Best of the Program | Guests: Sen. Mike Lee & AG Ken Paxton | 1⧸29⧸24
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Summary
On today's show, Glenn and Stu are joined by conservative commentator Mike Lee to discuss the latest in the NFL, the border crisis, and more. They also discuss abortion, the Preborn Ministry, and the war in the equator.
Transcript
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Yeah, and we do that every day, but then they keep popping up.
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We are here to fix it and stop screwing it up, okay?
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So, yes, we sound a little like the people in Davos, but we're smarter than they are.
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We wouldn't have a problem, Stu, and I think you agree with me.
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We wouldn't have a problem with all these people, right?
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You get the Southern Hemisphere, I'll get the Northern Hemisphere.
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We're going to have troops all over that thing.
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But it'll be your fault, because I'll have found out that your half of the world has been
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So, we talk a little bit about the border, about war.
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We have Mike Lee on with us as well today, so you don't want to miss a second of today's
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One of these days in our lifetimes, hopefully, you'll see the abolition of abortion.
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Our history books are going to write about this time, the generational trauma, the breakdown
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of families, the destruction of basic morality, and how we ended it and survived or didn't.
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So, what role can you play in bringing God's favor upon us?
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For now, the best thing we can do is join, I think, the Ministry of Pre-Born.
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They stand every day for the helpless among us.
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They provide free ultrasounds and post-natal help for up to two years.
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When an expecting mom hears her baby's heartbeat for the first time, chances are she'll choose
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But then, she still has that, but I don't have any help.
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That's when they say, we're there for the next two years for you and the baby.
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You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck program.
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President Joe Biden is embracing tougher border measures, including shutting down the U.S.-Mexico
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border, marking a stark shift from his early days in office as he tries to fend off former
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President Donald Trump's attacks on immigration policy.
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Hours after Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, warned on Friday that the emerging border deal
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in the Senate was dead on arrival, Biden offered this message to House Republicans.
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CNN translates, securing the border through these negotiations is a win for America.
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For everyone who is demanding tougher border control, this is the way to do it.
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If you are serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.
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Now, CNN goes on to explain over the course of his administration, Biden has leaned on more
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restrictive measures to try to stem the flow of migration.
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But Friday's statement revealed a tougher stance as the president tries to control the issue
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Well, I have worked all weekend long on a bipartisan bill.
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Now, I'm going to do something that the politicians won't.
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I'm going to show it to America and then we could debate and discuss it.
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I've written it down and I'm waiting for the president's signature.
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It just says, we will enforce all federal laws at all borders at all times.
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Well, what if we just don't do it on the southern border?
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I know, but I'm trying to negotiate with you here, Glenn.
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How about we won't enforce all federal laws at all borders?
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I look like eight people combined and I'm the gang of eight.
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And I'm just looking at this and I see it signed by President Joe Biden.
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And he said, But he tends not to enforce the laws.
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And I said, I know that's why this is a pinky promise that says he will enforce the laws.
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So, I have an amendment I would like to offer from one of the voices in my head.
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And so, he signs this one that says, you know, I'll enforce the federal laws at all borders at all times.
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I will actually enforce the law I just signed by Joe Biden.
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I feel like we might get into a little bit of a Russian doll situation here.
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So, I just don't think that, you know, that we need any of those special emergency powers, you know.
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These are just akin to the ones that were introduced during COVID.
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So, first of all, the laws like COVID, you mean the ones that the Biden administration fought so hard to overturn?
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Because I remember Trump did put in a bunch of restrictions.
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And the entire debate of the early administration was how fast he could get them removed.
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No, this is just giving them the emergency power to put those or any other kind of things that they might think of in.
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And, of course, that doesn't affect people who are saying they're persecuted.
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And if you come in the front door, we just don't want you climbing through the windows.
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By the way, you know, some would think, hey, this sounds really bad.
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Some, including you-know-who, this sounds to me like a Mexican standoff.
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And I was in my head going, hey, stop that language.
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I will say I want to see the animated film, Inside Out, about your head and all the different personalities in there having these arguments.
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Anyway, you know, we are at a place now where the federal government, you know, at any time could say, hey, we don't appreciate it, Texas, and do more than, oh, I can't even say that.
