BLOGAugust 14, 2017

GOP Senate Candidate: We Need to Send 'a Huge Message to the Establishment'

President Donald Trump and Republicans need to remember what they promised the American people during the election. The Senate must send a “huge message to the establishment” about keeping promises like repealing Obamacare, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) said on radio Monday.

During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to undo the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, and Republicans up and down the ballot swore they would repeal the Affordable Care Act in order to win votes. These key promises and other campaign talking points have not yet been turned into action by Republicans, who now hold the White House as well as the House and Senate.

“I am baffled again,” Brooks said of Trump’s inability to follow through on the Iran deal promise.

Brooks, who is running for the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, said he would bring limited-government principles to the table if elected.

“If we get a principled conservative in the United States Senate … that is a huge message to the establishment, and they will be shivering in their boots,” he said of his campaign.

GLENN: Hello, America. A lot to talk about. Of course, what happened with the white nationalists. The Justice Department has opened the civil rights investigation into this. I don't know how much there is to investigate: They're Nazis, and they killed somebody.

But did the president go far enough? Was his statement also true? What role do we play in this? What is the future of a small government constitutionally minded people? Does that even exist?

Mo Brooks is a congressman who is running now for the Senate. And the election is happening tomorrow. He's a congressman for Alabama. He's running for the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. And there is an interesting race going on and a battle inside this conservative movement. The election is tomorrow. Mo Brooks joins us right now.

(music)

GLENN: Welcome, Congressman Mo Brooks. How are you, sir?

MO: I'm doing great, Glenn. How about yourself today?

GLENN: Very good. As you probably know, you have our favorite clip of anyone ever on MSNBC, when you were trying to explain the economic crisis we were in. And this is what happened.

VOICE: We were looking at going -- reverting into a depression at that point. Everyone -- the fed chairman --

MO: Well, I disagree that we were going into a depression, but go ahead.

VOICE: Well, do you have a degree in economics?

MO: Yes, ma'am, I do. Highest honors.

VOICE: Okay. So --

PAT: I love that.

STU: "Okay. So --"

GLENN: You can tell us, Mo. That was satisfying, wasn't it? That moment was just like, "Oh, yeah, that felt good?"

MO: Every now and then, they pitch a softball.

(chuckling)

GLENN: So, Mo, tell us, first of all, your thoughts of what happened over the weekend in Virginia.

MO: Well, you know, it's very disheartening that there are still people out there who judge other people based on inherent qualities that those people have no control over: A skin pigmentation is not a basis for defining who we are. Ethnicity is not a basis for defining who we are. Sex is a basis for defining who we are. We should all be judged based on our conduct and how we interact with other people.

Unfortunately, there are still people in our society, on both sides of the fence, that look at skin pigmentation, sex, and ethnicity, when those should not be factors of concern.

GLENN: You reject outright nationalism and the national socialist Nazi movement?

MO: Well, I don't agree with socialism. I don't agree with Nazis. I don't agree with any group that says that your skin pigmentation alone makes you superior to another group. That's silly. I mean, skin pigmentation is skin pigmentation. You know, I've got freckles. Does that make me good or bad because I've got freckles? That's a form of skin pigmentation. It's so absurd.

And so, yes, I agree -- I disagree -- I disagree with anybody -- anybody who tries to define somebody else based on characteristics that they were born with. That is not what defines a human being.

GLENN: Now, you were -- you were a congressman who in 2016, endorsed Ted Cruz.

MO: I was his Alabama state chairman, and I was one of his national spokesmen for his campaign. So, yes.

GLENN: Okay. So now here comes this opening in -- you know, in the Senate. And you want to run for it. You're a great conservative small government guy.

And the president -- a couple of weeks ago, you were scheduled for an interview with us. Last week, President Trump endorsed your opponent Luther Strange. Any idea why that happened?

MO: It's baffling to me. Luther Strange is a decades' long Washington, DC, lobbyist. We all knew when President Trump declared that he was going to Washington, DC, to drain the swamp, the swamp was going to fight back. And Luther Strange is the swamp's candidate. So to me, there seems to be a conflict between draining the swamp and endorsing the swamp's candidate on the one hand.

And on the other hand, the president most recently was, rightfully so, complaining about Mitch McConnell and the do-nothing Senate. And the 60-vote rule that prevents us from passing our agenda. And I agree with the president, in that regard.

