RADIOJune 04, 2025

WAKE UP! 8,000 Al Qaeda and ISIS members LURKING in America!

Former CIA intelligence analyst and targeter, Sarah Adams, joins Glenn Beck to warn that the US has “dropped the ball” in recent years when it comes to protecting America from enemies like Al Qaeda and ISIS. In fact, she predicts that at least 8,000 Al Qaeda and ISIS members have already come across our borders and are waiting to team up for the next 9/11.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Welcome to the program. I want to introduce you to Sarah Adams. She's the author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy. She's also a former CIA intelligence analyst and targeter, which I think, Sarah, means if you watch the old show 24, you were Chloe, right?

SARAH: Oh, totally.

GLENN: Totally. Sarah, welcome to the program. I'm glad you're here.

I read a response from you yesterday. Eye tweet that was talking about both the assassinations in Washington, DC. And the firebombing in Colorado. And you said, quote, it's going to get a lot worse.

Coming from you, that carries a little more weight, than it would coming from me.

What does it mean? Why do you believe the attacks are about to escalate?

SARAH: Well, there's two pieces to it. One is just the fact that we've allowed kind of the radicalization around this pro-Hamas movement. As you know, if you don't nip that in the bud, it becomes militant at some point. Right? That's how the movements work. But the other thing is because of how we left Afghanistan, with this large terrorist infrastructure, bin Laden's sons are after 9/11 living on US soil. So if we don't get ahead of that, we have something much bigger. We found those two places, which were still ripe for that.

GLENN: So do you believe that people are already here? I mean, we've left our -- left our borders open. How many terrorists do you think have come in the last four years? Are there already here?

SARAH: Yeah. So I think the majority of them are already here. Obviously, every group has different numbers. If you point to al-Qaeda, they sent a thousand people here, to participate in that one event. According to ISIS, they have 2500 terrorists in the United States, who are not here on a legal status. So that doesn't mean they count any ISIS members who are US citizen. Green hold members.

Or US visa holders. And according to the former head of Afghan intelligence services, a thousand here, who are linked to terrorist organizations. So when you start putting these numbers together -- a lot of the Pakistani characters have come in. You know, the numbers probably allowed for easily over 8,000 terrorists have come in.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

SARAH: Yeah. It's insane.

GLENN: What kind of damage could 8,000 people do? Are they coordinated at all? Any parts of these groups coordinated, do you think?

SARAH: Some things are coordinated. There are some like joint agreements between ISIS and al-Qaeda. Like ISIS is supposed to do the attacks in the United States, kind of in big cities, while al-Qaeda's goal is going to be Washington, DC, aviation.

So they did divvy up some types of different attacks they would do. As you know, there's just a lot of people that are bad actors.

You could trigger them at any time. They just don't like we live. The way women have run. All these types of things of how society has worked here.

GLENN: I did a show back in the old days, when I was on CNN, around the turn of the century.

And it was about Beslan.

And that has been the thing that has really terrified me. The idea that actors could be here, and then go after our small cities and schools, and just cause terror in several small cities, unlike America has ever seen before.

Like Beslan.

SARAH: Yeah. No, that's a really great example. And obviously, terrorists in some schools. You know, we haven't talked to a lot of administrators at schools.

But we have had a lot of discussions over the last six to eight months of the different church surveillance incidents. And in some cases, they do have schools attached to that, and there are people there asking questions about the schools. They're trying to ask about the schools, who don't have children. Right?

It makes no sense. Why would you want to know anything about how a school operates, if you don't even have children put into the school? So that's very concerning.

GLENN: So what are we doing about it?

SARAH: Well, I'm worried we dropped the ball a little on terrorism.

Especially on al-Qaeda, right?

There really is no government collection or understanding of what al-Qaeda's leadership is doing. They don't even collect on them anymore. We have no collection. We're focused on the Bin Ladens at all.

So they live -- they're limited. And then, as you know, when you divert all your focus to one thing, then obviously you lose the path to other areas.

And the way we left Afghanistan, you know, the -- the commander of CENTCOM said this, we lost 98 percent of our humans. So we don't have the information to even get ahead of this, unfortunately.

