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A
Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Hope you had a great week with your family and friends over Thanksgiving. And as we said before, we'll say it again. To all those men and women serving our country, all those first responders and doctors and people that wear badges, thank you for keeping us safe over the holidays. We know your sacrifice and it has not gone unnoticed here. Senator, we've got a lot to talk about, including a Jewish USC professor who was barred from campus, targeted by anti Israel activists with a doctored video. We're going to get to that in a moment. Also going woke at a whole nother level. Leaked NSA document revealing a massive woke glossary. We're going to deal with that, plus other problems at Disney. They're now facing consequences. And on top of that, you have a Customs and Border Patrol memo that ordered agents not to misgender members of the public. That's what the Biden administration's focused on right now. Plus some not so great news for Joe Biden with the economy. All that coming up in just a moment. Before we get to that, I want to go back to that big shocking story of this USC professor who is Jewish. He has now been barred from campus. He's been targeted by anti Israel activists with a doctored video. And this is a story that if you are a listener, verdict. We need your help to make sure that this goes viral. Put this on social media because it's time that we stand with these professors that are being targeted. And so I'll let you take it and fill people in from there.
B
Well, over the last two months since October 7, we have seen antisemitism spiking across the country, particularly on college campuses. And it's a manifestation of the warped and twisted leftist ideology that unfortunately has grown and festered on college campuses now for decades. We have seen students being harassed across the country. We have seen tragically at mit, Jewish students being prevented from going to class and the administration doing nothing about it, refusing to punish the anti Semitic protesters who are harassing the Jewish students. And the reason MIT gave as well, those students are on student visas. They're foreigners. And so if we expelled them, they would have their student visa revoked. So it really is an astonishing willingness to bend over to woke ideology. But I gotta say, USC really takes the cake with this because we had seen students unable to go to campus. Now at USC were seeing a professor unable to go to campus. Professor John Strauss is an economics professor and he was walking by a protest, a pro Palestinian protest organized by the USC Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation, USC Graduates for Palestine and the Trojans for Palestine. And Professor Strauss, as he walked past, commented, he said, ignorant, really ignorant. And then one of the students engaged him, and the professor added, quote, hamas are murderers. That's all they are. Everyone should be killed. I hope they all are. Now, what happened after that is people edited his quote and they took out the reference to Hamas. They just took the snippet, everyone should be killed. I hope they all are. And that snippet went viral. It got millions of views on Twitter, and it was characterized as the professor saying that. That all Palestinians should be killed, which is of course not what he said. He said, hamas are murderers. That's who he said should be killed. Well, the consequence of that, unsurprisingly, he's been subjected to threats of violence because of the deliberate mischaracterization of what he said. But the university responded not by saying, we're going to protect you, Professor Strauss, but instead by sending a letter to him directing him that he must conduct all of his classes for the remainder of the year via zoom, via distance learning, that he's not allowed to physically be on campus. And the reason USC said was, quote, to minimize disruption to the educational environment, to ensure a safe environment for both you and students. It truly is stunning that the administration at USC is so embraced in. In the woke ideology, the ideology of colonialism, the ideology that says Jews are the oppressors and Palestinians are the victims. This is the Marxist lens that I talk about at great length in my new book, Unwoke. USC is so embraced by that ideology that they're now telling their professor, you're not allowed on campus because you said, what is indisputably true is that Hamas are murderers and the Hamas terrorists should be killed.
A
And to be clear, this is punishing this professor not being able to go onto campus. That is also not just a slap on the wrist to him and clearly attacking him and what he is as a human being, being Jewish. But this is also sending a message, I would think, to any other student that is Jewish or that supports Israel, you better be careful what you say on campus, because this is what we'll do to Professor. Imagine what we would do to a student.
B
Well, and I'm hearing reports literally on a daily basis from friends of mine who have kids in college who are Jewish, and they're reporting that they fear for their safety. They don't feel safe. And this is at premier universities, Ivy League universities, supposedly elite universities, that virtually all of them have embraced this leftist Ideology and under their worldview they view Jews as evil Zionists. And so the universities, too many of them are unwilling to protect their students. It is disgraceful, it is wrong. And I'll tell you, it's a moment of clarity for a lot of people to see what is happening because of.
