← The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Pro-Hamas Protestors Sweep America & Dems Yawn plus Bombshell Whistleblower Exposes Radical Bias at NPR
00:36:24
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- [00:01]
Ted Cruz
Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And Senator, it seems to be a whole other explosion of anti American rhetoric and many Americans now that are saying around the country that they're supporting Hamas and Palestinians over Israel altogether.
- [00:19]
Ben Ferguson
Well, that's right. It's really a growing trend of anti Israel, pro Hamas protests, in many instances anti American protests. We're seeing them in Dearborn, Michigan. We're seeing them in the United States Senate. And sadly in today's day Democrat Party, they're unable to distance themselves or condemn them because more and more it's the heart of the Democrat Party. We're going to talk about that in depth on today's pod. We're also going to get into a really stunning expose of NPR that came out from a senior journalist at NPR who described the pervasive media bias, the dishonesty, the propagandizing that NPR does on the taxpayer's dime. And it really is revealing of what has happened to our corporate media. We're going to get into that in depth.
- [01:03]
Ted Cruz
Yeah, it's going to be very interesting for people to hear that exactly what's going on and what he had to say kind of whistleblowing on npr. In essence, I want to tell you about my friends at Patriot Mobile. If you're like me and you are sick and tired of giving your money to woke companies, you've got to make the switch to Patriot Mobile. Don't give your money to companies that are fighting against your values, fighting against your conservative values, fighting against your Christian values. And that is exactly why I switched to Patriot Mobile. They are the only American Christian conservative wireless provider. And when I say only, I mean it. Now Patriot Mobile is actually fighting for the causes you believe in. They take a portion of your bill every month at no charge to you. And they actually stand with organizations that support free speech, religious freedom, support the sanctity of life, our second Amendment, as well as supporting our military, our veterans, our first responder heroes and our wounded warriors. Now why is that such an important point? Well, you may not realize it, but Big Mobile gives massive donations to places like Planned Parenthood and to Democratic causes and organizations, organizations and candidates running at the local, state and the national level. So if you don't want your money going to support the left, then get away from commies that support them and switch your cell phone right now to Patriot Mobile. If you have a small business or you've got multiple lines, they have a group that deals with just switching over small businesses as well. They have 100 US based customer service team and it makes switching so easy. You keep your same number, keep your same cell phone you've got or upgrade if you want to. Their, their team will also find you the best plan for your needs and save you cash. Go right now and get free activation by using the promo code verdict. Patriotmobile.com verdict is the website that's patriotmobile.com verdict or just call them 972 Patriot join me. Make the switch today. 972 Patriot promo code verdict get free activation 972 Patriot all right, Senator, I want to talk about what this trend is and it is one that is not going away of these pro Hamas protesters and protests that are happening all over the country. It seems to be organized and it seems that this is really a part of the Democratic Party now and part of their apparatus.
- [03:19]
Ben Ferguson
Well, it's getting much, much worse. We saw in this past week a huge protest in Dearborn, Michigan. Dearborn, Michigan has the largest Muslim population in the country and unfortunately it has a very high population of radicals there. And this was a rally they were having. It was an anti Israel rally where they were chanting Death to Israel. And they were chanting Death to America. And this is really stunning. This is in America. These are presumably Americans or at least they're living here. We don't know if they're here legally or not. But, but, but here, give a listen to some of what they were saying at this anti American rally.
- [04:06]
Tarek Bazi
Malcolm X said, and I quote, we live in one of the rottenest countries that have ezra that has ever existed on this earth. It's not genocide, Joe, that has to go. It's the entire system that has to go. Any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen and would support it. Such a system does not deserve to exist on God's earth.
- [04:31]
Ted Cruz
Senator, not only were these anti Israel activists heard chanting Death to America, they were also chanting Death to Israel and saying that we don't have a right to exist and we're the worst country in the world. We should be wiped off the face of the earth. This is happening in Michigan.
