WOKE Target Loses BILLIONS Plus IRS Whistleblower Catches AG Merrick Garland In A Lie

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: WOKE Target Loses BILLIONS Plus IRS Whistleblower Catches AG Merrick Garland In A Lie Release Date: May 26, 2023

Hosted by Ben Ferguson, "The 47 Morning Update" delves deep into the latest political and economic developments shaping America. In this episode, Ferguson engages in a robust discussion with Senator Ted Cruz, exploring the ramifications of an IRS whistleblower's revelations, the unconventional presidential campaign launch by Ron DeSantis, and Target's staggering financial losses attributed to its "woke" initiatives.

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1. IRS Whistleblower Exposes Potential DOJ Misconduct

Overview: The episode kicks off with a compelling conversation about a second IRS whistleblower who has come forward with serious allegations against the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ). This whistleblower claims that the DOJ is deliberately hindering the investigation into Hunter Biden, suggesting possible misconduct at the highest levels.

Key Points:

• Whistleblower's Allegations: Gary Shapley, a supervisory special agent for the IRS with 14 years of experience, alleges that the DOJ is "slow walking" and blocking the investigation of Hunter Biden. These actions, if true, imply that Attorney General Merrick Garland may have provided false testimony to Congress.

  Gary Shapley [01:36]: "I have not, no. These deviations from normal process and each and every time it seemed to, to always benefit the subject."

• Senator Cruz's Analysis: Senator Ted Cruz emphasizes the gravity of these claims, highlighting that if Garland knowingly lied under oath, it constitutes a felony. He underscores the need for a thorough investigation to determine the veracity of the whistleblower's statements.

  Senator Ted Cruz [10:36]: "If what the whistleblower is saying is accurate, then Merrick Garland in all likelihood gave false testimony to Congress."

• Congressional Accountability: Cruz expresses skepticism about the Senate Judiciary Committee's responsiveness but remains optimistic about the House of Representatives taking decisive action, especially with representatives like Jim Jordan and Comer actively investigating these concerns.

  Senator Ted Cruz [12:04]: "I don't expect the Senate judiciary to do anything about it. I think Dick Durbin and the Democrats, they do not care."

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2. Ron DeSantis Launches Presidential Campaign on Social Media

Overview: The discussion shifts to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has entered the presidential race by announcing his campaign exclusively through social media platforms. This unconventional approach marks a significant shift in how political campaigns can engage with the electorate.

Key Points:

• Innovative Campaign Strategy: DeSantis's decision to utilize social media for his campaign launch is unprecedented, highlighting the growing influence of digital platforms in political mobilization.

  Senator Ted Cruz [18:36]: "What DeSantis did this week is similar to that, but obviously the technology and communication has changed dramatically in the years since then."

• Media Dynamics: Cruz draws parallels to Donald Trump's use of Twitter, noting how instant communication via social media can shape public perception rapidly. He also speculates that CBS News's coverage of the IRS whistleblower might be influenced by the evolving Republican field, including DeSantis's candidacy.

  Senator Ted Cruz [15:18]: "It will get more interesting if you see more of the corrupt corporate media following suit."

• Future Campaign Trends: Expectation of more campaigns leveraging social media platforms directly to engage voters, bypassing traditional media channels.

  Senator Ted Cruz [23:13]: "Engaging in social media is an instantaneous press release to millions of people, including every reporter on planet Earth."

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3. Target Suffers $9 Billion Loss Due to "Woke" Initiatives

Overview: A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing Target's reported $9 billion loss in market capitalization following widespread backlash against its LGBTQ-friendly products and marketing strategies perceived as "woke."

Key Points:

• Financial Impact: Target experienced a substantial drop in market value within a week, attributed to consumer boycotts over its inclusive product lines targeting children.

  Ben Ferguson [27:25]: "They're learning very quickly that parents and normal adults are going to not just sit back and take it anymore."

• Corporate Missteps: Senator Cruz criticizes Target for not understanding and respecting its customer base. He argues that by imposing political ideologies through products aimed at children, Target alienated a significant portion of its clientele.

  Senator Ted Cruz [31:28]: "If you respect your customers, you don't insult them."

• Internal Contradictions: Despite financial losses, internal memos reveal that Target is not retracting its LGBTQ-focused products but merely repositioning them within stores, indicating a strategic pivot rather than a complete reversal.

  Ben Ferguson [31:28]: "They even said in their own internal email... We stand with you."

• Broader Implications for Corporate America: Cruz suggests that such high-profile financial repercussions serve as a deterrent for other companies considering similar "woke" initiatives. He emphasizes the growing power of consumer activism, especially among women and mothers, in shaping corporate policies.

