BLOGMay 02, 2017

FCC Chairman: We Don't Need to Preemptively Micromanage Every Business

Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), joined Glenn on radio to discuss the future of the internet and net neutrality. If a government regulator exists that Glenn likes, it's Ajit Pai, who stood alone in a hostile world at the FCC during the Obama administration. Pai favors light regulation to ensure consumers have a competitive choice and companies have a greater incentive to invest in the internet.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: The head of the FCC. The FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, now joins us.

Ajit, I don't know if you are aware of this at all, but we've been watching you for a while. I have -- I have no idea how you got by Obama. But we're glad you did.

AJIT: Thanks so much, Glenn. I really appreciate the kind words. And grateful to you for making time for me today.

GLENN: Oh, you bet. We have a lot of questions for you. And I want to talk to you about net neutrality. I want to talk to you about the cable industry and this cry of fake news and where you think we're going.

Let's start with probably net neutrality.

Net neutrality is -- is in some ways, a -- a nightmare and will limit people. In other ways, people will look at this and say, "Wait. I don't want my cable operator being able to pick and choose winners and slow down, you know, the speeds of YouTube, if they're trying to promote their own YouTube." Can you make the argument?

AJIT: Absolutely. I think the key point here is nothing about the internet was broken. From the dawn of the internet age in the 1990s until 2015, the internet economy in the United States was the envy of the world precisely because President Clinton and a Republican Congress agreed that instead of regulating the heck out of this new technology, we would let it develop and take targeted action as necessary.

And that's, I think, part of the reason why we saw the tremendous explosion and activity online. But in 2015, on the party-line vote, the FCC imposed these heavy-handed rules that were developed for Mondale, the telephone monopoly back in the 1930s.

And as a result, we've seen less investment in networks. We're seeing less competition than ever. And I think that's one of the things we want to address going further, is, you know, light-touch regulation I think is the best calibrated to make sure the consumers have more competitive choice, and the companies have a greater incentive to invest. And that's where we're heading.

GLENN: So how would you address -- I said this to Ray Kurzweil who is part of the Singularity University. Works for Google. And I said, "So, Ray, why wouldn't Google develop an algorithm that would find people who are using the search engine to create a bigger and better Google? Why wouldn't they just -- I mean, that's human nature to protect yourself. If somebody is coming -- you can piece together in advance, "Wait a minute. These people are looking to build a better Google." Why wouldn't you just shut them down? He said, "Oh, that would never happen because we're all good people." I don't necessarily subscribe to that theory.

But, you know, we are now in the internet age, playing devil's advocate, of these gigantic corporations that you're just not going to -- the little guy is not going to compete against Google. They're not going to compete against Apple. They're not -- you can't compete around Comcast.

AJIT: And the point I consistently made is we don't put our faith in people or in companies. What's that saying? If men were angels, no laws would be necessary.

GLENN: Right.

AJIT: Well, we have a system of laws, and interest in competition laws on one hand and consumer protection laws on the other. And those are administered by a -- say the Federal Trade Commission or Justice Department here in Washington, by state agencies across the country. So there's a whole framework of laws to protect against that kind of conduct.

What we don't need is the FCC preemptively micromanaging every single business in the United States, not just the big ones that you mentioned, but even the smaller companies that have told us we're holding back on investment now because of these heavy-handed investments.

GLENN: So we're talking to Ajit Pai, he's the chairman of the FCC. You know, as I look at the most hated services in America -- or service providers, it's your electric company, it's your insurance companies, it's your cable companies. Those are all the ones that are the most heavily regulated.

However, as somebody who has tried, without $200 million behind me, to break in and have a -- a groundswell -- a verified groundswell of -- of support behind me, these -- to break into cable is absolutely impossible if you are a voice that the companies want to block. You just can't do it. How do we balance that and make sure that, you know, the app system -- because that's why we -- that's why we're online. Okay. Well, good. We'll do it online. But how do we make sure that the app system isn't blocked now by a Comcast or an Apple, where you're just not going to get in and break through?

AJIT: That's a terrific question. And two different answers: Number one, the way you do it is by promoting more competition. You make sure that the barriers to entry, so to speak, are low. That people like you can express yourselves over a variety of different platforms. And number two, to the extent that that's a concern, remember that the people who are promoting this Title II regulation through the US government are not the friends of free speech and free expression. These groups are consistently saying that they want government control of the internet, not just for its own sake, but in order to regulate how speech and expression happens online.

GLENN: Right.

AJIT: And they've been very open about this throughout the years.

GLENN: But you can't -- as a person, I can't start my own cable company. It's all regulated. I can't start one.

AJIT: And that's why we've had a very aggressive agenda in the three months that I've been in the chairman's office to make sure that we enable more companies to make that decision, to enter the marketplace, removing some of the barriers that they found, in terms of the rules, and making it easier for them to raise capital and to enter these marketplaces. And we want the smaller companies that are getting squeezed by these regulations to finally enter the market and provide a competitive option.

GLENN: Good for you.

So help me out on this. Ted Koppel, who I have a lot of respect for, has done a lot of great journalism over his lifetime -- I was talking to him, and he was concerned about all this fake news. And I said, at the end of the day, go back to the revolutionary war, there was tons of fake news back then. We're just in a new situation. And we haven't found our way to balance it yet. But you got to trust the people.

And he immediately said, "I think that we need to start, you know, having a license for people to be on the internet and to present news. We have to verify those people who are online."

That's insane.

