Iran DEAL! What’s in it? Plus Shocking Georgia Election Results

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Iran DEAL! What’s in it? Plus Shocking Georgia Election Results
Date: June 17, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson
Main Guest: Senator Ted Cruz

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on two major topics shaking American politics: the details and implications of the new Iran deal and the surprising Georgia gubernatorial primary election results. With commentary from Ben Ferguson and co-host Senator Ted Cruz, the episode delivers in-depth analysis of the latest U.S.-Iran negotiations, unpacks the consequences for U.S. foreign policy, and goes behind the scenes of Georgia’s political shakeup. Throughout, Ferguson and Cruz highlight the ideological battles defining America’s political future.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Shocking Georgia Election Results

[06:50–17:29]

• Senator Ted Cruz’s Involvement in the Race

  • Cruz explains his endorsement strategy: “I endorse the most conservative candidate who can win.” [07:33]
  • He describes joining Rick Jackson’s campaign late to shift the outcome: “My philosophical approach... is that I try to get involved right before election day, hopefully at a time when... my involvement can make a difference.” [07:40]

• Rick Jackson’s Inspirational Backstory

  • Raised in foster care and poverty, Jackson found success by convincing an employer to hire him on commission only, quickly rising to own and build a multi-billion-dollar company:

    “He went and interviewed... they said, ‘We only hire people who have college degrees.’ ...Rick came back, he said, ‘How about if you don't pay me anything, but just give me 33% of the sales?’... Within two years he bought the company.” — Ted Cruz [09:07–10:02]

  • Jackson is known for philanthropy, especially supporting foster kids and Christian ministries worldwide.
  • “He’s invested in these kids that have every disadvantage. I’m going to help them achieve their dreams.” — Ted Cruz [11:12]

• The Trump Factor and Election Dynamics

  • Trump endorsed Jackson’s opponent, Bert Jones, but Donald Trump Jr. praised Jackson close to the race:

    “As I'm flying in,... we get the news that Donald Trump Jr. is going to endorse Rick Jackson. Now, that's a big deal, because the main argument against him... is that Trump, Trump the dad, had endorsed his opponent.” — Ted Cruz [12:40–13:28]

  • Jackson’s campaign promises include freezing property taxes and halving (eventually abolishing) Georgia’s income tax:

    “He said if he doesn't succeed in freezing the property taxes and cutting the income tax in half, he will not run for reelection.” — Ted Cruz [15:06]

  • The episode underlines Jackson’s decision to run as one of principle, not necessity:

    “To run for office, you gotta be nuts... Rick is doing this because he believes in Georgia. He believes in the country. He believes he could make a difference.” — Ted Cruz [15:53]

  • Cruz anticipates Jackson’s victory will energize Republicans statewide, potentially helping in the Senate race.

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2. Breaking Down the New Iran Deal

[19:48–37:23]

• Confusion and Secrecy Over Deal Details

  • Both Ferguson and Cruz express uncertainty due to limited public information. Cruz highlights lack of Congressional briefing:

    “I’m in the Senate. I have had no communication about what is in this deal. So I’m doing the same thing you guys are doing. I’m, I’m reading the news, I’m watching Twitter.” — Ted Cruz [20:59]

• $300 Billion for Iran?

  • Media leaks and Iranian statements fuel rumors that the deal could release $300 billion to Iran.

    “Iran is putting out massive information, basically saying, ‘this is a total victory for Iran. We’ve won, the United States capitulated.’ Now, I don’t believe what Iran is putting out, but right now, nobody in the Senate, nobody in the Congress has the details.” — Ted Cruz [21:23]

  • Cruz and Ferguson caution against trusting Iranian claims and draw parallels to past “pallets of cash” deals.
  • Cruz quotes an op-ed by Chris Ruddy (Newsmax), warning:

    “Why should Iran receive access to any reconstruction fund, let alone one with $300 billion? That’s a third of a trillion dollars.” — Ted Cruz quoting Chris Ruddy [25:17]

  • Both agree such a payout would fund terrorism and undermine U.S. interests:

