The Rise of the Smiling Socialist Elites, Nigeria’s Silent Christian Crisis & Bill Gates from Alarmist to Realist Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz — Week in Review

Episode Title: The Rise of the Smiling Socialist Elites, Nigeria’s Silent Christian Crisis & Bill Gates from Alarmist to Realist
Date: November 1, 2025
Host: Senator Ted Cruz
Co-Host: Ben Ferguson
Key Guest: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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Overview

This Week in Review episode combines hard-hitting conservative commentary with in-depth global perspectives. Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson examine:

• The political rise and media strategies of "smiling socialist elites" like Gavin Newsom
• The often-ignored crisis of Christian persecution in Nigeria, highlighted by guest Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Bill Gates’ public shift from climate alarmism to a more measured stance

The discussions are marked by candid, sometimes sardonic, commentary, notable guest expertise, and a few memorable quips—a blend that offers both analysis and entertainment.

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The Rise of the "Smiling Socialist Elites"

Marketing Marxism: Newsom and Mamdani’s PR Strategy

[01:04 – 11:45]

• Critique of Elite "Victim" Narratives

  • Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson lampoon California Governor Gavin Newsom’s self-portrayal as an underprivileged youth, with Cruz noting Newsom’s privileged upbringing and family wealth.
  • Ted Cruz:

    "Newsom is California royalty's fourth or fifth generation California old money. His daddy was one of the lead lawyers for the Getty billionaire fortune." (02:12)
    "It's amazing how many leftists were raised with silver spoons inserted just about any place you could insert a spoon." (02:53)

  • Both hosts criticize the performance of humble beginnings to attract voters while pushing socialist policies.

• Marxist Grins and Liberal Hypocrisy

  • Cruz refers to the “smiling” marketing style of leftwing candidates:

    "It really feels better if you're a dissident being lined up from the firing squad if you know that the communists ordering your death are smiling like, it really makes it less painful." (04:03)

  • Comparison of Newsom’s approach to true oppressive regimes.

• Lack of Internal Critique Among Democrats

  • Discussion about Democrats not calling out their radical elements:

    "Is there, is there a single sane Democrat who is calling out Comrade Mamdani or Gavin Newsom on these issues?" (04:29)

• Bill Maher’s “Sister Souljah Moment”

  • Cruz introduces a clip of liberal commentator Bill Maher (06:20) urging Democrats to distance themselves from their far-left fringe during elections.
  • Maher emphasizes party-wide implications of New York’s mayoral race:

    "I think the whole Democratic Party in the country is on the ballot, and the whole country will be looking at this race to see which way are the Democrats going to go." (06:20)

  • Cruz then notes:

    "Bill Maher every day makes more and more sense because his party has gone so bat crap crazy..." (07:55)

• Absence of Moderates and the State of the Party

  • Cruz doubts any prominent Democrat would distance themselves from the far left, criticizing the party’s trajectory:

    "The Democrat Party is being quite explicit that they're going to do everything they can to drive [moderates] out of the Democrat Party, just like they would Bill Clinton if he were there." (10:08)

  • Cruz expresses concern for American democracy as a result:

    "I fear not just for the state of the Democrat party, but I fear for the future of our republic." (11:04)

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Nigeria’s Silent Christian Crisis

Guest: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
[14:22 – 23:34]

Scope and Severity

• Ted Cruz spotlights mass Christian persecution:

  "Over 50,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria since 2000. Over 20,000 churches and schools have been destroyed, burned to the ground." (14:22)

  • Cruz details U.S. legislative efforts to hold Nigeria accountable.

In-Depth Perspective from Ayaan Hirsi Ali

• Ayaan Hirsi Ali frames Nigeria as strategically pivotal:

  "Nigeria is the most important African country. It has the largest population... there's vying for control between... the Islamic states of Nigeria and the Christian states of Nigeria." (15:27)

  • She underscores the severity of the violence against Christians and the impunity with which it occurs.
  • Hirsi Ali calls the Nigerian government "corrupt" and "in a comfort bubble" (16:16), benefiting elites at the expense of ordinary citizens.

