Verdict with Ted Cruz - September 09, 2025


BONUS POD： Comer Wrapping Up Biden Autopen Investigation plus Defense Secretary in Puerto Rico


Episode Stats

Length

15 minutes

Words per Minute

176.41118

Word Count

2,795

Sentence Count

190

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.540 Guaranteed Human.
00:00:06.020 America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer.
00:00:09.860 And we will never apologize for our faith.
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00:00:17.380 We will defend our liberties, our values, our sovereignty.
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00:00:28.220 We will truly make this the golden age of America.
00:00:32.640 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:36.360 Good Tuesday morning.
00:00:37.360 So nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.
00:00:39.860 And we've got two major stories for you coming out of the White House that you need to know about.
00:00:43.560 First up, it's a smoking gun.
00:00:45.680 We're now finding out a lot more because of the investigation into the Biden administration
00:00:50.300 about what was actually going on in the final days,
00:00:53.800 when the auto pen was, well, catching on fire.
00:00:56.720 And apparently the president knew nothing about it.
00:00:59.500 How do we know this?
00:01:00.760 There were people raising concerns within the Biden administration.
00:01:05.340 So just how bad did it get?
00:01:07.100 We'll have all that for you as well.
00:01:09.480 Also, the man in charge of the Pentagon, Pete Hedgeseth,
00:01:13.100 visits Puerto Rico without telling people in advance.
00:01:17.200 Why?
00:01:17.900 Well, apparently it's connected to fighting the drug cartels
00:01:21.300 that have now been declared as terrorist organizations.
00:01:24.580 So what does this mean next?
00:01:26.080 We'll have that story for you in a moment.
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00:03:35.220 It's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.
00:03:38.880 Story number one.
00:03:39.960 House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said his panel is now wrapping up its investigation
00:03:46.200 to President Joe Biden's use of the auto pen after a new report revealed major concerns
00:03:53.400 that were raised within the former Biden administration itself.
00:03:58.840 The new records reveal that President Biden's own administration at the highest levels closest
00:04:05.320 to the president raised significant concerns about not only the auto pen use, but especially
00:04:12.280 for it to grant thousands of pardons.
00:04:15.940 This is a historic scandal with massive repercussions, is what James Comer said in response to the newest
00:04:23.880 report.
00:04:24.540 Quote, as President Joe Biden declined, his aides carried out executive actions without
00:04:30.780 his approval, casting even more doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and also
00:04:37.700 other executive actions.
00:04:40.240 Comer added, the House Oversight Committee is in the final stages of its investigation, and
00:04:45.620 he said there must be accountability for this scandal.
00:04:49.380 President Trump has also weighed in on this newest breaking news, saying, quote, the Biden
00:04:55.580 auto pen scandal is big.
00:04:57.660 Not as big as the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax or the rigged 2020 presidential election, but
00:05:03.200 nevertheless, one of the biggest ever.
00:05:05.780 Now, don't worry.
00:05:06.960 The left is pushing back.
00:05:08.620 In fact, a former White House Biden staffer said the pardon process, well, it was totally
00:05:14.540 fine, saying, quote, Republicans like to talk about Biden whenever news hits that they don't
00:05:19.820 want to talk about.
00:05:20.960 Today, they don't want to talk about, what is it, the worst job gained since 2020.
00:05:26.720 Instead, they want to talk about Biden because Trump, he says, is responsible for the latest
00:05:31.460 numbers.
00:05:32.420 Now, let's go back to what the reality of the situation is.
00:05:36.620 I want you to hear from Mark Smith.
00:05:38.380 He's a constitutional attorney on Fox News Channel.
00:05:40.800 And here's what he had to say about the developments, especially when it comes to Biden and top aides
00:05:46.000 saying they rarely saw or even talked to the president while giving out thousands of pardons.
00:05:51.320 Let's bring in constitutional attorney Mark Smith.
00:05:53.820 Mark, thank you so much for being here.
00:05:56.320 This story just keeps on going and going.
00:05:59.000 Let's bring up this snippet from this Axios report that says that there were people within
00:06:03.520 the Biden administration who had major concerns about this.
00:06:06.960 An email from Biden's chief of staff, Jeff Zients, at 1031 p.m.
00:06:12.040 the night of January 19th, less than 14 hours before Biden was to leave office, confirmed
00:06:17.100 the use of the presidential auto pen for those pardons.
00:06:20.520 I approve the use of the auto pen for the execution of all of the following pardons.
00:06:24.860 Thanks, Jay-Z.
00:06:26.080 That was an email from Biden's chief of staff.
00:06:29.520 What do you make of this latest Axios report, Mark?
00:06:32.680 Brian, I think the big picture here is this is very good news politically and legally for
00:06:37.780 President Donald Trump.
00:06:38.900 As you know, there are a series of these Supreme Court cases over the power of the president
00:06:43.940 to control Article 2, the executive branch.
00:06:46.700 And historically, in the last several decades, Brian, as you know, the deep state, these unelected
