← Verdict with Ted Cruz
Verdict with Ted Cruz
Horrific Murder in DC, No Tax on Tips Passes the Senate, Take It Down Act Signed into Law & The Last Rodeo Preview
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- [00:00]
Rodney Williams
You're listening to an iHeart podcast.
- [00:05]
Travis Holloway
It is Ryan here and I have.
- [00:07]
Rodney Williams
A question for you.
- [00:08]
Ben Ferguson
What do you do when you win? Like are you a fist pumper?
- [00:12]
Rodney Williams
A Woo hooer?
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Travis Holloway
A hand clapper? A high fiver?
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- [00:30]
Ted Cruz
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- [00:33]
Travis Holloway
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- [00:35]
Ben Ferguson
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- [01:18]
Rodney Williams
I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories. What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it? Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app. We all have that piece, the one that's so you. You've basically become known for it. And if you don't yet fashionistas, you'll find it on ebay. That Miu Miu red leather bomber, the Cousto Barcelona cowboy top. Or that Patagonia fleece in the 2017 colorway. All these finds are all on ebay, along with millions of more main character pieces backed by authenticity guarantee. Ebay is the place for pre loved and vintage fashion ebay things people love. Every day our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling amica Insurance.
- [02:39]
Travis Holloway
Hey, I was just in an accident.
- [02:41]
Rodney Williams
Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. Human amica empathy is our best policy.
- [02:54]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome. It is verdict with Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Senator, always a pleasure to be with you. And we've got one jam packed show for you tonight.
- [03:02]
Travis Holloway
Well, there's an enormous amount going on this week. We saw the tragic murder of two, two people who worked in the Israeli embassy murdered by a radical left Palestinian racist. It was the absolute manifestation of evil. We're going to tell you what happened there and break down the evil that we are seeing on college campuses, that we are seeing spreading hate. Hate for Jews and anti Semitism, hate for Israel, hate for America and the absolute utter evil we saw unfold this week. We're also going to talk about the remarkable fact that the United States Senate passed my legislation, no taxes on tips 100 to nothing. No taxes on tips is going to become the law of the land. The Democrats actually supported no taxes on tips. We're going to explain that to you. And next we're going to talk about the take it down act legislation I authored that President Trump signed into law this week that will protect women and teenage girls from revenge porn, from deep fake porn. It is critical legislation keeping, keeping all of our kids safe and keeping all of us safe. And it is now the law of the land.
- [04:15]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it really is. Plus we've got something really cool. Neil McDonough is going to join us and there is a new movie that is out right now. It is called the Last Rodeo. It is a faith based, family friendly movie that is getting nationwide distribution. You may know Neil from Tulsa, King and Yellowstone. He's going to join us as well to talk about this new movie and we're going to have a chance for you also to win free tickets as well for vertic listeners. That's really awesome as well. Yeah. So Senator, let's talk about this first just shocking attack that happened in Washington D.C. where this happened. I've been to this area and been to this place several times in my life. When you know where it happened, I think it just takes your breath away. And then to understand the, the hatred and the anti Semitism behind it.
- [05:01]
Travis Holloway
Yeah, it was just a few blocks away from the Capitol. It was by the D.C. field office, it was by a Jewish museum and two people were murdered. Sarah Milgram and Yaron Leshinsky. They were about to get engaged to be married and they were murdered for one reason, because they were Jewish. The person who killed them was not a Palestinian. He was not someone from Gaza. No, he was a left wing radical from Chicago. He was. His name is Elias Rodriguez and he was a socialist. He was a Marxist. And when he murdered them, he murdered them screaming, free, free Palestine. This was the pure manifestation of hate. And I will tell you, he didn't just shoot them once, he made certain to execute them. As Sarah crawled away in agony after he shot her, he followed her and he shot her again and again and again from the back. He executed her in cold blood. He fired at least 219 millimeter bullets at them. That's how many cartridge cases were found. And then he just jogged off. It is pure, unmitigated racist hate. And it is the lies that the left spreads.
- [06:30]
Ben Ferguson
You know, this is one of those moments where you realize just how bad antisemitism has become specifically in this country. And a lot of it is among younger people and it is exploded on college campuses. And we see that there are real consequences for this type of bigotry and hatred towards people that are Jewish.
