Verdict with Ted Cruz - August 14, 2025


BONUS POD： W. Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas Join ICE in Crackdown plus House Probe Deepens on AutoPen


Episode Stats

Hate Speech Sentences

4


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.660 Guaranteed human.
00:00:05.880 We're going to fight crime.
00:00:07.360 That's a good thing.
00:00:08.040 Already they're saying, he's a dictator.
00:00:10.240 The place is going to hell.
00:00:12.360 We've got to stop it.
00:00:13.620 So instead of saying he's a dictator,
00:00:15.300 they should say, we're going to join him
00:00:16.900 and make Washington safe.
00:00:18.540 But he's a dictator.
00:00:23.680 And then they end up getting bugged.
00:00:25.660 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update
00:00:28.160 with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:29.420 Good Thursday morning.
00:00:30.700 So nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.
00:00:33.100 And we've got two very big stories for you this morning.
00:00:35.660 First up, not one, not two,
00:00:37.580 but now three states have signed a new agreement
00:00:41.340 with ICE for expanded immigration enforcement operations.
00:00:46.780 This starting with West Virginia's governor
00:00:49.000 announcing this wide-ranging ICE agreement
00:00:51.640 enlisting police, corrections, and the National Guard.
00:00:56.340 And what's interesting about all this
00:00:57.780 is the president and the White House
00:00:59.260 are being very quiet about it.
00:01:01.020 I'm going to explain why.
00:01:02.740 Also, while Congress is on its traditional August recess,
00:01:06.840 it doesn't mean that important work
00:01:08.680 is not being done in D.C.
00:01:10.360 In fact, the House Oversight Committee
00:01:12.640 is still investigating the alleged cover-up
00:01:15.320 of former President Joe Biden's
00:01:17.360 massive cognitive decline
00:01:19.080 in trying to find the answer to the question,
00:01:21.340 who was actually running the country,
00:01:23.880 and what was their name,
00:01:25.300 and did anyone ever vote for them?
00:01:27.560 Well, that is exactly what's happening in D.C. right now,
00:01:30.840 and I'm going to give you the latest on the investigation.
00:01:33.600 But first, let me tell you about Crockett Coffee.
00:01:36.620 If you drink coffee like I do,
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00:03:33.760 It's the 47 Morning Update,
00:03:35.720 and it starts right now.
00:03:37.360 Story number one.
00:03:38.460 It is Democrats' biggest fear.
00:03:40.820 Law and order returning state by state
00:03:43.260 and states now working
00:03:44.840 with the Trump administration
00:03:46.560 and ICE officials specifically.
00:03:49.900 We now have three states
00:03:51.800 that have signed a new agreement with ICE
00:03:54.740 for, quote,
00:03:55.800 expanded immigration enforcement operations.
00:04:00.060 These three states include
00:04:01.840 West Virginia,
00:04:03.520 South Dakota,
00:04:04.540 and Arkansas,
00:04:05.880 all signing the agreements
00:04:07.140 with the Department of Homeland Security's
00:04:08.820 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
00:04:10.820 to specifically, they say,
00:04:12.900 ramp up immigration enforcement
00:04:14.680 within their jurisdictions.
00:04:17.120 West Virginia was the first one.
00:04:19.600 The governor there, Patrick Morse,
00:04:21.380 announced a robust collaboration
00:04:23.700 under Section 287G
00:04:26.780 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
00:04:29.780 This agreement enlists
00:04:31.220 the West Virginia State Police,
00:04:33.240 Corrections and Rehabilitation Division,
00:04:35.400 and the National Guard
00:04:36.940 to assist ICE
00:04:38.340 in immigration enforcement.
00:04:40.800 Translation,
00:04:41.660 if you're an illegal immigrant,
00:04:42.880 you don't want to be
00:04:43.660 in West Virginia right now.
00:04:45.540 Now, under this task force structure,
00:04:47.760 officers can, quote,
00:04:49.420 interrogate anyone
00:04:50.840 suspected of being
00:04:51.880 an undocumented immigrant.
00:04:54.080 Number two,
00:04:55.020 process immigration violations
00:04:57.180 for individuals already arrested
00:04:59.560 for other offenses.
00:05:01.520 Three,
00:05:02.240 conduct warrantless arrests
00:05:03.980 if an individual is seen
00:05:05.960 and suspected to be
00:05:07.140 a flight risk
00:05:08.100 pending a warrant.
