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Glenn Beck

Is Foiled Terror Plot Part of Something Bigger?; Is Iran Working Towards the Apocalypse?

Aired August 10, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode of GLENN BECK is brought to you by Red Alert Saline Pills. Keep your contact lenses dry on airplanes by shoving a Red Alert Saline Pill in your cornea. May cause permanent blindness.
GLENN BECK, HOST: Well, I don`t know about you, but it has been a tough, exhausting day for me and one where the world doesn`t seem to make sense. We`re going to try to make some sense of it here in the next few minutes.

But let me start by saying this. If you watch this show, you know, for more than two minutes you know that I`m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and I know that. I`m a cable news guy. Please.

Yet it`s strange. I look at the ratings every night, and more and more people are coming here every night, because I`m telling you things that you`re not going to hear anyplace else. No matter how insane it sounds, I`m telling you what I believe the truth is.

Buckle up. Here we go.

Everybody today is talking about what happened in the U.K. this morning. At least 24 people were arrested for allegedly plotting to blow up commercial airlines, headed here to the United States, using chemicals smuggled in hand luggage and sports drinks. As a result the terror alert has been raised to red for all planes going from the U.K. to the United States.

Here`s what the president had to say today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We`ve taken a lot of measures to protect the American people. But obviously we`re still not completely safe, because there are people that still plot and people who want to harm us for what we believe in. It is a mistake to believe there`s no threat to the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. It`s important to understand what happened. But it is also very important for you to know that this is only a small piece of the story. If this, you know, bombing plot would have happened a year ago, I`d say to you tonight, "Woo, good thing we caught them, good job."

But at least my gut tells me something different. Does yours? Does your gut tell you that this is the start of something much bigger? We`re at red alert for the very first time in our nation`s history, and I for one don`t think it should be just because of what happened in London. Here`s why.

Two Muslim men were arrested on two in Ohio possessing airline passenger lists, information on airport security checkpoints, 12 cell phones, and $11,000 in cash. These two guys from Dearborn, Michigan, a town with the largest concentration of Muslims in the country, sold 600 cell phones to someone in Dearborn recently. We have more on this in the bottom of the hour.

Also bodies of Iran`s Revolutionary Guard have reportedly been found among the Hezbollah fighters slain in Lebanon. I have been saying this the whole time. And now we have proof positive. We are at world war with Iran. They are assembling forces and mobilizing our enemies on a global level. Iran is the head of the snake. More on that in a few minutes. Please don`t miss this. We have some words from the Karl Rove of Iran that will melt your eyes.

Now the eight missing Egyptians. They may be just stupid teens. They may not be. But with the terror alert on the rise, I`d like to know for sure. Where are they?

Our out of control unsafe borders, not in the news today. They should be. If there are jihadists living in Central or South America, they can pretty much come in any time they want. There`s one mantra in the Middle East that keeps ringing through my head today, and that is the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He doesn`t believe in the apocalypse like the nut jobs do in Iran. But I`m telling you now he is willing to align with them, because he wants to destroy us, as well. Let`s not forget he also controls Citgo.

And finally the notion of August 22, which we`ll get into in about five to 10 minutes, this is the day that Iran may fulfill its doomsday prophecy. I talked about it yesterday, and I`m being honest with you. I know it sounds completely nuts, and it might be. But August 22, 12 days from today, apparently is significant in Muslim history.

And there`s a lot of chatter about it, not just from -- I mean really noted American scholars, but the chatter is also coming from the Middle East. It`s also the day that the president of Iran has said that he would issue his response to our questions about his country`s nuclear program.

All of this coming together at the same time. Think about it. Does it really all seem like these are all coincidences?

The story out of London is huge. But it is part of something much bigger, and much more dangerous. This is why I`ve been saying we`re in World War III. It`s just -- we`re at the beginning, and we`re just now beginning to see how everything is really tied together.

So tonight here`s what I know. Everything is connected. But the media and the politicians are refusing to make those connections. You must. I also know that when I got up this morning I heard the news, and I asked myself, all right, how long is it going to be until somebody jumps up and says, "Let`s not jump to any conclusions and target all Muslims."

Answer, it was about four seconds. It was 6:50 -- I noted it on my clock, 6:50 this morning, British officials said in the press conference, quote, "Let`s make sure we don`t target anyone specific," end quote.

