Brothering Big Brother 1/2/17

Speaker 1 This is the Blaze Radio on Demand.

Speaker 4 Individuals and businesses with tax problems listen carefully. If you owe over $10,000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, we can help you take back control.

Speaker 4 The IRS is the largest and most aggressive collection agency in the world, and they can seize your bank account, garnish your paycheck, close your business, and file criminal charges.

Speaker 4 Take control of your tax problems now by calling the experts at Tax Mediation Services.

Speaker 6 At 800-600-1645. That's That's 800-600-1645.
800-600-1645.

Speaker 6 I will make it stand,

Speaker 6 I will raise my voice,

Speaker 6 I will hold your hand,

Speaker 6 cause we are one.

Speaker 6 The fusion of entertainment and enlightenment.

Speaker 8 This is the Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 8 I will make it stand,

Speaker 8 I will raise my voice,

Speaker 8 I will hold your hand.

Speaker 8 Cause we are one,

Speaker 8 I will beat my drum.

Speaker 8 I have made my choice, we will overcome.

Speaker 8 Cause we are one.

Speaker 10 Well, happy new year.

Speaker 10 Happy New Year, friends. Mike O'Kalka coming to you live from the constitutionally protected freedom bunker in the woods of Delaware.

Speaker 10 And 2017 has finally arrived, along with what appears to be a fast-moving cold trying to get me. And I'm barely ahead of it.

Speaker 3 So

Speaker 10 I will venture forth with your assistance. We have much to talk about today as we are in the new year, and

Speaker 10 we have to push on past whatever 2016 tried to trip us with, tried to hit us with, tried to just beat us into the ground with. Now, I'm not saying there weren't good things about 2016.

Speaker 3 There were a couple.

Speaker 10 But you would not have to take your mittens off to count them. And

Speaker 10 I'm happy to wave goodbye. So, those of you who sent me nice notes over the New Year weekend, nice condolences to our family as we said goodbye to my dad this weekend.
Strangest New Year's Eve ever.

Speaker 10 Never had a funeral on New Year's Eve. But thank you all for caring.
Thank you for

Speaker 10 being so gracious and lovely.

Speaker 10 Today, the show, of course, we have news to cover. President Obama is headed back to D.C.

Speaker 10 He wants to make sure he preserves his legacy. I don't know if you caught that, but he's a little worried.
They gavel in the new Congress tomorrow. And

Speaker 10 that list of things to get done by this new Congress includes repealing Obamacare and just a whole bunch of

Speaker 10 those regulations

Speaker 10 that the President put in place. And I know Mr.

Speaker 10 Trump, President-elect Trump, with less than three weeks to go until he takes the oath, is getting ready with his pen to wipe out some of those things that President Obama put together that are putting

Speaker 10 their hands around the necks of the American capitalist system.

Speaker 10 So we'll get to some of that. We also have to look, since it is a new year, there are new laws.
We'll talk about the new laws that are going into effect.

Speaker 10 And I want to look at some of the craziness in Washington, D.C.,

Speaker 10 some of the stuff inside the swamp that is going to be the target of this incoming administration. And we're going to use an expert on that topic as well.
Plus,

Speaker 10 you know, I don't make resolutions. I think I mentioned this briefly on Friday.

Speaker 10 I don't do New Year's resolutions mostly because

Speaker 10 I'm like 92% of you. If you make a resolution, generally you break it within a week.
And so it's one of those things that it's a why bother? So why bother, folks? Why should we?

Speaker 10 Now I will tell you this,

Speaker 10 based on

Speaker 10 the latest studies,

Speaker 10 we are making resolutions, but they're different resolutions this year. Brand new survey out.
And it used to be the number one resolution for the coming year was always to lose weight.

Speaker 10 And either we've given up or we've decided that maybe weight is down below the number one or two things. And at the top of the list this year is being a better person.

Speaker 10 And I can endorse that. I can get on board with that.

Speaker 10 I thought I was doing pretty well,

Speaker 10 but then you meet people,

Speaker 10 you meet people who are out there doing incredible things.

Speaker 10 There's a young man named Ernesto, who's a veteran of the United States Army, who's about to,

Speaker 10 in an hour in Dallas,

Speaker 10 he's about to continue his walk from Tennessee to Los Angeles in

Speaker 10 hopes of getting attention and support of the veterans who are not getting the care and are oftentimes committing suicide. And Ernesto, who's been on this program, is leaving from Dallas this morning.

Speaker 10 And there are a huge group of people gathered to join him for the first 2.2 miles outside of the city as they draw attention to those 22 veterans per day who take their own lives.

Speaker 10 So when you hear about people like Ernesto, who's not doing it for the money, he's just doing it to raise awareness for the brothers and sisters he fought alongside of in the Army,

Speaker 10 then you say, okay, I got to be a little bit better this year. So I'm I'm working on being a little bit better this year.
Now, losing weight and exercising more, they're still in the top five.

Speaker 10 And making more money, still there in the top five, but so is saving and being a little smarter. So maybe we're working on a more balanced life in 2017.
And I can get behind that.

Speaker 10 Now,

Speaker 10 do we get into New Year's Eve now?

Speaker 10 Should we dive into some of the craziness that happened on TV? I think so.

Speaker 10 We're big fans of watching CNN on New Year's Eve because,

Speaker 10 and this was the 10th year of the Anderson Cooper

Speaker 10 Kathy Griffin adventure. And I think as much fun as it is, it's become predictable.
We know Kathy's going to be...

Speaker 10 kind of the crazy Pex bad boy bouncing off the walls and Anderson's going to giggle and say no don't do that but CNN seems to have found an entirely new bit of craziness.

Speaker 10 And I don't know if you caught it. It's ontheblaze.com, the story's on the blaze, talking about Don Lemon getting hammered.

Speaker 10 I'm not a medical expert.

Speaker 10 It appeared that he was drinking shots poured from a tequila bottle. It appeared that he was drinking quite a few shots from a tequila bottle.

Speaker 10 And over the course of a couple hours, his speech suddenly became a tad more relaxed. And

Speaker 10 even Ms. Baldwin, Brooke Baldwin, who was the co-anchor with Lemon, said at one point, the tequila is like emitting from your pores.

Speaker 10 I'm going to go through a little bit of this from Lemon. Now, he first started drinking early in the night.
They had almost three hours and 15 minutes before they were supposed to count down.

Speaker 10 And then he continued. And less than two hours before the ball was dropping, he started pouring shots on the bar.
Well, let's sample a little bit of this.

Speaker 10 I'm pouring.

Speaker 8 I'm oh, oh, you want some

Speaker 8 pour bow?

Speaker 2 Tequila for everybody. We'll do one for Anderson and Kathy back.

Speaker 2 Okay, here. What are you guys doing here?

Speaker 11 We're here for New Orleans, yeah.

Speaker 2 Are you guys gonna have a shot for us?

Speaker 11 Little shot? Brook, are you shot?

Speaker 11 Anderson, what's your

Speaker 10 So they're pouring tequila out of a bottle into shot glasses in a bar in New Orleans.

Speaker 10 It's almost three full hours before midnight in New Orleans, two hours before midnight in New York, and they're just lining them up on the bar. And you can hear Don Lemons getting a little kooky.

Speaker 11 They're in danger.

Speaker 12 I feel they're trying to send a signal like they're in danger.

Speaker 11 This is you're about to be in danger with those shots.

Speaker 13 Goodness.

Speaker 11 This is for you.

Speaker 11 This is for you guys.

Speaker 12 I hope you guys are counting how many many times he's doing this. Yes, yes.
I'm up to 13. I'm up to 13.

Speaker 12 Brooke, how was Vegas?

Speaker 12 Oh, my God. It was so great.
It was so great.

Speaker 10 The reference to Vegas was about Brooke Baldwin and a bunch of CNN staffers went out for the wedding of another one of their colleagues. But these two are drinking.

Speaker 10 And talking about the drinking. And Don Lemon looks to be getting a little loose.

Speaker 10 His shirt is unbuttoned. He now, a little bit later, about an hour before

Speaker 10 the ball was to come down, he talked about getting either a pierced nipple

Speaker 10 or piercing his ear live on television. And he eventually did what many folks do when they get overserved.
He started talking about his personal life,

Speaker 10 perhaps a little bit too publicly,

Speaker 10 television live with Brooke Baldwin.

Speaker 14 I don't really do it.

Speaker 14 I always live my life to the very fullest.

Speaker 2 Yes, you do. The thing is, I need a little bit more balance in work life.

Speaker 2 I may be open to a relationship this year. I wasn't before.

Speaker 12 Breaking news, Don Lemon is open to a relationship?

Speaker 2 Yeah, well, yeah.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Actually, being available to be in a relationship.

Speaker 2 I'm a bad person to date. I'm not selfish.
I'm not selfish. I'll give you my list.
I'm not

Speaker 2 self-centered. Yeah, yeah.
I'm not going to be as self-centered.

Speaker 12 You're going to be less self-centered in 2017.

Speaker 2 Yeah, but I don't relate to resolutions and I live my life to the fullest. I don't care what people think about me.
I do what I want because it's my life.

Speaker 10 So Don Lemon, apparently the tequila makes you forget you're on television

Speaker 10 supposed to be covering the New Year's Eve event.

Speaker 10 And he's bleeding his heart out there talking about the fact that he's ready for a relationship and he just needs to be a little bit better of a person.

Speaker 10 And then it got weird about 20 minutes later when they came back and Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon had brought a tattoo and piercing expert into the bar. In the bar, not in a sterilized tattoo parlor.

Speaker 14 Almost arrived.

Speaker 14 Okay, tell them what's going to happen. I'm going to get something.

Speaker 14 So we've we've invited our new friend Chris over.

Speaker 10 This guy's got

Speaker 10 a mask and gloves on.

Speaker 14 And the decision all night has been:

Speaker 14 should it be a tattoo or a piercing?

Speaker 14 I mean, what are you thinking?

Speaker 14 But people want to know what crazy, silly.

Speaker 10 So Lemon starts taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. And thank God somebody had the common sense to say, no, don't do it.
Anderson Cooper was saying, no, don't do it. Don't do it.

Speaker 10 And the piercing guy is now holding a giant needle after swabbing Don Lemon's ear.

Speaker 10 Don Lemon does one more big shot, and then the piercing guy steps up to the mic, and this happens on live TV.

Speaker 14 Is this going to hurt? It's not going to hurt me.

Speaker 14 You'll be fine.

Speaker 14 This is seriously about to happen.

Speaker 14 Don't get blood on my mouth.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 Oh,

Speaker 14 Lord. Is your mother watching?

Speaker 3 This guy is

Speaker 10 swabbing his ear, and now the needle is coming up to the earlobe.

Speaker 14 At least it's just his ear. You know what I'm saying? Here we go, Brooke.

Speaker 14 Here we go.

Speaker 2 Oh, God.

Speaker 14 Don't get blood in the jacket. It has to go back.
It goes back to Burke's brothers.

Speaker 14 Here we go. Here's a needle.
Here's a needle.

Speaker 14 So

Speaker 10 CNN's New Year's Eve programming consisted of Don Lemon getting hammered. And if you look at his eyes, you can see his eyes are almost closed now.
And he gets a needle stuck through his ear.

