Podcast: Verdict with Ted Cruz
Episode: Bonus: Daily Review with Clay and Buck
Date: October 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This special Halloween edition of “Verdict with Ted Cruz” features a "Daily Review" roundtable from the Clay and Buck show, hosted by Buck Sexton and Clay Travis, with special guests Carol Markowitz and Miranda Devine. The episode breaks down the biggest political and cultural stories dominating the news as the country approaches Election Day. Topics include the government shutdown, pivotal local and state elections, Kamala Harris’s post-election prospects and media tour, New York City politics, challenges in airline travel, and the ongoing debates around healthcare, climate change, and misinformation. The tone is energetic, direct, and often acerbically humorous, in the style of the show’s conservative hosts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Election Day and Voter Turnout (00:36–06:59)

• Buck Sexton emphasizes the importance of voting in upcoming elections, especially in off-cycles like mayoral races in Miami Beach, New Jersey gubernatorial, and key Virginia contests.
• Encouragement for Voter Engagement: Buck and Clay urge listeners, especially in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, to vote and engage friends and family to show up at the polls.
• Community Impact: Buck draws from his own voting experience in Miami Beach to remind listeners that local governance directly affects community safety and quality of life.

Notable Quote:
"You gotta show up to care if you care enough about what's gonna happen." – Buck Sexton (03:51)

2. Government Shutdown & Blame Game (06:59–16:23)

• Government Services Disrupted: The shutdown's tangible effects, particularly on air traffic controllers and airport chaos, are highlighted.
• Political Framing: Buck frames the shutdown as Democrats’ fault, criticizing their demands during CR negotiations, despite mainstream media narratives blaming Republicans.
• Healthcare as a Political Battleground: Commentary critiques Democratic stewardship of healthcare since Obamacare, framing it as a failed promise leading to wealth redistribution.

Notable Quote:
"Democrats are going to lose, but they're getting into that desperate mode where the end is nigh..." – Buck Sexton (05:51)

Quote Refuting Dem Narrative:
"Democrats have forced this shutdown by making demands that have nothing to do with specifically funding this government as it is." – Buck Sexton (13:09)

3. Kamala Harris Book Tour & Democratic Leadership Crisis (23:32–34:24)

• Kamala Harris’s Media Appearances: The show mocks Vice President Kamala Harris’s rationale for Biden stepping back from the 2024 election, as presented in her new book and media rounds.
• Jon Stewart Interview: Kamala distinguishes between stamina for campaigning and governing, an argument dismissed as "moronic" by the hosts.
• Electoral Defeat: Kamala attributes her loss to "misinformation, disinformation, and not having enough time" rather than acknowledging personal shortcomings or strategic mistakes.

Notable Exchange:
Jon Stewart: "I think it's a hard case to make for people that he [Biden] didn’t have the stamina to run, but he had the stamina to govern." (24:12)
Clay Travis, responding: "Jon Stewart, way too gentle... This is just insulting to the intelligence of everybody watching." (24:28)

On Kamala Blaming Info Wars:
"She's really going to go there... It's because of the misinformation and the disinformation. That's why she lost..." – Clay Travis (29:35)

4. New York City Politics & Progressive Shift (34:42–43:35)

• With Carol Markowitz: The team laments the radicalization of New York politics, focusing on the likely election of "far-left," socialist candidate Zoram Mamdani.
• Changing Neighborhoods: Discussion about which NYC neighborhoods are turning more progressive or resisting, with references to communities like Park Slope, South Brooklyn, and the Upper East Side.
• Jewish Voting Patterns: Insight into local Jewish voting behaviors in NYC and the broader movement among Russian and American Jews regarding party alignment.

Notable Quotes:
"I think Mamdani runs away with this. I think New York is a very blue city... This Democratic candidate is really far left. I hope that he loses. Let's start with that, but I don't think that's happening." – Carol Markowitz (36:40)

On Progressive Hypocrisy:
"They think that they're socialist warriors and they think that when they say eat the rich, they don't mean them somehow." – Carol Markowitz (40:44)

5. Climate Change Scepticism and Elite Hypocrisy (43:50–47:52)

• Discussing Bill Gates’s Walkback: Bill Gates’ acknowledgment that climate change may be 'overstated' is used to accuse progressive elites of failing to live up to their own standards and predictions.
• Host Anecdotes: Hosts recount personal experiences of being ostracized for their climate skepticism, reinforcing the "double standards" of wealthy advocates who don’t change their own behavior (e.g., using private jets).

