The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Feb 2, 2026
Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Clay Travis (Buck Sexton out, returns tomorrow)
Guests: Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Todd Ricketts (Chicago Cubs co-owner, FreeSpoke co-founder)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into some of the most pressing political and cultural topics of the day, delivered with Clay Travis' signature blend of legal insight, skepticism toward left-wing orthodoxy, and irreverent humor. The show tackles the status of the government shutdown and immigration debates, the broken landscape of college sports, the inner workings of biased big tech platforms, and the blue-to-red state migration trend in America. Clay is joined by Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt to discuss border policy and college athletics, and by Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts to explore the challenges of tech and news bias, especially in search engines and AI.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown and Immigration Crisis

Guest: Senator Eric Schmitt (02:42 – 07:39)

• Shutdown Status & Continuing Resolution:

  • Schmitt explains the Senate passed appropriations bills with a two-week CR for DHS funding; House likely to follow, giving Republicans leverage to discuss illegal immigration.
  • Schmitt’s take: “This is a home game for us. And all these ridiculous demands that they have related to ICE, they just don’t work. It makes it harder for ICE to do their jobs.” (03:27)

• Sanctuary Cities:

  • Both Clay and Schmitt express disbelief that sanctuary cities openly violate federal law:
    • Clay: "Sanctuary cities seem to me to be a flagrant violation of federal law. We have the Supremacy clause. How is this even allowed to occur legally?" (04:37)
  • Schmitt is pressing legislation to end sanctuary cities, proposing jail time for politicians who violate federal law by withholding info from ICE.
  • He criticizes the left’s stance: “Illegal immigration is effectively the Democrats’ religion now. Everything begins and ends with the idea that they don’t actually believe in sovereignty.” (05:43)

• Census and Congressional Apportionment:

  • Clay highlights the underreported issue that illegal immigrants are counted in congressional apportionment.
  • Schmitt: “If you ask a straight up question to the American people, do you believe that illegal immigrants should be counted...that's a 90/10 issue.” (06:50)
  • Argues this gives Democrats electoral power and distorts federal funding.

2. The “Wild West” of College Sports & Federal Intervention

Guest: Senator Eric Schmitt (07:39 – 13:52)

• Chaos in College Athletics:

  • Both discuss the fallout from court decisions (esp. NIL rules), NCAA’s lost authority, rampant athlete transfers, and the proliferation of “agents that shouldn’t be agents.”
    • Schmitt: “You probably have a player, if you talk to SEC coaches, for maybe six months. You're in a constant negotiation.” (08:50)

• Role for Congress:

  • Schmitt, while skeptical of Congressional involvement, now thinks some federal role is necessary—mainly for liability/antitrust protections and establishing rules of the road.
  • Governance: Basic transfer/contract rules and transparency.
  • Revenue: Proposes pooling media rights (like NFL/MLB/NBA) to double college sports’ revenue and protect non-revenue “Olympic” sports.
  • Mentions the need for a Sports Broadcasting Act amendment to allow collective bargaining among colleges for broadcast rights without violating antitrust law.

• Legislation:

  • The "SCORE Act" focuses on governance; further efforts needed on the pooled revenue piece.
  • Schmitt: “The only entity in our country that can give the antitrust exemption...is Congress.” (11:27)

• Super Bowl Picks:

  • In a lighter segment, Clay and Schmitt both pick the Seahawks over the Patriots for Super Bowl 60.
    • Clay: “I’m picking Seahawks 24, 21 over the Patriots. That’s my pick.” (14:19)

3. Media Bias, News vs. Opinion, and Internet Economics

Clay Travis Monologue (20:42 – 38:36)

• How Journalism Drifted Left:

  • Advertising revenue collapse pushed media to subscription models—leading outlets to pander to their paying base, who skew far-left.
  • Reporters increasingly embed opinion in news via slanted questions to public figures; “They're disguising everything that is actually opinion as news.” (33:12)

• Celebrity/Reporter Feedback Loop:

  • Example: Rolling Stone reporter at Grammys asking loaded ICE-related questions to celebrities, seeking quotes to drive opinionated headlines.
  • Clay: “They get famous people to say what they wish they could say and then they are covering it as ‘news.’” (32:49)

• Pushback and Corrections:

  • Show highlights rare instances where public figures (like NBA coach Steve Kerr) are confronted with their misinformation and forced to apologize.
  • Clay notes these corrections get almost no media coverage, while original false statements are widely spread.

4. Big Tech and Censorship: Creating a Balanced Search Engine

Guest: Todd Ricketts, FreeSpoke/Chicago Cubs (38:36 – 49:07)

• Big Tech Bias:

  • Ricketts describes Google and major search engines as institutionally left-leaning, reinforcing bias in search results.
  • Story: "We had Donald Trump on... and overnight our Facebook and Google traffic vanished. We lost 80% of our traffic." (38:06)

• FreeSpoke’s Mission:

  • Not to be “right-leaning,” but to surface a fair mix of viewpoints, with no information suppressed. Strives to let users “form your own opinion.”

