Barbarians at the Gate—the Deranged plans of the Marxists Taking over the Dems, plus What’s the “W” Stand for in WNBA?

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode Title: Barbarians at the Gate—the Deranged plans of the Marxists Taking over the Dems, plus What’s the “W” Stand for in WNBA?
Date: August 10, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this lively and provocative installment, Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz dissect the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and what they see as a Marxist takeover of Democratic politics. The discussion pivots from economic policy and controversial comments on Israel and antisemitism, to the latest firestorm around transgender athletes in women’s sports, specifically the WNBA. Throughout, the tone is one of urgency, outrage, and satirical incredulity toward left-wing ideas and figures.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The DSA’s Vision: “Tax the Hell Out of Millionaires”

Timestamps: 02:44–07:25

• The episode kicks off with a sharp critique of the DSA’s leadership, playing clips from a national co-chair discussing taxation:
  • The DSA co-chair says they believe in "taxing the hell out of millionaires" but gives no concrete figures when pressed.
  • Ted Cruz lampoons the lack of specifics, questioning the viability and moral underpinning of “just take what we need” and likens it to historic communist regimes that seized property and destroyed private wealth.
  • Ferguson connects the ambiguity in policy to historical examples where governments continually seized more from citizens as “the needs of the state” changed.

Notable Quote:

"She wants no millionaires in America. She wants to destroy every millionaire in America."
—Senator Ted Cruz (06:29)

Historical Comparison:

• Cruz references Cuba under Castro, calling back to family history and a childhood lesson in state loyalty over religious or familial ties.

Quote:

"That is communism. You have no loyalty to God, your family, just the state."
—Senator Ted Cruz (09:40)

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2. DSA, Antisemitism, and the Hamas-Israel Conflict

Timestamps: 10:56–19:21

• The conversation turns to DSA’s stance on Israel. A DSA co-chair justifies attending a pro-Palestine rally after October 7th attacks, calling the violence “inevitable.”
• Cruz argues the left's worldview divides everyone into oppressors and victims, coding Jews as oppressors, leading to what he describes as “Jew hate integral to Marxism.”
• The DSA’s stated goal (per co-chair) is “a free Palestine with the capital in Jerusalem”—which Cruz interprets as advocating “no Israel at all.”

Notable Quote:

"When a Marxist sees Hamas terrorist raping little girls, they see that as something to be celebrated."
—Senator Ted Cruz (14:05)

• The hosts describe a fusion of leftist and Islamist anti-Israel sentiment as a dangerous “green-red alliance.”

Quote:

"Hate animates this movement."
—Senator Ted Cruz (19:21)

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3. AOC, Hasan Piker, and the Progressive Coalition

Timestamps: 21:59–25:02

• ABC's This Week interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is played, where she dodges questions about Hasan Piker (who said “America deserved 9/11”) and the place for extremists in the progressive movement.
• Ferguson and Cruz criticize AOC for refusing to directly condemn radical statements and argue progressive leaders are enabling antisemitism to attract young voters.

Quote:

"Her answer was absolutely yes...We have to include people like this because young people...are bigots, are Jew haters and antisemites."
—Senator Ted Cruz (24:06)

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4. The WNBA, Transgender Athletes, and Clay Travis’s Challenge

Timestamps: 27:46–41:52

• Ferguson and Cruz dive into the controversy over transgender participation in women’s sports, focusing on recent events in the WNBA:
  • Clay Travis publicly challenged the WNBA champs (Las Vegas Aces) to play a top boys’ high school team for $10 million. The challenge was ignored.
  • TMZ’s conversation with Cruz is played, with Cruz asserting, “Boys and girls are different, and mankind has known that literally since the dawn of time.” (32:13)
  • Enes Freedom Kanter, ex-NBA, declares himself eligible for the WNBA draft, following the league’s inclusionary rules to their logical extreme.
  • Cruz bets that the WNBA "will block them" (Enes Freedom Kanter and Royce White), despite its public stance on gender.

Notable Quotes:

"If you don't know what a boy is and you don't know what a girl is, there's a reason you work at TMZ."
—Senator Ted Cruz (33:50)

"These guys are not women...And neither are the other dudes who are playing against women. Everyone knows that."
—Senator Ted Cruz (39:39)

• Both discuss the film "Lady Ballers," where the plot mirrors the real-world scenario of men declaring as women to dominate women's sports.

