Verdict with Ted Cruz – Week in Review

Episode: "Blue City Crime Chaos, it's a Schumer Shutdown & Leftist Judicial Bias at its Best"

Date: October 11, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson

Overview

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz serves as a week-in-review, focusing on three major topics:

1. The rise in crime in Democrat-led "blue cities" and conservative efforts to reverse these trends.
2. The ongoing federal government shutdown, its roots, and the political dynamics at play.
3. Outrage surrounding the light sentence given to the attempted assassin of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which Cruz attributes to leftist judicial activism.

Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson deliver these topics with a distinctly conservative and combative tone, heavy on criticism of Democratic politicians, policies, and the progressive movement.

1. Blue City Crime Chaos: Progressive Policies Under Scrutiny

Key Points and Insights

• Senate Judiciary Hearings (01:42): The committee examined crime rates in Democrat-run cities. Cruz claims, “It turns out when you let violent criminals go, when you undermine the police, when you put in place prosecutors who won't prosecute crime, you get more crime.”
• Soros-Backed Prosecutors: Cruz singles out George Soros for funding District Attorneys (DAs) who pursue “soft on crime” policies, notably refusing to fully prosecute serious offenses.
  • In New York, DA Alvin Bragg “declined to prosecute certain misdemeanor felonies, actively working to downgrade felony charges to misdemeanors, and refused to detain criminals before their trials” (02:40).
  • Athens, GA DA Deborah Gonzalez and Milwaukee’s John Chisholm also criticized for leniency and policies leading to tragic outcomes.
• Patterns & Data: Out of the top 20 most crime-ridden cities, “18 of them are controlled by left wing hardcore Democrats” (00:58). Cruz directly correlates rising crime to policy changes in these areas.
• Cruz’s Legislation Response:
  • Points to Trump sending the National Guard to D.C., resulting in murder rates “dropp[ing] 58%” (07:52).
  • Introduced the Clean DC Act to roll back local reforms perceived as soft on crime, with backing from the D.C. Police Union.

Memorable Quotes

• On the consequences of progressive DA policies:
  “This pattern is happening over and over and over again. What is amazing is the Democrats are not learning. They’re not saying, ‘gosh, maybe we should stop siding with the criminals.’ Instead they’re doubling down.” – Ted Cruz (04:11)
• On National Guard intervention:
  “You would think rational people—if Democrats were rational—they’d be celebrating. Wow. The murder rate has plummeted… But they’re not. They’re furious.” – Ted Cruz (07:54)

Notable Testimonies

• Audio clip from the Senate hearing:
  “Prosecute violent criminals. Innocent victims die. Right here in Washington, D.C.… murders in D.C. totaled fewer than 100. By 2023, murders had nearly tripled—274 lives taken in a single year.” – Ted Cruz (05:02)
• D.C. Police Union support:
  “When leaders attack police, communities suffer. When lawmakers strip away tools and protections, criminals thrive. If this is not corrected, the crisis will deepen here and nationwide.” – Head of D.C. Police Union, as recounted by Ben Ferguson (09:12)

2. The ‘Schumer Shutdown’: Government Gridlock and Political Gamesmanship

Key Points and Insights

• Who’s Keeping the Government Shut? Cruz argues the shutdown’s blame lies squarely with Senate Democrats: “I and every other Republican has voted repeatedly to open up the government. The House... has passed a clean CR… It’s the Democrats who keep voting it down.” (14:47)
• Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants as Point of Contention: Cruz claims Democrats' “real ask” is government-provided healthcare for undocumented immigrants, even if they won’t admit it publicly.
• Democratic Party in Crisis:
  • Cites CBS polling:
    • 64% of Americans describe the Democratic Party as “weak.”
    • 46% say “extreme.”
    • Only 27% say “strong,” and 26% “effective.” (17:23–18:16)
• Political Satire:
  • Cruz discusses a meme and video circulated by his office, using AI to animate images of Democratic Senators in sombreros and mustaches, mocking their approach to immigration and the shutdown debate. Cruz shrugs off accusations of offensiveness as “hysterical” and “obviously AI.” (19:06)
• Prediction:
  • Cruz predicts Democrats will cave, ending the shutdown soon, given the poor polling and lack of public support for their position. (24:34–28:25)
• Illustrative Moment:
  • Plays audio of Chuck Schumer accidentally dismissing a New York Times poll by claiming it’s “biased” and the resulting laughter from Republican senators—showing Dems are “on fire, we don't have a win.” (26:11)

