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Glenn Beck

How Long Until Iran Gets Nukes?; Study: Prisons Hotbed of Anti-U.S. Recruiting

Aired September 19, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

GLENN BECK, HOST: Coming up, President Bush addresses the U.N. But he did say the right thing?
Also, one of the Baldwin brothers is here to tell us how and where he found God. That`s coming up next.

ANNOUNCER: Today`s episode of the show GLENN BECK is brought you to by France. Come to France, where we have lots of wine but zero spine. Viva la France. Sacre bleu.

BECK: Today was a big day at the United Nations. First, President Bush gave a speech this morning about the Middle East, and then later, the main event, Iran`s President Tom takes to the stage to try to prove to the world that he`s not completely nuts. Unfortunately for us, he`s a pretty good actor.

We will have much more on President Tom`s speech tomorrow, and stuff you`re not going to hear or see anywhere else. Like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: All the people are shouting a single cry. With placards in their hands and clenched fists, they shout: death to Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Can you even imagine if President Bush gave that speech in Wisconsin and had people shouting death to Iran? Do you think the U.N. would invite him to speak and then give him a rousing welcome? Like they had President Tom.

And that`s tonight`s point. The United Nations is like "Nanny 911" gone bad. Here`s how I got there.

Imagine if you`re a parent with a problem child. Your child is so out of control that you`re, like, "I got to call `Nanny 911` to intervene."

Your nanny gets there and says to your kid, "I`m going to spank you if you continue to misbehave." Your kid continues to ignore her and still acts up, so what does the nanny do? Live up to her spanking threat? No, no, no.

This is "Nanny 911", U.N. style. Not only does she refuse to spank the child, she sides with the child and then asks him to speak at the nanny convention. And then tells you, you know, you should really listen to your child. What kind of miserable brat do you think you`d be raising?

Well, this is exactly what the United Nations is doing. The world went to the U.N., said, "Help us with Iran." Not only has the U.N. failed to spank Iran, it has emboldened Iran by giving it a place at the nanny convention this week.

When President Bush gave his speech, I was hoping that he`d have the courage to call out the U.N. on their ineffectiveness and warn Iran to halt its nuclear program immediately. Did he? Not so much. Here`s what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have no objection to Iran`s pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program. We`re working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis. And as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom, and America and Iran can be close friends and partners in the cause of peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I mean, I don`t know what the president should have done honestly. I mean, when in Rome. Maybe President Bush was influenced earlier in the day by his meeting with President Jacques Chirac of France.

Apparently -- don`t know if you caught this one today -- France decided to back off the August 31st deadline. Now they say, wait a minute, hang on, we should solve this without sanctions. Maybe we should sit over, you know, maybe a nice cup of blue cheese and talk it over. Great idea.

If I`m President Tom, I`d be saying to the French, "No problem. Let`s talk. How do you say maybe in a year from now?"

Has the world learned anything? I`m convinced the French government is either the biggest group of idiots or they`re constantly drunk off of whatever they`re drinking, their Frenchy French wine. How many times does your country need to be overrun by evil before you finally get it, France? At least President Bush did make one thing clear in his speech: who we are at war with.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We respect Islam. But we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know, I`m glad see he said it, but at the U.N. I`m sure his speech is going to fall on deaf ears.

So here`s what I know tonight. The United Nations is not only useless; it is counterproductive. They are in bed and emboldening our enemies. Yes, reasonable countries need to talk and come up with reasonable solutions.

But reasonable countries also need to know that when it doesn`t work, you take action. No child will ever listen to a parent who fails to live up to their tough talk and always gives them a second chance.

Here`s what -- what I don`t know. How long do we have? Do you know in 1938 it took Hitler roughly six months to march across Europe after Chamberlain`s big "peace in our time" moment.

How much longer do we have with President Tom? Six months, 12 months?

Joel Rosenberg, author of "Epicenter: Why the Current Rumbling in the Middle East Will Change Your Future", has written in his book that President Tom has said that there is a three-year timetable.

What -- what do you mean by that?

JOEL ROSENBERG, AUTHOR, "EPICENTER": Well, Glenn, President Ahmadinejad in Iran after he came home from his speech last year at the United Nations, saying that he was surrounded by a halo of light. And everyone wasn`t blinking while he spoke, so mesmerized were they by his words.