That being said, each of the 24 people arrested were Muslim. I`m sure that`s just a coincidence.

Look, some day terrorists may not be all Arab. Some day they are all going to look like me or at least some of them will look like me, but I do know they`ll all be part of radical Islam.

Here`s what I don`t know tonight. I don`t know what`s coming. I don`t know if anything`s coming, honestly, but my gut says it`s not going to happen on 8/22 or even 9/11, but our enemies are drawing their plans against us now.

I also don`t know if our politicians will stick to their guns or if the media is going to get on board with this. They may not; they may. I don`t know. But that`s why you must.

London was just the beginning. It`s gut check time.

That being said, let`s back up a bit. Everything has moved so fast today in the London story, I`m not even sure how we got to this point. Anne MacElvoy, she`s from the "Evening Standard" in London.

Ann, I think I`m like most Americans that got up this morning, turned on the television, saw the news, and we don`t even know because it happened in the middle of the night here. We don`t even know how this even started. Can you bring us from what was the middle of the night for us here in America?

ANNE MCELVOY, "THE EVENING STANDARD": And the beginning of the day in London. Well, yes, first thing we heard was that there was an announcement at around 5:40 that arrests have taken place. And it basically went on from there.

There had been actually an emergency meeting COBRA (ph). That`s the government emergency planning meeting, last night at 10 p.m. when cabinet officials met security officials, and that`s really, obviously, when it started.

BECK: What was the trip wire? I know they`ve been following these guys for a long time. What was the thing that they said we`ve got to move now?

MACELVOY: We`re not being informed what had the trip wire was, but what we do know is, as you say, this had been going on for sometime. They were clearly monitoring these people. They were building up a picture of what was going on, and then they got some intelligence.

We think possibly from Pakistan, but that`s not confirmed. But that is an assumption that they had to move quickly, that something was afoot within the next 48 hours, so they really had to go into action much more quickly than I think had been initially planned when this matter was discussed recently between President Bush and Mr. Blair.

BECK: All right. The alert levels, we`re in red alert here in America for the very first time, which is saying something. But is that because we`ve arrested 21 or you have arrested 21, but I`ve heard that there`s as many as 50 people involved in this?

MACELVOY: Well, our latest figure is 24 actual arrests. I think that is now confirmed. I`ve not heard any more than that, but I have heard that there are people that they are still looking for and want to round up. We`ve been given no figures at this end on how many there are.

BECK: These are all British nationals, are they not? They are all from Pakistani descent, but they are all citizens.

MACELVOY: Yes, I mean, this is a matter of great -- obviously, the most shocking part of this, if you live in Britain. These are people who are brought up, who live in Britain. This is not a scenario of people coming in from the outside to do damage. These are homegrown broken British Muslims.

BECK: So I remember when I saw Oklahoma City. And Timothy McVeigh. We immediately thought, "Oh, it`s a foreigner, because it was very hard for us to get our arms around an American who would do this to Americans or anybody."

How do you feel over in London? What`s the mood?

MACELVOY: Well, the mood, as you imagine, is quite frightened, quite unsettled, quite angry in parts, anger directed both at extremist British Muslims and that mood is not good and could get worse but also some anger directed toward the government and the criticisms of the war on terror and are we really any safer.

BECK: You are sitting on a ticking time bomb with your population. Are you -- are you sensing that you`ll be able to keep this all under control? It seems to me that it`s just all of Europe. And your ride along with it that it`s just a nightmare waiting to happen.

MACELVOY: Yes, but you have to remember, we do have a sizeable Muslim population, most of which is entirely peacefully and this part of the diversity, particularly in big cities like London where diversity is important to us. It`s part of what makes the place what it is. You know, we don`t want to paint it in nightmare terms, but we had a terrible shock last year, and we had two shocks. Seven, seven, same thing, British Muslims.

BECK: Real quick, I noticed something and I don`t know if this meant anything to England. I noticed when President Bush gave a quick speech today he thanked Tony Blair`s government. He didn`t say the English government. He said Tony Blair`s government. Any insight on why he might have said that?

MACELVOY: Well, there was a particularly strong link between those two people, but it must also be said that as President Bush was reflecting it that a lot of people are increasingly critical of Tony Blair`s closeness to Mr. Bush. This is a two-man show in many ways, and I think that`s precisely what Mr. Bush was reflecting.