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My gosh, I have grown so callous that I would even suspect that Friday, the president coming out and saying, we're stopping all natural gas exportation from the United States of America for the next year, not only really pissed off our allies because they need it, but I was just about to go down this very callous road.
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And I apologize in advance for thinking that that may have happened on Friday because the two states that would be punished would be Texas and Florida.
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Now, to assume the president would do something like that is just to have him say, CNN would translate, I want to make things better for the people in Texas.
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That's why I'm going to shut down 30% of all of America's supply just coming out of Texas.
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I think I could have felt targeted by the president, but I don't think that's what he's doing at all.
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So, you know, he's got border patrol that he commands.
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And then we have Greg Abbott, who he commands the National Guard.
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And then we have the president says, no, I'm the leader of the National Guard.
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And if he federalizes them, then, and this is a really great place.
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Soldiers love this when they're like, um, okay, I'm kind of in the middle of this.
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So I think I'm not going to do what the other guy tells me to do.
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You got to make sure you have different orders from different people and letting them decide individually.
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If they decide, well, then they should be tried.
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Are you going to shoot the Texas National Guard or the Texas law enforcement?
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Rank and file Border Patrol agents are not going to start arresting Texas National Guard members for following their lawful orders.
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Texas National Guard and rank and file BP agents work together and respect each other's jobs, period.
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The Texas National Guard members have lawful orders, and they have to carry out those orders.
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So the rank and file of the Border Patrol is kind of on the side of Texas.
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So this is where that crazy ambiguity thing happens.
00:12:01.960
Well, you know, if you wanted direct orders, you know, and you wanted this to be so much better for yourself, all you have to do is stop whipping migrants on horseback.
00:12:14.680
The Texas Border Patrol, they appreciated that.
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They appreciated when the president came out and said, hey, God, now, horse, you're slim like slavery.
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What I like, too, is how they, after it was proven without a shadow of a doubt that it didn't happen, they didn't bother correcting it.
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And I think that's important for a military's morale.
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It's like the marketing isn't working on new MAGA.
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Like, it didn't work when just saying they were MAGA, and then it didn't work when they said it was MAGA extremists.
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We're going to go to ultra MAGA mega Doppler extremists.
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It's like what they do with global warming, right?
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Like, they come out and they say, well, in 50 years, this could happen.
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And then when people are like, okay, tell me, get in touch with me in 49 years.
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And they're like, oh, it's actually happening right now.
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Now, this is the best of the Glenn Beck program.
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So, I just have to say, I read your letter to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department
00:14:05.540
of Homeland Security, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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This particular paragraph, I would like to quote, you are talking to a man who the Department
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of Homeland Security and the federal government has said, we have government land, and you're
00:14:24.940
not letting us use and access our government land so we can get down to the river.
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You said, second, you say the United States acquired a perpetual easement from the city of
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What I said last week about the 2015 MOA, I'll say again now about your latest claim.
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Quote, Texas never approved that transaction as required by Article 4, Section 10 of the
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Your federal agency cannot have something that it was not the city's right to give.
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You are invited to read that document here, and you hyperlink to the Constitution.
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But even if the 2015 MOA were somehow valid, you're not seeking access consistent with its
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The non-exclusive easement from 2018 is attached for your convenience.
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Its express purpose is to allow maintenance of a road along the river, including the right
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to trim trees or other obstacles within the roadway.
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Elsewhere, the 2018 easement prohibits the United States from making any permanent improvements
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other than roadway without written city approval.
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If your federal agency wishes to help municipal officials with tree trimming and road maintenance
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stores, I suspect they would appreciate the help.
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The 2018 easement, however, nowhere contemplates allowing the federal government to deploy infrastructure
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that President Biden will use to wave thousands of illegal aliens into a park that will continue
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to be and used and enjoyed for recreational events.
00:16:11.720
I mean, it's just, it's not complicated and they keep misstating what actually is true.
00:16:18.120
And you know that about the border and then about this particular case, because the law
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And so they make unfounded claims about how it's their property and how they have an agreement
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with a city that's obviously not based in, in any fact.
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So anyway, it's, it's, it's the way they operate and how they've operated for three and
00:16:40.400
And we're going to hope that the electorate gets it and realizes how bad this is.
