RADIOMarch 01, 2022

Reporter details ‘TRAGIC SCENE’ during trek to escape Ukraine

Reporter Manny Marotta flew from Pittsburgh to Ukraine nearly two weeks ago to cover the growing tension between Ukraine and Russia. But he — and millions of Ukrainians — were shocked to wake up to sirens last week, signaling the beginning of Putin’s invasion. Manny walked 43 miles seeking safety in Poland, meeting several Ukrainians along the way. He shares with Glenn those Ukrainians’ stories and experiences — from confused children and weary elderly, to a husband torn away from his wife and a young soldier forced to join the battle. Manny’s reporting paints a picture not only for what Ukrainians are experiencing today, but for the tenacity they have to defend their homeland as well…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: This is the Glenn Beck Program.

We're glad you're here.

Thank you so much for listening.

We have Manny Marotta on. He's going to -- we're having problem with our phone systems. Our software systems have gone down. Putin.

So we're trying to get our phones back online. We'll have him on, as soon as we possibly can.
You know, the one thing I think it is important to think of is that, I think there's a lot of Democrats and leftists. A lot of people that just have Trump derangement syndrome.

That see the Ukrainians as a substitute for them. And Putin is Trump.

So I think they -- they see themselves.

Because how else could you be for the Ukrainian people. And this fight against the power.

Or just across the border.

And yet, you would be for, you know, throwing people in from January 6th, and not have them even see a trial yet.

How is it you're for Justin Trudeau, silencing people?

And saying, in a peaceful protest, how could you be for the protesters in Ukraine.

And it doesn't make sense. Unless you see the Ukrainian people, as yourself.
And you're a Democrat. Or a -- a lefty.

And you see them fighting against their Donald Trump.

STU: I mean, I guess they would argue that they think, their side is just in these matters.

Right?

Their side is right on January 6. Their side is right on Canada. Their side is right on the battle between --

GLENN: Correct. The big bogeyman there is their version of Putin, Donald Trump. I mean, because I'm against Putin.

STU: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: And I'm for the Ukrainian people. And how is it that we're being told that we're somehow or another, for Putin?

We're not. We're clearly not.

STU: No.

GLENN: What's going on?

Let's go to Manny. The phones are working now.

Manny Marotta. He's a freelance journalist. He actually flew from Pittsburgh, to Ukraine to cover the lead-up to the war with Russia.

And he got caught up in it.

He's now in Poland, after a a very long walk.

Hello, Manny. How are you?

MANNY: I'm doing well. Thank you for having me on the show.

GLENN: You bet.

Glad you're out safe. Can you tell us what it was like over there, when the alarms first started going off. And you knew, oh, man. We're in trouble?

MANNY: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, until the invasion, nobody knew that anything was wrong. Then suddenly, on the morning of the invasion, we woke up to the sound of air raid sirens.

And it turned out they can't be cities all over the country, were being bombed, and our city could have been next.

I was in La Vivre (phonetic), which is a Western Ukrainian city. We went outside, and we heard people speaking on loudspeakers. Saying, find shelter. Help the elderly. Stockpile water. It was rather scary. The whole country began at once to panic.

GLENN: And it was literally one day. Nothing is really happening. To, oh, my gosh. Here it is.

MANNY: Oh, yeah. Yeah. For the longest time, the Ukrainians denied anything was happening. Because they wanted to preserve their sovereignty. They wanted to preserve their country.

They said, Putin won't invade. And we all believed it. And we all believed Ukraine.

And it seemed like Putin would not invade. And then they came upon us suddenly. Russian Army was in Ukraine, bombings were happening. And, of course, now thousands of people have died in this war with Ukraine -- war with Russia. It's crazy.

GLENN: So tell us -- I mean, because we're seeing social media. And we're seeing unbelievable heroism, on the part of the Ukrainian people. And the president of Ukraine.

It seems like they're not willing to go anywhere.

Is -- is that the truth of what's happening?

MANNY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

I mean, from what I saw from the Ukrainian people, they will defend their sovereignty to the very end. Ukraine is a relatively newly independent country. 1992. They freed themselves from the Soviet Union.