• AI and the Future of Search:

  • Clay and Ricketts discuss how AI (like ChatGPT) further shapes what people see—and risks being even more biased.
  • FreeSpoke is building “an AI digital news assistant” that provides fact-based, balanced summaries and shows both sides on news stories.

• Algorithmic Echo Chambers:

  • Social feeds and search increasingly reinforce people’s existing beliefs; FreeSpoke aims to provide “the crossover of like, okay, well the truth probably lies somewhere in between.” (45:58)

• Challenges:

  • Scale and user adoption remain obstacles due to entrenched tech monopolies and lack of visibility.

5. Red State Migration and Good Government

Clay Travis Monologue (54:12 – 69:42)

• Crime Down, Lifespan Up:

  • Reports a dramatic decrease in crime/homicides (esp. in DC) and record-high US lifespan, attributing it to better governance and enforcement.

• Migration Trends:

  • Census data: Top 10 inbound states (e.g., NC, TX, TN, FL, ID) all voted Trump; top outbound states (e.g., CA, NY, MA, NJ) are primarily blue.
  • Clay: “People are moving, they are choosing to move to red states where people leaving. Overwhelmingly states that Kamala Harris won.” (54:34)

• Red State Resilience:

  • Disputes the idea that blue-to-red migration turns red states blue; data shows red states are getting redder (using FL and TN as examples).
  • Residents are "voting with their feet" for better-run communities, citing his own move to Williamson County, TN: "I will not leave Williamson county because I am so angry still over how Nashville handled Covid." (57:01)

• Failures of Blue State Governance:

  • Examples: New York’s garbage/snow issues, Nashville’s DEI-obsessed power company failing at basic utilities after a winter storm.
    • “The electric service had over a hundred DEI meetings and trainings last year... What I care about is turn the power on and get it back flowing.” (56:07)
  • Increasing numbers of voters are prioritizing local governance and moving accordingly.

• Optimism for the Future:

  • Clay expresses hope that successful “red state” governance is being recognized and chosen across the country: “Republicans make choices and govern in a way that makes everybody’s lives better.”

Memorable Quotes

• Schmitt on Sanctuary Cities:
  “Illegal immigration is effectively the Democrats’ religion now...they don’t really believe borders should matter.” (05:43)

• Clay on Media Economics:
  “When [media companies] shifted to a subscription model, then people only wanted to hear good things about their favorite team. So all of these newspapers, they no longer break news—they’re just propaganda.” (22:43)

• Schmitt on College Sports Regulation:
  “The NCAA’s had a lot of problems, but they can’t establish any rules...now you have really kind of a Wild West.” (08:34)

• Ricketts on Search Engine Bias:
  “Google most definitely has been left-leaning for a long time. They said they were not, but then you hear... they work with Google to suppress any sort of thinking on climate change that goes against the narrative." (39:57)

• Clay on Red State Migration:
  “The red states are actually getting redder. The people that are the most fed up and are relocating tend to be redder even than the states that they are going to.” (55:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:42: Clay introduces Senator Eric Schmitt; status of government shutdown and border funding
• 03:13–06:00: Sanctuary cities, ICE enforcement, legal proposals
• 06:00–07:39: Census manipulation and consequences for congressional apportionment
• 07:39–13:52: Chaos in college sports, NIL, and Congressional intervention
• 14:19: Super Bowl picks (Seahawks over Patriots)
• 20:42: Clay’s media bias monologue—how news became opinionated
• 30:13: Audio example from the Grammys: Media celebrities and ICE backlash
• 31:18: Steve Kerr apologizes for spreading misinformation about ICE
• 32:49: Doc Rivers doubles down on claims against ICE
• 38:36–49:07: Todd Ricketts interview: Tech search bias and the launch of FreeSpoke
• 54:12: Population migration—why Americans are moving to red states
• 57:01: Nashville's failures and Clay’s personal relocation to avoid bad governance

Tone and Style

The episode features Clay Travis’ signature blend: direct, skeptical, at times archly funny, and unafraid to challenge received narratives from mainstream media or blue state political leaders. With Buck Sexton out, Clay’s voice dominates, mixing legal analysis, populist empathy, and personal anecdotes.

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

• A comprehensive breakdown of ongoing government and border debates with deep legal and political insight.
• Rare, candid discussion on the leftward slant of media and technology, plus practical efforts to create a more balanced search/news experience.
• Behind-the-scenes look at how narratives—especially about immigration—are manufactured in news and entertainment.
• Data-driven optimism about crime, American lifespans, and the increasingly powerful role of citizen “foot voting."
• Practical info and new tools (like FreeSpoke) for navigating the information age.

If you want to understand hot-button political conflicts, how the internet and media shape perception, and why Americans are voting with their feet, this episode is a must-listen.