Democrat Party HATES Law-Enforcement, Newsom gets behind Dyslexia & a Tale of Tucker Turbulence Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Week In Review
Episode: "Democrat Party HATES Law-Enforcement, Newsom gets behind Dyslexia & a Tale of Tucker Turbulence"
Date: February 21, 2026

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Overview

This "Week In Review" episode features Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson dissecting the week's hot-button political topics: Democratic rhetoric on law enforcement, Gavin Newsom's reaction to criticism via invoking dyslexia, and the controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson's trip to Israel. The show mixes sharp conservative analysis with banter, memorable quotes, and occasional behind-the-scenes stories, offering both substance and entertainment.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Democratic Party and Law Enforcement

[01:05–12:14]

• Theme: The hosts argue that the Democratic Party has fundamentally shifted to an anti–law enforcement stance, citing recent remarks from Barack Obama and Gavin Newsom as examples.
• Obama’s Comments:
  • A clip plays where Obama labels ICE agents as "rogue" and compares their actions to those of authoritarian regimes ([02:35]).
  • Ted Cruz critiques, highlighting that "you're calling ICE agents who are just enforcing the law rogue agents. That is from a former eight year president and the leader of the Democratic Party still." ([02:58], Cruz)
• Newsom’s Remarks:
  • Newsom, speaking in Munich, draws parallels between National Guard deployments in the U.S. and the secret police in historical Germany ([03:17]).
  • Cruz and Ferguson accuse Newsom of "comparing American law enforcement to Nazis" ([03:46], Cruz).
• Historical Context & Critique:
  • The hosts call out Newsom’s purported “historical illiteracy” for ignoring precedents (like Eisenhower federalizing the National Guard during the Civil Rights era).
  • Cruz ties the demonization of law enforcement to Democratic icons of the past, asserting it’s “central to who they are, central to who the party is” ([04:35]).

Notable Quotes

• "Gavin Newsom is proudly following the tradition of Bull Connor, another Democrat politician. The demonizing of law enforcement is central to who they are." – Ted Cruz ([04:35])
• "Obama was given by history the opportunity to be what he claimed to be... and he chose just the opposite. He chose to rub salt in the racial wounds, to divide." – Ted Cruz ([06:47])

2. Obama’s Political 'Judo' and Party Identity

[05:09–12:14]

• Ferguson plays a clip of Obama shifting blame onto Republicans for divisive politics, while congratulating left-leaning "unity" efforts like political Super Bowl halftime shows ([05:09]).
• Ted Cruz accuses Obama of "classic Orwellian" tactics—accusing others of what he himself does, linking Obama to cultural Marxism and extending this influence to figures like AOC and Mondami.
• Cruz theorizes that Obama functions as the "puppet master" of the current administration, having trained a cadre of younger, ideologically aligned staffers ([08:25]–[09:34]).

Notable Quotes

• "I believe that Barack Obama fundamentally is a Marxist." – Ted Cruz ([08:00])
• "It is the left that is vicious. You must believe in exactly their orthodoxy or you are excommunicated." – Ted Cruz ([10:02])

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3. Gavin Newsom, Dyslexia, and the Social Media War

[13:55–26:57]

• Background: After Cruz and Ferguson criticized Newsom (and called him "historically illiterate"), Newsom shot back on Twitter accusing Cruz of "calling a dyslexic person illiterate," characterizing it as a new low ([17:02]).
• Host Responses:
  • Cruz clarifies he meant "historically illiterate," not literal illiteracy due to dyslexia, and reveals he himself is dyslexic but doesn't use it as an excuse ([17:31]).
  • Ferguson and Cruz poke fun at Newsom's approach—"You're not allowed to criticize me because I have a disability. If there's anything to embody the idiocy of today's Democrat party, that does it" ([17:54], Ferguson).
• Social Media Battle:
  • Cruz details his responses: a tweet emphasizing the Eisenhower precedent, and a humorous meme created by his team referencing "Zoolander" ([18:47]).
  • The team compares which tweet performed better (Cruz’s outperformed at 1 million views vs. ~400k for the meme), with banter about social media strategy and using AI for factual research ([20:19]–[25:47]).
  • The process highlights Cruz composing tweets while playing basketball, using research from Google AI for historical accuracy.
• Camaraderie & Banter:
  • Light moments include Cruz ribbing Ferguson about basketball and free throws, and a confessional about the perils and competitiveness of pickup games ([24:29]–[25:47]).

