Verdict with Ted Cruz - August 07, 2025


BONUS POD： China’s 'New' Viral Outbreak Echoes COVID-Era Measures plus Democrats Face Removal Over Quorum Walkout


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00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.680 Guaranteed human.
00:00:05.800 The term that I use now to describe the Democrats,
00:00:09.000 these Marxists and Islamists, is authoritarian Democrats.
00:00:12.840 In other words, they'll go through the voting process as long as they win,
00:00:15.580 but if they don't win, they'll try and sabotage, you know, a Trump or a Republican.
00:00:19.640 They don't really care about the electorate except if it gives them power.
00:00:22.600 They don't really care about the well-being of the average person
00:00:25.480 unless they can persuade them to support them.
00:00:27.800 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:31.920 Good Thursday morning.
00:00:32.960 It's nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update,
00:00:35.720 and we've got a couple of major stories for you this morning.
00:00:39.420 This one is a story I hope I never have to talk about again,
00:00:43.480 but it needs to be on your radar screen.
00:00:45.740 The CDC has now issued a travel warning over a viral outbreak in China
00:00:52.460 that is spread by mosquito bites.
00:00:55.300 It is very eerie how close this is to the initial warnings we got with COVID-19.
00:01:01.580 I'll have that story for you in just a moment.
00:01:04.480 Also, it is ratcheting up in Texas as Democrats refuse to come back to work.
00:01:10.420 Now it's involving the state Supreme Court,
00:01:13.260 the governor, and the governor of Illinois.
00:01:16.600 I'll also talk with Mark Levin, the great one,
00:01:19.820 about his new book on power and how it relates to everything that's going on in Texas.
00:01:26.560 But first, I've got to ask you a question.
00:01:28.920 Are you one of those that is just so tired of giving your money to radical left,
00:01:32.900 woke companies that actually are fighting against your values every day?
00:01:37.420 Well, there are certain bills that you pay every month
00:01:40.420 that if you can go with a conservative company, why not do it?
00:01:44.460 In fact, why not go with a conservative company that actually takes part of your bill every month
00:01:49.220 that you're going to pay to somebody,
00:01:50.800 and they give it back to organizations that support your First and your Second Amendment rights,
00:01:55.980 that support the rights of unborn children,
00:01:58.580 that stand with our military, our first responders,
00:02:02.740 and so many wounded warriors that need help.
00:02:06.420 Well, that bill I'm talking about is your cell phone bill.
00:02:10.100 And I've been telling you for a long time about Patriot Mobile,
00:02:13.640 but there's no better time to switch than right now.
00:02:16.520 Not only does Patriot Mobile operate on all three major networks in this country.
00:02:21.540 Yeah, all three.
00:02:22.300 That means you get the same great coverage you're used to right now.
00:02:25.460 But you also make a difference with every call you make and every text you make.
00:02:29.460 And why would you want to give your money to Big Mobile?
00:02:32.040 Big Mobile has been giving big donations to democratic causes,
00:02:36.280 democratic candidates, and radical left organizations.
00:02:39.480 I'm talking about organizations that actually support abortion.
00:02:44.340 That is why I want you to switch right now to Patriot Mobile.
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00:03:05.080 Patriot's Mobile contract buyout program covers up to $500
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00:03:10.380 Keep your same number.
00:03:11.500 Keep your phone or upgrade to a new one.
00:03:13.620 So back to my point.
00:03:14.760 What are you waiting for?
00:03:16.140 Call Patriot Mobile today and make a difference every single day
00:03:19.940 with every call you make.
00:03:21.920 PatriotMobile.com slash Ferguson.
00:03:24.840 That's PatriotMobile.com slash Ferguson.
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00:03:30.980 And if you use the promo code FERGUSON,
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00:03:36.220 PatriotMobile.com slash Ferguson.
00:03:38.260 Or 972-PATRIOT.
00:03:40.980 That's PatriotMobile.com slash Ferguson.
00:03:43.260 Or 972-PATRIOT.
00:03:45.060 It's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.
00:03:48.840 Story number one.