• U.S. Leverage and Conditionality

  • Policy Recommendations:

    "It starts from the amounts of development aid money that we give them. We could apply sanctions..." (19:20)

    • Cruz: "My legislation would sanction particular government officials... to incentivize different behavior." (19:34)
  • The U.S. should use aid and financial leverage to demand improved protection for Christians and civil society.

• Why Nigeria Matters

  • Hirsi Ali:

    "It has the largest population. It has oil resources. The population is very young. It's English speaking, highly educated." (17:47)
    "Nigeria is, is the sort of country that should be our ally. And there is a huge Christian population." (18:33)

Somaliland: A Case for U.S. Recognition

• Cruz and Hirsi Ali discuss Somaliland’s self-governance and pro-American interests:

  Cruz: "Recognizing Somaliland enhances those interests." (22:30)

  • Hirsi Ali:

    "They have defined territory, they have a permanent population...the most important thing is that they hold elections. One man, one vote for president, for parliament and local elections." (22:41)
    "They do not rely on development aid. They never relied on usaid." (23:26)

---

Bill Gates: From Alarmism to Climate Realism

[26:30 – 34:09]

Gates’ Shift and Its Implications

• Bill Gates’ Memo:

  "Climate change, disease and poverty are all major problems. We should deal with them in proportion to the suffering they cause." (28:21)
  "Although climate change will have serious consequences... it will not lead to humanity's demise." (28:21)

• Cruz and Ferguson lampoon the "12-years-to-doom" rhetoric and the shifting nature of climate crisis narratives:

  "For some reason for the apocalyptic left, the world is always ending in 12 years. And that's been true for about two decades now." (27:24)

• On Private Jets and Carbon Credits

  • Ferguson mocks green elites:

    "Does that mean he can fly on his private jets now and like take a nap? Not be like having to buy carbon credits or get on his yacht?" (29:16)

• Systemic Critique

  • Cruz:

    "Climate change was the excuse for communist deceit's control of our government." (30:43)

  • Cruz and Ferguson point to failed green energy investments and counterproductive outcomes (e.g., abandonment of nuclear in Germany leading to increased coal use).

• Who Really Cuts Carbon?

  • Cruz credits U.S. fracking, not green policies, as the key driver of global emissions reductions:

    "The reason the United States every year leads the world in the reduction of carbon emissions is... we are replacing coal powered electricity generation with natural gas powered electricity generation." (33:10)

  • In contrast, China "leads the world in pollution" (34:10), and Cruz blasts the Biden administration for embracing China on climate while U.S. progress is ignored.

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Ted Cruz (on elite virtue signaling):

  "It's amazing how many leftists were raised with silver spoons inserted just about any place you could insert a spoon." (02:53)

• On Democrat Party's radicalization:

  "He probably wouldn't get elected as a Democrat dog catcher because they have radicalized and they instead want someone like Comrade Mandami, whose party says, release the terrorist who murders Jews because they're Jews." (09:18)

• Ayaan Hirsi Ali (on Nigeria):

  "Nigeria is strategically important... they share norms and values with us and we should not be abandoning Nigeria." (18:33)
  "If you say Ted Cruz... said something bad against Islam, you can have a mob come and lynch you and there's nothing you can do about it." (15:27)

• On Bill Gates' climate reversal:

  "Bill Gates said the doomsday view of climate change is wrong." (28:21)

• Cruz (on fracking as climate progress):

  "George Mitchell was a Texas oil man... most responsible for pioneering fracking...which resulted in massive production of natural gas... and the reason the United States every year leads the world in the reduction of of carbon emissions." (33:10)

---

Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |:-------------:|---------------------------------------------------------| | 01:04–11:45 | Smiling socialist elites; the left’s PR problem | | 14:22–23:34 | Nigeria: Christian crisis and U.S. foreign policy | | 21:04–23:34 | Somaliland: Prospects for U.S. recognition | | 26:30–34:09 | Bill Gates’ turn on climate; larger climate politics | | 28:21 | Gates’s key quote (read aloud) |

