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Glenn Beck

Former CIA Specialist Discusses Middle East Crisis; Which World Powers are Ally, Axis or Spineless?; Why are Democrats Abandoning Lieberman?; President Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Research Bill

Aired July 19, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode of GLENN BECK is sponsored by Crown Princess Cruise Lines. Crown Princes Cruise Lines, it may be a floating death trap, but we promise no Kathy Lee Gifford.
GLENN BECK, HOST: All right. I got up this morning. I turned on the TV, and I saw the people being evacuated from Lebanon, and I thought a couple of things. First of all, I mean, some people still are vacationing there in the Middle East in the first place?

But then as I watched the story, I find myself drifting away, and I`m not really interested in this. I`m really not. It`s removed from me. I don`t really have that much to say about it, honestly. I thought this is not the story.

This is the story. And I found it on page six of the paper. Hezbollah is targeting us. Gee, if you`re a television show, which one would you lead with?

We`ll have more on the wacky Hezbollah and their promise to vaporize the world a little bit later in the show. Let me tie it altogether here with what you saw behind me. I told you yesterday you can`t negotiate with nut job people. Even if you do try to negotiate with them, they`re not going to stop.

Right before World War II began, I remember this story today of Winston Churchill. That in the beginning Germany was building war planes, and Churchill was in parliament. And he kept coming to parliament, saying hey, guys, we need to stop Germany, and they made fun of him. Everybody thought he was crazy a warmonger, hate monger. Sound familiar?

As a result they ostracized him from parliament, told him, "You`re an older statesman. Why don`t you go retire?"

Germany, in the meantime, was allowed to grow and gather strength. We almost lost World War II for two reasons. One, nobody listened to Churchill. Nobody was listening to the warnings, so they didn`t prepare. They didn`t want to. And nobody in the United States wanted to go to war for the same reasons. They had already been through one. They were tired. They didn`t want to think about war.

Look, I don`t want war either. I think it`s horrible, but we`re already in the middle of one, whether you like it or not, and I`m not talking about the Iraq war. It is time to prepare mentally and physically prepare.

You know, since 9/11 people have been saying this is not a holy war. I`ve heard it from the president: "It`s not a holy war." Bull crap it`s not a holy war. It`s not on our side, but it is to radical Muslims versus the rest of us. They started it, and we need to finish it.

Let me give you this analogy. Let`s say your house was on fire, and you call up 911 and say, "I need the firemen." The firemen come. Would you be cool with, if they came and they just got rid of a little bit of the fire?

Because that`s what we`re talking about do with Hezbollah. Let`s just get rid of a little bit of Hezbollah. Of course not. You`d look at the firemen like they were out of their mind. You`d say, "No, I think you need to put out the entire fire, make sure every ember is out. And that`s what needs to be done with Hezbollah."

Now, tonight here`s what I do know. I read an article yesterday that made fun of me for talking about World War III. I`m a warmonger. You know what? Make fun of me all you want as long as you write about what`s coming.

There are always people who don`t just get it. They`re the ones, I think, who you know, always think that America will always be in this position. She`ll always be strong. Our Founding Fathers thought this experiment would last 25 years. We`re due for an earthquake.

I also know that some people don`t want to get it. I kind of fall into that category, honestly. It`s scary to think about what could be on the horizon. I`d rather watch "American Idol". But I also know that some people don`t get it, because they think we deserve it.

Well, let me tell you something: one thing I know absolutely sure, above anything else, is that we don`t deserve it. These people are dead wrong. Here`s also what I don`t know tonight. I don`t know what the straw is that`s going to be -- that will break the camel`s back. What will be the Archduke Ferdinand moment for World War III?

I also -- my wife and I talked about it last year, and I know this makes me a freak. But I don`t know how to prepare for World War III. I`ve been preparing mentally. I`ve got a backpack in my -- in the back of my car, you know, in case the power is taken down. But I haven`t prepared or even thought about World War III and what it looks like. Is that underground bunker time? What is that exactly?

And finally, I don`t know who our friends are. Who`s going to have the spine to stand up and say, "Evil stops here"? I don`t see a lot of people with spines. I`d like to do a fund-raiser for spines, grab some out of some other people and send them to down to Washington and send them to leaders all around the world.

Bob Baer has spent 20 years with the CIA. He specializes in the Middle East.

Bob, World War III -- by the way, hi, Bob, how are you?

BOB BAER, FORMER CIA AGENT: Hi. How`s it going?

