Iran Invites Neighbors to War by Attacking Them, Noem Out-Mullin In & Elections are BIGGER in Texas Week In Review

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Iran Invites Neighbors to War by Attacking Them, Noem Out-Mullin In & Elections are BIGGER in Texas Week In Review

Date: March 7, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson (Premiere Networks)
Guests: Includes Ted Cruz, other co-hosts, and political commentators

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Overview

In this week-in-review episode, Ben Ferguson and his guests (notably Senator Ted Cruz) break down the most significant political stories of the week:

1. Iran’s dramatic escalation of conflict in the Middle East by attacking neighboring countries
2. A shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security: Kristi Noem out, Markwayne Mullin in
3. The Texas primaries, with notable election upsets and a preview of pivotal runoff races

The conversation is honest, sharp, and unapologetically conservative—providing behind-the-headlines insights, insider anecdotes, and candid critique of both domestic and international developments.

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1. Iran Escalates: Inviting the Whole Region into War

[00:49 – 14:04]

Key Points and Insights

• Iran’s Aggression Expands:
  Iran (under the Ayatollah) has launched attacks not just on Israel and the US, but on multiple Arab neighbors—Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan.

  • “They fired missiles and sent drones and had attacks at almost every single Arab country all throughout the Middle East.” – Ted Cruz [02:44]

• Regional Backlash:
  Other Middle Eastern nations are condemning Iran’s actions, which has “left no one siding with the Iranians.” Their brutality has united much of the region against them.

  • “They're demonstrating, essentially, they're willing to kill anybody and everybody... that's also a really powerful illustration. If that's what they do now, what would they have done with a nuclear weapon?” – Ted Cruz [04:00]

• Nuclear Iran Fears:
  The discussion casts the specter of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons as potentially catastrophic for world security.

  • “The odds are unacceptably high... if the Ayatollah had a nuclear weapon, he would detonate it maybe in Tel Aviv or maybe in New York or Los Angeles.” – Ted Cruz [05:02]

• Trump Doctrine and American Intervention:
  The hosts defend President Trump’s military responses.

  • Trump’s doctrine is not isolationist nor about ground wars, but about decisive action to protect Americans.
  • “Donald Trump has never been an isolationist, and he is acting to protect America. This is America first.” – Ted Cruz [06:19]

• Media & Political Critique:
  Criticism of Democratic reactions and leftist protestors, including Kamala Harris and New York leaders.

  • “Your administration gave over $100 billion... to the Ayatollah who kept killing Americans. We know you’re sad that your friend isn’t with us anymore.” – Ted Cruz, replying to Kamala Harris [11:07]

• Media Censorship Concerns:
  Describes Texas protests where Iranians celebrated against the regime, and an Austin CBS reporter refused to cover it up despite pressure.

  • “[The] local reporter said, ‘Alright, well, I am [covering it].’ And now it’s out there on the Internet of him having this moment.” [10:26]

Notable Quotes and Moments

• “When the Ayatollah chants 'death to Israel' and 'death to America,' I believe him...” – Ted Cruz [05:02]
• “Look, the Democrat Party was all in support of the Ayatollah...” – Ted Cruz [11:07]
• “This is America first. The reason we are striking Iran right now is because the odds are unacceptably high. Iran has already killed nearly a thousand Americans, and they have every desire to kill more.” – Ted Cruz [06:18]

Strait of Hormuz Emergency

[13:00]

• Reports that Iran may have mined the Strait of Hormuz—key for global oil shipping.
  • “Right now, there’s not shipping, there are not ships going through the Straits of Hormuz until it is determined whether or not they have mined it.” – Ted Cruz [13:00]
  • Civilian air traffic has also been shut down across the region.

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2. Cabinet Shake-Up: Kristi Noem Out, Markwayne Mullin In at DHS

[17:33 – 27:53]

Key Points and Insights

• Noem’s Ouster Rooted in Controversy:
  Kristi Noem was removed as Secretary of Homeland Security following scrutiny over $220 million in federally funded TV ads prominently featuring herself. Senator John Kennedy’s pointed cross-examination in a Senate hearing was pivotal.