- [06:51]
Travis Holloway
Well, and Ben, I'll tell you an amazing story about the two of them that I learned today. So earlier today I spoke at the Hudson Institute and I spoke at their Middle east center about the Middle east and about China's massive efforts to have greater influence in the Middle East. And I was interviewed by Zineb Rabua, who works at the Hudson Institute and who was good friends with Jaron. And a number of the people who were at my speech today were good friends with Jeroen. In fact, he might well have attended the speech. He was a Middle east expert and this was a speech in D.C. to Middle east experts the day after he and Sarah were murdered. Here's what Zineb told me that I did not know. I'm just gonna read a tweet she sent earlier today. The last time I spoke with Yaron, he told me that it was thanks to Ted Cruz that he met Sarah. They first crossed paths at an event where the Senator was speaking. Today I had the privilege of sharing that story with Senator Cruz himself. We spoke about China, Iran and the rise of anti Semitism. He listened with warmth and paid a moving tribute to Jeron and Sarah. They both admired him deeply. I did not know Jeroen and Sarah, but I'm literally speechless. I'm literally reduced to tears that this is a couple who met at a speech I was given, fell in love, were about to get engaged, and were Murdered by the face of evil. And I will tell you, this is the face of evil we see on college campuses. You know the phrase free, free Palestine? I'll tell you Ben, for a year I woke up every Saturday morning 7am to screams of Free, free Palestine in my front yard because pro Hamas protesters arrived every morning 7am banging bells and drums, screaming, screaming expletives and chanting free, free Palestine. And listen, this is, this is the consequence of the anti Semitic hate. And I will tell you, I want you to listen to this interview on cnn. CNN interviewed one of the witnesses to what happened here. And listen to just, just, just the left wing twist of what passes for our corporate media. Give a listen as you go forward.
- [09:19]
Rodney Williams
As you go forward with what you have seen. Can you give us any sense because you said you looked the shooter in the eyes. Can you give us any sense of what you saw in him as he was sort of getting help and people were tending to him as if he too was a victim of seeing this? Yeah, to be clear, I like heard out that part because we were in a secure room when he initially walked in. I just saw him screaming and then being handcuffed. But what I saw in his eyes, I mean, I went to Columbia for grad school and I saw the same thing in his eyes as I saw in the eyes of all the protesters at Columbia. Nothing different between him and them, but they did not create this horrific shooting. They did not, you know, sort of, they didn't shoot. They created, they gave permission. They gave the permission and they've called for this. They have called for intifada revolution which is the same thing he yelled last night. Do you worry that there will be a come conflation though of the two, those people who are speaking their mind, who really care about what is happening in Gaza and those people who are like this person who did this horrific shooting who intend to do harm. A conflation. I mean they are calling for intifada. At Columbia University they call for intifada constantly. They're not quietly, they're loud. They're loud, you can hear it. They make recordings of themselves. So what's the difference? Are you afraid? Yes, we're all afraid. Everyone should be afraid. What are you doing to try to make yourself feel safer? Why can't you just go on and live your life? I'm a New Yorker. I remember 9, 11. You can't let them make you be afraid. You have to go on, you have to live your life and hopefully your government does things to protect you. Last Night our government failed us.
- [11:00]
Travis Holloway
You know, this is what's wrong with cnn. This is what's wrong with our corporate media. They want to defend the anti Semitic protesters on campus that. That witness who saw the horrific murder. He's exactly right that when people are chanting we love Hamas, which is what they're chanting on many of these campuses, when they're calling for Intifada, this is intifada. This is the murder they're calling for. And CNN is being an apologist for them. And I have to say, our prayers are very much with the families of your own and Sarah. What happened to them was utterly horrible and utterly evil.
- [11:33]
Ben Ferguson
Senator, I want to move on to a really exciting issue, and it's going to have a massive impact on a lot of hardworking Americans that are in the service industry. This is something that you have championed, and it became reality in a historic vote on no taxes on tips. What a simple idea, but it's going to have a huge impact in this country.