He was telling people that he believed that the world had only two or three years until the end of the world, until the coming of the Islamic messiah and that it was his job to hasten the coming of the Islamic messiah by launching a global jihad to destroy Israel, the little Satan and the United States, the great Satan in his view. That was a year ago.

We are therefore, by his clock, his timetable, only a year or two away now, I guess, from the end of the world.

BECK: I have to tell you, this guy is -- I mean, when you think about him, he was, what, a year, two years ago, he was the mayor of Tehran.

ROSENBERG: Right, right. He was parking tickets and taking out the trash, making sure the trains run on time.

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: Now he believes that the wind is at his back and that Allah has chosen him for this moment to annihilate Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it.

BECK: Well, he is -- I mean, he is very good. I mean, look at the way -- and maybe it`s just me, Joel, but this guy has surrounded Israel, and brilliantly so, and I believe with -- with Cuba and Venezuela he`s doing the same to us.

ROSENBERG: Well, it`s amazing, Ahmadinejad, who no one in the world basically had heard of a year ago, now has alliances with three nuclear powers. Russia, China and North Korea. I detail this in the book "Epicenter".

I`ve got to tell you, Glenn, the most dangerous relationship on the planet right now is Russia and Iran. Putin has joined the axis of evil.

BECK: Yes.

ROSENBERG: He sold a billion -- a billion dollars worth of arms to Iran.

BECK: Right. And this happened -- they signed this deal right after Ahmadinejad said, "Imagine" -- to his people -- "imagine a world without the U.S. It is coming." Right?

ROSENBERG: That`s right. That`s right. The same speech in which Ahmadinejad gave last October in which he said, "We`re going wipe Israel off the map," he told the Muslim world to envision a world without the United States and said, "It will happen when our holy hatred wells up like a wave and strikes at the west."

And a month after that, Putin signs a $1 billion deal to arm Iran with missiles and high tech weaponry. That is not a partner for peace; that is not a friend. Russia has just joined the axis of evil and President Bush, I`m going to -- I have to say, has got to deal with this new reality, that Russia is building an alliance with Iran to go nuclear.

BECK: Joel, I -- when I was about 30 -- I`m of German descent, and my family was over here in the 1800s. But it still bothered me that I might have family members that were over in Germany during World War II. And I`ve always wondered, "Did they know?"

When I was 30 I went and bought "Mein Kampf". When I read that, I knew. They knew. They might have been in denial, but they knew they were clear. Don`t you feel that we`re in that same thing. Everything that is coming, he is speaking it as plainly as Hitler did. We know, don`t we?

ROSENBERG: Yes. He is the new Hitler. And he`s going to be a nuclear Hitler soon. I`m an evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish heritage. My family actually escaped out of Russia in 1907 when the czar was wiping out the Jews.

I believe and I write about in "Epicenter" that there are people who misunderstand the nature and threat of evil. But when they do that, they risk being blindsided by that evil. We were blindsided by Auschwitz, by Pearl Harbor, by 9/11.

God forbid that we are blindsided by an evil that is right in front of us, but Mike Wallace and so many western analysts and, frankly in the western media, just don`t see this guy as the threat, a nuclear threat to our civilization. It`s hard to imagine evil at that scale.

BECK: Yes. I don`t think people really understand the -- the religiosity of this man. And that`s what commits him and should have him committed.

Joel, thank you very much. The book is "Epicenter".

You know, just when I thought I couldn`t dislike France any more, I open up the paper today and I see where they`re saying, "Yes, maybe we should back off that whole threat from the U.N."

I mean, I don`t know about you, but I`m to a point where I can`t even keep up with all of the reasons I hate the French.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: And now reasons to hate the French.

And reasons to like the French.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Coming up, say what you want about me and doomsday, but when someone smart says the U.S. prison system is a breeding ground for terrorists, call me crazy, but I think we should pay attention.

Then the leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan has just told a reporter that Muslims need to get out of New York and Washington, D.C., right away. George Noory talked to that reporter, and he`ll give me the details.

Then later on, an actor, born again Christian, Steven Baldwin. Don`t miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: The reporter got a call from this terrorist who is making these threats or warning Muslims to get out on his cell phone. But does that cell phone have caller I.D.? Could we get caller I.D.? Can we maybe -- can we look into that?

