Iran Invites Neighbors to War by Attacking Them, Noem Out-Mullin In & Elections are BIGGER in Texas Week In Review

Summary

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Verdict with Ted Cruz – March 7, 2026

Episode Title: Iran Invites Neighbors to War by Attacking Them, Noem Out-Mullin In & Elections are BIGGER in Texas Week In Review
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator John Cornyn (frequent co-host and commentator)

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Episode Overview

In this “Week in Review” episode, Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson, and John Cornyn break down three major political stories:

1. Iran dramatically escalates conflict in the Middle East, attacking numerous regional neighbors.
2. Kristi Noem is ousted as Secretary of Homeland Security, replaced by Markwayne Mullin—triggered in part by a Senate hearing confrontation.
3. Texas’s high-stakes primary elections produce big upsets and set the tone for one of the nation’s most watched Senate races.

Throughout, the tone is blunt, urgent, partisan, and full of personal anecdotes and sharp criticism of political opponents as well as praise for allies.

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1. Escalation in the Middle East: Iran's Attacks on Neighbors

([03:27]–[16:35])

Key Discussion Points

• Iran’s “suicidal” escalation:

  • Iran attacks are no longer limited to the US and Israel—now targeting multiple Arab neighbors: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
  • Ted Cruz calls these attacks “homicidal and suicidal” ([03:58]), noting the unprecedented nature and the risk of expanding war.

• Regional Reaction:

  • Contrary to media reports, Cruz doubts that Middle Eastern allies urged US restraint; his experience is that most are focused on stopping Iran from acquiring nukes.
  • “The Saudis have said publicly if Iran ever got a nuclear weapon, that they would do everything possible to get a nuke themselves to defend themselves from Iran.” (Cruz, [04:58])

• Nuclear Concerns:

  • Cruz doubles down that the world cannot gamble with a nuclear-armed Iran:

    “I think the odds are unacceptably high … that the Ayatollah, if he had a nuclear weapon, would detonate it, maybe in Tel Aviv or maybe in New York or Los Angeles.” ([07:23])

• Trump’s Military Responses and Political Doctrine:

  • Hosts clarify that Trump’s “no more wars” pledge referred to “no more forever wars” (Iraq, Afghanistan), not to all military action. ([08:10]–[08:48])
  • Cruz argues:

    “Donald Trump has never been an isolationist, and he is acting to protect America. This is America first. The reason we are striking Iran right now is because the odds are unacceptably high. Iran has already killed nearly a thousand Americans, and they have every desire to kill more.” ([08:48])

• Public Perceptions and Media Narratives:

  • Cruz and Ferguson criticize left-wing protests in the US against the response to Iran, contrasting these with Iranian women fighting for freedom on the streets.
  • A notable “brave reporter” moment: in Austin, a local CBS journalist refuses to ignore celebrations of the Ayatollah’s death despite pushback ([12:57]).

    “It’s sad that you’ve got to be this brave in America at a local affiliate to report the news, which was the news…” (Ferguson, [13:21])

• Democratic Party Criticism:

  • Cruz targets Kamala Harris for her opposition to military action and claims she and Biden sent over $100 billion to Iran, fueling terrorism ([13:37]).
  • “The Democrat Party was all in, in support of the Ayatollah. Now, sometimes they pretended they weren’t, but when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sent over $100 billion, flowed that money into the Ayatollah, they funded his terror.” (Cruz, [13:37])

• Strait of Hormuz Closure:

  • Possible mining by Iran halts all civilian and oil shipping—a “massive deal” for the global economy ([15:31]–[15:54]).
  • Cruz: “These guys are just crazy enough to have put mines there, so no one wants to risk it until it’s determined one way or another whether it’s safe.” ([16:28])

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Notable Quotes

• Ted Cruz, on Iran’s risk calculus:

  “They’re demonstrating, essentially, they’re willing to kill anybody and everybody. I got to say, that’s also a really powerful illustration. If that’s what they do now, what would they have done with a nuclear weapon?” ([06:39])

• Ben Ferguson, disbelief at US protests:

  “The disconnect from reality from some of these leftists is amazing.” ([10:27])

