RADIOJanuary 16, 2025

Female Veteran Says Pete Hegseth is RIGHT About Women in the Military

Congresswoman and Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna joins Glenn to clear up one of the Democrats' biggest lies about Trump’s Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing: "Pete never said that he didn't want women to serve in the military. In fact, it's quite the opposite. But I have the same agreement in that there are certain roles that women SHOULD NOT be subjected to in the military." Plus, she discusses why she’s hopeful that the Trump administration will reveal the truth about UFOs and the mysterious New Jersey drones.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna from Florida. Welcome to the program. How are you?

ANNA: Hey, Glenn. Happy to be back on.

GLENN: Yeah, it's very good to talk to you. So you were in the Air Force?

ANNA: I was.

GLENN: And what did you do in the Air Force?
ANNA: I did air field management, and worked with actually my first installation, was the B-2 stealth bombers of flight plans, a lot of inspections, a lot of readings. Did not serve in combat.

However, I definitely have an opinion or two on women in combat.

GLENN: I would like to hear it.

ANNA: First of all, during the confirmation hearings. They were incredible.

And they were trying to walk them into these sound bites. The one thing I kept hearing from the Democrats was, they were taking his comments out of context, in regards to women in the military.

So Pete never said that he never wanted women to serve in the military. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

But I have the same agreement, in that there are certain rules that women should not be subjected to in the military. So in a lot of foreign countries, you will see there will be women-only sniper teams. And/or women-only teams that will see combat. Now, I preface this by saying, that there is a study that has been done. And shows that when women have been placed in harm's way. That the natural instinct for men was to protect that woman. And that's the right thing to do.

That's that, quote, unquote, toxic masculinity that the left tries to mess with all the time --

GLENN: That is human nature. We're born with that, but go ahead.

ANNA: Right?

And so when you have though, a woman that let's say, plays on a Special Forces team. They come under fire.

Hypothetically that woman gets hurt. Instead of focusing on the mission, as it would be, the men then would in turn, go to protect that woman.

And it could ultimately result in, A, more casualties, more people getting hurt, and then also jeopardize the success of the mission.

And so I think when we're looking at military policy as a whole, we need to take these things into consideration. But it's very easy because Pete is a white male. For them to try to demonize him and treat him as this anti-woman, you know, alcoholic womanizer, which is simply not the case.

Other thing, and the reason why I wanted to show my support for him. Was, look, Pete is a Christian. He has the Jerusalem cross tattooed on him.

That does not mean he's a Nazi. That does not mean he's a white nationalist. So what I've been telling reporters. If Pete was so anti-, you know, anti-minority.

Anti-, you know, anything to do what we stand for and value in this country, why would you have the same -- because they don't really have a response to us.

GLENN: Yeah. All right. So do you agree with him? Because I took from him yesterday, something else about the military. I have no problem with women in the military, with an exception of the natural order of things, where I think men -- I have to tell you, if -- if one of the guys was captured by, you know, al-Qaeda. I would do everything I can to make sure that one of the members of my team, you know, were safe. And I would do everything that we should do. However, it's different if I know that the woman member of our team, has just been captured.

I -- it takes on a different meaning to me. Because I know what's going to happen to her, in compared to Tom or Tim.

And I think that is a natural instinct, that you cannot get rid of. And you don't want to.

The second thing, that I think that Pete is talking about. And we saw this in the fire chief, in -- in Los Angeles.

Where she said, you know, I -- you know, I'll talk to people. They'll say, well, you can't lift my husband out of our burning house.

And her response was, well, you know, he got himself into a place he shouldn't be.

So why should I?

Okay. So that's ridiculous. As long as a woman can physically do exactly what is required of the male, then I don't have a problem with that. Do you agree with that?

ANNA: I would say, though, there's this aspect of psychology. And certain situations. Where I don't think women should be placed. So right now, what we're seeing, is -- you know, those are all great points, Glenn.

The military standards, currently. There are different standards for women and for men.

That's just a fact. But there are also different requirements for different jobs. Right?

If you can go in, for example, to be a fire firefighter, you're required to lift X amount, whether or not you're a man or a woman in the military.

But in that sense, I would say that, when you're talking about conditions where you're living in a field. When you're talking about conditions, when you know that there is going to be a psychological aspect and component. It doesn't mean that women aren't as good as men.

I think there's been cases, where women can be better snipers than men are.

Depending on what you're looking for job-wise.

What I will say, as far as my perspective is concerned.

I don't think women should be required to register for the draft.

I know that Senate Democrats were pushing that.

