Verdict with Ted Cruz

Bonus: Daily Review with Clay and Buck – March 10, 2026
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton | Notable Guests: Michael Whatley, Shannon Bream

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton deliver an in-depth analysis of the day's most pressing news—from intensifying military action against Iran, oil market shocks, and U.S. energy dominance, to high-stakes Senate races and pivotal Supreme Court cases. Guest interviews explore the politics of North Carolina’s Senate race with Michael Whatley and the future of American legal and spiritual resilience with Fox News’ Shannon Bream. The discussion is laced with their brand's characteristic candor, cultural asides, and a focus on conservative values.

1. Escalation in Iran and U.S. Military Strategy

Airstrikes Against Iran: An Update

• The episode opens with updates on continued U.S. airstrikes against Iranian military targets, ongoing as of the broadcast.
• Secretary of War Hegseth asserts that today marks the "most intense day of strikes inside Iran" (04:52).
  • "The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever. So that's on one hand. On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they've been capable of firing yet." – Secretary Hegseth (04:52)
• Trump recently addressed the strikes, emphasizing decisive U.S. military dominance.
  • "We've wiped every single force in Iran out very completely. Most of Iran's naval power… has been sunk. It's on the bottom of the sea… 51 ships. I didn't know they had that many." – Trump, quoted by hosts (06:12)

Strategy and Endgame

• The hosts question the ultimate objective: Will air power alone suffice, or is regime change sought?
  • "What is supposed to emerge here? Unconditional surrender. But contingent on what? ...Who's going to run this country?" – Clay Travis (07:13)
  • "We're not going to be sending 20-year-olds from Kansas and Maine… to walk the streets of Isfahan, Kermanshah, Tehran and Tabriz. Not happening." – Buck Sexton (07:57)
• Comparison made to historic U.S. policy, including reference to Venezuelan leadership transitions as analogy.
• The challenge of the IRGC's (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) decentralized, deeply entrenched structure in maintaining regime security is highlighted.
  • "Anyone who walks out of their home to start a protest in the street liable to just get shot by these... IRGC units." – Buck Sexton (11:21)
• Skepticism remains on whether this will deliver regime change or lasting stability.

U.S. Military Objectives (Referenced Again)

• Hegseth reiterates U.S. mission goals (13:15):
  1. Destroy missile stockpiles and launchers
  2. Destroy Iranian navy
  3. “Permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever.”
  • “…delivered with overwhelming and unrelenting precision, no hesitation, no half measures.” (13:15)

2. The Oil Market Shock and U.S. Energy Dominance

Impact on Oil Prices

• Massive overnight drop in oil prices after initial spike due to Iran conflict (24:00–25:00).
  • "We came on the air yesterday, everybody was in a full fledged panic over the price of oil and gas. It hit $120… It's now $85." – Clay Travis (09:56)
• Oil flows through Strait of Hormuz remain steady despite conflict—contrary to market fears.

America as Global Energy Superpower

• Discussion on U.S. surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world’s largest oil producer.
  • "How many Americans even know this really important trivia?... America. It's America." – Clay Travis (16:52)
  • "We are the true global energy producer superpower, which has enormous, enormous geopolitical advantages for us…" – Clay Travis (15:46)
• Criticism directed at anti-oil policies in states like California ("climate change crazy people"), highlighting consequences for energy independence and prices.
• Gratitude encouraged for workers in U.S. oil and gas.
  • "You should go say thank you for what you do. Because that's why we can go around the world and kick anybody's ass…" – Clay Travis (17:13)

3. 2026 North Carolina Senate Race: Interview with Michael Whatley (26:12–37:52)

Republican Strategy & Ground Game

• Michael Whatley, candidate and former RNC chair, speaks to GOP unity post-primaries.
  • "This is about contrast... a conservative champion who's going to be an ally for President Trump over Roy Cooper who absolutely is not." – Michael Whatley (26:12)
• Major issue contrasts: tax policy, law enforcement, immigration, "woke" policies.

Performance as Recovery Czar

• Discusses his work in hurricane recovery vs. Roy Cooper’s "inaction" after Hurricane Helene.
  • "President Trump has done... bring $8.75 billion plus in recovery efforts to western North Carolina. 99% of the roads have been rebuilt…" – Michael Whatley (27:27)

Key Issues:

• Transgender Sports: Cooper vetoed bills to keep "boys out of girls sports, and men's out of women's locker rooms."
• Immigration: Cooper “vetoed two... bills that would have forced sheriffs to honor ICE detainers..." (29:38)
• Economy: Whatley supports extension of Trump’s tax cuts, is against increased spending, and wants "pro-growth policies" (33:52).
• Voter Mobilization and Suburbs: Emphasizes the state will be won by boosting turnout among GOP voters and winning over suburban, college-educated independents.