And now they're trying to defend themselves, in the greatest possible sense.

It's only been 30 years since they've become newly independent. And now Ukraine is trying to establish its own identity in you Europe.

And trying to keep itself free from the reins of Russia, coming back to retake it.

And so the Ukrainian people are going to defend every street, every home, every alley. Every inch of Ukrainian soil they can.

And they are like you've never seen.

GLENN: Because they remember what life is like, under Russia.

I mean, I can't believe that Putin thinks that they would remember things. Like they would forget things like the Holodomor, quickly. You know what I mean?

You tend to have a long memory on stuff like that.

MANNY: Absolutely.

And the Holodomor, is part of the national memory of Ukraine. And they mourn it all the time, in everywhere.

There are monuments to it, in nearly every major city.

And, of course, life under the rest of the Soviet times, was terrible for the average Ukrainian. There were oppressions. You couldn't practice free speech.

You had to stay in line with the party. You couldn't establish the Ukrainian identity. You had to be a part of a Russian identity.

So Ukrainians are worried about that happening again. I spoke to several Ukrainians, who had lived under the Soviet Union. Older Ukrainians.

And they were just terrified. It would be something like that again, that Russia could exert power over Ukraine once again.

GLENN: So when you're walking out. You had about 50 miles, right? That's 70 kilometers?

MANNY: Yeah. Thereabouts. I believe the exact amount was 43 miles, and 74 kilometers was the exact -- was the exact number.

But, yeah. A very long walk. And it wasn't just me. It was thousands of Ukrainians. Oftentimes elderly. Oftentimes children.

And they're the ones that are the true heroes of the story. The -- the vulnerable members of society, were walking out of Ukraine. This huge distance.

GLENN: And what did -- and what did you -- what was your conversation like?

MANNY: My conversation with the Ukrainians?

GLENN: Yeah. On that walk. What did you learn?

MANNY: Yeah. Well, I spoke with a wide variety of Ukrainians. I spoke with children. I spoke with young men. I spoke with old women.

I spoke with a variety of people. And they were all -- first of all, they were all unified by their fear of being taken over by Russia. That's why everyone is walking out.

Everyone, of course, was committed to protecting Ukraine as well.

And their plan to -- to reform on the other side of the border. And to fight for Ukraine eventually.

And so the children, of course, were afraid. The children didn't know why they were leaving. The children didn't know why they were forced out of their beds by this invasion.

Why they had to march out into the cold. Why they had to go without food and water, because these people didn't have food and water for the entire walk.

GLENN: Hmm.

MANNY: And it was just this long and grueling trek. So the elderly people, as I mentioned to you before, they remembered Soviet times. They were mentioning, this could happen again.

That's why they were trying to avoid that.

So they were among, of course, the young men. Who had to fight.

They were conscripted into the army.

And it was -- it was just this wide conglomeration of people. United by a fear and hatred of Russian domination.

GLENN: When you got to -- you're in Poland now, are you not?

I'm in Poland, and speaking to you from Krakow, Poland, right now.

GLENN: Wow.

When you got to Poland, what did that feel like? What did the refugees go through?

MANNY: It was just an incredible sense of liberation among the refugees, to be in a country, that, of course, was not being invaded. But also a country that was still sort of living under the Specter of Russian domination. And now we're in Poland. Which is a free country.

A country that has its own long history of repression by Russia.

And there's a sort of solidarity, between the Pols and the Ukrainians.

And the Pols have been very receptive to the Ukrainian refugees, because of this brotherhood that they have, because of their shared path by Russia.

And so the Pols are taking the Ukrainians in, in private homes, and hotels, in guest houses.

Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. Are staying. And they are welcoming them as well.

And it's this great sense of relief. But the job is not done, until the war is over, of course.

GLENN: Tell me up to two tweets that you made. One you said, we made friends with a 24-year-old named Max, who was pulled out of the caravan, as he talked with us. I had time to get his number before conscription. And he left with a grin of utter disbelief. I'll never forget that face.