00:16:45.100
So, um, there's been people that saying that, um, none of this constitutional stuff was argued
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with the last case that was in front of the Supreme court.
00:16:59.620
You're, you're arguing an invasion backed up by eight different letters given to the president.
00:17:07.360
Um, this is, this is an attempt, I think, to get them into the Supreme court.
00:17:17.160
So, you know, it was what, 10, 12 years ago that Obama sued Arizona over their law, which
00:17:24.460
tried to protect Arizona and Roberts and Kennedy.
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And the three liberal judges came in and said, that's, you know, it's preempted by federal
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law, but it is true also that we've seen a very different border than we've ever seen.
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And the consequences of that decision has had a dramatically negative impact on the country.
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I don't even know if you can measure it both socially and economically, but it's also true
00:17:45.600
that it wasn't argued that there was an invasion.
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So this is a different argument in front of a very different court.
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And we're hopeful that we can get at least the five justices that are not Roberts and
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maybe even Roberts, if he starts realizing how bad that decision was.
00:18:02.160
So the, I mean, you have a, the only case that I think that they could make, uh, that
00:18:08.300
the American people would understand is, well, this is not an invasion.
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That's not what the constitution meant by invasion.
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And we could argue that point all day long and win a thousand times.
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Um, however, you're not the only one saying it now you have 25, uh, uh, governors saying
00:18:26.280
it and the state of Mexico is now saying that they fear there's an invasion of their company
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or country coming in from the Southern border, their Southern border.
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There's more people saying more recognizing as becoming common knowledge and common
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I don't think that any of these, uh, states would have joined the confederation or they
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And I don't think Texas surely at that time would have signed on if they, if they believed
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that the federal government could pass laws about people coming across the border and then
00:19:05.980
And then the state would be prohibited from defending their borders and they would have
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to allow all kinds of crime and who knows who can coming across the border, including
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I cannot believe that was the understanding of the time.
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So it's, it's, it's difficult for me to believe that's what the founders meant.
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And that's what really matters is what did the founders envision?
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So I want to go back to this because Ken Cuccinelli and others have said Paxton and Abbott are not
00:19:34.780
asserting the invasion clause in the border fence case.
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The one, we were sued by the federal government.
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So we had different arguments for different cases.
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You can quibble over how we use it, when we use it.
00:20:02.140
I guess if Ken wanted to write the briefs, he could come in and try to help us.
00:20:06.100
But the reality is, you know, we've got a pretty good team that's been pretty successful
00:20:11.020
So I guess you can always say, well, they're not perfect.
00:20:12.760
They don't get a hundred percent of the wins, but guess what?
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We don't get, we don't decide the cases either.
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So I don't necessarily think that, you know, if Ken had the pen on every case that he'd get
00:20:22.480
it all right either, or that we'd necessarily agree with him on every particular point.
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And it does, but it's my, and excuse me, I'm, I'm way, way out of my league on this one.
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But it seems to me that this is something entirely new.
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What happened last week after the decision that this is entirely new and you're trying
00:20:46.980
to either get the government to sue you or you in a place where you have to sue the government.
00:20:57.160
And we also have another law going into effect.
00:20:59.700
So we get the Buies case, we get the concertina wire case, which is still going despite the
00:21:03.920
fact that the Supreme court stopped the injunction.
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We still have that case going in the fifth circuit.
00:21:09.280
We also have, we're going to have, we've already been sued by the federal government and the ACLU
00:21:13.360
over a law that was passed, that goes into effect, passed by the legislature, state legislature
00:21:20.620
And it says that Texas can start deporting on its own.
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So that all of the, all of these cases are going to be opportunities for us to make the
00:21:30.500
Hey, this decision that you made in the past cannot be right.
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Given the consequences to our state, the federal government shouldn't be able to pass laws,
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then not enforce them and not, not, not enforce them.
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They're, they're actually aiding and abetting the cartels.
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And then we have to sit on the sideline and suffer the terrible consequences of that decision.
00:21:51.180
Ken, what happens if the president says, uh, I'm going to federalize the national guard.
00:22:02.360
There's a, obviously I think that's a bad decision.
