The UN has Their Hat Out, Why the Netflix Merger is paramount in Entertainment & Americans Agree on Voter ID Week In Review

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "The UN has Their Hat Out, Why the Netflix Merger is Paramount in Entertainment & Americans Agree on Voter ID (Week In Review)"

Verdict with Ted Cruz – February 7, 2026
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

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Episode Overview

In this week-in-review episode, Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson break down three central stories:

1. The Trump administration’s decision to halt funding to the United Nations, prompting an international financial crisis.
2. Concerns and controversies surrounding the proposed Netflix-Paramount merger, focusing on national security and political bias in media.
3. The debate over the Save America Act (formerly the SAVE Act), which seeks to require proof of citizenship and photo ID for voting—a move Democrats oppose despite broad public support.

The conversation is marked by sharp critiques of progressive agendas in international and domestic institutions, skepticism over foreign influence in American media, and a passionate defense of voter ID laws.

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Segment 1: The United Nations Funding Crisis

[01:39 – 11:45]

Key Points & Insights

• Trump’s Policy Shift:
  Ben Ferguson introduces the segment by framing the UN’s funding shortfall as a result of Trump’s refusal to let America be the "piggy bank" for international “woke crap.”

  "Donald Trump has said no more. We're not going to just give you this blank check and fund all this stuff." (B, 01:58)

• UN Secretary General’s Plea:
  Ted Cruz reads from a Breitbart article highlighting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' warnings of “imminent financial collapse” due to nonpayment by member nations, especially the U.S. Escalators are being turned off and temperatures lowered at UN headquarters to save money.

• Team America Reference:
  Cruz lightens the discussion with an extended Team America: World Police reference, comparing the UN’s ineffectiveness to the film’s satire of international bureaucracy:

  “As I’m reading the cries from the Secretary General, I keep envisioning Hans Blix in Team America saying, give us money, or we will send you a really stern letter.” (Ted Cruz, 09:25)

• List of Withdrawals:
  Cruz lists the 66 organizations/treaties from which Trump has withdrawn, suggesting these are little-known and wasteful:

  “All of that. Look, you and I and most people on planet Earth have no idea what any of these do. But we were sending millions of dollars to this garbage.” (Cruz, 11:29)

• Bottom Line:
  The hosts celebrate what they see as a "scandal to love": cutting off taxpayer money to unaccountable globalist institutions.

Notable Quotes

• On UN Money Management:

  “By the way, how much money do you save turning the escalators off? Like, that's really..." (Cruz, 03:45)

• On Bureaucratic Waste:

  “Hans Blix is floating in the water, having been eaten by sharks from Kim Jong Un, because stern letters from the United Nations don't do a whole lot.” (Cruz, 11:29)

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Segment 2: The Netflix-Paramount Merger & Foreign Influence

[13:18 – 22:27]

Key Points & Insights

• Merger Details:
  The proposed Netflix-Paramount merger is worth approximately $83 billion and has drawn Congressional attention for potential national security, antitrust, and foreign influence concerns.

• Antitrust and National Security:
  Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz both express worries about the increasing concentration of media power and the possible influx of billions in Middle Eastern investment if Netflix cannot close the deal domestically. Chinese influence is also a concern.

• Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing:
  Ted Cruz recounts his questioning of Netflix and Warner Bros executives. He challenges them on political bias, the representation of conservative voices, and their lack of willingness to challenge progressive narratives (e.g., entertainers calling America "stolen land" at the Grammys).

• Bias in Entertainment:
  Cruz confronts executives over the lack of conservative programming and the propagation of left-wing views, citing examples such as John Oliver. He questions the objectivity of outlets like CNN, calling them “a dumpster fire.”

  “How are people at home…supposed to be confident that if this merger happens, the combined entity won’t simply be a propaganda outlet pushing one particular political view?” (Cruz, 16:28)

• Foreign Money & Censorship:
  Both hosts raise alarms about the risk of foreign funders (especially China and the Middle East) dictating what can and cannot be depicted in American entertainment, referencing the removal of a Taiwan patch from "Top Gun: Maverick" to appease Beijing.

