Verdict with Ted Cruz - February 27, 2025


Bonus Pod： Draining the Swamp： Trump's Federal Layoffs, Epstein Files & Transparent Cabinet


Episode Stats

Length

14 minutes

Words per Minute

171.81932

Word Count

2,475

Sentence Count

173

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.700 Guaranteed Human.
00:00:05.860 Can you guarantee that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security will not be touched?
00:00:10.240 I've said it so many times, you shouldn't be asking me that question.
00:00:13.340 Now, we are going to look for fraud.
00:00:15.040 I'm sure you're okay with that, like people that shouldn't be on.
00:00:17.880 We have a lot of people.
00:00:18.680 You see that immediately when you see people that are 200 years old
00:00:21.720 that are being sent checks for Social Security.
00:00:24.240 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:27.900 Good Thursday morning, Ben Ferguson with you.
00:00:30.240 It's nice to have you here on the 47 Morning Update
00:00:32.640 and hear the big stories we're talking about.
00:00:34.800 First up, it was one of the most transparent meetings we've ever seen.
00:00:39.140 A cabinet meeting, Donald Trump saying to the world,
00:00:42.460 here's our agenda, this is what we're doing.
00:00:45.100 And Elon Musk coming into that cabinet meeting
00:00:47.600 explaining exactly what Doge is doing to cut massive government waste, fraud, and abuse.
00:00:53.560 I'll have the incredible details for you in just a second.
00:00:56.080 We also found out Donald Trump and his administration
00:00:59.540 have now sent out a directive for a large-scale federal layoff,
00:01:04.760 admitting now that the U.S. government is employing way too many people
00:01:08.860 and it's time for every department to start making cuts immediately.
00:01:14.200 How much money is this going to save you?
00:01:15.900 I'll have that as well in just a second.
00:01:17.940 And finally, Donald Trump paying off on a campaign promise
00:01:21.800 that if he was elected, we would have transparency on things like the Epstein files.
00:01:26.760 Well, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, is saying today,
00:01:30.080 you may be able to read that client list.
00:01:33.440 It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.
00:01:36.300 Story number one.
00:01:37.380 President Donald Trump convened his first cabinet meeting of his second term
00:01:41.640 in the White House and the meeting was notable for the attendance of Elon Musk,
00:01:46.160 the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
00:01:48.180 You know it as Doge, who has been instrumental in advising the administration
00:01:52.020 on reducing government waste and enhancing operational efficiency.
00:01:56.300 Now, Musk's presence underscores the administration's commitment
00:01:59.080 to leveraging private sector expertise to streamline the bloated government.
00:02:05.200 During the meeting, President Trump also announced his plans
00:02:07.940 to impose a 25% tariff on imports from the European Union,
00:02:12.980 aiming to address trade imbalances and protect American industries.
00:02:16.400 That decision reflects the administration's focus on fostering fair trade practices
00:02:21.740 and supporting domestic economic growth for American workers here at home.
00:02:26.160 The cabinet also discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate an end
00:02:29.420 to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
00:02:31.800 And President Trump expressed optimism about hosting President Zelensky at the White House
00:02:35.860 to finalize a critical minerals deal, which could bolster economic ties
00:02:40.640 and also help America get back some of the money that we've been sending to Ukraine.
00:02:45.360 Overall, the meeting highlighted the administration's proactive approach
00:02:48.960 to economic policy, as well as international diplomacy.
00:02:52.860 And the biggest part of the meeting clearly dealt with government efficiency,
00:02:56.640 setting a positive tone for the initiatives planned in the new term.
00:03:00.880 I want you to hear what the President and Elon Musk had to say.
00:03:04.020 This may have been the most important part of the meeting.
00:03:06.500 Elon, if you could get up and explain where you are, how you're doing,
00:03:10.180 and how much we're cutting.
00:03:11.600 And it's an honor to have you.
00:03:12.800 He's been a tremendously successful guy.
00:03:15.640 He's really working so hard.
00:03:17.920 And he's got businesses to run.
00:03:19.480 And in many ways, they say, how do you do this?
00:03:22.100 And, you know, he's sacrificing a lot.
00:03:25.140 And getting a lot of praise, I'll tell you.
00:03:27.660 I'd like to have Elon Musk, please, say a few words.
00:03:31.220 Thank you, Elon.
00:03:32.480 Thank you, Mr. President.
00:03:33.700 Well, I actually just call myself a couple tech support here
00:03:36.800 because this is actually, as crazy as it sounds,
00:03:42.320 that that is almost a literal description of the work that the Doge team is doing,
00:03:46.880 is helping fix the government computer systems.
00:03:48.980 Many of these systems are extremely old.
00:03:51.180 They don't communicate.
00:03:52.340 There are a lot of mistakes in the systems.
00:03:54.100 Software doesn't work.
00:03:55.000 So we are actually tech support.
00:03:59.560 It's ironic, but it's true.
00:04:02.940 The overall goal here with the Doge team is to help address the enormous deficit.
00:04:07.940 We simply cannot sustain, as a country, $2 trillion deficits.
00:04:12.340 The interest rates, just the interest on the national debt,
00:04:15.980 now exceeds the Defense Department's spending.
00:04:18.800 We spend a lot on the Defense Department,
00:04:20.820 but we're spending like over a trillion dollars on interest.