- [11:55]
Travis Holloway
Well, two things happened this week on no taxes on tips. First of all, the House of Representatives passed the one big beautiful bill, the giant reconciliation bill that extends the Trump tax cuts, that secures the border, that rebuilds the military, and included within it is my legislation on no taxes on tips. So the House passed that this week. At the same time, the Senate took up and passed as a freestanding bill my no taxes on tips legislation. And let me tell you the backstory on this. So you remember during the presidential campaign, President Trump campaigned on no taxes on tips, and he rolled it out in Las Vegas. And the week after he rolled it out, he came and had lunch with all the Republican senators. And he told us the story of where the idea came from. And he said before his rally in Las Vegas, he was sitting having lunch, and he said a waitress was bringing him his lunch. And Trump said, and she was beautiful. She was absolutely beautiful, which we were all cracking up laughing at. And he said she was expressing just how much burden it was to pay taxes on her tips and that the taxes on tips had gone up under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And Trump said he just grabbed a notepad of paper and he wrote on the notepad, no taxes on tips. And he showed it to her, says, what do you think of this? And she said, great, fantastic. So he said, well, I decided to. To just announce it at the rally. He said, sometimes I do that. And so he went out to the rally, thousands of people in Las Vegas, and he said, when I'm reelected, we will have no Taxes on tips. And he said, and they went crazy. Everyone went crazy. So he told us that story, and I gotta say, I thought it was brilliant. It was a great idea. I strongly support that idea. And so he announced it. He came up with it. And I said, well, I'm gonna draft the legislation to make it happen. And so I sat down and wrote the legislation to make it part of our tax laws. And I introduced it the week after he announced it. Well, the week I introduced it, two different Democrats, both senators from Nevada, joined my bill. They co sponsored my bill. Actually, Jackie Rosen, one of the two Democrats from Nevada, she told me that day, she said, you know, 25% of the workers in the state of Nevada are tipped workers. So they joined my bill. My bill is the one the House put in, one big, beautiful bill. Well, what happened this week is Jackie Rosen, the Democrat, decided to go to the floor of the House, of the Senate and seek unanimous consent to pass my bill. Now, the way unanimous consent work is you're asking, will any senator object? And if no senator objects, then it passes. And the way you do it is you run what's called a hotline, which is you send a request to every senator's office. Are you going to object to this? And I think the Democrats expected that the Republicans would object. I'm sitting there going, wait a second, it's my bill. Why would I object to my own bill? Of course I want to pass my bill. So I didn't object. No other Republican objected, and astonishingly, no Democrat objected either. So Jackie came to the Senate floor and she said, hey, I think this thing's going to pass. And I said, we'll do it quickly, get up and do it quickly. Don't give a long speech. Just stand up and ask unanimous consent and get it done. Because I was worried that some Democrat was going to turn on C span and see what we were doing and run down to the Senate floor and object. Well, and it is very unusual for somebody else to ask unanimous consent to pass your bill. It's almost always. You're almost always the one doing it. But she went, she asked for consent. Nobody objected. And so no tax on tips passed the United States senate this week, 100 to nothing. Every Republican voted for it, every Democrat voted for it. And the good news about that is it means the chances of no taxes on tips becoming federal law are now very close to 100%. It's in the reconciliation bill. It will either pass as part of one big, beautiful bill or it will pass as a freestanding bill. Either way, we're gonna get that policy, which is a great policy for American workers.
- [16:16]
Ben Ferguson
So how often do you get 100 to nothing bills like this? I mean, that's the part that I think is just so exciting.
