FBI’s Role in Russia Hoax, Beijing’s Ivy League Infiltration & Democrats Back Hamas Week In Review

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode Summary: FBI’s Role in Russia Hoax, Beijing’s Ivy League Infiltration & Democrats Back Hamas Week In Review Release Date: August 2, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, hosted by Ben Ferguson and featuring insights from Senator Ted Cruz, the hosts delve into three major stories impacting the political landscape: the FBI's involvement in the Russia investigation, Harvard University's ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the Democratic Party's shifting stance towards Israel and Hamas. The discussion is marked by in-depth analysis, critical commentary, and notable quotes that shed light on these pressing issues.

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1. FBI’s Involvement in the Russia Hoax

Overview: Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz explore the controversial role of the FBI in orchestrating what they refer to as the "Russia hoax" against former President Donald Trump. They discuss new intelligence suggesting that the FBI may have colluded with the Clinton campaign to fabricate the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.

Key Points:

• Predicted Narrative: The hosts discuss how the FBI allegedly predicted Trump’s actions with alarming specificity, suggesting the investigation was premeditated.

• Government Propaganda: They argue that the Russia investigation was a form of government propaganda aimed at derailing Trump's presidency.

• Accountability: Cruz emphasizes the need for accountability within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and highlights potential prosecutions, particularly targeting former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe for lying to Congress.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Ferguson [00:35]: "First up, new intel on the FBI and how involved they actually were in creating the Russia hoax."

• Ted Cruz [08:53]: "The Russia hoax was a hoax. It was concocted through the Hillary Clinton campaign. It was laundered through the FBI and the Department of Justice, and it was a lie."

• Ted Cruz [10:12]: "If I were to predict the single most likely person in the Obama administration to face prosecution, it would be Andrew McCabe, because there's still a window where he lied to Congress and it's within the statute of limitations."

Analysis: The discussion underscores a deep-seated distrust in federal institutions among the hosts, portraying the FBI's actions as politically motivated rather than based on legitimate investigative grounds. The mention of Andrew McCabe serves as a focal point for potential legal repercussions stemming from the investigation’s perceived misconduct.

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2. Beijing’s Infiltration of Ivy League Institutions

Overview: The hosts shift focus to a bombshell report alleging that Harvard University has direct ties with the Chinese Communist Party, highlighting concerns over foreign influence in American higher education.

Key Points:

• Direct Ties to CCP: A letter from the House Select Committee on the CCP reveals Harvard's partnerships with powerful CCP entities, including the Central Organization Department.

• Influence and Indoctrination: The hosts argue that China’s financial contributions to Harvard are not merely philanthropic but strategic, aiming to influence and indoctrinate American students and elites.

• Bipartisan Legislative Efforts: Ted Cruz references his own legislative success in shutting down Confucius Institutes, advocating for further transparency and restrictions on foreign funding in universities.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Ferguson [15:13]: "China is clearly doing it for influence, unquestionably."

• Ted Cruz [21:26]: "Harvard was ground zero for [cultural Marxism], they're where it was created, they're where it mutated, and they're where it spread."

• Ted Cruz [22:54]: "My most recent book is entitled How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America. The opening chapter talks about cultural Marxism. How it grew at Harvard University."

Analysis: The segment paints a grim picture of foreign interference in American academia, suggesting that prestigious institutions like Harvard are compromised by CCP influence. The discussion extends beyond financial ties, implicating ideological shifts and the promotion of cultural Marxism as pervasive threats emanating from these academic partnerships.

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3. Democrats Backing Hamas: A Stark Shift

Overview: The final segment addresses the alarming trend of Senate Democrats voting against military aid to Israel, signaling a significant shift in the party's stance and raising concerns about anti-Semitism and support for Hamas within the Democratic ranks.

Key Points:

• Record Votes Against Israel: Over half of the Senate Democrats voted to block weapons sales to Israel, a historically unprecedented move.

• Media Misrepresentation: The hosts criticize the New York Times for propagating false narratives, specifically referencing a corrected story about a starving Gaza boy to illustrate media bias against Israel.

• Global Context: Ted Cruz highlights that other allied nations, such as the UK, France, and Canada, support Israel unequivocally, contrasting their positions with the evolving Democratic stance in the U.S.

