Verdict with Ted Cruz - Bonus： Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Nov 11 2025

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.400 Guaranteed human.

00:00:04.820 Welcome in.

00:00:06.160 Happy and thankful Veterans Day to so many people out there as we begin the Tuesday edition

00:00:12.740 of the program.

00:00:14.560 President Trump live at Arlington National Cemetery right now speaking in honor of so

00:00:21.740 many of the veterans out there.

00:00:23.560 We have a couple of veterans that are going to be on the program with us today.

00:00:27.260 David Rutherford, who is a part of the podcast network, and Dakota Meyer should be really

00:00:34.780 great stories from those guys.

00:00:37.220 Dave Rutherford, a former Navy SEAL with Combat Tours, and Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient.

00:00:43.860 So yeah, Veterans Day.

00:00:45.840 Yeah, kind of badasses.

00:00:48.660 So we will talk about that quite a lot.

00:00:52.380 We'll take some of your calls, some of your stories as well.

00:00:55.620 The shutdown is officially over, Buck.

00:00:59.880 To the extent that, well, I say officially over.

00:01:03.160 We've got to have the House also ratify the fact that the shutdown is over.

00:01:07.700 But officially, the Senate yesterday, 60 senators said this is ludicrous, including eight different

00:01:15.120 Democrats.

00:01:16.300 And the meltdown is pretty fun to watch.

00:01:18.940 We will dive into that meltdown with all of you, as Chuck Schumer is now taking fire in

00:01:26.680 basically every direction, because so many people are asking what was actually achieved

00:01:31.200 here and what was the decision that was made.

00:01:34.320 The House is going to vote to lift the shutdown as well.

00:01:38.400 Buck, we had last night, I was one of the guests at a big fundraiser for Senator Hagerty, who's

00:01:47.640 going to be reelected to the Senate next year from Tennessee.

00:01:51.740 And he wasn't able to attend his own fundraiser because he was back in Washington, D.C., getting

00:01:59.300 the government back open on the side of the Senate.

00:02:03.100 So thanks to the governor of Tennessee for hosting that fundraising event that we had

00:02:08.940 yesterday.

00:02:09.600 But kind of giving you a sense of what's going on.

00:02:12.840 Basically, every senator had to be all hands on deck to get to 60 so that they could officially

00:02:18.680 end the shutdown, including eight Democrats.

00:02:21.480 The House, my understanding, is going to vote tomorrow to lift the shutdown.

00:02:26.120 And hopefully at that point in time, some of the chaos that we're seeing with air traffic

00:02:31.340 control, with TSA, with many different aspects of the federal government will go to be tossed

00:02:38.420 to the side.

00:02:39.180 But again, there is no actual resolution here that made any sense at all.

00:02:45.720 We had the longest shutdown in our nation's history, 40 days, and the actual impact buck was

00:02:51.960 negligible.

00:02:52.920 Nothing changed at all.

00:02:54.340 So let's go and have some fun, actually, on this Veterans Day.

00:03:00.400 I was scrolling through and our team did a good job of getting some of the reactions that

00:03:05.560 are pouring in on the Democrats' side as they are absolutely furious over Chuck Schumer and

00:03:14.620 the Democrats bending the knee.

00:03:16.820 And I grabbed several of these.

00:03:18.760 First of all, David Axelrod, what is the most lasting impact going to be from the shutdown?

00:03:24.720 Buck, I think it's very likely going to be that Chuck Schumer is, in many ways, essentially

00:03:30.680 done as the minority leader in the Senate.

00:03:34.360 And David Axelrod said as much.

00:03:36.700 He's likely cooked as the Democrat leader.

00:03:39.620 This is cut five.

00:03:40.600 David Axelrod, do you think Schumer could be in trouble here with the left flank of the

00:03:44.300 party?

00:03:44.520 I think he's been in trouble.

00:03:48.080 I think he is in bigger trouble now.

00:03:51.580 I honestly, I think Senator Schumer's been there since 1982.

00:03:55.740 My guess is that he won't be leader of the party in 2027 after this election, unless something

00:04:05.400 really surprising happens.

00:04:06.540 You don't buy it, Buck?

00:04:08.920 You think he's going to be back?

00:04:09.920 Or you just don't think they have anybody else that wants to step into the fray and actually

00:04:14.140 take the slings and arrows?

00:04:15.680 This is the game.

00:04:17.980 Come on.

00:04:18.720 How many times?

00:04:19.660 I'll put it to you this way.

00:04:21.040 One of the ways that I think you can often objectively assess the other side is looking

00:04:26.140 at a similar dynamic on your own side.

00:04:28.200 How many years have we all sat around on the right as Republicans been like, Mitch McConnell's

00:04:34.640 a rhino.

00:04:35.840 Mitch McConnell is, you know, he doesn't represent.

00:04:38.680 And yet Mitch McConnell's got the checkbook.

00:04:41.480 He's got the donor network.

00:04:43.280 He's got the power.

00:04:44.460 And everybody falls in line.

00:04:46.100 Now, that is changing.

00:04:47.560 But it's changing because Mitch is basically not, you know, he's non-functional at this

00:04:52.080 point.

00:04:52.260 It's just pure age.

00:04:53.340 He's aging out of that role.

00:04:55.540 Right.

00:04:55.660 There's no similar situation in my mind with Schumer.

00:04:57.580 Now, if Schumer were up in the next year, maybe he would have Clay.

00:05:02.920 By the time he's up in 28, everyone's going to be focused on something else, namely the

00:05:08.960 presidential election, the future of the party, all this other stuff.

00:05:13.540 And Schumer's going to play the I'm the steady hand.

00:05:16.080 I know this game.

00:05:17.500 You know, the president gets to be the next generation of Democrat leadership.

00:05:21.560 He needs somebody like Chuck Schumer.

00:05:23.860 So I'm just telling you, I don't buy this at all.

