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Glenn Beck

Crisis in Iran Reaches Boiling Point; President Threatens to Veto Emergency War Spending Bill; Movie Chronicles Movement to End Slavery

Aired March 28, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST: Tonight, seems like old times. Hostages on parade.

FAYE TURNEY, CAPTIVE BRITISH SAILOR: They explained to us why we`ve been arrested.

BECK: The crisis in Iran reaches a boiling point.

And President Bush finally comes out swinging.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here`s the bottom line. The House and Senate bills have too much pork, too many conditions on our commanders and an artificial timetable for withdrawal.

BECK: Plus, outrage growing over models acting like corpses. Death becomes her? Not so much.

Oh, and Wayne Newton. All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: All right. Tonight, the Iranian hostage crisis, day six. Here`s the point. Iran is pushing us to the brink of war, and it`s not a place the world needs to be. Here`s how I got there.

On one hand, Iran says the threats over the captured British soldiers will only make matters worse. On the other, Tehran says it`s soon going to release them. What?

Iran has released some videotape of the 15 British sailors it took in for questioning over the weekend. They also released a statement from the lone female officer, Faye Turney.

Now Iran is saying that she might be let go today, which doesn`t make any sense if they`re also saying that the sailors are criminally trespassing, as the Iranians have suggested.

Now so far, the only thing that has been released by Iran is some footage of some people eating and smoking and a letter from Faye Turney to her parents admitting that her crew entered into Iranian waters. The Iranian government also has released this clip from Turney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TURNEY: My name is Leading Seaman Faye Turney. I come from England. I serve on Foxtrap 99, and I`ve been in the navy nine years. I live in England at present.

I was arrested on Friday the 23rd of March and, obviously, we trespassed into their waters.

They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we`ve been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Creepy stuff. I`m sure they were very, very compassionate.

So the question is, what exactly is going on here? This is sounding a lot less like an investigation and a lot more like a bank robbery. Hear me out. Women and children get out first?

It doesn`t matter what Iran says. These aren`t criminals being held fortress passing. This is a hostage situation, plain and simple, if you`re letting the women go.

This is one of their classic plays. Please, America. Do your homework on Iran. It is their version of the "Hail Mary" pass. When Iran is up against the wall, they take hostages. You remember `79? That`s when they took all of our hostages. That`s one of the first things they did.

You don`t even have to go back to `79. They did a few things -- the same thing a few years ago and again last summer through Hezbollah. These people are professional hostage-takers.

This is the one thing that the Iranian regime is good at. Actually, no, they`re also good at killing people, cutting tongues out of people who disagree with them and stoning women to death in the middle of the town square.

I wonder. How many Alec Baldwins and Rosie O`Donnells are going to be looking at this confession and say, "See? She must be telling the truth. She put it in writing."

But for all of those people west of the Hudson and east of Hollywood, listen to me clearly. Please, don`t buy in -- into any of this crap. These soldiers are under duress. They are hostages.

The worst thing Iran can do is harm any of them, I believe, because any of these soldiers, whether they`re British or America, they stand as tall as the World Trade Centers. If you harm or execute them in a hostage situation, we will answer, I hope, in the same way we did in Afghanistan after 9/11.

Iran needs to know that we`re serious. Return the sailors or we will respond. Unfortunately, we don`t really follow through anymore. We talk tough. With North Korea, oh, sure. When they were building nukes, it`s unacceptable. We`re going to really have a hard time convincing these people that we mean business when we haven`t meant business before.

With that being said, hear me. I strongly believe that a war with Iran is an extraordinarily dangerous thing that could set the entire world on fire. I am not hoping for it. I am not calling for it.

Here`s what I know tonight. This is real. This is not some episode of a reality show, America. Just because they`re showing you on TV that everything is fine, it is not. This is 15 soldiers being held hostage in a foreign and very hostile land.

Here`s what I don`t know. Why exactly have we been sitting on our hands for five days? If these people aren`t hostages, like Iran says, then why release just one of them? If they`re law-breakers, why would they suddenly be set free?

