Glenn breaks down the real-life 'Game of Thrones' playing out in Russia

In January, The Root: Red Storm laid out the shocking and terrifying geo-political developments emerging in Russia. Since TheBlaze aired Red Storm we are seeing our predictions play out at an alarming rate. On Monday's Glenn Beck Program, Glenn revealed the next phase of Russia’s aggressive agenda and connected all of the dots, showing you exactly how their plans will shock the globe and cause a worldwide domino effect.

Below is a highlight from the episode, focused on the shifting balance of power in Putin's own version of 'Game of Thrones'.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment

This is a critical episode that goes into addition of the episode we did back in January where we showed you the shocking and quite frankly terrifying developments emerging out of Russia. It was during our Root episode Red Storm Rising, which we are now making all of those episodes available on demand at TheBlaze.com/RedStorm.

Now, in that, we tried to give you history, but there were things that were happening at the time that didn’t make any sense, and we said we’re going to have to follow this and watch it because it could be even more dangerous depending on which way it goes. We predicted that one of two things would happen, and they’re this: Either Putin would continue his military aggression, and he would start annexing more regions throughout Europe as he did in the Ukraine, or he would be pushed back, and that would actually anger the more dangerous radical fascists such as the guy we introduced you to, this guy, Aleksandr Dugin—really dangerous radical.

He runs the University of Moscow. He is really a bad guy. He thinks that Hitler just didn’t go far enough. This guy loves fascism. If this guy gets pissed off, it will lead to even more violence and possibly a coup attempt on Putin. Those were the two things: He either grows and becomes stronger, or things start to split up, and he’s in trouble.

The only thing we didn’t know was the timing, how long would it take before all of these Russian stacking dolls start to choose sides? It turns out not very long. It’s almost as if the Kremlin is watching TheBlaze because just days after our episode aired, almost on cue, all the dominoes began to actually fall. As it turns out, we find out now from the New York Times that they are watching TheBlaze.

The New York Times reported that Putin has hired armies of Internet trolls to spam and discredit the comment section of a few news sites, one of which was TheBlaze. So, they are watching. But here’s how the series of events began almost immediately, and I want to go over tonight five key moments that we’re going to focus on tonight.

At the time of the episode, Putin’s military aggression was running wild, and everybody was in his camp, especially the radicals. The radical fascists wanted to rebuild mother Russia again. So, here’s the first key moment. It happened on February 11. Suddenly, Putin, who is becoming extraordinarily aggressive, reverses course. For some reason, he backs up.

First key moment, he agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Now, here’s why that’s important. Everybody thinks Putin now has given up on what he started. You might not. I might not, but all of these guys do. They thought he was going to begin annexing all of the other regions that Russia once had, and they were hoping for more military action, especially these guys—more tanks, more bloodshed, more war, but instead, Putin says, “Niet,” and puts on the brakes.

That’s when the fascist radicals really begin to step up. They begin to try to push Putin into battle, and they are now angry that you won’t. We’re talking about Aleksandr Dugin is one of the key players. It’s people like Dugin that actually have the ability to start a movement and rally other fascist radicals and possibly stage a coup to take Putin out. And who doesn’t want to see fascists and Vladimir Putin in a bloody battle for power? That could be deadly.

Putin knows because this is a pattern that we have seen with all of the other rulers of Russia in the last hundred years. He knows that by abandoning the military actions, he is putting a huge target on his back for fascist radicals. He knows he’s just triggered the Russian Game of Thrones. So, what does he do? Who is sticking with him?

Well, we know Dugin is out. Putin’s top priority quickly became let’s build a coalition to protect my empire, so he brings us to the second big moment, transfer of power from the Federal Security Service to the Ministry of the Interior. What are those? Well, he started to strip the FSB of its power. The FSB is the KGB. It’s the Russian version of the Secret Service—unbelievably powerful.

Putin said no more power for you, and he shifted all of their power, which takes them out with Dugin. He shifted it over to this, the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Interior is like our Department of Homeland Security, so you have like the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security. He’s just stripped their CIA of all their power, and he’s given all of that to the Department of Homeland Security.

