Bonus: CNN Insists "Who can tell the Motive?" of Charlie Kirk's Murderer plus "Loving" Texts between the Murderer & His Boyfriend

Summary

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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show — Bonus: CNN Insists "Who can tell the Motive?" of Charlie Kirk's Murderer plus "Loving" Texts between the Murderer & His Boyfriend

Release date: September 18, 2025

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on the media coverage surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk, focusing specifically on what the hosts characterize as deceptive narratives by outlets like CNN and ABC. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton (with Ted Cruz as guest) argue that mainstream media is intent on obfuscating the shooter's openly stated motives, while also critiquing how networks seemingly romanticize the murderer's relationship with his transgender boyfriend. The hosts aim to highlight what they see as stark differences in the political left and right’s reactions to violence, the failure of media to hold left-wing violence to account, and the broader implications for American political discourse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ted Cruz’s Contentious CNN Interview

• Purpose for Appearing: Ted Cruz agreed to appear on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins show to push back against what he sees as “misinformation” regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the concept of “both-sides-ism” in political violence.
  • “CNN has been pushing so much misinformation in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination that I wanted to go on and push back.” — Ted Cruz [03:30]
• Technical Difficulties & Hostility: Cruz explains that he usually insists on in-person interviews with potentially antagonistic hosts. The conversation suffered from a two-second transatlantic delay, leading to frequent crosstalk and mutual interruptions.
  • “A downside of this interview is their extended portions were basically yelling over each other because of the delay.” — Ted Cruz [07:20]
• CNN's Stance on Motive: The hosts lampoon CNN’s framing that the murder’s motive is unknown, calling this claim “idiocy” and a deliberate avoidance of uncomfortable political facts.
  • “She claims we have no idea what motive. Who could know?” — Ted Cruz (paraphrasing Kaitlan Collins) [09:05]
  • “I think this is really important to push back on the dishonesty from CNN and MSNBC…” — Ted Cruz [09:13]

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2. Breakdown of CNN Segment with Kaitlan Collins

Timestamps for Key Exchanges:

• Antifa as Terrorist Organization [09:37–11:31]: Cruz discusses past and future efforts to designate Antifa as a terrorist group and argues for following the financial links behind protest movements.
  • “There is real money that is funding [protests]...I’ve introduced legislation to aid in that. It’s called the Stop Funders Act.” — Ted Cruz [10:09]
• On Bullet Casings and Motive [11:31–14:14]: Cruz claims shell casings from the murder scene had Antifa and transgender slogans, arguing these are clear signals of motive.
  • “We know the shell casings...had antifa slogans on them and had transgender slogans on them.” — Ted Cruz [11:45]
  • “The bullets had carved on them. Antifa and transgender messages.” — Ted Cruz [37:34]
• Disputing Motive Ambiguity [14:14–15:30]: Cruz repeatedly states law enforcement has laid out a motive, while Collins insists no official conclusion has been made.
  • “Of course we know we don’t have a motive yet. We know we don’t have a motive yet. What’s happening, really, that CNN’s position? He just happened to fire the gun in celebration?” — Ted Cruz [14:23]
  • “They have not set a concrete motive. What it was.” — Kaitlan Collins [15:27]
• On ‘Both Sides’ Rhetoric [16:14–17:31]: Cruz criticizes CNN’s “both-sides-ism,” maintaining left-wing violence is disproportionately prevalent and celebrated.
  • “Blue sky is a cesspool of leftists celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk.” — Ted Cruz [16:26]
  • “It is only one side that justifies this violent violence.” — Ted Cruz [16:26]

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3. Media Reaction to the Texts between the Murderer & his Boyfriend

• Summary of the Texts [33:15–37:34]: Cruz reads aloud the text exchanges between the murderer and his boyfriend, arguing they represent a full, detailed confession and a clearly stated hatred-based motive.
  • Notable Exchange:
    • “The murderer says: ‘I had the opportunity to kill Charlie Kirk and I took it... I’ve had enough of his hatred.’”
  • “It is 100% clear...he is the assassin. He is confessing to his boyfriend, I did it. He is confessing details of the crime that only the murderer would know.” — Ted Cruz [36:27]
• ABC’s Coverage Critiqued [38:45+]: The hosts call out ABC for allegedly romanticizing the text exchange, focusing on the intimacy and emotion rather than the gravity of the crime.
  • “[ABC correspondent David Muir:] ‘It was very touching in a way that I think many of us didn’t expect... into this relationship... with him repeatedly calling his roommate who was transitioning, calling him my love...’’ [38:56]
  • “It is repulsive that ABC News is gushing over this psychopathic murderer... and thinks it’s so sweet that he confessed to his transgender boyfriend...” — Ted Cruz [39:58]
• ABC Reporter Doubles Down: Hosts play a second ABC segment where Matt Gutman reiterates how “touching” and “humanizing” the killer’s texts are, instead of centering victims.
  • “‘And on the other hand, there is this duality of a very, a portrait of a very human person, a very human experience.’” — Matt Gutman, ABC [42:22]
  • “Fulsome, touching, loving. It is heartbreaking. Look, I don’t know who this particular reporter is, but I see depraved maniacs who just committed cold blooded murder.” — Ted Cruz [44:11]

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4. Discussing the Political and Cultural Divide

• Comparisons of Reactions to Violence: Ted Cruz asserts that conservatives respond to tragedy with prayer vigils, while he claims leftwing activists often riot or celebrate violence, a distinction he feels the media purposely blurs.
  • “When Charlie Kirk was killed...what did conservatives do? We held prayer vigils... In contrast, leftists rioted all over this country [after George Floyd].” — Ted Cruz [21:48]
• Social Media’s Role: Cruz calls platforms like Blue Sky “cesspools” where leftists openly celebrate the assassination, pressing the media’s refusal to address this as evidence of bias.