Speaker 10 And it got weirder and weirder and weirder. There were more eye rolls out of Brooke Baldwin than I think I've ever seen on a television show.

Speaker 10 Not long after that,

Speaker 10 Lemon talked about CNN just or 2016 being an awful year, and CNN finally cut his mic. However, there was a moment that occurred that I don't think a lot of people caught.

Speaker 10 There was a moment when Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin, right after they talked about him needing to get into a relationship,

Speaker 10 they walked through the crowd and were just talking to people.

Speaker 10 And Don Lemon

Speaker 10 proposed.

Speaker 15 You love my dress.

Speaker 15 Proposal, you guys made it. Thank you.
We We're drinking.

Speaker 15 Let's go. Oh,

Speaker 15 congratulations.

Speaker 16 This is September.

Speaker 15 September. Oh, wow.
Where are you guys from? Utah.

Speaker 15 Utah. I was just in Zion.

Speaker 10 As Don Lemon said, Brooke, will you marry me?

Speaker 10 The lovely couple from Utah was talking about getting married in September.

Speaker 3 You really hear it again.

Speaker 10 CNN decided wisely to cut away to Nashville.

Speaker 10 We never saw Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin again that night. They never returned.
I think CNN cut out of their Central Time Zone feed just a little bit early.

Speaker 10 And I don't think we've heard from Don Lemon yet on the aftermath of this. Plus, there's no word from CNN.

Speaker 10 Now, if Don Lemon has a problem with the alcohol and he needs to get help, then God bless him. I hope he gets it done.
But it was one of the weirdest things I've witnessed on New Year's Eve on CNN.

Speaker 10 I think it topped all of the crazy Kathy Griffin,

Speaker 10 Anderson Cooper stuff, because that all seemed scripted. This seemed totally unscripted.
Mike Opelka stepping away from the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 10 When we get back, updates on the Istanbul Club attack that killed dozens, and the gunmen still on the loose, and you'll never guess who's taking credit for it.

Speaker 10 That's next next on the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 10 We are one:

Speaker 2 the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 9 Mercury.

Speaker 4 Individuals and businesses with tax problems, listen carefully. If you owe over $10,000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, we can help you take back control.

Speaker 4 The IRS is the largest and most aggressive collection agency in the world, and they can seize your bank account, garnish your paycheck, close your business, and file criminal charges.

Speaker 4 Take control of your tax problems now by calling the experts at Tax Mediation Services at 800-600-1645.

Speaker 6 That's 800-600-1645. 800-600-1645.

Speaker 11 This is the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 10 Micah Opelka in for Glenn Beck on the Glen Beck program. Happy New Year.
Hope you and yours had a safe one.

Speaker 10 We just played a little bit of the craziness from CNN with Don Lemon and his alcohol consumption.

Speaker 10 And on my Twitter account, which is at StuntBrain, you can connect with us on the Twitter at StuntBrain.

Speaker 10 You are already reacting,

Speaker 10 noting, as

Speaker 10 James in Louisiana said, nice catch on CNN there. I wonder if Brooke Baldwin said yes to Don Lemon.

Speaker 10 We haven't heard. And we did post that, but we have not heard.
Now, to flip the

Speaker 10 attitude completely,

Speaker 10 big story out of Istanbul. The man dressed in the Santa Claus costume opening fire in a crowded nightclub.
39 people dead. I think 24 different countries lost someone.

Speaker 10 There are still almost 70 people wounded and in some in grave condition. And ISIS has taken credit for this.
ISIS has said, this is our work.

Speaker 10 So once again, the junior varsity team doing a pretty good job, it seems.

Speaker 10 And the shooter, this is not a guy who was going in there with a suicide vest as we've seen so often with isis they're apparently not wanting to kill themselves these days

Speaker 10 the guy in the berlin attack managed to get out of berlin and get all the way to italy before engaging in a firefight with cops there who wanted to check his papers but this gunman is on the loose

Speaker 10 and isis has taken the credit for it and now the concern is that he'll get out of he'll get out of turkey and get to syria and maybe wreak more havoc. But it's not a good thing.

Speaker 10 Turkey's had a very tough year. They have had

Speaker 10 several attacks killing dozens and dozens of people. And I just can't imagine

Speaker 10 what this country would be like if we didn't have the kind of security we had. Look, New Year's Eve in Times Square, between a million and a half and two million people

Speaker 10 completely secured, no problems from what we could see, other than the biggest threat to New Year's Eve was Don Lemon's tequila consumption and Mariah Carey's microphone failures.

Speaker 10 If that's the biggest problem, then yes, we're doing it right.

Speaker 10 So, God bless the NYPD and all the Intel that's keeping us safe. When we get back, a new year, new laws.
Plus, a woman got in trouble for peeing on a Donald Trump golf course,

Speaker 10 but now she's been told she can sue him.

Speaker 10 Wait, what?

Speaker 10 Yeah, we'll figure it out with Dr. Wendy Patrick, an attorney.
Next,

Speaker 10 you're listening to the Glen Beck program.

Speaker 9 Mercury.

Speaker 18 The Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 10 It is the Glen Beck Program. Mr.
Beck returns tomorrow with a full complement

Speaker 10 of characters usually heard on the show, Pat, Stu, Jeffy, etc.,

Speaker 10 back from their holiday break. Tanned, rested, and ready, as it were.

Speaker 10 I can't be sure of that, but they are back tomorrow. And I appreciate the opportunity to be here today.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka from Pure Opelka, heard here on the Blaze Radio Network five nights a week and Saturday mornings.

Speaker 10 And if you want to join the show, too, triple eight seven two seven Beck, eight eight eight seven two seven two three two five is the phone number here.

Speaker 10 We're kicking off the year and talking about news, obviously.

Speaker 10 I want to get into the case. There's a whole bunch of fake news that we will get to later.
There was fake news about

Speaker 10 the Russians hacking a power plant. There was fake news about Donald Trump throwing a guy off a golf course.

Speaker 10 A big story, but we will get to that.

Speaker 10 First, I want to bring in a guest we had on Friday,

Speaker 10 a friend of the show who has talked with us on various levels about legal matters. She's an attorney.
She's also an author. Her name is Wendy Patrick, Dr.
Wendy Patrick.

Speaker 10 WendyPatrickphd.com is her website. And Wendy, first of all, how was your New Year's?

Speaker 17 Oh, it was tremendous. It was wonderful.
How about you?

Speaker 4 It was good.

Speaker 10 It was quiet.

Speaker 10 We watched Don Lemon get hammered. And, you know, that's fun.
That's always good fun.

Speaker 17 At our age, quiet is good.

Speaker 3 Yeah, Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 10 And it's much better the next day,

Speaker 3 as it were.

Speaker 19 That's for sure.

Speaker 10 Yeah, that's true. Now, Wendy, Friday we talked about the privacy issue, and I want to get back to that with devices that listen in.
But there were a couple of stories

Speaker 10 that are out there that I thought we should talk about. And one of them was this wacky story about Donald Trump and a woman who has been allowed to sue him,

Speaker 10 even though it was she who urinated on his golf course.

Speaker 3 That's right.

Speaker 17 There's more to the story, Mike. I know the headline really is unusual.
This is a woman that relieved herself behind a sand dune in April of 2016, okay, answering a call of nature.

Speaker 17 And when she did so, like anybody using a public restroom did not expect that she was going to be filmed.

Speaker 17 Now, obviously, there is an enormous difference between using a public restroom and using answering a call of nature in the midst of nature, we'll say.

Speaker 17 Nonetheless, the issue was not whether that was appropriate, but whether or not the footage of her relieving herself could be something that goes public.

Speaker 17 And in this case, of course, it was delivered to the police, ended up being a charge. But this is a case that, believe it or not, is going to go forward.

Speaker 17 Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's ultimately going to be successful. But the first thing we look at is can these causes of action get out of the gate? And this one can.

Speaker 19 Hmm.

Speaker 10 Well, it's also in another country, too, which there are different laws in different countries.

Speaker 10 But I wonder if in America, if you're running a business and you set up security cameras and someone does something like this lady did on this golf course, first of all, everybody should know the woman is an environmental activist, and this was kind of part of her protest.

Speaker 10 She wanted to,

Speaker 10 I want to say mark her territory, but she was essentially protesting and

Speaker 10 letting the Trump course know that she wasn't happy with what had been going on. But in America, if a security camera catches somebody

Speaker 10 doing something like this,

Speaker 10 are we able to, if it were like my business, would I be able to be sued because I brought the video to the police and didn't tell her she was being recorded?

Speaker 17 Well,

Speaker 17 you've accurately identified two of the most important issues. First is the reasonable expectation of privacy.
Is somebody in an area where they don't believe they're being recorded?

Speaker 17 Now, that can cut both ways in public because we all know we live in a day and age where almost everything we do is observed by someone.

Speaker 17 but not so in the privacy of our own homes or in a public restroom.

Speaker 17 And then the second issue you accurately bring up is, is there any kind of limitation to what an individual or the police or somebody else is able to do with this kind of footage?

Speaker 17 Now, you say she was marking her territory and protesting. She may have just had to go to the bathroom.
And that issue is coming up increasingly frequently.

Speaker 17 I mean, think about an airplane when the flight attendants try to make you stay in your seats and somebody can't hold it.

Speaker 17 There are so many occasions where this type of thing in America, which has these much different laws, might be actionable if it's a situation where, for example, you don't have control over it, and if somebody uses that footage in a way that is embarrassing or invades your privacy.

Speaker 10 Well, I guess this is why we see those signs everywhere that say

Speaker 10 these premises are under constant surveillance. I guess that's.
That's an issue too, though, Mike.

Speaker 1 Where are the signs?

Speaker 17 There are lots of places where it's very hard to find signs that are informing the public that they're being recorded or they're being filmed or these or smile you're on camera.

Speaker 17 Okay, we've all seen those when we go into stores.

Speaker 17 Those are prominently displayed, no doubt, to circumvent claims that somebody believed unreasonably that those premises and whatever they did therein was private.

Speaker 10 Well, you know, out in your part of the world, and we're talking to Dr. Wendy Patrick, attorney, author, WendyPatrickPhD.com, and Wendy's in California.

Speaker 10 And over the weekend, there was a prank played on the people in Hollywood as someone changed the Hollywood sign to read Hollyweed. But I believe security cameras were

Speaker 10 rolling the whole time. And I think they've got some video of the perpetrators that they're looking into.
Am I wrong on that?

Speaker 17 Well, you know, there's always video cameras. I mean, there are satellite cameras.
There are so many different ways that law enforcement can capture your activities in a public place.

Speaker 17 So, that is one area where it is very unusual to see somebody claiming they had no idea they might be under surveillance. I mean, think about it.

Speaker 17 We live in a day and age where the increased surveillance just arises,

Speaker 17 really breeds a multitude of different kinds of invasion of privacy claims and lawsuits. So, especially when people are committing a crime, to thereby say, okay,

Speaker 17 I may or may not be guilty of a crime, but somehow I'm going to be able to sue you civilly, that's a hard pill to swallow for juries.

Speaker 17 And no doubt, suits like this, should they ever get that far, are going to be viewed with suspicion.

