah.

GLENN: I said this morning, if there is a strike, it will happen after the stock market closes on Friday.

Because this would cause massive disruption.

And let's just talk about first, before we get into what the response would be. And what we would have to do.

And what other countries would have to do.

When Israel goes over, they're saying, they will bomb the nuclear facilities.

But we don't think they have enough to build a bomb yet.

But there's a chance.

And if they don't get all of it, it's real trouble!

GLENN: Yeah, you best not miss.

There's multiple, multiple nuclear sites within Iran. Just off the top of my head, I can think of six to nine, I believe, that they would have to at least have some kind of strike on.

Some of the facilities are so well-entrenched, because they've been playing this for a long time.

And to defend specifically against an attack like this, they're so dug under the ground and protected and hardened.

You're probably talking about multiple strikes, at a single target.

GLENN: Right.

JASON: So it's not like a single strike.

GLENN: This is like -- in a way, it's kind of like Top Gun 2.

Where they were going after, and they had to -- you know, they had to first land a bomb. And another one had to fall into that hole. Right?

Because it was all buried so deeply. This is going to be precision stuff.

JASON: Precision stuff. Top Gun 2. But probably spread over a week of multiple dangerous runs.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

JASON: Yeah. It's more than a single night operation. It will go on for several days.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

Okay. So now, how's Iran respond?

JASON: That's the question.

GLENN: Yeah.

JASON: And immediately counterattack. With a strike like what we saw. What was that a month ago?

Something similar to that. Just to start. Then the scary stuff happens.

GLENN: Okay. So let's get into that here in just a second.

Also, I want to talk to you about what's happening in New York, on the medical front.

And governor Hochul. What she's -- I mean, it's -- it is amazing how dark the left can go.

Be the light.

RADIO

Sneak peek: Trump’s STUNNING 250th Army celebration—What you NEED to know!

The media and Democratic politicians like California Gov. Gavin Newsom have lied about the June 14th military parade in Washington, DC. They claim Trump is throwing the parade for his birthday, like a dictator. But U.S. Chief of Protocol Ambassador Monica Crowley joins Glenn Beck to make the truth CLEAR: The only purpose of this parade is to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which happens to fall on Trump’s birthday.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Monica Crowley. Good friend of the program. Good friend. How are you, Monica?

MONICA: Hey, Glenn, I'm so great. I am sitting in Washington, DC. And I'm so blessed and honored to be serving as ambassador.

And chief of protocol of the United States under the leadership of president Donald J. Trump.

It's really extraordinary.

Glenn, I think we spoke with -- during President Trump's first term. When I was serving at the treasury department.

The vibe this time, is completely different.

Not just across the administration.

But across Washington, DC. It's like a new day has dawned.

GLENN: So you are the ambassador, I mean, that is so cool.

And the chief of protocol.

What -- what does that mean, exactly?

MONICA: Well, that is a very good question, a lot of people are asking me that question.

It does come with -- I'm now master Monica Crowley.

I did have to go to Senate confirmation to achieve this position, and chief of protocol essentially helps to manage all of the presidents, the vice presidents, and the Secretary of States's diplomatic engagements.

The chief of protocol, myself. Handles the president and the vice president.

And then my extraordinary team, at protocol, usually handles the State Department. And the secretary's diplomatic engagement.

But what we really tried to do is create the most welcoming, incredible environment, so that -- those principles can engage in the most robust, effective diplomacy possible for the United States.

GLENN: So your job would be, no.

That does not mean reset in Russian.

Or no. It wouldn't be appropriate to give all your speeches on DVDs to the queen?

That would be the chief of protocol's --

GLENN: Yes, I would intervene before that red button that was just translated, Glenn. Being given to the Russian foreign prime minister. Yes, that would be.

GLENN: Good. Good. Good.

Okay. So I can't believe what they're saying about Donald Trump. That everybody is saying, this is about his birthday.

What part of the 250th anniversary of America do people not get? This is the 250th birthday, on the day that happens to be his birthday.

But it is also the birthday of the U.S. Army.

It -- what part of that, don't they understand here?

MONICA: Well, they don't want to see the truth. Of course, they will take any cudgel even if they have to make one up and hammer Donald Trump with it. This happens to fall on the president's about right back door, which is very providential. And it also happens to fall on Flag Day. And I just want to make a bigger point about all of this, Glenn. Because you have been so extraordinary, in talking about America's exceptional history.

For years and years and years. And I know you've gotten entire warehouses, full of American historical pieces that are absolutely priceless. And invaluable.

