Verdict Year in Review Part 1 : Border Chaos as Title 42 Ends, The Trump Indictment, & Big Victories for Texas

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Episode: Verdict Year in Review Part 1: Border Chaos as Title 42 Ends, The Trump Indictment, & Big Victories for Texas
Release Date: December 27, 2023

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Introduction

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson engages in an in-depth conversation with Senator Ted Cruz and Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council. As the year draws to a close, the discussion centers around pivotal events and legislative victories that have shaped American politics, particularly focusing on border security, the recent indictment of former President Donald Trump, and significant legislative achievements in Texas.

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1. Border Security and the End of Title 42

Key Points:

• Expiration of Title 42: Title 42, a public health order used to expel illegal border crossers, expired at midnight, signaling the end of a major deportation policy.
• Surge in Illegal Immigration: Since the beginning of the Biden administration, over six and a half million individuals have crossed the border illegally, marking the highest surge in recent history. Senator Cruz anticipates this situation worsening post-Title 42.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [00:39]: “From the first day of the Biden presidency until today, we've seen over six and a half million people cross into this country. The worst illegal immigration in the history of our country.”

Senator Cruz's On-the-Ground Insights:

• Senator Cruz, along with fellow senators Roger Marshall, John Hoeven, and Ted Budd, visited the southern border to witness firsthand the chaos unfolding after the expiration of Title 42.
• Brandon Judd highlighted the administration's apparent disregard for effective border management, stating, “They didn't care about securing the border. They didn't care about the American people who they're supposed to be protecting.”

Management and Morale of Border Patrol:

• Brandon Judd expressed deep frustration among Border Patrol agents, emphasizing their demoralization and the perceived obstruction by the current administration. He stated, “We're sick of him. He's got to go. As far as we're concerned, he has got to go.”

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2. The Trump Indictment

Key Points:

• Nature of the Indictment: Donald Trump faces 37 counts related to the willful retention and mishandling of classified national defense information. The potential cumulative sentence could reach 310 years if all counts are convicted consecutively.

• Double Standards in Prosecution:

  • Senator Cruz's Critique: He argues that the indictment demonstrates a blatant double standard, pointing out that similar actions by other presidents, such as Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, have not resulted in comparable legal actions.
  • Political Persecution: Cruz suggests that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing Trump not solely based on legal violations but as a political move to undermine his influence and potential future candidacy.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [12:22]: “The only answer is, yes, they are. They are doing this on purpose. They are pandering to open border activists.”
• Senator Ted Cruz [18:15]: “This is so obviously a double standard. This is a double standard driven by a Department of Justice that's blinded by hatred.”

Assessment of the Indictment:

• Legal Standing: Cruz views the indictment as legally flimsy, likening it to previous politically motivated charges that lack substantial evidence.
• Public Perception: He contrasts the high-profile nature of Trump’s indictment with the relative inaction regarding similar misconduct by other politicians, reinforcing his stance on political bias within the DOJ.

Concerns Over DOJ's Intentions:

• Senator Cruz questions the DOJ's motivations, insinuating that the indictment is an attempt to "lock up" a political rival, thereby undermining the integrity of legal proceedings.

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3. Legislative Victories in Texas

Key Points: Senator Cruz highlights a particularly productive day in July when he successfully passed eight pieces of legislation, showcasing effective advocacy for Texas and national interests.

A. AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act

• Purpose: Mandates the inclusion of AM radios in all new cars and trucks to ensure access to critical information during emergencies.
• Bipartisan Support: Cruz collaborated with Senator Ed Markey, a prominent liberal, to secure wide-ranging support.
• Impact: Protects up to 80 million Americans who rely on AM radio for news, especially in disaster scenarios.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [26:09]: “It’s something that saves lives in situations like this. And that’s also why it was so important to make sure these AM radios.”

B. Ticket Act

• Purpose: Requires online ticket brokers to disclose all fees upfront to prevent consumers from encountering hidden charges during purchase.
• Consumer Protection: Empowers consumers to make informed decisions and discourages deceptive pricing practices.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [28:27]: “As a consumer, I'm going to get to know up front and have the information to be able to comparison shop and make informed choices.”

C. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Amendments

• B1 Bomber Wings: Ensures the continued operation of B1 bomber wings in Texas until their replacement with more advanced B21 bombers, preserving national defense capabilities.

• Spy Fridges Legislation:

  • Purpose: Requires manufacturers to disclose if appliances have recording capabilities, addressing privacy concerns.
  • Bipartisan Effort: Passed with support across party lines, reflecting the importance of consumer privacy in the digital age.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [33:22]: “The next time you're walking to the fridge at 2 in the morning, just remember that video may be in the hands of whoever sold you the fridge.”

D. Oil-Related Amendments

• Nord Stream 2 Accountability: Holds officials accountable for the construction and maintenance of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has significant geopolitical implications.

• Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Protection:

  • Purpose: Prohibits the sale of oil from the SPR to adversarial nations like China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.
  • Motivation: Addresses national security concerns and counters the reduction of the SPR under the Biden administration.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [35:27]: “Joe Biden has sold down our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the lowest level it's been at in four decades.”

Senator Cruz's Reflection: Cruz underscores the importance of these legislative victories, emphasizing their immediate and long-term benefits for both Texas and the broader United States. He positions these accomplishments as evidence of effective governance and advocacy for constituents' needs.

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4. Conclusion

In this episode, Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz, alongside Brandon Judd, provide a comprehensive review of significant political developments over the past year. From the critical challenges at the U.S. southern border following the expiration of Title 42 to the controversial indictment of Donald Trump, the discussion highlights the contentious nature of contemporary American politics. Additionally, the legislative triumphs in Texas underscore the effective collaboration and bipartisan efforts to address both local and national issues.

This episode serves as a crucial overview for listeners to understand the complexities and key events shaping America's political landscape as the nation heads into 2024.

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Notable Exclusions: The summary intentionally omits sections related to advertisements, product promotions, and non-content segments to maintain focus on the substantive discussions and insights presented by the hosts and guests.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And as we get ready for a new year, it's important that we take a look back at some of the biggest stories of this past year, some of the biggest conversations that Senator Ted Cruz and I had. And that's exactly what we're going to do, give you some of those big stories and things to look forward to or issues that you may need to be paying attention to heading into 2024. Senator, you're at the border. You are there, where Title 42 has literally just expired. What does this mean for the country and what have you seen today?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, Ben, you and I are recording this. It is right now 12:14am Friday morning. Title 42 expired at midnight. So for 14 minutes, the last legal authority the Biden administration was using to deport illegal aliens is no longer in effect. From the first day of the Biden presidency until today, we've seen over six and a half million people cross into this country. The worst illegal immigration in the history of our country. As of right now, it is about to get much, much worse. And so I flew down this afternoon, Thursday afternoon, and came to the southern border with three other senators, with Roger Marshall, with John Hoeven and Ted Budd. And the four of us wanted to see firsthand what is happening here. We wanted to be here for the expiration of Title 42 to let the American people know what is happening and that the Biden administration wants this absolute catastrophe to unfold.

[Ben Ferguson]

It is truly shocking to watch the images that so many Americans saw and we'll see over the weekend of the drone footage, if you've been watching Fox News Channel of tens of thousands of people waiting to come across the border. And there was a warning that was given advice that was given not only to the Biden administration by Border Patrol, but we actually have a guest with us tonight that warned the Biden administration that this was going to happen. And the Biden transition team clearly said, no, no, no, we don't care about the chaos and the anarchy. We want this by design.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, that's exactly right. And so tonight, Ben, you and I are joined by someone who has become a very good friend of mine, Brandon Judd. Brandon is the president of the National Border Patrol Council. That is the union, the national union for the men and women of the Border Patrol all across this country. And I have spent hundreds of hours with Brandon and with the heroes of the Border Patrol. I've been blessed to go out with them repeatedly on midnight patrol down on the border. I'VE been with them at midnight muster. I've been with them as they're processing this deluge of illegal immigrants. I've been with them to encourage those heroes while they have political superiors who undermine them, who belittle them, who insult them, and who deliberately prevent them from doing their jobs. And I have to say, it is a miracle that they continue to show up to work every day to protect this country, even while facing a president and an administration that is doing everything it can to make it impossible for them to succeed at their task.