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5. Viral Moment: Ted Cruz Cleans Graffiti

• Painting over Anti-Kirk Graffiti [26:08]: Ted Cruz recounts erasing hateful graffiti targeting Charlie Kirk from a Houston freeway overpass, calling it a small but necessary act.
  • “I went down with some paint and a roller and I just covered it up... we needed to just cover it up and say that this is not okay.” — Ted Cruz [27:16]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She screamed at me. She interrupted me. She did not want the facts. She did not want to admit any of the reality.” — Ted Cruz on Kaitlan Collins [03:30]
• “This is propaganda 101 on CNN.” — Ben Ferguson [08:53]
• “I did it. I’m sorry. I’ve had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” — Text from murderer, read by Ted Cruz [34:30]
• “It’s 100% certain he is guilty and his motive is clear.” — Ted Cruz [36:27]
• “It was very touching...a very intimate portrait into this relationship.” — ABC News Reporter [38:56]
• “What in the world are you guys doing over there at ABC News with your special report live coverage?” — Ben Ferguson [39:42]

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Important Timestamps for Segments

• [03:30] Ted Cruz sets up his motivation for going on CNN and outlines what will be discussed.
• [09:37] CNN Interview segment starts: discussion on antifa, left-wing violence, motives.
• [14:14] Heated cross-talk over whether law enforcement has established a motive.
• [16:26] The "both sides" argument and discussion of left-wing vs. right-wing violence.
• [26:08] Ted Cruz describes painting over anti-Kirk graffiti.
• [33:15] In-depth reading of the murderer's texts to his boyfriend.
• [38:56] ABC's “touching” framing of the text exchange, hosts' visceral rebuttal.
• [42:22] Second, more intense ABC “romantic” take, hosts address how warped that framing is.

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Concluding Takeaways

The episode asserts a narrative in which mainstream media is actively misleading the public about the nature of Charlie Kirk's assassination and the political leanings of his murderer. The hosts argue these media outlets are driven by political agendas that both obscure the truth and, in some cases, insensitively romanticize a brutal murder. By replaying the text confession and analyzing network coverage, the episode seeks to demonstrate not just the media’s alleged failure, but what the hosts see as a deep cultural divide in reactions to violence and truth-telling in American public life.

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Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Tickets take a deep dive into the stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Ted Cruz]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast the News Agents Dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current.

[Ben Ferguson]

Affairs and the newsagents USA listening to.

[Ted Cruz]

The news agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the newsagents to start listening. Whatever team FIA is on has a chance to win a championship.

[Kaitlan Collins]

I'm Kristina Williams, host of the podcast.

[Ted Cruz]

In case you missed it with Christina.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Williams, the WNBA playoffs are here and.

[Ted Cruz]

I've got the inside scoop on everything from key matchups and standout players to the behind the scenes moments you won't find anywhere else.

[Kaitlan Collins]

It's really, really hard to be the.

[Ted Cruz]

Champions, but we have to remember how it feels and embrace the new challenge that we have. So listen to In Case youe Missed it with Christina Williams, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and entertainment on iHeartRadio app, Apple.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You want smart political talk without the meltdowns. We got you and I'm Carol Markowitz. And I'm Mary Kathryn Hamm. We've been around the block in media and we're doing things differently.

[Ben Ferguson]

Normally is about real conversations, thoughtful, try.

[Ted Cruz]

To be funny, grounded, and no panic.

[Kaitlan Collins]

We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day. Join us every Tuesday and Thursday Normally on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with center Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. So nice to have you with us. And just so you guys know, we are doing almost every episode now on YouTube as well. So if you want to watch this show, you can do it on YouTube as well. This episode we're doing, right is on YouTube and on audio downloads wherever you get your podcast. So we'll remind you about that. But we're certainly very, very, very excited about that. Senator, we've got a lot to chat about tonight, including you. Going into the lion's den where I live for seven years, I would at first I got a text from someone said, hey, what bet did Ted Cruz lose to go on CNN with Caitlin Collins? That's actually a very good question. It was not with me. It would have been a great bet. All of a sudden I, I, I get text message, you're on there. I start watching. And it was some fireworks.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, tonight I went on CNN with Kaitlan Collins and I did so because CNN has been pushing so much misinformation in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination that I wanted to go on and push back. And they've been big on the whole both sides ism that it's really both sides. It's Republicans and Democrats that are engaging in violence. It's Republicans and Democrats that engage in hateful, violent rhetoric. And so by both sides are equally responsible. And that is a lie. On our podcast just two days ago, we broke that down at length. Well, tonight I went on CNN to battle with Kaitlan Collins. And I gotta say, she screamed at me. She interrupted me. She did not want the facts. She did not want to admit any of the reality. She had a political narrative and she was gonna stick with it. We're gonna play that for you and you're gonna see the back and forth that we had. We're also going to play what was released earlier this evening, which is the text exchanges between Charlie's murderer and his transgender boyfriend. And the text exchanges, it is a confession. He admits he's the murderer. He breaks down the details of what was involved in the aftermath of the shooting. And we're also going to talk about how ABC News gushed about it, treating the two of them like Romeo and Juliet. They behaved like teenagers. Pitter patter. Oh, how exciting. The two of these sick individuals talking about how excited they were to have just murdered your friend and mine, the great Charlie Kirk.