I`m not a military commander, but I am a thinker. And I think if we can get, you know this guy can get an audience with Osama bin Laden, we should have some F-16s high in the sky above where this reporter is at all times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Want to tell you the story of the amazing things al Qaeda told this reporter to give the message directly to American Muslims. You won`t believe it.

Now we`ve spent a lot of time, maybe too much time, on terror on this program, but one angle we haven`t really explored is the making of a terrorist. How do you go from being an innocent 5- or 6-year-old kid to this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: We ask that the countries stand by our side. We want them to help us. We only want them to give us weapons. We on our own, young boys and girls, will kill them (the Jews) on our own. Murder them, shoot all of them. Just give us weapons. The boys and the girls themselves will kill them all (the Jews). We won`t leave a single Jew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: It is -- it`s frightening stuff. You just don`t develop that sort of mentality on your own. That kind of hatred has to be taught.

And, although the U.S. has, so far, been lucky enough to avoid an epidemic of these homegrown terrorists, all the parts are there for it to happen. Think about it. All you really need to breed that kind of hate is just a couple of things.

First, you need somebody who`s already been brainwashed to act as a teacher.

Two, someone who has a predisposition to hate the U.S. to be the student.

And three, a lot of time together.

Well, it turns out that those three elements do exist right here in the U.S. It`s in our prison system. In a story that you probably didn`t see today, because everybody is so busy watching them play patty-cake at the frickin` U.N. today, there`s a new study from the Senate Homeland Security Committee that said our prison population of over two million people is at risk of being converted into home -- homegrown terrorists.

After all, it is basic math that some portion of the estimated 120 imprisoned Muslims in the U.S. are already extremists, so it`s only a matter of time before they`re able to convert some of the others who aren`t. And if there`s one thing they have in prison, it is time.

Frank Cillufo, he is one of the authors of this study, director of Homeland Security Policy Institute.

Frank, you`ve just come from testifying to the U.S. Senate about what`s happening with radical Islam in our -- in our prison systems. How bad is this situation?

FRANK CILLUFO, DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY POLICY INSTITUTE: You know, Glenn, I don`t think we have an epidemic on our hands yet, and we do have an opportunity to inoculate ourselves. But I do think we`re seeing a number of discerning trends that coming together could cause -- cause some real national security concerns for the United States.

BECK: OK, what have you seen? I have read that you have seen some really disturbing things, you know, different interpretations of the Koran, et cetera, et cetera. What have you seen?

CILLUFO: Well, heretofore, we have had briefings from a number of people at the state, and local and also federal prison level. And I actually testified with a former member of Al Harmain (ph), who was partially responsible for disseminating the Noble Koran.

The Noble Koran is an extremist form and -- of the Koran itself. And there`s actually an appendix that is a call for jihad, which clearly does warrant some concern. And one thing most people don`t know at the federal level, there are only 10, 10 Muslim chaplains, imams, responsible for overseeing Muslim services.

BECK: There`s a guy in -- you probably know his name. There`s a guy in New York that I keep reading about that is in our prison system here in New York where they -- I mean, your gut tells you this is a bad dude. And they keep calling him out and saying, "Hey, wait a minute, what are you teaching people?"

And he keeps, you know, we`re being politically correct. Can you go with your gut on some things?

CILLUFO: You know, we are improving the vetting process at the federal level. But that is exacerbated at the state and local level. One thing most people don`t know is 93 percent of our 2.2 million prisoners are actually incarcerated at the state level or local jails. So you`re absolutely right. We need to start vetting the imams.

But we also need to start bringing in the imams, who are going to be part of the solution set. And because what we can`t afford is to have individuals skew. And especially when you`re dealing with converts who have no background in the Koran, that they`re much more susceptible to extremist versions.

BECK: Right.

CILLUFO: We call it jailhouse Islam, where radical prison views and violence come together with extremist forms of religion.

BECK: OK. Let`s -- let`s just pretend that I`m an alarmist. I know. It is a big stretch. Let`s pretend I`m an alarmist. Show me the proof here that you`re starting to see little baby steps towards that. Have you seen anybody get out of jail and with an extremist mindset?

BECK: Well, that`s a very good point. And I should note that it`s not only radical Muslims that we`re talking about here, but we have seen white supremacist groups where individuals have left and were attempting major incidents.

