Verdict with Ted Cruz - February 25, 2025


Bonus Pod： Trump Pushes for Keystone Pipeline & Backs Elon's Email to Government Workers

Hosted by
Ted Cruz
Mentioned
Donald Trump Marco Rubio Keystone XL Elon Musk Ben Ferguson Joe Biden Russ Gerling Keystone Pipeline Emmanuel Macron Elise Stefanik Putin Tons Doge
What Did You Accomplish Last Week？ With those Simple Words, Elon Musk Drove Dems & the Media Nuts! House Budget VICTORY, Cartels Escalate War Zone at Southern Border & Dems DIg in on Boys in Girls' Sports

Episode Stats


Length

13 minutes

Words per minute

181.7

Word count

2,494

Sentence count

185

Harmful content

Hate speech

4

sentences flagged


Summary

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

Trump doesn't take the bait from the media, Elon Musk's bizarre question to government employees, the Keystone Pipeline, and more! Plus, a new poll that shows Americans are massively in favor of Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio says "enough already."

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.600 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.780 Are we paying other people that aren't working?
00:00:08.260 And, you know, where's all this?
00:00:09.580 Where's the money going?
00:00:10.640 We have found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud so far.
00:00:14.480 And we've just started.
00:00:15.620 We're actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there.
00:00:18.320 Because maybe somebody stole the gold.
00:00:20.260 Tons of gold.
00:00:21.520 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:25.280 Good Tuesday morning.
00:00:26.300 It's Ben Ferguson with you.
00:00:27.580 It's nice to have you on the 47 Morning Update.
00:00:30.000 And here are the big stories we're talking about today.
00:00:32.360 First up, Donald Trump not taking the bait from the media.
00:00:36.200 Backing Elon Musk's email to government employees.
00:00:39.300 Asked him, what did you do in the last week at work?
00:00:42.240 I'll have the details on that in a moment.
00:00:44.180 Also, you may remember the Keystone Pipeline.
00:00:46.800 Democrats did everything they could do to shut it down.
00:00:49.520 And it cost countless people their jobs in this country.
00:00:53.100 Well, now Donald Trump has a plan to bring the Keystone Pipeline back.
00:00:56.700 And finally, Marco Rubio says enough already.
00:01:00.640 Ripping the United Nations and many of the war hawks that are obsessed with keeping the war going between Russia and Ukraine.
00:01:07.700 It's the 47 Morning Update.
00:01:09.480 And it starts right now.
00:01:10.980 Story number one.
00:01:12.000 On Saturday, Elon Musk, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, issued an email to all federal employees with the subject line,
00:01:24.200 What did you do last week?
00:01:25.880 Now, the email requested that employees submit a list of five accomplishments from the previous week by 11.59 p.m. on Monday night.
00:01:35.700 Musk stated that non-responses would be considered resignations.
00:01:39.880 This directive led to, quote, widespread confusion, the media states, and resistance across various federal agencies,
00:01:50.160 trying to find a crack in the armor with Donald Trump and Elon Musk to start a war between the two men.
00:01:57.540 Well, the president made it pretty clear.
00:02:00.000 He wants to know who's even reading their emails.
00:02:03.220 Well, I'm pushing back on you, not on Elon Musk or his email.
00:02:08.680 Do you think that DOGE could benefit from more streamlined communications?
00:02:13.980 There was that email telling employees to give five things that they've done last week.
00:02:18.900 Agency heads then told people to ignore it.
00:02:21.260 But Elon Musk...
00:02:21.680 You heard about the last email that was sent where he wanted to know what you did this week.
00:02:26.500 You know why he wanted that, by the way?
00:02:28.420 I thought it was great.
00:02:30.380 Because we have people that don't show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government.
00:02:34.560 So by asking the question, tell us what you did this week, what he's doing is saying, are you actually working?
00:02:41.060 And then if you don't answer, like you're sort of semi-fired or you're fired,
00:02:46.140 because a lot of people are not answering because they don't even exist.
00:02:50.920 They're trying to find...
00:02:51.640 That's how badly various parts of our government were run by, and especially by this last group.
00:02:56.900 So what they're doing is they're trying to find out who's working for the government.
00:03:01.660 Are we paying other people that aren't working?
00:03:04.700 And, you know, where's all that...
00:03:06.000 Where's the money going?
00:03:07.480 Some of the agencies...
00:03:08.620 So I think it was actually...
00:03:11.060 There was a lot of genius in sending it.
00:03:13.020 We're trying to find out if people are working.
00:03:15.180 And so we're sending a letter to people.
00:03:16.940 Please tell us what you did last week.
00:03:18.660 If people don't respond, it's very possible that there is no such person or they're not working.
00:03:24.480 Some of the agency heads instructed their employees not to respond because they're waiting on further guidance.
00:03:29.740 But Elon Musk's tweet said a failure to respond would be taken as a resignation.
00:03:33.200 So there's been a disconnect in communications.
00:03:35.520 Are you concerned at all about that?
00:03:36.740 Only...
00:03:37.020 No, no, no.
00:03:37.660 That was done in a friendly manner.
00:03:39.220 Only things such as perhaps Marco at State Department where they have very confidential things,
00:03:45.140 or the FBI where they're working on confidential things.
