RADIOMarch 25, 2022

These 4 STEPS to anti-semitism are ALREADY HAPPENING

For the first time in his life, Glenn says, America has become a force for darkness: ‘We are knowingly on the wrong side in so many ways.’ So many Americans, Glenn explains, are DUPED. They’re not properly learning some of the most important lessons from history. But some lessons we must NEVER forget. So, Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Founding Editor of Cross Currents and Director of Interfaith Affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, joins Glenn to detail the four ‘rungs’ of anti-semitism: how movements against Jews begin and then spread. The last rung, Rabbi Alderstein explains, is ALREADY happening in some places around the United States. He details it all in this clip…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Hello, America. I am going to introduce you to a man who changed the course of what I do. Changed my life, and didn't know about it, until about 60 seconds ago, when he walked into the studio. I haven't seen him for six years. He is a remarkable man. And going to talk to us a little bit about Ukraine, anti-Semitism, what is really going on in the world. And your calling, to stand against it.

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein. Welcome.

RABBI: It's great to be here. A little shocked by your intro.

GLENN: Yeah. Well, you sat in my office six years ago.

RABBI: Right.

GLENN: And you shocked me. Because you said, I would like to ask you to -- I appreciate what you've said about Jews and anti-Semitism. But I would like to concentrate a little bit more on the Christians, because they're coming for you guys first this time. And that shocked me. And I know who you are. And, you know, I respect you and your opinion. And I put that into practice. And we have been all over the world, trying to save any persecuted religious minority, that is coming under fire. Because you're right. I mean, it's -- it's going to be all of us. And now, you come to me, and it's interesting. Because now, you're -- you're saying, okay. Maybe it's -- maybe it's time. This is at least what I'm reading in your visit. Maybe it's time to also really start talking about the Jews. Because we're at a critical stage. It's getting bad.

RABBI: It is. I'll stand by what I told you six years ago, that the most endangered religious minority today is Christians and Christianity. Those are the people who venture out of their houses and sometimes within their houses, and are getting picked off. Look what's going on in Nigeria, really. A whole swath of territory, from western Africa.

GLENN: Happening in China too.

RABBI: China.

GLENN: They're rewriting the Bible. I mean, you would probably know this. It took the churches in Germany, about six months, before they started taking Hitler's advice on maybe the Old Testament is a little too Jewish. So we should drop that from -- that's crazy. When people hear that, they don't believe it. But that's what China is doing right now. They're rewriting the Bible.

RABBI: And there are so many people that think you can get away with that. You know, the Soviet persecution of minorities, 70 years, and yet 2006, a poll in Russia, this is post-Iron Curtain Russia showed that 84 percent of Russians claimed they believed in God. How does that happen?

And some people think that that's surprising. But it's not. Because people really can't live without God. Some of them unfortunately don't realize it. But without God, our societies are not stable. Our families are not stable.

GLENN: It's what's happening here in America. It's what's happening.

RABBI: You bet.

GLENN: So can we talk about Ukraine, just a little bit?

RABBI: Sure.

GLENN: I thought of -- I actually thought of you the other day. When I was watching Ukraine, and I thought, for the first time, for the first time really, Jews are escaping a country, not because of persecution, but because the Russians are coming. And they have a place to go. They have a place to go. Israel. Where nobody can stop them from going there. Once they get out of the country. They don't have to worry about what country will take me. That's a miracle. That's a huge change.

RABBI: In fact, Natan Teranski (phonetic), the iconic figure of resistance to Soviet Russia said when he grew up in Ukraine, there were lots of nationalities. Everyone got along. Everybody was equal. Except for one group. If you had Jew on your identity card, you took a lot of garbage. And you didn't get into schools. And you didn't get jobs. And he said, look at God's revenge. Today, it's the opposite. People -- the pictures are horrifying. People are crossing the border, no idea where they go, next, and one group has the privilege of knowing that they have family around the world.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: There was a time that Christians felt like they were all one big family. And we've lost so much of that.

GLENN: What -- so -- because the president of Ukraine, who is Jewish, said, you know, Israel. You've got to help us out here. Look at what we've done. Look at what we've done in the past for Jews. Now, I'm a student of history. Maybe not that good a student of history. Because Ukraine was a killing field for Jews. Right? World War II.