  "24 billion in Middle East funding scares the hell out of me." (Ferguson, 19:24)

Notable Quotes

• On Political Bias:

  “There is a reason why entertainers who are even slightly right of center get blackballed in Hollywood. Writers get blackballed in Hollywood, actors get blackballed in Hollywood.“ (Cruz, 18:36)

• On Foreign Censorship:

  “I don't want American movies being paid for...by Middle East funding...[which] scares the hell out of me because what are they going to say you can and can't do?” (Ferguson, 19:24)

• Timeline for Consumers:

  “Typically this process takes months to years...it will take some time. At a minimum, it's several months.” (Cruz, 21:17)

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Segment 3: The Save America Act & Voter ID Debate

[22:27 – 34:57]

Key Points & Insights

• Legislation Overview:
  The Save America Voting Act (now called the Save America Act at Trump’s request) combines a requirement for proof of citizenship to register and mandatory photo ID to vote.

• Democratic Opposition:
  Ben Ferguson describes Democratic resistance as absolute, quoting Chuck Schumer's labeling of the measure as “Jim Crow 2.0.”

  “And there isn't a single Democrat that had his blessing to vote in favor of this thing. He's calling it Jim Crow 2.0.” (Ferguson, 23:02)

• Broad Public Support:
  Polls are cited showing vast majorities across racial groups support voter ID requirements – 85% of whites, 82% of Latinos, and 76% of Black Americans, including 71% of Democratic voters.

  "The vast majority of Americans agree with Nicki Minaj that in fact you should have a photo ID to be able to vote.” (Unattributed, quoting CNN, 27:09)

• Republican Plan & Filibuster:
  Cruz outlines the strategy he’s pushing to force a “painful” talking filibuster for Democrats, but notes it will require every Republican senator's support to be effective—a threshold not yet met.

• Historical Report Reference:
  The hosts cite the Carter-Baker Commission (co-chaired by Jimmy Carter and James Baker) as Democratic evidence that voter fraud is real; the commission recommended stricter controls—recommendations Democrats now allegedly oppose.

  “The Carter Baker Commission said, if you want to stop voter fraud, limit mail in ballots. The Democrats want mail in ballots in every election…[and] are adamantly opposed to photo ID.” (Cruz, 30:33)

• Ballot Harvesting Explained:
  Cruz describes "ballot harvesting" as operatives collecting large numbers of ballots, enabling fraud, especially among vulnerable populations.

• Strategic Impasse:
  Both hosts acknowledge that without seven Democrats, the Act cannot overcome a filibuster, and they're not optimistic about any crossing party lines.

Notable Quotes

• On Political Strategy:

  "I am making the case. This week. I made the case vigorously to my Republican colleagues. Mike Lee is making the case vigorously...But it's not clear if we have 50 [votes] or not." (Cruz, 34:24)

• On Democrat Motivation:

  "They’re opposing it for two reasons. Number one...voter fraud is a real and persistent problem. And they count on voter fraud to help them win elections. And so they don't want photo ID because they want cheating." (Cruz, 28:41)

• On Historical Irony:

  “Schumer using the rhetoric about Jim Crow, there is an irony in that. It was his party. It was the Democrats who enacted the Jim Crow laws...kept the system of segregation for decades.” (Cruz, 27:34)

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Timestamps of Key Moments

• UN Funding & Team America Satire: 01:38 – 11:45
• Netflix/Paramount Merger, Senate Hearing: 13:18 – 22:27
• Voter ID Debate, Public Polling & Senate Strategy: 22:27 – 34:57

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Hans Blix & Stern UN Letters (Team America Reference):

  “Give us money, or we will send you a really stern letter saying, give us money.” (Cruz, 09:25)

• Foreign Funding in Media:

  “24 billion in Middle East funding scares the hell out of me...” (Ferguson, 19:24)

• On Voter ID Agreement:

  “It is not controversial by party and it is not controversial by race.” (CNN clip via Ferguson, 27:09)

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode is energetic, heavy on sarcasm and pop-culture references, and unapologetically combative toward progressive policies and Democratic leaders. The style is informal with frequent banter, but rooted in political advocacy and strategy discussion.

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For listeners seeking a mix of conservative analysis, political strategy, and media skepticism laced with humor and pop-culture analogies, this episode encapsulates the show's direct approach to the week’s leading stories.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[B]

It is verdict with Ted Cruz Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the big stories that we talked about this week that you may have missed. First up, Donald Trump says no longer will America be the piggy bank for the United Nations. And now they're freaking out over funding. We'll explain exactly what's changed and how much money it could save you. Also a major media merger involving Netflix and it could also mean foreign money coming in from overseas from the Middle east if Netflix doesn't get the deal. So what does it mean for you as a consumer? We'll have that for you as well. And finally, the Save America Voting Act. It's a very big deal to secure our elections and every Democrat in Congress seems to be against it.

