Verdict with Ted Cruz - BONUS ：POD： Trump Teases ‘Other Things Happening’ After Bold Tanker Seizure

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.620 Guaranteed human.

00:00:04.860 Have you considered talking to the president of Colombia

00:00:07.300 who you call a drug leader?

00:00:09.720 No, I haven't really thought too much about him.

00:00:11.840 He's been fairly hostile to the United States.

00:00:15.180 He's going to have himself some big problems

00:00:17.140 if he doesn't wise up.

00:00:19.720 Colombia's producing a lot of drugs.

00:00:21.680 They have cocaine factories that they make cocaine,

00:00:24.780 as you know, and they sell it right into the United States.

00:00:27.080 So he better wise up or he'll be next.

00:00:29.440 He'll be next, too.

00:00:31.640 I hope he's listening.

00:00:33.080 He's going to be next.

00:00:34.440 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

00:00:38.580 Good Thursday morning.

00:00:39.620 It's so nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update,

00:00:42.260 and we've got one big story for you.

00:00:45.160 Donald Trump made a promise to keep us safe,

00:00:47.600 especially from the drugs that were killing countless Americans

00:00:50.420 with fentanyl overdoses.

00:00:52.340 Well, now the president is going after some of those cartel individuals,

00:00:56.940 including Venezuela.

00:00:58.400 Trump now says the U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

00:01:04.640 in a massive move.

00:01:07.440 I've got all the details for you and what this means going forward.

00:01:11.700 But first, I want to tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile.

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00:03:04.160 It's the 47 Morning Update,

00:03:06.000 and it starts right now.

00:03:07.720 Story number one.

00:03:09.020 You can file this story under,

00:03:11.400 this is exactly what I voted for

00:03:13.980 when I voted for President Donald Trump.

00:03:16.820 The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

00:03:22.180 in a major escalation of tensions between Washington and Caracas,

00:03:28.240 is how the mainstream media put it.

00:03:30.140 In reality, this is a huge victory for law and order.

00:03:34.940 President Donald Trump publicly announced a seizure at the White House,

00:03:39.380 describing the vessel as a very large tanker.

00:03:42.820 Here's the president in his own words.

00:03:45.820 Well, thank you very much.

00:03:46.720 It's just been an interesting day from the standpoint of news.

00:03:52.900 As you probably know,

00:03:54.220 we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela.

00:03:59.920 A large tanker, very large.

00:04:03.120 Largest one ever seized, actually.

00:04:06.120 And other things are happening,

00:04:08.420 so you'll be seeing that later,

00:04:10.800 and you'll be talking about that later with some other people.

00:04:13.020 The president's grin on his face at the White House

00:04:18.200 for this moment where he decided to talk to the media for a second

00:04:22.040 and tease them about exactly what had happened,

00:04:24.140 the largest ever seized oil tanker by U.S. forces,

00:04:27.860 truly is law and order.

00:04:29.580 The operation was executed by U.S. authorities,

00:04:32.660 including the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI,

00:04:36.080 Homeland Security investigations, Navy support assets,

00:04:39.740 and these forces coordinated the boarding of the tanker,

00:04:43.900 even shown in a public video that has been released.

00:04:47.520 Now, let's talk about the tanker itself.

00:04:50.240 It is called the Skipper.

00:04:52.220 It was formerly known as Addissa and flagged in Panama.

00:04:56.240 The ship was sanctioned by the United States for years

00:04:59.240 because U.S. officials say it was involved in transporting illicit Venezuelan

00:05:04.380 and potentially Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

00:05:08.860 It was reportedly heading towards Cuba, carrying Venezuelan crude oil.

00:05:14.980 U.S. authorities justified the seizure by saying the tanker was transporting oil

00:05:19.740 in violation of U.S. sanctions

00:05:22.100 and part of an illicit oil shipping network

00:05:25.200 that supports sanctioned entities, including direct ties to Iran.

00:05:30.960 President Trump also stated publicly that the tanker was seized for a very good reason.

00:05:35.120 He didn't publicly disclose full legal grounds or the ship's ownership in detail.