Notable Quotes:

• Ted Cruz [28:24]: "Most left-wing socialists and Marxists are. But Bernie Sanders' resolutions trying to cut off Israel usually failed... this week the Senate rejected it again and we rejected it by a vote of 70 to 27."

• Ben Ferguson [34:54]: "They used it to push Hamas's propaganda... this is now how bad it's gotten not only in the media but also in DC."

• Ted Cruz [32:10]: "More than half of the Senate Democrats voted to cut off military funding for Israel. That's a milestone that's never happened before."

Analysis: This discussion highlights a perceived erosion of bipartisan support for Israel, framing it as a concerning alignment with Hamas sympathies. The hosts interpret these legislative actions as reflections of broader anti-Semitic sentiments and a strategic shift within the Democratic Party, influenced by radical elements and media narratives that undermine Israel's security.

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Conclusion

In this episode, The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson presents a critical examination of current political dynamics, focusing on alleged federal overreach, foreign influence in academia, and shifting party loyalties in matters of international support. Through detailed discussions and pointed quotes, the hosts assert that these developments signify deeper systemic challenges facing America’s political and social institutions.

Final Remarks:

• Ben Ferguson [31:17]: "Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards."

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions within the episode.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the major stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, new intel on the FBI and how involved they actually were in creating the Russia hoax. We'll explain that to you in just a moment. Also, in a new bombshell report, Harvard University having direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the money they're funneling in is truly incredible. And finally, Democrats go on the record with official votes becoming more anti Israel than we've ever seen before. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. I want to move to the other topic that we mentioned earlier and that deals with the FBI right now and new intel that's coming out. And I, I, I, I gotta say, a lot of people are going to be shocked by it. I'm not surprised at all by this. And I want to get your take on now what we're learning about the FBI with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax and the controversial Trump Russia actions predicted with alarming accuracy by foreign actors. I mean, you look at this coming out now and it's just a joke. How incredible. This whole, I call it a play. It was a movie, it's a script. And everybody was playing with the script that they knew was a lie.

[Ted Cruz]

That's right. But I want to take a minute and sort of pull the curtain back for our listeners. So we do this podcast and we do this podcast sometimes late at night. So it is 12:55am so look, Ben is half asleep, to be honest. He's been asleep for two hours. And we welcome to do this. So the headline of this story says that it was predicted with alarming specificity.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, that's true.

[Ted Cruz]

And I want you all to know we recorded this. And this is one of the advantages of doing a podcast. When you record it and screw it up, you can just stop and rewind and do it Again, we recorded it. And twice Benjamin was unable to say the word specificity.

[Ben Ferguson]

He tried tough one specific. I can't say it now.

[Ted Cruz]

See, and I will confess, I kept making it harder because I kept saying fecipicity.

[Ben Ferguson]

And he did. I can say that word no problem. Right? That one's easy.

[Ted Cruz]

So finally, after. After twice crashing and burning on saying specificity, he just said with alarming accuracy. By the way, the quote is not accuracy, it's specificity. But.

[Ben Ferguson]

But I didn't say quote unquote. See, I covered myself there.

[Ted Cruz]

You didn't say the word quote. But I just wanted our listeners to know that, like the specificity with which.

[Ben Ferguson]

We real at 1am that is accurate.

[Ted Cruz]

Not 1am It's 12:57. You got three minutes till 1am all right, so let's cover the. But. But this is the important stuff to understand. Look, these. These are real human beings. I'm in my D.C. apartment. You're in a hotel room, I think. Is that right?

[Ben Ferguson]

No, I'm in a. I'm in a house in. In Pinehurst, North Carolina.

[Ted Cruz]

So.

[Ben Ferguson]

So that's where the world championship says.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, that's pretty fancy. And she. She. And you gotta be up at like 6:30 is tea time. Is that right?

[Ben Ferguson]

It's 6. It's like 6:18 or something absurd.

[Ted Cruz]

6:18. All right, Benjamin, while you're at tea time, I will be fast asleep.

[Ben Ferguson]

I believe you. I believe. And you'll be dreaming about the alarming specificity, the word. I can't say.

[Ted Cruz]

You still can't say it. Come on. Specificity. Just say it once.

