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- [00:00]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Ben Ferguson
Guaranteed Human 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.comBen to learn more.
- [00:17]
Podcast Host
Right now no one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need from storm warnings to pollen levels right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local Alerts and comprehensive 10 day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyperlocal real time customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24.
- [00:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
7 Get ready for the wildest sight your lawn has ever seen. Sunday Sunday Sunday this spring Unleash soil science like never before wit custom lawn plan and the transformation to a soft green paradise. Sorry, just trying to get your attention. Sunday is a boringly simple way to get a green healthy yard. No harsh stuff, no big trucks, no chaos. Order today and get your custom Sunday yard plan for the season ahead. Sunday Smarter Lawn care for less getsunday.com support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures Time for
- [02:20]
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- [03:20]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome it is verdict with center Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Senator. I can't believe it. As we sit here, it is official. The SAVE act is actually made it to the floor of the Senate. So what's going to happen next?
- [03:33]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, after months of battling, the Save America act is finally on the floor of the Senate. Save America act is basic common sense legislation that, number one, requires everyone registering to vote to prove their American citizen and number two, requires photo ID in order to be able to vote. Vast majority super majorities of Americans support both of those requirements and yet the Democrats are fighting against us with everything they got. I'm leading the fight to get it passed. We're going to break down exactly what is happening with the Save America act this week right now on the Senate floor.
- [04:08]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, before we get to that though, there are so many of you that listen to the show that are truly friends of Israel. And right now in Israel, they need our help and our support more than ever. And the ifcj, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews are doing amazing work and you can have a difference. Right now, having just come back from Israel, I want to paint you a picture. It's midnight, sirens are blaring and you have only seconds to grab your child and run. Now imagine you're elderly, your legs don't work like they used to. Getting downstairs feels impossible. And after all of that, you end up in a bomb shelter for hours, even days, because you can't make the trek again. This is what's happening across Israel. And as Operation Epic Fury continues, children are being traumatized, families are just exhausted, and homes have been destroyed. And that's why the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is there on the ground, bringing food, emergency equipment, care for those children and help for the elderly and supplying the bomb shelters and medical centers for critically needed essentials. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to stand for Israel and stand for good against evil, this is it. And that's why I'm asking you to now please act. Give $45 right now to rush life saving essentials to the vulnerables under fire. You can also call 888-488-ICFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ. Join me and give and make a real difference online@ifcj.org that's IFCJ. So, Senator, let's talk about just first, the lay of the land and how we got to where we are today. And the vote. There's a lot of people wondering what the vote was to move this forward. So now there's debate. And so tell us who didn't vote for this. On the Republican side, it was a very tight vote. And also explain what's going to happen over the rest of this week.
- [06:10]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, the vote on the Senate floor to take up the Save America act was 51 to 47. So 51 Republicans voted to take it up. The only no vote was Lisa Murkowski out of Alaska. And then Thom Tillis from North Carolina, who is retiring, did not vote. So he was not a no vote, but he didn't vote. Other than that, every Republican voted to take it up. And we're now in the midst of the battle. Now we can anticipate the Democrats are a hard no. And so we're taking the case to the American people and trying to build support for it. And so I went to the Senate floor to lay out the case for why the Save America act is so critical and why the opposition for the Democrats is so ridiculous. And so here's what I had to say on the floor of the senate this week, Mr. President. Later this year, American citizens across the country will exercise one of their most valuable and sacred rights, the right to vote, a right that has been hard earned and fought for from the founding generation of our Republic to today. And how was the right to self government, the right