00:05:40.840 That will be coming in the days ahead.

00:05:43.500 But what we do know is Venezuela's reaction is exactly what you would expect.

00:05:48.760 The Venezuelan government, led by Nicolas Maduro, strongly condemned the actions,

00:05:53.540 called the seizure theft an act of international piracy.

00:05:58.240 Caracas says the move violates its sovereignty

00:06:00.280 and is driven by U.S. interests in Venezuela's natural resources and oil wealth.

00:06:06.340 Venezuela has vowed to raise the issue at the international, quote, forums.

00:06:11.680 Now, the seizure has heightened geopolitical tensions

00:06:14.660 between the U.S. and Venezuela to a new level,

00:06:17.260 is how Reuters put it this evening.

00:06:19.700 It contributed to a rise in global oil prices

00:06:22.460 because of concern about disruptions to Venezuelan oil exports,

00:06:27.220 which are embargoed, admitting now in the world market that, yes,

00:06:31.980 these black ships and this oil that is not supposed to be sold

00:06:36.440 is happening each and every day.

00:06:39.780 Which brings me to part two of the story,

00:06:43.360 as the left is trying to act like this is some shocking move.

00:06:47.600 Even CNN security analyst says that America seizing an oil tanker

00:06:52.500 is, quote, absolutely normal.

00:06:57.220 Yes, even on CNN, they're saying that this is normal and law and order.

00:07:03.060 Listen carefully.

00:07:04.040 Let's bring in CNN national security analyst Beth Sanner.

00:07:07.140 Beth, first of all, a lot of people don't understand

00:07:09.580 the basic idea of what's going on here.

00:07:12.740 Nicolas Maduro, who is in charge of Venezuela,

00:07:15.980 president of Venezuela, he's there because of fraud.

00:07:18.960 Like, he should not be the leader of Venezuela.

00:07:22.180 He lost the election.

00:07:23.240 He lost the election and he kept power instead.

00:07:25.700 President Trump is not, my larger point is that

00:07:29.500 President Trump is, it's not wild for people in the West

00:07:32.280 to think Maduro is not there legitimately.

00:07:34.980 Right.

00:07:35.180 And there has been this pressure campaign from President Trump

00:07:37.600 for him to step down.

00:07:39.040 Seizing an oil tanker.

00:07:41.020 Yeah.

00:07:41.620 That's a much bigger deal and a much bigger

00:07:43.860 than these narco-terrorist boats, as the president calls them.

00:07:48.880 And people shooting them, seizing a tanker.

00:07:52.160 How could this escalate the conflict with Venezuela?

00:07:56.620 Well, you know, we've had sanctions on Venezuelan oil

00:08:00.720 since the first Trump administration.

00:08:04.320 And Biden kept them.

00:08:05.280 Kept them.

00:08:05.900 Yeah.

00:08:06.100 So, to me, this is absolutely normal.

00:08:10.400 I mean...

00:08:10.940 Seizing an oil tanker?

00:08:12.100 Yeah.

00:08:12.380 Yeah.

00:08:12.700 We've been seizing Iranian oil tankers in the past.

00:08:15.520 We also, according to the law that I've read,

00:08:20.480 we can...

00:08:21.340 That oil is up for forfeiture.

00:08:23.440 So, we could keep that.

00:08:24.860 We've kept Iranian oil in the past.

00:08:27.200 So, I actually think that this is less controversial

00:08:32.220 in terms of law and sanctions

00:08:35.460 and what has been, you know, disputed or not disputed.

00:08:39.200 Like, I think this is actually a pretty, you know, check-the-box case.

00:08:44.200 Now, you know, what will this mean in terms of escalation?

00:08:47.500 You know, what is he going to do?

00:08:49.080 What is Maduro going to do?

00:08:50.120 Is he going to step aside because we're sanctioning this oil?

00:08:53.460 I mean, you know, we pick up this oil tanker.

00:08:55.760 It's one oil tanker.

00:08:57.160 Probably not.

00:08:58.120 And it's unlikely that he would...

00:09:00.120 You listen to CNN and the analysts there.