Notable Quotes

• "Doesn't mean you're stupid... Doesn't make you mean stupid statements because you're dyslexic, buddy." – Ted Cruz ([17:36])
• "So Gavin’s defense is: you’re not allowed to criticize me because I have a disability. That... embodies the idiocy of today’s Democrat party." – Ben Ferguson ([17:54])
• "Mine had kind of substance... I did beat the team by 250%." – Ted Cruz ([20:27])

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4. Tucker Carlson’s “Turbulent” Israel Trip

[28:39–39:18]

• Controversy:
  • Tucker Carlson claims he and his team were "detained" by Israeli airport security. Cruz and Ferguson dismiss this as a fabrication ([29:24]).
  • They say Tucker is on an anti-Israel crusade, hosts "Jew haters," "Nazi apologists," and Islamists, and is obsessed with attacking Christian Zionists ([29:24]–[30:49]).
  • Ferguson alleges, "If you are a Jew-hating bigot, you too can be a guest on Tucker's show... If you're an Islamist, if you think Hamas is not a terrorist organization... you too can be on Tucker's show" ([29:24]).
  • Carlson’s behavior is compared unfavorably with his past pro-Israel stances; speculation is raised about possible Qatari financial influence ([33:07]).
• Mockery & Satire:
  • A comedian's parody of the "detainment" episode is played, lampooning Tucker’s melodrama with over-the-top questioning about his work, attitude, and supposed funding ([35:50–39:00]).
  • Cruz and Ferguson enjoy the satire, joking that it's almost indistinguishable from reality.
• Closing Banter:
  • Personal anecdotes (e.g., Ferguson joking that he too was "detained" because his passport was checked) reinforce the absurdity of Tucker’s claims ([34:12]).

Notable Quotes

• "Tucker Carlson's descent into madness has been tragic and horrific to watch." – Ben Ferguson ([29:24])
• "If you're a Christian and you believe the nation of Israel should exist... If you think Jews ought to exist, well then Tucker hates you more than anybody else." – Ben Ferguson ([30:49])
• "He has literally purchased a home in Qatar... I don't know why. I just know that he is attacking Israel and Jews every day." – Ben Ferguson ([33:07])

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Obama’s Party Influence:
  "Barack Obama was the grand puppet master... The radical dei, the demonization of law enforcement, all of that is the fruits of Obama." – Ted Cruz ([08:25])
• Meta Commentary:
  "There’s nothing scarier than watching TC at dinner, just quietly over there and disengaging from the conversation for about five minutes and you know what’s coming: it’s going to be something really entertaining on the Internet." – Ben Ferguson ([22:48])
• Satirical Highlight:
  [35:50–39:18] – The comedy sketch imitating Israeli airport officials grilling a nervously ironic "Tucker Carlson" provides comic relief, and the hosts can’t resist commenting, "Look, I'm not sure that's satire. That might actually be real." (Ben Ferguson, [39:18])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:05] – Topic overview and Democratic leadership critiques
• [02:32] – Barack Obama’s ICE/authoritarianism remarks
• [03:17] – Gavin Newsom’s Munich speech on militarized policing
• [05:09] – Obama’s “judo” political tactics: flipping blame
• [13:55] – Transition to Gavin Newsom and dyslexia/Twitter war
• [17:02] – Newsom’s “dyslexic” defense, responses from Cruz
• [18:47] – Behind-the-scenes: Tweet composition and viral reach
• [28:39] – Segment shift: Tucker Carlson in Israel controversy
• [29:24] – Ferguson/Cruz critique of Tucker’s new platform and tactics
• [35:50] – Tucker Carlson “detained”–comedian parody sketch
• [39:18] – Episode wrap, closing thanks

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Conclusion

This episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz" balances polemical discussions about the Democratic Party’s stance on law enforcement and media narratives with lighter asides and political skirmishes on social media. The hosts blend history, personal anecdotes, social media strategy, and sharp criticism of opponents into a dynamic, fast-moving hour. Listeners are left with not just the news, but also the personalities and tactics shaping today’s political conversation.

Transcript

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ted Cruz]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are some of the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, the Democratic Party as a whole. They made it clear they are now the anti law enforcement party and their leader, Barack Obama, well, he says it's totally fine to go against ICE agents with new disparaging remarks. We have that for you in a second. Also, Gavin Newsom got his feelings hurt and decided to hit back at Senator Cruz now claiming a disability. Dyslexia is his excuse. Yes, this isn't a joke and we'll play it for you. And finally, Tucker Carlson's in Israel and it didn't go very well, especially one of his big lies. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. This is interesting and and this is where I've been saying this a lot over and over again, especially in tv. The Democratic Party as a whole is anti law enforcement. It's not just the AOCs of the party. A perfect example of this being part of their platform center is Barack Obama doing a podcast this week and he is, I would argue, blessing the Democratic movement. Right? The Marxist, Socialist and communists. You've got my blessing. I'm probably one of the biggest names in the Democratic Party, if not the biggest name of the elder statesman. Now that People listen to. I'm giving my blessing that you can attack ICE agents now. And this is a platform of the dnc.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, absolutely. Here, let's give a listen to what he had to say.

[Barack Obama (clip)]

The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous. The sort of behavior that in the past we've seen in authoritarian countries and we've seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, you're calling ICE agents who are just enforcing the law rogue agents. That. That is from a former eight year president and the leader of the Democratic Party still.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, no, that is exactly right. By the way, that same message was conveyed by Gavin Newsom in Munich. Give a listen to Gavin Newsom. We'll talk about these two together.