[Ben Ferguson]

Specificity. There we go.

[Ted Cruz]

There we go. Look at that. By the way, you know what I did Monday on the. On the flight to D.C. say that again. Do you know what I did Monday on the flight to DC?

[Ben Ferguson]

What did you do?

[Ted Cruz]

I watched Happy Gilmore 2. Have you seen that?

[Ben Ferguson]

It's so good. It is so good. I love when they don't screw. When they don't screw up. A sequel like Top Gun Maverick, they killed it, right? Happy Gilmore. It's phenomenal.

[Ted Cruz]

Happy Gilmore 2 may be better than Happy Gilmore. Like.

[Ben Ferguson]

I agree.

[Ted Cruz]

Really good.

[Ben Ferguson]

And. And by the way, did you see it coming? Because I did not. When. Hold on. Spoiler word. If you haven't watched it yet, turn down for five seconds. When the. When he killed his wife with a golf ball.

[Ted Cruz]

Did.

[Ben Ferguson]

I did not see that coming. Did you?

[Ted Cruz]

I did not see that coming either. I will say, by the way, as. As a complete aside, I've gotten to know Adam Sandler's. Producer. You know, he's a big hoops player. I got to tell you, I'm told that Sandler. I've invited him come play hoops with with me, and he said yes, so hadn't happened yet. But I'm actually really psyched because Sandler and I are almost exactly the same age, and he's a serious ballplayer. And as you know, I play hoops twice a week. I may have, by the way. Really?

[Ben Ferguson]

Do I say count me in for that game? I'd like to be there for that game.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay. Don't injure Adam Sandler. Like, he is a national comedic treasure. And I will say I played hoops with you. The last time I played hoops with you, you broke your finger.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes. I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about me.

[Ted Cruz]

And you throw your. Your body around pretty physically, which I admire. Like, I'm like, screw it. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. But I'm just saying, don't injure Adam Sandler.

[Ben Ferguson]

There you go. That'd be one heck of a headline, right?

[Ted Cruz]

All right, let's get back. We actually had a story to do, but I just had to. I had to call you out because you, like, magically edited out. You're screwing up the word and.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

So I just had to, like, bring our listeners in and say, you know, sometimes the magic of podcast is not exactly what you think. All right.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, you know, I'm right. Go for it.

[Ted Cruz]

I'm ready. Go ahead. Say what you're gonna say.

[Ben Ferguson]

No, no, I was gonna say. So this is the part that laugh when you. When you do radio, like I did three. Three hours a day. My producer, Diaz, who does this show as well, when that would happen. The worst part is he's just laughing at me through the glass on the other side of the wall. And because it's live and there's nothing he can do to fix it, and so he just laughs in my face. So now this is, like, my weird revenge, because for how many years we worked here, Diaz? 12, 13, 14. I don't even know how many it is. He just used to just laugh at me, and now he actually has to go back and fix it. So I'm like, the joke's on you, buddy. The joke's on you. So, yeah, when it's live, there's nothing you can do about it. So with all that specificity, the word I can't say is still the night for some reason. Let's get back to The FBI story.

[Ted Cruz]

I've reported on this story with alarming fecipicity. And let me read from the Fox News story. Quote, US Intelligence has credible foreign sources indicating that the FBI would play a role in spreading the salacious Trump Russia collusion narrative before the bureau ever launched its controversial Crossfire hurricane probe. Sources familiar with the intel told Fox News Digital. CIA Director John Radcliffe is expected to declassify the underlying intelligence, including a classified annex, related to former special counsel John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Trump Russia probe. A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI's move with alarming specificity. And it goes on to say, bingo, there's your quote. There you go. Quote, Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the US Government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia. The source, who was granted anonymity, discussed the sensitive intelligence matters that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital, quote, mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane. The source said, quote, it is really hard to see how Brennan, Clapper and Comey are going to be able to explain this away.