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Timestamps

• [03:27] Iran attacks multiple neighbors
• [04:48] Cruz: Surprise and skepticism on Middle East diplomacy
• [06:39] Potential for even greater disaster with a nuclear Iran
• [07:23] Cruz’s nuclear scenario: “unacceptably high risk”
• [10:27] US protests vs. Iranian women’s resistance
• [12:57] Austin reporter’s defiance
• [13:37] Cruz attacks Biden/Harris record
• [15:31] Hormuz closure
• [16:28] Cruz on the risk of mines

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2. DHS Shakeup: Kristi Noem Out, Markwayne Mullin In

([20:45]–[31:02])

Key Discussion Points

• Kristi Noem’s Ouster:

  • Noem is removed as Secretary of Homeland Security due to mounting criticism over a $220 million ad campaign.
  • The critical blow: a bruising Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, especially cross-examination from Senator John Kennedy.

• Kennedy’s Cross-Examination:

  • Kennedy challenges the size, justification, procurement, and political optics of the ad campaign ([21:59]–[26:37]).
  • Suspicions raised about contracts going to politically connected firms:

    “One of the people you picked, the strategy group...the head of that is married to your former spokesperson.” (Kennedy, [25:27])

  • Kennedy doubts Trump approved the campaign; asserts, “President Trump was, quote, mad as a murder hornet that Noem claimed he approved the $200 million ADS contract.” (Cornyn, [26:56])

• Noem’s Defense:

  • Insists the ads were effective in communicating US policy and were bid out properly. Maintains she followed protocol and involved DHS career officials.

• Aftermath & New Leadership:

  • Cornyn: “It was John Kennedy’s cross examination that was pivotal in the decision to shift from Kristi… I do think the results of the Department of Homeland Security in terms of securing the border have been very effective…. But I do think that the testimony that Secretary Noem gave, it was not an easy day for her.” ([27:39]–[29:24])
  • Markwayne Mullin, a trusted Trump ally, is appointed as replacement—anticipated to be confirmed on a near party-line vote.
  • Cornyn expects Mullin will maintain the improvement in border security.

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Notable Quotes

• John Kennedy (to Kristi Noem):

  “It troubles me … a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money when we’re scratching for every penny and we’re fighting over rescission packages. I just can’t agree with, Madam Secretary…” ([25:47])

• John Cornyn, on Kennedy’s effectiveness:

  “…the number of nominees that his cross examinations have taken out is quite remarkable. And I think it was John Kennedy’s cross examination that was pivotal…” ([26:59])

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Timestamps

• [20:45] Noem’s ouster comments, set-up for Kennedy questioning
• [21:59]–[26:37] Kennedy grills Noem on ads and contracts
• [26:56] Cornyn describes aftermath and Trump’s anger
• [29:24] Transition to Mullin; expectations for confirmation

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3. Texas Election Drama: Primary Upsets and Senate Showdown

([34:49]–[43:10])

Key Discussion Points

• Major Upsets and Endorsements:

  • Several candidates endorsed by Cruz/Cornyn win, including Jessica Steinman (Houston), Chris Gober (Central Texas), and John Bonk.
  • Personal tone: Cruz and Cornyn reflect on celebrating these victories with friends and family, underlining close personal ties to their picks ([36:33]–[37:58]).

• Dan Crenshaw Defeated Opponent Endorsed by Cruz:

  • Crenshaw loses congressional race to Steve Toth, Cruz’s rare intervention:

    “I almost never endorsed against Republican incumbents...I’ve made two exceptions in 14 years. The first was Liz Cheney…and then I did it again for Dan Crenshaw for much the same reason, because he had really lost his way.” (Cruz, [38:40])

  • Tales of personal animosity:

    “Dan began screaming and cursing at me...I told him at the time, Dan, if I come after you, I promise you, you’ll know. Like, it will not be subtle.” (Cruz, [40:27])

• Senate Runoff Looms:

  • Bitter runoff between John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton—“the most expensive primary in American history” ([42:06]).
  • Trump’s endorsement still pending.

• Democratic Challenger:

  • Democrats back James Tallarico, described as a leftist but “dangerous” for his ability to sound moderate.

