RADIOMarch 01, 2022

Reporter details ‘TRAGIC SCENE’ during trek to escape Ukraine

Reporter Manny Marotta flew from Pittsburgh to Ukraine nearly two weeks ago to cover the growing tension between Ukraine and Russia. But he — and millions of Ukrainians — were shocked to wake up to sirens last week, signaling the beginning of Putin’s invasion. Manny walked 43 miles seeking safety in Poland, meeting several Ukrainians along the way. He shares with Glenn those Ukrainians’ stories and experiences — from confused children and weary elderly, to a husband torn away from his wife and a young soldier forced to join the battle. Manny’s reporting paints a picture not only for what Ukrainians are experiencing today, but for the tenacity they have to defend their homeland as well…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: This is the Glenn Beck Program.

We're glad you're here.

Thank you so much for listening.

We have Manny Marotta on. He's going to -- we're having problem with our phone systems. Our software systems have gone down. Putin.

So we're trying to get our phones back online. We'll have him on, as soon as we possibly can.
You know, the one thing I think it is important to think of is that, I think there's a lot of Democrats and leftists. A lot of people that just have Trump derangement syndrome.

That see the Ukrainians as a substitute for them. And Putin is Trump.

So I think they -- they see themselves.

Because how else could you be for the Ukrainian people. And this fight against the power.

Or just across the border.

And yet, you would be for, you know, throwing people in from January 6th, and not have them even see a trial yet.

How is it you're for Justin Trudeau, silencing people?

And saying, in a peaceful protest, how could you be for the protesters in Ukraine.

And it doesn't make sense. Unless you see the Ukrainian people, as yourself.
And you're a Democrat. Or a -- a lefty.

And you see them fighting against their Donald Trump.

STU: I mean, I guess they would argue that they think, their side is just in these matters.

Right?

Their side is right on January 6. Their side is right on Canada. Their side is right on the battle between --

GLENN: Correct. The big bogeyman there is their version of Putin, Donald Trump. I mean, because I'm against Putin.

STU: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: And I'm for the Ukrainian people. And how is it that we're being told that we're somehow or another, for Putin?

We're not. We're clearly not.

STU: No.

GLENN: What's going on?

Let's go to Manny. The phones are working now.

Manny Marotta. He's a freelance journalist. He actually flew from Pittsburgh, to Ukraine to cover the lead-up to the war with Russia.

And he got caught up in it.

He's now in Poland, after a a very long walk.

Hello, Manny. How are you?

MANNY: I'm doing well. Thank you for having me on the show.

GLENN: You bet.

Glad you're out safe. Can you tell us what it was like over there, when the alarms first started going off. And you knew, oh, man. We're in trouble?

MANNY: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, until the invasion, nobody knew that anything was wrong. Then suddenly, on the morning of the invasion, we woke up to the sound of air raid sirens.

And it turned out they can't be cities all over the country, were being bombed, and our city could have been next.

I was in La Vivre (phonetic), which is a Western Ukrainian city. We went outside, and we heard people speaking on loudspeakers. Saying, find shelter. Help the elderly. Stockpile water. It was rather scary. The whole country began at once to panic.

GLENN: And it was literally one day. Nothing is really happening. To, oh, my gosh. Here it is.

MANNY: Oh, yeah. Yeah. For the longest time, the Ukrainians denied anything was happening. Because they wanted to preserve their sovereignty. They wanted to preserve their country.

They said, Putin won't invade. And we all believed it. And we all believed Ukraine.

And it seemed like Putin would not invade. And then they came upon us suddenly. Russian Army was in Ukraine, bombings were happening. And, of course, now thousands of people have died in this war with Ukraine -- war with Russia. It's crazy.

GLENN: So tell us -- I mean, because we're seeing social media. And we're seeing unbelievable heroism, on the part of the Ukrainian people. And the president of Ukraine.

It seems like they're not willing to go anywhere.

Is -- is that the truth of what's happening?

MANNY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

I mean, from what I saw from the Ukrainian people, they will defend their sovereignty to the very end. Ukraine is a relatively newly independent country. 1992. They freed themselves from the Soviet Union.

And now they're trying to defend themselves, in the greatest possible sense.

It's only been 30 years since they've become newly independent. And now Ukraine is trying to establish its own identity in you Europe.

And trying to keep itself free from the reins of Russia, coming back to retake it.

And so the Ukrainian people are going to defend every street, every home, every alley. Every inch of Ukrainian soil they can.

And they are like you've never seen.