[Ben Ferguson]

You put that in perspective, and I think it's fair to say at this point, everything we were hearing during the back of the day on this, it was all just straight up government propaganda, and the media was 100% in on it.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it was not just government propaganda. It was driven by the Hillary Clinton campaign. It was opposition research that they paid for and then they gave to the Obama administration to launder it. They laundered it through the FBI, they laundered it through the Department of Justice, and it was the federal government attacking Donald Trump because they did not want Donald Trump to be president. And the degree to which the government was complicit in partisan politics, but not just partisan politics, partisan politics, that was false. That was a lie. This was made up. The Russia hoax was a hoax. It was concocted through the Hillary Clinton campaign. It was laundered through the FBI and the Department of Justice, and it was a lie. That was a political attack job. And I want to commend John Ratcliffe, the head of the CIA, a good friend of mine, for making this public, for drawing accountability and truth to what occurred.

[Ben Ferguson]

What do you think is going to come from this? Because there's so many, I think, disgruntled and frustrated Americans that hear these things like, all right, we're now getting more and more confirmation this happened. Will there be any real accountability and does this move us closer to that?

[Ted Cruz]

So I hope so. There needs to be accountability. And I will say you have Tulsi Gabbard who released her bombshell information about the degree of the complicity of the administration. And if you didn't hear our podcast last week on this, you should listen to the podcast on Tulsi Gabbard's bombshell information. I hope there is accountability. I call on the Department of Justice. I also had, when I was having drinks with the Army Secretary, I also had drinks with the deputy Attorney General of the United States. And so I was urging doj, follow the facts and prosecute anyone who is complicit. There are challenges because some of the people who were involved in this, their criminal conduct was before the statute of limitations expired. And so it is harder to prosecute someone who committed criminal conduct after the statute of limitations has expired. Andrew McCabe, who was the deputy director of the FBI, he testified before Congress, he testified falsely and the statute of limitations has not yet expired on his testimony. So if I were to predict the single most likely person in the Obama administration to face prosecution, it would be Andrew McCabe, because there's still a window where he lied to Congress and it's within the statute of limitations.

[Ben Ferguson]

Really incredible. We're going to keep you updated on all this. Don't forget to hit that subscribe or auto download button. Share this podcast and please write us a five star review. It helps us reach more people out there on the charts and the center. I will see you back here in a couple of days. Now if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

[Lisa Booth]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ben Ferguson]

To story number two. Senator, I want to move to this new report that's come out. And it is something that we have been really like, raising the flag on, saying, pay attention to this. Be careful where you send your kids to college. Be careful that they're going to be indoctrinated to hate America and be careful where you send your kids because there's a lot of money that's coming in from countries that are trying to undermine America and hate America. We're now seeing more of this at Harvard. With Harvard's ties now directly to the Chinese Communist Party elites, that has been revealed on a level we haven't seen before. And it's even more shocking of where Harvard's getting their cash. And look, China is not doing this because they like Harvard. They're clearly doing it for influence, unquestionably.

[Ted Cruz]

And, you know, some have criticized the Trump administration going after Harvard University. Harvard is the most influential university on the face of the planet. And it also, many universities in America have been in bed with the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government spends millions of dollars trying to get influence and trying to brainwash our students, trying to control our universities. And far too many universities have been really eager to participate in that. And Harvard has been right at the front of the list. Well, this week, the House of Representatives has an investigation and they sent a letter to the president of Harvard. This is a letter from John Moulinar, who is the chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP in the House. It's from Tim Wahlberg, who's the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce. And it's from Elise Stefanik, who's the chairwoman of House Republican Leadership. And here's what the letter says. It's addressed to the president of Harvard University, Alan Garber. And it says, dear President Garber, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the Committee on Education and Workforce have identified new evidence related to Harvard University's connections to the Chinese Communist Party and request additional information. During our investigation, multiple whistleblowers told us that Harvard has maintained close, formal relationships directly with Chinese Communist Party entities. Specifically, whistleblower information revealed ties between Harvard and the Central Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CCP as well as certain Chinese government entities. The CCP Organization Department is one of the most powerful bodies within the Communist Party. It is responsible for the regimented regimented training program centered on Xi Jinping thought provided to the party elites and controls the placement of CCP members in key leadership positions. The whistleblowers also revealed that Harvard cultivates ties with elite CCP members. For example, whistleblowers revealed that the Harvard Kennedy School hosts a formal partnership with the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, which is controlled by the CCP Organization Department. Under that partnership, the rising CCP elite who are being prepared for senior Communist Party leadership positions participate in training at Harvard in the United States. Additional publicly available information indicates that some of these relationships have been in place for at least a decade. In 2016, a high ranking member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stated that Chinese quote, party and government cadres participate in education and training run by the CCP Organization Department. The Chinese government sends some cadres above abroad to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. This is shocking and it certainly appears from this investigation and they request all documents related to any engagement between Harvard and the CCP and the government of China and a list of all money that has come from China and the Chinese government. And my prediction is Harvard is gonna fight tooth and nail not to turn this over because they don't want people to know just how eager they have been to be in bed with the Communists running the Chinese government.

