BLOGJune 20, 2017

How Innovators, Athletes and Warriors Hijack Their Senses for Off-The-Chart Productivity

It’s the biggest revolution you’ve never heard of, and it’s hiding in plain sight. Over the past decade, Silicon Valley executives like Eric Schmidt and Elon Musk, Special Operators like the Navy SEALs and the Green Berets, and maverick scientists like Sasha Shulgin and Amy Cuddy have turned everything we thought we knew about high performance upside down. Instead of grit, better habits, or 10,000 hours, these trailblazers have found a surprising short cut. They're harnessing rare and controversial states of consciousness to solve critical challenges and outperform the competition.

In his new book Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work, co-author Steven Kotler details this place called "the flow" where creativity and performance are heightened. Getting in the flow isn't all sunshine and lollipops, however. Kotler joined Glenn on radio to discuss the phenomenon.

"If I understand you right, what you're saying is, whether it's drugs, whether it's a spiritual experience, no matter how you get there, there's this place called the flow, and it makes you so much more focused and productive," Glenn said.

Kotler explained.

"What we know about flow is that . . . in these states, all of the brain's kind of information processing machinery gets amplified, right? We take in more information per second. We process it more quickly. We're able to, like, link ideas together. So creativity goes through the roof, motivation goes through the roof, cooperation, collaboration --- all the so-called twenty-first century skills, the skills that we need so badly right now," Kotler said.

This state of consciousness floods the brain with dopamine, the chemical that underlies all addictive behavior --- like gambling, sex, shopping or cocaine addictions.

Glenn experienced his own version of it for several years from a "deep spiritual connection of profound gratitude and service" called "helper's flow."

According to Kotler, there are ten individual triggers that could drive someone into the flow, as well as group or shared triggers.

"There's a shared collective version of a flow state, known as group flow. It's what happens if you've ever been in a great brainstorming session or if you watched a band come together and the music just starts to soar, or for that matter, if you saw the Super Bowl last year . . . what the Patriots did in the fourth quarter. Everybody comes together, and football looks more like ballet. That's group flow. It's what the SEALs rely on so heavily too," Kotler said.

Based on brain research and four years of investigation, Stealing Fire explains how the driving forces of psychology, neurobiology, technology and pharmacology are fueling a trillion dollar underground economy.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Steve, welcome to the program. Glad you're here.

I have to be honest with you, I've only read, you know, 50 pages of the book. And I'm not sure I -- I understand. Let me just ask you one question before we get into it, to make sure I do understand what the point is here. Is James Valentine -- he was not taking any drugs. He was just -- he had a different kind of experience. But the same effect.

STEVEN: Yeah.

GLENN: Okay. So I just wanted to know that. Now you can start at the beginning because now I think I got it.

STEVEN: Absolutely. Let me just put it in historical context for you because it's the -- thank you for having me, by the way.

GLENN: You bet.

STEVEN: But it's the easiest way to frame this up.

Back at the turn of the century, 1902, William James, who is a Harvard philosopher and psychologist and has used sort -- he's sort of the godfather of western philosophy -- he makes the observation that a whole slew of experiences, what all the experiences that are sort of found north of happy -- so these are states of awe. Certain kinds of mystical experiences, like trance states or states produced by prayer or yoga or meditation, or even in some cases, psychedelic states or flow states, which is what we study at the Flow Juneau Project, myself and Jamie Weil, who I wrote the book with. Which are those states of -- kind of optimal states of consciousness where we feel are best, where we perform our best.

You notice that all these states were really, really similar. They produce very similar psychological changes in us. They seem to heal anxiety, heal trauma, and they seem to lift us up to incredible heights. And they produce a very similar kind of physical experiences in us.

And we sort of turned our back on it. Like we weren't really interested in all states of consciousness at that point. Freud came along. He said, hey, pathological problems are much more interesting. Let's try to fix people.