GLENN: The -- the group that is most active in targeting us.

I saw something from who was it?

They were very concerned. Was it Saudi Arabia?

One of the countries overseas, said yesterday, they blamed this attempt on the Muslim Brotherhood.

SARAH: Well, I -- so the individual showed, you know, support for the Muslim Brotherhood. The thing with the Muslim Brotherhood, it's almost like a fabric of like a terrorist movement. Right?

So almost all of them support the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is almost like the PR firm of terrorists, right?

They're the ones who go into countries. They care for politicians. They create organizations to deport clubs, the NGOs. And they bring that influence into these countries, and they have a lot of effect in Spain, in France, to where the governments now actually can't pass all of the Muslim Brotherhood influence.

So it's kind of like two sides of the same coin, if that makes sense. The problem in the United States, is we've never banned the Muslim Brotherhood. So nobody is doing anything effective against them.

GLENN: What happens if we're -- how do you see this unfolding?

First of all, you know, I've got a story next hour about what is it?

Holland, I think. That is just on the verge of collapse.

And they have just -- they just will not, you know, do the right thing. And it's happening all over in Europe. I'm very concerned that Europe is just a ticking time bomb.

That something begins to falter there. And, you know, the -- the Muslim Brotherhood. Or whomever.

Gives word, go, go, go.

And it will just become a bloodbath over there.

Which is first?

Are they first? Or are we first?

Or does it matter?

SARAH: Well, there's multiple things going on, right?

So I do think there's probably some near-term ISIS-related attacks, in Europe before a huge attack in the United States. You know, especially in Germany. But there is very large spots in the United States. And there in Sweden, France, United Kingdom, and Norway.

So they do -- are targeting certain countries. And they are targeting the countries, as you can imagine. Where they have the most supporters.

They're able to bring in the most terrorists.

Law enforcement is very weak, right?

Like, they'll say nothing about Scott (inaudible) for five years.

Just like, about ten days ago, Germany picked up a terrorist. He actually is slotted to be one of the US Homeland commanders. The crazy part, they pick him up, and then they publicly say, oh, yeah. We detained a Syrian from ISIS. He's a Libyan from al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.

So they don't even know the people they're arresting, which is really scary.

This is all across Europe. Especially Sweden is a nightmare. This happens every day in Sweden.

GLENN: You know, I was over in Sweden, gosh, it's funny.

Because I left Iraq. And was going to do a I show you in Sweden. This was probably ten years ago. Because I thought, Sweden is a canary in the coal mine. They are so open.

They are so friendly. They take everybody in.

And my crew was accosted on the streets. It happened later to 60 minutes. And everybody talked about that one.

But the exact same. Yeah. The exact same thing happened to us, in the same place.

A year before. And it was out of -- it was out of control then.

I -- I think this thing, if it happens, it will just happen so rapidly, it will be hard for the West to watch its breath.

SARAH: And that's the way you need to do it.

Obviously, the fall of Afghanistan happened rapidly. The fall of Syria happened rapidly.

They're trying to make the fall of Leticia happen rapidly. Terrorists are starting to realize, these types of events are the better way to do some of these operations. So they're planning a lot more aggressively. I still think we're stuck in a 2001 terrorist mindset.

That he move slow. They're methodical.

And I think it's become a lot more aggressive.

And I think our assessments have evolved with the terrorist mindset.

GLENN: You know, I really wonder.

Because you see what Ukraine did in Russia over the weekend. I mean, they took out the estimates. Or they took out a third of the strategic air command of Russia.

That's something we would have loved to have been able to do years ago.

We -- you know, we don't think that way. And here's this almost now, third world country.

With no Army to speak of, doing that kind of damage. Miles. Thousands of miles inside of the borders.

My gosh. What could they do here?

SARAH: Yeah. They took out 7 billion equipment, just using drones. So low cost. And low cost is obviously a great alternative to terrorists. So, yeah. That's a very scary thing.

And it's no secret terrorists have used drones. Right?

Obviously, they recorded themselves. In Syria, they had drones camps.

In al-Qaeda, they have a camp solely for drones. Drones using them to deliver bombs and other types of things.