A
The left, the world is in flames and Biden nomics is a complete and total disaster. But it can't and won't ruin my day. You want to know why? Because I start my day with a hot America first cup of blackout coffee. Now look, I have to be up and on the radio at seven in the morning and this coffee, it gets me ready for my job. It is 100% American America and 0% woke. Blackout coffee is 100 committed to conservative values. From sourcing the beans to the roasting process, customer support and shipping, they embody true American values and accept no compromise on taste or quality. Now let me just tell you, this coffee is amazing. If you like a quality cup of coffee to start your day, you need to check out Blackout coffee. Not only do I love them because they're conservative company that supports America first, they are family owned. So right now it is the week of Cyber Monday, Black Friday Shopping. We've got a deal for you. Go to blackout coffee.com verdict that's blackout coffee.com verdict and use coupon code verdict for 20 off your first order. That's right, promo code verdict for 20% off your first order. Check out all the gear section for some incredible gift ideas for the holidays while you're there. So if you've got a coffee drinker, a coffee lover that you're going to buy for go to blackout coffee.com verdict be awake not woke. That's blackout coffee.com verdict promo code verdict for 20% off your first order. Senator, you mentioned a moment ago when talking about what's happening on college campuses and this professor is a perfect example of that, and I said it earlier, I'll say it again, make sure this story goes viral because people need to understand that what's happened, this professor is wrong. But if you are a Jewish student at a lot of the elite universities around the country, this is the treatment that a lot of them are receiving and they are not being protected by these universities. How concerned are you? Because this is not just a pattern or a trend, this is almost an indoctrination by these public universities and private universities at the highest level that we are not going to allow you to be pro Israel on our campus. Period. Senator, I want to move on to the other topic that we mentioned earlier, and that is wokeness has really infiltrated our politics, especially when it comes to the Biden administration. The national security has now gone woke. Disney is now facing some consequences. Plus, you've got this Customs and Border Patrol memo that orders agents not to misgender members of the public. Let's start with that.
B
Well, this really is a triumvirate of wokeness, and it's striking to see CBP and NSA and Disney all getting hit with the consequences of their ideology. And you mentioned a moment ago that it's Cyber Monday. I'll point out my brand new book, Unwoke, which just came out a couple of weeks ago, has spent two weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Let me encourage you on Cyber Monday, go online, go to Amazon, go to Barnes and Noble, buy it online, buy it online, buy a couple of copies and give them as a gift. You got Christmas time coming, coming up. Give it as a gift. Because every one of these topics we're discussing is discussed at length in the in the book how to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America. Let's start with cbp. CBP had an internal memo that was obtained by the Heritage foundation that prohibits agents from using he, him, she, or her pronouns when initially interacting with members of the public. The memo goes on to encourage agents to use, quote, a universal greeting such as good morning or good evening in the initial greeting. Now, Ben, Pete's sake. Our country is being invaded. 8.6 million illegal immigrants have crossed into this country under Joe Biden. There are dead bodies every single day. There are children being sexually assaulted, women being sexually assaulted, that a hundred thousand Americans died of drug overdoses last year. Fentanyl is flooding into the country. And here's what the Biden administration is telling CBP to be concerned about. Quote, if an incorrect pronoun is used and corrected by the individual, acknowledge the oversight and use the correct pronoun. The memo also list, quote, key terms with definitions next to each. Bisexual, gay, gender expression, gender identity, gender, non conforming, intersex, lesbian, non binary, queer, questioning, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender, transgender woman, transgender man, and transitioning are all listed. What in the hell are these people doing? Ben, this is the border patrol is supposed to be securing the border. Explain to me why exactly they should be having a conversation with a human trafficker, a drug trafficker, or an illegal alien. Excuse me, sir, are you non binary? Like, what the hell does that have to do with actually securing the border and doing their job? And the answer is nothing, because they put politics ahead of. They don't want to secure the border.
A
So here's my question. Is this at the feet of Mayorkas? Is this the feet of literally the Oval Office and the President's desk, or is this some initiative coming from the Vice President's office and she's supposed to be the border czar person? I mean, how high does this go up for them to go? This woke on this type of a memo.