But there`s a big case that took place in California where you had an individual by the name of Kevin Lamar James who was incarcerated, recruited an individual inside the prison system.

He went out on parole, recruited two individuals without criminal backgrounds at a local mosque. And they were in the midst of robbing a number of gas stations, as well as convenience stores.

It was only by accident, because one of the perpetrators left their cell phone, that we were able to unravel a much bigger plot here. These weren`t gas station robberies. Rather it was used to raise funds to be able to attack Jewish cultural sites, as well as government installations.

And I should add that we`re seeing a convergence. The enemy of thy enemy is our friend issue right now.

BECK: Frightening as that is, of course, really the slogan in the Middle East, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Frank, thanks a lot.

Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Every day you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including 960 WELI in New Haven, Connecticut. And if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, please, sign up and listen online at my website GlennBeck.com.

Now, George Noory is the host of "Coast to Coast AM", which, George, I would be honest with you is known for some freaky things. But you also break some stories.

You are the guy who broke the Dubai port story. And just a side note, also the author of the new book "Worker in the Light: Unlock Your Five Senses and Liberate Your Limitless Potential".

George, I spent an hour talking about a conversation that you had today on my program with a guy who is in Pakistan and a reporter, who I`m not sure isn`t in league with al Qaeda. Tell everybody about this story.

GEORGE NOORY, HOST, "COAST TO COAST AM": He`s a Pakistani journalist, Glenn. And I`ve the same thoughts many months ago when we were beginning to use Hamid Mir as our source on "Coast to Coast AM".

I thought, you know, is this guy a mouthpiece for al Qaeda? Is he leaking information? Is he telling us what they want us to know?

BECK: Right.

NOORY: And after a while, I had to make a decision that he was not a mouthpiece for them. He`s a good journalist. A couple of my other sources have backed him up. He knows what he`s talking about.

BECK: OK. Buckle up if you haven`t heard this. He just recently spoke to one of the leaders of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. George, give us the scoop on what al Qaeda is warning Muslims here in America about.

NOORY: The leader in Afghanistan, his name is Abu Darwud. He talked to Hamid Mir. He tells us that they are warning Muslims in America to get out of the United States, but specifically get out of Washington, D.C., get out of New York and do so as soon as possible.

One of the big concerns, Glenn, is that they believe that there`s an individual by the name of Agnan al-Shukajuma (ph) who may have some kind of nuclear information or technology that he might have leaked here from Mexico.

BECK: So you`re saying, or actually your source, through al Qaeda, is saying that there is some sort of weapon of mass destruction that has come through the border and is here.

NOORY: He has been saying that for several months now. The individual has been in this country, apparently, for two years. He has known the former terrorists who were part of 9/11. He has been trained in commercial airline flight training, and he is a technician who understands nuclear technology.

BECK: And they just began warning Muslims to get out as soon as possible since when?

NOORY: As of a couple of weeks ago. This seems to be getting more and more prevalent. One of the key barometers here, something to watch, is Hamid Mir is telling him that his sources say that there will be another audiotape from Osama bin Laden within several weeks. So we`re going to have to sit back and find out if that occurs.

BECK: OK. We hope to get this story straight from the horse`s mouth on our radio program tomorrow. You can find all of this information on our web site at GlennBeck.com or an affiliate near you.

George, thank you very much.

New book, "Worker in the Light" in bookstores now, and we will talk to George about that, hopefully, next week.

Good to talk to you, George.

NOORY: Thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media bull crap to find exactly why a story is actually important to you.

I don`t know about you, but I had so much trouble sleeping last night. I just couldn`t wait to get up. No, it wasn`t the thought that President Bush and President Tom were giving dueling U.N. speeches. No. It was the realization that Oprah would finally broadcast the interview with former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and that his new book would be released, all on the same day! I mean, what are the odds?

The cover of this week`s issue of "New York" magazine has a picture of McGreevey on it, along with the headline, "Confessions of the Gay Governor." To me, that just means nobody in the media actually remembers or cares about the real story with this guy.

So let me take you through it. Let me just pop you into what I like to call the time tunnel, tunnel, tunnel,, all the way back to 2004 when McGreevey announced that he was a gay American. What he didn`t really announce at the time was -- and nobody apparently remembers this -- that he is a disgusting, despicable human being and a crooked politician.