[Gavin Newsom (clip)]

But I want to remember all those images of masked men, the secret police, something familiar in Germany. Those first images came out of my state, the second largest city in the United States of America. We saw 4,000 National Guard federalized, first time. We'd never seen anything like this. And 700 active duty Marines sent not overseas, but to the second largest city in the United States of America, militarizing the streets of my city.

[Ted Cruz]

Masked men.

[Gavin Newsom (clip)]

Masked men showing up unaccountable.

[Ted Cruz]

Let's be very clear, Senator, that is Gavin Newsom comparing American law enforcement to Nazis.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep, yep. Which. Which by the way, is what Obama was doing too. By, by the way, just like AOC and Whitmer. Newsom is apparently thoroughly historically illiterate. He said we've never seen National Guards federalized in the states. I guess his history book does not discuss the civil rights movement. He's never heard of a president named Dwight D. Eisenhower. He's never heard of sending the National Guard into Southern states. When Democrats who refused to desegregate schools resisted. Eisenhower sent the National Guard in. The pattern is the same in this instance. You have Democrats who are saying we refuse to comply with federal immigration law. Then you had in the 50s and 60s, you had Democrats saying we refused to comply with civil rights law. In both instances, it is lawless Democrats attacking law enforcement. You know, Gavin Newsom is proudly following the tradition of Bull Connor, another Democrat politician. The demonizing of law enforcement is. Is central to who they are, central to who the party is. And now I want you to listen to Barack Obama in this podcast because he does a judo move that, that is classic Barack Obama. Give a listen.

[Barack Obama (clip)]

The other side does the mean angry demagoguery. You know, exclusive us them, you know, divisive politics. That's their. That's that's their home court. Yeah, our court is coming together. Our court is, look, you know, a great example. Wasn't political. Bad bunnies halftime show.

[Ben Ferguson]

I knew you were going to say that.

[Barack Obama (clip)]

Well, it was, it resonated. It was smart because it wasn't preaching, it was showing. It was demonstrating and displaying. This is what a community is.

[Ted Cruz]

By the way, I love that he's just admitting there, yes, this is a smart political move to have a political statement at the super bowl during halftime. He's admitting what we were saying, that it was a political decision. And he's like, it's a brilliant political operative move for the NFL to do this.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, look, I, I mentioned that what Obama was doing there is judo, and judo is, is. Is flipping and using your opponent's weight against you, against them. But, but it, but it is also it. It is classic Orwellian. It is accusing the other side of doing what. What you are doing. Barack Obama. I, I think in any fair history, he will not go down in history as this, because most historians are leftists, so they will. They will carve him into Mount Rushmore. But, but, but if you were fairly assessing his legacy, he is one of the most bitterly partisan leaders our country has ever had. And I think much of the, the rage, the anger we have of the two sides screaming at each other finds its origins in the Obama presidency. And I gotta say, I. My principal reaction to that is, is, Is one of, of regret, of the lost opportunity. Listen, Barack Obama was elected as the first African American president ever. For a country that for a century plus had slavery, to elect a black president was a big damn deal. And Obama was given by history the opportunity to be what he claimed to be, to be coming together to be a healing president. And he chose just the opposite. He chose. He chose to just rub salt in the racial wounds, to divide. If you remember early on, the beer summit he had where he demonized law enforcement right at the beginning of his presidency, you remember he described people in small towns in America as, quote, bitter and angry and clinging to their God and their guns. You remember Michelle Obama saying that when Barack Obama was elected president, it was the first time she'd ever been in the country.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Like it is. And if you look at the fruit. Listen. I believe that Barack Obama fundamentally is a Marxist. He was just a few years ahead of me at Harvard Law School. We did not overlap, but I think he is steeped in cultural Marxism. Now, when he was president, he was not vocal about all of that because the country at the Time was not ready for it.

[Tucker Carlson]

But.

[Ben Ferguson]

But I think AOC is the spiritual grandchild of Barack Obama. I think Mondami is the spiritual grandchild of Barack Obama. And as you and I have talked about on the POD before, during the Biden presidency, maybe the most frequent question I got asked is, who is running things? And the really terrifying answer, I don't, in fact know. I know it wasn't Joe Biden. He did not have the capacity to make decisions. Everyone knew that. The Democrats all knew that. Everyone knew that. The press knew that. They just didn't report on it. I don't know. But my theory is the person who was running things is the guy who we just played. I think Barack Obama was the grand puppet master. He had a bunch of young apparatchiks who are little, little Marxists that were his former staffers in the White House. And the open borders we saw that was Barack Obama's intention. The radical dei, the demonization of law enforcement. All of that is the fruits of Obama, by the way, the disastrous foreign policy, the embrace of Iran.

[Ted Cruz]

Iran sending cash on pallets, literally.

