September 12, 2025 • 51 mins
It's been 24 years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and three veterans joins us to discuss how it changed America and the world forever.
Guests:
Rep. Mike Kennedy | Utah's 3rd Congressional District
Hayden Padgett | Chairman, National Young Republicans
Bryan Stern | Founder, Grey Bull Rescue Foundation
Tyler Grey | Former Delta Force Operator & Co-author, 'Forged in Chaos: A Warrior's Origin Story'
Col. George W. Markert | U.S. Marine Corps Veteran & U.S. Senate Candidate, Colorado
Guests:
Rep. Mike Kennedy | Utah's 3rd Congressional District
Hayden Padgett | Chairman, National Young Republicans
Bryan Stern | Founder, Grey Bull Rescue Foundation
Tyler Grey | Former Delta Force Operator & Co-author, 'Forged in Chaos: A Warrior's Origin Story'
Col. George W. Markert | U.S. Marine Corps Veteran & U.S. Senate Candidate, Colorado
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to the Real Story. I'm your host Riley Lewis.
Thank you for joining us on this tragic day of
loss and mourning. As you all know, today is re
Mars twenty four years since the nine to eleven terrorist
attacks that killed thousands of Americans, and of course we
will be paying our respects all throughout the course of
(00:30):
the show today, but we will begin our coverage with
a celebration of the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk,
a father, husband, role model, and victim of political violence.
So free speech and faith warrior. Charlie Kirk, the thirty
one year old founder of Turning Point USA, who mobilized
millions of young Americans to fight for faith and freedom,
(00:54):
was tragically gunned down yesterday in a brazen assassination that
certainly appears to be politically motivated at Utah Valley University
during a campus event, a chilling reminder that in today's America,
speaking hard truths can cost.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You your life.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Born on October fourteenth, nineteen ninety three, in Arlington Heights, Illinois,
Charlie Kirk grew up in a modest suburb, the son
of a mental health counselor mom and an architect dad,
and he wasn't some sort of silver spoon elite either.
He was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America,
earning the highest rank through grit and discipline, and by
(01:33):
high school at Wheeling High, he was already clashing with
teachers that he called out for pushing neo Marxist biases,
leading student protests against cafeteria price hikes that he framed
as government overreach. At just the age of seventeen years old,
he volunteered for Senator Mark Kirk's successful twenty ten campaign,
(01:53):
honing his political edge amid Barack Obama's presidency and the
two thousand and eight financial crisis that few his disdain
for liberal economics. But Charlie's real rocket launch came in
the year twenty twelve. At eighteen years old, fresh out
of high school and having skipped college, he teamed up
with seventy one year old Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery
(02:16):
to found Turning Point USA. TPUSA started as a bootstrap
operation to combat left wing political dominance on campuses in America,
promoting ideas like fiscal responsibility, free markets, and even limited government.
Then fast forward by twenty twenty five, It boasted chapters
(02:37):
in over eight hundred and fifty colleges, with massive events
like the Student Action Summit in Tampa, drawing five thousand
attendees and featuring heavy hitters like President Trump, Ben Shapiro,
Tucker Carlson, and even swimmer Riley Gaines. Tbusa's revenue exploded,
hitting milestones like a Florida condo purchase in twenty nineteen
(03:00):
and an Arizona headquarters built out by twenty twenty one.
They even launched affiliate organizations, Turning Point Action in twenty
nineteen for political advocacy flipping Arizona for President Trump by
registering tens of thousands of voters on the ground, and
TPUSA Faith with Pentecostal pastor Rob McCoy to mobilize churches.
(03:22):
But Charlie, he didn't just build an organization. He built
a movement, becoming the youth whisperer of the New Right
and hosting the Charlie Kirkshow podcast and radio program that
reached millions of people. He even authored books like Time
for a Turning Point in twenty sixteen, charting a course
for free markets and limited government. A regular White House
(03:46):
visitor during Trump's terms. He was also dubbed a trusted
ally who helped deliver young voters. And let's not forget
about his personal life either. Married to entrepreneur Erica Frassa,
Charlie leaves behind a devote wife who shared his unshakable faith,
as well as three year old daughter and a one
year old son. And they are most certainly in our
(04:08):
prayers and thoughts in this time of incredible grief and strife.
The nation as a whole is grieving with them right now.
But the loss uncalculable, the pain of growing up without
a father or without the love of your life, and
all caused by one heinous and evil act of what
seems to be ideological terrorism by a deranged individual who
(04:32):
seems to have no regard for human life. Now, justice
will hopefully be served, but it won't bring Charlie's life back.
He's with the Lord now, taken from us far far
too soon. But at his core, Charlie Kirk was a
man of profound Christian faith, a committed follower of Jesus
(04:53):
who once told podcaster Russell Brand I'm a sinner. I
fall incredibly short of the glory of God.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I'm nothing without Jesus.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm a sinner.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I fall incredibly short of the glory of God.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
We all do.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade,
and it's the most important decision I've ever made. And
everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ. He is the Living God.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Now he inspired hundreds of young students, not just politically
but spiritually, urging them to live boldly for Christ and
for God. Early on, he did push a secular worldview,
advocating for separation of church and state, But then COVID
lockdowns came along, and we saw what happened when the
script was flipped due to lockdowns on churches, which he
(05:38):
saw as government tyranny targeting faithful believers. So by twenty
twenty four, he'd embraced this idea of Christian nationalism, calling
separation of church and state a fabrication twisted by secularists.
He even invoked the Seven Mountains mandate, rallying Christians to
dominate government, media, education, and more for God's Kingdom. Now,
(06:03):
Charlie's crusade to keep God in schools in government was
relentless and never ending. He demanded federal legislation that any
school taking government money must also teach students about the Bible.
The mechanisms of a religious society are good for everybody,
is what he argued at an April event in Utah
in twenty twenty three, saying when somebody walks around and
(06:24):
thinks that you're created and that you're not God, you
tend to have better citizens. And for that reason, he
framed politics as spiritual warfare, saying Democrats stand for everything
God hates. In Georgia last fall, now TPUSA Faith hosted
summits equipping pastors to preach politically against transgender issues and
(06:45):
lockdowns as well, and Charlie saw America as being founded
on these Judeo Christian principles and ideas, insisting that founders
meant for faith to guide the nation, not to be
sidelined by neo Marxist professors or woke mandates. He also
defended the Second Amendment fiercely, even controversially, stating in twenty
(07:06):
twenty three that some gun deaths were a cost worth
paying to protect God given rights and who can forget
his support for the swimmer Riley Gaines, who stood against
transgender athletes in women's sports, Charlie amplified her real story
that of a courageous young woman fighting for fairness, for faith,
(07:26):
and for biology in the face of cancel culture and censorship.
As he put it on social media, politicizing tragedies like
the murder of Irena Zarutzka is one hundred percent necessary
to expose failed policies that have let savages roam free.
But here's the pivot, folks, and it's really a gut punch.
(07:47):
Charlie Cook's assassination is more than just a personal tragedy.
It's a symptom of a rotting core in this country
where violence replaces votes because snowflakes just can't handle disagreement
in civil discourse. It's on life support right now. After all,
let's remember Charlie's Change My Mind forums in college campuses,
(08:07):
where he'd sit with a sign inviting debates on hot
button issues like abortion or gun rights. He thrived on
this fielding questions that any college campus that would even
have him, and proving conservatives could argue without fists or fury.
Yet radicals shouted him down, and now one of them
(08:28):
pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, this is not new in America.
In fact, FBI's stats show violent crime up thirty percent
in major cities since the year twenty twenty, fueled largely
but not entirely by soft on crime das and bail
reforms letting repeat offenders like the fourteen prior thug who
killed Zarutzka walk free. Then there's also the growing violence
(08:49):
along the lines of race and ethnicity in this country,
which was on full display in the case of Zarutzka
in North Carolina. But the legacy media they bury the truth,
calling out racializing while capitalizing black and lowercasing the word white.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Even CNNs Van Jones slam.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Charlie for hate mongering on race, ignoring the fact that
the killer yelled, I got that white girl.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Watch hurt people, hurt people.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
What happened was horrible, but it becomes an opportunity for
people to jump on bandwagons and then for some way,
Charlie Kirk, he should be ashamed of himself that no
one mentioned the word race, white, black, or anything except him.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Now, many on the right are also criticizing the long
running hit comedy Central series South Park for the recent
depiction of Charlie Kirk in their show. And while the
portrayal wasn't exactly flattering, Charlie himself actually found it very
amusing and seemed almost honored to have his viral cultural
moments be depicted on one of the longest running, most
successful television shows that's ever been made. Here's his reaction,
(09:51):
Oh my god, what makes you think you have the
right to say what I do with my body?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Let me ask you something.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
If a pregnant woman is killed and the baby dies too,
why is the killer charged?
Speaker 7 (10:00):
The double habitat.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
Because people have different beliefs.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
It's not about belief, it's about truth, science confirmed. Life
begins at conception.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Were you honored?
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Not only was I honored?
Speaker 8 (10:12):
They got the little sip of the water correctly, They
got the hairdo the little details are perfect? And look,
you know, south Park, they could be very nasty towards
a lot of people. That just goes to show the
impact the cultural power of what we be able to
do at turning Point usay the billions of views, How
we're able to get so many young people on board
for conservative values, and this movement that President Trump has
(10:32):
built on campuses across the country that we've been able
to support is just remarkable. And so it is a
great honor and even more remarkably that is a word
for word quote remarkable.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Indeed, Charlie's reaction is right on par with what he
espouses during his own discussions and speeches, the ability to
laugh at yourself, have thick skin, and possessing an overall
positive mindset. While this is all supposed to be taken
in good fun, there of course, are deranged psychopaths out
there who see this kind of satire and much more importantly,
(11:03):
statements made by supposed serious journalists, and then become radicalized
by the rhetoric of these so called truth tellers. So
breaking right before our recording, the FBI has released photos
of a person of interest, as well as a tip
line to help them locate and apprehend this individual, and
the lot's echo chambers breed assassins, from Antifa mobs shutting
(11:25):
down speeches, to house democrats booing a moment of silence
for Charlie just yesterday, take a look at this extremely
partisan disgrace.
