Devastating Texas Hurricane, plus Corporate Media POUNCES, Desperately Trying to Push Biden OUT - The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

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[00:01]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. We are days away from a GOP convention. I love saying this. Where we're very united behind our candidate. And Senator, there is still a major civil war that is not stopping within the Democratic Party.
[00:17]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's. That's exactly right. Utter chaos continues to reign on the Democratic side. But we're also going to talk about the fact that Texas is recovering from Hurricane Beryl. The state of Texas was hit by barrel two days ago. Nearly 3 million Texans lost power. There was wind damage, rain damage. You and I lived through it. So we're gonna walk through exactly what that entailed. But then we're gonna turn to what's happening nationally. We're gonna turn to the question that's on everybody's lips, which is who is the Democrat nominee for president going to be? I continue to believe it's not Joe Biden, but the White House is erecting the barriers and fighting tooth and nail and they are discovering that their worst enemy is the corporate media who is utterly and completely turned on them. We're going to break that down.
[01:08]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it's really interesting. I want to tell you real quick about something and this is important to me. I have been a victim of gun crime and without carrying a firearm I would not be here today. I had to use my firearm to protect and defend my life in the life of my best friend that was with me that day. And I can tell you it is so important that you be able to protect yourself. And you know I am a staunch advocate for our God given second amendment rights. Shooting is one of my favorite pastimes. I've owned a gun range and a gun store and I want to tell you about my friend Gordon Bond and his 30 year old Texas based company called Bond Arms. Bond Arms makes the smallest, most powerful, best built personal protection you can carry. These unique handguns are simple, easy to use, but have unparalleled power like the 4570 cyclops which makes them a great personal protection option. I want you to check out their amazing handguns@getbondarms.com which are built like a tank and have been seen in TV series like Yellowstone, Longmire Castle and John and Wick 3 + go to get Bond arms.com and check out their newly patented coming soon AR platform lever gun which won Recoil magazine's best firearm at Shot Show 2023. You will not be disappointed with adding some of the coolest and unique firearms on the market to your personal collection. Tell them I sent you again the website, get bond arms.com center. You and I have lived through it. We both lost power. Doing this show is a little bit complicated when you don't have power or Internet. And yet we're, we're still doing it. We just lost our, our moments before we started recording tonight. You were out today helping people in Texas. What all did you see from the damage? I helped a lot of neighbors get trees out of their yards and trees that went through, even parts of their roof. You saw a ton of that as well.
[03:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's right. I've spent the last two days traveling through the affected areas. Look, this hurricane hit late Sunday night, early Monday morning. And actually you and I recorded Monday's podcast as we were waiting for the hurric hit and we were both at our homes. We knew it was coming. And, you know, let's, let's actually walk people through what it's like now. Now you're a Memphis boy. So this is your first hurricane.
[03:35]
Ben Ferguson
This is, this was the real deal for me. I was like, okay, it's somewhat exciting and nerve wracking. And then there's like, hey, how much water do I need? Like I was asking the basic new greeny questions.
[03:48]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, as a lifelong Houstonian, we just have hurricanes that's part of the Gulf Coast. We will have more in the future. We've had a lot in the past, but, you know, the way this one played out. So Sunday night I went to bed, and when I went to bed, it was actually, it was a clear night. It wasn't even raining. And then it started coming in late at night. It started coming in at 2 and 3 in the morning. And it was a night where you would hear the rain pouring down and then you'd hear cracks, loud cracks. And in the morning, you discovered what those loud cracks were, which were trees that were falling down. And on my street, there are a whole bunch of trees that have fallen down. There are branches that have fallen down. There are huge oak trees and pine trees that were uprooted and thrown across the street, in some cases thrown into houses. Thankfully, my home did not have any trees hit the home, but we did have a big branch in the backyard fall and ripped some of the lighting down. But it did not hit the house or the damage, the roof. So we're grateful for that. And then Monday, as the rain cleared, I began going and meeting with local officials and first responders. So one of the first things I did is I head down, headed down to the emergency operations center in Houston. And Houston was hit very hard. And so there I sat down with firefighters and the police department and all of the city officials. So the emergency operations unit, whenever you have a disaster, that's where everyone goes and coordinates out of. It's where the mayor coordinates out of. It's in northwest Houston. It's actually the same location as the Central 911 call center. And so in the room next to it, there's a massive room filled with operators that are dealing with thousands of 911 calls and tasking whoever the relevant people are. And listen, in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane, there are a series of phases that occur in a disaster. The first phase is just saving people's lives, and people are in harm's way. They need emergency responders. This hurricane, Hurricane Beryl, the number of confirmed fatalities now is seven. There were multiple who were killed in Houston. There was one who was a police department civilian employee. He was driving in because for most people, they were told, shelter in place, stay at home, don't go out on the roads. It's too dangerous to drive. But for first responders and emergency personnel, they were asked to come in to be there. And this police department employee was driving in, and he drove into an underpass that was flooded and unfortunately was deeper than he expected. And it flooded into his. Into his car, and he drowned. And I'll tell you, that afternoon I met with the mayor who had spent the last two hours at that underpass with the Houston Police Department searching for that body. And they found the body of their co worker. And so it was. The mayor was shaken up. I mean, and anytime you have a fatality, it's difficult, but it's particularly difficult when it's first responders who are searching for one of their own in Houston. Then we went through. We went through all of the plans for how to ensure that people have the resources they need. The biggest challenge Statewide is power. 2.7 million Texans lost power. You lost power. I lost power. Much of the city of Houston was dark. And that was true throughout much of the Gulf coast that the power lines went down. And so when I was sitting at the emergency operations command center, two of the people who were there were from centerpoint, the power company. And they described that they were bringing in over 10,000 linemen, linemen from around Texas, from other states, bringing them in to start restringing the power lines. And before they turn a power line back on, they have to walk the length of the power line to make sure that it's not torn down. And that putting the power on doesn't start a fire, doesn't electrocute someone. And so it is a, it can be a prolonged process. But part of the challenge of that is in Houston and in much of the affected areas, the traffic lights were out. And not out as in flashing, but just dark.
[08:30]
Ben Ferguson
Just off. Yeah, just dark. Well, I've never seen anything like it. Like you said, this is my first hurricane where I've been in it. And one of the things that was most shocking, I think is just the number of people without power. I've never seen so much darkness as I saw last night. And seeing, like you said, none of. Not even flashing lights, just everything off.
[08:54]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, everything was out. And I believe it is the record for the most people who've lost power in Texas. It is more people lost power from barrel than did during Hurricane Harvey. Now, Hurricane Harvey was a much more massive disaster. It still remains the second most costly natural disaster in U.S. history because you had enormous flooding. But in this instance, we just had a lot, a lot of power lines go down from trees, from trees falling and knocking the power lines down. We also had a command center.
[09:28]
Ben Ferguson
And I wanted to ask you this. So the, the winds and obviously like we mentioned, there was a lot of trees down, but this wasn't a cat 5. No, that came through. So did they say to you or explain why so many trees came down? Was it the total time? And it wasn't actually moving that fast, so it was more time to weaken the trees. When you look at the storm itself, it didn't seem like it was going to be something that was going to be this bad.
[09:54]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, they didn't. When Barrel first made landfall, it was initially a Category 1 and then a Category 2 hurricane. It had been in the Caribbean, it had been higher, been as high as a Category 4 hurricane, but then it had lost strength. And then it gained strength again as it came back and made landfall into Texas. Category 1 hurricane is 74 to 95 miles an hour of wind and it's a dangerous hurricane. Category 2 is 96 to 110 mile per hour wind. So Beryl had winds of about 100 miles an hour, a little bit more than that. That's a lot. But you know, a category 5 hurricane is 157 miles an hour or faster. So it's, it was not in, in the order of hurricanes, among the strongest in wind. But what happened, you know, it was interesting, I think back to something like Hurricane Harvey where we saw a lot of trees that had snapped a lot of telephone Poles that had snapped. You know, what happened with this is a lot of trees were uprooted, and part of it is there was so much rain that the soil got very moist. And then the wind would literally blow the tree over, and so the roots would come straight out and the entire tree would topple. And so I saw as I was driving around, and I spent a lot of time touring around and seeing, seeing the damage. I saw a lot of trees that had been toppled altogether. And that may be. It may be the combination of rain and wind, but. But I don't know. But for whatever reason, the, the number of power lines that went out exceeded certainly any hurricane in, in. In recent history.
[11:27]
Ben Ferguson
There's a lot of people that are probably going to be listening that don't have power. Maybe they've charged their phones in their car and they're looking for something to take their mind off it. What is it looking like for power restoration? What did they brief you on?
[11:39]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, they're systematically making improvements on power restoration. As I said, they had brought in over 10,000 linemen. Now, I will say there was a story that broke today that was actually really going after Centerpoint for not having staged out of state linemen to be prepared early on. And there was some real frustration that was expressed in terms of Centerpoint, the electric company, not taking the threat of this storm coming to Houston seriously enough. Now, today I was down in Galveston. I was down in Jamaica Beach. I was down in Angleton and Freeport. And when I was in Galveston, we did a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. He is the acting governor right now because Greg Abbott is actually over in Korea on a long planned trip that he had been on. And so the lieutenant governor is the acting governor. And it was interesting, we did a press conference afterwards where reporters were really grilling the lieutenant governor about, are you angry at Centerpoint? And I'll say, actually, Dan Patrick's a good friend of mine. But to his credit, he gave the right answer, which is, look, we need to concentrate right now on getting people's power restored. There will be plenty of time to go back and assess what mistakes, if any, were made. But the time to do it is not at a time of emergency. And one of the things for folks that listen to verdict who are not in Texas, you may not necessarily understand why power being down for an extended period of time is a health risk, but particularly in a place like Houston, where it is incredibly hot, you run a real risk of heat stroke, of people without air conditioning, their health being at risk. There was down in Galveston. There was a gentleman who died because the power went out and he was on oxygen, and the machine giving him oxygen lost power, and he didn't have any more batteries, and that cost his life. There also are people who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. So a second thing that happens is people set up generators when their power goes down, but they don't realize that a generator that has, say, a gasoline or diesel engine is emitting carbon dioxide, which is odorless and invisible. But if you breathe it in. So if it's in your house, which is a terrible idea, or if it's even near the house and near a window, you can die from that.
