Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program

Episode: Best of the Program | Guests: Buck Sexton & Brendan Carr | 2/19/26
Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Glenn Beck
Guests: Buck Sexton, Stephen Shaw, Brendan Carr

Overview

This episode showcases Glenn Beck’s trademark candid analysis of contemporary American politics and culture. Glenn launches with pointed criticism of the Republican Party’s perceived passivity. The bulk of the episode features in-depth conversations with Buck Sexton (on propaganda and brainwashing), Stephen Shaw (on the global population collapse), and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr (on equal time rules and media regulation). Each guest brings expertise and original insights, resulting in a multifaceted discussion about governance, propaganda, demographic change, and media fairness.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Republican Dysfunction and the Filibuster Debate (03:29–19:22)

Glenn Beck’s Monologue

• Beck’s scathing critique: Glenn denounces Republicans as “worthless... a giant piece of crap that can't get anything done.” (00:00)
• Polling breakdown: Glenn analyzes recent polls on voting, mail-in ballots, and citizenship proof, expressing skepticism over rapid opinion shifts (03:29–09:00).
• John Cornyn criticism: Beck lambasts Sen. John Cornyn's warnings of a "GOP massacre," blaming establishment Republicans for the party’s failings, not Trump or populist figures (09:15–11:15).
• Filibuster history: Detailed explanation of where the filibuster came from, how it was weakened by the invention of “cloture” in 1917, and why he supports a return to the old “talking filibuster” to force Senators to physically hold the floor for blockades (11:15–14:30).
• Republicans’ inertia: Glenn warns that if Republicans “keep pretending that procedure is principle,” they risk not just the midterms but the survival of the party, and possibly the republic.
• Memorable quote:

  "If you keep running out the clock, you’re not going to just lose the chamber, you’re going to lose your primaries, you’re going to fracture your party. And in the vacuum created by inaction, something far worse always grows." (17:25)

Notable Segment:

• [14:30–19:22] – Glenn’s impassioned closing calling on Republicans to “finish the damn job, or I warn you, history will finish it for you.”

2. Understanding Modern Propaganda – Interview with Buck Sexton (19:22–30:42)

Buck Sexton on ‘Manufacturing Delusion’

• Foundations of the book: Buck explains that his new book, inspired by COVID-era groupthink but not just about COVID, uses historical frameworks (Soviet, Maoist, North Korean mind control) to analyze present-day propaganda in America.
• Dr. Joost Meerloo and ‘menticide’: Buck describes the work of a WWII psychiatrist who coined ‘menticide’—the systematic killing of the mind through confusion and degradation.

  “There’s actually smaller bouts of politicized insanity: BLM, climate change, the gender madness... I go back into the writings of Dr. Joost Meerloo, and he coined the term menticide in his book, Rape of the Mind.” (19:53, Sexton)

• Parallels to modern issues: The techniques used by Marxists, jihadis, and cults are variations of “brainwashing…mind control or coercive mind control.”
• Pavlovian psychology: He discusses how traumatic events (lab dogs during a flood) erased old conditioning and created new, unpredictable behavior, drawing parallels to government efforts to control the masses.

  “What your brain is taking in affects your body directly... this set this light off. And you know who thought it was interesting? Lenin, Stalin, the Soviets.” (22:04, Sexton)

• Techniques of confusion and degradation:
  • Confusion – “keep people confused through propaganda... so they don’t have the basic moral understanding.”
  • Degradation – “degrading your ability to understand fundamental truth... if you are willing to affirm the most obvious madness... you are degrading your own brain’s ability.”

  “You are not just conceding on that issue... you are degrading your brain’s ability to make the most basic distinctions and undermining confidence you have in your perception of reality.” (26:11, Sexton)

• Enforcement and obedience: Drawing lines from forced confessions in Maoist China to forced conformity via pronouns or pandemic masks.
• Modern dangers: Buck warns that AI and neural implants increase the risks of “mechanistic mind control.”

Notable Quotes:

• “The only way out is through reason.” (25:35, Beck)
• “Menticide lays out confusion and degradation as the twin pillars... that’s how you break people down.” (26:11, Sexton)
• “The ultimate control is control over your mind. In ‘Manufacturing Delusion’ you will understand how the bad guys do this and how you avoid this.” (30:36, Sexton)

Notable Segment:

• [26:05–30:42] – Fascinating step-by-step breakdown of menticide and insights on resisting propaganda.

3. Global Population Collapse – Interview with Stephen Shaw (30:50–42:42)

Stephen Shaw on Falling Birthrates

• The problem explained: Shaw identifies the demographic crisis not simply as “low birth rates,” but as a surge in unfulfilled parenthood—more people wanting children but never having them.

  “This is about childlessness... people who probably would have wanted to become a parent, but things didn’t work out.” (31:51, Shaw)

• It’s not less children per mother: Mothers who start families are having as many or more children than previous generations; the crisis is those never starting families.