[C]

Why?

[B]

We'll break it down. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. There is a big scandal that is taking place at the United nations, but it's a type of scandal that you and I should, should love and celebrate. And that is the UN is angry right now that there's not enough money for them to do all their, their, their woke crap all over the world. The simplest way I can describe it. And they're really upset because the number one fund of the UN has been the United States of America. Donald Trump has said no more. We're not going to just give you this blank check and be and fund all this stuff. And now the UN Secretary General is freaking out and saying we need desperate money now or things are going to have to be shut down. This on top of the fact that Trump has also taken the US out of 66 globalist organizations and treaties as well, saving American taxpayer dollars are being wasted.

[C]

So you talked about cutting off funding.

[D]

For, as you said, quote, woke crap.

[C]

All over the world. I think that's the new motto of the United Nations. The United nations work woke crap all over the world. Let me read from our article in Breitbart. Quote, the United nations is going broke and needs member nations to stump up cash, lots of it. That is the plea from Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez, who fears the globalist body is at risk of, quote, imminent financial collapse due to their member states not paying their dues. The former leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party said Friday the UN faces a financial crisis which was, quote, deepening, threatening program delivery and money could run out as soon as July, leaving the unaccountable globalist cabal destitute. Such as the financial drama unfolding at UN headquarters in Geneva, signs of a warning situation have reportedly been put up everywhere in an almost desperate attempt to save cash. The escalators are regularly turned off and the heating turned down. The BBC reports. By the way, how much money do you save turning the escalators off? Like, that's really.

[B]

Exactly.

[C]

That's a little amazing. So Gutierrez sent a missive out to all 193 member states, outlining his fears and pleading that they had to honor their mandatory payments or overhaul the organization's financial rules to avoid collapse. It comes after the UN's largest contributor to the United States refused to contribute to its regular and peacekeeping budgets and withdrew from several agencies it called a, quote, waste of taxpayer dollars. These include the UN's population agency and the UN treaty that establishes international climate negotiations. And I gotta say, reading this, it reminds me of. I actually think one of the funniest movies ever made was Team World Police. You ever see Team America?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Okay. It's absolutely hysterical. By the way, I'm gonna confess a really stupid thing I did. So several years ago, I was vacationing with Heidi and with the girls and with my in laws, Heidi's parents, and they have a houseboat on Lake Powell. Lake Powell is an amazing. Have you ever been to Lake Powell?

[B]

I have not. You've told me about it. It's on my bucket list now.

[C]

Like, holy cow. So Lake Powell is the southern part of the Grand Canyon and basically envision the Grand Canyon dammed up and filled halfway with water. That is Lake Powell. And so my in laws for 30 years have had a houseboat there. And you go out on the houseboat and. And they tow. You tow a ski boat. You tow typically one or two jet skis. You go out into the water and it's amazing. So my in laws are not fancy. So their houseboat does not have a working air conditioner. So you go out typically in the middle of the summer where it's 110 degrees, no AC. You sleep on the roof of the houseboat under the stars. By the way, your cell phone doesn't work at all. You have no Internet. And, you know, you get up and jump in the water, you bathe in the lake, you go out water skiing, you get on a jet ski and you can go down these finger canyons. Ben, I gotta say, you go down a finger canyon, it is breathtaking. You can go down it where on each side, you can put your hand out and touch the side of the cliff.

[B]

Yeah, that's on my bucket list. It sounds amazing.

[C]

A couple hundred feet of just red sandstone and you're in this sliver. You can go in far enough that you got to jump off the jet ski, swim around and turn the jet ski around because you don't have room to turn it around. So it's an awesome thing to do. So one time a decade ago, Heidi and I are going out with her parents and. And we decided. So they do have a little TV on the houseboat with a DVR player. And we decided to bring.

[B]

I know where this is going. All right, I'm with you now. Keep going.

[C]

A DVD of Team America. Because Heidi doesn't like movies very much. I love movies. Like, I grew up, my parents both love movies. So, like, I would go out with my mom and dad and we'd go see movies every week. And we love movies. Heidi grew up, she never went to the movies, but I took her to see Team America and she laughed so hard she couldn't breathe. So we're like, all right, let's bring it. And this was, I gotta say, an incredibly stupid thing to do, Ben, because I forgot that Team America, okay, so it's puppets and it's done by the south park guys. But every third or fourth word is a curse word. I mean, it's. It is a relentless. And I'm sitting there playing this. We turned it on with my in laws and they're just looking in utter horror as it's just curse, curse, curse, curse, curse. We didn't watch 10 minutes of it before we turned it off and said, oh, sorry about that. I really gotta apologize now.