Yet, he endorses the person who supports the 60-vote rule that kills President Trump's agenda over the next three and a half years. So, yes, I'm puzzled by it. I don't know who gave President Trump this bad advice, probably Mitch McConnell. I do know the president is spread rather thin. He's got a lot of different issues he's got to focus on. But whoever it is that led him to endorse Luther Strange led him astray.

GLENN: If you go in, who do you caucus with?

MO: Well, I'm a Republican, so I'm going to caucus with the Republicans in the United States Senate. I do prefer a different leader. Mitch McConnell may be a nice guy. I really don't know him that well personally. But his job is to get through the United States Senate a repeal of Obamacare. His job is to get through the United States Senate funding for the border wall and stronger security measures. His job is to get through the United States Senate tax reform. His job is to do what must be done to get our deficit and debt under control. And, quite frankly, he has failed miserably on each of those different public policy issues. So it's time to try somebody knew, someone who perhaps can get the job done, someone more aggressive, more conservative, somebody who is able to persuade a majority of the United States Senate to do what our country needs doing.

Otherwise, it's going to be a wasted opportunity with us having the House, the Senate, and the White House.

GLENN: I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime, where they have more opportunity and a president who is providing total coverage for the Congress, just to -- just to snowplow through stuff.

MO: I don't get it either. It's baffling to me. It's puzzling to me. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reverse Obamacare, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try to get our deficit and debt under control before we suffer debilitating insolvency and bankruptcy that will do great damage to a country that our ancestors took centuries to build, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure our southern border. Just go down the list of things that you, in 2009 and 2010, are focused on, as you helped the Tea Party movement that gave us the House of Representatives in 2010, where we gained 63 seats, if my memory serves me correctly.

And this is our chance. And to date, over seven months of President Trump's presidency, we have had zero -- zero significant legislative achievements that pertain to the major issues that face our country, the issues that I just itemized. And that's because the 60-vote rule in the United States Senate has empowered Chuck Schumer and the Democrats to control our agenda. And that's just craziness. You've got a choice: You can either support an archaic rule that was born in the 1800s, while there was still slavery, or you can go with America. And I choose America.

GLENN: We're talking to Congressman Mo Brooks who is running tomorrow the election in Alabama. Running for Jeff Sessions' Senate seat.

Let's talk a little bit about North Korea. What do you think is -- what are we headed with this, Mo?

MO: I believe that you're going to see a relationship between the United States and North Korea, akin to what we saw with China under Mao Zedong and the Soviet Union, under Josef Stalin and all of his successors.

In my judgment, the mutually assured destruction doctrine will work to deter North Korea from ever launching a first strike at the United States of America. Because a first strike by North Korea against America results in a retaliatory nuclear strike by the United States, that would turn North Korea into a sea of glass. And every single North Korean leader would be dead. The North Korean leadership acts crazy. But I tend to think they act crazy in order to achieve a smart purpose. I don't believe that they won't commit suicide.

So mutually assured destruction doctrine ought to work with them to prevent a first strike from ever being launched by either party, just as it has worked with the United States and the Soviet Union -- now Russia and China over the decade. However, to be on the safe side, we need to bolster our radar systems and our interceptor systems so that we can shoot down any missiles that may come from North Korea. Having said all that, we must not be distracted from the bigger threat. The bigger threat is Iran.

Iran -- mutually assured destruction doctrine may not work because of their religious beliefs, where they believe that giving up their own life in the furtherance of Allah's will is worthwhile. And if Iran gets nuclear weapons, with missile delivery systems that can knock out what Iran calls the little Satan, Israel, and knock out the United States of America, even if it means the total and complete annihilation of Iran, some of these Iranian leaders may do it as a matter of religious belief. And so I would tend to focus a little bit more on Iran and the threat that they pose, given that Barack Obama has empowered Iran to get nuclear weapons and the delivery system sometime within the next ten to 15 years.

GLENN: So do you have any insight at all on why President Trump ran on I'm going to tear up that Iranian deal, and then has come out and said, "No, no, we can't do that." Do you have any insight, any feelings on that, Mo?

MO: Well, I am baffled again. Once you make a campaign promise, I'm one of those who believes you ought to keep it. And I do not understand why the president may have said one thing on this particular issue, dealing with the Iran nuclear agreement, while he was a candidate, and not fulfilling whatever his campaign promise may have been, during the campaign.

