Three Things You Need to Know - October 17, 2017

October 17, 2017

WRITER

Bowe Bergdahl has owned up.

Bowe Bergdahl’s fate is now in the hands of a judge. He’s awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to charges of endangering his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. There was no back and forth between lawyers, no “you can’t handle the truth” type of courtroom drama, just a traitor facing the music.

“I left my fellow platoon mates,” he told the judge. “That’s very inexcusable.”

It’s harsh, but there’s no sugar coating what Bowe Bergdahl did. He didn’t serve “with honor and distinction” as Susan Rice said. He betrayed the trust of his brothers in arms, and they died because of it.

If I can give him credit for anything, it’s that he’s owning his actions and accepting guilt. This is a tragedy on so many levels, but the focus today shouldn’t be on a disgraced soldier or the political maneuvering of a past administration. They say the greatest expression of love is to lay down one’s life for another. Six soldiers did just that, trying to bring back their lost comrade.

Staff Sergeant Clayton Bowen and Private 1st Class Morris Walker died from a roadside bomb while searching for Bowe Bergdahl.

Staff Sergeant Kurt Curtiss of Murray, Utah died from multiple gunshot wounds. 2nd Lt Darryn Andrews of Dallas, Texas was killed when an IED and RPG exploded nearby.

Staff Sergeant Michael Murphrey of Snyder, Texas told his family, after being taken skydiving on his 17th birthday, that he had found his calling. He wanted to be an Army paratrooper. He died from an IED.

Private 1st Class Matthew Martinek was in a vehicle searching for Bowe Bergdahl when his patrol came under fire. After initially surviving an IED, RPG and multiple gunshot wounds, he eventually succumbed one week later.

After eight years, Bowe Bergdahl is finally receiving his punishment, but today, say a prayer for those that died trying to bring him home. Say a prayer for the families of these brave men who are trying to move on. Today we honor the fallen.

Baptizing Eagles.

I could talk about the latest with Colin Kaepernick and his lawsuit against the NFL, but there’s a different NFL story I want to talk about that is much more important.

While the national anthem protests continue to dominate headlines and create division, one NFL team has been quietly taking a different path.

The night before the Philadelphia Eagles game in Charlotte, several players gathered at the hotel’s indoor swimming pool, holding hands and praying while one of their teammates, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, was baptized by a fellow player in the pool.

Apparently, this is kind of normal for the Eagles. A year ago, five other Eagles players were baptized in the recovery pool at the team’s practice facility.

Several players on the team are outspoken about their Christian faith. They’ve found strength and encouragement from fellow believers on the team. More and more teammates attend weekly Bible studies at players’ homes and prayer sessions the night before games.

While many of the players, like quarterback Carson Wentz, openly discuss their faith, some players have said they’re not interested. Yet no one on the team is excluded or pressured.

Colin Kaepernick seems to be allowing anthem protests to define the narrative of his life. The anger he felt about racial injustice that fueled his protest to begin with, is now boiling over into more anger and blame.

Several Philadelphia Eagles players are more interested in the Christian message that you no longer have to let your past, your mistakes, your bitterness, define your narrative.

The Eagles seem to be on to something refreshing during this divisive NFL season. They have a different kind of bond and peace that will serve them well beyond the football field. It’s the bond of faith that teaches radical love and forgiveness --- the only things that can truly reach across the racial and political divide. Protests have their place, but they don’t have the power to heal a nation.

Her concealed carry saved her life.

The woman was driving through a rural area that she was unfamiliar with.

She didn’t know where she was. She had never been to this part of town.

But she was sure of her destination.

Death.

She could feel her kidnapper’s knife dig deeper into her arm as she desperately tried to grip the steering wheel.

He was an unwelcome passenger who forced his way into her car. She could see in his eyes that he was hellbent on causing her pain.

She was terrified, but there was no place she would rather be at this moment than in her own vehicle.

She knew her salvation was hidden under the driver’s seat.

They reached a remote area of the woods and the kidnapper told her to stop the car.

In one fell swoop, the woman turned the ignition off and reached for her gun under the seat.

She thrust the barrel of the gun into his face.

Her attacked suddenly realized that he had brought a knife to a gun fight and fled into the forest.

The woman thanked God for her gun and concealed carry permit before driving herself to the hospital.

61-year-old Floyd R. May was arrested shortly after and charged with aggravated kidnapping and assault.

If this woman didn’t take the time to purchase and understand her firearm, she would likely be dead. But because she took the concealed carry class and was a responsible gun owner, she saved her own life.