AJIT: I couldn't agree more. And I have a lot of respect for Ted Koppel's career. But, frankly, his comments are repugnant to the spirit and the letter of the First Amendment. In fact, that's the very reason why John Milton in 1644 wrote his great treaties on free expression, Areopagitica, where he said that, you know, look, the king has no business licensing people to allow them to speak. We -- the entire premise of western civilization is that you don't have a gatekeeper allowing you to speak only at the whim of the king. And that's the same here in the United States. The last thing I think we want is government -- sort of regulators like me deciding who speaks and who doesn't. That's the fantastic thing about the internet age, I think.

STU: Don't you think though, Glenn -- and Ajit Pai -- we're talking to the FCC chairman. You have this situation where it's not about what happened in 1644 or anything. It's about what's coming up on May 30th, which is season five of House of Cards.

JEFFY: Thank you. Thank you.

STU: People want their Netflix. They want it streamed. They don't want their evil cable company slowing it down. Is that something that needs to be regulated, or does the market actually work that stuff out?

AJIT: To me, the market works it out. The best evidence of that is the digital economy that we had, prior to 2015 when we imposed these rules.

Companies were not engaging in the blocking of lawful content. And to the extent that we have concerns about competition, the best way to get there is not by imposing these heavy-handed regulations that slow down infrastructure investment, especially by some of the smaller companies that would give you a competitive option. It's by making sure we have clear-cut rules of the road, that are market-friendly, that incentivize more companies to enter this space.

And so, you know, look, I'm all in favor of the government looking at any competitive problems as they pop up. Preemptively regulating, from the Fortune 500 companies, down to the tiny companies in Little Rock, Arkansas, is not the way to get there.

GLENN: I will tell you, Ajit, I look at this time period -- and I'd love to hear your point of view of this. I look at this time period of American history as a combination of the industrial revolution and heavy emphasis on Tesla and Edison, all in about a 20-year period. I mean, what's coming in -- in technology and communication has already been profound. But it's going to become even more profound.

And, you know, as a student of history -- and you obviously are one as well. When you look back at those days of Tesla and Edison, in many ways, Tesla was right. Edison was just good at playing the game with the government.

And he was a -- excuse my language, but a son of a bitch. And that's not French. That's English.

STU: Can we say that on the air, Mr. FCC Chairman?

GLENN: Oh, yes, I shouldn't have said that with the FCC chairman.

AJIT: I'll give you a pass, don't worry.

GLENN: Okay. Thank you.

PAT: You didn't think that one through. Did you?

GLENN: Yeah, I didn't think that one through. I forgot who we were talking to. Anyway, we never say things like that, by the way. Golly, gee, darn it. I'm sorry.

But we were pushed back because of the collusion with very powerful people like Edison and very powerful politicians. Do you see us -- how do you see what's coming our way?

AJIT: Boy, that's a great question.

I think the first thing is the empowerment of the citizen that the internet allows. It used to be that to do virtually anything, you had to work through some sort of gatekeeper. If you were buying a car, you had to go through a dealer. If you were wanting to stay in a place, you have to go book a room with a hotel.

And now, because of technology, you can do anything, basically by yourself. And that's an incredible amount of empowerment. But, on the other hand, we always have to guard against this instinct of essentially crony capitalism, the phenomenon that you talked about. And to that extent, I think what people need to understand is that heavy-handed regulation is actually the friend of bigger businesses and for those who believe in big government. Because -- the big companies are always going to have the armies of lawyers and accountants to comply with these regulations, to persuade government to do favors on this or that issue. It's the smaller companies that are disproportionately affected. And the second thing is that it's very seductive for a lot of people to think, "Well, the market just leaves consumers at the mercy of these wild and unpredictable forces." When in reality, the market has delivered more value for consumers than preemptive government regulation ever could.

I mean, the fact that we have billions of people who are emerging from poverty now is the result of free market policies. It's not because the governments of these various countries have suddenly decided to bestow largesse upon them. And so it's a case that we consistently have to make that crony capitalism and big government regulation, those are not the friends of the average consumer.

GLENN: So we have -- we have a situation now of fake news. And it's been around forever. But it's at epidemic proportions because the average person has access to everybody. And the average person, you know, unfortunately doesn't think things through and really read everything. They see a headline, they click on it, and they share it.

We have some really nefarious people, some of them in Russia, that are using our own technology against us, using our own freedoms against us. We have the press -- I told you about Ted Koppel. But we also have the president coming out and saying, you know, you're fake news. And maybe we should be able to sue you more.

Does the FCC have a role in the First Amendment in saying to all sides, "Knock it off. The freedom of the press is the freedom of the press, no matter if it's a printing press or the internet. Knock it off?"

AJIT: Well, I've consistently said -- and this goes back to my time as a commissioner up to five years ago, that one of the distinctive features of America is the fact that we have a First Amendment. It's unique in human history for the government to establish in its very founding papers the notion that anybody in this country has the ability to speak, anybody has the ability to write, anybody has the ability to worship as he or she sees fit.

And that's something that requires not just the cold parchment of the Constitution, but it requires a culture that admires that -- those freedoms. And so I've consistently spoken about -- about the need to preserve that culture of freedom for speech and free press. Because it's a slippery slope. Once you lose it, it's very hard to reclaim it.

GLENN: You have a 50 -- what is it? A 50 or 60 percent of so-called conservatives saying that there's a limit to freedom of the press. Is there?

AJIT: Well, the Constitution speaks for itself. And so long as I have the privilege of occupying this office, I'll keep defending that core constitutional freedom. It's one of the things that I think makes America a very unique place across time and across the world.