    “Sending $300 billion to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea.” — Ted Cruz [26:24, 30:32]

• President Trump Responds

  • Ferguson plays a clip of Trump denying the existence of a $300B payout and promising transparency:

    “We’re allowed to go and invest if we wanted to someday in the future. We have no obligation whatsoever... I’ll go over the document with the media in a couple of days.” — President Trump [28:32]

  • Cruz is “comforted” by Trump’s comment but maintains caution until details are public:

    “I am very comforted. I am glad the President is saying that. He is right to say that. It’s why... I am withholding judgment until I actually see the details.” — Ted Cruz [29:38]

• Military Context: How the Trump Administration Has Handled Iran

  • Cruz details the destruction inflicted on Iran’s military during the administration’s attacks:

    “He has destroyed over 80% of their ballistic missiles, over 80% of their drones. He’s destroyed their drone manufacturing capability, their ballistic missile manufacturing capability. He’s utterly destroyed their air defenses. Their air force is in rubble on the runways. Their navy is sunk at the bottom of the ocean. You know how many Iranian naval ships he has sunk? ...161.” — Ted Cruz [32:01–32:21]

  • He insists the current deal is not like Obama’s JCPOA:

    “The Obama Iran nuclear deal was designed to inevitably lead to Iran having a nuclear weapon. The President has launched a massive military action designed to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. That is massively, massively different.” — Ted Cruz [33:06]

• Summary of Cruz’s Core Message

  • Don’t squander military gains by giving Iran resources to rebuild:

    “Don’t suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America.” — Ted Cruz [33:47]

  • Both hosts vow to update listeners as factual details emerge.

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3. The Senate’s Close War Powers Vote & John Fetterman

[33:54–37:23]

• The Senate’s vote on Iran war powers was closer than expected, hinging on Democrat John Fetterman’s support:

  “John Fetterman has become a friend. I like John. I work with him quite a bit. He’s got real courage. He is the lone Democrat who will stand up to the crazies on a host of issues.” — Ted Cruz [34:33]

• Cruz praises Fetterman’s willingness to break with his party on issues like supporting Israel and border security.
• The hosts discuss inviting Fetterman on the show, with Cruz sharing a humorous anecdote about Fetterman and Trump:

  “He came back and said, well, I'm going to ask him to make me the Pope of Greenland, which I thought was really funny.” — Ted Cruz [36:45]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Endorsement Philosophy:

  “I endorse the most conservative candidate who can win.” — Ted Cruz [07:33]

• On Rick Jackson's Candidacy:

  "To run for office, you gotta be nuts... Rick is doing this because he believes in Georgia." — Ted Cruz [15:53]

• On the Iran Deal Secrecy:

  “I’m in the Senate. I have had no communication about what is in this deal.” — Ted Cruz [20:59]

• On the $300 Billion Rumors:

  “Sending $300 billion to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea.” — Ted Cruz [30:32]

• On the Trump Admin’s Iran Strategy:

  “The President has launched a massive military action designed to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. That is massively, massively different.” — Ted Cruz [33:06]

• On Fetterman’s Party Independence:

  “He will stand up. Number one, on Israel, he is not part of the pro Hamas lunatic left... Number two, on border security, he has decided that the policy of open borders... is a dumb policy.” — Ted Cruz [34:33]

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Essential Timestamps

• [06:50–17:29] — Georgia Election Analysis & Rick Jackson’s Backstory
• [19:48–37:23] — Iran Deal Deep Dive: Details, Debate, and Quotes from Trump
• [33:54–37:23] — Senate War Powers Vote and John Fetterman Spotlight

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its mix of personal insight, political strategy discussion, and real-time reactions to fast-breaking news. Ferguson and Cruz offer listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the Georgia election upset and a frank, skeptical take on the evolving Iran deal. The show’s tone is direct, at times humorous, and rooted in a strong America-first, conservative worldview—reflecting its hosts’ established political stance.