00:05:09.960 Four,
00:05:10.700 serve immigration warrants,
00:05:12.740 administer oaths,
00:05:14.140 collect fingerprints,
00:05:15.500 and gather evidence.
00:05:17.080 And five,
00:05:18.360 issue immigration detainers
00:05:20.140 and hold individuals
00:05:21.280 in correctional facilities
00:05:22.840 before transferring them
00:05:24.660 to ICE CUSSE
00:05:25.580 under federal supervision.
00:05:27.940 You look at what has happened
00:05:29.280 in South Dakota.
00:05:30.660 The governor there,
00:05:31.580 as part of his, quote,
00:05:32.880 Operation Prairie Thunder,
00:05:34.980 a public safety initiative,
00:05:36.740 will now have
00:05:37.520 the South Dakota Highway Patrol
00:05:39.080 support ICE
00:05:39.920 with arrests,
00:05:40.700 announcing it today.
00:05:42.140 The National Guard
00:05:43.000 assists with the processing
00:05:44.640 and administrative tasks
00:05:45.940 as well.
00:05:46.740 And the Department of Corrections
00:05:48.220 will help transport detainees,
00:05:50.580 identify undocumented individuals
00:05:52.720 within state prisons,
00:05:54.460 and parole them
00:05:55.820 into ICE custody.
00:05:58.320 You then move to Arkansas.
00:05:59.780 Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders,
00:06:02.080 former White House press secretary
00:06:03.460 under Donald Trump,
00:06:04.960 signing the Defense Against
00:06:06.420 Criminal Illegals Act,
00:06:08.320 which definitively increases
00:06:10.160 penalties for undocumented immigrants
00:06:12.680 convicted of violent crimes.
00:06:14.980 Again, saying to illegal immigrants,
00:06:17.020 you don't want to be in Arkansas.
00:06:18.560 It also, with this new agreement,
00:06:20.240 allows sheriffs to apply
00:06:21.880 for the 287G authority
00:06:24.180 to serve immigration warrants
00:06:26.460 on those already in custody.
00:06:28.940 And Sarah Huckabee Sanders
00:06:30.860 announcing this enables
00:06:32.200 the Arkansas State Police
00:06:34.140 to stop individuals in public,
00:06:36.660 inquire about immigration status,
00:06:38.880 and potentially arrest
00:06:40.080 suspected undocumented immigrants.
00:06:42.740 Now, if you think
00:06:43.480 they're doing this lighthearted,
00:06:44.940 you're wrong.
00:06:45.900 For example, in Arkansas,
00:06:47.640 there is training required,
00:06:49.400 a 40-hour online course
00:06:51.060 covering scope,
00:06:52.480 immigration law,
00:06:53.820 civil rights,
00:06:54.860 cross-cultural issues,
00:06:56.100 as well as liability,
00:06:58.160 doing this in a responsible way.
00:07:00.460 Now, you may be asking,
00:07:01.640 what is ICE 287G program?
00:07:04.560 Well, let me explain to you
00:07:05.620 the broader context
00:07:06.640 of how this is being used
00:07:08.080 by the Trump administration.
00:07:10.020 The program enables
00:07:11.520 state and local officers,
00:07:13.940 after ICE provided training,
00:07:16.140 to carry out certain
00:07:17.140 immigration enforcement duties
00:07:18.760 under ICE supervision.
00:07:20.640 That is why there's
00:07:21.760 a collaboration here
00:07:22.980 and why they are having
00:07:24.580 to sign on to the program.
00:07:27.040 Now, as of August the 13th,
00:07:29.640 ICE has executed 897 agreements
00:07:33.200 across 40 states,
00:07:34.880 including various models
00:07:36.540 such as jail enforcement,
00:07:38.620 warrant service,
00:07:40.060 and task force operations.
00:07:42.380 The Trump administration
00:07:43.560 has significantly accelerated
00:07:45.680 these partnerships,
00:07:47.040 growing from around 135
00:07:48.600 to over 700 agreements
00:07:51.240 in early 2025 alone.
00:07:53.860 Of course,
00:07:54.600 the left is going insane,
00:07:56.660 warning that this surge
00:07:57.960 is a risk to,
00:07:59.020 quote, civil rights,
00:07:59.980 community trust,
00:08:00.920 and invites,
00:08:01.940 they say,
00:08:02.400 racial profiling,
00:08:03.840 even though none
00:08:04.980 of these programs
00:08:05.860 have anything to do
00:08:06.700 with that.