Speaker 10 Well, this is it's always fun for me to watch the

Speaker 10 legal limits and the boundaries being pushed because

Speaker 10 your profession and your brothers and sisters in the legal world seem to be very creative, more creative than you're given credit for.

Speaker 3 Now, speaking of creativity,

Speaker 10 new laws on the books for 2017.

Speaker 10 Anything particular that,

Speaker 10 again, I'm going back to California. You guys have new, more restrictive Second Amendment laws that went into effect on the first.

Speaker 10 And I think you also now have background checks for ammunition purchasing, which just makes me crazy.

Speaker 17 That's right. You know, Mike, it's a great question because every year we look at all the most interesting new laws across the nation, and most people focus on ones they don't think we need.

Speaker 17 But what we've seen in the last couple of years, as a reaction to the increase in gun violence, or at least the increase in the news about gun violence in our social media world, we do have background checks now mandated to buy even ammunition in California.

Speaker 17 There's a couple other restrictions in terms of magazine size. And, you know, it's really one of the things that we'd like to say only in California.
It could set a trend for the rest of the nation.

Speaker 17 Some states are continually very permissive in their gun rules and regulations, and others, no doubt, will look at what California has done with respect to the background check for even buying ammunition.

Speaker 17 And I wouldn't be surprised in 2018 we see more states do the same kinds of things.

Speaker 17 Especially, Mike, if the trend of gun violence continues, and we have no reason, you know, I'm an eternal optimist, but there's no evidence to suggest there's going to be a dramatic decrease in gun violence in 2017.

Speaker 10 Well, Chicago is screwing up the curve. It's like that one kid in science class who always got an A on everything.

Speaker 10 And, you know,

Speaker 10 we couldn't get graded on a curve because he always got a hundred. And we were.

Speaker 11 I was like, it was you, Mike.

Speaker 3 No, no.

Speaker 10 I was the one making a fist at him.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 10 is there are there any other laws that that stick out? For example,

Speaker 10 I had heard there was one in Nebraska that said they they had put out a notice that everybody driving in the mountains needs to be careful driving near the edge of the road in mountainous areas.

Speaker 10 Nebraska is pretty darn flat. You could roll a marble from the east side of Nebraska to the west side of the entire state and not have a problem.

Speaker 10 What others are out there that are driving you crazy?

Speaker 17 Well,

Speaker 17 I hate to come back to California, but because you brought up the background check for ammunition, okay, that's becoming more more restrictive.

Speaker 17 There are also what some have described as a loosening of restrictions, but not really if you look at it more carefully. And I'll give you one example.

Speaker 17 Beer at the barbershop, wine at the beauty salon. We are now in California

Speaker 17 able to serve alcohol in barbershops and beauty salons. But Mike, here is why it may not be as increasingly permissive as it sounds.

Speaker 17 First of all, that practice has already been done in many types of businesses, not just hair salons.

Speaker 17 But what this now does is regulate the practice, because, unlike the comedy club where there's a three-drink minimum, now there's a one-drink maximum, and it even regulates the size of that drink, 12 ounces of beer or 6 ounces of wine.

Speaker 17 And last call, 10 p.m.

Speaker 17 So, California is instituting regulations in some circumstances like this to where it's not actually more permissive, but actually more regulating a practice that's already been in existence.

Speaker 17 We did the same thing last year with allowing pets on restaurants with patios. Again, legalizing and regulating something that had already been done.

Speaker 10 It makes my head just start to explode.

Speaker 10 I'm also, I'm looking at a list here that someone else sent me too as well that said, now, thank God, Iowa has made it a felony if you steal more than $1,000 worth of grease.

Speaker 17 Well, you know,

Speaker 17 theft laws have always criminalized as felonies stealing anything over a certain amount of money.

Speaker 17 So I know some laws are making headlines by adding different substances and materials to that list, but again, it's simply a reframing of what has already been a law.

Speaker 17 But along those lines, let me give you something that is new, because a lot of people quote laws that they maybe didn't know is in existence.

Speaker 17 And, you know, the reason we need to know about new laws is ignorance of the law is no excuse. In other words, laws change so frequently, especially gun laws, as you mentioned.

Speaker 17 We can't just violate the law and say, oh my gosh, I didn't realize realize it changed January 2017, particularly in a social media savvy world where it's too easy to keep up to date.

Speaker 17 So, along those lines, let me give you one more that's going into effect. That's the driving hands-free.
It means exactly that. Now, California passed that.

Speaker 17 Obviously, there was no DWTs allowed, no driving while texting. But now, all devices have to be mounted on the dash and they cannot even be manipulated at all except to turn it on and off.

Speaker 17 So, you've got to learn how to use your voice voice activation to avoid getting a ticket in California.

Speaker 17 I have no doubt, Mike, that this is the kind of law that will spread like wildfire to the other states.

Speaker 10 Well, now, Wendy, I'm going to have to ask you: can you hang on? Because I want to talk about that voice activation.

Speaker 10 And we talked about it briefly on Friday, but I want to see where we are in this because now you've got a state mandating you basically have to use voice-activated software if you're going to use your car, your phone in your car.

Speaker 10 And I wonder what the implications are to privacy. And for me, it comes down to just

Speaker 10 almost six of the first ten amendments. The entire Bill of Rights is up against this one.
Can you hang out over the break? Sure. All right.
We'll be back with Dr.

Speaker 10 Wendy Patrick, attorney, author, and friend of this show. This show, however, today is the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 7 This is

Speaker 11 the Glenn Beck Program,

Speaker 11 Mercury.

Speaker 9 The Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka filling in for my buddy Glenn Beck, who returns tomorrow. In fact, the entire Glenn Beck program.
Back tomorrow, brand new year, kicking off some very exciting things.

Speaker 10 If you follow Glenn on Twitter, he teased a book that he said you should download and at least read chapter 11 of that book.

Speaker 10 I did that this morning. It was amazing.
Dr. Wendy Patrick is with us.
Doctor, we've got about

Speaker 10 a minute and a half to discuss this case that's ongoing with the listening devices and the privacy. Is our privacy at risk because technology is always listening to us?

Speaker 17 Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 17 But, Mike, what's interesting about the case you mentioned, which deals with this Amazon virtual assistant, Alexa, kind of a Siri-like character that you invite into your home, there is a catch with some of these cases.

Speaker 17 There is no compulsion that states have to go out and buy devices designed to record us and then, of course, provide back data. What's the weather like? What are the days' headlines? What time is it?

Speaker 17 But the problem is when people buy these devices, now law enforcement or anybody else that has standing to claim that they need the information has a vehicle to get it.

Speaker 17 That's why we keep seeing these cases in the news, like the one you're talking about, where a virtual assistant may have witnessed a murder.

Speaker 10 It's very scary to me, especially if it is your own voice that has been recorded and could be turned against you. It just seems like it smacks right of the Fifth Amendment.
Who knows?

Speaker 10 Who knows what's going to happen? Well, we'll keep an eye on it, Wendy, but I appreciate it.

Speaker 10 Now, remember, Wendy, when driving in Nebraska on the mountain roads, stay away from the edge of the roads, my friend.

Speaker 1 That was one of my favorite new laws.

Speaker 11 You might think.

Speaker 10 Have a great rest of the week. When we get back, the headlines, the news, and why Obama isn't after North Korea.

Speaker 8 This is the Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 9 Mercury.

Speaker 9 I will make you stand,

Speaker 9 I will raise my voice,

Speaker 9 I will hold your hand.

Speaker 9 Cause we have won.

Speaker 9 I will beat my drum.

Speaker 9 I have made my choice. We will overcome.

Speaker 9 Cause we are one.

Speaker 8 The fusion of entertainment and enlightenment. This is the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 10 Happy New Year, Michael Pelta, sitting in for my friend Glenn Beck on the Glenn Beck program. Glenn will be back tomorrow.
Glenn, Pat, Stu, Jeffy,

Speaker 10 the whole crew back tomorrow. Before I get into North Korea and the situation there that's very troubling to me, I want to say good morning to Ben in California.
Good morning, Ben. How are you, sir?

Speaker 10 Did we lose Ben? I can't hear Ben.

Speaker 10 Hello, Ben.

Speaker 5 This is Jeff. You look at Jeff from California?

Speaker 10 I'll take Jeff from California. I guess Ben's on hold somewhere else.
I'm sorry, Jeff. How are you, sir? Happy New Year.

Speaker 10 Happy New Year's to you, Mr.

Speaker 18 Pelka. I was calling in today because your story last week about a police officer in California arresting somebody for being under the influence of caffeine.

Speaker 10 It was not a police officer. It was a member of

Speaker 10 the

Speaker 10 I think it's like the alcohol and tobacco.

Speaker 10 It was not a, say, a uniformed police department member from a municipality, but it was from an agency.

Speaker 10 Gotcha.

Speaker 18 I have a suspicion that that gentleman had his own suspicions about the driver ingesting marijuana, and that is why he couldn't do a field sobriety test and tried to do a blood test.

Speaker 18 And once it failed negative on that, then he had to come up with some other reason, such as caffeine.

Speaker 10 We can only speculate, Jeff. But what happened in this case, the agent witnessed this guy driving erratically, pulled him over, breathalyzed him.

Speaker 10 He had a 0.0 on the breathalyzer, still thought there was some impairment, brought him in, got the blood test.

Speaker 10 The person was arrested, spent the night in jail, and it turned out the only thing in the blood was caffeine. There were no illegal or legal substances that could have been being abused.

Speaker 10 But it's an interesting case that the guy was still charged with driving under the influence. So I take it you're a pro-marijuana person.

Speaker 10 Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 18 I'm actually a commercial cannabis farmer in California.

Speaker 10 Oh, wow. How's business?

Speaker 18 It is doing very well. 2017 is a breakthrough year for here in California.

Speaker 10 Well, you know, I'm a guy who is a proponent of the medical marijuana. I'm a guy who's seen it do wonderful things for people who need that help.

Speaker 10 I get nervous when we think about putting it everywhere where it can be used by people who might be driving and not be using it for medical purposes. But I'm open to talking about it, Jeff.

Speaker 10 You know, I think that's that's we have to be willing to have that discussion, especially when we look at some of the other chemicals that are being thrown about.

Speaker 10 Absolutely. Those are all big concerns and very relevant.
Those are the reasons why legalization has to have regulations.

Speaker 18 And once those regulations are actually fully in place, then I think it will be a lot more conducive to society and their expectations.

Speaker 10 Well, let's talk about regulation.

Speaker 10 As a marijuana farmer, as a commercial marijuana farmer, how heavily regulated are you?

Speaker 3 This is California in a new business.

Speaker 18 What do you think?

Speaker 3 Not only that,

Speaker 3 the laws here are written extremely backwards as far as the original tent of the U.S.

Speaker 18 Constitution. The state law is written so that the counties can supersede the state laws and inject their own interpretation of the new law.

Speaker 3 Really?

Speaker 3 Yes.

Speaker 18 So basically,

Speaker 18 a lot of the counties have essentially banned all the new Proposition 64 that just went through. So the people spoke, and now it's pretty much banned everywhere.

Speaker 18 So there's going to be a two-year-length process of litigation that's going to go on, and eventually it will become back to legal. But that's the case here in California.

Speaker 10 For those of us that don't know what Proposition 64 is, what are you referring to?