to vote, secured? It was secured by American colonists who rejected the royal edict and hurdled tea into Boston harbor declaring no taxation without representation. It was secured by ordinary men who seized their muskets and fired the shot heard round the world at Lexington and Concord. It was secured by Continental troops who marched to the fields of Saratoga and the coastline of Yorktown, repeating those Immortal words of Patrick Henry, Give me liberty or give me death. For nearly 250 years, Americans have cast their votes for leaders at every level, from local officials to state representatives to the President of the United States. Every member of this body is here today because we were elected fairly and honestly and given a mandate by our constituents to serve them here in Washington and to protect the liberties and freedoms our founders fought to preserve. The power of the ballot box determines the course of our nation, the history we are writing, and the freedoms that we continue to defend. And while no single ballot in isolation may seem decisive, together the votes of the American people shape the course of our nation and the course of history. But it is worth remembering that our voting system did not begin as it exists today. When this nation was founded, the right to vote was limited. And over time, through debate, sacrifice, a bloody civil war, and constitutional amendment, the right to vote was quite properly expanded. The 15th amendment prohibited denying the vote based on race. The 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. And the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. At every stage of our constitutional amendment process, the goal was the same. To ensure that the right to vote belonged to American citizens and that it was exercised with integrity. And while our system has evolved, one principle has remained constant. Elections reflect the will of the American people. For a right so sacred, for a privilege so hard fought, it is shocking, it is tragic how neglected and vulnerable the protection of our elections has become. That is why I'm here today, on this very floor, urging the members of this body to pass the Save America Act. It says that when you register to vote in a federal election, you must provide proof that you are a citizen of the United States. And you must provide photo ID to vote. In simple terms, that's it. This is not some radical, politicized or weaponized piece of legislation designed to restrict Americans from voting. It is a common sense measure that protects the integrity of our elections by ensuring that American citizens, and only American citizens, are voting in them. Legitimacy in a democracy rests on two pillars. First, the mechanical integrity of the system to produce a valid result. And second, the public's confidence in that system. If either one fails, the system falters. If both fail, the system collapses. A system that cannot be trusted is a system that cannot govern. If you look around the world, between 2/3 and 3/4 of countries require some form of identification to vote. Why? Because it safeguards the integrity of their elections and reinforces public trust in their system. So it begs the question, why hasn't the United States fully embraced this standard. Well, for the last several months, we have heard claim after claim about how this legislation would somehow inhibit people from voting, that requiring identification is discriminatory, that the American people do not support voter ID. Mr. President, our Democrat colleagues are fond of bellowing into the TV cameras that photo ID to vote is Jim Crow. They tell us with mock earnestness. Now I will admit our Democrat colleagues should be experts in Jim Crow because it was Democrat politicians who passed the Jim Crow laws. It was Democrat politicians who founded the Ku Klux Klan. It was Democrat politicians for decade after decade who enforced discrimination, separate but equal poll taxes, and a host of other laws designed to prevent African Americans from voting. But do you know who has rejected their disingenuous claim that photo ID to vote is Jim Crow? The Supreme Court of the United States. Supreme Court of the United States. The State of Indiana passed photo ID law requiring that you show a photo ID to vote. A group of left wing plaintiffs filed litigation challenging that. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. At the time, I was the Solicitor General of the State of Texas. I led a coalition of states before the Supreme Court defending photo ID to vote. And the left wing plaintiffs made the same argument that our Democrat colleagues make today, that requiring photo ID to vote would somehow disenfranchise minorities. The Supreme Court, by a vote of 6 to 3, rejected their argument. The author of the majority opinion was John Paul Stevens. John Paul Stevens was one of the great liberals on the court. He was not a conservative. He was not on the right wing. He was the leading liberal for years on the US Supreme Court. He rejected that claim. And he pointed out that when someone votes illegally, they are stealing the votes of legal voters. They are stealing the votes of American citizens. The Supreme Court explained that when photo ID laws have been