00:03:49.960 There is a major story that needs to be on your radar,
00:03:53.100 and it's one that concerns now China yet again,
00:03:57.240 and the CDC issuing a travel warning over a viral outbreak in China
00:04:02.720 that is spread by mosquito bites.
00:04:05.940 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
00:04:09.100 issuing a level two travel notice.
00:04:12.320 This is much like what we witness with the coronavirus
00:04:15.820 for a province in China due to a, quote, major outbreak.
00:04:20.980 The agency is recommending travelers practice enhanced precautions.
00:04:25.860 As of August the 6th, if you believe the numbers coming out of China,
00:04:29.980 over 7,000 confirmed cases of chikungunya have been reported
00:04:35.820 with the outbreak spreading to Hong Kong and other provinces.
00:04:40.780 Now, what is this disease?
00:04:42.960 Well, symptoms typically appear, they say, three to seven days after a mosquito bite.
00:04:47.920 And while most recover within a week, there are major problems that can happen
00:04:52.560 because of this mosquito-borne viral disease,
00:04:56.280 characterized as being major issues with fever,
00:05:00.240 severe joint pain, severe headaches, muscle aches, joint swelling, and a rash.
00:05:06.700 There is also a concern over death, even though it's being categorized as rare.
00:05:11.880 Infants, they're very concerned about.
00:05:13.600 Older adults and people with certain health conditions will also face high risk of severe symptoms
00:05:20.460 and possibly death.
00:05:22.360 Yet again, another concern of the similarities we're talking about here
00:05:26.000 because of what happened last time when it came out of China.
00:05:29.580 Now, in 2025, this strand has affected approximately 240,000 people across 16 countries,
00:05:36.920 resulting, they say, in around 90 deaths.
00:05:39.840 Chinese authorities have mobilized intense containment strategies,
00:05:43.840 including drones, to locate standing water, insecticide spraying,
00:05:48.820 even targeting individuals before entering buildings,
00:05:52.600 deployment of mosquito-eating fish, fines or penalties for stagnant water accumulation,
00:05:58.200 and hospital isolation under mosquito netting.
00:06:01.600 Here is more from Fox News Channel about the CDC putting out the warning for Americans.
00:06:07.060 Tonight, a viral outbreak in China prompts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
00:06:12.740 the CDC, to issue a travel warning.
00:06:15.380 More than 7,000 cases of this disease have been reported so far.
00:06:19.640 State Department correspondent Jillian Turner has details tonight live from the State Department.
00:06:23.560 Good evening, Jillian.
00:06:24.320 Good evening, Brett.
00:06:25.120 The CDC, as you mentioned, is warning Americans traveling to China about chikungunya.
00:06:29.720 It is a virus that spreads to humans through infected mosquito bites.
00:06:33.320 It can cause severe illness, with symptoms that mimic pretty closely dengue fever and Zika virus,
00:06:39.680 mostly found in Africa.
00:06:41.260 Here's what the CDC says about it.
00:06:43.640 They say most people infected get better within a week.
00:06:45.880 However, some can have severe joint pain for months to years.
00:06:49.840 Other symptoms include severe fever and fatigue.
00:06:52.820 The outbreak now is in the Chinese province Guangdong.
00:06:55.460 It's near Hong Kong, with more than 7,000 cases reported so far,
00:06:59.360 prompting some pretty dramatic measures to contain the spread,
00:07:03.680 like mandatory insect repellent blasts for people entering the area,
00:07:07.640 mandatory property checks for stagnant water, which attracts mosquitoes,
00:07:11.400 and when found, is now punishable by fines or even arrests.
00:07:15.000 If you happen to get this, they're quarantining you in hospitals with mosquito netting
00:07:20.060 and not letting you out for a week.
00:07:21.680 These are the kind of draconian responses we saw with COVID.
00:07:25.760 We're seeing it again.
00:07:26.900 The CDC says Americans traveling to eight other countries are also at elevated risk of exposure
00:07:33.100 to the virus, even if there is no current outbreak there.
00:07:37.040 People at risk for more severe cases of chikungunya include newborns,
00:07:41.440 seniors 65 years and up, as well as people with diabetes or heart disease.