00:22:05.680
I think it's also a bad decision for his election chances because his numbers on the immigration
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And he, if he takes over our national guard and makes it even harder for us to protect
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the border, then I think that hurts, it hurts him in the upcoming election.
00:22:26.480
Uh, does he want to continue to damage his reputation and his, uh, standing on the immigration
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issue or is he going to go forward with this policy that he has for the last three and
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a half years, which is dismantle every law that we have in place and help the cartels
00:22:40.720
accomplish their goals of getting as many people here as possible and, um, building their network
00:22:47.540
And he would probably have to nationalize the national guard for 25 different states because
00:22:57.200
So every state that sends a national guard, I would assume, I mean, that he would have
00:23:04.580
It's going to be very directed at the states and it's going to be very directed at helping
00:23:09.440
the cartels continue their operations on the border.
00:23:11.620
Do you think the LNG decision that came out, uh, this, uh, this weekend about, uh, natural
00:23:18.560
gas sales being curbed for overseas for the next year, do you think that was directed to Texas?
00:23:24.280
Oh, I have no doubt that there was at least a side, uh, side part of it.
00:23:29.540
They, you know, obviously they don't like any fossil fuels, even if they are clean burning
00:23:33.800
fossil fuels, they have, uh, they've enriched many people doing all this alternative stuff
00:23:40.500
At least not, it's not, it's not affordable for most, most Americans.
00:23:44.720
So, but there's no doubt in my mind, they were like probably enjoying the fact that it would
00:23:50.480
But I also think that's what the border is about.
00:23:52.160
They want to, not only is it about voting, that's the long, long term thing, but the
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other part of what they're doing is they're bringing people into our state so that we have
00:24:02.120
We have law enforcement costs, healthcare costs, we have education costs, and they know that
00:24:07.720
and they know that the Republican states have been successful versus the Democratic states.
00:24:11.600
And that's proven by people voting with their feet.
00:24:14.360
And I think they've, they're doing their best to damage and harm in any way possible, even
00:24:19.360
if it means higher crime, the Republican states.
00:24:22.920
So can, this is crazy conversation we're having.
00:24:29.420
It sounds so conspiratorial, but I don't have to, I can see what they're doing.
00:24:36.080
So for me to say that, I'm just commenting on nothing secret.
00:24:44.940
It's pretty obvious they're, they're bringing these people in because they want them to vote
00:24:48.320
and they want to be able to use them in their congressional drawing.
00:24:50.500
And it's pretty obvious that they know this will, that they'll bring these people to Republican
00:24:56.600
So Friday, there was this moment when the president said, you have 24 hours, uh, that it sounded
00:25:07.700
Um, and giving people the, I mean, we were entering times, if things go awry and like, God help
00:25:18.260
But if things go awry, you're going to have the ambiguity of, wait, do I answer that law
00:25:26.080
And it's, I mean, this is what a constitutional crisis looks like.
00:25:30.820
Um, do you, have you guys talked about that being a real possibility that he does something
00:25:47.780
It's, it's hard to imagine that he would somehow try to create some armed violent conflict.
00:25:57.140
If you, and if you think about it, people on the board, the border patrol agents, they're
00:26:01.540
They don't, they don't like what Biden's doing.
00:26:03.500
None of those people, they're all, they're all working together.
00:26:06.380
They know each other, whether they're national guard, state police, border patrol, they all
00:26:11.900
They're just being forced by Mayorkas and Biden to not just ignore the law, but to, as I said,
00:26:20.580
It is actually dismantling it and telling the cartels, we'll help you.
00:26:27.960
That's the way, you know, they used to try to sneak across.
00:26:29.820
Now it's like, we just bring as many people as you can.
00:26:33.880
So, you know, they're making 10 to $12,000 a person.
00:26:36.560
So it's very helpful to the cartels now, the Biden administration doing this.
00:26:40.280
And that's why they're incentivized to get it, to get as many people here as possible.
00:26:44.100
What do you think of the, uh, the trucker convoy?
00:26:52.320
I mean, the reality is anything that makes Biden blink and stop doing this and economic
00:26:58.500
consequences when things are not being shipped back and forth have an economic consequence.