[Ben Ferguson]

Want to tell you real quick about the IFCJ and it's hard to believe it's been nearly two years ago since the terrorists that murdered more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and took 250 hostages actually happened. Today it seems as if the cries of the dead and the dying have been drowned out by the shouts of anti Semitism and hatred. And the most brutal attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust has been forgotten already by many. And that's by design for many around the world. Yet the world looks away and we still need to help those and shine a light in the darkness. It's a movement of love and support that I want you to get involved in for the people of Israel. And it is called the Flags of Fellowship and it's organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. On October 5th, it's just a few weeks away, literally millions across America will prayerfully plant an Israeli flag in honor and solidarity with the victims of October 7th of 2023 and stand with their grieving families. And you can be a part of this movement as well. Your church can be a part of this movement as well. If you want get more information about how you can join the Flags of Fellowship movement, visit the fellowship [e-mail] and you can get what you need, the resources to stand with Israel on this important day as we stand with them all over the country. That's IFCJ.org one more time. IFCJ.org and you can also get your church involved as so many churches around the country are now doing this for their entire congregations. IFCJ.org all right, so let's go to just point one here. You decided to go on CNN. Now what's interesting about this interview that you did, sender is actually the fact that you guys were not in the same room. Typically there's a good chance you guys would have been. Caitlyn was in the UK for the presidential trip there. There was a little bit of a delay. What was not delayed is her anger at you and what you were saying and the yelling at you. Even across the pond she's still on point. That one.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And listen, Ben, for this kind of interview, I will almost always insist that it be in person. Yeah. Because if I know that someone is going to be an antagonistic partisan hack, then I want to be in person to be able to fight back. I agreed to do this even though she was in the United Kingdom and there was about a two second delay. So it made it hard. A downside of this interview is their extended portions were basically yelling over each other because of the delay. I actually thought she'd want to do a decent interview, and so she wouldn't just scream at me. If you've got a delay, you ask a question, you get an answer. You ask another question, you get an answer. That's how actually, you and I have done interviews. We've interviewed people live from Israel, from Jerusalem, right after October 7, halfway around the world. We've managed to do the interview. And if you actually want to interview someone, you don't scream and interrupt them. Well, Caitlin has been complicit in CNN's propaganda. They have been misleading and lying to the American people. And it's why I wanted to do this. It's why I agreed to do this. She. She's been asking me. Her show's been asking me to go on for some time. I've usually said, no, no, thank you. No, thank you. No, thank you. I decided to go on today because I think what they've been doing after the Charlie Kirk assassination has been incredibly dishonest and harmful. And. And I had hoped that we would have a conversation as mature adults. Sadly, we did not. And so we're gonna play the whole.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thing online that just people. So they understand the lie that's been told, and it's been propping propaganda 101 on. On CNN is that we don't know the motive of. Of shooter. And you're insane if you.

[Ted Cruz]

She claims we have no idea what motive. Who could know?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, who could know across all other shows, by the way, like, all of their shows are like lots of idiocy.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it is idiocy. So we're gonna play the entire interview. It is fairly lengthy and there's some fireworks and there's some moments where we're yelling over each other. But I think this is really important to push back on the dishonesty from CNN and MSNBC and abc, NBC, cbs. And so give a listen my interview tonight with Kaitlan Collins on cnn.

[Kaitlan Collins]

And joining me now is Senator Ted Cruz. And Senator, I think you've probably been part of some theatrical moments of your own in some of those hearings. Obviously got quite contentious. It points today. But what you were arguing there and what you were talking there about with the director, Cash Patel was actually something President Trump himself talked about five years ago when he said the US Was going to designate antifa as a terrorist organization. You and Senator Cassidy had actually introduced a resolution calling for that one year before. Do you know why it didn't happen then? And do you expect it to happen now?

[Ted Cruz]

You know, I do think it's going to happen now. And I'm urging the Department of Justice and the FBI and the entire administration to do so. And more broadly, what I'm urging them to do. And at the hearing today, what I urge Director Patel to do is follow the money that much of this violence that we've seen is not organic, that there is real money that is funding it. So the Black Lives Matter and antifa riots all over the country, there was real money behind that. The anti Israel, anti Semitic riots on college campuses, there was real money behind that. The open border riots we saw in LA and across the country, there's real money behind that. I'm not the only person who noticed that at the anti Semitic protests on college campuses, many of the tents all matched. And so what I'm urging the Department of Justice to do is look at who's funding it. And indeed, I've introduced legislation to aid in that. It's called the Stop Funders Act. And what that legislation would do is very simple. It adds riot in to the list of predicate offenses under rico. And that would enable the Department of Justice to use rico, a very powerful tool for going after organized crime, not just to go after the people committing specific acts of violence, but to go after those who are writing checks to foment that violence. And I think that would have a massive effect pulling back and limiting this violence.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Yeah, but can I ask you on just the antifa part of this, what existing federal law would give the President or the State Department the authority to be able to designate a domestic group as a terrorist organization? Is there one?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, what I have called for, they're clearly carrying out acts of terrorism. They're carrying them out domestically, they're organizing their engage in direct acts of violence. And indeed, one of the things that I asked Director Patel is what evidence is there that there are other people who had foreknowledge of this assassin's assassination of Charlie Kirk. We know that he was engaged in Reddit conversations with others, and we know that the shell casings that he used in the rifle had antifa slogans on them and had transgender slogans on them. And it appears from what's been reporting that there were extensive discussions in various Reddit and discord organizations to the extent others had foreknowledge and aided and assisted. That may well be a manifestation of antifa violence or transgender violence. We've seen a disproportionate incident of transgender violence as well. And so examining what groups potentially are behind these acts of violence, I think it is overwhelmingly Clear things like the anti Semitic protest had money behind it. With respect to Charlie Kirk's murder, that is not determined yet, but I think it should be investigated very thoroughly.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Yeah. As Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, just said, right now, they don't have any evidence of an organization. Obviously they're still looking into this. But, but on the bullet casings, I don't remember there being a transgender one on there. I remember him saying there was one that said, if you could read this, you're gay. It was referencing Internet memes. But on what you just said there about investigating, there is.