implemented, minority participation in the election goes up, not down. And the Supreme Court explained that requiring photo ID enhances the integrity of an election and the integrity of democracy. Now, our Democrat colleagues don't want to acknowledge any of those facts. And I guess it's understandable because the American people have heard their specious arguments and they have rejected them. Mr. President, 81% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote. But my Democrat colleagues might say, what about African Americans? Well, about three quarters of African Americans in the United States require support requiring photo ID to vote. How about Hispanics? More than 80% of Hispanics in America support requiring photo ID to vote. How about Democrats? Here's an astonishing statistic. If you get out of elected office, if you ask A Democrat on the street. 70% of Democrats in America support requiring photo ID to vote. The one group that doesn't are elected Democrats in the United States Senate and the United States House. And by the way, the premise of their argument that minorities, if you require a photo ID to vote, are not going to be able to vote is frankly insulting. Mr. President, I'm proud to be an Hispanic American. I've been an Hispanic all my life. You know what I've got in my wallet? I have a driver's license. I look at my colleagues across the way, I feel confident they have driver's licenses in their wallets as well. Hispanics are not morons. African Americans are not morons. And when you claim minorities can't figure out how to get a driver's license, well, gosh, what do you need a photo ID to vote for to do right now in America? You need a photo ID to purchase alcohol or to purchase tobacco. You need a photo ID to gamble or purchase lottery tickets. You need a photo ID to go into a bar, need a photo ID to get on a plane. You need a photo ID to rent a car. You need a photo ID just to drive a car. Not even rent a car. Drive a car. You need a photo ID to apply for government benefits. You need a photo ID to enroll in college. You need a photo ID to open a bank account. You need a photo ID to check into a hotel. And I got to admit, this is my personal favorite, you need a photo ID. Actually, two photo IDs to shovel snow in New York City. These are routine, everyday activities. The gallery is full. I feel confident everyone in the gallery who is not a child has a driver's license. And by the way, you wouldn't be admitted to the gallery if you didn't. And I feel confident every member of this chamber has done just about anything I listed. Well, except shoveling snow. I'm not convinced many of my colleagues have snubbled show, although they do shovel other things. The question is not whether Americans are bright enough to obtain photo id. We know they can and we know they do. The real question is why would we not require the same level of verification for something as consequential and vital as voting? Are our Democrat colleagues saying voting doesn't matter or is it something else? Voting is not just another everyday activity. It rolls around every year, a few years. It is the vehicle that protects the principles of our Republic and safeguarding what matters. This legislation is necessary because their individuals and systems that could undermine confidence in our elections. If proper safeguards are not in place. And one of the most apparent ways that we've seen is through the masses of illegal immigrants that our Democrat colleagues let in through open borders. Over four years during the Biden administration, more than 12 million illegal immigrants flooded into this country. The vast majority through my home state of Texas. Now, Mr. President, understand that was not an accident. That was not something the Democrats could not stop. That was their desired outcome. How do we know that? Because the instant President Trump was sworn into office for his second term, illegal border crossings plummeted 90 overnight. The Democrats said, no, Joe Biden can't secure the border. He needs new legislation. We now know that was a lie. It was objectively false, and they knew it was false. Well, if they could have secured the border for four years and they chose not to. They chose to let murderers into this country. They chose to let rapists into this country. They chose to let child molesters into this country. They chose to let gang bangers into this country. They chose to let terrorists into this country. We've had four radical Islamic terror attacks in the last two weeks. Why, Mr. President, would the Democrats choose to allow more than 12 billion illegal aliens to invade this country? And I'm going to suggest the obvious reason, because the Democrats look at those illegal aliens and they want them to cast vote for Democrats in federal elections. Why are the Democrats lined up and say, no, no, no. Under no circumstances should we test to see if you're an American citizen. Under no circumstances should we require photo IDs. You know, there was one activist a few years ago who filmed himself going into D.C. a D.C. polling place. D.C. polling place said, sir, what's your name? And he said, my name is Eric Holder. Now this activist was not the Attorney General of the United States at the