BECK: Very good. World War III breaks out. Who is actually going to have the spine to stand with us?

BAER: Right now the only country that we`re allied with in this whole equation is Israel. And everybody else is standing by the sidelines.

BECK: Well, hang on just a second. And I would say back to you what about Great Britain? What about India and Pakistan?

BAER: We`ve got Great Britain. We`ve got India, and we`ve got General Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. But they`re not sending forces in. The British do not want to touch this war in Lebanon.

And I agree with you, this is -- could be the trigger for World War III, and it`s not going to look like World War II at all.

BECK: OK. All right. Well, then help me out and tell me who my friends are and tell me why these people are our friends or our enemies or they stand on the sidelines and stab us in the back, because they`re spineless worms? Let`s go through -- let`s go through Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, there`s no way these people are our friends. Are they our allies, axis or are they spineless?

BAER: They`re spineless. They do despise us at all levels of that country, the royal family included. They would like us to go away, but right now they`re terrified of Iran. And they know that if things go badly in Iraq or much worse or go badly in Lebanon, the only people that can protect them is the United States, and this is why they came out against Hezbollah.

BECK: OK. Now Egypt is also coming out against Hezbollah, which it looked like a hopeful sign. Are they allied, axis. When the crap hits the fan -- I`m talking -- I`m projecting out here and saying OK we`ve had our Archduke Ferdinand moment. Are they allied, axis or spineless?

BAER: Spineless. They will support a Palestinian insurrection in the West Bank and Gaza.

BECK: Egypt. I`m sorry, China?

BAER: China is a major culprit, in this missile that hit the Israeli boat on Friday was made in China. It`s based on the Silkworm. It`s a missile that`s very hard to defeat. It was sold from China to Iran, Tehran. The Chinese knew what they were doing.

BECK: It went from China -- it went from China to Iran to Hezbollah?

BAER: To Hezbollah. That`s the route. And we know -- we`ve been watching this for yours. The weapons are either coming through Syria or Turkey, going directly to Hezbollah, and no one has stood up and says stop this.

BECK: OK. So wait a minute. So what do you put them at? They`re axis or are they spineless, China?

BAER: I think they`re part of the axis. They want to see us go down.

BECK: OK. Because I`m having a hard time -- I`m having a hard time deciding what`s the difference between axis and spineless, because you just said Egypt was spineless but yet they`re going to support. I mean, that`s not -- that`s not, you know, Switzerland. I`m looking for Switzerland. Spineless. The people that you talk about are going to support our enemies.

BAER: Absolutely they`re going to -- they`re supporting them. Russia is today. It`s simple. The Russians are saying, "Listen, if we can humiliate the United States in the Middle East, close off the oil taps, that leaves us and our oil." They continue to send weapons to the bad guys and so do the Chinese.

BECK: Let me try to find -- I`m going to try to move through some of these quickly. England, are they spineless in the end, or do they send troops when the crap hits the fan?

BAER: They send -- they send troops, but they can only -- they`re limited in the help. We`re basically alone there.

BECK: What happens to -- what happens to countries like England if the crap hits the fan with their Muslim population? I mean, these guys are in real trouble, aren`t they?

BAER: They`re in real trouble. I was just in England talking to these people, and they were less open than Hezbollah was with me, Hamas and all the other Palestinians. They were deeply hostile to the United States and to the British government. They cannot count on the loyalty to these people, because they`re Muslims first with their Muslims dying.

BECK: So wait a minute, Bob. We have more countries. We`re just going to have to pick it up some other time, because I`m sensing a real problem here. We`re alone. I mean, we`re alone. How do you possibly win that?

BAER: I don`t know. I`m pessimistic, because remember, Hezbollah has not even started -- no kidding. Hezbollah has not even started terrorism. They can start kidnapping Americans in Lebanon. They have the capability of bringing down commercial airlines, and they will with their back to a wall.

BECK: We`re going to have to take a break, Bob. Thanks. In a minute we`re going to -- we`re going to talk to you about a couple of things about Hezbollah and what they`re planning to do here in America.

Also, next Democrats, why are they trying to crucify Joe Lieberman? Because he`s right, that`s why. Don`t go anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Why are you not the president of the U.N.? Why isn`t Miss Brazil now running the U.N.? We`ve got Kofi Annan when we have Miss Brazil? You ever talk to these beauty queen winners? They`re brilliant. They`re very, very smart. Not all of them, but some of them really are. How come they`re not running the country? They`re running the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Before the break, I asked the question, Winston Churchill, is he even around? Who`s listening to him if he is?