00:27:03.840
And I mean, that's why we do economic sanctions.
00:27:05.760
And if this is the only way we can stop the terribleness, I don't have a problem with anything
00:27:09.740
like that, that affects commerce and sends a message by the administration.
00:27:13.520
It's like a strike, but, um, it sends a message.
00:27:16.360
I, I, I, I worry only because, uh, you know, up in Canada, look what they tried to do to
00:27:27.500
Um, and as long as there's no infiltrators there, um, they'll be fine.
00:27:34.780
The law enforcement will not be looking to pick a fight with the truckers.
00:27:40.860
They will actually, I think, be more in line with, if there is somebody out of line, they'll
00:27:46.480
arrest them quickly, but not necessarily blame it on the truckers unless the truckers were
00:27:53.500
I don't think we have the same mentality as the Canadians.
00:27:56.140
And, you know, I might say we, I'm sure the Biden administration does.
00:28:00.100
They're, they're in line with the Canadian government.
00:28:03.220
But I'm saying in general, law enforcement is not sympathetic to federal law being violated
00:28:12.980
What are you, um, what are you saying to the other 25 states?
00:28:16.600
And is there a chance any of the others, like Denver just said, we, we, we, we're out.
00:28:23.100
We can't, you got to get out of our homeless shelters because we can't afford to keep this.
00:28:27.880
Are, are any of the other states possible on joining?
00:28:33.580
Look, I think this is going past Republican Democrat.
00:28:36.620
You can see, you know, these sanctuary cities were created during the Trump administration
00:28:39.820
to complain about Trump's, uh, immigration, enforcing immigration law.
00:28:44.800
Then when Biden came in, all suddenly they get, they started getting a trickle.
00:28:49.080
I say trickle compared to what we have to deal with.
00:28:51.280
And suddenly they're realizing, wow, this is really expensive and it has high costs, both
00:28:56.480
And they realize this is not a good thing for our city.
00:29:00.660
And I think you're going to see more and more cities because they, they literally just not
00:29:04.100
enough money to pay for the entire cost of millions and millions of people moving into
00:29:11.700
And we're all going to be suffering for this for a long time.
00:29:14.400
And I think this hurts Biden in the upcoming election.
00:29:17.560
It hurts the country for obviously much longer than that.
00:29:22.480
That's always a special surprise in these things, but the bipartisan, uh,
00:29:26.460
bill that Biden is trying to get through any thoughts on that.
00:29:33.100
I don't want to give in and start allowing people in, in violation of our current laws.
00:29:38.720
It just supposedly you get a deal for something that actually hurts the country.
00:29:43.040
So I'm not for, I'm not, I'm not against immigration, but let's make sure that it makes
00:29:48.360
And we're not caving because the Biden administration has violated the laws for the last three and
00:29:53.260
And we're going to say, well, because he's letting in, you know, millions a year, we're
00:30:03.180
And if they want to change the law, make it something that's good for America.
00:30:07.100
Make it something that's, that makes the system more efficient.
00:30:10.440
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general on Texas constitutional right to protect its border.
00:30:28.320
Now we've asked Mike Lee to tone it down just a little bit to come on the program and
00:30:32.660
had to remind him that he is on an FCC regulated broadcast.
00:30:48.120
So I'd request that you don't say party animal again.
00:30:53.440
So, Mike, I wanted to get you on because nobody knows what's in this, this deal for the border.
00:31:06.400
Well, yeah, it's especially a problem because we're already being told that Republican senators
00:31:13.180
who dislike it are just opposing it to score cheap political points at the expense of national
00:31:20.300
We're told that this is a huge win for us by such, you know, Republican allies as the Washington
00:31:27.620
Post were being told all across the spectrum, you know, from Chris Murphy to Kyrsten Sinema
00:31:36.200
that this really is a clarion call for border security.
00:31:42.280
Now, if Chris Murphy had ever been on the cutting edge of those clamoring for border security
00:31:48.660
over the years, perhaps this would be easier to take it seriously.
00:31:55.860
But more importantly, Glenn, as you point out, I haven't seen the bill.
00:31:59.500
This is one of the most frustrating things in Washington.
00:32:08.320
I know you like old timey America as much as I do.