In a minute I`m going to talk to one of the men who were -- who was actually a hostage back in 1979 for 440 days. But first, joining me is Michael Scheuer. He is a former CIA operative who served as the head of the CIA`s hunt for Osama bin Laden back in the late 1990s.

Michael, we`re hearing from the State Department that the British are saying just please, be quiet for a while. What does that tell you?

MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: I think they are working with the Iranians, probably through the Turks and other people to try to get their people released.

I think the American -- the only role for the Americans at the moment is to say we stand by the British and then let the British take the lead.

BECK: Right. Now when you say that we`re working through the Turks and everything else, it scares me. I mean, again, I don`t want to go in with guns a-blazing into Iran. I don`t really have an answer here. You probably do, but I know one of the answers should definitely never be negotiate with these people.

SCHEUER: Well, Mr. Beck, you raised that issue earlier. One of the reasons Ahmadinejad is doing this is because he thinks he can push the envelope.

We`re in the midst of losing deliberately two wars, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. And he surely doesn`t believe that we have the gumption to take on the Iranians at the moment, especially because they pose such a good -- strong terrorist threat inside the United States.

BECK: Michael, you are the president of the United States. What do you do?

SCHEUER: I shut up and let the British take the lead on this one. You know, we`re not serious about winning wars any more, so the most we would do in Iran is break up some concrete and maybe destroy some bases.

BECK: We`re in trouble. If that`s really what it is, we`re in deep, deep trouble.

SCHEUER: Absolutely, sir. We have no credibility as a military power, because we never finish anything we start.

BECK: Oh, geez. Tell me -- please tell me this isn`t true. Have you heard that the Russians are saying that they have seen detailed plans of a major military move by us on Iran in -- sometime in the mid-April?

SCHEUER: Well, I`ve heard that story, sir. And you know, you have to give credit to the military. The military has to be prepared to do whatever the president tells them to do. But there is a clique within the United States government, at "The Weekly Standard", at the American Enterprise Institute at the White House, who would love to have a war within Iran, but we really don`t need a third war at the moment.

BECK: Is this -- is this possible, Michael, that this is the Archduke Ferdinand moment? It was one -- it was one assassination, a small isolated event that triggered World War I. Is it possible this is it?

SCHEUER: You know, you never say never, Mr. Beck, but it`s the kind of thing that ought to be -- ought to be able to be handled without warfare. Certainly, we`re not equipped to war -- go to war with the Iranians. Ahmadinejad is looking for a public relations advantage that will help him inside of Iran.

BECK: OK. Michael, thank you.

Joining me now, retired U.S. Navy Captain Don Sharer. He was one of the guys held hostage by the Iranians for 444 days.

Don, how is this playing on you, and what is happening to our soldiers right now or the sailors, the British sailors, that are being held hostage?

DON SHARER, RETIRED U.S. NAVY CAPTAIN: Well, it`s running like a scripted scenario of 28 years ago. They`re walking around with blindfolds on when they`re not in front of a camera. When they`re in front of the camera, it`s a P.R. session.

BECK: The -- the woman who has just made this video and wrote the letter, how did that come about, do you suppose?

SHARER: I think there`s a lot of intimidation there. "You`re going to be tried as a spy, possibly executed," a lot of intimidation. They want you to write a letter. She wrote what they wanted her to write.

BECK: You were held for 444 days. I can`t imagine what you went through or what these sailors are going through. God bless them and their families. Did you -- I have heard claims before, and nobody ever wants to tie this guy into it. Was Ahmadinejad one of your jailers in 1979?

SHARER: I remember him, on three or four occasions. They used to give the ayatollahs and the mullahs kind of a show and tell, and he would be one of the guides.

Another time one of our guards got too friendly with us, and he faced the guard and rattled something off. The fellow I was with spoke Farsi, and he told me what he said was, "These pigs and dogs need to be locked up until they are executed." That tends to be seared in your brain.

And I know the CIA and State Department said, no, that`s not -- that can`t be the guy. We have no proof. Proof is in our brains.

BECK: Don, when you saw him, Ahmadinejad, on television or in a magazine the first time as becoming the president of Iran, what did that feel like? What was that moment like?