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Memorable Moments and Quotes

• On the DSA’s Economic Plan:
  "So they're the golden goose. What do we need? Everything. So what are we going to take from them? Everything."
  —Senator Ted Cruz (06:19)

• On Historical Parallels:
  “It is stunning that there is no response...$10 million is a lot of money.”
  —Senator Ted Cruz (30:31)

• On WNBA and Gender:
  "They're all liars and cowards. They know the high school boys would smoke the WNBA champions."
  —Senator Ted Cruz (30:32)

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Major Timestamps by Segment

| Segment | Timestamp Start | Timestamp End | |--------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|--------------| | DSA, Millionaire Taxation, Communism Parallels | 02:44 | 10:56 | | Hamas-Israel/Marxism-Antisemitism Discussion | 10:56 | 19:21 | | AOC, Hasan Piker, Progressive Extremism | 21:59 | 25:02 | | WNBA, Trans Athletes, Clay Travis Challenge, Enes Kanter | 27:46 | 41:52 |

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Tone and Takeaways

• The tone throughout is combative, sarcastic, and unapologetically partisan.
• The hosts aim to expose what they perceive as the left’s hypocrisy, dangerous ideology, and the logical end of progressive gender policy.
• Listeners are left with a call to vigilance against what Ferguson and Cruz characterize as a radical agenda threatening American norms and institutions, from economics to gender in sports.

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Final Note

If you’re seeking direct, critical, and unfiltered commentary on progressive politics from a conservative lens, this episode delivers. Each segment builds on an overarching theme of alarm against “barbarians at the gate”—with a blend of policy critiques and fiery cultural commentary.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

welcome. It is verdict with center Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. As always, Senator, it is a fun show today because we get to deal with the dsa, the WNBA and some crazy stuff from Al Said as well. And that is, my friends, how you make a great Monday morning.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The barbarians are at the gate. The radical left is taken over the Democrat Party. The DSA are communists and don't take our word for it. They'll tell you exactly who they are. I want you to listen to this stunning interview from one of the national co chairs of the dsa. You're going to see a carefully thought out policy agenda. You're going to see a complete mastery of facts, of economics, of numbers, of reality. You're going to see a compassion for the small business owner running a bodega. You can tell her heart just goes out for the struggles of people working here. Give a listen.

[Ben Ferguson]

Before we get to that, I want to talk to you real quick about what you can do to have a huge impact for a child in need. Right now, somewhere in the world there's a child waiting. Not waiting for a birthday, not waiting for Christmas, waiting for someone to choose them. That's what Compassion International does every single day. They connect children living in poverty with someone who will know their name, pray for them, encourage them and help provide the food, the medical care, the education and the hope they need through a local church. Now this year, Compassion is expanding into four new Malawi, Zambia, Cambodia and Myanmar. Meaning thousands of children are being reached for the very first time. And for just $43 a month, you can be the reason one child stops waiting. Sponsor a child today. Just like I [e-mail] that's compassion.com. all right, so take a listen to the Democratic Socials of America co chair proudly stating what they think about this country and what they believe in.

[DSA Co-Chair]

But we do believe in taxing the hell out of millionaires. Yeah, absolutely.

[Interviewer]

Well, what is taxing the hell out of them mean?

[DSA Co-Chair]

Yeah, you know, again, I don't have like a solid, but I think.

[Interviewer]

But shouldn't you. I mean if you're the co chair, if you're the co chair of the dsa, shouldn't you be more specific than just taxing the hell out of something? What exactly do you mean?

[DSA Co-Chair]

So again, it's democracy, right? And we have to look at what we need to spend and what we need. We don't want to depend on the existence of millionaires because that means people are still getting exploited. So. So yeah, we need to. We need to look at what we need to pay for in the interim, what, what sort of tax base we need for that to happen and then. And build from there.

