Behind the Scenes at the World Cup Final, and in the Oval Office on AI

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Behind the Scenes at the World Cup Final, and in the Oval Office on AI
Date: July 22, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz

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Episode Overview

This episode of The 47 Morning Update offers a behind-the-scenes look at two major events: Senator Ted Cruz’s experience at the World Cup Final (USA 2026) in New York/New Jersey, and a high-level Oval Office meeting discussing the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy in America. The episode is a lively blend of personal anecdotes, sports enthusiasm, and candid political analysis, all delivered in the podcast’s classic unfiltered, conversational tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fatherhood, Sports, and Building Core Memories

(Starting around 01:04)

• Golf Parenting Struggles:
  Ben recounts carrying a 100-pound golf bag as a caddy for his son, who was competing in the Under Armour World Golf Championships. The conversation highlights the challenges and triumphs of youth sports.

  “It's all the stuff—the ball is normal... Then you have like seven or eight bottles of water, plus enough to eat… rain gear and the umbrellas and the ice and the food, it is literally one hundred and something pounds, I kid you.”
  — Ben Ferguson (01:41)

• Making the Top 50:
  Ben shares the pride of his son placing 43rd in the world for his age group, emphasizing the harsh but character-building rules of junior golf tournaments.

  “Our goal was to try to make it in the top 50 in the world because there's 100 and like nine kids that got in and he came in 43rd. So… next year, you get to come back.”
  — Ben Ferguson (03:20-03:37)

• Unexpected Parenting Hacks:
  Ben mentions electrolyte gummies as a hydration solution, leading to a funny (and good-natured) misunderstanding from Cruz.

  “What I just heard is that Ben is feeding his son marijuana gummies.”
  — Ted Cruz (05:05)

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2. World Cup Final: A Family Bonding Experience

(Begins at 07:58)

• Attending the World Cup:
  Ted Cruz details attending the 2026 World Cup final with his daughter Catherine, continuing a long tradition of father-daughter sports outings.

  "From age 7 to age 15, I've been able to go to, I don't know, 40 playoff games with Katherine. I mean, it has been the daddy-daughter tradition."
  — Ted Cruz (12:52)

• Family Sports Tradition:
  Cruz shares nostalgia about taking each of his family members and his daughter's strategic answer that got her a seat at the 2017 Astros World Series Game 5.

  “She looks up with those big brown eyes... 'Daddy, I'll root for the Astros.' And I said, sold.”
  — Ted Cruz (10:46)

• Game Highlights:
  Both remark on Spain’s dominant play, the skill of the Argentinian goalie, and the electric atmosphere in the stadium.

  "The Spanish offense dominated... 80% of the game was played...on the Argentinian side of the field."
  — Ted Cruz (18:17)

  “The Argentinian goalkeeper, that guy played an incredible game... that keeper almost single-handedly kept Argentina in the game.”
  — Ted Cruz (19:23)

• Messi and the Power of Sports Legends:
  Cruz hoped to witness a Messi goal:

  “It's kind of like... you go see a game of Michael Jordan or Tom Brady at the end of their career, you want... the great play.”
  — Ted Cruz (19:45)

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3. Celebrity Sightings and Stadium Stories

(Begins at 23:17)

• Star-Studded Suite:
  Cruz describes sitting near a “box full of rap stars” and his daughter’s excitement at seeing Drake and others.

  “There are places I've got a little bit of stroke. Like a box full of rap stars... that's just not my...”
  — Ted Cruz (23:58)

• Meeting Drew Barrymore:
  Charming anecdote about meeting actress Drew Barrymore, highlighting genuine kindness across political/cultural lines.

  "She was the nicest person, and she was charming. We had a great conversation... Drew is huggy—so like, every person she met, she'd go and hug them."
  — Ted Cruz (24:52–25:20)

• Favorite Barrymore Roles:
  Cruz and Ferguson reference Barrymore’s best-known movies, with “E.T.,” “Charlie's Angels,” and “50 First Dates” mentioned by Barrymore herself (26:21).

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4. From World Cup to Oval Office: AI Policy Meeting

(Key section starts at 28:30)

• Abrupt Transition:
  Cruz humorously notes the shift from celebrity-studded soccer to Amtrak rides and Oval Office meetings:

  “That is what we call welcome back to your real life. When you go from the World Cup, Drew Barrymore, to Amtrak, to D.C. … an interesting step down.”
  — Ben Ferguson (28:47)

• White House AI Meeting Recap:
  Cruz details an Oval Office meeting with President Trump (2026), Senator Marsha Blackburn, the Treasury Secretary, and others to discuss AI regulation and legislation.

  “I'm chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation... we’re going to have a markup in the next couple of weeks on a bunch of AI bills...”
  — Ted Cruz (29:40)

  • Marsha Blackburn’s AI Legislation:

    • Components discussed: Kids’ online safety (KOSA), duty of care for tech companies, age verification for app stores, and “No Fakes” to combat AI-generated deepfakes.