SHARER: It was in a newspaper, "Indianapolis Star". There was this article with his picture in there, and I just kind of turned to my wife and said, "I know this guy." And I -- I recalled the incident about the pigs and dogs routine, but a lot of people don`t believe that.

BECK: What -- what do you suppose is going on in their heads right now? Do they know what`s happening? Was there -- is there any idea of what`s happening outside of wherever they`re being held?

SHARER: They`re keeping all the information from them. That`s one of the beautiful things of being the captor. You can have your hostages believe whatever you want them to believe. They`re probably telling them nobody cares for you, and we`re the good guys.

And I know the Brits. I`ve worked with them in the navy, and they`re stalwart people. They`re not going to stand for that crap.

BECK: Don, thank you.

President Bush now speaks out on the veto stamp. He`s going to dust it off. I think it has cobwebs on it. The president tells Congress that he will never approve legislation that would set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. True or not, we`ll find out in a second.

Plus, the TV show "America`s Next Top Model" posing their models as murder victims. I`ll tell you why they`re mixing graphic death with sex and why it`s just wrong for our society. That`s tonight`s "Real Story".

And living legend Wayne Newton will be here. We`ll talk to Mr. Vegas about his upcoming tour and life in Sin City. Trust me. This one you don`t want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: President Bush finally showing some backbone. In a speech this morning to the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association, he made three things crystal clear. He`s pro-steak, anti-pork and Congress is wasting their time and our money with hollow rhetoric and unrealistic timelines in Iraq. Their aggression will not stand, he said.

Here`s a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Here`s the bottom line. The House and Senate bills have too much pork, too many conditions on our commanders and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. And I have made it clear for weeks, if either version comes to my desk, I`m going to veto it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Good. It`s funny. The Democrats are all hell-bent on setting a timeline for withdrawal -- for withdrawal from Iraq. That`s got to be in there, but you know it wasn`t very long ago when that was the last thing they wanted.

In May 2005, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said this: "As far as setting a timeline, as we learned in the Balkans, that`s not a wise decision, because it only empowers those who don`t want us there. It doesn`t work well to do that."

In June 2005, Senator Joe Biden said, "A deadline for pulling out will only encourage our enemies to wait us out."

Then in September of 2005, Hillary Clinton was emphatic: "I don`t believe it`s smart to set a date for withdrawal. I don`t think you should ever telegraph your intentions to the enemy so they can await you."

Senator Tom Coburn, Republican senator from Oklahoma. What was your reaction to the president`s speech today, Senator?

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: Right on. It`s what he should do. It`s what he should have done a long time ago. He better stick with his guns. And the American people are counting on him to make sure we quit wasting their grandkids` money.

BECK: I mean, how is it that anybody is looking at these? I mean, when you`ve got these guys on record saying this only empowers our enemy, how is it that the president can`t make the case and say, "Look, they`re playing politics only, and we don`t do it with something as important as a war"?

COBURN: Well, I think there`s no question about it. Whether you`re for the war or whether you`re unhappy with the war, the way for us to fight the war on terror is to make sure we send clear signals about what our intentions are and not empower our enemies and give them further strength.

BECK: Senator, I -- I am absolutely for fighting this thing with everything we`ve got, fight it and win it as quickly as we can. I know there are a lot of people that say the opposite: let`s get the heck out of there.

I also believe there are only two options. You either fight it to win it or you pull out. The middle ground is immoral. Would you agree?

COBURN: I agree, and if our goal as a nation is to get out, then we ought to get out today. Not one other soldier should be put at risk because we have a policy that`s not coherent.

BECK: Good for you.

COBURN: But that`s the wrong policy. The war on terror doesn`t go away if we leave Iraq. It may go away for a short period of time, but it`s coming back. You have to understand what their intention is, and too many Americans don`t.

BECK: Makes it much, much worse. You`ll have -- you`ll have -- Darfur is going to look like a picnic ground, Central Park in August, if we pull out.

COBURN: Glenn, the actual estimates are at least one million Iraqis will die, and at least five million will be displaced if we pull out.

BECK: Where do you find -- where do you find that information?