GLENN: So I think with that answer, I just have to end where I started: How the hell did you get past Barack Obama?

AJIT: That's a good question. I'm not sure how I slipped through the cracks.

GLENN: I don't know either.

AJIT: But maybe it's the -- sort of like the Forrest Gump of the Washington scene. Just kept gamboling on, and here I am.

(laughter)

GLENN: Yeah. Okay. Ajit Pai, thank you so much for talking to us.

PAT: Great.

GLENN: And keep up the good work.

AJIT: Thank you, sir. Thanks for having me on.

GLENN: You bet. Buh-bye.

PAT: And thanks for the shout-out to Areopagitica. That's -- I think that's a first.

JEFFY: Right.

GLENN: Oh, how many times have we talked about -- off the air --

PAT: All the time. All the time.

STU: Talked about all the time.

GLENN: Okay. You know what I love --

PAT: Talked about all the time. Milton's Areopagitica.

JEFFY: Right!

RADIO

ATF Whistleblower Reveals Where Cartel Weapons REALLY Come From

The Mexican government is suing US gun manufacturers for allegedly arming the Mexican drug cartels. But former ATF agent and whistleblower John Dodson tells Glenn that this is a complete lie! Dodson makes the data-driven case that it’s the Mexican government, not the US government or US manufacturers, that’s really responsible for arming the cartels. So, what can President Trump do to stop this? Dodson gives his plan …

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: John Dodson is with us. He's been with us before. He's the whistle-blower on -- on Fast and Furious. He's blown a lot of whistles.

This one, now, he's a former ATF agent. And he's far enough away from things, to where he can legally say everything that he knows. I think, everything he knows.

But right now, the Mexican government is suing our gun makers. I believe this started, and the seeds were planted by the Obama administration, on this one.

But I could be wrong. But they're suing US gun makers. And they're blaming us now. The tariffs are going up.

Why? Because unfair trade.

Let's just have regular trade with each other.

When you charge us, we'll charge you. But in the case of Mexico, it is also mainly about the border, at this point.

You have got to declare those drug cartels, enemies of the state. And terrorist organizations. And you've got to stop them!

If not, we will! But you've got to stop what's happening on our border. What have they done?

They're blaming us for the drug cartel violence.

I'm sorry. They're blaming our gun manufacturers for this. John is here to tell us the whole story.

The author of The Unarmed Truth. Hello, John. How are you?

JOHN: Hey, I'm fine, sir. Thank you so much for having me on.

GLENN: Oh, yeah. I appreciate it. So tell me what's really going on.

JOHN: Well, what's really going on is actually complicated. But the just of it is, the Mexican government is far and away, responsible for arming the cartels.

The data that I have seen. And the way that the eTrace system works. So ATF has eTrace, which is where firearms tracing is conducted. And if I can give you a brief backup on it, if you don't mind --

GLENN: Yeah.

JOHN: So the only way we can successfully trade -- I say we, I mean ATF. I'm retired now. But the only way you can successfully trace a firearm is if it has a US nexus. It was either manufactured here or imported into the US at some point. Either way, it's stamped and manufactured in the US. Or imported into the US by the company that gets them. So to say that all the crime guns successfully traced in Mexico are US-sourced firearms, it's kind of a rigged ball game. Because the only ones we can successfully trace are US firearms anyway. If a firearm was made in the former Soviet bloc or China or --

GLENN: We wouldn't have access to that. We're not tracking that.

JOHN: Exactly. We can't trace that. So it doesn't come back. The numbers are skewed from the very beginning.

Now, put on top of that, of the US-sourced firearms. And this is where it comes into, what's the motive behind it?

Is it ignorance, or is it deception?

So to say that the vast majority of crime guns recovered in Mexico are traced back to US sources. Okay. Again, we can only successfully trace those that are US-sourced anyway.

But you are not discounting those ones that were purchased directly by the Mexican government.

Now, I have worked on the border for the past 12 years of my career.

Especially in firearms trafficking. In Fast and Furious, I was in a firearms trafficking unit. Like, that is all that we were supposed to do.
And if you look at the data, from eTrace, it's -- like it's clear.

It's so clear. And by the numbers. The reports that I ran before I retired, every year, any 12-month period since 2010, until the day that I retired in 2023, whatever 12-month period you want to run, the Mexican government accounts for about 70 to 75 percent of the prime guns recovered in Mexico.

And these are direct purchases by the Mexican government, or government-to-government sales. From the US government to Mexico.

The problem is, those weapons are considered US-sourced. An ATF doesn't delineate, doesn't take those out of the numbers when they speak to Congress. Or when they release the information. They count them as US sourced firearms. So the American civilians firearms market is left holding the bag and blamed for the cartel violence in Mexico.

GLENN: So wait. Wait. Wait.

So Mexico is buying this from us. And I assume that that -- those -- those guns are supposed to go to the Mexican government to fight cartels, et cetera.

Are these guns -- are these guns going into the hands of the cartels?

JOHN: Yes. 100 percent.

And I think on the take is, most of the money that they use to purchase these firearms is provided by the US government.

The Mexican government says, well, we need help fighting the cartels.

So we give them money to purchase equipment and weapons. They buy these weapons directly from manufacturers. And I'll just say coal just as an example. Just because everybody is recommending. They'll buy two boxes of -- you know, error variance from coal. These are military grade weapons.

Two -- one goes to the Mexican military, one is diverted in the black market. Those ones in the black market are recovered in crime scenes, and substantively traced, and then that's counted as a US-sourced firearm.

