We're not WORTHY or READY for Michelle, a Gambling Curveball in Pro Sports & the Ongoing Atrocities against Christians in Nigeria Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Week in Review

Episode: We're not WORTHY or READY for Michelle, a Gambling Curveball in Pro Sports & the Ongoing Atrocities against Christians in Nigeria

Date: November 22, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

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Overview

In this “Week in Review” episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, Senator Cruz and Ben Ferguson tackle three major topics:

1. Michelle Obama’s remarks on the possibility of a female president in the US and her own political intentions
2. The growing scandal of gambling corruption and “prop bet fixing” in professional sports
3. The escalation of Christian persecution in Nigeria, US response, and broader implications

Each segment provides political analysis, cultural commentary, and personal anecdotes, all in the podcast’s signature direct and humorous tone.

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1. Michelle Obama’s Comments: “America’s Not Ready” for a Female President

Key Discussion Points

• Michelle Obama’s Statement: Quoting the former First Lady’s claim that America “ain’t ready” for a woman president, and that she won’t run because “you don’t deserve me.”
  • Notable Quote — Michelle Obama (played in clip) [05:44]:
    • “As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time. You know, we got a lot of growing up to do, and there's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman. And we saw it. What was the question?”
• Cruz and Ferguson’s Reaction:
  • They frame her comment as arrogant and dismissive of voters, suggesting it’s an excuse for political unpopularity rather than a reflection of genuine misogyny.
  • Ted Cruz ridicules the idea that opposition to Democratic policies is about sexism, not performance:
    • [09:06] “Like the absolute condescension — you people are too immature to elect my magnificence.”
  • They joke about the audience’s composition and riff on the “identity politics” of the Democratic Party.
• Political Analysis:
  • Cruz argues that Democrats aren't showing introspection after electoral defeats; instead they blame voters, contrasting this to historical pivots (like the Democrats nominating Bill Clinton after losing in the 1980s).
  • They revisit a Verdict prediction from a year before: that Biden would not end up the Democratic nominee (and claim they were mocked but proven right).
  • [07:27] “It’s just arrogance… If Michelle Obama had wanted it, she would have been the nominee. Had she wanted to do it, they would have handed it to her instead of Kamala Harris.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ted Cruz [09:06]:
  • “The dripping arrogance of her. You know, you listen to her comments. The American people have a lot of growing up to do.”
• Ben Ferguson [06:21]:
  • “The room goes wild with women. It was clearly a female audience that she's talking with there.”
• Ted Cruz (on Democrats’ post-loss thinking) [11:50]:
  • “Whoever the Democrat nominee is in 28, please make Michelle Obama your spokesperson because we really need her lecturing the American people how much the voters suck. Because you know that historically has proved such an effective way to campaign.”

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2. Rising Scandal: Prop Bet Fixing & Gambling in Pro Sports

Starts [16:55]

Key Discussion Points

• Overview of “Prop Bet” Scandal:
  • Multiple pro athletes (especially in MLB and NBA) are implicated in manipulating aspects of a game (not just win/lose outcomes) to benefit bets placed (“prop bets”) by themselves or others.
  • Verdict highlights player control in these instances — like pitching a ball on command — and how this makes the system easily corruptible.
• Specific Example:
  • Cruz reads from his Senate oversight letter to Major League Baseball, citing the indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Claes and Luis Ortiz for rigging their own stats.
    • Cruz letter excerpt [20:31]:
      • “Recent indictment alleges Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Claes and Luis Ortiz purposely threw certain pitches for balls or strikes. Both players allegedly told friends of their plan and to place prop bets beforehand. Claes...made some bets himself. Perhaps most shockingly, this scheme lasted more than two years before Major League Baseball found out.”
    • Notable: Friends won $27,000 in one game; over $400,000 total across years.
• Cultural Impact:
  • They note a statistical increase in “anomalies” (e.g., wild pitches) since prop betting became widely legal, reinforcing concerns about the integrity of sports.
• Leagues’ Response, Oversight, and Next Steps:
  • Cruz, as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is investigating and seeking answers from professional leagues.
  • Ferguson voices skepticism that leagues will police themselves effectively, suggesting outside intervention might be needed, especially to protect college sports.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Cruz [24:40]:
  • “Negative Prop bets are 100% within the control of an individual player.”
• Ferguson [23:39]:
  • “That's a lot of money, folks. And that's just one example that got busted. You got to wonder how many others were out there, right?”
• Cruz [30:43]:
  • “On the question of gambling...you got pro sports, but I'm also concerned about college sports. With such a proliferation, you know, a small school with a game that's not in the headlines and an individual player there...you may have a chance to make ten grand fixing the game. That is a real challenge.”