GLENN: Because they remember what life is like, under Russia.

I mean, I can't believe that Putin thinks that they would remember things. Like they would forget things like the Holodomor, quickly. You know what I mean?

You tend to have a long memory on stuff like that.

MANNY: Absolutely.

And the Holodomor, is part of the national memory of Ukraine. And they mourn it all the time, in everywhere.

There are monuments to it, in nearly every major city.

And, of course, life under the rest of the Soviet times, was terrible for the average Ukrainian. There were oppressions. You couldn't practice free speech.

You had to stay in line with the party. You couldn't establish the Ukrainian identity. You had to be a part of a Russian identity.

So Ukrainians are worried about that happening again. I spoke to several Ukrainians, who had lived under the Soviet Union. Older Ukrainians.

And they were just terrified. It would be something like that again, that Russia could exert power over Ukraine once again.

GLENN: So when you're walking out. You had about 50 miles, right? That's 70 kilometers?

MANNY: Yeah. Thereabouts. I believe the exact amount was 43 miles, and 74 kilometers was the exact -- was the exact number.

But, yeah. A very long walk. And it wasn't just me. It was thousands of Ukrainians. Oftentimes elderly. Oftentimes children.

And they're the ones that are the true heroes of the story. The -- the vulnerable members of society, were walking out of Ukraine. This huge distance.

GLENN: And what did -- and what did you -- what was your conversation like?

MANNY: My conversation with the Ukrainians?

GLENN: Yeah. On that walk. What did you learn?

MANNY: Yeah. Well, I spoke with a wide variety of Ukrainians. I spoke with children. I spoke with young men. I spoke with old women.

I spoke with a variety of people. And they were all -- first of all, they were all unified by their fear of being taken over by Russia. That's why everyone is walking out.

Everyone, of course, was committed to protecting Ukraine as well.

And their plan to -- to reform on the other side of the border. And to fight for Ukraine eventually.

And so the children, of course, were afraid. The children didn't know why they were leaving. The children didn't know why they were forced out of their beds by this invasion.

Why they had to march out into the cold. Why they had to go without food and water, because these people didn't have food and water for the entire walk.

GLENN: Hmm.

MANNY: And it was just this long and grueling trek. So the elderly people, as I mentioned to you before, they remembered Soviet times. They were mentioning, this could happen again.

That's why they were trying to avoid that.

So they were among, of course, the young men. Who had to fight.

They were conscripted into the army.

And it was -- it was just this wide conglomeration of people. United by a fear and hatred of Russian domination.

GLENN: When you got to -- you're in Poland now, are you not?

I'm in Poland, and speaking to you from Krakow, Poland, right now.

GLENN: Wow.

When you got to Poland, what did that feel like? What did the refugees go through?

MANNY: It was just an incredible sense of liberation among the refugees, to be in a country, that, of course, was not being invaded. But also a country that was still sort of living under the Specter of Russian domination. And now we're in Poland. Which is a free country.

A country that has its own long history of repression by Russia.

And there's a sort of solidarity, between the Pols and the Ukrainians.

And the Pols have been very receptive to the Ukrainian refugees, because of this brotherhood that they have, because of their shared path by Russia.

And so the Pols are taking the Ukrainians in, in private homes, and hotels, in guest houses.

Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. Are staying. And they are welcoming them as well.

And it's this great sense of relief. But the job is not done, until the war is over, of course.

GLENN: Tell me up to two tweets that you made. One you said, we made friends with a 24-year-old named Max, who was pulled out of the caravan, as he talked with us. I had time to get his number before conscription. And he left with a grin of utter disbelief. I'll never forget that face.

And the next one, was a woman screamed for the Army to spare her husband from conscription. A soldier slapped her, and took her husband. Things seemed really desperate.

Tell me about this.

MANNY: Yes. Well, first, I'll tell you about Max. So during the long walk, obviously as I mentioned, I spoke to many Ukrainians, and one of them was this 24-year-old, as you mentioned, 24-year-old named Max. Maxine was his name. And we walked together, for quite a long time.

We learned about each other. He's pretty much my age. So we had to relate to each other, with each other. Even though we grew up on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

So we sort of made friends.

And then towards the end of the walk, in the last ten kilometers. An army -- a Ukrainian Army officer came along, all men aged 18 to 60, step out of this caravan right now. You'll be conscripted to the Army.

And at first, Max, he shouldn't have to go. And then the man yelled at him specifically, and he just looked at me, with this grin, as I mentioned disbelief.