GLENN: I do feel a little like Citizen Kane at times.

But go ahead.
(laughter)

MONICA: You are Citizen Kane, Glenn Beck.

But this is not about him.

And the bigger point about this.

The fact that all of this -- so the president is giving this big portfolio, to be his representative.

To these big US hosted events over the next couple of years.

Including America 250.

Including the FIFA World Cup happening next year.

Including the 2028 Olympic games happening, in we assume Los Angeles.

And it's providential that all of this is happening while Donald Trump is president.

GLENN: Yeah, it is.

MONICA: Because America first generation. The MAGA generation. We are the natural heirs to the revolutioner generation.

And, you know, the other day I was in the Oval Office with the president.

And we were talking. And he said, you know, Monica, in retrospect. 2020 has to happen this way.

And I said, yes, it did.

God knows what he's doing. It has to happen this way. Because to have President Trump preside over the semiquicentennial, which is a big word to say America's 250th birthday. Is just such a gift. Isn't it, Glenn?

It's a gift.

GLENN: It is. It is.

So let me ask you, we haven't done a military parade since I think George H.W. Bush did it with the end of the Gulf War. We don't see that very often.

What are we expecting?

What is this going to be like?

MONICA: So on Saturday, again June 14th in Washington, DC, the United States will commemorate 250 years of the U.S. Army's history, strength, service, and sacrifice with this extraordinary landmark celebration in Washington.

And I can tell you, Glenn, I was born on an Army Day. My father was U.S. Army. I was born in Arizona. So this means a lot to me, personally.

And I know to so many others, who are associated with, and -- and have served not just in the army, but across the military branches of service.

We will put on a grand military parade.

That will bring to life, 250 years of army history.

From the revolution, to today's cutting-edge technology.

So I encourage everybody to come out and see this parade.

Watch on TV. However you can observe this. Because it is going to be just massive. We're going to have historical reenactors. We are going to have restored military vehicles.

Precision flyovers.

Performances by elite military vans.

We will honor those who have served past and present.

Including wounded warriors and gold star families.

And we are going to have -- let me just tell you this.

Over 120 military vehicles, and artillery pieces, going back to the historic World War II era.

We will have Vietnam-era flyovers.

And we will have very cool F22 flyovers.

GLENN: Wow. I have to tell you -- wish -- this -- yeah. This is one thing that I wish I could be at. Thinks -- I think this is going to be extraordinary.

I would imagine the coverage will be different on Fox, than it would be on CNN.

But we'll -- we'll see.

The other thing I have to ask you. And I don't know if you can comment on this.

But I'm very concerned about this no kings thing. I mean, these are radicals, again.

And they have been planning something, all week. Have been planning it for quite some time.

And they decided to select Saturday, in Washington, to do these big protests. What are you expecting?

Any comment on that, if you can?

AARON: Well, peaceful protests are protected under the Constitution, and Karoline Leavitt made it clear, that peaceful protest, the president has no issue with. But if they veer into violence, they will be dealt with very harshly.

I can tell you, we're expecting countless people to descend on Washington, DC, for this parade this weekend. And if you want tickets, they're still available. America250.org.

America250.org. The tickets are free.

But you do have to register because of the security issue. Because obviously, the president is going to be president. But we are well aware of the potential for these kinds of protests, and this kind of activity.

So the -- America 250 commission is working hand-in-glove with the Department of Homeland Security with the US Secret Service.

With the park police, with the Department of the Interior. As will happen to all the events over the next year. To make sure that this is the safest, most secure event that you can attend.

So everybody will have to go through security.

And that's why we're making everybody register, at the website, if you want to attend.

Again, it's free.

But we want to ensure that this is a showcase, Glenn. For American leadership. Dynamism.

Military strength.

As well as, we're honoring those who have served.

Honoring the U.S. Army. Honoring the country. But we want to make sure that everybody will be safe and sound, attending this parade.

GLENN: I will tell you, that the left tried to do this, when I did that big event on the Lincoln memorial. We had about three or 400,000 people show up.

And right before, they made this big deal. That the -- that we had to up security. Because the panthers were going to show up.

And Al Sharpton's group. And all these lefties. The teacher's unions. They were all going to boycott.

They were all going to be there.

Our crowd was totally cool.

In fact, the Black Panthers walked through our crowd, trying to spark something. And everybody is like, hey, join us.

Just sit down. Come on.

Let's just watch. It's cool.

And they just gave up and walked away. But I really think they did that to try to suppress the numbers.

And if you -- if you are anywhere near the Washington, DC, area, you will not see anything like this again.