[Ted Cruz]

Hold on a second.

[Kaitlan Collins]

There is a transition funding.

[Ted Cruz]

Hold on. Caitlyn Kick. Caitlin. There is a transgender. There's a reference to. Do you see my bulge? Which is that I'm told is an online meme for transgenderism. And Director Patel testified that the murderer here was living with his romantic partner who was a transgender man transitioning to being a woman. And so you have both the shell casing that directly references transgenderism. And in fact, Charlie Kirk was murdered moments after he was asked a question about transgender mass shootings. And that's. That's when the shooter filed. And so do we have conclusive proof at this case?

[Kaitlan Collins]

Hold on.

[Ted Cruz]

But I will say this. Some of the most disturbing polling numbers that I see are the number of Democrats who believe. Okay, but Senator, left wing activist was somehow Republican. I mean, that, that really shows the media not. Not doing the job they should be doing.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Okay, Senator, but, but one moment, because you said a lot there and we don't have a motive yet. We don't know yet. We're waiting. Obviously we've heard what the governor's had to say with the.

[Ted Cruz]

Of course we know we don't have a motive yet. We know we don't have a motive yet. What's happening with really that CNN's position. He just happened to fire the gun in celebration. You can't tell the motive.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Senator, that's not what I said. And I said law enforcement hasn't laid out a direct motive. They've laid out a lot of evidence here of these messages and what they've.

[Ted Cruz]

Said that he's a left wing activist who. Charlie Kirk.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Senator, with all due respect, you know exactly what I'm saying. I'm not arguing with you politically. I'm saying that law enforcement has not put a specific motive. You know, that there's a difference of what they're putting in a legal.

[Ted Cruz]

They have. That's what you're talking about.

[Kaitlan Collins]

And you're not even. We're not even arguing about the facts here.

[Ted Cruz]

Just said is. Is false, Senator. Caitlin, no, Caitlin, facts. Hold on a second. Let me answer your statement because what you said is fact. With all due respect, law enforcement.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Respect.

[Ted Cruz]

You're so you don't want a lot of.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Go ahead, say. And I want to get back to. We just laid out the fact.

[Ted Cruz]

You just said law enforcement has not made it out a motive that is.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Objective to the deputy attorney general.

[Ted Cruz]

That is objectively false.

[Kaitlan Collins]

They have not set a concrete motive. What it was.

[Ted Cruz]

And CNN should not be engaging misinformation. Caitlin, answer my question.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Not misinformation.

[Ted Cruz]

Polling shows the vast majority of this murderer is a Republican and a Trump supporter. Have you seen that poll?

[Kaitlan Collins]

Let me get back to my questions though, Senator, because the question here you're.

[Ted Cruz]

Not going to answer that question was actually are you going to answer what.

[Kaitlan Collins]

That you'd like to see?

[Ted Cruz]

So you're not going to answer.

[Kaitlan Collins]

I'm the one asking the questions here. And the question.

[Ted Cruz]

No, we were having a conversation. I understand that you want to investigate things that are financially false and then you don't actually want the facts laid out. Okay, give your speech.

[Kaitlan Collins]

That's not true. Senator, I'm asking you a question.

[Ted Cruz]

Go ahead. I don't know what your question is because we have a delay because you're in England. So I can't hear what you're saying.

[Kaitlan Collins]

You said that you believe that left wing groups should be investigated. You want to know where the financing is coming from for protests. Do you believe that they should also be looking into right wing groups as well, or do you believe it should only be limited to that?

[Ted Cruz]

Look, I believe anyone engaged in acts of violence should be prosecuted and go to jail. But I will say there has been an enormous amount and CNN has been guilty of this of both sides. Ismo saying, gosh, both sides are violent. And understand, yes, there is some violence on both sides, but it is the left that overwhelmingly celebrates this. It is leftists that have been celebrating. You look at Blue sky and it is a cesspool of leftists celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk. You look at recent polling that shows over 50% of Democrats saying violence against Elon Musk is justified. Violence against Donald Trump is justified. You look at Democrats who do things like what Kamala Harris did of giving money and urging people to give money to bail out violent rioters and antifa riots. It is only one side that justifies this violent violence. My view is if you commit acts of violence, you should be prosecuted. And so, yes, we should follow the money, anyone funding acts of violence, we should go after. But this is a left wing problem.