  • “[It] was not, not a good showing for her... the President’s also come out saying she did not run this by him.” – Ben Ferguson [23:27]

• Excerpts from the Kennedy-Noem Exchange:

  • “You’re saying that you’re testifying that President Trump approved this ahead of time... you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently.” – Senator John Kennedy [20:47]
  • “Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes, did it.” – Kristi Noem [21:00]

• Allegations of Cronyism and Improper Bidding:
  Kennedy raises issues about the process, hinting that firms connected to Noem’s political history won the contracts, including one founded only 11 days before selection.

  • “One of the people you picked...Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them.” – John Kennedy [21:27]
  • “President Trump was, quote, ‘mad as a murder hornet’ that Noem claimed he approved the $200 million ads contract.” [23:47]

• Political Messaging Missteps:
  Discussion that Noem’s rhetoric after shootings in Minneapolis did real damage, leaping to “aggressive” language without awaiting investigations.

• Mullin as Successor:
  Markwayne Mullin, seen as a trusted Trump ally, expected to continue strong border enforcement; predicted to be confirmed on party lines.

  • “I think he will be confirmed. I think it will be a party line vote in the Senate. We may get John Fetterman, but I would be surprised if any other Democrat votes for him.” – Ted Cruz [26:45]

Notable Quotes

• “In the aftermath... President Trump was, quote, ‘mad as a murder hornet’ that Noem claimed he approved the $200 million ads contract.” [23:47]
• “We need to secure our border. We’ve had an incredible success rate doing so so far. And I’m hopeful that Markwayne Mullin... will continue with that success.” – Ted Cruz [27:47]

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3. Texas Election Night: Upsets, Run-offs, and the Big Stakes

[28:06 – 36:20]

Key Points and Insights

• House Races: Cruz’s Endorsed Candidates Win:
  Multiple candidates personally endorsed (including former staff and close friends) won their primary races, setting up likely new GOP congressmembers from Texas.

  • “Jessica Steinman... won decisively. She is going to be... the next Republican congressmember from Houston.” [28:57]
  • “Chris Gober... won his primary decisively... from Central Texas.”
  • “John Bonk... is a close friend... very likely to win.” [29:44]

• Personal Reflections and Vulnerabilities:
  Ben and Cruz reflect on the “personal” nature of victories when the people are friends and former staff.

  • “Willie, who’s John Bonk’s father in law, is one of my two or three closest friends on planet Earth. And I love him. He’s a good man.” – Ted Cruz [30:18]

• Dan Crenshaw’s Defeat:

  • Cruz rarely endorses against incumbents, but made an exception for Crenshaw, whom he felt “lost his way.” Notable for a personal confrontation:
    • “We were on a plane landing in D.C. and... Dan began screaming and cursing at me.” – Ted Cruz [33:40]
    • “If I come after you, I promise you, you’ll know. Like, it will not be subtle. It will not be hidden.” – Ted Cruz [34:23]

• Senate Race: Cornyn vs. Paxton Runoff:

  • “The most expensive primary in American history.”
  • Trump expected to endorse, making the already bitter contest even more heated.

• Dangerous Democrat Challenger:
  Concern over Democrat James Talarico, described as radical but appearing moderate.

  • “He masks his radicalism in reasonable sounding, soft language. He masks it in the language of a pastor. It's incredibly deceptive and dishonest, but that makes it dangerous.” – Ted Cruz [36:05]

Notable Quotes and Anecdotes

• “In 14 years in the Senate, you were the only House member who’s ever screamed and cursed at me on an airplane. And that includes all the Democrats.” – Ted Cruz [34:23]
• “This primary is better and nasty... it is, to date, the most expensive primary in American history.” [35:21]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Main Topic | Start | |---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|---------| | Iran Attacks Neighbors | Iran’s escalation, nuclear fears, US policy | 00:49 | | Strait of Hormuz Threats | Oil/shipping risks, airspace closures | 13:00 | | DHS Shake-up | Noem’s ouster, Kennedy questioning, Mullin in | 17:35 | | TX Primaries | Endorsements, Crenshaw defeat, Senate runoff | 28:06 |

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Final Thoughts

This episode delivers an insider’s review of the week’s political turbulence, combining direct policy critique, personal narrative, and a strongly held conservative perspective. Standout moments include Ted Cruz’s candid warnings about Iran, the breakdown of intra-party cabinet dramas, and vivid storytelling from the Texas electoral battlefield.

