The latest GOP poll numbers revealed

Since the last GOP debate, the poll numbers have come out showing some changes to the rankings of the candidates.

According to The Wall Street Journal national poll, Ben Carson led at 29 percent ahead of Trump at 23 percent. Marco Rubio was at 11 percent, Ted Cruz at ten, Jeb Bush at eight, followed by Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie at three, and Rand Paul at two.

At the back of the pack were Jim Gilmore, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki at zero percent.

Listen to Glenn's commentary or read the transcript below.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.

GLENN: This poll is the latest in the presidential campaign. And yesterday, in case you don't know, we asked for your support. We wrote a letter to the RNC. We talked to all the campaigns. I think -- by this time we've talked to all of them. And we've had the support of many of the campaigns. And we appreciate that. We're trying to get the last and final debate on TheBlaze. It will be the first ever all digital. We'll run it across all of the multi platforms that we have. Television, online. We'll make it free. It will go on radio, Blaze Radio as well. You know, it's a footprint of about 50 million people.

STU: And it will feature a swimsuit competition, one segment.

JEFFY: Nice.

GLENN: Yes, that's true. If that's what helps, yes.

STU: The Chris Christie part is going to be particularly interesting.

PAT: It will be.

GLENN: It will be. He's not going topless.

STU: Well, no. We would be breaking all sorts of laws.

JEFFY: Well, we should say he won't start that way.

STU: Nice.

PAT: Skin to win, though. People will start yelling that. Skin to win.

GLENN: Yeah. Every time they get a question that I don't like, I tell them to take off another piece of clothing.

STU: There would be a lot of nudity. A lot of nudity.

PAT: Oh, man.

GLENN: So here's the latest on the poll numbers.

STU: Yes, NBC, Wall Street Journal poll, it's the national poll. And it is Carson, 29 percent. Trump, 23.

PAT: So that's the second one in a row, right?

STU: Yeah, this is -- I think two of the last three national polls that I've seen, at least, have had Carson ahead of Trump. And you have Rubio at 11 percent. Cruz at ten. Jeb Bush at eight. Carly Fiorina and John Kasich -- and, also, excuse me Mike Huckabee and Christie all at three. You have four people at three -- it's Kasich, Fiorina, Huckabee, Christie. Rand Paul at two.

PAT: Yep.

STU: And then Jim Gilcrestmorelandson, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki at zero percent.

PAT: That's a real shame for Bobby Jindal.

STU: For Bobby Jindal.

GLENN: Bobby Jindal is so great.

STU: He's not been able to get out of that kiddie table debate area.

PAT: Or the 0 percent area.

GLENN: I don't know why.

PAT: I don't either.

STU: There's just a lot of people, honestly. It seems like there's a lot of people. If Jindal could hold out for a while and a few people jumped out, he might have a chance.

GLENN: I think it's the goal of the establishment was to send a lot of these people in just to crowd the field to keep people like Bobby Jindal out. Just crowd the field. Because they know they had Bobby Jindal. They know they had Santorum.

PAT: They knew Cruz was going to run.

GLENN: Cruz was going to run.

STU: Rand Paul.

GLENN: Paul was going to run. If you crowd the field and get 12, 15 people up there. Pataki doesn't have a chance of winning. Come on.

PAT: Jim Gilmore, nobody even knows his name. Come on.

GLENN: There's no reason for that. There's no reason for Lindsey Graham. He's not going to win.

PAT: Oh, jeez.

STU: There's no reason for Lindsey Graham as a senator, let alone as a president.

GLENN: Well, I was going to say as a president.

STU: There's an argument to be made.

29 percent for Carson is the highest percentage of any Republican in any national poll by the Wall Street Journal by NBC.

GLENN: Wait a minute. Wait. Of all time or just at this time?

STU: This campaign cycle.

GLENN: Okay.

STU: So Trump has never been able to get to 29 this whole time. Carson is at --

PAT: In the Wall Street Journal. He's been higher than that in others.

STU: He's hit 30 or 31 in polls separate from this. But usually you want to keep the methodology the same. Compare poll versus poll. So Carson was leading by -- or excuse me was trailing by three points in the poll before that. If you go back to July, he was down by nine points to Trump.

GLENN: Give me the Trump numbers, back from July.

STU: He was at 19, 21, 25, 23.