[Ben Ferguson]

Brandon, I gotta ask you about the warning and the advice that you gave to the Biden administration. You gave advice, you told the Biden transition team before even Biden took office what they need to do to keep a secure border. You represent, obviously, as the president of National Border Patrol Council, Border Patrol agents, who right now, God bless all of you for what you do. Because I can't imagine going to work every day knowing that the administration is working against you the way that they are right now. But what did you tell them? And you knew this day would come and this hour would come and this moment would come if they did and put in place the policies that they have now put on all of us, not just once.

[Brandon Judd]

I sat down with the transition team three separate times to discuss the issues that we face on the border, to discuss what could be done to. To keep the American people safe. And that's what border security is all about. We've got to keep the American.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Brandon, this was not just the Trump transition team, Although you sat down with them as well. I did talk it.

[Brandon Judd]

I was on the Trump transition team.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You were on the Trump transition team. But when Joe Biden came in, you sat down with them. I did. And you tried to help them not have this disaster.

[Brandon Judd]

I did the best that I could. I didn't vote for Joe Biden. I don't like Joe Biden. I didn't like him as the senator. I didn't like him as the vice president, but I did want him to succeed as the president, United States, because if he succeeds, the American people succeed. That's all I cared about. And so I sat down with the transition team. I sat down with him three separate times. And we went over in depth what needs to be done on the border to secure the border. And we even stayed within the parameters that Biden gave on the campaign trail. It's not like we offered them up radical ideas. It's not like we were telling them, stick with the Trump policies. Although I would have loved to have stuck with those policies. We worked within their parameters, and they still rejected it, which clearly showed to me that they didn't care about securing the border. They didn't care about the American people who they're supposed to be protecting. And so it was really disgusting to me. And not only did I sit down with the transition team, I actually spoke with Secretary Mayorkas prior to his. His confirmation and discussed the issues with him as well. And so when you look at this, it's not like they can claim that they didn't know. It's not like they can say we didn't know what we needed to do.

[Ben Ferguson]

They knew.

[Brandon Judd]

They know exactly what they need to do. They knew what they needed to do. And so you have to ask yourself, are they doing this on purpose? And I think that the only answer is, yes, they are. They are doing this on purpose. They are pandering to open border activ. Activists. Look at the West Wing. Look, look at the West Wing. They. All of the political appointees in the West Wing, they come from activist backgrounds. Look at the. Look at the political appointees in dhs. They come from activist backgrounds. So now you have activists that are running legitimate law enforcement agencies.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Brandon, you were with me when I brought down 19 senators to the border. And we went in to the Biden cages, to the tent city at Donna. And there the Biden administration refused to let TV cameras and they refused to let Fox News in. They refused to let ABC News in because they said that the cameraman might have Covid. Now, mind you, these Biden cages were packed wall to wall. And as you'll recall, and Brandon, you'll recall well, because you were standing there, I pulled out my cell phone and I began taking pictures and recording it. And the Biden DHS had sent. They'd sent this little political operative who jumped in front of the camera and tried to block me. And she was. She was the right hand to. To. To the head of cbp, and her job was prevent the American people from seeing the disaster they were creating. And so, you know, I, I kind of laughed and said, well, you're about to make yourself famous. And I think that that video that I took on my cell phone, because they wouldn't let news cameras in, it ran on just about every news station.

[Brandon Judd]

It did.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It did, and it showed. And. And at one point, she was yelling at me, respect these people. Respect these dignity. Their dignity. And I said, you respect these people. You're the one that have locked them up in cages like animals. And. And you leave. They were Stacked. You saw children shoulder to shoulder lying on the floor, on mats with. With. With silver reflective blankets. There was a rate of COVID positivity among the kids that was three through the roof. And the Biden policies kept having thousands upon thousands and ultimately millions of people coming.

