April 16th, 2026

Rough transcription of Hour 1

Segment 1
Hello America. Mark Levin here.  Our number 877-381-3811.  877-381-3811. I must confess, I’m perplexed. I’m perplexed. There’s a cease fire between Israel and Lebanon. But Israel’s not at war with Lebanon. Israel is not at war with the Lebanese government. Israel’s not at war with the Lebanese army. Israel is trying to destroy Hezbollah. Hezbollah has shot 6500 missiles or rockets into Israel. Hezbollah is Iran. Israel has had to move from its tiny country and a tiny population, upwards of 2 million people out of northern Israel. They can’t live in their homes, in their neighborhoods and their communities. Because Hezbollah keeps shooting these rockets. From Lebanon and the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army is not strong enough to stop them, because after all, in 1982. Khamenei sent. The militia into Lebanon. They assassinated the president there, who was Christian. It was a majority Christian country, not majority Muslim country. And Hezbollah controls the country. Over the last several years, Israel has destroyed the leadership of Hezbollah. And much of. The terrorist regime. But it has its surrounded in its major encampment right now and it’s been told to stand down. By us. Pay us. Because Iran, the back story, according to The Jerusalem Post, is told us that they’re not going to really negotiate. Unless Israel stops trying to destroy Hezbollah. Now we’ve made it clear that we’re not going to link the two. But it appears today that we have. My concern is by the time this is all over. And the president leaves office. If we’re not careful. Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, the regime in Iran, well, has survived. There’s no reason for Hezbollah to survive. No reason whatsoever asked the families of the 241 soldiers sailors. And Marines who were in that barrack, who were in the barracks who were murdered. Ask them. Ask the families. Of those who lost their lives in our two African embassies as a result of Hezbollah with the backing of Iran. The Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia has asked those families. Israel’s done as a great favorite taking on Nasrallah and scores of top. Hezbollah leaders as they’ve taken out Khomeini and many of the leaders in Iran using their intelligence services and their know how. But there’s no way in hell they’re going to allow Hezbollah to keep shooting missiles in Israel, which they just did a barrage of missiles. Just prior to the so-called ceasefire. Injuring scores of people. What would we do? What do we clear out? A million or 2 million of our citizens. If it were in Canada, would we? And if they shot some more rockets and missiles into our country, will we just sit on our hands? So why do we expect others to do it, you know? Israel is our ally. And where their ally. Allies have to rely on each other to protect themselves. Lindsey Graham put this out. Like everyone, I yearn for a peace in the Middle East. But we have to be smart. Hezbollah and peace don’t fit in the same sentence. Hezbollah is a terrorist group. Any cease fire in Lebanon must include a credible path to disarm Hezbollah. And yet that’s not on the table. Hezbollah is one of the largest terrorist organizations in the world aligned with Iran that is dripping with American blood. If at the end of the day, the severely degraded Iranian regime survives and receives sanction relief and Hezbollah is still left standing in Lebanon, it will only be a matter of time until both groups regenerate. Now, those are basically my words that I’ve been. Mentioning as well. And he’s right. He says no ceasefires or peace deals that create pathways that allow the re-emergence of terrorist states like Iran or terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. We’ve accomplished far too much to allow this to be the end state. And I trust President Trump and his team not only to find peace, but make it real and sustainable. I could not agree more. I could not agree more after all of this. After all of this. Now think about it logically. A cease fire and a deal between Israel and the Lebanese government. But Israel is not fighting the Lebanese government. Israel is not fighting the Lebanese people. Israel is not fighting the country of Lebanon. It’s fighting Hezbollah that has taken over the country. Abuses. The Christians there want nothing to do with them. Abuses many of the Muslims there who want nothing to do with them. And this has been going on for decades. Decades. Decades. Lee Smith, brilliant writer over a tablet. Said the Lebanese army won’t disarm Hezbollah ever. The Lebanese government is a cover for the terror group’s cease fire. Looks like implementation of Iranian demands. I believe it is, and that’s what concerns me. And that’s the back story that’s being printed in the The Jerusalem Post. Hezbollah needs to be destroyed. And honestly, we should get out of the way. We should get out of the way. Those aren’t our civilians. Those