00:08:07.520 Now, you also may be
00:08:08.520 asking yourself,
00:08:09.340 why am I not quoting
00:08:10.320 the president right now
00:08:11.760 when I'm telling you
00:08:12.660 about this initiative?
00:08:13.920 Well, the president
00:08:15.040 clearly is playing chess
00:08:16.660 on the issue.
00:08:17.420 In fact,
00:08:18.320 the White House
00:08:18.840 has had no public statement
00:08:20.340 or reaction
00:08:21.260 regarding these
00:08:22.840 specific agreements
00:08:23.960 with West Virginia,
00:08:25.460 South Dakota,
00:08:26.220 and Arkansas,
00:08:27.220 mainly because
00:08:28.180 they want this
00:08:29.160 to be clearly seen
00:08:30.320 as state-led,
00:08:31.420 that these governors
00:08:32.220 are opting in.
00:08:33.940 And that is exactly
00:08:34.880 why the administration
00:08:36.000 is being so successful
00:08:38.000 in getting this done
00:08:39.080 with so many
00:08:40.080 different agreements,
00:08:40.820 because they're not
00:08:41.700 grandstanding,
00:08:42.760 they're just trying
00:08:43.540 to fight crime,
00:08:44.640 and it's clearly working.
00:08:45.740 Now, story number two.
00:08:47.420 It is the traditional
00:08:48.780 August recess.
00:08:50.220 It's happening right now
00:08:51.360 in Washington, D.C.
00:08:52.560 Congress is back
00:08:53.680 in their districts,
00:08:54.520 in theory,
00:08:55.440 tending to business
00:08:56.660 of listening
00:08:57.320 to the constituents.
00:08:58.740 That doesn't mean
00:08:59.480 there isn't anything
00:09:00.360 going on
00:09:01.060 with the House
00:09:01.860 auto-pen probe.
00:09:03.580 In fact,
00:09:04.080 it's uncovering a lot
00:09:05.520 about the Biden White House,
00:09:07.220 even as Congress
00:09:08.440 is on their
00:09:09.020 traditional recess.
00:09:10.560 The House Oversight Committee,
00:09:12.000 I've been told today,
00:09:13.400 is still investigating
00:09:14.440 the alleged cover-up
00:09:15.460 of former President
00:09:16.200 Joe Biden's decline.
00:09:17.840 The former president
00:09:18.680 insisting he was
00:09:20.000 responsible for,
00:09:21.580 all decisions
00:09:22.480 that came out
00:09:23.140 of the White House
00:09:23.640 during his time in office.
00:09:25.580 And former staff members
00:09:26.800 claim they saw
00:09:28.080 no obvious signs
00:09:29.480 of a cognitive decline.
00:09:31.220 Well,
00:09:31.640 the House Oversight Committee
00:09:32.700 chairman,
00:09:33.260 James Comer,
00:09:34.240 discussing the committee's
00:09:35.600 investigation
00:09:36.360 to whether the
00:09:37.080 Biden administration
00:09:37.940 covered up
00:09:38.640 the cognitive deterioration
00:09:40.220 of the former president.
00:09:41.520 Now, there's also been
00:09:42.400 the question of precedent.
00:09:43.680 What is the auto-pen
00:09:44.880 like in the past?
00:09:46.480 And can you compare
00:09:47.340 how other government officials
00:09:48.660 used the auto-pen
00:09:49.780 in contrast
00:09:50.860 to how it was being used
00:09:52.540 when Joe Biden
00:09:53.420 was in office?
00:09:54.860 Clearly,
00:09:55.360 that would help tremendously
00:09:56.840 in the investigation.
00:09:58.520 Well,
00:09:58.700 former Speaker of the House
00:09:59.900 Newt Gingrich
00:10:00.640 sat down with my good friend
00:10:02.020 Mark Levin
00:10:02.700 and he was asked
00:10:03.680 about the auto-pen
00:10:04.520 when he was the Speaker
00:10:05.300 of the House,
00:10:06.280 signing legislation
00:10:07.220 and how big of a deal
00:10:08.540 it was to use the auto-pen.
00:10:10.340 How seriously
00:10:10.940 was the auto-pen taken?
00:10:12.680 And how much
00:10:13.460 was it also protected
00:10:14.800 from abuse?
00:10:15.840 I want you to hear
00:10:16.740 what Newt Gingrich
00:10:17.480 had to say to Levin.
00:10:18.760 Newt Gingrich,
00:10:19.620 question.
00:10:20.640 When you were Speaker
00:10:21.260 of the House,
00:10:22.160 I bet you took
00:10:22.920 this signature requirement
00:10:24.060 very seriously.