And the next one, was a woman screamed for the Army to spare her husband from conscription. A soldier slapped her, and took her husband. Things seemed really desperate.

Tell me about this.

MANNY: Yes. Well, first, I'll tell you about Max. So during the long walk, obviously as I mentioned, I spoke to many Ukrainians, and one of them was this 24-year-old, as you mentioned, 24-year-old named Max. Maxine was his name. And we walked together, for quite a long time.

We learned about each other. He's pretty much my age. So we had to relate to each other, with each other. Even though we grew up on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

So we sort of made friends.

And then towards the end of the walk, in the last ten kilometers. An army -- a Ukrainian Army officer came along, all men aged 18 to 60, step out of this caravan right now. You'll be conscripted to the Army.

And at first, Max, he shouldn't have to go. And then the man yelled at him specifically, and he just looked at me, with this grin, as I mentioned disbelief.

And he stepped out of line, and I didn't see him for the rest of the walk, of course. But, by the way, he did get back in touch with me.

So I've been in contact with him since then. And he's safe. And he's in western Ukraine right now. And he's not currently fighting the Russians.

So I'm glad to hear from him.

GLENN: Hmm.

MANNY: The second story is -- the second story is a lot sadder. As you mentioned, it's this brutal account of a man, being taken away from his wife. What happened in that occasion, as I mentioned to you, Zelinsky ordered that all men 18 to 60 had to be conscripted into the Ukrainian Army.

So this caused a lot of fathers to be taken away from their children. Husbands to be taken away from their wives.

Brothers and sisters. And sons from mothers.

And one of these couples. I won't forget. And it's the one mentioned in the tweet.

The husband and the wife. Began arguing to the soldier. I don't want to go. I can't go. I have to protect my wife. These men were often caregivers to their families. They had to protect their families, as they crossed the border. So this man was just trying to protect his family. And the wife was pleading with the soldier. She was on her knees at one point. She was standing up. She was crying.

And he -- he was a pretty, not empathetic about it. And he hit her.

And it took the husband away. And it was -- it was just this tragic scene. And it was not isolated either.

This happened 100 times, in just the time, that I was there. And I'm sure it's happened, you thousand more times. It's crazy.

GLENN: So is your feeling that most are going, because they want to defend their country?

But there are a few that -- that are like, I have to protect my family.

Or are most of the Ukrainians serving, because they have to?

MANNY: I mean, they're caught between a rock and a hard place here.

They want to protect their families, of course. And their family's safety is their top priority.

But also they love their family deeply, and they want to serve their family well.

So some men have taken the choice, where they prioritized the solidarity of their country, over the sovereignty of their country.

May I say. Over the temporary -- their temporary safety.

Their temporary being alive.

They prioritized the sovereignty of the country. Then there's this other group, who wants to keep the family safe.

And these are two very different groups. And they both have noble intentions. And they're caught in this tragic situation.

GLENN: So, Manny, I have only about 30 seconds for an answer here.

But with what you've seen, I've always believed, if you send in a foreign troop, and you have people that are defending their land. Their family. Their -- their country.

You're -- you're most likely going to lose, unless it's overwhelming force.

With what you've seen. Who are you betting on? The Russians, or the Ukrainians? Manny. You there?

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: We lost him. Putin.

STU: Pretty surprising if he said the Russians though.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: I would be like -- really.

GLENN: Yeah. But to have somebody that was there, and could -- could see it. It would be surprising, to hear that.

But I think you would be able to hear, what was --

STU: The confidence --

GLENN: Yeah. What was emotionally, and what was --

STU: I thought this was a really underplayed, and offensive moment from Joe Biden before this was happening. Remember they kept saying, over and over again. They're coming tomorrow. They're coming tomorrow.

And remember, at one point, he said, look, if the Russians are going to take it. They're going to take it.

And I just remember thinking, yeah, we all know the different sides of the military and the capability. And there's a lot to that. But you can't -- you can't just tell a country, that they're going to lose. They're not going to accept that.

GLENN: Especially the ones who hate the Russians. Have been occupied. And refuse to go back.

