Three Things You Need to Know - October 20, 2017

You need to listen to all of George Bush's speech.

"George W. Bush, in a stunning attack, Bush accuses Trump of promoting falsehoods and prejudice." That's the headline. Headline from the LA Times yesterday about President Bush's speech at the George Bush Institute in New York. Headline is what we might classify as, I don't know, spin.

George Bush never flat-out accused Trump of anything in his speech. But he did call for the awareness of a disturbing trend of nationalism, that has become popular with Trump and the right.

"We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought into America. We see a fading competence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability, and poverty that follow in the wake of protectionism.

We've seen the return of isolationist sentiments, forgetting that American security is directly threatened, by the chaos and despair of distant places, where threats such as terrorism, infectious disease, criminal gangs, and drug trafficking tend to emerge."

Okay. Everything that he said was true. I don't think they were directed at Trump. But anyone who participates in the isolationist mindset. Protectionism. Nationalism. They have never ever been a part of American success. Never. We've never needed them to be proud citizens of the home of the free and the brave.

Our pride in America emanates outward, not inward. We want to share everyone. We want to share our values, our principles, and our prosperity. That's what makes us great.

Come over here. Participate. Share in this.

But because they just wanted to kill Trump, his words fell on deaf ears. The left just heard him say, Trump, bad. And now George W. Bush is suddenly a progressive darling, which I can't take anymore. How is George Bush all of a sudden a leftist hero?

I guess it happens when you completely ignore the later comments in the same speech, where he excoriated their side as well.

"There are some signs that the intensity of support for democracy itself has waned, especially among the young, who never experienced a galvanizing moral clarity of the Cold War, or never focused on the ruin of entire nations by socialist central planning.

Some have called this Democratic de-consolidation. Really, it seems to be a combination of weariness, frayed tempers, and forgetfulness."

Look, here's the deal, both the left and the right are facing philosophical and ideological challenges at the moment. Both sides. It took George W. Bush to sit us down and explain why we're both looking at American democracy in the wrong light.

I fear, however, the right and the left will only listen to his words when it suits them. Before you trash or exalt Bush for the edited sound bite that you heard, that might have been promoted in your carefully selected news feed, I implore you, it's 15 minutes long, listen to the entire thing.

Is nothing sacred in this country anymore?

Is nothing truly sacred in this country anymore? Representative Frederica Wilson’s politicizing of a phone call between President Trump and a Gold Star mom is just disgusting. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly responded yesterday:

"And I thought at least that was sacred. You know, as a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred. Looked upon with great honor. That's obviously not the case anymore, as we've seen from recent cases. Life. The dignity of life is sacred. That's gone. Religion, that seems to be gone as well. Gold star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer."

"I just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die on the battlefield, I just thought that that might be sacred."

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kelly this emotional and genuine. If anyone has something to say of substance here, it’s Kelly. He’s lived this nightmare when his son was killed. Every American should listen to Kelly’s recount of what happens when one of our soldiers falls in combat. It was heartbreaking.

What made it even more devastating was knowing that, as he was describing in detail how a slain soldier is packed in ice and laid in his coffin, he was probably visualizing his own memories and pain. He told the President that, because of the pain involved, there’s really no good way to talk to the family of a fallen soldier. But to Trump’s credit, he tried anyway. What does it say for the state of our country that someone was waiting to turn this into a political advantage? What is happening to us?

Shame on Wilson and anyone else that is trying to score a win from this. To prompt a man that has lost a son in combat to explain how this works is a tragedy. And all this was because of politics. One side may not have started it, but BOTH sides need to drop this immediately. Kelly deserves better than this. Gold Star families deserve better than this. The entire country deserves better than this.

Truly, nothing is sacred in this country anymore.

Real men want more than plastic.

A woman waits in her car outside a dingy street in Dortmund, Germany.

Annoyed, she checks her watch for what seems like the thousandth time. She’s been waiting over an hour for her husband.