- [16:22]
Travis Holloway
You know, it happens with some regularity in the Senate in particular, you work to find a bill that people agree with and you go down and pass legislation and you can get legislation passed 100 to nothing. I have, I have authored and passed into law 103 different pieces of legislation. And my guess is roughly half of them or more were by unanimous consent. They passed 100 or nothing. Some of it is you work out the objections in the process. And so when you run the hotline, you may get four or five objectors and you go to them and say, hey, what's your problem with the bill? What do you not like about it? And if they have a particular concern, you try to work through it. All right. Another bill that we will get passed, but we haven't yet, is my bill on AM radio for every vehicle. Look, we're on AM radio right now, as you know, eight car makers announced that they were gonna pull AM radio off of new cars and new trucks. And I introduced legislation with Ed Markey, liberal Democrat from Massachusetts, to ensure that AM radio stays in new cars and trucks. Actually, the day after Markey and I introduced the legislation, Ford Motor Company reversed its decision and said, we're not, we're going to go back to including AM radio. So I went to the Senate floor and tried to pass it by unanimous consent and it failed because Rand Paul came down and objected. And Rand Paul opposes mandates of every kind. I oppose many mandates, but I, but I think giving consumers the choice of having AM radio is a good choice for consumers. It's very inexpensive for carmakers. And so that one will not pass by unanimous consent. So we'll have to get floor time, which is harder to get. What I will say on no taxes on tips is this is a policy that really is the manifestation of how the Republican Party today is a blue collar party. This is a policy that is going to benefit waiters and waitresses. It's gonna benefit bartenders, it's gonna benefit barbers and hairstylists. It's gonna benefit beauticians and people who work at nail salons and taxicab drivers. It is impacting the working men and women. And that's the base who elected President Trump and that's the base who elected me. And so it's really a great and astonishing victory. I gotta tell you, Ben. Both Republicans and Democrats were utterly flabbergasted to see no Taxes on Tips pass unanimously in the Senate this week.
- [18:55]
Ben Ferguson
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- [20:08]
Rodney Williams
I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break. Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger. And that's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and real wins. We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories. And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same. So if you're ready for a Podcast as much as about people as it is about money. You're in the right place. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app. We all have that piece. You know the one, the thing that's so you. You've basically become known for it. And if you don't have yours yet, you'll find it on ebay. Putting you on here fashionistas. Ebay is where you'll find those. One of a kind. Can't stop researching. Stay up dreaming about pieces again and again. I'm talking that Miu Miu off the Runway red leather bomber, the Cousteau Barcelona top with the cowboy on it. Or that Patagonia fleece in the 2017 colorway. All these finds are on ebay and they even offer millions of main character pieces backed by authenticity guarantee. Ebay is the place for pre loved and vintage fashion. EBay, things people love. This is Lisa Booth from the Truth with Lisa Booth. When it comes to your health, you shouldn't have to beg for permission. You've seen how the system really works. Faceless bureaucrats and billion dollar companies playing God, deciding whether you get care, what you're allowed to take, and ultimately whether you live or die. It's time to take your power back. All Family Pharmacy puts the control in your hands, not theirs. No more waiting rooms, no more red tape. Just fast direct access to over 200 trusted medications like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and mendazole, antibiotics and emergency kits. A licensed doctor reviews your request, writes your prescription, and your medication is shipped directly to your door. They believe in medical freedom, that you have the right to choose what's best for your body and your family. Over 100,000Americans already trust All Family Pharmacy. Maybe it's time you did, too. So visit allfamilypharmacy.com USA promo code USA10, that's allfamilypharmacy.com usa and use code USA10 for 10% off all family Pharmacy because your life shouldn't be in someone else's hands. At Amica Insurance, we know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out, to the later years of still figuring it out for the place you've put down roots. Trust Amica Home Insurance. Amica Empathy is our best policy.
- [23:44]
Ben Ferguson
Senator, let's talk about this other incredible moment that happened this week at the White House. Donald Trump signed the Take It down act into law. It's Something that you championed and remind people what this law's intent and why it is such an important piece of legislation to protect not only young people and minors, but really anyone from just evil and hateful revenge from an ex.