That's -- that's akin to repealing Obamacare. We promised the American people we would repeal Obamacare. But apparently, there are a lot of people in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives that didn't really intend to keep that promise.

And the American people need to hold their feet to the fire to ensure that we deliver on the promise to repeal Obamacare. You just can't go through the motions and say, "Well, I tried. I voted that way."

In the Senate, you have tremendous power to force things to happen. And unfortunately, we don't have enough people in the United States Senate right now, fighting hard to force that repeal of Obamacare.

GLENN: Talking --

MO: There's nice guy stuff going on, instead of real fighters to achieve our goals.

GLENN: Talking to US congressman from Alabama, Mo Brooks, who is running for the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. That election happens tomorrow.

Mo, what happens to the -- the conservative movement or the Republican Party should voices like yours be brushed out and lost? And -- and voices -- and voices like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan or even worse, the Steve Bannons of the world are held up.

MO: I'm going to flip it a little bit and talk about what happens if we prevail. If we get a principled conservative in the United States Senate -- and as an aside, if anyone wants to help, please go to MoBrooksforSenate.com. MoBrooksforSenate.com.

But if we are able to prevail, that is a huge message to the establishment, and they'll be shivering in their boots. Okay?

This 60 percent rule that blocks us from repealing Obamacare, from funding the border wall, from dealing with deficits and debt, from getting rid of a lot of these giveaway programs that cause people to no longer respect the work ethic and that encourage the breakup of families, and having kids out of wedlock, because you get more money that way -- we can make huge strides, if we win -- if you elect Mo Brooks from the state of Alabama in this election, because it sends a message to Mitch McConnell, that he better get on the ball, that he better start working. And this recess, this vacation that the Senate is on right now, they should get back to work and continue to confirm every single one of President Trump's nominees to various positions. They need to get back to work on repeal of Obamacare. They also need to start thinking about new Senate leadership because it will be a debacle and an embarrassment for Mitch McConnell if after spending 5 to $10 million in attack ads against Mo Brooks and against Judge Roy Moore, if their handpicked establishment candidate, Luther Strange, does not win.

So we can send a huge positive message to the United States Senate and Washington, DC, that it's time for a change. We're not satisfied with a do-nothing Senate. We're not satisfied with allowing Chuck Schumer and the Democrats to be obstructionists because we let them. That's the message.

We have to win this race tomorrow. Then that message gets to Washington, DC. And they like keep their jobs, they might start working better.

GLENN: Mo Brooks for Senate. Mo -- M-O -- BrooksforSenate.com is where you can go and get more information and help out. And get to the polls if you're in Alabama. If you like what you heard, those -- that -- those polls open tomorrow. And if somebody doesn't get 50 percent, there will be a runoff. MoBrooksforSenate.com.

Mo, thank you so much. Best of luck to you. And, sir, thank you for the years of good service in Congress. And we hope that --

MO: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you for all your help.

GLENN: Thank you. We appreciate it.

BLOG

For a Night, We Were Human | The Christmas Truce Music Video

In the frozen trenches of World War I along the Lys River in 1914, amidst the relentless thunder of artillery, a miraculous unofficial truce unfolded on Christmas Day. British and German soldiers, weary enemies, emerged from the mud and wire to share gifts, songs, and stories of home together in the ruins. Produced by Glenn Beck in collaboration with AI, this poignant music video and original song recapture the true story of the Christmas Truce, reminding us that even in the darkest times, a single brave act or small light can awaken our shared humanity, allowing soldiers to lay down their weapons and remember they are human... just for a night.

Stay tuned at GlennBeck.com for more musical storytelling inspired by Glenn’s artifacts next year on Torch.

RADIO

The HIDDEN history behind Trump’s controversial Rob Reiner comments

President Trump recently received heat from his own party over his comments about the allegedly murdered actor Rob Reiner. Glenn Beck explains why he believes Trump’s comments were not a good move, but also tells of a meeting he had with Trump that he believes explains why Trump hates TDS so much…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I don't -- I don't -- I don't want to get into -- into the mix with everybody and personalities. I like -- my goal is to make things about right and wrong, and not about personalities.

But I do want to spend just a second on President Trump's post yesterday about Rob Reiner. It made me sad. It made me really sad. Because I like the president.

And -- and he doesn't help himself when he does things like this. But I think I understand this in a different way.