    “He masks his radicalism in reasonable sounding soft language. He masks it in the language of a pastor. It’s incredibly deceptive and dishonest, but that makes it dangerous.” (Cornyn, [42:31])

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Notable Quotes

• Ted Cruz, on breaking his no-endorsement rule:

  “If I come after you, I promise you, you’ll know. Like, it will not be subtle, it will not be hidden. You will have full awareness of it.” ([41:12])

• John Cornyn, on the Senate race:

  “This primary is better and nasty… to date the most expensive primary in American history.” ([42:06])

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Timestamps

• [34:53] Ben Ferguson tees up Texas election night
• [36:33] Personal stories from campaign victory parties
• [38:40] Ted Cruz on why he opposed Dan Crenshaw
• [40:27] Cruz: Crenshaw’s blow-up
• [42:06] Senate runoff dynamics and Democratic opponent

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Memorable Moments & Speaker Highlights

• Blunt, vivid language:

  • Repeatedly, hosts use terms like “suicidal,” “psychopaths,” “mad as a murder hornet,” and “dangerous” to describe adversaries.

• Personal anecdotes:

  • Cruz’s description of being yelled at by Crenshaw in an airport jetway ([40:27]); detailed breakdown of friendship networks behind certain election endorsements.

• Attack strategy toward Democrats:

  • Framing their foreign policy as enabling terror.

• Close behind-the-scenes commentary:

  • Insights into Senate dynamics, Trump’s decision-making, and how sharp questioning can oust senior officials.

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Summary Table – Important Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamps | |------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Escalation in Middle East | Iran attacks regional neighbors | [03:27]–[16:35] | | DHS Shakeup | Noem ousted; Kennedy hearing; Mullin in | [20:45]–[31:02] | | Texas Primary Elections | Major upsets, Senate runoff, backstory | [34:49]–[43:10] |

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Conclusion

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz delivers a hard-hitting, behind-the-scenes conservative look at global conflict escalation by Iran, a political takedown of a senior Trump Cabinet official, and the high drama of Texas’s primary elections. Key themes are the perception of existential external threats, the policing of ideological purity within the GOP, and the conviction that bold, unapologetic confrontation—whether with adversary nations, unruly political allies, or “leftists”—is essential for safeguarding American interests.

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Transcript

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[Ben Ferguson]

It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, a week in review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week.

First up, Iran doing everything wrong now

attacking countries all around them. So what does that mean for the region and the escalation of this war? Also, a big shakeup of the Department of Homeland Security is Kristi Noem is out. Who's replacing her? We'll give you the background. And finally, it was election night in America, a big primary on Tuesday and a lot of big things happening in Texas. We break it all down for you. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now.

Well, let's go back to the Middle east for a moment. One of the things that we talk about, you know, the Ayatollah and his team, they're homicidal and you could also even say suicidal and their obsession with killing, you know, innocent people in their own country, going after Americans, going after Israelis as well. But one of the things that I was even a little bit shocked by was how quickly they decided to bring in every other country on the side of Israel and the US by attacking these other Middle Eastern nations around them that weren't involved. Right. They were, they were outside. I, I, were you as shocked as I was that they just decided, all right, like, whoever's still left standing, let's just go after Bahrain, let's go after Qatar, let's go after, I mean, the list is pretty long now of countries they've attacked and now they brought them into the fold? I, I mean, that, that to me just seems like a suicidal mission on their port?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, I, I will admit I was surprised by that. There's been a lot of public reporting that suggested that other Middle Eastern nations were discouraging President Trump from going after Iran. I'm a little bit skeptical of that. I have not recently had those conversations with other Middle Eastern nations. But I've had many conversations with the Saudis, uae, Bahrain, and they have always been very focused on, number one, doing everything necessary to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The Saudis have said publicly if Iran ever got a nuclear weapon, that they would do everything possible to get a nuke themselves to defend themselves from Iran. And so I don't know if it's true or not that in the recent weeks, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries were urging Trump not to attack. But I do know that Iran's behavior. So they fired missiles and sent drones and had attacks at almost every single Arab country all throughout the Middle East. So they've attacked Saudi Arabia, they've attacked uae, they've attacked Kuwait, they've attacked Qatar, they've attacked Bahrain, they've attacked Jordan. And we've seen statements from many of those other Middle Eastern countries, mostly Arab countries, expressing, condemning, condemning Iran's response. And, you know, in my view, they're just indiscriminately firing abroad. And I think their reasoning was that if the United States and. Or Israel hit them, that they wanted to make it as painful as possible for the entirety of the region. What they have ensured is, is that there's basically nobody standing up and siding with the Iranians. They're demonstrating, essentially, they're willing to kill anybody and everybody. I got to say, that's also a really powerful illustration. If that's what they do now.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