And I also think that women should not be placed in certain combat roles in the military.

GLENN: Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.

Let me switch topics with you.

You were one of the biggest advocates for the UAP. UFO disclosure.

Any updates on -- on that hearing, the updates on the New Jersey drones.

And were you able to get David Grusch into a skiff and get a classified briefing? And if so, what was your takeaway?

ANNA: So I was not able to get Grusch into a skiff. In fact, they were blocking that, by not re-activating his security clearance. And so I'm hopeful with the new incoming administration, especially because as of right now, you know, Marco Rubio led to his confirmation for Secretary of State.

GLENN: Yeah.

ANNA: And they have been in the Senate, one of the big advocates and supporters of looking into UAP's -- a/k/a, UFOs. And then everything else associated with that.

Now, what I will say, is that I've been grossly disappointed and disgusted by how the Biden administration handled what happened with the Chinese spy balloon, which to be clear is different than a UAP.

The fact is, some of these drones are likely tied to not just hobbyists. But probably more nefarious actors.

Even if we had that information, shared in the public. I don't believe that the Biden administration would have done that.

Because of how I saw, how they handled the drones.

In the United States. And collecting intelligence. Nonetheless.

It was a Chinese intelligence operation.

You know, I had one of my colleagues Van Drew, who actually made an admission on television, that it was adversarial drones. And then you saw the Intel community come out. But Van Drew would not just make something like that up.

So you're seeing kind of this rift occur with the intelligence community, and then people that do want the American people to simply know the case.

I think this is probably the topic of longer discussion. In regards to what a UAP is. What's interesting, Glenn. And I know you look at these things through a lens, as do I.

As a Christian, first and foremost. But what's interesting, when I was questioning Grusch.

I actually asked him, well, what would you consider, in so many words -- is this like a physical ST?

And he kept calling things inter-dimensional beings, if we're specifically referencing UAPs, and so I think that that just aligns in perspective, to think about this from.

I think there's a lot. You would have talked about this even ten years ago.

Your political career would have been over. People would have said you're a conspiracy theorist.

I can tell you, this is probably the number one question I get. No matter where I am at in the country, people come up. They appreciate it, because everyone is curious. So I'll leave you with that.

GLENN: So let me just -- let me just follow that here, just a little bit.

The inter-dimensional beings, that could be spiritual. That could be a quantum being. Any idea what he meant by that?

ANNA: You know, I actually tried to pull on his string. And he didn't want to go there.

And I can also tell you, when I was talking to him, with a group of other legislators on the phone, prior to the hearing.

That he did make the omission. That he was actually in fear of his life. And that something happened, where he tried to kill him.

So I don't know if that was associated. But he did not want to go into that any further.

And so based on my investigation. Based on what we're told in the hearing, I would say that it does not seem like it would be a good thing.

He gave me the impression. That this was nefarious.

So take it for what it's worth.

It's inter-dimensional.

I think quantum could be, you know,

GLENN: Right.

ANNA: We're on the same page there.

GLENN: So it is so bizarre that this kind of stuff is happening.

And we're not being told. Donald Trump said that he would talk about the drones. On Tuesday.

He said, give me a day, to get settled on office.

And he said, I'll find iota the drones. And I'll tell the American people.

If that's China. Should we know, the American people?

ANNA: I think it would be well within his wheelhouse.

And I think he wants the American people to start to trust their elected officials.

It goes to so much deeper than just have someone in the White House on your side. Right?

Because we know that -- and from what I've gathered, because remember, there's been bipartisan and bicameral meetings in the Senate, the House. And Democrats and Republicans have all been working on this together, to get some answers and information.

And there is a certain level of stovepiping that we've seen with information. And then also too, the aspect of, I as a sitting member of Congress. Who sits on oversight and foreign affairs, was denied access by a general at the Air Force base, to whom I responded. Who gives you the right and authority to tell a duly elected member and group of Congressmen, that they don't have access to a program that we write the damn checks for?

You have no authority to deny us access.

And so that conversation, probably not comfortable for that general.

GLENN: How did that end?

ANNA: Well, he left.

He actually got up in the middle of our meeting and went on TDY. Which any military member will tell you, never happened. He left the meeting.

He left the state.

He got up and left.

GLENN: Wow! Did you ever get an answer?

No. Representative Gaetz and Representative Burchett were also there to witness this.

I never seen that happen. And remember, I was in the military.

He literally got up and left in the middle of the meeting. Said he had orders in Georgia, and he never came back.