GLENN: Okay. So kind of flat.

STU: Generally flat.

GLENN: Yeah, he's not necessarily cratering.

STU: It's been more of a Carson increase. From ten, 20, 22, 29. People are on the bandwagon for Ben Carson. I think maybe the most interesting part of this poll is first and second choices. There's so many candidates as you point out, Glenn, that if you have your first choice and that person doesn't get it, who is your second choice? Combine those two numbers together.

So at the bottom, you have Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum, one percent. I should say, at the very bottom, you have Lindsey Graham and Jim Gilcrestmorelandson at 0 percent.

GLENN: Okay.

STU: I just want to make this clear. Lindsey Graham isn't anyone's second choice.

GLENN: He's 1 percent of the population's first choice.

STU: No, no, no, no. He is 0 percent of the population's first choice and 0 percent second choice.

PAT: So that gives him, what, 25, 30 percent?

GLENN: That gives me hope in America.

STU: It does. Okay. So Lindsey Graham, Jim Gilmore, zero. Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, 1 percent. So first and second choice combined. At 6 percent, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, at 6 percent. Mike Huckabee at 8 percent. Then Carly Fiorina at 14. Jeb Bush at 15. Ted Cruz at 23.

PAT: Wow.

STU: Marco Rubio, 24.

PAT: Nice.

PAT: All right.

STU: Donald Trump, 35.

GLENN: Wow.

STU: Ben Carson, 50. He is at 50 percent, first and second choice.

JEFFY: Wow.

STU: That is a really strong number.

Featured Image: Presidential candidates Ohio Governor John Kasich (L-R), Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz (R-TX), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) take part in the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate at University of Colorados Coors Events Center October 28, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Fourteen Republican presidential candidates are participating in the third set of Republican presidential debates. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Deep State's NEW plan to backstab Trump

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move.

In 2016, Donald Trump shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. Conservatives cheered, believing we’d taken back the reins of our country. But we missed the bigger battle. We failed to recognize the extent of the damage caused by eight years of Barack Obama and decades of progressive entrenchment. The real war isn’t won at the ballot box. It’s being waged against an insidious force embedded deep within our institutions: the administrative state, or the “deep state.”

This isn’t a new problem. America’s founders foresaw it, though they didn’t have a term for “deep state” back in the 1700s. James Madison, in Federalist 48, warned us that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the same hands is “the very definition of tyranny.” Yet today, that’s exactly where we stand. Unelected bureaucrats in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice hold more power than the officials we vote for. They control the levers of government with impunity, dictating policies and stifling change.

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege.

We’ve felt the consequences of this growing tyranny firsthand. During COVID-19, so-called experts ran our lives, crushing civil liberties under the guise of public safety. Our intelligence agencies and justice system turned into weapons of political warfare, targeting a sitting president and his supporters. Meanwhile, actual criminals were given a pass, turning American cities into lawless war zones.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 that “the functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty and property of their constituents.” Today, we see Jefferson’s prophecy fulfilled. The deep state exercises unchecked power over our freedoms, and information itself is controlled by the fourth branch of government: the legacy media.

Even when we win elections, the deep state doesn’t concede defeat. It switches to survival mode. Trump’s first term proved this. Despite a historic mandate to dismantle the bureaucracy, the deep state fought back with everything it had: leaks, investigations, court rulings, and obstruction at every turn. And now, with the possibility of Trump returning to office, the deep state is preparing to do it again.

Progressives are laying out their attack plan — and they’re not even hiding it.

U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) recently boasted about forming a “shadow cabinet” to govern alongside the deep state, regardless of who’s in the White House. Nickel called it “democracy’s insurance policy.” Let’s be clear: This isn’t insurance. It’s sabotage.

They’ll employ a “top down, bottom up, inside out” strategy to overwhelm and collapse any effort to reform the system. From the top, federal judges and shadow officials will block Trump’s every move. Governors in blue states like California and New York are gearing up to resist federal authority. During Trump’s first term, California filed over 100 lawsuits against his administration. Expect more of the same starting January 20.

From the bottom, progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union will flood the streets with protesters, much as they did to oppose Trump’s first-term immigration reforms. They’ve refined their tactics since 2016 and are prepared to unleash a wave of civil unrest. These aren’t spontaneous movements; they’re coordinated assaults designed to destabilize the administration.