B
Yes, yes, yes. Look, this started off with an executive order from the White House directing every agency to elevate diversity, equity and inclusion above everything else, to ignore the law, to ignore their job. It doesn't formally say that. It just says this is the guiding priority of our agency. And with respect to cbp, the political leadership, Mayorkas, we've talked about this at length. Mayorkas does not intend to, does not want to enforce the law. He is not trying to secure the border. He is trying to increase the number of illegal aliens coming into this country. He's trying to speed up the process. So I guess he wants them to say, you know, good morning and then have a conversation about their gender identity while shipping them to every city in America. It truly is. It's a stunning screwed up priority that is right at the heart of where this administration is.
A
It also, though, I think sends the message to customs and border patrol agents, we're not on your side. And if you don't do what we tell you to do and you actually do your job the right way, there may be consequences for you doing your job. And if you don't push our agenda items the way we're telling you to do, it will come after you. Cuz that's what I would get out of this. This is a shot across the bow of every man and woman that's putting their life on the line at the southern border to basically say you don't do your job the way you think you do it, you do it the way we tell you to.
B
Well, this Biden administration is an administration that is fundamentally unserious. They're not serious about the goal of securing the border because they don't want to secure the border. They want it to be maximizing the number of illegal aliens. They're unserious about national security. And as a result, Biden inherited peace and prosperity. We've now got two wars waging across the world right now as a result of their weakness. And when you have federal agencies with serious grave responsibilities and you put political apparatchiks in charge who are not serious, who are not up to the task, you end up with, number one, not doing the job they're there for, but number two, getting distracted by political priorities that have nothing to do with the core mission. Another example you mentioned, the NSA, the National Security Administration, they prepared a 34 page glossary that they issued that, that directs employees to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. And it includes terms ranging from anti racist to Z and Zur. And it provides. It was published May 6, 2022, and it identifies itself as, quote, a glossary of terms and language commonly used in dialogue reversing regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and social justice. And it cites critical race theory advocates such as Robin Diangelo and Ibram X Kendi. It cites Diangelo and it defines white fragility. All right, this is the nsa, mind you, defining white fragility as, quote, the state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves in white people. It adds these behaviors function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. There's also a definition of whiteness. Now you might think whiteness means someone being white. Nope, nope, nope. No, that would be too simplistic. According to the nsa, whiteness is, quote, a broad social construction that embraces the white culture, history, ideology, racialization, expressions, experiences, epistemology, emotions and behavior, all in order to reap, quote, material, political, economic and structural benefits for those socially deemed white. This stuff is nonsense. It is garbage. It is poison. And you know what? It isn't national security, which is what the NSA is supposed to be focusing on.
A
Yeah. And they're not. They're not focusing on that. And that is something that has obviously come up with many people that are concerned about national security and our southern border. You and I have talked about this countless times, but there are more concerns now than we've had probably since 9 11. And yet when you hear that this isn't just like a one page memo, this is a full blown document page, 34 pages.
B
34 pages?
A
Yeah. I mean, do we have a 34 page memo on the, on the, on the number of people that have come across the border to your knowledge center that are on the terrorist watch list? Is there a 34 page memo on that?
B
Not that I know of. And let me ask, you know, the jackasses that wrote this, the jackasses that are in charge of enforcing these policies, how come nobody at the NSA got signals intelligence on Hamas planning the biggest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7th? Maybe because instead they were focused not only on critical race theory, but Also queer theory. And. And it defines queer theory. If you think this, this is Ben and me just making things up. According to the nsa, queer theory is an approach, quote, that critically deconstructs and challenges binaries such as male and female and. Or heterosexual and homosexual. And the D. DEI glossary then goes on to listen a whole bunch of words associated with queer theory like trans misogyny. What the hell is trans misogyny? Well, well, hold on, hold on a second. I. I've got. I've got a glossary here. So transmisogyny is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny. Z and zer. Meanwhile, there were told they are gender neutral pronouns that can be used instead of he, she and his hero. While two spirit is defined as, quote, a native American term for an individual who identifies as both male and female. Other terms defined in the glossary include gender queer, afab amab, which means assigned female at birth, assigned male at birth, Latinx, which. There is not a single Latino or Latina on the face of the earth that uses that ridiculous term. Those are all woke rich white kids who want to show how woke they are by insulting the Latino community. There's also, quote, same gender loving, which is a term that serves, quote, as a description for homosexuals who think that terms such as gay and lesbian carry negative connotations. There's also demigender. All right, let me stop you, Ben. Quiz. What does demi gender mean? Glossary?