We`re looking for the kind of people that stand up for what they believe in, no matter who might disagree with them, no matter what the consequences.

Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman may be that kind of guy. You know, I`ve had my differences with Joe Lieberman. Joe and I are friends. We`ve known each other for an awful long time. I`m a conservative. He is a Democrat, but I live in Connecticut and voted for the guy.

You know, part of my problem with Joe Lieberman is he is an absolute loyal foot soldier, man. He`s been a champion of the state of Connecticut for 18 years. He was also Al Gore`s running mate in 2000. He disagreed with a lot of what Al Gore said, but he was a good foot soldier.

You don`t get more blue state than this guy, yet, he disagrees with his party on a pretty big issue, and that is the war in Iraq. The Democrats are going nuts.

There is a campaign now started by the radical left trying to get Lieberman to lose his primary August 8. What kind of big tent is that, man? Joe, come on out of the Democratic Party if that`s what -- how they`re going to treat you.

In the other party, the Republicans, they`ve got Log Cabin Republicans. You`ve got a bunch of conservatives and homosexuals together. How does that work out? That`s the way it`s supposed to be, a big tent. If you`re a Democrat and you don`t fall in line with the rest of your party, here`s the message they`re currently sending you: you`re finished. You tell me who`s wagging the dog here.

Political analyst Steve Gill joins me now.

Back in `92, Steve, you were with the White House -- you were appointed to White House fellowship and served with both Bush and Clinton.

STEVE GILL, POLITICAL ANALYST: The Clinton administration is still embarrassed by that fact, I think.

BECK: Lieberman is losing ground.

GILL: Yes. I`m not sure I see the connection between him and Winston Churchill. He`s too skinny and doesn`t drink enough and isn`t, clearly, as colorful as Winston Churchill.

BECK: Right.

GILL: And yet you have a whole cast of characters, I think, also vying for the roll of Neville Chamberlain in this war on terror that most on the left are denying even is a war.

I do thing that Joe Lieberman, like Winston Churchill, though, is a voice in the wilderness saying let`s be reasonable here. In the past foreign policy has ended at the nation`s shores. We don`t quibble about defending our country, and for that sin the Democrats are trying to throw Joe Lieberman out of the party.

BECK: On my radio program, it was right after the Democratic convention the last time around. I made a comment and got all kinds of heat for it. I said the Democrats have lost their soul, and that`s the -- the moment was when they put President Jimmy Carter in with Michael Moore.

And I really truly believe there are a lot of the people in the Democratic Party thought they were using people like Michael Moore, and what happened was at that point Michael Moore and that -- and the extreme left was using the Democratic Party. They have lost their soul to the extreme left.

GILL: I don`t think they`ve lost it. I think they`ve sold it to the extreme left, and here`s the sad thing.

You have a situation now where the Democratic Party, at least the extreme wing of the Democratic Party, the mantra that they worship is who hates Bush more.

Joe Lieberman does not hate George Bush enough for the left in Connecticut. That`s why they want to throw him out. And when the only test of your loyalty to a party now is how much do you hate the president and his enemies are our enemies, you have what we seem to be seeing, which is the left being willing to even align themselves with terrorists because, well, Bush is against the terrorists, so we must be with them.

Bush is with Israel, so we have to oppose Israel. And it has really pushed them way off the cliff on the left.

BECK: Is it true that Hollywood is actually financing a good portion of money for his opponent?

GILL: They`re shifting a lot of money behind Ned Lamont in Connecticut, which is kind of interesting. You know, the left hates rich people unless it`s people who didn`t earn their money and get rich by earning it. They love the Kennedies. They know Ned Lamont because they inherited money and got rich the old-fashioned way.

If you actually earn it and get rich, they hate you. If you get it from other people, maybe become a trial lawyer, take it from people after they`ve earned it, the left loves you.

And that`s what they`ve got in Ned Lamont, a guy that can fund his own campaign and still is down a few points to Joe Lieberman, but certainly, with the money he`s able to throw into that race could catch up.

Here`s a great irony for you. What if Ned Lamont beats Lieberman in that Democratic primary and then Joe Lieberman runs as an independent and gets elected in the fall? Does he then vote with the Democrats who have just been bashing him to get them out of the party, or does he do what -- the opposite of what Jim Jeffords did when he became an independent? Does he vote at least operationally with the Republicans to put them back in power?

