RADIOJanuary 13, 2025

The INFURIATING Reason Why Fire Hydrants Ran Dry in Los Angeles

The wildfires around Los Angeles are a historic disaster. But why was California so unprepared? Glenn reviews one of the biggest issues that has allowed these fires to spread: fire hydrants have dried up. At first, Governor Gavin Newsom, who loves big government, said this was a local issue. However, since then, he has started an investigation. But why, Glenn asks, did he first try to avoid the blame? Glenn reviews where California’s water situation came from: public-private partnerships between companies and unelected bureaucrats. “California, are you starting to understand?” Glenn says. “That’s why we say the Deep State is bad…no one is accountable.” So, will this tragedy be enough for Californians to wake up?

If you would like to help with the relief effort, you can donate at https://MercuryOne.org

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So as of yesterday, yesterday afternoon, the LA Times reported that at least five people have died in the fires raging across Los Angeles.

Officials believe the actual numbers are much higher than that. Thousands of homes have been destroyed. There is zero containment at this point. Over 130,000 people are under evacuation orders. The freeways are parking lots. It's absolutely out of control.

With it not even contained and heading towards Los Angeles, it is projected to possibly the costliest wildfire disaster in history.

Now, I mean, there's a tendency when things like this happen, to rush to politics, and that's understandable. There are questions that need to be answered.

Why does this keep happening in California? And why do the people in California, keep putting up with it?

Why is California never prepared?

You would think California would be prepared for wildfires. Right?

I'm going to address part of that, first. But first, let me tell you about Mercury One. As usual, one of the first responders there is Mercury One.

We are collaborating with multiple partners to get food and supplies to those who need it most. We are working with churches on the ground. Yes. There are some.

We are working with the nonprofits. If you would like to help the relief effort, go to MercuryOne.org. And contribute to the relief effort. A lot of work that needs to get done, and a lot of work that has to happen quickly.

By the way, so you know, and I'm going to give you all the information on this later. In North Carolina, while the president is saying that he's going to take care of everybody in Los Angeles. Don't worry about it. He's -- checks are on the way. The government will cover absolutely everything.

While he was saying that, Mercury One was on the phone, doing a transaction with several hotels, to pay for people who have nothing! And got their big 700-dollar check from the government. They were being kicked out. And I think we've -- I think -- I think we've put them up now for another six or seven weeks.

So, you know, what -- whatnots used in California, or they don't need in California, they still in need other disaster areas.

And we are there. So go to MercuryOne.org and help if you can. Now, many questions have to be asked and answered. Story came out yesterday, and I believe it was a pretty chilling example of what is to come in California.

If it continues to be as crazy. And it will be a blueprint for the rest of the country, if we don't all wake up. The story from The Daily Mail reads, quote, Governor Gavin Newsom's infuriating reaction after being asked why fire hydrants ran out of fire during the LA fires. Now, the fire hydrants ran dry. Right as firefighters were going to try to contain the breakout.

Now, this sounds like a conspiracy theory. But it happened!

And what was governor Newsom's response. I will read the quote. And try not to lose your breakfast when you hear it.

Quote, well, local folks will have to figure that out. That will be determined by local authorities.

Wait a minute. Hang on just a second. So the guy that holds the highest political office in California, who is constantly meddling in every single person's personal life. Who loves big government. More than comfortable with the phrase, trust us. We're the government. We know better. We're here to help.

The rubber meets the road. He's been doing all the deals with water. And he looks. Has the balls to look at the camera and go, what do you want from me? It's those guys. You talk to your local person, I have nothing to do with it. No, sir. That's not the way you guys have set California up.

California's water situation.

I mean, we've talked about this for years.

Years, we've talked about.

It is interesting to look at it. Because it's exactly what the Biden administration was doing with public/private partnerships.

It's all public/private partnerships. We talked about this before. We first saw this spoken out loud with places like the World Economic Forum

And then later canonized from the Biden administration. But what do public/private partnerships have to do with water in the Palisades.

Drying up in the middle of the most costliest wildfire disaster in American history.

Well, I recently saw Ana Kasparian send out a tweet on X.

Straight up dunking on Democratic leadership in California. She said, the Democrats were responsible for this disaster. No more passing the buck! She said.

Ana, quote, tweeted a video from an organization called, more perfect union. The tweet from the video states, quote, one billionaire couple owns all the water in California.

In 1994, the Resnicks, secretly seized control of California's public water supply. Now their companies use over 150 billion gallons every year.