  • Legislative Realities:

    • Disagreements exist between House and Senate, among parties, and even within Republican ranks.

    • Cruz openly tells the President:

      “Someone needs to tell you this bill has very little, if any, chance of passing.”
      — Ted Cruz (31:39)

  • AI and Free Speech:

    • Cruz raises concerns that protecting against deepfakes might threaten political parody and satire.
    • Gives examples (Trump/Schumer meme, Spencer Pratt/Newsom ads).

  "I'm quite supportive of [No Fakes]...but I also want to protect free speech."
  — Ted Cruz (36:42)

  • Outcome:

    • President decides not to go all-in on legislation with slim odds.

      "Trump said, all right, well, then I'm not going to support it. I don't want to support something that doesn't have a path to passage."
      — Ted Cruz (31:55)

  • Cruz’s Strategy:
    Opting for realistic, incremental AI policies that can draw enough bipartisan support:

    "Let me use a Kamala Harris phrase: The Venn diagram...find...what bills could make a positive impact, protecting people from some of the harms of AI but at the same time, that have a real path to passage."
    — Ted Cruz (38:18)

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5. Reflections and Episode Wrap-Up

(38:52 onward)

• Ferguson summarizes the episode’s tone—“AI is changing the world. We've talked about [it] a lot here. We'll keep talking about it.”
• Celebrates Cruz’s ability to make “core memories” with his daughter and go “from the World Cup to D.C. to fight with the commies there.”
• Encourages listeners to subscribe and look forward to further updates on both sports traditions and tech policy developments.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parenting & Sports:

  • “Your daughter picked a better sport watching World cup than mine carrying a bag in the sun. Congratulations, you won on that one.”
    — Ben Ferguson (01:17)

• On Generational Gaps:

  • “It made me feel a little bad because Katherine didn't know who Drew Barrymore was, and I'm like, oh, God, I feel old...”
    — Ted Cruz (24:44)

• On Legislative Realism:

  • “If the House won't take it up, it’s not going to become in the US Code. So...you need to find something the House is willing to pass.”
    — Ted Cruz (33:29)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------| | 01:04–03:54 | Ben’s golfing odyssey and parenting talk | | 07:58–13:20 | Cruz’s family sports traditions | | 13:20–18:33 | World Cup Final – game action & fan moments | | 23:17–26:40 | Celebrity encounters (Drake, Drew Barrymore) | | 28:30–38:52 | White House AI meeting & political analysis | | 38:52–End | Reflections and preview of future episodes |

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Summary

This episode paints a rich, entertaining portrait of the intersection between family, sports culture, celebrity encounters, and America’s most urgent tech policy debates. Listeners are treated to “core memory” parenting tales, honest backroom political insights, and a dose of humor and humility—making for an accessible and engaging update on American public life.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Guaranteed human.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Blast with berry flavors and cold foam. Who knew ice cold drinks could be so fire six?

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Refreshers contain caffeine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand? We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.

[Ben Ferguson]

He's Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth and help you figure out this crazy modern world.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

How about something about a comedic tone?

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your PODC podcasts.

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you as well. Center. You had one heck of a weekend as I was carrying 100 pounds of golf equipment in Orlando, Florida for seven hours and 15 minutes. If anyone was counting on how long that round lasted, you were at the World cup living it up with your. By the way, I just want to be clear. Your daughter picked a better sport watching World cup than mine carrying a bag in the sun. Congratulations, you won on that one.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Okay, I need to ask. What the hell was £100? Is your son, like, playing golf with anvils? Like, like, how exactly does that work?

[Ben Ferguson]

So this is what is in the bag. It's all the stuff. The ball is normal. That's all there, right? Then you have the push cart, but then you have like seven or eight bottles of water, plus enough to eat when you're missing a meal to keep them. Like, keep eating because you're out there so long. And when you put all that together with the rain gear and the umbrellas and the ice and the food, it is literally a hundred and something pounds, I kid you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So is there some rule in, like, kids golf that you can't have a golf cart?

[Ben Ferguson]

You're not allowed to. At world championships, the caddy and the player must walk the entire 18 holes

[Senator Ted Cruz]

just because there's like, some mean jerk in charge of the whole thing. Like, like, why. Exactly.

[Ben Ferguson]

So it's very interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're.

[Ben Ferguson]

If you. You're spectators can use a cart when you get there. There is. It is straight up like, if you want to say you're a world champion, you're going to walk the whole thing and there will be no one to help you. And if you want to quit, you can quit. But the strongest survive. It was, I mean, it was a strongest survive scenario. So that's the, that's how it works. So if you're ever bored and you want a caddy, you. It's a great workout, I assure you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, so Ben, I can give you the precise odds of that. That would be 0.00%. I will not be catty. I will cheer you on. By the way, how did Bradley do?

