Verdict with Ted Cruz: ANOTHER Massive Somali Fraud in Ohio plus Tucker Descends into Madness

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Verdict with Ted Cruz: ANOTHER Massive Somali Fraud in Ohio plus Tucker Descends into Madness
Date: May 7, 2026
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

In this episode, Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson dive into two major topics:

1. An exposé on massive Medicaid fraud orchestrated by Somali-owned businesses in Ohio—an alarming pattern reportedly spreading nationwide.
2. The "continued descent" of Tucker Carlson, with Cruz responding to Carlson’s criticisms and controversial recent interview, and speculating on his motivations and declining relevance.

The conversation blends investigative breakdowns, political commentary, and direct critiques, all with the hosts’ characteristic mix of outrage, analysis, and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Massive Somali Medicaid Fraud in Ohio

• National Pattern of Fraud

• Cruz opens with a rundown of the expanding Medicaid fraud first reported in Minnesota and now uncovered in Ohio (01:19):

  "We saw first of all Minneapolis, Minnesota, Somali fraudsters stealing over $9 billion from taxpayers. But the problem is not limited to Minnesota... the very same pattern. Somali fraudsters engaged in fake home health companies stealing tens of millions of dollars from the taxpayers."

• He emphasizes this is not limited to blue states—suggests this fraud may be present in all 50 states.

• How the Fraud Works

• Undercover Reporting:
  • Cruz cites a Daily Wire investigation by Luke Rosiak as the basis for much of the details shared (06:24).
  • Ohio reportedly spent $1 billion on home health care in 2024 alone, large portions of which may have been siphoned via fraudulent companies.
• Modus Operandi:
  • Home health companies are set up (often Somali-owned).
  • These "companies" bill Medicaid at vast rates—sometimes for just providing “companionship and conversation".
  • Relatives are recruited as “patients” to bilk the system under the guise of care, often without medical qualifications or actual work performed.
• Columbus, OH as a Hotspot:
  • Columbus is noted for its large Somali population and is described as "the most unhealthy city on the planet" due to fraudulent Medicaid claims, not actual health issues (10:14).

• Real Examples of Fraud

Cruz lists astounding cases from the investigation (13:16 – 17:19):

• Politician: Founded an $11 million home health company, funded his campaign with donations from other owners.
• Janitorial Company Conversion: A cleaning business is abruptly flipped into a home health provider and bills nearly $100,000 in its first month (16:50).
• Landlord: Rents to hundreds of such sham businesses and buys airplanes with $250 million in proceeds.
• Convicted Fraudster: Declares poverty to court but maintains connections in a “poverty program empire.”
• Unlicensed Accountant: Opens a $7 million company using a launderer’s son’s address.
• Quote, Cruz:

  "If you're not pissed off, that's impressive. You're not paying attention." (18:12)

• Disturbing Patterns & Systemic Failure

-Lack of Oversight:

• Fraud thrives due to little state/federal scrutiny, lack of monitoring, and "black box" operations.
• Cruz indicates nearly every owner in Columbus is foreign-born, and records are riddled with misspellings and aliases to avoid detection.
• Kickbacks, Family Loops, and Doctor Shopping:
  • Fraudsters sometimes run companies without advertising, relying on networks and doctor sign-offs to fabricate claims (21:00 – 22:20).

• National and Political Consequences

• Cruz claims the scam could bankrupt states, noting it's not solely a state problem because federal funds are at stake (24:26).
• Commends Trump administration—especially the DOJ and HHS—for launching a federal task force to combat Medicaid fraud.

• Critique of Mainstream Media

• Press Neglect:
  • Cruz, with Ferguson, lambastes CNN and other outlets for barely investigating or “just calling and asking” if businesses committed fraud (26:33).
• Quote, Cruz:

  "If you call criminals and ask them if they're committing crimes, most of them are going to tell you no. And...the media doesn't care about this story." (26:33)

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2. The "Descent" of Tucker Carlson

• Overview of Criticism

• Cruz claims Carlson is becoming unhinged, obsessed with him, and is harming his reputation and relevance (36:29).