Speaker 9 (11:35):
Please rise for a moment of prayer for Charlie Kirk
and his family. Let's let's let's wait a minute, Wait
a minute. The house will be in order. The house
will be in order, The house will be in order.
We will join for prayer right after this. Okay, the
(11:59):
share lays before the house, a communication.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
The house will be in order.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
It's not debate, folks, it's destruction. And as President Trump
said in his tribute, Charlie's deep faith comforts us.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He's with God now.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
President Trump also announced this morning that he would be
awarding Charlie with a posthumous Medal of Freedom. But here
on earth we must fight back peacefully.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Of course, register of voters.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Exposed propaganda and lies, reclaim schools for God and truth,
and for Charlie's legacy, a generation armed with ideas, not
with bullets. So let's honor him by winning the war
that he started, one civil, peaceful and respectful conversation at
a time. Or as he'd say, with that Rye Grin,
(12:52):
prove me wrong. So on behalf of everyone here at
one American news network. May angels lead you in. Charlie,
you were among the very best society has to offer.
And to your family and your friends and all the
people you affected were praying for you in this time
of unimaginable loss. Now coming up next, Utah Congressman Mike Kennedy,
(13:15):
who represents the district where Utah Valley University is located.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Will join us to discuss the latest.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Updates about the investigations surrounding the heartbreaking assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So stay with us. We'll be right back after a break.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
Watch AM Live on cloudtv dot com and see what
you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch One
America News Network wherever you go visit klowd tv dot
com Today. That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
sticking with us as we continue our coverage of the
political assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man who spent his
entire life fighting for America like nobody else. Now as
it stands, the suspect responsible for this disgusting act of
violence is still being investigated and the search is ongoing,
(14:15):
and there are updates coming to light every single hour,
and we wish godspeed to every member of law enforcement
who's participating in this investigation. Now here with his thoughts
about the assassination, the investigation into it, and the search
for the real perpetrator is Utah Representative Mike Kennedy Representative.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 10 (14:35):
Riley, Thanks for having me on today, on this sad
day that we mourned the loss of many lives on
September eleventh, and we mourn as well yesterday the assassination
and the loss of the life of Charlie Kirk. Can
God bless his widow and those two children as they.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Deal with the terrible effects.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Associated with this.
Speaker 10 (14:55):
But you and I both know, and your listeners know
that the same filthy intent to with violence suppress freedom
of speech is informing both of those terrible decisions those
terrorists on September eleventh, This heinous act that happened yesterday,
these are it's the same evil, and I and my
colleagues will stand against that evil to the end of
(15:15):
our days.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
The same here. I'm right there with you, Congressman.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
And by the way, regarding all the nasty, you know,
responses online from people who are celebrating this assassination, shame
on them. It does not matter who you voted for,
what your politics is, what your ideology is. This kind
of violence has no place in America, zero whatsoever. All
Americans should stand firmly.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah. I just it's sickening, Congressman, true.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 10 (15:44):
If we're going to use bullets to resolve conflict, then
that's called war. And those people that may celebrate this,
it's the sort of thing that is entirely unacceptable because
the reason why we have our constitution, the reason why
we have freedom of speech, our God grant to rights
and responsibilities associated with our constitution is so that we
can resolve conflicts in a civil fashion. And those that
(16:07):
don't understand that need to come to grips with how
our civil society has been organized.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
And I'll just say it. My part is we're going.
Speaker 10 (16:13):
To continue to move forward with the work of the day,
and that is Charlie Kirk's work. The fact is, as
he has dealt with pressure and threats for his whole
career and he still stood for his principles in spite
of the fact that he knew that violence was out there.
And I'm going to stand with him in his memory
and all those people, especially the young people that saw
(16:34):
Charlie Kirk as a light, somebody who was willing to
engage and brought many young people into political engagement. People
are willing to trust that there's ways for us to
work out our conflicts in a civil fashion. I will
not let this assassin when I will continue with Charlie
Kirk and his memory, to carry forward in a civil
fashion the important issues of the day and try to
(16:56):
resolve conflicts and deal with them as our founders intended,
with the freedom of speed that we've been granted through
our constitution and our God given opportunities.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
God bless you, sir, truly, and thank you for saying that.
Now this horrific tragedy unfolding at Utah Valley University, which
lies in the district you represent, could you please tell
us a little bit more about how the community itself
is doing today.
Speaker 10 (17:20):
It's just a few minutes from my home, and this
is a great community. It's a great institution. More than
forty thousand students go to this institution, and at that time, Riley,
the devastating effects not only of the loss of Charlie's
life and what it meant to his family, but the
fact that more than three thousand people, including young people
and his own family, witness this event is something that
increases the terrible nature of this act. This is a
(17:45):
remarkable community full of good people, and what I'm seeing, Riley,
is a hardening of resolve. Our hearts are broken, but
our resolve is firm we will continue to carry forward
to work that Charlie has left for us, and that's
to make sure that we are doing diligence to discussing
and working through the issues so that we can resolve
those in a fashion that does not involve bullets and violence.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To your point there as well, Congressman, My first question
then on that is how do we as a nation
find a way to move forward and to heal?
Speaker 10 (18:18):
The first thing, and I'm a doctor as well, and
I've dealt with mourning and grief over the course of
my career, and I've had my own.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Share of that as well.
Speaker 10 (18:24):
Is it is appropriate, It's entirely human and expected that
we need to process this. We need to mourn, that's
what we call it, and we should celebrate a life
and mourn a death associated with this, Just like September eleventh,
we continue after four years to mourn those many lives
that were lost. But as we mourn and come to understand,
(18:46):
we each come to our own conclusions. I'm going to say,
Riley to you, and I'm certainly committed myself and to
all those young people that followed Charlie Kirk, even the
ones that may not have agreed with him, please do
not disengage. Charlie Kirk demonstrated to us that this is
how we can engage. That there is an opportunity for
us all to make a difference. If we're willing to
continue to engage, and if we disengage because of these
(19:08):
kind of violent acts, we're intimidated and unwilling to engage,
then in that case, this deranged coward who was unwilling
to take a debate stage and discuss the ideas, but
willing to use a bullet to try to move their
agenda forward, this coward will lose if we are willing
to stand firm with Charlie Kirk and the principles that
he stood for. If however, we stand down, then this
(19:30):
assassin will win. And I'm not interested in that at all.
And I, along with many of my colleagues, including in
the state of Utah, Democrats and Republicans, citizens from all
over the state joined arms and sang him as well
as pledged with civil respect for one another. Democrats and
Republicans got together at our state capital last night to
(19:53):
pledge together that they would continue to work forward through
the issues of the day and as a state legislator
for ten years, the privilege of working with many of
my colleagues on the state side, and I feel that
on the federal side as well.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
We're going to work together to solve issues without violence.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
That's music to my ears, sir. Really, now, of course,
there is an ongoing investigation. They may have found the
individual responsible for this evil act of violence, maybe not.
That remains to be seen. I hope whoever this perpetrator is,
they are never walking the country as a free man
ever again. We need justice and accountability. And that brings
me to my final question for you today, moving forward
(20:30):
as his country, how do we get to a place
where we make sure that this kind of violence never
ever happens again.
Speaker 10 (20:38):
The sad nature that question, Riley, is it will happen again.
But it is something that you and I can commit
in our own heads and hearts that we are never
going to succumb to that temptation ourselves, and that we
will link arms with others that will continue to spread
the message of God's grace is upon us, and that
we can work together as brothers and so through these challenges.
(21:01):
We know since the beginning of time, and I'm going
back to the Bible with Canaan able that murder and assassination,
and it goes on and on, and not that long ago.
We've had several assassinations and attempts in this country, of
course President Trump being the most notable one, but all
of them are travesteeds. All of them are heinous and disgusting,
unacceptable in American civil society. And as an eagle scout myself,
(21:23):
I'm going to be prepared, and I would expect my
colleagues to be prepared. There are still a small minority
of people that believe that this is the way that
they should engage, but the vast majority of us recognize,
I don't care what side of the political spectrum they
adhere to, that they recognize this is entirely unacceptable. And
I'm going to find and work with those people, and
you bet those criminals, those with intent for criminal activity,
(21:46):
the full weight of the American justice system should be
brought against them. And I'll remind your listeners that the
death penalty is still present in the state of Utah,
and this individual may be subject to that at some
point once we find them and.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Prosecute understood, I completely agree with you wholeheartedly Congressman, and
I want to say thank you for your time today
and for the example you're setting for all Americans.
Speaker 10 (22:09):
Riley, thanks for having me on today.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Coming up next, Hayden Paget, chairman of the National Young Republicans,
will join us to resume our conversation about the life
and legacy of Charlie Kirk, as well as his remarkable
contributions to civil, peaceful discourse in America. So stay tuned
for that discussion.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
After the break, watchm Live on cloudtv dot com and
see what you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and
watch One America News Network wherever you go, visit klowd
tv dot com Today. That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
staying with us today as we remember the life and
legacy of a man who dedicated his entire life to
empowering his fellow Americans through dialogue that was always civil, peaceful,
and respectful. Now, the search for the individual who tragically
(23:14):
assassinated him is still underway and we're all waiting for
more information about that search to come to light. However,
in the meantime, a very special guest who knew Charlie
Kirk is now here with us to discuss his life,
his legacy, and his remarkable contributions to both America and
(23:35):
the world. So here with his thoughts and stories is
Hayden Pageant, the chairman of the National Young Republicans. Hayden,
thank you for being here today, thanks for having me.
Obviously just a very somber moment for this country, an
extremely dark time for us all, and I want to
spend a little bit of time here just paying tribute
(23:55):
to a man who not only personally shaped so much
of my life and my thoughts and my own work,
but also for millions and millions of other people all
over the world. So I want to start with this question,
who was Charlie Kirk to you?
Speaker 11 (24:13):
Charlie was a man who from a very early age
understood what he believed was right, knew what was important
in this country, what our country needed, and that young
people were not being given a choice to think for themselves.