Speaker 18 Proposition 64 is a new law that just passed in California that allows the cannabis to be taxed and also allows personal use in up to six plants for personal use.

Speaker 3 Okay.

Speaker 10 so that's so that was allowed by referendum and then overturned or negated by many local communities.

Speaker 18 That's exactly right. And I think the local communities are scared to get sued.

Speaker 18 So they're kind of going in, banning it, and then letting somebody lead the way, such as Humble County or some of the original folks that were in the scene.

Speaker 18 And once all that gets settled, you know, I think 2019 is the projected date for a lot of this stuff to be finalized.

Speaker 10 Interesting. One more quick question, Jeff, before we let you go.
Where do you you stand on California breaking up and splitting off?

Speaker 18 If you're talking about the state of Jefferson, I like it. But if you're talking about seceding from the nation, absolutely not.
It's ridiculous.

Speaker 10 So you'd be all for the separate state of Jefferson, which I think has a more libertarian base to it from what I've heard, but not breaking up into five separate properties or just breaking off into your own country.

Speaker 18 Yeah, that would spell disaster. I'm sure a lot of your listeners there know California and their politics.

Speaker 3 I don't see how that could work. Well, we don't know Jefferson, however,

Speaker 18 they're much more conservative based. You know, if California, you're in L.A., San Diego, or San Francisco, you're very liberal.

Speaker 18 And if you're in any of the outskirts, you don't get really a say in Sacramento anymore.

Speaker 18 So that's what the state of Jefferson is all about, is trying to give a voice back to the rural communities and still being part of the United States.

Speaker 10 Well, I don't know how some of my libertarian and conservatarian brothers and sisters do it out in California, but I salute you. Jeff, thanks for joining the show.
I appreciate you.

Speaker 10 Take care, my friend.

Speaker 3 Wow, up early in California.

Speaker 10 You are welcome to join the conversation as well. Triple 8, 727, B-E-C-K, 727-2325 is the phone number.
I was talking earlier about the news out of North Korea. Now, let's...

Speaker 10 Oh, boy, this guy, Kim Jong-un.

Speaker 10 We know that

Speaker 10 last year alone, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests, and they have been looking at creating rockets that are big enough to launch satellites.

Speaker 10 But at the same time, that technology will allow North Korea to create a rocket that can hold a nuclear warhead that can travel up to 5,000 kilometers or 3,000-plus miles. Not a good thing.

Speaker 10 Not a good thing. And Kim Jong-un seems to rattle his little saber whenever we get a new president.
It seems to be his wicked custom. So

Speaker 10 while our intelligence isn't showing us that they're moving a rocket towards a launch pad that the government in Pyongyang

Speaker 10 is not imminently preparing to launch,

Speaker 10 the leader, the latest dear leader,

Speaker 10 is

Speaker 10 saying that his country will continue to strengthen its ability based on a nuclear nuclear might

Speaker 10 to mount a preemptive attack. Now, very carefully worded.
This was his New Year half-hour speech. By the way,

Speaker 10 same guy who last month

Speaker 10 made it illegal to worship Christmas. Well, it's been illegal to worship Christmas, but you can worship

Speaker 10 his grandmother, who they claim was born on Christmas Day.

Speaker 10 So, North Korea, once again, preparing, telling us they're going to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, a missile capable of traveling from one continent to another and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and we know they've tested him.

Speaker 10 And what is President Obama doing?

Speaker 10 Nothing. He's doing nothing.

Speaker 10 He is returning from his final vacation. the $100 million worth of vacations that we've paid for over the eight years.
He's returning from Hawaii in order to do two things.

Speaker 10 He's going to meet with Democrats in Congress tomorrow and start plotting on how they are going to obstruct Donald Trump. Ultimately, he's

Speaker 10 hoping to get something done to prevent

Speaker 10 the total destruction of Obamacare because he knows that's his legacy. But I don't know why President Obama wouldn't see this.
Well, I do know why.

Speaker 10 I don't know why President Obama would not take action or get John Kerry involved in this to say, look,

Speaker 10 bigger problem than getting mad at Israel, bigger problem than what's going on with

Speaker 10 Netanyahu and how you've destroyed a relationship with a trusted ally.

Speaker 10 Shouldn't you be instead of pushing through the agenda-driven UN resolution,

Speaker 10 shouldn't we jump on North Korea and at least rally some sort of coalition instead of waiting these last 19 days, 18 days,

Speaker 10 and letting it talk about kicking the can down the road. So many times during the 2008 campaign, we heard Barack Obama say

Speaker 10 the Republicans kicked the can down the road.

Speaker 10 They just

Speaker 10 didn't want to deal with it. Nobody wanted to solve a problem.
They left it for the next administration. Well, guess what's happening here?

Speaker 10 You have an imminent threat not only to the United States, but definitely to the region.

Speaker 10 A guy who says he's going to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, who has tested nuclear warheads, and instead of dealing with that, you are worried about making sure your legacy is not destroyed because your socialist medical health insurance program is set to be taken apart.

Speaker 10 It's the most maddening thing in the news today for me that we are totally blind to North Korea.

Speaker 10 We have enabled this guy. With what we did in Iran,

Speaker 10 we have enabled this guy. We basically said, it's okay.
You can take care of business, do whatever you want to do, sir. And now that we have people finally escaping,

Speaker 10 getting out of North Korea and telling us they intend to have those missiles and the warheads ready sometime in 2017.

Speaker 10 And what are we doing for the last three weeks? Well, I'll tell you what President Obama is doing. He's flying back to Washington.
As I said, he's meeting with all of the big Whigs in the party.

Speaker 10 They are now officially the party of Noah, as we learned from Chuck Schumer. I'll tell you about it next break.
But he's also saying,

Speaker 10 I've got to work on my final speech.

Speaker 10 And President Obama has just announced that on January 10th, a week and a day from tomorrow, he'll So next Wednesday, not the coming Wednesday, next Wednesday, he will be in Chicago to deliver his farewell speech.

Speaker 10 Chicago.

Speaker 10 The city that had more gun murders last year

Speaker 10 than New York and Los Angeles combined.

Speaker 10 Is there a greater example of the failure of Democratic leadership than my former hometown.

Speaker 10 I don't think so.

Speaker 10 So I do think it's fitting that President Obama is absolutely doing nothing, apparently publicly, about the North Korea announcement that they're going to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Speaker 10 And he's going to visit with Congress to try and save his legacy and then fly to Chicago.

Speaker 10 to have a big farewell speech because he needs to be in the city, the third largest city in the country that had more murders by gunshot than the first and the second largest city in the country combined.

Speaker 10 It doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 10 Thanks, President Obama. Thanks a lot.
Stepping aside for a minute, when we get back,

Speaker 10 I know we love our pets, but I have a story that just really bothers me about

Speaker 10 how much money these people spent to keep a a puppy

Speaker 10 alive. And am I a bad person?

Speaker 10 How much would you spend to keep a puppy alive?

Speaker 10 We'll talk about that next on the Glenbeck program.

Speaker 10 Glenbeck Program.

Speaker 9 Mercury.

Speaker 13 This is the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 21 New from Disney and Pixar, in association with the producers of Where's Waldo, comes a major motion picture for our time, ripped from the headlines, especially if the only headlines you see are on HLN.

Speaker 21 She's lost and all alone in a great big world.

Speaker 11 Flushed from the headlines.

Speaker 21 Trying to make it back home. Is she in the woods? Is she out of the woods? Is she in a coffee house?

Speaker 1 Is she being hacked by the KGB?

Speaker 21 Or in the secluded underwater prison, a captive of the evil trump fish? Finding Hillary.

Speaker 12 Just keep voting, just keep voting, just keep voting.

Speaker 21 The latest post-apocalyptic post-election animated classic featuring a two-dimensional candidate in a three-dimensional political world. Finding Hillary.
Opening Friday.

Speaker 21 Ready to gee, whiz, will you get over it?

Speaker 21 Thank you, Doug.

Speaker 10 Thank you, Doc Thompson and the Morning Blaze crew for sending that over. I hope that movie gets made.
I think it's very clever.

Speaker 10 I love when the little Hillary fish is saying, just keep voting, just keep voting. Mike Opelka is sitting in for Glenn Beck on the Glenn Beck program.
If you are a regular

Speaker 10 to my program, Pure Opelka, heard weeknights, 7 to 10 p.m. live on the Blaze Radio Network.
Thank you. That's Eastern Time.
If not, check us out. We are

Speaker 10 a little different. Yes, we do the politics, but we also do a little bit different in terms of strange stories.

Speaker 10 But, you know, Beck does too, so I shouldn't say it's all that bizarre or all that different.

Speaker 10 But

Speaker 10 I mentioned earlier that Ernesto, my buddy, is leaving from Dallas.

Speaker 10 Right now, they're on their way walking from Dallas towards Arlington 20 miles today, walking all the way from Tennessee to California to Los Angeles to draw attention to the plight of veterans.

Speaker 10 And so I'll send out a link to my Twitter account to follow Ernesto at nerdnesto but

Speaker 10 he's he's an amazing guy and he's doing things for the vets and so I asked some of my my friends this weekend if we're going to talk about doing things things for the vets what what's out there I'm looking for

Speaker 10 some new kind of helpful charity type things that we can do and a really good friend of mine from my college life said freedom service dogs

Speaker 10 freedom service dogs is a charity that takes unwanted shelter dogs, in other words, the ones that nobody wanted to adopt, and they train them to be service dogs to disabled vets and then also

Speaker 10 hand them to other people. So once all the disabled vets have been helped out with a service dog, they pass them on to other people.

Speaker 10 How good is this charity? My friend Carol Ann said that Robin Williams' daughter selected Freedom Service Dogs as

Speaker 10 the recipient of her inheritance, saying that her dad, Robin Williams, would have loved what they stand for. And she's been a supporter.
We're going to reach out to them, see if we can get them

Speaker 10 on the phone.

Speaker 10 And I say that

Speaker 10 because I read a story that both made me say, oh my gosh.

Speaker 10 and then made me scratch my head and say,

Speaker 10 I don't know how I feel about this.

Speaker 10 And you can tell me if I'm wrong.

Speaker 10 There's a story in the New York Post about

Speaker 10 a French bulldog named Jones. And first of all, French bulldogs, adorable dogs.

Speaker 3 They're adorable.

Speaker 10 But this little guy has a lot of problems. Now, I'm a dog lover, a dog rescuer.
worked on a rescue.

Speaker 10 Our family, my wife and I worked on a rescue that brought hundreds of dogs a month from the south to the north because they were abandoned. We were part of the Underhound Railroad.

Speaker 10 So I have a very warm spot in my heart for our four-footed friends.

Speaker 10 But a couple in Brooklyn has spent $155,000 on vet bills for a puppy.

Speaker 10 A tiny puppy.

Speaker 10 this dog has a lot of problems and i know they're cute

Speaker 10 but i just wonder

Speaker 10 and and am i a bad guy i wonder how many service dogs we could have given to our vets for that 155 000

Speaker 10 i know little jones the french bulldog is adorable

Speaker 10 but i think we got to think people first sometimes Michael Pelka, in for Glen Beck. When we get back, we'll talk to my buddy Pete Kasperowitz from the Washington Examiner about the swamp.