[B]

Here's my question, though. Did your wife do what my wife would do? That scenario act like she's shocked that you brought this movie and shared it or did she laugh as hard as she laughed when y' all were at the movie together? That's the real question.

[C]

She sort of laughed. But we remembered how funny the movie was. But. But we hadn't internalized. There's just. If you deleted every profanity in the movie, the movie would be 30% shorter. Like, it just. And part of what I like about Team America is it mocks both sides. So it's not a conservative movie. It's not a liberal movie. Like, it makes fun of both sides in a way that is really funny. But I don't advise, particularly if, you know, my in laws. I mean, they were Christian missionaries. They're wonderful people. But they don't curse. And they may have seen more curse words in those 10 minutes we played than they had in the past 10 years before that. So my whole point of this is there's a scene in Team America where you have. Part of the theory is that Kim Jong Un is the dictator of North.

[D]

Korea, which is, of course, true, but.

[C]

He'S a puppet in Team America, and he is seeking to attack the world. And it's all Team America. World police is trying to fight Kim Jong Un. But anyway, the United nations sends Hans Blix. Who? Hans Blix. Most of our listeners are too young to remember, but Hans Blix was a weapons inspector for the United Nations.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And the UN sends Hans Blix to Kim Jong Un to go tell him to stop developing weapons of mass destruction. And Kim Jong Un ends up feeding the puppet Hans Blix to sharks who eat him. And at one point, right before he gets fed the sharks, Hans Blick says, you must stop what you're doing. And if you do not stop what you're doing, the United nations is gonna send you a really stern letter.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

So accurate, by the way. So accurate.

[C]

As I'm reading the cries from the Secretary General, I keep envisioning Hans Blix in Team America saying, give us money, or we will send you a really stern letter saying, give us money.

[B]

It's entirely accurate, exactly where we are. And that's why the part about this is so funny is the President said he was gonna do it. You elect me, I'm gonna get rid of all this stuff. I'm gonna get rid of the wasting of your tax dollars. And it's not just the UN that's freaking out now. You've got this list of 66 globalist organizations and treaties that he's also. By the way, we're not giving you money there either.

[C]

Yeah. So the list of 66, by the way. So as Ben and I were prepping for this show, we're talking about the list of 66. And I asked him, I said, hey, what are the six six? And he's like, I don't know. And you sent me this whole document. I'm not going to read them all, but I'm just going to read some of the topics. So number one is the 247 carbon free energy Compact. We withdrew from that. The Colombo Plan Council, the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, Education Cannot Wait. The European center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories, the Freedom Online Coalition, the Global Community Engagement Resilience Fund, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. That's the first 10. There are another 56 that come.

[B]

I mean, now you know why he said, we're going to get rid of all them, right? Like, we're just not going to fund this stuff. Many of them, by the way, are like people that hate America on top of that.

[C]

That's right. All right, let me read the last 10. So numbers 56 through 66, we withdrew from the UN entity for gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. We withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Human Settlements Program, the UN Institute for Training and Research, UN Oceans, UN Population Fund, UN Register of Conventional Arms, the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, the UN System Staff College, the UN Water, and the UN University. All of that. Look, you and I and most people on planet Earth have no idea what.

[D]

Any of these do.

[C]

But we were sending millions of dollars to this garbage. And there is a reason why Hans Blix is floating in the water, having been eaten by sharks from Kim Jong Un, because stern letters from the United nations don't do a whole lot.