GLENN: Are you -- are you concerned at all about some of the conversations. We just saw another video from James O'Keefe.

Where he's talking to somebody who was -- I think he claimed to be in the FBI.

Said, he and others were meeting with generals. To make sure that they had a control on Donald Trump.

Are you -- are you confident at all, this time around, Donald Trump will be able to route that.

VOICE: Oh, most certainly.

And I will say, that has a lot to do with the confirmation of the Secretary of Defense.

You know, top down.

Last time president Trump was in office. I think there was a lot of trust in people, to do the right thing.

And then he realized that the Deep State was real.

And there were people running, regardless of whether he was a Republican. Or whether they're Republicans or not.

That they were working against his agenda. Because they didn't like what he stood for.

What we're finding, there is going to be a setup to go through these generals. That, A, discharge military members based on vaccinations. And boards.

The fact is, if you're a general and you're pushing wokeness ideologies.

Or you're trying to undermine subjective o the commander in chief, you have no place in the Department of Defense, period.

And so those people conspired, and I look forward to that. Because I can just tell you from a congressional perspective, Glenn. I actually had an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act to remove DEI for military training.

And I have friends still in the military. So someone at Ramstein Air Base actually sent me an email of an officer there, that was directly undermining what we did. Congress has removed DEI.
So we're renaming it. Please, proceed with the training.

Guess what, that person is also going to be fired. And that's really how you're going to be at the DOD --

GLENN: Good. Good.

If you could hold for 60 seconds, I need to take a network break and come back. I want to ask you about Cuba. What the Biden administration just did. And also about Tulsi Gabbard. And how you feel about her and her nomination.

Back in just a second with Anna Paulina Luna, Representative from Florida.

California Fires and New Jersey Drones: Government Secrets EXPOSED | Glenn TV | Ep 405

The secrets, lies, and utter absence of transparency from all levels of government are tearing our country apart. In just a few days, the Trump administration has the opportunity to change all of that and start a new era of accountability. Over the past decade, we’ve been lied to about Epstein, Ukraine, the Biden crime family … the list goes on! In this episode of Glenn TV, Glenn peels back the layers on two of the biggest stories right now that Americans are DEMANDING answers on: the fires in Los Angeles and the mysterious drone sightings that started in New Jersey but have since occurred all over the world. Then, journalist Michael Shellenberger joins to discuss how California failed to prepare for the Los Angeles wildfires, why there never should have been a dry reservoir, and where he believes the drones are coming from: Are they Chinese, UFOs, or the property of the U.S. government?

The TRUTH About Biden’s Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal

The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is already showing signs of falling apart. The deal, which includes the swap of 33 hostages for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, was paused after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of breaking some of its promises. The Biden administration took plenty of credit for the deal, but also acknowledged Donald Trump’s role in its finalization. But Glenn explains why this is NOT Trump’s deal. When Trump takes office, he believes, we’ll see a deal that’s much better for Israel.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So let's talk about this deal in the Middle East. Here is -- and remember, the State Department is -- is ground zero for everything bad. In the world.

I mean, I -- honestly, I think Marco Rubio should go in.

And he said fire everyone on the seventh floor. Maybe the sixth.

Just fire them all. You're all gone. I don't care if some of you are good. I don't have time to sort it out.

You're all gone.

Because it's been out of control since really FDR.

And they think that they're in charge of the world.

And it is the State Department, that has brought us these endless wars and everything else.

They've got to go. They all have to go.

So with that in mind, listen to the State Department spokesperson on the Hamas deal.

Listen to this.

GLENN: When it comes to the involvement of president-elect Trump's team is absolutely critical in getting this deal over the line.

And it's been critical. Because obviously, as I stand here today.

This administration's term in office will expire in ten days.

And one of the things we've always said about this deal.

When you get to stage one, to stage two. That the United States, Egypt and be Qatar. Are the guarantors of this deal. And Egypt and Qatar will push Hamas to stay at the bargaining table. And to get from stage one to stage two.

And the United States will push Israel to stay at the bargaining table from phase one to phase two.

Obviously, those are promises we cannot make on behalf of the United States for any longer than the next five days.

And so it's critical that all of the parties to the agreement and the other mediators see that when the United States is in the room, making commitments. Those are lasting commitments. That extend beyond this administration. Into the next one.

GLENN: Uh-huh. So stop.

They're long-standing commitments. They will go long past the five days.

Well, they must even make it to day two. Overnight, this deal has started to fall apart.

And it started to fall apart with Benjamin Netanyahu. And the Israelis.

Okay.

