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Glenn Beck

Enemy Dating Game: Who to Trust?

Aired July 18, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, HOST: All right everybody. Glenn Beck here with your Accuweather five-day forecast. It`s another scorcher out there today. Temperatures expected to hit 98 degrees, as the hot weather continues tomorrow with a daytime high of 137. Ouch! Looks like the sun`s starting to sweat there just a little bit.

On Thursday we have clear skies, daytime high in the lower 200s. This is when the sun passes out. On Friday, check on your elderly neighbors, because the devil appears, and your kids will burst into flames in the pool.

And it looks like a great weekend on Saturday as the apocalypse rolls in sometime in the afternoon. All right. Traffic and sports coming up next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, I don`t know what it`s like at your house, but it feels like the apocalypse is coming here in New York in more ways than one.

As the fighting continues in the Middle East, many people in the international community today are calling for either negotiations and/or a U.N. peace keeping force to halt the conflict. And that`s just -- I can`t understand that on so many levels.

Here`s the thing. There comes a time when good people need to take a stand and take control of their own destiny. That is what happens in a democracy. You people in Lebanon, you want this to stop more than anybody else. Unfortunately, in a democracy, you`re going to have to be the ones to stand up to Hezbollah and eliminate them.

They`re the ones responsible for your deaths, and you know it. It`s not Israel; it`s not anybody else. Your government doesn`t have much power and whatever power they do have, for some reason they aren`t exercising it. It is up to you.

As far as negotiations go, I got to tell you, you know, I`m for them in theory, but the problem is that we seem to be facing, in crisis after crisis recently, is the partners that we have to sit across the table from are all freaking nuts, man.

Take this for example. Let`s say you`re trying to buy a house and during the negotiations the guy across the table, the guy you`re trying to buy from says, "All right, I`ll give it to you, but first you got to have sex with my dog." Who in their right mind is going to continue negotiating with somebody like that? It doesn`t matter how great the house is, the owner is a nut job. So you move on.

They always say in real estate, don`t fall in love with the house. It causes all kinds of trouble. The same should be said here. Don`t fall in love with peace at any cost. It will always make us do the wrong thing.

That`s got to be the strategy in the Middle East. You can`t negotiate with people who want to blow your head off.

So, today here`s what I do know. A cease-fire would be good in the short-term for the people of Lebanon and Israel. But it may not be the best thing in the long term. You got to cut the head of the snake off, and in this particular case, it is Hezbollah controlled by Iran.

They`re being supplied by Iran and Syria. Both, by the way, are the causes of most of the problems in Iraq.

And speaking of Iraq, I also know that the Sunnis now want us to stay there. They`re talking to us off the record. They`re saying please don`t pull out too soon. It`s the same story in pseudo-evil countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where these guys know Syria`s crap is going to come down, and it`s coming from Syria and Iran.

It`s not just the Jews that these people are after. It`s the bad Muslims. It`s the Sunnis. It`s the Christians. It`s the Buddhists and yes, Tom Cruise, sorry to say, even the Scientologists. Lord Zenu is not going to be able to help you here.

Now, here`s what I don`t know. How do you seriously negotiate with people who are crazy, who have a death wish? Ah, I`m not -- I`m not really even sure if there`s ever been a time in my life where there have been this many evil people with as much power as they have.

We have Iran. We have Syria. We have North Korea as our big enemies, plus all the countries that pretend to like us but you know and I know they`re our enemies: China, Russia, Saudi Arabia.

So, wouldn`t it be great if we could actually become friends with one of our enemies? But I don`t see that. I don`t think it`s really a good thing. But if you had to choose, if I had a gun to your head right now and said, "Hey, which are you going to become friends with, which one would it be? They all seem out of their mind nuts.

ANNOUNCER: And now it`s time to play the Enemy Dating Game. Three enemy bachelors and one extremely desperate bachelorette looking for an enemy to start diplomatic relations with.

BECK: I got to tell you, I guess I`m the extremely desperate bachelorette here. Sexy, aren`t I? And I`m in need of one less enemy. Let`s get the game started by meeting today`s enemy bachelors.

ANNOUNCER: Please say hello to enemy bachelor No. 1. He`s the man who runs with the wrong crowd and strikes fear in the hearts of friend and foe alike.

Now, meet enemy bachelor No. 2. He`s earned celebrity status lately, but some think he`s still got a self-esteem problem.

And finally, please welcome enemy bachelor No. 3. This fine candidate is a bit of a loner and has a pretty bad image problem. But he just might be ready for a change of heart.

BECK: Oh, bachelors, this is a stupidest show on television, isn`t it? Yes, of course it is. What would you say, you`re all my enemies.