COBURN: That`s -- well, I can`t tell you where I find it. It`s an intelligence briefing.

BECK: OK. The deadline is March 31, 2008, what I find it interesting that it happens, surprising, right around election time, which might actually work to their disadvantage.

But more importantly than the deadline and the dates and everything else, this pork spending, would you agree with me, that this is -- these are nothing more than bribes?

COBURN: Well, some of them are, there`s no question. But there`s also a cultural thing with the Congress. And the American people get it, but Congress hasn`t got it yet. They don`t believe we ought to have a party like $100 million for our conventions in 2008, put it on the emergency bill and then charge it to our grandkids.

BECK: Wait a minute. Hang on just a second. What do you mean, the party? The convention is on this bill?

COBURN: There`s $100 million for security for both the Democrat and Republican conventions in August of 2008, fully time for us to fund, if we need to fund that, in an appropriate manner through the regular appropriation bill.

BECK: Senator, should Bush -- let`s say they take the timelines out, which is not going to happen now, right? If it was just the pork, should the president veto just the pork?

COBURN: Absolutely, absolutely. We`ve got to stop. We`re on an unsustainable course, Glenn, in this country. We have $70 trillion in unfunded liabilities. We spent $400 billion more than we had last year, even though we`ve used Enron accounting style to tell everybody what it was.

But absolutely he should, and he should veto anything that doesn`t come within the budget.

BECK: Senator, thank you.

Coming up, the controversy surrounding pictures of models posed as murder victims. This won`t go away. More on the fallout from "America`s Next Top Model" in tonight`s "Real Story".

And apparently what happens in Vegas doesn`t stay in Vegas, baby. The one and only Wayne Newton will be here, and I don`t want you to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: "Amazing Grace", it is a tremendous new film that tells the story of William Wilberforce. Most of America -- I had never heard of him before until I saw this movie. This is the guy who launched the campaign against the slave trade in the 19th Century in England.

Now, guys, hang with me here for a sec. I know you`re saying, "Oh, geez, Glenn, it`s a movie with bonnets in it and people wearing top hats. My wife is going to drag me to this now."

I`m not going to lie to you. There are bonnets in it. But it is fascinating. The parallels to today`s world makes this movie worth your time and money.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a slave ship, the Madagascar. It has just returned from the Indies, where it delivered 200 men, women and children to Jamaica. When it left Africa, there were 600 on board. The rest died of disease or despair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Quite honestly, I`m doing a disservice to this movie by showing this clip, because this movie is tremendous, and it`s not a movie that I would run to see. It`s one my wife would say, "Let`s go see that movie" and I would avoid it like the plague.

Ken Wales is the producer of "Amazing Grace".

Ken, you know, what I really liked about this movie is it told the story of a guy who did something he really didn`t want to do, but he was really -- through prayer and through God said you`ve got to do it, brother, and he almost went insane.

KEN WALES, PRODUCER, "AMAZING GRACE": Absolutely. It`s very true, because he together, William Wilberforce, together with William Pitt, the younger prime minister of England at the early age, Glenn, of 24.

These two guys in their 20s, they were like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They had to do something about something that was terrible. They started that campaign, and it took Wilberforce 20 years to accomplishing the end of the slave trade.

BECK: You know, people say all the time, and I know I do. I look at the movie. I just went to a movie this weekend with my wife. And I`m like, geez, there`s nothing good to see. There`s nothing that reflects my values. If you are a Christian, this movie will -- I mean, it`s a celebration of your values. And it`s unabashedly a celebration of those values.

And when I watched it, when did you know that -- at what point did you get the parallel from today`s times to the back then? Because I`m watching and I`m like, oh, my gosh, this is exactly what`s happening now.

WALES: Well, I started to make the life of John Newton, and the minute I got into that story I found that John Newton, who wrote "Amazing Grace" and is portrayed by Albert Finney so wonderfully in the film, indeed mentored Wilberforce, encouraged him to stay the fight and said, "You don`t have to choose between serving God and being in parliament. You can do both at the same time." That was a new idea.