00:05:26.100 But Axelrod is smart insofar as this is what the left wing of the Democrat base wants to

00:05:33.360 hear right now.

00:05:34.380 They want to hear that Chuck is going to be pushed out and blah, blah, blah.

00:05:37.900 They're a bunch of babies. 0.99

00:05:38.880 Isn't it funny how quickly we went from the Republicans are going to have to deal with

00:05:43.000 an immense civil war inside of their own party?

00:05:45.980 Oh, I don't know.

00:05:46.720 Last week to this week being their major issues now on the in the Democrat side.

00:05:52.480 I think one of the things I want to play a couple of cuts here from Chuck Schumer, just

00:05:56.220 how unpopular he is.

00:05:57.500 But I think one of the biggest things we're dealing with, Buck, is there's a profound anger

00:06:03.080 that is out there in America right now.

00:06:06.900 And I don't know if you buy into this.

00:06:08.540 I think it's a lingering aftershock of COVID.

00:06:11.660 I think there's just and I think social media exacerbates it.

00:06:15.100 I think there's just a lot of angry people.

00:06:18.700 And the question is, it reminds me, I know you were a lost viewer back in the day.

00:06:23.820 You know how the smoke monster just shows up and you want to try to avoid being the target

00:06:29.480 of the smoke monster on any given day.

00:06:31.880 It feels like there's just a shifting cloud of anger or we could go Ghostbusters to the

00:06:38.180 goo when everybody was getting the goo and was just angry.

00:06:41.560 I feel like that characterizes America today.

00:06:43.820 I like the eye of Sauron.

00:06:46.100 You know, you put that ring on and wherever Sauron, you know, then you have the eye.

00:06:50.020 It all of a sudden, it's actually not called the eye of Sauron.

00:06:52.740 One of you Lord of the Rings nerds is going to yell at me for it.

00:06:55.200 But it's, you know, it's based.

00:06:56.340 That's basically what it is.

00:06:58.420 The, you know, the big scary fire eye that looks at people.

00:07:01.960 Yes, I think there's I think there's truth to that, Clay.

00:07:03.960 And remember, a lot of this is the game of making people who are very upset, upset at the

00:07:10.260 right at the right people.

00:07:11.760 This is where this.

00:07:13.180 So what you want is you want an energized left wing base going into this midterm.

00:07:18.420 Chuck Schumer and the old system, man, they're going to have to stand aside.

00:07:22.400 It's going to be the radicals and the revolutionaries, the Democrat Party who are going to change

00:07:26.040 all these things for you.

00:07:27.520 And you get them to vote.

00:07:28.540 And then Chuck Schumer still in charge.

00:07:29.980 This is the whole game, right?

00:07:31.160 This is the way they're going to play this.

00:07:32.880 I think that's also why I've got to say Gavin Newsom.

00:07:35.920 And he sees this, too.

00:07:37.640 We've talked about how he's the likely.

00:07:39.920 Well, we think we're predicting he's a likely Democrat nominee.

00:07:43.560 He'll play this game.

00:07:45.020 He'll be he'll be Mr.

00:07:46.140 You know, I ran the biggest state in the country, fifth largest economy in the world.

00:07:49.440 And I'm so damn handsome.

00:07:50.440 But if he has to have AOC as his vice president, he'll do that.

00:07:55.040 Right.

00:07:55.400 If he has to bring in the left to make them feel like they have a seat at the table.

00:07:59.040 And this is the whole situation.

00:08:00.440 This is the way it's going to go.

00:08:01.460 So I don't I don't buy this at all about how Schumer is is Don.

00:08:05.240 He's cooked is the term that everyone likes to use for these things.

00:08:08.300 Now, Schumer is a wily.

00:08:10.360 He's a wily character, man.

00:08:11.740 That guy's been he's been in the game as long as I've been alive.

00:08:14.680 He's been a senator.

00:08:15.380 It's true.

00:08:16.500 Look, Harry Enten, I will say on CNN, says that Chuck Schumer is the least popular Democrat Senate leader ever.

00:08:26.180 And then we'll have some fun with him compared to AOC.

00:08:30.080 But cut 13.

00:08:31.160 Listen to this on CNN.

00:08:32.520 What about Democrats nationwide feeling about Chuck Schumer?

00:08:35.300 I think the word of the day is terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible to quote another Charles, Charles Barkley.

00:08:41.460 When it comes to Chuck Schumer, look at this least popular Dem Senate leader.

00:08:45.580 Ever.

00:08:45.960 I looked at all of the polls going all the way back since nineteen hundred eighty five.

00:08:50.660 The one who has the lowest rating among Democrats is, in fact, Chuck Schumer.

00:08:54.820 Look at this.

00:08:55.420 He's underwater with Democrats, his own party.

00:08:58.500 He's underwater.

00:08:59.640 He's at minus four points.

00:09:01.040 That makes him the least popular guy for a Dem Senate leader going all the way back since the mid 1980s, at least.

00:09:10.500 Here's the other part on this, Buck.

00:09:12.200 I do think I know we talked about this yesterday and I got the year wrong because it's been talked about so much.

00:09:18.060 I thought that Schumer was up in twenty six, actually twenty eight.

00:09:21.200 His best benefit, I think, is that AOC may not want to be the senator.

00:09:26.660 I think she may well run for president and it's hard to run for both. 1.00

00:09:30.440 But listen to how much more popular AOC is in net favorability among New York Democrats.

00:09:38.120 I think if she announced, Buck, that she was going to run, I think Schumer would announce he wasn't going to run because I don't think there's any way he could win a Democrat primary against her.

00:09:49.680 I think it would be somewhat similar to what we saw happen with Cuomo going up against Momdani, except AOC would start way more popular than than Cuomo did and certainly sorry, way more popular than Momdani.

00:10:03.980 Here is a cut 14, giving you a sense of just how underwater Schumer is in New York.