Bachelor No. 1, here we go. First question. I like to know who my partners have slept with. Are you in bed with any terrorist organizations?

JAMES NOLT, WORLD POLICY INSTITUTE: Absolutely not. In fact, those wild-eyed ideologues give me a fright, too. My favorite partners are prosperous capitalists like yourself.

BECK: All right. Bachelor No. 2, same question to you.

BILL HARTUNG, REPRESENTING IRAN: Well, I have relations with some terrorists but not nearly to the degree that people say. I try to sleep with terrorists only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

BECK: All right, OK. So you`re selective. You`re just not out on a Saturday night sleeping with any old terrorist.

HARTUNG: No.

BECK: And bachelor No. 3, what about your terrorist bed?

JOHN FEFFER, KOREAN STUDIES, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: I was totally into that scene awhile ago, but it`s been 18 years and I just don`t do that any longer.

BECK: OK. Bachelor No. 2, I have plenty of friends with, you know, alternative government lifestyles. You don`t -- you don`t have to be a democracy to be my friend. Hey, I`m open minded. What you do in your own bedroom is your business. But are you going to try to convert the rest of the world to, you know, your lifestyle?

HARTUNG: Well, you know, we have a parliament; we have women in the parliament. It`s true, there`s a religious role in government much like in your country, where the president is a fundamentalist. But I think we can really get along quite nicely.

BECK: Right. OK.

Bachelor No. 3, what about you? Do you show off? You know, do you have one of those big missile parades every year, you know what I`m saying?

FEFFER: Basically I subscribe to the I`m OK, you`re OK kind of philosophy, so you know, and to be brutally honest with you, I`m too weak to really do anything substantial to harm anybody outside my neighborhood.

BECK: I tell you, I wouldn`t trust any of you guys yet so far. I`m so far away from making a choice of which one I would actually crawl into bed with.

Bachelor No. 1, really like to find somebody who will get along with my family. Has the U.N. passed negative resolutions against you recently?

NOLT: No. We get along well with the U.N. In fact, we`re a major player there, and we play a constructive role.

BECK: Boy, that doesn`t work in your favor either.

Bachelor No. 3, I like my dates to have a little meat on their bones. Does your government starve its people?

FEFFER: Well, we did have a problem a few years back, but we sought some outside help and, actually, you came to our assistance. And I have to say that basically we`re on the road to recovery right now.

BECK: Bachelor No. 1, same question. Are your people starving?

NOLT: Not at all. In fact, those fad diets are a thing of ancient history now. We`re all well fed, and we have a great cuisine.

BECK: Bachelor No. 2, I like my dates to be submissive to my demands. Do you have or are you developing any nuclear weapons against my wishes?

HARTUNG: Well, we like technology. We like to master technology. Certainly, nuclear technology is very important to us, but we have no intention of building a bomb or using it against you, unless it`s really in a pinch.

BECK: We need -- we need a lie detector for all you guys.

Bachelor No. 1, religion is important to me and my family. If we date, do you think anyone in your family may use religion to, let`s say, blow up bridges or buildings?

NOLT: Heavens no. We`re not religious fanatics. In fact, we`re very open-minded about religion. It`s not important to us.

BECK: Bachelor No. 2, same question: my landmark safe if we start dating?

HARTUNG: Well, what are the big landmarks, you know, just so I know?

BECK: Anything that I would value that I wouldn`t want blown up would be just about everything that`s not in a firing range here in America.

HARTUNG: That`s very useful, thanks.

BECK: OK, non answer. Now bachelor number 3, what about you?

FEFFER: Well, I have to say that the country really has to have a few secrets. And if you come a little closer, maybe, maybe I`ll whisper the answer into your ear.

BECK: OK. Bachelor No. 2, I don`t like to fight. I`m looking for a country I can bond with. Have you and I been friends in the past, real friends?

HARTUNG: Oh, totally. You know, for some decades. There`s been a few little issues lately, but I think that`s true in any relationship.

BECK: Same question to you bachelor No. 1. Have we really been real friends in the past?

NOLT: Certainly for many, many years we`ve been good friends. And important business partners, as well.

BECK: Bachelor No. 3 -- I think I know who you are, one. I think I know who all of you are, unfortunately. Bachelor No. 3, what about you?

FEFFER: Have to say we haven`t been the closest of friends but we have signed a couple of agreements, so...

BECK: Have you abided by any of them?

ANNOUNCER: No more questions, Glenn. It`s time to decide which enemy bachelor you want to start relations with. And we`ll hear your decision right after this.