And he stepped out of line, and I didn't see him for the rest of the walk, of course. But, by the way, he did get back in touch with me.

So I've been in contact with him since then. And he's safe. And he's in western Ukraine right now. And he's not currently fighting the Russians.

So I'm glad to hear from him.

GLENN: Hmm.

MANNY: The second story is -- the second story is a lot sadder. As you mentioned, it's this brutal account of a man, being taken away from his wife. What happened in that occasion, as I mentioned to you, Zelinsky ordered that all men 18 to 60 had to be conscripted into the Ukrainian Army.

So this caused a lot of fathers to be taken away from their children. Husbands to be taken away from their wives.

Brothers and sisters. And sons from mothers.

And one of these couples. I won't forget. And it's the one mentioned in the tweet.

The husband and the wife. Began arguing to the soldier. I don't want to go. I can't go. I have to protect my wife. These men were often caregivers to their families. They had to protect their families, as they crossed the border. So this man was just trying to protect his family. And the wife was pleading with the soldier. She was on her knees at one point. She was standing up. She was crying.

And he -- he was a pretty, not empathetic about it. And he hit her.

And it took the husband away. And it was -- it was just this tragic scene. And it was not isolated either.

This happened 100 times, in just the time, that I was there. And I'm sure it's happened, you thousand more times. It's crazy.

GLENN: So is your feeling that most are going, because they want to defend their country?

But there are a few that -- that are like, I have to protect my family.

Or are most of the Ukrainians serving, because they have to?

MANNY: I mean, they're caught between a rock and a hard place here.

They want to protect their families, of course. And their family's safety is their top priority.

But also they love their family deeply, and they want to serve their family well.

So some men have taken the choice, where they prioritized the solidarity of their country, over the sovereignty of their country.

May I say. Over the temporary -- their temporary safety.

Their temporary being alive.

They prioritized the sovereignty of the country. Then there's this other group, who wants to keep the family safe.

And these are two very different groups. And they both have noble intentions. And they're caught in this tragic situation.

GLENN: So, Manny, I have only about 30 seconds for an answer here.

But with what you've seen, I've always believed, if you send in a foreign troop, and you have people that are defending their land. Their family. Their -- their country.

You're -- you're most likely going to lose, unless it's overwhelming force.

With what you've seen. Who are you betting on? The Russians, or the Ukrainians? Manny. You there?

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: We lost him. Putin.

STU: Pretty surprising if he said the Russians though.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: I would be like -- really.

GLENN: Yeah. But to have somebody that was there, and could -- could see it. It would be surprising, to hear that.

But I think you would be able to hear, what was --

STU: The confidence --

GLENN: Yeah. What was emotionally, and what was --

STU: I thought this was a really underplayed, and offensive moment from Joe Biden before this was happening. Remember they kept saying, over and over again. They're coming tomorrow. They're coming tomorrow.

And remember, at one point, he said, look, if the Russians are going to take it. They're going to take it.

And I just remember thinking, yeah, we all know the different sides of the military and the capability. And there's a lot to that. But you can't -- you can't just tell a country, that they're going to lose. They're not going to accept that.

GLENN: Especially the ones who hate the Russians. Have been occupied. And refuse to go back.

All right. Our sponsor this half-hour is Patriot Mobile. The line is in the sand. And it's been for a while. That line is not between Democrat and Republican. Conservative or liberal. It is between Americanism and leftism. Freedom and slavery. Good or evil.

That's it.

The Book of Enoch: Did Extraterrestrial Beings DESCEND in the Days of Noah?!

The Book of Enoch tells a story the Bible only hints at: A story of heavenly beings who descended to Earth, took human wives, created hybrid giants, and unleashed forbidden knowledge that corrupted the world before the Flood. Glenn Beck and researcher Timothy Alberino break down how the ancient Hebrew worldview explains the Watchers, the Nephilim, the origins of demigod myths, and why Peter and Jude referenced Enoch directly in the New Testament. From extraterrestrial terms in Scripture to the cosmic “family of God” and the divine rebellion that reshaped human history, this discussion reveals a forgotten narrative that once defined early Jewish and Christian theology. What really happened in the days of Noah, and why does it matter now?

Watch the FULL Interview HERE

Cracker Barrel CEO breaks silence on logo controversy in exclusive interview

Glenn Beck recently spoke with Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino about the company’s infamous attempt to change its logo, and he asked the question everyone has been wondering: Why wasn’t she fired?! Glenn previews his interview, which debuts Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6PM ET!