00:07:47.300 Now, the good news is that unlike COVID, deaths from this disease are exceedingly rare.
00:07:52.720 You can also protect yourself by getting vaccinated against it
00:07:55.940 or by preventing mosquito bites in the first place through all the usual mechanisms,
00:08:00.420 insect repellent netting, wearing long sleeves, and staying in air conditioning.
00:08:04.620 You listened to this warning, and there's a couple of points here that need to be made clear.
00:08:08.760 Number one, there's no specific treatment for this.
00:08:11.780 So management focuses on symptom relief, rest, hydration, over-the-counter pain relief,
00:08:18.020 and vaccines, as they mentioned, are available in the U.S.
00:08:21.040 and recommended for travelers that are going to the outbreak regions.
00:08:24.940 But then the question also comes up, and this is why I want it on your radar screen.
00:08:29.900 Why are they treating this in China very much the same way they treated COVID?
00:08:35.380 And are they telling us the truth?
00:08:37.540 Now, they're saying to minimize the risk of exposure, the CDC advises the use of insect repellent,
00:08:42.920 wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, staying in screened or air-conditioned accommodation.
00:08:48.720 They also have a warning for pregnant travelers, especially near delivery.
00:08:52.620 They're encouraged now to, quote, reconsider travel, as infection near childbirth can pass to newborns.
00:08:58.880 Vaccination should be discussed with a health care provider, the CDC is also saying.
00:09:02.820 So this is a story that I hope I don't have to talk about again with you.
00:09:07.340 But when you're dealing with China and what they're doing right now, you have to wonder, what are they hiding?
00:09:12.980 Now, story number two.
00:09:14.440 I want to move on to another major story, and it deals with what's happening in Texas.
00:09:19.760 The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has now filed a lawsuit to start the removal for dereliction of duty.
00:09:27.200 Derelict Democrats and saying, you're not showing up for work.
00:09:31.560 You fled the state to block redistricting bill, and now we're going to hold you accountable for exactly that.
00:09:37.480 Governor Abbott filing the lawsuit Tuesday night with the Texas Supreme Court seeking to begin the process
00:09:43.040 for the removal of House Democratic Caucus Chairman Liu and others.
00:09:47.900 The chairman, along with most of his Democrat House colleagues, fled the state to block a quorum in protest of the GOP's efforts
00:09:55.960 to carry out their duty of congressional seat redistricting.
00:10:00.620 Today, I took emergency action, the governor said, to begin the removal from office of derelict Democrat Texas House members.
00:10:08.620 He refused to show up for special session.
00:10:11.120 Governor Abbott writing this, saying, quote,
00:10:13.560 I filed the suit directly with the Texas Supreme Court to quickly make clear the authority I have to bring the lawsuit
00:10:20.600 for removal of legislators from their office.
00:10:24.520 Now, on Sunday, Abbott ordered the House Democrats, who fled the state, to break quorum to return to work,
00:10:30.640 or he would take action to vacate their legislative seats and appoint replacements.
00:10:35.160 This truancy ends now, Governor Abbott said in a Sunday night statement.
00:10:39.300 The derelict Democratic House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 4th.
00:10:47.660 The governor said he will invoke the Texas Attorney General opinion to remove the absent Democrats from their elected office.
00:10:54.340 The governor stated, quote,
00:10:55.840 In that opinion, the attorney general considered whether Texas law allows for a determination that a legislator has vacated office
00:11:04.340 if they intentionally break quorum.
00:11:07.780 The attorney general concluded that whether a specific legislator abandoned his or her office such that a vacancy occurred
00:11:16.320 will be a fact question for a court, quote, unquote.
00:11:20.740 Sunday afternoon, Texas House Democrats fled the state to Illinois to stop the state legislature from moving forward
00:11:27.680 on plans to redistrict Texas congressional districts.
00:11:31.140 Democratic caucus chairman Wu, a Democrat from Houston, said the governor is using an intentionally racist map
00:11:38.100 to steal the voices of millions of black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal.
00:11:44.740 The derelict Texas House members ignored the governor's order and did not return to the Capitol.