What does this man have to do with these people? The answer only on Glenn`s video podcast, "Ask Glenn". Download it from iTunes or at CNN.com/podcast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Welcome back to the Enemy Dating Game. OK, Glenn, it`s time to choose. Which bachelor would you like to have relations with?

BECK: None of them. Absolutely none of them. I`m going to have to go with who I believe is China, bachelor No. 1. Am I right, China?

NOLT: Yes.

BECK: We`re going to come back to you to you in a second. Introduce the other. Bachelor No. 2, who are you?

HARTUNG: Iran.

BECK: OK.

HARTUNG: You made a big mistake, by the way.

BECK: Have I really? You`re going to vaporize me now?

And Bachelor No. 3, you are North Korea?

FEFFER: That`s right. Could have had it easy with me.

BECK: OK. We`re going to come back and talk to each of you. You`re all experts on this country.

First of all, bachelor No. 1, who are you and what are your real credentials?

NOLT: I am James Nolt, the senior fellow at the World Policy Institute in New York.

BECK: Is this a low point in your career?

NOLT: Hopefully. It will go up from here.

BECK: Right, OK. Now, tell me about -- I picked you because you said you know, you know, you`re not full of fanatical nut jobs. And that are going to blow things up. And you care about money. And...

NOLT: That`s certainly true of China today.

BECK: Right, and so that really -- to me, that`s the only thing that I can trust. If you are greedy, I can -- I at least know what your motivations are. I can`t begin to understand people who are religious nut jobs.

NOLT: That`s true.

BECK: I think China, well, let`s get into this for a second. China has all the money. They own most of our debt. I think they own -- what, behind Japan?

NOLT: Yes. China is a very significant holder of U.S. government debt.

BECK: OK. Does that help us keep them at bay? I mean, do you ever see a scenario where China would get into a position where they would, you know, destroy us financially? I mean, does that hold them back?

NOLT: It does, because it`s a two-edged sword. I mean, if they were to withdraw a lot of that debt from the United States, they`d have to put it somewhere else. They`d have to sell it. The value could go down.

And also, keep in mind one of the reasons they hold so much debt is they sell so many products in the United States. Over 2/5 of their exports are to the United States. And so they really depend on selling those things to us in order to keep their economy going. So if they were to cut off the debt relationship they`d also cut off their own market in the United States, which is so crucial to their economic success.

BECK: Do you ever see them possibly getting into a situation where they would think that that would be the right thing to do?

NOLT: It`s hard to imagine that. I mean, China has been so oriented toward economic growth and prosperity that I think they`re much more of a status quo power than some of the others that you`re considering today. They`re more interested in maintaining a stable relationship than upsetting it.

BECK: If we, let`s say we get into a World War III. I really truly believe -- I mean we`re already in it but we haven`t had that Archduke Ferdinand moment yet. Do you believe that they will play the Swiss, they`ll sit on the sidelines? Would they -- would they choose sides in a world war?

NOLT: I think it would depend on what you think the lines of conflict are. But certainly, if Islamic fundamentalism is a problem for us, it`s also a problem for the Chinese, because they have their own Islamic minority population in western China, which has resorted to terrorism from time to time and pressing it`s own demands.

So I think they`re more likely to be neutral or at least sympathetic with the United States in some regards than it would be to be an outright adversary.

BECK: OK. Thanks, James.

Now John. You`re bachelor No. 2. Right? No. You`re Bill. Bill.

Since you didn`t pick me you can call me whatever you want.

BECK: All right. Tell me -- tell me, you are Iran, right?

HARTUNG: I`m Iran for the moment.

BECK: Right. I think you are the most dangerous player we have. I think that World War III is going to all come down to you. You -- you, as an enemy, scare the living daylights out of me. Am I wrong?

HARTUNG: I think so. Iran, first of all their nuclear program has been much overstated. It will probably take them five to 10 years, if they choose to, to build a nuclear weapon.

BECK: But they are -- I mean, they are waiting for the mahdi, waiting for the messiah; they`re welcoming the messiah. I mean, these guys are -- these guys don`t just care about their space. They are looking for a worldwide Islamic state.

HARTUNG: Well, there`s elements in Iran that certainly feel that way, but you know, they also have a reform movement. They`re more open in many ways than, for example, Saudi Arabia, which is a U.S. ally.

So I think the worst aspect of their policy, obviously, is their support for Hezbollah and Hamas. But I think that could be dealt with as part of a negotiation between the U.S. and Iran.

BECK: I have to tell you, we are seeing a picture of the president of Iran. And I just can`t bring myself to be completely afraid of a country that can`t get down the idea that they should have pool microphones for speeches for their president. But maybe it`s just me.