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Tone and Takeaways

• The atmosphere is sharp, sometimes mocking, with Cruz and Ferguson using humor and sarcasm as rhetorical tools.
• The episode weaves together domestic and international policy, emphasizing perceived left-wing hypocrisy and threats, while championing conservative priorities.
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali lends expert gravitas and a global human rights perspective, particularly concerning Christian persecution.
• The show ends with encouragement to seek out the full interviews for more in-depth discussion and “tools for the conversation.”

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This summary distills the key themes and discussions from the episode. Listeners interested in U.S. politics, global religious freedom, and conservative critiques of climate politics will find both substantive argument and punchy soundbites throughout.

Transcript

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is verdict with Ted Cruz Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are some big stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First off, Mandani and Gavin Newsom, they're marketing Marxism and socialism to the American voter like never before. Will there be backlash? We're going to break that down for you. Also, Senator Cruz and I sat down with an incredible leader to talk about Christian abuse in Nigeria and, and why the media isn't covering this story. But we are here and it's important. And finally, Bill Gates reversing course on global warming.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

So how much money was made off.

[Ben Ferguson]

Of selling you on the big scam? It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now.

[Ted Cruz]

Did you hear Gavin Newsom on the podcast discussing his, his rough, hardscrabble life eating Wonder Bread growing up in the hood because, you know, Gavin was an oppressed youth.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Did you see that?

[Podcast Host/Producer]

It was almost as oppressed as he was during the COVID lockdowns when he was the only one allowed to have dinner with his friends without masks on.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

You know, look, to be clear, Gavin.

[Ted Cruz]

Newsom is California royalty's fourth or fifth generation California old money. His daddy was one of the lead lawyers for the Getty billionaire fortune.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

He grew up.

[Ted Cruz]

He was featured in the San Francisco paper in an article entitled Growing up Rich.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

And to be clear, he started a.

[Ted Cruz]

Winery with the Getty millions. Billions actually, but millions from them. Started a winery at age 25. Now, Benjamin, let me ask you, did.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

You start a winery at age 25.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

No. I felt like I worked really hard. But I promise you, it was not a winery at 25.

[Ted Cruz]

And look, it's okay. I don't fault Gavin for the success of his parents or his grandparents or his great great grandparents. And it's amazing how many leftists were raised with silver spoons inserted just about any place you could insert a spoon. But when he pretends like he's on this NBA podcast and he's talking about, oh, I just had to support myself. I had to support myself playing ball.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Like, what a load.

[Ted Cruz]

What a crock.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

And it's pathological.

[Ted Cruz]

Newsom is running a different scam than Mandani is, but it's the same scam. It is marketing Marxism, socialism, confiscatory government.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Power, and trying to make it. I will say this, I'm going to.

[Ted Cruz]

Compliment right now, both Comrade Mondami and Gavin Newsom. They got great smiles. I mean, to be honest, every dentist in America must be like, look at those pearly white snakes. Smile like it. And you know, I gotta say, and.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

I'll say this, as a Cuban American.

[Ted Cruz]

Whose family, you know, fled Cuba, it really feels better if you're a dissident being lined up from the firing squad if you know that the communists ordering.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Your death are smiling like, it really.

[Ted Cruz]

Makes it less painful as you're sent.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

To the Gulag to know it's a good looking tyrant who is sending me to the Gulag. But. But sadly, that's where we are.

[Ted Cruz]

And can I ask you one more question on this topic? Sure. Is there, is there a single sane Democrat who is calling out Comrade Mamdani or Gavin Newsom on these issues?