BECK: Great. Anne, thank you, stay safe. Thanks for your insight.

Up next, a closer look at our very good friends in Iran.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Where we continue to put the doom back into doomsday. As I said earlier, Iran is completely out of control. The situation in London, I truly believe, is just a small piece of a larger puzzle, not connected to Iran, but it`s the same puzzle we`re putting together.

Iran is using Hezbollah, Syria, and Iraq to set the Middle East on fire. Bin Laden, I`m sure he was involved in today`s foiled plot, but to me he`s starting to look like a smaller and smaller player in the whole master plan.

Here`s what I think might happen. Whether it`s Iran or al Qaeda, someone is going to make a major move on us, and all of our attention is going to be going on to that. If you can imagine if they would have shot ten planes out of the sky today, imagine where our attention would be?

Then somebody else on the chess board is going to see the opportunity that we`re distracted and seize us. That`s when they`ll hit us from behind or the side, and we`ll be surrounded.

You think this sounds nuts? Check it, man. Historically that`s the way it happens every single time, over and over again. We`re in World War III. Think of it like World War II, but in this case Germany is Iran, and they`ve got a lot of religious nut jobs running the place with an apocalyptic plan.

These -- some of these guys actually want to destroy everything, including themselves, in order to bring back the messiah. Yes. That`s what August 22 could be about, according to leading scholars, including Robert Spencer, who is a terrorism expert and a director of jihad watch.

Hello, Robert. How are you?

ROBERT SPENCER, TERRORISM EXPERT, DIRECTOR, JIHAD WATCH: Very well, thank you, Glenn. You?

BECK: Why couldn`t you look like a nut job? I was really hoping that you would be a nut job. I can dismiss this whole theory.

SPENCER: Unfortunately, it`s not just me saying it.

BECK: I know.

SPENCER: This comes from Farid Godfrey (ph), of the Reform Party of Syria. The great Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis has said the same thing. This is something that`s actually pretty clear, that Rajab 27 this year falls on August 22. Rajab 27 is, of course, the date in the Muslim calendar that is the anniversary of the night journey of Mohammed when he was supposedly miraculously carried from Mecca to Jerusalem and from the Temple Mount into paradise, where he met the other prophets. And the night sky was illuminated over Jerusalem in order to aid him in this journey.

Farid Godfrey (ph) of the Syrian Reform Party has postulated that Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, will similarly illuminate the night sky over Jerusalem on August 22 with a nuclear attack, and that will be his response to the American offer of incentive.

BECK: Robert, honestly that sounds totally nuts, and I would have dismissed this. I mean, I`m a fan of Bernard Lewis. He is -- I mean that guy is not a fear monger. This guy is -- a measured gentleman.

SPENCER: Absolutely.

BECK: And respected scholar. And he`s the one that first brought this to my attention, and when I heard that, I thought, "OK, wait a minute. Hang on, you`re not a nut job telling me this."

Convince me this isn`t the ramblings of the insane. Why would Iran do that?

SPENCER: Because the Islamist traditions indicate, particularly the Shiite tradition, that the Mahdi, messiah figure you referred to, will only return after a period of great persecution and calamity.

And that if he thinks that he can bring about this kind of persecution and calamity by provoking a nuclear response to Iran, then that might be exactly what he wants to do, even though it will result in this deaths of millions of his own people.

BECK: A lot of people -- I mean I had a guy on the show just a couple of days ago. I`ve got to tell you I couldn`t disagree with this more, but let me just float this out. This guy said, you know, Iran, it`s a lot of posturing, yada, yada, yada. They`re the Soviet Union. You`ve got to deal with them like the Soviet Union. Why is that wrong?

SPENCER: Because Ahmadinejad does not believe in mutually assured destruction. He does not -- he will not stop because he thinks that he will get his people killed. The whole idea of the Mahdi coming after the Muslims are being persecuted is deeply rooted in Islamist tradition.

The sixth imam of the Shiite`s 12 Shiites, 12 imam, the sixth said that before the coming of the Mahdi there will be fire in the sky that will obliterate Baghdad. Now it could be that he, Ahmadinejad, knows that full well and wants to provoke that fire in the sky over Baghdad by striking Jerusalem first.

BECK: OK. Let me give you -- let me give you a little sunshine and lollipops here. I look at the stock markets over in the Middle East, and they`re on the rise. They`re going up. Money doesn`t talk screams. Convince me that the people in the Middle East know this is coming. Do they?