They're being told one perspective on the world that Charlie
and I thought was wrong, and he wanted to make
(24:35):
sure they had a chance to think differently and to
think for themselves. And he inspired millions of young Americans
to think differently, to embrace conservative conservative ideas, to get involved,
to become active. And as a result, we see so
many young people in gen Z and jen Alpha now
(24:57):
becoming Republicans for the first time when they worn't before.
A lot of that credit is due to Charlie and
what he built.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
I think that's a really interesting point, the fact that
he wouldn't necessarily tell people what to think, but he
would really challenge people to think in a way that
they had never been challenged before. I saw this certainly
in middle school, high school, in college at the undergraduate level,
and then especially at the graduate level in a master's program,
where a group think takes center stage and anybody who
(25:28):
disagrees or dissents with the mainstream narrative gets ostracized, isolated.
It's like you exist on an island all by yourself.
So it was really refreshing. It was to have someone
who would go into the heart of these campuses, almost
behind enemy lines in a way, and he would invite
people into discourse. He would challenge people to think in
(25:49):
a way that maybe they had never ever thought before,
and the result was this meteoric rise for him and
for his organization. And now I want to ask you
then about the legacy of what he did. What do
you think about.
Speaker 11 (26:01):
That, Hayden, In a tragic way, what exemplifies best what
Charlie built and what he did and what he stood
for was what he was doing yesterday before he was shot.
He was in Utah at this university to continue engaging
in dialogue with especially people from the left who didn't
(26:22):
agree with them and didn't share his perspective, and he
wanted to argue with them, and he was acting them
to prove him wrong. He wanted to learn, he wanted
to understand their perspective. His legacy will be that he
has inspired myself and my members and many other young Americans.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
To do the same thing, to ask.
Speaker 11 (26:41):
The same questions, to engage in those same dialogues. One
of the risks out of this, what the assassin was
trying to do was to make us all afraid to
have those discussions, to talk, to speak, to be courageous.
And the best thing we can do now, the way
we can honor Charlie Kirk is by being more like him,
being courageous, not being afraid to speak, engaging those dialogues,
(27:04):
understanding that only through talking with each other. Can we
prevent violence like this? Obviously it did not. Charlie was
not safe from violence, but he believed that very strongly,
and we need to continue on that belief.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
We need to make his words real.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I completely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Now, I also understand that you had met Charlie Kirk
at least, you know, one or two times. Please tell
us more about your interpretation and how that went and
the impression that it left you with.
Speaker 11 (27:36):
Well, we met pretty briefly a couple of times, so
I don't want to. You know, we weren't friends yet.
I had hoped at some point it would be. But evertheless,
but we met for mostly behind the scenes at the
R and C last year, And the thing I walked
away with is that he's exactly the same person when
you meet him face to face behind behind a camera.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
As he is in front of a camera.
Speaker 11 (28:00):
He wasn't putting on a show, he wasn't put on
a face, he wasn't put on an act. He's the
same guy, and it's commendable.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
That's a marvelous trait.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I so agree with that.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Now, I do want to sort of wrap things up
with this question because I think one of the best
contributions he ever made to this country is showing people
how to disagree in a way that is respectful, showing
people how to talk about really complicated political issues in
a way that's actually very empowering and engaging and totally peaceful.
(28:33):
So I want to ask you on that note, how
do we get back to a place in this country
where we can have disagreements and discourse without things becoming
nasty or violent. Because that's the problem we're all facing
right now, is radicalization political violence in this country. We
all have to be against that, we have to stand
firmly against it. And I'm wondering, Hayden, how do we
(28:55):
really get back to this place where we once were,
where we could challenge each other, disagree with each other,
and dialogue and debate in a way that was totally
peaceful and totally respectful.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
We do it by.
Speaker 11 (29:08):
Moving out our political life the way Charlie did, which
is to have the conversation, to seek out the conversation,
to let other people have to say, not just shouting
them down and telling them what we think, but also
not being afraid to be very clear and very bold
in what you think.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
If we all do that, things will get.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Better, really well, said Hayden, and such a powerful point
to end on today. So I just want to say
thank you for what you're doing and thank you for
your time.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Coming up next, moving from one act of horrific political
violence to another, a veteran of the US Army and
the US Navy will join us to reflect on the
anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September eleventh of two
thousand and one. More details after the break.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Watch AM Live on cloudtv dot com and see what
you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch One
America News Network wherever you go, visit klowd tv dot com. Today.
That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Welcome back to the Real Story. Sticking with the theme
of political violence, we're not going to pivot to our
next big story today see Today marks twenty four years
since the devastating terrorist attack that struck the heart of
New York City on September one, two thousand and one.
As we reflect on that fateful day, we remember the
lives that were lost, the heroes who emerged, and the
(30:46):
unbreakable spirit of a nation forever changed. So with that said,
let's recap what happened on that tragic, horrific day. In
the early morning hours of September first, millions and millions
of Americans watched helps in horror as coordinated terrorist attacks
against the United States were carried out by the Islamist
(31:06):
extremist organization Al Qaeda. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes,
and two of them struck the North and South towers
of the World Trade Center, and both towers collapsed within hours,
unleashing chaos and terror upon innocent civilians who were just
going about their daily routines. One of the other airplanes,
(31:28):
American Airlines Flight seventy seven, also crashed into the Pentagon
in Arlington, Virginia, damaging the building, and the other airplane
in question, United Airlines Flight ninety three, which was believed
to have been aimed at the US Capitol Building or
even the White House, crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
All told, the attacks resulted in nearly three thousand deaths
(31:53):
and thousands of other people were also injured. It marked
the deadliest terror attack in all of US history and
instilled a sense of anger, anguish, fear, and grief into
the hearts of people all over the United States and
all over the world, life as we knew it would
(32:13):
never be the same. It was truly a gruesome scene
for the land of the Free. As huge plumes of
smoke billowed all across the Manhattan skyline, streets were filled
with the brie and dust, and the desperate efforts of
first responders who rushed into danger without any hesitation, painted
a scene of calculated horror. Thousands of lives were dramatically altered,
(32:38):
just in an instant, in the blink of an eye,
by an evil act of violence that was designed to
instill division and fear. And the attacks themselves led to
a global effort to combat terrorism across the Middle East
and beyond. And while our sense of security briefly wavered,
it was quickly hoisted back up by our deep sense
(33:00):
of patriotism and our refusal to accept what had happened
to us. As a nation, we all banded together and
staunchly defied intimidation. Even in the immediate shock and fear
of the attack, people dropped everything just to help each other,
seeking nothing in return except for the satisfaction of having
(33:23):
helped their fellow Americans. We saw Americans unite in a
way not seen since the founding of our great nation.
So our nation, down but not out, rallied behind each
other and our troops, and braced for an all out
fight for our continued freedom, one that we still fight
to this day. An attack on innocence in the home
(33:45):
of the Brave has never, can, never, and will never
end well. So on this fateful anniversary and every day,
we continue to remember the innocent lives that were tragically
taken from us. We continue to celebrate the heroes who
fought to rescue their fellow Americans from those Twin Towers
(34:06):
before their collapse. We continue to hold space in our
hearts and our minds for everyone who was affected, and
most importantly, we will never forget how this act of
political violence forever changed us. And the wide words of
country music legend Toby Keith, this big dog will fight.
(34:27):
When you rattle his cage, You'll be sorry that you
messed with the US of A will put a boot
in your arth. It's the American way. Now here with
his thoughts, reflections, and reaction as Brian Stern, a veteran
of the US Army and US Navy and the founder
of Gray Bowl Rescue Foundation, Brian, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Hey, Riley, how are you?
Speaker 1 (34:49):
All things considered, I'm just grateful to be here, sir,
quite frankly, and I'm grateful to have you here to
cover this anniversary with us. And the first thing I
want to do is just go back to that day
September eleventh, two thousand and one, when the news broke,
millions of people watching this tragedy play out in real time.
What was going through your mind and through your heart?
Speaker 12 (35:13):
I was as Tower two was hit. They fell in
reverse order. As Tower two was hit. I was kind
of in the plaza of the World Trade Center as
it happened.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
And I was a kid.
Speaker 12 (35:25):
You know, I can't believe it's twenty four years ago.
It's wild to me still. But you know, I, like many,
I think, didn't really believe. I didn't know what to think.
I didn't know what to believe. But once the second
tower got hit, I knew that we were at war
and that was the big you know, that was the
big one. We're under attack, We're going to war. You
(35:46):
know what else is being hit? We need to remember
that twenty four years ago, we didn't have Instagram and Facebook.
If you had a cell phone you were kind of
a big deal back then, so text messaging was just starting,
so uh, the speed of information was was non existent.
And as things happened downtown, all the cell phone towers,
(36:08):
they they they all jammed and once the collapse happened,
power went with it. So there was a real you know,
no no one really knew anything other than we're under attack.
Probably more is going on, we don't know what that is.
And there was a lot of fear of the It was.
It was a very it was a scary day in
(36:30):
every way. Fear of the unknown, fear of uh, survival,
trying to stay alive, uh, trying to stay alive, and
not one but two giant collapses one hundred ten stories
a piece uh running running, you know, running in it
and trying to survive. It was was also just just
one of those It was one of those, you know,
three four five hours of life that really can't be
(36:53):
described well unless you were there.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
I completely believe that.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Admittedly I was very young when it happened, but I
do remember this sense of just grief, confusion, mourning for
my parents' school teachers. This happening early in the day,
It just it threw everybody off, and like you said,
there was a lot of unanswered questions about who funded this,
who was responsible for this, what's the casualty count? Are
(37:19):
we going to be able to save lives and rescue people?
So I just remember this overwhelming sense of grief that
just overcame America. And that brings me to my next
question for you, Brian, Clearly, this was a world altering event.
But for you at the time, did you were you
thinking that, you know, in the wake of this, were
you thinking to yourself, this is going to change America
(37:39):
and the world forever?
Speaker 12 (37:42):
Yeah, you know, nine to eleven is one of these
defining moments that changed again.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
It changed.
Speaker 12 (37:49):
It changed the skyline of New York, the the the
literal skyline changed. It changed tens of thousands of people.