A
Yeah, I have no idea. And that's the part that I'm sitting here as you're going through this. I'm laughing because I'm like, how many sane people would know any of these?
B
Yeah, I want you to stop. If you're listening to the podcast and literally ask yourself, if you were in taking a test, could you define the word demigender? I couldn't. I don't know. Demi Moore, she's like a really hot woman. Is that demigender? No, no, no, no. Demigender. And it has variations. It has demi boy and demi girl, Although who knows what's a boy and who knows what's a girl? And what it says is it's defined as, quote, having a partial connection to one or more genders. Ah, the joys of making this up. By the way, not only does this do ridiculous critical race theory and queer theory by its own terms, it also blasts the founding of the United States of America, and it has a definition of, quote, settler colonialism. We were talking in the first story about USC going after and punishing their own Jewish professor Because they view Jews and they view Americans as settler colonialists. Well, here's the NSA's definition. Quote, settler colonialism typically includes oppressive governance and enforcement of codes of superiority. And then it says examples include white European occupation of land in what is now the United States. So I want you to understand this is the friggin National Security Administration. By the way, has anyone there wondered what the word national refers to? Like what nation are they working for? Because apparently they think the founding of land that is now the United States is an example of oppressive governance and settler colonialism. And by the way, the solution, according to the nsa, it says white Europeans are guilty of colonialism. And it defines decolonize as a process, quote, that requires a recognition of systems of oppression in order to unlearn values, beliefs and conceptions that have caused physical, emotional or mental harm to people through colonialization. At the same time, it defines white privilege as, quote, an unquestioned and unlearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on people solely because they are white. This is garbage and it's not our national security. As you noted, the CBP is not allowed to secure the border because they're having to figure out the sexual orientation of human traffickers and drug traffickers instead of stopping them and arresting them. And now the NSA is not looking for terrorists because they're busy worrying about settler colonialism and queer theory. This is an administration that is fundamentally unserious and consumed with woke leftist politics.
A
Yeah. And if you want to, you know, it's bad enough we see it in the private sector, but when you see our government doing it and then not doing their job, especially when it comes to national security issues, it's truly terrifying because the consequences are death and destruction. When you get it wrong, look, that.
B
That is exactly right. And I want to give credit. I want to give credit to the Daily Wire because the Daily Wire broke this story. It's an article by Spencer Lindquist that published, published this glossary. It would not be public if it were not for the Daily Wire. And this, you literally read it. And I would say it reads like a Saturday Night Live satire, but. Yeah, but, but Saturday Night Live would never make fun of this because they're too afraid, they're too woke. By the way, one of the other things it defines is, quote, Eurocentric, which states most use this term with a clear awareness of the historic oppressiveness of Eurocentric tendencies in US And European societies. The phrase critical race theory. References quote. The intersectionality. Intersectionality of race and racism and Its supposed aim is to quote, pose a challenge to dominant ideology. There is nothing about this that is national security. And by the way, if you want to know what the NSA is supposed to do from the NSA's own website, let me read you their mission. The National Security Agency slash central Security Service leads the U.S. government in cryptology that encompasses both signals intelligence insights, cybersecurity products and services and enables a computer network operations to gain a decisive advantage for the nation and our allies. That is its mission. In other words, it is spying electronically on our enemies, on terrorists, on people seeking to murder Americans. And what are they doing instead? They are being driven by the Biden White House's obsession with leftist woke politics.
A
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B
Well, that's right. And this is the third of our woke triumvirate in terms of facing the consequences for their ideology, which is that Disney recently filed its, its annual SEC report, a report that, that every public company is required to file. And, and here's what they, they were forced to publicly disclose. Quote, we face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products. And it goes on to note, quote, the success of our businesses depends on our ability to consistently create compelling content. Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance. Further, consumers perceptions of our positions on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands. Now that is one of the most stunning corporate disclosures I've ever read. Because what that means is, number one, Disney has lost billions of dollars. The phrase go woke, go broke. Disney has sadly embodied that phrase. I am sure Walt Disney is spinning in his grave at horrors at what has happened to his namesake. But the fact that they put this in their SEC disclosures means, number one, the money they're losing is so significant. Number two, their projections for future money that they're going to lose are so significant that their lawyers said, dammit, you have to acknowledge this in the disclosure or else you will be sued for misleading investors. In other words, we must write these words so that when investors sue us and say your executives are putting your woke politics ahead of profitability, ahead of producing entertainment that consumers want, ahead of actually producing family friendly entertainment that kids are interested in. And parents want their kids to see that your politics matters more to you than making the business successful. They want to be able to point to this disclosure and say, no, no, sorry, you invested. And we told you up front, we don't care about making a buck. Our politics is all we care about. And even if it, if it flushes the corporate profits down the commode.