You know, the President has said, you know, all kinds of things about me at times when I disagree with him. He'll say, "Oh, he's just a failing fat blob," or whatever. And that's just him. That's just the way -- when he's in a fight, he is a -- he's a knife fighter. And I get it. I don't like it. But I get it. This was different. This was different.
And this was -- you know, you can say a lot of stuff politically about Rob Reiner. But politics didn't matter yesterday. We weren't -- I mean, that's not -- it just didn't matter. It didn't matter.

But I think to the President, it does. I saw a change in the President -- I've seen two changes in the President. I've seen a change in him when they started going after him and his family. After 2020. And they really started going after his family. And we know this because we showed you the documents. What they -- they had a plan. Take him down.

Take his family down to stop MAGA at all costs. Put them in jail. I mean, those are their words.

And it's -- it was frightening to read.

And I talked to the president, I don't know. Maybe six months after, you know, we were in 2021. Maybe six months. Eight months.

And I said, how are you holding up?

And he had talked a little about how he felt. He had really let people down because he had things going in the right direction. And now, look at it, and look how screwed up things are going to get. And how the economy is going to be damn near impossible to fix. It will take us time. But we can't fix it. Pragmatism, but they've just destroyed it. And I said, how are you personally.

How are you holding up?

And this is the first change I saw. He -- his body changed. And he said, they're going after my damn children!

And it was this Dad. All of a sudden, he wasn't the president or former president, he wasn't Donald Trump. He was a Dad. And it was every Dad response in him. And he said, "You don't go after our children."

And I saw him really, truly mad for the very first time, and it was righteous indignation.

Then after he was shot, I saw another change. I saw him recognize that God existed. I mean, I know he believed that in God. I don't know that he believed that God was actually part of, you know, the story. The everyday story. You know, I don't know how he views God in that way.

But I know that he recognized that God was in his -- in the story of America now.

Firsthand, he witnessed it. The reason why I said this made me sad yesterday, is because -- I don't agree with what he said. I feel -- it was -- it was sad.

Because he is -- he has been kicked in the head over and over and over again by some of these people, that he -- Christmas is about the baby Jesus coming again.

And what he can do in your life. And the biggest thing that he taught was, love your enemies. Don't hate them. But that's really, really hard to do. And the President isn't there yet. On this. And it -- it made me sad. How did you feel about it, Stu?

STU: I didn't like it at all. I think maybe the same as you. You know, one of the things that bothered me about it.

Because you hit many of the points that I had on it without the personal insight that is illustrative of -- of -- of what he's going through. I think there is something to understand there. You know, obviously I --

GLENN: Big time.

STU: One of the things that is difficult about life in your attempt to master it is to try to act the right way, even when you're faced with circumstances like that. And, you know, I get it. I get why he's angry and doesn't like the guy. The man -- you used a phrase, I think in there, where you said, he's a knife fighter. This guy was actually just in a legitimate knife fight and was murdered. It was a -- it was -- this actually really happened.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

STU: And, look, my honest opinion is, it's indefensible. You know, I like President Trump. I think he does a lot of great things for the country. We've defended him on a lot of different things. A lot of times when he's being attacked, I think he deserves defense. In this case, you know, it is -- you know, it is what it is.

It is priced in to everyone's understanding of who Donald Trump is. And everything I heard about him in personal situations where he cares about the person. Is that he's very generous. He's very likable.

He's very -- he's one of those people that you like being around. You know, that is something that I've heard from tons of people. This part of him is really hard for me to square with what I've heard from -- from other -- from everybody that I've talked to, and has been on the inside with him.

And so I don't -- I don't have a defense for it. I think it's really bad. And I will say one more thing on this real quickly, Glenn.

I know a part of this that I think is difficult. In that, one of the things I took from the aftermath of that immediately was -- I don't know if pride is the right word. But like, I really liked the way conservatives responded to it.

We didn't do what they did, after Charlie Kirk.

We didn't do what they did after they shot the president. Right?

Like we -- they celebrated it. They -- they were horrible human beings, and I enjoyed the high ground, that we had there.

GLENN: Yeah. Me too.

STU: And it's difficult to make the argument that we have the high ground. When, you know, the President of the Republican Party. The Republican President of the United States, the most high profile person on, quote, unquote, our side, whatever that means these days, is a guy who, you know, kind of did some of the things that they did.