00:32:12.220
But do you remember seeing those kineoscope reels where there were debates on the floor
00:32:27.800
Well, we stopped doing kineoscopes when we developed videotape, but that's a different
00:32:32.720
But yeah, look, as far as telling the truth through the news media and the entertainment
00:32:37.740
media about what happens in Washington and trying to have a degree of objectivity, it's
00:32:46.100
Because it seems like so often those who are wanting to tell the story are wanting to tell
00:32:50.980
it from one angle and not necessarily give the whole picture and not necessarily give
00:33:03.140
The more complex the bill gets, this one that they're talking about is pretty darn complicated.
00:33:09.320
I wrote one earlier today that you could please introduce.
00:33:14.040
It just says, we will enforce all federal laws at all borders at all times.
00:33:20.960
It doesn't seem like it has to be very complex and include, quote, emergency powers.
00:33:28.980
Yeah, I'm a little skeptical of giving emergency powers.
00:33:36.440
So if they were to pass the bill that you just wrote, they would add air quotes or real quotes
00:33:49.600
And then that would leave it up to the executive branch to decide what exactly those things meant
00:33:55.460
The emergency powers one is especially concerning.
00:33:57.960
Anytime you grant emergency powers to exempt out or add to the powers that you are giving
00:34:05.580
to the president, you run into a lot of problems, which is why Congress needs to start passing
00:34:10.200
real legislation rather than just sort of platitudes.
00:34:16.200
Well, look, this is, this is part and parcel of the problem with this bill.
00:34:20.860
It's been written in secret by two or three, maybe four people.
00:34:27.100
And yet, it seems like half the country or at least close to half the Senate is now saying,
00:34:42.620
Uh, they've only told us a few minor details about it, things they've told us about, you
00:34:47.720
know, some of them seem like they could do some good, but they're offset by the fact
00:34:51.520
that they, they don't, they also contain language, um, uh, other provisions that could be abused.
00:34:59.140
And we could confirm or refute how disturbing these things are if they'd give us the bill,
00:35:05.880
So what happens is they give it to us at the last minute and say, you got to pass it.
00:35:12.200
Uh, does this also supposedly, um, contain extra money for Ukraine?
00:35:21.100
The whole point of this bill, it's a supplemental appropriations bill.
00:35:24.200
First and foremost, it's there to appropriate or spend money contains $106 billion that we're
00:35:31.260
going to spend and of that $106 billion, most of that is going to go to Ukraine.
00:35:37.000
Now, didn't Ukraine just this weekend announced that they're missing $40 billion that we gave
00:35:44.760
It all went to corruption in, uh, the military and the government.
00:35:53.720
You know, this is where you, you channel a Vida.
00:35:56.600
The critics will claim a little of the cash has gone astray, but that's not the point.
00:36:01.080
My friend, Andrew Lloyd Webber had that, right?
00:36:09.780
And also included in that Ukraine money is $11.75 billion.
00:36:16.040
It goes just to supporting the Ukrainian government.
00:36:19.800
Most of it to pay the salaries of the Ukrainian government, civil servants, and also pensions.
00:36:27.900
So this is just backfilling the, probably what is the most significant cost of their
00:36:37.700
Now, I've asked some of my colleagues, why would we want to include that?
00:36:40.760
Still haven't seen text on this, by the way, but we're told that it's in there.
00:36:43.680
And my colleagues, to my astonishment, said, well, Mike, it's expensive to be at war.
00:36:58.880
Look, we've given more military aid to Ukraine than any other country on Earth.
00:37:03.600
In fact, we've given more military aid to Ukraine through this conflict than every other nation
00:37:16.740
And when we print the money to do so, and others don't feel like doing it.
00:37:22.100
I assume there's a lot like you that will, if this bill comes out and contains all that stuff,
00:37:36.100
And one of the things that I've been saying is that it's important for Republicans to remember
00:37:41.900
that the Republican Party, the Republican Party in the Senate, we've got 49 of us.
00:37:48.240
Any subset of 41 of us could decide to hold this thing back and to make sure that it doesn't get any votes at all,
00:37:56.900
at least until such time that we're promised we'll be given enough time to read it
00:38:01.560
and enough time to amend it and vote on amendments.