Speaker 10 The Glen Beck program.

Speaker 10 The Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 7 888-727-Beck.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka in for Glenn Beck and the Glenn Beck Program. The full show returns tomorrow.
Glenn, Pat, Stu,

Speaker 10 and yes, Jeffy as the Beaver.

Speaker 10 They are back from their holiday vacation. I am here, but I'll also be in at nights.

Speaker 10 We're working on a new studio set up, so I think it might be Wednesday night or Thursday night back live on Pure O Pelka on the Blaze Radio Network. Follow me on Twitter.
I will keep you posted.

Speaker 10 My Twitter handle at StuntBrain, all one word, S-T-U-N-T-B-R-A-I-N.

Speaker 10 And if you go to theblaze.com, you can click on the button that says channels, and you can follow my channel, and little stories will pop up in your feed.

Speaker 10 Before we went away, I was telling you about the story of the Brooklyn couple that have a dog, a puppy who's not really well,

Speaker 10 little Jonesy, the French bulldog, who has required $155,000 in vet bills just to keep alive. Takes nine pills a day.

Speaker 10 The people have to give them nine pills a day: antibiotics, steroids, allergy vaccines, anxiety medicine.

Speaker 10 This dog is adorable, but really, what are we doing here?

Speaker 10 Am I a bad person? Now, a lot of it's covered by pet insurance, but I'm also wondering what we're doing here. And I'll share more on this story.
I'll share a link.

Speaker 10 I'm also reaching out to the people who

Speaker 10 give service dogs to our vets, Freedom Service Dogs of America, and hopefully we'll hear from them later in the day. But right now, my buddy from the Washington Examiner, the guy who is,

Speaker 10 I don't know if he's in the swamp that they're hoping to drain, but I think he has seen the plug that they want to pull to drain the swamp. Pete Kasperowitz is his name, Pete.

Speaker 10 Happy New Year to you, my friend.

Speaker 1 Happy New Year to you. Where are you going to move to? What country are you going to move to?

Speaker 1 You can't be talking about dogs like that you're going to be run out of the whole country no no no no i'm a dog rescuer

Speaker 10 i'm a dog rescuer pete but i just have to question the sanity

Speaker 1 you're putting a price on love man you you're gone you're done in this country

Speaker 1 all right well it's over thanks for your laughter thanks for the happy news my mom's going to call you at least and say you're putting a price on love it's you're a horrible man michael falka

Speaker 10 well this to me this is like an over-medicated person. This dog's got to be a zombie.
He's on antidepression medicine. He's got antibiotics, allergy vaccines.

Speaker 1 All that stuff is stuff you're saying. You better start looking at a country to live in.

Speaker 3 All right, I've already picked it out.

Speaker 10 Are you familiar with the Free Republic of Liberland?

Speaker 10 It is four square miles on the Danube River between Croatia and Yugoslavia, and I happen to know the president. I have him on speed dial.
Is that right?

Speaker 1 Well, then you have an inn. You're going to need it.
I'm telling you, my mom's going to call you right now. You're a horrible man, Michael Pelka.
You've made a big mistake early in the year.

Speaker 10 I'm just questioning. The sanity is.

Speaker 1 You got between a family's love for their dog, and it's just. There's no coming back from that.
You're done. You're done.
Everyone give Michael Pelka a great big hand. He had a great run.

Speaker 1 Don't you remember these stories, though, where people, like, you can't say a thing about a dog like that. People will flip out.
You must be getting tweets endlessly right now.

Speaker 10 No, no, I'm not getting it. Because I also said I would rather see that money spent on taking dogs out of shelters and training them to be service dogs for our veterans.

Speaker 1 It's the toughest thing an adult has to do.

Speaker 1 And I became an adult, and probably all of us did, when you take your kids to the vet and you have to decide to end the life of your pet.

Speaker 3 It's horrible.

Speaker 10 May 11th of this last year, I did that.

Speaker 3 It's horrible.

Speaker 10 May 11th, I had to say goodbye.

Speaker 10 And I also understand

Speaker 10 that somewhere between

Speaker 10 that heart and your brain, there has to be a reasonable discussion.

Speaker 10 Well, that's what I mean.

Speaker 1 And obviously, I'm just joking. You have to make these calls.
It's the roughest thing.

Speaker 1 The vets are better at it now, I think, though. They kind of tell you, yeah, you know, I I think everyone must ask the vet, if this were your pet, what would you do?

Speaker 3 And they'll tell you, and they'll say

Speaker 1 well, I think it's the only s I mean, how else do you know how to judge it? It it's it's impossible. And you sort of hope the vet says the right thing.

Speaker 1 And and a lot of times when the pet's in really bad shape, they'll just say, Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't save this one. It's so it's so horrible.

Speaker 3 It's horrible.

Speaker 1 It's like um yeah it's it's you become a dad when you do that with a kid in the room, you know? That's when you really become an adult,'cause someone has to take charge there and it has to be you.

Speaker 3 It's brutal.

Speaker 10 Now we've totally bummed each other out and I can't wait to hear from your mother.

Speaker 1 We always do this to each other. I get like with you all the time.
Anyway, let's start over. Happy New Year.

Speaker 10 Happy New Year. Time to drain the swamp.
Have you seen the plug though, Pete? Have you seen the plug in the swamp that Trump is going to tie a giant chain to and yank it out?

Speaker 1 God,

Speaker 1 I mean, if it were that easy, someone well, maybe no one would have done it, but

Speaker 1 I mean, he's making I think the plug is all the guys he's bringing in, all the people he's bringing in to do it. It's quite a bunch of people.

Speaker 1 And I was noting, you know, even as we sort of say goodbye to the Clintons, we sort of said goodbye to a lot of the Republicans who might have come here, too.

Speaker 1 It's like anyone who is old news is basically out, you know. Gingrich not in and Giuliani not in and Chris Christie not in.

Speaker 1 You have all these guys who look like they're a bunch of sort of can-do business people, and it's the big question of the year, what will they do?

Speaker 18 You know,

Speaker 1 will they cut spending? Will they end Obamacare? Will they deregulate everything? Will they have a new strategy for ISIS? I mean, all these possible things they could do,

Speaker 1 you know, we don't really know. But we have a sense that to me, it looks like it's shaping up to be very dramatic and very different and get ready for the press to howl about it.

Speaker 3 Well,

Speaker 10 it certainly looks like, judging from what Chuck Schumer has been saying, that the Democrats have embraced the term that they coined for the Republicans years ago, the party of No!

Speaker 10 That they are going to make these confirmation hearings as difficult as possible, and they are going to really try and put the squeeze on

Speaker 10 the incoming administration. And maybe I think only one of Trump's announced cabinet nominees

Speaker 10 should get an easy pass, and I think that's Mattis. But the rest of them look like they're in for a really tough, tough run.

Speaker 1 Well, you know what, though, I disagree with that. And I think that's the line the Dems are trying to sell.

Speaker 1 And if you remember, what Harry Reid did before he left is he gave the minority no voice in the Senate.

Speaker 1 I mean they can do little things on the edges and demand more hearing time and ask all you know, like it boils down to tough questions at a hearing, I think, because in the end, if Republicans agree, these guys are in.

Speaker 10 Yeah, but they can't lose anybody, though. They have to keep, you know, if you lose three,

Speaker 10 then the Democrats could make it difficult, correct?

Speaker 1 Yeah, true, of course.

Speaker 1 Of course.

Speaker 1 But let's see where it goes.

Speaker 1 It's too hard to see around that corner, I think, right now.

Speaker 1 I think most of these guys probably get through pretty easily. Um,

Speaker 1 and and the Dems are doing the best they can to pretend that the Senate is a place where the minority matters, and it just doesn't matter anymore, thanks to Harry Reid.

Speaker 1 I I noticed when he started making his first cabinet picks, I I sort of laughed at that because a lot of Democrats came out with press releases and said, I just can't support this nominee.

Speaker 1 And every time I saw that, I would laugh and say, Remember when that mattered? You know, remember when you would need

Speaker 1 you know, remember when you had to get eight Democrats

Speaker 1 to get a nominee on board or eight members of the minority? It just doesn't matter anymore.

Speaker 1 You know, like, go find the three Republicans saying no first, and then let's go, then we can talk about a difficult confirmation. But until then, I'm just sort of

Speaker 22 laughing at these press releases.

Speaker 10 We're talking to Pete Kasperowitz of the Washington Examiner. And, Pete, you're referring, of course, to the fact that Harry Reid took out the filibuster for appointments, and

Speaker 10 that all this stuff goes through pretty much without any question. And I remember, Pete, in I think it was 2009, I was in the Senate Progressive Press Conference that they had,

Speaker 10 and somebody asked the question, somebody from Move On or Air America asked the question, what happens when you're not in power? Aren't you worried this is going to turn on you?

Speaker 10 And I remember Harry Reid chuckling as if we're never leaving. And here we are.

Speaker 3 And it is coming. But he's gone.

Speaker 1 I guess that was the conventional wisdom. People used to write stories even six months ago, writing stuff like, can Republicans ever win again? And

Speaker 1 is this the end?

Speaker 1 And I think what Trump did was he broke that storyline of

Speaker 1 the sort of immigrant vote, hopefully the legal immigrant vote is going to just keep sending Democrats up to Washington.

Speaker 1 And obviously that's at least not true this time. And so, yeah, I talk about seeing around corners.
I don't think Democrats saw this coming. I think they just saw this.

Speaker 1 And at least for this past election, they thought the Senate was pretty much in their hands again. So,

Speaker 1 yeah,

Speaker 1 it just goes to show you play nice with others, right, all the time, because you never know how the worm's going to turn on you.

Speaker 10 Yeah, it was an amazing twist for me. And now,

Speaker 10 I'm looking at a story you wrote yesterday about Sean Spicer and talking about the fact that he was asked by John Carl, you know, will Trump keep tweeting?

Speaker 10 And he said, absolutely, he'll keep tweeting. And Pete, I felt when I was watching that interview with John Carl that

Speaker 10 Spicer was telling the mainstream media, you can fight all you want for your jobs, but this is the new fireside chat.

Speaker 10 Twitter is the new way the president will bypass the press and get out what he wants to get out. Did you feel the same thing?

Speaker 1 Yeah, and I think we can all see what's coming, right? This is really the democratization of media now. Like, we don't need you guys.

Speaker 1 And, you know, and Trump's team has also made another subtle point, which is, and in case anyone who's ever watched a White House press briefing knows it to be true, that a lot of the press availability is pretty boring anyway.

Speaker 1 You know, we've had Josh Earners for the last few years just not really answering questions, but just kind of

Speaker 1 repeating the line, the line you know already. It's not really newsy.

Speaker 1 It's another day and maybe another slight variation of what they say and you hope to make a news story. I have to edit this stuff.

Speaker 23 I know how hard it is.

Speaker 1 It's not all needed, and it's almost never news. So

Speaker 1 here we have a guy who I would have thought under Obama or Clinton, the press would be really celebrating it, a direct line to the president. But now the media is going to make it a problem.

Speaker 1 And I think this will be the story of the year.

Speaker 1 It'll be Trump doing what he wants.

Speaker 1 It'll be him communicating how he wants. And the press sort of left on the sideline, howling and screaming, and saying, this isn't right.
These issues are subtle. You're doing it wrong.