00:06:50.640 bureaucrats have been running amok, controlling the executive branch and running the government
00:06:54.720 in many respects.
00:06:55.980 And this is just a more recent example and a very good example to highlight the problems with
00:07:00.960 unelected people, but will run the auto pen or run the White House and so on.
00:07:05.420 And I think all this is going to be very good in terms of atmospherics to helping Donald
00:07:09.080 Trump continue to win these cases before the Supreme Court, because the one thing Donald
00:07:12.500 Trump is doing very, very well is reminding people that as the president of the United
00:07:16.860 States, all of the executive powers in Article 2 of the Constitution is vested in him
00:07:22.660 as the president, the one person that's elected by all the people voted on by all
00:07:27.180 Americans.
00:07:27.680 And I think this is very helpful in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is why Donald
00:07:31.420 Trump keeps winning for the Supreme Court these questions of executive power and his
00:07:35.260 authority.
00:07:35.960 Well, atmospherics and politics aside, what about legally by the law?
00:07:39.560 Is there any sense here that these more historic, a record number, 4,250 pardons and
00:07:46.460 clemencies that were signed with this auto pen, do they get thrown out the door?
00:07:50.400 Well, at a very high level, certainly a president is allowed to use an auto pen or an electronic
00:07:56.820 signature.
00:07:57.320 I mean, people use electronic signatures to sign contracts every day in American life,
00:08:01.700 and that is legally fine.
00:08:03.360 But this all assumes, Brian, that the person who is doing this, is signing off on this,
00:08:09.180 has actually approved the use of, in this case, the auto pen.
00:08:12.320 And that really gets into, did Joe Biden actually approve these pardons using the auto pen or not?
00:08:17.980 And I think the only way to know whether or not this is true would be if somebody comes forward
00:08:22.160 from the Biden administration says, you know what, he really didn't know what was going on.
00:08:25.760 These were being, these pardons were being issued with an auto pen by people that lack the authority
00:08:30.580 from the president to do so.
00:08:32.040 And it's going to be very difficult to get those inside facts, I suspect, but the oversight
00:08:35.740 committee is certainly working on trying to get to the bottom of this.
00:08:38.500 But the question is, did Joe Biden as president really authorize these or not?
00:08:42.440 That's the factual question that's key.
00:08:44.400 There is a very good chance this is going to work its way all the way to the Supreme Court.
00:08:47.820 And you heard him mention there that the president keeps having big victories at the Supreme Court.
00:08:53.380 That is true.
00:08:54.480 I'll give you a breaking news update on that.
00:08:56.800 The Supreme Court has allowed ICE agents, we're now being told, to keep arresting illegal aliens
00:09:02.800 in the sanctuary city of Los Angeles.
00:09:06.320 So whether it's on the auto pen or on this issue of arresting illegal immigrants in L.A.,
00:09:11.320 the Supreme Court keeps backing the president of the United States of America.
00:09:15.600 And they granted the request from President Donald Trump's administration to override a
00:09:20.440 lower court's ruling from an activist judge that barred immigration and customs enforcement
00:09:25.700 known as ICE agents from carrying out federal immigration enforcement operations under the
00:09:31.600 claim that such raids could constitute racial profiling.
00:09:36.080 So what did the court say?
00:09:37.340 No, we're not buying it, California.
00:09:39.720 And they can still do their job to keep Americans safe.
00:09:43.820 Now, story number two.
00:09:44.880 Pete Edseth, he is the defense secretary.
00:09:48.140 He has arrived in Puerto Rico amid the U.S.-Venezuela tensions that are continuing to rise.
00:09:54.500 This is an important visit because it was unannounced.
00:09:58.660 And not only was the U.S. defense secretary there, but the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Cain,
00:10:03.940 also was on the trip.
00:10:06.020 It was an unannounced visit, an unplanned visit for the public to Puerto Rico,
00:10:10.220 as the U.S. has ramped up military activities in the Caribbean aimed at drug trafficking networks.
00:10:16.520 They met officials at the 156th Wing Air National Guard base.
00:10:21.980 Edseth addressed roughly 300 service members while he was there.
00:10:25.820 And the question you may be asking yourself is this.
00:10:28.320 Why now?
00:10:29.000 Well, it's pretty simple.
00:10:31.260 The trip follows a September the 2nd U.S. military strike in the Southern Caribbean
00:10:35.640 that sank a vessel departing Venezuela,
00:10:38.360 with U.S. officials saying 11 suspected members of the Trandaigra cartel,
00:10:43.080 they are also a terrorist organization, were all killed.
00:10:45.840 Some regional leaders backed the action.
00:10:48.340 Others urged more transparency.
00:10:50.820 Venezuela also denied the U.S. allegations and criticized the operation.
00:10:55.420 And that's exactly what should be expected.
00:10:57.420 So now the question is, why is the Pentagon weighing Puerto Rico as a hub?
00:11:02.700 Or is this more about expanding counter-narcotics operations altogether?
00:11:07.620 Now, we also know that plans include deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to the island
00:11:12.660 and conducting military flights out of Puerto Rico.
00:11:15.600 An unusually large cluster of U.S. warships, about eight,