[Ben Ferguson]

And listen, Obama sent $1.7 billion of cash on pallets and planes in the middle of the night. Joe Biden said, hold my beer and flowed $100 billion to Iran. Now when I say Joe Biden said it, really, the person who said hold my beer was Barack Obama. He said, now I'm just really going to do it using, using the puppet Biden. But, but for him to accuse Republicans, the bitterness Obama has shown over and over and over again as he's using rhetoric, you know, he's just demonized ICE and called them, called federal law enforcement agents, totalitarian agents. And then he says, gosh, it's the other side that's mean, not like us. And actually, the word that I love that he says in that little clip is exclusionary. The right is exclusionary, and that's such a total lie. It is the left that is vicious. You must believe in exactly their orthodoxy or you are excommunicated. Look at, look at J.K. rowling. J.K. rowling, who by any measure is politically on the left, but she has this crazy view that, that women exist and that to the intolerant leftist is unacceptable and she must be canceled. And you look at all of these Hollywood ninnies who were in the Harry Potter movies who won't associate with her.

[Ted Cruz]

She literally made them.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, she literally made millions of dollars from when they were children. And they are too. Their virtue is too great to be seen in the same room. And by the way, Barack Obama, in addition to being a hardcore leftist and I think much of his worldview is actually anti colonialist. If you look at, it's why he, he hates Israel, because he views Israel as a colonial power. And it's why fundamentally he doesn't believe American power is, is legitimate. You know, he was asked as president, do you believe in American exceptionalism? He says, sure I do. Just like the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism and the British believe in British exceptionalism. Which is to say, no, he does not. Because American exceptionalism is recognizing there's something unique and extraordinary in the United States of America. There's never been a nation in the history of mankind that has been a greater force for good on planet Earth than the United States of America. And lightning would strike Barack Obama before he could utter that sentence.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. I want you to just pause what you're doing for the next 60 seconds and I want you to imagine Lucy, a 7 year old. Her stomach often aches with hunger. Her small hands, instead of holding crayons, know only the struggle of survival on dusty streets. School is a distant dream. Medical care a forgotten hope. Lucy's potential is overshadowed. Her future is dim. But what if someone stepped in? What if there was a way to ignite hope for children just like Lucy? Well, there is. And that is with Compassion International partners and the local churches that provide children holistic support. More than just food, they receive critical medical care, life changing education, vital skills training and spiritual development all in Jesus's name. And you can empower a child just like Lucy to break free from poverty. I want you to do what I've done and sponsor a child Today you can visit compassion.com that's compassion.com the world is always changing.

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[Ted Cruz]

Now on to story number two. Let's get to the politics now. And, and we'll start with. Yeah, you couldn't get any further from Duvall with Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom tracks.

[Ben Ferguson]

Hold on a second. Gavin Newsom is the young punk in the bar.

[Ted Cruz]

That's true.

[Ben Ferguson]

And by the way, you and I get to be, I think in this story, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.

[Tucker Carlson]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Although there is one thing that's stretching that, which is Tommy Lee Jones is silent in that scene. And Ben, you've never been silent in any scene.

[Ted Cruz]

No, that's also very true. That's why they pay me the big bucks. Right? That's why they pay me the big bucks.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, like the old time lawyers. They pay you by the word.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Barack Obama (clip)]

Right.

[Ted Cruz]

All right, so. So let's set the stage for this story. You and I do a show, we talk about it. We're going to play part of that in a second. But I want to know, when did you and who. How fast did you find out? After he tweeted at us, getting all cranky. He got. He got his under underwear and a wad. Is the. Is the way I described it. My phone, actually. I started getting random texts from people and I'm like, what are you talking about? I was in a meeting. I'm like, what? Like, they're like, dude, Newsom's like throwing shade and he's really upset with you guys. And I was like, well, that's what I would expect from a California liberal, to be honest with you. When did you find out?

[Ben Ferguson]

So our last podcast, we lit up AOC and Gretchen Whitmer and. And Gavin Newsom, all of whom to Munich. To the Munich Security Conference. And they all made fools of themselves. They're all trying to run for president. They're all trying to be impressive. And they all just like totally be clowned themselves. And. And AOC and Whitmer showed they know nothing about foreign policy or national security. Gavin Newsom did something different. He just decided to demonize law enforcement. And he made a statement in particular. He said, no president has ever before federalized the National Guard. And that. That's just laughably false. So, so I want to play the clip from what we said in the very last podcast. And this is the clip that so triggered young Gavin.

[Ted Cruz]

Listen, let's be very clear, center, that is Gavin Newsom comparing American law enforcement to Nazis.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep. Yep. Which. Which, by the way, is what Obama was doing too, by the way. Just like AOC and Whitmer, Newsom is apparently thoroughly, historically illiterate. He said, we've never seen national Guards federalized in the states. I guess his history book does not discuss the civil rights movement. He's never heard of a president named Dwight D. Eisenhower. He's never heard of sending the National Guard into Southern states. When Democrats who refused to desegregate schools resisted, Eisenhower sent the National Guard in. The pattern is the same. In this instance, you have Democrats who are saying, we refuse to comply with federal immigration law. Then you had in the 50s and 60s, you had Democrats saying, we refused to comply with civil rights law. In both instances, it is lawless Democrats attacking law enforcement. You know, Gavin Newsom is proudly following the tradition of Bull Connor, another Democrat politician.