[B]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. I want you to just pause what you're doing for the next 60 seconds and I want you to imagine Lucy, a 7 year old. Her stomach often aches with hunger. Her small hands, instead of holding crayons, know only the struggle of survival on dusty streets. School is a distant dream. Medical care a forgotten hope. Lucy's potential is overshadowed. Her future is dim. But what if someone stepped in? What if there was a way to ignite hope for children just like Lucy? Well, there is. And that is with Compassion International Partners and the local churches that provide children holistic. Holistic support. More than just food, they receive critical Medical care, life changing education, vital skills training and spiritual development, all in Jesus's name. And you can empower a child just like Lucy to break free from poverty. I want you to do what I've done and sponsor a child today. You can visit compassion.com that's compassion.com. now on to story number two. A very interesting media merger and antitrust conversation that took place in Washington D.C. you came in and asked questions on this. Of the two companies that were there talking about this. I actually, and I rarely do this and I don't even think I told you this, I, I wrote an op ed about this for fox news.com you can go and read it there. But what I was talking about was from a national security standpoint and my, my headline was Reagan would tell Americans to watch this net Netflix merger hearing closely. And I said, here's why. And I went through. My biggest concern with this merger is one of safety and security because I want to know that the majority of things are being made, are being made in America and that China doesn't get influence over us. And that's what I, the questions I asked what really worried me about this merger was how much foreign money they're saying and it's in the billions that could be coming into this deal from the Middle East. That concerned me as well. You asked a lot of questions about this. And there's also a lot of conservatives like you and I that are frustrated with some of the programming that Netflix have. But at least I'm like, they're wanting to keep this production in America and they're wanting to expand it in America. Whereas on the other side of it, my concerns with Paramount is they're taking foreign money from the Middle East. I don't like that influence and I certainly don't want China to take influence as well.

[D]

Yeah, this is a massive merger. It's $83 billion and I'm deeply concerned about it. And so we had a hearing this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee with the CEO of Netflix and a senior executive from Warner Brothers. Give a listen to the questioning that I asked them.

[F]

I and many others on this committee have been concerned for a long time about censorship, censorship in the media and censorship in Hollywood. There already seems to be only one acceptable political view. Actually, I want to ask, did either we all watch the Grammys this week?

[G]

I just, I did not.

[E]

Just the tail end of it.

[F]

One simple question. Are we right now on stolen land?

[E]

I have no idea the history of this land, of this other where we're sitting Today.

[G]

Nor do I, Senator.

[F]

So that speaks volumes that neither of you are willing to say, hell no, we're not on stolen land. And I will say, it's a Grammys.

[C]

When.

[F]

When you see an entertainer say, nobody is illegal while we're on stolen land, and then you see entertainers leap to their feet clapping so excitedly at the notion that America is fundamentally illegitimate, it starts to convey that the entertainment world is deeply corrupt. And I will point out that same singer who says no one is illegal on stolen land promptly went back to her $14 million mansion and somehow that stolen land she wasn't concerned about. Just the United States of America. Look, Netflix has long been a left wing company. Your founder, Reed Hastings is one of the biggest Democrat donors in the country, including giving millions recently to the massive gerrymander in California, making it one of the most gerrymandered states in the union. Because your founder desperately wants a Democrat. House of Representatives. Susan Rice from the Obama White House is on your board of directors. You guys gave $50 million to the Obamas, as far as I can tell, to produce no discernible content whatsoever. How would you tell a Texan sitting at home to feel comfortable?

[C]

CNN is already a dumpster fire.

[F]

There's nothing resembling objectivity. There's nothing resembling journalism anymore. How are people at home? How should they feel even remotely confident that if this merger happens, the combined entity would not simply be a propaganda outlet pushing one particular political view with much greater market power than you have now?

[E]

Well, sir, we would fail. We would fail pushing apolitical view or propaganda. We deliver entertainment to consumers. Our consumers see our business pretty much the way they see America. About 40% conservative, about 40% liberal, about 20% don't know. And they what do we. But when we turn on, when they turn on tv, they're tuned in to be entertained. And if we fail to entertain them by trying to promote propaganda or something, or something, anything other than Entertainment, we fail.

[F]

Mr. Campbell, same question to you.

[G]

We have a very broad range of content across not only HBO Max, but all of our platforms that we need to appeal to all audiences. Our content ranges from hard knocks from the NFL to shows like Deadliest Catch and Gold Rush. It's a very broad collection of programming that represents broad interests across America.

[F]

You have a wide range of programming on hbo. Name one program that is designed to appeal to conservatives.

[G]

We don't design our programming to appeal to.

[C]

I can think of a lot that.

[F]

Are designed to go to liberals. Name one.

[G]

None of our shows are designed to go to any Political group they're designed to appeal to.

[F]

Really John Oliver is not designed to appeal to a certain group.

[G]

It's a, it's a program that.

[F]

For which there you just said none of your program is. Look, let me ask you, do you think CNN is fair and balanced?

[G]

I do believe CNN is a fair.

[F]

So when CNN showed riots and fires behind them and you put a chiron mostly peaceful but fiery protest, was that journalism?