Notable Quote:
"If I'm Bill Gates and I really believe in climate change, I can't possibly keep using my private plane. But he does, so that means he does not believe it." – Carol Markowitz (47:21)

6. Airport Chaos & Government Shutdown Fallout (50:08–55:20)

• With Miranda Devine: Discussion of real-life airport shutdowns and travel disruptions seen as ramping up public pressure on the government to resolve the shutdown.
• Political Tactics: Democrats see disruption as a way to damage Trump's administration and policy agenda; possible blame-shifting by both parties is discussed.

Miranda Devine on Democrat Strategy:
"They just lie and gaslight and tell them, oh, yeah, it's Donald Trump's fault. So when the SNAP money runs out tomorrow... it's really setting up a really nasty situation." (53:42)

7. Venezuela, Ukraine, and Geopolitics (55:20–58:44)

• Military Activity in the Caribbean: Speculation and skepticism about US military movements near Venezuela—are they just about drugs, or regime change? Miranda voices need for more transparency.
• JD Vance Interview Preview: Miranda shares highlights from her recent interview with VP JD Vance, including insights on Ukraine, Trump’s leadership style, and the administration’s approach to the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

8. UFOs, Faith, and the Limits of Knowledge (58:44–61:44)

• JD Vance on UFOs: Vance refuses to rule out unexplained phenomena but links sightings to "spiritual forces" rather than aliens.
• Miranda and the Hosts: Split panel—some open to the possibility of extraterrestrials, others dismissive.

JD Vance Quote:
"I’m a big believer that there are things out there we can’t explain... maybe I see an angel or a demon." (59:11)

9. Trump, Leadership, and Personal Anecdotes (61:44–65:28)

• Personal Side of President Trump: Vance and Miranda share stories showcasing Trump as familial, grandfatherly, and possessing a tireless work ethic.
• Contrast with Past Administration: Amusing sidebars on well-behaved dogs in the White House versus previous presidential pets.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Encouraging Voter Participation:
  "From a New Yorker to my New Jerseyans out there, get out there and vote. You can have a good governor..." – Buck Sexton (15:20)

• On DC Gridlock:
  "Democrats are the ones who have shut it down... And then they turn around and say, why is it happening like this?" – Buck Sexton (12:41)

• Kamala Harris on Election Losses:
  "We just didn't have enough time." – Kamala Harris (28:24)
  "Misinformation and disinformation. She's really going to go there..." – Clay Travis (29:35)

• On NYC Progressives:
  "They think that when they say 'eat the rich,' they don't mean them somehow." – Carol Markowitz (40:44)

• On Elite Climate Activists:
  "If you really believe your flying on a private plane causes climate change, then you wouldn't do it." – Carol Markowitz (47:21)

• On Faith and UFOs:
  "If another person sees an alien, maybe I see an angel or a demon..." – JD Vance (59:11)

Highlighted Segments by Timestamp

• Voter Turnout/Election Day: 00:36–06:59
• Shutdown and Air Travel: 06:59–16:23; 50:08–55:20
• Kamala Harris and the Dems’ Future: 23:32–34:24; 28:24–29:35
• New York City Political Shifts: 34:42–43:35
• Climate Change & Progressive Contradictions: 43:50–47:52
• JD Vance, Ukraine, Venezuela, Trump Leadership: 55:20–65:28
• UFOs and the Limits of Knowledge: 58:44–61:44

Tone & Style

• Direct, humorous, often sarcastic: The hosts don't mince words criticizing Democratic politicians, media figures, and progressive culture.
• Conversational and anecdotal: Frequent personal stories and banter (“Tootsie Roll song,” Halloween costumes, dog behavior) lighten the mood but also serve to underscore larger cultural points.
• Panel dynamic: Engaged debate, quick switches between news analysis and pop culture, with lots of personality.

Summary

This episode provides a highly detailed, right-leaning breakdown of current American political, social, and cultural debates in late 2025, anchored in real-life stories and seasoned with sharp humor and skepticism toward progressive politics. Listeners gain insights into the strategic narrative battles around the government shutdown, the Democratic Party’s internal crises, progressive overreach in major cities, climate change debates, and even philosophical takes on UFOs and faith—making it both a snapshot of partisan media and a time capsule of contemporary American anxieties.