00:11:50.560 Insert Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
00:11:53.160 Filed a notice with the Texas Supreme Court in support of the governor's lawsuit saying this,
00:11:59.220 Texas is taking every available avenue to force runaway Democrats to return to Texas
00:12:05.860 and hold them accountable for breaking quorum.
00:12:08.580 That's what the attorney general Ken Paxton said in the statement saying, quote,
00:12:12.180 Under the Texas Constitution and Texas law, the office of the attorney general has the legal authority
00:12:17.840 to bring these cases against the renegade House members.
00:12:21.600 I have alerted the Texas Supreme Court that I will be making additional filings on Friday
00:12:26.840 if the Democrats continued to abandon their legislative duties.
00:12:31.700 Abbott also wrote a letter to the Texas Supreme Court about his action of filing directly with the state's top course,
00:12:38.280 bypassing the district and appellate court system.
00:12:41.180 The governor cited Section 22 of the Texas Constitution and court precedent for those actions.
00:12:47.200 And that's where we go to late Tuesday night.
00:12:49.580 The Supreme Court requests a response from the respondent.
00:12:52.760 Chairman Wu, the Democrat, no later than Friday, August 8th at 5 p.m.
00:12:58.100 The case number for the emergency petition is 25-0674.
00:13:04.520 Translation, it's getting very real now for Democrats that there is a chance that if they do not come back to Texas,
00:13:11.440 they can lose their jobs.
00:13:14.120 Texas Tribune reporter, by the way, posting comments from Chairman Wu in response to the governor's latest action to remove him
00:13:21.140 and fellow Democratic legislators, saying, quote,
00:13:24.340 I took an oath to the Constitution, not a politician's agenda.
00:13:28.060 Denying the governor a quorum was not an abandonment of my office.
00:13:31.680 It was a fulfillment of my oath.
00:13:34.420 That is the latest from the Democrats.
00:13:36.540 He said, I took that oath to the Constitution, not the political agenda.
00:13:40.220 And he's hoping the American people will go along with him.
00:13:42.900 One person, by the way, that definitely is going along with him is the governor of Illinois,
00:13:48.260 trying to turn this into his own political moment.
00:13:51.300 J.B. Pritzker firing back at Trump's threat to arrest runaway Texas Democrats, saying,
00:13:57.440 bring it on.
00:13:58.680 He's more than happy to fight Donald Trump.
00:14:01.280 And here's the governor in his own words.
00:14:03.440 Is that, you know, our local law enforcement protect everybody in Illinois.
00:14:07.320 Our state troopers protect everybody in Illinois and anybody who's here in Illinois.
00:14:12.080 And so whether it's federal agents coming to Illinois or state rangers from Texas,
00:14:20.800 if you haven't broken federal law, you're, you know, you're basically unwelcome.
00:14:26.180 And there's no way that they can be, that our state legislators here,
00:14:31.200 the Texas state legislators, can be arrested.
00:14:33.680 So there's the governor of Illinois saying, hey, I stand up for illegal immigrants that are in my state
00:14:39.440 and protect them all the time.
00:14:41.100 Why not go ahead and protect some hardcore liberal Democrats from Texas as well?
00:14:46.100 Now, governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, he has a very simple response to J.D. Pritzker
00:14:51.500 and anybody else that's criticizing him.
00:14:54.000 He says it's all about doing your job.
00:14:56.560 And that's what the Democrats have abandoned.
00:14:58.560 So the Democrats, when they return, they're going to be accountable for certain legal violations,
00:15:04.160 but also for violations of Texas House rules.
00:15:07.320 And so it's going to be a bad day for them.
00:15:08.960 And the sooner they get back, maybe the lesser the consequences.
00:15:13.040 But the longer they stay, the greater the consequences.
00:15:16.200 The greater the consequences.
00:15:18.520 So now here we are at the Texas Supreme Court.
00:15:21.360 And there's a very good chance that the governors got this one right.
00:15:25.060 And Democrats may lose their jobs over all of this,
00:15:28.800 refusing to come back to the state that they said they were representing
00:15:32.760 and instead hanging out in Chicago.