00:10:11.120 How do New York state Democrats feel about Chuck Schumer?

00:10:14.280 And take a look here.

00:10:14.980 The net favorable among New York Democrats.

00:10:17.300 Chuck Schumer is above water with the Democrats in his home state.

00:10:20.720 But just by 16 points.

00:10:22.200 Look at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez running way ahead. 0.99

00:10:24.920 If she decides to challenge Chuck Schumer come 2028, she's got a real leg up on the competition.

00:10:30.300 I dare say at this point she would be the favorite to beat him, which would be something that would just blow my mind even just a few years ago, given that Chuck Schumer, of course, is a New York born brave type of guy.

00:10:39.560 Yeah, that those are incredible.

00:10:41.860 Look at that.

00:10:42.220 30 points ahead.

00:10:43.120 My goodness gracious.

00:10:44.500 So the question, Buck, I think, is does AOC want to be in the Senate or not?

00:10:49.140 Because I think it's going to be hard for Schumer to win a Democrat primary against someone of the left like AOC.

00:10:57.940 We'll see.

00:10:59.180 It would be hard if the election were now, Clay.

00:11:02.380 This is an eternity we're talking about here.

00:11:05.560 2028 cycle.

00:11:07.420 Remember, it's going to be a presidential election year.

00:11:09.580 We don't even know.

00:11:10.660 And you're talking about AOC running against Schumer.

00:11:13.740 She's going to run for president. 1.00

00:11:15.420 So I don't.

00:11:15.960 And I think we see that the same way.

00:11:17.220 She's going to run for president. 1.00

00:11:17.960 So he's not going to have a Democrat, you know, a Democrat challenge like her.

00:11:25.520 Now, one thing to keep in mind, we'll get an early preview of this.

00:11:28.900 There is a report that Hakeem Jeffries is going to get challenged by a leftist in the House next year.

00:11:36.660 Hakeem Jeffries, obviously, the House minority leader.

00:11:39.760 We have two New York City guys that are basically running the Democrat Party in the Congress right now.

00:11:44.660 And so that will give you an idea about the energy there and whether there's any opportunity to topple leadership like we already saw Mom Donnie do.

00:11:55.680 This is one of Mom Donnie's top assistants, a crazy left-wing guy.

00:11:59.680 The funny thing about AOC, though, would be, and again, I think she's running for president.

00:12:02.980 And if I were advising her, another way I like to play the game, if I were trying to help the other side, how would I?

00:12:09.940 You have to think like that.

00:12:11.220 Yeah.

00:12:11.560 And I would say AOC absolutely should run for president for her own brand. 1.00

00:12:18.000 Again, I'm not saying I think you all know what I'm saying.

00:12:20.680 That would be a smart brand move for her.

00:12:22.860 But she would also, if she did run against Schumer Clay and won, she would have to go down as the ultimate metaphorical giant killer here in politics. 0.93

00:12:35.460 I mean, she would have to be the, she would have taken out the number three out of nowhere in congressional Democrat leadership. 1.00

00:12:42.300 That guy had served like, I don't know, 20, 30 years.

00:12:46.480 He'd been there forever.

00:12:47.200 Ever saw the semi-truck that took him out coming?

00:12:50.900 I do think there's a story about that one because if he had really seen AOC coming, he could have nipped her entire political tenure in the bud, so to speak.

00:13:02.020 But since then, she's only gained in popularity.

00:13:05.420 My big takeaway, if there can be one other than nihilism and there's no reason to think anything will work for you in Game of Thrones,

00:13:13.060 Game of Thrones is just kind of like a nihilistic mess in a lot of ways.

00:13:16.640 But the thing that I did take from it is that hubris, hubris, if you think about all the main character arcs, is the fatal flaw.

00:13:25.040 And that guy, I can't remember his name now, who AOC, that tells you something, who AOC ran against, hubris was his, he didn't even think he had a campaign.

00:13:33.720 That's right.

00:13:34.200 That creates a vulnerability, doesn't it, when you don't even think you have to show up?

00:13:38.620 Schumer will know that he's got a campaign if he gets that challenge from his left.

00:13:41.920 But I don't believe that, I don't believe that Schumer is going to be, will he be Senate leadership again if they have a majority?

00:13:52.140 You know, maybe, maybe.

00:13:53.500 But I think Schumer would win re-election if he really wants to.

00:13:56.220 The fact that the shutdown has already blown up to such an extent that the main talking point today is not any impact that the shutdown had,

00:14:06.180 but will the chief Senate Democrat be able to keep his job, is illustrative of what a disaster this has ended up being for the Democrat Party.

00:14:15.940 And we told everyone this, they had no real goals, there was no logic behind this shutdown, it was a temper tantrum,

00:14:24.120 and sooner or later everybody was going to stop simultaneously throwing the same temper tantrum.

00:14:29.960 Yes, all true, all very true.

00:14:33.440 The ugliness of anti-Semitism is showing itself again, both worldwide and here at home.

00:14:38.880 Synagogues, Jewish schools having to protect themselves with armed security, ignoring anti-Semitism is not an option.

00:14:46.380 This is the moment to take a stand.

00:14:48.240 The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, that's the IFCJ, is on the front lines providing real help where it's needed most.

00:14:55.740 They're giving food and shelter to Jewish families that feel under threat.

00:14:59.920 They're helping survivors of hate rebuild their lives.

00:15:03.040 And they don't just respond to crisis, they work every day to prevent it.

00:15:07.580 Your gift of $45 will help support their life-saving work by helping provide food, shelter, and much more.

00:15:15.400 Supporting the IFCJ is a spiritual stand, too.

00:15:19.300 Please call 888-488-IFCJ.

00:15:22.400 That's 888-488-4325.

00:15:25.700 You can also go online to ifcj.org.

00:15:29.040 Every dollar helps.

00:15:30.260 Don't wait.

