The Glenn Beck Program

Episode: Two Islamist Attacks in One Day: How to Stop This CANCER
Date: March 13, 2026
Host: Glenn Beck (Mercury Radio Arts)
Guest: Tracey Holmes, Sports Journalist

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode dives deep into two suspected Islamist terror attacks on American soil—one targeting a synagogue in Michigan, the other a university in Virginia. Glenn Beck frames these attacks as symptoms of a "cancer"—Islamism—that has infected Western civilization for decades, now reaching a crisis point. Beck is joined by Australian sports journalist Tracey Holmes, who shares the powerful story of the Iranian women’s soccer team defying their regime. Throughout, Beck challenges listeners to recognize the threats, understand the stakes, and choose a side in what he repeatedly frames as an existential struggle.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Recent Terror Attacks—A Pivot Point (03:10–24:37)

• Three terror attacks this week: Beck opens by recapping a week marked by violence in the US, Canada, and Norway, declaring "we are at war and it is revealing itself."

• Split in America: He addresses the nation’s division on how to respond—and indicates he will, for the first time, take a definite personal stand "for or against this war."

• “Cancer” Metaphor: Beck likens Islamism to cancer, warning about inaction and denial. He compares the painful “treatment” (war and its side effects like terror attacks and division) to necessary chemotherapy to save Western civilization.

  “Islamism is cancer. And just like cancer, at first, you may not notice it … it continues to grow … and it is eating the healthy parts of your body.”
  – Glenn Beck [29:20]

2. Interview: Tracey Holmes on the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team (06:46–17:47)

• Silent Protest: Holmes recounts how the Iranian women’s national team refused to sing their national anthem after bombing began in Iran, following in the footsteps of the men’s team at the 2022 World Cup.

• Repercussions: Increased security, pressure to comply, and threats against families—some forced to sign financial pledges to ensure their return or face penalties.

• Asylum Offers: The Australian government acted quickly, offering emergency visas; some players sought asylum, others returned under unclear circumstances—possibly due to regime support or fear for their families.

• International Impact & FIFA: Holmes describes infighting between Iran’s government and its players over participating in the US-hosted FIFA World Cup, amid ongoing war and immigration debate.

  “They were put in this terrible psychological position … the terrible psychological position where they’ve got to be, backflipping on what they want and what they think and what they’re being threatened with …”
  – Tracey Holmes [11:01]

• Public Reaction: Australia overwhelmingly supports the female athletes, but is simultaneously restricting new arrivals from Middle Eastern countries due to war.

3. Immediate Aftermath: Terror Attack Details and Response (20:13–25:41)

Michigan Synagogue Attack

• Perpetrator: Lebanese descent, reportedly motivated by anger over Middle East airstrikes and family losses.
• Foiled by Security: Attack occurred during preschool hours, but security guards intervened and neutralized the attacker.

Old Dominion University Attack

• Shooter: Previously under FBI investigation for ISIS ties, released early from federal custody at end of Biden’s term [67:22].

• Response: Students in ROTC physically subdued and killed the shooter before further casualties.

  “Anybody who’s ever said, ‘Oh, you’re ROTC,’ you need to apologize to those guys. I’m one of them.”
  – Glenn Beck [22:41]

• FBI confirms the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar” and had been under terrorism investigation.

4. The Historic Diagnosis: Islamism as a Civilizational Cancer (29:30–41:00)

• Beck delves into a monologue using the cancer metaphor, arguing that Islamism has been allowed to metastasize since 1979. He criticizes decades of Western inaction.

• He frames current war as overdue, and its pain as an inevitable consequence of treatment.

  “We have no good options left. There’s nothing. It’s death or this. And that’s where we are.”
  – Glenn Beck [32:20]

5. Listener Questions and the Personal Stakes of War (48:30–63:24)

• Should Glenn Beck’s or Trump’s son serve?

  • Beck describes talking to his own son about military service, arguing that conservative families still respect and value the military and service, and that now is the time for young men to consider service.
  • He emphasizes military service must be voluntary, not through the draft, aligning with Republican principles.

  “People who are cut from our cloth actually believe in something … we know that means you got to serve your country. And that may mean that you’re fighting a war in today’s world.”
  – Glenn Beck [51:39]

• Caller’s perspective: A mother of a colonel/F-35 pilot calls in and supports Beck’s view, underscoring military service as a matter of calling.

6. Wider Geopolitical Developments & Iran’s Protests (20:13, 66:15–79:24)

• Drone Warfare in Iran: Jason and Glenn discuss unimpeded Israeli drone flights over Tehran, targeting IRGC checkpoints. Potential for Iran’s regime to quickly fall if protests are supported by air strikes—in a historic first.