[Kaitlan Collins]

How can you argue that? It's. I think the argument that people have been talking about recently is what's going on with the Charlie Kirk case. I think people have raised that because there have been other acts of political violence as well when it comes to targeting Democrats. I mean, we've seen that with a lawmaker who was killed in Minnesota this summer alongside her husband. We've seen it with the break in and it's the Pelosi.

[Ted Cruz]

But the assassin, Brett Kavanaugh. Hold on a second. If you're, if you're going to say facts get, you need to get your facts right. The assassin there was not a right wing assassin acting on a political motive. The assassin there was someone who had been an appointee of Tim Waltz and he was a deranged lunatic. And yes, there are deranged lunatics who attack people both right and left. But if you look at murders carried out for political agendas, they are overwhelmingly on the left. Whether it is the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the two assassination attempts of Donald Trump, the assassination attempt on Brett Kavanaugh over and over and over again, whether it was the congressional shooter who came to Washington to the baseball game and said, I want to find.

[Kaitlan Collins]

All of those cases.

[Ted Cruz]

We noted all of this. It is a disproportionate problem.

[Kaitlan Collins]

Also noting that there have been others, the Democratic lawmakers who were targeted just a couple of months ago. So I think that is the point that people have made here.

[Ted Cruz]

But it wasn't by a Republican for a political agenda. And by the way, that lunatic should be prosecuted, executed and go to jail. So what I'm not doing is what leftists are doing. Leftists are celebrating that murder. I think the murder in Minnesota was horrible. It was horrible. And that, and that that violent criminal should be prosecuted and going to jail. You would have a point if I said, gosh, let's set up a bail fund for that murderer, then you'd have a point. But, but it's only one side that is doing that. Do you agree that on Blue sky there are thousands of leftists celebrating and reveling in the murder of Charlie Kerr?

[Kaitlan Collins]

Senator, I don't think that anyone should agree, regardless of what that person.

[Ted Cruz]

Do you agree that they are.

[Kaitlan Collins]

You're right. No one should representative of how people feel. If you celebrate it, I think that's wrong and I think that's it's representative of leftists.

[Ted Cruz]

It's only left wingers are on it.

[Ben Ferguson]

I got to tell you that that was just one moments where she's like, and we're done. Like, like it's over, we're done. We're just going to move on past this. And I'm glad you, by the way, didn't let up on the facts there at the end because you're absolutely right about this.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, I gotta say, and there was a time, I mean, Caitlin started out as a reporter for National Review. She didn't used to. She's from Alabama. She didn't used to be insane.

[Ben Ferguson]

Isn't she now like a roll tide? I think she's roll tide. If I remember correctly.

[Ted Cruz]

She is. And she got hired by cnn. And I don't know if she drank the Kool Aid. I don't know if she just sold out, but her unwillingness. Okay, so number one, when I asked her, have you seen the polling that the vast majority of Democrats believe that Charlie Kirk's assassin was a right wing MAGA Republican? She would not answer that question. The answer is yes, she has seen that. She knows that. But she wouldn't answer it. Because the reason that the vast majority of Democrats believe that is because CNN is lying to them, MSNBC is lying to them, the corporate media is lying to them, and it goes right to the heart of their propaganda. They are deceiving people. She wouldn't answer that when I asked her, are you aware that on Blue sky now, Blue sky is this sort of left wing Twitter that they set up to say, let's just have lefties communicate. Blue sky is this cesspool of leftists celebrating this murder. I asked her, do you know that? She knows that that is not a surprise to her, but if she admitted that, she would have to admit that this is not the fault of both sides of Republicans and Democrats. It is leftists who are rationalizing this, who are justifying this, who are celebrating this. And by the way, it was fascinating at the end, she just cut it off. Done. Ted Cruz, be quiet. Yeah, a point that I was going to make. There's also a real difference between how the left and right reacts when something like this happens. When George Floyd was killed.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Ted Cruz]

Leftists rioted all over this country. They firebombed police cars. At least 19 people were killed in Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots all over the country. In contrast, when Charlie Kirk was killed, a great American, what did conservatives do? We held prayer vigils. We stood up and we held candles and we prayed and we honored his life. And by the way, left wing radicals came and tried to disrupt those prayer vigils by screaming and yelling, engaging in acts of violence. There is a difference. And CNN is all in propaganda and denying that difference.

[Ben Ferguson]

All right, I want to take a moment to talk about personal safety. You guys know I'm pro second Amendment. You know that I've actually used my firearm to save my life when I was a target of a gang initiation. But for many people that are listening or family members, you may not feel comfortable carrying a firearm. You still need to be able to protect yourselves. And in times of danger, you're going to want to have something. And that's where the burner launcher comes in. I have given these to countless family members. It is a handheld pistol that fires both kinetic rounds and. And chemical irritants to separate you from an attacker. And I'm here today with Josh Sherrard from Burna. Josh, many of us just saw that video footage of the recent mob attack of a man and a woman in downtown Cincinnati. Josh, many of us saw the video footage of the recent mob attack of a man and a woman in downtown Cincinnati. And it was shocking. Can you share a little more about what happened? And could a less lethal weapon like the burner launcher be used in a situation like this to defend yourself?