• Carlson’s Interview Excerpt

• The show plays Carlson’s recent comments equating Cruz’s call for military force to genocide and defending controversial figure Nick Fuentes (30:55 – 33:18).
• Carlson, quoted:

  "Here you have a public official...making policy decisions. And those decisions would include, in fact, they are focused on the murder of people who did nothing wrong." (31:01)

• Cruz’s Response

• Vehement denial and counterattack:

  "Never once have I called for the murder of innocence...it's at a point where it's a pathological lie." (33:39)

• Cruz lists extremist guests and positions Carlson has platformed, including pro-Nazi statements and attacks against American institutions.
• Accuses Carlson of Normalizing Hate:

  "Tucker has gone to the point now of embracing Nazis...Tucker wants to elevate you." (35:00+)

• Speculates on Foreign Influence:

  "I cannot prove it, but I believe Tucker is being compensated...by Qatar or other foreign nations." (35:58)

• The “Antichrist” Interview

• Discussion includes Carlson’s denial of calling Trump "the Antichrist" when directly confronted with his own words by a journalist.
• Notable quote:

  "He just flat out lies. But he's charming and good at it." (39:50) "The good news is he is becoming so irrelevant right now." (39:50)

• Carlson’s Alleged Shifts

• Cruz and Ferguson claim Carlson’s platform has turned anti-Trump, anti-Israel, and increasingly antisemitic.
• Cruz’s summary jab:

  "If you're actually an American who believes in free enterprise...Tucker hates your guts and his mission is to attack you." (40:17)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cruz (on the scale of fraud):

  “This is the biggest scandal I’ve ever found.” (06:24)

• Ferguson (on the absurdity):

  "If that's not the definition of fraud, I don't know what is." (09:29)

• Cruz (on investigative journalism):

  "Are there actual supporters? The hardcore investigative journalists are not doing any of this journalism. This is like the conservative advocates out there that are doing this job." (26:18)

• Cruz (on mainstream media's toothless checks):

  "They called these quote, childcare agencies and they said, hi, this is CNN calling, are you engaged in fraud? And they said no. And they said, oh, okay, thank you and hung up." (26:33)

• Cruz (on Tucker's fixation):

  "Apparently I am living completely rent free in his brain, and every word he's saying is a brazen lie." (33:39)

• Cruz (direct attack on Carlson):

  "He is pushing antisemitism. He's pushing Jew hate. Every week. His show focuses on how the Jews are responsible for everything wrong in the world." (38:47)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:19] – Somali Fraud in Ohio: Cruz introduces the new Daily Wire investigation.
• [06:24] – Details from the Investigative Report: Reading and analysis of Daily Wire findings.
• [13:16–17:19] – Examples of Fraudulent Schemes: Multiple real scenarios illustrate the scale and audacity.
• [21:00–22:20] – System Failure & Doctor Shopping: Explanation of why the scam flourishes.
• [24:26] – Consequences & Task Force: Discussion of potential bankruptcy, federal priorities.
• [26:33] – Media Critique: Cruz recounts how mainstream channels allegedly failed to properly investigate.
• [30:55–33:18] – Carlson Interview Clip Used and Reactions: Plays and rebuts Carlson’s statements.
• [36:29] – Cruz’s Extended Counterattack on Carlson: Extended response, allegations, and anger.
• [39:50] – Cruz’s Summary of Carlson’s Decline: Dismisses Carlson as increasingly irrelevant.

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Tone and Language

• The dialogue mixes urgency, incredulity, sarcasm, and political fire—for example, Cruz’s frequent “let me repeat that” for emphasis, and Ferguson’s conversational, sometimes self-deprecating delivery.
• Both hosts use direct, sometimes incendiary language about the accused and the political/media classes they feel are complicit or negligent.

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a pointed breakdown of Medicaid fraud schemes attributed to Somali-run companies in Ohio (and beyond), tying in political implications and government responses. The second act is a full-throated counter to Tucker Carlson’s recent rhetoric, portrayed as both unhinged and deliberately misleading. Cruz and Ferguson express outrage at both phenomena, call for continued exposure, and invite listeners to share the episode to spread awareness.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Public Investing Sponsor]

Guaranteed Human support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail]

[Ben Ferguson]

welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. It's nice to have you with us on the show and we've got a big one for you, including more Somali fraud reported in a Republican state. And it is massive.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I gotta say, the pattern we're seeing of fraud of people stealing from the federal taxpayers stealing from you is staggering. We saw first of all Minneapolis, Minnesota, Somali fraudsters stealing over $9 billion from taxpayers. But the problem is not limited to Minnesota. We now have a breaking blockbuster story from Daily Wire about Ohio, the very same pattern. Somali fraudsters engaged in fake home health companies stealing tens of millions of dollars from the taxpayers. This is a pattern that I think exists across the country. It's in the big blue states, it's in California, it's in New York, it's in Illinois. But it may well be in all 50 states. We're going to break it down and reveal the shocking facts of the theft that is going on in broad daylight. We're also going to talk about the continued descent of Tucker Carlson into the spiral of madness. And I don't say that word lightly. He did an interview with the New York Times where he gets wackier and wackier. He attacks me over and over and over again. Apparently I am living rent free, free in the poor guy's brain. And he also is confronted by the fact that he's gone on air and he has accused Donald J. Trump of being the Antichrist. Now, when the New York Times confronted him about that, he said, I didn't say that. I never say that. So they played him the clip of him saying exactly that and he just lied and denied it. And I gotta say, it is sad seeing Tucker Carlson getting more and more extreme and more and more irrelevant. We're going to come to you with the facts on that as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it really is incredible. Want to take a moment and talk to you about rough greens. And as many of you know, Memphis, our dog passed away recently. But the end of life that he had was awesome. We got him on rough greens and it gave him new life. He was acting like a puppy. Unfortunately he got a tumor and, and that was it. But we did get a new puppy whose name Birdie. And we decided we weren't going to wait. Rough greens not only is amazing for your dog, but also for your puppy. And they even have support as well for puppy development with rough greens. And we've got them on that. It is making a huge difference because we want our puppy to have a great life. And that's why I want you to check out rough greens right now. After we saw what happened with our older dog, Memphis, we realized, why wait until the dog's older? Why not give rough greens right now to little Birdie? And we know what it does. It supports long term health by providing live bioavailable nutrients, including essential vitamins, minerals, probiotics, digestive enzymes and omega oils. Now, the ingredients, they work together to improve nutrition absorption, also help Birdie maintain joint and muscle health as she grows and enhance her overall vitality. Now we care about Birdie's longevity. We've already lost two dogs, unfortunately when they got older. And this is a way we can do everything we can to keep Birdie around as long as possible. Now, there are deficiencies found in processed dog food, but rough greens, it supplements your dog or your puppy's diet with natural antioxidants and anti inflammatory compounds that help reduce oxidative stress, support immune defense as well and slow age related decline. That's what we love the most. Now it's easy. You're not buying new food, you just sprinkle it on the current food that your dog eats and bam. They love it. So whether you've got a puppy or an older dog, you need to check out and try rough greens. You will see a difference. Now you don't have to change your Dog's food. You just add rough greens and I'm going to offer you a free jump start trial bag. You just cover shipping. Use the discount code Verdict to claim your free Jumpstart trial bag@rough greens.com that's R U F F R green greens with an S.com promo code verdict. So don't change your dog's food, just add rough greens and watch the health benefits come alive center. Just since we started this show and we, we have this Somali fraud that we're going to talk about in Ohio. But, but there's a new article that just came out. I'm just going to read the headline because it just shows how fast the fraud is, is, is being exposed. Somalis reportedly filled an Ohio strip mall with potential fraudulent child care centers. And this coming from the AB6 Investigators there in Columbus saying several Somali owned daycare facilities, including a cluster located in strip mall which by the way, don't exist, they've now been uncovered. And then that is on top of another local station that just exposed a massive trucking company fraud. All of these trucking companies, like dozens and dozens all at the same exact address in these tweets. So now we've got new fraud on top of fraud on top of the fraud we're going to talk about on this show today.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it's a stunning pattern and it's clear the fraudsters believe they would never face any scrutiny, that no politician would hold them to account, that no prosecutor would hold them to account, that nobody in the media would ever report as they were stealing millions and millions of dollars from the taxpayers. And I got to say that tide is starting to turn. There's a blockbuster story of the Daily Wire by Luke Rosiak, who is the same lawyer who broke the Loudoun county story that the in Virginia that ended up electing Glenn Youngkin as the governor of Virginia. So, so he's demonstrated that he can do real, real news work in a way that cnn, abc, NBC, they don't do anymore. But, but this story, I want to read a good chunk of this story because if you haven't read it, you need to know what's in it. It's entitled Daily Wire Investigation Reveals one of the Biggest Government Waste Scandals hiding in Plain sight. I've been investigating federal waste and fraud for 20 years. This is the biggest scandal I've ever found. Columbus, Ohio, just before the Department of Government Efficiency closed its doors, it made a quiet move that may end up being its most lasting impact on the federal deficit. Doge published a Massive trove of data in February that for the first time let the public see what companies are billing Medicaid for. For decades, the payouts have been shrouded in secrecy. One of the largest government programs was a black box. I've spent the past two months diving into the numbers. What I found was the most blatant waste of federal dollars that I've encountered in my two decades as an investigative reporter. I've set my sights in Ohio, which, like Minnesota, has been granted waivers to expand Medicaid well beyond its original purpose. Under the guise of health care, Ohio pays people to go to Medicaid beneficiaries homes to perform homemaking and chores like cooking and cleaning. The people performing these personal services tasks don't even have to be health care workers and in many cases are actually relatives of the Medicaid recipient. According to a Daily Wire data analysis, Ohio spent a billion dollars billion with a B on home health care in 2024, the last year for which data is available. Since the services are performed inside private residences, there's no way to know whether the workers went at all or what they're actually doing in exchange for taxpayer funds. An infinite number of small black boxes. Inside a black box, multiple signs said the service provided and billed to the government was sometimes just, quote, companionship and conversation. So understand, you can talk to your relatives, you can hang out with your relatives and talk to them, and the federal government will pay you just for talking to grandpa.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, you, you listen to that story and it doesn't even make sense until you understand that that's exactly what they're doing. They're like, hey, we're gonna pay you to hang out. Not take care, hang out with a relative. They're also, how would they get all the patients for the fraud to work? You put it on a billboard, right? Like you put up billboards. You recruit family members to defraud the government by hanging out and spending time with your own mom or dad or aunt or uncle or brother or sister. And we will pay you to do that. And I mean, it's just. If that's not the definition of fraud, I don't know what is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it gets worse as people have realized the United States government will pay them to hang out with their own families.