00:09:03.600 I love how Jake Tapper acts like he's shocked

00:09:05.700 when she says America seizes oil tankers. 0.99

00:09:08.400 And we've done this in the past.

00:09:10.240 It's absolutely normal.

00:09:11.880 But they're trying to act like this is some shocking move.

00:09:15.200 By the way, the President of the United States of America

00:09:17.000 made it clear

00:09:18.020 this was going to be something they were going to do.

00:09:22.140 Which comes down to the video that has come out

00:09:25.340 showing just how powerful

00:09:27.380 the United States military can be

00:09:29.780 and law enforcement can be

00:09:31.440 when they decide to act

00:09:33.620 and are able to do their job

00:09:35.500 because of a President of the United States of America

00:09:38.020 that's willing to allow them to do their job.

00:09:41.720 Here's how Fox News described

00:09:43.520 the taking of that oil tanker.

00:09:46.140 Dramatic new video.

00:09:47.340 As the U.S. seizes an oil tanker

00:09:49.400 off the Venezuelan coast,

00:09:50.860 President Trump did not say why,

00:09:52.820 but he did say, quote,

00:09:54.080 other things are happening.

00:09:56.140 The administration has been striking

00:09:57.940 alleged narco-terrorist vessels near Venezuela

00:10:00.740 and is putting heavy pressure

00:10:02.260 on disputed President Nicolas Maduro.

00:10:04.820 Senior foreign policy correspondent Jillian Turner

00:10:06.880 starts us off tonight

00:10:07.920 from the State Department.

00:10:09.760 Good evening, Jillian.

00:10:10.500 Good evening to you back.

00:10:11.540 President Trump confirms

00:10:12.740 the United States military

00:10:14.020 has seized this crude oil tanker

00:10:16.220 off the coast of Venezuela

00:10:17.520 after insisting for months now

00:10:19.940 that the U.S. is, in fact,

00:10:21.780 at war with drug cartels

00:10:23.600 that are running these boats

00:10:24.840 in the U.S. Southcom region.

00:10:26.900 We've obtained this video

00:10:28.400 that the Attorney General Pam Bondi

00:10:30.460 posted on social media just a moment ago.

00:10:33.020 You can see here,

00:10:34.960 during this seizure,

00:10:36.320 she says the FBI,

00:10:37.560 the Homeland Security Department,

00:10:38.960 and Coast Guard

00:10:39.800 executed this operation

00:10:41.080 with support from the War Department.

00:10:43.220 You can see here

00:10:44.060 U.S. service members

00:10:45.240 landing a military helicopter

00:10:46.940 on this vessel

00:10:47.720 before then disembarking and entering.

00:10:50.680 The U.S. had issued a warrant,

00:10:52.720 we are learning,

00:10:53.360 for this crude oil tanker

00:10:54.660 alleging it had been used

00:10:56.060 to transport illegal oil

00:10:57.380 from Venezuela and Iran

00:10:59.020 in support of foreign terrorist organizations.

00:11:02.400 The seizure comes

00:11:03.340 after senior officials

00:11:04.480 presented the president

00:11:05.580 with potential war plans

00:11:07.100 and then deployed

00:11:08.000 major Navy assets to the region.

00:11:10.180 While the president himself

00:11:11.280 declined to state

00:11:12.000 a reason for today's seizure,

00:11:13.420 which could very well

00:11:15.320 constitute an act of war,

00:11:17.500 he did say this.

00:11:19.640 Could we see American troops

00:11:21.060 on the ground in Venezuela?

00:11:22.700 I don't comment on that.

00:11:23.800 I wouldn't say that

00:11:24.500 one way or the other.

00:11:26.240 In this case,

00:11:27.080 President Trump says

00:11:27.900 the victor will,

00:11:29.080 in fact,

00:11:29.440 take the spoils.

00:11:30.360 The U.S. military strikes

00:11:46.560 on these alleged drug boats

00:11:48.340 in the region

00:11:48.820 have so far killed

00:11:49.620 at least 87 people,

00:11:51.560 a death toll

00:11:52.040 that's become increasingly

00:11:53.400 the focus of scrutiny

00:11:54.580 on Capitol Hill

00:11:55.300 where lawmakers

00:11:55.880 have zeroed in

00:11:57.000 on this so-called

00:11:57.940 double-tap strike

00:11:59.300 that was carried out

00:12:00.300 on September 2nd.