[14:08]
Ben Ferguson
Finally, Senator, on this, there's some of you that listen, and they may be out of Texas that are listening, and they say, hey, we'd love to help. What are the needs and how can you help people?
[14:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, let me say the number one thing people can do is here in Texas, you mentioned that you were helping your neighbors clean up trees, clean up, clean up all of the debris that's happening all over Texas. And I have to say, you know, it's been 12 years I've been in the Senate. I've seen dozens, if not hundreds of disasters over that time period. Texas is a big place. And whether it's hurricanes or tornadoes up in the panhandle or Dallas or the wildfires that were in the panhandles, every time we have a crisis, we see the same thing, which is we see Texans helping Texans. We see people helping each other out. We see people rescuing people from harm's way. Yesterday, as I was going through Houston, I helped one gentleman lift up his fence and pull it out of the way. We stopped at another place and helped a family who was trying to cut up a tree and dispose of the pieces of the tree. That's happening every day. And I'll tell you, the churches in particular are incredibly active. And I'll give an example. Yesterday, I went and visited someone you and I both know well. Mattress Mack. Mattress Mack is a Houston legend. He is a man named Jim McInvale. He owns Gallery Furniture. I grew up as a kid, he would be late night on TV and he'd run these ads. He'd be yelling on TV going, gallery furniture really will save you money. And he'd pull out a lot of money and it. And look, it would be on channel 26 or 39, which were the UHF channels, but he ran them constantly. He's an amazing marketer, but he also has an incredible heart for Houston and So what he did during Hurricane Harvey and what he did during Hurricane Beryl, he opened up Gallery Furniture, and he said, number one, if you need a place to stay, if your home is destroyed, come stay here. We have beds, we have couches, we have chairs. And he also said, if you need food, come. We have food. And so I went and visited Mattress Mac at Gallery Furniture yesterday. There were a number of Houstonians who were taking shelter there yesterday. Mac tested me last night. He fed over 3,000 Houstonians yesterday because all the restaurants were closed. You couldn't get food. And by the way, if your power is out, your refrigerator or the food in there is spoiling. And so he just. They were making brisket, and they were just feeding people. If you want to help, you can help through your church. You can help through the Red Cross. You can help through the Salvation Army. You know, I'll tell you one other story, which is today, I was down in Jamaica beach, which is a smaller beach that's part of Galveston, and it was hit pretty hard. And I visited with a woman whose house was hit by a tornado that spawned within the hurricane. And the tornado pulled the roof off her house. I saw the house. I saw the roof that had been flung across the road. And she described how she called 911 and the chief of police was there, she said, within 60 seconds. And the chief of police, Jamaica beach is a small town, but he came in and he rescued her. He brought her out, brought her to the police station, which was very close to where her house was. Now, what was interesting is the police officers. I was touring around the destruction and visiting with the mayor and the chief of police and the fire chief and the local officials. They showed me another house just a few houses down that a big chunk of the roof had come off. And an officer had come up and come up the stairs and said, you know, sir, do you need to be rescued? And the guy said, you know, no, I'm just fine. I'm in my bathroom. Leave me alone. Which, I have to admit, is a very Texan thing to do also. There's always some people that just sort of brave it out. But that pattern of people helping people, helping each other is consistent and is inspiring. And what's cool about it, Ben, is when that happens, there are no Republicans and Democrats. There is no race. There is no ethnicity. There is no religion. You just have Texans helping Texans. You have brothers and sisters helping each other, and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. I am never prouder to be a Texan than seeing how People respond in times of crisis.
[18:30]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. Amen to that. And watching other people help people, like you said, is really, I think one of the greatest goods that comes out of these type of events is that neighbors meet neighbors and neighbors become friends and people help one another. And it's just, it's incredible to see that Texas spirit as you described it, no doubt about it.
[18:49]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and the church does what the church should do, which is the church should be helping people, the church should be feeding people, the church should be clothing people. And particularly in times of crisis, we see the church stepping up. And that's really important in terms of making a difference.
[19:06]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, absolutely. Want to talk about what's happening also in D.C. we're going to deal with that in a moment. But first, let me tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you have a cell phone and your cell phone is with Big Mobile, you may not realize this, but you've been helping a lot of Democratic candidates, causes and radical organizations, including Planned Parenthood. Yeah, Big Mobile are big supporters of the left and they're fighting against your values. And that is exactly why 10 years ago, more than 10 years ago, actually, Patriot Mobile was started by a group of conservatives that said, hey, we're not going to give our money. These companies that are giving our cash when we pay our bill to Planned Parenthood and to other organizations like that, they started Patriot Mobile. And now more than ever in 2024, it is easy to switch your provider. You get to keep your same number you have now. You get to keep your same exact service because they all use the same towers now with technology in 2024. And that's another reason why you should call Patriot Mobile. I have switched my lines over and I can tell you my coverage is phenomenal. Even during this hurricane, I had the service that I needed. So if you want to make the switch, call them right now. Because here's the fun part. When you pay your bill every month at no extra cost to you, they take about 5% of that bill and they give it directly back to organizations and causes that support free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, the Second Amendment. And then they do this. They support our military, our veterans, our first responders, and our wounded warrior heroes. So stop giving your mind to companies that hate your values and stand with a company that supports what we believe in. Just go to patriot mobile.com verdict patriotmobile.com verdict or give them a buzz. 972-PATRIOT. That's 9-7 2-PATRIOT. Use the promo code. Verdict. You will also get free activation 972-PATRIOT or patriot mobile.com verdict Senator, I want to get to what's happening. Obviously in D.C. it is still a full blown civil war within the Democratic Party right now. The president trying a new tactic, sending letters to major players in the Democratic Party saying hey and notes I'm the guy. You're not going to get rid of me. You can panic all you want to but we're not moving. And this is more Democrats have actually been coming out publicly saying he must step aside.
[21:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's right. It's, it's been a virtual avalanche of, of number one Democrats trying to push him out. But number two, the media really freaking out. And, and, and the corporate media has been in many ways the, the, the most important ally of the Democrats. They've been radicalized. They've abandoned their role of journalism because they are the left wing of the Democrat Party. It is striking to suddenly see the corporate media actually reporting on the very significant health challenges that Biden is presenting. And by the way, those health challenges were there before the debate. They're just freaking out now because they don't think he can win. But, but for example, I want folks to listen to this is a story that, that, that, that NBC News ran today. Now this is not FOX News. This is not a right wing source. This is NBC.
[22:34]
Ben Ferguson
Can you just take a moment and let's just savor the not only hypocrisy but the fact that you just said this is NBC News that's doing what we're about to play.
[22:43]
Senator Ted Cruz
You just give a listen to talk.
[22:46]
C
More about those eight White House visits by the Parkinson's expert. I'm joined tonight by Dr. Tom Pitts. He's a quadruple board certified neurologist. He sees patients with Parkinson's all the time. He diagnoses it. I want to be completely transparent here. You've never examined President Biden. From my knowledge you've never even spoke. Have you spoken yet to President Biden? And we're just going to use what we have so far, which is what we've seen the President's interviews and the information coming out of the White House. So my first question to you is as somebody who's a neurologist, what you've seen from the president over the last two years, what you saw at the debate, the last few interviews, the way he speaks, the way maybe he walks. Have you noticed anything that gives you a red flag as a doctor?
[23:27]
D
Oh yeah, I see him 20 times a day in clinic. I mean it's ironic because he has just such classic features of neurodegeneration. I mean word finding difficulties. And that's not. Oh, I couldn't find the word. That's from degeneration of the word retrieval area.
[23:40]
C
He's also overcome stuttering though. Could that be part of that too?
[23:43]
D
No, this is not a palatal issue or a speech discrepancy which is very different from a lemonode dysfunction. Actual word retrieval where you pick a similar question or talk around the issue. Plus the rigidity, monotone voice.
[23:56]
C
Wait, go back to that. The rigidity. What do you mean rigidity?
[23:58]
D
Loss of arm, swing standing up. Lordotically, you notice when he turns, it's kind of en bloc turning. It's not a quick turn, turn. So that's one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's is rigidity and bradykinesia, slow movement. And he has that hallmark, especially with the low voice that said was a cold hypophonia. A small monotone voice like this over time is a hallmark of Parkinsonism. I could have diagnosed him from across the mall.
[24:24]
Ben Ferguson
Let's just stop there and we'll play more of this. But I have to get your initial reaction. If you had a, a, a conservative news outlet, let's just use Fox News Channel for example, that would have done this same exact segment three and a half weeks ago. They would have been calling for this, for this doctor to be, to lose his medical license. They would have, the White House would have fought back vigorously and said that this is just evil and sick and perverted and that this is irresponsible, responsible. But NBC News is doing it now, trying to take out Joe Biden cuz they think he's gonna lose and they give a doctor six minutes. We've only played a minute and a half of this to tell you why he believes the President has Parkinson's.
[25:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, it's stunning. And you're right. The corporate media would have lost their mind a month ago if any right of center outlet aired this identical piece. The New York Times would be clutching their pearls. They would say this is, this is voodoo medicine. This is, this, this is an utter lie. This is unprincipled fiction. That's what they would have said. And now you see NBC, you see the corporate media desperately, desperately trying to do everything they can. My favorite line of this doctor was I would have diagnosed him from across the mall. Which by the way, you and I argued right before we taped this podcast. You thought he meant the National Mall? I don't think so. I think he means like Joe's Shopping Center.
[25:56]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, you may be right. And by the way, NBC wasn't done. Listen to the second part of this.
[26:05]
C
I'm up there on the screen. If we can put him back. What about the movement? Some people have pointed out the way he walks sometimes. It's not very fast. Small steps. Is that something that is common in people who are battling a disease like Parkinson's?
[26:18]
D
Yeah, it's a hallmark. Shuffling gait, we call that. So little steps, loss of arm, swing from the rigidity when we walk. We have a nice cadence. You notice he doesn't really swing his arms and end block turning, meaning he kind of pivots around his foot. If you said, hey, President Biden, he wouldn't go like this. Yeah, but I also know.
[26:35]
C
I also know. Tell me if I'm wrong here. It's very hard to diagnose Parkinson's, isn't it? It's not simple. I mean, I've heard that it can be.
[26:41]
D
It's one of the easier movement disorders to diagnose, actually.