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I was in Tennessee this weekend, and Saturday morning, I go to -- I think store number two for Cracker Barrel. And I met with the senior vice president and the CEO of Cracker Barrel. And we sat down, and we had an interview. And Julie, who has not done an interview since Good Morning America, kind of said, okay. No more interviews, because that didn't go well.

This was her first interview since then.

And, you know, it was weird. Because I got off. I got off the plane.

And, oh. Somebody on the plane said, "What are you doing here?"

And I said, "I'm going to go interview the CEO of -- of Cracker Barrel."

And the immediate response was, "Get her!"

I was like, "Wow. Okay. All right. Thank you."

I get into the car, and the Uber driver says to me, "What are you doing here?" And I said, "I'm going to meet with the person at Cracker Barrel."

"Boy, she really screwed her up. You hold her feet to the fire."

I mean, I've never -- I've never seen anything like that. And, you know, I started the interview with her, you know, honestly. And I said, look, I -- I -- I'm not here to get you. I'm not here to do anything, but ask questions that I think everybody in America wants to know.

Like, what the hell were you thinking?

And I asked her some -- asked her all of the really pointed questions. Rikki, the TV executive producer said, "There's no way. I know you. You're going to soften. There's no way."

And when I got up afterwards, she was like, "Wow. Okay. You didn't -- you really -- you really didn't soften. You know, you asked all of those questions."

Because I thought they were fair. And I told her, "Look, I hate conflict. I'm not here for conflict. I'm not here. I don't need to make a name for myself by giving you a hard time. I don't care about any of that. I just want to do my job and ask you, 'What happened here?'"

And I said, "So I'm going to ask you really uncomfortable questions." And she was prepared. And I think I finally broke through, and got the real answer in the end. I think I got the real answer.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: And it came from one of the questions I asked was, I mean, are you surprised, you haven't been fired yet?

And her response was, all telling. All telling. It's a fascinating interview you should watch. It's going to happen, I think Thursday on the podcast.

STU: Because I'm mildly surprised that hasn't happened. You know, like just because -- not because -- I don't know. There's a lot of things she's been accused of and everything else.

But just like, when you have a situation like this, where you're trying a major change and you roll it out a specific way and it does not go well, you know, it's usually -- it's like, when you're general manager of a football team, you go through the process. You evaluate all the quarterbacks. You pick the guy.

And that guy is a total bust, like you usually don't survive it. It doesn't necessarily mean you went through the process incorrectly. But when you miss, usually something happens like that. Does she feel like she missed like that?

GLENN: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yes, she does.

She's a very bright woman. I mean, she ran Coach, you know, the purse place or whatever.
STU: The purse company.
GLENN: The Coach brand. Godiva Chocolates. Taco Bell, the whole -- global. (I mean, she's a Fortune 500 CEO. She's very, very competent. Very competent.

So how could somebody very, very competent make this mistake?

STU: Hmm. Did she walk you through that? How that happened?

GLENN: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. She see.

And what's interesting is, they brought the senior vice president was also sitting there.

And he has been brought in since.

I mean, he had been there for 30, 35 years.

And really good guy. And he was one of the voices that was like, while that was happening, like, you guys. Hey, everybody upstairs. You shouldn't be doing this.

It's a bad idea. And so after they were like, "Hey. You know who was saying this? Let's bring him upstairs." And it was interesting to talk to him, because he's been long before she got there. So he kind of gave the view of, here's what happened before she got here! And here's where she came in.

And here's what happened.

And it's -- it's really fascinating.

I mean, if you want to hear the real story behind it.

And -- and also see somebody -- I mean, just wait until you hear her answer on -- I mean, it was so powerful and so honest. When I said, are you surprised you haven't been fired yet?

It was a fascinating answer.

STU: How many pancakes did you --

GLENN: Podcast on Thursday, I didn't eat any.

STU: You went to Cracker Barrel headquarters, and you ate zero pancakes?

GLENN: I didn't. I didn't. It was very difficult to not order the pancakes.

STU: You're the type of guy who gets pancakes by mistake. What do you mean you've got none?

GLENN: I was looking at my wife. My wife was sitting off to the side of the camera. And I'm looking at her. I'm like, she's so beautiful. And I eat pancakes, too many times.

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And she's just -- she has to live with this, the pancake-wearing shoes. I'm not going to order the pancakes. The pancakes.