A
You know, we've had this debate at my house, three boys, and we've talked about Disney and I said to my wife, we had a, a grand debate over it. I'm not giving my money to Disney. I'm not going to Disney, I'm not going to take them to Disney. Because I believe them when they tell me what their agenda is. And now it's in their financial disclosures. This is their agenda. And I say this over and over again when having this debate over things like Disney and woke companies, believe them when they put it in writing. Believe them when they publish it. Believe them when they produce it. Believe them when they promote it. This is Disney saying all along. Yes, this is exactly what we're trying to do with your kids minds. Yes, we are trying to use what used to be just innocent entertainment that you could trust your kid in front of Disney Channel or Disney movies. You no longer should have that trust with them. And they put it in writing.
B
Well, that's right. But look, there's reason to draw optimism from this third example, which is that for many woke corporations, I think they are feeling the heat and they're trying to change direction. You look at the CEO of Disney, Bob Iger. They brought him back because Disney was in such a world of hurt. They had screwed it up so badly that Bob Iger came back and he is seeking in his own words to quote, quiet things down after putting politics front and center. Now, Iger presumably signed off on this corporate disclosure and that may be a consequence of trying to pivot Disney back. Now they're not doing a great job of it because the problem is that they have built a culture where their executives are invested in this WOKE ideology. And this is something I discuss at great length in the book on woke. I talk about Disney at great length. I talk about Bud Light, I talk about Target, but I talk about how all three of them, Disney, Bud Light and Target, lost billions and billions of dollars. And number one, it's had an impact on all three. But number two, and this is where you should be encouraged, it is, I hope and believe, a powerful deterrent for other CEO and other corporations that are sitting there saying, I don't want to be Bud Light, I don't want to be Target, I don't want to be Disney. And now Disney, according to its own corporate disclosure, Disney is saying I don't want to be Disney. That may be promising and optimistic for the future.
A
Yeah, I hope that people continue to vote with their dollars. We're talking about Cyber Monday. There's so many people that right now are looking at where they're spending their money, probably more than we've had in quite some time. And that's a good thing. People are looking for companies they want to work with that are unwoke, that aren't going to these radical extremes that we've witnessed and talked about and the best thing we can do is when they do this, shine a light on it. Let me tell you about our friends over at Augusta Precious Metals. If you're like me at the end of the year, you start looking back over the year and you start trying to decide what it is you're going to do, maybe better next year. We get then into the New Year's resolutions. Well, maybe your resolution is to protect your hard earned dollars. Well, if you're like me and you've wanted to buy gold for years, there's a lot of commercials out there and a lot of different companies that you can choose. Let me tell you the one that I trust. I trust Augusta Precious Metals. I actually use them. Yes, I buy gold from them. And the reason why is so that I can protect my hard earned DOL. Now, if you have an IRA or a 401k and you want to buy physical gold, you can eliminate fear and uncertainty from the process using the new Gold IRA Company Integrity checklist. It helps you evaluate and choose the best gold IRA company. I used it personally to vet Augusta Precious Metals and I bought gold from them myself afterwards. Now you can use this checklist to choose the best Gold IRA company. To get your free Gold IRA company integrity checklist today, you can text the word BEN to 68592 let's text the word BEN to 68592 again text the word BEN to 68592 or go online to AugustaPreciousMetals.com that's AugustaPreciousMetals.com or you can call them 877-the number 4 Gold IRA. That's 877 the number 4 Gold IRA or Augusta Precious Metals.com finally center I wanted to there was a story this week and it and it kind of made me laugh and it sums up I think the bidenomics economy that we're in right now. There is a sixteen dollar fast food meal. Now that may not shock some people because you think all right, at the higher end maybe that's something that is palatable. But it's a $16 McDonald's meal that may explain voter anger more than any other poll at Joe Biden. Like if this isn't just a full circle of where we are now that McDonald's has a 6Ameal that costs $16.10 to be precise, that it's gone viral. As a man posted the receipt on social media and I, and I laughed when I saw this because it's like yeah, welcome to Bidenomics.