All right. Our sponsor this half-hour is Patriot Mobile. The line is in the sand. And it's been for a while. That line is not between Democrat and Republican. Conservative or liberal. It is between Americanism and leftism. Freedom and slavery. Good or evil.

That's it.

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Meet the pro-Intifada candidate NYC Democrats just elected

New York City Democrats just elected 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a "socialist Muslim", as the Party's candidate for mayor. But Glenn Beck argues that his radical beliefs are actually communist and Islamist.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

VOICE: Z10852. Something weird is going on. The World Trade Center is on fire.

VOICE: Seriously the top of the building. We're trying to get information.

VOICE: Top level of one of the --

VOICE: To unfold from New York City.

VOICE: A plane crashed just --

VOICE: My sister is in that believe. I hope she's okay. I have to come to New York.

VOICE: It's pandemonium.

VOICE: It's raining papers.

VOICE: Wait a minute! Stop just a second. Why are we -- why are we -- I've got breaking news. Breaking news, yesterday. New York City just elected as their mayoral candidate for the left. And the Democrats, a -- a Muslim radical, who is also a communist!

So, you know, it only took you 25 years. It only took you 25 years, New York, to go completely insane.

Somebody who is -- well, I mean, if I might quote Michael malice today. I am old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.

But you've got a -- you've got a communist jihadist apologist now.

Who was -- you know, well, CAIR put $100,000 behind his bid for New York City mayor.

So you have somebody who is endorsed by CAIR. That's really good.

He also was somebody who said, you know, he was -- he was for the shooting of the United Health Care CEO.

Said he was looking forward to driving down magnum Joan avenue. I don't know. Sounds like supporting people in the streets. Maybe it's just me.

Then he also said that he was going to globalize the intifada, which I think that's -- maybe -- maybe that's just me.

I mean, what do I know?

Tim Miller who is a podcaster. Asked him a few weeks ago. Asked him about his pro Palestinian slogan. Globalized the intifada. And he said, for me, ultimately, what I hear in so many, is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights, in standing up for Palistinian human rights. Oh, is that what you hear, Mr. CAIR?

Really? Huh, that's interesting.

Right. So globalize the intifada.

I mean, I mean, sure, that's -- I mean well, let me go on.

Because I don't want to take him out of context.

He then delved into the semantics of the intifada, citing the United States Holocaust memorial museum's use of a word for a translation for uprising, in an Arabic version of an article, a museum published about the Warsaw ghetto.

Oh!

So this is just a comparison, about the -- the armed rebellion against the Nazis!

I don't know if that makes me feel better!

I mean, if we're globalizing that.

We're the Nazis in this scenario.

Because I don't think it's the Palestinians.

I certainly don't think it's anybody who is like, hey.

Global jihad. I don't think it's those guys.

Or the Nazis. Who are the Nazis in that?

And it seems, if that's what you mean, then it's not just a harmless kind of slogan about human rights. It is a call for violence on the streets.

Because I don't know if you know, that's what happened when the Jews had their uprising against the Nazis.

I'm just saying!

But, hey, hey, free Palestine.

Oh, that's not what that means, gang. That is not what that means, but don't worry about it. He's just going to be possibly the new mayor.

And that's great. By the way, the Columbia faculty members signed a letter defending Hamas.

They were also among the donors to his mayoral campaign.

So, you know, you don't have anything to worry about.

And his father, who used to work at Columbia. Do you know, Stu?

Is his Dad -- is he still a professor at Columbia University?

He said that -- this violent terror thing of Islam, is not a part of Islam. Now, I've read the Koran, and much of the hadith.

And I'm pretty sure the violence is a part of that. But no.

No. This is something entirely new.

And his father while at Columbia university, wanted everybody to know, that this is actually -- this is something that came out of America!

America is really responsible for this.

And, you know, it really started with the Reagan administration, you know, when he started -- when he started with his very religious terms, to finish the war against the evil empire.

So, you know, that's where -- that's where 9/11 came from.

Is what -- don't worry about it! Don't worry about it!