[Ben Ferguson]

So he played 10 and unders in the Under Armour Worlds, and so he got the invite. So we did it. He's nine, so he's one of the youngest kids. He came in 43rd in the world, which was awesome for him.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Wow, that's awesome. And by the way, the difference between 9 and 10 is big. I mean, like, at this age, a year is massive.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's massive. So our goal was to try to make it in the top 50 in the world because there's 100 and like nine kids that got in and, and he came in 43rd. So I was like, dude, you got to you now. Next year you get to come back. You automatically will get to come back. And next year you'll play the same course.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, does the top 50 get in automatically?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. So he'll get in automatically.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That's the cutoff.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's the cutoff. So that was the best part. So he is back and I told him and he was disappointed. He wanted to be in the top 20. And it was these other kids, they were, some of them had like two year graduating years. They have your, your.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right. So the other kids, the kids that want, is it their drive? Do they hit the further?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is it their short game or is their putting like. Like where is the differential?

[Ben Ferguson]

It's a mature. You can see the maturity. So definitely just how far they hit the ball is way like in a year, Bradley will probably hit the ball another 25 to 35 yards further, minimum. The tea could be as much as 50. And so when you're hitting that much farther, you're now hitting eight irons and pitching wedges and nine irons in the green. Whereas then if you're back, you're hitting in, you know, not near as accurate of shots. You're hitting five irons or hybrids in. And it just, it's all the difference in the world. So it's.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I Don't play golf. Everything you said there sounded like the teacher on Charlie Brown, but like, like some different clubs and. And the bali goes into the holy.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know what I learned, by the way? Do you want to know what I learned on this, this adventure with like. So you got to get your kid to drink enough water to survive. Bradley hates, like, energy drinks. He does not like anything flavored. There are electrolyte gummies, folks. I have found them. They work. And he would eat the gummies all day. So there's your tip if you got a kid.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

What I, what I just heard is that Ben is feeding his son marijuana gummies.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, that's what you heard from Colorado, right? Yeah. Mile high gummies.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I gotta say, as a nine year old, he's the most mellow golf player you've ever seen. Yeah, man, the course looks great.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was fun. We met, by the way, we had verticlisteners there. It was nice.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You told me that you had several that are like, hey, I listened to the pod.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it was quite fun. They're like, when's Ted coming out? Somebody yelled that across the fairway during the practice round. Like, I don't know who they were. They were older kids and a dad. And he yelled. He's like, where's Ted at? I was like, I don't know. And then we just kept walking left.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I was in New York City this weekend and I was sitting at like a hotel bar late at night, and I had a whole family came up and they said, we love verdict. We listen to it all the time. And I was like, awesome.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now you got to go to the World cup this weekend, which is awesome. I want to hear all about that. Before we do that, I do want to talk to you real quick about an amazing company that is fighting for our values each and every day. You've heard me talk about it for years. It's Patriot Mobile. And if you've got a cell phone, well, you need to get involved in what they're doing. If it, by the way, if it feels like our country finally has momentum again with our leaders fighting to restore common sense and America first. We've seen how this works before. We get comfortable as conservatives. Then the left starts taking back ground inch by inch. And that is something we cannot let happen in these midterm elections. America needs every one of us in the fight, and a big part of that means supporting companies like Patriot Mobile that actually stand for our values. And that's why I'm proud to partner with them. Patriot Mobile not only gives you premium priority nationwide service on any of the three major networks, but they also give you something else. Unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, international roaming. And then their team is 100 US based customer support. Switching has never been easier. You can keep your same phone you have right now in your hand. You can keep your same number and you can activate over the phone in just minutes. Now, this is where the magic happens. Patriot Mobile gives millions of dollars in donations every year to organizations that are fighting for our faith, our family, our freedoms and unborn children in this country. So get a free month. You can try it on me. Go to patriotmobile.com verdict or 972-patriot and if you use the promo code verdict, you'll get that free month of service. Patriotmobile.com verdict make a difference with every call you make. Or call them right now, nine seven two PATRIOT and make that switch in minutes. All right, sender. So let's, let's talk about. You got not only like two cool things. One, you got to go to the World cup, but two, you got to take one of your daughters with you, which is like that, that, that's like core memories you got to make.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. So, so look, I, Sunday I went to the World cup finals that they were in New York, actually New Jersey. It was kind of funny. It was in New Jersey, but the branding was all New York slash New Jersey. I felt bad for New Jersey because we weren't actually in New York, but somehow New York got top billing.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's where everybody stayed. They came to the game. That's the reality. Right? You stay in New York City, then you go over to New Jersey and then you get out of there as fast as you can.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So it was really fun. And, and I had two tickets. So Heidi and I were gonna go. And, and then I asked my two girls, Caroline and Catherine, hey, do you all want to go to the World Cup? They both wanted to go, but my youngest daughter, Catherine, you know, both are girls, she's 15. And Catherine and I, we do sporting events like going back. All right, let me tell some history on this. Going back to 2017, 2017, the World Series between Houston Astros and the Dodgers. So I was blessed. I went to game three, four and five of the World Series. Game three. I took my dad. I mean, what a great chance. Take your dad to a World Series. That's just really cool.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's incredible.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Game four, I took Heidi. Total and complete waste. I adore my wife, by the way.