[Brandon Judd]

Yeah, as a federal employee, as a Border Patrol agent, that was one of the funniest things I had ever seen in my career.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was.

[Brandon Judd]

It was absolutely great to see this little political appointee, this little activist, just absolutely lose her mind. And that goes back to the problem that we're dealing with. This, this administration. We all want to have an honest conversation. When I say we all want to, the honest people want to have conversations so the American people understand what's going on. I don't care if the American people agree with me. I don't care if they. If they come back and say that, you know, I'm wrong. All I want is, I want them to have all of the information. I want them to be able to make an informed opinion upon all of the evidence, not just the rhetoric that comes out of the White House. And if we have that honest conversation, I am absolutely convinced that the American people will agree that the border needs to be secured. And I am absolutely convinced that they will blame what is currently going on on the border on this administration and that they will know that this administration is actually killing American citizens. Fentanyl poisoning is taking place. 70,000 US citizens are losing their lives every year to fentanyl poisoning. And it's all because the Biden administration does not allow us to go after the cartels. They're enriching the cartels.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Brandon, how frustrated are Border Patrol agents right now? Give me the real sentiment of the men and women on the front line.

[Brandon Judd]

We're sick of him. We're sick of him. He's got to go. As far as we're concerned. He has got to go. And we're absolutely demoralized. I believe that every hard working person in this country, they want to feel like their job means something. They want to feel like they've accomplished something. They want to go home every day thinking that I did a good job. Border Patrol agents cannot do that right now. We know that every single time we put on a uniform that we're not doing anything. All we're doing is actually aiding and abetting these criminal cartels with facilitating the transport of illegal aliens throughout the entire United States. The fentanyl that's coming in, we want to go after these cartels. We want to go after their profits. We want to stop sex trafficking. We want to save migrants lives and this administration won't let us.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, the last podcast we did on Friday, we did it right after news of the indictment broke, but the indictment wasn't public. What has changed between then and now is we now have the indictment so we can see specifically what they brought. I will say now, having reviewed the specific indictment, it's pretty underwhelming. There's not a lot of there there. We talked quite a bit before the indictment about how I believed it was extremely likely that the Department of Justice was going to indict Donald Trump. That Merrick Garland, I believe, wants to indict Donald Trump. I think he came into office wanting to indict and to prosecute Donald Trump. But we also talked about the problem that he couldn't just base it on the classified documents because it so happened just about everyone else had did the same damn thing. And so we discussed on this podcast how I believe they would really build their case as an obstruction case. What's interesting is they did that. But the bulk of the indictment focuses on the classified documents. So if you look at the indictment, there are 37 counts in the indictment. It starts with criminal offenses concerning the willful retention of national defense information, withholding a document of record, corruptly concealing a document of record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, a scheme to conceal. And if you look at it, all right, so counts 1 through 31. So the bulk of the indictment are multiple counts of willful retention of national defense information. And by the text of it, the terms of that crime are serious. Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to or control over any document writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance or note relating to the national defense or information relating to the national defense, which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of any foreign nation willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered or transmitted, or attempts to communicate, deliver or transmitted, or cause to be communicated, delivered or transmitted the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same and fails to deliver it to the officer employee of the United States entitled to receive it, whoever being entrusted with or having lawful possession of or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, note, or information relating to the national defense through gross negligence, permits the same to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust or to be lost, stolen, abstracted or destroyed, or having knowledge that the same has been illegally moved from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of its trust or lost or stolen, abstracted or destroyed, and fails to make prompt report of such loss, theft, abstraction or destruction to his superior officer. The consequence of all of that is that you face a maximum fine of $250,000, an imprisonment of not more than 10 years, or both. Now there are 31 counts of that. If those 31 counts, if Trump were convicted of it, and if they ran consecutively, he could be sentenced to 310 years in prison. Now on the face of that, all that sounds serious. Yeah, except for the problem that this is a President of the United States. This is a President of the United States. And every president of the United States has taken papers from his time as president that goes back, I suspect, back to George Washington. This is a general statute that if you or I are working in government, we have a classified document and we shove them down our underwear like Sandy Berger, who was the national security adviser to Bill Clinton, did. That's the kind of statute that can be used to go after you. In this instance, the press has been breathless about the allegation that Trump stored classified documents in his bathroom in a shower. And the Biden Department of Justice media production office helpfully took a picture which they conveniently released to the world, because this is a media production. And I say that, tongue in cheek, it should not be a media production. But they are engaged in politics here. We've all seen the picture of the boxes stacked up in the marble bathroom with the chandelier, and there's something titillating about that. That's an odd place to store classified documents in a shower. Although I have to ask you something. Number one, every president has taken records. So just saying, oh, if you have a national security record, you're obviously a felon. Well, if we're going to lock up all our former presidents, you know, I'm not sure Jimmy Carter's going to last long in doing hard time. Bill Clinton, on the other hand, could do quite well behind bars. But secondly, okay, fine, you've got an embarrassing place for documents to be, which is a bathroom and shower. Is that any more embarrassing than in a cardboard box in a garage next to an antique Corvette? Yeah, that would be where Joe Biden.