[G]

Sir, I'm not involved with CNN and in fact they're not part of this transaction. But they have an independent editorial board, they have independent news gathering. We don't direct.

[F]

They're only. They have no independence other than hating Donald Trump, which is why their viewership numbers have plummeted because they don't actually report news. They instead engage in very biased propaganda. And I will say the truest words you said a minute ago is when you said with respect to Mr. Sarandos, well, he and I see the world in very much the same way. That is exactly the problem that in the world of journalism it should not be propaganda. In the world of entertainment, there is a reason why entertainers who are even slightly right of center get blackballed in Hollywood. Writers get blackballed in Hollywood, actors get blackballed in Hollywood. And I've heard nothing today to give me any confidence that this merger would do anything other than make that problem black.

[D]

Much, much work.

[B]

Senator. This is one of those subjects. It's the reason why I decided to write an op ed because it does matter. When companies get big and they have as much influence as Paramount does or as Netflix does, it is concerning that the propaganda as you described that can be put out that can fundamentally shape this country. It's why invoked Ronald Reagan, the op ed that I wrote@fox news.com and there's also the concern of foreign influence coming in. I don't want American movies being paid for.24 billion in middle east funding scares the hell out of me because what are they going to say you can and can't do? I go back to Top Gun Maverick. There was a simple patch, a Taiwan patch on his jacket and they banned that movie from China, period. Full stop. Well, if that money's coming in, what else could not be made because of that? That worries me as well.

[D]

Yeah, look, I'm very worried about woke Hollywood. It has gone so leftist. It is engaged in so much indoctrin. It is trying to silence views that are pro America, silence views that are conservative, silence views that are pro freedom. And listen, this merger, it's not going to go through unless the Department of Justice signs off on it. And the Department of Justice has to approve the merger and say that it does not create a monopoly, it does not increase monopoly power. I think there are very real concerns. This hearing was the beginning of the scrutiny for it. I expect to see more scrutiny, more questions asked about this massive merger. But I don't want to see even.

[C]

Bigger market power pushing a pro Democrat.

[D]

Pro leftist, anti American agenda. And I'm very concerned that's what's happening right now.

[B]

Final question on this. When do the consumers find out what happens here? How long until we get an answer of who gets to buy what?

[D]

Yeah, typically this process takes months to years. And so the Department of Justice has to assess whether this is allowed to go forward. The FCC may well engage as well in signing off on this. I'm the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. I expect to be quite engaged in this process. So it will take some time. At a minimum, it's several months.

[C]

It could be upwards of a year.

[D]

And the consequence if this merger happens, it is really significant for news and it's really significant for entertainment. And by the way, I think entertainment in many ways is more important than news. We get so much of what we understand about the world from entertainment. Reagan is allowing a massive left wing monopoly. Listen, I asked these guys, are we on stolen land? Neither one of them could say no.

[C]

They're not willing to say America is legitimate.

[D]

No, this is not stolen land.

[C]

That's how woke and lefty and disconnected these people are. And they want to have even more power over the entertainment that you're allowed.

[D]

To consume in your home.

[B]

As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, Senators. So let's talk about the SAVE Act. It was brought up and it was a part of the discussion, the debate, even with a partial government shutdown. There are a lot of conservatives that I've talked to this past week. They don't understand why this hasn't happened already. It's already come out of the House before. And the big question is, why can't we just pass it right now? I think there's a lot of misinformation on this. And it's not a 50 plus one vote to get this done. It is 60 votes. You need to get this done. And if you want to know who to blame. Look at the Democratic Party. They have dug in. Chuck Schumer's made it very clear. And there isn't a single Democrat that had his blessing to vote in favor of this thing. He's calling it Jim Crow 2.0.

[C]

Well, the SAVE act, which was initially introduced in the House of Representatives by Chip Roy, my former chief of staff. The SAVE act requires proof of American citizenship to register to vote. It's common sense legislation. And then actually, President Trump has changed it. And President Trump did two changes. Number one, he wanted to change the name from the SAVE act to the Save America Act. So now the President is calling it the Save America Act. Number two, he wanted to add to it not just proof of citizenship to register to vote, but also a requirement of photo ID to vote. We've done that. I am a sponsor of the Save America Act. I think it makes absolute sense. But the challenge is that the Democrats are dug in and are rabidly opposing it. And under the Senate rules, it takes 60 votes to move forward. And right now, we can anticipate every Senate Democrat voting no. Now, we're gonna break down where public opinion is on this, and then I'm gonna tell you the strategy that I'm urging John Thune and Republican leadership to do to get this done in the Senate. But, but, but first of all, let's just cover where the polling is. I want you to give a listen to, actually, something pretty remarkable. I want you to listen to Chuck Schumer, actually, on Morning Joe, so on msnbc, being questioned about. About just how much support there is for the Save America Act.