He, on the other hand, is having a great time inside the first ever sex doll brothel. The aptly named “Bordoll” is the first of its kind. Paying customers can have their way with one of the eleven dolls that are on rotation.

Since opening, Evelyn Schwartz, the 29 year old owner, says the dolls are booked up to 12 times a day. And she is proud to report that customer satisfaction is high, with 70% of men returning for a second visit.

Her business is booming thanks to her clients and their tolerant wives. And she’s only had to replace one doll so far after a customer broke it. Some, like Evelyn Schwartz, claim that using sex dolls is not harmful, but beneficial to one’s health. A UK report recently found that a significantly high number of Brits say that sex with a robot or doll would not be cheating. It’s not like it’s another human! Some people truly feel that way.

But let’s look at the consequences of this behavior.

It reduces the very act that creates life into a simple reaction. It degrades the relationship between a man and a woman. And it will become more dangerous than the porn industry. Why would a man have any incentive to pursue a real woman when there is no effort involved in getting a “dream woman” to sleep with him? But I have hope for our inevitable slide into Westworld.

I hope real men will still put in the effort. The men who value true companionship, love, and respect for woman will always want something more than plastic.

MORE 3 THINGS

POLL: What DARK government secrets will Trump uncover?

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Will the dark secrets of the Deep State finally see the light of day? Or will they slip back into darkness, as they have many times before?

The Trump administration is gearing up to fulfill one of Trump's most anticipated campaign promises: to make the contents of the JFK files, along with other Deep State secrets, available to the public. Kash Patel, who has promised to publicize the highly anticipated files, is expected to be confirmed next week as Trump's director of the FBI. Moreover, the House Oversight Committee created a new task force headed by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna called "Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets," which is tasked with investigating and declassifying information on the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations, UFOs, the Epstein list, COVID's origins, and 9/11. This all comes after the FBI found 2,400 "new" records relating to the assassination of President Kennedy following Trump's executive order to release the files.

Glenn discussed this topic with the cast of the Patrick Bet David podcast. Glenn expressed his confidence in Trump's radical transparency—on the condition that Kash Patel is confirmed. The cast was not as optimistic, expressing some doubt about whether Trump will actually unveil all that he has promised. But what do you think? What files are likely to see the light of day? And what files will continue to linger in the dark? Let us know in the poll below

Do you think the JFK, RFK, and MLK files will be unveiled?

Do you think the 9/11 files will be unveiled?

Do you think the COVID files will be unveiled?

Do you think the UFO files will be unveiled?

Do you think the Epstein list will be unveiled?

Transgender opera in Colombia? 10 SHOCKING ways USAID spent your tax dollars.

MANDEL NGAN / Contributor | Getty Images

The government has been doing what with our tax money!?

Under the determined eye of Elon Musk, DOGE has rooted out the corruption that permeates USAID, and it turns out that it's worse than we thought. Glenn recently read a list of atrocious causes that were funded by USAID, and the list was as long as it was shocking.

Since the January consumer index report was published today, one thing is clear: eggs are bearing the brunt of inflation. That's why we illustrated the extent of USAID's wasteful spending of YOUR taxpayer dollars by comparing it to the price of eggs. How many eggs could the American people have bought with their tax dollars that were given to a "transgender opera" in Colombia or indoctrinating Sri Lankans with woke gender ideology? The truth will shock you:

1. A “transgender opera” in Colombia

USAID spent $47,000 on a transgender opera in Colombia. That's over 135,000 eggs.

2. Sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala

$2 million was spent funding sex changes along with whatever "LGBT activism" means. That equates to over 5.7 million eggs!

3. Teaching Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid binary-gendered language

USAID forked over $7.9 million to combat the "gender binary" in Sri Lankan journalism. That could have bought nearly 23 million eggs.

4. Tourism in Egypt

$6 million (or just over 17 million eggs) was spent to fund tourism in Egypt. If only someone had thought to build some impressive landmarks...