Finally, from the inside, the deep state will continue its mission of self-preservation. Agencies will drag their feet, leak sensitive information, and undermine policies from within. Their goal is to make everything a chaotic mess, so the heart of their power — the bureaucratic core — remains untouched and grows stronger.

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move. Progressives never see themselves as losing. When they’re out of power, they simply shift tactics, pumping more blood into their bureaucratic heart. We may win elections, but the war against the deep state will only intensify. As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force; and force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege. The deep state has shown us its plan: to govern from the shadows, circumventing the will of the people. But now that the shadows have been exposed, we have a choice. Will we accept this silent tyranny, or will we demand accountability and reclaim our nation’s heart?

The battle is just beginning. We can’t afford to lose.

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

Drone mystery exposes GLARING government incompetence

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

The drone issue is getting way out of hand.

Earlier this month, Glenn first reported on the mysterious drones stalking the night sky over New Jersey, but the situation is increasingly concerning as the sightings have escalated. Not only have drones been seen across the Northeast Coast, including over New York City, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, but recently, they have been spotted over the night skies of San Diego and other parts of Southern California.

It doesn't take an expert to identify the potential dangers and risks that dozens of undetectable, unidentified six-foot or larger drones pose to national security. Yet, our government's response has been one of unimaginable incompetence, leaving us to speculate on the origin and intention of these drones and wonder in astonishment at the government's ineptitude. Here are three examples of the government's lackluster response to the mystery drones:

Iranian Mothership and Missing Nuclear Warheads

- / Stringer | Getty Images

After several weeks of hubbub, New Jersey Representative, Jeff Van Drew gave an interview on Fox News where he claimed that the drones originated from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States. This theory has since been disproven by satellite images, which show that all Iranian drone carriers are far from U.S. shores. Another theory suggests that drones may be equipped with sensors capable of detecting nuclear material and that they are looking for a nuclear warhead that recently went missing! With these apocalyptic theories gaining traction in the absence of any real answer from our government, one can't help but question the motive behind the silence.

Pentagon's Limp Wristed Response

Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images

In a recent press conference, national security spokesman John Kirby responded to reporters demanding answers about the government's lack of transparency, which has caused increasing public anxiety. He insisted that the drones did not pose a threat and were not assets of a foreign power, such as from Iran or China--even though he is still uncertain about their identity and origin. He also claimed that many of the sightings were simply misidentifications of normal aircraft.

This lackluster answer has only further inflamed national anxieties and raised even more questions. If the government is unsure of the identity of the drones, how do they know if they are a threat or if they aren't foreign assets? If they aren't foreign, does that mean they are U.S. assets? If so, why not just say so?

The Pentagon has also stated that they are leaving it up to local law enforcement to spearhead the investigation after concluding that these drones pose no threat to any military installation. This has left many feeling like the federal government has turned a blind eye to a serious issue that many Americans are very concerned about.

Where's Pete Buttigieg?

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

We are in the closing weeks of the Biden administration, and with the finish line in sight, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg probably figured nothing else could go wrong on his watch—but boy was he wrong. As Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is in charge of the FAA, the agency responsible for managing all air traffic across the nation. One would think that mysterious, 6-foot-long, seemingly intractable drones are invisible on radar and flying above major cities would pose a serious threat to the myriad of legal aircraft that traverse our skies. Yet, Buttigieg has been silent on the issue, adding another failure to his resume which includes: malfunctioning airplanes, the train derailment in Ohio, and the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, just to name a few.

Glenn: How Alvin Bragg turned hero Daniel Penny into a villain

Michael M. Santiago / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty.

America no longer has a single, shared understanding of justice. Two Americas now exist, each applying justice differently depending on who you are and where you live. One America, ruled by common sense and individual courage, praises heroes who stand up to protect others. The other, driven by political agendas and corrupted institutions, punishes those same heroes for daring to act.

This stark division couldn’t be clearer than in the case of Daniel Penny, the Marine whose trial in New York City this week drew strong reactions from both sides across the divided line of justice.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare.

Penny was on a subway train last year when Jordan Neely — a man suffering from severe mental illness and reportedly high on drugs — began threatening passengers, saying, “I’m going to kill you all.” The fear on that subway car was palpable, but nobody moved. Nobody, that is, until Penny did what needed to be done. He took action to protect innocent lives.

