The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: Verdict with Ted Cruz

Episode Date: November 20, 2025
Main Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson
Main Topics: Texas Designates Muslim Brotherhood & CAIR as Terrorist Organizations; Corruption and Gambling in Pro Sports

Episode Overview

In this episode, Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson focus on two high-impact issues. First, Texas’s unprecedented move to officially designate the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) as terrorist organizations, a push Ted Cruz has long advocated at the federal level. Second, they dive into a growing scandal involving illicit gambling and match-fixing in professional sports, with new Senate investigations targeting Major League Baseball (MLB) and the NBA.

The hosts bring their signature blend of deep-dive analysis, political insight, and conversational humor to what they call a “bingo card episode”—unexpected, urgent, and affecting both national security and the integrity of America’s favorite pastimes.

1. Texas Declares Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR Terrorist Organizations

Key Points & Insights

• Historic State Action (03:30–06:36)

  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.
  • The move prevents these groups from obtaining land in Texas, following similar international precedents.
  • Senator Ted Cruz sees this as “real leadership from the state of Texas,” reflecting a decade-long effort he’s led at the federal level.

• Governor Abbott’s Justification (06:36–09:10)

  • Abbott’s official statement accuses these organizations of working to “forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s mastership of the world.”
  • The proclamation cites FBI findings, the history of Hamas as a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, and CAIR’s connections to individuals convicted of financing terrorism.

• Challenges at the Federal Level (09:10–12:04)

  • Senator Cruz describes recurring obstacles from “deep state” career bureaucrats, especially within the State Department.
  • Early legislative drafts tried a “top-down” designation (the entire umbrella organization), but pushback involved technicalities about affiliate organizations.
  • Cruz rewrote the bill to allow for a “bottom-up” approach—individually designating affiliates (e.g., Hamas) based on clear evidence.
    • Quote (Sen. Cruz, 10:37):
      “Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine... They carried out October 7th, murdered 1200 Israelis... Hamas is unquestionably a terrorist organization.”
  • The hope: bottom-up evidence builds momentum for designating the global Muslim Brotherhood for material support to terror.

Memorable Quotes

• On Federal Inaction:
  (Sen. Cruz, 09:26)
  “The resistance was from the deep state at the State Department. The career bureaucrats... said, look, there are lots of different affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood. We cannot definitively prove that every one... meets the statutory criteria... That’s how they stopped it.”

• On International Context:
  (Sen. Cruz, 06:36)
  “The activities of Muslim Brotherhood branches have been eliminated or prohibited by the governments of Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE... This is real leadership from Texas.”

• On the Strategic Path Forward:
  (Sen. Cruz, 17:44)
  “Partisan politics has always been part of Washington. That being said, it’s gotten much, much worse... My strategy... is to build the public case for this so that the Trump administration does so unilaterally.”

2. The Politics of Bipartisanship and John Fetterman

Key Points

• Surprising Alliances (12:04–15:14)

  • Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is a co-sponsor of Cruz’s legislation, standing out as one of few Democrats willing to challenge the party line, especially on issues like Israel.
    • Quote (Ben Ferguson, 12:04):
      “I never thought I would say I am thankful for John Fetterman and his leadership in the Senate... He may be the biggest surprise in the last decade for me.”
  • Bipartisanship is rare, and Democrats who break ranks (Fetterman, Sinema, Manchin) are often ostracized.

• Tribalism in the Senate (15:14–17:28)

  • The episode details how Democrats turned on Fetterman after he recovered from a stroke and began staking independent positions.

3. CAIR and College Campus Unrest

Key Points

• CAIR’s Involvement in Protests (22:45–24:43)
  • CAIR is implicated in funding student activism, particularly pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses following October 7, 2023.
    • Quote (Sen. Cruz, 23:02):
      “Anti Israel agitators who spread disruption at U.S. colleges... were awarded checks for $1,000 by a Muslim nonprofit... from a ‘Champions of Justice Fund’ set up by a chapter of CAIR.”
• Money Trail
  • Ferguson and Cruz urge listeners to “follow the money”—alleging CAIR, left-wing donors, and foreign actors are fueling U.S. campus unrest.
    • Quote (Ben Ferguson, 24:43):
      “Follow the money, follow the money... This is being funded by Islamists, by communists... left-wing billionaire donors.”