Memorable Moments

• Playful banter about March Madness charity brackets and college football rivalries highlights the show’s relaxed, sports-fan tone.
• Ferguson notes how even pro athletes suspect “something’s off” in the games, reinforcing the theme that the problem is hiding in plain sight.

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3. Christian Persecution in Nigeria: America’s Role and Responsibility

Starts [36:54]

Key Discussion Points

• Crisis Overview:
  • Nigeria is now the deadliest country for Christians worldwide; since 2009, over 50,000 Christians have been murdered.
  • Over 20,000 churches and schools have been destroyed.
• Role of Radical Islamic Terrorist Groups:
  • Boko Haram, an extremist group in Nigeria, is named as the main perpetrator.
  • The complicity and complacency of Nigerian government officials is heavily criticized.
• Senator Cruz’s Advocacy:
  • Cruz discusses his legislative efforts to have the US designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern” and to apply sanctions to specific Nigerian officials responsible or complicit in persecution.
  • References President Trump’s previous steps and statements on the issue.
• Contrast with Media Attitudes:
  • Critique of American media and political figures (including direct criticism of Tucker Carlson) for downplaying or denying religious persecution in Nigeria.
  • Cruz shares personal story of advocacy for Miriam Ibrahim, a Christian sentenced to death in Sudan, to underscore his record.
• Broader Theme:
  • The conversation ties the issue to the general principle of standing up for persecuted Jews, Christians, or others—and the dangers of ideological blinders or antisemitism.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Senator Cruz [39:08]:
  • “There is no country on planet earth where more Christians have been murdered in the last 20 years than Nigeria. Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been murdered in the country of Nigeria.”
• Ted Cruz on extremists: [38:05]
  • “Radical Islamic terrorists, they hate Christians and they hate Jews and they have murdered vast numbers of Christians. They have murdered vast number of Jews. They continue to do so and they Also murder a significant number of Muslims.”
• On American responsibility:
  • “I think we should defend Christians when they're being persecuted. I think we should defend Jews when they're being persecuted. I think we should stand up and make a difference...it does mean we use our voice as a voice to stand up for those.” [46:02]

Notable Exchange about Tucker Carlson

• Cruz [44:04]:
  • “I understand that Tucker's told the world there's no one he hates more than Christian Zionist, and he singled out me and Mike Huckabee as the people he hates the most in the world. But that's truly a bizarre claim...I've literally spent 13 years doing that [defending persecuted Christians].”
• Cruz recounts story of Miriam Ibrahim:
  • “I actually got to meet Miriam Ibrahim when she came to Washington ... When you were in that prison cell ... how did you not give up hope? And she looked at me with a peace that I'll never forget, and she just said, Jesus was with me.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Michelle Obama & the Woman President Debate:
  • 03:23 – 11:50
• Prop Bet Corruption in Pro Sports:
  • 16:55 – 31:51
• Christian Persecution in Nigeria:
  • 36:54 – 47:28

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Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• [05:44] Michelle Obama (clip): “We ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman.”
• [09:06] Ted Cruz: “Like the absolute condescension — you people are too immature to elect my magnificence.”
• [23:39] Ben Ferguson: “That's a lot of money, folks. And that's just one example that got busted. You got to wonder how many others were out there, right?”
• [39:08] Ted Cruz: “Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been murdered in the country of Nigeria.”
• [46:02] Ted Cruz: “I think we should defend Christians when they're being persecuted. I think we should defend Jews when they're being persecuted. I think we should stand up and make a difference.”

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Episode Takeaways

• Political Analysis with Signature Sass: The hosts dissect political news with sharp conservative critique, skepticism toward Democratic narratives, and humor.
• Senate Oversight in Action: Cruz’s role as an investigator into pro sports corruption highlights the political and legal ramifications of a growing scandal.
• Advocacy for the Persecuted: The episode makes a passionate case for shining light on “unreported” crises, especially Christian persecution abroad.
• Podcasts as Community: Regular callbacks to prior predictions and a bantering, fan-centric sports segment create a sense of in-group camaraderie for the Verdict audience.

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This summary includes all major issues and stand-out moments, preserving the episode’s direct, irreverent, and advocacy-minded tone.

Transcript

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[Rodney Williams]

Travis I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

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[Rodney Williams]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

A cycle and that we might have.