This story is why we have the Second Amendment. You have the right to protect yourself. There are bad people out there who will think nothing of taking your life. Everyone deserves the chance to defend themselves.

MORE 3 THINGS

POLL: Are foreign hackers behind 2025 bridge crash?

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A Mexican Navy ship crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge has left the nation stunned, and Glenn is demanding answers.

Are recent devastating ship collisions—first Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, now Brooklyn in 2025—really just accidents, or is something far more sinister at play? Glenn recently warned that these incidents, both involving foreign vessels losing power near critical U.S. infrastructure, could be “shark bumps” by foreign adversaries testing our defenses through cyber sabotage. With the government and media quick to dismiss concerns, Glenn is calling for urgent investigations into possible hacking, independent audits of our ports and bridges, and a serious look at whether our enemies are exploiting vulnerabilities in our digitized systems.

Glenn wants to know what you think: Are these crashes coincidental, or are we under attack? Let us know in the poll below:

Could the recent ship crashes into American bridges be the result of cyber attacks by foreign adversaries?

Should the US government investigate these incidents for possible foreign interference?

Is our critical infrastructure adequately protected from cyber threats?

Are you concerned that foreign adversaries might be targeting US infrastructure through cyber means?

Do you think the media and government are properly addressing the security concerns raised by these incidents?

Glenn: Tapper reveals Dems’ Biden health fraud

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Top Democrats knew Biden’s health was deteriorating but covered it up to keep power. Jake Tapper’s book finally lifts the lid on their deception.

Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book confirms what we suspected all along: Joe Biden’s health was rapidly declining, and the Democratic Party establishment knew it. Rather than be honest with the American people, they chose to cover it up, to prop up Biden just long enough to survive the election cycle. And the media helped them do it.

For years, any mention of Biden’s cognitive decline was framed as a “right-wing smear,” a baseless conspiracy theory. But now, Tapper and Thompson reveal that Biden’s top aides privately discussed the need for a wheelchair after the election — because the man can hardly walk.

We had no functioning president for much of the past administration.

And while Biden’s closest aides were planning that, they and their allies in the press were publicly spinning the fantasy that Joe Biden’s halting gait was due to a heroic foot fracture from a dog-related incident four years ago. They said his frailty was due to his “vigor.” That’s not a joke. That’s a quote.

And while they said this, they were having special shoes made for him with custom-made soles to help him stand. They weren’t planning for a second term. They were planning how to prop him up — literally — just long enough to survive the election. That is a cover-up.

It doesn’t bother me that Biden might need a wheelchair. What bothers me — what should bother every American — is that his aides talked about hiding it until after the election.

Biden wasn’t leading

Needing a wheelchair in your 80s is not a moral failing. It’s human. I own President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wheelchair — it sits in my museum. That chair represents the strength and resilience of a man who, despite paralysis, led this nation through World War II against a dictator who was gassing the disabled and infirm. He hid his disability out of fear the public wouldn’t accept a leader who couldn’t walk. But he led.

Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images

But Joe Biden wasn’t leading. He was a puppet played by faceless swamp creatures whose only concern was maintaining their iron grip on power.

Whatever you think of Tapper, the book reveals the chilling reality that we had no functioning president for much of Biden’s administration. Our commander-in-chief wasn’t just aging — he was declining. And the people around him — government employees, funded by your tax dollars — weren’t honest with you. They lied to you repeatedly and willfully because the truth would have guaranteed a second Trump term. That’s what this was all about.

Who signed the pardons?

Consider the implications of this revelation. We had a president signing documents he didn’t read — or even know about. We had an autopen affixing his name to executive actions. Who operated that autopen? Who decided what got signed or who got pardoned? Who was in charge while the president didn’t even know what he was doing?

Those are not minor questions. That is the stuff of a constitutional crisis.

The problem isn’t Biden’s age. The problem is that the people you elected didn’t run the country. You were governed by unelected aides covering up your elected president’s rapid cognitive decline. You were fed a lie — over and over again. And if anyone tried to blow the whistle, they got buried.

Don’t get distracted by the wheelchair. The chair itself is not the scandal. The scandal is that people inside your government didn’t want you to know about it.

They made a bet: Lie until November, and deal with the fallout later. That is an insult to the American people — and a threat to the republic itself. Because if your government can lie about who’s running the country, what else are they lying about?

We need further investigation and to hold these crooks accountable. If we don’t, it will happen over and over again.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The Woodrow Wilson Mother's Day loophole

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I’ve got a potentially helpful revelation that’s gonna blow the lid off your plans for this Sunday. It’s Mother’s Day.