00:03:47.940 And they don't mean that in any way combatively with Elon.
00:03:52.300 They're just saying there are some people that you don't want to really have them tell you what they're working on.
00:03:57.120 But other than that, I think everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.
00:04:01.120 We have to find out where these people are.
00:04:02.940 Who are they?
00:04:04.120 And we said if you don't respond, we assume you're not around.
00:04:08.300 And that holds.
00:04:08.980 That stands.
00:04:09.500 And you're not getting paid anymore, too.
00:04:11.320 So, you know, we're doing a real job.
00:04:13.080 And we just had a poll come out, I guess, the Harvard poll, saying that it's massively popular what we're doing.
00:04:19.820 The polls are saying that Donald Trump has the support of the American people.
00:04:24.440 How do we know this?
00:04:25.320 A new Harvard-Harris poll has come out saying that 58% of Americans say that Donald Trump is doing a better job than Biden.
00:04:31.320 81% say they support deporting criminal aliens.
00:04:35.240 76% support eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in our government.
00:04:40.040 76% support closing the U.S. border.
00:04:43.740 70% support merit-based hiring instead of just government quotas.
00:04:49.140 61% support reciprocal tariffs.
00:04:52.720 And 60% think that Doge is helping tremendously in this country.
00:04:58.420 So, if you were thinking the president was going to back down, or Elon Musk was going to back down, or there's some sort of war between the two,
00:05:06.660 well, the media keeps lying to you, and they keep getting busted lying to you each and every day by this administration.
00:05:14.020 Now, story number two.
00:05:15.420 Seven years ago, Donald Trump sat in the Oval Office and promised that the Keystone XL pipeline was going to be built to lower costs for American families,
00:05:26.140 and also so that we would have energy independence.
00:05:30.020 Fast forward seven years later, and the president is still working on the project that Democrats have done everything they can do to stop it.
00:05:39.180 So, what did the president say seven years ago?
00:05:41.940 Here he is in his own words.
00:05:43.460 Canada will finally be allowed to complete this long overdue project with efficiency and with speed.
00:05:50.020 And we're working out the final details as we speak.
00:05:54.460 It's going to be an incredible pipeline, greatest technology known to man or woman, and frankly, we're very proud of it.
00:06:04.800 Russ Gerling, president of TransCanada, is right behind me, and I'm going to have to say a few words.
00:06:10.780 I know, Russ, you've been waiting for a long, long time, and I hope you don't pay your consultants anything, because they have nothing to do with the approval.
00:06:18.520 In fact, you should ask for the hundreds of millions of dollars back that you paid them, because they didn't do a damn thing except give you a no vote, right?
00:06:27.260 It's a great day for American jobs and a historic moment for North America and energy independence.
00:06:33.780 This announcement is part of a new era of American energy policy that will lower costs for American families.
00:06:40.780 Seven years ago, the president made that statement.
00:06:44.080 Democrats did everything they could, as I mentioned earlier, to stop it.
00:06:47.380 So, what is the president saying now?
00:06:49.420 Donald Trump putting out a statement on Monday that he wants the Keystone XL pipeline,
00:06:53.840 which was opposed for years by activists fighting against climate change to be built.
00:06:58.340 The pipeline, which was proposed in 08 to bring oil from Canada's western tar sands to U.S. refiners,
00:07:05.160 and was halted in 2021 by the owner, TC Energy Corps, after Democratic President Joe Biden revoked a key permit needed for a U.S. stretch of the project.
00:07:16.980 Our country is doing really well.
00:07:19.860 And today, I was just thinking that the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline that was viciously jettisoned by the incompetent Biden administration should come back to America and get it built now.
00:07:33.840 I know they were treated very badly by sleepy Joe Biden, but the Trump administration is very different.
00:07:40.240 Easy approvals, almost immediate start.
00:07:43.140 If not them, perhaps another pipeline company.
00:07:46.100 We want the Keystone XL pipeline built, Trump said on Truth Social.
00:07:51.080 Now, the president has said yet again that he believes that energy independence is one of the most important things to lowering inflation
00:07:58.400 and helping the American family be able to survive day to day.
00:08:03.520 This is something the Democrats didn't care about, how much you suffered, and they wanted you to pay a lot for gas at the pump.
00:08:11.160 They wanted you to pay a lot for natural gas.
00:08:13.580 They wanted you to suffer and to bow to their wishes for a Green New Deal. 0.99
00:08:19.320 Donald Trump making it clear now, America is open for business, including the Keystone XL pipeline.
00:08:26.620 And finally, story number three.
00:08:28.560 One of the things that's really important that we are going to be covering on this show each and every day is when there is clearly propaganda that is being used against the Trump administration.
00:08:39.720 This may be one of the biggest flashpoints so far in the first six weeks of his administration.
00:08:45.780 The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
00:08:52.760 Ninety-three countries voted in favor, 18 against, including the United States and Russia.
00:08:59.960 Now, this immediately turned into propaganda, anti-American propaganda, anti-Trump propaganda, saying that Donald Trump is now siding with Russia.