It changed all kinds of things, like even silly things
like dry cleaning. Three thousand people had dry cleaning and
there you know, you know, three thousand people died. Lots
of people had their dry cleaning and the dry cleaners
(38:10):
and never came to pick it up. There's stories about
about commuters who came in from Long Island and Connecticut
and from Jersey where their cars were found at the
train stations on.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
You know, unattended, and you know.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
What do you do with those?
Speaker 12 (38:24):
And we know all kinds of things. So it's not
just you know, nine to eleven is one of these
events that was that's so much more than a you know,
the largest attack on American soil.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
It's it's even more than that.
Speaker 12 (38:37):
It touched and impacted people who weren't directly impacted. Thousands
and thousands and thousands and thousands of people are dying
of cancer just from being residents downtown Saffo Canal Street.
So all kinds of things, All kinds of people were touched,
poor people, rich people, black, white, Muslim, Christian, Jews, you
(38:59):
name it, men, women, Republicans, Democrats, anyone, anyone that was
in New York around that time, one.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Way or the other.
Speaker 12 (39:09):
Was touched in a very very very personal, real way.
From nine to eleven spawns a generation of disabled veteran right,
it spawns an entire wave of military technology that we
didn't have, right, drones and even different camouflaged patterns. Right,
(39:33):
and how we fight and what we do and how
we do it, all these things, you know, combat logistics
and field medical care, all kinds of things, really spawned
from this seminal event. All things that may seem insignificant
may may not be. But the amount of things that
(39:55):
that that kind of branch and sequel from nine to eleven,
where it all started down here, down here in New York,
is truly remarkable. Twenty four years ago this morning, where
black people, white people, you all have every shape, every color, civilians.
If you look at the imagery on your screen there,
those people are not in uniforms. Those are just New
(40:16):
Yorkers helping each other out because it was the right
thing to do. That's precisely why Gray bul Rescue exists.
We're a team of volunteers. We go all over the
world and we do what needs to be done for
our people.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
That's it.
Speaker 12 (40:29):
We're not instead of the government. We're not in competition
of the government. We're in addition to the government, supplementing
the government where they can't be. Just like the morning
of nine to eleven, when the entire fire department was
trying to rescue a city, normal civilians stepped in, helped out,
and whatever they could not because they knew anything or
(40:52):
they knew anyone, because they happened to just be in
a very terrible situation and fell compelled to do the
right thing as Americans. That's what nine to eleven is
really about. And we say never forget. That's the part
that everyone always forgets. That's the part.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Well said Brian, and really thank you for being here
today so much and for everything your organization is doing
because this country and this world needs it. So thank
you again.
Speaker 12 (41:16):
Thank you grabel Rescue dot org.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Coming up next, we will be continuing our reflection on
the worst act of political violence to ever happen on
American soil and how it changed this country and the
world forever.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
More details right after the break.
Speaker 6 (41:36):
Watchm Live on cloudtv dot com and see what you're missing.
Download the cloud tv app and watch One America News
Network wherever you go. Visit klowd tv dot com Today.
That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
sticking with us as we continue our coverage of the
worst political violence to ever take place on American soil.
Thousands of lives tragically lost, millions of lives forever changed,
and a nation brought to its knees after a group
of radical Islamist extremists carried out an act of evil
(42:18):
against the United States of America. It's a moment that
will never ever be forgotten, and that brings us to
today's next guests, both of whom are veterans to join
the conversation. So joining us now is Tyler Gray, a
former Delta Force operator and co author of the book
Forged in Chaos, A Warrior's Origin Story, and Colonel George
(42:38):
Washington Market, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps
and a candidate for US Senate in Colorado.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Gentlemen, thank you for being here.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Thanks rovving.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
So it's really an honor.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
To have you both on this on the state that
we reflect on the one of the darkest moments in
American history, certainly, and Colonel I'd like to start with
you for this first question. Clearly, the terrorists who attacked
America on September eleventh were trying to send a message
to the American people.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
What do you think that message was.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Well, it was actually quite clear.
Speaker 13 (43:13):
Number one, they wanted to completely overturn our entire way
of life. They can't have what we have wherever they
came from, so they decided to commit an act so
heinous that it would shock the entire world, and they
wanted to bring to light our vulnerabilities. But mostly it
was and this is actually written in communications in al
(43:36):
Qaeda from Alamo van Laden to many of his immediate reports,
was to draw us into protracted economic warfare, destroy us militarily, economically, politically,
and socially because of their complete disdain for America's values.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
That's really interesting then to follow up with you, and
this is something that's been on my mind as well.
So looking back now everything that happened following those attacks,
with the intervention into Iraq and later Afghanistan, when you
go back to that day in your mind at the time,
was it clear to you that there would be sort
of a US intervention into the Middle East? And if so,
(44:15):
did you think it would last for nearly a full
two decades.
Speaker 13 (44:19):
It was clear that there'd be an immediate intervention.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
We had to do something, and.
Speaker 13 (44:23):
The entire American people had revenge on their mind. You
just listen to what people said, and we had to
suppress the emotion after that immediate shock and they move
forward as professionals and execute our duties to the best
of our ability as military service members.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
And we did that.
Speaker 13 (44:40):
I mean you know, al Qaeda in Afghanistan was routed
almost immediately along with the Taliban. They all fled to
the border regions and we had them on the ropes
for several months there. I don't think that it was
clear to anybody that we would end up engaging in
two decades of protracted warfare. But at the time, it
was clear that we had to to do something, that
(45:00):
we were a nation at war.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Okay, understood. Then, following up on that point, I want
to pivot to you, Tyler. So that spawned, that evil attack,
spawned the global war on terror as we know it now.
I want to look back, you know, looking back twenty
four years later, what is your assessment of the effectiveness
of that global.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
War on terror?
Speaker 7 (45:23):
Well, I mean, look, I'm going to say this. You know,
the you know, terrorist terrorists see us as terrorists. One
of my favorite sayings I learned, probably the only thing
I learned in high school, was the saying one man's
terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. And the reason I'm
mentioning that is if you look at what his what
(45:47):
we were talking about, their intent was on September eleventh.
The mistake they made was thinking a I mean attacking
us in general. But b you can't destroy an ideology.
They can't destroy our ideology no matter what they do.
And quite frankly, it's really impossible us for us to
destroy a terrorist's ideology. We can destroy the people. We've
(46:11):
done it. I've personally done it, where we take out
a figurehead, whether it's al Qaeda, ISIS, you name it,
and then somebody else takes that place. So really, I
would say the forever war it isn't Afghanistan. The forever
war is the global war on terror because you can't
kill an ideology. I'm not saying we shouldn't be fighting it.
(46:32):
I'm just saying the lessons learned is it's not as
simple as killing all the people.
Speaker 4 (46:37):
You're fighting an entire idea.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
You can't necessarily defeat an ideology like that with bullets
or with tanks or with infantry soldiers on the ground.
So to your point, then, Tyler, how do we go
about combating the ideology?
Speaker 7 (46:53):
Well, I think it comes down to we do a
bore of very. We are so bad at, for lack
of a better term, pr You know the amount of
times that I personally was involved with either an operation
or a you know, a bombing campaign that I personally
was watching the people I knew who was there, and
then you know, they get on the news and talk about, ah,
(47:15):
there was one hundred kids there, blah blah blah. They're
very good at manipulating the media, and they're very good
at manipulating the public perception. AMAS has done it. Terrorists,
for whatever reason, are amazing at pr We're horrible at it.
What we need to do is get better at understanding
that public perception is a weapon and we need to
utilize it as such. The reason I went and started
(47:37):
working in Hollywood when I got out of the military
is because, whether we like it or not, Hollywood is
the largest psyops campaign ever launched in the world. Yes,
and we need to take advantage of that and be
using it on our side rather than against us, which
we've allowed them to do for many years.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Very well said something I think we saw effectively used
in World War Two, but not so much in the
modern era. For a righteous cause then as well. Now
turning back to you, then, Colonel, I want to raise
another point here, because this is something a lot of
us talk about, wondering how an attack like this could
have ever happened on US soil. And I'm not saying
it was necessarily a security failure, but I do want
(48:15):
to ask you about this question about whether or not
we've learned from that situation and bolstered our national security
and really our defense mechanisms. So looking back, you know,
after the attack, what is your assessment of America's national
security protocols today? And do you think we are more
prepared than we were back then?
Speaker 13 (48:34):
I absolutely do if you do some of the reading
about what occurred in the years preceding that events, particularly
the nineteen nineties, in between Desert Storm and nine to eleven,
we got a little complacent as a nation. You know,
we had had this decisive victory, we achieved our strategic
objectives in Kuwait expelling the Iraqis, and we went to
this peacetime mindset, which is dangerous for a military because
(48:56):
people start to get comfortable, and we don't ever want
to get comfortable. We always want to maintain that edge.
And so if you look at the reading that I did,
you know, Steve Cole Ghost Wars is a good book.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
There's others out.
Speaker 13 (49:07):
There also talk about how you know the presidential administration
back then the Clinton administration was aware of al Quaedo
was aware of something lot and then oh, by the way,
there were many attacks that occurred during that timeframe against US,
namely the First World Trade Center, Cobar Powers, the two
embassy bombings in Africa, and the USS coal which is
an incident that I responded to with the Battalion Landing
(49:29):
Team of Infantry Marines in two thousand and I'm thinking,
why didn't we start the global war on terrorism much
earlier than nine to eleven, because clearly there was signaling
that they were attacking our interests and attacking our way
of life. And so in you know, post incident, you know,
we create a lot of agencies to try to coalesce,
the intelligence agencies, intelligence products, and those types of things.
(49:50):
And now we know that because of these vulnerabilities and
because of this incident, that we had to have a
airtight intelligence network that is global. We have to have
counter terror and capabilities on the ground in these countries
as well as over the horizon, and we need to
be able to deter and as just like Tyler was
talking about, primarily in the information space, delegitimize and make
(50:11):
sure that these people do not have a voice, and
that our Karen and narrative is much stronger.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Okay understood, And what a powerful and profound point to
end on. So, gentlemen, thank you both for your service
to this country and thank you for your time today.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
Thank you my pleasure, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
And that concludes today's broadcast. We truly hope you found
some meaning in it today, and remember we always want
to hear from you, so please email your feedback and
any news stories you'd like us to cover to the
Real Story atann dot com and follow us on social
media at the Real story an. So until we meet again,
(50:48):
God bless you, God bless our troops, and truly God
bless America.