THIS Epstein quote could PROVE Trump’s real ties to the scandal

Democrats are trying yet again to tie President Trump to Jeffrey Epstein’s scandals. This time, they’ve highlighted that Epstein once referred to Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked.” Is this proof that Trump is in the Epstein Files…or is it actually evidence that he was a whistleblower against Epstein? Glenn and Stu discuss…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Now, Jeffrey Epstein is back in the news today. Could we just for the love of Pete release everything that we have, so we can move on! From the Jeffrey Epstein thing.

Here's the answer: No.

Even if we release everything that we still have, this is going to go on for the rest of our lives.

It will always -- and probably, into our children's lives.

Do you know, Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump were the reason we never went to the moon.

It's going to happen!

It's just one of these conspiracy theories, that will never, ever go away.

Why?

Because no one was honest about it in the first place. Once you start to lie, you lie once -- once! If you're a very honest person, you will lie once. And then people are like, what? What?

Why would he lie about that? What is going on?

He's not like that. But if you're the United States governor government. You already have no credibility whatsoever!

Stop lying to the American people.

Just stop it. You know, I said something a minute ago. One of the reasons why you're hearing lies is because it works to the advantage of a Colour Revolution.

You know, there are reasons why people are lying to you. Some of it, they're just dirtbags and they're liars. Some of it, they're politicians, and so they're liars.

Some of it, however, a good deal of it is, we lie, because we know it causes damage to the credibility of this entire system.

We know it does damage to the culture of America, and we are here trying to destroy the culture of America because we want to try something new. And the only -- you won't vote for it. So the only way we can get America to change and do something entirely different, that they will never vote for, is just to cause chaos and disbelief in everything!

So as I said a minute ago, you know, it's not the news. Many times, it's a reflection of a plan! And when it comes to the Epstein thing, this is absolutely a plan. The way this thing has been played out. Democrats are completely against bringing anything out against Epstein.

They don't want to do anything about it. The media. Do you remember the ABC anchor that went into a commercial break. And she was like, you know what, I've got to tell you, Epstein. You know, we had the goods on him. Dead to rights.

Clinton. All of it.

And we were told, pull it.

Remember that.

Remember that, gang?

They pulled it at ABC. I think they fired the person who tried to -- who released that video.

Or tried to fire that person. I think they were working either at CBS or whatever. That person was in trouble for releasing that behind the scenes tape.

They had no intention of it. Now, everybody wants the Epstein tapes. Wait a minute. You didn't want them when Biden went in. And you could have said something, Democrats. And you could have released it all.

And, you know, it's funny. It is just so full of stuff about Donald Trump. Then why wouldn't they release just that?

Why wouldn't have the Democrats released anything in the Epstein file?

You're telling me, we've got to find something on them. Hey. I've got the Epstein files. Yeah, yeah. We've got to find something on it.

I have got some information here about Epstein. Him and Epstein, they were fooling around. Yeah, shut up for a second. Is there anything at all, that we can construe and manufacture about his banks?

I know!

He's got a vet signal between his bank and the Russian bank. I've got stuff about the Epstein.

Come on! If they had stuff about the Epstein, they would have gone to the stuff about the Epstein files.

They don't have anything, they don't have anything.

Now, let me speak directly to conservatives. They're not going to release anything about the Democrats, because they had the Epstein files.

Do you think that -- let's just say, I'm not even going to name names. Let's just say the most powerful people on the earth. The most powerful people with powerful connections, to government.

They knew their names were, you know, there on little, you know, guest books at the island, or whatever.

You don't think they called in some favors and said, "Hey, I need that -- can you remove that?"

You don't think that there were people that were like, "Hey. You know what, we'll remove that."

"We need $100 million from you, to help out on this campaign."

I mean, whatever it is, those names are gone too! They're gone! How do I know this?

Because the government is completely dishonest! That's how I know that.

But, anyway, now, Donald Trump.

STU: You don't think anything of interest would be in these files?

I mean, I think we've already seen some stuff of interest in the emails, no?

GLENN: Yeah, I think there are stuff of interest. I don't think there's going to be anyone at a very high level that is going to get -- that's going to be like, holy cow. Look, here's pictures with him with a 14-year-old girl!

That's not going to happen.

STU: Right. Somewhere that stuff, at least at the upper levels, not there.

Now, here's what is interesting: The timing of the release of a few documents last week. The Democrats released some documents.

And they released them, and at the same time, that Johnson were saying, by the way, we are going to expedite the releasing of everything.