RABBI: Absolutely. It goes back a lot further than World War II, 17th century. Essentially, the founder of Ukraine killed more than half of all the Jews in the Ukraine.

GLENN: My gosh.

RABBI: 300 communities, totally decimated in World War II. Everybody knows about Bobby R. When Ukrainians watched while the Nazis, and eager Ukrainian volunteers massacred, shot, all those people. And put them in that massive ravine. While they were eating ice cream. And watching.

GLENN: Right. So they're saying that we're -- you know, we're supporting them because -- because they're a good country, good people, et cetera, et cetera. And we deny the existence of the Nazis. But we helped train those people, during the -- right after the last -- the last revolution. This guy now, the president is a Jew. The Nazis do exist. But it's not like the Nazis. It's a small group. Or are there -- is there a real problem of Nazis there?

RABBI: It's a small group, that people in the Ukraine, Jews in the Ukraine, report that they have grown up, without any feeling of anti-Semitism. They feel it may be there beneath the surface. But it's there in every country, including the United States. And critics will point to the Azoff group, which is a paramilitary group, which ties in to neo-Nazi groups. But then on the other side, you have the Wagner group. Putin's own paramilitary private army that is equally named.

GLENN: Yeah. Named Wagner. I love people saying, it's Wagner. No. It's Wagner. Wagner. Named after the composures, Hitler's favorite composer.

RABBI: But at the same time, we do have to appreciate the fact that the vast, vast majority of people screaming out of Ukraine today are innocent people. Are not tied into whatever their grandparents did. These are older people. Younger people whose lives have been disrupted overnight. They certainly, certainly require and should be getting our sympathy.

GLENN: I am -- I am concerned. Well, before we leave Ukraine. There's another controversy. And that controversy is the iron dome. Israel will not give the iron dome to Ukraine. How do you respond to that?

RABBI: You know, I live in Jerusalem. In the valley just below my home, there's an iron dome installation. In -- last -- in the Gaza war last spring, we essentially ran out of iron dome missiles. We had to be resupplied.

GLENN: Unbelievable.

RABBI: You know, a couple of our friends on the squad were against resupplying us. People forget that Israel lives with existential angst every day. There are people out to destroy us. Not the least of which is in Iran, which is benefiting from this war, because somehow our administration is so bent on signing a -- a counterproductive treaty, that is not going to do anything, other than release billions of dollars to them. Israel needs iron dome. It would do relatively little in a country as vast and as big as Ukraine. Iron dome is meant for small areas, where you know the direction of incoming missiles.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: Not the kind of really modern missiles, that Russia is lobbing in, including hypersonic weapons. And where a vast border means they can come from any direction at all.

GLENN: So let's talk about the Iranian deal. This is horrifying to me. Horrifying. I mean, we were making such progress in the Middle East. Under Donald Trump. And that's all gone. And now, we've hacked off Saudi Arabia, by doing this deal. They're not happy with us. In fact, they're not even returning our president's phone call. And I think that Israel is going to have to respond, when this deal is done. Because we are allowing the Russians to come in and build more plants for them. This is insanity.

RABBI: Add to that, the fact that Americans, and most of the -- all the free world sees what one madman can do.

GLENN: Yeah.

RABBI: The kind of devastation, that he can bring down upon people, if there's nothing holding him back. Now, add to that, in Iran, where you have in addition to that, religious fervor. People who are not afraid of absorbing nuclear bombs. Because it is part of the mission. It will bring the 11th imam.

GLENN: Yes. Those who -- those who are a part of that 12er sect. Are terrifying. And the average person in Iran, might not be. But, America, think of it this way. Are you for the things that are going on in Washington?

Are you like, yeah. That's what I voted for. They listened to me. Imagine in Iran, you don't have any say, on what they're doing. It could be a crazy sect at the top, which it is. That believe, we're going to hasten the return of the promised one.

RABBI: And one high-ranking official. I don't remember his name, a couple of years ago. Said, Israel is a one-bomb country. Meaning, we can finish it off with just one well-placed nuclear weapon. But -- and Iran will absorb a few.

GLENN: Well, here's what the Iranian revolutionary guard Corp commander-in-chief, general Hussein Salami said yesterday, in Iran. Iran's enemies such as Israel and the United States, have an expiration date, as the New World Order is upon us. That's a little frightening.