[26:45]
Ben Ferguson
Right.
[26:45]
D
But it's so clinic. There's very little others. And I'm, you know, I'm a Democrat. I always say, yeah, this.
[26:49]
Senator Ted Cruz
Right.
[26:50]
D
It's just like this guy is not a hard case.
[26:52]
Senator Ted Cruz
But I've had.
[26:53]
C
I've had relatives who have gone through issues, neurological issues, and I've heard that sometimes Parkinson's is not very easy to nail. You have to take a lot of tests. There's a lot.
[27:01]
D
I mean, it's early on. If you're just present with like, hallucinations, that could be a variety of things or just the cognitive problems that could be Alzheimer's versus Parkinsonism, and that becomes a little nebulous. But once you start manifesting the hallmark motor symptoms, Right. Slow movement, rigidity, mass facies, hypophonia. I mean, if a med student did not pick Parkinson's on the test, they'd be.
[27:23]
C
Let me ask you, if you had.
[27:24]
Ben Ferguson
If you had.
[27:25]
C
You know, and I know you can't. You have no idea what happened in the White House. But a neurologist coming eight times in eight months, does that tell you anything? Is that. Is that. I mean, I know you're just. You're just sort of speculating here, but does that tell you anything or no?
[27:37]
D
Well, I mean, I don't know if they're like the best of friends or something, but that's a very specific. You know, he's a movement disorder that's a subspecialist. And exactly what he has. And there's very few young people like a Marine guard. Most people would be med boarded out for any type of movement disorder at a young age. Like if you had Huntington's Korea, early onset Parkinson's, dystonia, bad essential tremor, usually med boarded out. So I highly doubt there's.
[28:00]
C
What does that mean, Med board?
[28:01]
D
It mean the military would not let you. If you have seizures, for example, you cannot usually be in the military. That is, you are medical war.
[28:08]
C
So you're saying, you're saying you don't necessarily believe. And they're not saying this, but they said there's thousands of military members that go to the White House treated there for health reasons. You're not buying that that's a random military person?
[28:20]
D
No. That would be very odd to just see a random movement disorder case at the White House. You know, especially a young guard. There aren't many young people that have movement disorders that could be in the military.
[28:30]
Ben Ferguson
And then let's just stop there. Not only did they bring the Parkinson's doctor on, they then set him up to say, the White House are lying to you and they're liars. They're not treating thousands of people on the White House grounds for medical disorders, as he described it. And the doctor's like, you wouldn't do those tests here, by the way. I believe this doctor. I, I think it's absurd to, to, to tell the American people, as the White House did this week, that, oh, this guy's coming once a month for eight months in a row to treat thousands of military personnel that happen to work at the White House. This guy's saying there's no way that happened.
[29:06]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, the symptoms that he's describing, everyone who had eyes, everyone who's watched Joe Biden for the last three and a half years has seen those symptoms. They've been obvious. It's just now that the press is allowing them to be spoken of, and I gotta say, just the contrast. So let me read a headline from NBC News which was, quote, Biden hasn't seen neurologists outside annual physicals. White House doctor says in letter addressing Parkinson's expert visits. President Joe Biden had a physical in February and showed no signs of neurological disorder, including Parkinson's disease. White house physician Kevin O'Connor wrote so that was just a few days ago. Now, let me read you what the AP just reported. Quote, president Joe Biden saw a neurologist at the White House on January 17th for a neurological exam, the results of which were later reported as part of his Annual physical more than a month later, the White House said on Tuesday. The confirmation came after White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre inaccurately said during the daily briefing with reporters that the January 17 meeting was not related to care for the President in response to a question from the Associated Press. So now the White House is just getting caught flat out lying that, no, he's not seeing a neurologist. Well, yes, he is, actually. And it happens to be the neurologist who's an expert in Parkinson's.
[30:28]
Ben Ferguson
So this brings me to the big question. The president sending the notes. You have the squad that's back then the Congressional Black Caucus is saying, hey, we need to put this all to bed. Joe's our guide. Joe's made it clear, hey, I'm not going anywhere. He did that on Morning Joe. We mentioned that in the last part, I think. And then you've got this going on with the media. They're still putting the 44 court press here saying not only is the White House lying to you, but we're going to prove it in essence. And that's why they did this long interview. Now you got to look at the calendar. Joe Biden is supposed to be on the debate stage with Donald Trump September 10th on ABC News. ABC News, by the way, has been attacking the President as well. Stephanopoulos said after doing the interview with the president that was supposed to, quote, save him the other day, that he said there's no way he believes the president could serve for another four years. Do you. Does he show up at this debate? Does he cancel it? Does he have to show up to have a chance in hell in November if he's still the nominee?
[31:36]
Senator Ted Cruz
So I don't believe there will be a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in September. I don't think it'll happen. Now, look, I don't think Joe Biden will be the nominee in September. I continue to believe there's an 80% chance that he's not the nominee. He's digging in. He's holding on with all of his might. But all right, here's another story that shows the press turning on him. This is from the Wall Street Journal. Quote, german officials, aware of Biden's fatigue at night, sought to accommodate the President by planning a June 2022 event with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the early evening. The informal event, a soiree at the Alpine resort Schloss El MAU during the Group of Seven summit, was arranged as a confidential meeting on Ukraine in a relaxed setting. Biden didn't show surprising the chancellor and his aides, officials said. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived and announced that Biden had to go to bed, according to two people who were there. So he is now no longer able to stay up to meet with heads of state to discuss matters of war and peace. That's dangerous and the press is reporting on it.
[32:50]
Ben Ferguson
And to make that point, Peter Doocy asked the question at the White House from Fox today, hey, if the president's only the president till, I don't know, 8:00 at night, what happens if someone shoots a nuke? Listen to this.
[33:05]
D
Well, he also said he's, he's sharpest before 8pm so say that the Pentagon.
[33:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
At some point picks up an incoming Nuke. It's 11pm who do you call?
[33:16]
D
The first lady.
[33:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
He has a team that lets him.
[33:20]
D
Know of any, of any news that.
[33:22]
Senator Ted Cruz
Is pertinent and important to the American people. He has someone or that is decided obviously with his National Security Council on who gets to tell him that news.
[33:33]
Ben Ferguson
I mean even her response was so timid because like, yeah, you got us there. That was just weird. She's like, he's got a team. So is the team running the country? Are people that are elected by no one running the country after 8 o'clock at night? Now, before you answer that, I, I want to take a moment and say thank you to so many of you that have gotten involved to help the people in Israel. Since October 7, the attacks in Israel have increased with Iran and its proxies launching attack after attack, day after day, week after week, month after month from drones and missiles. Israelis have been living with a harsh reality of real terror every single day. That is where your help has come in. The international fellowship of Christians and Jews has been on the ground day one, addressing all of the urgent needs and those constantly keep changing. That is why I want you to help with the people in Israel that need it now more than ever. IFCJ is continuing to prepare for the worst by packing emergency bomb shelter kits which are being used and now need to be replenished and they are being delivered immediately to those that are in need. Your life saving donation today will help assemble and place these kits with enough food and life saving emergency supplies for 20 people huddled in a bomb shelter. And like I said, they are being used now. The cost to put this together and distribute these kits is $290 each and your gift will help save lives and thanks to a matching challenge gift from a generous IFCJ supporter. Your gift will double in impact to help provide twice the support. All you have to do is call IFCJ and give your gift right now. 888-488ICJ. That's 888-488ICJ. Or go online to support IFCJ.org to give. That's one word. SupportIFCJ.org to give center. I, I got to go back to just the White House here for her response is he has a team. So calm down. The president's sleeping. I, I don't think that sits well with the American people anymore.
[35:59]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, it doesn't. That's actually a terrifying response that if something happens at 11pm well, Joe Biden's not capable to deal with it, but he has a team. There's some underling appointed to the National Security Council, and the underling can deal with it. And, you know, in response to that, I want to play a political ad. Just listen to this ad and then we're going to talk about what it was.
[36:20]
D
It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world.
[36:28]
Senator Ted Cruz
Your vote will decide who answers that.
[36:31]
D
Call, whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?
[36:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message.
[36:49]
Ben Ferguson
No, I mean, they made this the issue. Mr. Mr. Senator, right? Like, they're like, you want to be Mr. President, then you better answer that.
[36:57]
Senator Ted Cruz
Call at 3:00am well, and let me say to folks listening to this podcast who are relatively young, you may not have heard that ad before. You might have been thinking as you're listening to this ad, wow, this is a new Trump ad. This is a really powerful Trump ad. But then at the very end you get, I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message. So Hillary Clinton ran that, that, that ad in the year 2008, and she was running it against Barack Obama. She was saying Barack Obama was young and inexperienced and she was much better able to answer the phone than he was. Now, regardless of who was right in that argument, today's Biden White House, it's not a 3am phone call. They're saying at 11pm Sorry, there is no commander in chief, but, you know, the deputy special assistant is here and ready to solve the problem.
[37:47]
Ben Ferguson
Well, it also says the world leaders, and it is terrifying to think about this, hey, here are the best hours to do something, whether it's attack this country, whether you're terrorists or whether it's to do something around the world. Because this will be a long period of time before you get a awake president that would even respond or say anything.
[38:10]
Senator Ted Cruz
You know, it is, it's why I do not believe Biden is going to be the nominee because the facts are piling up and it's becoming indefensible. It may be Michelle Obama, it may be Kamala Harris, but I think the Ds that they are going to pull the plug. They are terrified. They are panicking. And every day as the press continues to turn, look, you mentioned George Stephanopoulos. George Stephanopoulos was asked if he could serve any four more years and he says no, he doesn't think he can. And then Stephanopoulos backed away and said, quote, earlier today, I responded to a question from a passerby I shouldn't have. So, so he's backing away from telling the truth. Exactly. Well, you know, they try not to do that, the press.
[39:02]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it's again, I, I, I go back to what I said on this show, I don't know, a week ago. I think they've got another, what, eight, 10 days here to go all in to try to get him out. And after that, they may be stuck with this guy. But look, your prediction, you've been right for quite a few times. It still could be somebody at the convention and that somebody could still be Michelle Obama. Do you still think there's a decent chance of that?
[39:30]
Senator Ted Cruz
I stay by the same odds I had on Monday's podcast. I think there is a 20% chance the Democrat nominee is Joe Biden. I think there's a 40% chance the Democrat nominee is Michelle Obama. And I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Kamala Harris.
[39:48]
Ben Ferguson
There you have it. We're going to keep you updated on this. Obviously say prayers for all those in that are suffering in Texas right now and help your neighbors out if you can. The center and I will be back with you on Friday morning.