[Ben Ferguson]

She would say that, right?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

She's my best friend in the world. But in like the third inning, she turned to me and said, did they score a touchdown? And I said, I am offended that you are in this stadium taking a seat that should be taken by a real baseball fan. All right, so game five. I invite initially my daughter, Caroline. And Caroline was nine at the time. And I adore Caroline. She is an incredible kid. She is brilliant. But she is God helper, just like her dad. She is a pain in the ass. And I say that I am too. I love it. But I say, hey, sweetheart, do you want to go to the World Series? She said, sure. But she said, but I'm going to root for the Dodgers. And you're like, why?

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, wait, I know the answer to this. Keep going.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, so Heidi is a native Californian, and so she grew up in California rooting for the Dodgers. But secondly, Caroline, just at night and at 18 today, just sort of likes to screw with her dad. Like. Like she. She knew that would piss me off, so she liked that answer. And my response to Caroline said, sweetheart, I love you, but I'll be damned if I'm going to take you to the game. If you're going to root for the Dodgers. You can root for anyone you want, but I ain't taking you. And Kathryn, it was the day after her seventh birthday. And she looks up with those big brown eyes, she blinks twice and she goes, daddy, I'll root for the Astros. And I said, sold.

[Ben Ferguson]

Sold. And the smartest answer of her life.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So I took Catherine, and if you remember, game five of the 2017 World Series, that's the game that went to 1:30 in the morning. It was an unbelievable game.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Kathryn and I are jumping, we're hugging. And I told her it was a day after she turned 7. And I said, sweetheart, you don't really appreciate this now, but you are going to tell your grandkids you were at this game. You've just witnessed the greatest game in the history of the Houston Astros. And it was amazing. That started is a tradition. Look, the. The Astros won, made it to the next seven ALCS's. Yep, we made it to four World Series.

[Ben Ferguson]

That'll never. I don't know if it'll ever happen again.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Okay? We made it to four World Series and we won two. And I told Catherine, I said, you don't understand. This doesn't happen. This is like a freakish perfect storm. And that Game 5 of the 2017 World Series started a tradition where Katherine and I have gone to almost every single home playoff game. Of the Astros for the last eight years. And it's just what she and I do. We don't make it to a lot of regular season games because there's so many of them. And it's hard, but. But you get, you get to playoff time and, and I would. Yeah, and listen, we're often in D.C. i'm in session, and during the playoffs, I'll get on a plane, I'll fly home, I'll take her to the game, I'll go to sleep, I'll wake up at four in the morning, get on a plane at the crack of dawn and come back to D.C. and I'll just do that. And so I feel immensely grateful. Like from age 7 to age 15, I've been able to go to, I don't know, 40 playoff games with Katherine. I mean, it has been the daddy daughter tradition. So on the World Cup, I said, okay, we got tickets to the finals. And Heidi wanted to go. She's like, all right, this sounds like fun. And Caroline wanted to go, actually. But then Catherine really, really wanted to go. And I'm going to give Heidi props. She said, you know what? I'd like to be there. But Katherine really wants to go. And she also said, look, she's 15. In a couple of years, she's going to go off to college. She's going to be gone. This is a daddy daughter moment. So I took Catherine. We had a blast. The game, did you watch the game?

[Ben Ferguson]

It was good. Yeah, I watched it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it was a really good game. Now, now listen, I, I'm not going to pretend that I'm a huge soccer fan. I haven't watched a bunch of World cup four years.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's like. And there's nothing wrong with that. Like, I, I could care less. World cup happens, okay? I care.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And, and by the way, this World Cup, a, we're hosting, but B, I loved cheering on the American team and it was really fun. I love seeing the. These foreigners, these Europeans coming to America, these Japanese coming to Americ and falling in love with our country. That was the patriotic aspect. Did you follow Freddie online?