BECK: To me, that`s too much war gaming. No, no, seriously. I`m a guy who, I`ve got a life, man. I don`t care about politics for politics sake. I want to have these guys to actually do something, you know? I mean, that`s what I like about Joe Lieberman.

On this particular issue, he`s very, very clear on what he knows and what he believes, and he`s not going to take any crap for it. I will tell you this. And this is one of the reasons why I bring it up.

Democrats, I got news for you, and the Republicans. Let me say the same thing to you. You both have sold your souls. The Republicans, I don`t even recognize you anymore. You have all these spending programs, and everything is giant government and this is the first day that Bush pulls out a veto? I don`t even know who you people are anymore. Stand up for your values.

And the same thing with the Democrats. My grandparents died Democrats, because they just could not leave the party of FDR, and I got news for you, man. FDR is spinning in his grave like a lathe right now, a country that -- that has a bunch of politicians that don`t even want to stand up and defend themselves.

GILL: And as you mentioned at the outset of the show, we are in World War III. What`s going to be the Duke Ferdinand moment? I was actually over in the Middle East just a few weeks ago. Let me give you one example. What if all of a sudden we put troops in and get Osama bin Laden, but that knocks Musharraf out of power in Pakistan? Taliban, al Qaeda takes over? All of a sudden we`re in World War III big time.

BECK: Steve, thanks a lot. We`ll talk to you again.

GILL: Thanks.

BECK: You know, I do live in Connecticut. And you know, the people who are running against Joe Lieberman -- because it really is. I mean, the charges are just like -- it`s like eighth grade. You know, you listen to listen an eighth grade election. Who`s going to be the president of eighth grade?

Well, here you go. We`ve got an ad for you. Go ahead; run this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Joe Lieberman wants you to think that his 18 years of service as a U.S. senator actually means something, but here`s what he doesn`t want you to know.

Senator Lieberman likes to eat paste. Lieberman actually had cooties, twice. Joe and George sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

On August 8, vote for anybody but Joe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?

ANNOUNCER: Joe Mama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I`m Senator Joe Lieberman, and I`m actually offended by this message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, if you`re -- if you`re one of those people that think I`m just going to give up. I just can`t make it. Let me tell you a quick story. I`m a -- I`m a recovering alcoholic has-been, and I`m currently the third most listened to talk show host in America. It`s crazy, isn`t it? If I can do it, you can certainly do what you`re working on.

Pat Gray is at one of my affiliates in Houston, 950 KPRC.

Hi, Pat.

PAT GRAY, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Glenn. I`m good. How are you?

BECK: Well, I`m a little frustrated with Houston, quite honestly.

GRAY: Why?

BECK: Because that guy from -- I don`t even remember his name. Does anybody remember his name yesterday from the "Houston Chronicle"? And what`s his name? Harvey Rice.

GRAY: OK.

BECK: Made blood shoot out of my eyes yesterday. This guy couldn`t be more iffy, more journalistic, more "Well, I don`t know; there`s always two sides to evil."

And we were talking about the alleged, you know, shoe bomber guy. I don`t know what else to call him. He didn`t have a bomb on him, but he had an alarm clock. He had, you know, a battery, a hollowed-out shoe. He`s got a friend who`s on the terrorist watch list.

GRAY: Right.

BECK: I could go on, because there`s a lot more. And they just let him go on the plane.

GRAY: Yes.

BECK: And the guy from the "Houston Chronicle" was like, "Well, I don`t know if there`s anything wrong with that." What`s your take on this?

GRAY: Two words: "Houston Chronicle".

BECK: Right, OK.

GRAY: It`s like saying "New York Times".

BECK: OK.

GRAY: It`s about the same deal. Of course, there`s something to this. You know, if that would have been me or you, we`d be in jail probably. But because the guy is of Arab descent, they want to be -- they don`t want to profile. They don`t want to pretend like there was anything sinister going on.

BECK: Wait a minute. He is on -- he has a friend -- and this is the way the guy at the "Chronicle" actually tried to spin this last night. He`s got a friend who is on some sort of terrorist watch list, and the guy actually said to me, "Well, that doesn`t mean he knows what his friend is doing". What? What?

GRAY: Many of us have friends on the terror watch list.

BECK: Right. That could happen any time.

GRAY: You know, we have a terror watch list barbecue in my backyard twice a year.

BECK: Holy cow! Yes.

GRAY: We put the hoods on.

BECK: Speaking of hoods, because you`re such a hatemonger, what else are you hacked off about?