[Podcast Host/Producer]

No, because they created these crazies and they allowed them to fester in their party and they literally didn't police their party. So this is the Democratic Party now. And their leaders are not Democrats. They are Commies. They are socialists. They are Marxists. Just look around the country. This is who they are.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, the elected members of the Democrat Party, particularly on the national scene, they're scared. They're scared of the mob. They're scared of the angry left wing radicals with torches and pitchforks. We saw this at the no Kings rally, where they're terrified. We're in the middle. We're in day 27 of the Schumer shutdown because they're terrified of the mob. And so elected Democrats are terrified. But again, listen, we endeavor on this podcast to try to be real, to try to have facts, to try not to. To engage in just empty partisan rhetoric. So maybe you might say, all right, Cruz Ferguson. That they're not the most impartial, unbiased observers. If you're not inclined to listen to us, although I will say, if you've made it 29 minutes into this podcast and you're not inclined to listen to us, wow, you've got some endurance. Bravo to you. But indulge the setup nonetheless. If you're not inclined to listen to us, perhaps you would be inclined to listen to Bill Maher. Bill Maher is a liberal. He is a Democrat. He's been a liberal and a Democrat his whole life. Listen to what Bill Maher had to say. The warning to Democrats, he had to say about Comrade Mandani.

[Bill Maher (quoted)]

The Democrats, let's face it, they're kind of split. Now. There's the far left version that did not do too well in recent elections. And then people like the governor who say, we got to come back to the middle. Common sense. And whenever this discussion comes up, this is what you hear a lot. We need a sister soldier moment, a time when the something, some issue with the Democrat says, look, I'm not with the far left, and this is how you know, you can trust me. But I'm not. I think I have the issue. Okay. And it's the mayor's race in New York. I think he seems like a sweet guy. Mum, dummy. But I would just like to say, because the election is in a couple of weeks, this is not just New York that's on the ballot. I think the whole Democratic Party in the country is on the ballot, and the whole country will be looking at this race to see which way are the Democrats going to go. No, Andrew Cuomo may not be that exciting and that inspirational, but, you know, for a party that said we want to get back to normal, he's kind of normal. I mean, what?

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

No, well, I, I, he's got some.

[Ben Ferguson]

Things in his history that I would suggest are not the normal I want to embrace.

[Bill Maher (quoted)]

Well, we did a deep dive on that because we had him on the show.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher (quoted)]

A lot of it is kind of, I mean, maybe he was a little too handy, a little too Italian, a little too touchy, you know, did not.

[Ben Ferguson]

A little too Italian.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

That's what he said.

[Bill Maher (quoted)]

You know?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes.

[Bill Maher (quoted)]

You know, you know, did not get the memo.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

I mean, it's, when you're having to defend Cuomo to try to save your party, you're not in a good place.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, but Bill Maher, and let's be clear, Bill Maher did not vote for Donald Trump. Bill Maher would not vote for me. He is a liberal. He is a Democrat. But Bill Maher every day makes more and more sense because his party has gone so bat crap crazy that he believes in things like free speech. He believes in things like not supporting a communist government that seizes private property and the means of production in society. He. He doesn't want to support Hamas, terrorists and other jihadists. That used to be mainstream.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

That used to be.

[Ted Cruz]

All of those propositions were things that used to be the case that, that Republicans and Democrats came together. Look, Bill Clinton, when Bill Clinton was president, neither you nor I supported Bill Clinton. We did not vote for Bill Clinton. But you know what? The Bill Clinton election, when he was elected, it was not the fate of Western civilization. It was not, do we elect a communist jihadist?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

I would have rather the Republican be elected.

[Ted Cruz]

But the world didn't end when Bill Clinton got elected. Bill Clinton's views, if you took a candidate with the identical policy views of Bill Clinton and ran him today, they would tar and feather him and drive him out of the Democrat Party. He would be completely and entirely.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

He would not get elected today as president.