RABBI: Just a little.

GLENN: Just a little.

All right. I want to take a quick break. Then I want to ask you, because you did something -- is it the ladder or the rungs of anti-Semitism? And I have been concerned, seeing this grow overseas, but it is growing in a great number of people, who are our neighbors. But I don't think they even understand it, as anti-Semitism. And I want to talk to you about those rungs. And what they are. They are the -- the four rungs of anti-Semitism. Do I have it right? Four rungs of anti-Semitism. We'll go there in just a second.

GLENN: So sitting in my studio is the director of interfaith affairs, at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. His name is Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, and it's a pleasure to have you here.

RABBI: Thank you.

GLENN: So let's talk about what's happening. First in -- in Europe. How bad is it getting in Europe?

RABBI: Anti-Semitism?

GLENN: Yes.

RABBI: It's pretty bad. Jews are not so comfortable walking around in the street with anything identifying them as Jews. Not true of everyone, of course. But people are increasingly conscious of it. The attacks on religious institutions. Something we've never talked about in the United States. How many churches have burned in the year in France. But it's worse with synagogues. By grandchildren in Berlin attend a school, where they are guarded by German police. Which is kind of ironic.

GLENN: Yeah.

RABBI: And when -- when you have a continent, where people have -- people show -- people stated years ago, that the single biggest threat to peace, not Iran. Not China. But Israel.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

RABBI: Then you know something is going on beneath the surface. Europeans never liked Jews too much to begin with. It's not like the United States. And things are getting bad.

GLENN: The United States though, I think is -- I mean, policy-wise. I don't know what our friendship is with Israel, or -- it seemed -- it seems to be a little anti-Semitic, on the left now. In fact, a lot of anti-Semitic on the left. And anti-Semitic lighter, if you will, in the Democratic Party.

RABBI: There's still a lot of bipartisan support of Israel. Perhaps the threat to that is that so many young people are listening, not to anything Jewish. But to what they hear from professors on campus. That they've swallowed. They've swallowed the whole -- the whole theory out there, that the -- that the Jews are the last colonialist power conceived in sin, and the world will not be a safe place until we get rid of it.

GLENN: That's crazy.

RABBI: It is crazy.

GLENN: You know, it is -- I never understood -- I'll get to this in a second. But I never understood how Jewish people could live in Germany, with all of the things that were being done. Led up to just the mass slaughter. And how they would always say, yeah. But it's not going to get worse than this. It's not going to get worse than this. And how so many people said, look, I'm a patriot of this country. They're not going to do that to me. I never understood it, until recently. Because some of the same things are being said about Christians. And people who vote differently. They're saying crazy things, but you're like, yeah. But that will never happen here. And there's this disconnect -- there's just this like -- I don't know where the bridge is. But there's a bridge somewhere, to where that becomes real. And I don't know what the last signs are. I don't know what it is, that makes you go, you know, I don't think I should be here. Do you know what I'm saying?

RABBI: Absolutely.

GLENN: Can you help me with that?

RABBI: Well, of course, there's a human reticence to believe that their whole world and everything that they are in, could fall apart. So you avoid even listening to news that works in that direction.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: But I don't know how many more years Jews have in America, how many years Americans have in America.

GLENN: That is -- that is terribly frightening. Okay. We're going to -- he's going to compare and show us, where we are, and where Europe is, the rest of the world, on the ladder of anti-Semitism. And it is pretty shocking. We'll go there, in just a minute. Stand by.

GLENN: So Stu and I were just having a chat here, off -- you know, off-air. We were talking to a guy who truly changed my life. He's the director of interfaith affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He's also the founding editor of Cross Currents. He's Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein. And I just said to Stu a minute ago, that for the first time in my life, I feel that America is a force for darkness or evil. I just think, we are knowingly on the wrong side in many ways. And that scares me because God's protection leaves us. But also because so many people are duped. There's a lot of people that just don't -- I mean, I've read enough history. And if you read enough history, you can see -- it's like reading the Bible. You read the Bible, and you're like, what? Three pages ago, you guys learned this lesson. What happened? It's that. It's, you -- somehow or another, we forget, and we make exactly the same mistakes. I want to talk to you about the Abrahamic Accords. But first, can you give they the rungs? The anti-Semitic rungs?