SPENCER: Osama bin -- absolutely. Osama bin Laden is one of the world`s richest men, and this has never stopped him from going to live in a cave in Afghanistan.

Religious incentives are very strong. I think westerners have a hard time understanding just how strong this kind of religious imperative is. But it doesn`t matter about the stock markets. Money does scream, but the religion screams even louder.

BECK: OK. Robert, thank you very much.

SPENCER: Thank you.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, all this World War III stuff and apocalypse, I mean, it`s making me sound -- I know it, you`re thinking I`m nuts. But just how nuts?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Are you as off your rocker as Glenn? Find out now with the handy Glenn Beck Wacko-meter where you, the viewer at home can instantly see if you measure up to the Glenn Beck gold standard of paranoia.

Question one. Do you spend most of your waking hours trying to convince others that we`re in World War III?

BECK: I know I sound like a nut job, but I really believe we`re in the early stages of World War III.

ANNOUNCER: Two, is your safe room the best decorated place in your home?

Three, are you constantly making predictions that the end of days is near?

BECK: August 22, it is the day that Israel might be wiped off the map, leading to all-out Armageddon.

ANNOUNCER: And last, do you consider tinfoil a fashion accessory?

If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, then congratulations, you`re now officially crazy enough to host your own cable news show.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, as freaky as today has been, hang on, buckle up. I`ve got some stuff to share with you here in just a few minutes. We`ve got some information on the Karl Rove, if you will, of Iran, that will scare the living daylights out of you, but you need to know it, especially today.

Roe Conn from WLS, 890 AM in Chicago, how are things? What are you feeling in Chicago today, Roe?

ROE CONN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Glenn, let`s get away from international terrorism for just a moment.

BECK: OK.

CONN: Let`s think about the future. Let`s have a positive thought that maybe we`ll all make it to 2008.

BECK: Right.

CONN: I`d like to bring you a piece -- I brought a gift today for you, Glenn.

BECK: All right. What is it?

CONN: A piece of video tape from Hillary Clinton. Monday she was in Chicago giving an energy speech. She`s unveiling her new energy policy.

BECK: Yes.

CONN: And I`d like to share with you what she said.

BECK: OK. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: We have thousands of miles of pipeline. I find it hard to believe there`s only 16 miles that have been neglected by this one oil company. And I am tired of cleaning up the messes of oil companies that are making more money than they know what to do with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: What are your thoughts?

CONN: Did you hear that tone? Is it a surprise to you that Bill was running out on her all the time?

BECK: I mean that`s not necessary. I mean, is that where you`re going?

CONN: No, I`m just asking. I`m just asking.

See, there`s the thing about that sounded -- there`s sort of that shrill kind of thing.

BECK: Yes, yes.

CONN: I don`t think that America is ready for six or eight months of that on the campaign trail.

BECK: Right.

CONN: And then she -- she`s constantly yelling at us like we`re 4- year-olds. "I am not cleaning up your mess again."

BECK: You know, here`s the thing that`s driving me out of my mind. This BP story is not about -- I mean OK. BP out of control. You should be paying attention to the pipeline, stop neglecting, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But you know what? It is not about BP.

You know, I want a leader to stand up and say, "Look, here`s the deal. I am pushing through Congress, you know, 10 plants that are going to take coal and change it to oil so we can get this oil monkey off of our back and stop being dependant on foreign oil."

That`s what I want to hear a leader say, not let`s go crucify the oil companies. Let`s put the oil companies out of business. Is there not someone that will stand up and say, "Hey, I`d like to make a billion dollars"?

CONN: Hey, I want other companies to get involved in alternative energy production. Give them tax breaks to do it. Do the sort of things that businesses respond to, incentives that they will respond to.

And with her, just screaming at them, that`s not going to help anybody. And honestly now, I mean, think about how screwed up the Democratic Party is as they head into 2006 and then 2008.

BECK: Yes.

CONN: You saw what happened to Lieberman yesterday. You have Cynthia McKinney also losing her position. For very, very different reasons.

BECK: That`s a good thing for the Democratic Party, Cynthia McKinney losing. But I`ve got to tell you, especially in the light of today`s events, it is -- Democrats, you`re sending a message. You are sending exactly the wrong message, to be antiwar at this point, I mean, you could say, you know, I don`t agree with the war is being fought in Iran -- or Iraq, et cetera, et cetera...