00:15:31.200 Be the difference.

00:15:32.060 Visit ifcj.org or call 888-488-IFCJ.

00:15:38.780 That's 888-488-IFCJ.

00:15:42.060 Saving America, one thought at a time.

00:15:47.380 Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

00:15:50.040 Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

00:15:54.920 Canadian women are looking for more. 1.00

00:15:56.980 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.

00:16:01.140 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk podcast.

00:16:04.460 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:16:06.080 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:16:07.380 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women.

00:16:11.040 Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers.

00:16:14.600 All at different stages of their journey.

00:16:16.800 So, if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.

00:16:20.020 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

00:16:24.080 Welcome back in.

00:16:26.540 Clay Travis, Buck Sexton Show, Veterans Day edition of the program.

00:16:32.160 A lot of different stories we are following.

00:16:35.820 A bunch of people want to weigh in a variety of different topics relating to Veterans Day.

00:16:41.160 Let's take some of these calls.

00:16:42.860 David in Louisiana, we were talking about some of the things that veterans went through.

00:16:47.340 And you're saying Jonathan Plum Martin, who was a famous diarist who fought in the Revolutionary War

00:16:53.620 with the Continental Army.

00:16:55.100 I have not read it.

00:16:56.360 I've seen it excerpted quite a lot because he is one of the foremost chroniclers of what life was like

00:17:02.820 for soldiers in those eras.

00:17:05.720 What did you come away with your biggest impression being, David?

00:17:11.160 Yeah, and I just want to correct something.

00:17:13.260 His name was Joseph Plum Martin.

00:17:15.940 And his book is called Private Yankee Doodle.

00:17:20.660 It's pretty easy to get.

00:17:24.260 And I'm a 20-year veteran.

00:17:26.480 I'm a retired Navy.

00:17:27.940 And I wanted to wish Buck a happy Veterans Day and really enjoy your show.

00:17:33.760 And before, I just wanted to say one thing.

00:17:35.520 The last time I talked to somebody at this number, it was the great Rush Limbaugh.

00:17:40.640 So I'm very excited to talk to you guys because I think you are a great way to keep on the old Rush show.

00:17:50.020 So thank you very much for what you guys do.

00:17:52.880 Well, thank you for the call.

00:17:54.060 Thank you for your service.

00:17:55.280 And yes, we're going to fire producer Greg for leading me over the middle and writing the wrong person's name down in the roster there.

00:18:03.600 But it is the Plum Martin.

00:18:05.180 If you watch or read anything relating to the Revolutionary War, that is a huge part of the discussion.

00:18:14.600 Are you interested at all, Buck?

00:18:16.440 I believe it debuts in the next few days in the new Ken Burns Revolutionary War documentary.

00:18:22.200 Have you seen him doing a bunch of media lately on it?

00:18:26.500 I'm going to be honest with you.

00:18:27.800 I'm actually, because I'm reading the Rick Atkinson books right now, the trilogy, he's only two volumes in.

00:18:34.340 And I'm somewhat interested to see what Ken Burns puts together.

00:18:38.440 The Civil War documentary that he did back in the 90s was and is a work of art.

00:18:43.940 And I know a lot of people have watched additional Ken Burns documentaries since.

00:18:48.060 He is of the left.

00:18:50.300 But I am.

00:18:51.480 Didn't he do the Central Park Five documentary?

00:18:54.320 I don't remember whether he did that or not.

00:18:56.480 I mean, Kit Burns, he did baseball, he did the Civil War, which is really, really well done, the Civil War documentary is.

00:19:05.240 And it was a PBS huge success story back in the day.

00:19:09.500 I mean, he's probably the most famous documentary historian in maybe the world, certainly the United States.

00:19:20.420 Let's see, David in Maryland, you got a story for us about Veterans Day.

00:19:26.480 Hi, Clay and Buck.

00:19:28.540 Can you hear me okay?

00:19:29.740 We got you.

00:19:31.300 Hi.

00:19:31.980 I got an amazing story to tell you.

00:19:34.560 I was out in Hawaii for work about 15 years ago, and I took a day at the end of my trip to go see the Pearl Harbor.

00:19:42.620 And I went through all the exhibits, and then I took the ship over to the Arizona.

00:19:47.720 Yes.

00:19:48.080 And went inside, and there was an old gentleman there.

00:19:51.480 It was in the center, if you've ever been there.

00:19:53.120 There's a center opening.

00:19:54.560 He was standing next to the center opening.

00:19:56.480 And I couldn't really hear him much because it was crowded.

00:19:59.240 But later on, I walked over to listen to him, and it turned out he was actually on the ship.

00:20:05.300 Wow.

00:20:05.440 And he was on the second tallest crow's nest, and he got blown out, and he woke up in the water.

00:20:13.960 And so I stayed after.

00:20:16.040 I didn't even get on the ship back because I wanted to talk to him.

00:20:18.960 It was so amazing.

00:20:19.680 And he said, you want to know why I think it blew up?

00:20:23.240 And I said, of course I do.

00:20:25.400 He said, well, we just put a catapult on about a year before to send off float planes to do some reconnaissance.

00:20:33.440 And we had to put the chargers somewhere.

00:20:35.940 Stick with us because we've got a heart out here.

00:20:38.660 If we'll keep him over, we'll bring him.

00:20:40.400 That's one of the places I'd like to go, Pearl Harbor.

00:20:42.620 Look, our friends at PrizePix have got an incredible opportunity for you.

00:20:47.540 If you're out there and you just like sports, you like football, you like baseball, you like basketball, whatever you're into, soccer, golf,

00:20:55.660 they have an awesome opportunity to make sports a little bit more fun for you.

00:20:59.620 Go to prizepix.com right now.

00:21:01.340 Use code CLAY.

00:21:02.240 When you play $5, you get $50 deposited in your account.

00:21:07.060 You can have a lot of fun.