[Ted Cruz]

He would not get elected. He probably wouldn't get elected as a Democrat dog catcher because they have radicalized and they instead want someone like Comrade Mandami, whose party says, release the terrorist who murders Jews because they're Jews. That's where their radical base is. And you know, some of y' all may not. May not know what, what a sister soldier moment is. And sister soldier actually refers to Bill Clinton. When Bill Clinton was. Was running for president, Sister Soulja was this rapper and Bill Clinton denounced her in the middle of the primary. And it was viewed as a brave moment of sort of taking on his base. But it demonstrated to the voters, or it was perceived to demonstrate to the voters that he was reasonable and rational and not a crazy nutcase.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

And it is an interesting question.

[Ted Cruz]

Is there even one national Democrat, by the way, Gavin Newsom wants to be elected president. Can. Can he denounce Mondame? JB Pritzker wants to be elected president. Can he do it? Cory Booker wants to. Chris Murphy wants to. None of them are going to because, look, John Fetterman has been critical, but John Fetterman, I think the Democrat Party is being quite explicit that they're going to do everything they can to drive him out of the Democrat Party, just like they would Bill Clinton if he were there.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

But I don't know a Democrat.

[Ted Cruz]

And interestingly, one ambitious Democrat. Is there nobody looking around? Andy Beshear, who's pretending he's he's a moderate in Kentucky, Josh Shapiro, who has got to be horrified at what Mandami saying as he said a word.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Crickets, crickets, crickets.

[Ted Cruz]

There is not one and maybe that will change. But I fear not just for the state of the Democrat party, but I fear for the future of our republic.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

I think we do better when we.

[Ted Cruz]

Have two political parties that are reasonable and rational and have some meaningful disagreements.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Than we do with one party that.

[Ted Cruz]

Is utterly whack job and trying to destroy America.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Look, we've seen through history.

[Ted Cruz]

It is a pendulum and it goes.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

From one party to the other. There will come a time when these.

[Ted Cruz]

Lunatics are in charge of the country again and they've gotten so extreme that I really shudder and fear for our great nation.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

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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[Podcast Host/Producer]

Now on to story number two.

[Ted Cruz]

Tell us what's happening in Nigeria. And as you know, I've been very vocal calling out the mass murder of Christians. Over 50,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria since 2000. Over 20,000 churches and schools have been destroyed, burned to the ground. And you have Boko Haram and other radical Islamic terrorist groups that are targeting and persecuting Christians in particular. And I will tell you, the government of Nigeria is very unhappy with me. They have decried my saying this. I have introduced legislation to designate them a country of special concern. And the government of Nigeria is very unhappy. And I've said, look, there are far too many government leaders who have turned a blind eye to what is happening, who have acquiesced in what is happening, who are enforcing either Sharia laws or blasphemy laws and facilitating the persecution of Christians. And as I said, the Nigerian government has been vigorously resisting me in this.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Give me your judgment.

[Ted Cruz]

What do you see happening in Nigeria and what do you think is actually the truth?

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Nigeria is the most important African country. It has the largest population. And obviously there's a vying for control between, on the one hand, the Islamic states of Nigeria and the Christian states of Nigeria. And it used to be about 50, 50. But because the Islamist movement, Boko Haram and others, they want to apply force, the jihadist force is sort of gruesome killing that we've seen on October 7th in 2023 in Israel. So what is going on in Nigeria? The Islamists in Nigeria are killing Christians. They're burning their churches, they're raping their women, they are invoking blasphemy laws. So in the southern regions of Nigeria, Sharia law is the law. And if you say Ted Cruz has, you know, he said something bad against Islam, you can have a mob come and lynch you and there's nothing you can do about it. But then the government should be doing something about it and the government isn't doing anything about it. Now what is the characteristic of the government of Nigeria? It's corrupt. The elites in Nigeria, whether they are Muslim or whether they're Christian, they're in this bubble and I think that bubble has to be burst. They're in a comfort bubble. I don't really think that they care about the that much about or are held responsible or accountable or transparent for what is going on with a large majority of the Nigerian population. And that's what you see. And we give a lot of money as the United States and legitimacy to this government. We've got to hold them accountable. And I, I couldn't be more pleased that you are involved in this, Senator Cruz. You're calling them out and you're going to say, if you want to be out ally and our friend, we need you to uphold your end of being a responsible and responsive government. There's a goal.