CONN: Iran, by the way, that`s Iraq, too.

BECK: Yes, it is. Roe, thank you very much. Appreciate your time. See you soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, just call me Mr. Happy Pants today. There is a lot going on that we need to talk about. And this is the part of the program every night where I tell you the real story, because I think the media never seems to get it right.

Let`s start with this. Let`s start with this picture. You might remember this picture from a while back. It`s the president of Iran, Amademajab (ph). I like to call him President Tom. He was speaking at a conference called "The World without Zionism." You see that there.

You probably remember it because that picture was taken during a conference where he formally announced his goal of wiping Israel off the map. But the real story is, the story you probably haven`t heard anywhere else, hits a lot closer to home. I want you to take a look at this now. This is the rest of the photo.

You can clearly see that it`s an hourglass with two grains of sand, one representing the U.S. and the other representing Israel. The Israeli grain is just beginning to fall through. But the U.S., apparently time has already run out.

Don`t think for a second what`s going on in the Middle East is about Israel. Iran`s goals are a whole lot bigger than that. They`ve got to destroy us before they destroy Israel. The proof is in the artwork.

Now, have you ever heard of a guy named Hassan Abbasi? Yes, me neither, until today. We looked him up. He is essentially President Tom`s Karl Rove. He`s a trusted adviser to Iran`s leaders. I want you to listen carefully to part of what Abbasi calls his "war preparation strategy," quote, unquote.

He gave this during a lecture a while back. He says he also shared his thoughts with President Tom. First, he says that the Western economy is based on oil, and that means it`s got a very shaky foundation.

Second, he thinks that any oil embargos or any embargos we put on Iran, which we have said we would, if they don`t give up their nuclear program on August 22nd, would mean $110-a-barrel oil. Any military action would mean $400 oil. Would our citizens really stand for that?

Next, he thinks it`s time to engage the U.S. in, quote, "a game of chicken," end quote, because, again quoting, "The Americans are not ready to send a million men" into battle and they have "no stomach for a fight."

Fourth, he believes that a military encounter with the U.S. would actually strengthen the Islamic republic. And finally, he says, quote, "There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. And we have already spied on these sites, and we know how we`re going to attack them," end quote.

The real story here is that Iran is not only the root of evil but they are actively plotting and planning our downfall. Despite what most people want you to believe, this story in the Middle East is not about Israel or Iraq.

Now, I want to bring you up to speed on a story that I don`t think got nearly enough attention from the media, especially given the developments today over in London.

On Tuesday in Ohio, police pulled over a car on a routine traffic violation. Inside, they found a few interesting things: $11,000 in cash; 12 cell phones; an airplane passenger list; also, information on airport security checkpoints; instructions on how to obtain private flight information; and a map of Wal-Mart stores in five states. You do the math.

The next day, the car`s occupants, Osama Sabhi Abulhassan and also Ali Houssaiky, both 20 years old, both residents of Dearborn, Michigan, were charged with money laundering in support of terrorism. During police questioning, the two admitted that they had purchased about 600 cell phones in recent months and then sold them to someone in Dearborn.

Most of the phones they bought were prepaid, disposable cell phones that are much harder to trace than traditional cell phones. They also are often used to wirelessly detonate bombs. It seems like another isolated incident, doesn`t it? Well, what ties could this possibly have to everything else that`s going on? You do the math.

Bill Daly, former FBI investigator, what were they doing with the cell phones, Bill?

BILL DALY, CONTROL RISKS GROUP: Well, as you mentioned, Glenn, I mean, the cell phones can be used for a variety of things. First of all, they`re a great commodity to be selling to criminal organizations, as well as, you know, terrorists would like to use them, as well.

They`re very difficult to intercept because you don`t have any record as to who owns them. They go into a store, they buy them, they throw them away. You know, it`s a real nice commodity to have, if you`re somebody in that underworld, whether you`re a terrorist or criminal.

And I also think that there`s something to be said here about this passenger list. We`re not too sure what`s going on here, but, you know, Glenn, I think that, you know, stops like this are really very significant, because let`s not forget that one of the 9/11 hijackers was actually stopped for a traffic violation, his identity checked out. At that point, what did they know? And they released him, and he went on his way then to get on one of the planes the next day and commit the horrendous act of 9/11.