[Ben Ferguson]

Can we also just be very clear, like China doesn't do this because they like higher education or they're just trying to get, let's say their students in. That would be like the most G rated version of a story that you could tell. They're doing this to buy genuine influence at the highest levels in academia in America. And also this could have major consequences for the US when it comes to national security or spies and and countless other infiltration activities that they're a part of all the time.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, that's exactly right. You look at Harvard trains many of our nation's elite. For example, I just typed in a quick list on AI, how many senators went to Harvard and AI promptly gave me an answer. There are currently 12 senators who are Harvard alumni. And I will admit, sadly, that it came back and says the list includes individuals like Ted Cruz, Tim Kaine, Jack Reed, Chuck Schumer and Mitt Romney. So I'm a little embarrassed to be the first name on that list. But that is part of the reason that Harvard puts that Harvard, that China puts that money into Harvard, into Columbia, into elite universities across this country, is they want to train America's leaders. They want to train members of Congress, they want to train members of the executive branch, they want to train federal judges, they want to train the foreign policy apparatus. And they are trying to train them and they're trying to propagandize. They use this for brainwashing. They use this for espionage. And far too many of our universities have been so eager to take the money that they have welcomed Chinese Communists with open arms.

[Ben Ferguson]

When you look at where they are right now and you look at Harvard, is this just about the money, do you think? Or is this also about the fact that. That Harvard has no problem agreeing on a lot of issues with China?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it's both. And listen, the Harvard faculty is hard left. One point I've said many times is that when I was a student at Harvard Law School, there were more professors who were communists than there were who were Republicans. And that's not hyperbole. There were at least a dozen professors who openly said they were Marxists, that they were followers of the teachings of Karl Marx and followers of, you know, Karl Marx is the father of communism. When I was a student there, there was only one professor who openly identified as Republican. That was Charles Freed. And by the way, Charles Freed, the lone Republican on the faculty voted for Barack Obama. So their lone Republican voted for Obama as well. That was the range of thought 30 years ago, and it is much, much worse now. As you know, my most recent book is entitled how to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America. And the opening chapter talks about cultural Marxism. How it grew at Harvard University, it spread to universities throughout this country. It spread to K through 12 education, to journalism, to big business, to big tech, to entertainment. And sadly, I call the universities the Wuhan Lab of the Woke virus because they're where it was created, they're where it mutated, and they're where it spread. And Harvard was ground zero for that spread.

[Ben Ferguson]

Final question on this. Will Congress be able to really do anything on this issue to stop this type of money coming into these universities?

[Ted Cruz]

Look, I hope so. One of the very first pieces of legislation that I passed 13 years ago was legislation that banned Defense Department money from going to universities that have Confucius Institutes. Confucius Institutes were paid for by the Chinese Communist government. They were at universities all over the country. I got that through. I got that passed and signed into law. Actually got bipartisan support for it. And as a result, dozens of Confucius Institutes shut down all over the country. So we can make a real impact. I've got more legislation to require transparency of foreign money going to universities. We ought to know about it. And look, the Trump administration is trying hard to expose this and to stop it. And I salute the President for doing that.

[Ben Ferguson]

As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing.