GRAY: I`m hacked off about the United States paying for these evacuations in Lebanon, aren`t you? I mean, first of all, what happened to personal responsibility? Can I say that on CNN?

BECK: Yes.

GRAY: Personal responsibility.

BECK: Yes. You can only in this hour.

GRAY: They`ve been -- they`ve been warned. They`ve been told, and there`s travel warnings. They see the news; they watch TV. Do they think maybe there`s danger? Get yourself out of there. Get your family out of there.

BECK: Yes. You know, I -- I -- the thing -- the one thing on this evacuation that drove me nuts today is that we usually charge people to get them out.

GRAY: Right. Right.

BECK: We`re going to do this one for free.

GRAY: Got to be free. And we were going to charge them 150 bucks. That`s not enough to fill up the gas tank on a Ford Excursion. A hundred and fifty bucks.

BECK: What are we thinking?

GRAY: It`s unbelievable. And then, so they get the free evacuation, and then they have the nerve to complain about it. They`re whining about the evacuation crews not being up to their standards.

BECK: Well.

GRAY: "The vichyssoise was cold. My lobster bisque, it was almost all bisque and no lobster. I don`t have a mint on my pillow. I can`t put up with this. Evacuate us in a cruise (ph)."

BECK: All right. Pat, we`ve got to run. Nine fifty KPRC. Listen to Pat every morning. Thank you so much, Pat. Talk to you again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know what it is? Because I`m an optimist and you`re an optimist. We don`t want to believe the worst. How many people just think, "Oh, America will always go on. It will always be like this. Oh, it will get bad. We`ll have rocky points"?

Are you kidding me? Didn`t we learn anything after 9/11? We could lose it in the blink of an eye on a beautiful sunny Monday morning or Tuesday. In the blink of an eye, you could be flushed down the toilet, and we could lose everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Do you ever watch the news, and you`re looking at stuff, and you`re like, "Why would I even care about that story?" I`m going to try to boil down the top three stories that I think are important, what the stories are and why I think they affect your life.

I mean, this one is pretty obvious. I did have to look on page six of the paper to find it. "Hezbollah is targeting U.S." Hello, holy war? They`re going to release, you know, their sleeper cells in Boston, Washington, New York, and Detroit. If I need to tell you why this story is important, I mean, we got bigger issues.

The next one was in the front page of the "New York Times." It`s the so-called mercy killings in New Orleans. What is it? Doctor and two nurses accused of killing four hospital patients after Katrina with a mix of drugs. The Louisiana attorney general says all four of them would have survived.

There`s a story with one 90-year-old woman who just said, "Ow, it burns." They didn`t tell them they were killing them. The lawyers say, oh, they didn`t do anything wrong. They`re angels in the night. Really?

Why do I care? Why should you care? Because of the compassion connection. Compassion always gets you into trouble as it stands by itself. It can`t be the only factor. There is right and wrong.

I want you to go to the Internet tonight, and I want you to look up Nazi code name T-4. It wasn`t the Nazis in the black uniforms. The Holocaust began with doctors and nurses in the white uniforms, compassion.

And the third big story is, of course, this one on the stem-cell research. One day after Congress sent him a bill expanding federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, George Bush decides to do something he hasn`t done in five years as president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect, so I vetoed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Here`s what you may not know, a little forgotten fact: It was George Bush who opened the doors for federal funding. He was the first president to fund it, just not research that destroys living human embryos.

Side note: Bill Clinton in 1995 opposed funding some stem-cell research on embryos specifically created for experimentation on moral and ethical grounds. Aren`t these two guys, Republican and Democrat, saying exactly the same thing?

Nobody has been talking about banning it. The only issue is whether America taxpayers should be forced to pay for it. Call me crazy, but I seem to recall we have this little system called capitalism that can fund the research.

What, are we fresh out of companies that want to make a buck curing cancer? Pfizer, hello? Go for it.

Now, why should you care? The hypocrisy drives me nuts on this. This is a clear-cut distortion of Bush`s record. This is a real issue. We are talking about making Superman walk or possibly killing life. That`s what the debate should be about, not bogus issues pulled out of the rafters just to be able to get somebody elected.

Jennifer Elisseeff, she`s from Johns Hopkins University, put politics and emotion aside for a minute. I don`t think most people don`t even begin to understand this. I know I don`t.

Take us down Stem Cell 101 here for a second. Why is it the stem cell that`s so important?