00:09:11.780 It's easy to buy into that headline if you don't actually understand the story or why the American government decided to say no to condemning Russia at the United Nations.
00:09:23.960 Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, ripped the United Nations as antagonistic and warmongers, trying to keep the Ukraine-Russia war continuing on and on forever.
00:09:37.760 I want you to hear what the Secretary of State said about this vote so that you understand the real story behind it.
00:09:46.460 Take a listen.
00:09:47.080 On the massive news today, the United States voted against a Europe-led resolution at the United Nations to condemn Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.
00:09:58.220 And then later, a U.S.-led resolution passed the Security Council.
00:10:03.880 Talk to us about what happened there.
00:10:05.680 Well, on the broader resolution, we think the U.N. needs to get, if it's going to be useful in the 21st century, the U.N. needs to get back to its charter mission, which is the prevention and the ending of war and conflict.
00:10:14.580 And so we felt, everyone knows, you know, you can go back and read newspaper articles over the last three years and figure out what happened in Ukraine.
00:10:21.540 But now, as the President's made very clear, President Trump wants to end this war.
00:10:25.500 He thinks far too many people have died and he wants to bring it to an end.
00:10:28.640 So we didn't feel it was conducive, frankly, to have something out there at the U.N. that's antagonistic against either side.
00:10:35.160 We're trying to get these guys to the table.
00:10:37.260 And unfortunately, Ukraine didn't agree.
00:10:39.680 They wanted to move forward on theirs.
00:10:40.940 We then went to the Security Council with our compromise, which I think is a very fair language, and it basically says war is a terrible thing.
00:10:47.700 I mean, I'm paraphrasing and I'm being simplistic, but it says war is a terrible thing.
00:10:51.740 Way too many people have died.
00:10:53.500 This war needs to end in a way that's enduring. 0.98
00:10:55.740 In essence, echoing President Trump's view of what this conflict needs to be and reminding the United Nations.
00:11:03.680 At the purpose of the United Nations was the prevention of war and the ending of conflicts, not making it harder to end conflicts.
00:11:11.060 So I thought it was good that we got it done at the Security Council.
00:11:14.220 The Russians didn't veto it, which is a good sign. 0.62
00:11:16.280 I'm not telling you that that is going to end this conflict, and I can't wait until Elise Stefanik is there because it would be great to have her leadership.
00:11:22.260 But I certainly think our language is a better language and hopefully furthers the cause of peace.
00:11:29.260 President Trump today, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, said that he hopes that this can be resolved in a matter of weeks, not months, weeks.
00:11:38.560 What are some of the major steps that we need to take to get to that point?
00:11:43.120 Well, I think the president would want it to end yesterday, right?
00:11:45.720 He thinks already too many people have died.
00:11:47.320 There's been too much destruction.
00:11:48.740 By the way, I think everybody should be very happy that President Trump is a peace president.
00:11:52.340 We have a president that wants to end wars, not start new ones.
00:11:55.320 He wants to end human suffering, not exacerbate it or extend it.
00:11:59.560 Now, that said, it's a conflict.
00:12:01.300 It's a war.
00:12:01.980 And it's going back and forth.
00:12:03.440 We've got to get them both to the table, starting with the Russians. 1.00
00:12:06.800 So we met with them last week, and the basic question of that meeting was, are you interested in ending this conflict or not?
00:12:11.820 A lot of people don't know the answer to that.
00:12:13.160 If you talk to some in Europe, they'll tell you that Putin is not interested in ending the war.
00:12:17.260 They said they would be under the right conditions.
00:12:19.360 We didn't discuss what those conditions were.
00:12:21.020 So the next step now is to meet with them again at some point with the right group of people in the room and begin to outline what would it take for Russia to stop a war.
00:12:29.480 And obviously, we've got to ask Ukraine the same question,
00:12:31.360 because you can't stop a war unless both sides agree to it.
00:12:35.020 So whether it takes days or weeks or what have you, we're going to begin that process.
00:12:39.420 It may not work out, but why would anybody criticize President Trump for wanting to end a war that's cost billions of dollars,
00:12:46.100 hundreds of thousands of lives, and tremendous and ongoing human suffering?
00:12:49.420 You listened to what Marco Rubio said there, and now you understand exactly why they decided to not try to antagonize two countries you're wanting to get to the table to end the war.
00:13:00.960 Now, the media is not going to tell you this part of the story.
00:13:05.280 They're not going to play for you what I just played for you from Marco Rubio.
00:13:08.880 And this is exactly why I say I hope you take the information that I give you every day here and you give it to others that you know.
00:13:16.960 Because without all of us telling the story, the media will continue to lie and win.
00:13:22.700 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:13:26.860 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:13:32.200 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast, and we will see you back here tomorrow.
00:13:38.460 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:13:42.460 Guaranteed human.