You know, so I don't -- I don't like that. I understand as part of Donald Trump. And I think if we're all adults here, we're able to kind of price that in and judge him on everything that he's doing. And when I mean pricing in. I think that's a negative part of him. Overall, you have to take everything into context.

GLENN: Right. And if we're all adults here, you know, we should be able to say, to those we love and respect, bad move. I didn't like that. Don't do that.

And I think, you know, I think because the left always says, well, you never take on your own.

Yes, we do. We take on our own, all the time. All the time. And I think it's important that we say, didn't like that. Thought that was a bad move. It didn't look good. It just wasn't right.

He's -- I wish -- and, again, though, I -- I'm not excusing it, but I am tempering it with none of us have gone through what he has gone through.

STU: So true.

GLENN: His family, somebody is shooting at him. He's being called fascist Hitler all the time. I mean, that wears on you and changes you.

And, you know, he's having a hard time forgiving that. And I kind of understand that. I wish he would take that on and take on the forgiveness, so he could be more a peacemaker in all of those things. But that is his own personal journey.

But --

STU: Yeah. And I think when we talk about like a terrible crime that's occurred.

GLENN: Sad.

STU: Like, I don't know. If there was -- think about some awful situation and at times you'll see -- he'll hear family members say the worst possible thing.

You know, if your kid is murdered. And by some -- somewhat of a particular area or group or whatever.

And they might react with just an awful thing about that group or area.

And you just. We all have a bit of understanding. Right?

A person going through a massively emotional thing.

And lashing out.

You want -- you know, the example you bring up all the time, Glenn.

Of the maybe -- the ultimate example of being able to have restraint was the Amish situation from years ago. Where, you know, you were talking about mass murder. And they were to the family's house that night, right?

And saying, we --

GLENN: Not that night. That afternoon.

I mean, within an hour. The kids were not even out of the schools yet. Their bodies were still laying in the school. And the Amish went, oh, my gosh. The killer is dead too.

He was a member of our community. His wife lives here.

What is she feeling? She's feeling completely alone. My gosh. What an example. I couldn't do that.

STU: Right. I don't even think I come close to that standard in that moment.

GLENN: No. But I would like to.

STU: That's the range. Some people act -- react really well. Some people react really poorly.

And I think we all understand the emotion and everything that takes over in a situation like that. And that has to be factored in, I think, to Trump. Of course, Rob Reiner wasn't responsible to the shooting. He was just a liberal who said bad things about Trump. And look, he's a very unique person. And a very unique situation, that I don't think anyone in the world has ever experienced.

You know, what happened with him over his life.

But may I just say, you still haven't forgiven RFK Jr for what he said about me.
(laughter)
Okay?

STU: As I said, I'm not Amish. You know, I like technology. I don't have any wagons. I didn't say I'm perfect.

GLENN: Right.

STU: No. I have -- I have -- I have absolutely forgiven RFK Jr for what he said. And if you didn't know, he accused Glenn of being a traitor. He said, he should be charged with treason. The penalty of which is death.

So, you know, I don't like that. And RFK Jr. I don't like for a lot of his policies. Some of them, by the way, I do really like. Some of them, I think are really positive. I could give you a list of some of the negative things he's done as well.

GLENN: I can too.

STU: That doesn't mean -- I certainly was find that to be an appropriate context, when the embrace of RFK Jr is occurring.

I think we need to understand what people are, and what they're doing. If he's apologetic about that, I do forgive him in that sense. Do I want him on the show and promoting all his books and his candidacy?

No. I did not -- I did not like that. But, you know, a lot of people do. I will say is, you're right, though.

We all have our hang-ups.

GLENN: I do. I certainly was.

STU: I will say this, though.

And, you know, again, all the context here. I know people are really defensive of Donald Trump, appropriately.

Because of the fact that he's targeted unfairly. I understand why people are defensive of him. I can tell you this. I really don't like RFK Jr.

He's one of my least favorite people in politics. I'm just not a fan. I could give you other names of people. Most of them revolve around Olivia Nuzzi, who whatever. I don't have feelings about her. But the story was packed with people.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: Cuomos for sure.
GLENN: Yeah.

STU: God forbid, one of these people that I really don't like, was murdered and his family and his spouse.

I can promise you. I can promise you, I will not be tweeting anything like what Donald Trump tweeted.