[Ben Ferguson]

All right, Senator, where do we even start? So tax the hell. I'm assuming that means by default, like take everything and destroy them. And then when the questions asked by the interviewer, like, hey, how much is that? What percentage? She then reverts back to or democracy. So I guess we'll just kind of figure it out as we go in our communist democracy way. That's some pretty messed up messaging.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So look, this is the leader of this movement that is taking over now. Actually, Mandami is the leader. AOCs the leader. But, but this is, this is one of the leaders who literally has no idea what she's talking about. When you ask what do you mean by tax the hell out of millionaires? She has no answer. Are you suggesting a 70% marginal tax rate? Are you suggesting an 80% marginal tax rate? Maybe a 90% marginal tax rate? Are, are you suggesting a 100% marginal tax rate? Or perhaps 105? Are you suggesting a wealth tax? Like there are no details there. But her real agenda comes out when she starts to explain it. Because you understand, it's not about the numbers. This is about. And this is like all communists, they hate capitalists. They hate people who build businesses, they hate people who are successful. They are driven by envy. And so she says, they look, look, we're going to tax the hell out of them, whatever that means, because we don't know what it means. And she says, well, we're going to look at what we need and that's how much we're going to take from them. So, so they're the golden goose. What do we need? Everything. So what are we going to take from them? Everything. And then the tell. Look, when you're playing poker, someone has what's called a tell. And it's a sign that shows they're lying, that they don't know what they're doing. Her tell was really striking. She goes, well, we don't want to be dependent on millionaires because that means they still exist and they're still exploiting people. So understand what her objective is. She wants no millionaires in America. She wants to destroy every millionaire in America. Now, what is incoherent? She simultaneously has no way to pay for all the free stuff that she's promising to give people. Cuz her answer to how do you pay for it? Is tax the millionaires. But she's admitted her goal is make the millionaires go away. Make the Business owners go away.

[Interviewer]

Make.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Make anyone who is successful building a commercial enterprise, all of them are gone. And then I guess it's just the magic money tree.

[Ben Ferguson]

So, yeah, it's whatever we need, we take. Isn't that really what. If you look at back in history, and I want to dial into this for a second for people that don't understand the history of socialism, slash, well, let's be clear, Communist Marxism, every time the government gets behind, they just seize more, they take more. So if they need something and they say it doesn't matter if it's a farm and you're an apple farmer, if you're an avocado farmer, it doesn't matter if you are whatever your industry is, if they decide in that moment the state needs it for the good of the state, they just come in and seize it. Throughout history and. And that seems to be also what she's describing here, which is I don't really know the number that can change day to day. And when it does change, we'll just take more of what we need to cover what we need.

[TMZ Reporter]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And look, that's not hypothetical. That's what the Soviet Union did. It's what communist China did. It's what North Korea did. It's what Venezuela did. It's what Cuba did with my family, with Fidel Castro when he came in.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, there were bit.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

There were big sugar plantations. Cuba was a massive producer of sugar worldwide. The government seized them all. There's now starvation and poverty in Cuba. They came in and seized. Cuba was a massive cigar manufacturer. They came in and seized those as well and said, nope, the government takes them. You go away. And you know, it's interesting, her. Her vision of no millionaires. Well, in a way, she's right. In a communist society, there are no millionaires in Cuba. Except, you know who the millionaires are?

[Ben Ferguson]

The leaders.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The Communist party leaders. Under her world, Megan wants to be a millionaire. Fidel Castro was a billionaire with a B. Vladimir Putin is a billionaire. When you run the oppressive machinery, when the government owns everything and you control it and are a dictator, and that's what these little thugs want. They want to be dictators. We will take from you whatever we want. You know, I'll tell you a story, Ben. When Castro took over in Cuba, my grandmother, my abuela, was a sixth grade teacher. And she described how soldiers would come into the classrooms of kindergarteners and first graders. And they'd come into the classroom, the little kids are sitting at their desk, and the soldiers would tell the kids, close your Eyes. They'd say, close your eyes and pray to Jesus Christ for candy. The kids all did so, and they'd open their eyes and there was no candy. Then the soldiers would tell the kids, close your eyes. Pray to Fidel Castro for candy. Kids close their eyes. And while their eyes were closed, the soldiers put a piece of candy very quietly on each kid's desk. That is communism. You have no loyalties. You have no loyalty to God. You have no loyalty to your family, no loyalty to your parents, no loyalty to your children. All you are loyal to is the state. And you must obey the state and understand that communists are fueled by envy and hate. What she just said there, that she doesn't want any millionaires to exist. She has envy and hate for them, and she wants to take from them. And I want you to listen a little bit more about what exactly drives this communist movement. Listen to the interview continue.