While working class people suffer under drought conditions. Now, the video goes on to demonize Resnick and the family.

And the business conglomerate, for owning a vast amount of California water.

Now, I'm not letting this California company off the hook, okay?

But this is the response that always happens from the left. They treat corporations all across the spectrum the same way. And you see it in health care. Food production. Pharmaceuticals. On and on and on.

It's never the government's fault. It's those damn corporations.

It's always the corporation. Well, the corporations.

You know, a lot of people were mad when Donald Trump said, you know, the debate in 2016.

Well, how much taxes did you pay? He said exactly the amount I was supposed to pay.

Well, you didn't pay, you know, income tax on this or this.

And he's like, you want me to pay more taxes, then you have to change the law. I am operating in the system, you've gamed.

And everybody does this! So don't try to stick me out, because I'm rich. This is the way the income tax code works.

And he's right!

Well, they're doing the same thing with these corporations.

They make it so you can public/private partnership. They make it so you can go in and game the system.

And everybody has taken their share. All of -- you know why people aren't talking about Panama? The Panama Canal run by China now? You know why you never heard that?

Because all of the politicians. Most of them on both sides, were taking money from China. So they're never going to say anything. But now that China is bad, now that that's been exposed, I'm shocked that Donald Trump is actually exposing it. Because it's going to expose the graft on all sides.

And I'm happy about that. It's never the government's fault. May I propose, maybe there's a little bit more to the story here. Let's stick with California water here.

How did one family get into position where they hold the keys to a vast amount of the state's water. Well, the video goes into it. Listen.

VOICE: In 1994, state water officials, water infrastructure contractors, and agricultural land owners with water rights, arranged a secretive meeting at a resort in Monterey, California.

These groups, a mix of private companies and public agencies, rewrote California's water rules, without any input from voters, taxpayers or legislators. The new rules, called the Monterey Plus Agreement or the Monterey Amendments were devastating for working Californians and great for agricultural billionaires.

GLENN: Okay. This is going to make you very, very happy. Let's stop here for a second.

Is it really only good for the agricultural billionaires. And bad for the voters?

Were the giants of agricultures, the only ones at this, quote, secretive table.

No!

Now, they tried to make it sound, well, there was no legislator over there. There was no government officials.

Huh. Well, it's interesting.

Because corporations don't write laws. Or do they?

Can you get things done without your congressman or senator being involved at all?

Yes, you can!

Through the administrative state. Exactly what conservatives have been saying about the United States government. This way, there's no one to blame!

The members of the California assembly can all say, I didn't have anything to do with this.

And they didn't. They just set the system up. To be run by a bunch of bureaucrats. Who can make the deals for them. So who was joined in this secret table conversation?

State water officials. That's who. So in 1994, the Resnicks didn't twist their mess tash I don't see while simultaneously screwing over the state.

And I will tie Nel to the railroad tracks too. They were given this deal. They were made public/private partners with the lawmakers in California.

Now, after this deal was struck, water control, in times of shortage, went to the agricultural conglomerates, and first, then the urban areas like the palisades second.

You've got a problem with that? Well, who will you take it up with? The unnamed water officials that made this deal?

No! It should be with the elected officials. So there's someone you can go to and say, wait a minute. You made this deal.

This is a corrupt deal. Or this is a deal not in the best interest of the people. We're voting you out!

But see, progressives don't like accountability.

Progressives make it so the agencies have all of the power. California, is this starting to maybe come together for you?

You're starting to understand? That's why we say, the Deep State is bad?

Because they can get into all these public/private partnerships and do deals, and no one is accountable for it?

And then when it falls apart, then when people die, that's when all the government officials come out with their cronies in the media. And say, well, we had no idea.

This is wrong.

Those res nicks. Bad!

Well, they might be. I don't know. They might be bad.

But who sat at the table and put that deal together?

All right.

GLENN: So all the money that is exchanging hands here, isn't just good for the private businesses.

Oh, man, oh, man.

It's good for public lawmakers as well. Let's go back to the video.

Cut two.

VOICE: The Resnicks donate millions of dollars to politicians and research institutions, which help them secure control over water systems.

And even get more water and more taxpayer funding.

One important project is the proposed California Delta Tunnel, a taxpayer-funded project which would send water from Northern California to Central, where the Resnick's farms are.

They expend hundreds of thousands of dollars on state and federal legislation, and politicians who support the tunnel.