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To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

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[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money, it's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

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Listen to the Wealthbreak podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are the big stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, Michelle Obama going scorched earth on Americans. She says it's your fault that a woman hasn't become president. And that also means she's not going to grace you as a candidate because you don't deserve her. We'll have that in a moment. Also, there is a big gambling issue that has come to light with game fixing or prop bet fixing in major sports. So now what does it mean for Congress getting involved? We'll have that for you as well. And finally, Christian persecution, Nigeria. It is a real problem and it's time that we all sound the alarm and we'll let you know what you can do to get involved. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. Yeah. And if you think that, by the way, they're the only ones that are discontent right now, you would be wrong. Let's move to Michelle Obama. She has come out and basically said, I will not grace you with my presence as a president of the United States of America. You don't deserve me because there's too many misogynists out there and I'm not going to give you my candidacy.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. She was asked whether or not she would run for president. Her response was, as we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not. And she says, you know, we've got a lot of growing up to do and there's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman. And we saw it. What utter and complete nonsense. By the way, Joe Biden was getting his ass kicked Now, I understand the Democrats can't tell the difference between a man and a woman. So maybe Michelle Obama is right, thinks that Joe Biden is a woman. But, but Trump was winning when Biden was the nominee, Trump was winning when Michelle Obama was the nominee, Trump was winning. A, because the Biden Harris Democrat agenda was a train wreck that hurt the American people, and B, because the American people wanted President Trump back in the Oval Office. Here, I want you to give a listen to exactly what Michelle Obama said. Give a listen. Do you think that that impacts the.

[Commercial Announcer]

Room that we've made for a woman to be president?

[Amazon Improv Podcaster]

Well, as we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time. You know, we got a lot of growing up to do, and there's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman. And we saw it. What was the question?

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Mm.

[Commercial Announcer]

We don't need to ask it again. You answered it.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, you listen to that. And the room goes wild with women. It was clearly a female audience that she's talking with there.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was also, it was also effeminate man. Don't, don't, don't forget.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, that's true. We can't assume.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I mean, this is, this is the Democrat Party. Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

We can't assume from the high pitchedness of the screams in the room that it was actually when it could women, it could be people that identify as a woman. That's true. Valid point. I apologize.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

When you have a male who's taking estrogen and like, wearing a tight strap to, like tuck in, they have pretty high squeals.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, you know, they shop. Hey, during the holidays they can shop at Target. Get those tucking swimsuits for them. Right. And half them used to work at the White House anyway, so there's always that as well. When I heard that, when I heard that, I laughed because I thought it was so funny. One, I don't think there's a bunch of people that are wanting her to run right now for president. Her best shot at it would have been a coronation like we had with, with, with Kamala Harris. That obviously didn't happen. But she's like, you basically don't deserve me. That is the weirdest Jedi mind trick political thing I've ever seen.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, look, it's just arrogance and you're right. Had she wanted to do it, they would have handed it to her instead of Kamala Harris. And you and I talked about this a lot on this podcast, by the way. This podcast predicted more than a year before the Democrat Party pulled the rug out from under Joe Biden. We predicted on Verdict. Regular listens of Verdict. No, we regularly make predictions. We make predictions that, frankly, are risky, that are out there. And the overwhelming majority of the predictions we make on this podcast have come true. When you and I said a year before Joe Biden was yanked unceremoniously off the ticket, that Biden would be pulled off the ticket, you and I. And by that, I mainly mean me. I was mocked mercilessly.

[Ben Ferguson]

Hold on. I agreed with you at the time. Give me a little bit there. Come on.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

No, no, you did agree with me, but they didn't make fun of you. The press went after me and says Cruz is a moon bat numbskull. I think they kind of bake into the cake that you're a moon bat numbskull.

[Ben Ferguson]