So Wilberforce, indeed, in his endeavors and in his struggle to see that this bill was passed, has become a man of our times. He was a man of those times. We need him today.

And did you realize, Glenn, too, that his second great obsession was to have a reform of manners, morals, decency and a return to civility? Can you imagine that, a return to civility today?

BECK: I want to personally thank you for making this movie. I cannot recommend it highly enough to everybody who watches this program. It is well worth your time, very good movie.

Ken, thanks very much.

WALES: It is, Glenn, and one thing, too, is how long has it been since you`ve seen a film where people stand and applaud at the end of every screening?

BECK: Back with "The Real Story" in a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media spin to figure out why a story is actually important to you.

I`ve said many times on this program that I am a guy who, I will admit it, I dig hot women. They don`t usually dig me, but I honestly do try really hard not to stare or ogle women, really. It`s tough. Sometimes, a lot of times I fail, but I`m trying.

I don`t allow fashion magazines in my house. I don`t want my daughters to read them. I don`t want them getting all screwed up and thinking that`s the way they should look. I also wouldn`t allow them to watch "America`s Next Top Model."

However, with that being said, Tyra Banks and her show, I`ve heard, celebrate female beauty of all shapes and sizes, not just the waifish look that`s so dangerous to young women`s body image. Don`t agree with it still, but it`s a good start.

However, "The Real Story" is last week`s show went way too far by featuring the models in a photo series where they`re all dead, half- dressed, twisted, in grisly poses, victims of shootings, stranglings and organ removal.

I discussed this yesterday with a guest who made the popular-though- unacceptable excuse for the photos. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This is -- you don`t mix gruesome death with sex. You don`t do it. It`s not a good thing. How are they -- I know you can say that the show is justifying it with "CSI." It`s not the same thing.

KIM SERAFIN, "INTOUCH WEEKLY": Well, again, I think it is when you look at some of the other shows on TV. If you look at this show compared to other shows and films that feature a lot of gratuitous violence, this really doesn`t rank very high.

In a lot of ways "America`s Next Top Model" in some ways is very empowering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Maybe I`m alone, America. I think that`s pathetic rationalization and a load of bull crap. Sexualizing women who have all been made to appear brutally murdered with their organs cut out isn`t clever takes on "CSI." It`s an affront to women. And as a father of three daughters, I am disgusted, and, America, you should be, too.

Tyra Banks, shame on you. "America`s Top Model," you should be deeply ashamed, as well. Sadly, the intimate connection of sex, misogyny and murder lives in the minds of monsters like John Couey and a lot of other people that are downloading these pictures on the Internet.

The day that we consider it titillating entertainment is the day that, I believe, we forfeit our humanity. Kristina Szish (sic), she is a frequent guest of this show and knowledgeable in all things entertainment. Sonia Ossorio is from the National Organization of Women.

First, let me start with you, Katrina. No matter what this show might say, I`ve been in television now for a year. I get it. This is all about the ratings. That`s it.

KATRINA SZISH, "US WEEKLY": I agree with you, Glenn. I think Tyra tends to do such a good job with empowering women and, as you mentioned earlier, showing women of all shapes and sizes, but this clearly has no merit. This is not teaching young girls anything about the hard work it takes to be a model. This is not showing what a real fashion shoot is like. This isn`t showing any sort of empowerment.

This is really just, like you said, a ploy to get ratings, to try to get some stir, some buzz about the show, perhaps possibly because it isn`t cycle A (ph), it might not be as highly rated as it once what. Whatever the reason, this is purely to get ratings to start a controversy.

BECK: Give me a quick look at the demographics of this show. When is this show on? And who is watching it?

SZISH: Yes, exactly. This is a show that`s on primetime television, a show that appeals to young high school girls, college girls, who really love the idea that maybe they could become a model. They love to see how the whole process works. They`re taking advice from Tyra Banks, a supermodel.

It reminds me of young teen magazines, where they have cover model contests. Everyone wants to be a model, so this is, in theory, geared towards young girls who have wide eyes.

BECK: OK.

SZISH: And this is an eyeful.