- [04:45]
Ben Ferguson
Sadly, that's exactly right. The person speaking there is Dearborn activist Tarek Bazi, who has told the crowd, quote, that the chant Death to Israel has become the most logical chant across the world today. And he went on to explain, he said, Imam Khomeini, the Ayatollah who declared International Al Quds Day, this is what he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shots upon the head, America. And by the way he's saying that about the former Iranian ayatollah as chance of death to America started from the crowd. And at that point, this is when he says, it's not genocide, Joe, that has to go. It's the entire system that has to go. And he goes on to say it's.
- [05:37]
Ted Cruz
Not only that, it's the fact that he also is sitting there in the greatest country in the world saying this, and the cameras are catching it while he is saying that America should cease to exist. And this is happening in Democratic Representative Rashid Tlaib's area, where she represents. And she will not come out and condemn this either.
- [05:54]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, no, that's exactly right. And if you listen to what else this activist said at the rally, he said any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen and would support it, such a system does not deserve to exist on God's earth. So he's saying the American government does not deserve to exist on God's earth. He goes on to say, quote, so when these fools ask us if Israel has a right to exist, the chant Death to Israel has become the most logical chant across the world today. And at that point, his supporters began cheering, chanting, death to Israel. Death to Israel. This is who these radicals are. And as you noted, Rashida Tlaib is an elected member of Congress. She is a member of the United States House of Representatives. She was asked what she thought about radicals, radicals who support her chanting Death to America. And listen to her response, believe Fox News.
- [06:52]
Tarek Bazi
I don't talk to Fox News.
- [06:54]
Rashida Tlaib
At a rally in your district, people were chanting, death to America. Do you condemn?
- [06:59]
Ben Ferguson
Talk to Fox News.
- [07:00]
Rashida Tlaib
Do you condemn? Chants of Death to America.
- [07:03]
Tarek Bazi
I don't talk to people that use racist tropes.
- [07:07]
Rashida Tlaib
Why can't you just say whether or not you condemn people chanting Death to me. Why are you afraid to talk to Fox News?
- [07:13]
Tarek Bazi
Is not listen.
- [07:16]
Ben Ferguson
Using racist tropes towards my community is.
- [07:18]
Tarek Bazi
What Fox News is about. I don't talk to Fox News.
- [07:21]
Rashida Tlaib
It's Death to America. Racist. Is chanting Death to America racist talking.
- [07:27]
Tarek Bazi
About your guys's racist tropes?
- [07:29]
Ben Ferguson
You know, you guys are. You guys know exactly what you do.
- [07:31]
Tarek Bazi
I know you're Islamophobic, but you guys got to go deal with it on your own self. You're not going to use me.
- [07:37]
Ted Cruz
There it is. Representative Rashid Tlaib saying she will not condemn Death to America chants because Fox News was asking her is the excuse, which I think really comes back to what she believes.
- [07:49]
Ben Ferguson
Sadly, this is more and more the Entire Democrat Party. The terrifying thing is the people screaming death to America. The people screaming death to Israel. Yes, that's the base of Rashida Tlaib. That's who elected her. Yes, that's the base of aoc. Yes, that's the base of Ilhan Omar. That's the base of the squad. But understand, it's not just them. That's who Chuck Schumer is listening to. That's who Joe Biden is listening to. That's who Nancy Pelosi is listening to. That's the thing that's really frightening. You look at these extreme fringes. They are driving the so called mainstream of the Democrat Party. It was Chuck Schumer who demanded Benjamin Netanyahu be thrown out of office. It was Joe Biden who led a resolution in the UN effectively condemning Israel. It was Nancy Pelosi who signed a letter demanding that we cut off military funding to Israel. And you know why they're doing it? They're doing it because of the angry mobs chanting Death to America and death to Israel.
- [08:53]
Ted Cruz
So there's also another part of this that's a really weird dynamic and that is how the Democrats are allowing so much of this rhetoric to make it into the halls in Congress. You had Gaza protesters repeatedly interrupted the Senate hearing with Pentagon leaders and it doesn't seem to be condemned by the leadership who are in charge on the Senate side. You also had protesters shouting at senators saying that the Senate can't eat until Gaza eats, blocking the cafeteria so that in theory senators wouldn't be able to eat. They were doing this while they were blocking the hallways and going into the cafeteria. Take, take a listen to these chants again in the hallways of Congress. I mean, they have completely infiltrated the Senate this week with some of these protests and yet you don't see any of the leaders saying, hey, you guys can't stop the business of the American people. They're letting them basically run the show.