And that's what psychology did, for about a hundred years, until the late '90s, when somebody -- hey, you know, there's this whole upper realm of experiences we haven't looked at. And now we have.

And as it turns out, using, you know, high-powered brain imaging technology, James was right. There's very, very little difference in the brain of a skier in the zone, moving down a mountain base, or say, as you pointed out, in the beginning, a billionaire microdosing with psychedelics or somebody meditating. Very similar things happen in the brain. They produce very similar feelings. And, thus, they have similar benefits.

GLENN: Okay. So let's get into this. Because I -- I've read 55 pages this morning, just trying to get ready for this. And I wish I would have picked the book up earlier. Because I think --

STEVEN: I got to tell you, by the way, 55 pages, you're doing well compared to a lot of people I talk to.

GLENN: Well, I'm embarrassed --

STEVEN: I appreciate that.

GLENN: I'm embarrassed that I've only read 55.

But the idea here -- I'm fascinated by it because I believe -- as long as we're not talking about a drug-only state, in the flow, I really truly believe that from 2007 to about 2012, I experienced that. And it -- just being in the flow. And it was a very different feeling and real high, high clarity.

Mine was a -- mine was a -- not drug induced. But I could explain it to you. And I think it's the way John Valentine --

STEVEN: James Valentine.

GLENN: Or, James Valentine would explain it as well. So I think there is something here to people --

STEVEN: Do I mind if I ask you a question?

GLENN: Yeah, go ahead.

STEVEN: What triggered that experience in you? At the front end of it, what was going on in your life that brought that on?

GLENN: It was a -- a -- a deep spiritual connection of profound gratitude and service.

STEVEN: So, interestingly, you had an experience, and it's very long-lasting. It's known as helper's high. It was discovered by Allan Luks, founder of Big Brothers Big Sisters back in the '90s. It's essentially a flow state. Right? And let's just define "flow" for your listeners who don't know what exactly it is. Flow is a fancy term for being in the zone, being unconscious, if you play a lot of basketball. Those moments of wrapped attention and total absorption, where you get so focused on what you're doing, everything else vanishes. So your sense of self goes away. Time passes strangely. It slows down, or it will speed up.

GLENN: It's what, like, SEALs and people describe when they're at their height of, you know, going in to kill Osama bin Laden. Time slows down. Everything else disappears.

STEVEN: Yes. Now, that's a very acute -- when time slows down, it has to be very acute. There's a lot of additional brain processes being involved a little bit

GLENN: Right.

STEVEN: But essentially, helper's high is a flow state produced by altruism. You can even get a little taste for it -- if you've ever donated to Kiva or an online charity or anything like that, you'll get a little flush of that kind of feel-good feeling on the back end.

GLENN: Yes.

STEVEN: You just got it for a very long time. My wife and I were on a dog sanctuary and -- so we do hospice care and special needs care, and we live in a very poor community. And we work here intentionally and live here intentionally to do this work. And she runs on helper's high.

GLENN: So the difference between that and just the dopamine that you get from -- you know, the (sound effect) from your Facebook or your email.

STEVEN: Yeah, exactly.

GLENN: What is what is the difference?

STEVEN: So the differences are, as we move into flow, a couple of things happen: First of all, you get -- so most of what -- what they call 21st century normal, you and I, where our brains are right now, there's a lot of activity kind of behind our forehead, in what's known as the prefrontal cortex, which is your executive function, your attention, your sense of morality, your sense of will, language, function, all that stuff. That's going crazy.

And we -- most of us live with like the steady drip, drip of stress hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine. That's what psychologists talk about as 21st century normal, essentially.

As you move into all of these states -- this happens in meditation. It happens in conflative states like yoga. It happens in flow states, whether they're triggered by action/adventure sports or by music. James Valentine's experience was he got into these deep trances playing music.

You can -- chess is -- Josh Waitzkin talks a lot about chess and flow. Very common in a lot of things that require intense focus in the present moment or altruism, in your case.