[Ted Cruz]

There are more Christians being murdered in Nigeria than any country on planet Earth. Now one thing you said that I thought was interesting and I think many of our listeners will not have heard this before you said in your judgment, Nigeria is the most important African country. Tell our listeners why that is because many will will not have a deep familiarity with that.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

It has the largest population. It has oil resources. The population is very young. It's English speaking, highly educated. Let me just give you an example. Kemi Badano. I hope the future prime minister of the United Kingdom is from Nigeria and is Christian. So if we were, you know, in our relationship with right now, Russia, China, etc. I think the continent as a whole, the continent of Africa, which is home to over a billion people.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes. And growing a young population that is growing significantly.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

It's the youngest population and it's the only population on planet Earth that is growing as rapidly as it's doing.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Right.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

And so Nigeria is strategically important. Nigeria is, is the sort of country that should be our ally. And there is a huge Christian population. That means they share norms and values with us and we should not be abandoning Nigeria. And so the population is pro American, but then they are let down by the government. And I think that can change if we were even to bring a little bit of leverage down on them because.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

We have that leverage. When you say a little bit of leverage, what do you mean? Like what would the leverage look like that you think could literally save lives, especially Christian lives in Nigeria who are being attacked right now?

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Well, it starts from the amounts of development aid money that we give them. We could apply sanctions we could. I mean, we.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, my legislation would sanctions particular government officials, so government officials at the local level who are engaged in facilitating and acquiescing in this persecution. And so it's designed to use the power of the U.S. economy and U.S. sanctions to incentivize different behavior.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Absolutely. And incentivize. The sort of legitimacy is really important for them to keep their money in America. To, you know, all of these, the private jets, they come and they play in America, and American allies, even when they play in Europe, I think we have a say over that.

[Ted Cruz]

Sure.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

But I don't want to go into the details of that, but I think we can leverage our influence to make the Nigerian government stop the violence immediately. They have Sharia law in the southern regions. We can say. And then we say, oh, human rights this, that, and the other, where you have Sharia law, you do not have human rights. Are you crazy?

[Ted Cruz]

Absolutely. Absolutely. And we need to stand up and we need to fight vigorously to prevent it here in the United States. Okay, final topic, and we're going to wrap up in just a couple of minutes. But. But you were born in Somalia. As you know, I've publicly called on the Trump administration to recognize Somaliland as a separate and independent nation. Tell our viewers what you think about that, and if you think that makes sense, tell them why I think we.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Should reward Somaliland for what they have achieved. They have been since 1960. I mean, the former dictatorial government, Siad Barrel, they were massacred. They were lured into becoming part of Somalia. They became part of Somalia, and they have come to live to regret it. But at the moment, very quickly, they are the only viable nation state. They have a homogenous population. They speak one language. And there is a narrative of national identity, of common suffering, but also common survival. You know, as a Somali, I will tell you something. I'm not. I'm an American, but born in Somalia. I will say that one of the things that we Somalis excel at is in vengeance. But the leadership of Somaliland have decided after 1991 that they were not going to channel the energy of their population into vengeance, but into rebuild, into building what is a nation. And they are economically violent. I think that might have oil and gas. I think that they could be a strategic partner. I admire.

[Ted Cruz]

And they want to stand with America. They are standing up courageously with the United States.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

It is in our national interest to.

[Ted Cruz]

Recognize Somaliland, to have a major ally on the horn of Africa that is standing with us.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

That's significant.