[Ted Cruz]

That's all that you really said. And then his response was a total freakout.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. So Gavin, on Twitter, he sent out a tweet, and like all good Democrats, when caught being full of crap, he responds by attacking and screaming, you cannot criticize me. And in particular, what he said is Ted Cruz calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him. Now, let's start out. First of all, who the hell knew Gavin Newsom was dyslexic? I didn't know that. Did you? Did you know that?

[Ted Cruz]

No, I did not. And, you know, it's funny. I'm dyslexic, but that doesn't mean you're stupid, by the way.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, I didn't know you were dyslexic either.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, because I don't use it as a crutch. But, like, since Gavin's bringing up like it's some, like, you, you. Like you went off the the rails on him like, how dare you do that? Like, I'm dyslexic. Doesn't mean you're dumb. Doesn't make you mean stupid statements because you're dyslex. You can still be intelligent and be dyslexic, buddy.

[Ben Ferguson]

So Gavin's dissent defense is. Is. Is you're not allowed to criticize me because I have a disability. That is, if there's anything to embody the idiocy of today's Democrat party, that. That does it pretty well. So it's interesting. I sent two responses. The first response I sent was, I didn't say you couldn't read. You clown with the emoji of the clown. I said you were, quote, historically illiterate because you apparently have no idea that Eisenhower federalized the National Guard to stop Democrat governors from defying federal law. Specifically, on September 23, 1957, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730 federalizing the Arkansas National Guard and ordering U.S. army troops, the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas.

[Tucker Carlson]

Yep.

[Ben Ferguson]

This action broke the blockade by Democrat Governor Orville Faubus, allowing the Little Rock Nine to desegregate Central High School. Now, Gavin had no response to that. Now I got to tell you, let me bring you a little bit inside the scenes. So my team had a different response that they suggested. And I have a whole social media communications teams. They had a different response. Their different response was to. To send out a tweet with a gif and a gif of Zoolander.

[Ted Cruz]

There's a mini video just so everybody that doesn't know what that is like, some people may not realize with that. It's like the mini little video kind of thing you send out.

[Ben Ferguson]

So it's Ben Stiller as Zoolander and he's looking down at a sign that says the Gavin Newsom center for what? Kids who don't know what historically illiterate means and who want to learn to do other stuff good too. So that my team put that together. I did not put that together. I saw that and I sent mine instead. And then my team got all upset and they're like, wait, you didn't like ours? And I said, you know what, let's have a competition. Send that one too.

[Ted Cruz]

Let's put them both out and see which one wins.

[Ben Ferguson]

Both out the Internet and. And see which one wins. So as of we're now 12:21am The. The Ben Stiller GIF, which was clever.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Has gotten 397,000 views.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay.

[Ben Ferguson]

The one I wrote has gotten a million views.

[Ted Cruz]

So. So how long are you going to haze them on this data that you have? That's undisputed.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay, so, so not. Not to. To brag too much, but I did beat the team by 250%.

[Ted Cruz]

But just for everyone, I want to take them behind the scenes. When. When, Senator, when you are correct and your team has these moments. I enjoy not being on that team. I enjoy being a spectator. But I do know.

[Ben Ferguson]

But hold on, hold on. I'm going to be gracious for a minute. I'm going to be gracious for a minute. Although I got two and a half times as much coverage as they did in terms of people watching it, I will say the comments on their gift, the folks that saw it, loved it. So I'm just gonna go through a few. Joe Lonsdale, good friend of ours, big tech entrepreneur. He's been on the podcast. He did the crying emoji. Another guy said, whoever came up with this meme needs a needs a raise. Another guy said, sir, this is a 10 for 10 post. It's too bad Newsom won't be able to read it. Another person had a gift from the Simpsons. Hello, 91 1. I'd like to report a murder.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah,

[Ben Ferguson]

it the volume of comments. The ex trolling continues. Good, good. Picture of Trump toasting, crying. Trump emojis clear. Cruz clearly won this round. Bwa. Ha ha ha ha. It's like this put you in my top five favorite politicians. I'm really depressed. Who are the other four? Yeah, right. Well done. Good sir. Well done. Spitting out. He went to school at the leering school.

[Ted Cruz]

So the team is going to get accolades for quality over quantity.

[Ben Ferguson]

So when I gave them that, actually their comments, the people who saw it loved it. They're like, this is a frigging great comment. And so you know what I said? I'm glad we sent them both. Yeah, we reached more people. Mine had kind of substance. I'm going to tell you another admission. You know how I wrote my, my tweet? Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

How you do.

[Ben Ferguson]

How.

[Ted Cruz]

No, no, I'm saying how.

[Ben Ferguson]

Tell me how I know you said yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Oh, yeah. No, I like I know you wrote it, but I can, I can all what people don't understand about you is when you. What you can check out of any conversation if you have something clever that you want to get out in the. Into the world of the Internet as you described earlier, call it X social media. I'm just gonna hit you on AIDS there. Like putting it out into the Internet.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay. Al Gore, he created it back in the day. But, but when you. When there's nothing scarier than watching TC at dinner just quietly over there and disengaging from the conversation for about five minutes and you know what's coming, it's gonna be something really entertaining on the Internet, I can promise you that.