  Senator Ted Cruz [35:06]: "There's a constellation now of three events... which are Bud Light... and now thirdly, Target."

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4. The Rising Influence of Women and Mothers in Political and Economic Spheres

Overview: The episode highlights the pivotal role women, particularly mothers, are playing in driving economic boycotts and influencing political outcomes. This shift is seen as a response to corporate overreach into sociopolitical issues previously deemed outside the purview of businesses.

Key Points:

• Economic Power of Mothers: Target's loss illustrates how women's collective consumer choices can have significant financial ramifications for corporations. The episode points out that, unlike previous boycotts driven by other demographics, this movement is predominantly led by women.

  Ben Ferguson [35:06]: "It's so happy to see mothers that are being inspired."

• Political Mobilization: Cruz notes that this economic activism is translating into increased political engagement, with more women running for office and influencing local elections, particularly in school board races across the country.

  Senator Ted Cruz [38:06]: "We are seeing and we have seen the power of women and moms when they get really engaged and they get really angry."

• Long-Term Impact: The combination of economic pressure and political activism is expected to create a ripple effect, compelling more corporations to reconsider their sociopolitical stances to align with consumer expectations.

  Senator Ted Cruz [41:45]: "If we want to stop corporate America from going woke, we've got to change the cost-benefit analysis."

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5. Concluding Insights and Future Outlook

Overview: Ben Ferguson wraps up the episode by reflecting on the transformative events discussed and their implications for the future of corporate America and political engagement.

Key Points:

• Shift in Corporate Strategies: The backlash against "woke" corporate policies signals a potential realignment of business practices to prioritize customer preferences over sociopolitical agendas.

• Empowerment Through Boycotts: The episode underscores the effectiveness of targeted economic boycotts as a tool for consumers to influence corporate behavior and policy.

• Continued Vigilance: Both hosts emphasize the importance of ongoing accountability and transparency in government and corporate actions to ensure alignment with public interest.

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Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [10:36]: "If what the whistleblower is saying is accurate, then Merrick Garland in all likelihood gave false testimony to Congress."

• Ben Ferguson [27:25]: "They're learning very quickly that parents and normal adults are going to not just sit back and take it anymore."

• Senator Ted Cruz [31:28]: "If you respect your customers, you don't insult them."

• Senator Ted Cruz [38:06]: "We are seeing and we have seen the power of women and moms when they get really engaged and they get really angry."

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Conclusion: This episode of The 47 Morning Update presents a critical examination of the intersection between politics, corporate policies, and consumer activism. Through insightful discussions with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson highlights significant developments that not only reflect the current political climate but also hint at future trends in corporate accountability and political mobilization.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you as always. Senator. We've got a lot to talk about, including the second IRS whistleblower coming forward and telling his story at a very shocking place. We're going to tell you about that in a moment. Also, would you have ever imagined that a big presidential campaign would be launched on social media? Ron DeSantis did exactly that. We'll talk about how unique that is. And Target, they're going woke and, well, they're going broke. Target has lost 8 to $9 billion, they say in the week following the calls for a boycott over their gay pride, LGBTQ plus friendly kids clothing and propaganda center. Let's start with this IRS whistleblower. You and I were talking before the show. It's interesting that he's come forward. It's also very interesting where he did his sit down interview. Let's talk about that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it's quite stunning. CBS News put him front and center, interviewed him on camera and he's making serious allegations. He's making serious allegations that the Biden Department of Justice is slow walking, is blocking the investigation of Hunter Biden. One of the consequences of those allegations is if that's true, it means Merrick Garland lied under oath. And I gotta say, listening to this interview on CBS takes your breath away. Give a listen.

[Gary Shapley]

When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw it, you know, was way outside the norm of what, what I've experienced in the past.

[CBS News Reporter]

Gary Shapley is a supervisory special agent for the IRS where He's worked for 14 years. In January 2020, he was assigned to what he calls a high profile investigation. Who's the subject of the investigation?

[Gary Shapley]

I can't confirm or deny the subject of this investigation.

[CBS News Reporter]

Why not?

[Gary Shapley]

Because, you know, part of the tax secrecy laws don't allow it.

[CBS News Reporter]

Shapley can't say it, but CBS News has learned the investigation was the probe of Hunter Biden by The Trump appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware. Senior Biden administration officials have vowed to let it run its course without interference.

[Merrick Garland]

It's not restricted in his investigation in any way.

