Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 18, 2025


BONUS POD: Trump Outlines Vision for America’s Future w Economic Boom coming in 2026


Episode Stats


Length

12 minutes

Words per minute

149.27931

Word count

1,916

Sentence count

109

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Toxicity

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Trump delivers a Christmas and New Year's message that should have every one of you excited. He talks about lower prices, lower prices on gas, cheaper prescription drugs, and the largest tax refund season of all time. The president lays out what you can expect in 2026, and much of it is what was passed in the Big Beautiful Bill that will now become a reality, including no tax on tips, social security or overtime.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.420 Guaranteed human.
00:00:05.600 So they can buy their own health insurance,
00:00:08.740 which will give far better benefits at much lower costs.
00:00:12.320 It will be far better health insurance.
00:00:15.100 Military service members will receive a special,
00:00:18.320 we call warrior dividend.
00:00:20.520 No tax on tips, no tax on overtime,
00:00:23.220 and no tax on social security for our great seniors.
00:00:27.060 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:31.300 Good Thursday morning.
00:00:32.400 It's nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update,
00:00:34.940 and we've got a great show for you this morning.
00:00:38.320 All thanks Donald Trump as he addressed the nation from the White House
00:00:42.520 with a Christmas and New Year's message
00:00:44.860 that should have every one of you excited.
00:00:47.760 He talked about lower prices, lower prices on gas,
00:00:51.700 lower prices on prescription drugs,
00:00:54.300 lower prices on housing,
00:00:55.860 And he also talked about the largest tax refund season of all time.
00:01:01.780 The president laying out what you can expect in 2026,
00:01:05.140 and much of it is what was passed in the Big Beautiful Bill,
00:01:08.580 that will now become a reality,
00:01:10.620 including no tax on tips,
00:01:12.960 or social security,
00:01:14.520 or overtime.
00:01:15.820 It's the 47 Morning Update,
00:01:17.700 and it starts right now.
00:01:19.400 Story number one.
00:01:20.500 President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address to the nation,
00:01:24.020 and in the nationally televised address,
00:01:26.580 the president presented a forward-looking and optimistic message
00:01:30.240 about the direction of the country
00:01:31.860 and the policies that his administration has pursued
00:01:35.040 over the last just 11 months,
00:01:37.120 to put it in perspective.
00:01:38.820 He emphasized that in the last year,
00:01:40.860 it has been a period of meaningful progress
00:01:43.700 and growing strength for the United States,
00:01:46.300 and that the best is yet to come
00:01:48.600 as the nation moves into 2026.
00:01:51.280 Now, you may ask yourself this question,
00:01:53.400 why?
00:01:54.360 Well, much of what the president has enacted
00:01:56.400 actually hasn't taken effect yet.
00:01:59.380 It starts in 2026.
00:02:01.840 No tax on tips, for example.
00:02:04.080 No tax on overtime.
00:02:05.980 And no tax on social security
00:02:07.620 for the majority of Americans.
00:02:09.440 We'll have a massive impact
00:02:11.940 for many Americans,
00:02:13.100 and how much money is in their bank accounts.
00:02:15.960 The president also talked about the incredible impact
00:02:19.080 of stopping immigration into this country,
00:02:22.220 illegal immigration,
00:02:23.700 and how it's now actually lowering home prices
00:02:26.540 and rental prices,
00:02:28.260 prices that are expected to come down even more in 2026,
00:02:32.520 which brings us to the key achievements
00:02:35.300 and the policy highlights
00:02:36.860 of economic growth in investment.
00:02:40.080 President Trump highlighted
00:02:41.400 the significant economic progress,
00:02:43.400 including what he described as a record level
00:02:45.740 of investment
00:02:46.640 that is flowing into the United States of America,
00:02:49.800 which he has tied to job creation and growth.
00:02:52.660 Much of this coming from the leverage with tariffs.
00:02:56.420 He framed the recent policies