- [09:59]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, no, that's exactly right. They're shouting down hearings. And I want you to play the audio of what they did in the Senate cafeteria. Now, I will note the Senate cafeteria is actually not senators. It's not where members eat, but it's where Senate staff eats. And so there are lots of Senate staffers that are down there. It's where they go get lunch most days. And a bunch of pro Hamas protesters came in chanting and take a listen to this because this is happening and it's being allowed to just shut things down. And by the way, this is not outside on the Public streets. You can have protests on the public streets. This is inside of the Capitol office buildings, inside of the cafeteria. And it's being allowed by Senate leadership because these are their base. And so give a listen.
- [10:47]
Unknown Activist
We are. We are Christians for free Palestine. Christians for free Palestine. We are here. We are here to pray for the food of Gaza. To pray for the food of Gaza. Not bombs. Not bombs. Our scriptures say. Our scriptures say, woe to you. Woe to you. Eat while others go hungry. Who eat while others go hungry. And woe to you and woe to you. For there is famine in Gaza. For there is famine in Gaza. Congress and their staff will not eat today. Congress and yourself will not eat today until Gaza East.
- [11:35]
Ben Ferguson
Anybody?
- [11:35]
Unknown Activist
Leader of the group AID to us.
- [11:51]
Ted Cruz
Now, Senator, I just got to ask, did you eat because they said you weren't going to eat?
- [11:56]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, I actually ate. And where they were is not actually where senators eat. I'm not aware of whether staff was stopped from eating or not, but they.
- [12:04]
Ted Cruz
Said that you wanted.
- [12:04]
Ben Ferguson
And by the way, look at, look at the end. They said, they said, they said, restore aid to unwra. UNRA is of course, the UN agency that it's now been reported had multiple Hamas terrorists working for it that actually participated in the October 7th mass murder. These people call themselves Christians for Palestine. You know what? I don't know of any Christians who excuse mass murder. I don't know of any Christians who excuse mass rape. The idea that they pretend to wrap themselves in faith while demonstrating the absolute evil, barbarism. Listen, I have watched the videos and I gotta say, when I talk to these young lefties who are so ignorant, they're so sure of what they think and they don't know a damn thing. I've watched the videos. I saw 138 people being murdered. I've seen the photographs where these monsters, they raped little girls, they raped women, they cut off their breasts, they cut off their genitals, they burned them, they penetrated them with knives and foreign objects. It is grotesque and evil. And the fact that they're in there feeling all self righteous on behalf of those terrorists, I really don't have words to speak and listen. Part of having judgment is recognizing the difference between good and evil. And the Hamas terrorists who carried out October 7th are the embodiment of evil. And what are those guys chanting? Give money to Unruh. Which included those Hamas terrorists. That is the phrase useful idiots doesn't even begin to cover that.
- [13:38]
Ted Cruz
There's also, I think, a second phase that is happening. And it Seems to be, as I mentioned earlier, organized around the country. But ABC News had to report that there were bags with anti Semitic messages as well as unidentified substances found on cars and buildings in Lincoln Park. The Chicago police say they're investigating this after these dozens of anti Semitic messages were found on cars and on buildings. And it's not the first time Lingen park residents that woke up this week that saw this disturbing image, these Ziploc bags containing these anti Semitic messages and what appears to be a clear escalation. This is from ABC7. And an unidentified substance that some believe may have been rat poison. On every doorstep coming up the street, there were these bags. I picked up a few of them. One of the. One of the people in the neighborhood said and was horrified to see what they were. And of course my four year old was, mommy, what is that? It just broke my heart. I didn't know what to tell him, said one of the local residents. And this was in an area where there are a lot of Jewish people that live.