I mean, and it's our 250th.

You need to get your tickets and go.

Don't let them frighten you.

I have -- you know, when it comes to protection of our people.

I -- I tend to think that we might have that down.

Under this president.

But -- make sure --

MONICA: Yes, nobody does it better.

Nobody. And President Trump will not tolerate violence of any kind.

So, again, the website is America250.org for your free tickets.

He also will do one really cool thing at the end of the parade, Glenn. Of course, we will have fireworks, and the rest of it. But at the end of the parade, President Trump is going to preside over the live reenlistment of 250 U.S. Army soldiers, which is going to be an incredibly powerful symbol. And a visible reaffirmation of honor, respect, and duty.

Being restored to our armed forces. Thanks to President Trump.
(music)

GLENN: It's really great. It's really great. Monica, thank you so much. Just really appreciate it.

MONICA: Oh, it's my pleasure, as always, Glenn.

GLENN: God bless. You bet. Buh-bye. So it's America250.org. America250.org.

You know, its funny, because Biden put something in.

And I don't remember the name of the other one.

But it's not America 250.

And this one is also to celebrate America's 250.

But in their -- in their own documents, it says, we want to deemphasize, American history.

How do you -- it's like, please come to Glenn Beck's birthday party. But we want to deemphasize Glenn and his birthday.

I mean, how do you -- how do you do that?

Oh, my gosh. We are so fortunate that President Trump is the guy who is in office, otherwise, you wouldn't have even known that America was 250 years old.

And that is extraordinary.

Countries don't last that long.

This Constitution has lasted 250 years.

The average length of life for a Constitution, is 17 years.

That's the average!

I don't know. Says something good about our Constitution.

RADIO

1992 Rooftop Korean SPEAKS OUT amid 2025 LA riots

"Rooftop Korean" Tony Moon, who helped protect his Los Angeles community during the 1992 riots, speaks out amid the 2025 LA riots. He tells Glenn Beck why today's riots are very different than those in 1992: "they're NOT organic."

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: From 1992, I believe this is the NBC report on the '92 riots in LA.

Listen.

VOICE: March 16th, 1991, Latasha Harlans, a black teenager is shot and killed by a Korean store owner.

Sun Ja Do (phonetic). Do is convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but is sentenced only to parole and a small fine.

The black community is outraged and remembers.

VOICE: Six months probation?

I mean, the people were pissed then.

VOICE: Today, local Korean radio is broadcasting which stores in the area are threatened.

Young men like Eddie Kim rush over to try to defend them.

VOICE: I don't care about anything.

But it's not a riot. Okay?

You know, it's not a riot.

VOICE: He spent last night, and will spend tonight, guarding his appliance store.

A small battalion of employees and relatives will try to help.

VOICE: I only have one shotgun.

That's all I have.

What do they have?

They have hundreds of people. Hundreds of young people.

With lots of guns!

VOICE: After the destruction, many Koreans have lost all faith that the authorities can protect them.

GLENN: We have one of those Koreans that were protecting people.

Tony Moon, a rooftop Korean from 1992. Welcome, Tony, how are you?

TONY: I'm doing well, Glenn. Thank you for having me on the show. It's a pleasure.

GLENN: I've got to tell you what an honor it is to you have you on.

Can you take us through the experience that you had in the '92 LA riots?

TONY: Of course.

I was 19 at the time. And I was fairly similar -- a little familiar with Latasha's verdict.

But being 19, I wasn't really plugged into politics. Or current events.

Then when things blew up, after the Rodney King verdict, I came down on a Wednesday.

It's when we saw the outrage from the black community. And that's what it was in '92. It was basically the community, that had legitimate reasons to be upset.

And there was a rift between the black community and the Korean community, because the Korean community actually went into the black areas that were predominantly black, and open businesses there. And were doing businesses in the community.

Because of the cultural differences between the two. There was a lot of, I guess you can say, a lot of built-up animosity towards each other. And that's where I guess that's -- the riots, a lot of the pent up frustration was targeting Korean business owners because of that.

And it went on from Wednesday, until through the weekend. Until the National Guard showed up.

But we were fending for ourselves by Thursday.

And the call went out on Thursday. And it went out, when many of us answered the call. A lot of the misconception, is that it was just Korean shop owners. Which wasn't true.

There were a lot of young men like myself. Nineteen, 20. 22-year-olds that went out there.

That's kind of what I'm writing in my book right now.

From that perspective.

Growing up in Los Angeles, at that time.

And what the culture was like. And who some of these young men were.

One of them being Eddie Lee. Who gave his life that week.

You know, for the community.

And unfortunately, it was -- you know, through friendly fire. And I detailed that in my book. Regarding why that happened.

And who some of these young men were, like myself. And my driver, who was out there.

And we weren't always, always. You know, we weren't all on the roof.

Which is -- it's a misconception.

Some of us were out there. Literally --

GLENN: What do you mean, by we were hunting?

JASON: You know, they think -- a lot of people think we're just shooting at looters, which is not the case.

In '90s, LA it was a very gang-rich culture in the '90s. I mean, there were a lot of gangs. One of the large gangs that came out of LA.

And which is -- which is, a Salvadorian gang, that started in the mid-'80s.

And a lot of them, were shooting at these business owners. And some of us who had a background in the streets. Knew -- knew their territory. And knew who they were.

So we actually went into some of these areas. To basically let them.

Put them on notice.

That it's not just the older generation that is shooting at them.

But we actually will be actively hunting them down too. And LA is very layered and complicated. There's a lot of pockets and neighborhoods, where they have different ethnic groups.

And the rule is that, you don't go into other people's area, and mess around.

GLENN: Yeah.

TONY: And you stay in your own neighborhood. You be respectful of other people's different neighborhoods. You don't go there. And just start popping off shots. And that's kind of what they were doing. And it worked out, in the end. It worked out.

GLENN: No. I know. I lived in New Haven, Connecticut. That has a very rich Italian history. And that was what the way it was. You know, the it's not protected their neighborhood. And don't come into the Italian neighborhood and try to stir anything up, or you'll be in trouble with the Italians. And they won't mess with you and your neighborhood. Just everybody take care of yourself.

TONY: Exactly.

GLENN: So did you ever feel like a vigilante in any way? Did you feel that maybe this was questionable to take this on yourself?

TONY: No. Not at all.

When you -- you don't have law enforcement out in the streets anymore.

You know, the streets become a lot -- it's everybody for themselves. You become -- you kind of gain kind of a tribal sense of protecting your own.

Right?

So it's no longer a sense of vigilantism. Just protecting your own. And making sure there's any encroachment into your territory.

So I didn't see it as being a vigilante.

But just maintaining law and order.

Somewhat law and order, some semblance of peace.

And that was done through the barrel of -- you know, a firearm.

GLENN: Compare what you went through, you know, the Rodney King riots.

The George Floyd riots.

And this riot. Is there any difference?

TONY: Absolutely. Absolutely. The 1992 riots were organic. You had different parts of L.A. County that were upset. And you had fires and looting. Because the black community was spread out through south LA, Compton, south-central -- La Habra Heights.

Different areas. And you could actually see that. You know, when you are -- looked at the city, as a whole. From let's say Hollywood. You saw the fires from different parts of the city.

This -- these riots that are occurring now, with like the 2020, what I call the BLM riots. Now the 2025 LA riots are happening now.

They are very centralized. And they're not organic. They're being funded by NGOs. And it's a leftist Marxist agenda, that's being pushed to make it seem as if there's widespread support for this.

For example, the criminal rights that are occurring right now. It's just happening in downtown LA.

And the curfew that was by the mayor is only -- I don't know it off the top of my head. Two square mile radius. Right? One square mile.

Yeah. That's what it is.

Anyone outside that one square mile. Life always proceeds as it has been.

It doesn't look like there's anything going on. Where the difference in 1992, whether you were in Hollywood, Culver City, which is further out west.

And then Hollywood is up north, past downtown LA. August, you stop at downtown LA. You had fires. Looting. I mean, it was widespread.

This isn't anything like what's going on down to 1992.

And it just kind of shows the incompetence of the current leadership of not being able to get their arms around something like this.

Because of their lack of leadership.
And I would say common sense. They're letting these protesters spiral out of control.

Because many of them, the playbook is for them to start in downtown LA at City Hall.

Then make their way down, which really pisses off a lot of people. Because, you know, it's -- it's a highly traveled freeway in LA.

GLENN: I know. It's a parking lot.

You stop me from getting home, I don't care -- I don't care if you're for free candy bars. Reindeer and Santa. I hate your guts if you delay me on that how. I hate you when I'm driving home.

TONY: Absolutely. Absolutely. So there's no widespread recourse for this.

GLENN: Okay. So tell me about how the feeling -- what the feeling is on Trump and the National Guard coming in.

TONY: I think it's awesome.

I think this should have been done back in 2020. But obviously, you know, during that time. It was the administration.

First time going through this.