00:11:19.200 is already operating in the region as well.
00:11:21.760 Marines are also on the island.
00:11:23.640 Seven elements of the 22nd Marine Unit are in Puerto Rico for amphibious and flight training,
00:11:30.080 we've been told.
00:11:31.120 Puerto Rico's governor estimated 1,000 Marines on the island,
00:11:34.860 and the Guard says the training was pre-planned and, quote,
00:11:38.160 not tied to the new maritime force.
00:11:41.680 CBS News had it this way on the unplanned visit and what it could mean.
00:11:46.200 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Cain
00:11:49.800 arrived in Puerto Rico this morning as tension continues to build between the United States
00:11:54.640 and Venezuela.
00:11:55.740 They were welcomed there by Puerto Rico governor, Jennifer Gonzalez, who said on, in part on X,
00:12:01.080 we thank President Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico
00:12:06.480 has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere,
00:12:11.880 perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro.
00:12:14.740 For more on this, I want to bring in John Burns.
00:12:16.580 He is the strategic director for Concerned Veterans for America
00:12:19.940 after serving more than 22 years in the Marine Corps and the Army National Guard.
00:12:24.820 Thank you very much for joining us.
00:12:26.720 What does this arrival here of Hegseth and Cain to Puerto Rico signal to you?
00:12:31.400 Well, thank you, Nancy, for having me on.
00:12:32.640 I think there's a lot of signals there.
00:12:34.060 One of the key takeaways for me, aside from just the situation with Venezuela
00:12:37.540 and the drug situation in the Caribbean,
00:12:39.020 is the national defense strategy, which is a little overdue,
00:12:41.980 is said to be released within the next seven to ten days.
00:12:44.760 And early reporting indicates that there's a large pivot towards defense of the American hemisphere
00:12:49.420 and away from being heavily engaged in other parts of the world, Europe.
00:12:54.320 I think there's probably still going to be an emphasis to a degree on the Indo-Pacific,
00:12:57.880 maybe not as much as we thought.
00:12:59.440 But this is the key role that our Department of Defense, Department of War should be playing.
00:13:04.340 Our primary interest is securing our hemisphere and our homeland.
00:13:08.140 John, of course, this arrival, this trip comes with the backdrop of the United States
00:13:12.220 deploying eight warships and fighter jets into that area,
00:13:15.360 in addition to amassing troops off Puerto Rico.
00:13:18.040 If this is a war on drugs, what kind of guardrails, if any,
00:13:21.680 exist for the president to send troops into Venezuela?
00:13:24.640 Well, the president has said that he doesn't want to see
00:13:26.920 or that he's not considering this a regime change mission,
00:13:29.200 which I think was very, very encouraging.
00:13:30.680 That's right.
00:13:31.140 As much as the media tries to lie to you and tell you that the president's going for regime change,
00:13:35.900 that is not what this is about at all.
00:13:38.080 This is all about fighting narco-terrorism.
00:13:40.560 And yes, they are terrorists that are killing Americans.
00:13:43.160 So you may ask yourself this question.
00:13:45.360 Why Puerto Rico?
00:13:46.540 Why would you choose this for this counter-cartel operation?
00:13:50.300 Well, it's pretty simple.
00:13:51.840 Geography.
00:13:52.580 Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands sit inside the Caribbean transit zone,
00:13:57.820 historically a gateway for cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs,
00:14:01.400 headed to the mainland USA.
00:14:03.140 That strategic position, plus U.S. sovereignty, eases the basing,
00:14:08.240 the logistics, and also the prosecutions of those that are caught alive.
00:14:13.320 And then you just have access and response times from a military standpoint.
00:14:18.180 From Puerto Rico, aircraft and ships can quickly reach the Mona Passage,
00:14:23.400 the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico Corridor, and the sea lanes north of Venezuela,
00:14:28.280 improving time to intercept for go-fast boats and motherships.
00:14:33.220 This builds on the intricacies and the model that has been used by the Coast Guard there for years as well.
00:14:39.560 What is this all really about?
00:14:41.560 It's about sending a clear message that the president is going on offense,
00:14:45.380 that the literal war on cartels has just begun.
00:14:49.860 And this is part of where Puerto Rico also comes in.
00:14:53.940 You have additional air and maritime assets in Puerto Rico.
00:14:57.880 This will help with surveillance and interaction coverage over the choke points
00:15:02.440 where traffickers are most vulnerable at sea.
00:15:05.220 The Coast Guard's layered approach, as it was described by the White House,
00:15:08.960 will have large cutters, aircraft, and partner forces,
00:15:13.200 and all the benefits of the DOD platforms and their increased presence combined.
00:15:18.340 So, it's pretty simple.
00:15:20.240 President of the United States of America is saying,
00:15:22.780 we are going all in.
00:15:24.480 And we're going to do this with all of the technology and the forces that America has.
00:15:29.460 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:15:33.560 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:15:38.820 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast,
00:15:43.280 and we will see you back here tomorrow.
00:15:45.080 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:15:49.540 Guaranteed Human.