Summary7 min read

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson: Detailed Episode Summary

Episode Title: Devastating Texas Hurricane, plus Corporate Media POUNCES, Desperately Trying to Push Biden OUT
Release Date: July 10, 2024
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz
Duration: Approximately 39 minutes

1. Introduction and Upcoming GOP Convention

The episode opens with Ben Ferguson welcoming Senator Ted Cruz to discuss the imminent GOP convention. Ferguson emphasizes unity within the GOP, stating, “We are days away from a GOP convention... We are very united behind our candidate” [00:01]. Cruz echoes this sentiment, highlighting the ongoing turmoil within the Democratic Party: “...there is still a major civil war that is not stopping within the Democratic Party” [00:01].

2. Impact of Hurricane Beryl on Texas

The primary focus shifts to Hurricane Beryl, a catastrophic event recently striking Texas. Senator Cruz provides an overview of the hurricane's severity and its immediate repercussions:

Scope of Damage:
“Texas was hit by Hurricane Beryl two days ago. Nearly 3 million Texans lost power. There was wind damage, rain damage... You and I lived through it.” [00:17]
Personal Experiences:
Ben Ferguson shares his personal ordeal during the hurricane, including losing power and aiding neighbors:
“We both lost power. Doing this show is a little bit complicated when you don't have power or Internet. And yet we're still doing it.” [02:58]
Detailed Assessment by Senator Cruz:
Cruz provides an in-depth analysis of the hurricane's impact, recounting his travels through affected areas:
“This hurricane hit late Sunday night, early Monday morning. There were loud cracks of trees falling, branches thrown into houses... Thankfully, my home did not have any trees hit the home...” [03:35]

He elaborates on the emergency response efforts, detailing the operations at Houston's emergency operations center:
“They were bringing in over 10,000 linemen from around Texas... Before they turn a power line back on, they have to walk the length of the power line to make sure that it's not torn down.” [08:29]
Severity Compared to Past Hurricanes:
Cruz notes the unprecedented nature of the power outages:
“I believe it is the record for the most people who've lost power in Texas. It is more people lost power from Beryl than did during Hurricane Harvey... But in this instance, we just had a lot of power lines go out from trees.” [08:54]
Challenges in Power Restoration:
Discussing the logistical hurdles, Cruz mentions the criticisms faced by the power company, CenterPoint:
“There was some real frustration that was expressed in terms of CenterPoint... But the time to assess what mistakes, if any, were made is not at a time of emergency.” [11:39]
Health Risks Due to Power Outages:
Cruz underscores the dire consequences of prolonged power outages in Texas heat:
“Particularly in a place like Houston, where it is incredibly hot, you run a real risk of heat stroke... There was a gentleman who died because the power went out and he was on oxygen...” [14:08]

3. Community Resilience and Support Efforts

Senator Cruz highlights the exemplary community spirit exhibited by Texans during the crisis:

Texans Helping Texans:
“We see Texans helping Texans. We see people helping each other out. We see people rescuing people from harm's way... There's no Republicans and Democrats... You just have Texans helping Texans.” [14:17]
Role of Local Leaders:
Cruz cites the efforts of local figures like Mattress Mack, who provided shelter and food to thousands:
“Mattress Mack opened up Gallery Furniture... He fed over 3,000 Houstonians yesterday because all the restaurants were closed.” [18:29]
Churches and Community Organizations:
Emphasizing the pivotal role of churches, Cruz states:
“The churches in particular are incredibly active... The church should be helping people, the church should be feeding people...” [18:48]

4. Political Turmoil Within the Democratic Party and Corporate Media's Stance

Transitioning from the hurricane discussion, Ferguson and Cruz delve into the internal conflicts within the Democratic Party and the antagonistic stance of corporate media towards President Joe Biden:

Democratic Party's Internal Struggles:
Cruz asserts that the Democratic Party is in disarray, particularly concerning Biden's candidacy:
“I continue to believe it's not Joe Biden, but the White House is erecting the barriers and fighting tooth and nail...” [00:17]
Media Criticism of President Biden:
The conversation shifts to the media's intensified scrutiny of Biden's health:
Cruz criticizes the corporate media, pointing out NBC News' segment questioning Biden's neurological health:
“NBC News ran today... Now, the White House is just getting caught flat out lying that, no, he's not seeing a neurologist... And it happens to be the neurologist who's an expert in Parkinson's.” [22:33]
Notable Media Segments Highlighting Biden's Health:
Cruz and Ferguson discuss a critical NBC News interview with Dr. Tom Pitts, who alleges that President Biden exhibits signs of Parkinson's disease:
- Dr. Pitts' Claims:
  “He has such classic features of neurodegeneration... word finding difficulties... rigidity, monotone voice...” [23:27]
- Cruz's Reactions and Predictions:
  Cruz expresses skepticism towards the White House's denial of Biden's health issues and underscores the media's surprising shift:
  “It's stunning. And you're right. The corporate media would have lost their mind a month ago if any right of center outlet aired this identical piece.” [25:11]
Contrasting Media Narratives:
The episode highlights discrepancies between different media outlets, comparing NBC's approach to what conservatives might expect from Fox News:
“If a conservative outlet aired this three and a half weeks ago, they would've called for the doctor to lose his license. But NBC is doing it now because they think Biden can’t win.” [25:11]