Now, this is our Homeland Security on steroids. They have a 200,000 strong military army, and they have already the CIA type intel operation. So, Putin is putting all of the chips with these guys. Now, here is one of Putin’s top henchmen, Zolotov. Right, is this Zolotov? No, which one is Zolotov? I can’t see. This guy, right? Viktor Zolotov, Putin is putting him in charge of this organization. Those 200,000 federal troops are now at his disposal.

Now, think how handy it would be if anybody decides to rise up. There’s a social unrest that happens or an internal threat to Putin, all of a sudden he’s got a military guy in charge who used to be, by the way, his personal bodyguard for years. Putin completely trusts him, needs him now more than ever, somebody that can run this agency and put any unrest down.

Putin knows now he’d better be watching his back. The FSB and the MVP do not have a good history together. They are rivals, and they are constantly locked in power struggles, so you can imagine they’re not happy when Putin gave all the power here. Then on February 27, something crazy happened, an outspoken and influential critic of Putin was assassinated in cold blood on the streets of Moscow.

This was in our episode. You remember this? This was the hit job caught on city surveillance cameras. Theories swirled. Many people jumped to the conclusion that this is the work of Putin. We said at the time we don’t know. He is a Putin critic, and being a Putin critic is kind of dangerous business, and it wouldn’t be the first time that somebody was an opponent of Putin all of a sudden was killed. Nevertheless, what happened?

It’s a headache to Putin. He doesn’t want to have to deal with this. He’s in the news again having to deny I slaughtered a political opponent. But what happened immediately after the murder changed everything, and very few people, but our staff did, paid close attention, and it happened on March 8.

Shortly after the assassination of Nemtsov, Putin’s new enemies in the FSB claimed they had two suspects. Both of them were Chechens. The first one is one of the president of Chechnya, one of the president’s top commanders. So, why does this matter? Because the president is Kadyrov. He’s in the camp of Putin. He’s not over here. So, these guys say the top commander of this man is the one who killed Nemtsov. It’s an implication that this was all set up now by these guys to hurt Putin and potentially unleash retaliation.

Well, Putin’s ally immediately defended the suspect in custody, saying that’s not true, he’s a Russian patriot. He’d never do anything to harm the state. So, now he’s in this camp. He was desperately trying to let it be known that they were framed, and Putin was desperate as well. He responded by awarding Kadyrov one of Russia’s highest awards, the Order of Honor. So, he is strengthening his friends.

The world dismissed this assassination as just another chance to joke about Putin, but it appears more likely it is the opening salvo to something much, much bigger. Then a few short weeks later, the major power structures in Russia, these guys, had to choose sides—are you over here or are you here? It’s Putin and his Department of Homeland Security or it’s the former KGB and fascist radicals.

Which brings us to the fifth and final key moment, another one that the rest of the media just jokingly covered. March 6, Putin mysteriously goes missing for ten days. At the time, we didn’t know why, but when you look at the series of events that we now know happened just prior to his disappearance, the likely reason seems to come clearer into focus because if you’re Vladimir Putin, you just don’t vanish. You’re a big doll. You just don’t vanish off the world stage for ten days, not if you’re him.

Can you imagine if the president was not seen, nobody knew where he was, he wasn’t at the White House, he was just gone for ten days? First of all, a leader like this has far too big of an ego for that. The most likely scenario now is that Putin was being held somewhere against his will. It was a show of force by the FSB, Dugin, or perhaps another influential fascist radical. They wanted to make sure that Putin got back into the business of taking more land and restoring Russia to her previous glory. Whatever the reason, you can bet that Putin wasn’t off writing his memoirs in some remote cabin. Something went down. We don’t know what, but it looks like the fascists took him. There’s even more evidence that suggests this was part of an ongoing power struggle among the elites, and we’ll share that with you next.

For more on tonight's episode and get the rest of the story, watch on TheBlaze TV.

Legal warfare strikes France's conservative hope

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An all-too-familiar story unfolded in France this week: the is law being weaponized against a "far-right" candidate. Does that ring a bell?