- [14:43]
Ben Ferguson
Sadly, we're seeing this across the country. We're seeing this in Jewish neighborhoods. We're seeing this in New York City, we're seeing this in Chicago, we're seeing this all across the country. And we're seeing this especially on university campuses. And I have to say, many of the campus administrators are not willing to act to protect their Jewish students. I will tell you, Ben, one of the saddest things. I've talked with many of my friends who are Jewish, who have kids who are in college, and over and over and over again they've reported that their kids are afraid for their physical safety. That's not right. Look, it is any university's obligation to protect the safety of every one of their students. And the fact that there are so many Jewish students facing threats of violence, facing harassment, facing, Facing vicious anti Semitism with the college campuses, the administrators and the protesters, at a minimum, turning a blind eye to it in many ways, tacitly, or even explicitly agreeing with it. It is a sign of an enormous corruption that has just infiltrated the left in a way. Look, I would actually like a strong and vibrant Democrat party. I think it's good for our country, it's good for our democratic process to have two healthy parties where you have real and substantive debate. We don't have that right now. The Democrat party is becoming radicalized at a level that is dangerous. And I will tell you, as I travel Texas, I do with some regularity encounter people who tell me, they say, listen, I was a Democrat, I Used to be a Democrat. And I'm seeing this anti Israel hate. I'm seeing this anti Semitism, and I can't support a party that welcomes and supports that. That is really bad for the country and really bad for the Democrat Party. And I wonder, are there any Democrats with the courage to speak out against it? We've seen John Fetterman, and in many ways, the fact that John Fetterman is doing so, it stands out because nobody else is. Is there not one other elected Democrat?
- [16:54]
Ted Cruz
Yes, I'm glad you mentioned.
- [16:55]
Ben Ferguson
No, no, God bless John Fetterman.
- [16:57]
Ted Cruz
Yeah. John Fetterman has really not backed down from him standing with Israel and has taken a lot of heat from a lot of protesters and a lot on the left that are like, wait, dude, you're supposed to be a radical leftist. What's wrong with you? Why aren't you doing this? And he has refused to back down on it. I'm glad you mentioned his name, because it's important that we say job well done to people on the left that are saying, I'm not going to be bullied into.
- [17:21]
Ben Ferguson
Listen, a couple of weeks ago, I went over to the Democrat cloakroom where John was there, and I just said, hey, I wanted to tell you thank you. I really appreciate the courage you've shown on Israel, on speaking out. Thank you. It matters. And I recognize it's not easy. It's not without cost. And I will say, look, to his credit, he viewed it as very matter of fact. He's just like, it's the right thing to do, and I respect that. It is not what I anticipated. And you know what's sad, Ben? It shouldn't be alone. I mean, in any normal world, you and I should be listing a dozen Democrats that have the courage to denounce the radicals screaming, death to America, that have the courage to stand up and say, no, we stand with Israel, that have the courage to say, you know, there is a difference. There is a moral difference. There is a fundamental difference between psychotic, genocidal terrorists who are murdering civilians, who are raping little girls, who are murdering women, who are desecrating corpses. There is a fundamental difference between that and the idf, the Israeli Defense Forces that are defending civilians and killing terrorists. They are not the same. They're not morally equivalent. And I can tell you, one Democrat saying that, John Fetterman, to be honest, I don't have a second name. I can tell you right now, yeah.