Speaker 6 (51:00):
Watch o AN live on cloudtv dot com and see
what you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch
One America News Network wherever you go, visit k l
o w d tv dot com today. That's k l
o w d TV dot com Today.
Welcome to the Real Story. I'm your host Riley Lewis.
Thank you for joining us on this tragic day of
loss and mourning. As you all know, today is re
Mars twenty four years since the nine to eleven terrorist
attacks that killed thousands of Americans, and of course we
will be paying our respects all throughout the course of
(00:30):
the show today, but we will begin our coverage with
a celebration of the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk,
a father, husband, role model, and victim of political violence.
So free speech and faith warrior. Charlie Kirk, the thirty
one year old founder of Turning Point USA, who mobilized
millions of young Americans to fight for faith and freedom,
(00:54):
was tragically gunned down yesterday in a brazen assassination that
certainly appears to be politically motivated at Utah Valley University
during a campus event, a chilling reminder that in today's America,
speaking hard truths can cost.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You your life.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Born on October fourteenth, nineteen ninety three, in Arlington Heights, Illinois,
Charlie Kirk grew up in a modest suburb, the son
of a mental health counselor mom and an architect dad,
and he wasn't some sort of silver spoon elite either.
He was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America,
earning the highest rank through grit and discipline, and by
(01:33):
high school at Wheeling High, he was already clashing with
teachers that he called out for pushing neo Marxist biases,
leading student protests against cafeteria price hikes that he framed
as government overreach. At just the age of seventeen years old,
he volunteered for Senator Mark Kirk's successful twenty ten campaign,
(01:53):
honing his political edge amid Barack Obama's presidency and the
two thousand and eight financial crisis that few his disdain
for liberal economics. But Charlie's real rocket launch came in
the year twenty twelve. At eighteen years old, fresh out
of high school and having skipped college, he teamed up
with seventy one year old Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery
(02:16):
to found Turning Point USA. TPUSA started as a bootstrap
operation to combat left wing political dominance on campuses in America,
promoting ideas like fiscal responsibility, free markets, and even limited government.
Then fast forward by twenty twenty five, It boasted chapters
(02:37):
in over eight hundred and fifty colleges, with massive events
like the Student Action Summit in Tampa, drawing five thousand
attendees and featuring heavy hitters like President Trump, Ben Shapiro,
Tucker Carlson, and even swimmer Riley Gaines. Tbusa's revenue exploded,
hitting milestones like a Florida condo purchase in twenty nineteen
(03:00):
and an Arizona headquarters built out by twenty twenty one.
They even launched affiliate organizations, Turning Point Action in twenty
nineteen for political advocacy flipping Arizona for President Trump by
registering tens of thousands of voters on the ground, and
TPUSA Faith with Pentecostal pastor Rob McCoy to mobilize churches.
(03:22):
But Charlie, he didn't just build an organization. He built
a movement, becoming the youth whisperer of the New Right
and hosting the Charlie Kirkshow podcast and radio program that
reached millions of people. He even authored books like Time
for a Turning Point in twenty sixteen, charting a course
for free markets and limited government. A regular White House
(03:46):
visitor during Trump's terms. He was also dubbed a trusted
ally who helped deliver young voters. And let's not forget
about his personal life either. Married to entrepreneur Erica Frassa,
Charlie leaves behind a devote wife who shared his unshakable faith,
as well as three year old daughter and a one
year old son. And they are most certainly in our
(04:08):
prayers and thoughts in this time of incredible grief and strife.
The nation as a whole is grieving with them right now.
But the loss uncalculable, the pain of growing up without
a father or without the love of your life, and
all caused by one heinous and evil act of what
seems to be ideological terrorism by a deranged individual who
(04:32):
seems to have no regard for human life. Now, justice
will hopefully be served, but it won't bring Charlie's life back.
He's with the Lord now, taken from us far far
too soon. But at his core, Charlie Kirk was a
man of profound Christian faith, a committed follower of Jesus
(04:53):
who once told podcaster Russell Brand I'm a sinner. I
fall incredibly short of the glory of God.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I'm nothing without Jesus.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm a sinner.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I fall incredibly short of the glory of God.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
We all do.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade,
and it's the most important decision I've ever made. And
everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ. He is the Living God.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Now he inspired hundreds of young students, not just politically
but spiritually, urging them to live boldly for Christ and
for God. Early on, he did push a secular worldview,
advocating for separation of church and state, But then COVID
lockdowns came along, and we saw what happened when the
script was flipped due to lockdowns on churches, which he
(05:38):
saw as government tyranny targeting faithful believers. So by twenty
twenty four, he'd embraced this idea of Christian nationalism, calling
separation of church and state a fabrication twisted by secularists.
He even invoked the Seven Mountains mandate, rallying Christians to
dominate government, media, education, and more for God's Kingdom. Now,
(06:03):
Charlie's crusade to keep God in schools in government was
relentless and never ending. He demanded federal legislation that any
school taking government money must also teach students about the Bible.
The mechanisms of a religious society are good for everybody,
is what he argued at an April event in Utah
in twenty twenty three, saying when somebody walks around and
(06:24):
thinks that you're created and that you're not God, you
tend to have better citizens. And for that reason, he
framed politics as spiritual warfare, saying Democrats stand for everything
God hates. In Georgia last fall, now TPUSA Faith hosted
summits equipping pastors to preach politically against transgender issues and
(06:45):
lockdowns as well, and Charlie saw America as being founded
on these Judeo Christian principles and ideas, insisting that founders
meant for faith to guide the nation, not to be
sidelined by neo Marxist professors or woke mandates. He also
defended the Second Amendment fiercely, even controversially, stating in twenty
(07:06):
twenty three that some gun deaths were a cost worth
paying to protect God given rights and who can forget
his support for the swimmer Riley Gaines, who stood against
transgender athletes in women's sports, Charlie amplified her real story
that of a courageous young woman fighting for fairness, for faith,
(07:26):
and for biology in the face of cancel culture and censorship.
As he put it on social media, politicizing tragedies like
the murder of Irena Zarutzka is one hundred percent necessary
to expose failed policies that have let savages roam free.
But here's the pivot, folks, and it's really a gut punch.
(07:47):
Charlie Cook's assassination is more than just a personal tragedy.
It's a symptom of a rotting core in this country
where violence replaces votes because snowflakes just can't handle disagreement
in civil discourse. It's on life support right now. After all,
let's remember Charlie's Change My Mind forums in college campuses,
(08:07):
where he'd sit with a sign inviting debates on hot
button issues like abortion or gun rights. He thrived on
this fielding questions that any college campus that would even
have him, and proving conservatives could argue without fists or fury.
Yet radicals shouted him down, and now one of them
(08:28):
pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, this is not new in America.
In fact, FBI's stats show violent crime up thirty percent
in major cities since the year twenty twenty, fueled largely
but not entirely by soft on crime das and bail
reforms letting repeat offenders like the fourteen prior thug who
killed Zarutzka walk free. Then there's also the growing violence
(08:49):
along the lines of race and ethnicity in this country,
which was on full display in the case of Zarutzka
in North Carolina. But the legacy media they bury the truth,
calling out racializing while capitalizing black and lowercasing the word white.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Even CNNs Van Jones slam.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Charlie for hate mongering on race, ignoring the fact that
the killer yelled, I got that white girl.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Watch hurt people, hurt people.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
What happened was horrible, but it becomes an opportunity for
people to jump on bandwagons and then for some way,
Charlie Kirk, he should be ashamed of himself that no
one mentioned the word race, white, black, or anything except him.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Now, many on the right are also criticizing the long
running hit comedy Central series South Park for the recent
depiction of Charlie Kirk in their show. And while the
portrayal wasn't exactly flattering, Charlie himself actually found it very
amusing and seemed almost honored to have his viral cultural
moments be depicted on one of the longest running, most
successful television shows that's ever been made. Here's his reaction,
(09:51):
Oh my god, what makes you think you have the
right to say what I do with my body?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Let me ask you something.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
If a pregnant woman is killed and the baby dies too,
why is the killer charged?
Speaker 7 (10:00):
The double habitat.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
Because people have different beliefs.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
It's not about belief, it's about truth, science confirmed. Life
begins at conception.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Were you honored?
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Not only was I honored?
Speaker 8 (10:12):
They got the little sip of the water correctly, They
got the hairdo the little details are perfect? And look,
you know, south Park, they could be very nasty towards
a lot of people. That just goes to show the
impact the cultural power of what we be able to
do at turning Point usay the billions of views, How
we're able to get so many young people on board
for conservative values, and this movement that President Trump has
(10:32):
built on campuses across the country that we've been able
to support is just remarkable. And so it is a
great honor and even more remarkably that is a word
for word quote remarkable.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Indeed, Charlie's reaction is right on par with what he
espouses during his own discussions and speeches, the ability to
laugh at yourself, have thick skin, and possessing an overall
positive mindset. While this is all supposed to be taken
in good fun, there of course, are deranged psychopaths out
there who see this kind of satire and much more importantly,
(11:03):
statements made by supposed serious journalists, and then become radicalized
by the rhetoric of these so called truth tellers. So
breaking right before our recording, the FBI has released photos
of a person of interest, as well as a tip
line to help them locate and apprehend this individual, and
the lot's echo chambers breed assassins, from Antifa mobs shutting
(11:25):
down speeches, to house democrats booing a moment of silence
for Charlie just yesterday, take a look at this extremely
partisan disgrace.
Speaker 9 (11:35):
Please rise for a moment of prayer for Charlie Kirk
and his family. Let's let's let's wait a minute, Wait
a minute. The house will be in order. The house
will be in order, The house will be in order.