Well, wait. I thought that's the critical role that Donald Trump was playing. That's what he just said.

We can -- we can bring Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel to the table. Well, Benjamin Netanyahu did not go to the table, under Biden.

Didn't come to the table. Now, Hamas didn't come to the table because of Biden.

This has all happened, because Donald Trump has said this. Cut one.

VOICE: I think they heard him loud and clear.

It will get done by the inaugural.

VOICE: Before we take office.

VOICE: And don't release the hostages.

VOICE: Do you have to define it for you.

All hell will break out. If those hostages aren't back. I don't want to hurt your negotiation.

If they're not back by the time I get into office. All hell will break out, in the Middle East.

And it will not be good for Hamas.

GLENN: Okay!

So wait. How is Donald Trump responsible for a deal that looks like it's really good for Hamas.

And not good for Israel.

All hell will break loose.

This is the only reason why they're talking about this. And Joe Biden, eager to make a deal.

Made a deal that's good for Hamas, not Israel. So that's falling apart right now.

STU: Deal is falling apart?

GLENN: Yeah. Fell apart overnight. It looks like, it's not holding.

STU: Well, I mean, because it is -- obviously has some good in it for Israel.

And potentially America, right? Potentially American hostages released.

GLENN: But also potentially --

STU: We don't know. It's something like 33 for a thousand. Something -- as always with these deals.

It heavily favors Hamas.

GLENN: Correct.

It leaves Hamas in power.

All kinds of things bad for Israel.

STU: It does not end the war. It's a cease-fire. Okay.

That's important.

GLENN: Yeah. A cease-fire.

That's important.

So Donald Trump is the reason why something will happen. Okay?

Donald Trump has not been able to make a deal. Get them to the table.

He can make a deal. But it's a Biden deal. A bad deal.

He can make that deal with them right now. Because they all know, daddy is coming home.

We better stop our bickering.

Because daddy is going to solve it. And I'm not sure we're going to like the solution coming from daddy.

So they try to get into a deal.

Notice, if the Israelis are the ones pulling out, you don't think Benjamin Netanyahu is just springing that on Donald Trump.

He's not just like -- Donald Trump is not getting up today and going, wait. The deal fell apart. Benjamin Netanyahu and the Knesset doesn't want to deal with that? What happened? Uh-uh. They were on the phone with him, so he knows that.

No matter what the White House tries to do and rope him in, this is not his deal. It's moving because of him. But that's all.

And I take him seriously when he said -- I mean, let's talk about this in a week. Let's talk about this next Friday. Where will this story be next Friday?

Because I don't think it will be here!

You'll notice, he said, make a deal before I even get into office.

There's going to be a lot of talk with Hamas, on what exactly they have to do. And what the ramifications are.

Because I would not put it past Donald Trump, by Monday evening.

Drones, to be flying over Hamas.

He will -- he will release hell on them.

He is a guy, that keeps his word. Because he knows, if I don't, then I'm known as somebody who just bluffs.

And I'm not going to do that. Because that puts the United States. Into real trouble.

And he's been real clear on this, over and over and over again! Hell will be paid if you don't release the hostages, by the time I'm in office.

So we'll see, exactly what is coming on.

Democrat Tries to TRAP Pete Hegseth. He Has the PERFECT Response

Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Fox News’ Pete Hegseth, sat in front of Congress for his confirmation hearing…and it exposed the Left for what they are. Democrats tried to corner Hegseth with lies and loaded questions, but he pushed back in a way that impressed Glenn. Glenn and Stu discuss some of the worst highlights, including when Rep. Mazie Hirono asked Hegseth if Trump plans to invade Greenland. Plus, the guys also discuss whether Hamas will release hostages before his inauguration.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So I don't know about you, Stu. But, boy, was I impressed with Congress yesterday, you know.

STU: They always find a way to make you think a little less about them. You know, they always can cross that line.

GLENN: Yeah. Mazie Hirono. What?

STU: Dumb. Well, she's America's dumbest senator. That's already confirmed. She won the competition with Ryan Seacrest hosting. And it was a great show, by the way. I would totally watch that.

GLENN: Yeah. Oh, I would watch that. Can you imagine the Jeopardy with the Senate and the House?

STU: Oh, my gosh. They asked them the tough question. They all ended up with zero. The winner gets zero.

You know, Mazie Hirono somehow wins. But she has $0. Everyone else has negative.

Right? I think they should have to pay the negative dollars to Ryan Seacrest. Gosh!

Okay. So here's one of the more incredible. Cut 15.

Here's Mazie Hirono on taking over Greenland. We have it?