That is just a -- is a -- is a situation where I understand -- I understand the context around it, that we just discussed.

I don't think there's a defense to it. I think there's something, I really hope he has an awakening to at some point.

GLENN: I think that is enough to be said on that.

Now maybe we should examine ourselves, and say, where do we have that hardness in our heart that we should learn from and remove this holiday season?

RADIO

Why America's "Surveillance State" Has Proven to be a TOTAL Failure

America is facing a shocking security breakdown—from a mass shooting at one of the most heavily surveilled campuses in the United States to a deadly ISIS attack in Syria that exposes the cracks in U.S. intelligence and foreign-policy strategy. As surveillance systems fail, former extremists gain power abroad, and radical Islamist networks globalize their reach, the West is confronting a threat both inside and outside its borders. This episode uncovers the uncomfortable truth behind Brown University’s unanswered questions, Syria’s escalating instability, and why the West may be running out of time to get its own house in order.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I wanted to bring Jason in -- I wanted to bring Jason in because the news that we talked about a minute ago in Australia, then Brown.

There's some weird stuff happening with the Brown shooting. And we -- we don't know much about that. And also, Syria. So let me start with Brown University, Jason. Why is this one weird, as our chief researcher, why is this one weird?

JASON: Well, there comes a point where, you know, as a society, we just end up getting used to the massive surveillance state we live in. And I think we're just like, okay. Fine.

We're never not going to be surveilled 24/7. Maybe there's some benefits to it.

Well, no!

It doesn't seem that way. Because the people were asking the people at Brown. Like, how is it that you have not fully identified the shooter yet? And that's a very good question. Because if you go back to around 2021, there were people writing about how Brown University was one of the most surveilled campuses of the United States.

GLENN: How is it we only have one picture of this guy from the back?

JASON: Right!

GLENN: Apparently the one thing that will help you get away with any crime is a hoodie.

JASON: Yeah. Wear something over your head and a coat.

Apparently, that foils the entire surveillance state. Also, we have nothing to worry about with surveillance. I don't know.

GLENN: Yeah. Right. Right.

JASON: And on top of that, Kash Patel, the FBI director said that they sprung into action. And they activated their cellular monitoring system to help identify the person that has now been let go. Again, that's another layer of this surveillance state that I think a lot of us have been worried about.

And that didn't do anything either. That helped give us the wrong suspect? What is all this stuff for?

It's not keeping us safe, that's for sure.

GLENN: Hmm. I don't want to jump to any conclusions on, you know, what we have, what we don't have. I'm assuming that they have more. They just haven't shown it.

I would like to -- you know, we could help. You show us some pictures.

I think it's odd.

What happened in Syria over the weekend with al-Qaeda.

JASON: Yeah. In Syria.

There's a ton of news, especially involving ISIS, who is very much active and still very much planning attacks.

GLENN: So wait. Wait. Wait. Was this ISIS, or was this al-Qaeda?

JASON: This is ISIS. That's what they're saying. They're saying it's a lone ISIS perpetrator. The location was symbolic as well. The location as in or around Palmyra. Which, I don't know if you remember, that was a scene of a gruesome ISIS video back at the height of their caliphate, where they behead a lot of people in that area.

GLENN: Right. Right. Yes. That's where they lined them up in the orange jumpsuits. Remember everybody was kneeling down in the sand. And they started beheading people. Yes, I remember.

JASON: It was one of those UNESCO sites with ruins all around. And it was very crazy. Brutal video. But another brutal attack. I believe it was three US service members that were killed in this attack. There's a lot of speculation about to go, on if this person was working. I think he was actually at a time working with the security services that are in Syria right now, under the new president. He -- he could have been, you know, a sleeper in that organization. Who knows? But for -- the one thing I do know. And I don't understand the direction we're moving in Syria. I don't understand how a former al-Qaeda guy suddenly is an all right guy because he puts a suit on. And now he's the president of Syria. And he's our ally.

I don't understand that. The Trump administration, maybe they have more information, that I don't know.

I would love to get more of an explanation on this.

As of now, I don't see this going any direction other than a whole lot worse.

You look around that entire area. You have a former al-Qaeda guy now the president of Syria.

You have the rest of Syria, an absolute Dumpster fire. You have Iraq. I hesitate to call these countries.

They're so far down the sectarian, you know, spiral that this is.

But I don't see how this is going to go anywhere, but south, from here on out.