Speaker 1 And I don't know if anyone's going to care anymore.

Speaker 17 I just don't see.

Speaker 1 You know, and last night, a couple nights ago, did you watch that New Year's stuff? I don't watch this garbage, but

Speaker 1 Don Lemon got drunk or something.

Speaker 3 Oh, yeah.

Speaker 3 He got drunk.

Speaker 10 He got his ear pierced, and he actually proposed to Brooke Baldwin.

Speaker 1 Oh, did he?

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 10 No one's talking about that, Pete. I'm the only one who posted.
I posted it on my Twitter. I pulled the video.
He proposed to Brooke Baldwin. She stayed silent.

Speaker 1 Oh, so that's a to-be-determined answer, I guess.

Speaker 3 Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1 But also, Kathy Griffin is yelling and screaming, and the media still thinks we're all entertained by this. I mean, I think most people these days are kind of going to bed and not caring about

Speaker 1 these Uber celebrities that are up late. They're supposed to be shepherding us through every event, right? The new year and a terrorist attack and inauguration day, they'll be doing it.

Speaker 1 I don't think people need to filter anymore.

Speaker 1 I think people can just run out and do what they want, and they can, if they want to know what the President's doing, they'll be able to read his tweets, and you can get the stuff direct.

Speaker 1 So I think think this is going to be the massive story of the next few years of watching the media sort of cope with that reality.

Speaker 10 Wow. It'll be fun to watch.

Speaker 10 And as two guys that are also part of the media, I just think we've got to keep pressing on and pointing out all those problems because then people will come to us and say, well, what do you think is going to happen to the media next?

Speaker 1 Yeah, well, I guess

Speaker 1 we'll be reduced to covering ourselves and how we shrink and die, I suppose.

Speaker 1 It's not that bad. But in terms of that messaging thing, the media still has a job to do, and there's plenty of open spaces for it, which is to cover what happens.

Speaker 1 I mean, right now they're opining, you know, we're fact-checking every tweet from Trump and every little statement, and you can't make an off-the-cuff statement in public without getting fact-checked.

Speaker 1 I mean, I think those are the functions of the media that go away. But the functions that say, you know, that report to you what's going on, those are still needed.

Speaker 1 I don't think we ditch those, and hopefully they can sort of come back and become the main chorus as it used to be.

Speaker 10 Well, I appreciate your perspective on it, Pete. Pete Kasperowicz from the Washington Examiner.
Thank you, my friend.

Speaker 10 Give your mother my home phone number. She can call me and tell me I'm a despicable person as well.

Speaker 1 No, she's going to call the radio line. She'll be on in a few minutes, I'm sure.
She'll muscle her way through.

Speaker 3 Fantastic.

Speaker 1 Her and millions of others.

Speaker 3 Thank you, Pete.

Speaker 10 This is the Glenbeck program.

Speaker 11 This is the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 11 You're listening to the Glen Beck program.

Speaker 10 Micah Opelka in for Glenbeck today. Glenn and the crew be back tomorrow.
Glenn, Pat, Stu,

Speaker 10 and Jeffy.

Speaker 10 I am happy to be here. Thrilled to be here, as a matter of fact, and hearing from so many of you on Twitter at StuntBrain or on the request, on the request lines.
What is this? Pop radio, Mike?

Speaker 10 On the call-in lines, triple eight seven two seven back, seven two seven BECK2325.

Speaker 10 So much to get over to cover today.

Speaker 10 I want to talk about

Speaker 10 I have to talk about Donald Trump and the briefing coming up.

Speaker 10 Also, in terms of, we covered some of the new state laws and the law that warns people in Nebraska not to drive too close to the edge of the mountain roads. Yeah, the mountains in Nebraska.

Speaker 10 But I have to talk about the minimum wage. 19 states added to their minimum wage, increased minimum wages.

Speaker 10 It looks like a 10th Amendment thing is taking place, doesn't it? That maybe states are realizing we don't need a national minimum wage. We need to let the Constitution do its job

Speaker 10 and let states decide what the minimum wage should be. Because let's face it, it's a lot different to have a job and live and work in New York than it is to live and work in Nebraska,

Speaker 10 for example.

Speaker 10 The Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 10 Mercury.

Speaker 10 Mercury

Speaker 10 I will make you stand.

Speaker 10 I will raise my voice. I will hold your hand.

Speaker 10 Cause we have won. I will beat my drum.

Speaker 10 I have made my choice. We will overcome.

Speaker 10 Cause we are one.

Speaker 10 Fusion of entertainment and enlightenment.

Speaker 3 This is the Glen Beck

Speaker 3 Program.

Speaker 3 Just one more day.

Speaker 10 Glenn Beck and the crew will return here on the Glenn Beck program. Michael Pelka sitting in for my friend Glenn Beck.

Speaker 19 Happy New Year.

Speaker 10 I was earlier speaking about New Year's resolutions and I don't make them, but I have wishes for the New Year's. I wish companies

Speaker 10 would stop sending endless requests for

Speaker 10 surveys after you've used their service.

Speaker 10 You're going to to hear, it was fine until everything went wrong, and then you'll hear from me. That's kind of the way I'd like to look at things.
And as a company,

Speaker 10 maybe these companies could understand that.

Speaker 10 I'm talking about one particular travel company that sells discounted fares and packages who wants to know, they ask you one question,

Speaker 10 and when you click on the question to say, yes, I had a good trip,

Speaker 3 or no, I didn't,

Speaker 10 then you're taken into a rabbit hole, and you swirl down this rabbit hole where they ask you 45 other questions. Or, if you're going to take my time, at least offer me something.

Speaker 10 If you want to know my opinion, my detailed opinion, give me how about a little something, you know, for the effort.

Speaker 3 Anyway,

Speaker 10 I'm not talking about travelocity, although I am talking about travelocity, because they just keep sending me so many

Speaker 10 surveys.

Speaker 10 When it's bad, you hear. That's generally the rule.

Speaker 10 And

Speaker 10 I have to tell you, I think we were talking earlier on the show with Pete Kasperowitz from the Washington Examiner, and Pete and I were talking about Donald Trump and how he, Sean Spicer, has said that Mr.

Speaker 10 Trump does not intend to totally put down the Twitter. He's going to be tweeting a whole lot more.
And I likened it to the fireside chats from FDR because I think it's Trump's way of getting around

Speaker 10 the press interpreting what he says.

Speaker 10 They'll eventually spin his tweets anyway.

Speaker 10 And so, as we saw with New Year's Eve, and he said his little greeting to his enemies, which I thought was pretty bizarre, but there it is. But Sean Spicer was on with John Carl this weekend.

Speaker 10 And in the course of the interview, the subject came up about Trump's tweeting. And it got interesting.

Speaker 10 I think you'll hear what I was talking about in terms of Trump and Spicer basically telling the mainstream media, it's not going to be like it was.

Speaker 24 You know, with all due respect, I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct direct conversation.

Speaker 24 He doesn't have to have it funneled through the media.

Speaker 24 This is going to be a business as usual is over, as I've said before. There's a new sheriff in town.
He's going to do things first and foremost for the American people.

Speaker 24 So we're still going to see a lot of Twitter at the same time.

Speaker 24 Absolutely. You're going to see Twitter watching.

Speaker 25 Well, he had said on 60 minutes that he was going to cut back.

Speaker 24 You know what? The fact of the matter is that when he tweets, he gets results. So whether it's Twitter, holding a news conference, picking up the phone, having a meeting,

Speaker 24 he is going to make sure that he continues to fight for the American people every single day.

Speaker 25 A bottom line, are you going to have regular White House press briefings?

Speaker 10 Absolutely.

Speaker 24 Some way. Some of them will be on camera, some of them will be off.
But absolutely, we understand the importance of the pressure.

Speaker 25 No more daily televised press briefings.

Speaker 24 No decisions have been made, but we are looking at every single facet of government and figuring out: can we do it better? We'll sit down with the White House Correspondence Center,

Speaker 24 Correspondence Association, I've already had reporters reach out and say, hey, we've got some ideas.

Speaker 24 This is about, we understand that we have a message to get out and successes that we want the American people to understand. So we'll use every tool possible.

Speaker 24 And absolutely, we'll sit down and make sure that on a daily basis the press is informed.

Speaker 25 and regular presidential press conferences. Absolutely.

Speaker 10 That said a whole lot, Sean Spicer and John Carl, talking about Donald Trump and what he intends to do. I think this is something to watch in the future.

Speaker 10 Trump is the guy who showed the Democrats and the Republicans how to use social media to your advantage. He's got 45 million plus followers who will be hearing from him.
Interesting.

Speaker 10 We'll get back to that, and I want to talk more about what's going on. A few folks are calling in and

Speaker 10 accusing me of some very interesting things. Rachel in Ohio.
Rachel, you said I'm a what?

Speaker 17 A socialist.

Speaker 10 How do you figure I'm a socialist?

Speaker 1 Because socialists all spend their money the same way. They're only allowed to do certain things with them.

Speaker 23 It has nothing to do with the dog.

Speaker 3 No,

Speaker 10 I didn't tell them they couldn't spend that money.

Speaker 23 But see, for you to judge them

Speaker 17 that they're not sane because they've spent this money, it's their money.

Speaker 10 Sure. I just pointed out

Speaker 10 it's two Teslas.

Speaker 10 And if it were in my wallet, I would say, let's put the dog out of its misery because it's obviously not a healthy dog. Let's get another dog.
Let's go rescue a dog and buy two Teslas.

Speaker 1 They're a free country. They can

Speaker 23 spend their money, however.

Speaker 10 I'm not a socialist.

Speaker 17 I can't judge them.

Speaker 10 Yeah, that's called being human. Are we not allowed to have opinions? The First Amendment allows me to have an opinion and allows you to disagree with it.

Speaker 17 And the Bible says, judge not lest you be judged.

Speaker 2 You're judging me.

Speaker 10 You just judged me. You judged me to be a socialist.

Speaker 26 And I will be forgiven because I will ask for it.

Speaker 3 I will be too.

Speaker 23 But let them spend their money, however.

Speaker 10 Well, now it's interesting.

Speaker 10 The majority of that money came from an insurance policy.

Speaker 3 And I wonder.

Speaker 17 That's the way it's set up. I don't agree with insurance.

Speaker 23 In fact, you know, our quote-unquote Obamacare insurance is an insurance now because all it is is paying off the government.

Speaker 11 That's true.

Speaker 17 All we do is, you know, because we are up to $6,500 out of pocket. Well, if you don't have a catastrophic issue,

Speaker 17 you're not going to spend $6,500 a year.

Speaker 23 So that means your insurance, quote-unquote, is never going to cover what you're paying for your health care.

Speaker 10 You're absolutely right.

Speaker 10 Thank you, Rachel. And say hi to your governor.
He's an interesting cat.

Speaker 10 No?

Speaker 3 Kasich?

Speaker 10 Oh, we're going. Okay, Jan in Canada, you work with an animal rescue.
Good for you. I appreciate that, Jan.

Speaker 27 Yes, I do.

Speaker 28 And I have a couple in my home at the moment that are

Speaker 28 mostly, well, actually, one who's very elderly, and I know that it's going to be coming very, very close that I'm going to have to make a decision about this gal.