[Ben Ferguson]

So my team had sent me this gift Monday night. I was playing hoops. And as you know, I play hoops twice a week. And so it was about three hours of. And I had, after a couple of games, we lost one game. And so I didn't hit my free throw. So I was sitting waiting for the next game. And so I typed this responding. And it's actually a very cool thing about AI so the first part of it that I sent, which is because you apparently have no idea that Eisenhower federalized the National Guard, stopped Dem governors from defying federal law. I wrote that. Yeah. But then I Went to Google and I typed in eisenhower federalizing National Guard, because, like, you know, I wanted a little more research and Google AI. So the second paragraph of my tweet was written by Google AI. And so the paragraph specifically on September 23rd, 1957. So I didn't know the date until I went into Google AI. President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10, 7:30. I didn't know the number of the 10, 7, 30. Like the whole details of the second paragraph. The beauty of Google AI. It took me 30 seconds.

[Ted Cruz]

It took you missing your free throws, then giving you the opportunity. Then giving you the opportunity if I

[Ben Ferguson]

hit my damn free throws.

[Ted Cruz]

All right, punk, this, none of this would have ever happened. None of this would have ever happened if it wasn't for you sucking at free throw shooting that night. I just want to be clear about what brought this opportunity.

[Ben Ferguson]

Let me just say for the record, what happened the last time you played hoops with me.

[Ted Cruz]

You, you or someone else decided to break my finger. It's still crooked if you can't see it. Right there. America. There it is. It is as a crooked finger right there.

[Ben Ferguson]

I, I, I just saying. You were a College Division 1 varsity athlete.

[Ted Cruz]

To be clear, Lonsdale would back me up on this. I taped it up and played like a man.

[Ben Ferguson]

You did. You, I agree. You, you did not crawl up in a ball and, and, and whimper. But I'm just saying, you like, you know, you bro, you, you broke bones when you decided to hoops.

[Ted Cruz]

And I still hit my shots. You guys don't play fair. You get older, you start grabbing for stuff you can't see straight. If it's a.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's how old guys play.

[Ted Cruz]

That's how old guys play. Exactly. Exactly. So you miss your free throws. AI came and saved the day. You put out the tweet, Gavin shoots back, and that's how we got to where we are right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

But think about it. Even like a year ago, to put together the details of that tweet. I would have. A year ago, probably, if I wanted to have a little substance in the tweet, I might have said, you get your team involved to. My team said, hey, research, give me the exact details. I know Eisenhower federalized the National Guard.

[Ted Cruz]

Give me some exact when, where, and why.

[Ben Ferguson]

Right? And someone would have researched it. They would have sent it to me, and then I would have included it, and instead I just did it in between games. Like, the whole thing took me maybe three minutes to type.

[Ted Cruz]

So when, when did you, so when did you see the Newsom response Was it after missing more free throws or was it later on?

[Ben Ferguson]

It was before the game. And, and to be honest, I only set one game. I missed free throws then and won most of the rest of the time. And the couple times I lost, I hit my free throws. But, but I did once miss my damn free throws. But the beauty of it is it literally so I had seen it before I started playing and I'm like, no. And I'm sort of, you know, I don't know about you, but like when I'm thinking about something, I often will sort of put it out of my mind and let the back ponder for a little bit.

[Ted Cruz]

You go back and then you come back.

[Tucker Carlson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

And it was sort of like literally as I'm playing hoops, I'm chewing on what kind of response I want to have. And so then when I had a break, I'm like, all right, let me type it out.

[Ted Cruz]

All right, I got to ask you, is Gavin Newsom on your top five liberals that you would love one on one debate with?

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, look, I don't know. We talked about in the last podcast how I think Newsom and AOC are probably the top two Democrat contenders for the presidential nomination. We'll see. Neither of them know what the hell they're talking about, so. So I feel confident we will. We will see them called to account as before.

[Ted Cruz]

If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. I want you to just pause what you're doing for the next 60 seconds and I want you to imagine Lucy, a 7 year old. Her stomach often aches with hunger. Her small hands, instead of holding crayons, know only the struggle of survival on dusty streets. School is a distant dream. Medical care a forgotten hope. Lucy's potential is overshadowed. Her future is dim. But what if someone stepped in? What if there was a way to ignite hope for children just like Lucy? Well, there is. And that is with Compassion International Partners and the local churches that provide children holistic support. More than just food, they receive critical medical care, life changing education, vital skills training and spiritual development, all in Jesus's name. And you can empower a child just like Lucy to break free from poverty. I want you to do what I've done and sponsor a child. Today you can visit compassion.com that's compassion.com.

[Podcast Host]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Podcast Host]

Now we're talking. This is an all hands on deck scenario, people, but hurry. The extended President's Day super sale at Denver Mattress ends soon.