[Lisa Booth]

Hey guys, this is Lisa Booth from the Truth with Lisa Booth. Are you feeling tired, foggy or low on energy lately? It might not just be stress. Your cells could be running low on fuel. That's why more people are turning to NAD plus and Methylene Blue, two powerful solutions that help boost energy, clear brain fog and get you feeling sharp again. If that sounds like you or something you've been wanting to explore, check out All Family Pharmacy. They make it easy with fast shipping, no insurance needed, and the doctor's prescription included with every order. They're helping people think clearer, feel better, and finally get their energy back. And it doesn't stop there. This is your Go to pharmacy with over 200 medications available, including ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics and even your daily meds. You choose what you need, they take care of the rest. Visit all familypharmacy.com/usa and use code USA10 to save 10% today. That's all family pharmacy.com/usa with coupon code USA10 it is Ryan here and I.

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Unknown]

Support for today's show comes from Sonos. Watching games with a Sonos home theater setup makes everything feel more immersive. The Arc Ultra soundbar delivers incredible surround sound that puts you right in the mid middle of the action, bringing that stadium experience right into my home. And now I've been trying out the Sonos Ace headphones and like all Sonos products, they perform as good as they look. Sleek design, crystal clear sound and a super comfortable fit. Check out the full [e-mail] I want.

[Ben Ferguson]

To get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. I want to get to this other big issue and that is Democrats are not just abandoning Israel, they are straight up anti Israel and they're showing it now as they're voting. A record number of Senate Democrats are going to block weapons sales to Israel. They're doing it numbers we've never seen before. And this on top of the fact that the New York Times has had to basically correct the claim about a viral photo of a starving Gaza boy they blamed on Israel. It actually wasn't true at all. And they didn't correct it like in the paper. They did it on X on their PR account that like no one follows. This is now how bad it's gotten not only in the media but also in DC.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, you know, when I arrived in the Senate 13 years ago, there was meaningful bipartisan support for Israel. It was one of the issues that you could see Republicans and democrats come together. 2013 when I got here was the beginning of the second term of Barack Obama and Barack Obama began to turn the Democrat party against Israel. That turn accelerated dramatically during the Biden administration and Joe Biden ended up being the most anti Israel president and the most anti Israel administration we've ever seen. Joe Biden in the midst of a war that Israel was in, cut off weapons, froze weapons to Israel and did so specifically to prevent Israel from, from killing terrorists, Hamas terrorists who had attacked Israel viciously in one of the most horrific terrorist attack in world history. October 7th, where Hamas murdered over 1200 civilians, targeted civilians directly raped and murdered women and little girls. And the Democrats looking at the aftermath of this, more and more of them decided they stand with Hamas. And sadly there is a real and growing pro Hamas contingent of the Democrat party today. This week Bernie Sanders brought a resolution trying to block weapons sales to Israel. Now Bernie Sanders has been rabidly anti Israel for a long time. Most left wing socialists and Marxists are. But Bernie Sanders resolutions trying to cut off Israel usually failed. And usually failed with a big, big vote. Well, this week the Senate rejected it again and we rejected it by a vote of 70 to 27. But there were 27 votes in favor of Bernie Sanders resolution. There are only 47 Democrats in the Senate. That means more than half of the Senate Democrats voted to cut off funding for Israel. That is a dramatic shift. And by the way, if you compare it to in April we had a similar vote and only 15 Democrats voted for it. In November of 2024, 18 Democrats voted for it. So, so moving up to 27 is, is a major shift. And, and, and, and it is a disturbing pattern where when faced with a choice do we support Hamas or do we support Israel? More and more Democrats, they're afraid of the AOCs, they're afraid of the Ilhan Omars, they're afraid of the Rashida Talib's in the House, the pro Hamas squad. And they're also afraid of the radical protesters on college campuses. Understand those protesters are funded by George Soros, they're funded by the same people who fund the Democrat party. And more and more elected Democrats have decided that they will not anger the pro Hamas radicals. And so I've got to say it is sad to see.

[Ben Ferguson]

But let me ask you a question you mentioned. Yeah, and let me ask you this. So look, we know that there's more people on the House side, so you'll get some, you know, fringe groups in the House side, on the Democratic Party even like more hardcore concerns we've seen in the past with, with conservative caucuses, you can see numbers move there. The Senate's kind of been like the place of elder statesmen and like there's certain issues that you kind of just see that like hey, we're going to be the adults in the room. I think that's the scariest part of these votes I'm witnessing now is this has moved from the House and the radicals there that you kind of expect it through the AOC and her group. Right, you expect it. But now it's moved into the Senate chamber. And that is really, I think, telling about the anti Semitism in the Democratic Party. Am I wrong?

