Glenn Beck Warns Hungary's Crackdown on Conservatives Is a ‘Stark’ Preview for America

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2026

Tonight's roundup covers ten of the day's biggest conservative shows — Glenn Beck touring Hungary's crackdown on its own opposition and warning it could preview what happens here, Max Blumenthal telling Tucker Carlson about getting detained and searched on his way home from Iran, and Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs making his case against Governor Katie Hobbs. Also on deck: Victor Davis Hanson on AI and forgotten presidents, Dennis Prager on parenting and freedom, and a very online debate about who really wins the internet.

Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs joined Charlie Kirk to discuss his gubernatorial campaign against incumbent Katie Hobbs, describing a tight race despite being vastly outspent. He accused Hobbs of dodging debates and pushed back on attack ads about his tax record, while criticizing several of her vetoes.

• Says the governor's race is essentially tied despite Hobbs outspending him by roughly $20 million in ads

• Accuses Hobbs of avoiding debates and dodging substantive policy discussion with voters

• Disputes ads claiming he'd raise taxes, citing his record of never voting for a tax increase

• Counters that Hobbs pushed to double Arizona's gas tax and backed a large sales-tax hike

• Criticizes Hobbs for vetoing bills on tipped-wage taxes, school transgender policy, and sex-offender registry rules

— Watch on YouTube

In a lighter, meme-driven departure from his usual news commentary, Michael Knowles reacted to viral clips of jihadist fighters botching combat operations, mixing dark humor with clips promoting the Daily Wire film “Run Hide Fight: Infidels.” He frames the episode as pure entertainment rather than straight political analysis.

• Reacts to viral clips of ISIS and other jihadist fighters botching ambushes and combat encounters

• Runs a recurring bit about an old Texas plumbing company's truck resurfacing in Syria in ISIS-linked footage

• Splices in trailer clips from the Daily Wire film “Run Hide Fight: Infidels” for tonal contrast

• Says he prefers absurd, ironic failure footage over generic combat clips

• Touches briefly on a retired Delta Force operator's college campus visit

— Watch on YouTube

Andrew Klavan argues that modern news coverage and conservative commentary have shifted from being censored to mainstream, crediting the Daily Wire, Trump's political rise, and Elon Musk's X takeover. He also pushes back on AI-doom predictions and closes with a listener theology question.

• Coins a bit called “the Shapiro” about once-marginalized conservative commentators now welcomed onto mainstream platforms

• Criticizes CNN's selective framing of a story, contrasting it with how he says Fox News covered it

• Pushes back on AI-doom predictions, comparing the rhetoric to climate-change alarmism

• Promotes his novel “Find Me Nowhere” and the Daily Wire film “Run, Hide, Fight: Infidels”

• Answers a listener's theology question, favoring a relational view of faith over doctrinal debate

— Watch on YouTube

Glenn Beck warns that Hungary's post-election crackdown on opposition politicians and conservative media, following Viktor Orbán's party losing power, is a cautionary tale for America. He also covered a “loneliness crisis” among American men, economic gains under Trump, and rising gas and interest rates.

• Says Hungary's new government has moved to ban roughly half of opposition politicians from future races and take over conservative media

• Draws parallels between Hungary's crackdown and historical fascist/communist tactics after touring Budapest's House of Terror museum

• Cites stats that the share of American men with zero close friends has jumped from about 3% to 15%

• Notes 401(k) balances up an average of about $37,000 since Trump returned to office, alongside rising gas and interest rates

• Previews an upcoming interview with journalist Salena Zito on newly released Butler, PA assassination-attempt documents

— Watch on YouTube

Tucker Carlson hosted journalist Max Blumenthal to discuss his reporting trip to Iran and its aftermath, including Blumenthal's claim that he was detained and had his phones seized upon returning to the U.S. The two argued Israeli interests have outsized influence over the Trump administration's foreign policy.

• Blumenthal says he was detained at Dulles Airport and had his phones seized without a warrant after returning from Iran

• Describes a coordinated online harassment campaign against him involving activist Laura Loomer and the group Canary Mission

• Says members of Congress called for investigations into him following the trip

• The pair argue Israeli interests have outsized sway over Trump officials, naming Susie Wiles and Marco Rubio

• Discuss economic risks of a prolonged Iran conflict, including fuel prices and the dollar's reserve-currency status

— Watch on YouTube

Graham Allen argues that American culture has inverted itself, with lies increasingly framed as truth and traditional values labeled extremist. He expresses nostalgia for the stability of the 1990s and calls for a return to objective truth.

• Argues traditional family values are increasingly being labeled extremist by cultural elites

• Criticizes how gender-identity discussions involving minors are handled in schools and media

• Expresses nostalgia for the 1990s, citing the sitcom “Friends” as a symbol of lost stability

• Says his generation is exhausted from living inauthentically and calls for a return to objective truth

• Raises environmental and safety concerns he frames as specifically affecting children

— Watch on YouTube

Victor Davis Hanson compares AI development to nuclear proliferation, promotes his new book on Trump and the MAGA movement, and reviews the state of the Ukraine war. He also profiles overlooked presidents Zachary Taylor and John F. Kennedy and warns about personalized AI algorithms creating isolated information silos.

• Compares AI development to nuclear-weapons proliferation, arguing unilateral restraint by one side is unrealistic

• Promotes his new book on Trump and the MAGA movement, noting it hit #4 on Amazon

• Reviews the Ukraine war's shift from Russia's failed assault on Kyiv to today's attritional fighting

• Profiles little-remembered presidents Zachary Taylor and John F. Kennedy

• Warns that personalized AI content algorithms are creating isolated information silos

— Watch on YouTube

Dennis Prager contrasts today's restrictive parenting norms with his own childhood, arguing many modern “health and safety” rules are really about controlling behavior. He also answers audience questions on intermarriage, faith, and identity.

• Contrasts today's restrictions on kids with flying alone internationally at age seven as a child

• Says Facebook refused to run a promo for the episode because the thumbnail showed him with a cigar

• Argues many “health and safety” rules today are about controlling behavior, not protecting people

• Takes audience questions on Jewish intermarriage and how LGBTQ individuals reconcile identity with religious faith

• Argues American life keeps trading away freedom in the name of supposedly noble goals

— Watch on YouTube

The Ruthless hosts joined Will Cain to discuss why conservative content thrives online, debating whether viral hype like Spencer Pratt's meme-driven LA mayoral bid can translate into real votes. They also touched on the Graham Platner Reddit controversy and reactions to the Luigi Mangione murder trial.

• Debate whether Spencer Pratt's meme-driven LA mayoral campaign's online buzz can convert into actual votes

• Argue Democrats give ideological allies a pass, citing Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's old Reddit posts

• Discuss reactions to the Luigi Mangione murder trial, including supporters framing the killing in “social murder” terms

• Compare unconventional, personality-driven political candidates emerging in a post-Trump culture

• Close with a lighter debate ranking #1 pop songs from 1985-2025

— Watch on YouTube

Daniel Horowitz argues that a large share of illegal immigrants use stolen identities to obtain work or benefits, citing data he says shows high rates of identity theft in states with more illegal immigration. He criticizes Republicans for not elevating the issue politically.

• Argues a large share of illegal immigrants use stolen identities to get work or claim benefits

• Cites a claim that Arizona has over a million child identity-theft victims, well above the national average

• Says cartels supply undocumented workers with stolen Social Security numbers to get jobs

• Cites IRS data claiming millions of undocumented immigrants filed taxes using stolen or assigned taxpayer ID numbers

• Criticizes Republicans for not elevating identity-theft-linked immigration fraud as a bigger political issue

— Watch on YouTube