None of this really has anything to do with him being gay. Let me explain. Take out his sexual preference and even the fact that he was a governor, just for a second. When someone who has a wife in the hospital, nursing his 3-day-old newborn, has adulterous sex with his employee, they`re a scumbag.

Now, add in the fact that the sex was risky and endangered his family since it happened in places like highway rest stops, and you`ll see how I got the phrase "disgusting and despicable." Then, sprinkle in the fact that he`s a governor who led the most investigated administration in the history of New Jersey and seduced an employee that he appointed to a position the guy wasn`t qualified for, and it was the position of homeland security, and you see how I got to "crooked."

I read some excerpts from his book, and basically it sounds like a soft gay porn novel, not that I have experience with those. So cover your ears while I play you a clip of him on Oprah today, reading his own garbage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM MCGREEVEY, FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: ... the wrong thing to do. I wasn`t an ordinary citizen anymore. State troopers parked outside. My wife was recovering from a difficult pregnancy and a c-section in the hospital. And he was my employee.

But I took Golan by the hand. I led him upstairs to my bed. We undressed, and he kissed me. I pulled him to the bed, and we made love like I always dreamed: a boastful, passionate, whispering, masculine kind of love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, dear God in heaven. Beautiful, Jim. No, I`m touched, I really am. I just hope there aren`t any profits from the tripe that you just spilled out of your mouth. And if there are any profits, it better all be going to pay off your wife and child, because I`ve got to tell you, Jim, I think they should sue you for reckless endangerment and fraud that you`re clearly guilty of.

Next, this week`s cover of "Time" magazine has a full-page picture of President Tom -- and he is a handsome man, I bet Governor McGreevey is thinking -- along with the question, "What would war with Iran look like?" The article then goes to talk about a prepare-and-deploy alert order that was issued for some naval ships to be ready by October 1st, presumably for a trip to the Persian Gulf.

If you have watched this show for any longer than a minute, then you know I`ve been saying for a long time something big is about it happen and that, God help us all, probably includes war with Iran, which would lead to a global war with a scope and scale that would rival, and I think surpass, World War II.

The real story today is, unfortunately, apparently I`m not alone in this assessment. I`m going to explain in a second. But first, I want to make the case to you that the U.S. military is almost always on the leading edge. They are planning technologies and developing technologies and weapons that are 10, sometimes 20 years ahead of our time. So when I read a story about 30 days ago that the military has started testing a technology that was used by Adolf Hitler over 65 years ago, I ask myself, "Why?"

That leads me back to why I say I`m not alone. Today, in a story you probably haven`t seen, a B-52 bomber lifted off from Edwards Air Force Base with two of its eight engines powered by a blend of conventional jet fuel and a new synthetic fuel made by a company called Syntroleum. This is the next step in the Air Force`s stated goal to be free of all foreign oil within 10 years.

But why? Why would the Air Force make that such a priority? If you ask them, they`ll tell you, "Well, it`s clearly about money. I mean, a B- 52 burns $100,000 worth of fuel per mission." In reality, come on. Money really has never been a big concern at the Pentagon. Ask the guy who bought the $600 toilet and the $400 hammer.

It`s really about making sure that our tanks, our planes, our ships will have the fuel they need to win a war should somebody like, I mean, somebody maybe like the president of Venezuela would cause a major oil disruption. Hitler built synthetic fuel plants in World War II because he knew that a continuous supply of oil was the key to winning. It`s about time that we started to realize that, too, and hopefully our military already has.

Kenneth Agee, he is the founder and chief research officer of Syntroleum.

Ken, how aggressive is the Pentagon on this?

KEN AGEE, FOUNDER, SYNTROLEUM: Well, good to be with you, Glenn. The Pentagon is very aggressive. The program you talked about is called the Assured Fuels Initiative, and they`re looking at all kinds of alternative fuels, and they`re looking for ways to cut our dependence on foreign sources.

BECK: Do you buy into -- I mean, I know you`re in business with them, so I mean -- and I don`t want you to reveal any -- this isn`t the front page of "The New York Times." Don`t reveal anything you shouldn`t.

AGEE: OK.