- [18:40]
Ted Cruz
And that tells you about the Democratic Party. And also, I think the messaging from the White House, they've gotten really silent on supporting Israel, really silent on standing up on these issues. And yeah, the White House was asked about this. Like, yeah, of course people shouldn't be saying death to America. That's a no brainer. But the fact that more Democrats are not willing to come out and say the same thing is truly shocking. Want to tell you real quick about our friends over at Freedom Gold. There are a lot of gold and silver companies out there and you want to make sure that you find one that you can trust. And you want to make sure that you're working with a company that understands what diversification means. It means diversifying your portfolio. Gold and silver are important, but they shouldn't be all of what you're doing. And there are some companies out there, a lot of them, they'll be like, no, no, you need to, you need to put everything gold. That is not what Freedom Gold USA does. The other thing is this. They charge on average 25 to 30% less than most major gold firms. That is massive, 25 to 30% less because there's others that work just on fear mongering. Then all of a sudden, you don't even know what you did. That is not what Freedom Gold does. Freedom Gold USA will talk to you about diversifying your retirement portfolio. Families know what's happening right now. They know what it costs. $60 is not what it used to be. Now it's $60 just to go get fast food for a family of four. And we've seen inflation tick up again. And what's happened? Well, gold is now hitting new record highs. That is why it's time for you to take a look at, at gold and silver. Sit down with people that can explain to you about how you can allocate a portion of your retirement funds into gold and silver to help you protect against inflation. It is a good hedge against inflation historically and a great way to protect and preserve your hard earned retirement nest egg. Go right now to freedomgoldusa.com verdict. That's freedomgoldusa.com verdict. Or you can call them the number 1-800-655-8843. On average, they charge 25 to 30% less than most major gold firms. That's another reason why you should call them right now. 1800-655-8843. That's 1-800-655-8843 and ask them about getting free silver in your account today. That's 1-800-655-8843. Senator, there was another story that broke and this is one that is for a guy that has spent my entire career in media, NPR annoys me beyond the level of frustration that most people can imagine because I don't understand why my tax dollars are subsidizing a hardcore leftist organization and why I'm paying their salaries at npr. That's the reality. But now we've got a guy that was there for 25 years who has blown the whistle on NPR saying that basically when Donald Trump was elected, it completely broke npr. And they are there every day to take down conservatives, take down Trump, take down anybody like him, and our tax dollars are going to pay for npr.
- [21:44]
Ben Ferguson
No, that's exactly right. And this story is a big deal because this is, as you noted, a whistleblower who came clean and really wanted to describe what was happening in a major media institution, one of the most important media institutions in the country. And so the individual in question is a guy named Uri Berliner who was a 25 year veteran of NPR. He was a senior business editor at NPR and he wrote a column on the Free Press that came out April 9th. And I actually want to read from a good chunk of his because I think it, it's important what he said and it is, it is very much whistleblowing. So, so here's how he starts, quote, you know the stereotype of the NPR listener, an ev driving wordle playing tote, back bag carrying coastal elite. It doesn't precisely describe me, but it's not far off. I'm Sarah Lawrence, educated, was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother. I drive a Subaru and Spotify says my listening habits are most similar to people in Berkeley. I fit the NPR mold. I'll cop to that. So when I got a job there 25 years ago, I never looked back. As a senior editor on the business desk, where news is always breaking. We've covered upheavals in the workplace, supermarket prices, social media and AI. It's true that NPR always had a liberal bent, but during most of my tenure here, an open minded, curious culture prevailed. We were nerdy, but not knee jerk, activist or scolding. In recent years, however, that has changed. Today, those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online find something different. The distilled worldview of a very small segment of the US population. If you are conservative, you will read this and say, duh, it's always been this way. But it hasn't. For decades, since its founding in 1970, a wide swath of America tuned into NPR for reliable journalism and gorgeous audio pieces with birds singing in the Amazon, millions came to us for conversations that exposed us to voices around the country in a world radically different from our own, engaging precisely because they were unguarded and unpredictable. No image generated more pride within NPR than the farmer listening to Morning Edition from his or her tractor at Sunrise. Back in 2011, although NPR's audience tilted a bit to the left, it still bore a resemblance to America at large. 26% of listeners described themselves as conservative, 23% as middle of the road, and 37% as liberal. By 2023, the picture was completely different. Only 11% described themselves as very or even somewhat conservative, 21% as middle of the road, & 67% of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal. We weren't just losing conservatives. We were also losing moderates and traditional liberals. An open minded spirit no longer exists within npr. And now, predictably, we don't have an audience that reflects America. That wouldn't be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience. But for npr, which purports to consider all things, it's devastating both for its journalism and its business model.
- [25:16]
Ted Cruz
You listen to that and it's a guy that's almost like he's coming clean, realizing just how damaging what NPR is doing to the country. And he's in pain. Yeah, he's in pain. He also did an interview. He sat down talking about this, and I want you to hear what he had to say on Honestly with Bari Rice. Take a listen to this.