So there's no reason to leak anything. But the Democrats decide to leak some stuff. They like a memo. And in that, oh, my gosh.

Look at what was said. What was said in that memo. Well, it was said, you know, the only dog that hasn't barked is Trump!

Well, what -- what did he mean by that?

He's keeping it quiet. All of these things. All of these innuendos and everything. Well, now we know, from the guy who wrote the book, all the president's meeting. Donald Trump and the making of a predator, that guy came out this weekend and said, no, no. That's not what he meant.

What did he mean?

In 60 seconds. First, let me tell you about JASE Medical.

Something I've noticed about the way Americans used to live. We didn't wait around for somebody else to fix our problems. We were the first responders.

We kept a little extra on hand. We learned the basics. We made sure families could get through whatever came our way. And today, that kind of common sense, that kind of personal responsibility makes you into a crazy crackpot revolutionary. Okay?

Fine!

Be that way. I am totally fine being a crackpot revolutionary, as long as my family is safe!

I believe strongly in what JASE Medical is doing.

I have been looking for a company to do this for a long time. They're the only company that ever answered the question with me, with my preparation.

What do we do about medical? What do we do, if there's a breakdown on anything? How do I get my medicine?

My children's medicine. I have two daughters that have seizures.

I -- they have to have their medicine.

What do we do?

You're traveling.

And you -- I forgot the medicine. You don't -- you ran out. Whatever it is.

Or somebody gets sick. And you need antibiotics. It's a pain in the butt. What do you do?

JASE. JASE Medical.

They have the JASE case. It's a safety net. Simple, responsible step, that makes sure you're not empty handed when life throws something big at you. Order your JASE case today.

It's all done by doctors. They talk to you. Get the medications that you need.

They have emergency antibiotics. Exactly how you use them. When to use them.

Promo code Beck is how you'll save.

B-E-C-K when you go to JASE.com.

JASE.com. All right. Ten seconds. And back to the program.
(music)

GLENN: So Barry Levine comes on. And he's on MSNBC this wreaked.

And he's asked, so tell me, I mean, we've seen this email between you and Epstein. What did he mean that the to go that hasn't barked is Trump. What do you think he's referring to?

Okay. What was he referring to?

I think Epstein is referring to the fact that he believed that Donald Trump talked to Michael rider who was the Palm Beach police chief in 2004. And began the first investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

So, in other words, he was the whistle-blower!

Yeah. But he's got all kinds of stuff in his -- in Jeffrey Epstein's books.

He's the whistle-blower!

The one thing you don't do is blow the whistle, when you know you got fingerprints all over the dead body. And the handgun that killed him!

You know what, I think you could find that hand gun, in this alleyway. Your fingerprints are on it. Man, why would you blow the whistle?

The suspect, he said, I suspected that Jeffrey Epstein was saying, he was 75 percent there.

Believing that Trump might have been the whistle-blower at the time. He believed it's 75 percent.

Now, how do you release something.

I mean, if you think things will be released. That will get Donald Trump. Why would you release that?

Where after two days of it being out, the guy who was part of that email, who hates Donald Trump, is like, yeah.

That's not what it means. It means he was whistle blower. Jeez.

STU: That is interesting. And I will say, you know, it is -- amazing that that's what they released. And chose to release.

That's the same email, by the way, that you're mentioning. That they blacked out the name of Virginia Giuffre, which they did intentionally. Because she has said that he was nothing, but respectful. And was never with any of the girls at all.

In not only her book, but also in testimony, under oath.

And the other one, that they released, which said, Trump -- he says, of course, he knew about the girls, was the other big one that they released. Which they left the -- well, they didn't leave it out. They just hoped you didn't focus on the next part of the sentence, which he says, that of course, he knew about the girls, as he asked Ghislaine to stop. Which would indicate, even if he was aware of this, which I don't think this had anything to do with the sex stuff. I think this was about him taking them.

GLENN: No. It was about poaching his girls from Mar-a-Lago.

STU: Right.

GLENN: The employees. He knows that we're poaching these girls. It doesn't mean he knows what they're doing with them. Stop taking my employees!

Okay. Now, if you suspect he's the whistle-blower and he knew you were taking employees from him, you know, in retrospect, you know, looking at it later, you go, oh, man, he's the whistle-blower?

But he also knows about the girls.

He knows we were taking them.

Does he know what we were doing with the girls?

I mean, this does not hurt Donald Trump. It helps Donald Trump.

STU: What about the one they released from Jeffrey Epstein. Where he said, I've met some very bad people, and none are as bad as Trump.