BECK: But do you believe that it`s all about money? Or do you feel a real sense of urgency to make sure that our warships can function without foreign oil?

AGEE: Well, I think there`s a sense of urgency to have a security of supply. We have enough coal reserves in this country, if you just convert 5 percent of it, you could equal the current oil reserves that we control. So we have enough coal reserves, frankly, to be totally energy independent, and we have to start somewhere. And with the price of energy high as it is now, it`s time to start.

BECK: Now, you know, I always talking to a friend of mine, David Neeleman, who runs Jet Blue, and we were talking about synthetic oil. We were talking about different kinds of engines that could run planes. And he said, "You just don`t throw this stuff up into a plane, especially a commercial jetliner. You`ve got to test it for a while."

We tested it with a B-52 in two of the eight engines, and I understand, very soon, we`re going to send it up with all of the engines on this stuff.

AGEE: Well, that`s an objective that the military has, is to actually test all eight engines. The test today was just two. The fact that they actually did that test speaks volumes for what they think of the fuel. Obviously, they did land-based tests and tests in the lab before this test flight today.

BECK: How long can -- how long before our military could run on this fuel?

AGEE: Well, commercial production facilities, Glenn, I think are on the order of 5 to 8 years out.

BECK: Holy cow. And who owns the plants that we have now? We only have one, right? It`s a testing plant, a testing facility. Who paid for that?

AGEE: Well, that facility is owned by Syntroleum. It was built under what`s called a clean fuels program that was part of the defense -- excuse me, Department of Energy. So the Department of Energy, Syntroleum and Marathon actually contributed to the construction and operation of that plant.

BECK: OK. And, Ken, was the Defense Department in this from the beginning or did they step in later?

AGEE: Well, we`ve been involved with the Defense Department on a number of initiatives over about 4 years. They were not involved in the construction of this plant, but they came in later and asked if we could produce jet fuel. The plant was originally designed to produce diesel fuel.

BECK: OK. Ken, thank you very much.

AGEE: Thank you, Glenn.

BECK: That is "The Real Story" tonight. If you would like to read more about Syntroleum and today`s B-52 test flight, or if you`ve found a real story of your own you`d like to tell us about, please visit glennbeck.com and click on "The Real Story" button.

All right, let`s go "Straight to Hill" with Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" on Headline News.

Hello, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey there, Glenn.

BECK: What happened in Thailand today?

HILL: Oh, my gosh. A lot of people kind of surprised by it. It was a coup which was staged against the country`s prime minister. It was led by the Thai army chief and Thailand`s opposition party for democratic reform. Of course, all of this is happening while the prime minister is out of the country.

The country`s top military leader declares martial law, is demanding the prime minister step down. His opponents accuse him of corruption. And earlier this afternoon, news outlets throughout the country were shut down, including CNN and the BBC. So it`s not clear whether the Thai people are actually seeing reports of what`s going on in their capital.

And as I mentioned, all this is happening while the prime minister is out of the country. He is actually in the United States in New York at the United Nations.

BECK: OK. Hang on just a second.

HILL: Yes?

BECK: I know you`re a journalist so you can`t pick sides here, but just help me figure it out a little bit. Would we say the people who -- the prime minister is a good prime minister or a bad prime minister? Are the good people in charge now or the bad people?

HILL: I don`t live in Thailand. I don`t think I can really respond to that.

BECK: OK. Erica, we`ll try to figure it out together. Thank you very much.

HILL: OK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN BALDWIN, ACTOR: I don`t care. I don`t waste time wasting time. I don`t blow smoke. I freaking love your show because, you know, you don`t give a rat`s behind. You`re kind of nuts. And I`m excited -- I`m kind of excited to come do the show later.

BECK: Yes. Kind of excited?

BALDWIN: What`s that?

BECK: I mean, just kind of excited? You`re a little afraid, aren`t you? You know...

BALDWIN: Of course. You`re nuts, Glenn Beck! You`re nuts!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Well, he`s here. Our next guest starred in the Oscar-winning movie "The Usual Suspects," also played one of the greatest roles an actor can ever sink his teeth into, yes, Barney Rubble. Recently, he turned his back on a life of recklessness and found religion. And he writes about his journey in the new book, "The Unusual Suspect."

Stephen Baldwin, welcome to the program, sir.

BALDWIN: Thank you very much.