For listeners seeking the real pulse of conservative politics, this episode is essential.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Co-host/Interviewer]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, A week IN review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, a ranch and doing everything wrong. Now attacking countries all around them. So what does that mean for the region and the escalation of this war? Also, a big shakeup of the Department of Homeland Security as Kristi Noem is out. Who's replacing her? We'll give you the background. And finally, it was election night in America. A big primary on Tuesday, and a lot of big things happening in Texas. We break it all down for you. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Well, let's go back to the Middle

[Ben Ferguson]

east for a moment.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

One of the things that we talk about, you know, the ayatollah and his team, they're homicidal and you could also even say suicidal in their obsession with killing, you know, innocent people in their own country, going after Americans, going after Israelis as well. But one of the things that I was even a little bit shocked by was how quickly they decided to bring in every other country on the side of Israel in the US by attacking these other Middle Eastern nations around them that weren't involved. Right. They were. They were outside.

[Ted Cruz]

I.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Were you as shocked as I was that they just decided, all right, like, whoever's still left standing, let's just go after Bahrain, let's go after Qatar, let's go after, I mean, the list is pretty long now of countries they've attacked. And now they brought them into the fold. I mean, that, that to me just seems like a suicidal mission on their part.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. I will admit I was surprised by that. There's been a lot of public reporting that suggested that other Middle Eastern nations were discouraging President Trump from going after Iran, I'm a little bit skeptical of that. I have not recently had those conversations with other Middle Eastern nations, but I've had many conversations with the Saudis, uae, Bahrain, and they have always been very focused on, number one, doing everything necessary to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The Saudis have said publicly if Iran ever got a nuclear weapon, that they would do everything possible to get a nuke themselves to defend themselves from Iran. And so I don't know if it's true or not that in the recent weeks, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries were urging Trump not to attack. But I do know that Iran's behavior. So they fired missiles and sent drones and had attacks at almost every single Arab country all throughout the Middle East. So they've attacked Saudi Arabia, they've attacked uae, they've attacked Kuwait, they've attacked Qatar, they've attacked Bahrain, they've attacked Jordan. And we've seen statements from many of those other Middle Eastern countries, mostly Arab countries, expressing, condemning, condemning Iran's response. And, you know, in my view, they're just indiscriminately firing abroad.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

And.

[Ted Cruz]

And I think their reasoning was that if the United States and. Or Israel hit them, that they wanted to make it as painful as possible for the entirety of the region. What they have ensured is, is that there's basically nobody standing up and siding with the Iranians. They're demonstrating, essentially, they're willing to kill anybody and everybody. I got to say, that's also a really powerful illustration. If that's what they do now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What would they have done with a nuclear weapon?

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. Can you imagine how much worse if they had a nuclear weapon? And during the whole go back to Obama and the debates on Obama's terrible Iran nuclear deal, I always said most of the debate rotated around, well, if they had a nuclear weapon, it would change the balance of power, it would make them more aggressive, they would fund more terrorism. And I always said, look, that's the best case scenario. The best case scenario is a horrible situation. The worst case is that they would actually use the nuclear weapon. And everyone operates under an assumption, well, having a nuclear weapon doesn't mean you use it. Listen, when the Ayatollah chants, death to Israel and death to America.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

I believe him when he calls Israel the little Satan and America the Great Satan, I believe him. And I think the odds are unacceptably high. I don't know what they were, but they were unacceptably high that the Ayatollah, if He had a nuclear weapon. Weapon would detonate it maybe in Tel Aviv or maybe in New York or Los Angeles. And I don't want to wake up and discover, oh, the predictions were wrong because we have a mushroom cloud and hundreds of thousands or even millions of Americans being killed. The reason. And by the way, I've got to say, a lot of the news reporting is challenging. Why would Trump do this attack? You heard Margaret Brennan there say, say Trump campaigned on.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

On.