JENNIFER ELISSEEFF, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: Well, a stem cell can essentially become any specialized cell in the body. So if we look at what cells exist in our body, we have skin cells, we have cells in the heart, and we have cells in our bones. Those are all specialized cells.

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can grow and divide. And then, when they`re given the right signals, can become specialized cells, so...

BECK: Great. So tell me what the difference between that and like -- because I went into -- went into the hospital. My daughter was born nine weeks ago. And the doctor said, "Do you want to do a cord blood?" And I completely forgot all about it.

I did the quick research, and I spent unbelievable sums of money with Viacord and saved the cord blood of my daughter. And I asked the doctor before I did it, I said, "Is this even worth doing it? That`s a ton of money." And he said, "I can`t tell you for sure. We`re not sure if this is going to worthless or not."

What`s the difference between stem-cell blood and cord blood?

ELISSEEFF: Well, I`d like to start -- go back to the adult stem cells that we can harvest from various places. And I studied those in the laboratory, and we`ve actually been a little bit slow studying the cord blood cells, because various companies have really kept that technology, and we`re just slowly starting to research ourselves. So cord blood cells have some capability to be stem cells, but they`re still not embryonic stem cells.

BECK: OK, and what is the difference?

ELISSEEFF: Well, an embryonic stem cell comes from an embryo that is about three to five days old, and these cells can grow indefinitely and divide as unspecialized cells.

BECK: OK.

ELISSEEFF: And then if they`re given the right signal, they can become a new cell.

BECK: And no other cell can do that?

ELISSEEFF: That`s correct.

BECK: And are we absolutely sure -- I read some place that stem-cell technology, if you put these cells in there, there`s a chance now that they`re saying that it could lead to other disease. Is that true? Do we know enough about this yet?

ELISSEEFF: Well, we really don`t know enough yet, and that`s why we want to do more research. It`s an engineering problem. And I`m an engineer. And if we have these design constraints with the stem cell, we work on ways to solve it. So I think all of those problems are surmountable.

BECK: So the ethical debate here really is -- I mean, there are some people that think -- and I for one, I believe life begins with conception. What scares me is a group of white coats getting together and say, "Let`s start harvesting. Let`s start making life to destroy life."

Now, you`re dismissing, you`re giving me that, "Oh, you cute, little red-stater, what do you know?" But help me out.

ELISSEEFF: Well, I think we have to take one step at a time. And there are even some interesting things going on in very conservative countries, even supported by Catholic bishops, trying to understand, well, when does a frozen embryo for IVF, for example, when is it no longer good, and can we use that?

And then I`ve talked to other fertility people that say, well, the doctors, they will filter the embryos because they want to pick the ones that look the best, right? I wouldn`t want an embryo that looks not so good implanted in me.

BECK: Sure.

ELISSEEFF: And so those are embryos that are definitely fine for getting stem cells, but they`re not optimal to implant.

BECK: OK, let me just ask you this one question, and help me out and shape this, because really I don`t have an answer on this. But where I stand on this is: We don`t know enough at this point. There are all kinds of ethical debates on this, et cetera.

I`ve got news for you: I am afraid of harvesting. Because we lose our moral compass all the time. But the question that I have is: Why wouldn`t we let the private sector take this on their back as opposed to the government?

ELISSEEFF: Well, if you look at the newspapers today, you actually see some interesting controversies about companies funding science. So I think it`s a little bit dangerous, because when companies fund it, it`s very targeted for a product. And it`s often for the answer the companies want to see.

BECK: I think that product would sell if it cures cancer or it makes people walk. Thank you very much, Doctor. I appreciate your time.

ELISSEEFF: Thank you.

BECK: Now, stem cells are important and everything, but, I mean, shouldn`t our government really be leading the charge on something that really affects all of us?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

Hello, Erica, what`s happening today?

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, Glenn. This is a story I know is definitely going to get you interested. There`s a new way -- this company has come out with what they say is a new way to keep an eye on convicted sex offenders: Iris scans.

The technology isn`t new; it`s the usage that is. One North Carolina county apparently going to start using the biometric technology this week. That`s according to "Newsweek."

Here`s the idea. The company is hoping they`ll build up a countrywide database of every registered sex offender irises, because this is kind of like your fingerprint. It`s a unique biometric identifier. So in theory, a police officer could be...

BECK: Can I stop you for a second?

HILL: Yes.

BECK: I just -- this is for child molesters?

HILL: Yes.