5. Predictions on Democratic Nomination and Future Debates

Senator Cruz shares his prognostications regarding the Democratic nomination landscape and upcoming debates:

Biden's Viability as Nominee:
Cruz maintains a firm stance that Biden is unlikely to secure the Democratic nomination:
“I don't think Joe Biden will be the nominee in September. I continue to believe there's an 80% chance that he's not the nominee.” [39:02]
Potential Contenders:
He speculates on possible Democratic candidates, including Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris:
“I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Michelle Obama. And I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Kamala Harris.” [39:29]
Debate Dynamics:
Addressing the upcoming debate between Biden and Donald Trump, Cruz expresses doubt about its occurrence and Biden's participation:
“I don't believe there will be a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in September. I don't think it'll happen.” [31:36]
Media's Role in Shaping Perceptions:
The conversation touches on how media narratives influence public perception of Biden's capabilities, especially underlined by contrasting reports from NBC and AP:
“The White House physician Kevin O'Connor wrote... But now the AP reported that Biden had seen a neurologist... and that it's an expert in Parkinson’s.” [30:28]

6. Concluding Remarks and Final Insights

As the episode wraps up, Cruz reiterates his concerns about Biden's leadership and the Democratic Party's direction:

Leadership Concerns:
“That's terrifying to think about... it's becoming indefensible.” [37:46]
Historical Context and Media Influence:
Reflecting on past political campaigns, Cruz draws parallels to Hillary Clinton's 2008 ads, emphasizing the enduring impact of media strategies:
“They made this the issue. It's like Hillary Clinton ran that ad in 2008 against Barack Obama...” [36:19]
Final Predictions and Party Dynamics:
Cruz solidifies his earlier predictions, asserting the diminishing prospects of Biden’s candidacy:
“Today's Biden White House... they're saying at 11pm sorry, there is no commander in chief... It doesn't sit well with the American people anymore.” [35:58]

Ben Ferguson concludes by reaffirming the episode's key takeaway: the resilience of Texans in the face of disaster and the tumultuous political landscape surrounding President Biden's administration.

Key Takeaways:

Hurricane Beryl's Devastating Impact: Texas faced unprecedented power outages and infrastructural damage, with over 3 million Texans affected. The community's response showcased remarkable solidarity and resilience.
Political Turmoil: The Democratic Party is experiencing significant internal conflicts, particularly regarding President Joe Biden's viability as a nominee for the upcoming election.
Media's Shifting Allegiances: Corporate media, traditionally allied with Democratic narratives, are now openly scrutinizing Biden's health and leadership capabilities, a shift highlighted by segments from major outlets like NBC News.
Future of Democratic Nomination: Senator Cruz predicts a low probability of Biden securing the Democratic nomination, suggesting alternative contenders may emerge as the party grapples with its direction and leadership.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

Unity in GOP:
“We are days away from a GOP convention... We are very united behind our candidate.” [00:01]
Democratic Civil War:
“...there is still a major civil war that is not stopping within the Democratic Party.” [00:01]
Record Power Outages:
“I believe it is the record for the most people who've lost power in Texas...” [08:54]
Texans Helping Texans:
“You just have Texans helping Texans. You have brothers and sisters helping each other...” [14:17]
Media's Hypocrisy:
“This is NBC News that's doing what we're about to play.” [22:43]
Parkinson's Claims Against Biden:
“He has such classic features of neurodegeneration... word finding difficulties.” [23:27]
Corporate Media's Shift:
“The corporate media would have lost their mind a month ago if any right of center outlet aired this identical piece.” [25:11]
Biden's Nomination Odds:
“I think there's an 80% chance that he's not the nominee.” [39:02]

This episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson offers a comprehensive look at both the immediate challenges facing Texas due to Hurricane Beryl and the evolving political dynamics within the Democratic Party and broader media landscape. Through insightful discussions and notable quotes, Ferguson and Senator Cruz provide listeners with a deep dive into issues shaping America today.