All right. Let`s go to North Korea. You are, sir -- introduce yourself and tell me who you`re with.

FEFFER: I`m John Feffer. I`m co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus.

BECK: OK. And you are not afraid of Korea.

FEFFER: No, not particularly. North Korea has a much weaker army, much weaker military than the United States has officially said and actually weaker than North Korea itself has said.

BECK: Right.

FEFFER: Its missile program is about 10 years away at least from being within striking distance of the United States.

BECK: I will tell you that, out of all of the countries that we have looked at, North Korea in many ways is the most -- the least frightening, because the guy doesn`t -- the guy doesn`t want to dominate the whole world. You know?

FEFFER: That`s right.

BECK: He doesn`t have that kind of Hitler thing going for him.

However, with that being said, all he cares about is his own self and money, and he seems to me he would sell his mother for a buck.

FEFFER: Well, that could be the good basis of negotiations with the United States.

BECK: Yes, but don`t you think he would sell us out if somebody else comes in? He could sell a nuke to, you know, not only Osama bin Laden but, I mean, Venezuela he would be willing to sell it to.

FEFFER: Well, the key element is that Kim Jong-Il wants to preserve power. He wants to stay on top. He also wants to cultivate relations with the top powers in the world. Because in some sense they will pay fealty to him.

So the United States, Japan, South Korea, Western Europe, these are the countries that he`s been negotiating with for the last 15 years. So it`s unlikely that he`s going to a much weaker country if he has the support of the super powers of the world.

BECK: OK. Great. James, John, Bill, thank you very much. Thanks for playing our game. Good luck.

FEFFER: Thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know what happens when it`s 100 degrees outside and you have a pool? The water is hot. It`s basically you get into the pool and you`re like, I`m ravioli in a boiling pot of water. That`s what it is. I`m floating around in the pool like I`m ravioli.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, in today`s world, radio means several different things. Not just terrestrial radio but satellite radio, as well. And from Sirius, this is Jay Thomas to give us a quick hit of what he`s hearing from people. I understand you have a problem, actually, with CNN, Jay.

JAY THOMAS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, you know, the president used an expletive. And we talked about it today on my show on Sirius Stars 102. It was -- it`s like how much is CNN going to get fined, Glenn, for running this horrible word? And then you know, the president is the needle of the moral compass, and he used this word and, apparently, it must be injurious, because people get fined for it. So I found that odd that...

BECK: We`re like satellite. You can say whatever you want on satellite. We`re cable. You can say whatever you want on cable. The FCC doesn`t apply. We`re not using public airwaves.

THOMAS: So good thing the president knew that it was probably only going to be on cable.

BECK: Yes, exactly right. I mean, everybody else bleeped it out. But I got to tell you. I mean, I`m not a swearing guy myself. But...

THOMAS: I swear when I watch you all the time.

BECK: I bet you do.

THOMAS: I call you some horrible names.

BECK: I bet you do. But I actually -- I thought it fit in the context of what he was talking about. I was more offended -- he was talking with his mouth open. I mean, what was that?

THOMAS: The food was flying out. Somebody was talking. He should have been listening. But he`s a regular guy and these are words that we use. And I look at it and think, what is the big deal?

You know, recently they asked for all the tapes of all sporting events. They`re going to listen to them and see if they hear any offensive words by coaches or players and they`re going to fine people.

And here is -- I think Bush ought to be fined. I think CNN should be fined just so they go, "Gee, this is kind of stupid. And we should stop it."

BECK: Right.

THOMAS: Now at Sirius, we can say anything we want to. And the thing that we found is, if you do it too much, it`s really -- it becomes offensive. But if something slips out or...

BECK: I mean, if it`s in normal speech pattern...

THOMAS: Yes.

BECK: ... if it`s a normal speech pattern. And you know, the thing with him is, I got to tell you, I don`t know about you, Jay, but if I were over with the G-8, and they were talking about all the crap that they wanted to talk about and nobody was really -- nobody was really putting it out, whether you`re for or against, whatever, just say what you mean and mean what you say. Oh, you know, bad words would be coming to my head like crazy.

THOMAS: He was talking to Tony Blair, they`re in a normal conversation. And I thought OK, well, that`s the way people talk, and if it slips out you shouldn`t be fined.

And that`s the point. That`s an everyday word used by the president of the United States.

BECK: Yes.

THOMAS: And if NBC had run it they would have been fined for that, and they would have -- and George Bush may have been fined, also. And I think if you`re really over the top with this moral nonsense sometimes it bites you in the ass. You said "crap" and I said "ass". I feel great. How about you?