00:21:08.940 Again, $5, $50 deposited in your account.

00:21:12.320 We'll have another pick for you on Thursday as we do every single week.

00:21:18.600 That is prizepix.com, code CLAY.

00:21:20.840 You can play in California, Texas, Georgia if you're feeling left out.

00:21:24.540 prizepix.com, code CLAY.

00:21:26.660 Welcome back in here to Clay Ann Buck.

00:21:28.280 Do we still have that caller who was telling us a really interesting story?

00:21:30.940 Did he stay through with us?

00:21:31.960 Yes, David in Maryland is still there.

00:21:34.640 All right, David, so you can go.

00:21:36.740 Now we have some time.

00:21:38.280 It is Veterans Day, and you were telling a story that we all wanted to hear.

00:21:40.720 So you can just give us a little, a quick recap.

00:21:43.140 Tell us where you are.

00:21:44.040 Set the scene, because some listeners will have rejoined us, and we'll let you take this

00:21:47.860 thing all the way.

00:21:48.520 Go for it.

00:21:49.900 Okay, sure.

00:21:50.660 So I was, the gentleman, I was talking to the gentleman after the ship left, and we were

00:21:56.520 the only two in there, and he said, you know, want to know why I think the ship blew up like

00:22:01.840 it did, was because we had just put, about nine months before, we put a catapult on, and

00:22:07.620 we used to, we would send off float planes with special charges to go out to do reconnaissance.

00:22:13.740 And he said that the, the, the powder they used for that was very volatile.

00:22:19.960 We had no place to store it except in the magazine, so we set it around the inside of

00:22:24.580 the charges for the regular guns, which wasn't as volatile.

00:22:27.920 And he thought that was, he thought that was, contributed to the explosion.

00:22:33.040 And then it, and then it actually gets better, Clay and Buck, because while we were standing

00:22:37.220 there, just the two of us, the next ship came up to drop people off.

00:22:41.040 And here comes everybody up, and the very last group coming up was an older gentleman 0.94

00:22:47.780 with two women on either side, women on either side of him, helping him up the ramp. 0.74

00:22:52.780 And up the guy came, and he turned, and it was a Japanese guy, and he had an interpreter

00:22:58.440 there, and he said he was on one of the planes that had dropped the bombs on Pearl Harbor.

00:23:06.900 And the two just looked at each other and saluted each other, and there wasn't a dry

00:23:10.960 eye on the place.

00:23:11.820 It was unbelievable.

00:23:12.620 He said he'd always wanted to be there, but this was the first time he could go to

00:23:17.420 Pearl Harbor.

00:23:18.600 Well, thank you for calling in and sharing that story on Veterans Day.

00:23:21.600 Buck, have you ever been to Pearl Harbor?

00:23:23.380 Have not.

00:23:24.160 No, have not been.

00:23:25.260 I have never been either.

00:23:26.420 I would like to go.

00:23:27.360 Let me give a super endorsement here.

00:23:31.540 The World War II Museum in New Orleans is one of the things that's incredible.

00:23:37.680 It's an incredible spot.

00:23:39.220 And the reason why it comes to mind here is they put veterans, veterans would come and

00:23:47.460 stand in the main lobby that fought in World War II for years and years.

00:23:53.180 There's veterans from the New Orleans area, veterans traveling, and tell their stories to people

00:24:00.060 who came to tour the World War II memorial.

00:24:03.280 And there are so few World War II veterans left among us now that I am so grateful that 1.00

00:24:11.500 they have done a phenomenal job of chronicling so many of those stories so they aren't lost

00:24:17.320 to history with just so many interviews that have been done with so many of our brave World

00:24:24.580 War II veterans.

00:24:25.840 And if you get the opportunity, you go to New Orleans.

00:24:29.600 I know it's a huge tourist town.

00:24:31.540 I know everybody gets out on Bourbon Street and gets hurricanes and has a phenomenal time

00:24:37.380 in that city.

00:24:38.840 Please take the time to go to the World War II Museum.

00:24:41.500 Take your kids. 0.99

00:24:42.800 The last time I was in New Orleans was the Super Bowl last year.

00:24:46.660 year and or I guess early this year, I was really impressed at the number of kids that

00:24:52.720 were in town to go to the game.

00:24:55.080 Kind of a cool thing to get to do as a kid, but that mom and dad were taking them to as

00:25:00.300 part of being down in town for that game, that they were taking them also to the Super

00:25:05.660 Bowl.

00:25:05.920 A lot of Chiefs, a lot of Eagle fan bases.

00:25:08.920 But when I was there, the number of kids that I saw was very impressive.

00:25:12.740 So if you get the opportunity to go tour that museum, I can't recommend it any higher at

00:25:18.960 all.

00:25:19.300 It truly is extraordinary.

00:25:21.740 Let's see.

00:25:22.760 Dan in Prescott, Arizona said you got to have a lunch with General Omar Bradley.

00:25:30.720 How did that happen?

00:25:31.340 Well, in 78, our unit at Fort Bliss, which is where General Bradley was stationed or retired,

00:25:44.000 our unit was best on post.

00:25:47.580 And I was fortunate enough to be best on post also.

00:25:51.980 General Bradley came and visited our unit, and I was selected to have lunch with him.

00:26:03.620 And the two-star general that pushed him around instructed me that I could ask him anything

00:26:13.140 except his view on how General Patton died.

00:26:18.460 And he was very accommodating.

00:26:23.080 He was very nice.

00:26:25.020 He was still in uniform, still a wonderful gentleman.

00:26:30.040 But I did not ask him how General Patton died, and I always wanted to.

00:26:36.420 He autographed his book for me, and I've seen several documentaries on it, but never quite

00:26:43.460 satisfied with the answer.

00:26:46.200 Wait, so Patton died in a car accident?

00:26:48.460 Right?

00:26:49.600 I'm assuming there must be a conspiracy theory associated with that.