[Ted Cruz]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, Senator, so it was a very interesting week. There was a big back and forth. I don't think it's an interview. I think it's a debate that was had a lot of fanfare. It was Tucker Carlson going to Israel to have a sit down with the US Ambassador, dear friend of both of ours, Mike Huckabee. I was rooting for Mike because you knew what Tucker was gonna do. But before we even got any of the interview out, and maybe it's because it didn't go well for Tucker. We'll see. But what he did do is had a great distraction claiming he was detained in Israel at the airport and thank goodness he got safe out of the country. Turns out it was all crap and a lie.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, look, I gotta say, Tucker Carlson's descent into madness has been been tragic and horrific to watch. You and I have both known Tucker a long, long time. I've known him probably 25 years. And you know, there was a time when he would vocally defend Israel when he was. Look, when he had his Fox TV show during COVID and the lockdowns, his monologue every night was the single best thing on television and it was destination tv. Well, he got fired from Fox and he's gone into the kind of the dark hinterlands of the Internet and he's turned really twisted. He is number one obsessed with Israel. It seems like if you are a Jew hating bigot, you too can be a guest on Tucker's show. He will find every person that says the Jews are responsible for terrible things. By the way, if you're a Nazi apologist, if you think Adolf Hitler was very, very cool, you too can be on Tucker's show. By the way, if you're an Islamist, if you think Hamas is not a terrorist organization, as Tucker has said, you too can be on Tucker show. Uh, if, if you hate Donald Trump because his show now is attacking almost every foreign policy decision Donald Trump makes, you too can be on Tucker's show. And he has said the people he hates most in the world, are they the jihadists who murder Americans. No, no. Those are the people he acts not.

[Ted Cruz]

Al Qaeda, not Hamas, not Hezbollah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Who are they? They are Christian Zionists. He said there's no one on planet Earth. By the way, if you are, A, a Christian and B, you believe Israel should exist, that's what it means to be a Zionist. You know, a lot of the Jew haters, they're scared of actually admitting they're Jew haters. So instead of saying the word Jewish, they say Zionist because they think that feels. That sounds so much more like Zionist means, should Israel exist? Yeah, I gotta say, I am a Zionist. I am proudly a Zionist and I am proudly a Christian. And if you're a Christian and you believe the nation of Israel should exist, there are 57 Muslim countries in the world. If you think the Jewish people should have one country, just one, mind you, the modern state of Israel was formed after the Holocaust, after the Nazis murdered over 6 million Jews and committing a genocide. And the phrase never again meant something, that there would be a homeland, that at least there would be one place for Jews to flee to. If you think Jews ought to exist, well, then Tucker hates you more than anybody else on planet Earth. And he's identified two people in particular that he hates the most, and that is Mike Huckabee and me. And so he went to interview Mike Huckabee. I'm sure they're fireworks. We'll see what happened in it. And he touched down. It was the most bizarre thing. He landed in Israel. He didn't leave the airport. So I guess the interview was at the airport.

[Ted Cruz]

And it sounded like that's because he was afraid of his safety or something. Like he was trying to say, I don't feel safe in this country and I need to be able to leave at a moment's notice. So I'll only do the interview at the airport. That is what the team seemed to be wanting to get out there. They didn't feel safe. They didn't think that Israel would be a place they would be able to be free or welcome or whatever. So we're just going to stay in the airport, but meanwhile, the same guy that go to Russia, that detains Americans on a regular basis and will happily put out groceries to our propaganda on their behalf and travel anywhere in Russia that they would like to go.

[Ben Ferguson]

And by the way, interview Putin, interview the President of Iran. The president of Iran is actively trying to murder President Trump right now. And Tucker did an interview where he was practically rubbing his leg and gazing adoringly like, like, like a love sick 16 year old sucking soda straws with her crush at the soda fountain.

[Ted Cruz]

And don't forget he buys houses in Qatar. Right, let's not forget that one.

[Ben Ferguson]

He has literally purchased a home in Qatar. And by the way, I get asked routinely, is Tucker being paid millions of dollars from Qatar? I don't know. I have no evidence of that. I will tell you, it would explain an awful lot because if you play what Tucker said on TV for years and he's done an about face on everything, money would certainly explain an awful lot. I don't know why. I just know that he is attacking Israel and Jews every day. He is praising Islamists and he is attacking capitalism. He's praised Mandami repeatedly. He's praised Maduro. I mean, I mean it is, it's a crazy descent. When he went to Israel, there were some Christians in Israel who said, come visit us, we'll show you that Christians are protected and prospering in Israel, that the people who are persecuting Christians are the Islamists who are persecuting Christians. He's focused on, well, Bethlehem. The Christian population is under assault. Well, that's true because the Palestinian Authority is in charge of Bethlehem, not Israel. Yeah, he refused.

[Ted Cruz]

By the way, I just got back from Israel. The number of people that are there on a pilgrimage as Christians is massive. And by the way, I want to be. I forgot to tell you this too, Senator, and I probably should have put this out seeing the video of Tucker Carlson Airport. I was detained as well when I left. I just can't believe you didn't come save me. I'm a little disappointed. I thought you had my back here, but I was detained in Israel cuz they checked my passport and they held me for a second to the side. So I just want to be clear, if Tucker Carlson was detained, I was detained as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

Like, well, and here's the state here, here's the statement Tucker put out. Quote, men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about. Now I gotta say, this ridiculous claim that he put out was promptly refuted A by the video of his interaction. He's in the airport, he's laughing, he's taking pictures and selfies with people, B by a statement from the government of Israel saying this is totally false and C, by the US Embassy but actually the best refutation to this is there is a fellow online, I don't know him, but he's a comedian and he's a comedian named Ami Kozak who does this great Tucker impression and it's hysterical. If you're watching it on video, you really should watch it on video cuz he's actually, his hair looks like Tucker and he does it. If not, give a listen. Because this is satire, it's not real. But this is a comedian portraying Tucker being quote, detained by Israeli airport.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Shalom.

[Ben Ferguson]

Hi.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. You pack your own bags or somebody pack for you?

[Tucker Carlson]

I, I don't even know what that means, actually. I mean, I certainly, I packed some things, I certainly packed a lot of things. Like a lot. And I probably over packed. I always tend to over pack. I bring everything and I'm sure other people pack for me too, so.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Well, we have to ask to make sure, you know, no one put a weapon or something.

[Ben Ferguson]

You don't know.

[Tucker Carlson]

Well, I, I'm proud of owning guns. I own lots of guns. I'm not gonna apologize for that, like at all. I own guns. You have one here and so I'm not gonna apologize for that.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay, but did you back it?

[Tucker Carlson]

Dude, I'm not gonna do it.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. Okay. What do you do for work?

[Tucker Carlson]

Oh, I'm a journalist. A journalist, A commentator. I talk to people, I have conversations with people.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Journalists. Okay. Do you ever lie?

[Tucker Carlson]

Oh, all the time. I lie every day. I lie every day. And I'll continue to do it. I'm sure I'll continue to do that. And, and I hate, hate it. I hate that I do that. But I'm certain that I do do it.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

You're lying right now about your intentions?

[Tucker Carlson]

Oh, yeah. And I'm very honest about that. Very honest about that.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

You're honest that you're lying? Okay. You with a major network?

[Tucker Carlson]

No, we're independent.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. And who is funding you?

[Tucker Carlson]

I, I'd rather not say. That's not your business. It's not your business at all.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

It's a secret, actually.

[Tucker Carlson]

I don't have to disclose that.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. You travel to the Middle east at all in the last six months?

[Tucker Carlson]

I have.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Where you go, which places you travel well. And why do you go there? No, let's go.

[Tucker Carlson]

I, I, I went to places, they were nice. I just, I wanted to, I wanted to, I wanted to talk to people and see people, have conversations with people.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. Any of the people you talk to have any connections to radical terrorist organizations?

[Tucker Carlson]

I mean, really, I mean, last I checked, they Were all political organization organizations.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

They're what?

[Tucker Carlson]

Any of those regimes were political organizations. Last attack.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay. This funny to you? Are you Jewish?

[Tucker Carlson]

No, I'm not Jewish. I certainly. There's nothing wrong with being Jewish. Some of my favorite people are Jewish. Like really like. Some of my very absolutely favorite people are Jewish. Some of my least favorite people are Christian Zionists.

[Commercial Announcer]

I hate them.

[Tucker Carlson]

I'm appalled by them actually. Like really, like really appalled. But I'm not gonna apologize for who I am. I'm a white person Christian.

[Gavin Newsom (clip)]

I'm a man.

[Tucker Carlson]

And I'm not going to apologize for that, period.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay, Okay, a couple more questions. Where are you from?

[Tucker Carlson]

Oh, I came from Maine.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

What is Maine?

[Tucker Carlson]

Yeah, I live across from my parents graves.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Wow, okay. For Maine. What's the population?

[Tucker Carlson]

Oh, I see what you did.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Why not? And so, so what brings you to Israel?

[Tucker Carlson]

Well, I'm here to interview Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

You know Ambassador Mike Huckabee?

[Tucker Carlson]

Very well, actually. I know my lot.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

From where you know him?

[Tucker Carlson]

And I also have no idea who he is like at all. Like I barely even know who that is. I don't even know who he is. And so I'm here to interview him.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

So wait, you don't know him or you don't know him? Okay, anyone give you a gift or something to take to Israel with you?

[Tucker Carlson]

I mean, I got a house from Qatar.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Why you get that?

[Tucker Carlson]

They're an ally. Last I checked, they're an ally. They're like one of our closest allies actually.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

Okay, we're gonna need your passport, please.

[Tucker Carlson]

Why do you need to see my passport? Is it cuz I'm a Christian?

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

What you think saying.

[Tucker Carlson]

Did you just spit at me, Ma? Did you just spit at me?

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

We need your passport. Your passport please.

[Tucker Carlson]

Well, I'm certainly not going to give you my passport. I would never do that like at all.

[Israeli Airport Interviewer]

This is standard. Take it to a supervisor.

[Tucker Carlson]

They're detaining me.

[Ted Cruz]

Get off me.

[Tucker Carlson]

This is just like the demon. This is just like the demon.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, I'm not sure that's satire. That might actually be real.

[Ted Cruz]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast. And you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

[Podcast Host]

This is an I heart podcast, guaranteed human.