When they released the data about all the guns in Mexico, they count that as a US-sourced firearm.

GLENN: So do we have the serial numbers to prove that they were purchased by the -- by the Mexican federal government.

JOHN: 100 percent.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

JOHN: If you look at the E-Trade data. One of two ways, it will come back. And there are several different ways that this happens. So the Mexican government, the ATF has issued different entities of the Mexican government FFL numbers. They all begin with a Z. It has a Z as a first character. So they can purchase directly from manufacturers. Right?

And so when one of those firearms are traced. The trace comes back and says, this firearm was traced on a foreign government or law enforcement agency. Then the other way of doing is if they fight the government, the government fails.

So the firearms trace comes back and says, quote, the firearm is a US military weapon, end quote.

So those are weapons purchased by the US government. And then sold to the Mexican government, in order to support their effort to see the fight the cartels.

But, in fact, the vast majority of the guns that are being recovered in Mexico. Are stemming from these direct purchases by the Mexican government. And I'm not just -- it's at least 70 percent.

Every year that I ran it. And I've run it religiously, until the day I turned my computer in, and retired. I ran it. And it was 72 percent on that day. And it's always been 70 to 75 percent.

GLENN: So we're talking to John Dodson.

He is a former ATF agent. He was a whistle-blower on Fast and Furious. He's the author of The Unarmed Truth.

And we -- I think you were on the air. And we talked about this, and we talked about how the ATF was targeting and harassing whistle-blowers who were testifying in front of Congress.

And I think you made a slight reference to this.

But you couldn't talk about it. Or wouldn't talk about it. What's ranged?

JOHN: Well, if you remember, there was a different administration at the time.
(laughter)

GLENN: Okay.

JOHN: I was definitely worried about being prosecuted. For describing this information.

GLENN: All right. All right. So who is -- when they were doing this, is this because the Mexican government is the drug cartel?

The Mexican government is afraid of the government cartel?

Who is really afraid of pushing the government to sue our gun manufacturers here.

JOHN: Well, and those questions are what I refer to as echelons above Dodson.

Okay. So best-case scenario, the Mexican government doesn't know.

The current president of Mexico. The former president.

And the one before that, doesn't know.

They only know the data, that the ATF has released, that all these firearms are US-sourced firearms. And, therefore, they blame the US and firearms market. That's the best-case scenario. Then you have to make the argument. Or at least ask the questions of, well, why don't they know the freaking truth?

If they're buying all these guns. They're not getting them all. It's variations of the black market.

Why aren't they afraid of that?

GLENN: Well, you have to ask that of the Ukrainians too. I digress.

JOHN: That's a whole other issue. I can only imagine.

GLENN: Oh, my -- oh, my --

JOHN: So the Mexicans, either they're willfully ignorant. All right?

Or it's entirely corrupt. Either way, but what frustrates me the most, is especially now, during these current negotiations with the Mexican government over these tariffs and things like that.

Every time, you -- you hold them to account for something, the first response is, well, you have to stop the, quote, flow of firearms, end quote. You have to stop it.

And it's so hard. When we're negotiating. When we're negotiating with facts that aren't true. That aren't accurate. Or at least are disguised in a way, where they don't have the true story.

It's not fair to the American government. It's not fair to the American people. And it's not fair to the Mexican people at all.

GLENN: Okay. So then why don't we do this?

Because you can buy guns elsewhere, Mexico. Why don't we do this. If Trump knows this, and I don't know if he see, if Trump knows this, why doesn't he say, you know what, you're right.

We will stop all guns from crossing the border. You can no longer buy American arms. I know that would hurt the arms companies here's in America.

For maybe a year.

JOHN: Right. Right.

GLENN: But then things change, and the truth is out.

And Mexico doesn't want that. Why wouldn't he just say, okay. We'll stop all the guns coming across the border.

Buy your guns elsewhere. For the next 12 months. And let's see what happens.

JOHN: Well, I will be honest with you, because I don't think they know. That's part of the reason, I'm talking to you.

There's no way to tell them. They'll call ATF. And ATF will say, oh, yeah, 80 percent of the firearms are US-sourced firearms, but they don't take into account the direct purchases by the American government, or the government fails.

So whoever is handling negotiations with Mexico. If they would sit down at the table, and say, hey, we need you to work on fentanyl. And border crossings and border security and things like that. Then Mexico will do what they always do. Which will say, well, you have to stop the flow of firearms. Okay. Give me one second.

I just rescinded all the export licenses for your government, to purchase firearms directly. I have revoked the foreign FFLs of ATF, and I have cease and had desisted all government to government sales from the Department of Defense and the State Department there. Instantaneously, I have cut over 70 percent of the crime being supplied in Mexico.

So now, Madam President, it's your turn. What are you going to do? Put up or shut up.

GLENN: That's brilliant. Have you talked to anybody in the administration about this?

JOHN: No, sir. How does anyone talk to the administration?

GLENN: All right. Do me a favor. Give me a white paper on this, and you tell me who it needs to go.

JOHN: Okay. I have been pounding this for years. I have brought this to the attention of my ATF supervisors, as far up the chain as I could go. I even physically handed the printouts, the documents, the data to the highest-ranking DOJ official in Mexico City at the time, and nothing ever happened on it. And, again, this is the previous administration.

GLENN: Well, you don't expect anything from that, but I expect something from this.

So give me the names of who it should go to, and give me the best, sharpest white paper on it. Don't overwhelm with facts. Give me the, you know, executive summary on the front. So it could be understood and explained.