[CBS News Reporter]

But CBS News has obtained this letter Shapley's lawyers sent to Congress Monday alleging irregularities in DOJ's handling of the investigation. Shapley is seeking legal protections from Congress so he can share specifics of his allegations.

[Gary Shapley]

There was multiple steps that were slow walked at the direction of Department of Justice.

[CBS News Reporter]

Had you ever encountered that before?

[Gary Shapley]

I have not, no. These deviations from normal process and each and every time it seemed to, to always benefit the subject, Shapley says he.

[CBS News Reporter]

Decided to blow the whistle after a heated meeting last October with federal prosecutors.

[Gary Shapley]

It was my red line meeting. It just got to that point where that switch was, was turned on. And I just couldn't silence my conscience anymore.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, he says he couldn't silence his conscience anymore and that's why he's been so brave. And to come forward, when you hear this whistleblower speak, what comes to mind for you initially?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, that these allegations are very serious. That what he is stating is that for the first time in his experience of over a decade, the Department of Justice was actively impeding an investigation, was slow walking it. And that, number one, reeks of political cover up. But number two, it's directly contrary to what Merrick Garland has said. And you know, one of the things that Merrick Garland is fond of saying, and that gets repeated a lot, is that the person doing this investigation is the quote, Trump appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware. That individual is a person named David Weiss. And it's true, he was appointed by Donald Trump. He had previously been the acting U.S. attorney under Barack Obama. And you know, let me point out about how U.S. attorneys are appointed. In order for them to go through, you have to get the sign off of the senators from that home state. Delaware has two Democrat senators, which means as a practical matter, the Democrat senators in Delaware picked this U.S. attorney. And so the phrase the Trump appointed U.S. attorney suggests that he's a Republican, that he somehow might be out to get the Bidens. There is zero, in fact, less than zero evidence that's true. But if what this whistleblower is alleging is accurate, then his investigation was actively slow walking the investigation of Hunter Biden. And one of the things striking is that means that the Attorney General testified falsely to the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to questions I asked him directly.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want people to hear exactly that, back and forth. Take a listen to this, Senator Cruz.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General Garland, the Department of justice should enforce the law regardless of politics. I do not believe that has been what is happening in the last two years. Among other things, I believe you very much want to indict Donald J. Trump. Toward that end, the Department of Justice has leaked that DOJ is investigating and intends to indict Hunter Biden. The purpose of those leaks, I believe, was to set the predicate for an indictment of Trump to say, look how even handed we are, we're indicting a Biden, we're indicting a Trump. Those leaks are not law or enforcing the law. They are politics. Did you know about the leaks about the Hunter Biden investigation?

[Merrick Garland]

I don't know about the leak that you're talking about, and I'm not leaks are in violation of our regulations and our requirements. So the answer is the leaks are.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Consistently on one side of the aisle, advancing one political agenda. As you know, the FBI raided Donald Trump's Mar A Lago home and subsequent to that raid, there have been multiple leaks about what was discovered there, including a photograph of documents that were discovered there. Did you know about the leaks?

[Merrick Garland]

At that rate, the photograph was a filing in court in response to a motion filed by Mr. Trump. It was not a leak.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

So you're testifying there haven't been leaks about the Trump raid investigation?

[Merrick Garland]

I'm responding to the point about the.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Know about the leaks that have occurred concerning Trump.

[Merrick Garland]

The leaks, they are inappropriate. We also don't know where they come from. Witnesses on the but what's interesting is.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

When the shoe was on the other foot. I believe your intention, and I believe it's a political intention to indict President Trump became infinitely harder when classified documents were discovered repeatedly at President Biden's multiple residences. According to the public record, those were first discovered on November 2, six days before the prior election. Department of justice was notified on November 4. And yet, miraculously, there was no leak about the classified documents at President Biden's home. When it politically benefited the effort to go after and charge Donald Trump, DOJ leaked when it potentially harmed the Democrat president. DOJ did not leak. Does that strike you as at all a double standard?

[Merrick Garland]

Leaks under all circumstances are inappropriate and they are not directed by anyone in the Justice Department.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Let me say in particular on Hunter Biden. I very much hope that an investigation of Hunter Biden is focused not just on his own personal substance abuse issues, but on connections to his father and potential corruption. That is the matter of public concern and why people are concerned. And it was striking that the leak that came out from DOJ suggested this is just going after some poor, poor person struggling with drugs instead of looking at the very real evidence of corruption. Will you commit that the investigation will actually examine the public corruption aspect and not simply scapegoat Hunter Biden as an individual?

