Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 11, 2025


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


Episode Stats

Length

14 minutes

Words per Minute

154.05598

Word Count

2,165

Sentence Count

187

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

4


Summary


Transcript

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.
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,
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,
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
00:13:30.900 that have been
00:13:31.740 flooding this country,
00:13:32.880 Venezuela is a great example,
00:13:34.480 with drugs and fentanyl
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
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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
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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.