We're in an absolute war with these radical Islamists. And it's not just in the Middle East. It's globalize the intifada has landed on shores all over the world. And while there are politicians that will not denounce that. That is exactly what's happening. Sorry!

GLENN: So I think that's where -- I think that's what -- that explains Trump's thinking. That Trump does not want these everlasting wars to go on.

He does not want to be fighting in the Middle East. He doesn't want to really be fighting anywhere. He will, if he has to. But he's focused more on the American homeland. And the American hemisphere.

And so I think he is -- I think he's letting the Middle East take care of itself.

And as long as they can all get along with each other and Israel.

And recognize that, you know, Iran and the -- the -- the al-Qaeda, the, you know, Muslim Brotherhood. Et cetera, et cetera.

Trying to coax them all into. Hey. These are kind of your enemies here.

You know, ISIS is a big enemy to us and to peace.

And I think he's hoping that they will start to take care of themselves. Whether they will or not, I don't know. You know, it's never happened were. But it's worth trying. We've been playing this other game of us getting involved in everything for 100 years. We know that doesn't work.

So I'm guessing what Trump is thinking is, we know that doesn't work. We're not going to do that. Let's try to give peace a chance, and help them stomp this out, because it will be prosperous for all of them and plant those seeds as deeply as you can to see what happens. But we're not getting involved in any of that. I have a feeling, but there will be a military response to this, I'm sure. Won't you agree?

JASON: Oh, one hundred percent, and to tack on to what you're saying, I would hope that the President would go with his gut on this.

Because the previous ways this has been handled with Islamists, especially in this area. They've screwed it up.

They don't know what they're doing. Although, they think they know what they're doing. I'll go back to history. The Iran and Iraq War. We supported both size on that. In a similar -- in a similar strategy. So we're like, okay. We don't like either one of these groups. Sectarian groups to get too large. Let's fund this country at the same time we fund this country. We'll arm them. They'll fight each other, and they'll be fine. We do that all the time.

So now, the only thing I can think of is that's what they're thinking with the Syria president, this former al-Qaeda guy. Okay. Well, fine. They'll be anti-Iran, so they can counter Iran.

It's literally the same exact strategy, that they're going for. And I get it. That means that we don't have to get involved. I guess in the initial point.

But we always end up having to get involved after the fire erupts and --

GLENN: We know -- look, I think he's trying to buy time, quite honestly. Get us out of that.

Let us recover, and hopefully not go back to it. Try to buy hopefully some real peace.

But we all know how this will end. It's never going to work in the long-term. Because we as the West have to concentrate on our own homelands. You're seeing that with what happened in Australia. We have let the barbarian into the gates. And we've got to focus on that. We've got to get this cancer, cut out of our own societies. Because it's not good.

RADIO

'Life is FAR Bigger Than Politics' - Glenn Beck's Spot-On Reaction to Rob Reiner's Death

Hollywood is mourning after the shocking and heartbreaking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife—an iconic creative force whose films shaped generations. Glenn Beck reflects on Reiner’s extraordinary legacy, the tragedy surrounding his final moments, and the humanity he showed even toward those he disagreed with politically. This emotional tribute explores Reiner’s impact, the devastating circumstances of his passing, and why his work—and his character—left a mark far beyond Hollywood.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: it's so sad that Rob Reiner thing is so sad.

I mean, I don't -- I think -- Stu, correct me if I'm wrong. If he hadn't have done This Is Spinal Tap -- A Mighty Wind, Best of Show, for your consideration, any of those would have been able to have even been made. Because this is Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner directed, but it was still Christopher Guest. I think it was Harry Shearer that wrote it.

STU: And Michael McKean, yeah. Yeah, so theoretically, those movies could have been made, but I don't think any of them get made without Spinal Tap. And I don't think Spinal Tap gets made without Rob Reiner. Because they needed somebody attached to it that would be able to bring that to life.

GLENN: I mean, what a legacy he and his father brought to television.

I mean, think, Carl Reiner did your show of shows, which was Mel Brooks and Woody Allen with Carl Reiner writing that. Imagine That. Then he bought the Dick Van Dyke show and a million -- a million other TV shows and movies he was responsible for. And then his son starts with All In the family, and brings us all these classic movies, and the way they died this weekend, is just horribly, horribly tragic. Horribly tragic.