5. A new "Sesame Street" show in Iraq

USAID spent $20 million to create a new Sesame Street show in Iraq. That's just short of 58 million eggs...

6. Helping the BBC value the diversity of Libyan society

$2.1 million was sent to the BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation) to help them value the diversity of Libyan society (whatever that means). That could have bought over 6 million eggs.

7. Meals for a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda

$10 million worth of USAID-funded meals went to an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group. That comes up to be just shy of 29 million eggs.

8. Promoting inclusion in Vietnam 

A combined $19.3 million was sent to two separate inclusion groups in Vietnam inclusion groups in Vietnam (why where they separated? Not very inclusive of them). That's over 55 million eggs.

9. Promoting DEI in Serbia's workplaces

USAID sent $1.5 million (4.3 million eggs) to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

10. Funding EcoHealth Alliance, tied to the Wuhan Institute of Virology's "bat research"

EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs that funded the Wuhan lab's bat virus research, received $5 million from USAID, which is equivalent to 14.5 million eggs.

The bottom line...

So, how much damage was done?

In total, approximately $73.8 million was wasted on the items on this list. That comes out to be 213 million eggs. Keep in mind that these are just the items on this list, there are many, many more that DOGE has uncovered and will uncover in the coming days. Case in point: that's a lot of eggs.

POLL: Should Trump stop producing pennies?

SAUL LOEB / Contributor, Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

On Sunday, February 9th, President Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to halt the production of pennies. It costs the mint three cents to produce every penny, which Trump deemed wasteful. However, critics argue that axing the pennies will be compensated by ramping up nickel production, which costs 13 cents per coin.

In other news, President Trump promised on Truth Social that he would be reversing a Biden-era policy that mandated the use of paper straws throughout the federal government. From potentially slashing entire agencies to saying farewell to pennies and paper straws, Trump is hounding after wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

But what do you think? Was Trump right to put an end to pennies? And should plastic straws make a comeback? Let us know in the poll below:

Should Trump stop the production of pennies? 

Do you agree with Trump's reversal of the plastic straw ban?

Was this the most PATRIOTIC Super Bowl yet?

CHANDAN KHANNA / Contributor | Getty Images

The 2025 Super Bowl demonstrated Trump’s vision of a new America.

On Sunday, February 9th, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the biggest sporting event of the year. But this wasn't just a victory for Eagles fans. For those watching, it became apparent that American culture has changed, the zeitgeist has shifted, and America has become cool again. While remnants of woke culture lingered, they felt out of step next to the parade of American Flags and patriotic messaging that dominated the national event. The message was clear: America is back.

Everybody knows that the commercials are the best part of any Super Bowl, and last night's game was no exception. As Glenn has pointed out, while some of the ads still carried woke messages (like Nike's), many more captured the newly kindled patriotism felt nationwide. Here are four of the best commercials from last Sunday that make this the most patriotic Super Bowl yet:

1. Rocket: "Own the Dream"

This touching commercial by the financial services company, Rocket, states "Everyone deserves a shot at the American dream," while showing images of people returning home and building families. The ad included a cover of John Denver's iconic song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and featured an in-stadium sing-along, live from the Super Bowl.

2. Secret Service: "A History of Protection"

Donald Trump made history by being the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, which required the efforts of hundreds of Secret Service agents to ensure his safety. The Secret Service boasted of this feat during their minute-long commercial, which lauded American values and achievements and featured iconic American imagery.

3. Brad Pitt: "Huddle Up"

The Super Bowl introduction celebrated snapshots of American achievement accompanied with a powerful commentary about unity narrated by Brad Pitt. The message is clear: Americans can achieve great things when we work together. The ad conjures up American ideals such as hard work, ingenuity, self-sacrifice, and teamwork.

4. Jeep: "Big Game"

Movie star Harrison Ford appeared in Jeep's Super Bowl commercial to promote freedom and to remind us that "freedom isn't free." Ford treks through the mountains while ruminating on what freedom means in America and the opportunities and responsibilities that come with it.