What would they have done with a nuclear weapon?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. Can you imagine how much worse if they had a nuclear weapon? And during the whole go back to Obama and the debates on Obama's terrible Iran nuclear deal, I always said most of the debate rotated around, well, if they had a nuclear weapon, it would change the balance of power, it would make them more aggressive, they would fund more terrorism. And I always said, look, that's the best case scenario. The best case scenario is a horrible situation. The worst case is that they would actually use the nuclear weapon. And everyone operates under an assumption, well, having a nuclear weapon doesn't mean you use it. Listen, when the Ayatollah chants death to Israel and death to America. Yeah, I believe him. When he calls Israel the little Satan and America the great Satan, I believe him. And I think the odds are unacceptably high. I don't know what they were, but they were unacceptably high that the Ayatollah, if he had a nuclear weapon weapon, would detonate it, maybe in Tel Aviv or maybe in New York or Los Angeles. And I Don't want to wake up and discover, oh, the predictions were wrong because we have a mushroom cloud and hundreds of thousands or even millions of Americans being killed. The reason. And by the way, I've got to

[Senator John Cornyn]

say, a lot of

[Senator Ted Cruz]

the news reporting is challenging. Why would Trump do this attack? You heard Margaret Brennan there say, say Trump campaigned on not getting in wars. I did. After Face the Nation. I also did State of the Union with Dana Bash. And Dana Bash asked a question of me. She said, you know, President Trump campaigned on no more wars. And I, in my response, I said, well, Dana, you actually misquoted what the President said. What the President said was, no more forever war. Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Referring to Iraq and Afghanistan. Totally. And troops on the ground. Just completely different doctrine. You can tell.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And I said, listen, we're not going to see troops on the ground in Iran. We're not going to see hundreds of thousands of Americans there for an extended period of time. I don't think we'll see that at all. That is very different. And I said, look, there are isolationists who want America to withdraw from the world. Donald Trump has never been an isolationist, and he is acting to protect America. This is America first. The reason we are striking Iran right now is because the odds are unacceptably high. Iran has already killed nearly a thousand Americans, and they have every desire to kill more. As I told the president driving in the Beast, I said, if the Ayatollah could kill the two of us right now, he would. The only thing that is preventing him is that he's not able to, because he is trying to. And so if we have an opportunity to take out this regime and look, my hope is we see a new government in Iran that wants to be friends with America, that would make this country massively safer. Removing these psychopaths from power and replacing them with anything resembling a normal government would massively improve the safety of every American.

[Ben Ferguson]

Two questions to wrap things up. Number one, I thought it was really interesting to see the compare and contrast of the women standing up for themselves in Iran on the streets, risking their lives, while women in America were actually standing up angry at America for going into Iran. We saw that in New York City, for example. We saw it in some other college campuses. The disconnect from reality from some of these leftists is amazing. I want to get your take on that real quick. And then also I want to talk about the possible closing Strait of Hormuz and what that means and what America's role could be in that as well.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So Today, Comrade Mandami put out a statement that I want to read to you. Today's military strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation of an illegal war of aggression, bombing cities, killing civilians, opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace. I am focused on making sure every New Yorker is safe. I've been in contact with our police commissioner and emergency management officials. We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of consciousness. Caution. Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers. You are part of the fabric of this city. You are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers and community leaders. You will be safe here. Look, this is Kamaran Mandami cheering for the Ayatollah. Yeah, because they are both jihadists and they both want to see the Great Satan of America. They want to see this country fundamentally change and to become an Islamic caliphate. That was the Ayatollah's objective. That was. That, sadly, I believe, is Comrade Mandami's objective. And I want to contrast that with the reaction of protesters, Iranians like his line to Iranians, you will be safe here. I know a great many Iranians. Every Iranian I know hates the regime, is cheering. And I want you to watch in particular this scene that played out on the ground in Austin, Texas. And a CBS News reporter who was told, don't cover the protests celebrating the Ayatollah being killed. Cover that up. And this brave reporter didn't do that. Give a listen, give a watch.