- [25:39]
Rashida Tlaib
Everyone knew that NPR had a liberal bent. It was like saying these days, like, Fox has a conservative bent. That was obvious to anyone. But you argue that it's really gone from having a liberal bent or a liberal shading to really a bias. Here's one thing you write in your essay. You write for the majority of your time at npr, despite the liberal bend, an open minded, curious culture prevailed. We were nerdy, but not knee jerk activists or scolding or. When did that start to change? When did the thing that everyone sort of recognized as sort of a liberal bias start to shift into something harder than that, into, into what you call a knee jerk activist and even scolding quality?
- [26:22]
Tarek Bazi
Well, I think it was cumulative. I don't think it was one event. I mean, I think part of it was Trump's election. You know, I think like every newsroom, every legacy media newsroom, we were shocked, disturbed, distraught, really troubled. We assumed Hillary Clinton was going to win and she didn't. And it was really an unsettling experience. But I also think to me, it revealed that we didn't really understand a lot of what was going on in America, that we were out of touch. But I think also we. We kind of locked down after a while. I think after a while, we started covering Trump in a way that. That like a lot of legacy news organizations, that we were trying to damage his presidency, to even find anything we could to harm him. And I think what we latched on to was Russia collusion, like a lot of news organizations, which was, as I write, sort of catnip. Although it was just rumors, and a lot of it based on pretty shoddy documents or evidence. There was. It wasn't really solid, but I think it was. It was compelling. And for us, you know, I think a lot of newspapers, you know, use documents or anonymous sources. We really latched on to Adam Schiff. He was like our muse to the Trump collusion story. We had him on constantly. A lot. I think I counted 25 times, you know, and in most of those conversations, he sort of alluded to evidence he may have had or sort of teased out, yeah, Russia, you know, he was colluding, or the campaign was colluding with Russia. And then the Mueller report came out, and no collusion. And, you know, I think we sort of, sort of. The story kind of disappeared. But to me, that was like a time for, like, what went wrong? Why did we miss this? Like, you know, despite our feelings about Trump, this is a story we should have sort of treated differently.
- [28:20]
Ted Cruz
You hear him say that he said they were trying to harm Trump. Now, that is shocking for him to say this, because in Translation center, that means.
- [28:30]
Ben Ferguson
And stop. Stop and repeat that for a second. Stop. Stop and repeat that for a second. Second. This is a senior editor at npr. Mind you, they're funded by US Taxpayer dollars, and he is admitting the entire institution, in his words, was trying to harm Trump. I mean, that is a damning admission. And at some level, as he noted in what I read a minute ago, it was obvious to any conservative, but it says something for. For a senior editor to go and blow the whistle like this.
- [29:04]
Ted Cruz
NPR reminds me of Twitter before Elon Musk bought it. In many ways, where it's bloated, it's. It's out of control. It's activism. It's not run like a business because it's subsidized by government taxpayers. I'm fine with NPR existing, Senator. They should figure out how to do it the same way that everybody else does in media, which is to, you know, make money instead of us giving them, our tax dollars to then, as he described it, try to hurt Trump every time they could. And it won't just be Trump in the future, it will be any other conservative based on what he's saying. It's not like they just went in against Trump and that was it. They're going in against every conservative on every story out there.