BECK: I`m offended. I`m thinking about personally fining you.

THOMAS: By the way, it`s so hot, it`s so hot that Bill Clinton...

BECK: All right.

THOMAS: ... you know, got together with Hillary just so he`d get the cold shoulder.

BECK: Do we need this? Hold it a minute. No, no, no. I want to talk about your son.

THOMAS: It`s so hot -- hold on. It`s so hot that Ken Lay is glad he`s burning in hell.

BECK: You can have both of those. He`s not dead. You know it and I know it. Now we`ve only got 30 seconds. Tell me about your son. He just came back from Afghanistan.

THOMAS: He was entertaining the troops in Afghanistan. And he went over to do that and came back and reported. I`ll come back and tell you about it. But a lot of entertainers aren`t doing it, and I`m here to tell you that they should do it. I`m going to go over as soon as I can. Garrison East (ph) was there. And that`s what our kids need, no matter what you feel on either side.

BECK: Good for you.

THOMAS: Thank you.

BECK: Thank you, Jay.

THOMAS: OK, buddy.

BECK: See you again.

THOMAS: Thank you, Glenn.

BECK: You bet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Where Bush gets worried is when you start funding the creating of more embryos just to have them experimented. You got the embryos? Great. He says the government shouldn`t spend money creating new embryos to kill them, dissemble them, and do experiments on them. You don`t create life to destroy it. If you`ve got the embryos, fund away. Here`s the money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know what kills me on this? Out of all of the things our politicians in Washington should be worried about right now, they`re debating stem-cell research.

The Senate is sending a bill to George W. Bush expanding federal funding for it. Did you catch that word? "Expanding" federal funding for it. I thought there was a ban. No.

All likelihood, tomorrow morning the president will veto it. We don`t have time to do this justice tonight, but as a public service tomorrow we`re going to clarify the confusion with "Stem Cells for Dummies." You don`t want to miss this on tomorrow`s broadcast.

It drives me nuts when politicians will take something and they will distort the argument just for their own power and manipulation. I mean, I don`t know about you, but, you know, as a conservative, I haven`t seen the religious right -- I haven`t seen Pat Robertson controlling the Republican Party in quite a few years.

What is the real argument on stem-cell research? What is really going on? Who is the first president to actually fund stem-cell research? And what did President Clinton say about it when it was first brought to his desk?

Don`t miss tomorrow`s episode of the GLENN BECK program.

Now, as I promised yesterday, I have an update on a guy whose name honestly I can`t pronounce. It starts with Muhammad and then it just goes downhill from there.

This guy was somebody who was allowed to board a plane in Houston. He was going on a job interview in Atlanta, Georgia. And when he walked through and put his bag there on the x-ray machine, they said to him, "Sir, do you have a laptop?" And he said, "No, I don`t have a laptop." And as it went through, they noticed that he did have a laptop in there, and he got very defensive and very bitter. He was kind of an angry guy, as some people will describe him.

Then they said, "Come on over here, sir. Take off your shoes." As he took off his shoes, some people describe his shoes as hollowed out. He says they`re just an old pair of shoes.

They also found an alarm clock. There`s the alarm clock sitting next to the shoes. What a weird-looking alarm clock that is. Taped to the alarm clock, he had a nine-volt battery. They also said -- and they haven`t really described what these are -- but they said that he had bomb- making parts with him, but no explosives.

So when the TSA found all of this stuff, they say, "Excuse me just a second." What they do is they go over and they call a Houston police officer to come over. This guy comes over, talks to him, tries to do a computer check on him, but can`t because the computer system is down, looks at everything and says, "Well, he can`t blow anything up. Go ahead and let him on the plane."

Hello? They let the guy on the plane. Here he is, a Jordanian citizen. He`s carrying a Koran. He has what some described as hollow-out shoes. He has bomb-making parts. He is defensive, argumentative, and he`s already lied to the TSA. You can`t check him out on computer to find out who he is, and you let him board the plane?

Oh, by the way, he`s also going for his job interview, which happens to be a job to become a truck driver. No big deal. No big deal.

A couple of days later, the FBI comes. They find out that this guy has ties to some sort of a terrorist -- somebody who is on a terrorist watch list. The story gets a little cryptic here.

From what I understand, he is out and not on any list, or he was for a while, now he`s not. Let`s get the story now from Harvey Rice. He`s from the "Houston Chronicle." He joins us now from Houston on the phone. He`s on his way to another story.

Harvey, even if this guy, you know, is innocent, would it have been prudent to, you know, take what they referred to as bomb-like material and confiscate it?