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Transcript72 lines

[00:01]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. We are days away from a GOP convention. I love saying this. Where we're very united behind our candidate. And Senator, there is still a major civil war that is not stopping within the Democratic Party.
[00:17]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's. That's exactly right. Utter chaos continues to reign on the Democratic side. But we're also going to talk about the fact that Texas is recovering from Hurricane Beryl. The state of Texas was hit by barrel two days ago. Nearly 3 million Texans lost power. There was wind damage, rain damage. You and I lived through it. So we're gonna walk through exactly what that entailed. But then we're gonna turn to what's happening nationally. We're gonna turn to the question that's on everybody's lips, which is who is the Democrat nominee for president going to be? I continue to believe it's not Joe Biden, but the White House is erecting the barriers and fighting tooth and nail and they are discovering that their worst enemy is the corporate media who is utterly and completely turned on them. We're going to break that down.
[01:08]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it's really interesting. I want to tell you real quick about something and this is important to me. I have been a victim of gun crime and without carrying a firearm I would not be here today. I had to use my firearm to protect and defend my life in the life of my best friend that was with me that day. And I can tell you it is so important that you be able to protect yourself. And you know I am a staunch advocate for our God given second amendment rights. Shooting is one of my favorite pastimes. I've owned a gun range and a gun store and I want to tell you about my friend Gordon Bond and his 30 year old Texas based company called Bond Arms. Bond Arms makes the smallest, most powerful, best built personal protection you can carry. These unique handguns are simple, easy to use, but have unparalleled power like the 4570 cyclops which makes them a great personal protection option. I want you to check out their amazing handguns@getbondarms.com which are built like a tank and have been seen in TV series like Yellowstone, Longmire Castle and John and Wick 3 + go to get Bond arms.com and check out their newly patented coming soon AR platform lever gun which won Recoil magazine's best firearm at Shot Show 2023. You will not be disappointed with adding some of the coolest and unique firearms on the market to your personal collection. Tell them I sent you again the website, get bond arms.com center. You and I have lived through it. We both lost power. Doing this show is a little bit complicated when you don't have power or Internet. And yet we're, we're still doing it. We just lost our, our moments before we started recording tonight. You were out today helping people in Texas. What all did you see from the damage? I helped a lot of neighbors get trees out of their yards and trees that went through, even parts of their roof. You saw a ton of that as well.
[03:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's right. I've spent the last two days traveling through the affected areas. Look, this hurricane hit late Sunday night, early Monday morning. And actually you and I recorded Monday's podcast as we were waiting for the hurric hit and we were both at our homes. We knew it was coming. And, you know, let's, let's actually walk people through what it's like now. Now you're a Memphis boy. So this is your first hurricane.
[03:35]
Ben Ferguson
This is, this was the real deal for me. I was like, okay, it's somewhat exciting and nerve wracking. And then there's like, hey, how much water do I need? Like I was asking the basic new greeny questions.
[03:48]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, as a lifelong Houstonian, we just have hurricanes that's part of the Gulf Coast. We will have more in the future. We've had a lot in the past, but, you know, the way this one played out. So Sunday night I went to bed, and when I went to bed, it was actually, it was a clear night. It wasn't even raining. And then it started coming in late at night. It started coming in at 2 and 3 in the morning. And it was a night where you would hear the rain pouring down and then you'd hear cracks, loud cracks. And in the morning, you discovered what those loud cracks were, which were trees that were falling down. And on my street, there are a whole bunch of trees that have fallen down. There are branches that have fallen down. There are huge oak trees and pine trees that were uprooted and thrown across the street, in some cases thrown into houses. Thankfully, my home did not have any trees hit the home, but we did have a big branch in the backyard fall and ripped some of the lighting down. But it did not hit the house or the damage, the roof. So we're grateful for that. And then Monday, as the rain cleared, I began going and meeting with local officials and first responders. So one of the first things I did is I head down, headed down to the emergency operations center in Houston. And Houston was hit very hard. And so there I sat down with firefighters and the police department and all of the city officials. So the emergency operations unit, whenever you have a disaster, that's where everyone goes and coordinates out of. It's where the mayor coordinates out of. It's in northwest Houston. It's actually the same location as the Central 911 call center. And so in the room next to it, there's a massive room filled with operators that are dealing with thousands of 911 calls and tasking whoever the relevant people are. And listen, in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane, there are a series of phases that occur in a disaster. The first phase is just saving people's lives, and people are in harm's way. They need emergency responders. This hurricane, Hurricane Beryl, the number of confirmed fatalities now is seven. There were multiple who were killed in Houston. There was one who was a police department civilian employee. He was driving in because for most people, they were told, shelter in place, stay at home, don't go out on the roads. It's too dangerous to drive. But for first responders and emergency personnel, they were asked to come in to be there. And this police department employee was driving in, and he drove into an underpass that was flooded and unfortunately was deeper than he expected. And it flooded into his. Into his car, and he drowned. And I'll tell you, that afternoon I met with the mayor who had spent the last two hours at that underpass with the Houston Police Department searching for that body. And they found the body of their co worker. And so it was. The mayor was shaken up. I mean, and anytime you have a fatality, it's difficult, but it's particularly difficult when it's first responders who are searching for one of their own in Houston. Then we went through. We went through all of the plans for how to ensure that people have the resources they need. The biggest challenge Statewide is power. 2.7 million Texans lost power. You lost power. I lost power. Much of the city of Houston was dark. And that was true throughout much of the Gulf coast that the power lines went down. And so when I was sitting at the emergency operations command center, two of the people who were there were from centerpoint, the power company. And they described that they were bringing in over 10,000 linemen, linemen from around Texas, from other states, bringing them in to start restringing the power lines. And before they turn a power line back on, they have to walk the length of the power line to make sure that it's not torn down. And that putting the power on doesn't start a fire, doesn't electrocute someone. And so it is a, it can be a prolonged process. But part of the challenge of that is in Houston and in much of the affected areas, the traffic lights were out. And not out as in flashing, but just dark.
[08:30]
Ben Ferguson
Just off. Yeah, just dark. Well, I've never seen anything like it. Like you said, this is my first hurricane where I've been in it. And one of the things that was most shocking, I think is just the number of people without power. I've never seen so much darkness as I saw last night. And seeing, like you said, none of. Not even flashing lights, just everything off.
[08:54]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, everything was out. And I believe it is the record for the most people who've lost power in Texas. It is more people lost power from barrel than did during Hurricane Harvey. Now, Hurricane Harvey was a much more massive disaster. It still remains the second most costly natural disaster in U.S. history because you had enormous flooding. But in this instance, we just had a lot, a lot of power lines go down from trees, from trees falling and knocking the power lines down. We also had a command center.
[09:28]
Ben Ferguson
And I wanted to ask you this. So the, the winds and obviously like we mentioned, there was a lot of trees down, but this wasn't a cat 5. No, that came through. So did they say to you or explain why so many trees came down? Was it the total time? And it wasn't actually moving that fast, so it was more time to weaken the trees. When you look at the storm itself, it didn't seem like it was going to be something that was going to be this bad.
[09:54]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, they didn't. When Barrel first made landfall, it was initially a Category 1 and then a Category 2 hurricane. It had been in the Caribbean, it had been higher, been as high as a Category 4 hurricane, but then it had lost strength. And then it gained strength again as it came back and made landfall into Texas. Category 1 hurricane is 74 to 95 miles an hour of wind and it's a dangerous hurricane. Category 2 is 96 to 110 mile per hour wind. So Beryl had winds of about 100 miles an hour, a little bit more than that. That's a lot. But you know, a category 5 hurricane is 157 miles an hour or faster. So it's, it was not in, in the order of hurricanes, among the strongest in wind. But what happened, you know, it was interesting, I think back to something like Hurricane Harvey where we saw a lot of trees that had snapped a lot of telephone Poles that had snapped. You know, what happened with this is a lot of trees were uprooted, and part of it is there was so much rain that the soil got very moist. And then the wind would literally blow the tree over, and so the roots would come straight out and the entire tree would topple. And so I saw as I was driving around, and I spent a lot of time touring around and seeing, seeing the damage. I saw a lot of trees that had been toppled altogether. And that may be. It may be the combination of rain and wind, but. But I don't know. But for whatever reason, the, the number of power lines that went out exceeded certainly any hurricane in, in. In recent history.
[11:27]
Ben Ferguson
There's a lot of people that are probably going to be listening that don't have power. Maybe they've charged their phones in their car and they're looking for something to take their mind off it. What is it looking like for power restoration? What did they brief you on?
[11:39]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, they're systematically making improvements on power restoration. As I said, they had brought in over 10,000 linemen. Now, I will say there was a story that broke today that was actually really going after Centerpoint for not having staged out of state linemen to be prepared early on. And there was some real frustration that was expressed in terms of Centerpoint, the electric company, not taking the threat of this storm coming to Houston seriously enough. Now, today I was down in Galveston. I was down in Jamaica Beach. I was down in Angleton and Freeport. And when I was in Galveston, we did a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. He is the acting governor right now because Greg Abbott is actually over in Korea on a long planned trip that he had been on. And so the lieutenant governor is the acting governor. And it was interesting, we did a press conference afterwards where reporters were really grilling the lieutenant governor about, are you angry at Centerpoint? And I'll say, actually, Dan Patrick's a good friend of mine. But to his credit, he gave the right answer, which is, look, we need to concentrate right now on getting people's power restored. There will be plenty of time to go back and assess what mistakes, if any, were made. But the time to do it is not at a time of emergency. And one of the things for folks that listen to verdict who are not in Texas, you may not necessarily understand why power being down for an extended period of time is a health risk, but particularly in a place like Houston, where it is incredibly hot, you run a real risk of heat stroke, of people without air conditioning, their health being at risk. There was down in Galveston. There was a gentleman who died because the power went out and he was on oxygen, and the machine giving him oxygen lost power, and he didn't have any more batteries, and that cost his life. There also are people who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. So a second thing that happens is people set up generators when their power goes down, but they don't realize that a generator that has, say, a gasoline or diesel engine is emitting carbon dioxide, which is odorless and invisible. But if you breathe it in. So if it's in your house, which is a terrible idea, or if it's even near the house and near a window, you can die from that.