And then give me all the facts after that. I'll have it delivered to the right people. And then I'll -- I'll give them time to read it and digest it, or their people to digest it, and then I'll ask for an answer. What happened here? Why aren't you doing it?

JOHN: I have no problem with that, and I will work on this immediately, this afternoon.

In the meantime, sir. And I want to tell you, I know there are a lot of ATF agents that listen to your show. And people probably in the administration don't have to take my word for it. You can call any ATF agent. Someone in the administration calls the field office. Don't call headquarters. Call the field office. Call any ATF agent that has a trace account. And say, hey, I want you to run a report for me. Log on to e- trace, on the right-hand side, to generate a statistical report. Click on that. It will automatically go to your work code.

Change that default to recovery location. Put in Mexico, and put in any 12-month time period that you want. And you will see. The data is clear on this issue.

All right? The Mexican military is the number one source of supplying crime guns to Mexican cartels, hands down. And I mean, exponentially so. When you see the data, it will -- like, it -- it's -- it's flabbergasting.

GLENN: John, give me the data and get me those -- that white paper on it.

An executive summary. And I will -- I will get it -- I will get it to them. As soon as you give it to me. I will turn it right around, to all the leadership.

GLENN: Thanks, John, I appreciate it.

God bless.

John Dodson.

The unarmed truth.

If you're an ATF agent, if you can do that. You can verify what he's saying. Call us.

I would love to hear from you.

Mexico, is suing us. They're suing all our gun makers here in America for $10 million. No. I don't think so.

It's going to the Supreme Court. I think the Supreme Court will say, you don't have a leg to stand on.

Again, it's the same kind of corrupt mentality, of the last administration.

You know, of not actually addressing the issue. But going after little pet peeves.

And going after our guns. And our rights to guns.

RADIO

Yes, Trump CAN Deport Green Card Holder Mahmoud Khalil for Protesting

ICE has arrested pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, for allegedly helping organize anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. But now, some are claiming that the government has violated his right to protest. So, do green card holders have this right? Can the Trump administration rescind his green card and deport him over this? Glenn makes the case that YES, it can.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All right. Now, while we're talking about enemies of the state, let's talk about the enemies within.

There's this big debate over the green card thing. I've got a green card, so I can disrupt. No. No.

This is about Mahmoud Khalil. He's a green card holder, that is now facing being deported. Because he is a guy sowing the seeds of dissent, of violence. He is the guy who was responsible for much of the bad stuff that was happening at Columbia University.

And now, Trump, he's going in with immigration. And he just hates everybody. That's different.

No. No. That's not what's happening here. This guy is not a citizen. Not a citizen.

He was leading the protests. Really, violent, awful, ugly, anti-Semitic protests, at Columbia University. Not just anti-Semitic. But leading towards the whole Islam is great, we should have Sharia law kind of ideas.

This cannot be tolerated here in America. He holds a green card. What is that? That is a ticket. A golden ticket, to live and work in America.

But just like Willy Wonka, you can be ejected from the tour of the chocolate factory, at any time. There's some fine print there, that you might want to take half glasses. And read half of the contract like they did in Willie.

It's not a passport. It's not citizenship. So let's look at this.

You're handed a guest pass, to the greatest estate on earth.

Okay? The greatest estate ever built. Marble floors. Golden chandeliers. It's the greatest.

Nobody ever thought that it could be that great, but it is.

The view that stretches on forever and ever.

And you've been invited to sit at the table.

Have some wine. Live some life.

But you don't own the deed. The owners are being very, very generous. And they said, stay as long as you want. Now, honor the house. You have to live by our rules. Honor the house.

So you've been invited to sit at this table, eat your fill. Live like you're somebody that is part of the family.

But then you start smashing the windows. You tart, you know, whispering to other members in the House, about, this place is bad.

This place has got to go. We have to leave this place. How long before that key is snatched from your hand by the owner?

And who in their right mind would say, you can't take the key from him.

No!

If you're a family member. If you care about the house, no one would say, Dad, you're being a little unreasonable. He was only trying to torch the kitchen and the guest wing.

No!

He's a guest.

And that's where we are with this guy, and so many others!

Every green card holder, that mistakes privilege for a birthright, you're in for a surprise! There's a new sheriff in town.

There's a new sheriff in town. He's great. We love him. It's a revocable lease. That's what that is! It's not a title! You're not Lord of the manor.

He's got a revocable lease with you!

And here we are, today, we're all like, I don't know this.

I mean -- he should be able to sew chaos and terror. Spread all the anti-American seeds he wants!

No!

He cannot. Here's why: A green card will make you a permanent resident. Legal.

But not a citizen. You don't vote, you don't sit on juries.

By the way, those two things are responsibilities. Not rights!

So you have no responsibilities as a citizen. Which means you have no rights as a citizen.

And if you step out of line, you get sent back.

The Constitution wraps its arms around citizens. Freedom of speech.

Assembly, all of that. Noncitizens, no!

There's an embrace there. But it's very, very, very loose. Supreme Court, made a rule, back in 1893, when I was just a kid with Fonguting.

Wait until you hear the story of Fonguting. Very exciting case.

I'll start there in 60 seconds. First, here's a simple truth that people used to know. When -- when something like the power grid fails.
And, oh, it will fail!

It will fail!

You just sit around, waiting for somebody else to get the lights back on!

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(music)
Well, back in my take, in 1893, there was this young whippersnapper called Fonguting.

And he went -- his case was taken to the Supreme Court. I won't bore you with all the details, because I was too bored to really read them.