So, yeah. That's going to be the future, unfortunately. It doesn't just have to be nation states, right?

GLENN: If you were in charge today, what would you be -- what advice would you be giving the American people? What should we be hardening, doing, and looking for?

SARAH: Well, the way I look at it is, obviously, we don't exactly know when these attacks are going to happen. But we know what -- what different things the terrorists trained on. But that's -- so they train on attacking hospitals. They train on attacking like shopping centers. They train on schools. They trained on nightclubs, right?

So think about it. If you harden those types of locations, then if the terrorist was going to hit you, now they have to -- now they have to make a decision. Now you pushed off your time line. Right?

You made it harder for them. Hopefully, easier for law enforcement. To pick up something in the casing. Or something in the man.

So that's a lot that I like to focus on. And the other thing, really just be a force multiplier. Be someone who can help, right? Being able to help someone in an emergency. Because this is going to take time for first responders to arrive, like in Israel, you have to keep that in mind.

GLENN: You -- you just recently tweeted, there have been multiple incidents of suspected terrorists casing churches across the US. If this happens in your parish, don't brush it off. Report it. How do you harden your church?

SARAH: Well, a lot of churches have started making security and safety teams. That's a really good start. The best part is, if you have any sort of visitor, they have people that are registering outside the parish right?

So you know who is in the building. Anything you can do external is the best way to do it.

But it's also just common sense. Right?

If people show up with weird questions.

And I will just tell you, there are some similar situations. A lot of situations, two to four-men teams that come in.

They are not Christian, and they have from the cover story. They're like, oh, my religious elder told me I need to go explore the religion, and then they say, they're Muslim. Or they say they're Hindu. And then they start asking questions about the security team, which would be very strange about joining a church.

And then the main question that is the most concerning that we've seen in a lot of different locations is, do you live stream your service?

So we do think that some of those items, if they're talking about those. Get your photos. Take your driver's license. Right? Then report it to law enforcement. And the more people who can do pieces of this, so law enforcement can put it all together. Right? And see where things are connecting. Getting ahead of it.

None of this is terrorism. Remember, there's crime in part of these churches, in multiple ways.

GLENN: So you're thinking that the live streaming is a problem, because they want it to be viewed and reported?

SARAH: That's our assessment. It's a very strange question to imagine. If they're not intending to join and become a member of the church.

GLENN: Okay. Thank you so much for everything that you're doing, Sarah, and have done in the past. Really appreciate it. And please, if you see anything, let us know. We would love to get any warnings that we can help people prepare for. So thank you. Appreciate it.

SARAH: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

GLENN: You bet. You bet. Sarah Adams

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

INSIDE Trump’s soul: How a bullet changed his heart forever

“I have a new purpose,” then-candidate Donald Trump told reporter Salena Zito after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Salena joins Glenn Beck to reveal what Trump told her about God, his purpose in life, and why he really said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, as she details in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland”.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Salena, congratulations on your book. It is so good.

Just started reading it. Or listening to it, last night.

And I wish you would have -- I wish you would have read it. But, you know, the lady you have reading it is really good.

I just enjoy the way you tell stories.

The writing of this is the best explanation on who Trump supporters are. That I think I've ever read, from anybody.

It's really good.

And the description of your experience there at the edge of the stage with Donald Trump is pretty remarkable as well. Welcome to the program.

SALENA: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me.

You know, I was thinking about this, as I was ready to come on. You and I have been along for this ride forever. For what?

Since 2006? 2005?

Like 20 years, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

SALENA: And I've been chronicling the American people for probably ten more years, before that. And it's really remarkable to me, as watching how this coalition has grown. Right?

And watching how people have the -- have become more aspirational.

And that's -- and that is what the conservative populist coalition is, right?

It is the aspirations of many, but the celebration of the individual.

And chronicling them, yeah. Has been -- has been, a great honor.

GLENN: You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, when -- when Elon Musk said he was starting another party.

And somebody asked me, well, isn't he doing what the Tea Party tried to do?

No. The Tea Party was not going to start a new party.

It was to -- you know, it was to coerce and convince the Republican Party to do the right thing. And it worked in many ways. It didn't accomplish what we hoped.