aren’t our troops dying fighting Ebola. We shouldn’t be doing any favors for for Iran here. By pulling back Israel. Here’s the other thing you may not know. I think I touched on it the other day. The Israeli people want Hezbollah destroyed. They want Hamas destroyed and they want the Iranian regime destroyed. They’re tired of running into these bomb shelters day and night with their little babies and children in their arms or with their elderly parents and the disabled. Several times a day and night. They are tired of it. And guess what’s happening? The left wing parties in this guy Bennett also I mentioned to you yesterday. Their poll numbers are going up. The more Netanyahu works with us. Got that. And of course, the left and the Democrats keep trashing Netanyahu. Because he’s a tremendous leader. So here were my questions that I put out over an hour ago. Some facts and questions worth thinking about. Number one. Lebanese armed forces cannot stop Hezbollah. Number two, the IDF was destroying Hezbollah. Number three, how does a cease fire between Israel and the government of Lebanon or a peace deal stop Hezbollah? Number four, a cease fire means Israel stops destroying Hezbollah, since the Lebanese army and and Israel are not fighting each other. Number five, the Iranian regime is on the ropes thanks to military, our military offensive and now the blockade. Excuse me. Number six, if reports are correct, the Iranian regime demanded that Israel stop destroying Hezbollah as a condition of negotiating again with us, thereby linking Hezbollah’s survival to that of the Iranian regime. Number seven, Do we want the Iranian regime and Hezbollah to survive? And if so, why? I think these are legitimate questions, Mr. Producer. And so I know people are are saying, well, look at this, we have a cease fire. It’s never happened before. We’re going to peace in four or five days, a peace deal and so forth and so on. The president said the issue isn’t a peace deal between the Israeli government and the Lebanese government or the country of Israel in the country of Lebanon. The problem is Hezbollah. That’s the problem. If Israel’s told the United States. Well put. Tremendous pressure on them. Even if Hezbollah keeps firing rockets into their neighborhoods. Even if they have to depopulate northern Israel, that’s not going to fly. That’s just not going to fly. That’s not a peace deal either. I’ll be right back.

Segment 2
I guess I don’t control American foreign policy, do I, Mr. Producer? Because I would have given the green light to the Israelis to destroy Hezbollah, which has killed God knows how many Americans. And is a terrorist regime. So the woke Reich, neo fascist isolationists, they’re full of crap. They’ve always been and they always will be. So that’s this. This is not my position. I would just allow the Israelis to continue to do what they’re doing. They’re not at war with the Lebanese people or the Lebanese government. There have been limited casualties as they fight again, terrorists who hide in hospitals and hide behind, you know, schools and so forth. And we’ve gotten a little taste of the propaganda and the and the tactics of the terrorists as we were bombing in Iran. This is what they do. But I just wanted to point this out that we’ll see how it goes in Lebanon. But I’m just I’m just troubled by this because I don’t give a damn what the Iranian regime wants. You know, we had a little bit more patience as a people. Just a little bit more patience. This thing would be over faster than you think. Instead, we have a cease fire. So the military aspect of it stop. But the brilliance of what Donald Trump is doing right now is economic. Shutting the. The Straits of Hormuz. He’s choking off the economy. And I think it’s having a big effect. Well, it’s bringing them back to the table, but the goal is to me to eliminate them. Because there won’t be another Donald Trump. You can see how the Republicans are reacting behind the scenes. Isn’t there an offramp? Can McCain and the Democrats, of course, are rooting for the enemy. So my view is, while we have a window, let’s get this over with, while we have our military there and let’s get this over with. They have no real military to speak of. And the economy is the way in which you crush them now. And the president is literally doing that. He’s doing that. And it really is brilliant what he’s doing. So my view is finish them off. Now, as far as the Israelis and Hezbollah go, we don’t have any people there fighting. We’re not sending our any of our military over there. It’s all Israeli. And so we are. Can’t allow the Iranians to put pressure. On us to put pressure on the Israelis to get them back to the table if they’ll stop trying to destroy Hezbollah. I don’t buy into that. I don’t buy into that. That’s not my view. Now, notice something else when I raise this. I’m not attacking the administration, not attacking the president. No, I don’t believe in that, because the president is trying to do the very best