[Interviewer]

Darieliza Avila Chevalier recently won a primary election in New York City and is almost sure to win the general election. She attended an October 10th, 8th pro Palestinian, pro Hamas rally, which many people saw as a justification of the October 7th attack. And some of her tweets have been extremely ugly on this score and on others. Do you, do you fully support her in all these activities and what she's had to say?

[DSA Co-Chair]

I think Dariel Issa can speak for herself, certainly. And I think she's apologized for some pieces of that and has been.

[Interviewer]

Not for, not for attending that rally.

[DSA Co-Chair]

Unapologetic about other pieces of that.

[Interviewer]

And, and do you support her yourself in that?

[DSA Co-Chair]

Yeah, I do.

[Interviewer]

Why? Because, in other words, you would have gone to that rally had you been able.

[DSA Co-Chair]

That's a good question. I probably would have. Yeah.

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[DSA Co-Chair]

I, I don't live in New York City, so I wouldn't have.

[Interviewer]

One day after the slaughter of 1200 people and taking of over 200 hostages, you would have come and rallied behind Hamas.

[DSA Co-Chair]

I think that October 7th was largely inevitable. If you put people in a, an open air concentration camp and you deprive them of rights, of dignity, of food, of the ability to live in safety, you have to expect that they are going to not take that for that long. And that is not defending any harm of civilians or of non combatants.

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[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

That is.

[DSA Co-Chair]

Do you think it is?

[Interviewer]

You're saying you're supporting it?

[DSA Co-Chair]

I'm saying. I'm saying that I think it was inevitable. I think that, that you cannot put people in a cage and expect them not to. To revolt. And I think that, that supporting the civilians, the Non combatants, the children who are being killed. You know, that's really the, the primary thing.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, you listen to that. And to be very clear, the co chair of the Democratic Socials of America just said, I would have gone to the rally celebrating the vicious horrific attack, the murdering, the raping, the killing and the kidnapping of innocent Jewish people because it was deserved and warranted. That is who she is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well look, that was an almost perfect illustration of what communism is like. Communism is based on a Marxist dichotomy. They divide the world into everyone, everyone into two groups, either oppressors or victims. And the entire ideology of communism is supporting the violent revolutionary overthrow by the victims of the so called oppressors. Now the modern left has decided that all Jews are oppressors. And notice I didn't say Israelis. They mean Jews. They mean American Jews. They mean people who have nothing to do with the Israeli government. If you are Jewish, you are likely a white capitalist and that is unacceptable. And they hate Jews. Jew hate is integral to Marxism. And if you're Palestinian, you're coded as a victim. So when a Marxist sees Hamas terrorist raping little girls, they see that as something to be celebrated. Which is why these communists went to rallies on October 8th, right after 1200. You know, you know at one point she says, well you know, you gotta be concerned about the killing of kids. But, but she's not. What happened on October 7, kids were murdered, women were raped, children were raped, elderly people, civilians were targeted. October 7th was not military targets. It was going home to home kabutz, murdering every, every person they found simply because they were Jewish. And, and these bigots, these communists, these Islamists loved it, celebrated it, cheered it on. And that is, and by the way her comment also that, well it was inevitable because she says Gaza is, is, is a cage, it is a concentration camp. Gaza is a country. Who do you know who was running Gaza?

[Ben Ferguson]

Charis?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Hamas. Israel was not in charge of Gaza. So, so look, the people in Gaza said, we don't want the Israeli government to, to govern us. Gaza used to be part of Israel. And Israel said, you know what, it's too much trouble. These people hate us too much. They try to kill us too much. You can have it. All of Gaza is yours. All we're going to do is build a really big fence because we want you crazy. By the way, Gaza got the beach land. I mean it, it got the more prime real estate. Israel took the land inland from that. And so all of Gaza, you didn't have Israeli jailers. Isn't A cage. It was in some sense as a cage because Hamas, whom the Palestinian people in Gaza voted for, were in charge. And so when, when millions of dollars of aid would go in international countries, would send in aid, say, say water pipes to build water and sewer systems, do you know what Hamas would do? They take the pipe and make missiles out of them.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep, they would use it for terrorism.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So yes, I agree Gaza is a hellhole and it is entirely self inflicted. It was not Israel imposing those, those conditions on the people of Gaza. It was Hamas whom they elected. Listen also to the same person describing the red line that animates all of her politics.