BECK: All right. Sonia, National Organization of Women, not an organization, because I believe -- I just want to be up front here -- not an organization that I agree with very often because I think it has just been turned into a political organization.

However, with that being said, I wanted to have you guys on, because I, for one, don`t care about politics. I care about right and wrong, not left and right, and you`re on the right side on this one. Please, tell me how anyone can see it any other way than this is just brutalizing women and tying brutal death and murder right directly to sex.

SONIA OSSORIO, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN: Well, you know, the personal is very often political. And this show`s decision to move in this direction, to glamorize violence against women, is incredibly destructive, and it`s supremely ironic when you think that it`s a show for women, about women, geared to women.

BECK: But you know what, Sonia? I mean, I have -- believe me, without getting into details, I have my hands full with people in my life that I know that have been in destructive, destructive relationships. And every time, the woman just continues to take it, just continues to do it.

I mean, you know, you`re saying here, it`s surprising that it`s being marketed to women for women, but you know what? Women seem to not get it as much as some guys do.

OSSORIO: I think a lot of women do. I mean, I certainly -- the phones in my office rang off the hook after the taping of this show. I mean, women were really outraged, and not women only. I mean, a lot of men and fathers who sat there with their daughters watching this and, you know, really concerned that this was the impression that they were getting.

BECK: Oh, my gosh, I couldn`t watch this with my daughter. I mean, I would turn it off immediately and say, oh, my gosh, I don`t want you seeing that.

I mean, there are guys out there that are looking -- and I`m sorry. I don`t mean to be piggish -- but women, you know, scantily clad in lingerie and everything else. Why do you think that the Victoria`s Secret thing is so popular? Is anybody actually going to look me straight in the eye and say, oh, no, I just want to see the latest fashions of lingerie? Bull crap. You want guys to watch this thing, and guys will watch it because they find women hot.

Now, you tell me how dangerous it is to mix that right directly next to pulling organs out of people`s bodies?

OSSORIO: It`s very, very dangerous. I mean, we live in a culture where violence against women is so, so very prevalent. You don`t have to open the paper, but every other day or so, and there`s some really terrible rape, murder, decomposed body that is found somewhere. I mean, women are violated and brutalized. And that`s the reality of it, and that`s why to make light of it in this way is not only so disrespectful, disheartening and dangerous.

BECK: Sonia, I have to tell you, you know, I`m sure you don`t want to hear this from me because of my political views and that`s fine. Anything you ever need from me to stand up against violence on women, you please call my office and we will make a point of it.

Katrina, one quick, last question. Whose fault is this really? I mean, we`re the ones consuming it.

SZISH: That`s a very good point. This is very un-Tyra-like, so it`s very hard to blame Tyra, but, then again, it is her show. She`s the spokesperson for the show. It seems like a situation where everybody thought, "We`re going to do something really edgy," and edgy turned to dangerous and just plain wrong.

I think we`re going to have to blame the producers and ultimately Tyra for allowing this show to be on the air and to happen. I hate to blame her because she does so many good things.

BECK: Bull crap.

SZISH: Not this time.

BECK: Tyra, no matter what you say, my show, we ain`t doing that stuff. And I`m not blaming it on the producers. You`ll walk before you do that kind of stuff. Katrina, Sonia, thank you very much. That`s tonight`s "Real Story." If you`d like to read more about it, or if you found a story of your own that you`d like to tell us about, please visit glennbeck.com and click on the "Real Story" button.

Up next -- I`ve been waiting for this a long time -- Wayne Newton on the program. I`ll explain why I`ve been waiting in just a second. And an update on the men I believe are America`s first political prisoners. Gilmer Hernandez, Jose Compean, and Ignacio Ramos, they`re all U.S. border agents serving time for doing their jobs. They are victims of our government`s inaction and, thus, political prisoners. It is time they stopped paying the price.

Back in a minute.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I live in a neighborhood. I`ve only met one neighbor, and mainly it`s because that one neighbor came down, I think, to look at the house. She`s like, "We`re your neighbor. We live right up the hill, and come by any time."