00:26:53.360 I did not know that.

00:26:54.520 But yes, you're right.

00:26:55.200 I didn't know that either.

00:26:55.680 That's why I'm asking.

00:26:56.600 I didn't know there was anything.

00:26:58.220 I'm like, he died in a car accident.

00:26:59.020 Is there a conspiracy?

00:27:01.080 Why would Omar Bradley have not, General Bradley have not wanted you asking that question?

00:27:06.860 Do you have any idea?

00:27:08.640 Yes.

00:27:09.080 After reading several books, the accident was such a small accident.

00:27:16.640 Nobody else was injured.

00:27:19.360 There were just a lot of things that don't add up.

00:27:23.480 You could ask Bill O'Reilly.

00:27:25.500 He wrote Killing Patton.

00:27:29.000 Yeah.

00:27:30.140 We will ask Bill O'Reilly.

00:27:31.840 He's scheduled to be on in the next couple of days.

00:27:34.020 Thursday.

00:27:34.780 We got Uncle Bill Thursday, so we'll mark this one down for him.

00:27:38.720 Yeah.

00:27:39.380 We'll ask him about this.

00:27:40.760 Is there anything specific that you wanted us to dive into with Uncle Bill?

00:27:43.340 I said just the specifics around his view on how Patton died.

00:27:49.520 Gotcha.

00:27:50.120 Sure, sure.

00:27:51.840 That's a good tease for Sharon, who's on the road right now, and she says Bill O'Reilly's

00:27:58.620 going to be on with us Thursday.

00:28:00.180 You just listened to one of his books out there.

00:28:02.960 By the way, you should book Buck.

00:28:04.340 I bought your book, so I have spent the money for Buck's new book, which will be out in February,

00:28:10.340 which will arrive, I believe, at my house on publication day. 0.97

00:28:14.800 You should also go buy balls, especially if people don't have balls in your life. 0.79

00:28:19.500 Maybe they can get it through the book. 0.98

00:28:23.460 But Sharon, you just read Bill O'Reilly's got a hugely successful series on history, and

00:28:29.980 you just read one of them.

00:28:32.640 Yes.

00:28:33.360 I just drove from western Montana, and I'm heading home to Indianapolis.

00:28:38.420 I'm in Illinois right now.

00:28:40.340 But I spent two days on I-90 listening to Killing England, and it was fantastic. 0.98

00:28:47.500 I mean, I've read other of his books, Killing Witches, and I can't remember anything else

00:28:53.500 right now.

00:28:53.940 But anyway, it was a fantastic book.

00:28:56.740 And when you mentioned Valley Forge, I had to call in because it was just insane.

00:29:02.020 These guys didn't even have shoes.

00:29:03.940 They had to tie rags to their feet, and the British would track them through the snow because

00:29:10.320 of the blood that they left behind.

00:29:13.160 It's unbelievable.

00:29:14.640 It really is.

00:29:15.760 I mean, again, having just read...

00:29:18.040 Thank you for the call, Sharon.

00:29:19.100 Stay safe on the road as you travel back to Indianapolis. 0.99

00:29:21.500 Having just read about Valley Forge, fuck, nobody had shoes. 0.98

00:29:29.220 I mean, think about how cold it is wherever you are, and imagine walking around in those 0.99

00:29:35.880 rags and dealing with...

00:29:37.360 Clay, it's honestly, you know, this is kind of...

00:29:40.260 This is hitting home for me today in South Florida.

00:29:43.300 It's 50 degrees here, my friend.

00:29:45.020 I mean, this is like Valley Forge.

00:29:48.200 This is...

00:29:48.620 This is...

00:29:48.900 People are falling apart in Florida, right?

00:29:50.940 You got iguanas falling out of the trees.

00:29:53.080 You got everyone walking around in ski parkas because the only clothing they have that's

00:29:57.020 warm...

00:29:57.440 That's cold weather is for when they go skiing.

00:29:59.920 It's pandemonium out here in the 50s, my friend.

00:30:02.460 So Valley Forge, no shoes.

00:30:04.700 I know what it was like.

00:30:05.820 I know what it was like for those guys.

00:30:07.200 I'm walking around here.

00:30:08.060 I have to put socks on in my sandals down here in Miami.

00:30:11.920 It's madness.

00:30:12.920 It is.

00:30:13.380 It is Miami's version of Valley Forge.

00:30:15.520 People think I'm joking about that, but the iguanas freeze in the trees and fall out

00:30:22.860 iguana popsicles when it gets cold there.

00:30:25.680 They're not dead.

00:30:26.600 They're just...

00:30:27.180 Their heartbeat slows down so much or their system slows down so much that they essentially

00:30:32.500 pass out and they fall out of trees.

00:30:34.380 And by the way, they are pretty big.

00:30:37.000 Can you imagine getting knocked out or killed by an iguana falling out of the tree?

00:30:42.620 That'd be a tough way to go.

00:30:43.540 I don't know if that's ever happened, but I just could tell you when you see one and

00:30:46.960 it's lying there and it's all...

00:30:48.760 Because this happens.

00:30:50.600 They're considerable.

00:30:51.720 They will whip you with their tail, too. 0.74

00:30:53.340 So when they wake up, you don't want to be...

00:30:54.580 And they have little sharp teeth.

00:30:56.080 This is why I'm telling you all these people...

00:30:56.300 It is kind of amazing that they just go to...

00:30:58.860 Like, they just freeze like that and truly fall out of the trees in Florida.

00:31:02.720 You know, they're escaped pets.

00:31:05.760 They're an invasive species here in South Florida. 0.86

00:31:08.060 They are absolutely not native.

00:31:09.500 They came from South America.

00:31:10.720 They are not native to Miami.

00:31:12.680 But man, have they taken to this habitat.

00:31:15.660 And unfortunately, they're really rough on foundations for buildings.

00:31:18.960 They burrow and they dig so they can be a pest.

