The Glenn Beck Program – “Best of the Program” | January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

Glenn Beck’s January 13, 2026 "Best of" episode offers his signature blend of passionate American storytelling and fierce critique of the systems that govern modern political and economic life. The show’s main theme centers on accountability—specifically focusing on the role of banks, government agencies, and leadership in major scandals, corruption, and societal decay. Beck weaves metaphorical storytelling (notably the “Ming and Mo” apple farm analogy) with current events in Minnesota, reflections on global financial tricks, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jihad on the Banks (02:32 – 12:04; returns throughout)

• Theme: Beck launches a "jihad" (crusade) on banks, asserting that global financial institutions enable and profit from corruption and criminality, from illicit oil deals to laundering fraudulently obtained funds.
• Banking Metaphor: He uses a detailed analogy about “Mo and Ming’s Apple Farm” as a parable for Iran’s clandestine oil sales to China and the complicit maneuvers banks use to skirt sanctions and laws.

Notable Quotes:

“This is why I’m on a jihad for the banks... Seemingly every day I find another reason to look at these banks and say we got to clean these places out.” — Glenn Beck (12:04)

2. The Parable of Mo and Ming – Explaining Iran, China, and Sanctions Evasion (04:38 – 12:04)

• Mo (the farmer) = Iran (oil supplier)
• Ming (the buyer) = China (teapot refineries)
• Analogy: Mo grows apples (oil) and relies on Ming, his only big buyer. When Ming hits capacity, Mo’s business collapses—even though he followed all the “rules.” Bankers enabled this risky system, knowing they would profit regardless.
• Global System Critique: The analogy exposes the ways international banks facilitate barter deals to avoid legal exposure, insurance issues, and sanctions—allowing Iran to offload oil in exchange for goods/services rather than cash.

Notable Quotes:

“This is enough to give me a brain aneurysm.” — Glenn Beck (11:34) “He didn’t fail because he was bad at farming. His entire operation was built around one buyer, and that buyer hit a ceiling... The banks never trusted the farmer. The banks trusted his business partner.” — Glenn Beck (10:40)

3. Sharia Law, Somalia, and Minnesota Daycare Fraud (18:40 – 40:23)

• Minnesota Fraud Story: Beck dissects the massive COVID-era daycare fraud in Minnesota—hundreds of millions of dollars stolen, laundered, and literally walked out of the state in suitcases full of cash (up to $1 million per day).
• Failures at Every Level: He argues that such a massive fraud could not have gone unnoticed—pinning blame not only on individual criminals but on a wide swath of bureaucrats, bankers, and government oversight bodies who “had to have known.”
• Attack on Leadership: Special ire is reserved for AG Keith Ellison and Gov. Tim Walz, accusing them of distraction tactics (framing the federal response as anti-Muslim) and inciting “civil unrest” to protect themselves.

Notable Quotes:

“At this scale, everybody noticed. When a program starts paying amounts that dwarf normal baselines, it’s not hidden in the noise. It becomes the noise.” — Glenn Beck (28:12) “You know what's a liability management? That’s a group of lawyers in a room that goes... ‘If we keep taking money from Epstein, are we going to be liable?’ ...They don’t care about you, the state, nothing. Their only job is to make sure the bank isn’t liable for anything you might be doing.” — Glenn Beck (31:14) “You cannot move $700 million in cash through an airport without anyone noticing. It’s infuriating. Where is the accountability?” — Glenn Beck (41:12) “At this point, there’s no hope for Minnesota unless you can turn the people and have them go, ‘Wow, I’m sorry. I was just blind for a minute. I don’t know what happened to me.’” — Glenn Beck (49:47)

4. Systemic Enablers: Who Should Be Held Accountable? (45:04 – 49:47)

• Running List: Beck rattles off a comprehensive list of officials, auditors, compliance officers, risk managers, and more who “should be called in for questioning.” His point: direct accomplices are few, but the system is propped up by many who failed to act.
• Core Message: It’s not about singling out any one group or ethnicity (“Everyone is focusing on the Somalis; I’m focusing on the entire system.”), but about rooting out complacency and institutional rot.

5. Tribute to Scott Adams: Wisdom, Mortality, and Influence (52:00 – end)

• Personal Reflection: Beck pauses the political firestorm to honor the passing of cartoonist Scott Adams (“Dilbert” creator)—celebrating the subtlety, wit, and hard-won truths Adams contributed.
• Scott Adams on Faith: Beck plays clips of Adams speaking thoughtfully about his forthcoming conversion to Christianity and his sober approach toward his own mortality.

Notable Quotes:

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. The problem with priorities is that everybody has one.” — Glenn Beck, quoting Scott Adams’ Dilbert wisdom (52:05) “He wasn’t just a cartoonist. Scott Adams was a translator—of human weakness, of power, of persuasion. He took the chaos of our modern day life and reduced it into a small little square... He was quietly asking questions most people were too afraid or too tired to ask.” — Glenn Beck (53:48) “So you’re going to hear for the first time today that it is my plan to convert. … I am now convinced that the risk reward is completely smart. If it turns out there’s nothing there, I’ve lost nothing. If it turns out there is something there and the Christian model is the closest to it, I win.” — Scott Adams (53:15) “He didn’t save anything. He gave everything that he had. He didn’t save it. He didn’t ration it. He burned through all of it for all of us. And when the tank finally ran dry…he was still giving, still teaching, and only running on vapors.” — Glenn Beck (57:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mo & Ming Parable, Sanctions & Banks: 04:38 – 12:04
• Minnesota Daycare Fraud Unpacked: 18:40 – 40:23
• Institutional Accountability List: 45:04 – 49:47
• Scott Adams Tribute and Reflections: 52:00 – end

Memorable Moments

• The “Mo & Ming” story, clarifying complex international oil deals through an apple farm analogy, which listeners praised for making “complicated subjects easy to understand.” (04:40–12:04)
• Beck’s raw frustration at the scale of the Minnesota fraud, including TSA and banking failures, dramatized by his personal bank experience trying to withdraw $10,000. (41:12)
• The poignant and respectful memorial for Scott Adams, realizing the influence of “humor in the face of hardship” and the dignity in facing death honestly. (52:00–end)

Tone & Closing

As always, Glenn Beck maintains a mix of sardonic wit, righteous frustration, and heartfelt sincerity—moving fluidly from heavy-handed indictments to moments of real vulnerability and reflection.

Summary Takeaway:
Glenn Beck’s January 13th “Best of” episode is an impassioned examination of systemic failure—from crooked banks to corrupt politicians. Using memorable storytelling, biting analogies, and emotional tribute, Beck presses his audience to demand accountability, resist divisive distractions, and honor clear-eyed truth-tellers like the late Scott Adams.