VOICE: To take over Greenland, or an ally of Denmark.

VOICE: Senator, one of the things President Trump is so good at, is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never in this public forum, give one way or another, give -- in any context.

VOICE: That sounds to me, you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland.

STU: Oh, does it? Oh, wow. You don't know what the English language really means, do you?

GLENN: Wow. And do you have a big sword? Because I think Secretary of Defense should have a big sword.

I like swords. How much do swords cost?

STU: And that was the smartest line of questioning.

GLENN: It really was. It really was.

How many tanks do we have? Do we have like just the ones I have on TV, or do we keep some of them secret, so we can surprise people with more tanks?

I want to know! Answer the question. My God.

STU: So bad.

GLENN: Are drones really just like big bees?

STU: They could be. They make noises like big bees, Mazie.

GLENN: Instead of missiles, have we thought about using Thor's Hammer? Because it would come right back to us.

STU: That's actually a pretty good idea.

GLENN: Can we get the space force to look into alien cows. I read online that alien cows are why we need stronger fences in Iowa. What's the Pentagon doing? Do you like nachos?

I mean --

STU: I would rather watch that. Whatever you just did. I would rather watch them doing that, than what actually occurred.

GLENN: I mean, those could have been questions yesterday.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: It was that insane.

Will you use the military to invade Greenland?

Do you like nachos?

Of course not!

Invade Greenland. Iceland, maybe. But not Greenland.

STU: No. Never. It's too big.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

STU: Of course. You know, it's funny. He says, he would never strategically tip his hand.

And it's funny, because Trump in a way, always tips his hand. Right?

He does want Greenland. He has tipped his hand. He has told us about it for years. He does want the border secure. He's told us about -- when it comes to specific things he's willing to do and not do in a negotiation. He'll suggest a bunch of stuff. But you don't know what's real. That's why he's a good negotiator.

GLENN: Right!

STU: You bring up that Tiffany example. You brought that up before. I was in the city. And I saw. I was telling my kids that story.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: And God only knows if it's true. You told it to me.

GLENN: I said to him. I said, you're negotiating gift is unbelievable.

I said, I've never questioned your negotiating power, since I heard the story about Trump Tower and Tiffany's. And he laughed, and he said, good for you, for knowing that story.

And I said, that is just incredible. That takes balls of steel.

STU: For people who don't know. Maybe you should give a 30-second version of it.

GLENN: So Tiffany was not going to sell him the air rights, so he could build the Trump Tower. He had already bought the property. It was either Tiffany's or Cartier.

So he goes to the board. And he says, look, I will build this -- it will be beautiful. It will be 70 stores.

And they're like, hmm. Well, we own the air rights, and we're not going to sell them to you, because we don't want a big building like that.

And he said, oh. You know what, I thought you might say that. I already own the property.

So if you don't, he rolled out architectural plans of what he described as the ugliest building he could possibly build. Three stories.

And he said, okay. Well, if you don't let me build the Trump Tower. I will build this.

No, you wouldn't. Watch this. And he left. By the time he had gotten back to the office, they had given him the air rights.

STU: That's who he is.

GLENN: That's who he is.

STU: Now, would he have built that building?

I think there are answers to that, in which he would have. Which is important.

GLENN: Yeah. That's also circumstances, where he would have just sold the property. You know what I mean?

And you don't know which.

STU: You don't know which. And that's why it works.

GLENN: Yes. Yes.

STU: So I don't think there's any chance. I don't believe there's any chance whatsoever, outside of like, I don't know.

China taking over Greenland first. Right?

Something like that, we might invade Greenland. I don't think there's any chance we just invade Greenland. However, first of all, I said I don't think there's any chance. There's some doubt even in my mind, that we might do it.

And that's why it works.

GLENN: Right! When he was like, hey, you know, the little missile guy.

You know, I will show you new missiles. That's why it works.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: Because Kim Jong-un and everyone in the world went, is he willing to launch nukes against this guy?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe!

STU: Who knows? Maybe. Who knows! And like that's why it's successful.

It's why there's someone behind it.

GLENN: Yes. It's why the hostages are being released by 12 o'clock on Monday. Have you heard that?

STU: I've heard -- it's not confirmed, right?

GLENN: It's credible speculation.

STU: Okay. Because I know obviously. If you're -- if you're -- Donald Trump has been threatening it. He said, get it done before I come into office.

GLENN: Oh, yeah. Or there will be real consequences. And there will be.

We might take Greenland.

STU: Exactly. Think of the politics of this for a moment.