00:04:23.260 If this continues, the country will become de facto bankrupt.
00:04:27.400 It's not an optional thing.
00:04:29.320 It is an essential thing.
00:04:31.220 That's the reason I'm here and taking a lot of plaques
00:04:34.580 and getting a lot of death threats, by the way.
00:04:36.480 I like to stack them up, you know.
00:04:37.560 But if we don't do this, America will go bankrupt.
00:04:42.200 That's why it has to be done.
00:04:44.640 I'm confident at this point, knock on wood, you know, knock on my wooden head,
00:04:49.980 that we can actually find a trillion dollars in savings.
00:04:56.260 That would be a roughly 15% of the $7 trillion budget.
00:05:01.060 And obviously that can only be done with the support of everyone in this room.
00:05:04.660 And I'd like to thank everyone for your support.
00:05:06.380 Thank you very much.
00:05:07.160 This can only be done with your support.
00:05:09.040 So this is really, Doge is a support function for the President
00:05:14.120 and for the agencies and departments to help achieve those savings
00:05:18.940 and to effectively find 15% in reduction in fraud and waste.
00:05:25.260 And we bring the receipts.
00:05:26.600 So people are like, well, is this real?
00:05:28.120 Just go to doge.gov.
00:05:29.700 We line item by line item.
00:05:31.340 We specify each item.
00:05:32.460 So, and I should say, also, we will make mistakes.
00:05:36.540 We won't be perfect.
00:05:37.540 But when we make mistakes, we'll fix it very quickly.
00:05:41.460 So, for example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly
00:05:46.200 was Ebola, Ebola prevention.
00:05:48.280 I think we all want Ebola prevention.
00:05:49.940 If we're to achieve a trillion-dollar deficit reduction in financial year 2026,
00:05:56.720 it requires saving $4 billion per day, every day, from now through the end of September.
00:06:02.900 But we can do it, and we will do it.
00:06:04.880 It is very clear from this Cabinet meeting that the reason why Donald Trump had Elon Musk there
00:06:09.320 to address the Cabinet is this is the mandate from the President.
00:06:12.580 And it's a mandate from the voters.
00:06:14.340 And he is telling everyone in his Cabinet, you better get out your pencils
00:06:17.680 and start identifying waste, fraud, and abuse.
00:06:21.400 Because we are going to give the American people a better-functioning government
00:06:25.840 that costs a lot less than what they're having to pay in right now.
00:06:29.720 Now, story number two.
00:06:30.800 Federal agencies are now being mandated to develop plans to eliminate employee positions,
00:06:37.160 according to a memo distributed by Donald Trump's administration
00:06:40.020 that now sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of our American government.
00:06:45.460 The memo expands the Republican President's effort to downsize the federal workforce,
00:06:50.740 which he described as a bloated and impediment to his agenda.
00:06:54.860 Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired.
00:06:58.660 And now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.
00:07:04.300 Agencies are directed to submit by March the 13th.
00:07:07.420 This goes back to what the President said and Elon Musk said.
00:07:10.080 We have to act fast.
00:07:11.620 We're not waiting around to get this done.
00:07:13.760 And their plan from these agencies for what they're going to do to have a reduction in their workforce,
00:07:18.980 which would not only lay off employees, but also eliminate the positions altogether so they wouldn't be filled back later.
00:07:26.540 Now, the results, they say, could be extensive changes in how our government functions.
00:07:31.460 Many believe it's long overdue.
00:07:33.540 Quote, the federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,
00:07:37.900 is what the memo from Russell Vallott, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget,
00:07:42.900 and Charles Ezel, the acting director of Office of Personnel Management,
00:07:47.440 which functions as a human resources agency, said in their letter.
00:07:51.460 They said, quote, at the same time, it is not producing results for the American public.
00:07:56.540 Now, Trump foreshadowed this goal in an executive order that he signed with Elon Musk.
00:08:00.800 And what Donald Trump said is, I am telling the government it is time to be overhauled.
00:08:06.640 This is something that many of these cabinet secretaries knew when they were picked by Donald Trump.
00:08:11.580 Now, the order said agency leaders, quote,
00:08:13.760 shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force.
00:08:18.860 Some departments have already begun the process, we've been told today as well, in the cabinet meeting.
00:08:24.320 The General Services Administration, for example, which handles federal real estate,
00:08:28.520 told employees on Monday that a reduction force was underway,
00:08:32.080 and they would do everything in their, quote, power to make our department and your department fair and dignified.
00:08:38.600 Now, the memo also comes as Donald Trump prepared to bring everyone together, saying,
00:08:43.420 here's our plan for the second term.
00:08:45.800 Elon Musk is going to be there.
00:08:47.240 We already heard from him earlier.
00:08:48.860 And we are going to make sure you understand that this is the initiative of the White House and the American voter.
00:08:56.300 The White House Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, told reporters that all of the cabinet secretaries
00:09:00.260 take the advice and direction of Doge, saying, quote,
00:09:03.200 they'll be providing updates on their efforts to Doge.
00:09:05.740 And they'll also be providing updates on what they're doing at their agencies in terms of policies
00:09:09.780 and implementing the promises that the president made on the campaign trail to the American people.