[Ted Cruz]

On. On not getting in wars. I did after Face the Nation. I also did State of the Union with Dana Bash. And, And Dana Bash asked a question of me. She said, you know, President Trump campaigned on. On no more wars. And, and, and I, in my response, I said, well, Dana, you actually misquoted what the President said. What the president said was, no more.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Referring to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Ben Ferguson]

Totally.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And troops on the ground. This completely different doctrine. You can tell.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And I said, listen, we're not going to see troops on the ground in Iran. We're not gonna see hundreds of thousands of Americans there for an extended period of time. I don't think we'll see that at all. That is very different. And I said, look, there are isolationists who want America to withdraw from the world. Donald Trump has never been an isolationist, and he is acting to protect America. This is America first. The reason we are striking Iran right now is because the odds are unacceptably high. Iran has already killed nearly a thousand Americans, and they have every desire to kill more. As I told the president driving in the Beast, I said, if the Ayatollah could kill the two of us right now, he would. The only thing that is preventing him is that he's not able to, because he is trying to. And so if we have an opportunity to take out this regime. And look, my hope is we see a new government in Iran that wants to be friends with America, that would make this country massively safer. Removing these psychopaths from power and replacing them with anything resembling a normal government would massively improve the safety of every American.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Two questions to wrap things up. Number one, I thought it was really interesting to see the compare and contrast of the women standing up for themselves in Iran on the streets, risking their lives, while women in America were actually standing up angry at America for going into Iran. We saw that in New York City, for example. We saw it in some other college campuses. The disconnect from reality from some of these leftists is amazing. I want to get your take on that real quick. And then also I want to Talk about the possible closing Strait of Hormuz and what that means and what America's role could be in that as well.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. So today, Comrade Mandami put out a statement that I want to read to you. Today's military strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation of an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities, killing civilians, opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace. I am focused on making sure every New Yorker is safe. I've been in contact with our police commissioner and emergency management officials. We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of consciousness. Caution. Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers. You are part of the fabric of this city. You are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here. Look, this is Comrade Mandami cheering for the Ayatollah.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Because they are both jihadists and they both want to see the Great Satan of America. They want to see this country fundamentally change and to become an Islamic caliphate. That was the Ayatollah's objective. That was. That, sadly, I believe, is Comrade Mandami's objective. And I want to contrast that with the reaction of protesters, Iranians like his line to Iranians, you will be safe here. I know a great many Iranians. Every Iranian I know hates the regime, is cheering. And I want you to watch in particular, this scene that played out on the ground in Austin, Texas. And a CBS News reporter who was told, don't cover the protests celebrating the Ayatollah being killed. Cover that up. And this brave reporter didn't do that. Give a listen. Give a watch. All right.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It's incredible there. And again, for people that can't see the video, you have this Austin CBS reporter. He was handed the phone from his cameraman, and he reads it, and he's like, what does that mean? And the cameraman responds, they don't want us to focus on this. And this brave local reporter said, all right, well, I am. And now it's out there on the Internet of him having this moment.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's sad that you've got to be

[Co-host/Interviewer]

this brave in America at a local affiliate to report the news, which was the news that you had people celebrating and waving American flags and Iranian flags and standing up for the people, the innocent people in Iran. And they're like, no, no, no. We don't want you to focus on that at cbs.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, this is happening all, all over the country, all over America. It's happening on the ground, on the streets of Iran. It's happening around the world. You know, Kamala Harris today put out a statement, quote, donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear. I am opposed to a regime change war in Iran. And our troops are being put in harm's way for the sake of Trump's war of choice. Now, I will tell you, I responded to her on, on X and I said, your administration gave over $100 billion to Choice to the Ayatollah who kept killing Americans. We know you're sad that your friend isn't with us anymore. Look, the Democrat Party was all in, in support of the Ayatollah. Now, sometimes they pretended they weren't, but when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sent over $100 billion, flowed that money into the Ayatollah, they funded his terror. The Obama Iran nuclear deal was designed to inevitably lead to a nuclear Iran, to the Ayatollah with nuclear weapons. And so this is, I'll tell you. And folks that deal with conflict in the Middle east and that deal with foreign policy frequently refer to Iran as, quote, the head of the snake. Why do they call it the head of the snake? Because it is what is leading and directing and funding the vast majority of the terrorism. You see, without Iran, Hamas has no resources. Without Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis have no resources. And so what, what President Trump is doing here is, is being a strong commander in chief and making Americans safer.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Final question on the story of the Hormuz and the reality of what's happening there. Give us your, your thoughts and perspective on that and what, what you think can happen moving forward.