I mean, what if they come up with bad comments from Jeffrey Dahmer about Donald Trump? What will you say then? I mean, this is so dumb.

GLENN: I've eaten some bad eggs in my life, but I would not eat Donald Trump. I'll tell you that right now.

'House of David' Star REVEALS Story Behind TV’s #1 Biblical Series

Amazon’s House of David has become the #1 show on Prime Video, and today Glenn Beck talks with Michael Iskander, the actor bringing King David to life in one of the most powerful biblical series ever produced. Michael shares how fasting, prayer, and years of preparation shaped his performance, why David’s flaws and redemption resonate so deeply with viewers, and what really happened behind the scenes with Goliath, the sheep, and the shepherd who taught him lessons he’ll never forget.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I've got somebody on, who is in just an amazing, amazing show from Amazon. House of David. If you haven't seen House of David yet, you have to. Do you remember when-like biblical movies. I mean, they were good in the '50s. And then they got really, really bad.

And then all through the '70s and '80s and 2000s. They were horrible.

And then all of a sudden, they got really, really good?

This someone amazing. This is as good as the Jesus. What is the Jesus one?

Chosen.

It's called House of David. It's on Amazon, and we have the guy who portrays David. Michael Iskander on with us.

Michael, how are you?

MICHAEL: I'm good. What an introduction. Thank you for that!

GLENN: I mean, it's really.

Come on. Was there any time, that you thought, oh, man. This might -- I hope they do it right!

And then you saw the finished product, and you were like, wow! This is good?

MICHAEL: Yeah. That was -- you know, I try to keep my head down, and, you know, it's -- it's not finished until it's finished.

And season two is coming out. You know, I'm just going to be hearing the response of how this show is really affecting people.

GLENN: So can I talk to you about Goliath?

Because Goliath is portrayed really as a giant. Not just a big guy. He's a giant.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

GLENN: Talk to me about that.

MICHAEL: Well, I'll tell you what, when I first met Martin.

He was -- I went to -- I went to the gym with him one time.

And I -- I knew, I'm going to get, you know, my stuff. So I was prepared for that.

And -- and he made me workout for two and a half hours. And I thought that the workout was done. And he was like, no. There's another half. And, man, he -- Martin is a really dedicated man. And he just -- he pushed me to the edge, when it came to working out.

And, you know, when it comes to his role with Goliath. He's someone that really just put all the effort, both physically and emotionally to really portray that part, as best as he can.

GLENN: How long did it take you to learn the slingshot?

MICHAEL: Three days. It wasn't too bad.

GLENN: Well, I heard you had problem with the sheep.

That the sheep were -- they were not helpful.

MICHAEL: The sheep -- well, the sheep were actually really interesting.

I remember when we first started filming, they -- they put me in sheep training classes.

Because when I get on tape. They have to make sure, that I'm not -- you know, I'm not going to get attacked by one of the sheep. And I'm comfortable around them.

The sheep. First day I show up to this training, and she painted me. And you would think that the guy who plays David, you know, would think of his sheep.

GLENN: No. I don't. I don't. I don't think that's natural. You're an actor. I don't know if that's -- yep, well, they picked me because I'm good with sheep.

MICHAEL: I should get classes from you.

GLENN: I don't know.

MICHAEL: But, no. I mean, it really -- spent a lot of time with the Shepherd.
And he was giving me some really amazing lessons.
He saw that I was having trouble.

And he said, you know, you should stick next to me. Because this sheep, when they see you with the shepherd, they'll know that you're with me.
So they'll never leave my side.

GLENN: It's amazing.

MICHAEL: I want you to spend a lot of time with me. And I he said, oh, okay. And he said, I want you to know another thing: A bad shepherd is a shepherd who is behind the flock. And so you, you're going to be a good shepherd. You're going to show them. You're not going to let them lead you.

You're going to lead them, and you're going to be in the front taking risks and showing them the path.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

MICHAEL: And he is saying this, I think -- I think I'm getting more than just a sheep lesson here. It really helped in terms of understanding who David was as a person. And then his relationship to Christ.

And why -- why David was chosen as king.

GLENN: Is it true that you fasted, before the audition? I mean, you're a Broadway guy.

MICHAEL: Yeah. Yeah. I sent in the first audition. I was really excited about it.

And it was a dream of mine for a long time. You know, one of these dreams, that you don't tell anyone. And you don't think it will ever happen.

GLENN: To play David specifically? Or to be --

MICHAEL: Yeah, to play David. To play David.