B
Well, it's interesting. The language you used was word for word the headline from, of all places, the Washington Post. So the Washington Post headline was, quote, the viral $16 McDonald's meal. That may explain voter anger at Biden. So this is the Washington Post saying, you want to know why voters are at Joe Biden? Here's why. And it goes on to describe that on December 20, 2022, a fellow by the name of Topher olive went to McDonald's in the town of Post Falls, Idaho, and he ordered a limited edition smoky double quarter pounder BLT with fries and a Sprite. And the cost of the meal was $16.10. And he posted that the receipt on TikTok. And the receipt ended up getting millions of views, initially a couple of hundred thousand, but then when it was reposted and ended up getting over 2 million views and, and, and goes right to the heart. I mean, look, I've been going to McDonald's for as long as I can remember and you used to be able to get a burger and fries and a Coke for five, six bucks. You know, when prices got more expensive, Maybe it was seven or eight dollars, but $16, there's a reason voters are. And this goes right to the heart of it. Then when you have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi spending trillions and trillions of dollars that we don't have, borrowing trillions and trillions of dollars and running the printing presses days and nights, we see inflation taking off and the result is it's 16 bucks to go to McDonald's.
A
Yeah, $16. Welcome to Biden Nomics. It's going to be an election year issue whether he likes it or not. Don't forget, hit that follow button, subscribe or auto download button wherever you're listening to this podcast so that you don't miss an episode. We do it Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and we have a recap of the week on Saturdays as well. So make sure you hit that subscribe auto download button. Plus all the information that we gave you in this podcast. Make sure you share it on social media so others will hear these big stories, these important stories. We try to continue to shine a light on the stories the corporate media is not covering the center. I will see you back here on Wednesday morning.
Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Episode: Shocker: USC Bans Jewish Professor from Campus, plus Woke Triumvirate of CBP, NSA & Disney
Release Date: November 27, 2023
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz
Overview:
Ben Ferguson opens the discussion by highlighting a disturbing incident at the University of Southern California (USC), where a Jewish professor, John Strauss, was barred from campus following his confrontation with anti-Israel activists. This event is part of a broader surge in antisemitic sentiments across various prestigious institutions.
Key Points:
Incident at USC:
Professor Strauss engaged with pro-Palestinian protesters, condemning Hamas as "murderers" and expressing that "everyone should be killed" (01:38). However, his remarks were manipulated by removing the specific reference to Hamas, portraying him as advocating for the annihilation of all Palestinians.
University's Response:
Instead of supporting the professor, USC issued a directive for him to conduct classes via Zoom for the rest of the year to "minimize disruption" and ensure a safe educational environment (01:38). This decision is perceived as capitulating to "woke ideology," undermining academic freedom and sending a chilling message to Jewish students and faculty.
Broader Campus Climate:
Senator Cruz underscores a nationwide trend of increasing antisemitism, particularly on elite campuses like MIT and USC, where Jewish students and professors feel threatened and unsupported by their institutions (05:09; 05:41).
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson:
"USC is so embraced by that ideology that they're now telling their professor, you're not allowed on campus because you said, what is indisputably true is that Hamas are murderers and the Hamas terrorists should be killed." (05:09)
Senator Ted Cruz:
"Our country is being invaded. ... [Counseling] they don't want to secure the border." (09:18)
Overview:
The conversation shifts to the infiltration of "woke" ideologies within key government agencies, specifically the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the National Security Agency (NSA). These institutions are criticized for prioritizing social justice agendas over their core missions of national security and border protection.
Key Points:
CBP's Pronoun Memo:
An internal memo directs CBP agents to avoid using gender-specific pronouns (he, she, him, her) when interacting with the public, instead opting for "universal greetings" like "good morning" (09:18). This shift is seen as diverting focus from border security to enforcing social agendas.
NSA's "Woke Glossary":
A leaked 34-page document from the NSA emphasizes terms related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such as "white fragility," "settler colonialism," and "queer theory" (12:07). Senator Cruz argues that this focus detracts from the NSA's mission of signals intelligence and cybersecurity.