[H]

So, Leader Schumer, this talk about election security has revived discussions of the SAVE act, which you have said you oppose. Proponents of it say that it's, you know, to have idea to prove US Citizenship, to be able to vote. Though some of the claims they make, to be clear, are overstated. We know there's not widespread election fraud, but polling does suggest there's a new Pew research poll that 95% of Republicans, but also 71% of Democrats like this idea. So why do you not?

[I]

It's Jim Crow 2.0, and I called it Jim Crow 2.0. And the right wing went nuts all over the Internet. That's because they know it's true. What they're trying to do here is the same thing that was done in the south for decades to prevent people of color from voting. For instance, if you can't, if you change, you're a woman who got married and changed your last name, you Won't be able to show ID and you'll be discriminated against. If you can't find a birth certificate or proper id, you'll be discriminated against. This is vicious and nasty. And I said to our Republican colleagues it will not pass the Senate. You will not get a single Democratic vote in the Senate. We're not reviving Jim Crow all over the country.

[B]

Now Senator, look, I actually believe him. I think it's very clear. He's shot multiple shots, big ones across the bow of every Democrat in the Senate. You are not going to give the Republicans is victory. The part though there that he talks about being Jim Crow, he's not listening to African Americans, this country because more than 70% in a poll that was put out by CNN that they were talking, they were mentioning that same poll there and I want to play it, this was CNN's own words breaking down the support for voter ID based on race. Take a listen to this.

[E]

Take a look here. Favorite photo ID to vote and 85% of white people favor it. 82% of Latino, 76% of black Americans favor it. So the bottom line is this. Voter ID is not controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree with Nicki Minaj that in fact you should have a photo ID to be able to vote.

[B]

So, so you listen to him and again go back to this 78, I'm sorry, excuse, 76% of blacks, 82% of Latino, 85% of white. And that's coming from CNN.

[C]

Senator, look, the American people overwhelmingly support photo ID to vote because it's a common sense step. You have to have a photo ID to drive a car. You have to have a photo ID to get on an airplane. You have to have a photo ID to buy a beer at a bar. You have to have a photo ID to go to the Democrat rated motion. You have to look, they know it. It is popular. And by the way, I will say look, Schumer using the rhetoric about Jim Crow, there is an irony in that. It was his party. It was the Democrats who enacted the Jim Crow laws. It was his party, the Democrats who created the kkk. It was his party, the Democrats that kept the system of segregation in for decades. He uses this rhetoric because the Democrats do not care that Democrats overwhelmingly supported voters. They don't care that African Americans and Hispanics support it. They have a partisan position. They are for voter fraud.

[B]

The Other question I want to ask you is why are Democrats so opposed to it if it's not about cheating? Because if whites are at 85, Latinos 82 and blacks at 76, I'm not sure there's that many subjects in America you could get this type of consensus on, including Republicans and Democrats as identify as Republicans and Democrats also overwhelmingly agree this is a good thing.

[C]

Yeah, look, the American people overwhelmingly support photo ID to vote. The Democrats are not opposing this because their base is telling them to oppose it. As we talked about, 71% of Democrats voters think photo ID to vote is a good idea. They're opposing it for two reasons. Number one, they're opposing it, I believe, because voter fraud is a real and persistent problem. And they count on voter fraud to help them win elections. And so they don't want photo ID because they want cheating. If you look at the Democrats, when they have control over elections, they, they put in place policies that expand voter fraud. And, and, and by the way, look, look, if you're not inclined to believe me, you might say, okay, Cruz, Cruz is being a Republican. Although if you're not inclined to believe me, I am wondering why you're listening to Verdict with Ted Cruz. But set that aside. If you're not inclined to believe me, maybe you would believe Democrat President Jimmy Carter. Because Democrat President Jimmy Carter joined with former Republican Secretary of State James Baker. They chaired what was called the Carter Baker Commission studying voter fraud. They concluded voter fraud is real. It is a problem. It has changed the outcome of elections. And they recommended a series of steps to prevent voter fraud. They recommended, number one, limiting the use of mail mail in ballots because mail in ballots make it easier to cheat. They recommended, number two, requiring photo ID to vote because that makes it harder to cheat. They recommended number three, prohibiting ballot harvesting, prohibiting paid political operatives being able to collect the ballots of others because that invites voter fraud. Well, Ben, do you know what the position is now of Chuck Schumer and every congressional Democrat?