GLENN: Really?

MICHAEL: And because I was inspired by the Chosen.

And I wanted to maybe do flashback scenes with a young David, or something.

When I got the audition, and they originally said no. I thought, oh, that would have been a good opportunity.

GLENN: Hmm.

MICHAEL: And I got another audition. I called my mom. And I said, Mom, this doesn't happen often. Can you believe it? She said, Michael, calm down.

The one thing I need you to do. I need you to fast, and I need you to pray.

I said, yes, ma'am.

A week later, I was having lunch with Jon Erwin. And he -- it kind of took off from there.

But, yeah, fasting and prayer.

GLENN: You know, I'm friends with.
I went to school with Jim Caviezel. And I can't remember what grade he was in. Maybe fifth grade, I think. But he went into church, and all by himself.

And he prayed, and he made a pact with God. Let me -- all I want, Lord, is to play you in a movie some day, and I will live my life honorably to be able to be ready, but I want to play you.

And so he told me when Mel called, he was like, yeah, I've been waiting for the call. It's an amazing thing.

MICHAEL: Wow. I didn't know that story. That's beautiful.

GLENN: Yeah. What do you think it is about the story about -- this was the number one show -- number one series on -- on Amazon -- on Amazon Prime this year.

What is it about the series that you think is connecting?

MICHAEL: You know, I -- I think it's different for everybody.

But I'll tell you for me.

The reason why this show means a lot to me, is because, David points us to Christ.

And -- and David is -- is a person.

He to me, is the embodiment to what it means to be human.

And to make mistakes. And find forgiveness.

It's a complex, long story.

But he was a man that -- that -- he's known as the man after God's own heart.

So for people to see that example. To see, to see the man that God loved so much, that Jesus himself was -- son of David.

I think that's what -- they see the Holy Spirit in the show. I mean, that's what I see.
And that's who I do it for.

GLENN: It's -- it's -- it's amazing to me, how -- with the exception of one, the Bible -- every single hero is so deeply flawed.

And David is so good, so good, and then, you know, becomes really, really does one of the worst things I think I've ever read in the Bible. I mean, just really bad.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

GLENN: Are you going to play -- do you have any idea, assuming the ratings are there, how long of the story you're going to tell?

MICHAEL: I really don't know. I mean, we're just trying to get to season two right now in the release.

Hopefully, pray for us, that we can get to season three, and we can keep telling the story.

I don't know what Erwin and Gunn have. What they're picking up. But I pray that we tell as much of the story as possible. I think it's important to see both the good and the bad. Like you said, to see this flawed human being, to see someone make mistakes, and to see them get back up and repent.

And ask for forgiveness. And find grace in God. So we'll see!

Pray for us.

GLENN: You -- I read some place that you were a Broadway guy. And I thought, this career is not over yet.

I mean, are you prepared to always be David?

I mean, the guy who is playing Jesus now. Jim Caviezel said, it took years before he was allowed to play anything else.

And I can't remember the guy who was playing Jesus his whole life. He is Jesus to a lot of people. Are you prepared to this be you for the rest of your life now?

And not, you know, going -- going back and doing other things, if that's the way it is?

MICHAEL: You know what, God has taken me through so much in my life, that I'm sure he's going to get me through this.

And if I'm known as the guy who plays David, I think it's actually a blessing. And I don't know what God has in store, but I trust him.

GLENN: Yeah.

MICHAEL: When that time comes, I will worry about it then. But nor for now, I'm having a great time portraying one of my favorite people.

GLENN: I just have to ask you a personal question. One for me. My daughter wants to be on Broadway. Can you talk her out of it in 30 seconds, please?

MICHAEL: Oh, man, I don't know if I want to talk her out of it.

GLENN: Okay. Well, time for you to go now.
(laughter)
Michael, thank you so much, and we're looking forward -- when does it premiere? Is it this weekend? Is it out?

MICHAEL: Well, episode eight is out on Warner Project on Prime this Sunday. Yeah.

GLENN: Okay. Good. Good.

Well, we'll be watching. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate it.
MICHAEL: Thank you so much, Glenn. Have a good one. Take care.
GLENN: You bet. If you haven't seen the first season, you really should see it.

It's really, really good. It's one of those that I started watching, you know.

And I stopped because I was like, wait.

Tania, we should watch this together. And she came home. And so we started watching it, and I think we watched the whole season in one weekend.

It's one of those. It's really good. Season two premieres this Sunday.