he can. He’s right. He’s the president. I’m not the president. I’m not the commander in chief. I just give my opinion. What I say publicly is what I would say privately. What I would say privately is what I would say publicly if I’m asked. It’s that simple. It just said to me this aspect of it. Does it make a whole lot of sense? And Hezbollah is not going to stop. It’s just a matter of time. Now, you understand a few weeks ago, the Lebanese army under the Lebanese government was supposed to disarm Hezbollah. You know what happened, America? They didn’t even try. Why? Because Hezbollah is stronger than the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army. So the Israelis had a cease fire with Lebanon before and then they kept firing missiles into Israel. Did Hezbollah. So about two or three weeks ago, Israel said, Alright, enough of that. You’re maiming and killing our people. I’m not going to sit here for that. We’re having to depopulate northern Israel. We’re not going to sit here for that. And they went in. And they’re making tremendous progress. It reminds me when they surrounded Hamas in Gaza City that I’m surrounded. And they were going to eliminate them. And they pulled back. They were pulled back. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamist, the the the Islamist Nazi regime in Tehran. We’ve got to be careful how this thing ends. We really do. So those are my views. You can take him or leave him. I think it’s very important in my view. Uh. That this is handled in a way where Hezbollah is is allowed to be destroyed by the Israelis again. It’s the IDF. That has everything on the line. It’s the IDF that is really lost a lot of soldiers fighting them. We’re not fighting them in. Iran. Should be calling the shots on this either. If they are if that report is accurate, I fear it is. Lots more. And we’ll be right back.

Segment 3
I honestly don’t understand why Pope Leo now is repeatedly denouncing the president and what he’s doing without naming him. I don’t understand it. It’s very political. And what is the president doing that’s so irreligious? We had a great discussion yesterday. I raised some interesting issues with a great caller, Joseph, who teaches. Catholic doctrine and has. At every level of education. And we’ve talked about. In the past, some of the great Catholic theologians, some of the recent scholars. But whether it’s Catholicism or Christianity generally or Judaism or whatever it is, I mean. Surely it can’t be the position of. Of our biggest faiths. That if a terrorist Islamist regime. Slaughters tens of thousands of its own people. Rapes and murders and tortures. They’re going to be hanging for young people today or tomorrow, including one woman for nothing. And that if we, the United States of America, in a position to do something about it, we shouldn’t do something about it. Is that what is that with faith? Any of our faces are what they teach us. No, it’s not, actually. Now I can go into the vibe on site versus fact I’ve written them down. I can go into theology, whether it’s Catholic theology or Protestant theology, a Jewish theology. And nowhere, literally nowhere. Do they preach? Do they preach non-involvement? In the face of evil. We can take slogans out of the Bible and repeat them. Ad nauseum. That’s not how you’re supposed to read the Bible. The other thing that is disturbing me. Is. The Christian flock is under attack. Literally being slaughtered by the tens of thousands. In Africa. In the Middle East. Southeast Asia. China is brutalizing Catholics, torturing them, raping them unless they convert to the state run religion, which is basically communism dressed up as a faith. We don’t even hear about these things. How many people were slaughtered in Nigeria today? The Congo or Sudan? Who knows, right? How about in Syria? Who knows? But it’s a big deal. That certain faiths are under attack. In particular, Judaism and Christianity. For many of the same reasons. And so I would think and hope our spiritual leaders. What? Speak out against that rather than raising doubts. About righteous people doing righteous things. Diplomacy, negotiation, talk doesn’t work. If people. Act out an ideology. Which company? That shooting which compels death. Mass murder. I’m actually quite shocked at all this. Here’s the president. Cut eight. Mr. Producer, go. I’m fighting for. For you. No, no. I know what I have to do. What’s right. The pope has to understand that. Very simple. I have nothing against the Pope. His brothers MAGA all the way. Like his brother Louis. I’m not fighting with the Pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. As if the Pope looked at the 42,000 people that were killed over the last two or three months as a protester with no weapons, no nothing. I mean, you take a look at that. So I can disagree with the pope. Everything. I have a right to disagree with the pope the way that you say your criticisms have left nothing. I have no disagreement with the fact the pope can say what he wants