BECK: Yes, Bill, let me just pause for a second, because this is -- the events of the day have been happening so fast, I haven`t had a chance to even pause and say this. FBI, MI-6, CIA, everybody who has been involved in the events of the day, even all the way down to local people, wow, good job. Good job.

I mean, you look at this event in Ohio, the guy who stopped them, the cop that stopped them, was sharp enough to see, "Oh, wait a minute, something`s not quite right here." With that being said, we just did happen to stumble into this. I mean, what is that collection of weird things in the car mean to you?

DALY: You know, it`s really kind of difficult. It`s kind of like looking through a crystal ball trying to figure out what`s going on there, without behind the scenes and getting my fingers behind the wallpaper to find out what the investigators are looking at.

But, you know, on the surface it certainly has a lot of earmarks there that say, "Listen, we need to focus in and see where these guys have been. Who did they sell the phones to? You know, why do they have these passenger lists and maybe even, I heard, checkpoint information about airports?"

The map of the Wal-Mart stores, well, maybe that`s where they went and bought all the phones. I`m not too sure.

BECK: OK.

DALY: But, you know, there`s certain things here that certainly need a closer examination. And I know the FBI has been called in. And, as you say, Glenn, I think really kind of in the spirit of the day, you know, we`ve been able to get now down to I think a fairly granular level, both over in the U.K., as you can see here in the plotting, and even some recent events here in the states.

It`s not to say that it`s over; it`s not to say that, you know, something couldn`t happen. But I`m very pleased with the success of what our law enforcement intelligence agencies have done thus far.

BECK: All right. Let me ask you this, this question, and please talk me down from the tree on this one.

I was amazed when I was watching -- you know, Israel was stunned at how effective Hezbollah has been. I mean, they`ve been storing weapons, they`ve been building bunkers, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and they were stunned by it.

And it got me to thinking, because it bothered me for a few days -- and I`m not saying anybody`s building bunkers, et cetera, et cetera, but is it possible that the assets that Al Qaeda would need are already here, that everything is already planted, and the seeds, and they`re just waiting for a go day?

DALY: If you`re talking about here in the states, I mean, if we have the raw materials that people need, probably the answer is yes. I mean, the materials -- I mean, if they`re talking about things they wanted to bring on the planes over in the U.K. are probably readily available to, you know, if people wanted to do it.

The issue here in the states is the ability to be able to gel all those people together, have them communicate, and have them go unobserved. I think, in this day and age, that gets quite difficult. And that`s why, if we`re going to see attacks, and they be attacks such as this where countries who have a relationship, like the U.K., with the United States, and people can travel without visas, can easily do that without going detected or popping up on the radar screen.

BECK: Bill, yes or no question. You saw the news of the day. Does your gut tell you that was it, that was the big one, or do you think that that`s just one in a series of things that`s coming?

DALY: Unfortunately, Glenn, I think it`s one in a series of events. And I`m not saying near-term, but, you know, they are saying a big one, it could be several big ones, and they`re here for the long haul.

BECK: Right. Bill, thank you very much.

All right. Time now to go "Straight to Hill," Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" on Headline News.

Erica, I can`t take it anymore. Is there anything else going on besides terror?

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Believe it or not, there are other things going on. I know this is such a huge story today with that alleged terror plot.

This first story we want to tell you about, though still related to your security, news this week that the Statue of Liberty`s crown is going to remain closed to visitors indefinitely at this point.

BECK: No, no, no, wait. I want something happy.

HILL: Yes, that`s what they said.

BECK: I want something happy.

HILL: Well, you can still go up to her toe.

BECK: You know what`s really sad? I actually was at the base of the Statue of Liberty with my kids one summer. And it was such a long line, I said, "No, you know what? We`ll do this some other time." We`ll never get the chance to do that again, will we?

HILL: Well, no. You can still go to the Statue of Liberty. You can go up to basically her toes. But what you can`t do -- and I know I did this when I was younger. You may have done it, obviously before September 11th. What you can`t do is climb those stairs all the way up to the crown.

BECK: I didn`t do it.

HILL: And the reason they`re saying you can`t, after September 11th, there were obviously concerns over terrorism and security issues. They`re also worried about fire issues.

BECK: OK, so let me tell you something. OK, I`ve got to way to spin this. This is a happy news, OK?