[Interviewer]

All right.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's incredible there. And again, for people that can't see the video, you have this Austin CBS reporter. He was handed the phone from his cameraman, and he reads it, and he's like, what does that mean? And the cameraman responds, they don't want us to focus on this. And this brave local reporter said, all right, well, I am. And now it's out there on the

Internet of him having this moment. It's sad that you've got to be

this brave in America at a local

affiliate to report the news, which was

the news that you had people celebrating and waving American flags and Iranian flags and standing up for the people, the innocent people in Iran. And they're like, no, no, no, we don't want you to focus on that at cbs.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, this is happening all, all over the country, all over America. It's Happening on the ground, on the streets of Iran. It's happening around the world. You know, Kamala Harris today put out a statement, quote, donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear. I am opposed to a regime change war in Iran. And our troops are being put in harm's way for the sake of Trump's war of choice. Now, I will tell you, I responded to her on, on X and I said, your administration gave over $100 billion to Choice to the Ayatollah who kept killing Americans. We know you're sad that your friend isn't with us anymore. Look, the, the Democrat Party was all in, in support of the Ayatollah. Now, sometimes they pretended they weren't, but when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sent over $100 billion, flowed that money into the Ayatollah, they funded his terror. The Obama Iran nuclear deal was designed to inevitably lead to a nuclear Iran, to the Ayatollah with nuclear weapons. And so this is, I'll tell you. And folks that deal with conflict in the Middle east and that deal with foreign policy frequently refer to Iran as, quote, the head of the snake. Why do they call it the head of the snake? Because it is what is leading and directing and funding the vast majority of the terrorism. You see, without Iran, Hamas has no resources. Without Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis have no resources. And so what, what President Trump is doing here is, is being a strong commander in chief and making Americans safer.

[Ben Ferguson]

Final question on the story of the Hormuz and, and the reality of what's happening there. Give us your, your thoughts and, and perspective on that and what, what you think can happen moving forward.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So we don't know that there is reporting that the Iranians may have mined the Straits of Hormuz. We don't have an answer to that right now. Right now, there's not shipping, there are not ships going through the Straits of Hormuz until it is determined whether or not they have mined it.

[Ben Ferguson]

And to be clear, that's significant. People that just don't understand how important that is. A significant amount of oil world supply goes through there.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So right now, that is shut down. By the way, right now, civilian air traffic is shut down throughout the Middle East. You can't get on an airline and fly into and out of most of the cities in the Middle east because you've got missiles flying everywhere. And so all of the countries have understandably shut their airspace down. And so I am confident that we will have minesweepers go into the Straits of Hormuz. That may be happening now, I don't know. And examine and determine if their mines there. But at least right now you're not seeing ships go through there because these guys are just crazy enough to have put mines there and so no one wants to risk it until it's determined one way or another whether it's safe.

[Ben Ferguson]

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.

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[Ben Ferguson]

There was a shakeup. You don't want to ever be the first one to be a Cabinet Secretary to get the boot, but it was pretty clear Kristi Noem got the boot. This week. One of your colleagues is going to take over at Department of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Mohan, I want to get your take on all of that.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Well, the President announced this week that he was removing Kristi Noem from Secretary of DHS and replacing her with Mark Wayne Mullen. I have to say this was not much of a surprise to anyone watching closely. Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. I was part of that hearing. I questioned her on it. The questioning was bumpy and she got. The Democrats of course went after her hard, but a number of Republicans went after her hard as well. And I have to say one of those that was the most effective was my friend and colleague from Louisiana, John Kennedy John has been on this podcast, and he's someone who's a good friend of mine. I want to play John Kennedy's cross examination of Kristi Noem, because this proved very consequential cross examination. Give a listen.

[Interviewer]

How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?

[Kristi Noem]

Sir, the President tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from. With. With putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally that they needed to leave, or we would detain them and remove them and they not get the chance to come back to America the right way. That has been extremely effective.

[Interviewer]

Ask you to run these advertisements, is that right?