HARVEY RICE, "HOUSTON CHRONICLE": Well, it`s not clear that that was actually bomb-like material. I mean, when they say "bomb parts" -- when the report -- there was a TSA report that I got a hold of. And when they were referring to bomb parts, they were referring to the clock, the shoes, and the computer.

And it`s not clear if those are bomb parts, although we know about the shoe-bomber, and of course we know that clocks can be used to make bombs. Computers, I suppose you could some way -- I`m not clear about that.

BECK: Harvey, I hate to use a nasty word in today`s society, but I mean he does hit a lot of the things on a list of a profile. He`s angry. He`s already lied to the TSA. He has bomb-making parts, even though you say, you know, just an alarm clock, a nine-volt and a laptop, et cetera, et cetera. I mean, he...

RICE: Well, some of those things are disputed. I mean, if you talk to him, he says -- well, first of all, the TSA -- he didn`t reply verbally to TSA. The TSA report says that he nodded his head, so it`s unclear whether he really understood what they were saying.

And he says, if you talk to him, he says he was very cooperative and he was...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Well, I mean...

RICE: ... so I don`t know. I`m not going to take sides and say which version is correct.

BECK: Right, well, you`re a journalist. You shouldn`t take sides. I`m not a journalist. I`m going to take sides. I wouldn`t have put the guy on the plane. There`s no way the guy would have ever gotten onto the plane. It just doesn`t make any sense, especially when you can`t check the guy.

Real quick, can you tell me: Does he have a connection to terrorists?

RICE: Well, the TSA report says that he had a direct connection to a person of interest, so I asked about this with one of my law enforcement sources. And they said that, although that doesn`t mean that he knows that someone is involved in terrorism, although he may know someone, like they might be a family member or an acquaintance or someone...

BECK: Sure, right, he may have been duped by them, as well.

RICE: And it doesn`t mean that he...

(CROSSTALK)

RICE: ... they found that he wasn`t connected, himself wasn`t. And he was temporarily put on the terrorist list, but then he was removed.

BECK: OK. Harvey, thank you very much. We`ll follow the story. The other part of the story that is disturbing, at least for me, is the FBI wasn`t called, from what I understand, up to two days until after this guy went through the airport.

Let`s go "Straight to Hill" now, Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" on Headline News. Hello, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey, there. How are you doing?

BECK: I`m doing good. I`m a little concerned with what, you know, I just heard from Houston. I mean, I would hope that we would be a little better at this point than that when we start to see things that stick out. I tell you, I flew El Al airlines one time to Israel, and...

HILL: That`s about as secure as you can get in the sky.

BECK: That is as secure -- you know what`s so interesting to me is when I actually sat down and they served, after going through the plane -- and, really, they held me for four hours to talk to me. I`m suspicious.

HILL: Well, let`s think about who they`re talking to.

BECK: No, no, no, I know that. For four hours, it took me to clear their security four hours. I`m not kidding you. It was unbelievable.

But when I got onto the plane, they gave me a knife and fork and it was metal. And I looked at my wife and I said, "You know, these people have it down." You know, you go ahead and let the metal on, you don`t let the bad people on the plane.

OK, we have a minute here. I want to talk a little bit about the heat wave. Do you have some update on that?

HILL: I do have a little bit. Here`s the -- you`re probably sweating it out. And good thing you`re in air conditioning in there. But all of this demand for extra power and air conditioning across the country leading to some power outages in New York. I don`t know if you heard about this earlier today, but some power outages in the city, Con Edison was struggling to meet demand. It actually also led to the cancellation of some flights at La Guardia because they couldn`t screen people there.

BECK: I had a power outage at my house last night. And I`ve got to tell you, I would have sold my child for power, really. I`m not saying -- kids, don`t panic. I`m not saying which one. It`s the other one, not you.

(LAUGHTER)

Really, I swear to you. Power goes out, and you`re like...

HILL: But if push came to shove, one of you is out of there.

BECK: That`s exactly right. Erica, we`ll talk to you tomorrow.

HILL: Bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Here`s a conversation that, if I were in a military family, I wouldn`t even know where to begin. You know, Mom or Dad`s been called up for a lengthy deployment overseas. What do you say? You don`t want to say too little; you don`t want to say too much; you don`t want to scare the kids. I honestly don`t know what the right words would be.

People at "Sesame Street" have now produced a DVD that shows parents exactly how to share the news, a little help from Elmo and friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELMO, "SESAME STREET" CHARACTER: Daddy`s got to go away for lots and lots of days, right?

SESAME STREET CHARACTER: That`s right, son.