But it did accomplish a lot of things.

Donald Trump is a result of the Tea Party.

I truly believe that. And a lot of the people that were -- right?

Were with Donald Trump, are the people that were with the Tea Party.

SALENA: That's absolutely right.

So that was the inception.

So American politics has always had movements, that have been just outside of a party. Or within a party.

That galvanize and broaden the coalition. Right? They don't take away. Or walk away, and become another party.

If anything, if there is a third party out there, it's almost a Republican Party.

Because it has changed in so many viable and meaningful ways. And the Tea Party didn't go away. It strengthened and broadened the Republican Party. Because these weren't just Republicans that became part of this party.

It was independents. It was Democrats.

And just unhappy with the establishment Republicans. And unhappy with Democrats.

And that -- that movement is what we -- what I see today.

What I see every day. What I saw that day, in butler, when I showed I happen at that rally.

As I do, so many rallies, you know, throughout my career. And that one was riveting and changed everything.

GLENN: You made a great case in the opening chapter. You talk about how things were going for Donald Trump.

And how this moment really did change everything for Donald Trump.

Changed the trajectory, changed the mood.

I mean, Elon Musk was not on the Trump train, until this.

SALENA: Yeah.

GLENN: Moment. What do I -- what changed? How -- how did that work?

And -- and I contend, that we would have much more profound change, had the media actually done their job and reported this the way it really was. Pragmatism

SALENA: You know, and people will find this in the book. I'm laying on the ground with an agent on top of me.

I'm 4 feet away from the president.

And there's -- there's notices coming up on my phone. Saying, he was hit by broken glass.

And to this take, that remains part of this sibling culture, in American politics.

Because reporters were -- were so anxious to -- to right what they believed happened.

As opposed to what happened.

And it's been a continual frustration of mine, as a reporter, who is on the ground, all the time.

And I'll tell you, what changed in that moment.

And I say a nuance, and I believe nuance is dead in American journalism.

But it was a nuance and it was a powerful conversation, that I had with President Trump, the next day. He called me the next morning.

But it's a powerful conversation I had with him, just two weeks ago.

When he made this decision to say, fight, fight, fight.

People have put in their heads, why they think he said it. But he told me why he said that. And he said, Salena, in that moment, I was not Donald Trump the man. I was a former president. I was quite possibly going to be president again.

And I had an obligation to the country, and to the office that I have served in, to project strength. To project resolve.

To project that we will not be defeated.

And it's sort of like a symbolic eagle, that is always -- you know, that symbol that we look at, when we think about our country.

He said, that's why I said that. I didn't want the people behind me panicking. I didn't want the people watching, panicking.

I had to show strength. And it's that nuance -- that I think people really picked up on.

And galvanized people.

GLENN: So he told me, when he was laying down on the stage.

And you can hear him. Let me get up. Let me get up.

I've got to get up.

He told me, as I was laying on the stage. I asked him, what were you thinking? What was going through your head? Now, Salena, I don't know about you.

But with me. It would be like, how do I get off the stage? My first was survival.

He said, what was going on through his mind was, you're not pathetic. This is pathetic.

You're not afraid. Get up.

Get up.

And so is that what informed his fight, fight, fight, of that by the time that he's standing up, he's thinking, I'm a symbol? Or do you think he was thinking, I'm a symbol, this looks pathetic. It makes you look weak.

Stand up. How do you think that actually happened?

SALENA: He thinks, and we just talked about this weeks ago. He -- you know, and this is something that he's really thought about.

Right? You know, he's gone over and over and over. And also, purpose and God. Right? These are things that have lingered with him.

You know, he -- he thought, yes.

He did think, it was pathetic that he was on the ground. But he wasn't thinking about, I'm Donald Trump. It's pathetic.

He's thinking, my country is symbolically on the ground. I need to get up, and I need to show that my country is strong.

That our country is resolute.

And I need people to see that.

We can't go on looking like pathetic.

Right?

And I think that then goes to that image of Biden.

GLENN: You have been with so many presidents.

How many presidents do you think that you've personally been with, would have thought that and reacted that way?