00:02:57.880 as driving lower prices
00:02:59.500 and stronger wages for American families.
00:03:03.120 Trump referred to the current economic trajectory
00:03:05.520 as laying the groundwork
00:03:06.860 for what he casts
00:03:07.820 as the greatest economy in history.
00:03:10.640 He also did something that was truly incredible,
00:03:14.260 a Christmas present
00:03:15.320 that men and women in the military
00:03:16.640 will never forget.
00:03:18.620 As part of his holiday season message,
00:03:21.520 he announced a one-time 1776,
00:03:25.820 that's right, 1,776,
00:03:29.580 warrior dividend check
00:03:31.580 to honor and support U.S. service members
00:03:34.840 that have been under attack by the left
00:03:37.260 for many years.
00:03:38.640 I want you to listen to the president
00:03:40.360 in his own words on this incredible moment.
00:03:42.920 Along with the just-passed
00:03:45.400 one big, beautiful bill,
00:03:47.300 tonight I am also proud to announce
00:03:49.720 that more than 1,450,000,
00:03:53.980 think of this,
00:03:55.040 1,450,000 military service members
00:04:00.020 will receive a special,
00:04:01.880 we call Warrior Dividend,
00:04:04.360 before Christmas,
00:04:05.400 a Warrior Dividend,
00:04:06.800 in honor of our nation's founding in 1776.
00:04:11.400 We are sending every soldier
00:04:13.200 $1,776.
00:04:18.100 Think of that.
00:04:19.620 And the checks are already on the way.
00:04:22.740 Nobody understood that one
00:04:24.860 until about 30 minutes ago.
00:04:26.940 Not only was the president
00:04:28.500 celebrating our men and women in military,
00:04:30.600 but he also said that you,
00:04:32.860 as an American,
00:04:33.520 have something to celebrate
00:04:34.540 coming next spring.
00:04:36.800 Next spring, he says,
00:04:37.820 is projected to be
00:04:38.620 the largest tax refund season
00:04:40.600 of all time.
00:04:42.920 Here's the president
00:04:43.720 in his own words.
00:04:45.320 Next year,
00:04:46.480 you will also see
00:04:47.540 the results of the largest tax cuts
00:04:49.860 in American history
00:04:50.920 that were really accomplished
00:04:53.260 through our great,
00:04:54.880 big, beautiful bill,
00:04:56.300 perhaps the most sweeping legislation
00:04:57.600 ever passed in Congress.
00:05:00.040 We wrapped 12 different bills
00:05:02.720 up into one beautiful bill.
00:05:04.760 That includes
00:05:05.480 no tax on tips,
00:05:07.320 no tax on overtime,
00:05:08.720 and no tax on Social Security
00:05:10.960 for our great seniors.
00:05:13.540 Under these cuts,
00:05:14.860 many families will be saving
00:05:16.540 between $11,000
00:05:18.640 and $20,000 a year.
00:05:21.360 And next spring is projected
00:05:22.920 to be the largest tax refund season
00:05:25.200 of all time.
00:05:26.840 Not only does the president know
00:05:28.440 that you need more money
00:05:29.400 in your pocket,
00:05:30.360 and the left has been taking
00:05:31.480 far too much of it
00:05:32.880 and wasting it for far too long,
00:05:34.880 but he also talked about health care,
00:05:37.220 which is actually a very important point
00:05:39.180 for many Americans.
00:05:40.560 He promised future reductions
00:05:42.760 in drug prices
00:05:44.240 and improvements in affordability
00:05:46.540 for health care
00:05:47.320 as part of the upcoming year's agenda.
00:05:50.360 I'm also taking on
00:05:52.000 the gigantic health insurance companies
00:05:54.700 that have gotten rich
00:05:56.180 on billions of dollars of money
00:05:58.220 that should go directly to the people.
00:06:00.480 The money should go to the people.
00:06:02.360 That's you.
00:06:03.280 So they can buy
00:06:04.160 their own health insurance,
00:06:05.960 which will give far better benefits
00:06:08.040 at much lower costs.
00:06:09.680 It will be far better health insurance.
00:06:13.020 The current Unaffordable Care Act
00:06:14.820 was created to make insurance companies rich.
00:06:18.080 It was bad health care
00:06:19.380 at much too higher costs.
00:06:21.280 And you see that now
00:06:22.540 in the steep increase in premiums
00:06:24.620 being demanded by the Democrats,
00:06:26.240 and they are demanding those increases,
00:06:28.400 and it's their fault.
00:06:30.040 It is not the Republicans' fault.
00:06:32.100 It's the Democrats' fault.
00:06:34.200 It's the Unaffordable Care Act,