Because who am I? I'm clearly just -- am I an anti-Semite today, or am I an Islamophobic? I can't remember which one.

Oh, it's probably both. Anyway, Islamophobia. Let me just explain Islamophobia. I haven't even gotten to the Communist part of it. Which is really, really -- New York, you're in one for hell of a ride. Buckle up.

It will be a fun rollercoaster for you. My gosh, I've never been happier that I've been away are if New York.

Anyway, I just want I to know, there is Islam. And then there is Islamists. Now, an Islamist is somebody who really wants Sharia law.

That's political Islam!

That's not a faith. That's political Islam.

Now, let me make really -- something really clear. Criticizing Islamism, is not Islamophobia. Pointing out the dangers of, oh. I don't know.

Political Islam. The ideology that seeks to use the tools of democracy, ultimately to destroy democracy, is not an attack on Muslims.

No. Uh-uh.

You know why?

Because Muslims are often the first people in line.

The first victims of the ideology.

So let's draw a bright, bright line between Islam as a faith, millions of people can practice that faithfully and peacefully.

It's mostly peaceful, okay?

Then there's the Islamism.

Islamism is something entirely -- that's a political project.

A theocratic political -- oh. Left loves theocracies. They love it.

Of course, you never see a problem with it.

See it when an Islamist is touting it. Anyway, it's not about prayer. It's not about fasting. It's not about spiritual life.

It's all about power. It's about merging of mosque and state. It's about implementing Sharia, not as a personal code of conduct. But as a governing legal system.

And it's -- it's supremacy.

Absolutely. Faith.

Religion.

It's -- there's one thing that's supreme.

It's misogynistic.

Deeply intolerant of all kinds of things.

Descent. Secularism. Other faiths. Even competing interpretations from inside the faith itself.

It will behead them too.

So let's -- let's be honest here for a second.

You know, CAIR should be labeled an international terror organization.

In my opinion. In my opinion.

Oh, does that make me -- that makes me an Islamophobe. I'm sure. I'm sure they will start a campaign against me on being an Islamophobe.

Stand in line, guys. You've been doing it since 2001, okay?

I don't really care. And I don't think the American people. I think that record, all the grooves are worn-out on that one, okay?

This is not a religion we're talking about. When we're talking about Sharia law. And we're talking about globalize the intifada. What does that mean, actually, to globalize it?

Does that mean we now want to do what is happening to Israel? All over the world?

Has the Palestinian plight become our plight you now, as Americans?

That there has to be an intifada here!

Because it's the kind of the same. You know. It's kind of the same over, you know, with what the Palestinians are going through.

Well, it's very much like what the Jews went through with the Nazis.

That's a weird one. That one makes my head hurt. It's very much the same as that. And very much the same as the fight against Donald Trump.

Oh, this is going to be fun. It's fun!

Really fun. You know, the irony here is, the ones that will scream Islamophobia the most, are the ones in the progressive left, the champions of feminism, LGBTQ rights. And secularism.

They're going to -- no. You want -- they're going to stand with the people, who want to kill them first.

See, this is how smart they are!

This is why it's going to work out well, in New York City.

Let me just say. If you have an ounce of common sense, you run a business, you have an ounce of wealth. And I don't mean wealth like, you know, hey, Lovey.

Let's get on the boat for a three-hour tour with a suitcase full of cash. I mean you saved anything, anything, get the hell out of New York City.

I mean, this is about survival. This is about free speech. This is about women's rights.
Religious pluralism. Secular legal systems. Liberal democracy.

But it's also about failed principles of Communism. Okay?

First, you have to call out political Islam for what it is. Okay?

And we have to do it with the clarity that we call out white nationalism.

Got to do it with that. Got to -- you know, the Klan. Really bad people.

Really bad people.

Anybody who is shouting for globalized intifada?

Pretty bad. Pretty bad people.

Okay?

Now, let's get to communism.

Because that's another cool, cool angle of the new Democratic candidate for -- for mayor of New York City.