[Kristi Noem]

We had that conversation, yes. Before I was put in this position and sworn in and confirmed, and since then as well.

[Interviewer]

Okay. Did you. Did you bid out those. Those service contracts?

[Kristi Noem]

Yes, they did. They went out to a competitive bid. And career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.

[Interviewer]

And the people that you ended up picking were people who had formerly done your political work back in South Dakota, is that right?

[Kristi Noem]

No, that's not correct, sir. No, it's not, sir. We, the individuals who, I believe the careers who they chose were two different media firms. There's been conversation about their subcontractors, but we have no legal authority to look into subcontractors on work like that.

[Interviewer]

Okay, and you're saying that you're testifying that President Trump approved this ahead of time? Some understanding.

[Kristi Noem]

We had conversations about making sure that we were telling people no.

[Interviewer]

Ma', am, I'm asking you. Sorry to interrupt, but the president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?

[Kristi Noem]

Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes. Did it correct the president?

[Interviewer]

Yes, he did.

[Kristi Noem]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Kristi Noem]

And one thing, Senator, I think would be helpful to know is how effective that communications has been that overwhelming effective

[Interviewer]

in your name recognition. I mean, I personally just. I mean, to me, it puts the President in a terribly awkward spot.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And.

[Interviewer]

And I just. I'm not saying you're not telling the truth. It's just hard for me to believe, knowing the President as I do, that you said, Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them. That he would have agreed to that. I don't think Russ Vote at OMB would have agreed to that. It's something we have to defend. I'm on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out. That you in fact one of the people you picked, the strategy group. I'm sorry, Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them, and that the strategy group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson. Look, we all have friends who are qualified. I'm not quibbling with that. I'm just. It troubles me quarter fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money when we're scratching for every penny and we're fighting over rescission packages. I just can't agree with Madam Secretary. You still running those ads, Senator?

[Kristi Noem]

I did not have anything to do with picking those contractors. I know politicals at the Department of Homeland Security did it. I understand the competitive bid process. Are you still running those ads? I think the ads are due to end here in March, I think within a week. So they are still running. The one that is running is focusing on angel families. Have you seen that? It is the one that's talking about. This is our. Why. This is why we work every day is for the angel families and their victims.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, it was not a good showing there for her. And you know your colleague there, Senator Kennedy, asking questions I think a lot of Americans care about. The President's also come out saying she did not run this by him. And the amount of money being spent either, that also didn't work well for her either.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Well, and that's something that John Kennedy pointed out. He said in the aftermath. He said that President Trump was, quote, mad as a murder hornet that Noem claimed He approved the $200 million ADS contract. And listen, John is a good friend of mine. I talked to him today on the Senate floor and I just. The number of nominees that his cross examinations have taken out is quite remarkable. And I think it was John Kennedy's cross examination that was pivotal in the decision to shift from Christie. Look, I like Christie personally. I had dinner with her just a few weeks ago. And I do think the results of the Department of Homeland Security in terms of securing the border have been very effective. And so that is beneficial. I think John Kennedy's line of questioning here was fair and it was incredibly effective. I also think, and we've talked about this on the podcast before, that the messaging from the administration, particularly following the shooting of two different Americans in Minneapolis, that the. That the messaging was wrong and it did real damage. That I think the messaging was. Look Anytime an American citizen is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement, it's a tragedy. And we should see our officials acknowledging it's a tragedy. We should see our officials saying, listen, if there's an officer involved shooting, there's going to be an investigation. We're going to examine what Hammett happened and determine what exactly caused it. And instead, the rhetoric immediately leaped to really aggressive rhetoric, calling both of the individuals using language like terrorists and seeking mass murder. And that was hard to square with the facts of what occurred. I think that rhetoric did damage to the administration, and I think it was one of the things that contributed to the decision of the President to shift from Kristi Noem as the leader of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Mullen. Mark Wayne, I've served with him in the Senate. He's a good guy. He's someone the president trusts. I think he will be confirmed. I think it will be a party line vote in the Senate. We may get John Fetterman, but I would be surprised if any other Democrat votes for him. So my prediction is the vote on Mark Wayne Mullen will be 54 to 46. That 46 Democrats will vote now. And I think Mark Wayne, look, there are advantages to being an experienced elected official. He was a House member. He's been a senator. I'm hopeful that he will bring a level of professionalism and effectiveness. The results of DHS have been quite strong. But I do think that the testimony that Secretary Noem gave, it was not an easy day for her. And I think John Kennedy, Thom Tillis also lit into her really hard. But I think the Kennedy cross examination was more significant. There's been quite a bit of reporting that the president was unhappy that she said that he knew about the ad she had run. And I don't have independent knowledge of that, but I don't have reason to doubt that reporting. And so, look, we need to secure our border. We've had an incredible success rate doing so so far. And I'm hopeful that Bark Wade Mullen coming in will continue with that success and continue to keep our family safe as before.