Well, she`s got a gate in front of her -- it`s like you need like fingerprints and retina scan to be able to get into her house. Tom Cruise, "Mission Impossible," he can`t get into the house. Oh, just drop by any time. I can`t drop by any time! You`ve got a SWAT team shooting anybody who comes near your gate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right. No matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, you have to appreciate the incredible sacrifices our troops are making in order to defend our freedom. And one of the best ways that we`ve been able to show our appreciation is through the efforts of an incredible organization, the USO.

It is a private, non-profit organization that lifts the morale and helps our troops in everywhere possible around the world. The USO is near and dear to my heart and the heart of entertainer Wayne Newton, AKA Mr. Las Vegas. He joins me now.

How are you, sir?

WAYNE NEWTON, ENTERTAINER: It`s a great pleasure, Glenn. It`s a great pleasure to be here. And thank you for the kind words about the USO.

BECK: No, I mean that.

NEWTON: Thank you.

BECK: And we`re involved with the USO as a show here in New York City, and it`s just tremendous. I have to tell you two stories.

One, on my radio show, for years now, every time something goes crazy, we get a crazy phone caller on or it`s just somebody who`s just whatever, we play "Danke Schoen," because it just soothes the animal in me.

And when we were moving up to the New York area, I was down in Florida. And you were performing down in Florida. And we thought -- I`ve never seen you before -- and thought, man, this is -- I`m going to take everybody. We all went to your show. We took my whole crew to the show. We thought it would be a night of kitschy, you know, kind of kitschy fun. You were fantastic.

NEWTON: Thank you, thank you.

BECK: One of the most talented performers I think I`ve ever seen. We all looked at each other and went, "Did you know" -- how many instruments do you play?

NEWTON: I play about 13 credibly, you know. I truly have never picked up an instrument that I couldn`t play. And I don`t say that in a bragging way; it`s just that I don`t read music to this day.

BECK: You don`t read music?

NEWTON: No.

BECK: And yet you can play all of those instruments? And it`s not like you`re -- I mean, you don`t -- at least the ones I saw you play on stage -- you don`t suck at it. You are really good at it.

NEWTON: It depends on who you ask probably, but I feel comfortable with any of them. And if I hear any song, I can sit down and play it, so...

BECK: Now, you`ve lived in Vegas forever. And they just -- did you - - because you were -- you had an engagement with the Star Dust, and they just blew up the hotel.

NEWTON: Well, actually, I went to Vegas at 15, which was, my goodness, 30 years ago now.

BECK: You don`t know any mobsters, do you?

NEWTON: Well, not that I talk about. None that I talk about.

BECK: The mob doesn`t exist. And if they did exist, I love them. I just want you to know that. Anyway...

NEWTON: And I went there at 15, and I`ve been playing Vegas ever since. I`ve been headlining since 1963...

BECK: Oh, my gosh.

NEWTON: ... at the Flamingo.

BECK: What are you pulling down a year?

NEWTON: You mean, in terms of money?

BECK: How much money do you make in a year?

NEWTON: Or in terms of bills?

BECK: That`s incredible. You`ve been headlining since, when did you say, 1962?

NEWTON: 1963, I started to headline.

BECK: `63!

NEWTON: Of course, I went to Vegas at `59, and I worked a lounge show six shows a night, six nights a week, for five years. And the Star Dust, I was -- we had a 10-year contract there. And about the sixth year -- and I realized that they were going to do something with the hotel, because you...

BECK: When they started putting dynamite.

NEWTON: ... can tell by them not renewing the purveyors and not renewing -- and taking this away and that away. And I just went to the boy group that owned the Star Dust -- and they`re wonderful people -- and I said, "Look, this is -- I`m not going to put you on the spot, but I just want you to know that I want to leave before you do what you`re going to have to do probably."

BECK: Right.

NEWTON: And so they were kind enough to let me out of my deal, and I said, "I`ll stay as long as you need me, but I don`t want to be here when you implode it."

BECK: So now you`re...

NEWTON: I`ve been with Harrah`s for two years now.

BECK: OK. And you`re touring the country?

NEWTON: We`re touring the country. We`re in Atlantic City this weekend, and then we`re going to be in -- it used to be the Westbury Theater in Long Island. Now it`s the North...