If you go back to Iran. Carter is leaving. The second Reagan takes over, they release the hostages, right? And everyone remembers it, exactly that way. Right?

Reagan essentially is responsible for that. They -- as soon as they came in. Two things, they didn't like Carter. And they were afraid of Reagan. And they were like, okay. We're out. And they leave the blackjack table.

Trump, I don't know. You know him better than I certainly was.

But in my view, Trump is smart enough.

First of all, number one, really wants the hostages out. Can't believe the way we handled this. So that's true. But also has thought about that historical precedent.

And he comes out. And he says, do it before I come in!

Which now, if they do it, before he comes in, it's not a Biden credit.

It is his!

And, of course, if they do it after that, it's always his.

He wins both ways.

GLENN: He is.

I mean, he has -- I'm telling you, I think he's the sharpest he's maybe ever been.

STU: Please don't.

I'm having PTSD after four years of hearing that about Biden.

Don't say he's sharp as a tack, please.

No. No. No. Just the best negotiator he may have ever been. Everything is a negotiation.

What he's doing with Pete Hegseth. All a negotiation!

How he's handling everything in the House and the Senate. All a negotiation.

He's a master negotiator. And the reason why he's so. Good at real estate negotiation.

Is because he knows it inside and out.

STU: Experience.

GLENN: He didn't know it, the first time.

STU: Yeah. And the first term was --

GLENN: All gut.

STU: Yeah. There's two things.

Like we -- have our -- it would be great to have someone outside of the system.

Who thinks about these things differently. And he had that part of it. But criticism of that, and this is played out in other realms before.

Where you say, well, the person. They don't know the system. They don't know the buttons to press, or Levers to pull. That -- especially at the beginning of his term. Really wasn't there.

He was learning it. Kind of his own -- he's even told that story before. Now he's in the position where he kind of has both. You know, he's an outsider and he knows the system. Which is a combination we haven't seen before. Because it's unique. It's not something that occurs a lot.

GLENN: No. Everyone goes in trying to use the system. He wants to shut the system down.

STU: That has to be a fascinating few years, man. We are going to have plenty to talk about. That, I can guarantee.

GLENN: Oh, I'm not tired of winning yet.

Are you tired of winning.

Let me give you -- let me take a quick break. And then we'll get back to Pete Hegseth. I have to tell you, we've had four huge ESG wins. Huge!

Like, it's over.

And I hate to say that, because they never surrender. They just morph. But the way they've been operating and what happened here in the last couple of days. It's over!

California Fire Chief Reveals BIG Issue with Federal Forest Agencies

It's not just California that needs to clean up its forests before more devastating fires break out. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy tells Glenn that the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior BOTH need to clear more brush: "I've worked for both the USDA and USDI. Let's face it...we've got an unhealthy landscape out there. We need to start putting beneficial fire on the landscape.” But he warns that these agencies are losing firefighters FAST: “It doesn't matter how many millions or billions of dollars you throw at the problem if you don't have the people there to do the work."

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: As the gods of the copybook headings limp up to explain once more that fire will certainly burn us and water will wet us. They could learn that in California.

We have Brian Fennessy. He is the Orange County California fire chief.

To tell us a little bit about what's going on. And how is Orange County doing, Brian?

Welcome to the program.

BRIAN: Hey, thank you very much. You know, a little bit about the fires, just across from LA. You know, they're not spreading. As they were, I think both are kind of in a stable position. But there's certainly a lot of heat, you know, in those. And on those fires. In the new wind event approximately albeit. Not 80 miles an hour. One hundred-mile-an-hour gusts. Are still very concerning.

Those fires will be wind tested. Here in North Carolina, it's blowing hard. It was up last week. I think we here dodged a bullet.

But we're expecting that for another couple of days. I'm told there might be another Santa Anna wind event forecasted for next week. So we sure can't stand much more.

GLENN: So, Brian, this is totally predictable. Was it not?

BRIAN: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. When I started in 1978. We would usually have a few days notice.

You know, meteorology is not what it is today. We start to get notified about ten days out.
And then confidence builds at seven days.

And then when you're about four days out, we're pretty sure, you know, what's going to expect.

Yes. Forecasting predicting is far better than it's ever been.

GLENN: Right. So what should have been done in those four days before the fire broke out?

BRIAN: Well, I'll tell you what was done. And we have a program called prepositioning. About six years ago, the fire chiefs in the state, got the state of California to fund -- to put money behind this prepositioning meeting. If we go through a matrix, you know, county-by-county, and we meet certain criteria. I mean, there's a number of things. We are approved for prepositioning funding.