[Ben Ferguson]

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 the entire thing. I want you to pause what you're doing for just one minute. And I want you to hear about love, generosity and compassion. We say those words all the time and they sound good, they feel good. But here's the truth. Those words don't mean anything unless they turn into action. And right now not later today, not tomorrow. There's a child in the world who doesn't know if they'll eat, if they'll have a chance to learn, or if there's any hope at all. And while we're all busy, life keeps moving forward. But that child is waiting. This is where you come in. With Compassion International, you have the chance to change a child's future not just with words, not with promises, but with real help that provides food, education and hope through local churches and people already in their community. Put your words into action and join me. Introduce a child to a loving Heavenly father [e-mail] that's compassion.com get ready for

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[Ben Ferguson]

get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed.

It was Election Day on Tuesday in America. It was a very big election day in Texas. There was certainly some upsets on the House side. There's a lot of people around the country watching Dan Crenshaw's race. He lost that race to someone that you endorsed. That was a big one. That was. I was on national TV talking about over and over again. And then there's obviously the Senate race that's happening as well, that's now gone into a runoff between two people that you know well, your colleague in the Senate and also Ken Paxton. So we're gonna have to wait and see how that plays out as well. But then there's also the Democrat running against whoever wins that runoff. And this is a guy that Democrats are real excited about. He's talented, he's radical, he's extreme. But he comes across like a very moderate guy if you listen to him today.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Well, we had primary day in Texas this, this week and it was highly consequential. Number one, there were a number of House candidates who I endorsed who prevailed. We had one, Jessica Steinman, who was my former regional director in Houston. She won decisively the Republican primary. She is going to be in all likelihood the next Republican Congress member from Houston. We had another Chris Gober, who's been my lawyer for 10 years. He won his primary decisively. He's going to be a new Republican congressman from, from Central Texas. We had another John Bonk, who I endorsed, who is a close friend. He is the son in law of one of my closest friends in the world who was my he's been my national finance chairman for years, by the way.

[Ben Ferguson]

That was a fun night. Just let's take a moment, talk about how fun that was. So you were obviously in D.C. but I went to the victory party and it's fun to see someone that you and I know personally and the smile on your dear friend Willie's face. And even, even Heidi was there as well, your wife. It was really a cool evening to see someone work hard and win. I know you had to have a really, that had to feel personal to you.

[Senator John Cornyn]

So Willie, who's, who's John Bonk's father in law, is one of my two or three closest friends on planet Earth. And I love him. He's a good man. He's a principled man. He's a conservative.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He's a godly man. He, he's someone who frankly, I rely

[Senator John Cornyn]

on for advice, for spiritual counseling. We pray together, we talk together. And

[Senator Ted Cruz]

John is very likely to win.

[Senator John Cornyn]

He did not clear 50%. So unfortunately there's going to be a runoff, but I think he's going to prevail. I actually did a rally for him just a week ago, and in the

[Senator Ted Cruz]

middle of the rally wall had several hundred people there rallying for him. I got the chance to announce from the stage while I was up there

[Senator John Cornyn]

that, that President Trump had endorsed him. That was a very cool moment. We knew it was likely to come.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I thought there was a chance that Trump would call on the cell phone, and if he had called, I would

[Senator John Cornyn]

have put the cell phone up to the microphone and let him announce it to the whole crowd. Instead, I got to announce and the crowd went nuts.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That was really gratifying to have three

[Senator John Cornyn]

people who are two who are members of my team and have been employees and another who's a very close friend. To see three new likely members of Congress coming, that was a big deal. We also had Don Huffines, who I endorsed for comptroller in a statewide position in Texas that won decisively. That was a big victory. And then you noted Dan Crenshaw. Look, in my 14 years in the Senate, I almost never endorsed against Republican incumbents. And there's a reason. If you're serving in the Senate, if you're working in Congress, if you're endorsing

[Senator Ted Cruz]

against your colleagues, it makes it very hard to get anything done that makes lifelong enemies.