  “Once you have your first child, you’re actually going on to have two, maybe three children—just as much as your mother’s generation.” (31:52, Shaw)

• Delayed family formation: The spike in the age at first childbirth (now 28 in the US, 30+ in many countries) predicts 80–90% of the falling birth rate.

  “The reality is, without exception, every nation has a straight line in terms of the age of motherhood.” (34:17, Shaw)

• Global issue across cultures: Not limited to the West – Southern India, Middle East, and even Muslim-majority countries are seeing dropping birthrates due to similar cultural delays in starting families.
• Societal values shifted: Societies have prioritized education and career in the 20s, leaving family formation later, and sometimes too late.

  “We have turned our 20s into a decade of education... without thinking about family, future family.” (38:34, Shaw)

• Potential consequences: By age 30, an American woman who hasn’t had children has only a 50% chance of ever doing so.

Notable Quotes:

• “There’s no example of a nation that’s ever recovered from this.” (30:56, Shaw)
• “90% of women do want children one day... but we’re looking at as few as six out of ten ever becoming mothers.” (38:34, Shaw)
• “We’re no longer doing what we used to do in our 20s, which was start to raise a family.” (42:42, Shaw)

Notable Segment:

• [33:55–42:42] – Shaw pinpoints how societal values and timelines have created a global “childlessness” dilemma.

4. FCC and Media Fairness – Interview with Chairman Brendan Carr (42:51–56:05)

Brendan Carr on Equal Time & the FCC

• Clarifying media law: Beck and Carr clarify widespread confusion between equal time and the fairness doctrine; only public airwaves, not cable/streaming, are regulated.
• The Colbert/Talarico case:
  • FCC did not block an interview; claims of censorship were “a hoax.”
  • CBS could air the segment but cautioned it might trigger an obligation for equal time for other candidates.

  “There is nothing about the equal time rule that would ever prohibit anybody from having any candidate on the air. It simply says their opposition candidates should get an equal opportunity...” (44:39, Carr)

• Public trust model: Broadcast TV is unique due to public licensing—holders have responsibilities to the public interest.
• Equal Time in practice: The rule doesn’t require simultaneous interviews with all candidates—other candidates must be given comparable time later.

  “It doesn't require you to do it in the moment... at some point in the future, a different host, a different time, they get equal, comparable airtime.” (47:34, Carr)

• The View’s news status: The View claims exemption as a “bona fide news program”—the FCC is reviewing whether that status is justified.
• Partisanship and regulation: Carr advocates for evenhanded enforcement, citing examples of both parties misapplying regulations. He suggests the focus should remain on neutral law enforcement, not weaponization against political opponents.

  “Let’s apply it, let’s not weaponize it, let’s not abuse it, let’s not be biased about it, but let’s apply in an evenhanded way. And that’s what I’m doing.” (51:54, Carr)

• Deregulation movement: Carr shares that the FCC is carrying out its largest deregulatory push ever, removing hundreds of outdated regulations.

  “We are deleting and deleting and deleting. We've getting rid of hundreds of regulations at this point.” (55:27, Carr)

Notable Quotes:

• “If a collateral unintended consequence of me doing my job is we’ve got a lot more converts to small government conservatism, I’ll take that as a win.” (51:54, Carr)
• “If you want to be on the unique medium of broadcast TV, you got to comply with the rules of the road there.” (56:05, Carr)

Notable Segment:

• [44:27–54:46] – Carr explains the real implications and misperceptions surrounding FCC rules and political fairness in broadcasting.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

• Glenn Beck: “Trump has done all your heavy lifting. He’s taken the hits. He’s reset the board. Now, the question for you is simple: what did you do—other than protect procedure, other than protect comfort, other than protect incumbency?” (18:10)
• Buck Sexton: “It lays out confusion and degradation as the twin pillars of menticide... that's how you break people down.” (26:11)
• Stephen Shaw: “There's no example of a nation that’s ever recovered from this.” (30:56)
• Brendan Carr: “Let’s not weaponize it against Republicans or Democrats... But the law is on the books. If people want to... change the law, they should do that. Up until then, we’re just going to do this in a fair, evenhanded, and balanced way.” (52:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:29–19:22 – Republican ‘worthlessness,’ the filibuster, party complacency
• 19:22–30:42 – Buck Sexton on propaganda, ‘manufacturing delusion,’ resisting brainwashing
• 30:50–42:42 – Stephen Shaw on global childlessness and birthrate decline
• 42:51–56:05 – Brendan Carr on FCC equal time rules, The View, Colbert, and deregulation

Conclusion

This episode of The Glenn Beck Program delivers a fast-paced critique of American political parties, a chilling exploration of propaganda techniques, an urgent warning about global demographic decline, and a rare, technical but accessible conversation about media law. Each guest’s segment stands alone as a profound, research-driven conversation, with Glenn Beck’s voice tying it all together with urgency, wit, and a call for critical action—whether in politics, family, or discerning media.

For further in-depth discussions, find the full interviews in the unabridged podcast version.