00:10:25.220 I bet you took
00:10:25.900 the requirement
00:10:26.500 that a president
00:10:27.240 actually be present
00:10:28.400 when a bill is signed
00:10:29.640 very, very seriously.
00:10:30.880 I know there's a lot
00:10:31.840 of formalities
00:10:32.860 to the fact
00:10:33.480 when certain bills
00:10:34.280 are brought,
00:10:34.940 they're brought
00:10:35.320 in a special way.
00:10:36.600 They're handed
00:10:37.100 to somebody specifically.
00:10:38.560 There's a whole process
00:10:39.520 set up.
00:10:40.060 Did you ever think
00:10:41.720 you'd see the day
00:10:42.600 where we're raising
00:10:43.320 serious questions
00:10:44.240 about a former president,
00:10:45.940 whether he signed
00:10:46.820 these bills
00:10:47.540 or if he was present
00:10:48.740 when the bills
00:10:49.320 were signed?
00:10:50.260 Well,
00:10:50.780 when you put it
00:10:51.600 that way,
00:10:52.080 sure.
00:10:52.580 Look,
00:10:52.920 these people
00:10:53.360 are corrupt,
00:10:54.260 irresponsible,
00:10:55.460 and happy to
00:10:56.680 exploit the nation
00:10:57.980 for their own gain.
00:10:58.920 So given those
00:10:59.740 kind of people,
00:11:00.740 who knows
00:11:01.160 what they might do?
00:11:02.620 I think it does raise,
00:11:03.900 as you have
00:11:04.400 brilliantly done
00:11:05.280 in this show today,
00:11:06.800 it raises a very
00:11:07.900 big question
00:11:08.740 about whether
00:11:09.540 or not these laws
00:11:10.260 are in fact laws.
00:11:11.680 Remember,
00:11:12.200 the founding fathers
00:11:13.020 understood that
00:11:14.060 you had to have
00:11:15.220 a pretty strict
00:11:16.060 series of rules
00:11:17.040 or the whole system
00:11:18.560 breaks down
00:11:19.320 into a kind
00:11:20.440 of corruption
00:11:21.020 which undermines
00:11:22.180 the rule of law.
00:11:23.060 The rule of law
00:11:23.700 requires rules,
00:11:25.180 and one of those rules
00:11:26.060 is that the president
00:11:27.220 signs bills.
00:11:28.340 Now,
00:11:28.720 he can direct
00:11:29.420 an auto pen
00:11:30.100 for things that are
00:11:31.860 ceremonial,
00:11:33.100 Christmas cards,
00:11:33.880 for example,
00:11:34.440 but the president
00:11:35.060 ought to be signing
00:11:35.700 these things.
00:11:36.400 And when you learn
00:11:37.040 that Biden
00:11:38.460 was signing
00:11:39.120 thousands of
00:11:40.260 commutations
00:11:41.020 in the last few days
00:11:42.240 of his administration,
00:11:43.160 you know he didn't
00:11:43.780 have a clue
00:11:44.260 what was going on.
00:11:45.340 You know we have
00:11:45.940 no idea what the
00:11:46.800 deals were,
00:11:47.660 why those people
00:11:48.420 were given
00:11:48.800 commutations,
00:11:49.820 or if in fact
00:11:50.900 they were legal.
00:11:51.780 So I do think
00:11:52.940 there's a profound
00:11:53.660 question here,
00:11:54.580 and probably the Congress
00:11:56.060 and President Trump
00:11:56.980 should really write
00:11:58.620 some more restrictive
00:11:59.900 rules about what
00:12:01.200 it takes to get
00:12:02.120 a bill to actually
00:12:02.860 be a law.
00:12:03.540 Now,
00:12:03.640 it's interesting,
00:12:04.580 Luke,
00:12:04.760 in which one I
00:12:05.320 went back
00:12:05.920 and looked at
00:12:06.320 Madison's notes
00:12:07.140 and looked at
00:12:07.720 some of the other
00:12:08.520 essays and comments
00:12:09.380 on that,
00:12:09.640 they spent a lot
00:12:10.160 of time on this.
00:12:11.160 They spent a lot
00:12:11.880 of time on this
00:12:12.560 signature issue.
00:12:14.120 They remembered
00:12:15.220 the statute of frauds
00:12:16.700 from the 1600s.
00:12:17.840 It was very important
00:12:18.600 to them.
00:12:19.320 And back then it was,
00:12:20.280 oh, this guy's
00:12:20.860 the president.