[Ted Cruz]

Absolutely. Like you said, we all saw the videos, and unfortunately, after a jazz festival, a man was attacked by a mob of individuals that just continued going and continued going. Unfortunately, he was unable to defend himself despite other people trying to help. This is one of those instances where clearly these people are looking for an easy target. The trick here is to make yourself a hard target, have a way to defend yourself to facilitate that escape. And that's really where Burna comes in. You know, depending on the legality, you may or may not be able to carry a gun in this case. So you need to have a tool to make sure you can defend yourself. That's legal in all 50 states and make sure you can make it home safe.

[Ben Ferguson]

And why wouldn't the victim in this case just want to pull a gun on these suspects? It's a. It's an important question.

[Ted Cruz]

You know, it absolutely is. And there's a couple of reasons. One is the legality. Depending on where you are, you may not even be able to carry a gun. Or maybe coming from a private event where guns may not be illegal as well. And then two, in order to pull a gun, you need to understand that there has to be a reasonable expectation that there's going to be death or serious bodily injury caused. You pull that gun too early and you're likely the one to be going to jail. So in this case, a less lethal tool is perfect. You can be, it can be pulled early, it can be used early to prevent further harm because it's such a reduced amount of force.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, if you want to carry one, I do. I love having this as an option. You can get more information for you, you or your family members on how they can protect themselves with a burner launcher. Go to Burna B y rna.com that's Burna B y rna.Com again. Burna B y r n a dot com and by the way, Senator, let's, let's also go to the other lie. And you mentioned all of the things that conservatives do differently than liberals. There was a list, by the way, that went viral. I do want to bring it up real quick. There's a great list put out. It said when, when Democrats are angry, you get BLM riots, antifa church shootings, Trump assass chip, Charlie Kirk assassination, pro life pregnancy centers are put on fire, Tesla vandalism, attacks against ICE agents, attacks against police, attacks against federal courthouses. And this is just merely a partial list. And what happens when we are attacked? We have prayer vigils and we clean up profanity that is put on bridges. By the way, you went viral for that. Well done. We didn't even mention that earlier. I, I, I. For people that don't know what happened Sunday, we did our show and then you saw online, I'm assuming we haven't even talked about this online. I think you must have seen the picture that someone had put up on one of the overpasses not far from where you live. And I live F Charlie Kirk. And you just said, all right, I'm gonna go paint over it. And you did it and then put it on the Internet.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it pissed me off. This was on highly Highway 59 in Houston, right in the middle of Houston. Where this happened was about a mile from my house. It was very close from where I live. It was at 59 and Shepherd. For anyone from Houston, it was right at the Sheppard exit. And I saw on Twitter the image of someone had spray painted F Charlie Kirk. They did not abbreviate F. And it just, it pissed me off. I mean, Charlie was a friend of mine. He was an extraordinary person. And that kind of hate was wrong. And so I decided, I just, that afternoon I went down, I could tell where it was from the highway sign. And I went down with some paint and a roller and I just covered it up and I Painted over it, and I erased it. And then I put out the pictures and I said, look, some despicable bastard put this up. And I've covered it up. TxDOT, the Texas Department of Transportation, has been notified. They will almost surely remove this expeditiously. But I've removed it now so that not another Texan. 59 is a very busy freeway. So there are thousands or in time, millions of people that are driving up and down 59. I didn't want them to look at that message. And so I just covered it up in white paint. And when TxDOT removes it, great. And, you know, I will say that went viral. I got a lot of folks who texted me and said, thank you for doing that. And I gotta say, my response to all of them was just, it needed to be done. This was grotesque, and we needed to just cover it up and say that this is not okay.

[Ben Ferguson]

This is Lisa Booth from the Truth with Lisa Booth.

[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Hey, everybody, it's Ben Ferguson here, and let's talk real for a second. If you're feeling uneasy about the economy, inflation, or what's happening in Washington, you're not alone. And that's why I decided to bring on a good friend of mine, Dr. Kurt Elliott from Kurt Elliott Precious Metals. Kurt, welcome. Thanks, Ben. Always a pleasure to talk with you. So, look, people are watching their retirement accounts shrink. The dollar is losing value. What are you telling folks right now? You know, Ben, what I share with people is pretty straightforward. When uncertainty rises, it's smart to invest in something tangible, something real. Gold and silver have weathered storms for generations. They're not just a hedgehog, they're a foundation when everything else feels shaky. That's why more people are reaching out to us now. Not for hype, just for steady answers. Yeah, I've seen it for myself. You guys make it incredibly easy. You walk people through everything step by step. And that's important.

[Ted Cruz]

Absolutely.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Illustrated tickets take a deep dive into the stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Ted Cruz]

The News agents. We're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast, the News Agents dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs.

[Ben Ferguson]

And The News Agents USA listening to.