Listeners are promised more updates as the story of the Iran deal unfolds and are urged to subscribe for ongoing coverage.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you as well. And we've got a very big show for you as we're recording right now. You love to timestamp it center, so I'm going to let you have the honors on that. But we get to talk about what's happened with this deal. And some of the understanding of what's in the deal has now come to light with a rant.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it is 12:45am Tuesday night and Ben, I guess was stuck on an airport or airplane somewhere, so. So welcome back.

[Ben Ferguson]

Once it was me. I feel very proud right now that I am the reason why you had to wait a little bit because usually it's the other way around. 364 other days.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. I'm just saying I spent two hours in my D.C. apartment staring at the wall, so. So it is good to be with you. Welcome back. I assume you were like in Vegas dancing with Chippendales or something.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, except I was night. I literally almost could have done the show before I left at that point. It's true.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That would have happily worked. All right. We got a lot to talk about. We're going to start by talking about Georgia and a big result in the Georgia governor's race. Then we're going to talk about Iran and what's the deal with this new Iran deal. And there are a lot of questions. A lot of people are wondering. We're going to break it down based on what we know and what it means. Is this a good thing? Is it a bad thing? What are the consequences? What comes next? We're going to give you all the details on that. All of that on today's pod.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it is. It's a shocking news story there that is just broken. We'll have it for you in a moment. Before we get to that, I do want to talk to you about what's happening right now in this country. And it really feels like our country is finally getting the momentum we needed again. Our leaders are fighting to restore common sense and America first. But we've also seen this before. Conservatives get comfortable, the left starts taking back ground inch by inch. And we cannot let that happen in these midterm elections. America needs every one of us in the fight. And a big part of that means supporting companies that actually stand for our values. And that's why I'm proud to partner with Patriot Mobile. Patriot Mobile gives you premium priority nationwide service on any of the three major US Networks so you get the coverage you need that you deserve. Plus unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, international roaming, and a 100% US based customer support team. Now, switching has never been easier. You keep your phone, keep your number and you can literally activate in minutes. You don't go to a store. Patriot Mobile, by the way, is so much more than a great wireless service provider. They built a growing movement of Americans defending faith, freedom and family, the future of this country. Well, now it's in your hands with every call you make, with every text you send, with every bill that you pay. Because when you're with Patriot Mobile, you're helping donate millions every year to organizations fighting for what we believe in. So go to patriotmobile.com verdict and you are going to get a free month of service with a promo code verdict. Or you can call them 972 Patriot. That's 972- Patriot, 972- Patriot. Or call them and go online at patriotmobile.com verdict promo code verdict for a free month of service. Make the switch and make a difference every time you pay your bill. All right, so as promised, we are going to talk a lot about Iran, the Iran deal. But there is a story that is not being covered. That is an important story and that is there was actually an election in Georgia. You were involved in it. You went down to Georgia. Was that yesterday or the day before? Every day's running together now with the, with the, with the flight times and, you know, whatever time it is in the morning as we speak. But you were just there and made an endorsement there or a couple actually in Georgia. What has happened there and what does this mean for, for the control of power in D.C. yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So it was yesterday and there was a, the Georgia primaries were tonight, Tuesday night in Georgia. And in the governor's race, you had a guy named Rick Jackson, who's a very successful businessman who was running against Bert Jones, who's the lieutenant governor. And early on, President Trump had endorsed Bert Jones. And just a few days ago, I endorsed Rick Jackson. And that, that caused the press to like the tongues to wag and be like, oh, this is a big conflict. I will say, look, my approach on endorsements is, number one, I endorse the most conservative candidate who can win.