STU: Yeah. And it's not just Spinal Tap, which is a big one. Princes Bride.

GLENN: Oh, I know.

STU: Some of the movies --

GLENN: Harry Met Sally. Gosh, so good. So good.
STU: So many things.
GLENN: Stand By Me. One of my favorite movies.
STU: Oh, yeah. Jeez.
GLENN: Just great moves. Just great movies.

GLENN: So Rob Reiner met his wife in 1989. They have been together ever since. They live in Brentwood, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. It's -- their house is 2 miles away from where Nicole Simpson Brown was -- was discovered and killed.

Officers were called to Brentwood, to their home. All they said at first was, a man and a woman found with stab wounds. That's what came out over the radio. They were dead. And then friends started to show up. Billy Crystal was there. He came into the house. Reporters say he left looking horribly shaken. Larry David, who is a neighbor, he came in. Same story. It was confirmed that Rob Reiner and his wife were killed and brutally murdered: stab wounds.

We knew early this morning that the guy who might have done it is their 32-year-old son. His name is Nick Reiner. He's a screenwriter and also -- he's a guy who has battled drugs and alcohol and homelessness. He said at one point, I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas. I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street, and it wasn't fun. That's what he said to People magazine in 2016. I don't know the latest on him.

But he has been just arrested for the murder of his mother and father. Just horrible!

Just horrible. I mean, Rob Reiner was one of those guys that I was always sad that, you know, we disagreed. And -- I'll be kind to him here.

Neither of us could ever find our way to talk to one another.

Because I really admired him.

I really liked him.

I didn't like him politically.

That's such a small part of life. I mean, gosh. He did When Harry Met Sally. He did the Princess Bride. This is Spinal Tap. He did A Few Good Men.

Stu, look up -- look up his work. He's responsible for some of the best movies ever. His father was a genius. It is so sad that Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, and then now that is broken by the third generation. The son!

And it ends this way. He brought so much joy -- to just me. I'll speak for me. His movies have brought me so much joy, just the Princess Bride alone. But so sad. So incredibly sad.

And to be killed by your -- it's one thing I guess to be killed by your stranger, and that's bad. But to be killed by your own son. Oh!

STU: Glenn, listen to this -- late '80s. Early '90s. Quickly.

1984, this is Spinal Tap. '85, The Sure Thing. '86, Stand By Me. '87, The Princess Bride. '89, When Harry Met Sally. 1990, Misery. 1992, A Few Good Men. I mean, that is -- that is a run!

GLENN: Wow! Wow! Just -- just brilliant, brilliant guy from a brilliant family.

I'm glad his father isn't here. I mean, his father just died, what?

A year ago. Two years ago.

Mel Brooks is still alive, which this has just got to kill Mel Brooks.

Gosh, poor Mel Brooks. The tragedy.
By the way, I want to show you how Rob Reiner for as politically different as we were, and we were extraordinarily politically different. I want you to listen to how he handled the death of Charlie Kirk.

VOICE: When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?

VOICE: Well, horror, absolute horror.

And I unfortunately saw the video of it. And it's -- it's -- it's beyond belief. The -- what happened to him, and that should never happen to anybody.

I don't care what your political beliefs are. That's not acceptable! That's not a solution to solving problems. And I felt like what his wife said at the service -- at the memorial they had. Was exactly right.

And totally, I believe, you know, I'm Jewish. But I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in do unto others. And I believe in forgiveness. And what she said was beautiful. And absolutely -- she -- she forgave his -- his assassin.
And I think that -- that is admirable.

GLENN: I mean, how many -- how many other people did that? Especially for as vehemently as he disagrees with the right.

He was a human being. And I think that's why his -- I think that's why his films lasted and connected with us. You know, I mean, in a lot of ways, his films were a little like John Hughes' movies.

John Hughes was -- I mean, he was lightning in a bottle.

And there was something. And I think that something in many ways, was John Candy.

But there was something about the John Hughes movie, that connected to us on a basic level.

You know. That -- that spoke to us, deeper than just a movie! Or a script.

You know, it -- it came from a place that was real.

And I -- I think of Peter fall. And

What's his name?

I can't remember. He used to be in the wonder years. It was the little kid on Princess Bride, that -- that just those scenes alone -- just those scenes alone were so real! So real. When Peter Falk turns around and says, as you wish. It -- by the end of the movie, you felt that deeply.

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