[Interviewer]

Port of Israel in any form, essentially a red card in DSA as I understand it. In 2024, DSA's National Political Committee withdrew its endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez over her support for a House resolution stating that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of anti Semitism. Her local chapter stuck with her. And this was an argument that continued on. Where are you on it?

[DSA Co-Chair]

Yeah, so that was like a very complicated and very like inter DSA bureaucratic question. But convention decided that yeah, this is a solid red line. No defense or economic support for Israel.

[Interviewer]

Does Israel have the right to defend itself according to dsa? What is the position that DSA is headed toward here? Is it for a two state solution? Is that, is that what's, or is it a binational one state solution? What in fact is the position of dsa?

[DSA Co-Chair]

Yeah, so our position is a free Palestine with the capital in Jerusalem. And so I think that could be safely read as a one state solution.

[Interviewer]

So the Camp David Accords that were being negotiated at the beginning of the century under the Clinton administration, had the Palestinians accepted it, you that would have satisfied you?

[DSA Co-Chair]

Good question. I need to, I need to look at what the actual specifics there were. I don't know them off the top of my head, but. So when you say does Israel have the right to defend itself, people, humans, peoples have the right to live in safety, absolutely. But if that safety means doing genocide to somebody else, then no, that's, that's not defensible.

[Ben Ferguson]

So let's just be clear about what she just advocated for, Senator. She advocated for the annihilation of Israel, making it very clear Israel doesn't exist. If she gets her way and the Democratic social of America get their way, not only do they want to take all American aid support, military help, whatever it may be for them, but they want Israel to disappear as in the

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Jewish state, unquestionably and her answer was so extreme that David Remick, who's quite knowledgeable about these things, couldn't even believe he, she was saying that. So he, he asked, what outcome do you want? Do you want a state for the Palestinians? Do you want a two state solution? And she says I want a free Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. And, and she said, and it would be a one state solution. What that means is no Israel if, if Palestine is the only state. She, she is essentially repeating the chant of Hamas from the river to the sea, from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea. That means all of it is Palestine. And the, the nation of Israel is wiped off the face of the, of the map. And by the way, if it were up to Hamas, every Jew is murdered. They don't even want them not to have a nation. They want them to be dead.

[Ben Ferguson]

They don't exist. Yeah, they don't exist. Right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And her answer is unequivocally the centrality of Jew hate to these communists. What has happened, this green red alliance is really dangerous because they've merged together the Islamists that want Sharia law to govern all of us. Forcibly converting everyone to being Muslim against your wishes, killing the infidels, the Jews and the Christians and forcing them to live under the very tough strictures of Sharia law that has merged with communism. And whether it is Mandami or El Said, we're seeing this. And the dsa, they are here for it. They are here for the hatred of Jews, the hatred of Americans, the hatred of Christianity, the hatred of capitalism. Hate animates this movement. And I want you to listen, listen to the patron saint of this movement by the way. She pointed out that, that even the patron saint AOC was not pure enough. Because she said you should not call for annihilating the nation of Israel. And the DSA said whoa, we, we don't like you anymore. You, you gotta be willing to call for killing em all. Listen to AOC when she's being questioned about Hassan Piker. Hassan Piker is the other crazy left wing communist, America hating Islamist who among other things said America deserved 9 11. AOC is asked about it. Here's her response.

[Ben Ferguson]

Before we get to that, I also want to remind you there is a really big exciting book coming out and it is Senator Cruz, his book on Clarence Thomas. And I want you to know that you can pre order it right now.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

On August 25th, my brand new book comes out. Going further. The Incomparable Clarence Thomas. It tells the story of Justice Thomas, one of the true American heroes. An incredible story. It's based on nine and a half hours of one on one exclusive interviews with Justice Thomas. Justice Thomas also joins us for Verdict with Ted Cruz, a one on one podcast to tell his story, both his life story and his incomparable jurisprudence. You can pre order it right now at the website going further.com going further.com click on the link now and pre order the book today.

[Ben Ferguson]

So yeah, make sure you grab the book. You can pre order it right now. All right, I want to get back to this AOC clip on ABC this week. Listen carefully to the word she uses to try to dodge a question about one of the most extreme radicals in the democratic socialist communist movement.