[Ben Ferguson]

There it is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Northeast Columbus has seen its economy replaced by businesses that bill Medicaid. And Columbus, a city with the second largest Somali population in the country. Did you know that? Columbus, Ohio. No, I didn't either.

[Ben Ferguson]

And that's shocking. But now it explains why the fraud's so high.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, Columbus has become on the surface the most unhealthy city on the planet.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, to be clear what we mean by that, because like usually in the past year on Healthy City, you usually hear that it's like a city that's overweight, where the people aren't active here,

[Senator Ted Cruz]

they're just flooding caves.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, like this is. This is the unhealthy. As in how much money is it taking to take care of people through Medicare? That is what's making it the most unhealthy city in America. It's not that it's like overweight population, food deserts and things like that. This is how bad the fraud is.

[Public Investing Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you backtest it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures I want

[Podcast Host]

you to pause what you're doing for just one minute to hear about Alejandra. She lives in a remote community with very few resources and little to no healthcare.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So.

[Podcast Host]

So when Alejandra got sick, her parents had no real options, no doctors in the community and no money for real medical care. By the third day, her body was shutting down. She woke up just long enough to tell her mom, I can't take the pain anymore. I can't keep going. Her parents drove hours to find doctors who tried everything. But she needed a private hospital and that was impossible for her family to afford. That's when Compassion International stepped in. Through Compassion, Alejandro was treated. And against all odds, she survived. She lived because someone took action. Right now, there are children like her who won't survive unless someone steps in. Someone like you. Compassion International partners with local churches, providing children with the support they need. Critical medical care plus food, education and the hope of the gospel, all in Jesus name. Help a child like alejandra today. Visit compassion.com that's compassion.com well, here's what

[Senator Ted Cruz]

one person said, quote well, if the government is going to pay you to do it, one home health operator told me, people see it as lucrative, so they just jump on it. The new welfare queens aren't the recipients whose low incomes qualify them for poverty programs. They're the companies getting rich off them. Now listen to these companies. Driving down Cleveland Avenue in less than 40 seconds, you come across endless home health companies. Capital Home Health, Continental Home Health, Dynamic Home Health Care, Ohio Senior Home Health Care. Entire buildings throughout the city are filled entirely with what appear to be identical businesses. The enormous complex pictured below, and there's a picture in the article, is 6161 Bush Blvd. Its lack of windows would be a problem for most office buildings, but there is almost no one in this one. What's inside is 94. 94 different companies signed up to bill Medicaid, each with a tiny office often marked with a sheet of paper proclaiming some generic company name ending in Home Health llc. And sometimes this is particularly funny. Another piece of paper claiming the employees had just stepped out for a break. Mind you, they've all stepped out for a break and they never come back. Yeah, this building alone billed taxpayers $66 million in the span of a few years, the records show. Pick the owner of a Columbus home health care company at random and look them up on public records. You're likely to go down an endless rabbit hole. Years of unpaid taxes and debts, sometimes criminal records, and an astonishing number of LLCs created in other industries. As if the millions they make from Medicaid are just a side gig. We went down several of those rabbit holes in the coming days you'll meet. Now I'm going to give you several of these examples. Every one of these is going to piss you off. These are real people, or at least real fake people in Ohio. Number one, a politician who founded an $11 million home health care company that he appeared to run part time without even mentioning it in his political biography, who then funded his campaign. He funded his campaign with donations from other home health care owners. So this is a guy robbing a million dollars. $11 million. He's hiding it because obviously he's Embarrassed about it. And he's relying on other fraudsters to fund his political operation. This is the shameless grift, the cycle of thievery that we're seeing over and over again. All right, here's another one. Number two, a woman who reinvented her janitorial llc. So she had a janitorial company as a, quote, health provider. Then she billed Medicaid. What do you think? She billed Medicaid. The very first month she went from being a janitorial company to health provider.