Which means, I can bring on additional aircraft, additional bulldozers, engines.

And the state will pay for them. So that not only are all my stations filled and ready to go.

But I might have two or three more strike teams, strike teams five engines. I might have additional helicopters, dispatch staff.

So all of the Southern California counties were approved for prepositioning. So we had definitely extra resources available, should they be needed.

And certainly, they were deployed very, very quickly.

GLENN: But that's Orange County.

BRIAN: No, that's every county -- every county of the state is eligible for it. But each county has to go through this matrix to meet it.

And so I don't know for sure. But I would expect that Santa Barbara county south, were all approved for prepositioning funding.

And, quite frankly, here in Orange County and when I was the fire chief in San Diego city, we didn't wait for prepositioning. If this weather was going to surface, we are going to staff up.

And if we go overbudget, we go overbudget.
Our job is to protect our communities. And the mayor I worked for at the time, understood that.

So it's nice to be reimbursed for it, but that's not a necessity. We are going to staff up, even beyond what the state approves, if we believe we need to do that.

GLENN: Right. Yeah.

So as we're watching this from Texas and all around the country, it seems as though, it was, A, known that it was going to happen. This is routine. You expect the Santa Anna winds, every year.

You expect forest fires.

And brushfires, in California. Every year.

So this was just one of the really bad ones.

Then it seems like incompetence of cutting the funding for the fire agencies. Not really, truly being prepared. And then on top of it, it seems incompetence to a level that is almost criminal.

And then the third part of this, as we see it, as I see it. Is there might be some actors after the main fire started, that are also, you know, setting fires. What they're -- what their motives are, are yet unknown.

There are also some arsonists involved in that.

Do I have that picture right?

VOICE: Partially. And maybe totally. I don't know for sure.

But I will tell you this. I live in -- I grew up in Altadena. That's one of the towns pretty well wiped out.

When you live that close to the foothills. You're used to Santa Anna winds.

You know they're coming, and they can be brutal right there in the foothills. And it's not uncommon for a strong -- we consider strong Santa Anna, forty or 50 mile an hour winds steady, with gusts maybe to 60, 70.

The event that was experienced last week. And you know this, was 60, 70, steady, gusts, 90 to 100. Something like that. We have a hard time dealing with the former.

Something like that. We're trying to manage expectations, as -- we can't stop that fire.

And I think that, you know, many times, you know, the public. Let me put it this way.

If this were a hurricane or a tornado. Firefighters aren't stopping those either.

GLENN: Right. But they do preposition.

You look at Florida. They've got the trucks lined up before that thing comes ashore.

BRIAN: Yep. They're the best. They get disaster preparations in advance. They get that moving. Florida is an amazing model.

And Texas is a good model as well.

But in terms of, I can't speak of LA city. I don't know what they're prepositioned or upstaffed. They could have another thousand engines. And we weren't going to stop this fire.

Now, having said that. Once the winds diminished. And the fire. This is no longer a wild land fire.

This became an urban conflagration.

House to house spread.

The fuel was structures.

And so, you know, once the wind diminished to a point where, you know, firefighters could get in there and start working on the structures.

There were just so many.

I mean, I drove those fires -- I've been doing this since 1978.

I couldn't believe the structures, the businesses, that were burning so far, from the mountain, that it came off of.

I mean, it was even incredible for me. In terms of the water. I think that's being sorted out. I'm probably hearing the same things that you are. The reservoirs may not have been as filled as they needed to be.

Yes. A draw in the system, can cause some decrease in pressure. But I've never heard of anything that -- where there actually wasn't pressure.

I do know. And I've shared this with people.

In 2003, in San Diego, at the time, the largest fire in California history. We lost pressure.

But that was because pump houses. Pump stations had been burned.

And we didn't know they existed. Had we known, we would have protected those pump houses, as much as we protect a house.

To ensure that we have pressure.

GLENN: Right.

BRIAN: So I'm confident in the city of LA, and I'm hearing the governor is ordering an investigation. That's going to get sorted out. That's going to get public.

And, yes, it could be quite embarrassing and life-changing for a few people, involved in whatever decision made by both parties.

GLENN: Good. Good. We have to learn from our lessons. You know, learn lessons from our mistakes.

BRIAN: Totally agree.

GLENN: You are being talked about going into the Department of Interior.

You had not heard that?

BRIAN: Oh! Well, I'm hearing rumblings. People asked if I was interested in perhaps even becoming the new US forest service chief. And I have served with others that should I be approached at some point. I would certainly consider it.