[Ted Cruz]

So we don't know that there is reporting that the Iranians may have mined the Straits of Hormuz. We don't have an answer to that right now. Right now, there's not shipping, there are not ships going through the Straits of Hormuz until it is determined whether or not they have mined it.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And to be clear, that's significant. People just don't understand how important that is. A significant amount of oil world supply goes through there.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

So right now, that is shut down. By the way, right now, civilian air traffic is shut down throughout the Middle East. You can't get on an airline and fly into and out of most of the cities in the Middle east because you've got Missiles flying everywhere. And so all of the countries have understandably shut their airspace down. And so I am confident that we will have minesweepers go into the Straits of Hormuz. That may be happening now, I don't know. And examine and determine if their mines there. But at least right now, you're not seeing ships go through there because these guys are just crazy enough to have put mines there. And so no one wants to risk it until it's determined one way or another whether it's safe.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast

[Ben Ferguson]

from earlier this week.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I want you to pause what you're doing for just one minute, and I want you to hear about Alejandra. She lives in a remote community with very few resources and little to no health care. So when Alejandra gets sick, her parents have no real options, no doctors in their community, and no money for real medical care. By the third day, her body was shutting down. She woke up and just long enough to tell her, mom, I can't take the pain anymore. I can't keep going. Her parents drove hours to find a doctor who tried everything, but she needed a private hospital, and that was impossible for her family to afford. And that is when Compassion International stepped in. Now, through Compassion, Alejandra was treated. And against all odds, she survived. She lived because someone just like you took action. Right now, unfortunately, there are children just like Alejandra who won't survive unless someone like you steps in. Compassion International partners with local churches, providing children with the support that they need. Critical medical care, plus food, education, and the hope of the gospel, all in Jesus name. So help a child just like Alejandra. Today you can visit compassion.com that's compassion.com

[Ben Ferguson]

having just come back from Israel, I want to paint you a picture. It's midnight. Sirens are blaring, and you have only seconds to grab your child and run. Now, imagine you're elderly. Your legs don't work like they used to. Getting downstairs feels impossible. And after all of that, you end up in a bomb shelter for hours, even days, because you can't make the trek again. This is what's happening across Israel as Operation Epic Fury continues. Children are being traumatized, families are just exhausted, and homes have been destroyed. And that's why the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is there on the ground, bringing food, emergency equipment, care for those children and help for the elderly, and supplying the bomb shelters and medical centers for critically needed essentials. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to stand for Israel and stand for good against evil. This is it. And that's why I'm asking you to now please act. Give $45 right now to rush life saving essentials to the vulnerables under fire. You can also call 888-488-ICFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ. Join me and give and make a real difference [e-mail] that's ifcj.org when you

[Podcast Host]

manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Granger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Now on to story number two.

[Ben Ferguson]

There was a shakeup. You don't want to ever be the first one to be a cabinet secretary to get the boot, but it was pretty clear. Christy knows got the boot. This week, one of your colleagues is going to take over at Department of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Moen. I want to get your take on all of that.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Well, the president announced this week that he was removing Kristi Noem from Secretary of DHS and replacing her with Mark Wayne Mullen. I have to say, this was not much of a surprise to anyone watching closely. Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. I was part of that hearing. I questioned her on it. The questioning was bumpy and she got. The Democrats, of course, went after her hard, but a number of Republicans went after her hard as well. And I have to say one of those that was the most effective was my friend and colleague from Louisiana, John Kennedy. John has been on this podcast and he's someone who's a good friend of mine. I want to play John Kennedy's cross examination of Kristi Noem because this proved very consequential cross examination. Give a listen.