ELMO: Well, can Elmo -- can Elmo go with Daddy?

SESAME STREET CHARACTER: Well, I sure wish you could, son, but Daddy`s got to go do grown-up work. I need to go help some people. It`s a very important job. And, well, it`s just something I have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: DVD is going to be distributed free to military families all across the country next month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The following segment is brought to you by the letter G and the number 58 to the 13th power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: For the past 32 years, Roscoe Orman has played Gordon on "Sesame Street." In that time, he has raised four kids of his own, been a father figure to millions of kids who were raised watching the show. In his new book, "Sesame Street Dad," Roscoe talks about his own experiences as an actor and as a dad.

His most memorable moment on "Sesame Street"? Adopting his son, Miles, in real life and on "Sesame Street."

Welcome. I can`t help but call you Gordon.

ROSCOE ORMAN, ACTOR, "SESAME STREET": Well, believe me, I`ve answered to the name of Gordon much more often than Roscoe.

BECK: I bet you have. I bet you have.

ORMAN: And just to make a correction, I did not adopt my son in real life, but only on TV. It was a little confusing for him for a while.

BECK: Was it?

(CROSSTALK)

ORMAN: "Am I really adopted?"

BECK: Why was that the most moving or memorable moment?

ORMAN: Well, for me, first of all, you know, to be working with my son on that kind of a regular basis. He was just an infant when he came on. He was 11 months.

And to spend a good seven or eight years with him kind of there, hanging with Dad, and getting to know me in a way that most kids don`t get to know their parents.

BECK: Is anybody adopted on "Sesame Street" now? Because I adopted my son, so who is he going to be watching?

ORMAN: We have a new adoption story line. Gina on "Sesame Street" has adopted a baby just last season, and so that will be coming up soon.

BECK: It is so strange, because I remember watching you, I remember seeing Mr. Hooper, and now I have older kids. We watched you. And now my younger kids are going to watch you.

ORMAN: That`s the amazing thing, that we`ve crossed all of these generations now, and lots of parents who were watching with their kids or whose kids are watching now grew up with us, as well, so...

BECK: What has been the biggest change in -- I mean, you know, I got to tell you. I was watching "Sesame Street" just the other day with my kids, and we started talking about it, and it said, you know, Children`s Workshop, presentation of, you know, PBS, public service.

And I thought to myself, "Man, I hate spending money developing television, but I would not want the cereal people making television." You know what I mean? You watch children`s television, and even Disney and everybody, it`s all about the almighty dollar now, and it is -- it`s scary to have that stuff, you know, fed in to your kids.

ORMAN: You know, I don`t know if a show like "Sesame Street" could even begin today, in today`s world, the way television has become so, you know, market-oriented. You know, everything is about selling products. And, you know, a lot of shows for kids are developed after the product has been out there for a while.

BECK: Right. I`m trying to remember -- oh, and it drives me nuts. Disney does that. It drives me crazy. That`s why the whole "Pirates of the Caribbean." I mean, it`s to get you to go ride the theme park ride. It`s nuts.

ORMAN: Absolutely.

BECK: I was reading an interesting article or it`s in a book by Malcolm Gladwell. I can`t remember the name of the book now. It`s not "Blink." It`s the other one, "Tipping Point." And they talk about how difficult it is to make "Sesame Street," how much work goes into it, the testing to make sure that the kids are watching everything, that they`re absorbing. What have you learned through this process about -- that you could apply as a parent?

ORMAN: Well, for one thing, you know, what a blessing for me to -- I became a parent the same year that I started work on "Sesame Street." My oldest child was born the end of `74, and I started working on the show a few months before that.

So this marriage of my career and my parenting became like just -- you know, it was perfect. And to be on a show where that kind of thought, and insight, and research, and child psychology, and all this was so much a part of every single script.

BECK: If you could tell a parent one thing, what would you tell them?

ORMAN: Listen. Listen to your child. One of the things that "Sesame Street" does, I think, better than any other children`s show is we really respect children. We really take the time to really understand who they are and relate to them without talking down to them, but in a way that really respects their growing intelligence. Their imaginations are just amazing.

BECK: You said -- we have to wrap up. I could spend forever with you. You said in your book that you would like to close the generation gap. What do you mean...

(CROSSTALK)

ORMAN: Well, you know, my kids are in the hip-hop, Generation X world, which is really kind of still strange to me. I have no idea, you know. And just I wanted to do something, create something that would reach out to them and tell them what my generation was about.

BECK: Right. Good. Thank you so much, sir. And thank you for all of the work that you`ve done over the years. Pleasure to meet you.