HILL: OK.

BECK: You can`t go into the Statue of Liberty`s head anymore, but you can go under her dress.

HILL: Glenn...

BECK: No, I`m trying to be happy and positive, I am.

HILL: Glenn...

BECK: It didn`t work for you, huh?

HILL: I`m not sure how that`s happy and positive, but you go with that.

BECK: Thanks a lot, Erica.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: Whether they blew up the planes or not, look, it`s a mess. All you`ve got to do is look at the TV, and you can see how messed up everything is.

BECK: I`m not going to agree with you on this. I think this has been a huge victory for us. I think we should spend at least a couple of breaths today saying, "Wow, look at our security," and view that as a good thing before we just say, "Yes, look, they`ve done it again. They`re stronger than we thought." So are we. This is really one in the column for the good guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Listen, about a month ago when this whole Mideast conflict thing really started, I went on the air with -- you know it, and I know, I mean, some insane crazy predictions in hindsight may have proven to be fairly accurate, and I want to take you through a few of the points I made then and then give you one new prediction on how I see things evolving.

First, I said that the whole kidnapping of the Israeli soldier by Hezbollah was orchestrated by Iran as part of misdirection in a campaign to take our attention off their nuclear program. Well, this week we found out that the Hezbollah soldier who helped kidnap the Israeli, huh, was trained in Iran. And today, reportedly, Iran revolutionary soldiers are turning up dead among the Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

Next, I said that Lebanon would also be plunged into a humanitarian crisis forcing public opinion to turn negative on Israel; that wasn`t much of a prediction, I know. That, of course, happened weeks ago and continues to get worse.

Finally, I told you that Iran would come out and say, "Look, we need to have a nuclear program. Somebody needs to stand up to these attackers." That one proved true on July 23rd, when "Time" magazine published a quote from a senior adviser in Iran who said, and I quote, "This has strengthened the hand of those who argue, if this happened to us, the only thing that would save us is a nuclear deterrent," end quote.

So now tonight, let me make a new prediction. I have to admit I`ve got nothing to back this up except this nagging gut feeling of mine, but I believe we need to really seriously watch Venezuela closely.

They say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, and if that is true, Venezuela has got a lot of friends. Piece that together with their hatred of us, their massive oil supplies, their ownership of Citgo, and their alliance with Iran, and they become a key player as things start to develop in what I like to call World War III.

I also have more details on this theory, along with four other cards that I think may be played pretty soon. It`s available as free audio at GlennBeck.com. There`s also a clip available with tons of information about August 22nd and what you really need to pay attention to on that date. Please don`t miss it, and tell your friends go to GlennBeck.com.

ANNOUNCER: This is GLENN BECK.

BECK: No, it`s all coming up sunshine and lollipops today, isn`t it? Here`s another prediction for you: I`m going to hate the next segment because this guy is on.

BRIAN SACK, PUBLIC VIEWER: No, no, I`m the guy who tells you not to walk around with your pants down.

BECK: Is that what it is?

SACK: Yes.

BECK: So called "Public Viewer" Brian Sack. What do you have for us today, Brian?

SACK: Well, I mean, this week, just a couple of things stuck out at me.

BECK: OK.

SACK: One was your blatant plug of Coke One.

BECK: It`s zero. It`s Pepsi One, Coke Zero.

SACK: Whatever. You plugged it for free, and I`m sure they love you for that.

BECK: Sure.

SACK: And then, of course, just the freaking out about World War III.

BECK: I don`t think I`m necessarily freaking out about...

SACK: I don`t know. Maybe. Maybe not. But I thought was, you know, we could combine this free marketing with your alarmism, and maybe this is what we`d get.

BECK: What do you mean?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Let`s begin right here with our World War III update today -- what could be World War III -- we are in the early stages of World War III -- it`s the linchpin of World War III -- the possible apocalypse in 13 days. Do you believe we`re in the end times? All out Armageddon. World War III is dangerously close.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right.

SACK: Brought to you by Paxil. OK, so now, I was in France you know recently, and I know you love France.

BECK: Yes, I`m well-aware of that.

SACK: I picked up a little package for you so maybe you can enjoy it and not have to go.

BECK: Really? OK, here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SACK (voice-over): When you visit France, you`re entering a world of seven-hour workdays and a really relaxed attitude toward adultery. Frankly, the French really know how to enjoy life.