[Ben Ferguson]

Kept his documents or classified documents on a server in Hillary Clinton's basement, her bathroom.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

At the end of the day, the biggest problem the Department of Justice has is the screaming hypocrisy. This breathlessly says, my God, he had a classified document off with his head. And it doesn't say a word about why they have no concerns at all about Joe Biden, about all of the documents he had. Not in one place, not in two places, in multiple places left, with no security left, stacked in the garage, unlocked garage. This is so obviously a double standard. This is a double standard driven by a Department of justice that's blinded by hatred. I think they've convinced themselves that Trump actually is Adolf Hitler. And so nothing else matters if you're going after Hitler. Everything is justified. And, well, yes, Joe Biden did the same thing. Well, yes, Hillary Clinton did the same thing, but they're not Hitler. This is how their thinking goes. They're not Hitler. So it's fine. We like them. They're on our team. So it's not a crime if they do it. But, boy, isn't this a good excuse to go after the devil. Looking at this indictment, I think the same thing today that I thought last week when it was announced, this is garbage. It's not the same kind of garbage that Alvin Bragg's New York indictment is. That's just legally frivolous. It's legally frivolous on the face of it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Scale to 1 to 10, how concerned are you over that indictment? 1 to 10.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The Bragg one?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

1.5.

[Ben Ferguson]

And what about this one?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

4.5.

[Ben Ferguson]

What's the biggest difference then?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

There's several things. Number one, this is the Department of Justice.

[Ben Ferguson]

Unlimited funds, unlimited lawyers, unlimited time.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

When the Department of Justice comes after you, it is a lot more serious. It just is. DOJ has resources, has power. It has the ability to devote massive resources and typically, far more talented prosecutors than Alvin Bragg has at his disposal. Alvin Bragg, on the face of it, the indictment is really reaching. It's trying to create crimes where none exist. In this instance, what they allege is arguably criminal for someone who's not the President of the United States. The problem with it is the double standard and the political persecution, rather than whether or not this is in fact a violation of law. The pundits on CNN will all say, ah, they've shown a violation of law. My response is, great. Explain to me why, if you want to prosecute Trump, are he and Biden going to be cellmates if you bring twin prosecutions for the same thing and put Hillary in, have the three of them. You want to prosecute all three of them? We can talk about that now. That would be absurd, sure. But that would at least be consistent to say, okay, any of you who had a classified document, we're going to prosecute all of you. All right? That I could understand. This is so serious. Off with all their heads. But that's not what they're saying. With zero explanation. They say, when the guy we don't like, who used to be President of the United States, who is a leading candidate to be the next President of the United States, when he does it, we will come after him and try to put him in jail. When our boss does it, who? What? Never heard Joe Biden, who's that guy?