[Merrick Garland]

I can't comment about the investigation other than to say that all the matters involving Mr. Hunter Biden are in a purview of the U.S. attorney in Delaware. It's not restricted in his investigation in any way.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Well, you don't come in here, but then you leak at the same time.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator Hawley Senator, I got to ask you a pretty simple but blunt question. Did he lie to you? And more importantly, did he lie to Congress? And before you answer that, I want to tell everybody about our friends at Augusta Precious Metals. There is something that a lot of you are probably thinking about and that's your retirement account. That's your 401k. That's your IRA. Well, I want to tell you about my friends. Augusta Precious Metals. Right now, gold is on fire and it's because people want to protect their hard earned dollars and they're doing it by having a gold Iraq. That is how they're protecting their retirement savings. Now it is very hard right now to make up losses, especially if you're close to retirement or in retirement. And that's part of the reason why sitting down with Augusta's Precious metals can be so important. If you have a hundred thousand dollars or more that you've saved for retirement, Augusta will actually pay you in pure gold. To learn how gold IRAs can protect you, that's a big deal. A pure gold gold coin for free. Reach out to Augusta Precious Metals today and get started with gold. Protect your hard earned assets. Don't let the bank failures or the interest rates have skyrocketed get you down. Get the free gold and get some peace of mind in the process. 8, 7, 7 the number 4 Gold IRA. 877 the number 4 Gold IRA to learn how to protect your retirement and get your free gold coin. That's Augusta precious metals.com Senator, did the acting, the Attorney General, did he lie to you and did he lie to Congress?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, if what the whistleblower is saying is accurate, then Merrick Garland in all likelihood gave false testimony to Congress. Now, whether it's a lie depends on two things. Number one, his knowledge at the time. It is possible that he believed what he was saying was true even though it was false. There should be an investigation. If he knowingly gave false testimony, that's a lie. That is also a felony because his testimony began with his raising his right hand and taking an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Merrick Garland knows that. And so the whistleblower's testimony strongly suggests that the Attorney General's testimony was false. And I believe there should be a serious investigation into whether it was knowingly false.

[Ben Ferguson]