00:31:22.660 They can be dangerous to building structures.

00:31:25.580 Sort of like the boa constrictors and pythons that they have here now.

00:31:29.260 Also pets that were released.

00:31:31.120 The pets that I like, though, we have parrots that have been released.

00:31:34.920 And the parrots are fun.

00:31:35.960 They're nice.

00:31:36.480 They're not native either.

00:31:37.800 There are very few of these species that people associate with.

00:31:41.420 Alligators and crocodiles, the only place in the world where they coexist in the same ecosystem

00:31:46.060 is here and they are native to South Florida.

00:31:50.160 Manatees, obviously.

00:31:51.580 They're, you know, and then the sharks, which we've talked about a lot.

00:31:54.600 But a lot of the things you think of as Florida animals, they're pets that people brought here.

00:31:59.680 Bruce in Hastings, Minnesota.

00:32:02.540 You got a call for us about the World War II Museum.

00:32:06.520 Yeah, you know, I just hopped in my truck, turned it on, heard you guys talking about that.

00:32:11.580 And just to let you know, they are still collecting stories.

00:32:15.240 They, my dad's a World War II bet. 0.74

00:32:17.580 He turns 100 on Saturday.

00:32:19.920 Oh, that's awesome.

00:32:21.100 Congratulate him for us.

00:32:22.500 Sorry to cut you off, but congratulate him for 100 on us.

00:32:25.440 And so they're still collecting the stories.

00:32:27.960 Yeah, he was shot down over Tokyo in a B-29 and a POW in Japan for the last several months of the war.

00:32:35.440 Wow.

00:32:35.560 So they're still collecting stories.

00:32:38.160 It's on my bucket list to get down there and see the place myself.

00:32:41.500 Thank you so much.

00:32:43.240 By the way, real quick, Bruce, any tips?

00:32:46.400 I mean, when it's 50 degrees in Minnesota, you guys, do you sleep shirtless outside on your lawn?

00:32:51.600 Because that doesn't bother you at all, right?

00:32:53.220 That's like a balmy day in Minnesota.

00:32:55.820 Pretty much.

00:32:56.900 I was up at my cabin this weekend.

00:32:58.380 It was about 19, and I was sweating.

00:33:00.540 So, you know.

00:33:01.120 There we go.

00:33:02.040 Yeah.

00:33:02.320 See, man, these Minnesota people, they would outlast us.

00:33:06.140 Well, it's so funny that you, as a New Yorker, you dealt with cold winters quite a lot because New York City, the wind is brutal through so many of those buildings and everything else.

00:33:17.420 You're now down in Miami.

00:33:18.720 When we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we stepped off the plane.

00:33:22.100 It was a little chilly in Fort Wayne.

00:33:24.260 You were ready to just head straight back to Miami.

00:33:27.140 You're like, it's 54 degrees.

00:33:28.760 I don't know how people live in this.

00:33:30.260 I wanted to light a little fire and just keep my hands, you know, over it outside because it was so cold in Indiana.

00:33:37.280 I think it was in, like, the high 50s.

00:33:38.780 I don't know how you guys deal with this stuff.

00:33:40.440 It's really, really tough.

00:33:42.080 So, you know, we're working on it, though.

00:33:43.740 We're working on it.

00:33:44.780 We'll take some more calls.

00:33:45.520 Clay, who did you have of your grandparents' generation?

00:33:49.760 Military service on that side?

00:33:51.920 Yeah, and my uncle is actually 84.

00:33:56.140 He's dealing right now with cancer.

00:34:00.500 I'm glad you mentioned this.

00:34:02.100 He listens and tries to watch as he can, but he was in Vietnam and worked on, while in Vietnam, he was in charge of helicopter maintenance, repair.

00:34:15.580 And one of the crazy things, I think I mentioned this before on the show, but one way they ensured that everybody who would build the helicopters was as steadfast in their rehabilitation and their fixing of the helicopters was every time they fixed one, they had to be the first guys to go up in it.

00:34:33.700 So for anybody that has been in a helicopter, they would bring them in, say, hey, they need maintenance, they need to be fixed, and then you go right up in it.

00:34:43.960 So the way that you knew that you were working on it and making sure that it was as good as anybody could be.

00:34:49.560 So he flew all over Vietnam in helicopters.

00:34:52.720 My mother's father, so my maternal grandfather, who passed away years ago, but he was an officer on the USS Bataan, which is one of those converted aircraft carriers.

00:35:06.880 It was essentially, they did this quick fix to these ships to make them into, I think they're called CR, not CRVs, I forget.

00:35:14.280 There's some designation for them, but yeah, he initially was a pilot and did some pilot training, but I just remember reading about how, I think we lost, was it 15,000 or 30,000 people to flight accidents in the Pacific Theater?

00:35:34.200 Not shot down.

00:35:35.820 Never found them.

00:35:36.560 Just the plane crashed in the ocean, and that was that.

00:35:40.880 Going between theaters of conflict, not, you know, like transport, essentially.

00:35:45.780 I think it was something like either 15,000 or 30,000, some astonishing with training accidents and astonishingly high numbers.

00:35:51.720 So yeah, there's a lot of ways that people are taking risks when they serve.

00:35:56.380 All right, look, something really happy here.

00:35:58.480 My family absolutely loves the early Christmas presents I got for them.

00:36:02.200 I combined things in clay.

00:36:03.560 I got my mom, her birthday gifts, plus my mom and dad, their Christmas gifts, and it was all Cozy Earth stuff, and they're absolutely loving it.

00:36:12.780 I got my mom a lavender.

00:36:13.780 You already got Christmas shopping done?

00:36:15.320 This is unbelievable.

00:36:16.360 Six weeks out?

00:36:17.160 I'm a very efficient fellow, sir.

00:36:19.680 Very efficient, not just on the tennis court, efficient in life.