We will join for prayer right after this. Okay, the
(11:59):
share lays before the house, a communication.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
The house will be in order.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
It's not debate, folks, it's destruction. And as President Trump
said in his tribute, Charlie's deep faith comforts us.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He's with God now.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
President Trump also announced this morning that he would be
awarding Charlie with a posthumous Medal of Freedom. But here
on earth we must fight back peacefully.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Of course, register of voters.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Exposed propaganda and lies, reclaim schools for God and truth,
and for Charlie's legacy, a generation armed with ideas, not
with bullets. So let's honor him by winning the war
that he started, one civil, peaceful and respectful conversation at
a time. Or as he'd say, with that Rye Grin,
(12:52):
prove me wrong. So on behalf of everyone here at
one American news network. May angels lead you in. Charlie,
you were among the very best society has to offer.
And to your family and your friends and all the
people you affected were praying for you in this time
of unimaginable loss. Now coming up next, Utah Congressman Mike Kennedy,
(13:15):
who represents the district where Utah Valley University is located.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Will join us to discuss the latest.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Updates about the investigations surrounding the heartbreaking assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
So stay with us. We'll be right back after a break.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
Watch AM Live on cloudtv dot com and see what
you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch One
America News Network wherever you go visit klowd tv dot
com Today. That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
sticking with us as we continue our coverage of the
political assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man who spent his
entire life fighting for America like nobody else. Now as
it stands, the suspect responsible for this disgusting act of
violence is still being investigated and the search is ongoing,
(14:15):
and there are updates coming to light every single hour,
and we wish godspeed to every member of law enforcement
who's participating in this investigation. Now here with his thoughts
about the assassination, the investigation into it, and the search
for the real perpetrator is Utah Representative Mike Kennedy Representative.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 10 (14:35):
Riley, Thanks for having me on today, on this sad
day that we mourned the loss of many lives on
September eleventh, and we mourn as well yesterday the assassination
and the loss of the life of Charlie Kirk. Can
God bless his widow and those two children as they.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Deal with the terrible effects.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Associated with this.
Speaker 10 (14:55):
But you and I both know, and your listeners know
that the same filthy intent to with violence suppress freedom
of speech is informing both of those terrible decisions those
terrorists on September eleventh, This heinous act that happened yesterday,
these are it's the same evil, and I and my
colleagues will stand against that evil to the end of
(15:15):
our days.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
The same here. I'm right there with you, Congressman.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
And by the way, regarding all the nasty, you know,
responses online from people who are celebrating this assassination, shame
on them. It does not matter who you voted for,
what your politics is, what your ideology is. This kind
of violence has no place in America, zero whatsoever. All
Americans should stand firmly.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah. I just it's sickening, Congressman, true.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 10 (15:44):
If we're going to use bullets to resolve conflict, then
that's called war. And those people that may celebrate this,
it's the sort of thing that is entirely unacceptable because
the reason why we have our constitution, the reason why
we have freedom of speech, our God grant to rights
and responsibilities associated with our constitution is so that we
can resolve conflicts in a civil fashion. And those that
(16:07):
don't understand that need to come to grips with how
our civil society has been organized.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
And I'll just say it. My part is we're going.
Speaker 10 (16:13):
To continue to move forward with the work of the day,
and that is Charlie Kirk's work. The fact is, as
he has dealt with pressure and threats for his whole
career and he still stood for his principles in spite
of the fact that he knew that violence was out there.
And I'm going to stand with him in his memory
and all those people, especially the young people that saw
(16:34):
Charlie Kirk as a light, somebody who was willing to
engage and brought many young people into political engagement. People
are willing to trust that there's ways for us to
work out our conflicts in a civil fashion. I will
not let this assassin when I will continue with Charlie
Kirk and his memory, to carry forward in a civil
fashion the important issues of the day and try to
(16:56):
resolve conflicts and deal with them as our founders intended,
with the freedom of speed that we've been granted through
our constitution and our God given opportunities.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
God bless you, sir, truly, and thank you for saying that.
Now this horrific tragedy unfolding at Utah Valley University, which
lies in the district you represent, could you please tell
us a little bit more about how the community itself
is doing today.
Speaker 10 (17:20):
It's just a few minutes from my home, and this
is a great community. It's a great institution. More than
forty thousand students go to this institution, and at that time, Riley,
the devastating effects not only of the loss of Charlie's
life and what it meant to his family, but the
fact that more than three thousand people, including young people
and his own family, witness this event is something that
increases the terrible nature of this act. This is a
(17:45):
remarkable community full of good people, and what I'm seeing, Riley,
is a hardening of resolve. Our hearts are broken, but
our resolve is firm we will continue to carry forward
to work that Charlie has left for us, and that's
to make sure that we are doing diligence to discussing
and working through the issues so that we can resolve
those in a fashion that does not involve bullets and violence.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To your point there as well, Congressman, My first question
then on that is how do we as a nation
find a way to move forward and to heal?
Speaker 10 (18:18):
The first thing, and I'm a doctor as well, and
I've dealt with mourning and grief over the course of
my career, and I've had my own.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Share of that as well.
Speaker 10 (18:24):
Is it is appropriate, It's entirely human and expected that
we need to process this. We need to mourn, that's
what we call it, and we should celebrate a life
and mourn a death associated with this, Just like September eleventh,
we continue after four years to mourn those many lives
that were lost. But as we mourn and come to understand,
(18:46):
we each come to our own conclusions. I'm going to say,
Riley to you, and I'm certainly committed myself and to
all those young people that followed Charlie Kirk, even the
ones that may not have agreed with him, please do
not disengage. Charlie Kirk demonstrated to us that this is
how we can engage. That there is an opportunity for
us all to make a difference. If we're willing to
continue to engage, and if we disengage because of these
(19:08):
kind of violent acts, we're intimidated and unwilling to engage,
then in that case, this deranged coward who was unwilling
to take a debate stage and discuss the ideas, but
willing to use a bullet to try to move their
agenda forward, this coward will lose if we are willing
to stand firm with Charlie Kirk and the principles that
he stood for. If however, we stand down, then this
(19:30):
assassin will win. And I'm not interested in that at all.
And I, along with many of my colleagues, including in
the state of Utah, Democrats and Republicans, citizens from all
over the state joined arms and sang him as well
as pledged with civil respect for one another. Democrats and
Republicans got together at our state capital last night to
(19:53):
pledge together that they would continue to work forward through
the issues of the day and as a state legislator
for ten years, the privilege of working with many of
my colleagues on the state side, and I feel that
on the federal side as well.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
We're going to work together to solve issues without violence.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
That's music to my ears, sir. Really, now, of course,
there is an ongoing investigation. They may have found the
individual responsible for this evil act of violence, maybe not.
That remains to be seen. I hope whoever this perpetrator is,
they are never walking the country as a free man
ever again. We need justice and accountability. And that brings
me to my final question for you today, moving forward
(20:30):
as his country, how do we get to a place
where we make sure that this kind of violence never
ever happens again.
Speaker 10 (20:38):
The sad nature that question, Riley, is it will happen again.
But it is something that you and I can commit
in our own heads and hearts that we are never
going to succumb to that temptation ourselves, and that we
will link arms with others that will continue to spread
the message of God's grace is upon us, and that
we can work together as brothers and so through these challenges.
(21:01):
We know since the beginning of time, and I'm going
back to the Bible with Canaan able that murder and assassination,
and it goes on and on, and not that long ago.
We've had several assassinations and attempts in this country, of
course President Trump being the most notable one, but all
of them are travesteeds. All of them are heinous and disgusting,
unacceptable in American civil society. And as an eagle scout myself,
(21:23):
I'm going to be prepared, and I would expect my
colleagues to be prepared. There are still a small minority
of people that believe that this is the way that
they should engage, but the vast majority of us recognize,
I don't care what side of the political spectrum they
adhere to, that they recognize this is entirely unacceptable. And
I'm going to find and work with those people, and
you bet those criminals, those with intent for criminal activity,
(21:46):
the full weight of the American justice system should be
brought against them. And I'll remind your listeners that the
death penalty is still present in the state of Utah,
and this individual may be subject to that at some
point once we find them and.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Prosecute understood, I completely agree with you wholeheartedly Congressman, and
I want to say thank you for your time today
and for the example you're setting for all Americans.
Speaker 10 (22:09):
Riley, thanks for having me on today.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Coming up next, Hayden Paget, chairman of the National Young Republicans,
will join us to resume our conversation about the life
and legacy of Charlie Kirk, as well as his remarkable
contributions to civil, peaceful discourse in America. So stay tuned
for that discussion.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
After the break, watchm Live on cloudtv dot com and
see what you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and
watch One America News Network wherever you go, visit klowd
tv dot com Today. That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
staying with us today as we remember the life and
legacy of a man who dedicated his entire life to
empowering his fellow Americans through dialogue that was always civil, peaceful,
and respectful. Now, the search for the individual who tragically
(23:14):
assassinated him is still underway and we're all waiting for
more information about that search to come to light. However,
in the meantime, a very special guest who knew Charlie
Kirk is now here with us to discuss his life,
his legacy, and his remarkable contributions to both America and
(23:35):
the world. So here with his thoughts and stories is
Hayden Pageant, the chairman of the National Young Republicans. Hayden,
thank you for being here today, thanks for having me.
Obviously just a very somber moment for this country, an
extremely dark time for us all, and I want to
spend a little bit of time here just paying tribute
(23:55):
to a man who not only personally shaped so much
of my life and my thoughts and my own work,
but also for millions and millions of other people all
over the world. So I want to start with this question,
who was Charlie Kirk to you?
Speaker 11 (24:13):
Charlie was a man who from a very early age
understood what he believed was right, knew what was important
in this country, what our country needed, and that young
people were not being given a choice to think for themselves.
They're being told one perspective on the world that Charlie
and I thought was wrong, and he wanted to make
(24:35):
sure they had a chance to think differently and to
think for themselves. And he inspired millions of young Americans
to think differently, to embrace conservative conservative ideas, to get involved,
to become active. And as a result, we see so
many young people in gen Z and jen Alpha now
(24:57):
becoming Republicans for the first time when they worn't before.
A lot of that credit is due to Charlie and
what he built.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
I think that's a really interesting point, the fact that
he wouldn't necessarily tell people what to think, but he
would really challenge people to think in a way that
they had never been challenged before. I saw this certainly
in middle school, high school, in college at the undergraduate level,
and then especially at the graduate level in a master's program,
where a group think takes center stage and anybody who
(25:28):
disagrees or dissents with the mainstream narrative gets ostracized, isolated.