00:15:35.840 I also sat down and had a very interesting conversation with a dear friend of mine,
00:15:40.460 a mentor, Mark Levin.
00:15:42.560 He has a new book out called On Power, a book that I hope all of you will buy.
00:15:47.520 And I asked him about what was happening in Texas and how his book relates to what we're witnessing.
00:15:54.340 I want you to take a listen to what Mark Levin, the great one, had to say.
00:15:58.520 Speaking of power, I want to get your take on what Democrats have just decided to do in Texas,
00:16:03.980 flee the state.
00:16:04.860 They have run to other states that are basically advocating for socialism and communism and Marxism.
00:16:10.860 You've got the governor of Illinois saying,
00:16:12.500 come on over, we'll house you, we'll love on you, yada, yada, yada.
00:16:17.500 And they say this is what power now looks like to the left.
00:16:20.860 How dangerous is that?
00:16:22.380 Well, this gerrymandering, is that what you're talking about pretty much?
00:16:25.500 Yeah.
00:16:25.940 Yeah, it's very dangerous.
00:16:27.560 But let's point out, I have a whole chapter on language in there,
00:16:30.960 and they're proving the point in the chapter, and I'll let people read it themselves.
00:16:34.040 But take a look at this.
00:16:35.200 The 2020 census, they had quote-unquote mathematical errors,
00:16:38.720 which resulted in Democrats having five more seats than they should have had.
00:16:42.440 And the census admits it made a mistake.
00:16:44.420 So let's start at that baseline.
00:16:45.920 Then you look at Massachusetts.
00:16:47.720 They don't have a single Republican member of the House of Representatives.
00:16:51.140 Then you look at Maryland.
00:16:52.460 They have one Republican out of eight in the state of Maryland.
00:16:55.620 Then you look at California.
00:16:57.080 52 seats.
00:16:58.440 43 Democrats and nine Republicans.
00:17:01.600 Then you look at Illinois, 14 Democrats and three Republicans.
00:17:06.040 And I could go on and on and on.
00:17:07.620 So this party, the Democrat Party, it embraces Marxism.
00:17:11.780 It embraces the Islamists against the Israelis.
00:17:14.320 It embraces propaganda of the worst sort.
00:17:17.640 Again, I discuss this in the chapter in the book.
00:17:20.020 And their purpose is what?
00:17:21.260 They corrupt the public debate so people don't even know what to debate.
00:17:25.540 They come up with slogans and repetition, which is a big deal for them,
00:17:29.600 like any other authoritarians do.
00:17:31.980 So people get in their minds that it's the Republicans are trying to steal the midterm
00:17:35.740 elections.
00:17:36.360 They have a media behind them.
00:17:37.940 And so, so many people who don't focus on this day in and day out have no idea what's
00:17:42.960 actually going on, except the drumbeat that they hear over and over and over again.
00:17:47.640 So it is very dangerous what these people are doing, but it has to be countered.
00:17:51.800 We can't just wring our hands about it.
00:17:53.980 What was me?
00:17:54.640 What was me?
00:17:55.480 And the way we counter it is, again, we go to the core of this book.
00:17:58.580 And rather than making superficial arguments, we say they want to grab power.
00:18:03.420 This is why they want to grab it.
00:18:04.940 And the book explains why and how they do it and how to respond to it.
00:18:08.440 I hope all of you, by the way, will grab Mark Levin's new book,
00:18:11.100 On Power, as it exposes the nature of power, its historical uses, and its impact on liberty.
00:18:17.300 The book argues that while power can be used for oppression, it is also essential for a
00:18:23.220 thriving society when it's structured with checks and balances.
00:18:26.420 The left, by the way, has bastardized power, and, well, now we're witnessing it in real
00:18:31.620 time with the Democrats in Texas.
00:18:34.740 And this is exactly why I hope all of you will grab Mark Levin's new book, On Power.
00:18:40.320 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:18:44.560 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:18:49.760 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast, and we will see you
00:18:55.220 back here tomorrow.
00:18:58.300 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:19:00.860 Guaranteed Human.