00:38:04.300
We owe ourselves, each other, and the American people nothing less than that.
00:38:12.300
We've had a nice, nice run here for a while with Iran after we gave them billions of dollars,
00:38:24.660
We find out now with the help of the UN, the October 7th massacre.
00:38:30.340
And now because they have been lobbing missiles or they've been using drones like this weekend,
00:38:37.120
killed three of our people, injured another 25.
00:38:43.740
I, I, you know, Mike, you know, me, I'm, I'm fine with using military power when we can or should use military power.
00:38:55.940
Not if somebody punches the United States in the face, I'm going to punch back and break your nose.
00:39:03.520
Um, but this is not that kind of an administration.
00:39:15.960
There are certainly those in Washington clamoring for it and a case could be made for that.
00:39:23.020
But let me tell you what is the biggest, most troubling thing to me right now.
00:39:27.600
You've got a lot of people in at least two different branches of the federal government who are saying, go hit them now, bomb attack.
00:39:37.300
Um, my copy of the constitution says that Congress has to declare war.
00:39:42.940
The president can't just take us there on his own.
00:39:48.900
Uh, president's commander in chief of the armed forces, uh, under article two of the constitution.
00:39:54.660
And that's clear, but the minute we're going to undertake attack, undertake any kind of sustained
00:40:01.760
attacks, uh, on, on foreign soil, as opposed to a discreet action at one moment in order to
00:40:09.000
repel an attack on us, on our people, on our personnel, for example, it, the minute,
00:40:15.960
it goes, it goes beyond that where you're repelling immediately responding to an attack in motion.
00:40:22.540
But again, it's, it's really do need an authorization for the use of military force from Congress.
00:40:27.520
And the people who should be making that case are the ones for calling for the president
00:40:34.560
Um, you know, September, uh, sorry, December 7th, 1941, the very next morning, the president
00:40:42.700
was at the Capitol making the speech, December 7th, 1941, a day who shall live in infamy.
00:40:48.740
He gave that speech to a joint session so they could go back into their chambers, debate and
00:41:01.500
And you didn't have members of Congress out there saying, uh, attack, attack, attack with
00:41:08.560
In some ways we've got the worst of all worlds.
00:41:10.360
Uh, you know, it, it, it, it'd be helpful to have, uh, the president saying to come.
00:41:29.940
Oh, those people that control the world, you know, just buying the curtain.
00:41:53.560
So you were just saying we have the worst of both worlds now.
00:42:00.040
You know, the temperature in the rooms more than I do.
00:42:04.860
I think there is a possibility of that, but it is very difficult to predict how Congress
00:42:13.660
will react when the question is finally put before Congress.
00:42:22.300
We typically will bring in experts from the Pentagon, the CIA, from the State Department,
00:42:29.280
other places where people study these things and give us analyses about what the war would
00:42:34.140
look like, what the strategy would be, what the cost would be in terms of both blood and
00:42:45.500
But, you know, there was a time back in 2013, I believe, when President Obama decided at the
00:42:54.080
time, oh, I think we should go to war in Syria.
00:42:59.440
And he said, I think Congress should come back and Congress should consider the matter.
00:43:03.740
And if it agrees with me, then we should have an AUMF on Syria.
00:43:08.840
Um, we came back to Washington, uh, because we're in recess and we were in recess at the
00:43:14.760
time and we studied the, the, the matter quite thoroughly.
00:43:18.480
At the end of that, um, it was, um, quite a consensus among and between members of Congress
00:43:30.540
And so that's why I'm cautious in predicting where it's going to go.
00:43:33.500
If we do this the right way, it's very difficult to predict because war ought to be a steadied,
00:43:41.220
I understand what happened in 1941 and that made sense for them to do it as quickly as
00:43:46.400
they did that, uh, given, uh, what was at stake there, given the fact that Pearl Harbor
00:43:51.520
had been an attack, uh, on a U S territory, a very, very big one, no less.
00:43:57.660
And I don't mean to, to minimize the taxes that have been sustained on U S forces in recent
00:44:02.860
weeks, but you've got to consider every circumstance differently.
00:44:07.400
And, uh, I, I think there is a possibility of war here, but if we're going to do it, we've