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, yeah, I think the whole world did if you were online. Cuz it was the best part of the whole thing.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, Freddie is this German tourist who came to go to the games and he drove from like Louisiana to Arkansas to Texas. And he just, he tweeted about it and like he encountered Buc Ees and he's like, oh my God, what is this thing? And it was the most beautiful. I've never met Freddie. I don't know the guy. I don't imagine I'll ever meet him. But I loved his genuine love for America. And watching. There's another great thing. And I had fun on Twitter retweeting these things. There was another great moment when the team from Norway landed at DFW, and there were, like, 20 Fort Worth cops that were sitting on the tarmac. And as the team came down, they were all doing the row, and it was so cool. Like these Fort Worth police officers welcoming the Norway team. That was an amazing thing. So I've enjoyed cheering on the Americans in the World cup and then in the final. You know, it's interesting, I had a bunch of people ask, all right, who are you rooting for? And I'll admit I was a little conflicted. Look, Argent. Yes. And I'll tell you why. Argentina.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to know, who are you rooting for? Spain. Because I lived. I lived there in a summer and Alicante and fell in love with the people there. And I was like, this is amazing.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So here's why I was conflicted. A Argentina. Messi is one of the greatest soccer players to ever live. And I just love excellence. It's sort of like Michael Jordan, like. Like watching someone. Messi is. By any measure, you could argue who the top one is, but Messi's in the top five. Any way you look at it, he's in the top five. And so I like excellence, but I actually made the decision going into the game. I'm going to root for Spain. And the reason is my dad, as you know, was born in Cuba, but my grandfather, my abuelo, was born in the Canary Islands, which is part of Spain. The Canary Islands. My grandfather was born in the Canary Islands, and then he came to Cuba. He was born in 1900. He came to Cuba in 1901. And so my family, going back before is Spanish and tradition. So I said, all right, I'm going to root for Spain. But I look, I didn't feel strongly. It was just sort of like, all right, who you want to root for? I guess, okay, since my family has origins in Spain, let's root for Spain. I gotta say, the game number one, Spain dominated the game. And I'm not.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was. I mean, from their defense to their offense to everything in between, they were a fine, oiled machine. And you could tell they got their mojo going and actually improved during the tournament.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Not all teams did that, by the way. Like, you had some spotty games for some of the teams or spotty halves that they just kept getting better.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and look, as I said, I'm not a, a big soccer fan. I don't watch a lot of games. But in high school I played soccer. So in high school I played, I played basketball, which was my main sport. I played soccer and football. So. So I like all three and I enjoyed, you know, I was, you know, I was a right midfielder and so, you know, you play offense and defense and I like soccer was a fun sport to play. Did you play soccer as a kid?

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean when I was, you know, church ball as they called I. Kindergarten, first, second, third grade and then I was out.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, you were a tennis guy. You're kind of a puffer, so that's okay.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was not, I was not going to be a soccer player. I have a hard time getting excited about sports where no one wins a lot.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I understand. I will tell you, my high school team, we would slide tackle a ton. And I had one guy who was on my team who actually got two yellow cards, which you're not allowed to. You're supposed to get a red card and get thrown out. But the refs forgot they gave them two yellow cards because our team was violent. We weren't that good, but we were violent. And he wore two yellow bracelets in sort of celebration of getting two yellow cards and not being thrown out of a game. And we had another guy, Mike, who was a buddy of mine who was a defender who would slide tackle, was his cleats in the air and he would rip like, like guys shins.

[Ben Ferguson]

He went for the pain.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He became a marine. He was a tough guy. But anyway, so I look, I, I like soccer playing as a kid, but I'm not a big fan. But, but I will say the game, what was amazing is number one, the Spanish offense dominated and they just 80% of the game was played while the Spanish offense was on offense on the Argentinian side of the field and just score after score. And let me say the Argentinian goal,

[Ben Ferguson]

could you tell, was like Argentinian or was actually like Spain, like not Americans, they're picking a team. But like authentic, genuine fans of the country.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

There were a bunch of both. I don't know that it felt in the stadium like one was more dominant than the other. There were a bunch of Spanish fans wearing Spanish colors, but there were a bunch of Argentinian fans. So it was a pretty, it felt pretty even. But look, the Spanish, they were just taking shots on a goal, shots on a goal. And the Argentinian goalkeeper, that guy played an incredible game. I mean the saves that he had, frankly, at the end of, of the regular period, it should have been 30 or 4 0. Spain, like, like the number of shots on goal. And it was impressive. That keeper almost single handedly kept Argentina in the game. And I was really hoping. I wanted Spain to win, but I really wanted Messi to score a goal. And it's kind of like, all right, you're watching. I assume this is his last hurrah. And it was sort of like if you go see a game of Michael Jordan or Tom Brady at the end of their career, you want Jordan to win the game. You want Tom Brady to throw the great touchdown pass, by the way. I did. See, so I've been to one super bowl game of my life and it was the Super Bowl.

[Ben Ferguson]

I was saying, what was the game?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Houston. And it was New England versus Atlanta. And it was my. It was in my hometown. So I'm like, all right, let's go to that. And look, I frankly didn't care between New England and Atlanta. Neither of them have been the Texans or even the Cowboys. I'd be rooting for them. But it was not a Texas team, so I was kind of indifferent. And I came in and I said, look, I don't care who wins, but I want a really good game. I want it close, I want it exciting. And it ended up being the first super bowl game in history that went to overtime. And if you remember, that was the overtime game where Tom Brady came back and won it. And it was really cool. Like, Brady, I think, is unequivocally the goat I used to think Montana was. And when Brady moved from New England to Tampa Bay, it was just the most studly move. And then he won again. It was like, all right, I've got an amazing team. I've got a fantastic, you know, supporting cast. Let me go somewhere else and I'm going to win here. And it was just like, all right, that, that qualifies. So I was thrilled to watch Brady do that overtime drive down the field. And I have to admit, watching it, you're kind of like, yeah, they're going to win. Like, you just. It reminded me of.