But their favorite politician is Senator Dianne Feinstein.

VOICE: You come in here and say it has to be my way or the highway.

VOICE: Chair of the energy and water subcommittee. She's a close personal friend of the Resnicks, attending their holiday parties in Aspen, and maintaining their financial interests.

A quick look through the bill she sponsored, shows several which would direct money to current adjacent water projects. The Resnicks even ask for things directly. When a pesky study about endangering salmon and fisheries, threatened the Delta Tunnel, Stewart wrote a letter to Feinstein, demanding a new study. She immediately forwarded it to the Obama administration, who agreed to spend 750,000 dollars on a new study.

GLENN: Yeah. A study came out the same way.

So we saved Chad Fishes. I don't know. I know one of the reasons why California is burning down is because we had to save the smelt. And who doesn't like a good smelt from time to time?

Okay. You buy the politicians. Then you buy off the experts.

You buy off the scientists. And you put it all together. And then you bring it to some bureaucrat. And they shut town the water.

That's what's happening in California. Oh, well, that and fact that remember, one of the last forest fires was blamed on the electrical companies.
Because they had a transformer blow.

And, well, that just never happens. And it started a wildfire. And so what did they do?

This time, when there was a wildfire, the electrical company said, we don't want to make this worse, shut down the power. Well, when they shut down the power, that also shut down the pumps, at the water pumping stations.

So they couldn't pump any water, if they had any water.

And the -- Gavin Newsom actually addressed this yesterday.

And he said, we've talked to the -- we've talked to the White House. And we're having generators shipped out here, as fast as we can get -- you don't even have generators at your water pumping station?

What the hell!

I mean, how did you not think this?

How?

What -- what was your plan? I would love to see their plan!

But this just explained. What you're seeing in California is exactly what is set up by the progressive left, all over the country.

It also explains how corrupt government officials and their crony relationships are destroying more than just California. It describes what's happened to American health care. It explains what's currently happening with big pharmaceutical companies.

Big food. The media. The border. The homeless problem.

In blue states all across the country see California?

That's what you're going to get. Public/private partnerships are poisoning the soul of our country.

They're also causing some to turn violent.

The stage is being set for the coming insurrection. If you know what that means, I don't use that lightly.

Taxpayers give their money to the government. The government then goes into business with private partners.

The money and the profit stays in their lucrative little circle.

But when anything goes south, who gets the blame?

It's not the government. They get off scot-free.

Progressive, leftists, they will pin the blame solely on corporations. Or when it comes to water, Gavin Newsom tries to pin it on the local people. I don't know. You will to have talk to the local people.

What does the local person have to do with the water coming out of the water fire hydrant?

What? What do they have to do with that?

They sit back and laugh over and over again.

I think it's country. We're going in deep on this. On Blaze TV very soon.

But I think -- I think this is a turning point.

You know, who had on their bingo card, the complete and total destruction, of the second largest city in the country?

As the turning point for progressives?

And if they don't turn on this one, man, what is it going to take?

The moon coming crashing through the roof of your house. That's been painted. Wake up!

Would that -- would that do it? Maybe. Space aliens. They took out their little drones. And they spray-painted the moon, wake up. And California still didn't wake up. So they just started dragging the moon closer and closer and closer to your house in California!

My gosh. Wake up, California.

I think they are. I think they are.

But will they just replace Gavin Newsom with somebody else exactly like this?

Or will they start to wake up and say, wait a minute.

Our government is corrupt. It's making deals that don't actually help or represent the people of California.

They may not have our best interest at heart.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

INSIDE Trump’s soul: How a bullet changed his heart forever

“I have a new purpose,” then-candidate Donald Trump told reporter Salena Zito after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Salena joins Glenn Beck to reveal what Trump told her about God, his purpose in life, and why he really said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, as she details in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland”.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Salena, congratulations on your book. It is so good.

Just started reading it. Or listening to it, last night.

And I wish you would have -- I wish you would have read it. But, you know, the lady you have reading it is really good.

I just enjoy the way you tell stories.

The writing of this is the best explanation on who Trump supporters are. That I think I've ever read, from anybody.

It's really good.

And the description of your experience there at the edge of the stage with Donald Trump is pretty remarkable as well. Welcome to the program.

SALENA: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me.

You know, I was thinking about this, as I was ready to come on. You and I have been along for this ride forever. For what?

Since 2006? 2005?