That I just -- I think is cuddly and cute. Sure, it led to 100 million deaths. But this time, New York is going to be radically different. Oh, did I use the word radical?

I didn't mean to use that. What's radical about this guy?

Nothing. He's just like you!

Well, not exactly.

But let's talk about communism, next!

Now, the new mayoral candidate that's running there in New York City. That so many young people rushed to defend and vote for. He's promising free buses.

That's going to work out.

Where are you going to get the money for free buses.

It's free!

City-run grocery stores.

Oh, rent freezes. And finally somebody has done it. A 30-dollar minimum wage.

So under the banner of equity. And, you know, we will tax the wealthy. And the corporations. You know, we're going to squeeze another $10 billion out of them.

Really?

Because they're going to call a U-Haul.

You know, they will call something like U-Haul. There will be a lot of -- there will be a lot of movers that are like, how do I get the truck back from Texas or Florida back up to New York? Nobody is moving up there.

But he's going to do it.

Now, his vision isn't really new. You know, just -- just tax people, so we could have city-run grocery stores. You know, I remember -- I'm old enough to remember those city-run grocery stores in Moscow.

They were great.

The shelves were empty.

But that's just Moscow.

It worked out completely different in Venezuela.

Where, oh, no.

It didn't. That's right. The grocery store.

They were eating the zoo animals.

But it will be different in New York.

Because they have rent controls too.

And that will just choke the housing supply, but don't worry. As a young family.

You know, you voted for it.

You know better.

It will work this time.

So, you know, I like building ideas, I just don't like usually building on the graves of 100 million people.

But, you know, why not? Why not?

You know, use this dogma.

And this time, it will be different. It's not like it was in China. Where the great leap forward, was a gross -- a gross parody of progress. Venezuela, which was oil rich. One of the richest nations in the hemisphere now sees 90 percent of its population in poverty!

Yeah. Darn it. You know what they did?

They decided to take state control of things.

You know, like grocery stores. And it worked out well. How is that free busing working out in Venezuela?

I just want to -- I just want to know.

Anyway, then you've got the globalize the intifada. Which is going to drop a little violence in, and anti-Semitism in with your communism.

Which is weird!

Because violence and anti-Semitism, always happen. When it -- when it comes to -- when it comes to communism.

This is weird!

I've got to play something for you. Because this has talked about on me earlier this morning.

Oh, wow.

Wait a minute. This is -- this is the whole coalition coming together here.

So this is going to be good. New York, this is going to be great.

It's going to be great for you.

No. He's going to uplift you. Then the social fabric of New York City is just going to be -- just one.

It's going to be fantastic. Don't worry about your 120 billion dollars in debt. Or your 10 billion-dollar deficit that you have right now.

You are going to charge the rich more taxes, and they will stay right there.

They will be like, you know what, that 46 percent in taxes that I'm paying, this is just not enough. It's just not enough.

I need to pay 60 or 70 percent to be able to pay my fair share. So that's good. That's good. That's good.

You know, they're not risking 100 million people. It's just 8 million people.

This time, it's just 8 million people.

But, hey. For those of you in upstate New York. That aren't going to be part of this experiment.

Don't worry, you get to pay for it. Because they'll kick it up to the state. The state will have to subsidize everything. And don't you love it?

Really, don't you want to subsidize the really crazy ideas of New York City?

I mean, why don't you have a -- why don't you have a democratic socialist. A/k/a communist mayor.

Why haven't you done that? Are you not progressive enough? Are you not looking into the future?

Are you stuck in the past?

I don't know. I don't know. The graveyard is pretty big. I have a hard time getting past that one. You know, yeah, so I'm stuck in the past. Because I can't seem to pass that graveyard, and get to be down the path with you. But it's going to be a paradise.

Forget arithmetic. You know, or human nature. This time, it's going to work. It's going to work. So all right!

Wish I lived in this morning.

No wait. Nope. I don't. Nope, I don't.

And Ted Cruz, stop it. Stop writing, hey, come to Texas. No. No. Don't come to Texas. Don't come to Florida. Go to California. It's beautiful this time of year. Go there. Go there.