There's going to be a lot of people that are going to ask this question, when is there going to be some accountability? Because when these whistleblowers come forward and they tell their stories and we see what was really going on behind closed doors. There are so many people that are just so angry, Senator, that I talk to. You talk to every day when you are in and around Texas and around the country in Washington, D.C. who are saying they're sick and tired of watching these people get away with this. Is. Do you feel like the momentum is slowly starting to change where there will be real and honest accountability?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I think there will be accountability in the House of Representatives. You have investigations, both from Jim Jordan and Representative Comer, that are looking directly at these issues. I think you will continue to see hearings in the House of Representatives that are putting evidence before the American people. There is more and more indication that the House may hold Chris Wray, the director of the FBI, in contempt for refusing to respond to subpoenas issued by Congress. And if the attorney General. I expect the House of Representatives to cross examine the attorney General on whether he lied and whether he knowingly lied in the Senate. I don't expect the Senate judiciary to do anything about it. I think Dick Durbin and the Democrats, they do not care. They are happy for the attorney general to cover up the investigation of Hunter Biden. They want the attorney general to cover up the investigation of Hunter Biden. They want the Department of Justice to be the political arm of the White House. They want this DOJ to be utterly corrupt. And look, that's a strong allegation. But if they didn't, Dick Durbin could hold a hearing tomorrow. If they didn't, Dick Durbin could subpoena the attorney general tomorrow. If they didn't, just one of the Democrats. Just one of the Democrats could muster up the mustard seeds of courage to ask the attorney general about it. But if you look at the hearings, the Democrats all get in and play patty cake with him. They praise him, if anything, they urge him. Why can't you be more vigorous going after our enemies? Why can't you be more vigorous going after every little old lady who waved an American flag on the mall during January 6, those are the questions the Democrats ask. And so if there is a Democrat senator who gives a damn about whether DOJ is obstructing justice and covering up criminal activity from the President of the United States, involved in corruption with foreign countries like China and Ukraine and his son, if there's a Democrat who cares, he or she has yet to open his or her mouth about it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how many more whistleblowers come forward as well and how so many men and women are becoming so brave now. Feeling they have a safe place to go to conservative members of Congress to tell their stories. And this is shocking that CBS did it. So I gotta ask you the politics of this, senator. CBS News doing this interview, to me just screamed, this isn't normal. This is odd. They've not wanted to cover any of the Hunter Biden scandal. Now all of a sudden, they're not only they covering it, they're breaking news with a coveted whistleblower. Were you taken aback by that? And is there a chance? The reason why they're doing this is because they realize the Republican field is getting more crowded with Ron DeSantis announcing as well, and they're really worried that any of these candidates might be able to beat Joe Biden.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it is fascinating that that CBS ran this story, that they focused on it, that they highlighted it. They have had little to no interest in covering the mounting evidence of corruption in the Biden family. So this is a big break. And that decision would have been highlighted by a network executive. That was not done by an individual reporter. It was not done by an individual anchor. That was done by a higher up, by the suits at cbs, by someone with authority, the head of the news division, somebody with real authority made the decision. Green light this. Go with this. That's powerful. As to why, I don't know. You know, you asked about whether it is the Republican field getting a little bit more crowded with Ron DeSantis getting in the race. That could be a factor. I have said before. So six months ago, I did not believe Joe Biden was gonna be the nominee. I didn't think Joe Biden was gonna run because he is so obviously diminished men that he's not up to it. And pretty much everyone knows that. Republicans certainly know that, but the Democrats know that, too. What changed in the last six months is I right now think Biden is quite likely to be the nominee. Why? Because I think right now most Democrats believe Donald Trump will be the nominee. And Democrats who believe Donald Trump will be the nominee also believe that if Trump is the nominee, that they can nominate Biden and just hide him in the basement for two years and run a campaign about how much they hate Donald Trump. And they believe that Biden in the basement, plus their antipathy for Donald Trump produces a victory on general election day. I do think if the nominee, if Democrats believe the Republican nominee really is anyone other than Trump, I think the odds skyrocket that Democrats decide they want to dump Joe Biden and find somebody else. Because if the nominee is someone other than Trump, it's much harder for them to run a campaign on how much they hate Trump. Then they actually have to find a candidate who can leave the basement and say something. And so whether this is CBS network execs starting, starting to have those knocking knees, I don't know. But it, but it is, it is a very interesting development and it will get more interesting if you see more of the corrupt corporate media following suit.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, no doubt about it. I gotta ask you about the other story. Ron DeSantis has announced he's running for president. And yes, that's newsworthy, but the way that he did it is something I could have never imagined. You actually worked on a presidential campaign, you've run for president as well. And I've worked on presidential campaigns. I never could have imagined us sitting in a room saying, hey, we should announce on social media. Is this moving and changing just in proof how important social media is to see a candidate do it the way that Ron DeSantis did it? Could you have ever imagined this 10, 15, 20 years ago?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I think it's twin commentary. Number one, the rising importance of social media and alternative avenues of communication. And number two, a continuing indictment of the corrupt corporate media. It's remarkable. There's certainly been no prior cycle when any presidential candidate would make an announcement like this on social media and Twitter spaces. I'll tell you, going back to 2011, when I first announced my campaign for U.S. senate. Very first time I made that announcement on a conference call with bloggers. And it was to my knowledge, the first time anyone had done that. And bloggers were relatively new. And the reason I did that is that there were a lot of folks who were blogging and who were writing things and I wanted them to write about the campaign. I wanted them to get excited about the campaign. And so it was at the time trying to take advantage of a cutting edge in the development of media and communication. I think what DeSantis did this week is similar to that, but obviously the technology and communication has changed dramatically in the years since then. Now there's been a ton of coverage on the technical glitches that the Twitter spaces that there were so many users on it that it was delayed and glitchy and didn't work very well. And look, that I am sure Elon Musk has decapitated more than a few people at Twitter. Cuz that was not a good moment for Twitter. That was a high profile moment for Twitter as an avenue for communicating to hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously. But I am quite confident this will not be the last campaign launched in this format. And it's striking that it wasn't launched on a TV show. It wasn't launched on Fox News, which I think Fox News was less than happy about. It wasn't launched in a big rally. When I launched my campaign in 2015, I did so at Liberty University in an auditorium with about 10,000 students. And that was a fantastic place to launch it and energizing to be surrounded by a crowd. And that's how I chose to launch it eight years ago. This reflects that technology is moving, communication is moving. But it also reflects, presumably, the DeSantis campaign believing they wouldn't get a fair shake from much of the traditional media and so trying to cut out the middleman and go straight to the voters. And I think you'll see a lot of that. It also reminds me, in 2016, Trump's use of social media was cutting edge. It was. He would put out tweets that would drive the news cycle in a way that had never happened before. And it changed how people communicate through his use of Twitter. I'll say, actually, in response, among other things to the. To the glitches on the announcement, the Trump campaign put out a mock Twitter spaces with. Featuring the Santis and Musk, but also featuring people like the devil and Adolf Hitler. And I gotta say, whoever the writer was, it was funny as hell. So it was clear, clever how they mocked it. And I think you're gonna see an awful lot more humor and mockery probably on both sides. But you're right, this was a milestone in terms of communications and how candidates communicate with the voters.