Like 20 years, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

SALENA: And I've been chronicling the American people for probably ten more years, before that. And it's really remarkable to me, as watching how this coalition has grown. Right?

And watching how people have the -- have become more aspirational.

And that's -- and that is what the conservative populist coalition is, right?

It is the aspirations of many, but the celebration of the individual.

And chronicling them, yeah. Has been -- has been, a great honor.

GLENN: You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, when -- when Elon Musk said he was starting another party.

And somebody asked me, well, isn't he doing what the Tea Party tried to do?

No. The Tea Party was not going to start a new party.

It was to -- you know, it was to coerce and convince the Republican Party to do the right thing. And it worked in many ways. It didn't accomplish what we hoped.

But it did accomplish a lot of things.

Donald Trump is a result of the Tea Party.

I truly believe that. And a lot of the people that were -- right?

Were with Donald Trump, are the people that were with the Tea Party.

SALENA: That's absolutely right.

So that was the inception.

So American politics has always had movements, that have been just outside of a party. Or within a party.

That galvanize and broaden the coalition. Right? They don't take away. Or walk away, and become another party.

If anything, if there is a third party out there, it's almost a Republican Party.

Because it has changed in so many viable and meaningful ways. And the Tea Party didn't go away. It strengthened and broadened the Republican Party. Because these weren't just Republicans that became part of this party.

It was independents. It was Democrats.

And just unhappy with the establishment Republicans. And unhappy with Democrats.

And that -- that movement is what we -- what I see today.

What I see every day. What I saw that day, in butler, when I showed I happen at that rally.

As I do, so many rallies, you know, throughout my career. And that one was riveting and changed everything.

GLENN: You made a great case in the opening chapter. You talk about how things were going for Donald Trump.

And how this moment really did change everything for Donald Trump.

Changed the trajectory, changed the mood.

I mean, Elon Musk was not on the Trump train, until this.

SALENA: Yeah.

GLENN: Moment. What do I -- what changed? How -- how did that work?

And -- and I contend, that we would have much more profound change, had the media actually done their job and reported this the way it really was. Pragmatism

SALENA: You know, and people will find this in the book. I'm laying on the ground with an agent on top of me.

I'm 4 feet away from the president.

And there's -- there's notices coming up on my phone. Saying, he was hit by broken glass.

And to this take, that remains part of this sibling culture, in American politics.

Because reporters were -- were so anxious to -- to right what they believed happened.

As opposed to what happened.

And it's been a continual frustration of mine, as a reporter, who is on the ground, all the time.

And I'll tell you, what changed in that moment.

And I say a nuance, and I believe nuance is dead in American journalism.

But it was a nuance and it was a powerful conversation, that I had with President Trump, the next day. He called me the next morning.

But it's a powerful conversation I had with him, just two weeks ago.

When he made this decision to say, fight, fight, fight.

People have put in their heads, why they think he said it. But he told me why he said that. And he said, Salena, in that moment, I was not Donald Trump the man. I was a former president. I was quite possibly going to be president again.

And I had an obligation to the country, and to the office that I have served in, to project strength. To project resolve.

To project that we will not be defeated.

And it's sort of like a symbolic eagle, that is always -- you know, that symbol that we look at, when we think about our country.

He said, that's why I said that. I didn't want the people behind me panicking. I didn't want the people watching, panicking.

I had to show strength. And it's that nuance -- that I think people really picked up on.

And galvanized people.

GLENN: So he told me, when he was laying down on the stage.

And you can hear him. Let me get up. Let me get up.

I've got to get up.

He told me, as I was laying on the stage. I asked him, what were you thinking? What was going through your head? Now, Salena, I don't know about you.

But with me. It would be like, how do I get off the stage? My first was survival.

He said, what was going on through his mind was, you're not pathetic. This is pathetic.

You're not afraid. Get up.

Get up.

And so is that what informed his fight, fight, fight, of that by the time that he's standing up, he's thinking, I'm a symbol? Or do you think he was thinking, I'm a symbol, this looks pathetic. It makes you look weak.

Stand up. How do you think that actually happened?

SALENA: He thinks, and we just talked about this weeks ago. He -- you know, and this is something that he's really thought about.

Right? You know, he's gone over and over and over. And also, purpose and God. Right? These are things that have lingered with him.

You know, he -- he thought, yes.

He did think, it was pathetic that he was on the ground. But he wasn't thinking about, I'm Donald Trump. It's pathetic.

He's thinking, my country is symbolically on the ground. I need to get up, and I need to show that my country is strong.