[Ben Ferguson]

You could tell there was momentum and it was, yeah, it was hard to see where, how they would lose the game.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So 20 years ago, I was very fortunate to go to the Rose bowl game. That was Texas versus usc and it was the national championship. And Heidi and I went. And this is long before I was in the Senate. I was just, you know, I was a lawyer. I was SG and I went with a good buddy of mine who had tickets, who invited me, and we went there. By the way, this is the only argument I've won in 25 years of marriage. So we're going there.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, I believe this. I believe that this is the only one. I will stand by you. I think that's probably very accurate, but keep going.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So we're going there, and Heidi's a native Californian. She got a bunch of family down in Southern California, and she said, okay, we're going to wear USC red. And I said, sweetheart, I love you, but if you do that, I'm throwing you out of the truck. And Heidi just doesn't care about sports. It's not a thing that matters to her. And so she recognized that I did care. And so I dressed my darling California wife in burnt orange from head to toe. And we saw, I think, unquestionably, one of the greatest college football games ever. I think it may be the greatest where, like, Vince Young, the comeback, you know, we're down 4 minutes and 15 seconds, and we're down. And just like Brady, you knew that game. Vince Young was like a man among boys.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And it was extraordinary. So that that was. And Brady reminded me of that. Like, the over time, I had the same feeling where it's just like, patriots are going to win. So I was hoping Messi would do that. Like, I would have loved to have been the swan song, the end of an incredible career. Messi scored. I still wanted Spain to win, but I wanted Messi to score. You know, he. He had one good shot on goal from. From the right side of the field, but it went, I think, high end of the right, and he didn't get it, but it was an awesome time. Do you know the coolest part of the whole thing?

[Ben Ferguson]

What was that?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So where we were sitting, two boxes over, there were a bunch of rap stars. Like, Drake was there and. And I don't even know a bunch of rap stars that I've never heard of because I. Rap's not my thing, so I don't know that world. But Catherine was just like a gog. She likes rap. I don't like rap. It's not my thing. But she was like, oh, that's so and so. That's so and so. And she took a couple pictures and she was so excited. And she's like, dad, can we go over, see them? And I'm like, sweetheart, I can take you a lot of places.

[Ben Ferguson]

My biggest fan.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm just like, there are places I've got a little bit of stroke.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like a box full of rock rap stars. That's just not my.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah,

[Senator Ted Cruz]

yeah, yeah. This is not a place where. Where, you know, Ted Cruz comes knocking on the door, and they're like, yeah, we're thrilled to see you, so. But Catherine was ecstatic. She. She left and said, all right, this was the coolest day of my life. And so there you go.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay, so you got dad. You got. You got core memories, and you got dad points. That'll last you maybe a day and a half, maybe two.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

By the way. By the way, do you know who we met at. At the game?

[Ben Ferguson]

Who?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Drew Barrymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Drew's amazing.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So it made me feel a little bad because Katherine didn't know who Drew Barrymore was, and I'm like, oh, God, I feel old like you. And I grew up with her. I mean, she was an et.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like, she was. And I'd never met her. And look, you know, she's a terrific actress, but to be honest, Republican politicians are not necessarily all that popular among Hollywood actors. She was the nicest person, and she was charming. We had a great conversation, and she was real and fun, and I, like. I really liked her.

[Ben Ferguson]

Like, by the way, that's the way it should be. Like, I meet. You know, you and I, we're very blessed.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

By the way, Drew is huggy. So, like, every person she met, she'd go and hug them. So, like, she hugged me, and I'm like, holy crap. Drew Barrymore is hugging me. And it was. It wasn't fake. It was just kind of a real. She's an expressive, nice person. And we had. We probably spent 20 minutes talking together, and it was really cool.