In the America many of us used to believe in, Penny’s response would be heralded as heroic. His actions mirrored the courage of Todd Beamer on Flight 93, who, on September 11, 2001, rallied others with the words, “Let’s roll,” to prevent further tragedy. But in New York, courage doesn’t seem to count anymore. There, the system turns heroes into villains.

Penny subdued Neely using a chokehold, intending only to restrain him, not kill him. Tragically, Neely died. Penny, filled with remorse, told the police he never meant to hurt anyone. Yet, instead of being recognized for protecting others from a clear and present threat, Penny stood trial for criminally negligent homicide.

In Alvin Bragg’s New York, justice bends to ideology. The Manhattan district attorney has made a career of weaponizing the law, selectively prosecuting those who don’t fit his narrative. He’s the same prosecutor who twisted legal precedent to go after Donald Trump on business charges no one had ever faced before. Then, he turned his sights on Daniel Penny.

A jury may have acquitted Penny, but what happened in New York City this week isn’t justice. When the rule of law changes depending on the defendant’s identity or the prosecutor's political motives, we’re no longer living in a free country. We’re living in a state where justice is a game, and ordinary Americans are the pawns.

The system failed Jordan Neely

It’s worth asking: Where were activists like Alvin Bragg when Neely was suffering on the streets? Jordan Neely was a tragic figure — a man with a long history of mental illness and over 40 arrests, including violent assaults. The system failed him long before he stepped onto that subway train. Yet rather than confront that uncomfortable truth, Bragg’s office decided to target the man who stepped in to prevent a tragedy.

This isn’t about justice. It’s about power. It’s about advancing a narrative where race and identity matter more than truth and common sense.

It’s time to demand change

The Daniel Penny case — and others like it — is a wake-up call. We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty. Americans must demand an end to politically driven prosecutions, hold DAs like Alvin Bragg accountable, and stand up for the principle that true justice is blind, consistent, and fair.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare. It’s time to choose which America we want to live in.

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

CEO Brian Thompson's killer reveals COWARDICE of the far-left death cult

Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Early on the chilly morning of Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance giant, UnitedHealthcare, was walking through Midtown Manhattan on his way to a company conference. Suddenly, a masked and hooded figure silently allegedly stepped onto the sidewalk behind Thompson, drew a 3-D printed, silenced pistol, and without warning fired multiple shots into Thompson's back before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. After a multiple-day manhunt, a 26-year-old lead suspect was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by an employee.

This was not "vigilante justice." This was cold-blooded murder.

As horrific as the murder of a husband and father in broad daylight in the center of New York City is, the story only gets worse. Even before the murder suspect was arrested, left-wing extremists were already taking to X to call him a "hero" and a "vigilante" who "took matters into his own hands." Even the mainstream media joined in on the glorification, as Glenn pointed out on air recently, going out of the way to show how physically attractive the murder suspect was. This wave of revolting and nihilistic fanfare came in response to the findings of online investigators who surmised the murder suspect's motives to retaliate against healthcare companies for corruption and denied coverage. The murder suspect supposedly underwent a major back surgery that left him with back pain, and some of his internet fans apparently viewed his murder of Thompson as retribution for the mistreatment that he and many other Americans have suffered from healthcare companies.

The murder suspect and his lackeys don't seem to understand that, other than depriving two children of their father right before Christmas, he accomplished nothing.

The murder suspect failed to achieve his goal because he was too cowardly to try.

If the murder suspect's goals were truly to "right the wrongs" of the U.S. healthcare system, he had every tool available to him to do so in a constructive and meaningful manner. He came from a wealthy and prominent family in the Baltimore area, became the valedictorian at a prestigious all-boys prep school, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in engineering. Clearly, the murder suspect was intelligent and capable, and if he had put his talent into creating solutions for the healthcare industry, who knows what he could have accomplished?

This is the kind of behavior the far-left idolizes, like communists on college campuses who wear shirts that celebrate the brutal Cuban warlord, Che Guevara. Merchandise celebrating the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect is already available, including shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even Christmas ornaments. Will they be sporting his face on their T-shirts too?

This macabre behavior does not breed creation, achievement, success, or life. It only brings death and risks more Americans falling into this dangerous paradigm. But we still have a chance to choose life. We just have to wake up and take it.