It's like you exist on an island all by yourself.
So it was really refreshing. It was to have someone
who would go into the heart of these campuses, almost
behind enemy lines in a way, and he would invite
people into discourse. He would challenge people to think in
(25:49):
a way that maybe they had never ever thought before,
and the result was this meteoric rise for him and
for his organization. And now I want to ask you
then about the legacy of what he did. What do
you think about.
Speaker 11 (26:01):
That, Hayden, In a tragic way, what exemplifies best what
Charlie built and what he did and what he stood
for was what he was doing yesterday before he was shot.
He was in Utah at this university to continue engaging
in dialogue with especially people from the left who didn't
(26:22):
agree with them and didn't share his perspective, and he
wanted to argue with them, and he was acting them
to prove him wrong. He wanted to learn, he wanted
to understand their perspective. His legacy will be that he
has inspired myself and my members and many other young Americans.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
To do the same thing, to ask.
Speaker 11 (26:41):
The same questions, to engage in those same dialogues. One
of the risks out of this, what the assassin was
trying to do was to make us all afraid to
have those discussions, to talk, to speak, to be courageous.
And the best thing we can do now, the way
we can honor Charlie Kirk is by being more like him,
being courageous, not being afraid to speak, engaging those dialogues,
(27:04):
understanding that only through talking with each other. Can we
prevent violence like this? Obviously it did not. Charlie was
not safe from violence, but he believed that very strongly,
and we need to continue on that belief.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
We need to make his words real.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I completely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Now, I also understand that you had met Charlie Kirk
at least, you know, one or two times. Please tell
us more about your interpretation and how that went and
the impression that it left you with.
Speaker 11 (27:36):
Well, we met pretty briefly a couple of times, so
I don't want to. You know, we weren't friends yet.
I had hoped at some point it would be. But evertheless,
but we met for mostly behind the scenes at the
R and C last year, And the thing I walked
away with is that he's exactly the same person when
you meet him face to face behind behind a camera.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
As he is in front of a camera.
Speaker 11 (28:00):
He wasn't putting on a show, he wasn't put on
a face, he wasn't put on an act. He's the
same guy, and it's commendable.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
That's a marvelous trait.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I so agree with that.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Now, I do want to sort of wrap things up
with this question because I think one of the best
contributions he ever made to this country is showing people
how to disagree in a way that is respectful, showing
people how to talk about really complicated political issues in
a way that's actually very empowering and engaging and totally peaceful.
(28:33):
So I want to ask you on that note, how
do we get back to a place in this country
where we can have disagreements and discourse without things becoming
nasty or violent. Because that's the problem we're all facing
right now, is radicalization political violence in this country. We
all have to be against that, we have to stand
firmly against it. And I'm wondering, Hayden, how do we
(28:55):
really get back to this place where we once were,
where we could challenge each other, disagree with each other,
and dialogue and debate in a way that was totally
peaceful and totally respectful.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
We do it by.
Speaker 11 (29:08):
Moving out our political life the way Charlie did, which
is to have the conversation, to seek out the conversation,
to let other people have to say, not just shouting
them down and telling them what we think, but also
not being afraid to be very clear and very bold
in what you think.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
If we all do that, things will get.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Better, really well, said Hayden, and such a powerful point
to end on today. So I just want to say
thank you for what you're doing and thank you for
your time.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Coming up next, moving from one act of horrific political
violence to another, a veteran of the US Army and
the US Navy will join us to reflect on the
anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September eleventh of two
thousand and one. More details after the break.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Watch AM Live on cloudtv dot com and see what
you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch One
America News Network wherever you go, visit klowd tv dot com. Today.
That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Welcome back to the Real Story. Sticking with the theme
of political violence, we're not going to pivot to our
next big story today see Today marks twenty four years
since the devastating terrorist attack that struck the heart of
New York City on September one, two thousand and one.
As we reflect on that fateful day, we remember the
lives that were lost, the heroes who emerged, and the
(30:46):
unbreakable spirit of a nation forever changed. So with that said,
let's recap what happened on that tragic, horrific day. In
the early morning hours of September first, millions and millions
of Americans watched helps in horror as coordinated terrorist attacks
against the United States were carried out by the Islamist
(31:06):
extremist organization Al Qaeda. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes,
and two of them struck the North and South towers
of the World Trade Center, and both towers collapsed within hours,
unleashing chaos and terror upon innocent civilians who were just
going about their daily routines. One of the other airplanes,
(31:28):
American Airlines Flight seventy seven, also crashed into the Pentagon
in Arlington, Virginia, damaging the building, and the other airplane
in question, United Airlines Flight ninety three, which was believed
to have been aimed at the US Capitol Building or
even the White House, crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
All told, the attacks resulted in nearly three thousand deaths
(31:53):
and thousands of other people were also injured. It marked
the deadliest terror attack in all of US history and
instilled a sense of anger, anguish, fear, and grief into
the hearts of people all over the United States and
all over the world, life as we knew it would
(32:13):
never be the same. It was truly a gruesome scene
for the land of the Free. As huge plumes of
smoke billowed all across the Manhattan skyline, streets were filled
with the brie and dust, and the desperate efforts of
first responders who rushed into danger without any hesitation, painted
a scene of calculated horror. Thousands of lives were dramatically altered,
(32:38):
just in an instant, in the blink of an eye,
by an evil act of violence that was designed to
instill division and fear. And the attacks themselves led to
a global effort to combat terrorism across the Middle East
and beyond. And while our sense of security briefly wavered,
it was quickly hoisted back up by our deep sense
(33:00):
of patriotism and our refusal to accept what had happened
to us. As a nation, we all banded together and
staunchly defied intimidation. Even in the immediate shock and fear
of the attack, people dropped everything just to help each other,
seeking nothing in return except for the satisfaction of having
(33:23):
helped their fellow Americans. We saw Americans unite in a
way not seen since the founding of our great nation.
So our nation, down but not out, rallied behind each
other and our troops, and braced for an all out
fight for our continued freedom, one that we still fight
to this day. An attack on innocence in the home
(33:45):
of the Brave has never, can, never, and will never
end well. So on this fateful anniversary and every day,
we continue to remember the innocent lives that were tragically
taken from us. We continue to celebrate the heroes who
fought to rescue their fellow Americans from those Twin Towers
(34:06):
before their collapse. We continue to hold space in our
hearts and our minds for everyone who was affected, and
most importantly, we will never forget how this act of
political violence forever changed us. And the wide words of
country music legend Toby Keith, this big dog will fight.
(34:27):
When you rattle his cage, You'll be sorry that you
messed with the US of A will put a boot
in your arth. It's the American way. Now here with
his thoughts, reflections, and reaction as Brian Stern, a veteran
of the US Army and US Navy and the founder
of Gray Bowl Rescue Foundation, Brian, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Hey, Riley, how are you?
Speaker 1 (34:49):
All things considered, I'm just grateful to be here, sir,
quite frankly, and I'm grateful to have you here to
cover this anniversary with us. And the first thing I
want to do is just go back to that day
September eleventh, two thousand and one, when the news broke,
millions of people watching this tragedy play out in real time.
What was going through your mind and through your heart?
Speaker 12 (35:13):
I was as Tower two was hit. They fell in
reverse order. As Tower two was hit. I was kind
of in the plaza of the World Trade Center as
it happened.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
And I was a kid.
Speaker 12 (35:25):
You know, I can't believe it's twenty four years ago.
It's wild to me still. But you know, I, like many,
I think, didn't really believe. I didn't know what to think.
I didn't know what to believe. But once the second
tower got hit, I knew that we were at war
and that was the big you know, that was the
big one. We're under attack, We're going to war. You
(35:46):
know what else is being hit? We need to remember
that twenty four years ago, we didn't have Instagram and Facebook.
If you had a cell phone you were kind of
a big deal back then, so text messaging was just starting,
so uh, the speed of information was was non existent.
And as things happened downtown, all the cell phone towers,
(36:08):
they they they all jammed and once the collapse happened,
power went with it. So there was a real you know,
no no one really knew anything other than we're under attack.
Probably more is going on, we don't know what that is.
And there was a lot of fear of the It was.
It was a very it was a scary day in
(36:30):
every way. Fear of the unknown, fear of uh, survival,
trying to stay alive, uh, trying to stay alive, and
not one but two giant collapses one hundred ten stories
a piece uh running running, you know, running in it
and trying to survive. It was was also just just
one of those It was one of those, you know,
three four five hours of life that really can't be
(36:53):
described well unless you were there.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
I completely believe that.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Admittedly I was very young when it happened, but I
do remember this sense of just grief, confusion, mourning for
my parents' school teachers. This happening early in the day,
It just it threw everybody off, and like you said,
there was a lot of unanswered questions about who funded this,
who was responsible for this, what's the casualty count? Are
(37:19):
we going to be able to save lives and rescue people?
So I just remember this overwhelming sense of grief that
just overcame America. And that brings me to my next
question for you, Brian, Clearly, this was a world altering event.
But for you at the time, did you were you
thinking that, you know, in the wake of this, were
you thinking to yourself, this is going to change America
(37:39):
and the world forever?
Speaker 12 (37:42):
Yeah, you know, nine to eleven is one of these
defining moments that changed again.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
It changed.
Speaker 12 (37:49):
It changed the skyline of New York, the the the
literal skyline changed. It changed tens of thousands of people.
It changed all kinds of things, like even silly things
like dry cleaning. Three thousand people had dry cleaning and
there you know, you know, three thousand people died. Lots
of people had their dry cleaning and the dry cleaners
(38:10):
and never came to pick it up. There's stories about
about commuters who came in from Long Island and Connecticut
and from Jersey where their cars were found at the
train stations on.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
You know, unattended, and you know.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
What do you do with those?
Speaker 12 (38:24):
And we know all kinds of things. So it's not
just you know, nine to eleven is one of these
events that was that's so much more than a you know,
the largest attack on American soil.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
It's it's even more than that.