[Senator John Kennedy]

How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently, Sir.

[Kristi Noem]

The president tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from with, with putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them and they'd not get the chance to come back to America the right way. That has been extremely effective.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Ask you to run these advertisements, is that right?

[Kristi Noem]

We had that conversation, yes. Before I was put in this position and sworn in and confirmed, and since then as well.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Okay. Did you. Did you bid out those. Those service contracts?

[Kristi Noem]

Yes, they did. They went out to a competitive bid. And career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.

[Senator John Kennedy]

And the people that you ended up picking were people who had formerly done your political work back in South Dakota, is that right?

[Kristi Noem]

No, that's not correct, sir. No, it's not, sir. We, the individuals who, I believe the careers who they chose were two different media firms. There's been conversation about their subcontractors, but we have no legal authority to look into subcontractors on work like that.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Okay, and you're saying that you're testifying that President Trump approved this ahead of time. Is that my understanding?

[Kristi Noem]

We had conversations about making sure that we were telling people, no, ma', am, I'm asking you.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Sorry to interrupt, but the President approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently.

[Kristi Noem]

Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes. Did it, correct?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yes, he did.

[Kristi Noem]

Yes.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Okay.

[Kristi Noem]

And one thing, Senator, I think would be helpful to know is how effective that communications has been that overwhelming effective

[Senator John Kennedy]

in your name recognition. I mean, I personally just. I mean, to me, it puts the President in a terribly awkward spot. And it. And I just. I'm not saying you're not telling the truth. It's just hard for me to believe, knowing the President as I do, that you said, Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and, and I'm going to spend $220 million running them. That he would have agreed to that. I don't think Russ Vogt at OMB would have agreed to that. It's something we have to defend. I'm on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out, that you pick. In fact, one of the people you picked, the strategy group. I'm sorry, Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them, and that the strategy group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson. I'm. Look, we all have friends who are qualified. I'm not quibbling with that. I'm just. It troubles me quarter fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money when we're scratching for every penny and we're fighting over rescission packages. I just can't agree with Madam Secretary. Are you still running those ads, Senator?

[Kristi Noem]

I did not have anything to do with picking those contractors. I know politicals at the Department of Homeland Security did it. I understand. Are you sure officials followed the competitive bid process.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Are you still.

[Kristi Noem]

Everything was. I think the ads are due to end here in March. I think within a week. The one that is running is focusing on angel families. Have you seen that? It is the one that's talking about. This is our. Why. This is why we work. Every day is for the angel families and their victims.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator. It was, it was not, not a good showing there for, for her. And you know, your colleague there, Senator Kennedy, asking questions I think a lot of Americans care about. The president's also come out saying she did not run this by him. And the amount of money being spent either, that also didn't work well for her either.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Well, and that's something that John Kennedy pointed out. He said in the aftermath. He said that President Trump was, quote, mad as a murder hornet that Noem claimed He approved the $200 million ADS contract. And listen, John is a good friend of mine. I talked to him today on the Senate floor and I just. The number of nominees that his cross examinations have taken out is quite remarkable. And I think it was John Kennedy's cross examination that was pivotal in the decision to shift from Christie. Look, I like Christie personally. I had dinner with her just a few weeks ago. And I do think the results of the Department of Homeland Security in terms of securing the border have been very effective. And so that is beneficial. I think John Kennedy's line of questioning here was fair and it was, it was incredibly effective. I also think, and we've talked about this on the podcast before, that the messaging from the administration, particularly following the shooting of two different Americans in Minneapolis, that the messaging was wrong and it did real damage. That I think the messaging was, look, anytime an American citizen is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement, it's a tragedy. And we should see our officials acknowledging it's a tragedy. We should see our officials saying, listen, if there's an officer involved shooting, there's going to be an investigation. We're going to examine what happened and determine what exactly caused it. And instead, the rhetoric immediately leaped to really aggressive rhetoric, calling both of the individuals using language like terrorists and seeking mass murder. And that was hard to square with the facts of what occurred. I think that rhetoric did damage to the administration, and I think it was one of the things that contributed to the decision of the President to shift from Kristi Noem as the leader of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Mullen. Mark Wayne, I've served with him in the Senate. He, he's a good guy. He's someone the President trusts. I think he will be confirmed. I think it will be a party line vote in the Senate. We may get John Fetterman, but I would be surprised if any other Democrat votes for him. So my prediction is the vote on Mark Wayne Mullen will be 54 to 46. That 46 Democrats will vote now. And I think Mark Wayne, look, there are advantages to being an experienced elected official. He was a House member. He's been a senator. I'm hopeful that he will bring a level of professionalism and effectiveness. The results of DHS have been quite strong. But. But I do think that the testimony that Secretary Noem gave, it was not an easy day for her. And I think John Kennedy, Thom Tillis also lit into her really hard. But I think the Kennedy cross examination was more significant. There's been quite a bit of reporting that the President was unhappy that she said that he knew about the ad she had run. And I don't have independent knowledge of that. But, but, but I don't have reason to doubt that reporting. Yeah. And so, look, we need to secure our border. We've had an incredible success rate doing so so far. And I'm hopeful that Bark Wade Mullen coming in will continue with that success and continue to keep our family safe as before.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