BECK: It`s for the retina, their eye?

HILL: Yes.

BECK: Does it involve burning their eyes out?

HILL: No, I don`t think that`s included in the business plan.

BECK: Not really interested. When you get to the burning of their eyes out, you let me know. Hey, did you see this? "OK" magazine.

HILL: You know, I heard that you gave me a nice shoutout in that magazine from one of our bosses.

BECK: Oh, I did give you a shoutout, baby, celebrity magazines with me in it.

HILL: Thanks, doll.

BECK: They`re so desperate for celebrities. It says, "Who would you put in your news entourage?" We were talking about the TV show "Entourage." Who would you put in your news entourage? I said I`d want Steven Colbert, Steve Carell, and our own Erica Hill, but I`d also like Larry King as a designated driver.

HILL: I like that, so Larry King plays the part of Turtle from "Entourage"?

BECK: Pretty much. Pretty much. Except Turtle wants to hang out with everybody else in the entourage. I don`t think Larry wants to hang out with me.

HILL: If Larry knew us, he would love us.

BECK: Yes, he would. Erica, we`ll see you again.

HILL: See you later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Maybe it`s just me, but one job I`m totally unsuited for would be, you know, assassin for fire. Although you would never see me coming. That`s the role Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding takes in his new thriller, "Shadowboxer." It opens this weekend. Fair warning: This one`s rated-R for language and nudity and violence. Wait a minute, a contract killer and it has violence in it?

It turns out his character is the contract killer with a conscience. Joining me now from Los Angeles is Cuba Gooding, Jr. Probably not the movie, Cuba -- by the way, it`s weird -- first of all, I`m a fan, man. What an honor to talk to you.

CUBA GOODING, JR., ACTOR: Oh, stop it, Glenn. Thank you, man. Good to be here.

BECK: No, no. Thank you. And I feel bad, because I have always called you Cuba, and I have been told -- and we had this argument. There were like 30 people around this big table today and we were arguing back and forth, "No, it`s Cuba. No, it`s not, it`s Cuba." Now we can now.

GOODING, JR.: Like a hard "q," brother. A hard "q."

BECK: A hard "q." Tell me about the movie.

GOODING, JR.: Well, yes, like you said very well I play an assassin for hire who`s an ex-boxer. And I think that`s the only connection it has to boxing. He uses boxing workouts as an emotional release, and my character is very introverted emotionally. And it`s his relationship he has with Helen Mirren`s character, who kind of rescued me from an abusive father when I was young around seven, and raised me, and now to have, well, a sexual relationship. So there`s a few twists and turns with the movie.

BECK: I mean, I can`t help but ask you, because I`m a freak. I`m sorry, but I`m a freak. I`m more interested in people`s stories, honestly, because it`s just -- you kind of -- when you know a person`s pivot point in their life, just a whole new story opens up.

Movies about redemption, where do stand on that? Have you had a turning point in your life? Have you said, "Whoa, did I screw this up and I really need a turn"?

GOODING, JR.: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. You know, I can go from childhood, to schooling, to my professional career as an actor. I mean, there`s always been certain epiphanies I`ve had about the direction I should go in.

I remember, you know, to take it light, I can say I was into football and I thought I`d go off to college, and maybe one day become a professional football player, and had to make the decision that that`s not going to happen. So, you know, I like performing, and I won`t sign up for, you know, the pro-team, you know, the senior team that year in high school, and then I just took drama classes and went that way.

Then there was after winning the Academy Award, it was like I thought I wanted one thing out of my career and went after that, and finally had to come to terms with what I felt as an artist, the decisions I wanted to make, and who I wanted to be, and what my voice was as an actor.

BECK: Have you found your voice? I have to tell you, your voice spoke to me so clearly. One of my favorite movies -- and actually, after I saw one of your movies, I bought an airplane ticket and I flew to another state to meet Radio because of you.

GOODING, JR.: Wow.

BECK: I was so impressed. I have a daughter who has cerebral palsy, and I was so impressed. And I know you spent time with a coach and at the school. That is the most amazing school I think I`ve ever seen. What a great spirit there.

GOODING, JR.: It really is. And it`s like you think of this guy who has all of these imparities and lack of communication verbally, but yet he communicates to people on such a universal level that his story has affected everybody who comes into contact with him.

And it was funny, when we were shooting that movie, there was a little bar in Charleston that I go hang out in. And there was a couple of college kids. They said, "Hey, Cuba, what are you doing in town?" I said I`m doing this movie about this guy, Radio.