Their picturesque countryside is home to some of the world`s most famous wineries and whatever you call places that make cheese, cheeseries or whatever. In fact, all that food and drink can really make a guy hungry. Just don`t try to buy lunch between noon and 3:00 because the supermarkets close.

When you visit France, you`ll always have a story to tell, like about the time you visited a village called Boueil-Boueilho-Lasque. And just think of all the jokes you can tell when you visit a little town by the name of Condom. I was in and out of there in five minutes, and I didn`t really enjoy it.

Speaking of words that mean different things in different languages, this hotel proudly offers douches.

As part of the European Union, France is very oriented towards the environment. No doubt Al Gore would go nuts over this great invention: the eco-toilet. The eco-toilet is like a regular toilet, but it uses less water so you have to flush five times. Oh, and it`s tiny, so it`s like sitting on a mug.

No visit to southwest France would be complete without a trip to the holy city of Lourdes. Some lady had visions of Mary back in the 1800s, and now it`s arguably the best place in Europe to find religious kitsch and references to Saint P., whoever that is.

Paris may have its racial tensions exploding every now and then, but I assure you the French countryside is safe as can be. Usually.

(on camera): Glenn, a bird pooped on me, a French bird, in the making of this video.

(voice-over): No visit to France would be complete without taking in some of their famous museums. Might I suggest the Museum of Goose Liver? The Museum of Honey? The other Museum of Goose Liver? Or the City of Bees? Best avoid it if you`re allergic to bees.

The Museum of the Beret was on my must-see list. Unfortunately, I stopped by during their three-hour lunch break.

The best way to see the French countryside is by car, but there`s a catch. That would be the gasoline. My first $101 tank. Oh, memories.

If you do ever decide to visit a small village in France, one word of advice: Don`t stay across from a church that plays a medley of bells at 7:00 a.m. every day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SACK: I`m just saying, if you`re going to hate a place, at least get to know it first.

BECK: You know what? That is so true. It`s like, why be a racist, man? There`s real actual reasons to hate people. Thanks a lot, Brian.

SACK: PublicViewer@GlennBeck.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Let`s check in with Nancy Grace. Nancy, what is coming up tonight?

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Glenn, today, mansions, murder, and mystery. A multimillion-dollar murder mystery police can`t seem to crack. Real estate mogul Andrew Kissel found murdered in his Connecticut mansion just before he`s set to plead guilty to swindling millions. Add in a pending divorce, a luxury lifestyle, plus drug allegations, no wonder the cops are stumped.

BECK: This is a great story. Don`t miss it tonight with NANCY GRACE, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern following this program.

Well, today`s "Ask Glenn" is from Drew in Columbus. He writes, "Glenn, I love my Buckeyes. Please tell me Maurice Clarett isn`t going to be released to terrorize the public anymore. What is the deal with this guy?"

Well, rest assured it`s pretty doubtful of he roaming the streets any time soon since his bail was set at $5 million earlier today. In case you don`t know, Maurice Clarett was a college football star at Ohio State a few years ago. And after an extended meltdown, was robbing -- he was accused of robbing two people at gunpoint in January.

But yesterday, he had a night that, I mean, honestly I would have been embarrassed about back in my drinking days. While he was stopped at a red light, police approached his SUV. He took off, starting a car and helicopter chase that only ended when police spikes his tires.

Then, cops tried to taser him, but it didn`t work because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He reportedly spat at police, was pepper- sprayed twice, hit with a flashlight, and restrained at the ankles. It seems like he`s both strong and evasive, two traits that make up a good running back.

In his car, police found a bottle of vodka that was two-thirds empty, four loaded guns, including an AK-47, and a hatchet. I mean, I don`t know why you need a hatchet when you`ve got an AK-47. I`m just saying.

I`m also sure this wasn`t connected at all, but he had all of these weapons, the bulletproof vests, et cetera, et cetera, while just a couple of blocks away were one of the witnesses that was about to testify against him in the robbery case.

No word yet on how this is going to affect his future with the team he has been talking about returning to -- and I kid you not -- the Hitmen. Sometimes truth, my friends, stranger than fiction.

We`ll see you tomorrow on the radio. Please, I don`t want you to miss some of the things that I believe that we really need to, as a nation, start watching for. You can find them online at GlennBeck.com. We`ll see you on the radio tomorrow.

END