time, but yet DC handed him a ballot and said, Mr. Holder, please cast your vote. The Democrats are lined up in this chamber because they want our elections to be insecure. They want voter fraud to be rampant and to be easy. Ask yourself, do the American people have a difficult time buying a beer? Do they have a difficult time getting into an R rated movie? Do they have a difficult time getting on an airplane? Well, yes, because the Democrats have refuses to fund the tsa. And so they're long lines right now. But the lack of a photo ID is not an impediment that stops people from flying. This debate is about something very simple. Do our elections matter? Does our democracy matter? And boy, Mr. President, I gotta say, that is a phrase the Democrats love that they are defending democracy. It's interesting. Their voice usually drops an octave when they say that. They clutch their pearls. And that's just the mandate. Defending democracy is what they say. Ask yourself, why are they not concerned at all about 12 million illegals who they let into this country voting illegally? I'll submit Occam's Razor provides the simplest solution is usually the right one. The simplest solution is very clear. The Democrats in this body want illegals to vote for. They want power enough that they are more than happy to undermine democracy to try to seize power. I get that from their personal self interest. But it is not in the interest of the men and women they represent. It is not in the interest of the people of America. This bill is rightly called the Save America Act. And Mr. President, if we were voting on the merits of what was good for America, what was good for democracy, what was good for for American citizens, the vote would be 100 to nothing. Although I would note on the other side of this building at the State of the Union address that you were at, that I was at, we saw why our Democrat colleagues are so adamantly opposed to this bill. President Trump turned to the Democrats on the right side of the floor of the House and it gave them an opportunity to demonstrate with absolute clarity. He said, if you agree our first priority should be to fight for American citizens and not for illegal aliens, please stand. And every single Democrat in Congress remains seated. Not a one of them. I would note, as we're on the floor Today, of the 47 Democrats in this body, only one is here on the floor. But a whole lot more were on the floor during the State of the Union. Every one of them chose to remain seated because they could not support the statement that we need to support American citizens and not illegal aliens. That's why they oppose the Save America act, because they want to be handed power over this country by the illegal aliens they let into this country. That's why we need to save America. And it's why I urge every member of this body to pass the Save America Act.
- [25:05]
Ben Ferguson
Well said, Senator. And so now the big question is for everyone I know that's listening or watching on YouTube, what's next? And where does this move from here?
- [25:15]
Senator Ted Cruz
Look, what should happen is we should have Republicans stand together and we should force the Democrats to do what's called a talking filibuster. So throughout most of the history of the Senate, a filibuster involved the right of unlimited debate. It involved the right to stand up and talk and talk and talk. Think about Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington where he talks and he's pulling a tie and he's falling over, and he's like standing there valiantly battling against bad legislation. Or for that matter, what. What I did in 2013 where I filibustered Obamacare and talked for 21 hours and stood on the Senate floor. And by the way, when you're filibustering, you cannot sit down, you cannot leave the floor, and you cannot use the bathroom, which is the most frequent question I get. Yeah, trivia point. So before I did that filibuster, Rand Paul had done a filibuster earlier in the year for 11 hours. And I was fixing to get ready to do it. And so I asked Rand if he had any advice. And he had two bits of advice. He said, number one, he said, wear comfortable shoes. So I have to admit, I wear just about every day advice, by the way. Yeah, just about every day in the Senate, I wear boots, cowboy boots. I went and bought a pair of black tennis shoes that I Wore for my 21 hour filibuster. And I confess at about 2 in the morning to the people of Texas, I said, look, I'm embarrassed. I lacked the strength of character or the strength of foot to stand here 21 hours in my boots. So I'm wearing tennis shoes. And I said, I hope the people of Texas will give me forbearance and forgive me. But then second, Rand said, he said what took him out at the end of the day was not his legs, but his bladder. That after 11 hours, he just had to go. And I don't know about you, but I'd never tried to go 21 hours without going to the bathroom. I wasn't sure how that would go. And in the entire course of the filibuster, I drank one tiny little glass of water. And the basic principle, nothing in, nothing out. I just take a tiny sip every hour or so and just kind of wet my throat. But you had to stand there and talk and talk and talk. That is exhausting.