That our country is resolute.

And I need people to see that.

We can't go on looking like pathetic.

Right?

And I think that then goes to that image of Biden.

GLENN: You have been with so many presidents.

How many presidents do you think that you've personally been with, would have thought that and reacted that way?

SALENA: Probably only Reagan. Reagan would have. Reagan probably would have thought that.

And if you remember how he was out like standing outside.

You know, waving out the window. Right?

After he was shot.

GLENN: At the hospital, right.

SALENA: Had he not been knocked out, unconscious, you know, he probably would have done the same thing.

Because he was someone who deeply believed in American exceptionalism.

And American exceptionalism does not go lay on the ground.

GLENN: And the symbol.

Right. The symbol of the presidency.

SALENA: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think that affects him today.

GLENN: So let me go back to God.

Because you talked to him the next day. And your book Butler.

He calls you up.

I love the fact that your parents would be ashamed of you. On what you said to him.

The language you used. That you just have to read the book.

It's just a great part.

But he calls you the next morning. And wants to know if you're okay.

And you -- you then start talking to him, about God.

And I was -- I was thinking about this, as I was listening to it. You know, Lincoln said, I wasn't -- I wasn't a Christian.

Even though, he was.

I wasn't a Christian, when I was elected. I wasn't a Christian when my son died.

I became a Christian at Gettysburg.

Is -- is -- I mean, I believe Donald Trump always believes in God, et cetera, et cetera.

Do you think there was a real profound change at Butler with him?

SALENA: Absolutely. You know, he called me seven times that day. Seven times, the take after seven.

GLENN: Crazy.

SALENA: Talked about. And I think he was looking for someone that he knew, that was there. And to try to sort it out.

Right? And I let him do most of the talking. I didn't pressure him.

At all. I believed that he was having -- you know, he was struggling. And he needed to just talk. And I believed my purpose was to listen.

Right? I know other reporters would have handled it differently. And that's okay. That's not the kind of reporter that I am.

And I myself was having my own like, why didn't I die?

Right?

Because it went right over my head.

And -- and so I -- he had the conversation about God.

He's funny. I thought it was the biggest mosquito in the world that hit me.

But he had talked profoundly about purpose. You know, and God.

And how God was in that moment.

It --

GLENN: I love the way you -- in the book, I love the way you said that as he's kind of working it out in his own he head.

He was like, you know, I -- I -- I always knew that there was some sort of, you know -- that God was present.

He said, but now that this has happened.

I look back at all of the trials.

All of the tribulations. Literally, the trials.

All of the things that have happened. And he's like, I realized God was there the whole time.

SALENA: Yes. He does. And it's fascinating to have been that witness to history, to have those conversations with him. Because I'm telling you. And y'all know, I can talk. I didn't say much of anything.

I just -- I just listened. I felt that was my purpose, in that moment.

To give him that space, to work it out.

I'm someone that is, you know, believes in God.

I'm Catholic. I followed my faith.

And -- and so, I thought, well, this is why God put me here. Right?

And to -- to have that -- to hear him talk about purpose, to hear him say, Salena. Why did I put a chart down?

I'm like, sir. I don't know. I thought you were Ross Perot for a second.

He never has a chart. And he laughed. And then he said, why did I put that chart down?

By that term, I never turned my head away from people at the rally. That's true.

That relationship is very transactional. It's very -- they feed off of each other.

It's a very emotive moment when you attend a rally. Because he has a way of talking at a rally. That you believe that you are seeing.

And he said, and I never turn my head away.

I never turn my head away.

Why did I turn my head away?

I don't remember consciously thinking about turning my head away. And then he says to me, that was God, wasn't it?

Yes, sir. It was. It was God.

And he said, that's -- that's why I have a new purpose.

And so, Glenn. I think it's important, when you look at the breadth of what has happened, since he was sworn in.

You see that purpose, every day.

He doesn't let up.

He continues going.

And it brings back to the beginning of the book.

Where you find out, that there was another president that was shot at in Butler.

And that was George Washington. And how different the country would have been, had he died in that moment.

And now think about how different the country would be, had President Trump died in that moment. There would be --

GLENN: We're talking to -- we're talking to Salena Zito. About her new book called Butler. The assassination attempt on President Trump. And it is riveting.

And, you know, it is so good. I wish the press would read it. Because it really explains who we are, who Trump supporters are. Who are, you know, red staters. It is so good at that. She's the best at that.