00:09:14.720 So let's just recap what just happened with this cabinet meeting when it comes to you as a taxpayer.
00:09:20.560 There's really two parts of this plan and agenda from Donald Trump.
00:09:24.060 One, it is to find the waste, fraud, and abuse and get rid of it.
00:09:26.980 And that's certainly a part of what Doge is doing.
00:09:29.080 But the administration directing large-scale federal layoffs is a completely different way to cut spending.
00:09:35.400 And he's saying the government is not serving the people.
00:09:38.540 The government is overspending.
00:09:40.360 We have way too many employees who aren't doing a good job.
00:09:43.260 Some of them apparently are dead.
00:09:45.020 Some of them don't show up for work.
00:09:46.500 And some of them don't even check their emails.
00:09:49.100 So this is now a new way of reforming our government to work for the American people and be more efficient.
00:09:55.400 And every American should be thrilled by this.
00:09:57.840 And lastly, story number three.
00:09:59.540 All right, let's move to some breaking news now.
00:10:02.120 The Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that the Department of Justice plans to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein today.
00:10:11.060 The documents are expected to include flight logs and names of individuals associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
00:10:18.600 Bondi emphasized the importance of protecting the identities of more than 250 victims,
00:10:24.340 which has contributed to the delay in releasing the information.
00:10:27.420 She described the contents of what are in these files as something that is sickening.
00:10:34.260 Take a listen from Fox News.
00:10:36.340 You said last week that you have the Epstein files on your desk.
00:10:39.520 When can we see them and what's taking so long to release them?
00:10:43.000 I do.
00:10:43.600 Jesse, there are well over, this will make you sick, 200 victims.
00:10:49.940 200.
00:10:50.980 So we have well over, over 250 actually.
00:10:53.840 So we have to make sure that their identity is protected and their personal information.
00:11:01.240 But other than that, I think tomorrow, you know, the personal information of victims.
00:11:05.320 Other than that, I think tomorrow, Jesse, breaking news right now, you're going to see some Epstein information being released by my office.
00:11:13.700 What kind?
00:11:14.360 Are we going to see who was on the flights?
00:11:16.760 Are we going to see any evidence from what he recorded?
00:11:19.840 Because he had all of his homes wired with recording devices.
00:11:23.000 What you're going to see hopefully tomorrow is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information.
00:11:31.940 But it's pretty sick what that man did.
00:11:35.720 Okay.
00:11:36.240 Well, we'll look for that.
00:11:37.100 Along with his co-defendant.
00:11:38.100 Absolutely.
00:11:38.840 And he had help.
00:11:39.680 That's for sure.
00:11:40.380 He sure did.
00:11:41.340 He had help.
00:11:42.300 That's for sure.
00:11:43.500 Now, this announcement follows bipartisan pressure from lawmakers for increased transparency regarding Epstein's connections.
00:11:50.560 Senator Marsha Blackburn, for example, Republican from Tennessee, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican from Florida, have been vocal in urging the release of the Epstein's clients list and related records.
00:12:03.160 The forecoming release aims to provide insight into Epstein's network and associations.
00:12:08.940 Now, Epstein, if you remember, he was a financier with ties to numerous high-profile individuals.
00:12:14.960 He was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, but died of, quote, suicide before his trial.
00:12:24.880 His associate, a woman by the last name Maxwell, was also convicted in 2021 for her role in recruiting underage girls for Epstein, and she is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
00:12:37.780 Now, the release of these documents is anticipated to shed further light on the extent of Epstein's activities and associations.
00:12:44.240 What we also are expecting is there is going to be quite a few high-profile individuals from the political world that had very close relationships with Jeffrey Epstein.
00:12:54.940 Now, to be clear, if there are Republicans on this list, I want to know exactly what they were doing with Jeffrey Epstein.
00:13:02.620 If there are Democrats on this list, I want to know exactly what they were doing with Jeffrey Epstein.
00:13:08.160 In fact, I really don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat.
00:13:12.180 I care about transparency.
00:13:14.480 And the fact that there is an Epstein's client list, and yet no one except for Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell have been arrested for all of these heinous crimes,
00:13:24.480 and the hundreds of victims and underage girls they trafficked, tells you just how big this cover-up actually was.
00:13:31.540 I also want to know why the government didn't act sooner.
00:13:35.080 They had lots of information about Jeffrey Epstein and what he was doing.
00:13:39.660 So who were they protecting in our government?
00:13:42.020 Or who called off the government from actually doing the job of investigating the heinous crimes against underage girls?
00:13:49.340 This should be what we all should be wanting for, transparency.
00:13:54.580 And that's exactly why President Donald Trump and Pam Bondi are saying it's time for you and everyone else to see the list.
00:14:02.180 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:14:06.520 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:14:11.820 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast, and we will see you back here tomorrow.
00:14:19.340 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:14:23.200 Guaranteed Human.