Glenn was taken aback earlier this week when he learned that Marine Le Pen, a popular French conservative, had been banned from the 2027 election following a controversial conviction. The ruling shocked French conservatives and foreign politicians alike, many of whom saw Le Pen as France’s best conservative hope. President Trump called it a "very big deal," a view shared by French commentators who fear this marks the end of Le Pen’s political career.

But this isn’t just about France—it’s a symptom of a larger threat looming over the West.

A double standard?

Fmr. President Sarkozy (left) and Fmr. Prime Minister Fillon (right)

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As of Sunday, March 30, 2025, Marine Le Pen led the polls with a commanding edge over her rivals, offering French conservatives their strongest shot at the presidency in years. Hours later, that hope crumbled. Found guilty of embezzling EU funds, Le Pen was sentenced to two years of house arrest, fined €100,000 ($108,200), and banned from public office for five years, effective immediately.

Glenn quickly highlighted an apparent double standard. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and former Prime Minister François Fillon faced similar—or worse—corruption charges, yet neither was barred from office during their political runs. So why Le Pen, and why now? Similar to Trump’s "hush money" trial, legal troubles this late in the election cycle reek of interference. The decision should belong to voters—France’s largest jury—not a courtroom. This appears to be a grave injustice to the French electorate and another crack in democracy’s foundation.

This is NOT about France

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This pattern stretches far beyond France; it’s a tactic we’ve seen before.

In early 2025, Bucharest’s streets erupted in protest after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round of its presidential election. Călin Georgescu, a rising conservative, had clinched an unexpected victory, only to have it stripped away amid baseless claims of Russian interference. His supporters raged against the decision, seeing it as a theft of their voice.

Both Georgescu and Le Pen echo the legal barrage President Trump endured before his 2024 win. The Left hurled every weapon imaginable at him, unleashing unprecedented lawfare. In America, the Constitution held, and the people’s will prevailed.

Now, with Tesla vandalism targeting Elon Musk’s free-speech stance, a coordinated pushback against freedom is clear—spanning France, Romania, the U.S., and beyond.

The war on free will

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Trump’s 2024 victory doesn’t mean lawfare is dead; Europe shows it’s thriving.

France and Romania prove its effectiveness, sidelining candidates through courts rather than ballots. Glenn warned us about this years ago—when the powerful can’t win at the polls, they turn to the gavel. It’s a chilling trend of stripping voters of their choice and silencing dissent, all the while pawning it off as justice. The playbook is polished and ready, and America’s turn could come sooner than we think.

Melania Trump's fashion influence inspires the next generation

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First Lady Melania Trump’s impeccable style has long captivated admirers across the globe, but for one young woman, it sparked a creative revolution.

Lorelai, a young Glenn Beck fan who requested a degree of anonymity, first met Glenn while attending America Fest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona with her grandmother. An aspiring fashion designer and illustrator, Lorelai shared with Glenn some of her sketches of characters from Glenn’s latest book, Chasing Embers. She also explained how Melania Trump became the cornerstone of her artistic journey, inspiring her to craft modest yet beautiful clothing that redefines modern fashion.

Melania Trump’s elegance—stunning, powerful, and undeniably feminine—first captured Lorelai’s attention during the First Lady’s time in the White House. Unlike the casual, often immodest trends dominating her peers’ wardrobes, Melania’s wardrobe exuded grace and sophistication. From tailored coats to flowing gowns, her choices were a masterclass in balancing boldness with dignity, a philosophy that resonated deeply with Lorelai. This admiration grew into inspiration as Lorelai began designing apparel specifically with Melania in mind, aspiring to design pieces that could match the First Lady’s grace. She strove to reflect Melania’s breathtaking style in her sketches in an effort to demonstrate how modesty can be beautiful.

The First Lady’s poised and graceful presence has redefined modesty for the modern era. To Lorelai, the First Lady’s style proves that more fabric offers boundless room for imagination, allowing personality to shine without sacrificing dignity. Melania embodies this perfectly—her fashion commands attention with stunning, memorable elegance. Inspired by this, Lorelai’s mission is to craft clothing for her generation that mirrors Melania’s influence, blending contemporary flair with classic beauty.