00:06:36.160 and everybody knew it.
00:06:37.980 Again, I want the money
00:06:39.140 to go directly to the people
00:06:40.760 so you can buy your own health care.
00:06:42.820 You'll get much better health care
00:06:44.500 at a much lower price. 0.87
00:06:46.380 The only losers
00:06:47.260 will be insurance companies
00:06:48.600 that have gotten rich
00:06:50.220 and the Democrat Party,
00:06:51.520 which is totally controlled
00:06:52.600 by those same insurance companies.
00:06:54.600 They will not be happy,
00:06:56.580 but that's okay with me
00:06:57.780 because you, the people,
00:06:58.940 are finally going to be getting
00:07:00.380 great health care
00:07:01.380 at a lower cost.
00:07:02.740 Not only will you be getting
00:07:04.120 great health care
00:07:04.980 at a lower cost,
00:07:06.200 the number one donor
00:07:07.380 to the Democrats in Congress
00:07:08.960 have literally been
00:07:10.360 the health care industry.
00:07:11.980 The president then moved
00:07:13.380 from that issue
00:07:14.540 to another one,
00:07:16.220 immigration and border security.
00:07:17.860 President Trump
00:07:18.940 touting enhanced
00:07:19.660 border enforcement
00:07:20.680 and immigration control
00:07:22.500 as part of his administration's
00:07:24.280 accomplishments.
00:07:25.620 Our border was open,
00:07:27.180 and because of this,
00:07:28.240 our country was being invaded
00:07:29.600 by an army of 25 million people,
00:07:33.200 many who came from prisons
00:07:34.700 and jails,
00:07:35.580 mental institutions,
00:07:36.920 and insane asylums. 0.79
00:07:39.060 They were drug dealers,
00:07:40.680 gang members,
00:07:41.700 and even 11,888 murderers,
00:07:45.080 more than 50% of whom killed
00:07:47.840 more than one person.
00:07:49.800 This is what the Biden administration
00:07:51.860 allowed to happen to our country,
00:07:54.100 and it can never be allowed
00:07:56.260 to happen again.
00:07:57.920 We had men playing in women's sports, 0.86
00:08:00.980 transgender for everybody,
00:08:03.200 crime at record levels,
00:08:04.940 with law enforcement,
00:08:06.300 and words such as that
00:08:08.480 just absolutely forbidden.
00:08:10.360 We had the worst trade deals
00:08:13.040 ever made,
00:08:13.800 and our country was laughed at
00:08:15.380 from all over the world,
00:08:16.840 but they're not laughing anymore.
00:08:19.840 Over the past 11 months,
00:08:21.760 we have brought more positive change
00:08:24.280 to Washington
00:08:24.960 than any administration
00:08:27.220 in American history.
00:08:29.040 There's never been anything like it,
00:08:31.860 and I think most would agree.
00:08:33.520 I was elected in a landslide
00:08:36.040 winning the popular vote
00:08:37.480 and all seven swing states
00:08:39.800 and everything else
00:08:41.120 with a mandate
00:08:43.020 to take on a sick and corrupt system
00:08:46.140 that really just took the wealth
00:08:50.120 from people
00:08:50.720 and crushed the dreams
00:08:52.000 of the American people.
00:08:53.820 For the last four years,
00:08:55.560 the United States was ruled
00:08:57.060 by politicians
00:08:57.940 who fought only for insiders,
00:09:00.980 illegal aliens,
00:09:01.800 career criminals, 1.00
00:09:03.620 corporate lobbyists,
00:09:04.680 prisoners, terrorists,
00:09:06.100 and above all,
00:09:06.820 foreign nations
00:09:07.640 which took advantage of us
00:09:09.800 at levels never seen before.
00:09:12.180 They flooded your cities
00:09:13.700 and towns
00:09:14.420 with illegal aliens.
00:09:16.040 They decimated
00:09:17.240 your hard-earned savings.
00:09:18.960 They indoctrinated your children
00:09:20.780 with hate for America.
00:09:22.920 Really, I mean,
00:09:24.400 they just released
00:09:25.320 a level of violent felons
00:09:27.200 that we had never seen
00:09:28.880 to prey on innocent.
00:09:29.940 They caused war. 0.99
00:09:32.620 They caused mayhem.
00:09:33.960 They caused a horrible situation
00:09:36.040 all over the globe.
00:09:37.840 But now you have a president
00:09:39.280 who fights for the law-abiding,
00:09:41.560 hard-working people
00:09:42.460 of our country,
00:09:43.620 the ones who make this nation run,
00:09:46.180 who make this nation work.
00:09:48.540 And not only did the president
00:09:49.620 talk about immigration
00:09:50.800 and border security,