[Ted Cruz]

The News Agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the news agents to start listening.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to move to the text messages that have come out and it's very interesting to see all of the evidence that is now we are seeing the transparency of these text messages that were between the, the shooter and his transgender boyfriend. And, and I also want to say there's some people that are saying, oh, you're, you're taking this hook, line and sinker. I don't know if they planned the text messages. I don't know if this was him trying to protect the roommate and act like the roommate knew nothing about it. I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of that. But what was shocking about this is how the media decided to play it and romanticize their relationship through the text messages. In the weirdest, creepiest way I've ever seen. The mainstream media do this.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. Look, I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to read you these text messages because they're horrifying. But it, but it makes clear there is no doubt that this murderer is guilty. And by the way, there is a reason I won't say the murderer's name. Because anyone who engages in a mass murder and horrific crime like this, part of the reason they do this is they want to be famous. I don't repeat these bastards name. I will call him the murderer or the assassin or the defendant, but I will not say his name. But the murderer and his boyfriend were exchanging texts and the murderer left under a keyboard in their apartment a note saying that he had the opportunity to kill Charlie Kirk and he took it. And his boyfriend, who is a man who is transgender and transitioning to be a woman, responded what? With like a whole bunch of question marks. And you're joking, right? And, and here's the exchange. The murderer says, I'm still okay, my love, but I'm stuck in Orem for a little while longer. Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle. Still, to be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I'M sorry to involve you, Boyfriend. You weren't the one who did it, right? I am. I'm sorry. Boyfriend. I thought they caught the person. No, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from the drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. It's quiet, almost enough to get out, but there's one vehicle. Lingering. Boyfriend why? Murderer. Why did I do it? Boyfriend? Yeah. Murderer. I've had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. If I'm able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence going to attempt to retrieve it again. Hopefully they have moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it. Boyfriend. How long have you been planning this? Murderer A bit over a week. I believe I can get close to it, but there is a squad car parked by it. I think they already swept the spot, but I don't want to chance it. Murderer. I wish I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle. I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back Grandpa's rifle. I don't know if it had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about prints. I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. Didn't have the ability or time to bring it with. I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints. How the f will I explain losing it to my old man? Only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel. Remember how I was engraving bullets? The effing messages are mostly a big meme. If I see notices bulges uwu on Fox News, I might have a stroke. All right, I'm going to have to leave it. That really effing sucks. Those are the text exchanges. Now, number one, reading those text exchanges, it is 100% clear. It's not 99%. It's not 98%. It's 100% clear. This defendant is the murderer. He is the assassin. He is confessing to his boyfriend, I did it. He is confessing details of the crime that only the murderer would would know. He will be convicted. He was charged today. He will be convicted. But he is guilty. Today. Based on that evidence, it is 100% certain he is guilty and his motive is clear. You know, Kaitlan Collins and CNN and msnbc, they say we don't know the motive. Maybe he just disliked tall people. Maybe he was just, you know, firing his gun in celebration. And it accidentally hit the throat.

[Ben Ferguson]

Accidentally. Somebody that was there excited just to see Charlie Kirk. And it went off randomly.

[Ted Cruz]

Like the level of. And by the way, an idiot commentator on MSNBC said maybe it was a supporter of Charlie Kirk firing his gun in celebration. Now, thankfully, that commentator got fired for that idiocy. But the motive is absolutely clear. He hated Charlie Kirk. He's a left wing antifa activist. He's a transgender activist. He is sleeping with a transgender man who is transitioning to be a woman. And so the motive is. There's no ambiguity. But CNN hates that motive. They cannot admit that's what happened. Oh, my goodness. That would undermine their entire political agenda. So they desperately have to say the motive is unclear. By the way, Kaitlan Collins said repeatedly, well, law enforcement hasn't laid out the motive. Yes, they have. They repeatedly laid out the motive. They said it's a left wing activist who's radicalized. The bullets had carved on them. Antifa and transgender messages. I mean, this is not subtle. He was not hiding his motive. But. But I have to say, as repulsive as CNN's reaction was, ABC's was worse. I want you to listen.

[Ben Ferguson]

Way worse. Way worse. Like, you can't overstate it.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay. I want you to listen to ABC News's reaction to this text exchange between the murderer and his transgender boyfriend here. Give a listen.

[Matt Gutman]

You have seen an alleged murder with such specific text messages about the alleged murder weapon, where it was hidden, how it was placed, what was on it, but also it was very touching in a way that I think many of us didn't expect. A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect's roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate who was transitioning, calling him my love and I want to protect you, my love. So it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardize the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case. And on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting and, as Pierre said, riveting press conference.

[Ben Ferguson]

David. I love how they say it's a riveting press conference center. It's riveting. And just, you know, he referred to him as my love. And this is just so sweet and sincere. It's like, what in the world are you guys doing over there at ABC News with your special report live coverage?

[Ted Cruz]

Touching and loving. Oh, these text messages. I murdered this person. For you. Oh, my love oh, my love. Pitter patter, pitter patter. That is repulsive. It is repulsive that ABC News is gushing over this psychopathic murderer and ABC News. Oh, they're touching and sweet text messages. He is confessing to a deliberate murder because he hates what somebody is saying. He murdered a husband. He murdered a father of two little kids. One boy, one girl. And, and, and, and ABC News thinks it's so sweet that he confessed to his transgender boyfriend, which of course they call his roommate, even though he's calling him my love. Like, there, there is no ambiguity when you call someone my love. What exactly the relationship is. But ABC News cannot admit to them it is sweet and beautiful. This radical leftist murdering Charlie Kirk. I got, I got a message for you guys. It's not sweet and it's not beautiful.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. By the way, side note on this, I don't know if you knew this, but 10 minutes after that, like, the Internet exploded over it. He went back on and doubled down on it and basically did the same thing again. Like, I'm not backing down from this. I think it's just genuine and sweet and sincere in a love story, you.

[Ted Cruz]

Know, what a romantic Romeo and Juliet story, you know, psycho leftist murderer killing people because he's filled with hate. I can't think of anything more beautiful than that. Certain. Certainly ABC News is very persuasive in that regard.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it's there. He'll be the face of the network before you know it.