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. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was Election Day on Tuesday in America. It was a very big election day in Texas. There was certainly some upsets on the House side. There's a lot of people around the country watching Dan Crenshaw's race. He lost that race to someone that you endorsed. That was a big one. That was. I was on national TV talking about over and over again. And then there's obviously the Senate race that's happening as well, that's now gone into a runoff between two people that you know well, your colleague in the Senate and also Ken Paxton. So we're gonna have to wait and see how that plays out as well. But then there's also the Democrat running against whoever wins that runoff. And this is a guy that Democrats are real excited about. He's talented. He's radical, he's extreme, but he comes across like a very moderate guy if you listen to him today.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Well, we had primary day in Texas this, this week, and it was highly consequential. Number one, there were a number of House candidates who I endorsed who prevailed. We had one Jessica Steinman, who was my former regional director in Houston. She won decisively the Republican primary. She is going to be in all likelihood the next Republican congressmember from Houston. We had another Chris Gober, who's been my lawyer for 10 years. He won his primary decisively. He's going to be a new Republican congressman from Central Texas. We had another John Bonk, who I endorsed, who is a close friend. He is the son in law of one of my closest friends in the world, who's been my national finance chairman

[Ben Ferguson]

for years, by the way. That was a fun night. Let's take a moment and talk about

[Co-host/Interviewer]

how fun that was.

[Ben Ferguson]

So you were obviously in D.C. but I went to the victory party and it's fun to see someone that you and I know personally and the smile on your dear friend Willie's face. And even Heidi was there as well, your wife. It was really a cool evening to see someone work hard and win. I know you had to have a really that had to feel personal to you.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

So Willie, who's John Bonk's father in law, is one of my two or three closest friends on planet Earth. And I love him.

[Ted Cruz]

He's a good man.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

He's a principled man. He's a concern conservative. He's a godly man.

[Ted Cruz]

He's someone who frankly, I rely on

[Guest/Political Commentator]

for advice, for spiritual counseling. We pray together, we talk together. And

[Ted Cruz]

John is very likely to win.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

He did not clear 50%. So unfortunately there's going to be a runoff, but I think he's going to prevail. I actually did a rally for him just a week ago. And in the middle of the rally,

[Ted Cruz]

Wallace had several hundred people there rallying for him. I got the chance to announce from

[Guest/Political Commentator]

the stage while I was up there that President Trump had endorsed him. That was a very cool moment. We knew it was likely to come.

[Ted Cruz]

I thought there was a chance that Trump would call on the cell phone. If he had called, I would have

[Guest/Political Commentator]

put the cell phone up to the microphone and let him announce it to the whole crowd.