- [27:29]
Ben Ferguson
I want you to pause what you're doing for just one minute, and I want you to hear about Alejandro. She lives in a remote community with very few resources and little to no health care. So when Alejandra gets sick, her parents have no real options, no doctors in their community, and no money for real medical care. By the third day, her body was shutting down. She woke up and just long enough to tell her, mom, I can't take the pain anymore. I can't keep going. Her parents drove hours to Find a doctor who tried everything, but she needed a private hospital and that was impossible for her family to afford. And that is when Compassion International stepped in. Through Compassion, Alejandra was treated. And against all odds, she survived. She lived. Because someone just like you took action. Right now, unfortunately, there are children just like Alejandra who won't survive unless someone like you steps in. Compassion International partners with local churches providing children with the support that they need. Critical medical care plus food, education, and the hope of the gospel, all in Jesus name. So help a child just like Alejandra. Today you can visit compassion.com that's compassion.com It's a new year, 2026. You've probably heard the name bitcoin and cryptocurrency. So the question so many people have is is it safe? And is it something that I should be invested in? It's a question I want to get answered for you today. And joining me now to talk about that is the co founder of Bitcoin, Ira Chris Klein. Chris, I appreciate you being here and it is pretty cool to see what's happened in the crypto space. It has become normal. It now can be a part of your ira. The federal government has changed the rules. They're accepting cryptocurrency like it's a stock.
- [29:30]
Chris Klein
Yes, absolutely. And it's, it's really driven itself into a mainstream space. I remember a decade ago when we first started bitcoin, ira, and everybody was like, are you crazy kid? You're putting bitcoin in retirement accounts? Is this even possible? And you fast forward to where we're at today, where countries are building stockpiles, corporations are building stockpiles. Strategy, for example, is pretty much its entire business models around this. It's a piece of diversification that every major player in the space and economics is looking at and so should to the individual sovereignty of the average American looking to put it inside of their retirement.
- [30:02]
Ben Ferguson
You guys actually have a really cool stat that you told me about at dinner and that is that your clients 75% were born before 1976. So the idea that you maybe missed out on this or if you're a little older, it's a young man's game in crypto. That is also just not true.
- [30:19]
Chris Klein
That's definitely one of the myths I wanted to come debunk with you and your audience is this isn't, this isn't our grandfather's economy. And grandfathers are buying bitcoin and putting it inside of their retirement for long term holdings. Especially now that they're thinking about inheritance and handing some of these things down. But yeah, that was actually shocking to me. We discovered that in 2018 that 75% of them were older than my parents generation. And what we found from surveying all of them was this is something that they think is new age and that I think almost every American, especially older ones, has a genuine concern of watching what's happened to the US dollar over the last four or five decades. And there's always been gold and silver as a potential hedge land, real estate. These scarce assets in bitcoin, while it may seem, oh, that's digital and it's, it's different, it's scarce. There's only 21 million assets of Bitcoin that will ever be mined. 19 and a half million have been mined so far. And you and I actually won't live. Our kids will probably live to see the last one get mined. This is something, you know, we're in a world of abundance since I was born in 1985. It's abundance. We just printed and printed and printed. This is a moment in time where we may be able to revert back to scarcity. And there'll be a day where just saying I have one Bitcoin will be life changing.