But I do know that the outcome is Congress can deport noncitizens at will. There is no right to stay here. It doesn't exist. You break the law. You threaten the nation.

Buh-bye. That's not cruelty. That's the rule book!

So this guy, kicking him out, that's not cruelty. That's not a tragedy of his rights being violated.

He has no rights!

It's privileges, revoked.

Not rights. Privileges!

Now, think about this again. You're inviting somebody in your home. You're welcomed to the couch. You can have all the coffee you want. You have the peace and quiet. But if you start carving up the furniture or plotting to burn the roof off. I don't owe you a bed anymore, or matches to light the fuse.

Period. America is exactly the same. We have flung the doors open, so wide, millions walk through.

And I'm happy about this, to chase their dreams. But that comes with this deal. Don't tear down!

You don't do that. You can't take the things that are holding this whole thing together, and start taking the beams down. You can't!

You're not a citizen. You know, if you hate the beams. You're really rude. But you're also a massive risk. Get the hell out of here. And, by the way, I think we have enough cracks in our foundation without hanging out free hammers. I don't know about you.

But, hey. We shouldn't give hammers to anybody that comes in here. We should take those hammers away.

So if history is a teacher and that teacher has got some scars to show you, this isn't about free speech.

Because that's sacred for you and me. We're citizens. You're born here or you swear an oath, you have skin in the fight, you can rant, you can rave. You can burn flags if you want. That's your call.

Your family, you've earned the voice!

Green card holders. You're our guests. You know, you want to do whatever you want. That's fine.

Get the hell out, period.

We have to guard the gate. You see what's happening in Europe! It's not good. It's not good at all.

We cannot go down that route. Green card holder, you're preaching terror. Buh-bye. Stirring chaos. See you later. Spitting on the values that opened the freaking door for you?

Buh-bye! Want to stay? Build, don't burn. Period.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Kid Rock’s WILD White House Dinner Plan to Unite America | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 248

You can go to https://pbrworldfinals.com/ to buy tickets to Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo and the PBR World Finals this May in Arlington and Fort Worth, TX.

“Make America Fun Again,” says the one and only Kid Rock in a sit-down with Glenn Beck, marking the beginning of what looks like an American comeback. From the popularity of Kid Rock’s new Rock N Rodeo venture with the Professional Bull Riders to his MAGA-rally-style concerts touring the nation, the pair believe we may be watching the revival of the “American Bad Ass.” Sitting together in the Cowtown Coliseum as Kid Rock smokes a cigar, they celebrate the “independent spirit of rock 'n' roll,” which traces back to the cowboy, with Kid Rock declaring, “America owns that cowboy culture.” After lamenting the “pussification” of America, wondering what really happened with Epstein and Diddy, and breaking down why Kid Rock described himself as “socially liberal” until the “transgender stuff,” they discuss how Kid Rock balances his rockstar persona with his real life. “I’m Jekyll and Hyde,” he admits. But Kid Rock is comfortable being an enigma and embraces nonconformists like Elon Musk, calling Musk’s new AI chatbot “genius.” In the end, they agree that it’s time to “unite this country,” and Kid Rock reveals his wild plan for a White House dinner party with Trump and someone you would never expect.

RADIO

How to Explain Trump's Tariff & Ukraine "Chaos" to Your Friends

Half of America is panicking over President Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico and his handling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. So, if you have friends or family members who are very skeptical of everything Trump is doing, Glenn breaks down how you can explain it. Are Trump’s moves just chaotic? Or are they a deliberate plan – provoke, pressure, prevail – that is similar to Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” strategy?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Several top officials, including the highest ranking legal officer at act blue have reportedly jumped ship in recent weeks. While those who remain are allegedly stuck dealing with a culture of volatility and toxicity.

In a letter to Act Blue's board of directors, obtained by the New York Times, unions representing the workers, identified seven officials who recently quit, and stressed the alarming pattern of high-level exits.

Senior staff departures reportedly began on February 21st, 2 weeks after the organization reportedly provided Congressional investigators with an update regarding Act Blue's security, their fraud prevention measures, and related procedures.

Act Blue, we have known, is I believe, appears to be a money laundering system for the left. And there's a lot of money going through there.

I don't know if DOGE will find any connections to act blue. But I wouldn't be surprised. Why are all these people leaving?

Because they know this game is over. And that's why people are freaking out in Washington.

They are freaking out in Washington, because they know the game is over!

Now, there are those people that are in the government. That believe that they're doing the patriotic thing. Because they believe that they know better than you, the people who elect presidents, or the president himself.

You would not want this, if it was your guy in office. Right?

Why wouldn't you want it?

Why wouldn't you want a bunch of -- let's say Republicans, that are in the Deep State, that didn't give a flying crap what Joe Biden said, and wasn't executing his plan! Why wouldn't you like that? You wouldn't like that, because that's not what the people voted for! The people voted for the president. Not for these unelected bureaucrats, that are faceless, nameless, and have complete control, apparently over your country, and your life!

No!

You wouldn't like it.

And I talked to some people this weekend, that are very upset about Zelinsky, and how the president treated Zelinsky. You've got to watch the entire thing.

People who are watching the clip, to when the vice president steps in and says, hold on here.

That's where people start. That's not the beginning. There's 20 minutes prior to that. Where Donald Trump and J.D. Vance were trying to disarm Zelinsky.

Trying to get him to, hey. Hey. Hey. Not appropriate here. Stop!

But it took him 20 minutes before J.D. Vance snapped, and said with be just stop it.

So you have to inform yourself. And not just the clips.