- [29:46]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. Let me focus on two other segments of what Uri Berliner wrote. Quote, Concerned by the lack of viewpoint diversity, I looked at voter registration for our newsroom in D.C. where NPR is headquartered and many of us live. I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans, none. Now that's not vague or ambiguous. That's not equivocal, that is explicit. Let me read this other segment. Quote, In October 2020, the New York Post published the explosive report about the laptop Hunter Biden abandoned at a Delaware computer shop containing emails about assorted business deals. With the election only weeks away, NPR turned a blind eye. Here's how NPR's managing editor for news at the time explained the thinking. Quote, we don't want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories and we don't want to waste our listeners and readers time on stories that are just pure distractions. But it wasn't a pure distraction or a product of Russian disinformation as dozens of former and current intelligence officials suggested. The laptop did belong to Hunter Biden. Its contents revealed his connection to the corrupt world of multi million dollar influence peddling and its possible implications for his father. The laptop was newsworthy, but the timeless journalistic instinct of following a hot story lead was being squelched. During a meeting with colleagues. I listened as one of NPR's best and most fair minded journalists said it was good we weren't following the laptop story because it could help Trump. When the essential facts of the Post Post reportings were confirmed and the emails verified independently about a year and a half later, we could have fessed up to our misjudgment. But like Russia collusion, we didn't make the hard choice of transparency.
- [32:12]
Ted Cruz
Why fix it if it's your ideology, right? If this is what the ideology is and it's being funded by taxpayers, why stop? Which brings me to my final question on this. We've, I've heard about this and we've talked about this for, I hate to say it, 20 years. How on earth are they getting this type of government funding, especially now if we know this from someone that worked there for 25 years, is there any way to say to NPR. That's fine. If this is what your mission is, go and do it. But you're not going to do it subsidized by taxpayers.
- [32:43]
Ben Ferguson
Listen, I would eliminate the funding for NPR tomorrow. That's the right thing to do. We shouldn't be in the business of funding npr. The problem is every Democrat wants to spend your taxpayer dollars funding npr, because why wouldn't you, if you're a leftist, why wouldn't you be willing to use taxpayer dollars to fund a propaganda outlet for your view? And I got to tell you, in the budget battles, too many Republicans are scared of taking on npr. And so between the two, it keeps going. Look, I actually think it speaks volume that where Uri Berliner wrote this was the Free Press. The Free Press was started by Barry Weiss. Barry Weiss resigned from the editorial board of the New York Times and wrote a letter. If you haven't read the letter, we may do a podcast where we just read the letter, because it's something I actually think should be taught in every journalism class in America. It is a letter where. And listen, Barry, by her own description, is left of center. She's a liberal Democrat who voted for Obama twice, but she was horrified. And actually, Barry's resignation letter reads very much like Uri Berliner's article. They're both people, left of center, who actually believe in some modicum of free speech, some modicum of fairness, and they look at the corruption of institutions they respected. I look at Uri Berliner, and I'm reminded of John F. Kennedy's famous speech at the Berlin Wall, ichben ein Berliner, which he thought meant that he was a Berliner, a resident of Berlin. But actually it was poorly translated German. And what the better translation was is, I am a jelly donut. Which was not JFK's finest moment, but nonetheless, I feel the same sentiments. Uri Berliner and I may disagree on a lot of things, but I'm proud to stand with Uri Berliner for daring to speak the truth. Because free speech matters. And I actually think it matters. I met recently with the CEO of a major journalistic enterprise. I won't say who it is. And I told him, I said, listen, I actually believe in a free press. I defend you even when you kick the crap out of me, even when you attack me, because I think it's important to democracy and free speech to have a real and vibrant press. But when you guys are just corrupt ideologues, when you're just propagandists, it hurts the entire country. And so I give a big shout out to Uri Berliner, like Barry Weiss, on whose platform he wrote this. There are a handful of liberals and I actually want to call out listen. I don't know that many fair minded liberals in the media listen to Verdict, although we're close to a million listeners, so maybe there are. If you're a fair minded liberal working in the media and you don't like the bias and propaganda, and I'm not saying you're suddenly conservative and a right winger, that's okay. That's okay. We can have reasonable discussions. But when people speak out like Uri Berliner and Barry Weiss, it makes a difference. And we need more people to do that.
- [35:52]
Ted Cruz
Yeah, definitely. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have our Week in Review. If you miss anything during the week, we put those stories together for you on Saturdays as well. Make sure you hit that subscribe, follow or auto download button, depending on where you're listening to us. You can also say, hey Siri or Alexa, play Verdict and we Ted Cruz and it will play it. And on those in between dates, make sure you grab my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. And the Senator and I will see you back here for our Week in Review tomorrow.