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so I want to see proven evidence that you're conservative. But I also want to see that you can win, that you got a path to victory, not just in the primary, but in the general. Number two, I tend to get involved in races late that's my philosophical approach, is that I try to get involved right before election day, hopefully at a time when the election is close and my involvement can make a difference. It can move someone into victory. And so I jumped in this race just a few days ago. Yesterday, the day before the election, I flew down to Georgia, to Atlanta, did a big rally with Rick. And I gotta say, so Rick's story, let me tell you a little bit about the guy. And I did not know him until the last few days, but I looked at his record, I examined it, I talked to people who knew him, and I made the decision to endorse it. So his story, he grew up in a broken home in the projects in Atlanta. Poverty, dysfunction. As a young boy, he ran away from home. He ended up going into the foster home system. As a child he had five foster families. So that's what he came out of. He then went on to college, spent I think a little over a year in college, dropped out of college, could not, did not succeed in college, and he went and got a job. This is a cool story. So he went and interviewed to work for a company that was engaged in healthcare sales. He did the interview, he did pretty well. And then the guy interviewing him said, I'm sorry, look, we only hire people who have college degrees. You dropped out of college, we're not going to hire you. And Rick said, okay, that's fine. He said, can I ask you just out of curiosity, what did the job pay? And the guy said, well, it paid $1,500 a month plus 33% of all the sales you make. And Rick came back, he said, I'll tell you what, how about if you don't pay me the fifteen hundred dollars a month, don't pay me anything, but just give me the 33% of the sales. And the guy kind of laughed. He said, well, that sounds like a good deal. I don't have anything to lose on that, do I? So he hired him. Even though he didn't have a college degree, he came in and was a monster salesman. Ended up making so much money that within two years he bought the company that had hired him.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wow.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And he ends up building this company into a massive multi billion dollar healthcare company in Georgia. He's one of the biggest employers in the state of Georgia. Incredibly successful businessman, self built from nothing. He now has been an incredibly generous philanthropist. He's decided, look, I don't want to take, he's worth several billion dollars, he's very successful. And he said, I don't want to take this money with me. So I'm going to give it away and make a difference to the world around me. So, for example, on foster care, he has given millions to help foster kids in Georgia. So kids that are in foster care, he'll come in and say, you know what, I'm going to pay for you to go to college. I'm going to pay for your expenses. I'm going to help you get started. Because he's been there. Look, so many foster kids, they've been subject to horrible conditions. They've often been subject to abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse. They're the kids that it seems sometimes society gives up on. And he understands firsthand, look, you can be in that circumstance and you can make something of your life and make a real difference. And so he's invested in these kids that have every disadvantage. I'm going to help them achieve their dreams. He's also funded Christian ministries all over the world. For example, he's funded a Christian orphanage in China. That my understanding is it's the lone orphanage that's able to teach Christianity in China. So he's putting, look, you and I are both Christians. It's one thing to have empty words. It's one thing to say you have faith. It's another thing to put your faith to action, to invest and make a difference. And Rick decided, okay, I'm going to run for governor because I think I can make a difference. And I looked at his record and I said, this guy has an incredible, I mean, an inspirational life story and I think he can win. And so I endorsed him. I went down, we did a big rally in Georgia and I'm gonna give you some fun behind the scenes story. So as we're coming in, I fly down there on Monday, we're going to the rally. And Trump had endorsed his opponent, this guy named Burt Jones. I don't know Burt Jones. I'm sure he's a perfectly decent and fine man. He's the lieutenant he had endorsed early.