[Ben Ferguson]

So I asked her, I think, did I tell you? When I was in New York the other day, there was a. And I promised I would not use her name. Did I tell you who I met walking in and out of the hotel? Very, very famous actress. And she walked over and she said, you do a great job on tv. I don't always agree with you, but you always make me laugh. Just don't tell anybody I told you that, and I promise I would. Same thing, like, with the Barrymore thing. So kind, shockingly nice. Spent multiple minutes having this conversation, and then it was like, by the way, don't out me or tell anybody that we, like, met in this way. And I was like, I understand you got to keep your street credit in Hollywood, but same thing with Barrymore. It's nice when you meet somebody like that. And they're actually really, really kind.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well. And I asked her, I said, all right, what's your favorite movie you did? And, you know, and her response was interesting. She said, E.T. and she was a little girl, but she was awesome at ET.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And then she said charlie's Angels, and I actually hoped Catherine. I'm actually bummed Catherine didn't know Charlie's Angels. That was a good movie. That was well done.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was a great movie.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And then Drew said all the Adam Sandler movies. And she mentioned 50 first dates. And I told her. I said, so good. I said, that's. I liked 50 first dates. That was a sweet movie. It was touching. I have not met Adam Sandler. I've heard he's a conservative. I have friends who know him, so I'm like, one connection away. But I just like Adam Sandler. He's funny. He's a good guy. And that movie, it's just. Look, all right, I'm going to. This is going to weaken my, like, bro creds. But. But I kind of like some rom coms and, like, 50 first dates. It was a neat premise, by the way. If you haven't watched 50 First Dates, it's about.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's hysterical and cute.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It is hysterical and cute. And it's about someone who has, like,

[Ben Ferguson]

memory loss, frontal lobe memory loss. Every day they forget what happened the day before.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so you end up with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore having a first date every day and, like, waking up not remembering their whole history. And it's just. It's a cute and fun show. And I, like. I was happy she said that was one of her favorite because that's what I would say was her. Was my favorite of her movies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand? We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. Armstrong.

[Ben Ferguson]

He's Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth and help you figure out this crazy

[Senator Ted Cruz]

modern world about something about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Ferguson]

So you went from that back to D.C. straight to the Oval Monday morning for a very interesting meeting on AI at the White House. Talk about that a little bit.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, so I. So I took Amtrak again, came from Manhattan down to D.C. on Monday and then I had a meeting at the Oval Monday afternoon.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, that is what we call welcome back to your real life. When you go from the World Cup Drew Barrymore to Amtrak to D.C. i just. That's a, that's an interesting step down really quick. And that's probably God on purpose doing that, but keep going.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, look, it was. And so the meeting in the Oval, I was with the President, I was with Marsha Blackburn, Senator from Tennessee, and I was with Scott Besant, the Treasury Secretary, and Kevin Hassett, the head of the National Economic Council, and several other members of the White House staff. And we were talking about AI, artificial intelligence. And it was a discussion about what to do about it. And listen, Marcia has a package of bills that she's pitching. And it's a package of bills, it's kids safety bills, it's requiring app stores to verify ages. It's a bill called no Fakes, which deals with preventing people from pirating and copying people's voices and images. And so she was pitching to the President, you should support my package of bills. And I'm chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over a ton of stuff, including AI. And so we're going to have a markup in the next couple of weeks on a bunch of AI bills. And Marcia wants her bill to be one of them. And so she laid it out and I got to say, a lot of discussion. She's pushing the President back my bill, back my bill, back my bill. And I stayed quiet for much of the meeting. The meeting was like hour, hour and a half long. And then I said at the end, I said, listen, if Marcia introduces the bill, I'll mark it up, I'll put it up on the committee for a vote. And I said, I expect I'll support it all. To be honest, I'd never read the bill until she handed it to me. So she handed me a hundred page bill and I didn't know what was in it, but I said, look, from what she's described in it, I anticipate I'll support it. But I also said it was kind of near the end of the meeting, but I said, because they had handed the President a truth social post supporting the bill. And I said, look, someone needs to tell you this bill has very little if any chance of passing. And like Trump was surprised. And I just said, look, there are different elements of it. Right now. There are no Democrats backing this bill. It's not clear that every Republican on the committee will back the bill. Maybe they will. They might. And I said, let me be clear. I'll mark it up and I expect to vote for it. So I'm not the opposition here, but I just want you to know that at this point, there's opposition from Democrats in the Senate, there's opposition potentially from some Republicans in the Senate, and there's strong opposition on aspects of the bill from Republican leadership in the House. And so I just said, I don't want you to be surprised. You lean in and say, let's go pass this bill, and then it doesn't pass. And so Trump said, all right, well, then I'm not going to support it. I don't want to support something that doesn't have a path to passage. And so we're going to mark up a series of bills. I've told Marcia if she wants me to mark up her bill, we will. I don't know if she will ask for it or not.

[Ben Ferguson]

Can I ask a politics question on this? How much of her bill is her pushing? Because she's running for governor and really trying to get Tennessee's hands on a lot of AI and AI infrastructure and AI in the state. Not blaming her for that, but, like, is that part of this hardcore push where you're in the Senate, you're going, I understand both sides of this, or am I reading the room wrong?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So listen, there are different components of it. So let's take the different elements of the bill. The first bill is Cosa, and COSA is a kid's safety bill. It's a good bill. I have supported it. I voted for it in the last Congress. It passed the Senate 93 to 3. So I'm all for Cosa. I'm a yes, I want it to pass. Here's the problem. After it passed the Senate 93, it went to the House, and the House refused to take it up.

