Over the past two weeks, the nation’s attention has focused on space following the successful launch and orbit of the Artemis II craft. This event marked a major milestone in space exploration as the United States of America advanced its mission to return humans to deep space and re-establish its leadership beyond low Earth orbit.

Space has always thrilled people of all ages and motivated us to dream bigger than any single individual. Few things in this world are more difficult than configuring a craft and mission capable of exiting and entering Earth’s atmosphere and transporting to various points in space. From the earliest age, boys and girls look up to the heavens to gaze at the moon and star constellations and tell their parents about their aspirations to go there one day. As children grow into young adults, they identify the visible specks of planets and research corresponding details to fill gaps in their imagination and understanding of the complex solar system.

The Artemis II crew carried more than just their mission; they carried the hopes of a nation longing to believe in something bigger than any of us.

The Artemis II mission is more than a launch; it signals that America is leading again in space exploration. During this trip, the crew of four astronauts traveled more miles from Earth than any in the history of humanity, shuttling about 252,756 miles from our planet. Like the Apollo missions of previous generations, Artemis II reminded men, women, and children alike of the limitless possibilities available to the United States when we focus our best and brightest. Americans have so much to be proud of as they assess this mission and await the next launch in this series, which may see humans set foot on the Moon’s surface again as soon as this decade.

Artemis II reflects the strength of our aerospace workforce, the ingenuity of American innovation, and the kind of long-term investment that drives economic growth here at home. States like Arizona play a direct role in that success, supporting high-skilled jobs, advanced manufacturing, and the next generation of engineers and scientists. Honeywell in Glendale developed critical Orion spacecraft systems, including guidance and navigation, displays and controls that astronauts will rely on during the flight, command and data-handling hardware, core flight software, and vibration-dampening technology. Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert facility is also contributing by supporting broader Artemis elements, such as the HALO capsule for future missions. At the same time, the company’s solid rocket boosters provide massive thrust and safety systems that power this historic launch.

Many people deserve thanks for the renewed American push to re-enter and conquer space — especially President Donald J. Trump, whose vision restored focus and direction to the United States space program, ensuring our nation remains competitive on the global stage. President Trump understands the critical nature of space exploration and how vital it is that our country regain its luster and edge in this boundless arena. His administration is working hard to open even more opportunities for our astronauts and space vehicles to travel where few men have gone before. This legacy will endure long after his presidency and life concludes.

The Artemis II crew carried more than just their mission; they carried the hopes of a nation longing to believe in something bigger than any of us. We are teaching the next generation of Americans to dream about what they can do, what they can see, and where they can go. There is nothing the United States can’t do when it puts its collective national mind to it. Artemis II again proved that fact.

​Artemis ii, Deep space, Next generation, Northrop grumman, Space exploration, Opinion & analysis 

Death threats and political violence against conservatives are no longer rare incidents — they have become a dangerous daily reality, creating a climate of fear designed to silence dissent.

On April 14, Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, announced that she was backing out at the last minute from a TPUSA event in Athens, Georgia, where she was scheduled to interview JD Vance, due to “very serious threats” directed at her.

Just a few days before that, TPUSA Frontlines reporter Savanah Hernandez was brutally attacked by a violent anti-ICE mob in Minnesota while she was simply trying to video a protest.

“She was going to be on the show today, and I just got this note from her,” Glenn Beck says through tears. “‘Glenn, you know I never would turn you down, but I’m struggling with some dizziness and head pain today and had to end up canceling all of my appearances for the day.’”

Glenn is overwhelmed by the brutality he’s witnessing. On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” he delivers an urgent message about the terrifying rise of political violence in America.

“My first death threat happened in 2007. … I was on a tour for ‘The Christmas Sweater,’ and we had serious death threats,” he recalls. “My tour bus was run off the road.”

Right now, Glenn contends, America is in “a time that is thick with credible threats.”

“And that’s happening because the powers that you name — the liars, the corrupt, the enemies of the Bill of Rights, and the Western inheritants — have marked you,” he warns. “They want you silent. They want you gone for a reason.”

While it’s tempting to shrink away from these threats out of the instinct of self-preservation, he pleads with his audience to resist them.

“You were born for times such as this,” Glenn says through tears.

“You think [God] is hunting for a heart that’s never trembled?” he asks. “It’s not true. He’s not. Every hero you knew felt the same terror that you feel now … even Christ.”

“He didn’t cease to be afraid in order to obey. He obeyed while and in spite of him being afraid,” Glenn continues. “That’s the only courage that has ever changed the world.”

He points to German Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who boldly “[stood] against the Nazi machine” on the principle that “silence in the face of evil is evil itself.”

“Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. [Bonhoeffer] didn’t escape the noose by being quiet. He escaped the greater death: the death of the soul that refuses to live by truth,” Glenn says.

He then quotes Soviet army officer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who was sent to the gulags for eight years for criticizing Stalin: “Live not by lies.”

Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and many other brave souls have iterated similar sentiments in the face of unspeakable fear.

Glenn points out that the cup these courageous men bore is not some relic from days past. It has been passed to us.

“The threats are real. The fear is honest. But the calling is louder,” he encourages.

To hear more of Glenn’s moving monologue, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Conservatives, Courage, Erika kirk, Glenn beck, Jd vance, Political violence, Rise of political violence, The glenn beck program, Turning point usa, Savanah hernandez 

We are watching Democrats increasingly enact liberal policies in imperviously red states with Republican supermajorities. It’s not just that weak Republicans provide openings for Democrats to seize political opportunities, but those weak Republican governors appoint liberal judges, who in turn ratify left-wing policies.

However, there is a check on lawless judges that our founders believed was a deterrent strong enough to prevent a corrupt judiciary from redefining the Constitution. Why is impeachment of judges not being used regularly in deep-red states?

Utah is the new Virginia.

On February 20, 2026, the Utah Supreme Court affirmed a district court opinion essentially stripping the legislature of its authority to draw maps and mandating the use of a map drawn by left-wing groups, which will create a guaranteed Democrat House seat in urban Salt Lake City. This decision is in the news this month because Judge Diana Hagen, one of the justices who overruled the legislature, is under investigation for meeting with and allegedly having a romantic relationship with one of the lead attorneys for those challenging the legislative map.

As we watch hopelessly with numerous federal judges legislating from the bench at the national level, the Utah situation is completely redressable. Whereas Republicans will never garner a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate to remove an impeached federal judge, Utah Republicans enjoy a 22-6 majority in the state Senate. It should be a no-brainer for Hagen and her compatriots to get the boot from the very people they are usurping.

Although Republicans wield a 61-14 majority in the state House, Rep. Trevor Lee (R), a supporter of impeachment, divulged on my podcast that they probably have no more than 30-40 votes in support of impeachment and only a handful of conservatives who would convict Hagen in the Senate. These recalcitrant Republicans think a judge needs to rob a bank in order to raise the ire of the legislature, but our founders did not see it that way.

RELATED: How Republicans have failed to defund sanctuary cities for a generation

J. David Ake/Getty Images

Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist #81 that the power of impeachment alone would be a “complete security” against judges usurping legislative power and would “remove all apprehensions” of those who feared that judicial review would morph into judicial supremacy.

Justice Joseph Story made it clear that “high crimes and misdemeanors” were political in nature, not just criminal, and included “attempts to subvert the fundamental laws, and introduce arbitrary power.”

James Wilson, one of the preeminent founders and an original Supreme Court justice who helped draft Article III, clearly articulated this point: “In the United States and in Pennsylvania, impeachments are confined to political characters, to political crimes and misdemeanors, and to political punishments.” That is why the trial is held in a competing branch of government, not in a court with criminal proceedings.

The only reason why impeachment never became a regularly used and effective check on the judiciary is because as quickly as our political system began to operate, we suffered from the rise of political parties. So rather than competing branches of government checking each other, we were divided between parties who inevitably wielded enough authority to block impeachment.

However, by my count, Republicans have the numbers to impeach and remove rogue state judges in 20 states. With judges attempting to usurp legislative authority on transgenderism, abortion, and election law, why are Republicans shying away from impeachment?

One common problem in red states is county and district judges in blue areas who believe in “restorative justice” and release dangerous criminals. In Florida, Leon County Judge Tifanny Baker-Carper released Daniel Spencer — a man previously convicted in a child sex crime sting — on bond before sentencing. While out, Spencer and his wife allegedly abused and murdered Spencer’s 5-year-old stepdaughter, Melissa “Missy” Mogle, in Tallahassee. The case sparked outrage and led to the legislature passing “Missy’s Law,” a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on March 31, 2026, which restricts judges’ discretion in releasing certain sex offenders or violent felons pending sentencing.

However, the governor chided the legislative leadership for not going a step farther. “You have the power, and you have sufficient numbers in your chamber, to impeach this judge, Tiffany Baker-Carper,” observed DeSantis. “Until you start holding these judges accountable, they are going to continue to find ways to benefit the criminal element.”

Why is DeSantis the only one pushing to impeach such subversive judges when they exist in every red state?

As we have painfully learned from Virginia this week — a state where Republicans wielded supermajorities just a decade ago

— political power is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. If you give Democrats a foothold in your red state, it won’t be red for much longer. Utah, with its new, judicially created Democrat congressional seat, is the new Virginia.

​Opinion & analysis