[Ben Ferguson]

Right. Like, so people understand the timeline.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He endorsed early before Rick was in the race.

[Ben Ferguson]

And understand, look, that's a key point. Yeah, he went for who he thought at the time. The other guy wasn't in yet.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, Jones was lieutenant governor. He was running. And so Trump endorsed early. Rick wasn't in the race. So Rick was actually at the White House at a big fundraiser this weekend. And Trump was saying, hey, this guy's great, he's awesome, he's incredibly successful. I didn't know him, but he was praising him, vocally at this fundraiser this weekend. As I'm flying in, I'm headed to the event, and we get the news that Donald Trump Jr. Is going to endorse Rick Jackson. Now, that's a big deal, because the main argument against him, what everyone was pounding him, is that Trump, Trump the dad, had endorsed his opponent. You know, tons of campaign ads saying Trump picked the other guy. And we get the news that Don Jr. Was going to endorse Rick.

[Child]

And.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And it was actually fun. As I'm headed to the event, the campaign said, hey, do you want to announce Don Jr. S endorsement? And listen, Don Jr. Is a buddy of mine. I know him very well. And I was like, yeah, sure. And I said, look, I just want to help your campaign, so if it's helpful for me to announce it, I'm happy to. If it's not like, it's your call, but I'm more than happy to. And they ended up deciding that Don Jr. The actual endorsement statement, was not going to use the word endorsed, but was going to praise him as like, he's a great patriot. I know him well, and he's fantastic, and he's America first. And the timing ended up working out. I said, sure, I'm happy to announce it. But then they didn't end up approving the statement for another two hours. And it just. Look, it takes some time. When you're right before an election and you're trying to decide going through a political operation, it takes some time to approve it. So I said, I'm happy to announce wasn't finalized. So I did not, in fact, announce it from the stage. But right after I left, Don Jr. Tweeted out the support. And tonight, Rick ended up winning. The margin. As of tonight, 99% is in is 52.6% to 47.4%. It's a great victory, and I think so. One of the cases I made to the voters, we had a big, big rally in Georgia. And I said, listen, Rick's life story is incredible. He's campaigning on a promise, number one, to immediately freeze property taxes in Georgia.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's big.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Number two on income taxes, to cut the Georgia income tax in half, and ultimately to work to abolish it altogether. And what Rick has said is, he said if he doesn't succeed in freezing the property taxes and cutting the income tax in half, he will not run for reelection. He will serve one term. If he fails in that, he's not running for reelection. And I made a point to everyone. I said, listen, I've got A crazy secret here. Rick is rich. Like, everyone laughs. I'm like, yeah, look, this is an incredibly successful dude. He could play golf every day. He could sit on the beach and drink daiquiris and live a life of leisure. And I said, listen, to run for office, you gotta be nuts. You gotta be certified.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You get attacked constantly. There's so much. And Rick is doing this. The case I made, I said, rick is doing this because he believes in Georgia. He believes in the country. He believes he could make a difference. And listen, Georgia used to be bright red. The unfortunate reality is it's purple now. And the Democrats. Right now, the Democrats are leading in the polling for the governor's race. I think Rick will win. I think Rick will keep Georgia red. And I also made the case. I said, listen, by y' all coming out and voting for Rick, we are going to help Jon Ossoff get a job in the private sector. Jon Ossoff is the very liberal Democrat who represents Georgia. He may be the senator who is most out of step with the values of his state because he's a very liberal Democrat. Georgia's not a very liberal state. But he's got a ton of money, and he's right now leading in the polls a lot. And I said, listen, if you want to win the Senate seat here in Georgia, the best way to do it is have a gubernatorial candidate who's running an incredible campaign, who's mobilizing voters across the state, who, by the way, I mean, Rick, has put massive millions and millions of dollars in the campaign. So he's gonna. He's funding it himself. And if you end up with a gubernatorial candidate at the top of the race who's turning out a ton of voters, that's how you have a chance to win the Senate race also. And I gotta say, I'm gratified that the voters of Georgia agreed, and we had a big, big win in Georgia tonight.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Child]

mom,

[Senator Ted Cruz]

can I have Lingokids? Dad, Lingokids, please?

[Ben Ferguson]

When did we become the Lingokids house?

[Lingokids Parent]

No idea. Last week it was dinosaurs.

[Podcast Host]

This week it's Lingokids.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Why Lingokids? Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes.

[America 250 Announcer]

With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids.

[Lingokids Parent]

So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Lingokids.

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Everything kids love.

[Ben Ferguson]

Download it for free.

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

You got it coming. This is total non stop action.