And so what happens is you move into those states -- and in the prefrontal cortex, it gets really quiet. It dies down.

That's why your sense of self disappears. Right? The inner critic -- that nagging, always on, defeatist voice in your head goes quiet in those states because the inner critic is basically calculated in your prefrontal cortex. And if that part of the brain starts to shut down, we can't perform the calculations. So your inner critic goes away. Time passes, strangely. Because time is calculated all over the prefrontal cortex. And what goes away, we can't separate past, present, from future. It all blends together into what researchers call the "deep now."

And to your question, the stress hormones, norepinephrine and cortisol, they get flushed out of our system. And they get replaced by not just dopamine. Dopamine itself is a very powerful, you know, feel-good neural chemical with a lot of performance-enhancing benefit. But you also get endorphins and serotonin and monoamine and oxytocin. It's the cocktail that is so popular.

And what that cocktail does -- you talked about the clarity, besides -- you know, it makes us feel selfless. It makes us feel timeless. It also gives -- it massively -- it massively boosts motivation.

So McKinsey, for example, did a ten-year study of top executives in flow. And they found that top executives were 500 percent more productive in flow. That's a huge boost. And it's because all of these same neural chemicals, they're feel-good drugs. Some of the most addictive pleasure chemicals the brain can produce -- flow is the only time we get all at once. And so it produced this huge spike in motivation. A positive spike, right? Like a positive addiction.

GLENN: And so your -- your job now is to try to figure out how to trip us into this flow?

STEVEN: Yeah. We -- so over the past -- you know, flow science has -- stretches back 150 years. But recently, the past ten years, we've been able to look under the hood for the first time. Where are these experiences coming from? And we've been able to work backwards. And we now know that flow states have triggers, preconditions that lead to more flow.

There are ten individual triggers, what you or I could have used on our own to drive ourselves into flow. And then there's a shared collective version of a flow state, known as group flow. It's what happens if you've ever been in a great brainstorming session or if you watched a band come together and the music just starts to soar, or for that matter, if you saw the Super Bowl last year. Saw fourth quarter comeback, right? The spectacular -- what the Patriots did in the fourth quarter. Everybody comes together, and football looks more like ballet. That's group flow.

It's what the SEALs rely on so heavily too. It's a team coming together, being able to kind of behave like a collective organism.

GLENN: Okay. When we come back, I want to have you go through some of those ten things that can trip us into it. The name of the book is Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work and the Way We Live.

[break]

GLENN: I'm fascinated by this. Steven Kotler. The name of the book is called Stealing Fire.

And, Steven, if I understand you right, what you're saying is, whether it's drugs, whether it's a spiritual experience, no matter how you get there, there's this place called the flow, and it makes you so much more focused and productive. And however you get there, you're trying to figure out how to trip yourself into it. Correct?

STEVEN: Yeah.

GLENN: Okay.

STEVEN: What we know about flow is that -- you know, in these states, all of the brain's kind of information processing machinery gets amplified. Right? We take in more information per second. We process it more quickly. We're able to like link ideas together. Find -- so creativity goes through the roof. Motivation goes through the roof. Cooperation, collaboration, all the so-called 21st Century skills, the skills that we need so badly right now.

GLENN: Okay. So give me -- we have about five minutes. Give me the high points on how to trip yourself into it.

STEVEN: So, you know, some really kind of basic stuff is pretty simple. First thing you need to know is that flow shows up when all of our attention is focused on the right here, right now.

So at a very practical level, we go into companies, one of the first things we tell them is if -- you can't hang a sign that says, bleep off, I'm flowing. You are in trouble. Because flow requires 90- to 120-minute periods of concentration to really bring it out. Which is, by the way, one of the reasons Montessori education is so effective. It's built around to 90 to 120 minutes of uninterrupted concentration periods, right? They use this. And it's why Montessori kids, you know, see so much flow and end up testing better than so many other kids on any test you throw at them. Very simple thing.