After her meeting with Glenn at America Fest, Lorelai’s passion and resolve have only deepened. Through fashion and art, Lorelai hopes to inspire others with the same grace that Melania Trump exemplifies. Below are some of Lorelai's sketches she was eager to share with Glenn.

Melania Trump: First Lady

I really adore First Lady Melania Trump’s grace and timeless beauty. She is extremely intelligent and brave but also strong and poised. Her fashion style displays these traits. I was inspired to create these outfits for our First Lady in hopes that she would see these drawings. -Lorelai

Melania Trump: Lady Liberty

We, as a country, will be celebrating next year our 250th anniversary of independence. The designs that inspired this patriotic gown came from Lady Liberty and Lady Columbia art. I also love our American flag, and this design is a combination of all three. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Character Art (Ember)

I chose to draw the characters Sky, Azaz and Ember from Glenn Beck and Mikayla G. Hedrick’s Chasing Embers series. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Concept Art (Ember)

I was inspired to draw a younger and teen version for Sky and Ember. -Lorelai

Chasing Embers Character Art (Sky)

Chasing Embers Concept Art (Azaz)

I also gave multiple outfits designs for Sky and Azaz. I loved that their personalities and character development meant in my mind a wardrobe development too. -Lorelai

Glenn: Government workers bought luxury cars with YOUR tax dollars

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The deep state isn’t a conspiracy theory — it’s a reality. And the corrupt, free-spending Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is just one example of how Washington insiders enrich themselves.

A little-known agency in Washington perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with our bloated, corrupt government: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. It should be the poster child of everything that Elon Musk is exposing.

The agency was established in 1947 under the Labor Management Relations Act to serve as an independent agency mediating disputes between unions and businesses — a noble mission, perhaps. But like so many government institutions, it has rotted into something far removed from its original purpose.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft.

What was once a mechanism for labor stability has morphed into an unchecked slush fund — an exclusive playground for bureaucrats living high on taxpayer dollars.

The FMCS is a textbook case of government waste, an agency that no one was watching, where employees didn’t even bother showing up for work — some hadn’t for years. And yet they still collected paychecks and spent government money — our money — on their personal luxuries.

Luxury cars and cell phone bills

The Department of Government Efficiency discovered how FMCS employees used government credit cards — intended for official business — to lease luxury cars, cover personal cell phone bills, and even subscribe to USA Today. The agency’s information technology director, James Donnan, apparently billed taxpayers his wife’s cell phone bill, cable TV subscriptions in multiple homes, and personal subscriptions.

FMCS officials commissioned portraits of themselves and hung them in their offices, and you footed the bill. They took exotic vacations and hired their friends and relatives to keep the gravy train rolling.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft — and it went on for decades, unnoticed and unchallenged.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to abolish the FMCS — a necessary and long-overdue move. But the FMCS is just one of many agencies within the federal government burning through billions of taxpayer dollars. How many more slush funds exist in the shadows, funneling money into the pockets of bureaucrats who produce nothing? How many government-funded NGOs operate in direct opposition to American interests?

Perhaps the most disturbing question is why Americans tolerate such corruption. Why do so many Americans tolerate this? Why is the left — supposedly the party of the people — defending the very institutions that rob working-class Americans blind?

Corruption beyond bureaucracy

The recent rallies led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and their socialist acolytes claim to be a grassroots uprising against corruption and greed. But GPS data from these rallies tells a different story. The majority of attendees aren’t ordinary citizens fed up with the status quo. They’re professional activists — serial agitators who bounce from protest to protest.

Roughly 84% of devices tracked at these rallies were present at multiple Kamala Harris events. A staggering 31% appeared at over 20 separate demonstrations, tied to Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and pro-Palestinian causes.

Many of these organizations receive federal grant money — our tax dollars — and they’re using those funds to protest the very policies that threaten to cut off their financial lifeline.