[Ted Cruz]

And look, I am someone who is very much America first. We should be putting American national security interests first and recognizing Somaliland enhances those interests.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

Absolutely. They are absolutely on the same page as us. And also they have recognized Israel. They have defined, they have a defined territory, they have a permanent population. They issue passports. But the most important thing is that they hold elections. One man, one vote for president, for parliament and local elections. And you can come and survey those and see that they are actually in some ways better than our American elections. And so I think Somaliland should be rewarded for the fact that they have built a nation. They do not rely on development aid. They never relied on usaid. Yeah. So please liberate them from what is Somalia, Mogadishu, which is just a broken jihadi place.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, Ayaan, thank you for taking the time. Thank you for joining us. I think this has been a very informative podcast. I think our listeners are really going to get a lot out of it. Let me encourage our listeners share this podcast. If you want your friends, your family to understand, understand the threat of political Islam, what it means means what it's meant in Europe, what it means here in America, I think it is an incredibly important topic. It is a very real threat. It is a threat that I am committed to combating. And one of the purposes of this podcast is to equip you, to give you information that when you're talking with your friends and families and colleagues and coworkers, that you know the truth. And Ayanna, I think this has been very, very helpful to our listeners. So thank you so much for joining us.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from early this week to hear the entire thing.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

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[Podcast Host/Producer]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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Kirk Elliott Precious Metals the champions of opportunity.

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[Podcast Host/Producer]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, so this one is just one of those segments that I'm just going to enjoy. Bill Gates is a guy that was like, the world's gonna end, Senator, and we're all gonna, you know, like die of heat and, and global warming's real and I'm investing in all these projects and things and the government should be doing the same. And now he's like, all right, screwed. It's not gonna happen. It reminds me, I think it was Newsweek back in the 80s where they said we were all going to freeze to death from like Arctic freezing of the entire globe. Now that that went away too. So they got it wrong in the 80s and now Bill Gates is admitting and Al Gore, remember we were supposed to be dead like after 10 years. That was like 10 years ago when he made his prediction that we're all going to die of global warming. None of it's actually happened. And so now Bill Gates like, all right, screw it. I was wrong, I guess.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

So it wasn't 10 years.

[Ted Cruz]

It was 12 years. And for some reason for the apocalyptic.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Left, the world is always ending in 12 years. And that's been true for about two decades now. They've been saying 12 years from now we're all going to die. 12 years from now we're all going to die. And I got to say, Bill Gates was willing to be as hysterical as Greta, the European teenager who shut down the German economy because they listened to a teenager and said, hey, why don't we shut down all of our nuclear power plants? And then they suddenly realized they couldn't power their country. And ironically enough, instead they're now opening coal plants and polluting a lot more. So the apocalypse, the world is ending because of climate change. Well, look, all right, don't necessarily believe me. Let me just read what Bill Gates has done. So this is from Daily Wire. Microsoft co founder Bill Gates has done an about face on climate change alarmism recently, saying that there are more pressing matters people should be worrying about.

[Ted Cruz]

Instead.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

The 70 year old tech billionaire who has been an outspoken environmental activist for years, said as much in a memo published Tuesday titled three Tough Truths About Climate. Here's what he wrote. Climate change, disease and poverty are all major problems. We should deal with them in proportion to the suffering they cause. The businessman admitted that the earth's temperature is not the most important factor for improving life on the planet and said the, quote, doomsday view of climate change is wrong. Let me, let me read that again. Bill Gates said the doomsday view of climate change is wrong. Here's what he wrote. Quote, although climate change will have serious consequences, particularly for people in the poorest countries, it will not lead to humanity's demise. Shocking that Bill Gates said that. And here he goes on to say.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Quote, does that mean, does that mean he can fly on his private jets now and like take a nap? Not be like having to buy carbon credits or get on his yacht? I'm just conf. I want to be, I want to be cleared here. What does this free him up to do?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Oh, no, no. The carbon credit scam is definitely still on. But, but he's going to keep flying on his jet. And remember, by the way, John Kerry, the zealot, when he discussed his private plane, he said, you know, he flies private because he says, really, for someone like me, it's the only reasonable way to travel. Yes, like the utter hypocrisy. But here's what Gates wrote. This is a chance to refocus on the metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change improving lives, our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the world's poorest countries. And he added, quote, although climate change will hurt poor people more than anyone else, for the vast majority of them, it will not be the only or even the biggest threat to their welfare. And he wrote this 17 page analysis ahead of next month's United Nations Climate Change conference in Brazil, hoping to shift funding away from climate initiatives towards other endeavors that he now believes are more important. Look, I don't know about you, but I'm not tired of winning. I mean this is. Climate change was an excuse, all a.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Scam to make a bunch of money. Is that what we can kind of get to here? It was just about follow the money, money and power.