I am -- I am a little uncomfortable by the way the tariffs are going, with Canada and Mexico.

Not so much Mexico. But definitely Canada.

Mexico is just a -- I'm sorry.

But it's just an absolute corrupt country.

And they have got to get control of those cartels. And we have to get control of those cartels as well.

And make sure we're not doing business with any of the cartels. Which I'm not convinced we're not.

But Canada is one of these countries.

Come on!

It's Canada. It's Canada. We've always liked Canada. Canada has always liked us. Okay?

There he is, a $1.2 trillion online with our trade relationship. Okay? And everybody said, oh, my gosh. This will have a ripple effect.

It will just cost everybody. And, you know what, it might. It might.

I don't know. It might.

On the surface, it is really tempting to see what everything that Donald Trump is doing, as chaos.

He's just swinging, at everybody.

And he's hitting our friends. And he's hitting our supposed friends.

And he's just taking out everybody.

But that's not really what's going on.

And I want you to understand this. So you can share this to your friends and your family, who maybe are freaking out.

We're pissing off Canada. I know.

I don't like it either!

I don't like it!

But it's not chaos. It's a strategy.

And you are dealing with the best negotiator, America has ever had in office.

Ever!

And this is the strategy, that people in America, elected Trump to execute.

Now, maybe your friend didn't. Or your family didn't.

Because they didn't vote for them. Okay. But the majority of people did, okay?

Electoral college, and the popular vote!

And the county swung by 20 points, to the red!

So this is a mandate. It is a movement. And it's not like ear presidents, that are like, you know, I'm -- I'm going to be just like you, when I get in. I'm going to fight for everything that you're saying you will fight for.

And I'm just like you.

Boy, that thing that I don't even address ever, but I love what you're saying there. But I have your back.

And then they go in, and don't have your back.

That's not what happened this time! First of all, people didn't vote for Donald Trump, like they voted for Joe Biden.

Joe Biden they voted for, because it wasn't Trump. Okay?

That's not what happened this time around. When you vote for somebody who is not the other guy, well, what is it you're getting?

In that case, you've got, I will make your boy a girl!

Nobody was for that. Nobody voted for that. Maybe extremists. But we didn't even know that was even coming our way, until what?

Six months, or eight months into the presidency.

And then all of a sudden, DEI.

ESG, all of this stuff was a big story? People didn't vote for that. They did vote for changing the direction of America. They were tired of corruption. They're tired of bureaucrats, telling them how to live their life. Where they didn't get to vote on it. They're tired of being screwed by other countries.

I just -- we just want a fair and balanced playing field.

I don't like tariffs.

I do like reciprocal tariffs.

You put a tax on our milk.

We'll put a tax on your milk.

You don't want a tax on your milk. Then don't put a tax. And we won't tax you either.

I like that!

But that's -- what we're playing now, is people just think, we're going to take out Canada.

I want you to think of this differently with your friends.

And maybe your friends won't like this example. But it's true!

When Ronald Reagan stood up, it was, I think it was in March of '83.

And he's just gotten in, and he's standing, I think it was at a breakfast or something. And he stood up and he said, and Russia, the Soviet Union, is an evil empire.

And everybody went, oh, my gosh. He just said an evil empire. I'm so scared.

And everybody, even people who liked him, were like, don't say that. They'll nuke us.

And he's like, no. We'll never beat them. We cannot do. Now, listen to this. We cannot continue to play the game, the same way, we've been playing it for 50 years. Because it's not getting us anywhere.

In fact, it might be hurting us.

We know, with all of our foreign policy, that we've done, getting us into endless wars. Spending all kinds of money. Racking up a debt of $35 trillion, not knowing what the truth is. Because the government is no longer transparent.

None of that works!

None of that works! And that's what Donald Trump was -- was saying. And that's what people voted for. A change!

I think that's what people actually voted for, when it came to Barack Obama.

Because all of this transparency. Everything was opaque under George W. Bush. We're like, wait. What are we doing there? Why is it -- I don't want necessarily these never-ending wars, and now I have got people checking my underpants at the airport. What are we doing? That's why they wanted change, transparency. They wanted change, but he never defined the change.

Donald Trump was very clear. Anybody, who didn't know that massive tariffs were come, they just weren't paying attention.

Okay. When Reagan did it, it wasn't just a slip of the tongue. It was deliberate. It was a public shot across the bough! He did it in public, because he wanted to change the world.

And while everybody else was going, oh, my gosh. And critics, Democrats, everybody.

He's going to -- it's going to be catastrophic! He's going to get us nuked by Friday.
All the squirrels will be dead. The squirrels are going to be -- what? Reagan wasn't playing for the applause. He was playing to win. His words were backed by a military build-up and unrelenting pressure, and it forced the Soviets to confront their own fragility. They couldn't do it! By 1989.

Remember, it was 1983 when he said "evil empire."

And we were -- we were at -- at equal terms, in the world. We were both world superpowers, that could annihilate the other one at the drop of a hat. That was 1983. Evil empire.

By 1989, the Berlin wall was rubble!

All because Reagan had the balls to say it, and then not blink! Now, we could have been vaporized.

Yes. But if you want to change the world, you're going to have to -- I have this saying, that somebody gave to me, a long time ago. And I live my life by it. Risk big, win big. Risk big, lose big. Just know the odds before you put your money on the table. That's why I don't like Vegas.

I know the odds resident in my favor.

Yes. I can risk big. But I probably will lose big. Because the odds are not in my favor. When it comes to Ronald Reagan's Soviet empire, he had a plan. And so the odds, he knew, were in our favor. The same thing with Donald Trump. We can't afford a trade war, but neither can they!