00:36:23.080 I got them the bubble blanket in like a lavender color.

00:36:26.540 My mom absolutely loves this thing.

00:36:28.560 The sheets, they're the favorite sheets I've ever gotten them, and they're so soft.

00:36:34.040 Well, Carrie and I sleep with the Cozy Earth sheets on our bed every night.

00:36:37.300 I got my mom a set of PJs and some new towels.

00:36:41.580 Cozy Earth brought Christmas to the Sexton's this year.

00:36:44.760 Just get yourself set up with this now.

00:36:46.720 Their products are fantastic.

00:36:48.400 They have so much stuff.

00:36:49.820 I really recommend just start with the sheets because they're better than the sheets that you have.

00:36:53.140 Time for an upgrade, everybody.

00:36:54.480 Start with the sheets.

00:36:55.340 Then maybe throw some towels in, some clothing, some of the blankets.

00:36:59.900 You're going to love Cozy Earth, your one-stop shop for all of your holiday shopping and Christmas needs.

00:37:06.340 So you just need to go check these out.

00:37:08.260 Backed by a 100-night sleep trial money-back guarantee, 10-year warranty.

00:37:13.160 Go to CozyEarth.com.

00:37:15.400 That website is CozyEarth.com.

00:37:17.420 Use my name, Buck, as your promo code on top of their site-wide sale for up to 40% off.

00:37:23.520 So you can get a great deal, get your shopping done early, get these fantastic products.

00:37:28.040 Go to CozyEarth.com today.

00:37:30.140 Use code BUCK and share luxury this season.

00:37:33.120 My mom and dad absolutely love this stuff.

00:37:35.200 You're going to love it, too.

00:37:36.360 Get it for yourself.

00:37:37.140 Get it for family.

00:37:38.300 CozyEarth.com.

00:37:39.380 Promo code BUCK.

00:37:41.840 News you can count on.

00:37:43.800 And some laughs, too.

00:37:45.540 Clay Travis at Buck Sexton.

00:37:47.660 Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

00:37:51.860 Canadian women are looking for more. 1.00

00:37:54.580 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.

00:37:58.720 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk Podcast.

00:38:02.400 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:38:03.620 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:38:04.860 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women.

00:38:08.600 Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers.

00:38:12.160 All at different stages of their journey.

00:38:14.360 So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.

00:38:17.340 Listen to the Honest Talk Podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

00:38:21.860 Veterans Day, I want to say thank you to all of the veterans across America.

00:38:27.940 We truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

00:38:29.660 Thank you for your service.

00:38:30.960 We have so many of you who listen to this show.

00:38:32.760 It is a great honor that you spend your time with us and that you trust us to speak honestly

00:38:38.860 about issues, including of war and peace and national security.

00:38:42.460 We have so many writing in, Clay, and calling in with their own stories of family service.

00:38:51.080 There's so many of them.

00:38:52.240 We should get them all.

00:38:53.000 Here you go.

00:38:53.560 VIP email from Jessica.

00:38:55.180 My grandfather was one of the corpsmen that pulled the former President Bush out of the water

00:39:00.860 when his plane went down.

00:39:01.980 He served on nine different ships.

00:39:03.680 William Hersey of New Hampshire.

00:39:05.760 Very cool.

00:39:08.620 We're getting so many of these.

00:39:11.240 Syracuse.

00:39:11.960 This is Talkback DD.

00:39:15.720 Play this one.

00:39:17.360 Clay and Buck.

00:39:18.400 Before it was Veterans Day, it was Armistice Day.

00:39:22.380 And my great-great-aunt was the one that carried the flag through Paris

00:39:27.340 when the surrender happened at the end of World War I.

00:39:33.140 Very cool.

00:39:35.180 I should mention we were talking about Patton.

00:39:37.240 My great-uncle, so my grandmother's brothers, they served.

00:39:42.080 And Patton once stopped in front of him, Buck, and asked if he had gotten to kill any Germans yet.

00:39:48.200 And when he said no, he was a young guy who had just gotten overseas into Europe.

00:39:52.340 He said, you're going to get your chance, which he loved telling that story.

00:39:55.880 And it is a pretty cool story.

00:39:59.160 Let's see.

00:40:00.960 Let's go Teresa in San Antonio.

00:40:03.380 Fire away.

00:40:05.940 Let me give a shout-out and a thank you to the veteran who called in with the story

00:40:10.380 about Omar Bradley at Fort Bliss.

00:40:12.340 And I'm wondering if he ever met my dad.

00:40:15.160 I grew up around Fort Bliss because my dad was a retired Air Force colonel

00:40:19.040 and then moved to El Paso.

00:40:21.040 We were at Fort Bliss all the time, and my dad became friends with General Bradley.

00:40:25.980 And I was a little girl, but I would go to lunch with him because during the summer,

00:40:30.680 my dad would take me to the pool.

00:40:32.180 We'd meet General Bradley at the officer's club, eat lunch, and then I'd go swimming with my dad.

00:40:38.180 And I wish I had understood then who he was, but I remember my dad talking to him.

00:40:45.180 General Bradley was so sweet to me.

00:40:47.360 He would hold my hand.

00:40:48.420 I could still picture him in his wheelchair, and he would hold my hand and talk to me

00:40:53.320 and ask me questions about school and if I'd only known, you know, what questions to ask him.

00:40:58.700 But I heard the gentleman call in that he had had lunch with him at Fort Bliss.

00:41:03.580 I wonder if he ever knew my dad, but it was an amazing experience.

00:41:06.760 My dad ended up getting close to him.

00:41:09.360 Thank you.

00:41:09.900 Thank you for that story.

00:41:11.280 So many amazing stories.

00:41:12.560 Thank you to all the veterans.

00:41:13.540 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:41:16.380 Guaranteed human.

Verdict with Ted Cruz - November 11, 2025

Bonus： Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Nov 11 2025

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript