BLOGSeptember 05, 2017

Will Harvey’s Impact on the Oil Industry Increase Tensions With Russia?

Tropical Storm Harvey continues to douse Texas with rain, and flooding from the storm has halted production at the biggest oil refinery in the country. If the U.S. isn’t purchasing oil because there’s no way to refine it, the price of oil could crash worldwide, affecting relations with Russia, Glenn asserted on radio Thursday.

Besides displacing tens of thousands of people whose homes were flooded, Harvey could have international ramifications if the price of oil drops and hurts the Russian economy.

“If that happens, that makes Vladimir Putin a caged animal,” Glenn said.

Author Brad Thor joined Thursday’s show to talk about how Tropical Storm Harvey could affect international tensions and what we need to watch for when it comes to Russia and Putin.

“[Oil] is where Putin does make a good amount of his money,” Thor agreed.

His larger concern is that Russia will take advantage of the coming fall and winter to strong-arm nearby countries by cutting off their fuel supplies.

“If Putin is going to try to expand, this fall, this winter, is when he’s going to do that,” Thor said.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: Brad Thor, who is one of my favorite authors has a new book out called Use of Force. If you haven't read it yet, you really need to. But I have a question about it all the way through. And if I'm right, he has just saluted one of the greatest men that the world does not know even exists. And I want to talk to him a little bit about that.

Also, if you are anywhere in -- well, probably in the United States. I mean, it's happening in New York. But it's really bad here in Texas now. We're trying to get gas today. You might see the gas prices have gone up 30, 50 cents a gallon. This in Texas is taking root as gas stations are just closing down. They have no gas. Four gas stations on the way in. My son-in-law just wrote to me, and he said, "Dad, every gas station I go to, the pumps are all closed." That's because 90 percent of all gas comes out of the Houston area for this part of the country.

We talked to Ken Paxton, our attorney general, he said those lines of -- lines of supply lines are being rerouted. But it could make for a rough weekend.

More importantly, Brad is here. And I want to talk to him about, what does this mean for Russia and the instability of the world?

We go there with Brad Thor, right now.

(music)

GLENN: Before we get to Brad Thor, let me just give you an update: Yesterday, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for donating to this, from all over the country and indeed the world. We had some guy in Jerusalem say, I can't make an international donation. I don't know why we can't do that. But somebody was trying to help the victims in Houston from Israel yesterday.

And we so appreciate everybody who is trying to help. And if you're using our portal through Mercury One, every dollar that is raised for these causes goes to the cause. Every single dollar.

We're working with six disaster-related partners right now. These are the main ones we're working for. I want to give you an update: Operation Barbecue, Houston. They serve 12,000 meals to those affected. And first responders, just yesterday. Sixty volunteers showed up to help them do it.

By tomorrow, they're going to be serving 25,000 hot barbecue complete meals. They're supporting the US Coast Guard. We have team Rubicon out. A couple more updates.

The boats are coming in. And they're present today in Beaumont or will be tonight, I think. They plan to be part of the search-and-rescue efforts until they're no longer needed. Until the water goes down. Team Rubicon is continuing the operations with the cleanup. Also, City Impact -- these are church partners that we have from Corpus Christi, you know, all the way up to Baytown.

We have deployed now, I don't even know, ten tractor-trailers with water and everything else. They are also delivering a huge donation of survival food to victims who have lost their house from My Patriot Supply.

They are also -- My Patriot Supply is so amazing. They're also delivering 2500 water filtration systems. This -- and I'm not kidding you. We've done it. I haven't done it. But we did it when we were in New York. When they first did this water filtration system, they said it's the best in the world. They said, look. Come out with us. We were in New York. Come to this muddy pothole in New York Street. In the streets. Would you ever -- I don't even want to touch that water. It will kill you.

STU: Right.

GLENN: Drank water from that pothole. And they're still walking today.

PAT: After it had been filtered through their system, of course.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: They didn't just do it for fun.

PAT: It was pure.

GLENN: Yeah, it's amazing.

STU: That's the Alexapure Pro. Right?

GLENN: Yes. And 2500 of those are being delivered. Somebody Cares: Also, these are people that are helping in cleanup the mud out, putting tarps on the roof, et cetera, et cetera.

There's Gleaning For the World: They're doing the baby products and the water. Also, Provisions Project. This one is really important. These guys are funding -- we're providing the funding so they can provide the fuel for the search-and-rescue vehicles, the equipment and the meals. And they are in not only Houston, but they're also up in Louisiana, one of the parishes up there that was hard hit by Katrina. Thank you for donating. Mercuryone.org.

We go to Brad Thor now, who has written use of force. And, Brad, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the hurricane and the unforeseen consequences at least by the people in the media that will never look into these things. With the price of gas going up because 20 percent of our fuel is not being refined now -- the 20 percent of that, means that we're not buying oil, which could make the price of oil globally crash. Which, if that happens, that makes Vladimir Putin a caged animal.

Are you seeing any ramifications from Harvey that I might be missing?

BRAD: Well, that's probably one of the biggest ones you've got to be careful with there. Because that is where Putin does make a good amount of his money, is with -- with that.

You know, I have to tell you, I'm concerned, and it is something I'm watching. But part of a larger play which involves basically no sanctions for him taking the peninsula in Crimea. I'm very concerned for some of those Baltic states, particularly as we go into the winter. And will he cut off fuel supplies, natural gas, as he does to Ukraine? But will he make a move on Lithuania or Estonia or something like that, with Trump so wobbly on the Article V of the NATO treaty?

If Putin is going to try to expand, this fall, this winter is when he's got to do it. And that's what I'm really concerned about.

GLENN: So am I alone in feeling that this -- we're approaching the most dangerous fall that I think we've approached since possibly 2001. Just something doesn't feel right. This is a dangerous fall. Feels like the season has changed. Do you feel that at all?

BRAD: It's almost like -- we joke around about Star Wars a lot on the show. But it's almost like you sense that disturbance in the force.

GLENN: Exactly right.

BRAD: Particularly with the North Koreans kicking things up, with launching that missile.

And, by the way, one of the things the media got wrong about the recent launch that they did over Japan was that the North Koreans were very tactical about this.

They sent the missile up so high, over that Japanese Island, that technically, they didn't violate their airspace or their sovereignty. And where it came down was nowhere near Guam. So they're being very tactical. But make no mistake, it was a big middle finger, held up towards Donald Trump.

GLENN: You know what, they can -- they can hold up middle fingers to Donald Trump and to us all they want. Let's do the right thing and not get our egos involved. This is a dangerous situation.

BRAD: Well, and they're going to keep going and doing it. Because winter is coming.

It's like Game of Thrones: They're going to need heating oil, and they're going to need food. Those are two of the biggest things they are going to be lobbying for. So you're going to see things get more dangerous.

But it only takes one mistake in these provocations to lead us to war. And the big thing that I'm looking for -- and it will be a big kind of trigger point for me is if the United States government gives an order to evacuate military families and nonessential diplomatic personnel from South Korea and Japan. If that happens, we know it's game on. And that's what I'm watching for in that part of the world.

STU: Brad, just to let you know, for the rest of the interview. You've already done Star Wars and Game of Thrones. I will need a pop culture reference for each point that you make.

GLENN: Now, back to the interview.

(laughter)

So -- so try to find one here: Afghanistan, two weeks ago seems like 100 years ago.

PAT: Rambo. It's like Rambo.

(laughter)

GLENN: Seems like 100 years ago that the president said, "Hey, by the way, we're ramping up troops," something he was dead set against, which really put a chill down my spine. Because it reminded me of what George Bush said to me in the Oval, which was, don't worry about it. Whoever gets into the Oval Office, when they sit behind this desk, they're going to do exactly what I've done because they'll see that the president really has no more options left.

BRAD: Yeah. That is totally correct. And I know a lot of people have been upset with Erik Prince putting forward this idea that maybe we ought to have a greater private military corporation presence in Afghanistan.

I will tell you this: I'm good friends with a gay named Sean Parnell. And Sean Parnell wrote a fabulous book about his experience in Afghanistan called Outlaw Platoon. I highly recommend it.

And Parnell had -- his team, they had one of the longest combat deployments on the war on terror: 485 days in Afghanistan. They actually said that as painful as it was being away from home, that that length of time was excellent because the villagers got to know them, they knew the terrain better than the bad guys. They knew where the bad guys were.

So this idea that putting people in for longer stretches, who can get to know the villagers, can work on some of that counterinsurgency stuff, may not be a bad thing. I'm a big believer. And I love the Defense Department, but they still buy 600-dollar hammers.

I'm also in favor of considering options that allow the private sector, when held accountable, to try to do things better, cheaper, faster, stronger than the United States government. So I think it's worth looking at.

GLENN: Have you read the news -- this is not covered by anyone going to Iran.

The head of the Supreme Council came out about four weeks ago and said to the people, "I just want you to know that the Twelfth Imam is here. He is among us. And he is walking among us now. And he will come forth soon."

Is that disturbing to you at all?

BRAD: It is disturbing when you know as much about this as you do and your audience does. I mean, Ahmadinejad had all of the avenues in Tehran widened so that they could celebrate and do a big parade for the Mahdi when he came. So this is a disturbing thing. If they are ramping up that apocalyptic rhetoric.

Why else would they be doing it? Why would they be ginning their people up, unless they needed a faith-based reason to prepare them to go through some real, serious bad stuff, and that's what this sounds like.

GLENN: Last on the world events -- we're seeing people ginning things up in North Korea. They're building the giant bridge. I don't know if you saw the bridge that Russia is building now in Crimea. It's like 12 miles long. First land bridge to that area from Russia.

People are starting to really lay claim to things. And here in the United States, we have Antifa and the Nazis. And, you know, the -- the -- the right is being told, you've got to stand against the communists. And kind of just, you know, look the other way about the Nazis. And the left is saying, you've got to fight against the Nazis. And many on the left are saying, "And you've got to join the communists." What do you make of this?

BRAD: Well, so it's funny I was actually reading back on some of your old articles on GlennBeck.com.

GLENN: You have no life. You really have no life.

(laughter)

BRAD: You know, it's like Groundhog Day. I read the same thing over and over and over.

GLENN: Okay. Good.

BRAD: You actually, Glenn, were saying in the spring of 2016, that you thought that summer was going to be like '68. And I think you were a year too early. I think we are seeing it now. I think the stuff that you thought was coming in '16 actually hit this summer with Charlottesville. And I think it's only going to get worse.

GLENN: Yeah.

BRAD: But -- but I am heartened by the fact that even the Washington Post, even though they kind of softened at the end of the op-ed is willing to go after Antifa.

If you've got to put a mask on to show up and practice your free speech rights, you're doing it wrong, if you've got to wear the mask. So these are bad guys. The Nazis are bad people. I hate the Nazis. I hate the alt-right.

But we're in a very dangerous time in our country, where we're not supporting free speech. We're telling people, you've got to pick sides. And, you know what, I stand on the side of liberty. And I want the truth. And I want people to be able to discuss differences of opinions and ideas, without worrying about getting their heads caved in.

GLENN: Yeah, this is really -- this is where your -- here's where the rubber meets the road: Charlie Hebdo, I don't know if you've seen this, the latest cover of Charlie Hebdo, which, you know, we rallied for and stood with them.

I am Charlie. When they were being told to sit down and shut up in the strongest of terms by the Islamic extremist community, we stood up for them. The world did. We have to do it today. But here's where it's really hard: The cover of Charlie Hebdo is now a cartoon of Americans giving a Nazi salute with just their arms coming out of the water. And the headline says, what, Pat?

PAT: God exists. He drowned all the neo-Nazis in Texas. Something to that effect.

GLENN: Right. So the original reaction -- the immediate reaction to people is, "Oh, my gosh. How dare them. That's just wrong."

Yeah, it is wrong. I hate that. But they have a right to say it. We just have a right not to buy it and not to spread it.

BRAD: Well, and this is what I've always said, when I had the Islamic extremists that didn't like my thrillers: I've got a First Amendment right to write whatever I want, and it's equaled by a right just as powerful, the right not to read it.

So, listen, this is bad when America is viewed this way, internationally. And I think, had Trump handled Charlottesville better, that this wouldn't have happened.

But this is where we are now. What you hear from Donald Trump on Twitter and at the rallies is the real Trump.

When he's off-prompter, that's the real Trump. He is not very adept. He's not good at handling this stuff. And his instincts are not good. He's a pugnacious reality TV star, that that does not lend itself towards effective leadership.

And so you end up seeing this craziness. Listen, it's the French, right? We'll go back to having freedom fries instead of french fries, if they want to pull this BS when it comes down to Texas.

But anybody who is trying to score political points or to do fundraising like that insane woman Linda Sarsour, on the backs of the tragedy happening in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, you're a bad person. You're a bad person if you cannot put your politics aside and see that there are black, brown, white, yellow, red, blue, polka dot people that are suffering. Politics don't matter right now. This is about human beings, and we need to do all we can to be helping those folks down in Texas, instead of trying to score cheap political points.

GLENN: There it is. You let the man talk, and he always hangs himself. Did you hear that? Now he's claiming there are polka dot people. You heard it here. You heard it here from Brad Thor.

STU: Similar to Episode 7, Season 2, of Caroline In the City, which I think we're all thinking about.

GLENN: Back in a second with Brad Thor. One more question for him. And it regards a hero in your book that I've been reading your book. And I'm like, I got to ask Brad Thor this.

And I think I'm right. And if I am, you need to tell -- you need to -- you need to tell the story, when we come back.

GLENN: Brad Thor, the odds are probably slim, but I have to know. I'm reading your book. One of the heroes named Haney. Is that the way you're pronouncing it in the book?

BRAD: Correct, yep.

GLENN: Did you name it after a guy who I don't think anybody in the country really knows who he is and I believe one of the greatest heroes of our generation, Phil Haney?

BRAD: So -- no.

GLENN: It's not?

BRAD: It's not -- it's not. There's actually a real-life Mike Haney, and that's who it's named after.

The real-life hero in the book is the (inaudible) boss, Reid Carlton. I dedicated Use of Force to Dewey Clarridge, who was a huge CIA spymaster, fantastic American. And the Reid Carlton character, nobody knew it until this book came out, was always based upon Dewey Clarridge, who set up the counterterrorism center at the CIA. But I know who Phil Haney is. Good guy.

GLENN: Unbelievable man. Unbelievable man. Maybe we'll get into it next week and just on this program explain who Phil Haney is. But he's a guy that I think every American should know. He's remarkable. And that's what I love about your books, and that's why I thought it might be Phil. But I love -- I love your books because I learn so much from them. You don't right fiction, you write faction. And I love that.

Brad, thank you so much. We'll talk to you again, my friend.

BRAD: Thank you, my friend.

RADIO

New York DROPS key charge against CEO killer. Here’s why.

A New York judge has dismissed state terrorism and first-degree murder charges against the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Should the charge have been kept? Why is the state only pursuing second-degree murder charges? And will he avoid the death penalty? Former Chief Assistant US Attorney Andrew McCarthy joins Glenn Beck to explain what’s really to blame for these decisions.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: We have a good friend, Andy McCarthy who is a Nashville review contributing editor. He's also a former chief assistant US attorney, and a guy who when he speaks, I almost always agree with him. And when I don't, I'm probably wrong. Especially when it comes to things like this, because this was his expertise. He was a former chief assistant US attorney. And he worked on terror most of his career. I mean, he -- he is -- he is well-versed on terror charges and how to try them.

This Luigi Mangione case, the terrorism charges have been dropped. And, Andy, if I remember right, came out with an article I think last year said, this is not going to stand.

These terrorist charges aren't going to stand. And I don't understand why they won't.

And I don't understand how only be charged with second-degree murder.

When it was clear he was stocking the guy. Privy planned on killing him.

He was waiting for him outside.

That's premeditation, which is murder one.

But I know Andy will have all the answers for us.

Can you make sense of this for us, Andy?

ANDY: Yeah. I'm afraid I can, Glenn.

I think to start with the second point first about why it's murder two, rather than murder one. Back in the McCaughey days, which is like the 1990s in New York, when he was governor.

STU: Yeah.

ANDY: They tried to revise the New York capital murder statute. Because they haven't done a death penalty case in New York in decades.

And this was not -- this ultimately was not a successful effort. They still haven't revised the death penalty.

But what they did, they took the things that you could get the death penalty for, which in New York, were only things like killing a police officer or killing a prison guard in the prison.

And they made those the only murder in the first degree. Variety. Homicide, and all other murder.

GLENN: Why?

ANDY: Well, because they were trying to clean up -- their idea was, they were trying to clean the statute in a way that murder one would be revised as capital murder.

GLENN: Death penalty.

ANDY: Right. And all other murder was going to be second-degree murder, so because --

GLENN: That's insane.

ANDY: What we're dealing with Mangione, under New York law, would not have qualified for the death penalty because that would have been very, very narrow, and it's mainly killing police officers or prison guards.

That puts it into the category of second-degree murder. That doesn't mean, by the way, that it's unserious.

It has a -- I think the -- the offense in New York is like 25 years to life. Societies -- it's --

STU: The guy should get -- I mean, you could. You could argue against the death penalty. But guy should get either the death penalty, or life without payroll.

Not 25 years! This guy -- help me out on this one. How is he not a terrorist? He had the intent to terrorize. He said himself, he wanted people to look over their shoulders.

I mean, he is a textbook terrorist. And premeditation. Textbook!

ANDY: Yeah. To -- to prove terrorism, you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, an intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

And you have to sort of get out of the -- the mindset that murder is terrorizing. I mean, all murder is terrorizing, to the people who are obviously involved in it. And to the extent that it intimidated people. But we can't turn every murder into terrorism.

GLENN: Correct.

ANDY: Terrorism --

GLENN: But he did it for. But isn't terrorism about trying to scare the population to either vote different or change the laws to be so terrorized that they -- in this particular case, he was trying to send a message to the -- the industry, you better watch your back, because there's more of me.

And you'll get it in the end.

That's terrorizing a group of people to get them to act in a way, the terrorists wants them to act.

ANDY: Yes.

GLENN: Isn't that how they define it?

ANDY: It's not terrorizing the government to change policy or terrorizing the whole civilian population. What the judge said, this was very narrowly targeted at the health care industry, and this particular health care executive.

And I --

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: Wow.

ANDY: And I just don't think it trivializes the murder to say that it's not a terrorism crime.

GLENN: Okay.

ANDY: You know, the federal government, Glenn, just so we're clear on this part of it. There were two charges brought here. There's a -- the federal charges and the state charges.

So Alvin Bragg, the -- the New York DA, brought the terrorism charge.

GLENN: What a joke.

ANDY: I said, at the time, I thought he was bringing it because he knew the Justice Department wanted to charge this guy. So he wanted to make a splash. Like the Justice Department wanted to make a splash.

When the Justice Department indicted it, even though Biden is against the death penalty, and the Democratic administration was against the death penalty. They indicted it as a death penalty case.
Because they wanted to make a big to-do over it. Even though, you know, if you look at the fine print, they would never impose the death penalty.

They had a moratorium on the death penalty. So in order not to be outsplashed, what Bragg turned around and did was indict this -- what he -- like ten times out of ten, indict only as a murder case.

If you could get Bragg to indict something that was actually a crime. And he decided to make it a terrorism murder case, so that they could compete for the headlines in the press.

Unfortunately, this is kind of what happens in these -- in these cases.

But to your point about stalking and all of that stuff.

The federal charges. Which are the death penalty charges, include exactly what you're talking about.

The fact that this guy was stalked.

That it was done in a very cold-blooded way.

And actually, if he gets convicted in the federal -- can in the federal system, now that Trump is running the Justice Department, rather than Biden, he gets convicted on the death penalty charge, he's going to get the death penalty.

GLENN: Okay. So it's not like he's getting murder in the second degree, and he'll be out in 25 years. The federal government is also trying him. Will it be the same trial?

ANDY: No. No.

In fact, the interesting thing, Glenn. Just from a political standpoint, I hate having to get political on this stuff.

GLENN: I know. Me too.

ANDY: If we can avoid it. The Biden Justice Department was working cooperative with Bragg. I don't think the Trump Justice Department is going to work cooperative with Bragg.

GLENN: No.

ANDY: And the interesting thing about that is under New York law, they have a very forgiving double jeopardy provision. Which basically means, if the Feds go first, that will probably block New York state from going at all.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

ANDY: Because of their expansive protection. And I think what Biden's Justice Department was willing to let Bragg go first.

So that they would go second. And then everybody would have --

GLENN: Trump won't do that.

ANDY: I'm not sure the Trump guys will play ball with that.

GLENN: No. Okay.

So are you confident the justice will be served in this. Oh.

ANDY: Well, I think -- you know, look, I think if your idea of justice served. Are this guy be convicted of a severe murder charge and never see the light of day again?

I am confident in that.

GLENN: Yes.

ANDY: If you believe as I do, that if you're going to have a -- a death penalty in the law, which our Constitution permits.

GLENN: He deserves it.

ANDY: If you're going to have it, he deserves it. And if he doesn't get it. He would be among a long line of people, who probably didn't deserve it and must get it.

Though, I guess it depends on what your idea of justice is. But I guess if we could agree that justice is this guy never sees the light of day again, I think justice will happen here.

GLENN: Right. Okay.

Can I switch to Charlie Kirk?

ANDY: Of course.

GLENN: How is this unfolding? What are your thoughts on this. What are your thoughts on -- you know, I really want to make sure I don't want to go too far. I don't want another Patriot Act kind of thing.

But I do believe, you know, the -- it appears as though, there may have been many people involved. At least in knowing.

What does that mean to you? And what should happen?

What should we be doing? What are we doing that is right and wrong?

ANDY: Well, to the extent -- I'm sorry -- I do -- I do think, Glenn. That this is being very aggressively investigated by both the state authorities and continuing by the federal authorities.

I heard Kash Patel, because I happened to be on television this morning. And they -- they broadcasted that while I was on.

And he was talking about how they are going through all of the social media stuff.

To see, who may have had an inkling about this beforehand. And if there was any conspiratorial activity, they're going to go after it.

Now, the chats that have come out so far, that have been reported in the last couple of days are chats in which Robinson admitted to committing homicide and told the people that he was chatting with -- that he had already arranged his surrender.

If that's all these people knew, that is to say, he had --

GLENN: Then there's nothing there.

ANDY: And he was turning himself in. Well, they might be good witnesses in terms of what his state of mind was at the trial of Robinson.

But I don't think that implicates them in criminal misconduct.

On the other hand, the feds are going to keep digging.

And I assume Utah is going to keep digging.

And if they find out that someone was involved in planning it, I think those people will be pursued.

GLENN: You know, there's probably Texas would be a bad place to commit this crime.

Utah, however, they have the death penalty. And they used the death penalty.

And the governor who I'm not a big fan of this governor.

But, boy, he has been very strong, and I think right on top of this whole thing.

And he said, day one, you will get the death penalty. We catch you. We prove it in a court of law. You do get the death penalty. And I think that's coming from this guy.

ANDY: Well, it's deserving. Because if it's ever indicative of premeditation and repulsive intent, I would say, this is a textbook case of that.

GLENN: The idea that Trump is now going to go after -- possibly RICO charges for people like George Soros and, you know, organizations like that, that are -- are pushing for a lot of the -- the -- the Antifa kind of stuff. Do you see any problems with that. Or is this a -- a good idea?

ANDY: I just think the first thing, before you get into RICO. And all these. You know, RICO is a very complicated statute, even when it obviously applies. So I think the bedrock thing they have to establish, is that you are crossing the line. From protected speech. A lot of which can be obnoxious speech. And actual incite meant to violence. And if you can get invite meant to violence.

You know, I didn't need RICO to prosecute the Blind Sheikh, right? I was able to do it on incitements of violence and that kind of stuff. Those are less complicated charges than Rico.

But the big challenges in those cases, Glenn, is getting across the line into violent action. As opposed to constitutionally protected rhetoric.

GLENN: Is there anything to the subversion of our -- of our nation. That you are -- you are intentionally subverting the United States of America.

You are pushing for revolutionary acts?

VOICE: You know, there's a lot of let allegation that arose out of that, in connection with the Cold War and the McCarran Act. And, you know, you remember all the stuff from the -- from the '40s and '50s, forward.

GLENN: Yeah. I know.

ANDY: And I think when that stuff was initially enacted, the country was in a different place.

I think when the McCarran Act was enacted, it was a consensus in the country, that if someone was a member of the Communist Party.

Hadn't actually done anything active to seek the violent overthrow of the US, but mere membership in the party. I think if you asked the question in 1950, most people would have thought that was a crime.

And by 1980, most people would have thought, it wasn't a crime. Based on the Supreme Court --

GLENN: Yeah. I don't.

Look, if you're a member of the Communist Party, you can be a member of the Communist Party.

But if you are actively subverting and pushing for revolution, in our country, I think that's a different -- I think that's a different cat, all -- entirely.

ANDY: Yeah, that's exactly right. But if you had that evidence of purposeful activity, and look, if you had a conspiratorial agreement between two people that contemplates the use of force, you don't need much more than that. You don't need an act of violence. If you have a strong evidence of conspiracy. But you do have to establish that they get over that line and to the use of force, at least the potential use of force.

STU: Yeah, okay.

Andy, as always, thank you so much. Appreciate your insight. Appreciate it.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

How to Find God in a Divided World | Max Lucado & Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck sits down with beloved pastor and author Max Lucado for a deep conversation about faith, humility, and finding unity in a divided world. Together, they reflect on the importance of principles over politics, why humility opens the door to true dialogue, and how centering life on God brings clarity and peace. Lucado shares stories of faith, the dangers of a “prosperity gospel,” and the powerful reminder that life is not about making a big deal of ourselves, but about making a big deal of God. This uplifting conversation will inspire you to re-center your life, strengthen your faith, and see how humility and love can transform even the most divided times.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Max Lucado HERE

RADIO

Bill O'Reilly predicts THIS will be Charlie Kirk's legacy

Bill O’Reilly joins Glenn Beck with a powerful prediction about Charlie Kirk’s legacy. Evil tried to destroy his movement, Bill says, but – as his new book, “Confronting Evil,” lays out – evil will just end up destroying itself once more…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Mr. Bill O'Reilly, welcome to the program, how are you, sir?

BILL: Good, Beck, thanks for having me back. I appreciate it. How have you been?

GLENN: Last week was really tough. I know it was tough for you and everybody else.

But, you know -- I haven't -- I haven't seen anything.

BILL: Family okay? All of that?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. Family is okay. Family is okay.

BILL: Good question good. That's the most important thing.

GLENN: It is.

So, Bill, what do you make of this whole Charlie Kirk thing. What happened, and where are we headed?

BILL: So my analysis is different for everybody else, and those that know me for so long. About a year ago, I was looking for a topic -- it was a contract to do another book. And I said, you know what's happening in America, and around the world. Was a rise in evil. It takes a year to research and write these books.

And not since the 1930s, had I seen that happen, to this extent. And in the 1930s, of course, you would have Tojo and Hitler and Mussolini and Franco and all these guys. And it led to 100 million dead in World War II. The same thing, not to the extent.

But the same thing was --
GLENN: Yet.
BILL: -- bubbling in the world, and in the United States.

I decided to write a book. The book comes out last Tuesday. And on Wednesday, Putin lobs missiles into Poland.

Ultra dangerous.

And a few hours later, Charlie Kirk is assassinated.

And one of the interviewers said to me last week, your -- your book is haunting. Is haunting.

And I think that's extremely accurate. Because that's what evil does.

And in the United States, we have so many distractions. The social media.

People create around their own lives.

Sports. Whatever it may be. That we look away.

Now, Charlie Kirk was an interesting fellow. Because at a very young age, he was mature enough to understand that he wanted to take a stand in favor of traditional America and Judeo Christian philosophy.

He decided that he wanted to do that.

You know, and when I was 31 or whatever, I was lucky I wasn't in the penitentiary. And I believe you were in the penitentiary.
(laughter)
So he was light years ahead of us.

GLENN: Yes, he was.

BILL: And he put it into motion. All right? Now, most good people, even if you disagree with what Mr. Kirk says on occasion, you admire that. That's the spirit of America. That you have a belief system, that you go out and try to promote that belief system, for the greater good of the country. That's what it is.

That's what Charlie Kirk did.

And he lost his life.

By doing it!

So when you essentially break all of this down. You take the emotion away, all right?

Which I have to do, in my job. You see it as another victory for evil.

But it really isn't.

And this is the ongoing story.

This is the most important story. So when you read my book, Confronting Evil, you'll see that all of these heinous individuals, Putin's on the cover. Mao. Hitler.

Ayatollah Khomeini. And then there are 14 others inside the book. They all destroy themselves.

Evil always destroys itself. But it takes so many people with it. So this shooter destroyed his own family.

And -- and Donald Trump, I talked to him about it last week in Yankee stadium. And Trump is a much different guy than most people think.

GLENN: He is.

JASON: He destroyed his own mother and father and his two brothers.

That's what he did. In addition to the Kirk family!

So evil spreads. Now, if Americans pay attention and come to the conclusion that I just stated, it will be much more difficult for evil to operate openly.

And that's what I think is going to happen.

There's going to be a ferocious backlash against the progressive left in particular.

To stop it, and I believe that is what Mr. Kirk's legacy is going to be.

GLENN: I -- I agree with you on all of these fronts.

I wonder though, you know, it took three, or if you count JFK, four assassinations in the '60s, to confront the evil if you will.

Before people really woke up and said, enough is enough!

And then you have the big Jesus revolution after that.

Is -- I hate to say this. But is -- as far gone as we are, is one assassination enough to wake people up?

JOHN: Some people. Some people will never wake up.

They just don't want to live in the real world, Beck. And it's never been easier to do that with the social media and the phones and the computers.

And you're never going to get them back.

But you don't need them. So let's just be very realistic here on the Glenn Beck show.

Let's run it down.

The corporate media is finished.

In America. It's over.

And you will see that play out the next five years.

Because the corporate media invested so much of its credibility into hating Donald Trump.

And the hate is the key word.

You will find this interesting, Beck. For the first time in ten years, I've been invited to do a major thing on CBS, today.

I will do it GE today. With major Garrett.

GLENN: Wow.

BILL: Now, that only happened because Skydance bought CBS. And Skydance understands the brand CBS is over, and they will have to rehabilitate the whole thing. NBC has not come to that conclusion yet, but it will have to.

And ABC just does the weather. I mean, that's all they care about. Is it snowing in Montana? Okay? The cables are all finished. Even Fox.

Once Trump leaves the stage, there's nowhere for FNC to go. Because they've invested so much in Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.

So the fact of the matter is, the corporate media is over in America. That takes a huge cudgel out of the hands of the progressive movement.

Because the progressive movement was dependent on the corporate media to advance its cause. That's going to end, Beck.

GLENN: Well, I would hope that you're right.

Let me ask you about --

BILL: When am I wrong?

When am I wrong?

You've known me for 55 years. When have I been wrong?

GLENN: Okay. All right. All right. We're not here to argue things like that.

So tell me about Skydance. Because isn't Skydance Chinese?

BILL: No! It's Ellison. Larry Ellison, the second richest guy in the world. He owns Lanai and Hawaii, the big tech guy and his son is running it.

GLENN: Yeah, okay.

I though Skydance. I thought that was -- you know them.

BILL: Yeah.

And they -- they're not ideological, but they were as appalled as most of us who pay attention at the deterioration of the network presentations.

So --

GLENN: You think that they could.

BILL: 60 Minutes used to be the gold standard.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

BILL: And it just -- it -- you know, you know, I don't know if you watch it anymore.

GLENN: I don't either.

So do you think they can actually turn CBS around, or is it just over?

BILL: I don't know. It's very hard to predict, because so many people now bail. I've got a daughter 26, and a son, 22.

They never, ever watched network television.

And you've got -- it's true. Right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

They don't watch --

BILL: They're not going to watch The Voice. The dancing with this. The juggling with that. You know, I think they could do a much better job in their news presentations.

GLENN: Yeah. Right.

BILL: Because what they did, is banish people like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly.

Same voices, with huge followings.

Huge!

All right?

We couldn't get on there.

That's why Colbert got fired. Because Colbert wouldn't -- refused to put on any non-progressive voice, when they were talking about the country.

GLENN: I know.

BILL: Well, it's not -- I'm censoring it.

GLENN: Yeah, but it's not that he was fired because he wouldn't do that. He was fired because that led to horrible ratings. Horrible ratings.

BILL: Yes, it was his defiance.

GLENN: Yes.

BILL: Fallon has terrible ratings and so does Kimmel. But Colbert was in your face, F you, to the people who were signing his paycheck.

GLENN: Yes. Yes.

BILL: Look, evil can only exist if the mechanisms of power are behind it.

And that's when you read the front -- I take them one by one. And Putin is the most important chapter by far.

GLENN: Why?

BILL: Because Putin would use nuclear weapon.

He wouldn't. He's a psychopath.

And I'm -- on Thursday night, I got a call from the president's people saying, would I meet the president at Yankee stadium for the 9/11 game?

And I said, when a president calls and asks you to meet them, sure.

GLENN: I'll be there. What time?

BILL: It will take me three days to get into Yankee stadium, on Long Island. But I'll start now.

GLENN: Especially because the president is coming. But go ahead.

BILL: Anyway, that was a very, I think that Mr. Trump values my opinion. And it was -- we did talk about Putin.

And the change in Putin. And I had warned him, that Putin had changed from the first administration, where Trump controlled Putin to some extent.

Now he's out of control. Because that's what always happens.

GLENN: Yeah.

BILL: It happened with Hitler. It happened with Mao. It happened with the ayatollah. It happened with Stalin. Right now. They get worse and worse and worse and worse. And then they blow up.

And that's where Putin is! But he couldn't do any of that, without the assent of the Russian people. They are allowing him to do this, to kill women and children. A million Russian casualties for what! For what! Okay?

So that's why this book is just in the stratosphere. And I was thinking object, oh. Because people want to understand evil, finally. Finally.

They're taking a hard look at it, and the Charlie Kirk assassination was an impetus to do that.

GLENN: Yeah. And I think it's also an impetus to look at the good side.

I mean, I think Charlie was just not a neutral -- a neutral character. He was a force for good. And for God.

And I think that -- that combination is almost the Martin Luther King combination. Where you have a guy who is speaking up for civil rights.

But then also, speaking up for God. And speaking truth, Scripturally.

And I think that combination still, strangely, I wouldn't have predicted it. But strangely still works here in America, and I think it's changed everything.

Bill, it's always food to talk to you. Thank you so much for being on. I appreciate it.

It's Bill O'Reilly. The name of the book, you don't want to miss. Is confronting evil. And he takes all of these really, really bad guys on. One by one. And shows you, what happens if you don't do something about it. Confronting evil. Bill O'Reilly.

And you can find it at BillO'Reilly.com.

RADIO

Should people CELEBRATING Charlie Kirk’s death be fired?

There’s a big difference between firing someone, like a teacher, for believing children shouldn’t undergo trans surgery and firing a teacher who celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk. Glenn Beck explains why the latter is NOT “cancel culture.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I got an email from somebody that says, Glenn, in the wake of Charlie's assassination, dozens of teachers, professors and professionals are being suspended or fired for mocking, or even celebrating Charlie Kirk's death.

Critics say conservatives are now being hypocritical because you oppose cancel culture. But is this the same as rose an losing her job over a crude joke. Or is it celebrating murder, and that's something more serious?

For many, this isn't about cancellation it's about trust. If a teacher is entrusted with children or a doctor entrusted with patients, publicly celebrates political violence, have they not yet disqualified themselves from those roles? Words matter. But cheering a death is an action. Is there any consequence for this? Yes. There is.

So let's have that conversation here for a second.

Is every -- is every speech controversy the same?

The answer to that is clearly no.

I mean, we've seen teachers and pastors and doctors and ordinary citizens lose their job now, just for saying they don't believe children under 18 should undergo transgender surgeries. Okay? Lost their job. Chased out.

That opinion, whether you agree or disagree is a moral and medical judgment.

And it is a matter of policy debate. It is speech in the public square.

I have a right to say, you're mutilating children. Okay. You have a right to say, no. We're not. This is the best practices. And then we can get into the silences of it. And we don't shout down the other side.

Okay? Now, on the other hand, you have Charlie Kirk's assassination. And we've seen teachers and professors go online and be celebrate.

Not criticize. Not argue policy. But celebrate that someone was murdered.

Some have gone so far and said, it's not a tragedy. It's a victory. Somebody else, another professor said, you reap what you sow.

Well, let me ask you: Are these two categories of free speech the same?

No! They're not.

Here's the difference. To say, I believe children should not be allowed to have gender surgeries, before 18. That is an attempt, right or wrong. It doesn't matter which side you are.

That is an attempt to protect life. Protect children. And guide society.

It's entering the debate about the role of medicine. The right of parents. And the boundaries of childhood. That's what that is about. To say Charlie Kirk's assassination is a good thing, that's not a debate. That's not even an idea. That's rejoicing in violence. It's glorifying death.

There's no place in a civil society for that kind of stuff. There's not. And it's a difference that actually matters.

You know, our Founders fought for free speech because they believed as Jefferson said, that air can be tolerated where truth is left free to combat it.

So I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, at all. I don't think you do either. I hope you don't. Otherwise, you should go back to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Error can be tolerated where truth is left to be free to combat it.

But when speech shifts from debating ideas to celebrating death, doesn't that cease to be the pursuit of truth and instead, just become a glorification of evil?

I know where I stand on that one. Where do you stand?

I mean, if you go back and you look at history, in colonial matter -- in colonial America, if you were to go against the parliament and against the king, those words were dangerous. They were called treason. But they were whys. They were arguments about liberty and taxation and the rights of man.

And the Founders risked their lives against the dictator to say those things.

Now, compare that to France in 1793.

You Thomas Paine, one of or -- one of our founder kind of. On the edges of our founders.

He thought that what was happening in France is exactly like the American Revolution.

Washington -- no. It wasn't.

There the crowds. They didn't gather to argue. Okay? They argued to cheer the guillotine they didn't want the battle of ideas.

They wanted blood. They wanted heads to roll.

And roll they did. You know, until the people who were screaming for the heads to roll, shouted for blood, found that their own heads were rolling.

Then they turned around on that one pretty quickly.

Think of Rome.

Cicero begged his countrymen to preserve the republic through reason, law, and debate. Then what happened?

The mob started cheering assassinations.

They rejoiced that enemies were slaughtered.

They were being fed to the lions.

And the republic fell into empire.

And liberty was lost!

Okay. So now let me bring this back to Charlie Kirk here for a second.

If there's a professor that says, I don't believe children should have surgeries before adulthood, is that cancel culture, when they're fired?

Yes! Yes, it is.

Because that is speech this pursuit of truth.

However imperfect, it is speech meant to protect children, not to harm them. You also cannot be fired for saying, I disagree with that.

If you are telling, I disagree with that. And I will do anything to shut you down including assassination! Well, then, that's a different story.

What I teacher says, I'm glad Charlie Kirk is dead, is that cancel culture, if they're fired?

Or is that just society saying, you know, I don't think I can trust my kid to -- to that guy.

Or that woman.

I know, that's not an enlightening mind.

Somebody who delights in political murder.

I don't want them around my children! Scripture weighs in here too.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Matthew.

What does it reveal about the heart of a teacher who celebrates assassination?

To me, you go back to Scripture. Whoa unto them that call good evil -- evil good and good evil.

A society that will shrug on speech like this, say society that has lost its moral compass.

And I believe we still have a moral compass.

Now, our free speech law doesn't protect both. Absolutely. Under law. Absolutely.

Neither one of them should go to jail.

Neither should be silenced by the state.

But does trust survive both?

Can a parent trust their child to a teacher who is celebrating death?

I think no. I don't think a teacher can be trusted if they think that the children that it's right for children to see strippers in first grade!

I'm sorry. It's beyond reason. You should not be around my children!

But you shouldn't go to jail for that. Don't we, as a society have a right to demand virtue, in positions of authority?

Yes.

But the political class and honestly, the educational class, does everything they can to say, that doesn't matter.

But it does. And we're seeing it now. The line between cancel and culture, the -- the cancellation of people, and the accountability of people in our culture, it's not easy.

Except here. I think it is easy.

Cancel culture is about challenging the orthodoxy. Opinions about faith, morality, biology.
Accountability comes when speech reveals somebody's heart.

Accountability comes when you're like, you are a monster! You are celebrating violence. You're mocking life itself. One is an argument. The other is an abandonment of humanity. The Constitution, so you understand, protects both.

But we as a culture can decide, what kind of voices would shape our children? Heal our sick. Lead our communities?

I'm sorry, if you're in a position of trust, I think it's absolutely right for the culture to say, no!

No. You should not -- because this is not policy debate. This is celebrating death.

You know, our Founders gave us liberty.

And, you know, the big thing was, can you keep it?

Well, how do you keep it? Virtue. Virtue.

Liberty without virtue is suicide!

So if anybody is making this case to you, that this is cancel culture. I just want you to ask them this question.

Which do you want to defend?

Cancel culture that silences debate. Or a culture that still knows the difference between debating ideas and celebrating death.

Which one?

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