BECK: How are you?

BALDWIN: It`s an honor and an privilege, sir.

BECK: Well, thank you. Now, you`ve had a wild journey. It started really with your maid, as you told me on the radio program today.

BALDWIN: Correct.

BECK: Tell me about it.

BALDWIN: Thirteen years ago, I`m doing a TV show in Arizona, new wife, new baby, wife`s from Brazil. Married her because I only look stupid. Right. She reaches back through the family roots and hires this housekeeper from Brazil to come work for us.

She comes to the house. She`s cleaning for the first week, singing in Portuguese, only speaks Portuguese with my wife. And while she`s singing, it`s always about Jesus. My wife notices this. She finally goes to her and says, "You know, I noticed your singing. Why is every tune about Jesus?" The lady has an interesting reaction: She bursts out hysterically laughing in my wife`s face.

My wife says, "I`m your boss. What`s so funny?" And this lady quickly composes herself. She says, "Mrs. Baldwin, forgive me. I`m really happy you noticed my singing. I`m glad you asked me this question. And, again, no disrespect, I just think it`s kind of funny that you think I`m here to clean your house."

Little bit of a "Twilight Zone" moment. My wife says, "What are you talking about?" She says, "Before I took the job, I went to my church in Brazil, talked to my pastor. This is a big life decision for me. I`m 55 years old. Am I going move to America?" Going there for first time ever in her life.

"I talked to pastor, prayed with some folks. And on that day in the church, somebody in the prayer group felt they had received like a message through the spirit, and the message was, if I come work for you, in the future, you and your husband are going to come to faith and Christianity, and at some point after that have your own ministry."

BECK: OK. So now you write a book about Jesus, and you are -- I mean, you were on the radio program. My producer came in and said, "You know, let`s temper the Jesus talk for a minute." And I said, "Oh, we had a good conversation about Jesus."

You are unabashedly talking about Jesus and how he`s changed your life and everything else, which is great. My question is: Are the Baldwins just trying to piss everybody off?

(LAUGHTER)

I mean, you`ve got the right pissed off with your brother. Now you`re here to piss off the left. Do you have like anybody who`s just, like, neutral in the family?

BALDWIN: The Lord works in mysterious ways, Glenn.

BECK: He does.

BALDWIN: No, listen. Here`s the truth. The truth is, six years ago, my wife came to faith. After witnessing that really beautiful experience firsthand -- this is a gal I`d already been with 10 years. You know, it wasn`t some new thing. A year after that, I said, "I`m going to give this a try," seriously doubting it was going to make any difference, really threw down a gauntlet with the big man upstairs.

BECK: Right.

BALDWIN: I said, "God, I`m Stephen Baldwin. I`m going to do this thing. I`m going to read the Bible every day. I`m going to pray every day. I`m going to become a born-again Christian. You better reveal yourself to me."

I did that, and I got to tell you something: More than anything else I`ve ever experienced in my life, it`s real. It`s the truth. It`s powerful. But I`m having the experience because I didn`t do it Stephen`s way; I did it God`s way.

BECK: Right.

BALDWIN: And that`s why I think a lot of people don`t have the experience I`m having, and that`s why I wrote the book. It`s fun. I`m having a blast. When God called Stephen Baldwin, he didn`t want me to stop being Stephen Baldwin.

BECK: Right.

BALDWIN: He created me this way. He just wanted me to stop being a sinner to the best of my ability.

BECK: It is amazing, when you actually put him to the test, and say, "OK, all right, I`ll relinquish. I`ll let go of the reins, and I want you to -- you know, I`ll do what you tell me to do. I just want to see you. I want you to answer these questions or whatever." It`s amazing how he works.

BALDWIN: Yes. And here`s the thing: Fundamentally, a lot of people, because of whatever -- their own pride, whatever -- aren`t engaging that because they`re kind of held back.

BECK: So do you -- is there any fear at all that you -- I mean, here you are, a celebrity. You`re talking about religion. You`re talking about it frankly. Do you fear any backlash at all? I mean, people hate it when celebrities talk about religion.

BALDWIN: OK.

BECK: No, they do.

BALDWIN: No, no, no.

BECK: I mean, come on. Here, let`s do this. You stand up, jump up and down on my chair, and say you love Jesus. No, go ahead. Because it`s like Tom Cruise. Would you jump on my...