[Interviewer 2]

Another person who's been made an issue is Hasan Piker, who obviously endorsed Abdul Al Said in Michigan. You've been on his live stream, you know, at least a few times. He's somebody who said, you know, that America deserved 9, 11. Now he backed off from that.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

Yes, he's a politician, but he said

[Interviewer 2]

a lot of, he said a lot of controversial things. Is he somebody that should have a role in the progressive movement going forward?

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

You know, I think when we look at our elections that have happened, we have lost young people. Much hate was made about the fact that we lost young men in the last election. And many of the same consultants that are ringing their hands today were the same ones talking about how we need to go on Joe Rogan and we need to be not, not so, you know, willing to engage in cancel culture. And I think that the flip flopping on this is a tactical debate that they may be having. I think the fact of the matter is, is that Democrats can go on Joe Rogan, Democrats can go on Fox News. Democrats have a responsibility to build a winning coalition. And young people are engaging in mediums and conversations that we have a responsibility to attend to and be responsive to. And even right now, when we look at this insurgent wave of what is happening oftentimes when people are doing that Monday morning quarterbacking and what demographics voted where, the big one that's being ignored is the generational tidal wave.

[Interviewer 2]

You see it in the polling. It is significant.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

Millennials are not, you know, punk kids anymore.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

We're grown adults with mortgages and kids.

[Ben Ferguson]

You listen to AOC there. You want to talk about trying to have it both ways. That that is really impressive even for her.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, her argument was very simple. Number one is, is Hassan Piker part of your coalition? Her answer was absolutely yes. Uh, and, and, and by the way, it's not just who you talk to. Look, look. El Sayed campaigns right now with Hasan Piker. Side by side, arm in arm. We stand for this together. That's who they are. But. But her explanation as to why, she says, well, we have to include people like this because young people. Because young people are bigots, because young people are Jew haters and antisemites. Mind you, much of the reason yet many young people have become that is because AOC and the other communists have told them over and over and over again, you should be a bigot. All of your problems are because of the Jews. Everything bad in your life is because of the Jews. Give the power to me and I will protect you from the Jews. That is their message, and it is filled with bilious hate. And sadly, it's right there, out in the open.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

I want to move on to another subject, and this one is one that just makes me grin from ear to earth. You and I have been covering men in women's sports, defending women's sports, advocating for women only in women's sports. You've been called every name in the book. I've been called every name in the book and I we talked about this gosh center, I think it was a couple years ago on this show where I I said there was two interesting things that were happening at the time. One, there was a group of basically former college players, slash some that tried to play early on in the many tours in golf that were looking at trying to join the LPGA Tour, claiming they were women. The LPGA got wind of that and they put up blockades to make sure, hey, we're just gonna have women. Then it also happened with the WTA Tour, professional women's tennis, the same thing. They went after and attacked Martina Navitilova, one of the, one of the pioneers of the hard, you know, the, the of women in the left in her movement. She was one of the first openly gay athletes in all of women's sports. It cost her millions in endorsements, by the way. She came out and said no to men and women's tennis and then they attacked her for that. Fast forward to now and you knew it was going to happen. At some point, somebody was going to screw up and not protect women's sports and allow for men to say, okay, I'm in and I'm going to, I'm going to prove a point. We are now at that point with the WNBA where men are saying, I'm declaring for the draft as a woman. I'm transgender. That's how I identify. How can you keep me out? It is a very interesting and a big moment. I'm glad it's happening by the way.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it started two weeks ago with our friend Clay Travis. And Clay Travis put out a public challenge. He challenged for the Las Vegas Aces, which is the reigning national champion WNBA play team to play a team of high school boys of his choosing. He said. He said a high school state champion. I will pick a high school state champion. And Clay said, I will give $10 million of my own money to the winners. He made that challenge two weeks ago. Crickets, crick crickets.

[Ben Ferguson]

He has a 10 million. Let's be clear, this was not a joke. He meant it when he tweeted it out.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And in fact, Clay followed up, said important. Not only have the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces refused to respond to my $10 million boys high school challenge, no rich left wingers have stepped up to take the $10 million challenge either.

[Ben Ferguson]

Why?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

They're all liars and cowards. They know the high school boys would smoke the WNBA champions. It is stunning that there is no response. $10 million is a lot of money. You know these WNBA player, by the

[Ben Ferguson]

way, 2 million a player. If there's five players, if you divide

[Senator Ted Cruz]

them, goes to the starting five. It's too many.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And these are players that wear shirts that say, play us. Pay us what we're worth.