RABBI: Sure, this is something we observed starting a number of years ago. The anti-Semitism of the left was progressing in a -- in a given direction. Anti-Semitism on the right, we sort of know how to deal with.

GLENN: It's pretty obvious. They come in brown shirts.

RABBI: Right. And they are marginal. They're never going to attract the majority of Americans. They're not going to have a recreation of Hitler's brown shirts in the US. The left is a different matter. It started, the first rung was we are going to boycott the settlements. Not Israel, mind you. Israel is a Democratic state. It has a lot of support, so we can't get away with that. So it's just settlements. And that became popular with main line Christian churches, who have now dwindled to about 36 people collectively. But -- but another historic force. And especially on campus. The second rung was, well, of course, it's the settlements, which is the real problem there. Ignoring about 100 years of history, in the region, including attempts to drive Israel into the sea, before there was anything.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: But now we have to talk about boycotting Israel in general, because Israel supports it is settlements. Now, we're still talking about Israel. And we're talking about Zionist expansionism, and things like that. Whatever they can get to stick to the wall. And some churches got into that. Even doing things like changing the literature, to make it clear, that all Biblical references to Israel, have nothing to do with the modern state, which, of course --

GLENN: Did they actually do that?

RABBI: Than three nominations.

GLENN: Really? That's what they did in Nazi Germany.

RABBI: Well, different -- different motives.

GLENN: Yeah. Wow.

RABBI: But the third rung -- and a lot of people are still -- are still there. You know, that's what Ben & Jerry's was.

GLENN: Yeah.

RABBI: Ostensibly, they said, pull out of the settlements. Knowing that you can't pull out of the settlements, without pulling out of all of Israel. So effectively, they were boycotting all of Israel.

GLENN: And divesting.

RABBI: Yeah. So the third rung, things get even scarier. Then the assumption is, we're not talking about Israel anymore. But the assumption now is that Zionists are a fair target, no matter where they are. People started coming after Hillals (phonetic) on campus. Hillals are a pro-Zionist group, although pretty left-wing and always willing to consider both sides of the argument. They're not rah-rah rightest groups. But Zionists became a fair target. All Zionists. And you have groups including I think the last one Tufts. Asking to ban all student groups, that won't take a -- an oath that they don't support Zionism. Because Zionism. Because Zionism, per se. So now you have like crossing --

GLENN: Yeah. Now it's not a country.

RABBI: Right.

GLENN: It's closer to the individual.

RABBI: And the fourth rung, which some groups have, the Bay Area spokeswoman for CAIR. Which we consider to be a full terrorist organization.

GLENN: Yes. So do I.

RABBI: Said a couple of weeks ago, warned the members of CAIR, that you have to watch out for synagogue groups. Now, not Zionist groups. But synagogue groups.

GLENN: Well, what -- who belongs to a synagogue group?

RABBI: I wonder.

GLENN: I'm usually not put into that category.

RABBI: It's a Greek word. So maybe it has something to do with ancient Greece. But what happens here is that Jews, per se, the average Jew in the street becomes a target. So you see the targeting of Jews who look like Jews. In Brooklyn. Daily.

GLENN: I bet. We're seeing this cross a lot of lines. And the same thing happened in the past. Where, first it was, oh, you're a conservative. You're a Republican. Oh, you were a voter for Donald Trump. To, oh, you're a person that won't support this, this, and this. And it is directly targeting the person.

RABBI: The person. The person.

GLENN: That's when it gets really scary.

RABBI: And the assumption contrary to everything that America stood for. For 200 years.

GLENN: Yeah. I know.

RABBI: That you don't teal with group identities. But you consider the person a person. That now, at least in terms of Jews, pushed by groups on the left, and by Nation of Islam. Farrakhan. Which is -- who has done a lot of harm, in inner city black communities.

GLENN: And Karl Marx. You know. And Karl Marx. Karl Marx is -- his philosophies -- I mean, socialism doesn't usually lead to -- I mean, you could be socialist, and not anti-Semitic. But when you're Karl Marx socialism. When you are aiming for pitting groups against each other, it's almost always socialist.

RABBI: I think I'll have to disagree with you. Because Karl Marx talked about actively pitting them. He said the forces of history would do that. It was inevitable. And they would -- they would conflict with each other. But here you have people, who are prodding young Americans. Americans on campus.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: And urging them to think with groupthink. And reject certain people and certain identities. Especially starting with Jews.