This isn’t democracy in action. This is political theater — astroturfing perfected. And the American taxpayer is funding it.

Rooting out corruption

Trump was a battering ram against this corrupt system. Elon Musk is a surgeon, meticulously exposing the infection that has festered for decades — and that’s why the leftists hate him even more than they hate Trump. Musk threatens to dismantle the financial web that sustains their entire operation.

When we allow the government to grow unchecked and our leaders to prioritize their own wealth and power over the good of the nation, figures like Trump and Musk are necessary. Rome didn’t fall because of an external invasion but rather due to internal decay that looked an awful lot like what we see today.

We must demand better. We must refuse to tolerate this corruption any longer. The FMCS may be gone, but the fight to root out this deep-seated corruption is far from over.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Did the CIA hide the real truth behind JFK's assassination?

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Many were disappointed by the recent release of the JFK files, frustrated by the apparent lack of answers to decades-old questions. The problem? They’re asking the wrong question.

Everyone wants a "who"—a smoking gun, someone to blame. It’s understandable; Americans crave justice for a slain president, to hold the culprits of one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes accountable. But the real answer isn’t a "who"—it’s a "what." That "what" is the CIA and proof of their nefarious dealings since the 1960s.

In his most recent TV special, Glenn delves into the JFK files, where he found the crucial information that everyone else seemed to miss. Be sure to watch the TV special here.

The CIA's Dirty Fingerprints

While the recent JFK files don’t explicitly pin the assassination on the CIA, the evidence between the lines is compelling.

If you follow Glenn on X, you’ve seen his newest artifact: an exact replica of Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle. Glenn tested it at the range, attempting to replicate the notoriously difficult shot Oswald allegedly made that fateful day in Dallas. While Glenn shares more takeaways in his TV special, one thing stood out immediately: the rifle’s abysmal quality, its shoddy scope, and the odd caliber of ammunition it uses.

Oswald’s rifle, a Mannlicher-Carcano, is chambered in 6.5mm—an unusual caliber. Much like today, the average gun store in the ‘60s didn’t stock 6.5mm rounds. The largest known supply was owned by the CIA, who had shipped the ammo from Greece after World War II. Suspiciously, there’s no record of where Oswald got his ammunition, but the JFK files confirm that the gun store where he bought the Mannlicher-Carcano had CIA connections.

It’s well-known that Oswald defected to the USSR and lived there before returning to the U.S. The JFK files reveal that from the moment he touched down stateside, the CIA tracked him like a hawk. They followed him across the country and even to Mexico City—but, conveniently, seemed to lose him in Dallas just as President Kennedy arrived. What a coincidence.

Whether by design or gross incompetence, the CIA greased Oswald’s path, letting him slip unhindered into that sixth-floor Book Depository window.

The Cover-Up

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If the JFK files aren’t the smoking gun many hoped for, why did the CIA fight so hard to keep them buried?

The answer is trust. Hard as it may be to imagine today, Americans in the ‘60s trusted their government—at least more than they do now. This cover-up preserved that trust longer than it might have lasted, allowing the CIA to pull off more scandals before the public caught on. From Benghaziand 9/11 to COVID-19 and January 6, the same dirty marks found in the JFK files stain these events. It’s about saving face. The files make the CIA look incompetent at best, complicit at worst.

This might feel like common knowledge today—especially to Glenn’s audience—but 40 or 50 years ago, saying such things could land you in the loony bin. It’s taken 60 years of growing suspicion to reach this point. Imagine if the JFK files had been available back then. Could we have stopped six decades of CIA shenanigans in their tracks?

The thought is chilling.

What Now?

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The files don’t name a mastermind or explicitly confirm the darkest JFK assassination conspiracies that have swirled for decades—but they’re far from empty. They expose a disturbing truth: the CIA’s unchecked power in the ‘60s echoes into today.

In one of his most exciting TV specials yet, Glenn delves deep into the files, proving why we can’t ignore these revelations. Stop chasing a "who" and start demanding accountability for the "what." Only by confronting this can we hope to rein in the agency that’s dodged scrutiny for too long.