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, sure. And I want to focus on a single day. And that was Thursday, the last week of July, which is the last day the Senate was in session. We've been on recess for the past several weeks. And so I've been traveling across the state of Texas and doing events all over Texas. But the last day we were in session was the Thursday, the last week of July. And on that one day I passed eight separate pieces of legislation. It was a big deal to pass eight pieces of legislation. There are a lot of members of the Senate that don't pass eight pieces of legislation after years of serving in the Senate. And I passed eight in a single day. And so I just wanted to walk through that day to give a sense of what can be accomplished fighting for Texas in a single day. So two of them passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee. And as you know, I'm the ranking member, the senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee. And there were two different bills that I'd introduced, both of which passed the Senate Commerce Committee that day. One of them focuses on AM radio. And we've talked about that bill here on this podcast before, which is that eight automakers announced they were pulling AM radios off of brand new cars and trucks. I think that's a terrible step. It's terrible for a lot of reasons, including that it denies people disaster information in the case of a hurricane or a fire or tornado or some other natural disaster. It hurts rural Americans who rely on AM radio and it hurts conservative speech in particular. It's an example of corporate America silencing one of the most important platforms for conservative speech. Well, I teamed up with Ed Markey, the single most liberal member of the Senate, in legislation called the AM Radio for Every Vehicle act, which mandates that new cars and trucks include AM radio. And that legislation passed. The Commerce Committee passed it with overwhelming bipartisan support. So that was victory number one. A big deal that impacts you. You have a radio station radio show. It impacts all sorts of people on the radio, but it impacts up to 80 million Americans who listen to AM radio every single month.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's incredible legislation. And it's also, as you mentioned as well, a safety issue. You look at the hurricane that is that we're dealing with right now in Florida, that's going to be going up the east coast. And, and I've already heard it and talked to friends down there. They're already reminding people, grab your crank AM radios to keep up when the power goes out so that you know what's going on. And I think there were many that thought of this as a way to silence conservative talk radio. Yes, there's no doubt there was a political side of this as well. But, but this other part was a safety issue. When hurricanes hit, when there's natural disasters that happen and they're talking about it on. I was watching the Weather Channel today as a storm was, was developing this hurricane and strengthening. They were saying make sure you have your crank AM radio. That is, that is something that saves lives in situations like this. And that's also why it was so important to make sure these AM radios, because there are people, people after storms hit and even before they can go out to their car, turn it on for a second, listen to the latest updates of what's happening. And that's something that happens. Or those crank radios or battery powered radios with am, it's so vitally important for safety as well.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And other media often go down in the case of a disaster. So it's. So it's critical for getting people out of harm's way. A second piece of legislation that I authored that also passed the Commerce Committee that day is legislation called the Ticket Act. And it concerns, if you go Online and you buy sports tickets, you go buy baseball tickets or football or basketball tickets, or you buy concert tickets, you want to go see your favorite artists, pay. And all of us have had the experience where you go online to buy tickets, you pick out your seats and you're really excited. And then you get to the final step of the transaction and you see fees that are just massive. The fees can be as upwards of 40, 50, 60% of the total amount you're paying. And you don't learn until the very last step when you're entering your credit card. And so I joined with Maria Cantwell, the Democrat from Washington State is the chairman of the committee and authored legislation that requires online ticket brokers to disclose the total amount of the ticket price with the fees up front so that when you're searching, you can know, okay, if this ticket's going to cost me $100, I'm not going to think it's 50 bucks and get surprised on the back end. As a consumer, I'm going to get to know up front and have the information to be able to comparison shop and make informed choices.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, you mentioned that there was not just these two pieces of legislation, but more than that that happened on this single day. Walk us down again that path of what else happened.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, sure, the first two passed the Commerce Committee. The remaining six pieces of legislation that I passed that day all passed the entire Senate, the full Senate, and all of them on that day. The last Thursday in July, we passed the National Defense Authorization act, which is the big bill that passes every year that authorizes the Department of Defense and our military and is critical for ensuring that we can defend our nation. And it is considered must pass legislation so that if you can author amendments that get attached to it, those amendments get passed into law and signed into law. I had six different amendments that passed on this year's ndaa. So one of the amendments I had was very focused on defense in the state of Texas. And it was ensuring that B1 bomber wings remain in service for at least three more years, at least until 2026, until they're actually replaced by newer B21 bombers. And this is critically important, number one, to preserve the U.S. s long range strike capabilities. But number two, many of those B1 bomber wings are right now housed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. And we're in the process of replacing B1 bombers with B21s. B21s are much more advanced bombers, but it takes time to produce the B21s. And there's great concern, number one in West Texas that the B1s will be taken down before they're replaced by the B21s. And so there's been a battle year after year to make sure that we don't decommission the B1s until we have B21s in place to replace them. That battle's happened every year for a number of years and I've managed to win temporary delays in it. This year we got a three year freeze, which is critically important for ensuring our defense capability, but also for protecting West Texas and Dyess Air Force Base. So a second amendment that also passed that day is legislation that I introduced that focused on what are called spy fridges, which is there are all sorts of appliances that you buy, whether they're refrigerators, whether they're microwaves, whether they're stoves or ovens that are smart devices. And they have built in cameras and, or recorders. And often people don't know when you're buying a fridge. You don't think to ask, gosh, is, is. Is my refrigerator recording me in my kitchen? And, and so I authored legislation, it's very, very similar to the legislation we talked about before in the Ticket Act. It's disclosure legislation that says if there's an appliance that's being sold to consumers that can record you, that has a camera, either a video camera, an audio recorder that they have to disclose to you, the consumer, hey, your, your fridge is spying on you. And that likewise was bipartisan legislation that likewise passed on the floor of the Senate.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