[Senator John Cornyn]

And so you just have to be really reluctant to do so. I endorse in open races, but I almost never endorse in races against Republican incumbents. I've made two exceptions in 14 years. The first was Liz Cheney, because Liz Cheney lost her mind and became a

[Senator Ted Cruz]

radical leftist who hated President Trump.

[Senator John Cornyn]

And so I endorsed her opponent, Harriet Hageman. Who beat her and is getting ready to be the new senator from Wyoming now. And then I did it again for Dan Crenshaw for much the same reason, because he had really lost his way. He had gotten angry with his constituents. There were multiple instances in which he yelled. There was one instance where he yelled at a 14 year old girl and just got angry. In, in this race that there's a very good friend of mine who's been a longtime supporter and close friend who was supporting Dan's opponent. And, and Dan decided to just light him up. This is a banker, a private citizen in, in Texas. And, and Dan decided to go after him personally. And, and I got to say that pissed me off. He's a close friend of mine. And, and, and, and I didn't like Dan just attacking him directly. And so I endorsed his opponent, Steve Toth. Steve Toth has been a state legislator for a number of years. He's a very strong conservative. And it ended up that Steve Toth won and won decisively, won by a big margin. And that was a little bit of a cannon shot.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You know, I will say Dan also.

[Senator John Cornyn]

Oh, a couple of months ago, we were on a plane landing in D.C. and in the jetway, walking off, Dan began screaming and cursing at me. And it was really a little unhinged. And he was like, why are you coming after me? And I was like, well, I'm not. And he was mad that supporters of mine were supporting his opponents. And, and look, I don't control what my supporters do. They're individuals who have free choice. But he was literally screaming and cursing at me. And I told him at the time, I said, Dan, if I come after you, I promise you, you'll know.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like, it will not be subtle, it

[Senator John Cornyn]

will not be hidden. You will have full awareness of it. But I told him afterwards, I said, Listen, in 14 years in the Senate, you were the only House member who's ever screamed and cursed at me on an airplane. And that includes all the Democrats like. And so it just pushed me beyond the edge. And the voters of Texas decided that he was not reflecting their conservative values. And so they've elected. Steve Toth will be a great member of Congress. He'll be a strong conservative. Now we've got the Senate race, the Senate race. There is a runoff between John Cornyn, my colleague right now, and Ken Paxton, the Attorney General. Both of them I know very well. Both of them are friends of mine. Both of them I've worked together closely with for years. I've endorsed both of them. In the past. I've campaigned with both of them in the past and I gotta say this primary is better and nasty.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, it is to date the most

[Senator John Cornyn]

expensive primary in American history.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator John Cornyn]

And John and Ken really dislike each other other and so it is going to be brutal. It is going to be ugly. I don't know how it's going to resolve. President Trump tweeted out this week that he is going to make an endorsement. He is not yet so we'll see what the President decides to do on this.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But I will say at the same

[Senator John Cornyn]

time, the Democrats nominated a guy named James Tall Rico who's a state rep. And this guy is dangerous. He's an ordained minister, he's a radical, he's a hardcore leftist and will in subsequent podcasts break down just how radical and extreme his record is. But what makes him dangerous is he sounds reasonable. He masks his radicalism in reasonable sounding soft language. He masks it in the language of a pastor. It's incredibly deceptive and dishonest, but that makes it dangerous.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so we got a real fight

[Senator John Cornyn]

in Texas and I don't know what the result will be.

[Ben Ferguson]

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. Can you buy real Bitcoin in your retirement account? If not, it's time to upgrade to Bitcoin. Ira. You can buy and sell Bitcoin with major tax advantages. Visit bitcoin ira.com or call 866-679-7871 now

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[Senator John Cornyn]

So relax. Let it take over.

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