President Biden - or whoever is calling the shots - has authorized Ukraine to fire American-made ATACMS missiles into Russia. This happened even after Vladimir Putin said that crossing this red line would mean war with whoever supplied the missiles! So, why would Biden push us closer to World War III just 62 days before Donald Trump takes office? "What Joe Biden did is impeachable," Glenn declares. But will World War III break out? Or will Russia just attack Ukraine even harder, possibly with a tactical nuclear weapon on the battlefield? Glenn's head researcher, Jason Buttrill, joins to discuss.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: All right. So we have Jason Buttrill in with us. And Stu, of course, the executive producer of the program.
And I am your congenial host, Glenn Beck.
Last night, Ukraine did exactly what Putin said, don't do. Two days ago, he signs in a doctrine, saying you use any of these kinds of missiles that are coming from -- even conventional missiles. Coming from, you know, a nuclear-powered nation. We'll consider that an act of war.
And between us, Ukraine, and whichever country that is specifically. Meaning us. It seems like had madness, I think on our side.
And it seems like madness that he would use nukes and respond.
It doesn't say it's a guaranteed use of nukes.
But this gives him reason to believe that this is a NATO strike now.
And so he could strike NATO.
My guess is, he's just going to pound Ukraine.
In some place, where it really hurts them.
That's kind of where I hope the best-case scenario is.
Is just a pounding in Ukraine. Which would be horrible, and horrendous.
However, it's better than striking into a NATO country.
Which we would have to respond then.
I mean, Biden has put us on the brink of World War III. And we might go how this goes in the next 24 hours. We might have a very good idea of whether we'll be in World War III in the next 24 hours.
Jason, do you agree? Disagree? Where am I wrong?
JASON: What's dangerous is that the threat of that is obviously a lot higher this morning.
I think Putin's response will probably be to take out those missiles as quickly as possible.
We know that Russia was planning a larger, deeper attack into Ukraine. Building up troops.
The North Korean troops, allows him to do that.
Because the North Koreans can now guard the lines of communication in the rear. They can guard the facilities in the rear.
The ammo. Depots, all that stuff.
Freeing up the Russian troops, to get to the border.
That's what the establishment defense people on our side have seen. And that's probably why they've said, let's go ahead and fire these missiles. And start taking out those rear areas as quickly as possible to stop that buildup.
That's how they're looking at it. Putin right now is figuring out how to respond. Because now they've green lit that.
We are striking in Russia. The lines behind the border.
Now he's looking at, well, okay. So what would be like an act -- a good response?
Well, the threat of a nuclear weapon is there. That's always been their thing. That's been their thing since the start of the war.
It's a real threat.
GLENN: But it's still madness.
I mean, you would hope there's enough people.
Some people in Russia. And some people in the United States and our own Pentagon would use it. They were thinking. You know what, let's just get it out of the way. But I -- I don't think Putin would nuke a city. Do you?
JASON: No, no, no. Putin is not going to nuke a city. I think a nuclear threat, and the biggest threat will be a tactical nuclear weapon.
GLENN: And what's the difference?
JASON: So tactical nuclear weapon is a low-yield weapon made specifically for the battlefield.
So let's say there's one of them, as you're calling them the ATACMS. I'm going to steal that, by the way, it's awesome.
Let's say there's some ATACMS, surrounded by several battalions of Ukrainian troops. Well, the only way to be for sure they take it out, is to use a tactical low-yield nuclear weapon, that will take out that entire battle space, including the ATACMS. That's probably the more likely scenario, if a nuclear weapon is used.
GLENN: Nobody has ever used a low yield nuclear weapon, have they?
On a battlefield?
JASON: That's a good question. I'm not exactly sure of that. We probably use something very close to the same yield.
GLENN: Close. But we've used them for bunker busters.
But I don't believe they were nuclear.
That were the strongest bunker buster penetrating bomb that we had, but I don't think it was low-yield nuclear.
JASON: Right.
And that would still be a big international faux pas, if they did something like that. That would be escalatory.
And we would see that. We would probably get word that something like that is about to happen. Because those are heavily monitored. We're seeing them transported to wherever they're being stored.
To launchers, and then the entire world will kind of hold their breath. Well then the question is, how do we respond?
Do we allow them to press the button on it and fire that missile, or do we send actual US assets in, to take out the areas inside Russia, so they don't even have time to press the button.
Then it escalates to a completely different kind of level.
GLENN: Yeah, we're going in the wrong direction. We're going the wrong direction, which is very concerning.
Why would we do this, two days after he said, this will -- even if it's a -- if it's a -- a foreign missile system.
Even if it's nonnuclear.
It will be war, between us and the United States.
He didn't say United States. He said, us and that foreign nuclear power!