[Ted Cruz]

Instead, I got to announce and the crowd went nuts. That was really gratifying to have three

[Guest/Political Commentator]

people who are two who are members of my team and have been employees and another who's a very close friend to See three new likely members of Congress coming. That was a big deal. We also had Don Huffines, who I endorsed for comptroller in a statewide position in Texas that won decisively. That was a big victory. And then you noted Dan Crenshaw. Look, in my 14 years in the Senate, I almost never endorse against Republican incumbents. And there's a reason. If you're serving in the Senate, if you're working in Congress, if you're endorsing against your colleagues, it makes it very hard to get anything done.

[Ted Cruz]

Like that makes lifelong enemies.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

And so you just have to be really reluctant to do so. I endorse in open races, but I almost never endorse in races against Republican incumbents. I've made two exceptions in 14 years. The first was Liz Cheney, because Liz Cheney lost her mind and became a radical leftist who hated President Trump. And so I endorsed her opponent, Harriet Hageman, who beat her and is getting ready to be the new senator from Wyoming now. And then I did it again for Dan Crenshaw for much the same reason, because he had really lost his way. He had gotten angry with his constituents. There were multiple instances in which he yelled. There was one instance where he yelled at a 14 year old girl and just got angry. In this race, there's a very good friend of mine who's been a longtime supporter and close friend who was supporting Dan's opponent. And Dan decided to just light him up. This is a banker, a private citizen in Texas, and Dan decided to go after him personally. And I gotta say, that pissed me off. He's a close friend of mine and I didn't like Dan just attacking him directly. And so I endorsed his opponent, Steve Toth. Steve Toth has been a state legislator for a number of years. He's a very strong conservative. And it ended up that Steve Toth won and won decisively, won by a big margin. And that was a little bit of a cannon shot.

[Ted Cruz]

You know, I will say Dan also.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

Oh, a couple of months ago, we were on a plane landing in D.C. and in the Jetway, walking off, Dan began screaming and cursing at me. And it was really a little unhinged. And he was like, why are you coming after me? And I was like, well, I'm not. And he was mad that, that supporters of mine were supporting his opponents. And look, I don't control what my supporters do. They're individuals who have free choice. But he was literally screaming and cursing at me. And I told him at the time, I said, dan, if I come after you, I promise you, you'll know.

[Ted Cruz]

Like, it will not be subtle. It will not be hidden.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

You will have full awareness of it. But I told him afterwards, I said, Listen, in 14 years in the Senate, you were the only House member who's ever screamed and cursed at me on an airplane. And that includes all the Democrats. And so it just pushed me beyond the edge. And the voters of Texas decided that he was not reflecting their conservative values. And so they've elected Steve Toth, will be a great member of Congress, will be a strong conservative. Now we've got the Senate race, The Senate race. There is a runoff between John Cornyn, my colleague right now, and Ken Paxton, the Attorney General. Both of them I know very well. Both of them are friends of mine. Both of them I've worked together closely with for years. I've endorsed both of them in the past. I've campaigned with both of them in the past.

[Ted Cruz]

And I gotta say, this primary is better and nasty. Look, it is, to date, the most

[Guest/Political Commentator]

expensive primary in American history.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

And John and Ken really dislike each other. And so it is going to be brutal. It is going to be ugly. I don't know how it's going to resolve. President Trump tweeted out this week that he is going to make an endorsement.

[Ted Cruz]

He is not yet.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

So we'll see what the President decides to do on this.

[Ted Cruz]

But I will say at the same

[Guest/Political Commentator]

time, the Democrats nominated a guy named James Talarico as a state rep. And this guy is dangerous. He's an ordained minister, he's a radical, he's a hardcore leftist, and will in subsequent podcasts break down just how radical and extreme his record is. But what makes him dangerous is he sounds reasonable.

[Ted Cruz]

He masks.

[Guest/Political Commentator]

He masks his radicalism in reasonable sounding, soft language. He masks it in the language of a pastor. It's. It's incredibly deceptive and dishonest, but that makes it dangerous.

[Ted Cruz]

And so we got a real fight

[Guest/Political Commentator]

in Texas, and I don't know what the result will be.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

As always, thank you for listening to

[Ben Ferguson]

Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

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.

[Ben Ferguson]

I'd love to have you as a

[Co-host/Interviewer]

listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast, and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.