- [31:25]
Ben Ferguson
Chris. I hope a lot of people that are watching this, you guys will go and find out more. It is amazing what you can do in your retirement account now just like your other investments with bitcoin Cryptocurrency. Find out more right now@bitcoin ira.com Ben that's bitcoin ira.com Ben and see what cryptocurrency can do for your portfolio. A sacred season is approaching. Passover. When we remember God's deliverance. The night he brought his people out of bondage and into freedom. This year, many of God's people will observe in darkness under the shadow of war. Across Israel, red alert sirens pierce the air. Families run to shelters with seconds to spare. Elderly men and women fear they'll be left behind. And parents are comforting their frightened children as explosions shake the night. Sleeplessness and uncertainty have become daily life in Israel. And Passover reminds us that God hears the cries of his people and answers with love and compassion. And that's why the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is on the ground in Israel right now. They're providing food and emergency supplies, equipping bomb shelters and caring for elderly Holocaust survivors. Just as his people once cried out for deliverance, vulnerable Israelis need your help today with your generous Passover gift. It shows you stand with God's people and if you are ready to stand with the people of Israel, then stand with the IFCJ and help. You can call them 888488 IFCJ. That's 888488 IFCJ to rush your gift right now or you can give online@ifcj.org that's ifcj.org no one knows what the
- [33:23]
Podcast Host
future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need from storm warnings to pollen levels right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local Alerts and comprehensive 10 day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyperlocal, real time customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free Weatherbug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24.
- [33:50]
Senator Ted Cruz
7 Get ready for the wildest sight your lawn has ever seen. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday this spring. Unleash soil science like never before. Witness your custom lawn plan and the transformation to a soft, green paradise. Sorry, just trying to get your attention. Sunday is a boringly simple way to get a green, healthy yard. No harsh stuff, no big trucks, no chaos. Order today. And get your custom Sunday yard plan for the season ahead. Sunday Smarter Lawn care for less getsunday.com
- [34:23]
Ben Ferguson
by the way, you cannot lean on the lectern, right?
- [34:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, no, you're not. You're not allowed to lean.
- [34:27]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. So you can't. And even if someone comes to like give you or ask you a question, there's a famous SC for people that are West Wing watchers where somebody, they were trying to get a message, the guy that was doing a filibuster and a guy walked in, he said, may I ask a question? In essence, it was, you know, some official way of doing that. But you can't lean on the, on the lectern because if you do, that's it. Right. Like you can take a question to rest your voice. Yeah.
- [34:52]
Senator Ted Cruz
I mean, the chair can call it. So you can do. So what will happen when you're doing a filibuster is other senators will come in and ask, will the senator yield for a question? And you can say, and you can say, I will yield for a question without yielding the floor. And then if it's an ally of yours. So for example, Mike Lee was on the floor all 21 hours. I was there. He stayed with me the whole time. So several times at two or three months of one.
- [35:15]
Ben Ferguson
No wonder he's your best friend in the Senate. Okay, now I understand.
- [35:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
And I had a number, I had about a dozen senators who came and spelled me for a period. Because when you're talking for 21 hours, your voice starts to hurt. So the thing he will do is Mike would ask, would you yield for a question? And I say, well, yield for question without yielding the floor. And then he'd talk 30 minutes and he'd get up and he'd like give a, you know, da, da, da, da. And like at three in the morning we went through like 70s rock songs and horrible puns and jokes. And then after 30 minutes, you know, you can say, wouldn't you agree? And that's the question you ask. And so it's a way to give some relief. By the way, many people remember during that 21.
- [35:57]
Ben Ferguson
And he sat down during the 21 hours, right?
- [35:59]
Senator Ted Cruz
He can sit down. You know, anyone else can sit down. It's just the person that has the floor that can't sit down. And a lot of people remember that. During that filibuster, I read Green Eggs and Ham. What they don't necessarily remember is why I read Green Eggs and Ham. And the reason is at the time our daughters were three and five. And when I was home, I would read them bed nights, you know, bedtime stories. Every night.
- [36:25]
Ben Ferguson
Bedtime stories. Yeah, yeah.
- [36:27]
Senator Ted Cruz
And so as I was doing the filibuster, it was their bedtime. And so we called home and told them, turn on the TV and turn on C Span. And I read them Green Eggs and Ham because it was their bedtime story and they were my favorite picture. You've seen it? It's in my office.
- [36:43]
Ben Ferguson
Oh yeah.