[TMZ Reporter]

Yes.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And you have someone who did.

[Ben Ferguson]

They've lost money every year as a league when they put those T shirts on. So actually they would be paying the WNBA to let them play. If you actually look at the real math.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I'll tell you, I had TMZ accost me on the Capitol this past week to ask me about this. And. And here's. Here's what I had to say. Give a listen. Could I ask you a question, please?

[TMZ Reporter]

Ted, how are you, man? It's good to see you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm doing well.

[TMZ Reporter]

Hey, have you been following the WNBA and this transgender debate that. It's all they're talking about there?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I saw CLAY Travis offered $10 million.

[TMZ Reporter]

Could I come in?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'd watch that game. Could I just ask.

[TMZ Reporter]

Megyn Kelly said that Caitlin Clark is a coward for not taking a side in either this or that. What do you feel about that?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, look, Caitlin Clark is a hell of a ballplayer and fun to watch.

[TMZ Reporter]

Do you think she should take a side?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

At the end of the day, I don't think athletes are required. Required and express an opinion on every topic. I think it is clearly unfair to allow boys to compete against girls and to allow men to compete against women. Boys and girls are different, and mankind has known that. Literally since the dawn of time.

[TMZ Reporter]

Is it a big issue though, at WNBA level? Like, I don't see many.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm curious, tell me, what does the W stand for?

[TMZ Reporter]

Women.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It seems there that there's some coaches in the WNBA who can't figure that out.

[TMZ Reporter]

But should they also be, like, sympathetic and empathetic for young little girls who, like, are feeling an identity crisis? They want to play sport, they want to be with their friends.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If they're boys, they're not young little girls. And the fact that your ideology. Do you think it would be fair to let LeBron James play in the WNBA?

[TMZ Reporter]

No, but that's not what we're talking about.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

About.

[TMZ Reporter]

We're talking about young people.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, you're talking about old people too. You're not just saying five year olds? Well, I think the WNBA doesn't have five year olds.

[TMZ Reporter]

a professional level, yeah, I mean, obviously, but. But at a minor level, when these kids are just trying to be happy and be kids, not letting them socialize with their friends just because they're a

[Senator Ted Cruz]

bit different, they can be happy. To be honest though, a lot of the transgenderism is coming from leftist adults who are convincing their kids of this nonsense. And it is really sad to see the ideology of parents. Listen, I think God knows what he's doing when he makes a little boy. I think God knows what he's doing when he makes a little girl. And I think the phenomenon of woke leftist adults. You know, I read a tweet once from Cynthia Nixon, the actress who said her child is trans. Her sister's child is trans. All of her friends, child. Children are trans. You know what that is? That's adults putting their politics and their ideology on their kids. And I.

[TMZ Reporter]

Well, maybe it's like kids be who they really are. Maybe like, you don't know. We don't know.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You know what, if you don't know what a boy is and you don't know what a girl is, there's a reason you work at tmz.

[TMZ Reporter]

All right then, Ted, I appreciate you, man.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you, Senator. I gotta say, I enjoy when TMZ starts asking you questions in dc. It's one of the best things I've ever done to expand to D.C. this way. And, and, and your last line there was, was quite a zinger. Well played. Now this also comes as Donald Trump said that if he coached in the WNBA, he'd ask LeBron if he had any desire to be a woman. Now this is why the WNBA is responding the way they are. They're A woke league. Here's the president in his own words.

[Carvana Salesperson]

And I'll tell you what. If I were ever, I'd be the greatest woman's basketball coach in history. Because I don't like LeBron James. I like Michael Jordan much better. But I'd go up to LeBron James. It doesn't matter. I'd say, LeBron, did you ever have any desire to be a woman? Because what I'd love you to do is star on my team that I'm building up. I will have the greatest team in history. They'll never lose. Nobody will come within 70 points of this team. Now we have to change that and we have to make it okay to talk about it. You know, the young lady I was talking about is afraid to talk about it. She's shunned and she's canceled when she talks about it. This is crazy.