Want to get it -- take it one notch up. We'll go into a trigger that's often called the golden rule of flow, known as the challenge skills balance. The idea here is really simple: All of flow's triggers are things that help drive attention to the present moment. Right?

So we pay the most attention to the task at hand, when the challenge of the task slightly exceeds our skill set. So you want to stretch, but not snap. And this is tricky. Because if you're sort of shy or timid, maybe a bit of an underachiever, whatever, the sweet spot is outside of your comfort zone. You have to be pushing yourself outside your standard comfort zone.

For a really super high productive, top performers, type A types, the problem here is they blow past the sweet spot. They will take on challenges that are so much bigger than they need to be.

And so one of the things we always tell people is in this stuff -- especially if you're type A, you got to go slow to go fast. There's a kind of neuro biologically sweet spot as to how we pay attention. And when you hit it, it really drives focus.

GLENN: Okay. Go ahead.

STEVEN: I mean, just a couple places to start.

GLENN: All right. So do you do this with -- are you guys doing this work with companies coming in and saying --

STEVEN: Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, last week, we spent a day with all the top senior management, top executives at Ameritrade. And the bigger point is this, we've learned this over the years in our digitally delivered classes -- and, for example, we did a six-week training at Google a couple years ago. It was a joint learning exercise, where we were trying some of this stuff out. And we train them up in kind of four high performance basics like sleep hygiene. Get enough sleep at night kind of stuff. Real basic. And then four flow triggers. How do you deploy these in your life?

And after a six-week period -- and they did about an hour of homework a day, spread out throughout the day, but it took some work. But not a ton. They saw a 35 to 80 percent increase in flow.

Now, within context, same McKinsey article I talked about earlier, the same study, found that a 15 percent increase in workplace flow will double overall workplace productivity. So what we've learned is, not only does flow have triggers, the stuff is really easy to teach. It's not -- and it's funny because everybody -- everybody is basically -- we're hard-wired the same. We're wired for high performance. So once you start understanding how this stuff works, you can really step on the gas.

PAT: So you don't have to do this through drugs, through chemical means, right?

STEVEN: No. No.

PAT: In fact --

STEVEN: There are a lot -- you have to understand that what you're talking about is pharmacology today, which has a long history of strong reactions. Lots of politics. Lots of mess. Goes back a long time.

Tomorrow, you're going to be talking about a EEG headset that zaps your brain in a particular way. We're already getting there. Right? We have EEG headsets that can dial up a lot of kind of the underlying neural biology of flow. And they're getting better. Virtual reality is better. Is really good at this as well. So like you have feelings of, hey, I don't want to take a pharmacological route. Totally fine. Right? Absolutely valid. You know what I mean? Not for everybody.

But, you know, it's an interesting bias because, you know, our idea that we -- it's internal and comes from us. It's pure and whole and sacred. And, you know, drugs are -- drugs are a cheater's way there, or they're bad or whatever. Fine. Okay. That's where we are now.

But tomorrow, it's going to be an app on your phone. That's where it starts to get really interesting.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: Well, I want to talk to you about that a little bit. Because you say this can be really, really good or highly destructive.

STEVEN: Well, so earlier I mentioned that you get all five of these really potent neural chemicals. They're very addictive. All -- I mean, there's no external drugs, cocaine, for example, most addictive drug on earth. All it does is flood the brain with dopamine, right? Dopamine is the drug that makes -- that underlies all addictive behavior.

GLENN: Yes, yes, yes.

STEVEN: Gambling addiction, sex addiction, shopping addiction. You know, cocaine addiction. It doesn't matter. So you're getting the into the same neuro chemistry. So these states can be very, very addictive.

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

How Innovators, Athletes and Warriors Hijack Their Senses for Off-The-Chart Productivity

ATF Whistleblower Reveals Where Cartel Weapons REALLY Come From

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