- [24:07]
Travis Holloway
Well, this, this is legislation that I authored that, that President Trump signed into law this week. Actually, he signed it into law in the Rose Garden at a big ceremony in the Rose Garden. I've done a lot of bill signing ceremonies in the Oval Office. This is the first time I've been in the Rose Garden. Because you had victim groups and victim advocates and people who have been victims of non consensual explicit imagery. Now, what is that? That's really two different things. Number one, so called revenge porn. So if you have a boyfriend and girlfriend and they're in a relationship and they take explicit pictures or videos and then they have a breakup and one or the other is mad and they say, okay, I'm going to stick it to you, I'm going to put this out for the whole world to see. And it is an utterly grotesque violation of privacy. Nobody has the right to do that to somebody else. And it's something we're seeing happening more and more often. There's a second manifestation that is new and it has to deal with technology, which is more and more we are seeing people use AI artificial intelligence to create deep fakes and deep fakes where they appear to be either a picture or a video of a real person, but it's utterly fake. And so they make a naked or explicit image of someone and put it out. And the incidence of deep fakes last year increased 3,000%, and over 90% of the victims of deep fake explicit imagery are women or teenage girls. And so it is growing massively. And so the Take It down act is legislation that I introduced that makes it a crime, a federal felony, to post non consensual intimate images, either real pictures or deep fakes. And secondly, it puts a federal statutory obligation on tech platforms to take the pictures down, to take the videos down, because the platforms have been horrible responding to victims. They ignore victims, they leave the images up. And so the victim ends up being victimized over and over and over again by the images staying out there. And so the Take It down act puts a legal obligation that when the victim notifies them, hey, that's me, that's an explicit image of me. And you don't have my consent to put it up. They have to take it down. This legislation I introduced with Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, and we Passed it through the Senate. We passed it unanimously. It was a hundred to nothing. And then the House took it up and passed it with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and President Trump signed it into law. And give a listen to what President Trump said this week in the Rose Garden as he signed the Take It down act into law today. It's my honor to officially sign the.
- [26:49]
Ben Ferguson
Take It down act into law.
- [26:51]
Travis Holloway
It's a big thing, very important, so.
- [26:53]
Rodney Williams
Horrible what takes place.
- [26:55]
Travis Holloway
This will be the first ever federal law to combat the distribution of explicit, imaginary posted without subject's consent, take horrible.
- [27:07]
Rodney Williams
Pictures, and I guess sometimes even make.
- [27:09]
Travis Holloway
Up the pictures and they post it without consent or anything else.
- [27:13]
Rodney Williams
And very importantly, this includes for forgeries.
- [27:16]
Travis Holloway
Generated by artificial intelligence known as deepfakes. We've all heard about deep fakes.
- [27:21]
Ben Ferguson
I have them all the time, but I don't.
- [27:22]
Travis Holloway
Nobody does anything. I asked Pam, can you help me, Pam? She says, no, I'm too busy. Too busy doing other things.
- [27:28]
Rodney Williams
Don't worry, you'll survive. But a lot of people don't survive. That's true.
- [27:33]
Travis Holloway
And so horrible. With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep.
- [27:39]
Rodney Williams
Fakes and other explicit images distributed against their will.
- [27:43]
Travis Holloway
This is the wrong.
- [27:44]
Rodney Williams
And it's just so horribly wrong.
- [27:47]
Travis Holloway
And it's a very abusive situation like in some cases people have never seen before. And today we're making it totally illegal.
- [27:57]
Ben Ferguson
Senator, one of the things I just, I love about this legislation is the fact that not only is it bipartisan, but you had the first lady who really got involved in this as well. It was important to her. And that made it, I think, even easier to bridge the gap.
- [28:11]
Travis Holloway
Well, we did. The first lady became very active in pushing this bill. She reached out to me and said she wanted to help get it over the finish line. So last year we passed it out of the Senate 100 to nothing. And the House failed to take it up last year. So it did not pass last year. And so we got to this year to the new Congress. I passed it through the Senate again, 100 to nothing. And the real battle was to get it to rise up the priority list of House leadership. And so when the first lady called my office and said she wanted to help, what I did is I invited her to come to Capitol Hill for a roundtable where she could hear from the victims. And also at that roundtable was the speaker of the House and Steve Scalise, the majority leader, and Brett Guthrie, who's the committee chairman in the House. And when the first lady asked Them, will you please pass this into law? They committed to her. They would. And this was the day before the State of the Union address. And you may remember, at the State of the Union address, Melania was sitting with a teenage girl from Texas, Ellison Berry. And President Trump told her story in the State of the Union and called on Congress to pass this bill. And I'll tell you, it's actually, it's a fascinating story of how this bill came to pass because it originates with one teenage girl in Texas, Elliston Berry. She's from North Texas, from Alito, Texas. And a year ago, she was 14, and she was in ninth grade, and she woke up one morning and her phone was blowing up with texts from her friends because a classmate of hers had taken a perfectly innocent picture of her from social media and had used an app online that he had found to create a deep fake and then sent what appeared to be naked pictures of Elliston to all of her ninth grade classmates. And so she was in tears. Listen, it is hard to be a teenager. I'm the father of two teenage girls. I know the pressure that is on teenage girls. It's much harder to be a teenager today than when you and I were teenagers, Ben. And this was just horrific. Well, what happened is her mom, Ana. Look, Elliston and Ana are constituents. They're Texans. So Anna picked up the phone and called my office and said, hey, look, you're my senator. Can you help my daughter? And my staff, to their credit, they elevated this to me and they told me what had happened to Elliston. And this is happening more and more all over the country. And so I said, look, let's draft legislation to fix this to address the problem. And so we did, and it was because of Elliston that we drafted it. But as I said, it's happening all over the country. Well, elliston came to D.C. the day we announced the bill last year for the press conference. And I sat down and met with Elliston. I met with her mom in my office, and in the course of the meeting, I asked, I said, hey, what happened to the pictures? And her mom said, it's the most frustrating thing in the world. She said, this happened nine months ago. She said, I have been calling and emailing Snapchat over and over and over again. They just stonewall us. We get no response. Ben, I turned to my staff, I said, I want you to get the CEO of Snapchat on the phone today. I want those pictures down today. They pulled them down within two hours. Now, it should not take a sitting Senator making a phone call to get those pictures taken down. And now as a result of the legislation Trump has signed, every victim has a statutory right to insist that it be taken down as a matter of law, automatically.