[14:08]
Ben Ferguson
Finally, Senator, on this, there's some of you that listen, and they may be out of Texas that are listening, and they say, hey, we'd love to help. What are the needs and how can you help people?
[14:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, let me say the number one thing people can do is here in Texas, you mentioned that you were helping your neighbors clean up trees, clean up, clean up all of the debris that's happening all over Texas. And I have to say, you know, it's been 12 years I've been in the Senate. I've seen dozens, if not hundreds of disasters over that time period. Texas is a big place. And whether it's hurricanes or tornadoes up in the panhandle or Dallas or the wildfires that were in the panhandles, every time we have a crisis, we see the same thing, which is we see Texans helping Texans. We see people helping each other out. We see people rescuing people from harm's way. Yesterday, as I was going through Houston, I helped one gentleman lift up his fence and pull it out of the way. We stopped at another place and helped a family who was trying to cut up a tree and dispose of the pieces of the tree. That's happening every day. And I'll tell you, the churches in particular are incredibly active. And I'll give an example. Yesterday, I went and visited someone you and I both know well. Mattress Mack. Mattress Mack is a Houston legend. He is a man named Jim McInvale. He owns Gallery Furniture. I grew up as a kid, he would be late night on TV and he'd run these ads. He'd be yelling on TV going, gallery furniture really will save you money. And he'd pull out a lot of money and it. And look, it would be on channel 26 or 39, which were the UHF channels, but he ran them constantly. He's an amazing marketer, but he also has an incredible heart for Houston and So what he did during Hurricane Harvey and what he did during Hurricane Beryl, he opened up Gallery Furniture, and he said, number one, if you need a place to stay, if your home is destroyed, come stay here. We have beds, we have couches, we have chairs. And he also said, if you need food, come. We have food. And so I went and visited Mattress Mac at Gallery Furniture yesterday. There were a number of Houstonians who were taking shelter there yesterday. Mac tested me last night. He fed over 3,000 Houstonians yesterday because all the restaurants were closed. You couldn't get food. And by the way, if your power is out, your refrigerator or the food in there is spoiling. And so he just. They were making brisket, and they were just feeding people. If you want to help, you can help through your church. You can help through the Red Cross. You can help through the Salvation Army. You know, I'll tell you one other story, which is today, I was down in Jamaica beach, which is a smaller beach that's part of Galveston, and it was hit pretty hard. And I visited with a woman whose house was hit by a tornado that spawned within the hurricane. And the tornado pulled the roof off her house. I saw the house. I saw the roof that had been flung across the road. And she described how she called 911 and the chief of police was there, she said, within 60 seconds. And the chief of police, Jamaica beach is a small town, but he came in and he rescued her. He brought her out, brought her to the police station, which was very close to where her house was. Now, what was interesting is the police officers. I was touring around the destruction and visiting with the mayor and the chief of police and the fire chief and the local officials. They showed me another house just a few houses down that a big chunk of the roof had come off. And an officer had come up and come up the stairs and said, you know, sir, do you need to be rescued? And the guy said, you know, no, I'm just fine. I'm in my bathroom. Leave me alone. Which, I have to admit, is a very Texan thing to do also. There's always some people that just sort of brave it out. But that pattern of people helping people, helping each other is consistent and is inspiring. And what's cool about it, Ben, is when that happens, there are no Republicans and Democrats. There is no race. There is no ethnicity. There is no religion. You just have Texans helping Texans. You have brothers and sisters helping each other, and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. I am never prouder to be a Texan than seeing how People respond in times of crisis.
[18:30]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. Amen to that. And watching other people help people, like you said, is really, I think one of the greatest goods that comes out of these type of events is that neighbors meet neighbors and neighbors become friends and people help one another. And it's just, it's incredible to see that Texas spirit as you described it, no doubt about it.
[18:49]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and the church does what the church should do, which is the church should be helping people, the church should be feeding people, the church should be clothing people. And particularly in times of crisis, we see the church stepping up. And that's really important in terms of making a difference.
[19:06]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, absolutely. Want to talk about what's happening also in D.C. we're going to deal with that in a moment. But first, let me tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you have a cell phone and your cell phone is with Big Mobile, you may not realize this, but you've been helping a lot of Democratic candidates, causes and radical organizations, including Planned Parenthood. Yeah, Big Mobile are big supporters of the left and they're fighting against your values. And that is exactly why 10 years ago, more than 10 years ago, actually, Patriot Mobile was started by a group of conservatives that said, hey, we're not going to give our money. These companies that are giving our cash when we pay our bill to Planned Parenthood and to other organizations like that, they started Patriot Mobile. And now more than ever in 2024, it is easy to switch your provider. You get to keep your same number you have now. You get to keep your same exact service because they all use the same towers now with technology in 2024. And that's another reason why you should call Patriot Mobile. I have switched my lines over and I can tell you my coverage is phenomenal. Even during this hurricane, I had the service that I needed. So if you want to make the switch, call them right now. Because here's the fun part. When you pay your bill every month at no extra cost to you, they take about 5% of that bill and they give it directly back to organizations and causes that support free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, the Second Amendment. And then they do this. They support our military, our veterans, our first responders, and our wounded warrior heroes. So stop giving your mind to companies that hate your values and stand with a company that supports what we believe in. Just go to patriot mobile.com verdict patriotmobile.com verdict or give them a buzz. 972-PATRIOT. That's 9-7 2-PATRIOT. Use the promo code. Verdict. You will also get free activation 972-PATRIOT or patriot mobile.com verdict Senator, I want to get to what's happening. Obviously in D.C. it is still a full blown civil war within the Democratic Party right now. The president trying a new tactic, sending letters to major players in the Democratic Party saying hey and notes I'm the guy. You're not going to get rid of me. You can panic all you want to but we're not moving. And this is more Democrats have actually been coming out publicly saying he must step aside.
[21:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's right. It's, it's been a virtual avalanche of, of number one Democrats trying to push him out. But number two, the media really freaking out. And, and, and the corporate media has been in many ways the, the, the most important ally of the Democrats. They've been radicalized. They've abandoned their role of journalism because they are the left wing of the Democrat Party. It is striking to suddenly see the corporate media actually reporting on the very significant health challenges that Biden is presenting. And by the way, those health challenges were there before the debate. They're just freaking out now because they don't think he can win. But, but for example, I want folks to listen to this is a story that, that, that, that NBC News ran today. Now this is not FOX News. This is not a right wing source. This is NBC.
[22:34]
Ben Ferguson
Can you just take a moment and let's just savor the not only hypocrisy but the fact that you just said this is NBC News that's doing what we're about to play.
[22:43]
Senator Ted Cruz
You just give a listen to talk.
[22:46]
C
More about those eight White House visits by the Parkinson's expert. I'm joined tonight by Dr. Tom Pitts. He's a quadruple board certified neurologist. He sees patients with Parkinson's all the time. He diagnoses it. I want to be completely transparent here. You've never examined President Biden. From my knowledge you've never even spoke. Have you spoken yet to President Biden? And we're just going to use what we have so far, which is what we've seen the President's interviews and the information coming out of the White House. So my first question to you is as somebody who's a neurologist, what you've seen from the president over the last two years, what you saw at the debate, the last few interviews, the way he speaks, the way maybe he walks. Have you noticed anything that gives you a red flag as a doctor?
[23:27]
D
Oh yeah, I see him 20 times a day in clinic. I mean it's ironic because he has just such classic features of neurodegeneration. I mean word finding difficulties. And that's not. Oh, I couldn't find the word. That's from degeneration of the word retrieval area.
[23:40]
C
He's also overcome stuttering though. Could that be part of that too?
[23:43]
D
No, this is not a palatal issue or a speech discrepancy which is very different from a lemonode dysfunction. Actual word retrieval where you pick a similar question or talk around the issue. Plus the rigidity, monotone voice.
[23:56]
C
Wait, go back to that. The rigidity. What do you mean rigidity?
[23:58]
D
Loss of arm, swing standing up. Lordotically, you notice when he turns, it's kind of en bloc turning. It's not a quick turn, turn. So that's one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's is rigidity and bradykinesia, slow movement. And he has that hallmark, especially with the low voice that said was a cold hypophonia. A small monotone voice like this over time is a hallmark of Parkinsonism. I could have diagnosed him from across the mall.
[24:24]
Ben Ferguson
Let's just stop there and we'll play more of this. But I have to get your initial reaction. If you had a, a, a conservative news outlet, let's just use Fox News Channel for example, that would have done this same exact segment three and a half weeks ago. They would have been calling for this, for this doctor to be, to lose his medical license. They would have, the White House would have fought back vigorously and said that this is just evil and sick and perverted and that this is irresponsible, responsible. But NBC News is doing it now, trying to take out Joe Biden cuz they think he's gonna lose and they give a doctor six minutes. We've only played a minute and a half of this to tell you why he believes the President has Parkinson's.
[25:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, it's stunning. And you're right. The corporate media would have lost their mind a month ago if any right of center outlet aired this identical piece. The New York Times would be clutching their pearls. They would say this is, this is voodoo medicine. This is, this, this is an utter lie. This is unprincipled fiction. That's what they would have said. And now you see NBC, you see the corporate media desperately, desperately trying to do everything they can. My favorite line of this doctor was I would have diagnosed him from across the mall. Which by the way, you and I argued right before we taped this podcast. You thought he meant the National Mall? I don't think so. I think he means like Joe's Shopping Center.
[25:56]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, you may be right. And by the way, NBC wasn't done. Listen to the second part of this.
[26:05]
C
I'm up there on the screen. If we can put him back. What about the movement? Some people have pointed out the way he walks sometimes. It's not very fast. Small steps. Is that something that is common in people who are battling a disease like Parkinson's?
[26:18]
D
Yeah, it's a hallmark. Shuffling gait, we call that. So little steps, loss of arm, swing from the rigidity when we walk. We have a nice cadence. You notice he doesn't really swing his arms and end block turning, meaning he kind of pivots around his foot. If you said, hey, President Biden, he wouldn't go like this. Yeah, but I also know.
[26:35]
C
I also know. Tell me if I'm wrong here. It's very hard to diagnose Parkinson's, isn't it? It's not simple. I mean, I've heard that it can be.
[26:41]
D
It's one of the easier movement disorders to diagnose, actually.
[26:45]
Ben Ferguson
Right.
[26:45]
D