Speaker 12 (38:37):
It touched and impacted people who weren't directly impacted. Thousands
and thousands and thousands and thousands of people are dying
of cancer just from being residents downtown Saffo Canal Street.
So all kinds of things, All kinds of people were touched,
poor people, rich people, black, white, Muslim, Christian, Jews, you
(38:59):
name it, men, women, Republicans, Democrats, anyone, anyone that was
in New York around that time, one.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Way or the other.
Speaker 12 (39:09):
Was touched in a very very very personal, real way.
From nine to eleven spawns a generation of disabled veteran right,
it spawns an entire wave of military technology that we
didn't have, right, drones and even different camouflaged patterns. Right,
(39:33):
and how we fight and what we do and how
we do it, all these things, you know, combat logistics
and field medical care, all kinds of things, really spawned
from this seminal event. All things that may seem insignificant
may may not be. But the amount of things that
(39:55):
that that kind of branch and sequel from nine to eleven,
where it all started down here, down here in New York,
is truly remarkable. Twenty four years ago this morning, where
black people, white people, you all have every shape, every color, civilians.
If you look at the imagery on your screen there,
those people are not in uniforms. Those are just New
(40:16):
Yorkers helping each other out because it was the right
thing to do. That's precisely why Gray bul Rescue exists.
We're a team of volunteers. We go all over the
world and we do what needs to be done for
our people.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
That's it.
Speaker 12 (40:29):
We're not instead of the government. We're not in competition
of the government. We're in addition to the government, supplementing
the government where they can't be. Just like the morning
of nine to eleven, when the entire fire department was
trying to rescue a city, normal civilians stepped in, helped out,
and whatever they could not because they knew anything or
(40:52):
they knew anyone, because they happened to just be in
a very terrible situation and fell compelled to do the
right thing as Americans. That's what nine to eleven is
really about. And we say never forget. That's the part
that everyone always forgets. That's the part.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Well said Brian, and really thank you for being here
today so much and for everything your organization is doing
because this country and this world needs it. So thank
you again.
Speaker 12 (41:16):
Thank you grabel Rescue dot org.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Coming up next, we will be continuing our reflection on
the worst act of political violence to ever happen on
American soil and how it changed this country and the
world forever.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
More details right after the break.
Speaker 6 (41:36):
Watchm Live on cloudtv dot com and see what you're missing.
Download the cloud tv app and watch One America News
Network wherever you go. Visit klowd tv dot com Today.
That's klowd tv dot com Today.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Welcome back to the Real Story, and thank you for
sticking with us as we continue our coverage of the
worst political violence to ever take place on American soil.
Thousands of lives tragically lost, millions of lives forever changed,
and a nation brought to its knees after a group
of radical Islamist extremists carried out an act of evil
(42:18):
against the United States of America. It's a moment that
will never ever be forgotten, and that brings us to
today's next guests, both of whom are veterans to join
the conversation. So joining us now is Tyler Gray, a
former Delta Force operator and co author of the book
Forged in Chaos, A Warrior's Origin Story, and Colonel George
(42:38):
Washington Market, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps
and a candidate for US Senate in Colorado.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Gentlemen, thank you for being here.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Thanks rovving.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
So it's really an honor.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
To have you both on this on the state that
we reflect on the one of the darkest moments in
American history, certainly, and Colonel I'd like to start with
you for this first question. Clearly, the terrorists who attacked
America on September eleventh were trying to send a message
to the American people.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
What do you think that message was.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
Well, it was actually quite clear.
Speaker 13 (43:13):
Number one, they wanted to completely overturn our entire way
of life. They can't have what we have wherever they
came from, so they decided to commit an act so
heinous that it would shock the entire world, and they
wanted to bring to light our vulnerabilities. But mostly it
was and this is actually written in communications in al
(43:36):
Qaeda from Alamo van Laden to many of his immediate reports,
was to draw us into protracted economic warfare, destroy us militarily, economically, politically,
and socially because of their complete disdain for America's values.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
That's really interesting then to follow up with you, and
this is something that's been on my mind as well.
So looking back now everything that happened following those attacks,
with the intervention into Iraq and later Afghanistan, when you
go back to that day in your mind at the time,
was it clear to you that there would be sort
of a US intervention into the Middle East? And if so,
(44:15):
did you think it would last for nearly a full
two decades.
Speaker 13 (44:19):
It was clear that there'd be an immediate intervention.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
We had to do something, and.
Speaker 13 (44:23):
The entire American people had revenge on their mind. You
just listen to what people said, and we had to
suppress the emotion after that immediate shock and they move
forward as professionals and execute our duties to the best
of our ability as military service members.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
And we did that.
Speaker 13 (44:40):
I mean you know, al Qaeda in Afghanistan was routed
almost immediately along with the Taliban. They all fled to
the border regions and we had them on the ropes
for several months there. I don't think that it was
clear to anybody that we would end up engaging in
two decades of protracted warfare. But at the time, it
was clear that we had to to do something, that
(45:00):
we were a nation at war.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Okay, understood. Then, following up on that point, I want
to pivot to you, Tyler. So that spawned, that evil attack,
spawned the global war on terror as we know it now.
I want to look back, you know, looking back twenty
four years later, what is your assessment of the effectiveness
of that global.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
War on terror?
Speaker 7 (45:23):
Well, I mean, look, I'm going to say this. You know,
the you know, terrorist terrorists see us as terrorists. One
of my favorite sayings I learned, probably the only thing
I learned in high school, was the saying one man's
terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. And the reason I'm
mentioning that is if you look at what his what
(45:47):
we were talking about, their intent was on September eleventh.
The mistake they made was thinking a I mean attacking
us in general. But b you can't destroy an ideology.
They can't destroy our ideology no matter what they do.
And quite frankly, it's really impossible us for us to
destroy a terrorist's ideology. We can destroy the people. We've
(46:11):
done it. I've personally done it, where we take out
a figurehead, whether it's al Qaeda, ISIS, you name it,
and then somebody else takes that place. So really, I
would say the forever war it isn't Afghanistan. The forever
war is the global war on terror because you can't
kill an ideology. I'm not saying we shouldn't be fighting it.
(46:32):
I'm just saying the lessons learned is it's not as
simple as killing all the people.
Speaker 4 (46:37):
You're fighting an entire idea.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
You can't necessarily defeat an ideology like that with bullets
or with tanks or with infantry soldiers on the ground.
So to your point, then, Tyler, how do we go
about combating the ideology?
Speaker 7 (46:53):
Well, I think it comes down to we do a
bore of very. We are so bad at, for lack
of a better term, pr You know the amount of
times that I personally was involved with either an operation
or a you know, a bombing campaign that I personally
was watching the people I knew who was there, and
then you know, they get on the news and talk about, ah,
(47:15):
there was one hundred kids there, blah blah blah. They're
very good at manipulating the media, and they're very good
at manipulating the public perception. AMAS has done it. Terrorists,
for whatever reason, are amazing at pr We're horrible at it.
What we need to do is get better at understanding
that public perception is a weapon and we need to
utilize it as such. The reason I went and started
(47:37):
working in Hollywood when I got out of the military
is because, whether we like it or not, Hollywood is
the largest psyops campaign ever launched in the world. Yes,
and we need to take advantage of that and be
using it on our side rather than against us, which
we've allowed them to do for many years.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Very well said something I think we saw effectively used
in World War Two, but not so much in the
modern era. For a righteous cause then as well. Now
turning back to you, then, Colonel, I want to raise
another point here, because this is something a lot of
us talk about, wondering how an attack like this could
have ever happened on US soil. And I'm not saying
it was necessarily a security failure, but I do want
(48:15):
to ask you about this question about whether or not
we've learned from that situation and bolstered our national security
and really our defense mechanisms. So looking back, you know,
after the attack, what is your assessment of America's national
security protocols today? And do you think we are more
prepared than we were back then?
Speaker 13 (48:34):
I absolutely do if you do some of the reading
about what occurred in the years preceding that events, particularly
the nineteen nineties, in between Desert Storm and nine to eleven,
we got a little complacent as a nation. You know,
we had had this decisive victory, we achieved our strategic
objectives in Kuwait expelling the Iraqis, and we went to
this peacetime mindset, which is dangerous for a military because
(48:56):
people start to get comfortable, and we don't ever want
to get comfortable. We always want to maintain that edge.
And so if you look at the reading that I did,
you know, Steve Cole Ghost Wars is a good book.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
There's others out.
Speaker 13 (49:07):
There also talk about how you know the presidential administration
back then the Clinton administration was aware of al Quaedo
was aware of something lot and then oh, by the way,
there were many attacks that occurred during that timeframe against US,
namely the First World Trade Center, Cobar Powers, the two
embassy bombings in Africa, and the USS coal which is
an incident that I responded to with the Battalion Landing
(49:29):
Team of Infantry Marines in two thousand and I'm thinking,
why didn't we start the global war on terrorism much
earlier than nine to eleven, because clearly there was signaling
that they were attacking our interests and attacking our way
of life. And so in you know, post incident, you know,
we create a lot of agencies to try to coalesce,
the intelligence agencies, intelligence products, and those types of things.
(49:50):
And now we know that because of these vulnerabilities and
because of this incident, that we had to have a
airtight intelligence network that is global. We have to have
counter terror and capabilities on the ground in these countries
as well as over the horizon, and we need to
be able to deter and as just like Tyler was
talking about, primarily in the information space, delegitimize and make
(50:11):
sure that these people do not have a voice, and
that our Karen and narrative is much stronger.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Okay understood, And what a powerful and profound point to
end on. So, gentlemen, thank you both for your service
to this country and thank you for your time today.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
Thank you my pleasure, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
And that concludes today's broadcast. We truly hope you found
some meaning in it today, and remember we always want
to hear from you, so please email your feedback and
any news stories you'd like us to cover to the
Real Story atann dot com and follow us on social
media at the Real story an. So until we meet again,
(50:48):
God bless you, God bless our troops, and truly God
bless America.
Speaker 6 (51:00):
Watch o AN live on cloudtv dot com and see
what you're missing. Download the cloud tv app and watch
One America News Network wherever you go, visit k l
o w d tv dot com today. That's k l
o w d TV dot com Today.
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