- [36:44]
Senator Ted Cruz
It's a picture of the two little girls, they're in matching pajamas, they're three and five. And Catherine, the three year old, she has her hand on the TV and she's watching in wonderment as her daddy is reading her Green Eggs and Ham on the television set. And the look is just awesome. And then Caroline, and you know Caroline, she's now 17, she was just 5, and she is, she is a strong willed and spirited kid. My 14 years in the Senate, nothing I've done in the Senate has impressed her except that. And she is in that picture racking up laughing. I mean, she thinks it's the funniest thing she's ever seen. And when I came home that weekend, she looked at me, her arms were crossed and she said, okay, dad, that was pretty cool. But that's a filibuster.
- [37:32]
Ben Ferguson
That's all you needed, by the way.
- [37:33]
Senator Ted Cruz
You want a fun.
- [37:34]
Ben Ferguson
That's a true filibuster.
- [37:35]
Senator Ted Cruz
Okay. You want a fun bit of color.
- [37:38]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah.
- [37:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
At, like, 19, 20 hours into it, Glenn Beck, who you and I are both friends with, Glenn, texts me and says, man, you look too damn good. Your tie is all there. Your hair is combed. You don't look disheveled, damn it. You lean to look more like Mr. Smith goes to Washington. So I have to admit, I looked at it. Glenn's got a good sense of, like, telling a story. So I yanked my tie, and I did. I don't think I messed up my hair, but I at least loosened the tie and tried to look a little more disheveled. After 21 hours, you know, you shouldn't look like you're just. Just popping out of bed. That is exhausting.
- [38:17]
Ben Ferguson
I didn't realize that you could have your phone out during the filibuster. That's actually interesting.
- [38:22]
Senator Ted Cruz
You're not supposed to. So technically, the Senate rules. You're not allowed to have electronics on the Senate floor. Everyone violates that rule. So everyone has their phone. And that. That's just a rule that is routinely ignored, by the way.
- [38:35]
Ben Ferguson
Did you try to hide it, though? Like, did you try to, like, look down at your phone like it wasn't at that point? You didn't.
- [38:40]
Senator Ted Cruz
You don't visibly do it while you're speaking, but you can do it. It may have been during one of the questions that I noticed. Like, I was looking at the text, and Glenn had sent me a text, by the way, interestingly enough, during the speech that we just played. So the Senate parliamentarian, Jim Banks, Republican from Indiana, was presiding. The Senate parliamentarian tried to convince him to sanction me under Rule 19 of the Senate rules for impugning the integrity of another senator. And really and thankfully, he just told her, go jump in a lake. I'm not gonna do it. And apparently, she was mad because I said, you know, it's not surprising that the Democrats are experts on Jim Crow because they wrote the Jim Crow laws and they founded the kkk. And she thought that was terrible for me to point out what are undeniable historical facts. She thought it was somehow a violation of the Senate rules to speak the truth. I have to admit, the parliamentarian previously, years ago, tried to get me to Rule 19 to rule that Mike Lee had done the same thing, and I laughed at her and said, no, I'm not gonna do that either. You know, thankfully, it.
- [39:52]
Ben Ferguson
Texts are a stubborn thing. There's History to stubborn things sometimes.
- [39:56]
Senator Ted Cruz
So look, a standing and talking filibuster is exhausting. Takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot out of you. Under the Senate rules, each senator is limited to two speeches in a legislative day total. Now, the Senate can keep a legislative day going for weeks. A legislative day goes until you adjourn the day. So if you look at. During the civil rights.
- [40:23]
Ben Ferguson
It can be multiple days.