But it's so clinic. There's very little others. And I'm, you know, I'm a Democrat. I always say, yeah, this.
[26:49]
Senator Ted Cruz
Right.
[26:50]
D
It's just like this guy is not a hard case.
[26:52]
Senator Ted Cruz
But I've had.
[26:53]
C
I've had relatives who have gone through issues, neurological issues, and I've heard that sometimes Parkinson's is not very easy to nail. You have to take a lot of tests. There's a lot.
[27:01]
D
I mean, it's early on. If you're just present with like, hallucinations, that could be a variety of things or just the cognitive problems that could be Alzheimer's versus Parkinsonism, and that becomes a little nebulous. But once you start manifesting the hallmark motor symptoms, Right. Slow movement, rigidity, mass facies, hypophonia. I mean, if a med student did not pick Parkinson's on the test, they'd be.
[27:23]
C
Let me ask you, if you had.
[27:24]
Ben Ferguson
If you had.
[27:25]
C
You know, and I know you can't. You have no idea what happened in the White House. But a neurologist coming eight times in eight months, does that tell you anything? Is that. Is that. I mean, I know you're just. You're just sort of speculating here, but does that tell you anything or no?
[27:37]
D
Well, I mean, I don't know if they're like the best of friends or something, but that's a very specific. You know, he's a movement disorder that's a subspecialist. And exactly what he has. And there's very few young people like a Marine guard. Most people would be med boarded out for any type of movement disorder at a young age. Like if you had Huntington's Korea, early onset Parkinson's, dystonia, bad essential tremor, usually med boarded out. So I highly doubt there's.
[28:00]
C
What does that mean, Med board?
[28:01]
D
It mean the military would not let you. If you have seizures, for example, you cannot usually be in the military. That is, you are medical war.
[28:08]
C
So you're saying, you're saying you don't necessarily believe. And they're not saying this, but they said there's thousands of military members that go to the White House treated there for health reasons. You're not buying that that's a random military person?
[28:20]
D
No. That would be very odd to just see a random movement disorder case at the White House. You know, especially a young guard. There aren't many young people that have movement disorders that could be in the military.
[28:30]
Ben Ferguson
And then let's just stop there. Not only did they bring the Parkinson's doctor on, they then set him up to say, the White House are lying to you and they're liars. They're not treating thousands of people on the White House grounds for medical disorders, as he described it. And the doctor's like, you wouldn't do those tests here, by the way. I believe this doctor. I, I think it's absurd to, to, to tell the American people, as the White House did this week, that, oh, this guy's coming once a month for eight months in a row to treat thousands of military personnel that happen to work at the White House. This guy's saying there's no way that happened.
[29:06]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, the symptoms that he's describing, everyone who had eyes, everyone who's watched Joe Biden for the last three and a half years has seen those symptoms. They've been obvious. It's just now that the press is allowing them to be spoken of, and I gotta say, just the contrast. So let me read a headline from NBC News which was, quote, Biden hasn't seen neurologists outside annual physicals. White House doctor says in letter addressing Parkinson's expert visits. President Joe Biden had a physical in February and showed no signs of neurological disorder, including Parkinson's disease. White house physician Kevin O'Connor wrote so that was just a few days ago. Now, let me read you what the AP just reported. Quote, president Joe Biden saw a neurologist at the White House on January 17th for a neurological exam, the results of which were later reported as part of his Annual physical more than a month later, the White House said on Tuesday. The confirmation came after White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre inaccurately said during the daily briefing with reporters that the January 17 meeting was not related to care for the President in response to a question from the Associated Press. So now the White House is just getting caught flat out lying that, no, he's not seeing a neurologist. Well, yes, he is, actually. And it happens to be the neurologist who's an expert in Parkinson's.
[30:28]
Ben Ferguson
So this brings me to the big question. The president sending the notes. You have the squad that's back then the Congressional Black Caucus is saying, hey, we need to put this all to bed. Joe's our guide. Joe's made it clear, hey, I'm not going anywhere. He did that on Morning Joe. We mentioned that in the last part, I think. And then you've got this going on with the media. They're still putting the 44 court press here saying not only is the White House lying to you, but we're going to prove it in essence. And that's why they did this long interview. Now you got to look at the calendar. Joe Biden is supposed to be on the debate stage with Donald Trump September 10th on ABC News. ABC News, by the way, has been attacking the President as well. Stephanopoulos said after doing the interview with the president that was supposed to, quote, save him the other day, that he said there's no way he believes the president could serve for another four years. Do you. Does he show up at this debate? Does he cancel it? Does he have to show up to have a chance in hell in November if he's still the nominee?
[31:36]
Senator Ted Cruz
So I don't believe there will be a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in September. I don't think it'll happen. Now, look, I don't think Joe Biden will be the nominee in September. I continue to believe there's an 80% chance that he's not the nominee. He's digging in. He's holding on with all of his might. But all right, here's another story that shows the press turning on him. This is from the Wall Street Journal. Quote, german officials, aware of Biden's fatigue at night, sought to accommodate the President by planning a June 2022 event with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the early evening. The informal event, a soiree at the Alpine resort Schloss El MAU during the Group of Seven summit, was arranged as a confidential meeting on Ukraine in a relaxed setting. Biden didn't show surprising the chancellor and his aides, officials said. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived and announced that Biden had to go to bed, according to two people who were there. So he is now no longer able to stay up to meet with heads of state to discuss matters of war and peace. That's dangerous and the press is reporting on it.
[32:50]
Ben Ferguson
And to make that point, Peter Doocy asked the question at the White House from Fox today, hey, if the president's only the president till, I don't know, 8:00 at night, what happens if someone shoots a nuke? Listen to this.
[33:05]
D
Well, he also said he's, he's sharpest before 8pm so say that the Pentagon.
[33:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
At some point picks up an incoming Nuke. It's 11pm who do you call?
[33:16]
D
The first lady.
[33:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
He has a team that lets him.
[33:20]
D
Know of any, of any news that.
[33:22]
Senator Ted Cruz
Is pertinent and important to the American people. He has someone or that is decided obviously with his National Security Council on who gets to tell him that news.
[33:33]
Ben Ferguson
I mean even her response was so timid because like, yeah, you got us there. That was just weird. She's like, he's got a team. So is the team running the country? Are people that are elected by no one running the country after 8 o'clock at night? Now, before you answer that, I, I want to take a moment and say thank you to so many of you that have gotten involved to help the people in Israel. Since October 7, the attacks in Israel have increased with Iran and its proxies launching attack after attack, day after day, week after week, month after month from drones and missiles. Israelis have been living with a harsh reality of real terror every single day. That is where your help has come in. The international fellowship of Christians and Jews has been on the ground day one, addressing all of the urgent needs and those constantly keep changing. That is why I want you to help with the people in Israel that need it now more than ever. IFCJ is continuing to prepare for the worst by packing emergency bomb shelter kits which are being used and now need to be replenished and they are being delivered immediately to those that are in need. Your life saving donation today will help assemble and place these kits with enough food and life saving emergency supplies for 20 people huddled in a bomb shelter. And like I said, they are being used now. The cost to put this together and distribute these kits is $290 each and your gift will help save lives and thanks to a matching challenge gift from a generous IFCJ supporter. Your gift will double in impact to help provide twice the support. All you have to do is call IFCJ and give your gift right now. 888-488ICJ. That's 888-488ICJ. Or go online to support IFCJ.org to give. That's one word. SupportIFCJ.org to give center. I, I got to go back to just the White House here for her response is he has a team. So calm down. The president's sleeping. I, I don't think that sits well with the American people anymore.
[35:59]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, it doesn't. That's actually a terrifying response that if something happens at 11pm well, Joe Biden's not capable to deal with it, but he has a team. There's some underling appointed to the National Security Council, and the underling can deal with it. And, you know, in response to that, I want to play a political ad. Just listen to this ad and then we're going to talk about what it was.
[36:20]
D
It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world.
[36:28]
Senator Ted Cruz
Your vote will decide who answers that.
[36:31]
D
Call, whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?
[36:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message.
[36:49]
Ben Ferguson
No, I mean, they made this the issue. Mr. Mr. Senator, right? Like, they're like, you want to be Mr. President, then you better answer that.
[36:57]
Senator Ted Cruz
Call at 3:00am well, and let me say to folks listening to this podcast who are relatively young, you may not have heard that ad before. You might have been thinking as you're listening to this ad, wow, this is a new Trump ad. This is a really powerful Trump ad. But then at the very end you get, I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message. So Hillary Clinton ran that, that, that ad in the year 2008, and she was running it against Barack Obama. She was saying Barack Obama was young and inexperienced and she was much better able to answer the phone than he was. Now, regardless of who was right in that argument, today's Biden White House, it's not a 3am phone call. They're saying at 11pm Sorry, there is no commander in chief, but, you know, the deputy special assistant is here and ready to solve the problem.
[37:47]
Ben Ferguson
Well, it also says the world leaders, and it is terrifying to think about this, hey, here are the best hours to do something, whether it's attack this country, whether you're terrorists or whether it's to do something around the world. Because this will be a long period of time before you get a awake president that would even respond or say anything.
[38:10]
Senator Ted Cruz
You know, it is, it's why I do not believe Biden is going to be the nominee because the facts are piling up and it's becoming indefensible. It may be Michelle Obama, it may be Kamala Harris, but I think the Ds that they are going to pull the plug. They are terrified. They are panicking. And every day as the press continues to turn, look, you mentioned George Stephanopoulos. George Stephanopoulos was asked if he could serve any four more years and he says no, he doesn't think he can. And then Stephanopoulos backed away and said, quote, earlier today, I responded to a question from a passerby I shouldn't have. So, so he's backing away from telling the truth. Exactly. Well, you know, they try not to do that, the press.
[39:02]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it's again, I, I, I go back to what I said on this show, I don't know, a week ago. I think they've got another, what, eight, 10 days here to go all in to try to get him out. And after that, they may be stuck with this guy. But look, your prediction, you've been right for quite a few times. It still could be somebody at the convention and that somebody could still be Michelle Obama. Do you still think there's a decent chance of that?
[39:30]
Senator Ted Cruz
I stay by the same odds I had on Monday's podcast. I think there is a 20% chance the Democrat nominee is Joe Biden. I think there's a 40% chance the Democrat nominee is Michelle Obama. And I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Kamala Harris.
[39:48]
Ben Ferguson
There you have it. We're going to keep you updated on this. Obviously say prayers for all those in that are suffering in Texas right now and help your neighbors out if you can. The center and I will be back with you on Friday morning.