- [31:55]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. In fact, Ellison Berry got to go on Fox News Channel with our good friend Kelly McEnany and talk about this moment. And he. And here's what she had to say. Take a listen.
- [32:04]
Rodney Williams
You decided to go and talk to your local congressman. You get connected with a senator and then you manage. There you are standing behind the President of the United States changing the laws for other young women like you. Did you ever think this day would come? I never would have thought that this could ever be my reality. My mom, she's really an amazing person and she's the one that's been pushing for this and she's the one that's encouraged me so I wouldn't be able to do this without her help and her support. And she really just has encouraged me to the point where I, I feel, I felt encouraged about this. So having the opportunity to speak about this and to bring awareness really just means so much. Especially it's so much growth seeing how scared I was at first and seeing how confident I am able in this situation. Well, other young women now have recourse, thanks to you, Ellison Berry. So impressive. Thank you.
- [32:55]
Ben Ferguson
I love it. It's just, it's finally a happy ending to a really hard and sad subject.
- [33:01]
Travis Holloway
Well, and Ben, at the signing ceremony, I was able to introduce Elliston to the President. I introduced also Francesca Manni, who's another 15 year old girl who was in New Jersey. And the exact same thing happened to her as happened to Elliston. And I also introduced Brandon Guffey. Brandon Guffey is a state rep from South Carolina and, and tragically, his oldest son got what we thought was a direct message from a cute girl and she convinced him to send naked pictures to her. Well, it turned out it was not a cute girl, it was a con man. And the con man began extorting him and threatening. I'm going to send these naked pictures to your friends and family. Well, Brandon's son Gavin killed himself and we are seeing suicides across the country. So I introduced Brandon and his family, the president too. And this law is a victory for everyone that is a target of, of this kind of exploitation.
- [33:56]
Ben Ferguson
I got something really fun that we get to do. And if you've got family, kids, grandkids and you love going to a great movie, there is one called the Last Rodeo. It is starring a phenomenal actor Neil McDonough. It is in theaters tomorrow. And the Last Rodeo celebrates the inspiring story of a veteran PBR champion who returns to bull riding in his old age to save the life of his grandson. It features real life PBR stars as well. Neil, I appreciate you coming on. A lot of people I know get excited because they see you in things like Yellowstone and Tulsa. King, you just were filming that today. But this movie last the Last Rodeo. We're gonna give away some tickets in a moment, so stay tuned for that everybody. But you're really excited about this film coming out?
- [34:45]
Ted Cruz
Oh, I'm so excited about it, Ben. Thanks for having me on your show first and foremost. But this is one of those shows that's kind of the culmination of everything I've worked towards in my whole career to be able to finally be the hero in the film Kiss the Girl. In the end, of course, everyone knows that I won't kiss anybody else, but I get to kiss my actual real life wife who plays my wife in the film. So that alone for me is just. I finally have gotten to where I've always aspired and prayed to be. And it feels so good to be in this position.