- [40:24]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yes, it can be weeks. If you look at the Civil Rights act in 1964, the Democrats filibustered against it. They were opposed to it. They wanted segregation. And the leadership there forced. Kept the legislative day open for weeks and kept forcing them to filibuster and talk and talk and talk and talk. And eventually it wore them down. And that's how the Civil Rights act in 1964 got passed. So what I had been arguing to the conference at length. We had to do the same thing. We had to force the Democrats explain why you think illegal aliens should be voting, why you think that it's okay that you need an ID to buy a beer at a bar, but not an ID to vote and make them drive them to the principle of exhaustion, drive them to the point that they just can't fight anymore. Now, here's the rub. To do that, Ben, we need 50 Republicans willing to stand strong. To date, we haven't had that. We've been arguing about this within the conference for several weeks. I have been making the case as impassioned as I can to my colleagues, and we are likely just short of 50. So if that doesn't change, what's going to end up happening this week is we're going to vote again on the Save America Act. Fifty or 51 Republicans will vote for it, but we'll need 60 unless we force them to do a talking filibuster. So it will fail this week unless something changes significantly. That's infuriating. And so I'm calling on my colleagues, come on, let's stand together and fight. And I'll tell you one of the arguments my colleagues have used with me. They've said, look, Ted, if we fight and at the end of the day, lose, people will be discouraged and demoralized and they'll stay home in November. And my response is, okay, well, and I do, too. And my response was, look, okay, maybe we lose. It's not guaranteed 100% victory. But you know how you can guarantee 100% losing? Don't fight. Like, if we don't fight, it's 100% that we lose. So if we stand up and we fight and we're all there all night and we're battling, we're battling, we're battling. And at the end of the day, we come up short. That gives people more reason to vote than if we don't get 50 who are even willing to fight. And so I think there's a lot of frustration right now, to be clear,
- [42:51]
Ben Ferguson
to be very clear, for everybody listening to do what you're advocating for, which is to force a standing filibuster. How many votes do you have to have to get to that?
- [43:00]
Senator Ted Cruz
You've got to have 50 Republicans who will stand together. Because the 50 Republicans after, number one, anytime the Democrats want to, they can suggest the absence of a quorum, and we have to be able to produce 50 bodies.
- [43:13]
Ben Ferguson
Oh, everybody's got to be there. Okay, so everybody's got to be there.
- [43:16]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah. You've got to physically be able to
- [43:18]
Ben Ferguson
go for, to be clear, that could go, as you were saying, for days, right?
- [43:22]
Senator Ted Cruz
For days or weeks. Yes.
- [43:24]
Ben Ferguson
And so, in other words, there's some senators in the Republican Party that just would rather go home, would rather go home on Thursdays like they always do. They don't want to stay over the weekend. They don't want to fight for this for a week or two.
- [43:36]
Senator Ted Cruz
And secondly, the Democrats can tee up amendments and try to force votes on amendments, and we got to have 50 Republicans that reject their amendments, that stand together. And right now we have, I don't know, 47, 48, but we don't have 50. And so we're having an argument with a handful who are saying no, and I hope it changes. But right now, right now we don't have 50.
- [44:02]
Ben Ferguson
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 today@compassion.com that's compassion.com Final question on this one? When will the American people know what day will you guys make this decision on either trying to vote for that or just having a straight up vote that you know you're going to come up short on?
- [45:16]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, if nothing changes, we will likely vote, have the final vote on Thursday of this week and we will end up probably with 50, 51, 52 votes for the Save America act, but we'll need 60 and so the vote will fail. If nothing changes, that's where we're headed.
- [45:33]
Ben Ferguson
And then do you expect the president to weigh in heavy on the strategy here? Does he know these two options and how much influence would it have if the president came out and said, you know, damn it, men and women, stay in Washington, D.C. and fight this thing out and let's see what happens?
- [45:46]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, the president has said that multiple times and that has been a significant part of the argument. But we still, at the end of the day, you can't wave a magic wand and produce the votes and we're still frustratingly short of 50.
- [46:02]
Ben Ferguson
It's very, it's very interesting and very frustrating for many Americans. Don't forget, we do the show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button. We will keep you updated all week long on this and if something major happens happens, we'll probably do an emergency pot as well in the center. I will see you back here in a couple of days. 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.comBen to learn more.
- [46:31]
Podcast Host
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- [47:02]
Senator Ted Cruz
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- [48:34]
Senator Ted Cruz
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- [49:06]
Podcast Host
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