and I want him to say what he wants. But I can disagree. I think that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. If they do, the whole world would be at jeopardy. The Middle East will be blown up and the whole world will be in jeopardy. We’re very close to making a deal. That would be a great thing. The pope has to understand Iran has killed more than 42,000 people over the last few months. Think of it. Protesters without guns, without anything. They were totally unarmed protesters. The pope has to understand that this is the real world. It’s a nasty world. But as far as the pope and saying what he wants, he can do that. Yeah. I mean, and and by the way, as for the media, this is just a way to attack Trump because they don’t care about the pope, they don’t care about Catholicism, Christianity. They don’t care about any of it. In fact, if it were a religious leader saying the opposite, it would ask about separation of church and state. So, first of all, the media is trying to stir the pot. There’s no question about it, because they feel they can use it against the president of the United States. But the president is right. He’s right now picking a fight. He’s responding to repeated statements that have been made essentially about him and his role as commander in chief. And this case, to me, is not a close case. What we’re doing in Iran, it’s not a closed case. It’s really the only option we’ve had if we want to defend ourselves and protect ourselves. President asks about nukes. Cat seven Mr. Producer, go. And the blockade has been incredible. It’s been his held. They’re not doing any business. They’re unable to do any business because of the blockade. And so the combination of having no Navy, having no air force, having no anti-aircraft equipment, they have nothing. Everything is gone. Is it a full year minimum to stop enriching uranium, which is. Well, we haven’t agreed to any we haven’t agreed to any tipping point. What we have is a very powerful statement that have beyond 20 years that they will not have nuclear weapons. That’s beyond there’s no 20 year limit. Obviously, if there were a 20 year limit, there are only be five years longer than the Obama deal. Right, Mr. Producer? We don’t need another Obama deal. And I think it’s pretty clear Trump realizes that somebody else may have put that out and maybe one of the negotiators, maybe somebody just leaking it was everywhere about two or three days ago and he denounced it. He said no, but that would be similar to the Obama deal in some ways. Now, what about the cease fire with Lebanon? You see, it’s it’s it’s actually a bizarre statement. There’s no. Military activity taking place between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli government or the Lebanese government, the Israeli military or the Lebanese military, it’s not really a cease fire between Israel and Lebanon. Israel’s being told by us. To stand down. And stop trying to destroy Hezbollah, which to me is a bit shocking. I’m just being honest with you. Cat sex. Go. I think you’re Well, I think it’s going to be actually, it’s very exciting because there’s 48 years. We’re going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, as you know, and the president of Lebanon. And I had a great talk with both of them today. They’re going to be having a cease fire and that will include Hezbollah. And I think I think it could be number ten for me. Number ten. Hamas announced yesterday or the day before, and it got almost no attention that it was not going to disarm under the terms of the peace agreement. And they wanted the peace agreement to be reopened. Did you know that Mr. is? Two days ago. Two days ago. So Hamas is not disarmed. Hezbollah is ten times 20 times more powerful than Hamas. Very powerful with a hell of a lot of rockets and missiles. So. All of this could wind up costing Netanyahu the prime ministership, even though he’s. He’s walking a fine line between doing what he feels he needs to do and should do and trying to comport with with our demands. Now, don’t tell me I’ve talked to Ned. You know, I haven’t talked to Netanyahu maybe ten months or something like that when I was. What was I in Israel? It was almost a year ago. Right. Or when I interviewed him publicly, whenever that was, I think that was last summer. So the conspiracy nuts out there. But again, let me underscore, you see, I don’t run our foreign policy. Israel doesn’t run our foreign policy. The Jews don’t run our foreign policy. The president of the United States runs our foreign policy as he should. That’s his domain. He takes in different opinions and different viewpoints, whether it’s the Lebanese or whether it’s the Israelis or Ernie Grabowski or Fred Smith or Muhammad Ali or whoever it is. That’s how it works. It’s the way it’s supposed to work. There’s nothing nefarious. Unless you’re a conspiracy nut and there’s a damn bunch of those in there. Podcasters who claim to be influencers. Oh, yes. Very influential. We’ll be right back.

