Verdict with Ted Cruz — "Bonus: Daily Review with Clay and Buck" — January 29, 2026

Hosts: Clay Travis, Buck Sexton
Guest: Tom Holman (via audio cuts)
Theme: Media narratives, law enforcement, and the fallout from the Alex Preddy shooting

Episode Overview

This bonus episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz (featuring prominent voices from the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show) navigates through heated media narratives emerging from the recent fatal shooting of Alex Preddy, a nurse portrayed variously as either a protest martyr or a violent agitator. The hosts critique media coverage, discuss public safety policy, revisit prominent cases of media manipulation (notably the Duke lacrosse scandal), and scrutinize the approach of law enforcement and politicians toward escalating protest and criminality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Alex Preddy Incident — Unraveling Media Narratives

• Clay and Buck respond to the video footage released of Alex Preddy, showing aggressive behavior toward ICE agents: cursing, spitting, and vandalizing their vehicle.

• Media personalities, particularly Ana Navarro (CNN), are criticized for sanctifying Preddy without acknowledgment of his violent actions.

  "Her job is to lie, to make the audience believe whatever they want to believe. So she did her job. There's no shame in lying at CNN as long as they're pleasant lies that libs wish to hear. That is the gig."
  — Buck Sexton (04:25)

• Buck emphasizes the pattern of ‘myth making’ by left-leaning media even when evidence contradicts initial narratives.

• Discussion on toxic empathy: by excusing or not prosecuting earlier aggressive actions, Preddy was enabled to escalate his behavior — potentially leading to tragic outcomes.

  "The empathy here of not arresting these protesters is actually toxic in the end result because I do think if he'd been arrested that time, I think he probably would be alive today."
  — Clay Travis (22:17)

2. The Weaponization and Manipulation of Media

• The hosts lament how quickly the Preddy story dominated coverage and then vanished once the unfavorable video surfaced.

  "My mother-in-law said, 'Nobody who needs to see this video is going to see it.' There may be wisdom there."
  — Clay Travis (04:03)
  "As soon as that video came out... it vanished. They're not talking about him on MSNBC, they're not talking about him on CNN. It's like that story never happened."
  — Clay Travis (43:39)

• Buck argues that influential institutions are aware of their ability to 'prey on the deranged,' stirring up unstable individuals for narrative purposes (13:01).

3. Accountability and the Consequences of False Accusations

• Discussion segues into broader claims about justice system failures, using the Duke lacrosse case (2006) as a prime example.

• A caller from Durham, NC (John, at 33:01), provides a law enforcement perspective, reinforcing that even when lies are exposed, apologies to the falsely accused are rarely forthcoming.

• Clay proposes "mutuality in the law": If accusers fabricate, they should face the same penalties as those wrongly accused.

  "If you accuse someone of rape and you made that up... you should face the exact same punishment that all of those Duke lacrosse players would have faced if they had been convicted."
  — Clay Travis (24:44)

4. AI, Disinformation, and the Shifting Reality

• The hosts note the growing phenomenon of people dismissing incriminating videos as "AI fakes" when the truth is inconvenient.

  "People will seize on AI to continue with their own prejudices about different situations. ... Even if it's fake and they're told it's fake, they'll say, no, I don't believe it's fake."
  — Buck Sexton (19:30)

5. Law Enforcement, Policy, and Public Safety

• Tom Holman’s press conference is praised for clarifying enforcement policy:
  • Minnesota officials will now allow ICE to be notified when public safety risks are about to be released from jail (53:45).
  • Holman insists criminals are a priority, but all illegal entrants remain subject to enforcement and deportation (55:28).
  • Resistance in certain ‘sanctuary’ regions, contrasted with Texas’s high ICE arrest numbers (59:21).
• The episode closes with pointed criticism of Minneapolis mayor Jacob Fry’s call for abolishing ICE enforcement everywhere (60:42), questioning whether progressives have any practical enforcement threshold.

6. Comic Relief & Pop Culture Asides

• The hosts briefly debate actress Natalie Portman's career and attractiveness (14:07–15:03), highlighting their lighthearted rapport amid serious commentary.
• Announcement that the Clay & Buck show will begin airing on Sirius XM for broader accessibility (48:04).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Buck on media myth making:

  “This is myth making they are engaged in. ... They're creating a narrative and they're making a fable.” (04:25)

• Clay on the new reality of media/A.I.:

  “It is a reality, sadly, that we’re going to be in now, where every video that comes out, people are going to say it's AI.” (07:56)

• Buck, tying media narratives to activism:

  “...they are preying on the deranged and... get people like this guy so riled up that they do stupid and dangerous things and they don't care.” (13:01)

• Caller ‘John’ from Durham, on the Duke lacrosse aftermath:

  “When the truth came out, it was like, no apologies. It was just like, okay, those that [accused]... just got up and left.” (33:32)

• Clay, on Preddy’s behavior enabling tragedy:

  “If he had been arrested on that day, I think there's a decent chance he might well still be alive...” (07:56)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Show introduction, Tom Holman cited for early performance | | 02:00 | Buck and Clay discuss Alex Preddy video, media narrative | | 04:25 | Buck: “Her job is to lie... That is the gig [at CNN].” | | 07:56 | Clay on Preddy’s behavior, calls for accountability | | 13:01 | Buck on media’s role in radicalizing unstable people | | 14:07–15:03 | Natalie Portman pop culture aside | | 17:34 | Broadcast of Preddy’s expletive-laden confrontation with ICE | | 19:30 | Buck on AI and narrative denialism | | 22:17 | Clay: “The empathy here ... is actually toxic in the end result.” | | 33:01 | Durham detective ‘John’ recounts Duke lacrosse aftermath | | 43:39 | Clay: “As soon as that video came out... it vanished.” | | 53:45 | Tom Holman: ICE and local law enforcement coordination | | 60:42 | Minneapolis Mayor Fry invokes call to abolish ICE | | 63:53 | Closing advertisement, comic relief |

Conclusion & Tone

The episode fiercely challenges mainstream media and progressive narratives, especially around law enforcement, public safety, and the handling (or mishandling) of volatile protest situations. There is an insistence on evidence-based analysis and a call for harsher accountability for both crime and false accusations. The conversation is punctuated by friendly banter, cultural references, and a sense of camaraderie between the hosts, with a continuous edge of skepticism toward establishment media and political messaging.

For listeners seeking an unfiltered, skeptical take on recent news and the political media complex, this episode will resonate—especially those interested in the intersection of law enforcement, media, and populist critique.