Speaker 28 We're kind of like a lot of small rescues. We run on a very, very short budget.

Speaker 3 We have to raise funds.

Speaker 28 We have to account for the money that we take. We have to report and show how the money is spent.
As I'm sure you know that from your own experience.

Speaker 28 I can understand what you're saying about about the fact that, well, you know, you could get a a a healthier animal and you could perhaps give a home to a dog or a cat even if

Speaker 27 that wouldn't have a good home.

Speaker 28 But on the other hand, I agree with Rachel. I think if it's your money,

Speaker 28 I think people are getting really tired about how they should be spending their money.

Speaker 10 If they're not taking food out of the mouths of I don't know if they have children, I don't know their situation, and if they're able to pay their rent and their bills and everything like that, then I definitely think they should be allowed to spend their money any way they choose even if it seems frivolous to some people you're absolutely right I'm just saying that for my in my opinion this seemed a little out there you know I I'm I'm one of those guys who's saying no you have to make a rational decision and and Pete Kasparowitz was calling me out saying you know you're that's that's love you're getting in the way of and I said well the head and the heart need to work together sometimes I absolutely agree with with you.

Speaker 28 I don't think you were wrong, and I don't think he was wrong. And like I said, Rachel has said the same thing about if it's their money.

Speaker 28 Now, if you're going to put yourself into debt, if you're going to have to start taking money from the government, which nobody wants to do if they can possibly avoid it, then yes, then you're really going down the wrong track.

Speaker 28 If you're well able to afford it and nobody else is going to be,

Speaker 23 you're not going to be able to

Speaker 28 look after your family or your children,

Speaker 1 It's a little kooky, but

Speaker 28 we have a lot we we're all supposed to be about free choice now.

Speaker 28 Yep. So

Speaker 26 I think possibly these people, their hearts in the right place,

Speaker 28 it's a good chance that this poor little dog isn't going to survive anyway.

Speaker 23 And if they do, I hope they feel that the money was well spent, at least in the attempt to save it.

Speaker 28 But you're absolutely right. There are so many animals out there that do need good homes.

Speaker 3 Healthy animals.

Speaker 10 We hear them in the background with you.

Speaker 26 I have this wobble-white giggle ball, and they are just having fun.

Speaker 10 Well,

Speaker 10 you're doing great work, Jen, and we appreciate you. Canada is America's favorite suburb, I've always said.

Speaker 3 I said we could always, Alberta and the States could possibly join together.

Speaker 10 I'm not opposed to it. I like the weather and the skiing, so thank you very much.

Speaker 10 We've got a barmy minus 20 at the moment with sunshine so if you're a skier if you like the outdoors then come aboard you got it thanks so much jan have a great day chris in michigan

Speaker 10 thank you chris in michigan has a comment on the uh puppy story chris you know uh well go go ahead am i a horrible person in your mind too

Speaker 20 No, no. In fact, I need to see if I can get asylum.
What is this country you're moving to? That you know the president?

Speaker 3 Oh, Liberland.

Speaker 20 Liberland. I need asylum because I'm with you, man.
This is, you know, it's so funny because just two weeks ago,

Speaker 20 probably a week ago, right before Christmas, somebody, one of my friends on Facebook put a GoFundMe page because their dog was very, very old and was terminal. And

Speaker 20 instead of doing

Speaker 20 what I think is the responsibility of a pet owner,

Speaker 20 you made that pet your pet, not my pet. You made that pet your pet, and now you're deferring your financial costs to everybody else

Speaker 20 right before Christmas. And I'm sure they raised a few thousand dollars.

Speaker 20 And I do agree with the two ladies that it's their money. You could spend it on whatever you want.
But we need to put this stuff in context.

Speaker 20 This is a pet.

Speaker 20 There isn't any dog. We just put a newpie down this last year, and it broke our heart.

Speaker 20 But she had bone cancer, and there was nothing we could do about it. And

Speaker 20 we waited

Speaker 20 until we didn't think that the pain could be managed anymore, and we just had to put her down. And it breaks our heart.
My daughter's still crying.

Speaker 10 I can tell you where I was on May 11th when I had to make the call to say goodbye to our little Gracie after

Speaker 10 17 years.

Speaker 10 So

Speaker 3 I understand it.

Speaker 10 It tears your heart out, but you also have to understand that, as you said, we have to,

Speaker 10 I think there's got to be a balance between the brain and the heart. And sometimes,

Speaker 10 sometimes it's just not that easy to do. It's just not that easy to do, Chris.
Well, Chris,

Speaker 10 April 13th is the second anniversary of the founding of Liberland. It's Jefferson's birthday.
That's why they're doing it. And they're because it's a Jeffersonian-based republic.
And there will be.

Speaker 3 It's a real place. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 10 Liberland. L-I-B-E-R-L-A-N-D.

Speaker 3 It's a liberal. It's a carpenter's there.

Speaker 10 They might. It's a libertarian

Speaker 10 state that is emerging, and I have talked about it endlessly, and

Speaker 10 we'll talk more about it. But I thank you for your call, Chris, and thank you for listening to the show today.

Speaker 10 Now, Gene, in Pennsylvania, I will get to you because I want to talk about

Speaker 10 I want to talk about minimum wage after the break. And Matt in Virginia about no-kill shelters.
I've got a minute, Matt, in Virginia. I'm a huge fan of the no-kill shelters.

Speaker 10 We work to get rid of the gas chamber in several states, and I know some states still have it. So I'm with you on this.
At least I hope

Speaker 10 you're a guy who doesn't.

Speaker 3 Oh, no, you're not going to like my call, Ben.

Speaker 10 Oh, boy.

Speaker 1 I think you talk about irrational.

Speaker 3 I think it's irrational. I live, the city I live in, there are feral cats in different businesses around town behind the dollar general, nursing homes, all kinds of things.

Speaker 3 And if you try to get rid of those feral cats, the no-kill shelters will tell you: trap them, bring them in, we'll neuter and spade them, and then you have to re-release them where you caught them.

Speaker 3 They take feral cats who are never going to be tamed and just spread disease that kills birds that cause all kinds of problems, just hanging around dumpsters and will not put them down.

Speaker 3 Well, you've opened up a whole

Speaker 10 you've opened up a whole additional can of worms here, sir. And

Speaker 10 I'm not in disagreement with

Speaker 3 no-kill shelters. It's full of cats, and 70% of the dogs are pit bulls or pit bull mix.

Speaker 10 Yeah, but a lot of those, a lot of the, I'm a believer in rehabbing those dogs, and we're going to do more on the group out in Colorado that does help those dogs. Pay attention for that one.

Speaker 10 I tweeted out a link to

Speaker 10 their webpage. I'm up against a wall.
I want to come back and talk about minimum wage, and I got to talk to Gene and PA. That's next on the Glen Beck program.

Speaker 8 The Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 13 Stream the show live on iHeartRadio or listen later on SoundCloud, iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play Music.

Speaker 9 Mercury.

Speaker 10 888727 back.

Speaker 11 This is the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka from Pure Opelka on the Blaze Radio Networks weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m., sitting in for Glenn Beck and the Glen Beck program, the entire crew back tomorrow.

Speaker 10 We were talking about

Speaker 10 a few things, including the couple in Brooklyn with $155,000 in vet bills for a sick puppy.

Speaker 10 But I also mentioned that 19 states in America, 19 different states, raised their minimum wage effective yesterday.

Speaker 10 For example,

Speaker 10 fast food workers in New York will see a minimum wage go to $11

Speaker 10 in New York City, $10 in the downstate suburbs,

Speaker 10 $9.70,000 elsewhere. Small businesses around the city will

Speaker 10 increase their minimum wage to 1050 for city employees. But there are states all across the country who raise their minimum wage.
I think this is a local,

Speaker 10 local deal, not a national deal. And I don't know where she stands on it or

Speaker 10 if it's something we agree on. But Gene in Pennsylvania has a thought on this.
And, Gene, welcome to the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 22 Good morning.

Speaker 10 Oh, Jean, a fellow. Excuse me, Gene.

Speaker 22 That's okay.

Speaker 18 The minimum wage was originally created

Speaker 22 because employers were abusing

Speaker 22 employees back in the 50s and 60s when it came around.

Speaker 22 And it was something that was designed for starter jobs.

Speaker 20 This is where we lose sight of things.

Speaker 22 And of course, our government hasn't helped because they've put more people in a position where they have to take starter jobs to try to exist

Speaker 22 than should.

Speaker 22 It was meant to be the pay for the first time job hunter.

Speaker 22 And what you're going to find is you're going to find businesses such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and the rest of them are going to automate their drive-through by putting a touch screen terminal, most likely, outside.

Speaker 1 You'll select what you want.

Speaker 22 When you get up to the window, they're going to put the pay machine such as you have as Home Depot and Lowe's and others that use the self-checkouts.

Speaker 22 And you'll drive up to the window, and then you may have a human being hand you your order. The same thing is going to go inside.

Speaker 20 This is typical of government.

Speaker 22 I've had hanging in my office for at least the last 35 years a sign that says politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.

Speaker 10 Gene, you are spot on. I'm up against a hard wall.
Just want to make a quick correction. The minimum wage that, from the federal point of view, came into effect in 1938, it was 25 cents an hour.

Speaker 10 If we adjusted for inflation, it would be $4.13

Speaker 10 an hour today.

Speaker 10 And yet, our minimum wage wage is nearly double that on the federal level.

Speaker 10 So, think about it. I see it as a state's rights issue.
States should be the ones to set it. Michael Pelka for Glenn Beck on the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 11 This is the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 11 Mercury.

Speaker 11 This is the Glen Beck Program.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka is my name. I am here for the remainder of this show, and then Glenn will be back tomorrow.
The Glenn Beck program in the 2017 edition returns, and Glenn has

Speaker 10 promised a lot of new things. And he gave you a little hint this morning.

Speaker 10 I don't know if you followed him on Twitter, but he talked about a book and suggested you download it and read at least the 11th chapter.

Speaker 10 I will tell you, I did that at five o'clock this morning, and I'm happy I did. Now I'm going back to read the rest of the book.

Speaker 10 It was a book that was written a long time ago and discovered just a few years ago by the son of the man who wrote it. And there are some fascinating parallels to today.

Speaker 10 Earlier, we were talking about

Speaker 10 my questioning

Speaker 10 of a Brooklyn couple who have spent

Speaker 10 not all of their money, but they've spent tens of thousands of dollars keeping a young puppy dog, Jones, the French bulldog, alive. And

Speaker 10 I question the wisdom.

Speaker 10 Not going to be shy about it. I'm a guy who works with dogs, rescues dogs, has rescued dogs in the past, and will rescue dogs in the future.
And some people question my wisdom.

Speaker 10 Marilyn's in South Dakota. She's calling in on the puppy.
I don't know which side of the argument you're on, Marilyn, but welcome to the Glenn Beck program.

Speaker 17 Hi, I totally agree with you. And I love dogs.
I grew up with German shepherds and cocker spaniels, and we had cats, and we've had to put dogs and cats down, and it's heartbreaking.

Speaker 17 And pets, though, you know, I believe they're God's gifts. I mean, I call them God's gestures, and they're...
They are there for a reason, and we need to be good stewards and take care of them.