GLENN: So we were -- I thought headed in the right direction. Making progress like I've never seen in my life. I mean, the Abrahamic Accords were literally, I think a miracle. Never thought I would see that in my life. You were part of that, weren't you? You were for ten years on those accords.

RABBI: Correct.

GLENN: And it was Trump that was the last piece that put it over the top?

RABBI: Trump was the last piece that put it over the top. It was the support of a lot of people in -- in the Emirates, and in -- in Bahrain.

GLENN: Right.

RABBI: Bahrain, which has its critics, nonetheless had a history of over 100 years of genuine religious tolerance. They have a street in the capitol, in which you can find the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, a Hindu temple, and a mosque, on the same street. And this is not since the Abrahamic Accords. This is something they used to capitalize on in creating the Abrahamic Accords. And people in the region discovered, you know, United States under Obama, did not prove to be such a reliable ally. Things are changing. Iran is this big Specter, that is looking for domination. I'm going to turn this thing into a Shiite/Sunni War. And if there's anything they hate worse than Jews, it's the other side in that.

GLENN: Yeah. I know.

RABBI: So what it led to is people who had naturally gotten along, to -- to a large extent. Wasn't perfect. But anti-Semitism in the Islamic world was not -- certain times, was not anywhere as intense as it was in Europe. And people do get along in those regions. And they were tired of the Palestinians, kind of crying to the world, about we're the most oppressed people out there. Got other people out there. Got to worry about Iran. And we have to think of a new -- a new collaboration here in the Middle East.

GLENN: So is it still holding together?

RABBI: It is holding together beautifully.

GLENN: What happens when Saudi Arabia turns east, and Iran toward -- points north and east? Or Moscow and China?

RABBI: That -- you know, there's -- there's no predicting where that will lead to. But I can tell you one thing that will be very hard to change. The Abraham Accords led immediately to the opening of doors of two peoples with each other. So now it's not so uncommon to find Muslim visitors to Israel. Who are accepted, and then treated warmly, in the streets of Israel.

GLENN: Is it true -- is it true that one of the big players, a state player went undercover to Israel?

RABBI: Somebody who had been working on it. On behalf of the government in Ukraine. Decided with the permission of the -- of the highers up. That he wanted to see Israel for himself. This was about five years ago. It was before the Abraham Accords. But at one point, I was doing a draft for the king on what became called the Bahrain Declaration. Together with our mutual friend Johnnie Moore, we were working on the first draft.

GLENN: He's a good man.

RABBI: And this person surprised us, told us he had recently came from Israel. He said, I only had time to visit two cities. I went to Tel Aviv. He said, that was cosmopolitan!

GLENN: Oh, it is. It's New York.

RABBI: Urbane. And then he said, and then I went to Jerusalem. And my heart fell. And I said, oh, I'm going to have to defend my city.

GLENN: It's the religious part --

RABBI: Before I could get the words out, he said, you know, Tel Aviv, I just found to be another concrete jungle.

GLENN: Yes.

RABBI: He said, in Jerusalem. Practicing Muslim. He said, in Jerusalem, I could feel the presence of God walking in the street.

GLENN: I am telling you, that is true. The first time be with the Temple Mount actually is like a -- is like a pulsar. Where you can feel it. You get anywhere in Israel, at least I can -- you can feel it. You know why everything happens around Israel. It's almost like the world spins with Jerusalem as the center. Or the North Pole, if you will. Because it is God's seat. And you feel it, when you get there. It's amazing.

RABBI: And the Jewish version, on that, always was, that my house will be a house of prayer for all of the nations. This was the Jewish dream. It wasn't to convert the -- the rest of the world. Neither by the sword, nor by persuasion to Judaism. It was to convert the world to -- to a belief in the one God. And incorporating his presence in our lives, at all times. And the place where you can feel the potential for that, is Jerusalem. And it doesn't matter if you're Jewish or you're a Christian or you're a Muslim.

GLENN: No. Yeah. You can feel it. You can feel it. You can feel it. Rabbi, thank you very much. God bless you. The director of the interfaith affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The founding editor of Cross Currents. You can find that at cross-currents.com.

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.

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?

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.

'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.