[Ted Cruz]

God help us. Did he really double down? Did he really go back on air and do it again? Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes. Do you want to hear it? Because I've got it if you want to hear it.

[Ted Cruz]

Absolutely. Yes. This is.

[Ben Ferguson]

This is Matt Gutman.

[Ted Cruz]

I haven't heard this, so. So play it for us.

[Ben Ferguson]

So this is 10 minutes after he said on ABC News Live. It's heartbreaking on so many levels. Obviously, Charlie Kirk was murdered brutally in front of a crowd of thousands. On the other hand, there is this duality of every portrait of a. Of a. Again, his exact words of a very, like, this is like, love story.

[Ted Cruz]

Love. Touching.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, touching. So this is. This is 10 minutes later after the Internet. And I'm. I have no doubt that he knew that there was a problem. Right. So he knew there was an issue.

[Ted Cruz]

100%.

[Ben Ferguson]

100%. Here he is 10 minutes later.

[Matt Gutman]

It is. It's heartbreaking on so many levels, Kyra. Obviously, Charlie Kirk was murdered brutally in front of a crowd of thousands of people who watched him being shot through the neck and then essentially bleed out in front of him. And I think one of the things that the attorney here made a very fine point about is that a lot of these charges, seven charges were aggravated because children were present, children witnessed this, children were put in harm's way. And that was something that obviously is aggravating here. And that's one of the reasons that the suspect, in addition to the alleged murder being political in nature, is facing the death penalty. They're going for the death penalty. And on the other hand, there is this duality of a very, a portrait of a very human person, a very human experience from this entire family. As you mentioned it, the mother essentially discovered that it was her son son who had done this. The kid who had got a 34 out of 36 on the acts, who.

[Ted Cruz]

Had a 4.0, who got a full.

[Matt Gutman]

Ride to college here, that that kid was the one who allegedly perpetrated. She saw those pictures and said, identified him essentially. And then those text messages. And I don't think I've ever experienced a press conference in which we've read text messages that are a so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self incriminating and yet on the other hand, so touching.

[Ted Cruz]

Right?

[Matt Gutman]

With the suspect reaching out to his roommate who is allegedly his boyfriend, who we understand, you know, identified as male at birth, now identifies as female. And the terminology he used, he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him my love. My reason for doing this is to protect you, you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement. So there's this, this, this heartbreaking duality that we're seeing very tragically playing out.

[Ben Ferguson]

If that's not doubling down, I don't know what is.

[Ted Cruz]

Fulsome, touching, loving. It is heartbreaking. Look, I don't know who this particular reporter is, but, but I will say it's, it says something that this speaks to him in such a touching, moving way. I see depraved maniacs who just committed cold blooded murder. And his boyfriend, his boyfriend is like not saying, dear God, what the hell did you do? He's just like, oh, oh, it was you. Okay. You know, the boyfriend never said there's anything wrong with murdering Charlie Kirk. He was perfectly fine with it. There ain't nothing touching about these two psychopaths reveling in their cold blooded murder. And for ABC to think it is, that really tells you how messed up ABC is.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, I'll be very interested to see if ABC tries to walk this back. If it comes out those text messages where I cover your ass moment to try to save the boyfriend roommate. I I will be very interested to see how they manage that. Don't forget we do the show Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we do the show to talk about these types of things and what the media is doing and exposing it. So hit that subscriber auto download button and please write us a five star review wherever you're listening to this podcast. Also, if you want to watch the podcast, this one for example is up on YouTube so you can follow us on YouTube verdict with Ted Cruz there and the center and I will see you back here in a couple of days.

[Ted Cruz]

The 2025 NFL season is underway.

[Ben Ferguson]

Don't miss your chance to be a part of the action. Tickets to all regular season games are on sale now. Be there live to support your favorite team. See every epic showdown, every classic rivalry and Every primetime game. 17 games for all 32 teams.

[Ted Cruz]

Visit NFL.com tickets to purchase tickets Today. Verified tickets are available through the NFL Ticket Network, including Ticketmaster, seatgeek and Sports Illustrated.

[Ben Ferguson]

Tickets take a deep dive into the stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Ted Cruz]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast the News Agents Dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current.

[Ben Ferguson]

Affairs and The News Agents USA listening.

[Ted Cruz]

To the News Agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the News Agents to start listening. Whatever team fee is on has a chance to win a championship.

[Kaitlan Collins]

I'm Christina Williams, host of the podcast in case you missed it with Christina Williams. The WNBA playoffs are here and I've.

[Ted Cruz]

Got the inside scoop on everything from key matchups and standout players to the behind the scenes moments you won't find anywhere else.

[Kaitlan Collins]

It's really, really hard to be the.

[Ted Cruz]

Champions, but we have to remember how it feels and embrace the new challenge that we have. So listen to In Case youe Missed it with Christina Williams, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and entertainment on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Kaitlan Collins]

You want smart political talk without the meltdowns? We got you.

[Ted Cruz]

I'm Carol Markowitz.

[Kaitlan Collins]

And I'm Mary Kathryn Hamm. We've been around the block in media and we're doing things differently.

[Ben Ferguson]

Normally is about real conversations, thoughtful, try.

[Ted Cruz]

To be funny, grounded and no panic.

[Kaitlan Collins]

We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day. Join us every Tuesday and Thursday Normally on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ted Cruz]

This is an iHeart podcast.