[Ben Ferguson]

I also think it also shows us, from the Twitter files, Senator, just how important social media is to driving Americans viewpoints and opinions and views. We have seen that in a topic we're going to talk about in a minute with Target. We've seen that. That's happened with Bud Light. But it also shows you how important the Democrats understood Twitter and Facebook to be when they were meeting with them on the regular, trying to influence the news and what people were seeing. And then you see somebody like DeSantis use the platform to announce the presidential run. It's like, yeah, it's because we're. We all know how important this medium is, and the Democrats are cooking the books for years against conservatives, silencing and censoring conservatives. And they want us to act like it wasn't a big deal when clearly it was.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, that's right. And let me say, there's also an avenue of social media which is that it drives traditional media. I cannot tell you how many times if there's a topic that I want to engage on, I'll put pull out my phone and send a tweet. And within minutes you can see people, reporters who follow Twitter. If the tweet is on a topic of public concern and something they care about, you can see stories written. I've typed out tweets, and within 10 minutes seen them on the TV, on Fox News. The tweet that I just typed on my phone, there's a speed of it that in many ways, engaging in social media is an instantaneous press release to millions of people, including every reporter on planet Earth. And so that it's a different relationship than it used to be. And as I said, it was Trump who pioneered that. But I've been on Air Force One with Trump where we were talking about a topic and he said, all right, let's send a tweet on that. And he, in that instance, dictated it to his social media guy, Dan Scavino. Dan sent the tweet out from Air Force One. And I've been in the President's office on Air Force One with Fox News on the TV. And boom, his tweet pops up on the TV again, five, 10 minutes after he decided to send that tweet. And so there's an instantaneous communication piece to it that is very, very potent.

[Ben Ferguson]