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[Ben Ferguson]

Edu so let's get into Iran. It was a very interesting day. I was in D.C. and I was in Fox in the green room and there was a lot of activity with this Iran deal. I was doing a couple different shows and everybody was trying to figure out are we excited about the deal? Are we not? I had friends on TV that were saying they think this is not a great deal. I had friends on TV that said this is a great deal. I had people in between. There was elected officials that I was talking to as well. They were asking me what do I think. What? Like how is this going to play out? My synopsis was this and I want to get your take. The president understands midterms are coming and we have to win the midterms. Gas prices need to be lower before the midterms. He had a simple promise, which was to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. That is the promise that people care about the most and they want this thing to end pretty quickly. We also know we have a president that has no problem bombing bad guys when they're acting up. And if Iran does anything that the president thinks a threat to us, he's clearly going to act. I think you put all that together, that's kind of where we are right now. What is your reaction and what are your colleagues saying?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, I think there's a lot of uncertainty right now. Nobody knows what is in the deal. Yeah, I'm in the Senate. I have had no communication about what is in this deal. So I'm doing the same thing you guys are doing. I'm, I'm reading the news, I'm watching Twitter, and you see all sorts of different reports and it's difficult to understand the actual substance of what's in it. There's also active misrepresentation. So Iran is putting out massive information, basically saying, this is a total victory for Iran. We've won, the United States capitulated. Now, I don't believe what Iran is putting out. But right now, nobody in the Senate, nobody in the Congress has the details of what the agreement is.

[Ben Ferguson]

So I have, there is some trust and verify here for the Senate, for people that don't understand this. To lift the sanctions, you guys are going to know exactly what's in there and you have to agree to it. Am I right? Isn't that how this works?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, it depends the way the sanction laws are written. The President has quite a bit of discretion. I hope and believe this deal will come before the Congress and we'll know the specifics of it, and we're going to know them in time. But this is, you know, we're hours into this. This is very early. Let me talk about different elements that may or may not be in the deal. One of the elements that has been widely reported is that Iran is going to get $300 billion in order to rebuild Iran. And those are going to come from frozen funds from other sources. It's not clear where that's going to come from. I've got to say I very much hope that is not true. If somehow we are flowing $300 billion to Iran, I think that is an incredibly foolish idea.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I agree with you, by the way. That's no different than the pallets of cash and appeasement in many people's eyes.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Actually, it is different. Obama flew $1.7 billion in cash into Iran. Joe Biden flowed $100 billion into Iran during his four years. If. And I do not know that this is right, but if we are sending $300 billion 3x what b. I think that is utterly indefensible. So I am hoping that is not true. I have no confirmation it's true. Iran is Saying it's true, but I don't trust them. Yeah. So that would be an enormous mistake. And listen, it is universally reported this is a deal that has been negotiated by J.D. vance. He has been the point person on negotiating this deal. He is now doing the talk show circuit defending the deal, but we don't know what the specifics are. I gotta say, if the decision is. Let's give. Actually here, I wanna share something. So Chris Ruddy. Chris Ruddy is something, someone you and I both know. Well, he is the owner of Newsmax. Chris Ruddy wrote a very important op ed on Newsmax and I want to share some of it. The title of it is say no to $300 billion Iran reconstruction fund. And here's what Chris wrote. President Trump was right to call reports of a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, quote, fake news. He should keep calling them that until the idea is dead, buried and impossible to revive under under another name. Vice President J.D. vance has sought to reassure skeptics about the plan. Quote, the Iranians are not receiving any cash and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting, the Vice President said this past weekend. Vance then said the economic benefits would flow only if Tehran meets his obligations under a future agreement. That is better than a blank check. But it suggests a $300 billion check is still in the works. And part of the memorandum of understandings that starts 60 days, that starts a 60 day ceasefire. Here's the central question. Why should Iran receive access to any reconstruction fund, let alone one with $300 billion? That's a third of a trillion dollars.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The floated proposal makes no sense. Worse, it is dangerous and ruddy continues, it would reward a maniacal regime not for reforming, not for compensating its victims and not for abandoning terror as an instrument of statecraft. It would reward Iran for surviving a war it provoked through decades of nuclear blackmail, proxy violence and regional aggression. Let's put this in perspective. For more than 40 years, Iran's rulers have obsessed over acquiring the capability to destroy Israel, threaten America and dominate the Middle East. They call the United States the Great Satan. They burned through tens of billions of dollars and effectively checked out of the civilized community of nations in pursuit of their dream nuclear weapons. They have repeatedly stated their aim, publicly and loudly, to wipe Israel off the map. In the interim of that goal, Tehran has funded mayhem across the region. Hezbollah, so clearly backed by Iran, it has been part of their negotiations, has long terrorized Northern Israel. For 40 years, Hezbollah has fired tens of thousands of rockets into Israel, costing billions in damage, thousands in casualties and hundreds of deaths. The Houthis, another proxy of Tehran, have fired missiles at Israel and disrupted international shipping for years. They have attacked US naval ships with drones and missiles no less than 400 times. This is not a misunderstood regime looking for an off ramp. It's a revolutionary regime that made violence its business model. Even the assassination of President Trump remains a priority business item. So Chris's op ed and it goes on. It's a lengthy op ed, so I'm not going to read the rest of it, but it makes the powerful case. I very much hope the reports that $300 billion are going to flow to Iran. I hope those are false and I don't know that they're true. I have no basis to believe they're true. But I gotta say sending $300 billion to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea. I am very much hoping that is Iranian misinformation and that is not part of the deal. And I want you to listen to President Trump discussing where things stand at the G7 here. Get a listen.