[Ben Ferguson]

You'd be a good Somali mentor. And you go from the toilet cleaning, you know, job to then. And sorry, I got the hiccups now, but if you go from a toilet cleaning job to then you go to home health care, like, surely your first month and startup would be, I don't know, five grand, eight grand maybe. I know I'm wrong, right?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Nearly 100 grand.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, 100 grand. First month. First month. Like that is one heck of a startup right there, folks.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, here's another one. Number three, by the way, you've got the hiccups. We're going to send a home health care provider.

[Ben Ferguson]

Can I make 100 grand?

[Interviewee 1]

I'll take it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That would be your children. And they're going to go punch you in the stomach till you stop hiccuping.

[Ben Ferguson]

I like this. I like this plan. As long as I get paid, it's fine. I want to kick back here.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Or at least golf sponsorships.

[Ben Ferguson]

There you go.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Number three, a landlord who bought airplanes after renting space to hundreds of home health care companies that build Medicaid. A quarter of a billion dollars. Quarter of a billion. 250 million. Number four, a man who went to prison for Medicaid fraud but told the government he was too broke to pay restitution while his neighbors and associates provide over a poverty program empire. And number five, an accountant who has lost his license for stealing public funds, then opened a $7 million home health care company using the address of a convicted money launderers teenage son. Now, I gotta say, Ben, if you're listening to this, if you're not pissed off, that's impressive.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're not paying attention. I mean, Sarah, this story really brings us back to even a bigger point, and that is this is prop. Probably nationwide. Like what we're witnessing, what we're saying. This is going to end up being fraud at different levels, probably in every state in America because you're still dealing with fraud through the federal government. So you can set up shop anywhere because it's not like it's a lot of state oversight here.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, listen, this is brazen. These are fraudsters who believe no politician will ever call them to account. No government employee will ever examine the facts. No prosecutor will look at it and they're quite confident that the press will never examine it. These are not geniuses. Let me read a little more from the story. These are not. In fact, here's the point I was just making. These are not business geniuses, nor even people with any training or specialty in the health field. They have often failed at a variety of businesses before suddenly becoming millionaires in home health care. Sometimes a company will have a full roster of clients in his very first month, making one wonder where the clients come from. The companies don't have websites or appear to advertise. They can't stand out from their thousands of rivals based on price unless they pay kickbacks because the government pays the same to everyone. Nearly every owner of a health care company in Columbus appears to be foreign. Let me repeat that because that's a stunning statement. Nearly every owner of a home health care company in Columbus appears to be foreign. They live in a parallel society where every associate and public records also has a foreign name and all their business transactions are conducted with other foreigners. When we asked one what home health care companies did, one man threatened journalists. Who cares? Do you guys pay my bills? I'm going to tell everybody you guys are racists. The government cannot meaningfully monitor all the people it writes million dollar checks to in Columbus. They all share combinations of just a few names like Ahmed, Muhammad and Muhammad Ahmed. How is this not satire? By the way, I'm reading actual news documents reviewed by the Daily Wire show individuals will spell their own name multiple different ways within a single document. Let me repeat that again. Someone spells the name Bean Ferguson. Yeah. Ban For Fergie. Fergie Son. Like, like how many. How do you misspell your name multiple times in a document?

[Ben Ferguson]

And backwards. Sometimes it was Ben Ferguson. That was Ferguson Ben like it was Ted Cruz.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And then Cruise Ted, you know, Penelope Cruz, Tom Cruise. Cruise Control. Like, like every variant you can come with. And many of them list their birthdays as January 1st because their birthdays are unknown. The business model is simple. A 40 year old Somali immigrant gets paid for spending time with and maybe cooking for his own 65 year old mother. The middleman is one of thousands of home health firms that have the NPI number necessary to bill Medicaid. The 40 year old becomes a, quote, employee of that company, but has no clients other than his mother. There is no way to verify whether he actually provided the quote services unless his own mother is willing to testify against him. This poverty program is different from things like food stamps because it has no monetary cap and its extent is decided not by politicians but by any doctor willing to sign a form saying you could use some help around the house. It only takes one doctor who will say yes to churn out enough forms to bankrupt a state.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