[B]

It is to oppose any type of voter id.

[C]

It's worse than that. They literally went down the recommendations of the Carter Baker Commission on how to stop voter fraud, and they reversed them all. So the Carter Baker Commission said, if you want to stop voter fraud, limit mail in ballots. The Democrat want mail in ballots in every election. The Carter Baker Commission said, require photo id. The Democrats are adamantly opposed to photo ID and the most pernicious ballot harvesting. The Carter Baker Commission said unequivocally, ballot harvesting invites. It encourages voter fraud. What is the position of Democrats they want ballot harvesting. They have made a political decision.

[B]

By the way, explain ballot harvesting to people that don't understand that terminology. It's been used a lot. But what does it mean?

[C]

So let's take a state like California. Ballot harvesting is legal in California. What it means is you could have a paid political operative, someone who works for the Democrats, go to a nursing home. Go to a nursing home and fill out the ballots with the elderly people with them and take their ballots. So, okay, Mr. Jones, who are you going to vote for? Who are you going to vote for? Let's do it together. They take the ballots and you can have one operative collecting hundreds of ballots. Why does that invite fraud? Well, let's say you're sitting there and Mr. Jones votes for Donald Trump. If you're an unscrupulous operative, you know what you do? You take that ballot and throw it in the trash like nobody checks to see if you send them, it's turned in. Yeah. And by the way, if you have, say in nursing homes, people with dementia, people that are not there, if you're sitting there filling out their ballot with them, you can just vote for the Democrat. And so it sets up a way for paid operatives to cheat, and it makes it very easy to cheat. The Democrats have made a political decision. They are for election fraud.

[B]

Go ahead.

[C]

Secondly, though, Chuck Schumer, when he says It's Jim Crow 2.0, I think they view this issue as a way to gin up the extremes in their base and to scare people. Look, Jim Crow 2.0 would be bad. I don't want to see a bunch of racist Democrats putting laws in place that hurt minorities like they did before. And it's all about scary rhetoric. So it's a combination of encouraging fraud and using scary rhetoric. Now here's the question, Ben. How do we get this done if the Democrats are adamantly going to oppose it? And I'll tell you what, I am urging the other Republican senators, what I'm urging our leadership is we should nuke what's called the zombie filibuster. What does that mean? So under the Senate rules, it takes 60 votes to end debate. And it used to be for most of the history of the Senate to do a filibuster, you had to stand up and talk and talk and talk. You remember back in 2013 against Obamacare, I did a 21 hour filibuster and talked for 21 hours straight. That used to be how you had to do it. Now, we don't make the Democrats talk and talk and talk and fill the airspace. We just let them vote. No, no, I, I, I, I'm voting to filibuster. And once I say I'm filibustering, we're done. We can force them, one after the other, to stand up, to stand up, to keep talking, to keep talking, to keep talking and make the filibuster really painful. Now, there, there, there's another side of it, though. The Democrats can keep challenging whether we have a quorum on the Senate floor. What that means is that we've gotta be able to produce 50 bodies. We've gotta have at least 50 Republican senators who can show up on the Senate floor and demonstrate a quorum. So it is painful for both the majority and the minority. And right now it's not clear that we have 50 Republicans who support doing this. I am making the case. This week. I made the case vigorously to my Republican colleagues. Mike Lee is making the case vigorously to our Republican colleagues. Rick Scott is making the case vigorously to our Republican colleagues. But it's not clear if we have 50 or not. If we don't have 50, we can't do it. And so I think we ought to make it incredibly painful for Democrats and do everything we can to try to push them to the point of exhaustion. And if they get to that point, then we can pass the Save America Act.

[B]

Yeah. By the way, I've been saying this on tv. I think it's really important that Republicans explain that we're in favor of this, but we have to have 10 Democrats to get this thing done.

[C]

Seven. Seven.

[B]

Sorry, excuse me. Seven. I should say seven Democrats to get this thing done. And without getting those seven to get us to the perfect number of 60.

[C]

And understand we will get zero. We're not going to get seven. We're not going to get one. Every Democrat will follow Schumer's orders on this.

[B]

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, 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.

[A]

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