SALENA: Probably only Reagan. Reagan would have. Reagan probably would have thought that.

And if you remember how he was out like standing outside.

You know, waving out the window. Right?

After he was shot.

GLENN: At the hospital, right.

SALENA: Had he not been knocked out, unconscious, you know, he probably would have done the same thing.

Because he was someone who deeply believed in American exceptionalism.

And American exceptionalism does not go lay on the ground.

GLENN: And the symbol.

Right. The symbol of the presidency.

SALENA: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think that affects him today.

GLENN: So let me go back to God.

Because you talked to him the next day. And your book Butler.

He calls you up.

I love the fact that your parents would be ashamed of you. On what you said to him.

The language you used. That you just have to read the book.

It's just a great part.

But he calls you the next morning. And wants to know if you're okay.

And you -- you then start talking to him, about God.

And I was -- I was thinking about this, as I was listening to it. You know, Lincoln said, I wasn't -- I wasn't a Christian.

Even though, he was.

I wasn't a Christian, when I was elected. I wasn't a Christian when my son died.

I became a Christian at Gettysburg.

Is -- is -- I mean, I believe Donald Trump always believes in God, et cetera, et cetera.

Do you think there was a real profound change at Butler with him?

SALENA: Absolutely. You know, he called me seven times that day. Seven times, the take after seven.

GLENN: Crazy.

SALENA: Talked about. And I think he was looking for someone that he knew, that was there. And to try to sort it out.

Right? And I let him do most of the talking. I didn't pressure him.

At all. I believed that he was having -- you know, he was struggling. And he needed to just talk. And I believed my purpose was to listen.

Right? I know other reporters would have handled it differently. And that's okay. That's not the kind of reporter that I am.

And I myself was having my own like, why didn't I die?

Right?

Because it went right over my head.

And -- and so I -- he had the conversation about God.

He's funny. I thought it was the biggest mosquito in the world that hit me.

But he had talked profoundly about purpose. You know, and God.

And how God was in that moment.

It --

GLENN: I love the way you -- in the book, I love the way you said that as he's kind of working it out in his own he head.

He was like, you know, I -- I -- I always knew that there was some sort of, you know -- that God was present.

He said, but now that this has happened.

I look back at all of the trials.

All of the tribulations. Literally, the trials.

All of the things that have happened. And he's like, I realized God was there the whole time.

SALENA: Yes. He does. And it's fascinating to have been that witness to history, to have those conversations with him. Because I'm telling you. And y'all know, I can talk. I didn't say much of anything.

I just -- I just listened. I felt that was my purpose, in that moment.

To give him that space, to work it out.

I'm someone that is, you know, believes in God.

I'm Catholic. I followed my faith.

And -- and so, I thought, well, this is why God put me here. Right?

And to -- to have that -- to hear him talk about purpose, to hear him say, Salena. Why did I put a chart down?

I'm like, sir. I don't know. I thought you were Ross Perot for a second.

He never has a chart. And he laughed. And then he said, why did I put that chart down?

By that term, I never turned my head away from people at the rally. That's true.

That relationship is very transactional. It's very -- they feed off of each other.

It's a very emotive moment when you attend a rally. Because he has a way of talking at a rally. That you believe that you are seeing.

And he said, and I never turn my head away.

I never turn my head away.

Why did I turn my head away?

I don't remember consciously thinking about turning my head away. And then he says to me, that was God, wasn't it?

Yes, sir. It was. It was God.

And he said, that's -- that's why I have a new purpose.

And so, Glenn. I think it's important, when you look at the breadth of what has happened, since he was sworn in.

You see that purpose, every day.

He doesn't let up.

He continues going.

And it brings back to the beginning of the book.

Where you find out, that there was another president that was shot at in Butler.

And that was George Washington. And how different the country would have been, had he died in that moment.

And now think about how different the country would be, had President Trump died in that moment. There would be --

GLENN: We're talking to -- we're talking to Salena Zito. About her new book called Butler. The assassination attempt on President Trump. And it is riveting.

And, you know, it is so good. I wish the press would read it. Because it really explains who we are, who Trump supporters are. Who are, you know, red staters. It is so good at that. She's the best at that.