[Ben Ferguson]

Why?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Because. Because the speaker of the House and Steve Scalise, the majority leader, opposed the bill. And the bill puts what's called a duty of care on the tech companies that, that, that if there's content that harms kids, they can be sued. And the House leadership doesn't support that. And so, look, frankly, what I told Marcia a year and a half ago is I said, listen, I'll back COSA again. We can pass it again. I'm fine with that. But it will never become law until you sit down with Johnson and Scalise and work out an agreement. Because if they refuse to take up the bill, you want to pass it again. We can do it.

[Ben Ferguson]

You'll get 100 and nothing. It doesn't matter if they're not going to take it up.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If the House won't take it up, it's not going to become in the US Code. And so I said, what you need to do is sit down and negotiate a compromise, and it won't be everything you want, but you need to find something the House is willing to pass. That hasn't happened, so that's a real impediment. I'm going to vote for cosa. I want COSA to pass. But right now, the House is not going to take it up. There's a second component which is called the App Store accountability app, which is putting liability on an app store for age verification. Now, there are a couple of problems with that. Number one, there. There are tech companies like, like Meta, like, like Facebook that support it, but Apple and Google hate it because they're the app stores and they're like, wait, you're making me liable. So Apple and Google don't like it. And so they're both. The tech companies are divided. They're lobbying on both sides. And. And there's a competing bill that is called the parents over platforms bill, which is frankly the Apple and Google bill. And there are several Republicans on the committee that support that bill. And so I said, look, this is just a pissing match between giant tech companies. I'd like to see age verification. I support age verification. I'm pushing for it. But every Democrat opposes age verification. So I said, listen, it's a simple math. If you lose all the Democrats.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And if you're losing some Republicans, I don't see how this passes. Like, it's just a math. Like, like I'm not opposed to it. I will vote yes. But how do you get to the votes to pass it? There is additionally her bill. No Fakes now. No Fakes. I'm on the Judiciary Committee. Judiciary Committee has already passed no Fakes. It was a voice vote. I was fine with it. No Fakes has a lot of good elements to it. So no Fakes is protecting. Say you have a musician and someone uses AI to create a fake song for a musician and makes you liable for that in politics. By the way, this is coming. It hasn't really happened yet, but it's coming soon. You're going to see someone create AI and take a video of a politician, a fake video, and be like, we should eat live kittens. And it's gonna be. You're not gonna be able to Tell that it's fake. Like, it's gonna appear to be.

[Ben Ferguson]

The real problem has to respond to a ridiculous, absurd video. Right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, Amy Klobuchar last year had a video of a hearing where she said a bunch of things that were derogatory that she would never have said, but it looked entirely real, and she had to respond to that. That's going to explode a lot. So finding some protections to say, look, someone can't use your name, image, and likeness and create a counterfeit that nobody knows is fake. I'm quite supportive of that. When the judiciary passed this bill, there were several Republicans, Mike Lee, Eric Schmidt, and myself, who raised free speech concerns because the way the language is written is quite broad. So, for example, Trump send out the meme of Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer wearing sombreros singing, yes, now, that was parody. It wasn't real. And I've retweeted it and amplified it. But there is an argument that under the language of no fakes, that could be banned. Now, there is some language saying bonafide satire is okay, but there's a lot of gray area. You think of Spencer Pratt and the hysterical ads he put out with Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass just, like, doing horrible things to people of California. I have a concern that under the language and no fakes, the tech platforms would take down those ads because they'd say, you're using Gavin Newsom's image in a way that he has not approved. And so my point was, look, I'd love to see this get done, but I also want to protect free speech. So my point to the president was, hey, if you want to endorse this, great. I've got no problem with it. But you need to know that I don't see a path that this actually gets to pass in the Senate, take 60 votes. Given that I don't know of a single Democrat supporting this bill, and there may be Republicans opposing this bill, the math doesn't work. And so the president decided not. Not to support it. Listen, I still expect that we will take up in the next couple of weeks a series of AI bills. And by the way, we will do a podcast when we do that markup where we talk about the AI Bills we pass. But what I'm trying to do right now is find. All right, let me use a Kamala Harris phrase. The Venn diagram. That is the intersection of what bills could make a positive impact, protecting people from some of the harms of AI but at the same time, that have a real path to passage. And so we'll move several bills on that. But I'm trying to find exactly the right intersection right there. And so we had that conversation and the president agreed with it.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's going to be very interesting to see. AI is changing the world. We've talked about a lot here. We'll keep talking about it. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscriber auto download button. I love that you got to go to the World cup and I love you got to have those memories with your daughter. What a fun time for you guys. And I'm glad you're back in D.C. getting a fight with the commies there. And we will see you guys back here in a couple of days.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand? We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.

[Ben Ferguson]

He's Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth and help you figure out this crazy modern world.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

How about something about a comedic tone?

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.