For years, efforts to rein in waste have nibbled around the edges shaving off a million here and a million there. While skeptics and liberals argued that the cost cutting exercise was pointless because the lion's share of federal spending was locked up in quote, non discretionary spending like health care. The implication was that there was no waste in that category and nothing that could be done about it. Even as the nation careened towards insolvency. That premise couldn't be more wrong. This blatant waste happened within miles of the Ohio state Capitol where Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, and his appointees run the state. In an era of artificial intelligence, the Medicaid system has seemed disinterested in even the most obvious red flags. Perhaps that's because it's largely run by states, but with half or more of the bill being footed by the federal taxpayers. The Trump administration is now turning its sights to Medicaid fraud with a task force led by the Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Vice President J.D. vance. They may want to start with Vance's home state. I gotta say, look, this is stunning and it is a pattern. It's not confined to Minnesota, it's not confined to Ohio. This is a pattern of theft across the country and we need to have vigorous efforts. I want to commend the Trump administration. The Department of Justice is going after this fraud. HHS is going after this fraud. We're beginning to see accountability. And I want to thank the Daily Wire for doing some reporting. Let me ask, where the hell is cnn? Abc, NBC? CBS is doing a little bit, but Washington Post, New York Times, are there actual supporters?

[Ben Ferguson]

The hardcore investigative journalists are not doing any of this journalism. This is like the conservative advocates out there that are doing this job. The Nick Shirley's are doing this job. No one in the mainstream media is breaking this story.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, we covered previously on this podcast how cnn, when the story broke in Minnesota, they decided to check it. So they called these quote, childcare agencies and they said, hi, this is CNN calling, are you engaged in fraud? And they said no. And they said, oh, okay, thank you and hung up. That's what they called reporting. Yeah, the last I checked, if you call criminals and ask them if they're committing crimes, most of them are going to tell you no. And by the way, CNN knows that. The reporters know that, the producer knows that, the executive producer knows that. Everyone up and down the line knows that they know how to actually investigate a story. It's just that the media doesn't care about this story. I commend the Daily Wire. We're going to keep covering this and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg on what's happening.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I agree. And it's going to be other types of fraud that we talked about at the beginning of the show. We're going to keep covering it. And as these stories break, we will have it here. I hope you'll take this show, share it. But by the way, because it's so important that we get it out there.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But by the way, Ben, I will tell you, you know, my dad, he's 87 years old. My dad's kind of a badass. What, what my father says, he says in 87 years, he's never hiccuped more than once.

[Ben Ferguson]

That, see, that's, that's fake news.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm just telling you, my father, look, when I was in high school, if I would get a 99 on a test, my dad would say, why didn't you get 100? And he would say, I'm not meaning to be mean, but my father would say to me, if you hiccup twice, it's a sign of weakness. Because if you hiccup once, you just need to decide, don't do it again.

[Ben Ferguson]

Don't do it again. Yeah, I'm working on that. I'm pretty sure it's the medication that says a side effect is hiccup. That's what I looked at. So I'm doing, I'm doing the best I can here, sir. I'm doing the best I can.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'll confess, I failed my father's standard of never hiccup more than once. But if I'm hiccuping, usually if I take a glass of water and just drink the whole thing uninterrupted, it goes away.

[Ben Ferguson]

So we paused the show earlier. People don't know this because we were trying to get rid of the hiccups. We tried everything during the break. So we just. It is what it is at this point. You can always go back and give me a hard time for this one.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's easy.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's easy. I want to take a moment to tell you about an organization that is called Americans United for Life. ALU is a non profit law firm and advocacy group that was founded in 1971, two years before Roe established the constitutional right to an abortion, before fetal viability. With the US Supreme Court's decision and Dobbs v. Jackson in the Women's Health organization overturning its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, the nonprofit law firm has seen its biggest victory yet. Now there are Democrats and liberals that are fighting back. And that's where you and I have the opportunity to overturn pro abortion laws and advance pro life legislation that attacks the most vulnerable in our society. From the womb to the tomb. Together we can stand side by side and we can shape the future of our nation through life affirming legislation in every state. And that is where your monthly gift $25 genuinely helps to advance pro life legislation desperately needed in 38 states to help pass pro life legislation to defend Life for America's 250th birthday. Every gift they receive will be matched 2x up until $200,000. You can donate securely right now at alu.org verdict that's a U L.org verdict aul.org verdict Sponsored by Americans United for Life. All right, Senator, let's move to Tucker Carlson. He did an interview and it couldn't have gone worse for him with New York Times. I, I've said this before, some disagree with me. I, I think the demise of Tucker Carlson is happening in real time. I think his audience is disappearing very quickly. I think these types of interviews do incredible damage to his integrity, his character. And, and these interviews just show how unhinged he is, which we've been talking about for quite some time. He's also still obsessed with you and had something very interesting to say about you in this New York Times interview as well.