00:09:52.120 he also talked about
00:09:53.220 foreign policy
00:09:54.020 and peace efforts.
00:09:55.480 He underscored
00:09:56.100 diplomatic progress,
00:09:56.940 including his administration's role
00:09:59.380 in brokering stability
00:10:00.940 in regions of conflict
00:10:02.300 and reducing global tensions.
00:10:04.380 These diplomatic themes
00:10:06.120 fed into broader messaging
00:10:08.000 about America's renewed
00:10:09.100 international leadership
00:10:10.340 and also what it means
00:10:11.640 about security at home.
00:10:13.500 Throughout the speech,
00:10:14.440 the president framed the future
00:10:15.580 with optimism,
00:10:16.920 previewing initiatives
00:10:17.880 he intends to pursue in 2026,
00:10:20.860 including lower drug costs
00:10:22.460 through the Trump-Rx program,
00:10:24.280 broad tax cuts aimed at benefiting
00:10:26.540 working American families,
00:10:29.240 expanded energy production
00:10:30.920 to reduce costs for consumers,
00:10:33.540 continued efforts
00:10:34.440 to address housing affordability
00:10:36.420 and rent relief,
00:10:38.060 and commitment to appointing
00:10:39.820 a Federal Reserve chair
00:10:41.400 who's focused on lower interest rates
00:10:43.960 to support economic expansion.
00:10:46.260 Which brings us to one thing
00:10:48.120 that many Americans are going to love.
00:10:50.040 The president also announcing
00:10:51.260 some of the most aggressive
00:10:52.560 housing reforms
00:10:53.760 so that more Americans
00:10:55.480 can get in the game,
00:10:57.000 can own a house,
00:10:58.320 and not have to wait
00:10:59.260 till they're much older
00:11:00.240 to be first-time home buyers.
00:11:02.780 In the new year,
00:11:03.840 I will announce
00:11:04.520 some of the most aggressive
00:11:06.200 housing reform plans
00:11:07.520 in American history.
00:11:09.360 A major factor
00:11:10.140 in driving up housing costs
00:11:11.640 was the colossal border invasion.
00:11:14.320 We have never been invaded.
00:11:15.840 This is the worst thing
00:11:17.380 that, frankly, in my opinion,
00:11:20.020 the worst thing
00:11:20.720 that the Biden administration
00:11:21.960 did to our country
00:11:23.160 is the invasion at the border.
00:11:25.680 The last administration
00:11:26.900 and their allies in Congress
00:11:28.520 brought in millions
00:11:29.640 and millions of migrants
00:11:31.080 and gave them
00:11:31.880 taxpayer-funded housing
00:11:33.260 while your rent
00:11:34.380 and housing costs skyrocketed.
00:11:36.240 So there it is.
00:11:37.320 The president of the United States
00:11:38.340 making it very clear
00:11:40.560 that he believes
00:11:41.540 that this next year
00:11:42.360 is actually going to be
00:11:43.440 the best year
00:11:45.500 in our history
00:11:46.640 when it comes to our economy.
00:11:48.700 And this address,
00:11:49.840 not only did he spotlight
00:11:50.840 our men and women in uniform,
00:11:52.440 but also making it clear
00:11:53.680 we're going back
00:11:54.660 to law and order.
00:11:56.320 He wants a Fed chair
00:11:57.360 that will back
00:11:58.420 lower interest rates.
00:11:59.880 He wants to keep
00:12:00.540 the focus on the economy.
00:12:02.240 And also,
00:12:03.200 he did not bring up
00:12:04.260 Venezuela.
00:12:05.340 Why?
00:12:06.060 Because clearly
00:12:06.780 that's not the focal point
00:12:08.400 of the administration.
00:12:09.840 He said,
00:12:10.200 we're bringing the economy
00:12:11.040 back from ruin
00:12:12.060 and the economy on prices
00:12:14.520 is going to be ease for you.
00:12:17.100 So there is the president.
00:12:18.700 He said,
00:12:19.140 America,
00:12:19.820 you're going to feel relief
00:12:21.260 in a bountiful 2026.
00:12:24.240 And that is this president's
00:12:25.940 Christmas present
00:12:26.720 to every American.
00:12:28.620 Thank you for listening
00:12:29.620 to the 47 Morning Update
00:12:31.320 with Ben Ferguson.
00:12:33.040 Please make sure
00:12:33.880 you hit subscribe
00:12:34.800 wherever you're listening
00:12:36.260 to this podcast right now.
00:12:38.320 And for more in-depth news,
00:12:40.040 also subscribe
00:12:40.820 to the Ben Ferguson podcast
00:12:42.360 and we will see you
00:12:43.700 back here tomorrow.
00:12:46.280 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:12:49.160 Guaranteed Human.