I do host the show with you, so there's that. Right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's guilt by association. Sorry about that. But, like, literally, the corporate media went crazy. They had episodes mocking me. What a crazy thing for Cruz to say. Biden's not gonna be the nominee. Obviously, anyone with any sense at all knows he's gonna be the nominee. Well, we were right. And if Michelle Obama had wanted it, she would have been the nominee. Last time we predicted that as well. She didn't want it, but I. The dripping arrogance of her. You know, you listen to her comments. The American people have a lot of growing up to do.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, like.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like the absolute condescension you people are too immature to elect my magnificence. Why? Not because my ideas are terrible. Not because the Democrat ideas are horrible and have resulted in open borders, have resulted in people being murdered and women being raped and children being assaulted. Not because we had rampant inflation. Not because Joe Biden and the Democrats caused war all over the earth, turned peace and prosperity into a war in Ukraine and October 7th in a war in Gaza, you know, not because every single thing we touch, touched, turn to absolute garbage. No, no, no, no. That's not the reason Kamala Harris lost resoundingly. The reason, according to the leftist ideology, is you all are bigots and you're racist and you're sexist, and that's the only possible reason. And I gotta say that contemptuous condescension is one of the worst characteristics of the Democrat Party today. But it also does indicate this is not a party that is reassessing. You know, normally when you lose an election and you lose an election badly, at least some people with sense in the party go, huh, Wonder why the voters rejected what we said. Maybe we should change. You know, you think Back to In 1980, Reagan was elected. In 84, Reagan was reelected, won 49 out of 50 states, came within a few thousand votes of winning every single state in the union. Reagan won California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, every state but Minnesota. 1988, George Herbert Walker Bush was elected. And after losing three consecutive presidential races, Democrats said, huh, maybe nominating Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis was a bad idea. Maybe crazy left wing loons do not command a majority in America. And what did they do? They pivoted. They moved dramatically towards the center and they nominated what was then a moderate to conservative Democrat, the governor of Arkansas named Bill Clinton. And Bill Clinton won two consecutive elections because they shifted. You know what? I don't see any Democrats doing that right now. I don't see them looking and saying, why did we get clobbered? Why did did Trump win all seven of the swing states? I don't see Democrats saying that at all. And Michelle Obama saying, you people are a bunch of bigots and sexists and you just need to grow up. You know what I'm saying? Whoever the Democrat nominee is in 28, please make Michelle Obama your spokesperson because we really need her lecturing the American people how much the voters suck. Because you know that historically has proved such an effective way to campaign.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

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[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

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[Ben Ferguson]

Now on to story number two. I wanna move to another issue, and that is sports. Gambling. This is a issue I've genuinely, this is like my tmz, my soap opera. I, I'm loving watching the, the, the corruption slowly unfold before our very eyes. I say that because I'm a sports fan. You are as well. We've gone to games together, we've gone to playoff games and you've, I've noticed and I've got friends that are, that literally play pro sports and they will watch games and they'll text. Like that's not normal. That was weird. The end of that game was strange. Look at the cut, look at the point spread. What the game, what the gambling line was here. Look at the over under. I mean, I have friends in these sports and they're like, they even are like, this is a red flag. Like, this doesn't make sense. What just happened the last two minutes of the game or the last four minutes of that game and now we're finding out we weren't crazy. There's a lot of fixing that's going on now. It may not be fixing the outcome of the winner and the loser. And that's what people need to understand the caveat here. A lot of times this is like total number of points that are going to be scored.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yep.

[Ben Ferguson]