[Interviewee 1]

Who do you think is more morally repulsive? Ted Cruz.

[Interviewee 2]

Who do you think is more morally repulsive?

[Interviewee 1]

Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz is a sitting US Senator who has called for, for the killing of people who did nothing wrong. Whole populations who advocated for this war. Nick Fuentes is like a kid. He's like 26 or 70. He has no power except his words. Here you have a public official who we pay, who has actual power, who's voting for things, who's making policy decisions. And those decisions would include, in fact, they are focused on the murder of people who did nothing wrong. And yet no one thinks it's a big deal. What? Well, this is totally fine. I mean, if there's tape of Nick Fuentes saying we should kill people because we hate their parents or it's okay to kill children, I would love to see the tape because that's disgusting and that's basically the entire US Senate does every single day and no one notices. Nick Fuentes said something naughty that I disagreed with. He made fun of things that I don't think I would never make fun of.

[Interviewee 2]

He's a white nationalist who was denied the Holocaust. And what I will say, but is

[Interviewee 1]

that worse than killing kids?

[Interviewee 2]

From my understanding of my own, you know, I was just in Germany recently and, you know, it was such a good reminder that the Holocaust didn't Start with the gassing of Jews. It started with the dehumanization of Jews. It was language that was used. And again, that is what it.

[Interviewee 1]

I couldn't agree more. And that's why when you have a US Senator, a member of Congress, a US Ambassador waving away civilian deaths as if they don't matter, that's the language of genocide which results. And this is the lesson of the Holocaust in genocide itself. And it has. So the lesson for me really watching all of this is that this can happen in civilized countries in all human beings. There is the capacity to ignore the evil right in front of you. And my point is, is it's happening right now. And my job, to the extent I have one, I don't really have a job, but I just want to remind people that we're all capable of that, including me, and that we're watching it right now. And if you think that Nick Fuentes is a greater threat to other human beings than Ted Cruz, I would love

[Interviewee 2]

to know how I can imagine people hearing this and thinking you are soft pedaling Nick Fuentes.

[Interviewee 1]

You are apologizing Fuentes. I'm trying to awaken people to killing of innocence in our midst, which we are not only encouraged to ignore, but really told to ignore on pain of being denounced. And I'm just saying. No, I'm not doing that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator. Nick Fuentes is a Holocaust denier.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, that doesn't even touch it. Let's start with the fact that this loon, I think he brought me up eight or nine times in that interview. Apparently I am living completely rent free in his brain and every word he's saying is a brazen lie. I am 55 years old. Never once have I called for the murder of innocence. Never once have I called for the murder of children. By the way, he claims that I do that. He claims that the entire US Senate does that. And it's just, it's at a point where it's a pathological lie. There's no basis in fact, there's no evidence. He just says it. He just asserts it. And he knows he's lying. He doesn't care. He's lying. By the way, his defense of Nick Fuentes is, well, Nick Fuentes said something naughty. Tee hee, naughty. Okay, here's what Nick Fuentes said. He said Hitler was right. Hitler was very, very cool. I agree with Hitler. On Tucker Show, Nick Fuentes said his mission in life is to defeat global Jewry. That's not something naughty. That is a rabid Nazi bigot. He also said Nick Fuentes also said that he celebrates Stalin's birthday every year. Tucker nodded approvingly. And by the way, Tucker, there's a reason why Tucker is celebrating Nick Fuentes. Tucker has gone to the point now of embracing Nazis. It's not just Nick Fuentes who's an open Nazi. Tucker had one, had one lunatic professor on his show who said that Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II. And another lunatic professor on his show who said there's a good argument the Americans should have supported the Nazis in World War II. No, there's not. But Tucker is on a mission. And I believe at this point, I, I cannot prove it, but I believe Tucker is being compensated, is being paid by Qatar or other foreign nations. He is apologizing for Islamists. He is apologizing for Sharia. He is apologizing for America haters. He is attacking Trump every day. He is attacking Israel, he's attacking Jews. He knows he's lying about me. But his mission is also to normalize Nazis. By the way, one of the things he said this week is Graham Platner, the lunatic Democrat nominee, or likely nominee, almost inevitable nominee in Maine for Senate, who is a self described communist, Graham Platner says I am a communist. And who has not just a Nazi tattoo on his chest, but a Totenkampf, which is the tattoo of the SS in the death chambers of the concentration camps. You know what Tucker Carlson said? Oh, I want to interview Graham Platner. I'm sure they do. Maybe they have matching Nazi tattoos. I don't know what tattoos. Tucker Carlson said, as Tucker would say, I'm just asking questions. But apparently if you're a Nazi, if you say Sig Heil, Tucker wants to elevate you. And I got to say, and not