It really is nuts. And it's where technology is taking us. It's where so much of corporate America violates the privacy of consumers. And look, the next time, Ben, you're walking to the fridge at 2 in the morning in your boxer shorts to get a midnight snack, just, just remember that video may, may be in the hands of whoever sold you the fridge.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for passing that. I do appreciate that. I think all of us can say yes on that one. What else was on the list?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, so two other amendments that both concerned oil. One of them concerns Nord Stream 2. We've talked a lot about Nord Stream 2, which is the pipeline that Putin was building from Russia to Germany. And I had an amendment that holds accountable the corrupt officials who are responsible for building and, or maintaining Nord Stream 2. And so that passed on that Thursday as well. The second one focused on US oil and in particular our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And as you know, Joe Biden has sold down our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the lowest level it's been at in four decades. And the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there to protect our economy, to protect our national security, to ensure that we have energy in a time of crisis. And Joe Biden's used it to try to temporarily lower gas prices right before the last election to get a political benefit from it. And so I teamed up with Joe Manchin and authored legislation to prohibit the federal government from selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, not to sell it to our enemies. And that is not a hypothetical threat because Joe Biden, in fact sold over a million barrels of oil from the US's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Communist China. And given that, I thought that was absurd. Joe Manchin and I teamed up together to pass this legislation and that was the fourth piece of legislation on the Senate floor that passed on that Thursday.

[Ben Ferguson]

Absolutely. Don't forget we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Make sure you hit that subscribe or follow button. The algorithms have changed on Apple. A lot of you have by default, kind of unfollowed the show. You may not even realize that. So make sure you check if you're listening on Apple and hit that follow button. You'll have to check back every couple of weeks. They have changed it up. It's frustrating, but it's their new algorithm. Algorithm, it's just how it works. So make sure you follow that as well. And don't forget if you miss some shows during the week. We have our weekend review on Saturdays as well for the highlights of some of the biggest things you may have missed during the week. It also helps us on the charts now more than ever with Apple. If you will write us a five star review that helps us reach people with these new algorithm changes. It's more important than ever. So if you'll do that for us as well, we greatly appreciate it and the center and I will see you back here in a couple of days.