- [35:15]
Ben Ferguson
It's incredible. And we're gonna give away some tickets right now. You can go to angel.com verdict and you can get two free tickets, the Last Rodeo and go see it as it is in theaters again. Angel.com verdictnow get two free tickets to the Last Rodeo. Talk about this film, Neil, and, and what the message is, what people can expect.
- [35:36]
Ted Cruz
Well, it's, you know, I think you just kind of nailed it. There aren't many films out in the landscape anymore where you can bring the whole family. And not the saccharine, sweet types of films, but films that actually have a bite to it that the whole family can go to. Kids, grandparents, anyone, and learn from. And know that you're not going to have to cover ears or eyes. You're going to have some great films, you're going to have great action with the bull riding, but you're going to have a story about families and broken families and how you mend a fractured family. And for me, you do it through faith. And when I went through all my difficult things in life, it was always my faith that got me through. Faith in my wife Renee. Those things, those two things have been my two greatest things in my life. And now I get to write about both of them and star opposite my wife. So I'm just, I'm. I'm so excited about this Film. It's hard to even put it into words.
- [36:25]
Ben Ferguson
You talked about doing this with your wife. Have you guys ever gotten to act before in movies? Or is this the first time you're the lead and she's a big.
- [36:32]
Ted Cruz
My wife's ever. Actually before when I wrote the film, like, okay, honey. So, you know, I've always wanted to be the John Wayne guy who, you know, is the hero in the end, who has to kiss the girl in the end. She's like, yeah. I'm like, well, I'm finally gonna do it. She's like, okay, but I need to do it with you because I won't kiss anybody else because I'm not an actress. I'm like, well, you are now. And she did awesome. I'm so proud of her. You know, she was a Runway model. She was a supermodel. So she understands the pressure of being in front of people and delivering. So for her, in front of a camera, it was very natural. And I'm just so happy. I'm so happy for her.
- [37:03]
Ben Ferguson
Now, when you wrote this, you also have real stars in here as well that you. That you mentioned a moment ago. PBR stars. What brought you the idea to even write this script, specifically with bull riding? I'm a big fan. I've gone to a lot of different rodeos, eight second tour, et cetera. It is a brutal sport. What inspired you to use this as the backdrop?
- [37:24]
Ted Cruz
Well, Ben, I was doing another film at the time called the Warrants, another western that Reve and I are producing. And, you know, when I. When I'm not around, Revan, she was home at the time with the kids. When I'm not around my family, I get really just downright kind of depressed at times, and it's really hard. I don't like being on the road, so. But this one day, I was driving home from set in Arizona, and I got gut punched with this thought that what would ever happen to me if something happened to Rebe? And then I pulled over to the side of the road, just kind of buckled. And then this other idea came in my head, which I. It has to be from God, because I didn't know a whole lot about bull riding. And this idea came into my head, right? Rocky on a bull. For a grandfather who has to save his grandson because he's dying of the same brain tumor that killed his wife, this came out. And I don't know where that came from, but it just did. And then I sat on the side of the Penn Freeway for two hours. Voice dictating into my phone because I'm dyslexic, so I'm not very good at writing. So I've, I always do all my writing through voice dictation. And I sent it off to my writing partner and within the week we had our first draft. And a week later Reve and I raised the financing and Angel Studios came on board. And here we are almost two years later. And I. It's just, it's, it's kind of miraculous and it really is.
- [38:38]
Ben Ferguson
Well, you mentioned that this is a family friendly movie. You don't have to worry. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on. How tough is it to produce movies like this in the environment we're in now? Because I, I know you had friends and people that you could go to for financing, but, but saddling up to do a pro bull riding movie and on top of having all the pressure behind you of getting this out and then getting it to the big screen, it's not an easy task, especially in 2025.