Segment 4
You see the thing about President Trump that so appeals to me. You can agree, as I do with the vast majority of what he does. And the reason is simple. Number one, I agree with that. And number two, he loves the country. He wants to do what’s right by the country. And that’s what motivates. And that is a big deal. Because we have a lot of people, we call them politicians who are always. Worried about themselves, worried about the next election, worry about their donors and so forth. Trump does not operate that way. He’s not a politician. I mean, he goes through the political process to become president. But he’s not a 50 year politician, 40 year politician, 20 year politician, none of those things. And so it’s very appealing to have somebody who also digs into the culture to try to save our country because he sees how rotten the culture has become under the Democrats. Show me another president who can do that. He takes on the Islamist Nazi regime in Tehran. I mean the only reason it’s it’s got its back against the wall is because of him. Whether you agree with every nook and cranny of what’s being done, it really doesn’t even matter. They’re on their back because of him. The Chinese are in a much more difficult economic and geopolitical position because of him. Our border is secure because of him. These colleges and universities are under scrutiny because of his actions. In the administration. And I can go down the list. I can go down the list. So this to me is the great appeal. President Trump. You can sleep at night knowing. That he wants to do the right thing. You can sleep at night knowing that he’s not trying to undermine the country. You can sleep at night knowing that he wants a secure and safe United States of America. You don’t have to look over your shoulder all the time. And worry about some crackpot thing happening out of the left that changes your life forever in a negative way. So we always need to keep that in mind. Always. And I do. We have the usual Democrats lying about Iran, lying about the threat. Lying about the president, lying about what he’s doing, making horrendous threats against him and against the people around him. The secretary war, the secretary of state, the CIA director, among others. In the middle of a war. In the middle of a war. In the middle of a spectacular military campaign that has had minimal casualties. All casualties are bad, but these are minimal casualties. And they’re attacking him and they want to destroy him. Now, one in the future. And by the way. And this coming. We’re going to have our friend Chris Rufo on the program, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. We’re going to dig into Gavin Newsom’s California $30 billion fraud magnet. And that they provide sex change procedures to homeless illegal aliens. Chris Rufo, City Journal. They have done an outstanding job digging this stuff up. And I notice we haven’t heard much from Newsom lately, have we? Mr. Bridges. He’s gone undercover. And by the way, I don’t remember him coming out and making a statement in any significant way about his friend Eric Swalwell, either. Does anybody else? Where is the governor of California today? Now I want to bring up something, a footnote. Before we get into the next hour, after the top of the hour. You know Dan Abrams. Dan Abrams has been I don’t know if he still is a legal analyst for ABC News. U.S. has a program on remember what network? Can you Google that, Rich so we can be accurate. I don’t want to make a mistake on what are the cable networks. But he also runs a an online site excuse me, called Media eight, which most of you never heard of except from me. Now it’s important because these sites. These sites assign themselves. The authority. To make a judgment about all other media. And what he does over there is trash box. Trash conservatives endlessly trash the president. Every now and then they’ll. The trash Republican. They’ve a couple of good writers over there, excellent writers, but most of them aren’t. News Nation. That’s it. And he has a show, News Nation. And this guy, Dan Abrams, has not come out and said a damn thing about his founding editor. Who he suspended because he’s a liar who is fabricating quotes, fabricated quotes. And Dan Abrams is in the witness protection program. I’ll be right back.