• Role of Technology: Emphasizes importance of communication tools like Starlink in Iran and Cuba, arguing rapid regime collapse could be contagious and transformative.

  “If the people take to the streets … and they see drones providing air cover for them, that’ll change the entire country overnight.”
  – Glenn Beck [73:10]

7. Connecting with Faith & History: Islamism, Antichrist, and Patterns of Oppression (76:16–79:24)

• Pastor Bill Cloud joins (tape) to outline Biblical patterns associating rebellion, famine, and destruction with the East, and likens political Islamism to a “plague of locusts” consuming Western institutions.

  “The east is associated with rebels who reject the authentic and the true word of God … this is the spirit of Antichrist starting to show itself.”
  – Bill Cloud [76:16]

8. The Stakes & Call to Action: A “Time for Choosing” (87:00–123:01)

• Beck draws parallels to the Cold War, asserting "Islamism" is not merely a religion but a totalitarian political ideology inseparable from the drive for global domination.

• He insists that Western liberal democracy’s survival depends on both moral and military vigilance, urging listeners not to shrink from the “scary times.”

  "The real battlefield ... is the same one Ronald Reagan spoke about in the 1960s when he said it’s a time for choosing. And on the battlefield of ideas, it’s freedom versus submission, individual conscience versus enforced orthodoxy."
  – Glenn Beck [94:00]

• Cautions: the complacency and denial of past decades have left only the harshest remedies. The choice is now between civilizational survival and terminal decline.

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• [07:18] Tracey Holmes: "It was an act of bravery. It was a real statement … as you say, 48 hours earlier, the bombing campaign had started in their country."
• [14:38] Holmes on Australia’s response: "The public support for the women’s football team of Iran has been overwhelmingly positive … But … temporary visa holders in the Middle East region … have now been restricted."
• [21:41] Jason Recap of Attacks: "In Michigan, we had a basically a wannabe car bomber … Then the Old Dominion shooter … goes in and starts shooting up the place and he’s taken down by ROTC members."
• [29:30] Glenn Beck: “Islamism is cancer ... You have a choice. Are we going to treat this or not?"
• [32:20] Beck (on war): “None of this had to happen. … But now we have no good options left. There’s nothing. It’s death or this.”
• [26:07] FBI Statement (via Beck): "There were students in that room that subdued him and rendered him no longer alive."
• [66:15] Beck on Protest/Era of Drones: "If the people in Cuba see what happened … if that is his plan to get the airspace secure enough … and those drones drop in and take those people out. Oh, my gosh."
• [94:00] Beck on Freedom vs. Submission: “It’s freedom versus submission, individual conscience versus enforced orthodoxy … Which do you want? Because those are the stakes.”
• [118:44] Beck on American Response: "That reminds me of Todd Beamer… He was the guy who was on the phone… and he was on a plane flying over Shanksville. … That’s what happened yesterday, which tells me America is waking up."

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• 03:10 – Beck sets today’s stakes: “We are at war … split in America … today I am going to take a firm stand”
• 06:46–17:47 – Interview with Tracey Holmes: Iranian women’s soccer team, regime pressure, asylum
• 20:13–22:47 – Recap: Back-to-back terror attacks (Michigan, Virginia), security/ROTC heroics
• 25:00–41:00 – FBI updates, Beck’s “cancer” analogy, call for “radical treatment” (war)
• 48:30–63:24 – Listener Q: Should sons of advocates serve? Military service in the age of terror
• 66:15–79:24 – Latest on Iran: Drones, protests, domino effect for other dictatorships
• 76:16–79:24 – Bill Cloud: Religious patterns, "spirit of Antichrist" from the East
• 87:00–123:01 – “A Time for Choosing”: The civilizational contest, moral clarity, rallying call

OVERALL TONE & LANGUAGE

• Beck’s tone is urgent, provocative, often combative, and overtly moralistic.
• Freely uses metaphors and storytelling ("cancer," "chemo," "operating table," "plague/locusts") to dramatize his case.
• Language is direct, cautionary, and at times emotionally charged, especially during his monologues and listener engagement.

CONCLUSION

This episode is a clarion call for decisive action against what Beck describes as an existential, ideological threat. Beck intertwines news analysis, interviews, and extended analogies to make the case that Western civilization faces not a series of isolated terror attacks but a “war” against an organized, metastasizing ideology. Through the lens of current events and the bravery of figures like the Iranian women’s soccer team, the episode rallies listeners to recognize, confront, and actively resist the erosion of liberty and security, advocating both individual vigilance and collective resolve in a time he labels as a historic “time for choosing.”

FOR FURTHER ENGAGEMENT

• Torch by Glenn Beck: Special on Islamism coming next week ([123:01])
• GlennBeck.com/TORCH for exclusive content
• Listener call-in: 888-727-BECK