BALDWIN: Don`t tempt me, Glenn Beck!

BECK: Come on. Come on. Go ahead.

BALDWIN: You`ll do it with me?

BECK: Yes. Go ahead. Ready?

BALDWIN: Come on. Let`s go. We love Jesus.

BECK: We love Jesus. We love -- OK, see, now people will hate you for that, and that will be on television forever, you jumping on the chair.

BALDWIN: Can I just -- can I come here every night and just do your craft service? I want to do your craft service.

BECK: I`m just saying.

BALDWIN: No, I was just -- here is the thing. First of all, before my conversion, I was kind of doing my own thing in Hollywood anyway. I went from the "Usual Suspects" movie to doing "Biodome" with Pauly Shore.

BECK: Which had to be a highlight.

BALDWIN: My brother, Alec, one of his greatest quotes, he said, "Stephen," he goes, "I believe that could be one of the most powerfully career-ending decisions of your life."

BECK: The only thing I think I`ve ever agreed with your brother on.

BALDWIN: Come on, guys. But here`s the point. The point is, been there, done that. And now the feeling I have, in and out, through and through, about this spiritual journey that I`m on, I`m so sold out.

BECK: Yes.

BALDWIN: I`m so absolutely convicted that the experience I`m having is real and the truth. It`s not about what I want; it`s not about Stephen waking up going, "Well, God, maybe not today. I`m going fishing." No. It`s about -- I`m out there now. I`m getting ready to launch my own ministry for next year. It`s an extreme sports ministry, skate, BMX, freestyle, motocross. We`re doing an arena tour. It`s called the Breakthrough Ministry.

BECK: I mean, how do they get to my church, man? This is the church -- this is the one -- you`re going to do extreme sports? There`s the church. I got to run. Stephen, best of luck, sir.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

BECK: Thank you very much. Good talking to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Let`s get to the e-mail today, with Vance in Miami. He says, "Glenn, I saw how Tiger Woods` wife is being abused in the European papers, showing what are supposed to be topless photos of her. How can they show that stuff without including the Web address?"

Good point. And as you probably know, those aren`t real pictures of Tiger Woods` wife. Damn! Here`s a real shot of the two of them, but apparently Tiger is reportedly pretty upset about the fake ones. Next to the photos, the Irish paper claimed, quote, "Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public." Really? I would think that would make golf even more popular.

Now, if you`re going to trash an athlete -- I mean, you know, hey, I`m not a journalist; I am a thinker, however -- I guess golfers would make a good target. You know, you`re not going after a linebacker, but would you pick Tiger, really? I mean, he could follow up with a big, fat lawsuit. Remember, he does have a family to feed, and I don`t think he can afford to buy the entire continent of South America yet, at least not with cash.

So you might ask yourself, why are we doing a story on the Ryder Cup? Well, while it might be just an international golf tournament, I actually believe that it will get more accomplished in the world than anything going on at U.N. right now.

Jacquelyn writes in, "How dare you interview a sports legend like Pete Rose and not know a thing about baseball or Pete Rose`s legendary history. Have you counted how many times you said the phrase, `I don`t know`?"

Well, I don`t know. No, I don`t think so. I did talk about my lack of sports knowledge, and Pete seemed pretty aware of it. So, Jacquelyn, I`ll let you count.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Don`t want to get into a sports talk with me. Not a sports fan.

PETE ROSE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: OK, but you don`t know this...

BECK: Again, I didn`t follow the whole thing. But then, as a casual observer of this...

ROSE: As you know, or you may not know -- you understand what I`m saying? Well, you probably say that not knowing much about sports.

BECK: Thank you.

ROSE: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

BECK: You bet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, jeez. I didn`t even notice that -- I end an interview with Pete Rose with "You bet"? Sometimes I`m not the brightest person on television. This interview has been played over and over all over the place since it aired yesterday. It was even on the front page of Yahoo. I`m on Yahoo today, and I`m like, "Oh, jeez, of all the stuff I know something about, the interview that gets all the exposure is about sports?"

I apologize, America, for being an embarrassment to sports fans worldwide.

We have more of what we did with Pete Rose on my podcast coming up on Monday. And always you can get it free at iTunes or CNN.com/Glenn.

END