No doubt about it. I want to talk about one of the places where social media is driving change and reform that deals with Bud Light and Now target losing $9 billion in the week following the calls for boycotts over what they've been doing, going after kids and their gay pride displays and. And some of the just horrific things that they're selling online. And their designers are designing the clothes. It is a Satanist who is designing it, saying that, you know, trans people should come to Satan. It's shocking to see this all play out, but it's cost him now, apparently 9 billion. And before we get to that, let me tell you about our friends over at Chalk. All right? If you're a man and you've noticed that you are just feeling like you're a little bit more fatigued than you used to be, a little more weak than you used to be, a little more complacent than you used to be, you're not alone. Men's testosterone levels are off a cliff historically, and they're in an all time low. Thankfully, the patriots@chalk choq.com are here to help real American men take back Their right to maximize your masculinity by boosting your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Now I've been taking the chalk male vitality stack. I can tell you it works. And if you are just tired of feeling fatigued and you're ready to get that strength and vitality back, check out chalk go to choq.commanufactured right here in the US of A. Chalk's natural herbal supplements are clinically proven to have game changing effects in your energy, your focus, your mood. So go online to chalk choq.com that's choq.com use the promo code Ben for 35% off any chalk subscription for life choq.com check out the male vitality stack and use a promo code BEN for 35% off center. I love watching victories play out in real time. The victory over Anheuser Busch by conservatives after they decide to partner with a dude who's dressed like a Chick Mulvaney. Now we're seeing Target. Target has posted a $9 billion loss in market cap in just a week after they faced backlash for their pride gear which included tuck friendly swimsuits and other gender related products just like Budweiser. They're learning very quickly that parents and normal adults are going to not just sit back and take it anymore. They're not going to allow their children to be manipulated. Conservatives, and I say this with hope now, are finally waking up and realizing how powerful we are as a group when we stand together as patriots and say no more.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You know, I have to say it's amazing how many big companies don't understand their customers and don't respect their customers. Because if you respect your customers, you don't insult them. If you respect your customers, you focus on what your customers want and you don't try to impose your political ideology or your extreme views on your customers. The phrase the customer is always right used to mean something. We see this throughout corporate America where ad agencies are hard left, HR departments are hard left. The C suite is scared to death of the shareholder activist is scared to Death of the 24 year old children that they've hired out of woke universities who are demanding that they virtue Signal. And it used to be the case that, that, that the CEOs believed, well if I give in to the mob, it'll appease the mob and I can go do what I want. And I gotta say that there's a constellation now of three events in fairly quick order. There's Disney and when Disney came out vocally against Florida's law prohibiting the teaching of sexually explicit information to children. The backlash was significant when the legislature acted to strip Disney's special tax subsidy and exemption from the ordinary rules in Florida law. That was one of the very first big consequences to a company going woke. Then you had Bud Light and Bud Light likewise not understanding or respecting its customers. And the reaction was swift from the customers who found that they could switch to another beer and another light beer really quite easily and quite costlessly. And that cost has been significant for Anheuser Busch. And now thirdly, Target and Target. $9 billion in just a few days. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of money any way you look at it. And it's, you know, Target is trying to wrap themselves in, oh, we're just, you know, defending pride. And you know, people are lgbt. They shop too. And that's true, they do. But. But Target was not simply selling to all their customers, straight or gay. It was rather aggressively directing this propaganda at kids, at little kids, at three year olds, at toddlers, at babies. And I gotta say, that is extreme. It is only. Well, it's actually, as we pointed out in the last podcast, they literally hired a self identified Satanist to design the display. And they're selling clothing with explicit appeals to the devil. Like, I'm sorry, what imbecile at Target said, you know what our customers really want? More satanic worship. And maybe satanic worship combined with convincing two year olds that they really should have sex and be gay. Like what? And be transgender and be too. Like, how exactly does that pitch go? And is there anyone in the room that says, well, gosh, maybe some of our customers just want us to leave their kids alone? I do think there is the cumulative effect of Disney and then Bud Light and then Target. It's much greater than additive because I think it is a deterrent to the next company thinking about doing this. You know, we already have information from within Target. They're saying, we don't want to be Bud Light. We don't want to be Bud Light. Well, you know what the next company's going to say? We don't want to be Bud Light or Target. We don't want to be Bud Light or Target. That starts to get really powerful.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, there's something else about this too that's really shocking to me. Target seems to understand that they don't want to be who don't want to become Bud Light. But at the same time, their internal memos that have been leaked show that they're not backing down from selling these goods. They're just redesigning how they're showcasing them within their stores. And specifically it says within southern stores in southern states. In other words, when you, when you walked into the Target, that was right by my house. It's, it was the first thing you saw when you walk in this massive pride with the Target signal. Target Pride, that the section was very clearly there. Now they're moving that section away from the front of the store, but the goods that they were selling are still in the store. And they even said in their own internal email, it says to the teams who have been working so hard on our plans for Pride and now are showing incredible agility as we adjust. Thank you. Your efforts will ensure we can still show up and celebrate Pride in meaningful ways. They also went on to say that the LGBTQIA+ community, one of the hardest parts in all of this was trying to contemplate how the adjustments were making that we're making to alleviate these threats. Quote to our team's physical and psychological safety would impact you and your well being and psychological safety. We stand with you. They say now and basically forever. This is the part that I think is shocking about Target not learning. They're basically saying that if you're against them doing this to kids that somehow you're attacking them and their workers psychologically and their well being. In other words. Well, it sees it's these mothers fault, it's these women who are not shopping. Your fault that we're having to do this. And we still stand by you. We're still selling everything, Senator. But, but we're going to move it around and place it in different areas. And don't worry, we're still going to accomplish our agenda here. We're not going to say we got it wrong.