The margin between the two teams, how much will want to win by losing. It can even be as simple as a certain player not hitting what they were projected in points or three pointers. Or even free throws. And you see these. These anomalies or weird things that happen with an individual player or faking an injury. So if they make sure they don't finish the game. This was happening in a widespread way among sports, and there were people that were literally getting rich off it. It's called fixing. It may not be fixing the game as in a score. It's fixing aspects of the game that you can bet on.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, look, you and I are both big sports fans. Sports is an amazing thing. It brings people together. It gives you something to cheer for. It's powerful. It can unify.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it's so fun.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But, you know, look, unfortunately, as long as there's been sports, there's been some risk of corruption in sports. And I gotta say, the prolifera of betting on sports has increased that risk. And it's not just betting. It's one thing to bet that your team's going to win or lose. Presumably, if you're betting particularly that your team will win, the incentives are aligned that all the members of the team want to win. But you now have these prop bets where you can bet on all sorts of different aspects of the game. And that I think, significantly increases the risk of corruption because a prop bet, an individual player can have really significant impact on the outcome of that bet. And so we've seen there's an ongoing criminal investigation involving the NBA involving coaches and players fixing games and Major League Baseball as well. And so I'm chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Part of the jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee is sports, both college sports and pro sports. And so I've launched an oversight investigation into the problem of corruption and the impact of prop bets in particular on sports. And so I want to read to you a portion of. I sent a letter to Major League Baseball and let me just read you a portion of it because the facts are really concerning. Here's what my letter said. Dear Mr. Manfred, game fixing allegations are not new to baseball. 105 years ago, a Chicago grand jury indicted eight Chicago White Sox players for allegedly rigging the 1919 World Series, labeled the Chicago Black Sox in the press. The players were eventually acquitted by a Chicago jury, even though some had earlier confessed, and all eight were banned from baseball for life. Major League Baseball and American sports generally are facing a new integrity crisis. Last week, prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed an indictment against two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, accusing them of rigging their own pitches to make a profit. That indictment comes just a few weeks after prosecutors leveled similar allegations against coaches and players in the NBA, ranking member Cantwell and I sent a letter to the NBA requesting documents and information about that matter. And we now seek information from Major League Baseball about how the league is addressing alleged game manipulation and threats to baseball's integrity. The recent indictment alleges Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Claes and Luis Ortiz purposely threw certain pitches for balls or strikes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Both players allegedly told friends of their plan and to place prop bets beforehand. Claes allegedly even made some bets himself. Perhaps most shockingly, this scheme lasted more than two years before Major League Baseball found out. On May 19, 2023, Claes, pitching in relief against the New York Mets, allegedly informed friends he would throw a pitch faster than 94.95 miles per hour. He did, and his accomplices won $27,000.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, can you just hit pause there for a second? This letter so people understand this is like making a mockery of the game, but it's also just fixing the game where you're like, hey, I'm going to perform differently so that my friends can get hooked up and make $27,000 there. It went on for years. And it's not like this was like one person. I actually believe this is probably a lot more widespread than we are being told. And part of that is I think that Major League Baseball and others are going to cover their AWS's. They want to make sure that we don't realize just how bad it actually was or is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well. And with individual players and prop bets, they have almost total control over the outcome of that bet.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so, look, the $27,000 is not the worst part. Let me give you a few more of the facts from the letter. Claes would go on to blow a save opportunity as The Guardians lost 10 to 9 in extra innings in June 2023, Claes flung a pitch into the dirt in two separate games, well short of the strike zone. While Cleveland fans were shouting in frustration, Claes was apparently cashing in. In both games, he allegedly sent texts notifying his friends that he would throw balls. They placed prop bets on his pitches, winning a combined $96,000.

[Ben Ferguson]

Unbelievable.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Across other games from 2023 to 2025, Clays and his accomplices are accused of winning at least $400,000 through fraudulent bets.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, that's a lot of money, folks. And that's just one example that got busted. You got to wonder how many others were out there, right? I mean, we've seen what's interesting. I was reading a article the other day. It was talking about there's been an uptick in wild pitches.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

Because you can bet on that. And there's the. They're just saying there is, there is certain data that is significantly changed since prop betting got introduced nationwide, basically, you know, where everybody can bet on these things and has grown. And it's like that didn't happen for 50 years of baseball before we have data, or 30 years in football of data or whatever it may be. And then all of a sudden they're like, wow, this is happening a lot more often. This is weird that they would get worse at these anomalies when technology and, and cameras and coaching has gotten so much better. You think that would actually reduce the number of these unique moments that happen in sports? And now we're finding out. Yeah, it may not be unique at all.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and negative Prop bets are 100% within the control of an individual player. So if you think about it, if you, you or I were a major league pitcher, we may not be able to win a bet that my next pitch will be a strike. Because you might try to throw a strike and fail. I, I could not throw a major league strike. But you know what? You and I could win a bet on that my next pitch will be a ball. Because as much like I suck at baseball, but yet I can throw the ball into the dirt. I'm quite confident I can pitch a ball. I could pitch a ball 100% of the time with no deviation. And some of the times, and in this instance, you know, someone who's good at cheating would not pound it into the dirt. They would just be a little bit outside the strike zone. So you couldn't tell. It looks really obvious when you don't even make it to home plate. But that problem, look, you, you were a Division 1 tennis player. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they didn't have problems.

[Ben Ferguson]

I could double fault on command. I could hit a ball long on command 100 of the time on command. I could whiff at a ball if that was a prop bet and make money off of it. Yes, all of those things you can. A hundred percent.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

By the way, I want our listeners to know if you also get in Ben's head and screw with him, you can make him double fault even when he doesn't want to. But that's a totally different. He's an infinitely better tennis player than I am, but I do have a little bit of ability to taunt him. And if he gets pissed enough that can happen.