Yeah, that sacred day where you’re guilt-tripped into buying flowers, braving crowded brunch buffets, and pretending you didn’t forget to mail the card. But what if I told you… you don’t have to do it? That’s right, there’s a loophole, a get-out-of-Mother’s-Day-free card, and it’s stamped with the name of none other than… Woodrow Wilson (I hate that guy).

Back in 1914, ol’ Woody Wilson signed a proclamation that officially made Mother’s Day a national holiday. Second Sunday in May, every year. He said it was a day to “publicly express our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” Sounds sweet, right? Until you peel back the curtain.

See, Wilson wasn’t some sentimental guy sitting around knitting doilies for his mom. No, no, no. This was a calculated move.

The idea for Mother’s Day had been floating around for decades, pushed by influential voices like Julia Ward Howe. By 1911, states were jumping on the bandwagon, but it took Wilson to make it federal. Why? Because he was a master of optics. This guy loved big, symbolic gestures to distract from the real stuff he was up to, like, oh, I don’t know, reshaping the entire federal government!

So here’s the deal: if you’re looking for an excuse to skip Mother’s Day, just lean into this. Say, “Sorry, Mom, I’m not celebrating a holiday cooked up by Woodrow Wilson!” I mean, think about it – this is the guy who gave us the Federal Reserve, the income tax, and don’t even get me started on his assault on basic liberties during World War I. You wanna trust THAT guy with your Sunday plans? I don’t think so! You tell your mom, “Look, I love you, but I’m not observing a Progressive holiday. I’m keeping my brunch money in protest.”

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

“Glenn, my mom’s gonna kill me if I try this.” Fair point. Moms can be scary. But hear me out: you can spin this. Tell her you’re honoring her EVERY DAY instead of some government-mandated holiday. You don’t need Wilson’s permission to love your mom! You can bake her a cake in June, call her in July, or, here’s a wild idea, visit her WITHOUT a Woodrow Wilson federal proclamation guilting you into it.

Shocking Christian massacres unveiled

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Is a Christian Genocide unfolding overseas?

Recent reports suggest an alarming escalation in violence against Christians, raising questions about whether these acts constitute genocide under international law. Recently, Glenn hosted former U.S. Army Special Forces Sniper Tim Kennedy, who discussed a predictive model that forecasts a surge in global Christian persecution for the summer of 2025.

From Africa to Asia and the Middle East, extreme actions—some described as genocidal—have intensified over the past year. Over 380 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution, a number that continues to climb. With rising international concern, the United Nations and human rights groups are urging protective measures by the global community. Is a Christian genocide being waged in the far corners of the globe? Where are they taking place, and what is being done?

India: Hindu Extremist Violence Escalates

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In India, attacks on Christians have surged as Hindu extremist groups gain influence within the country. In February 2025, Hindu nationalist leader Aadesh Soni organized a 50,000-person rally in Chhattisgarh, where he called for the rape and murder of all Christians in nearby villages and demanded the execution of Christian leaders to erase Christianity. Other incidents include forced conversions, such as a June 2024 attack in Chhattisgarh, where a Hindu mob gave Christian families a 10-day ultimatum to convert to Hinduism. In December 2024, a Christian man in Uttar Pradesh was attacked, forcibly converted, and paraded while the mob chanted "Death to Jesus."

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommends designating India a "Country of Particular Concern" and imposing targeted sanctions on those perpetrating these attacks. The international community is increasingly alarmed by the rising tide of religious violence in India.

Syria: Sectarian Violence Post-Regime Change

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Following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria has seen a wave of sectarian violence targeting religious minorities, including Christians, with over 1,000 killed in early 2025. It remains unclear whether Christians are deliberately targeted or caught in broader conflicts, but many fear persecution by the new regime or extremist groups. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a dominant rebel group and known al-Qaeda splinter group now in power, is known for anti-Christian sentiments, heightening fears of increased persecution.

Christians, especially converts from Islam, face severe risks in the unstable post-regime environment. The international community is calling for humanitarian aid and protection for Syria’s vulnerable minority communities.

Democratic Republic of Congo: A "Silent Genocide"

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In February 2025, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an ISIS-affiliated group, beheaded 70 Christians—men, women, and children—in a Protestant church in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, after tying their hands. This horrific massacre, described as a "silent genocide" reminiscent of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has shocked the global community.

Since 1996, the ADF and other militias have killed over six million people, with Christians frequently targeted. A Christmas 2024 attack killed 46, further decimating churches in the region. With violence escalating, humanitarian organizations are urging immediate international intervention to address the crisis.

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