So let's all play nice with one another.
Shall we?

This is the same kind of leadership that Ronald Reagan had. They -- we elected Donald Trump to fight!

To take on a global trade system! To take on the deficit, and the spending.

We can't fire all these people. It's causing all kinds of chaos.

Wait. Are you okay?

Honestly, are you okay with a good portion of our money, raised in taxes. Going to pay for salaries and benefits the way it is?

We have 6 million plus employees! For what? For what? When you see how corrupt it is, why? Can't we return some of that power?

Well, you can't cut the Department of Education. Why not? He pledged he was going to. He told everybody on the campaign trail, he was going to. And then when he tries, everybody says, why? It doesn't work. Show me the evidence, that it works!

Well, you're just going to leave all of the poor children out to educationally starve. They're starving to death, right now.

They can't read!

When you don't teach children to read, they become slaves to whomever can read!

How is that compassion?

How is that good?

How is that something you want to preserve?

It all comes down to one thing. And this is what you're actually fighting, and I'll explain it to you in 60 seconds.
(music)

Deep in the quiet of a mother's womb, if you listen carefully, there is a voice. Not that one. It's -- it's a heartbeat. It's saying, there's life in here! I am made in the image of God. Just like you.

Our culture hasn't spent very long, you know, actually listening. We've been plugging our ears because we don't want to hear that voice.

Some people don't want to hear -- it's inconvenient. Expectant mother, especially the desperate, often choose to silence that voice. They don't even want to think about it because they're desperate.

Instead of looking at people and saying, you're a baby killer! Why don't we look at people and say, how can we help you hear that voice? That is exactly what this organization does, that will help you.

It will help these women hear that voice.

Because they offer free ultrasounds to expectant mother. The organization is Preborn.

At least half of the time, that's all it takes, to convince a woman, she's carrying a living human being. And she will change her mind.

However, the other big obstacle is, I can't. I don't have any support.

Will you do what the Preborn clinic -- because they care about the baby, and the mom. And they will help her for two years. After the baby is born.

Preborn.com/Beck. You're saving lives.

Hit #250. Key word baby. Make a donation of any size that you can. Maybe it's a monthly contribution. Preborn.com/Beck.

Every 28 bucks buys another ultrasound. Preborn.com/Beck. Sponsored by Preborn.

Ten-second station ID.
(music)
So let's just look at Canada and the tariffs here for a second. 270 percent tariffs on our dairy imports.

$40 billion for, you know, in goods surplus. That's not a quirk. You know, Donald Trump keeps saying this. And people don't realize this is true.

The EU was designed to be able to compete against the United States. Okay?

They are economic competitors. That doesn't mean they're enemies. The same thing with Canada. And when you're the rich person, believe me, look at how people look at rich people.

They haven't paid their fair share in taxes. That's the way they view us.

Okay? We pay more for our medical prescriptions here in America than they do overseas. Because we even view ourselves, politically, when the people in power actually have anything to say about it.

They are like, well, they're the richest country in the world, so we should pay more. No!

Should somebody defend us as well? That's what Donald Trump is. Here's what this boils down to.

It boils down to your friends are not paying attention.

Because they've already made their mind up, about Donald Trump.

They don't know who he is. Okay? Did you like it, when -- when you went over, and he was like, yeah. That little guy, missile boy. And he was saying that about Kim Jong-un who had his finger on a launch button. You're like, okay.

This isn't good. What happened?

What happened?

We won!

And he got American citizens, that were being held hostage, out of there.

All of a sudden, he's friends with him.

No. He was just calling him, you know, rocket man. Just like ten minutes ago.

This is what he does!

This is how he negotiates!

It's -- it's his playbook is provoke, pressure, prevail.

That's what it is!

So people are just afraid because it's a different approach.

And nobody likes to upset the -- it's like -- can have you ever -- I'm a horrible negotiator. I go in to a buy a car, I don't even go. I send a friend in, because I'm like, I can't negotiate. I always feel bad.

I'm like, I don't know. I don't want to screw you.

Horrible. Horrible. So I have a good friend, who goes in. Robert, my brother. He goes in, and he negotiates.

And he loves it. Okay? Because that's the game they play all day. And they know you don't like it!

And you're like, I don't want -- I just want everything to be fair and nice and happy. No.

When you're negotiating. You bring the biggest dog to the negotiating table, you can get!

Somebody that knows how to play their game, as well as they do, if not better.

And doesn't blink! That's how get a good deal. That's what Donald Trump is. And you're the person like me. In the car dealership, going. Well, but no.

He doesn't really mean that. I don't know. Maybe he's had a really bad day. But I -- Mr. Car salesman. I appreciate your family. I don't want your family to starve. They're not going to starve. This is the game they play! And nobody likes to play that game!

That's I couldn't hire someone like Donald Trump. To come in, and play that game.

Your job is to not freak out. Because if you freak out, the other side sees the whole family sitting there, squirming. And then they just look at you, like, really?

Can you believe this guy, who is negotiating on your behalf?

He's a monster.

And what happens? The family starts to squirm, and they blink!

Don't blink. You may not like the style, but this is what we voted for! Complete change!

Glenn's Show Prep

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Transcript

Yes, Trump CAN Deport Green Card Holder Mahmoud Khalil for Protesting

Transcript

Kid Rock’s WILD White House Dinner Plan to Unite America | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 248

How to Explain Trump's Tariff & Ukraine "Chaos" to Your Friends

Transcript