[Ted Cruz]

More than half of the Senate Democrats voted to cut off military funding for Israel. That's a milestone that's never happened before. And by the way, it happened at the exact same time that we saw three governments worldwide, governments of US Allies, but that are led by leftists. The government of the United Kingdom, the government of France, and the government of Canada all came out in favor of recognizing an independent Palestinian state. And I want you to think about the message that the UK And France and Canada are saying. They're saying, Hamas, your terrorism worked. They're saying to Hamas, we're glad you murdered 1200 innocent civilians. We're glad you raped women and little girls. By the way, they're also saying to Hamas, we're glad you continue to keep hostages to this day. You do not release the hostages. They're saying to Hamas, we're glad you're responsible for starving Palestinians in Gaza. Understand that the human suffering in Gaza is the direct result of Hamas. Hamas could end this right now. And Donald Trump, by contrast, put out a tweet this week, and he said Hamas could end the, the, the suffering right now by stopping fighting and releasing the hostages. They don't want to. And in fact, Hamas is actively negotiating, you know what they're negotiating for? Cut off food aid for Palestinians in Gaza. We, Hamas, want to control all the food because it's, it's one of the ways we, we, we keep in power is by starving anyone who opposes us. That is who the United Kingdom and France and the Canadian government is supporting. And that is also, sadly, who now a majority of Senate Democrats are supporting.

[Ben Ferguson]

You also look at the media, and there's a second part of this conversation. The New York Times has had to roll back a claim, they put it out there of a viral photo of a starving Gaza boy. It was propaganda. It was clearly propaganda from the terrorists and, and those that want you to somehow believe that Israel is starving kids. It did not happen that way at all. The New York Times was forced to correct it. And, and I think they did it in such a, just a disgusting way because they issued their statement sharing how they, quote, originally didn't include this boy's pre existing health condition. But they didn't really do it in the newspaper like on the front page the same way they did the picture. The damage has already been done. They corrected the story by going to the New York Times pr, Twitter, not even the New York Times Twitter account. The New York Times PR account that virtually no one's gonna see.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, this was not a picture that they just had as a kind of side note in a small story. This is a picture the New York Times put on the front page. It occupies more than half of the front page above the fold. It is a massive picture and it's a horrible picture. It's a picture of a little boy, he appears to be starving, his spine is sticking out. I mean, it's a very disturbing. It's an 18 month old child which they said he was starving. He faced life threatening malnutrition and they blamed that on Israel and they used it to push Hamas's propaganda. After they did that, the New York Times was forced to issue a correction. And they did the correction, as you noted on Twitter, where no one would see it. And their correction says that what they didn't tell people, here's what their statement was. Quote, children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York reporters and others have documented. We recently ran a story about Gaza's most vulnerable civilians, including Muhammad Zakira Al Mataqua, who is about 18 months old and suffers from severe malnutrition. We have since learned new information, including from the hospital that is treating him and his medical records, and have updated our story to add context about his preexisting health problems. This additional detail gives readers greater understanding of his situation. Our reporters and photographers continue to report from Gaza bravely, sensitively and at personal risk so that our readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war. That's their fairly ridiculous retraction where they admit they're lying to you. Now here's what they didn't tell us, that Muhammad's mother indicated that her son suffers from, quote, a muscle disorder for which he received specialized nutrition and physical therapy. And another journalist reported the young boy has, quote, cerebral palsy hypoxemia and was born with a serious genetic order. So they showed a child who's very sick, but he's not very sick from starvation, he's very sick from other medical conditions. And the New York Times happily plays the role of Hamas's propagandists. And sadly, Senate Democrats are cheering on that false propaganda. Interestingly enough, now the pattern of this is exactly the same as the pattern of Hillary Clinton signing off on the false Russia story. It is take a lie, count on the corporate media to spread that lie, count on Democrat politicians to spread that lie, and count on friendly governments to spread that lie as well. And everyone involved knows they are lying. But their political agenda in this instance, they hate Israel, they want to undermine Israel, and they want to elevate Hamas. And sadly, that more and more Senate Democrats are falling into that camp.

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

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