[Child]

It's a very important document. And unlike Obama, who could have destroyed the Middle east with a horrible jcpoa, it is the worst agreement that was a road to a nuclear weapon. Mine is a wall against a nuclear weapon. I mean, I see these people say, but we already had one. He paid a fortune for it. We pay nothing. We don't pay. There was some statement, we're going to spend $300 billion. No, we're not. We're allowed to go and invest if we wanted to someday in the future. We have no obligation whatsoever. It could be that Iran will turn out to be successful when they have oil. But if we left a week ago, just left before the last two attacks, it would have taken him 20 years to rebuild Iraq. So. But I'll go over the document with the media in a couple of days.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now the President there saying he'll go over it with the media, he'll be transparent, he's going to read it. But he says that 300 is not there.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I am very comforted. I am glad the President is saying that. He is right to say that. It's why, look, I am withholding judgment until I actually see the details. The reporters are all like, oh, don't you want to say something about this? And I'm like, look, until I know what the agreement is, I'm, I'm not going to comment without basis. We're saying the reporting What I can say without equivocation is that giving $300 billion to Iran is a spectacularly bad idea. I hope and pray that's not what this deal is. I'll be very happy if, when the deal, the details become public, it's not giving $300 billion. But I have no hesitancy that giving $300 billion to Iran would be disastrous. And to be clear, they would use that money to build weapons to kill Americans, as I.

[Ben Ferguson]

And they would use that money to give it to Hamas and Hezbollah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. To fund terrorists that are murdering Americans. As I observed to some of my colleagues in the Senate, I said, look, giving $300 billion to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea.

[Ben Ferguson]

I hope that's a sound foreign policy. Senator, let's just be clear, like that's. That is a pretty sound foreign policy. I like where we're headed.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, look, I talked to the president just a few days ago, right before this deal was announced. I am really hopeful. Look, one of the dynamics in the Trump administration is there are different camps within the administration that have different views on foreign policy. There are camps in the administration that oppose the Iranian military attack, that have wanted to end it from day one, that have been deeply unhappy with the president's decision to go in and take out the Iranian military. I don't know the extent to which those voices are prevailing right now, because there's an active dispute playing out day by day in the administration. I will say this, though. There are also some Democrats and some of the media are crowing, oh, this is exactly like Obama and the jcpoa. It most certainly is not that. Understand what Donald Trump has done. The decision to launch the military attack against Iran was the single most important decision of the Trump presidency. He has destroyed over 80% of their ballistic missiles, over 80% of their drones. He's destroyed their drone manufacturing capability, their ballistic missile manufacturing capability. He's utterly destroyed their air defenses. Their air force is in rubble on the runways. Their navy is sunk at the bottom of the ocean. You know how many Iranian naval ships he has sunk?