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and you notice Target is engaging in the same sleight of hand that left wing activists and the corrupt corporate media did in the fight over the law in Florida concerning teaching kids about sexuality. Remember they branded that law don't say gay. And this is all about gay rights. This is all about just efforts to suppress the LGBT community. The law in Florida, as you and I have talked about at length, which they wrongly called the don't say gay law. I view as the don't say sex law. Don't say gay. Don't talk about gay sex. Don't talk about straight sex with 5 year olds. Leave 5 year olds alone. The law applied in Florida to pre k k 1, 2 and 3 4th grade. Florida law allowed you. Katie, bar the door. Get into anything you wanted in this instance. Notice Target's entire defense is all just generically about lgbt. It's not about the fact that they are targeting infants, literally onesies for infants. And not only that, they're selling clothing for young girls to strap their breasts down to hide their breasts and they're selling bathing suits for, for three year old boys to tuck their genitalia in and hide it. Like that is. Look, that's extreme on any measure targeting children. And what Target is trying to do ironically is cover that up entirely by making it broader and more generic and ignoring the truly grotesque part about what they're doing.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I want to ask you another question about this politically and that is the Bud Light controversy was predominantly we now know from the data that's been shared is men saying I'm not buying bud light. The 9 billion that disappeared from Target in a week is, we know now from the data is clearly women. What does this say about not just moms really now getting involved in standing up? And also what does this mean going into this next presidential election? And before you answer that, I want to tell you about our friends at Patriot Mobile. We're talking about companies that don't stand with our values. We're talking about companies that don't stand up for what we believe in. In fact, they're the opposite of that. Don't give them your money. 99% of you listening have a cell phone. And right now there is a company that actually stands up for what we believe in. For years big mobile companies have had been dumping millions and millions of dollars into leftist causes. And we had to take it because there was no other option. Well, now there is Patriot Mobile. Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. And they offer you, which matters, dependable nationwide coverage on all three major networks so you get the best possible service in your area, period. Without the woke propaganda pushed by leftists working hard to destroy this country and your family. Now when you switch to Patriot Mobile each month, a portion of your bill at no cost to you goes to support free speech and religious freedom groups, the sanctity of life, the second amendment and our military, veterans and first responders. All you gotta do is go to patriotmobile.com verdict or call them 878-PATRIOT. They also do businesses and small businesses. 878-PATRIOT. You get to keep your same cell phone number. If you want to, you can keep your same cell phone or upgrade to a new one. Patriot mobile.com verdict or 878 Patriot Senator, I've really been Encouraged, you know, with the Disney and what happened at Disney, we saw an initial kind of reaction from moms who said, okay, we're going to boycott. And then it's kind of disappeared. Disney's doing fine. Moms wanted to have those moments with their kids. They wanted to go to Disneyland. We I've had this grand debate with many of my family and friends and Bud Light happened and that was predominately men standing up saying, I'm not doing this. Target is women. And it's. And I'm so happy to see mothers that are being inspired. And I think part of this was from the lockdowns and seeing what was happening their kids, schools. But this is amazing to witness mothers and I think this is going to play out with a lot more women running for office. As conservatives, we've seen some of that already happen at school board rates around the country. But this was an inspiring week for me to watch so many mothers take $9 billion out of the pockets of Target.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, we are seeing and we have seen the power of women and moms when they get really engaged and they get really angry. As you noted, we're seeing it in school board races all over the country when they see what's being taught to their kids and they're outraged at the garbage being taught to their kids and they're flipping school board races nationwide. There are a bunch of races in Texas I've gotten actively involved in where we flip them from left wing boards to moms taking their schools back. Look, we saw it powerfully in Virginia and Loudoun county where moms in Virginia were angry at the arrogance of the schools, at the left wing propaganda, at the critical race theory, at covering up sexual assaults of little girls in the girls bathroom in Loudoun county, in that instance by a boy wearing a skirt. And those moms, and many of those moms had voted for Joe Biden just the previous election, but they flipped over and elected Glenn Youngkin. That is a very powerful thing. I think it also matters in terms of boycotts. Historically, conservatives have typically been not very good at boycotts. Part of the problem is that for some things it's hard to substitute Disney's an example where you can be annoyed at Disney, but if your kids really want to go to Disney World, that can be hard to say no to. There are not a lot of alternative. There's Six Flags, but Disney World is a pretty unique offering. And for that matter, Disney's movies, I mean, look, there's only one Snow White or Cinderella or Toy Story from Pixar. I mean, that is a difficult product for many people to give up permanently. I think the same thing is true about pro sports. I think lots of sports fans are unhappy with the NFL or the NBA and all of the WOKE nonsense. But at the same time, people, and I'll put myself in this camp, really love going to sports events and cheering on their teams. And so it's a painful boycott. What really came to bite Bud Light is that wasn't a hard boycott. It's difficult for nobody on planet Earth if you were going to order a Bud Light to say, I'll have a Coors Light, like, that's a very simple substitution. I'm not sure many people could, could, could go through a blind taste test and tell the difference. And so it's, it's an easy substitution target. We'll see how prolonged and easy a substitution it is. There's Walmart, you know, there are alternatives. I will say targets are located in a lot of areas and very convenient for a lot of shoppers. So we'll see if this becomes a persistent consequence or not. But whether it is sustained, the fact that it was so concentrated and intense has, I think certainly made a real impression on the TARGET executives, I hope. But also on the next executives and you and I have talked about before, if we want to stop corporate America from going woke, we've got to change the cost benefit analysis so that when the next executives are thinking about it, the downside of the ledger is bigger and more problematic. And I do think the last couple of weeks have dramatically increased the downside, not just for these companies but for every other. And that's a good thing for those of us that would like companies just to get back to selling their damn products and keep their idiotic politics out of our lives.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, great point. And a great point to end on. Don't forget we do this show three days a week, Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. And if there's big breaking news, we do special pods in between. So make sure you hit that subscribe or that auto download button. Also, if you've never written us a review, please write us a five star review for this podcast. It helps us reach new listeners on the charts as well and we will see you back here in a couple of days.