00:12:02.060 Now, yesterday,

00:12:03.280 the secretaries of state

00:12:04.760 and war briefed

00:12:06.140 key lawmakers

00:12:06.940 on Capitol Hill

00:12:07.780 about these

00:12:08.520 September 2nd boat strikes.

00:12:10.340 They indicated,

00:12:11.520 reportedly,

00:12:12.380 that they are at least

00:12:13.400 considering the option

00:12:14.580 to release the full,

00:12:15.760 unedited video footage

00:12:17.240 of those strikes

00:12:18.260 that day.

00:12:19.480 Democratic Senator

00:12:20.800 Chuck Schumer

00:12:21.340 told reporters

00:12:22.400 after the briefing

00:12:23.900 that Secretary Hegseth

00:12:25.700 said to him

00:12:26.720 they need to study

00:12:27.920 these tapes

00:12:28.580 before they make

00:12:29.240 a determination.

00:12:30.420 Brett?

00:12:30.840 Jillian Turner,

00:12:31.400 live with the State Department.

00:12:32.360 Jillian, thank you.

00:12:34.160 So there it is.

00:12:35.760 A president standing up

00:12:37.060 for this country,

00:12:38.720 holding these

00:12:39.740 narco-terrorists accountable, 0.90

00:12:41.840 seizing the oil

00:12:43.260 and the tankers

00:12:44.180 that are being used

00:12:45.160 to prop up a regime

00:12:46.640 that is coming after America, 0.92

00:12:48.560 and also working with Iran.

00:12:51.760 And what's the point

00:12:52.820 of having,

00:12:53.760 I would say,

00:12:54.260 to those on the left,

00:12:56.000 sanctions

00:12:56.440 if you don't

00:12:57.480 actually enforce them.

00:12:59.480 These sanctions,

00:13:00.420 by the way,

00:13:00.780 have been around

00:13:01.280 in Democrats'

00:13:03.080 administrations,

00:13:04.020 including Biden,

00:13:05.680 including Barack Obama's.

00:13:07.780 But if you don't

00:13:08.580 enforce the sanctions

00:13:09.960 on these countries,

00:13:11.300 they're meaningless.

00:13:12.780 So really,

00:13:13.700 what the president's doing

00:13:14.640 is something pretty simple.

00:13:16.340 He's saying,

00:13:17.480 we have sanctions.

00:13:18.660 We are going

00:13:19.060 to take them seriously.

00:13:20.320 We are going

00:13:21.000 to enforce them.

00:13:22.060 And we're going

00:13:22.900 to make them

00:13:23.400 pay a major price.

00:13:25.660 And all of this

00:13:26.540 is to make sure

00:13:27.680 that we keep

00:13:28.440 this country safe

00:13:29.640 from these narco-terrorists 1.00

00:13:30.900 that have been

00:13:31.740 flooding this country,

00:13:32.880 Venezuela is a great example, 0.99

00:13:34.480 with drugs and fentanyl 0.95

00:13:35.900 that is killing

00:13:36.840 tens of thousands

00:13:38.880 of Americans.

00:13:40.620 Well done,

00:13:41.780 President Trump.

00:13:42.540 Thank you for listening

00:13:43.760 to the 47 Morning Update

00:13:45.480 with Ben Ferguson.

00:13:47.180 Please make sure

00:13:48.040 you hit subscribe

00:13:48.980 wherever you're listening

00:13:50.420 to this podcast right now.

00:13:52.460 And for more in-depth news,

00:13:54.220 also subscribe

00:13:54.980 to the Ben Ferguson Podcast,

00:13:56.900 and we will see you

00:13:57.840 back here tomorrow.

00:13:59.820 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:14:02.300 Guaranteed Human.

Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 11, 2025

BONUS ：POD： Trump Teases ‘Other Things Happening’ After Bold Tanker Seizure

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