I posted it recently on Twitter. That, you know, when you take a shot at a man, and you try to assassinate him. He comes back different.

You know, and that's what he's shown.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. It is. It is.

Newsom and Bass both say, the riots are contained. Didn't need the National Guard.

This is Trump just trying to turn into a dictator. This is their communities having enough of the people being disappeared on the streets.

What do you say?

What is the average person that you talk to say about those kinds of things?

JASON: I would trust the meteorologist more than I would trust Newsom or Bass.

They -- they're in the same basket as Pelosi. They lie about what's going on. Because of social media. And because of, you know, the lack of reporting, from the local news.

Which covers for the current leadership in L.A. County.

Including the mayor and the board of supervisors. The people that are not getting 100 percent of the news.

And this is no different than what happened in early -- earlier this year with the fires. With what was going on in palisades. Altadena.

You know, the news, in order to get coverage for the local leadership. And to get on their good side, they're not going to report anything bad that's happening.

Currently, I believe there's a class-action lawsuit, gets an board of supervisors. The mayor. I think there are tons of lawsuits being filed right now.

And the problem is that it's not these individuals that will be detained for this.

It's the city and the county.

It will be a drain on the budget. And it will affect the social services, like paramedics, firefighters, you know, law enforcement.

GLENN: I can't imagine being those guys.

TONY: Yeah.

GLENN: Let me ask you for any advice you would give to mom and pop business owners that are vulnerable today?

TONY: A lot of them are downtown LA. I would say, board up. What I've noticed, 1992, the shops that were spared were the ones that had steel roll-up doors. Those do well.

Otherwise, lock your doors.

GLENN: Yeah.

TONY: And deterrence is really a great way to keep looters out. So you don't have to necessarily take shots at them. But displaying, I outlined it in my Twitter feed. I pinned it to my profile.

Deterrence is actually really great.

Because these individuals are looking for low-hanging fruit. So they're looking for an opportunity. So they want to go for the easiest shop or whatever they're going to loot.

So if they move -- you know, you have a shotgun or, you know, an AR. Right?

And they see you're armed. They will think twice before answering. And they will move on to the next target.

GLENN: By the way, you can follow Tony Moon @RoofKorean7. That's his Twitter handle.

RoofKorean7. When does your book come out? You have to send me a copy so I can read it in advance, because I want to have you back when it's out.

TONY: Absolutely. Absolutely. You've been most gracious to me.

I don't know if you know, but I did an interview with Morgan from three years ago in your studio, which turned into a museum, I think. You have some really great artifacts in there.

GLENN: I do, thank you. Yeah, thank you. I didn't know that.

TONY: Yeah.

I'm trying to release it. Well, I'm finishing it up by the end of -- near the end of this month.

My kids are going to read it. Because the book is tailored towards the next generation like Gen Alpha. Gen Z.

GLENN: Yeah, yeah.

TONY: Because these kids weren't alive during that time.

And they only see what online social media is portraying. And also, you know, what they may hear from the news. So I want to give them an account from being -- from a teenage perspective at 19, in terms of what it looked like, and how it played out. So my kids are read the first half.

Some of them are in my book. They will read it too, and once they give their blessing and they're okay with it, I will try to push it out before the end of the summer.

GLENN: That's great. Well, do me a favor. As soon as you're comfortable, send a copy to me so I can read it.

Because I would love to be ahead on it.

But, Tony, best of luck. Thanks for coming on with me, I really appreciate it.

JASON: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you for this time. I really appreciate it.

GLENN: You bet. Tony Moon. 1992. Rooftop Korean on the LA riots, then and now.

A Riots: The Marxist Revolution Disguised as Anti-ICE “Protests” | Glenn TV | Ep 438

Remember this old prediction from Glenn’s chalkboard on Fox News: “Marxists, anarchists, radical leftists, and Islamists will work together to destroy capitalism and the West”? Well, that movement has cascaded all over the world and has now arrived on American streets. As Los Angeles continues to spiral into violent riots, more anti-ICE demonstrations are popping up all over the country in cities like Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta, and New York. Democrat politicians and rioters blame the violence on President Trump’s deportation agenda, but the chaos isn’t organic — it’s well-organized and well-funded. Interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli joins to separate fact from fiction on what actually ignited the protests. He also reveals an ongoing investigation into the organizers and their sources of funding and gives an update on the FBI manhunt for the suspect who hurled rocks at law enforcement vehicles.

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A Riots: The Marxist Revolution Disguised as Anti-ICE “Protests” | Glenn TV | Ep 438