Speaker 17 It doesn't mean we leave them freezing out in the cold, which we see some things like that in South Dakota. But I guess my problem with all this is that money.

Speaker 17 And yeah, the lady said people can spend their money how they like, but I'll guarantee you the same people who have that excuse will

Speaker 17 criticize

Speaker 17 the rich corporations or whatever.

Speaker 17 And the thing that really bothers me is that how many of these pet owners, any pet owner, I mean, even if we spend $50 a month on our pets, how many of us actually give to human needs the same amount of money?

Speaker 17 Charities. There are a lot of people that I know who call their pets children, which I don't agree with.
They're kids. They're not those.

Speaker 17 And anyway, why would they go do a GoFundMe about something like this and not pay for human starving babies? So I think it's a perverse form of love if it's love.

Speaker 10 Well, you know, it is.

Speaker 10 You bring up a great point when people talk about their pets as their kids. And we have for years, decades, seen humans distancing themselves from other humans.

Speaker 10 And I think that's where a lot of this started. It's easier to communicate with a pet than it is with a person.
A pet will give you undying love, and they typically do.

Speaker 10 And of course, there's a little maintenance, and there's a little work to be required to make sure they're fed and healthy, etc.

Speaker 10 But it's different with other people. There's a lot more work dealing with people, but I also think we need to teach people there's a lot more reward

Speaker 10 on pushing for human contact.

Speaker 3 So

Speaker 10 I'm a big fan of that, and I certainly appreciate you weighing in. It's a tough one.

Speaker 10 Again, Marilyn, I'm a guy who, May 11th, I know the time, the place, the date, I had to say goodbye to our little Gracie. And I had to make the call.

Speaker 10 And it's not a call I ever want to have to make again, but probably will.

Speaker 10 Because that's what life is about, and it was the right thing to do. But thank you so much, and I hope you have a great new year, my friend.

Speaker 10 Well, you know,

Speaker 10 I'm watching in the corner of the studio here in the free speech bunker, the constitutionally protected free speech bunker in Delaware. I'm watching President Obama arrive back from his vacation

Speaker 10 and

Speaker 10 the final vacation, the hundred millionth dollar spent on President Obama's vacations. I know a president deserves vacations.

Speaker 10 I just want to know why all of them seem to avoid Camp David. And if we don't want Camp David, then let's get rid of it.

Speaker 10 Remember, Mar-a-Lago used to be the Southern White House until Jimmy Carter gave it back. And look who's in there now.

Speaker 10 A little bit of irony there. But as I'm watching Obama, I'm reminded that Valerie Jarrett said something this weekend that made me scratch my head.
Valerie Jarrett on President Obama.

Speaker 29 The president prides himself on the fact that his administration hasn't had a scandal and that he hasn't done anything to embarrass himself.

Speaker 29 But that's not because he's being someone other than who he is. That's because that's who he is.
That's who they are. And I think that's what really resonates with the American people.

Speaker 19 Hmm.

Speaker 10 No scandals. No No scandals in this administration.

Speaker 10 Benghazi?

Speaker 10 I think how Benghazi happened and was handled, a little bit of a scandal. How about the story that we broke nationally on theblaze.com, the IRS targeting of conservative organizations?

Speaker 10 Lois Lerner directed the IRS's exempt organizations unit and admitted that the Tea Party organizations were targeted by them.

Speaker 10 Hmm. Not a scandal, I guess.
How about the DOJ, Obama's DOJ, seizing the Associated Press phone records, as well as phone and email records from James Rosen at Fox?

Speaker 3 How about that?

Speaker 10 Was that a scandal? How about the NSA just grabbing all the data they could?

Speaker 10 Was that a scandal?

Speaker 10 How about Hillary's email servers?

Speaker 10 I know she worked in the State Department, but guess who she worked for?

Speaker 10 Remember that river in Colorado that had that massive poisoning of it?

Speaker 10 That's Obama's EPA. Is that not a scandal?

Speaker 10 They mistakenly let that happen. Oh, and let's not forget Fast and Furious.

Speaker 10 Was that not a scandal of this administration?

Speaker 10 And

Speaker 10 as much as I love them, the Secret Service had a little bit of a scandal during this administration. So, for Valerie Jarrett to say that

Speaker 10 this is a scandal-free administration, eight years that the Obama administration was in office without a scandal, is about as

Speaker 10 honest as if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, which we all know was declared the lie of the year. So, Valerie Jarrett, no, you don't get to say that.

Speaker 10 And just because you say it and the mainstream media repeats it doesn't mean it's true.

Speaker 10 Now, tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier,

Speaker 10 tomorrow we have Congress gaveling into session, and we expect to see a whole lot of pomp and circumstance tomorrow, but then the real work will get started after January 20th when the President is sworn in.

Speaker 10 Hopefully, I'll be there in the crowd. I think I got press credentials, but we'll find out.
Maybe we'll do a live Puro Pelka from the inauguration. But Mr.

Speaker 10 Trump is also telling us Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be busy days for him.

Speaker 10 Yesterday, he was, not yesterday, but New Year's Eve, he was out in front of Mar-a-Lago and held an impromptu press conference and talked a little bit about the hacking and about when he's going to be talking about the hacking and his briefing from the intelligence community.

Speaker 16 Well, I just want them to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge. And I want them to be sure.
And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong.

Speaker 16 And so, I want them to be sure. I think it's unfair if they don't know.
And I know a lot about hacking, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else.

Speaker 16 And I also know things that other people don't know,

Speaker 16 and so they cannot be sure of this situation.

Speaker 16 You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Speaker 10 So, Mr.

Speaker 10 Trump was talking about the hacking, and I thought that was a pretty smart move to say, let's not forget the weapons of mass destruction and how everybody was damn sure that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Speaker 10 And then we all know what a disaster that turned out to be in terms of the cost of precious human lives, American lives, and as well as the cost to run that war.

Speaker 10 So I think that was a pretty smart move. But I always get nervous when Mr.
Trump says stuff like, well, I know things people don't know.

Speaker 10 Well,

Speaker 10 that makes me think two things.

Speaker 10 Do you think you're the smartest guy in the room because we've had that for eight years and it didn't work out really well?

Speaker 10 Or did somebody give you some classified intelligence that you shouldn't be talking about? Because if that's the case, you got to, Mr.

Speaker 10 Trump, you got to put that back in the bottle, put the cork in it, and sit it down.

Speaker 10 It's just not smart. But we'll, apparently, Tuesday and Wednesday, we're going to hear from the president-elect, and I hope he talks more on this because

Speaker 10 this is the main thing that the snowflakes have been chanting about for the last two weeks: the hacking, the hacking, the hacking, the hacking.

Speaker 10 And I always say it's not a hack when somebody like Podesta responds to a phishing email and gives up his password and his ID.

Speaker 10 That's just called keeping grandpa away from the computer. It's a smart idea.
Michael Pelka and for Glenn Beck, when we get back, we will wrap up today's show.

Speaker 10 I got a couple of final thoughts here for you. No, not Tommy Laron's final thoughts, my own final thoughts.
And

Speaker 10 have you got a snowflake in your life?

Speaker 10 who needs something special to help them get through the inauguration?

Speaker 10 I've got an answer for you, and we'll share it with you next on the Glen Beck program.

Speaker 11 This is the Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 3 Mercury.

Speaker 8 The Glenn Beck Program.

Speaker 10 Mike Opelka is my name wrapping up my two-day stint sitting in on the Glenn Beck program. Thank you, Glenn.
Thank you, Dom. Thank you, everybody in Dallas, for supporting me and making this happen.

Speaker 10 I appreciate it. If you like what you heard, tune in weeknights, 7 to 10 p.m.
on the Blaze Radio Network, and follow me on Twitter at StuntBrain or follow me on The Blaze.

Speaker 10 You just click on channels and my little channels down there, and you can get all kinds of fun stuff.

Speaker 10 I got a couple of things I need to make you aware of. We are going to be aggressively in 2017 watching for fake news.

Speaker 10 For example, over the weekend, a lot of the mainstream media was spinning and screaming with its hair on fire, saying, Oh my god, the Russians hacked into our power grid through a Vermont electric company.

Speaker 10 Well, no,

Speaker 10 no, they didn't. There was a laptop that got hit by a hacker attempt, a laptop that wasn't connected to the power grid.

Speaker 10 So, no, that wasn't a story. And also, the story about the guy that wrote the book about Trump 20 plus years ago that made Trump angry was playing golf at Mar-a-Lago this weekend.

Speaker 10 and there was an initial story saying Trump had him thrown off the course and had his entire foresome thrown off the course by his security detail, and the forsom included billionaire David Koch.

Speaker 10 Well, David Koch said, hold on, no, that's fake news. That didn't happen that way.
They asked the author to leave because he and Trump had some tension. And Koch said, we came here as a foresome.

Speaker 10 We'll leave as a foursome, which I think is pretty cool. That's good loyalty.
But no, fake news again. Let's try and pull the drama back and highlight the facts going forward in 2017.

Speaker 10 And speaking of the facts,

Speaker 10 I think there's a young lady on the phone. It's not Joan.

Speaker 3 Is it Martha from New York?

Speaker 10 Carol from New York is on with us. Carol, I've only got like a minute and a half left.
How are you? Welcome to the Glen Beck Show.

Speaker 30 Thank you. I was thinking about the age of the dog.
If the dog was a little puppy puppy and these

Speaker 30 expenses were coming up, you might want to have it put to sleep. But also, if it was an older dog that you've been attached to for some years,

Speaker 30 it's kind of hard to. But

Speaker 30 I also wonder how much money these people have, and maybe they do invest it in other programs with animals and people also.

Speaker 19 Hopefully, they do.

Speaker 30 They can spend that kind on an animal.

Speaker 10 That's all good points. Now, most of the lion's share of the $155,000 to keep this puppy alive came from an insurance policy, but tens of thousands came from their own pockets.

Speaker 10 They did have to dip into their savings.

Speaker 10 It's a horrible tragedy when you have to look at a suffering animal and try and make that decision whether or not you want to keep them or whether or not you want to have them put down.

Speaker 10 I know because we made that decision last May.

Speaker 10 It's very personal.

Speaker 10 And I do, I'm not telling these people how to spend their money.

Speaker 10 I just question the wisdom because, and someone's going to tell me I'm cold and calloused, but there's a lot of dogs available for adoption.

Speaker 10 And that $155,000 could have put two Teslas in the driveway and taken a lot of carbon pollution out of the air. I'm just saying, people.

Speaker 10 I'm just saying. Mike Opelka is my name.
You can catch me weeknights, Monday through Friday, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
on the Blaze Radio Network, and Saturday mornings from 6 to 9 a.m.

Speaker 10 Plus the other stuff you'll hear me doing in and around the Blaze. Today starts my sixth year with the Blaze.
Actually, wraps up my sixth year, starts my seventh.

Speaker 10 Bad at math. Mike Opelka saying thank you again.
Glenn Beck, Pat, Stu,

Speaker 10 and Jeffy as the Beaver will be here tomorrow. Testudo, my friends.
Testudo.

Speaker 8 This is the Glenn Beck Program,

Speaker 9 Mercury.