[Ted Cruz]

There's a lot of money, a lot of money about it.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

But power. Look, look for Democrats. If you are a socialist, if you are a communist, if you are Comrade Mandani, I assume he's a climate change nut. I don't actually know that, but I know he's a communist. And climate change was the excuse for communist deceit's control of our government. And that today's Democrat Party, it was a great. We're all going to die unless you let me, the Democrat politician, control the energy and business and your life and regulate every aspect of your life. The fact that Bill Gates is making this change, it really shows the momentum is moving and people are engaged in just, just common sense is coming back.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Well, and not only common sense, but like you look at a lot of these solar farms, they're like being dormanted right now. Like they're just shutting them down because they just can't work. They're not working. And the pollution that comes actually from the turbines and all the other things are actually saying it's like having a real negative effect on the environment. Shocker there. And then we also found out that like a pension fund in California lost like 70 plus percent of the investment that they went in green alternative energy that just came out. So like they screwed countless hardworking, even liberals in California with this crap.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

And a point to understand. The climate change radicals have consistently hurt the environment. They are bad on the environment. If the only thing you care about, if you wake up every morning praying to Mother Earth, if that's your only voting issue, you should vote against Democrats.

[Ted Cruz]

Why?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Let's take for example, Germany. The Greens forced nuclear power plants to be closed. The result is today Germany is relying more on coal, which is much, much worse for the environment. And what country leads the world every year in the reduction of carbon emissions?

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Which one?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

That would be the United States of America. Do you know why?

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Why is that?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Look, this is a question, actually I pose when I'm, when I'm on a college campus, when I'm talking to college kids and they're Bernie Sanders supporters. And they're freaked out about the climate. I'll ask them a question, I'll say, tell me what human being has done the most to reduce climate in our lifetimes. And inevitably they have no idea. There is an objectively right answer. The right answer to this is George Mitchell. Now who is George Mitchell? George Mitchell was a Texas oil man. He was the son of a Greek goat herder. And George Mitchell is the man most responsible for pioneering fracking. And he did it in the Barnett Shale under Fort Worth and Dallas. Fracking unlocked the shale revolution which resulted in massive production of natural gas, much of it in Texas, although also in Pennsylvania and Ohio and other states across the country. And the reason the United States every year leads the world in the reduction of of carbon emissions is because at a wide scale level, we are replacing coal powered electricity generation with natural gas powered electricity generation. And that pollutes much, much less. It emits much less carbon. And the Greens and the radical Dems have opposed that at every step. By the way, do you know what country leads the world in pollution?

[Podcast Host/Producer]

What's that?

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

That would be Communist China, which pollutes massively. And yet the Biden administration bear hugged them with all they had.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

There you go. Don't forget we do this show to talk about things just like this. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, hit that subscriber auto download button wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode. You also tell Siri or Alexa, grab Verdict with Ted Cruz or play it and it will do it for you automatically there as well and the center and I will see you back here on this radio station next week where you're listening right now or on the podcast if you're listening there. Wherever you get your podcast, we'll see you back here again this week on the podcast. 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.

[Ben Ferguson]

Other day you're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

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.

[Laundry Product User]

Every now and then I rinse it.

[Co-host/Guest Commentator]

Out.

[Laundry Product User]

Tonight and I needed more. My kids went to bed and the smell never leaves. I don't know what to do. I'm always in the dark, the sweat and that short smells like a dark.

[Ben Ferguson]

Downy rinse fights stubborn odors in just one wash.

[Ted Cruz]

When impossible odors get stuck in.

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]

This is an I heart podcast.