Memorable Quotes

• On Dems’ Messaging Woes:
  “You are running the Democrat Party Senate campaign… your message right now: two thirds of Americans think we're weak. Half of Americans think we're extreme. We've got a full quarter… who think we're strong and effective. Everyone else, you know, we're full of crap. That is the definition of a political crisis.” – Ted Cruz (18:17)

• On Shutdown Impact:
  “If the government shuts down and everyone yawns and goes about their life, that's a disaster” for big government advocates. – Ted Cruz (27:15)

3. Judicial Bias: The Kavanaugh Attempted Murder Sentencing

Key Points and Insights

• The Case:
  • In 2022, a (transgender) man planned to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, traveling from California to Maryland with weapons and kidnapping tools.
  • The DOJ sought a 30-year sentence; Judge Deborah Boardman (Biden appointee) instead sentenced him to 8 years, citing both the perpetrator’s gender identity and personal family issues. (31:45)
• Cruz’s Response:
  • Expressed anger, calling Judge Boardman “utterly unfit to be a federal judge.”
  • Accuses Boardman of letting ideology overpower sentencing guidelines: “If you are such a zealot, such a partisan ideologue… you will not acknowledge this is terrorism… because [the perpetrator is] transgender… instead of 30 years, I'm going to give this person eight years.” (40:18)
• Call for Impeachment:
  • Cruz urges the House of Representatives to consider impeachment, insisting judicial refusal to uphold the law in such cases amounts to a breach of public trust.

Memorable Quotes

• On the Sentencing:
  “So you have someone attempting to murder a sitting Supreme Court justice, and the federal district judge who's sentencing the attempted murderer says, I'm heartened. The great thing about this is the parents are now accepting of their psychopathic, murderous son that thinks he's a daughter.” – Ted Cruz (36:40)
• On Judicial Accountability:
  “I would urge the House of Representatives take up impeachment and I would love to have a trial in the Senate. Do we want judges who refuse to enforce the criminal law for psychopathic murderers who are trying to murder Supreme Court justices?” – Ted Cruz (41:05)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Democrat crime policies kill people. Soros DA’s who let murderers out of jail kill people.” – Ted Cruz (06:51)
• “When leaders attack police, communities suffer… If this is not corrected, the crisis will deepen here and nationwide.” – D.C. Police Union Head (09:12)
• “You would think rational people… would be celebrating. Wow! The murder rate has plummeted. But they’re not. They’re furious.” – Ted Cruz (07:54)
• “If this is the case, then why not…does it happen? How many votes do you need to do it?” – Ben Ferguson, on impeachment (39:15)
• “This judge has demonstrated she is utterly unfit to be a federal judge.” – Ted Cruz (40:18)
• Comedic/Satirical moment: AI video of Democratic senators in sombreros and mustaches (19:06–22:46)
• Schumer dismissal of NYT as “biased” and ensuing Senate floor laughter (26:11)

Important Timestamps

• Start of Crime Segment: (01:42)
• Testimony of Victim's Parent in Congress Referenced: (04:26)
• Senate Hearing Clip on DC Murder Rates: (05:02)
• Discussion of National Guard in DC, Clean DC Act: (07:52)
• Police Union Testimony Supporting Clean DC Act: (09:12)
• Transition to Shutdown Segment: (14:22)
• CBS Polling on Democratic Party Descriptors: (17:23)
• AI Meme and Satirical Segment: (19:06)
• Transition to Judicial Bias/Kavanaugh Segment: (31:00)
• Details of Kavanaugh Assassin Sentencing: (31:45)
• Call for Impeachment of Judge Boardman: (39:29)

Overall Tone & Style

• Highly partisan, combative, and rhetorical.
• Frequent use of sarcasm, mockery, and meme culture (e.g., AI satire segment).
• Appeals to conservative listeners through emotional anecdotes and “behind-the-scenes” political insights.
• Heavy focus on personal responsibility, law and order, and accusations of leftist overreach.

Summary

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz offers a harsh critique of progressive criminal justice reforms, lambastes Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown (blaming Schumer’s leadership woes and a supposed drive to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants), and expresses anger at what Cruz sees as leftist judicial bias in the sentencing of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s would-be assassin. The episode is filled with policy breakdowns, data claims, political theater, and memorable moments of candid banter and conservative satire. The tone is fiery, often mocking, and unapologetically partisan.