Impact on National Security:
The administration's emphasis on these social issues is portrayed as hindering effective border security and intelligence operations. Senator Cruz expresses concern over the lack of focus on tangible threats, such as illegal immigration and terrorism (16:22; 18:58).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz:
"This is the border patrol is supposed to be securing the border. Explain to me why exactly they should be having a conversation with a human trafficker, a drug trafficker, or an illegal alien." (09:18)
Ben Ferguson:
"This stuff is nonsense. It is garbage. It is poison." (16:57)
Overview:
The discussion moves to the corporate realm, focusing on Disney's recent SEC report. The company acknowledges significant financial losses attributed to misalignment with public and consumer preferences, directly citing its pursuit of social and environmental goals over profitability.
Key Points:
Disney's SEC Disclosure:
Disney publicly admits that pursuing "environmental and social goals" has adversely impacted revenues and profitability (26:08). This admission reinforces the notion that "woke" policies are detrimental to business success.
CEO Bob Iger's Return:
In response to the backlash against its "woke" stance, Disney reappointed Bob Iger as CEO in an attempt to steer the company back to profitability and reduce political overreach (28:53).
Economic Impact:
The host emphasizes the financial repercussions of prioritizing political agendas, suggesting that Disney's issues are emblematic of a broader trend where companies face backlash and financial loss due to their social commitments (28:53).
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson:
"Disney has lost billions of dollars. The phrase go woke, go broke. Disney has sadly embodied that phrase." (26:08)
Senator Ted Cruz:
"Disney is saying I don't want to be Disney." (29:53)
Overview:
Addressing the state of the U.S. economy under President Biden, Ben Ferguson highlights rising inflation and everyday price increases as indicators of economic mismanagement. A viral story about a $16 McDonald's meal serves as a tangible example of voter dissatisfaction.
Key Points:
Viral $16 McDonald's Meal:
A TikTok post featuring a receipt for a $16 meal at McDonald's went viral, symbolizing the inflationary pressures felt by everyday Americans (34:20). This incident is used to illustrate the broader economic challenges and voter frustration with Biden's policies.
Inflation and Price Hikes:
The host links the rising costs of goods and services to the administration's fiscal policies, including increased borrowing and excessive government spending, leading to decreased purchasing power for consumers (34:20).
Election Implications:
The economic hardships are positioned as pivotal issues that could influence the upcoming elections, with voters likely to hold the incumbent administration accountable for their financial strain (36:09).
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson:
"It's a $16 McDonald's meal that may explain voter anger more than any other poll at Joe Biden." (34:20)
Senator Ted Cruz:
"Welcome to Biden Nomics." (36:09)
Overview:
Ben Ferguson and Senator Cruz conclude the episode by urging listeners to support conservative businesses and remain vigilant against the spread of "woke" ideologies in both educational institutions and government agencies. They emphasize the power of consumer choices in combating corporate overreach and influence.
Key Points:
Support Conservative Businesses:
By voting with their dollars, listeners can support companies that align with their values, resisting the trend of corporate "wokeness."
Awareness and Advocacy:
Sharing these stories on social media and staying informed about the actions of institutions and corporations can help bring about change and hold entities accountable for their policies.
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson:
"Make sure this story goes viral because people need to understand that what's happened, this professor is wrong." (05:41)
Senator Ted Cruz:
"It is truly terrifying because the consequences are death and destruction." (21:58)
Antisemitism and Academic Freedom:
The targeting of Jewish professors and students on campuses like USC represents a concerning trend of intolerance and suppression of free speech in higher education.
Government Agencies and "Wokeness":
Institutions like CBP and NSA are criticized for prioritizing social justice agendas over their primary missions, potentially compromising national security.
Corporate Accountability:
Disney's financial struggles are attributed to its embrace of "woke" policies, serving as a cautionary tale for other companies about the economic risks of political prioritization.
Economic Challenges Under Biden:
Rising prices and inflation are highlighted as significant issues affecting everyday Americans, with potential implications for the upcoming elections.
Consumer Power:
The episode emphasizes the importance of consumer choices in supporting businesses that reflect one's values and resisting the influence of "woke" corporate policies.
This summary encapsulates the critical discussions and insights from "The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson" episode, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the topics explored without the inclusion of advertisements and non-content segments.