Why would we do this? Right after that.
JASON: I still think, I go back to regime survival.
GLENN: Our regime.
JASON: Our regime.
And as far as the DOD, security, military complex. That's how I see this.
I think they are terrified of any change in the status quo over the Trump administration. I think that they would love to see us pushed to a point of no return.
Where, no.
We can't do the things that Trump said he was going to do.
We can't alter, you know, the -- the diplomacy.
And the security posture in that area.
We can't go for a deal. We are locked into this position.
That's how they see it.
And I think they are driving us to this point of no return. Where Trump and his cabinet has no choice. But to continue with business as usual. How it's been the past four years.
That's the way I see it. That's the only way it makes sense.
Two months before they take power.
That's the only thing!
GLENN: So do we expect a response today?
I mean, it would seem natural that they would respond today.
JASON: I think the Russians have to make moves on the ATACMS as soon as possible. Because now you're targeting everything they were planning for an offensive and amassing troops and moving on Ukraine, which is what they're planning to do.
I think you have to take out the immediate threat, which is the ATACMS.
I think you have to do that. So I'm sure they're planning right now, well, how do we get that done?
It's not going to be easy. Because we have some air defense assets.
We put some things in place so they can't do that. So it's not going to be easy. That's when you have the generals over Putin's shoulder.
Saying, well, you know, it doesn't matter if we miss with five conventional missiles, if we get one tactical nuke in there.
Then we make sure that we take out the entire area. That's when things start escalating.
I know -- I personally do not think Putin is stupid enough to go that direction. And that's actually what the old regime is -- our regime is planning on as well.
He's threatened. He knows he can't do it. He's a madman if he does it. They know he's not a madman. He's a bad man. But he's not a madman.
They think he won't do it. So they will continue to push that red line.
There is a point, where as I said, a point of no return. Where they have no choice, and then you're locked into a much deeper conflict.
The question is: Where is that?
GLENN: So, you know, I think the regime change or the regime survival is absolutely valid.
I think -- this is why I said, you know, back when?
September. Whenever, when we were talking about what could happen if Trump won.
Assassination. There could be terrorist strikes here in the United States.
But they also had the war option.
Just embroil us into a war. And collapse it.
I have been worried about that -- that moment, where all of our enemies would say, get them! Now!
Now would be that last time.
As Trump comes into office. Especially with things turning around, where he's kind of the popular guy, where he's starting to turn everybody kind of around.
End this nonsense.
It -- it strikes me as, if I'm the enemy of the United States, we're most vulnerable right now.
But you've got to knock us out.
You better kill the king. Okay?
So wouldn't it be in the bricks nations. You know, this new -- I mean, they are planning on collapsing our economy, anyway.
Wouldn't it be kind of in their -- their -- advantage, to start, embroil us in a war.
Not a nuclear war. But a war.
JASON: Yeah. Wanting to do it. And being able to do it are two entirely different things.
I don't see. It makes perfect sense for them to goad us into a war in the Middle East.
Or goad us into a war let's say in Taiwan or something like that.
Getting us more involved in the Ukraine/Russia world.
Seems way too crazy for them to try to really push. And get us more involved.
I personally don't see that happening. I see them wanting to avoid that as much as possible.
But getting us stuck in another war, in a the different part of the globe. That we will waste, you know, billions and billions. And trillions of dollars on.
I absolutely see that as a strategy. I see them thinking more long-term.
They've been very methodical and careful about it so far. And you're talking about the Chinese, who are probably even higher at the table than the Russians are.
GLENN: Who look like they just cut communication cables.
JASON: That is wild to me.
I don't --
GLENN: Explain what happened, if you don't know.
JASON: So there's multiple communications, cables, that go through that -- what?
GLENN: Finland.
JASON: Sweden. Norway. That area.
GLENN: And Lithuania.
JASON: Yeah.
GLENN: They cut those cables. Now, Lithuania and Finland are Cold War Soviet states.
And, you know, Russia has said, they're ours. They're ours. And they're ours.
And Russia has been saying, no. We will make them NATO countries. Congratulations. They're on our side.
And they've been freaked out by this war. Well, the Chinese ship, we believe it was Chinese.
Went over these cables, right at the same time they were cut. So did the Chinese cut these cables?
Somebody -- I mean, they were cut, by somebody.
Is it a coincidence that they went out, the moment those ships went over those cables?
I don't know. But there's something going on, and then British Airways.
British Airways lost all of their ability to communicate in any way, shape, or form, with the planes and the towers. It was an IT glitch, and grounded planes all over the world.
And, you know, luckily they weren't in the sky, when this glitch happened. But, I mean, Putin has always said, it's not going to be fought with nuclear war.
It will be fought with ones and zeros.