[Ben Ferguson]

just elevate you, normalize you, make it go away.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And listen, by the way, when you lie about people, you notice his, his whole diatribe about me. He provided no evidence what I just listed about Tucker. I can give you the episodes where he said every one of those things. Those are objective facts. But here's so, so Tucker is now a professional liar who lives without facts. And I want you to listen to this exchange. And if you're watching on YouTube, it's even better if you watch it because it's not just me. Tucker has decided he hates America. He hates Donald Trump, he hates Jews, he hates capitalism. He had this other lunatic on his show who said that, that Jesus hated capitalism and Jesus was a socialist. He is attacked. He is. All right, I want you to listen to him being confronted over his argument that Donald Trump is the Antichrist. This is what Tucker has argued. And when he's confronted with his own words, he just flat out lies.

[Interviewee 1]

Listen, what I was saying, which is you cannot mock other people's gods and put yourself in their place, period. That is a deal killer for me. That's worse than the war with Iran, in my opinion. Yeah.

[Interviewee 2]

But I ask because, you know, you've been talking on your show about whether Trump is the Antichrist.

[Interviewee 1]

I have not said that.

[Interviewee 2]

On your show, the day after Easter, you noted he did not put his hand on the Bible during his swearing ceremony as president. You said, and I'm quoting, maybe he didn't put his hand on the Bible because he affirmatively rejects what's inside that book. And then on a recent show, you went further, saying, here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist?

[Interviewee 1]

I actually did not say, could this be the Antichrist? Here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist? Well, who knows? I don't know where that comes from, but I know that those words never left my lips because I'm not sure I fully understand what the Antichrist is. If there's just one. I. I actually tried to understand it. I may have said some are asking that. I'm not weighing in on that because I don't understand it. Just to be totally. No.

[Interviewee 2]

In revelations, obviously.

[Ben Ferguson]

The senator, he said that, like 15 days ago when the interview took place. This was, like, by the way, a year ago.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He says, I may have said some are asking. He didn't say that she played what he said she played verbatim what he said. He asked very directly, is Donald J. Trump the Antichrist? Look, I'm willing to answer that, no, I don't believe President Trump is the Antichrist. But. But Tucker doesn't live in the world of facts. He doesn't live where any words he says matter and the words he's saying. So there's good news and bad news. The bad news is the words he's saying are having really serious negative consequences. He is pushing antisemitism. He's pushing Jew hate. Every day, like, every week. His show focuses on how the Jews are responsible for everything wrong in the world. But he's also pushing America hate. He's pushing how America is terrible. He's pushing Trump hate. He has said he regrets supporting Trump. He wished Trump had lost. I mean, that's.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, he said to his brother, it was, it was like this sad moment where they're like, we, we are, we are going to be held accountable for helping this man win the White House. Like, so the good news is their lives.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So the good news is Tucker is becoming more and more irrelevant each and every day. He's really talented. He's a charming, charismatic guy. Even when he's lying to you, he's like Obi Wan Kenobi in Star wars going, these are not the drones you're looking for. He just flat out lies. But he's charming and good at it. But the good news is he is becoming so irrelevant right now. And listen, I hope he has a really nice home in Qatar. By the way, you may not know this, but he bragged that he has bought a home in Qatar. He also has repeatedly praised the Ayatollah, the President of Iran. He's praised Maduro, he's praised Mandami. Like, if you're a Hitler, if you're Hitler, if you're a Hitler lover, if you're a communist, if you're a leftist, if you are, if you are an America hater, if you're an Islamist, if you're an Ayatollah, Tucker Carlson loves you. If you're actually an American who believes in free enterprise, who believes in America, who believes in America. First, Tucker hates your guts and his mission is to attack you. And I think that's why more and more people are moving away from at this point. It's so disconnected from reality that it's just kind of sad.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it really is. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button wherever you get your podcast. Hopefully I won't have the hiccups in the next episode. The senator and I will see you back here on Friday morning.