ORMAN: My pleasure. Thank you.

BECK: All right. Time now for our "Quality of Life" market update. If you live in Fort Collins, Colorado, your quality of life apparently fantastic. This according to a new survey.

Yes, it`s time once again for the annual "Money" magazine "Best Places to Live" issue. And topping the charts is Fort Collins, Colorado. Followed by a bunch of other places most of which I have no idea where they are and don`t know anything about them, including Naperville, Illinois. Whew, pack the bags, kid, we`re going to Naperville. Sugar Land, Texas; Columbia, Ellicott City, Maryland; Cary, North Carolina; and Overland Park, Kansas.

Now, according to "Money," Fort Collins combines the vibrancy of a city with the comforts of the suburbs. Good jobs, good schools, a lively downtown, reasonable cost of living. And up there in the Rockies, it`s an incredible outdoor life. It`s the kind of place people want to live in. That sounds great.

Now, in other Fort Collins news, a 48-year-old man was found badly beaten Friday morning in a Fort Collins park. Also, the Fort Collins police arrested a second suspect in connection with the murder of Santos Ybarra and the attempted murder of Antonio Soliz Martinez. By the way, these are all true.

Oh, one more item: Fort Collins High School, some good news. They`ve just picked a new athletic director. Apparently, the last one, Rae Ann Blakey, resigned after allegations that she sexually abused a student.

Again, top story: Fort Collins named best place to live in America. Yeah.

Finally, futures on kittens are taking a tumble thanks to one really, really creepy video out of Columbus, Ohio. Her name is Gemini. And, yes, she was born with two heads. Look at how cute. Look at it. Look at it.

Gemini was born with two mouths, two tongues, two noses, four eyes. Some say this is the work of the devil. I`m not going to argue, quite frankly. In fact, I`m going on record now and saying, "I`m sorry, PETA: The cat must be stopped."

This evil creature, without doubt, further evidence, oh, yes, that the end of days is approaching quickly. I say, what, 20 minutes from now? Could be. You know, this week we`ve got a mess in the Middle East; we`ve had wildfires burning out of control; of course, we got the heat waves, 113 degrees today in Death Valley; mudslides in California, oh, they`re coming.

How far away from the plague of locusts are we? Gee. We used to be able to count on news footage of cute little kittens.

Coming up, tips for a healthy summer. No, I`m serious. Stick around. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: I mean, being as this show is fairly new, many of you might not know about the numerous scientific awards that we have won on this program. Our Web site is known throughout the scientific community as the headquarters for real deep scientific thought and peer review. And that`s why we made major national news when we did an expose today on the current heat wave and what is really causing it.

Can we bring up the summary, please? There it is. There it is. You can get all of the details on this ground-breaking report at glennbeck.com. You don`t want to miss it.

Now, our Ask Glenn question for the day. "Hey, Glenn. I love the show. I`m an African-American, an American who happens to be a black guy," like I needed an explanation what that is, "and I would like you to address the apparent racism of God when it comes to black guys in summer. Why am I always hotter than whitey just because of the color of my skin? Here`s my number-one safety tip for a heat wave: Be pasty white like Glenn Beck."

OK, I mean, Derek, I don`t think that`s -- you know, that`s not necessary. And I`m not really sure what to tell you on that. It does help to be pasty like me. If you`re going outside in the heat wave, you just have to make sure you`re wearing SPF, like, 23,000 or you`re going to look like a lobster.

But in case you can`t get around to changing your skin tone this week, here are some legitimate heat wave survival tips. I love these.

First one, slow down and avoid strenuous activities. That`s not only a good heat wave safety tip; it`s my life motto.

Drink even if you don`t feel thirsty. Surprisingly also one of my life`s mottos. At least it was back in my alcoholic days.

Next one, avoid beer, which actually dehydrates the body. Again, one of my old alcoholic life mottos. It`s crazy, isn`t it? I mean, my thinking behind this is, why drink beer when Jack Daniels was available, you know?

And finally, eat small meals and eat more often. I mean, I agree about 50 percent of that one.

Also, I keep seeing TV reports reminding me to avoid leaving my pets in the car. Really? Yes, and I also try to avoid throwing them directly into a pizza oven next to the calzone, as well. But, you know, it`s going to happen. I mean, some idiots going to think, you know, "Hey, it will only be a couple of minutes in the pizza oven," and then they`ll come back and the dead animal will be there, and the kid will see it first who will spend half of their money on future therapy.

Just do what I do: Use the heat as an excuse to never leave the house. Seriously, it`s just that simple. We`ll see you tomorrow on the radio show, you sick, twisted freak.

END