[Ben Ferguson]

Either that or you're going to get hit with the ball. It's one of the two. One of the two is going to happen. One of the two. And that would be a great prop bet, by the way.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Okay, there is that. Although the sad thing is when Ben and I play tennis, we usually play together. So if he's hitting me with the ball, he's really doing it wrong. Because it's one thing to hit your opponent. If you're hitting your teammate, good God, you're doing it.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's only when you get laxadaisical can you become a target. It's just motivation. It's just a straight up motivation. There final question on this. I've seen a lot of people in sports journalists say, how do you fix this if it's not saying no more prop bets, right? You have normal gambling on games. Like, I don't know if you can even fix this. Is that far out of control? And is it the job of major league sports to police their own or can they be trusted?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, I think there need to be some steps taken to fix this. I'm not sure exactly what those steps are. And so I'm starting with sending letters to the NBA and Major League Baseball because you've got scandals in both sports. And listen, as you know, I'm a die hard Rockets fan. I'm a die hard Astros fan. By the way, did you happen to see the Rockets last victory against Orlando?

[Ben Ferguson]

No, I did not. Was it, was it a beat down?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, no, no. It was an overtime victory. It was spectacular. Look, the Rockets actually were trailing almost the entire regular season. And I DVR every Rockets game. And so I watch this. I actually watch.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, by the way, you haven't mentioned my almost Rebels in a few weeks. And I just want everybody to know that's because we're winning. And winning. We're now, what is it, 10 and 1? I think that's right. Just want to throw that out there. Beat the Gators just now. Back to your Rockets. But when, when my team loses one game this year, there's two shows in a row that it was brought up. The other 10 weeks, not a peep out of you. I just want to be clear about that record. Keep going.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, I got to say, as a Texan beating the Gators, I'm kind of like, that's, that's, that's interesting. That's one of my favorite images. When, when Florida played A and M, I tweeted out there was a giant barbecue truck in College station that had, I think five, seven foot gators on a rotisserie rotating around, being cooked. So. Yeah, so, okay, fine. I'm glad, you know, you guys beat the Gators. That's fine.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you. Thank you for that moral support there. I felt that, I felt that tonight.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm just saying the Rockets win against Orlando was really sweet because we were not playing great during the whole of the game. And then it was this huge comeback and, and kd, I, I'm going to say right now, I think the Rockets can win the whole damn thing. I mean, we really.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, that's an early season prediction right there.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Now, look, most seasons I think the Rockets can win it all. But, but listen, last season, the way.

[Ben Ferguson]

You just said it with me, with me, like there's, there's hoping and then there's like the real possibility. So you think they're the real deal this year?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I really do. They get a ton of young talent. They're really good. Our problem last season is we didn't have a closer. We didn't have someone who in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, you could give the ball to and he could bring it home. And Katie, I mean, look, he's one of the greatest players in history. And in the game against Orlando, I mean, it was. You want to talk about cold, he hit two three pointers that were just devastating. And you had Chengun, who's a great center, who played a great game as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

But did you have a problem on that overtime? By the way, I'm just curious because you're really into this right now.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I didn't. I just had great joy. And as I said, I dvr the games and I watch them typically late at night at the end of the day. But anyway, my point is, it's one thing, and I will say I like to play poker, but I've never been into sports betting. So among vices, that is not one that has impacted me. But I get, you know, I'll put five bucks in a March Madness pool, and I gotta say, my picks are almost always wrong. So I don't know that I've ever won a March Madness pool, but I'll throw away my five bucks. You're.

[Ben Ferguson]

What we refer to is a charity bracket and we appreciate your. Your service to the charity community.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Okay, so I actually, I just pick a homer thing. I pick Texas teams, I take teams I like and I'm just like, I'm going to go with. I think my final four year or two ago was, I think three Texas teams in the Final Four.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, that didn't work out too well for you, I'm not going to lie. Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Excuse me, did Ole Miss win, Win the tournament?

[Ben Ferguson]

We, we do football very well, sir. We do football very well. We win Natties. And golf, baseball and tennis. I'm just, yeah, I know where I am. I know where we live. Basketball's not there yet. I'm okay with that. But I don't pick them to go to the Final Four. That I can promise you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, so look, on the question of gambling and by the way, you got pro sports, but I'm also concerned about college sports. And in many ways with such a proliferation, you know, you look at a small school with, with a game that's not in the headlines and an individual player there, you know, you may have, it's one thing for, you know, am I that worried about massive superstars making millions or tens of millions of dollars of being corrupted? Well, yes, because we're seeing this in the NBA and Major League Baseball. But the incentive is less than some, you know, 19 year old kid playing at podunk school who has a chance to make ten grand fixing the game. And so I think that is a real challenge. I think the leagues can maybe take some steps about it. But it would not surprise me to see Congress act. And it's one of the reasons, I'm just trying to start with saying, okay, tell me the facts of how many allegations you're getting of cheating. What are the facts? Tell me what you know, Tell me what you know. And then particularly the more serious the problem is, my hope is we may see Congress act in a bipartisan way.