00:12:21.520 You know,
00:12:21.640 we didn't have
00:12:22.000 this massive bureaucracy.
00:12:23.460 He's going to sign
00:12:24.120 these laws.
00:12:24.800 We in Congress,
00:12:25.540 we're going to spend
00:12:26.060 our time doing all this
00:12:27.200 and send it to him.
00:12:28.060 We're concerned that
00:12:28.860 somebody might hijack it,
00:12:30.500 somebody might sign it,
00:12:31.940 and there's also
00:12:33.100 this presentment requirement
00:12:34.480 that he needs to be present.
00:12:36.040 I mean,
00:12:36.280 let me ask you that.
00:12:37.000 Is he really asking
00:12:37.860 a president too much
00:12:39.040 to sign the damn bills
00:12:40.460 or to be present
00:12:41.200 when the bills are signed?
00:12:42.580 I mean,
00:12:42.960 if he's having difficulty
00:12:44.260 doing that,
00:12:45.180 doesn't that kind of
00:12:45.880 prove the point?
00:12:46.760 Well, look,
00:12:47.080 I don't think any
00:12:47.880 reasonable person
00:12:48.840 thinks that
00:12:49.700 after some point
00:12:50.940 in 2023,
00:12:52.720 Joe Biden clearly
00:12:53.740 was incompetent
00:12:54.780 as defined
00:12:55.580 by the 25th Amendment.
00:12:56.820 As you walked us through,
00:12:58.020 I mean,
00:12:58.440 when you read the amendment
00:12:59.680 and you read the discussion
00:13:01.560 around the amendment,
00:13:02.440 it's very clear.
00:13:03.920 Biden clearly
00:13:04.800 was incompetent
00:13:05.840 sometime,
00:13:06.700 I can't tell you
00:13:07.240 on a given date,
00:13:08.040 but sometime in 23,
00:13:09.520 it should have been obvious
00:13:10.580 to every person
00:13:11.880 who was dealing with him
00:13:13.280 that he was no longer
00:13:14.360 competent to be president.
00:13:16.000 And I agree with you.
00:13:17.220 Every one of these
00:13:17.980 cabinet officers
00:13:18.660 and Vice President Harris
00:13:19.880 failed their
00:13:20.680 constitutional duty
00:13:21.780 and they should,
00:13:23.140 frankly,
00:13:23.260 be stuck with that,
00:13:24.120 that these are people
00:13:25.180 who willfully cheated
00:13:26.780 the American people
00:13:28.120 and allowed
00:13:28.980 a phony presidency
00:13:30.500 in which I'm guessing
00:13:31.880 Dr. Jill
00:13:32.860 was the most important.
00:13:34.080 She became,
00:13:34.640 in effect,
00:13:35.340 the acting president
00:13:36.460 of the United States.
00:13:37.280 You listen to the claim there
00:13:38.860 by Newt Gingrich
00:13:39.940 that he says
00:13:41.140 Jill Biden
00:13:41.980 effectively became
00:13:43.380 the de facto president
00:13:44.660 of the United States
00:13:45.620 of America.
00:13:46.760 She was not elected
00:13:48.880 by anyone,
00:13:50.260 which goes back
00:13:51.200 to exactly why
00:13:52.220 this investigation
00:13:53.080 is happening
00:13:54.000 and why
00:13:55.080 the House Oversight Committee
00:13:56.440 is still investigating
00:13:57.720 the alleged cover-up
00:13:58.700 of former President
00:13:59.360 Joe Biden's decline
00:14:00.380 even while much
00:14:02.780 of Congress
00:14:03.460 is out of town.
00:14:04.680 Thank you for listening
00:14:05.380 to the 47 Morning Update
00:14:07.100 with Ben Ferguson.
00:14:08.760 Please make sure
00:14:09.660 you hit subscribe
00:14:10.580 wherever you're listening
00:14:12.040 to this podcast
00:14:12.880 right now
00:14:13.680 and for more
00:14:14.600 in-depth news,
00:14:15.860 also subscribe
00:14:16.620 to the Ben Ferguson podcast
00:14:18.120 and we will see you
00:14:19.460 back here tomorrow.
00:14:22.020 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:14:24.900 Guaranteed Human.
00:14:26.500 I love you.
00:14:27.100 I love you.
00:14:28.900 I love you.
00:14:34.400 But I love you.
00:14:39.400 You love me.
00:14:39.520 I love you.
00:14:40.120 I love you.
00:14:41.420 People out there.