Because, quite frankly, that agency is a mess, when it comes to fire fighting.

GLENN: Yeah.

BRIAN: They -- you know, paying benefits for -- the firefighters are leaving in droves.

They are so underpaid and underbenefited, that they're leaving, you know, to go to work for state and local government agencies, like mine.

And like L.A. Counties. And this isn't anything new.

You know, I used to work for them, for 13 years. Both the USDA foresters, and the Department of Interior. BLM. And I left as a crew superintendent. And I ran crews. And back then, you know, we were significantly underpaid.

I left the municipal department in 1990. Went to San Diego, because of it. And it's gotten worse.

And it's not managed or organized like a fire department. And if they're going to be in the fire business, you know, they need to be organized and led like a fire department.

Yes, there are resource agency. And, yes, they have things beyond fire, but if you look at the forest service budget, primarily now, it's fire being funded.

GLENN: Sure.

BRIAN: And they definitely need some help in their firefighters. Quite frankly, Glenn, they will be without a fire department very, very soon.

GLENN: Jeez. I have to tell you, it was the national forest service that helped save my neighbor's ranch and probably mine. If we would have had high winds, it would have been over. But the local fire came out. And immediately, the forest service had already positioned.

Because they looked at my canyon and went. This is dry. This is just a disaster waiting to happen.

And they were ready for it.

And they saved it. They did a great job there.

BRIAN: They have amazing firefighters.

GLENN: Yeah. They do.

BRIAN: Spent 13 years in a hotshot group.

I know the business. And I know the people that are out there now. Their firefighters are amazing. Their smoke jumpers. Their hotshots. Their engine cruiser.

Unfortunately, you know, again, they're organized in such a way, that nationally.

They don't -- it would take too long to speak.

But it's just sad to see.

I mean, here in California, I'm told that they're -- we're only able to staff the stations at 60 percent. In my own county. I have three forest service stations.

And they can only staff one of those stations.

Two on occasion. Eight to ten all summer.

We had a fire. We had a fire.

The airport fire, earlier this summer. That burned 100 homes.

And the station closest to that fire was not staffed

And so, you know, I made Congress aware.

And others aware.

And right now, I don't think the forest service is happy with me.

Because I'm being very public about things they should be very public about.

GLENN: So would it be the forest service or the department of interior, that would be responsible for getting under brush cleared?

MIKHAIL: Well, I think it's both. I worked for both the USDA and the USDI.

And let's face it. At least out in the west, the firefighters for decades did such a great job, suppressing fires quickly. That it caused this growth.

And we had an unhealthy landscape out there. And we need to have beneficial fire back on the landscape.

Here's another thing, Glenn. The same firefighters that were losing, those are the people that were going to do the work.

GLENN: I know.

BRIAN: So if you don't have the workforce to do the work, that needs to be done. How will you get it done? It doesn't matter how many millions or billions of dollars you throw at the problem, if you don't have the people, there to do the work.

But, yes. I mean, we need to do something about this unhealthy -- and people are working hard at it.

Certainly, Cal fires are showing amazing, incredible success with it. But you're years behind them.

GLENN: Oh, I know.

BRIAN: This is decades of not treating the fuels and the landscape. And it's going to be decades to fix it.

But we've got to do something. And we have to have a workforce to be able to do it. And like I say, if asked -- and I haven't been asked by anybody officially.

Jut informally. People have suggested and asked, is that something I would consider?

And absolutely.

And, you know, certainly, pay is less of an issue. It would be a pay cut for me. But it's not about that.

It's about -- it's about, you know, what we as firefighters, you know, have sworn to do, and we need to fix that organization.

GLENN: Quickly. Quickly. Can I ask you, am I up against a network break? Can I just ask you about the safety inspections about the Oregon fire trucks and everything.

That is not to make sure of the missions.
That's to make sure that we could function, correct?
Which seems insane too, but go ahead.

GLENN: You know, I'm unaware of what you're talking about.

I know we do expect. Not we. But the state or the feds will inspect, you know, engines or what not. When they arrive. And then before they leave to make sure they're safe.

So I'm not familiar at all, with the situation you're talking about.

GLENN: All right.

Brian, thank you so much.

I hope you're called up. Because we need to take all of our agencies.

And especially all of our services that are protecting us.

Seriously again, we haven't for a long time.

Brian, thank you so much.

BRIAN: Yep. We need change. So thank you.

GLENN: Yep. Brian Fennessy, orange County Fire Chief. All right