[Ben Ferguson]

You listen to Donald Trump there. He, not only does he make a great point, but he's right. We should be able to talk about this. And if you are an athlete that's trying to defend yourself, specifically if you're a woman playing in women's sports, you shouldn't be shunned or silence the way that so many women and women's sports have been. Riley Gaines, a great example of that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and now it's not hypothetical. Because following Clay Travis's challenge this past week, Enes Kanter Ennis Freedom Cantor decided, okay, if you guys are saying that any dude who says he's a woman can play, I'll take you up on it and give a listen to Enes Freedom's announcement.

[Enes Freedom Cantor]

After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I am officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. My team and I have carefully examined the WMBA's eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in May 2027. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of or disrespect any community or personal choices. I am simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone. The rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently and without exception. And I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.

[Ben Ferguson]

See you at training camp. That's the best line of all. So I gotta ask Senator over under the WNBA flinches now, having men who are declaring their women declare for the WNBA draft, will they go through with it or do you think they'll probably say, okay, we gotta fix this now and actually protect women?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and let's give a little more context. Ennis cantor is 6 foot 10. He's 250 pounds. He played in the NBA. He went in the first draft. He was the number three pick in his career in the NBA. He averaged 11.2 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, and 0.9 assists per game. He was the starting center for the Boston Celtics. He was a serious NBA center. And then actually he ended up getting fired because he spoke out against the Chinese communist oppressing the Uyghurs, having concentration camps of over a million people. And the NBA blocked him out and shut him out because they cared more about selling NBA, the NBA to China than they did about human rights. And so even though Cantor was still like a top performing center in the NBA, he immediately became shunned in this instance. Look, I tweeted out in response to Ennis's. And he, and he changed his name to Ennis Freedom Cantor, which I think is great. And, and you know, I, I got to know Ennis a little bit. I, I said, all right, if this happens, Ennis is going to break Wilt Chamberlain's record for 100 points in a game. Wilt has the record for the most points in a pro basketball game. It was 100 point. Because literally at, at 610, no one can stand there with his hand above, above his head holding the ball, and there's literally nothing they could do. And then he'll just drop it in the basket like it would be ridiculous. By the way, right after that, right at, right after he did so, Royce White, who also played in the NBA, announced that he was declaring for the WNBA draft. The WNBA has a crisis. You know, their commissioner came out and they said, well, these questions are very complicated. Which, which means, I think it is 100% they are going to block them. I don't know how, because their ideology is incoherent. Their ideology says, anyone who says, I am a woman, as of that instant, you are a woman. That's what their ideology says. Now you've got two former NBA players are like, all right, I'll call your bluff. I'm a woman. Let's go.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so they're gonna have to say something to make clear what everybody knows. These guys are not women.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And neither are the other dudes who are playing against women. Everyone knows that. And so I'm really glad that the two of these declared. I think it is 100%. All right, I'm going to wager you 20 bucks, Ben, if I want to

[Ben Ferguson]

take this bet, you got to decide.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I. I did. I didn't say 500. I said 20. Okay, 20 bucks that Ennis Cantor never plays one minute in the. In WNBA.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I'm. I'm gonna agree with you, so I'm not going to waste my 20 bucks. But, but. But I wonder. I. I do think there's a 1% chance that the NBA just sticks their feet in and says, we're not moving, and then they get obliterated by. And by the way, I bet you there's more guys in these two guys are now transitioning to women who identify as transgender that are going to come forward and do this as well. I bet you we're not done yet.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, we are seeing life imitate art. There's a fabulous movie called Lady Ballers that the Wire put on that has a cameo from yours truly, and it is. It is hysterical. The whole premise of it is, is that five guys in their 40s who had as teenagers had been the Kentucky state high school basketball champs decide in their 40s, let's declare we're women and compete in the WNBA, and they dominate like crazy. And it's. It's. It's a light comedy. It's sort of done in the style of dodgeball.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But it's got some really, really funny lines. And. And so if you haven't watched Lady Ballers, I highly recommend it. You would enjoy it. It's funny. And we may be watching Lady Ballers between Clay Travis's $10 million bet and NS Freedom Cant or Lady Ballers is. Is coming to life.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're absolutely right. Don't forget, we do this podcast Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscriber auto download button. And remember, you want to pre order the book, it is coming out. The book that Senator Cruz has written on Clarence Thomas. You can get it now and pre order online the website Center. What is it again?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Going further dot com. Going further dot com.

[Ben Ferguson]

There you go. Grab it. Going further. Com. The center and I will see you back here on Wednesday morning.