[Ben Ferguson]

How many?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

161.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's a lot.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It is the largest naval defeat since World War II. The Iranian military has been destroyed. And by the way, the ayatollah is dead. Many of the mullahs are dead. Many of the senior leaders of the IRGC is dead. So under any measure, they're Democrats who are lunatically claiming Iran is stronger today than it's ever been. No, no, they have been bombed back into the Stone Age. Under no measure are they stronger than they've ever been. Now, I don't want to see theocratic Islamists who want to kill us made stronger. So if this deal is giving them $300 billion, that's a mistake. I hope that is not the case.

[Ben Ferguson]

But.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But the sort of cute talking point that this is just like Obama is absurd and false. The Obama Iran nuclear deal was designed to inevitably lead to Iran having a nuclear weapon. The President has launched a massive military action designed to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. That is massively, massively different. What, what I'm urging the president, what I'm saying to him is, is don't give away the victory. I, I don't believe he's doing so. I hope he's not doing so. I hope his administration is not doing so. But my message is, don't we have defeated their military. Don't suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America.

[Ben Ferguson]

Again, great point. Final question, and this is something that is going to be in the news. And that was the vote in the Senate on war powers with Iran. It came down to one vote. Thank goodness. John Fetterman voted with Republicans as some Republicans defected. Doing the math on this, it just shows you how tight things are in the Senate. Were you surprised by how close this was, or was it what you were going to expect? And Fetterman, by the way, what a blessing that guy has become. And I mean, that is a compliment to him where I know a lot of issues. He does not play politics. He looks at his right and wrong and is America better off? And I think that was one of his votes. Today is a perfect example of that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, listen, John Fetterman has become a friend. I like John. I work with him quite a bit. He's got real courage. He is the lone Democrat who will stand up to the crazies on a host of issues. He will stand up. Number one, on Israel, he is not part of the pro Hamas lunatic left, which is much of the Democrat Party. Number two, on border security, he has decided that the policy of open borders and releasing murderers and gangbangers and rapists and child molesters is a dumb policy. Now, that didn't used to be a radical position. That used to be. In fact, you go back just a few years ago, and whether it was Harry Reid or Chuck Schumer or Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton, every Democrat espoused that position.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Today, John Fetterman is almost the only Democrat who will say that. I mean, it's not that he has changed. It's that his party has gone nuts. And I will tell you, the Democrats, they hate Fetterman for it. They're vicious. They insult and revile him. I consider John a friend. And listen, John still votes 90% with the Democrats. So let's be clear. He is not suddenly a conservative Republican. He just doesn't believe Hamas is better than Israel and doesn't believe open borders and criminals are better than American citizens. Those are pretty reasonable statements that used to be mainstream and everyone agreed with, and now virtually every other Democrat has abandoned that. Actually, here's a question to ask our listeners. You ought to post on social media. Do y' all want John Fetterman to be a guest on Verdict?

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, it's funny that you just said that. I was literally gonna say, senator, I think we should have Fetterman on, and I've never said it live on the air that we should have a guest before. As before, you and I talking about it behind the scenes. I think he would be a fabulous guess for Verdict.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, John and I are buddies, I will say. You remember last year, he decided he was going to go down to Mar a Lago and meet with Trump, and the left lost their mind and said, oh, my God, why would you talk to the president? What kind of lunatic are you? And John, he's got a good sense of humor. It's a very dry sense of humor. And he came back and said, well, I'm going to ask him to make me the Pope of Greenland, which I thought was really funny. And I actually, like, used AI. I found a meme and sent out a meme of Fetterman as the pope in, like, papal robes in Greenland. And, like, tweeted it out and I sent it to John and we were cracking up laughing about it because I thought that was really funny. But look, he's shown real courage. The fact that he is so alone in the Democrat Party really illustrates how radicalized they've become.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it's a great point. We're going to keep you updated on this. Obviously, the deal with Iran, probably on Friday morning show, we'll have a lot more details of what is in this deal. So don't forget, download Verdict with Ted Cruz wherever you get your podcast so you don't miss an episode. You can also watch us on YouTube and you can listen to the show, the weekend version as well, on radio stations all over the country. And we'll see you back here.

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