Campaign Scale

• Estimated cost: “Most expensive Senate race in the history of the country” at $600M+ (35:53)
  • "We need to make sure that we get our message out…" – Michael Whatley (36:03)
  • "Good policy is good politics." – Michael Whatley (36:03)

4. Supreme Court and Major Legal Issues: Shannon Bream Interview (40:42–52:09)

Upcoming Supreme Court Decisions

• High-impact rulings expected starting late March:
  • Louisiana redistricting + Voting Rights Act case could affect 20+ congressional districts (41:37, 44:38).
  • Executive power and tariff refund litigation also pending.

The Dobbs Leak: Unanswered Questions

• Hosts ask why the source of the Dobbs abortion decision leak was never found.
  • "It feels like that just went nowhere." – Clay Travis (46:16)
  • Unlikely any external investigative progress unless SCOTUS cooperates.

Supreme Court Succession Scenario

• Discussion on whether conservative justices (Alito, Thomas) might retire while GOP holds Senate.
• Bream: No signs yet of planned retirements; both justices have filled future clerkships (48:46).
  • "If you pressured them… that would make them stick around. But they're not dummies about the political calculation, so I gotta imagine that's part of their consideration." – Shannon Bream (50:45)
• Comparison made to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's failed gamble to retire under Obama.

Shannon Bream's New Book

• Nothing Is Impossible With God: Eleven Heroes, One God, Endless Lessons in Overcoming
  • "I hope that people will see themselves in these stories, be encouraged and see how God was working…" – Shannon Bream (41:56)

5. Media Bias, Gen Z Slang & Cultural Asides

CNN’s Narrative on NY Mayor's Bombing Incident (66:54–70:44)

• Criticism of a CNN tweet describing bomb-throwing teens as if they were just “enjoying the city.”
  • "That construct of how to tell this story is like clinically insane." – Clay Travis (68:54)
• Argued it’s a reflection of the broken culture in mainstream media rather than a one-off error.

Gen Z Language Lesson (63:15–66:47)

• Clay and Buck discuss being "mogged" (physically overshadowed), "glazing" (praise)—applying these concepts to media and public figures (notably Elon Musk), illustrating their style of weaving cultural commentary into political discourse.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Military & Iran:

  • “Our generation of soldier will not let [nation building] happen again and nor will this president who very clearly ran against those kinds of never ending, nebulously scoped missions.” – Secretary Hegseth, as quoted by hosts (04:52)
  • "We can basically take out any world leader that we want to. And so whomever comes to power in Iran, we can wipe that person out too." – Clay Travis (09:46)

• Oil & Energy:

  • "America is the true global energy producer superpower, which has enormous, enormous geopolitical advantages..." – Clay Travis (15:46)
  • "We produce more crude oil than any other country." – Clay Travis (17:13)

• Politics:

  • “Good policy is good politics.” – Michael Whatley (36:03)
  • “This is going to be the most expensive Senate race in the history of the country.” – Michael Whatley (36:03)

• Supreme Court:

  • “If you pressured them or started saying hey to show you the door, that would make them stick around.” – Shannon Bream (50:45)
  • "We should have brought in DOJ or some other federal investigative body to do [the Dobbs leak]." – Shannon Bream (46:36)

• Media Culture:

  • "That construct of how to tell this story is like clinically insane." – Clay Travis (68:54)

Key Timestamps

• Iran Strikes & Strategy: 04:52–11:21, 13:15
• U.S. Oil Dominance: 15:46–17:13, 24:00–25:00
• Michael Whatley Interview: 26:12–37:52
• Shannon Bream Interview: 40:42–52:09
• CNN Bombing Story Critique: 66:54–70:44
• Gen Z Language Asides: 63:15–66:47

Tone and Takeaways

The episode is unapologetically conservative, blending serious geopolitical and electoral analysis with irreverent banter and accessible explanations of cultural trends. All major domestic and foreign policy issues are filtered through this lens, emphasizing American strength, skepticism of “woke” and progressive policies, and deep concern for media bias.

Listeners gain clear insight into the right-wing perspective on U.S. military policy, energy supremacy, election battles, judicial maneuvering, and the current media ecosystem—punctuated throughout by inside jokes and cultural commentary.