4. Gambling Scandal in Professional Sports

Key Points & Insights

• Senate Investigation Launched (27:17–28:03)

  • Ted Cruz, as Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is overseeing investigations into corruption around sports gambling, with a particular focus on “prop bets.”
  • Latest: NBA players and coaches, as well as MLB pitchers, have been indicted for fixing games (not just outcomes, but in-game events).

• How Prop Bets Enable Corruption (28:03–34:51)

  • “Prop bets” (wagers on specific in-game events, stats, or player actions) allow for easier manipulation by players, undermining the sport’s integrity.

  • Case study: Cleveland Guardians pitchers allegedly coordinated with friends to profit from manipulated outcomes, earning tens of thousands of dollars.

  • Quotes:

    • (Sen. Cruz, 30:41)
      “Game fixing allegations are not new to baseball... Major League Baseball and American sports generally are facing a new integrity crisis.”
    • (Sen. Cruz, 31:58)
      “With individual players and prop bets, they have almost total control over the outcome of that bet.”
    • (Sen. Cruz, 32:41)
      “[Players] are accused of winning at least $400,000 through fraudulent bets.”

• Statistical Evidence & Industry Denial

  • Ben Ferguson notes:
    “An uptick in wild pitches... There are certain data that has significantly changed since prop betting got introduced nationwide.” (32:59)

• Challenges to Reform

  • Cruz acknowledges uncertainty on the path forward but insists major leagues and perhaps Congress will need to act.
    • (Sen. Cruz, 36:13):
      “There need to be some steps taken to fix this... I’m starting with sending letters to the NBA and MLB because you’ve got scandals in both sports.”

• College Sports at Risk

  • Cruz expresses particular worry about college athletes at smaller schools being incentivized to fix games for relatively small sums.

5. Notable Moments of Humor & Camaraderie

• Sports Rivalry and Banter (35:05–39:57)
  • Cruz and Ferguson joke about double-faulting in tennis for prop bets, shooting down each other’s home-team bets, and the oddities of March Madness brackets.
    • (Sen. Cruz, 39:16):
      “You’re what we refer to a charity bracket... I just pick Texas teams.”
    • (Ben Ferguson, 39:40):
      “We do football very well, sir... I know where we live. Basketball’s not there yet.”

Key Segment Timestamps

• [03:30] – Texas designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR; Abbott’s proclamation and implications.
• [09:26] – Why federal designation is so difficult; legislative efforts and “deep state” resistance.
• [12:04] – John Fetterman’s bipartisan support & isolation of dissenters within the Democratic Party.
• [22:45] – CAIR’s funding of campus protests; following the money trail.
• [27:17] – The gambling scandal: how prop bets are manipulated, and Senate investigations.
• [31:17] – MLB case study: Cleveland Guardians’ players accused of rigging games, financial details.
• [36:13] – Prospects for reform in pro and amateur sports; Cruz’s letters to leagues and possible Congressional action.

Selected Notable Quotes

• On Texas Leadership:

  “This is real leadership from the state of Texas. It is what the federal government should be doing.”
  ­– Senator Ted Cruz (06:36)

• On Prop Bets & Corruption:

  “With individual players and prop bets, they have almost total control over the outcome of that bet.”
  – Senator Ted Cruz (31:58)

• On Bipartisanship:

  “I’m really impressed [with Fetterman], because there’s a lot of issues he says politics are side. I don’t care the heat. I’m going to get from my party for this. I’m going to do the right thing.”
  – Ben Ferguson (12:04)

• On the Risks to College Sports:

  “You look at a small school with a game that’s not in the headlines... a 19-year-old kid playing at Podunk School who has a chance to make ten grand fixing the game. I think that is a real challenge.”
  – Senator Ted Cruz (39:57)

Takeaways

• Texas has set a controversial national precedent with its terror designations, a move Ted Cruz hopes will build momentum for federal and presidential action.
• The battle over labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist entity is deeply tied to party politics, bureaucratic resistance, and the emerging new face of bipartisan courage.
• Corruption fueled by the booming sports gambling industry threatens the legitimacy of American sports—a problem now under bipartisan Senate scrutiny.
• Both issues highlight a wider concern: influential organizations and individuals are undermining American institutions for financial, ideological, or political gain.

For listeners wanting a deeper dive into these stories, the episode delivers raw insights, behind-the-scenes legislative strategy, and a dash of sports fan camaraderie—and it’s a must-listen for anyone invested in politics, national security, or the games we love.