- [39:06]
Ted Cruz
No, it's not. It's, you know, it's a minor miracle to pull any film off, but for this one, you know, God led me the whole way in this one. I wanted John Abnett to direct it. The amazing John Abnett. And one incredible director he is, he killed it. I wanted Michael T. Williamson and Christopher McDonald to play my two guys in the film. And they're two of my best friends alive. And we went after, you know, one of my best friends back home, Liam Griffin helped us with the film. And then these other financiers came to me and said, hey, we know what you're doing. We really like what you're doing with your message. And Angel Studios, we like to help finance your next film. So between those two parties, all of a sudden we had our budget, we had distribution, and everything just kind of went according to plan, which was kind of miraculous. Yeah, there's, there's always hiccups, there's, there's always variables that you wouldn't even think of. But we always knew that we were doing something that was for his glory, not our own, and everyone bought into it. So when you say Hollywood doesn't want that stuff, I think that in their heart of hearts, they actually do. And I think that this film was a whole lot easier to make than other films because it did have a faith backdrop. It was a film that the whole family can go to, you know, So I think the landscape is changing. A lot of it thanks to Angel Studios and Our partnership with angel and the films we've been doing, that you can make these smaller films and turn a profit and that's great for everybody. And to be able to put these movies out and have the support of all the fans who go to the films and buy tickets and pay it forward, anything we do with angel, it's so humbling. Ben, again, it's hard. I get so choked up just thinking about how fortunate I am and blessed I am to be able to sit here on a show like this and talk about this amazing film that we have coming out.
- [40:57]
Ben Ferguson
Last question for you. There's a rumor that you actually got injured while bull riding. Is this true?
- [41:03]
Ted Cruz
Which time?
- [41:05]
Travis Holloway
Right.
- [41:05]
Ben Ferguson
Okay. I love when I get good intel.
- [41:09]
Ted Cruz
Yeah, I got busted up a lot. You know, we trained for months and months and months to make sure I look as authentic as possible. And yeah, you know, busted up my, my wrist, my. Busted a few other things, but my shoulder popped out. That hurt like Dickens. But I didn't tell anybody. I just went around the corner and snapped it back in at this barn, this door around the corner, and I popped back in. I had like tears in my eyes and John's like, you okay? I'm like, yep.
- [41:35]
Travis Holloway
Ready?
- [41:35]
Ted Cruz
Let's roll. And I didn't tell him the story for three months later because if I had told him, he would have shut it down and everyone would have gone crazy. I'm like, I'm just, I'm a, I'm a tough old dude. So I just like, I, I kept it to myself and a couple other injuries that happened that, hey, those are war wounds that I. That I consider as trophies and medals.
- [41:54]
Ben Ferguson
I love it. Well, the movie is out. Go see it. The Last Rodeo. It is in theaters. Help keep it in theaters. Support great movies that have been greenlight for your family. You can also get two free tickets to see the Last Rodeo and by going to angel.com var verdict now, you can get your two free tickets to the Last Rodeo today and, and support. I tell people this all the time, Neil. When you see a movie that is made for your family, safe for your family, back it, support it, advocate for it, put it up on social media because unfortunately we have too much trash being made and not enough wholesome movies like this. So I, I congrats on doing it and I hope everyone listening is going to go check it out.
- [42:34]
Ted Cruz
I hope so. I know your viewers who are, you know, our kind of people that, you know, if they're out there supporting it by backing it financially, going to the C being there, not waiting until it comes out on DVDs or any anything else. It's telling Hollywood exactly what you just said. Ben, we need more of this and less of the other. So thank you for putting that word up for me. I really appreciate it.
- [42:53]
Ben Ferguson
Amen. Be safe out there on the road. Always a pleasure. We'll talk to you again real soon. It's a really fun show today. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget, this is exactly why we do the show three days a week. Hit that subscribe or auto download button. You don't want to ever miss an interview that we do just like this one. And make sure you share this podcast wherever you are. We would greatly appreciate that on social media. So if you're on X, if you're on Instagram, wherever you are, share this podcast and the center and I will see you back here for the weekend review on Saturday morning.
- [43:22]
Rodney Williams
I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories. What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it? Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.
- [43:56]
Ben Ferguson
Holstom family entertainment is so important, especially for my family with my three boys. And there's a new movie I want you to know about and I want to give you free tickets. The Last Rodeo, Angel Studios newest family Blockbuster starring Neil McDonough hits theaters May 23rd. And become a premium member right now and get two free tickets to see the Last Rodeo on the big screen. Plus you can stream other angel exclusives like Homestead, the Shift and more, help choose which movies get made, and support film and filmmakers that share our values. So join the angel guild now@angel.com verdict that's angel.com verdict don't miss the Last Rodeo. Only in theaters.
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