[Ben Ferguson]

To fix it 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.

[Improv Co-Host]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Amazon Improv Podcaster]

Amazon five Star Theater presents real customer reviews performed by a real serious improv podcaster. Tonight's review Spatula for the Stars When I'm dead and civilization eventually collapses, this spatula will remain. It will be the only rune uncovered by some unknown species of the future upon which they base their assumptions of our existence.

[Improv Co-Host]

Eggs they will posit these extinct people like to eat their eggs scrambled, omeletted and fried. They love to eat eggs, and this was their primary tool for cooking them. Now come, let us teleport to the Intergalactic Museum and put this device in the Milky Way exhibit.

[Amazon Improv Podcaster]

5 stars Zachary thank you for listening to Amazon 5 star theater. A spatula of such enduring majesty. Truly the perfect gift for my co hosts. May they wield it nobly in the Breakfast Wars. To come find your perfect gift this holiday on Amazon.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

That's exactly why we created the Wealth Break. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and real wins.

[Rodney Williams]

We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business. We're bringing you their stories.

[Travis Holloway]

And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same.

[Rodney Williams]

So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. Senator, one of the reasons why you do this show and why I love co hosting it with you is we get to talk about issues that are not getting the attention they deserve. One of those right now is the persecution of Christians and Nigeria. It is shocking what is happening there. And I just came back from Israel, we haven't got to talk about that as much as we thought because the government shutdown and we're going to get to that. But one of the things that you see when you see that people are under attack because their faith, and I witnessed it going into the kibbutz, into the, into the homes of those that were killed, including that nine month old child. When I met with the parents who lost their loved ones on that soccer field as their kids were just playing soccer. When I went to the north and I, and I saw the homes that were destroyed and met with people whose lives were destroyed by Hamas there. And you, you witness this type of persecution and death and destruction and went to the site where the music festival was and watched people die just because they were Jews. It makes me angry to now see what's happening in Nigeria. You're shining a light on that. The White House is doing that as well. And the American people need to know what's going on.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, listen. Radical Islamic terrorists, they hate Christians and they hate Jews and they have murdered vast numbers of Christians. They have murdered vast number of Jews. They continue to do so and they Also murder a significant number of Muslims, radical Islamic terrorists. If you don't embrace their radical jihadist view, their ideology justifies violence or even murder to force you to submit. And the 13 years I've been in the Senate, I've spent a lot of time fighting for persecuted Christians, fighting for persecuted Christians all across the globe, especially those being persecuted by radical Islamic terrorists. Boko Haram, that is in Nigeria, is a vicious radical Islamic terrorist group. And if you look at, there is no country on planet earth where more Christians have been murdered in the last 20 years than Nigeria. Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been murdered in the country of Nigeria.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, literally, these Christians are being hunted down.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, they absolutely are. Over 20,000 Christian churches and schools have been burned to the ground or otherwise destroyed. I mean, this has been mass murder, and it is horrific. And so I filed legislation in the Senate to direct the administration to designate Nigeria a country of particular concern and to impose in particular sanctions on the government officials, because there are many government officials who are acquiescing in this mass murder against Christians. And so my legislation would impose sanctions on particular government officials. There are 12 states in the north where Sharia laws or blasphemy laws are enforced. There's also federal Sharia and blasphemy laws that are enforced. And the government officials use those laws to discriminate against and to persecute Christians. In some instances, they simply just turn a blind eye as Boko Haram and other radical Islamic terrorists murder Christians. In other instances, they actually use the law to, to, to facilitate the persecution. But after I filed the legislation and, and, and I began pressing the administration to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern. President Trump did so, and he, and he sent. Sent out a tweet. Here's what his tweet says. It says, Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern. But that is the least of it. When Christians or any such group is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria, 3100 versus 4476 worldwide. Something must be done. I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population around the world. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States that was exactly the right thing to do. I saw President Trump shortly after he issued, issued that designation, and I thanked him. I said, it really makes a difference. It's the right thing to do. He was happy to do it. And I'll tell you, the government of Nigeria is deeply dismayed. And their response, their main defense, they say, well, they argue it's not a genocide. And what they say is, well, yes, 50,000 Christians have been killed, but you know what? Boko Haram has also killed Muslims, so it's all fine. Well, it is true they have killed Muslims. Nobody's disputing that. They've killed Muslims as well. But, but radical Islamic terrorists target Christians in particular for persecution, and the government is complicit in that persecution. That's what this is designed to address. And, and you know, I gotta say, you and I have talked about before that those who hate Jews hate Christians, and those who hate Israel hate America. That is true. We've also talked about rising antisemitism, and we've talked quite a bit about Tucker Carlson, because I think Tucker has unfortunately gone down a very, very dark path. A path where he brings on Hitler praising nut jobs onto his show over and over and over again, but it also results. Not only does he attack Israel at almost every show he does, uh, but. But when you go on the path of, of hating Israel and blaming everything on the Jews, that often that same dark path leads you to embrace the enemies of America. So Tucker has said we should apply apologize to the family of Osama bin Laden. No, no, we should not. Uh, Tucker has said he doesn't know that Hamas is a terrorist organization. They might just be a political group. I'm sorry, but when you murder 1200 innocent civilians and rape women and children, you are most definitely a terrorist group. And Hamas has killed a great many Americans. But it really was striking. Just recently, Tucker did a show where he talked about Nigerians and he disputed that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted. I want you to give a listen. Because he took the chance to basically defend Boko Haram. Give a listen.