BECK: You`re looking at me like I know.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Listen, do you have a Web site or anything where people can find this stuff out?

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I have to tell you, if you`ve never seen Wayne Newton really, honestly, just a blast, and you`ll just have a blast.

NEWTON: Thank you.

BECK: Let me take it full circle. You can play so many instruments. When you look at the music stars that are coming out today that are just, you know, cranking -- I mean, it`s like a Play-Doh fun factory where they`re just pumping these people out -- you`ve got to look at them and say -- you need a drink?

NEWTON: I feel sorry for them, I truly do, because some of them have the talent to, you know, have a career, sustain a career, and also achieve some kind of longevity.

Not only do they usually just spit them out so fast, and called next, next, next, and so these people, even if they have the talent, they don`t have the time to develop it, learn their trade, learn that a hit record is one thing, a hit movie is another, but for a performer, for a singer, for, you know, a singing act, if you will, the end result has to be that you`re going to walk out in front of a live audience some day, somewhere, and have to perform that song.

Now, if it`s all gimmicked up with electronics, then you`re not going to be able to do that, and the audience is going to know it immediately.

BECK: They don`t last very long. And, man, to last as long as you have, it says a lot about you.

NEWTON: When you just won`t go away, they have to deal with you.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: What a pleasure, sir.

NEWTON: God bless you.

BECK: And thank you, sincerely, for everything you do for our troops.

NEWTON: Well, thank you. They pick up the tab for all of us to live the life we live, and I`m very grateful for that.

BECK: All right. It`s going to be right down the road in Atlantic City this Friday and Saturday. Sir, it has been a pleasure. Back in a minute. Up next, the Hollywood meltdown mode. Wait until you see this. It`s from YouTube, video you just have to see, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: America, I want you to know that I truly believe that one of the most important things that we can do on this program every night is, of course, laugh at celebrities. And one of the best pieces of video over the past week that was leaked out onto the Internet was leaked out from the set of "I Heart Huckabees," which apparently was a movie.

But we are able to see true behind-the-scenes Hollywood meltdowns in all their glory. First it was a fight between Lily Tomlin and the director -- buckle up -- the director of the movie, David O. Russell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I`m not here to be (bleep) yelled at. I worked on this (bleep) script for three (bleep) years. Now I`m having some (bleep) (bleep) yell at me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I think we can learn a lot from Hollywood. I do. Later, Tomlin, sitting next to Dustin Hoffman, fired back at the director.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILY TOMLIN, ACTRESS: That`s why we spent five and five or six (bleep) hours doing something else. No! You (bleep) it up, you (bleep). Now get straight out and help. If you can`t help them, help me. That`s right, (bleep) you, too.

(CROSSTALK)

TOMLIN: I`ll break the (bleep) set apart. I don`t even give a (bleep).

(CROSSTALK)

TOMLIN: Oh, shut up. You shut the (bleep) up, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I want to party with these people. No, I do. I guess that`s how it is in show business, and I shouldn`t throw stones, because I have to admit to you, I also occasionally lose control of myself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Some experts say 20 percent of these loans will end in foreclosure. What does that mean (bleep)? I know what that means, unfortunately, for these (bleep) that are in on this. What does that mean (bleep) (bleep) for the most of us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re still talking about a very small (bleep) of our borrowing public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: How was I supposed to control myself when I was talking about mortgage rates?

By the way, speaking of insanity, out of California, San Francisco banning the typical plastic grocery bag, forcing stores to essentially use only paper or cloth bags. Aren`t we lucky to have San Francisco teach us? They`re great, aren`t they? By the way, when we were growing up, weren`t we supposed to avoid paper bags so we wouldn`t be murdering trees?

Anyhoo, since the rest of the country doesn`t know what to do with the plastic bags, I`ve started a new program called Bags for the Bay. All those plastic bags you have lying around? We`ll deliver them right directionally to San Francisco. In fact, the mayor`s office, because they`re apparently the only ones who understand what to do with them. You know, they`re just so much smarter than any of us.

From New York, good night.

END