"I went to school with him!" And then, before you knew it, the whole bar was talking about Radio. And I can`t tell you how many times that would happen, just during filming. You know, we didn`t shoot in Charleston. We shot, you know, two hours south of Charleston. So it was weird to run into people, you know, that he had affected.

And then there would be older people that said they went to high school with him and younger people that went to high school with him. That was weird, because he`s been in high school for what -- I don`t remember the statistics, but it was like 30-something years or something.

BECK: How do you stay normal? I mean, here you are, here you`re a guy, you`re an Oscar winner. No, I mean, I`m just being -- you`re an Oscar winner. You`re a superstar. You`re, you know, a good-looking guy. You`ve got more money than I believe the holy family, maybe not God, but the holy family. How do you stay grounded?

GOODING, JR.: Matter of opinion. See, I think I`m grounded, but you talk to my wife, you talk to some of my buddies, it`s like, "He`s nuts. The kid`s nuts. Grab him."

BECK: So you`re really not going down there? You`re really not sure you`re grounded or not?

GOODING, JR.: No, I don`t. You know, and you have to be insane in this business, man. I mean, one day I`m, you know, a soldier in a battlefield with airplanes flying by shooting at them or whatever, and the next day I`m picking up dog poop.

BECK: Yes, it`s...

GOODING, JR.: So, I mean, you know, it`s like my reality is a little twisted.

BECK: Did your life change at all when you won the Oscar?

GOODING, JR.: Oh, yes, sure. You know, the money got a little better, and you know, that pedigree affords you certain privileges in the acting community.

But there was also a really high expectation to the work, and then the judgment that was put on where I feel now I`m 10 times the actor I was when I won the Academy Award, but that comes through learning through experience and life and stuff. So it was interesting. It was like the flame was turned up real quick, and then I was still young and making decisions...

BECK: You got another win in you, you think?

GOODING, JR.: We`ll see, you know.

BECK: So great to talk to you, sir. Best of luck. And the movie comes out this weekend. It`s "Shadowboxer."

GOODING, JR.: "Shadowboxer." Lee Daniels` directorial debut.

BECK: Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Hey, listen, if there`s anybody out here that can help me get information on herbal weight loss remedies or get me hooked with some son of a former Nigerian kind looking to share his fortune, would you e-mail me please at GlennBeck@CNN.com. Unfortunately, I just keep getting comments like this one on the show.

This one is from Chad in Tampa. He says, "Glenn, I`ve been sick and forced to stay at home watching the news. And I just can`t take it anymore. If we`re indeed on the edge of World War III, could you please show a few more chicks, and puppies, and kittens on the show? I`m 35 and about to have a stroke."

Yes, believe me, Chad, I got to tell you, I`m with you, brother. Just looking at the news, hasn`t it been about as uplifting as a couple of hours at your nephew`s wake?

The fighting in the Middle East, it`s been raging on with more attacks on both sides, with a reported 300 dead, 1,000 injured in Lebanon alone since the start of the violence. And because of that, no one`s paying attention to this: It`s a tsunami which killed at least 550.

But where`s the little chicks? I like your little feathers, yes, you do, yes.

Oh, yes, and in North Korea they could be launching more missiles at any moment. That`s great. And then, over in South Korea, South Korea, oh, look at this Bambi. Bambi, what are you doing little cutie? Yes, don`t go by the DMZ. Don`t do it, Bambi, don`t.

Things are so bad that even people have been biking over cliffs on the Tour de France. Watch this. Oh, wow. I think I need some footage of the cute kitties there. Show me the kitties. Where`s the kitty cat? No, not that one! That`s the two-faced kitty, man. That kitty is freaking me out. I had nightmares about that kitty.

Show me the banana fish. Do we have the banana fish? Where`s the banana fish? Yes, half-fish, half-banana. You look at that and how can you not feel better? Of course, now I`m thinking about, you know, like toxic waste.

OK, now, that`s making me feel better, assuming that`s chocolate. I mean, that could be covering door stops and I`d be eating it, man. Oh, yes, that`s the kind of guy I am. Oh, I think I`ve gained just about five pounds just in the last moment, between the banana fish, which would be the perfect food, wouldn`t it? You got your fish and your fruit all in one. What would the mating process be like? Let`s not go there.

Let me just remind you, you can see me or hear me on the radio tomorrow or online at glennbeck.com. We`ll see you then, you sick, twisted, banana fish freaks.

END