[Travis Holloway]

But he's all of a sudden kind of out of nowhere, deeply concerned about.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The plague of Christians in Nigeria, which.

[Travis Holloway]

I want to restate. Maybe it's only about concern, I don't know.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But that's weird.

[Travis Holloway]

What is? That all of a sudden everybody's concerned about people who clearly have no track record being interested in Christians at all, including Ted Cruz. What. What is going on?

[Ben Ferguson]

That, to me, was pretty unhinged, Senator.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, I, I gotta say, I. Listen, I, I understand that Tucker's told the world there's no one he hates more than Christian Zionist, and he singled out me and Mike Huckabee as the people he hates the most in the world. But that's truly a bizarre claim, what he says there, which is that I have no interest in defending persecuted Christians. I've literally spent 13 years doing that. You know, I might ask Tucker, does he have any idea who Miriam Ibrahim is? And I suspect he doesn't. So Miriam Ibrahim was a Christian woman in Sudan, and she was imprisoned, and she was sentenced to receive 100 lashes and then to hang by the neck until dead for the crime of being a Christian. And this was during Barack Obama's presidency. This was early in my time in the Senate, and I spoke out vocally for Miriam Ibrahim, and she had two little kids. She had a son named Martin, and she actually gave birth to a daughter, Maya, while she was in leg irons. And I'll tell you, I repeatedly practically begged the Obama administration for President Obama to just say her name. He would not do it. He never once said her name. I went to the Senate floor, I gave floor speeches, I shined a light, and globally, many. The Pope got involved, shining a light defending her. And the pressure became so great, Sudan released her. And Ben, I'll tell you, it's an amazing thing. I actually got to meet Miriam Ibrahim when she came to Washington, and I asked her, she was a little bitty woman. She's not very, very tall, maybe 5:1, and she couldn't have weighed more than 100 pounds. And I asked her, I said, miriam, tell me, when you were in that prison cell and your babies are in front of you and you've been sentenced to die for your faith, how did you not give up hope? And she looked at me with a peace that I'll never forget, and she just said, jesus was with me. And I mean, it was powerful.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's incredible.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But. But. But it. I think this illustrates how antisemitism is a poison that ends up poisoning every other view. So now Tucker is running around defending Hamas, defending Boko Haram, saying, well, I don't know that Nigerians or Christians are being killed in Nigeria, and why does anyone care about that? And apparently Tucker is only interested in atrocities if he can blame them on Israel. And since it's not Israel that's killing Christians in Nigeria, it's not a concern for him. Look, I think we should defend Christians when they're being persecuted. I think we should defend Jews when they're being persecuted. I think we should stand up and make a difference. Now, that doesn't mean that we invade every country in which there's injustice, but it does mean we use our voice as a voice to stand up for those. And look, as you know, my dad was imprisoned and tortured in Cuba. And so I have a particular heart for people who are unjustly detained and have spent a long time highlighting and doing everything we can to get people out of unjust detentions, whether in Sudan or China or Lebanon or anywhere. And I'm very glad President Trump is standing up for the Christians in Nigeria.

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again, the Ben Ferguson Podcast. And we will see you back here on Monday morning.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Shh.

[Improv Co-Host]

You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs.

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[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Amazon Improv Podcaster]

I feel like sometimes being broke is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A cycle and that we might have.

[Travis Holloway]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Commercial Announcer]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Commercial Announcer]

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